Chương 26: Star Wanderer

Once I definitively transitioned from the category of a suspect to an ordinary civilian and a potential saint, most of the restrictions were lifted, making it much easier to move around the ship. Of course, quite a few things were still forbidden to me, but all within reason. Sometimes, out of sheer boredom, I wandered the dark local corridors and admired the aesthetic of the Black Templars. They lived up to their name, for there was not much color here, and only religious symbols with scripture adorned the walls.

Occasionally, I even read the texts engraved on the walls, which were stories about various saints and Emperor's Champions. Interesting stories, though I could not help but note that every single one of them was tied to the death of that particular saint. And only after that did they become something else, something connected to the divine. Jaya and I spoke with each other a few more times.

She brought me further up to speed on the politics of the sector and the Imperium as a whole, explaining the details of the various Inquisition sub-factions and who was on whose side. In particular, she told me that the man we were heading to meet was one of her comrades in the cause of elevating humanity's psychic potential, and that he could help us greatly in the future. Furthermore, she hinted several times that he was somehow connected to the Thorians as well. Good company, to say the least.

Besides discussing politics, I also entertained myself by attending services in the local church. The locals considered me a living saint, and therefore I had to justify the title. I acted the part of a loyal servant of the Emperor, believing in him to the depths of my soul. Fortunately, the Imperial Creed was relatively simple, and I merely adhered to what was written in the Ministorum texts that Atreus and I had dissected during my lessons.

I had the idea of showing off a few holy tricks, but I did not want to risk exposing myself in front of everyone for no reason. The local congregation and the Templars did not even dare to speak to me, so I kept to myself. I used this opportunity to memorize how these fanatics act and react. The fact is, I had not abandoned my plan to save the Imperium, and I was even starting to develop ideas on how to use the local religiosity to benefit the people. After all, who would they listen to if not a saint?

And I could easily pass for one: manifest wings, a halo, and a glow around myself, and then deliver the words of the Emperor, which is to say, ideas on how to improve the state of affairs in the galaxy. The Warp journey itself, fortunately, passed without any issues or daemonic incursions. This actually does not happen all that often; we were just really lucky last time. Usually, the worst consequences are strange dreams and general crew nervousness. However, despite all the risks, our journey was worth it.

Pry was astounding. Back in my past life, when I took an interest in the Warhammer universe, I had not given much thought to the boundless diversity of the cosmos. In space fantasy, the heavy emphasis was always placed on the fantasy aspect. In the games and books, the action most often takes place on Hive Worlds or Death Worlds, but that is merely a drop in the ocean of the universe's literally infinite potential.

And while Scintilla was a dying anthill where people did not live but merely survived, Lehida was an artificial paradise untouched by human hands. But still, it was not all that different from the ancient Terra I knew. But Pry... it was entirely different. The first thing that caught the eye was the local star. Instead of the usual white star, a red dwarf shone here. And even though I was only looking at an image from the sensors, the view was truly mesmerizing.

It gave the entire system a slight red-orange tint, and it looked incredibly unusual. It even made me want to visit other systems with even more unusual celestial bodies. Secondly, Pry itself was staggering. I was already used to earth-like planets, so seeing this red gas giant up close... it took my breath away. It was dozens, if not hundreds of times larger than Scintilla and Lehida combined. There were no settlements on it, for the atmosphere was deadly to absolutely any living creature.

Even from here, giant storms were visible on its surface, each of continental proportions. The sheer reality of such magnitudes was difficult to imagine. And that makes it even harder to conceive that humanity has conquered tens and hundreds of thousands of similar planets scattered across the galaxy. I was also fascinated by the asteroid belt orbiting Pry. I had seen similar things in pictures in astronomy textbooks, but seeing it up close was a completely different feeling.

Each of them was the size of entire cities or even countries, clearly possessing the mass to destroy our ship in a single collision. But there were no incidents, and we smoothly reached the void station. The asteroids orbited this giant planet, and in some places, I even saw things resembling structures like manufactorums and factories. I suspect these massive rocks are used as a source of resources, and I could not help but appreciate the efficiency of the approach.

Moreover, it was impossible not to notice the dozens of moons orbiting this world. Their sizes varied wildly, from a third of Earth's moon to almost the size of Terra itself. The vast majority were lifeless rocks, but I am certain humanity utilizes them for resource extraction in some way as well. The exception was a distant, small planet that, as I knew, hosted a relatively small Hive World. Merov was home to a mere twenty billion people, which was still considered a small population by local standards.

Pry Forty-One itself was also unlike anything I had ever seen. It was a monumental structure the size of an entire Hive City. And out in the void of space, that was an incredible achievement. What was truly staggering was that the station floated in the void, and thousands of voidships moved around it like bees. They flew into giant tunnels decorated with skulls and other Imperial iconography. These corridors were thousands of kilometers long, leading to a giant city similar to the one I grew up in.

Except these incredible multi-story structures were not confined under some dome; they were sealed and situated directly in the vacuum of space. The entire city was a massive enclosed labyrinth where only the walls protected the people from the inevitable death of cosmic radiation or hard vacuum. I do not know if this was built during the Imperium, but I am ready to believe it is a creation of the much older Dark Age of Technology. Some relics of that era still function and faithfully serve humanity.

And the technological level back then was staggering. As far as I remember, the Tech-Priests even have a Dyson Sphere lying around somewhere, built tens of thousands of years ago. As we flew toward our destination, I examined the countless ships moving alongside us. I had not given it much thought, but the Imperium actually contains quite a few private organizations and even full-fledged interplanetary corporations. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

Despite all the corruption and totalitarianism, local officials simply are not capable of handling every problem on their own. Therefore, the regulation of private enterprise here is rather weak. It is hard to control a million worlds where the locals decide for themselves how to live, so long as they pay their tithes and do not engage in outright heresy. Thanks to all this, local companies can grow to a truly impressive level, acquiring very significant influence.

The Cestellan Alliance was a perfect example of this. An alliance of natives from a small feudal state, under the Imperium's protection, used a backwater Agri-World to create an entire trade empire. And they did not even abandon their feudal traditions. They are still ruled by knightly orders and kings.

Through proper planning, long-term investments, and a rational approach to utilizing their meager resources, they grew so much that they now control dozens of worlds, serving as one of the largest food suppliers in the entire sector. If they stopped their shipments, a mass famine would begin that would strike the Emperor knows how many worlds. Of course, they would be destroyed the very next second due to their lack of a standing army, but the alliance's influence still cannot be ignored.

And there are quite a few such corporations in the sector. There is no better place to see this for yourself than Pry Forty-One. I saw hundreds of ships bearing a wide variety of logos heading toward the void base. Besides the Cestellans, one could see the grey ships of the DeVayne Incorporation, a religious order that built its wealth on the trade of indentured servants, or simply put, slaves.

According to rumors, they controlled many millions of manual laborers who performed work that was dirty even by local standards. It was also impossible to miss the massive vessels of the Skaelen-Har Hegemony, a very powerful and efficient heavy industry enterprise with manufactorums across the sector. The Calixis Sector Battlefleet relies heavily on them to keep its warships operational, and without the Hegemony, it would lose more than half its combat potential.

These guys are truly serious players who absolutely cannot be underestimated. After all, they are deeply tied to the Tech-Priests and are practically a part of the Cult of the Machine God, actively engaging in augmentation and replacing parts of their own bodies with metal. Atreus and Jaya had told me about these and many other major players in the sector during my training, but this was my first time seeing them in person.

And while it was simple in words, seeing up close that even some local trade companies possess kilometer-long ships capable of conquering primitive worlds gives you an entirely different feeling. Only now do you begin to understand just what kind of truly colossal power humanity wields, if even the small fry possess things like this. Our arrival inside went without a hitch. We were, after all, on a Space Marine strike cruiser.

And every Chapter possesses a legendary status capable of terrifying almost any human to death. Let alone ordinary customs officials. Especially considering that smuggling thrives here like nowhere else. And so, we made it to the main settlement almost without any inspections. A few hours later we docked, disembarked, and were finally able to leave the ship. The Templar leader said his mission would end as soon as he handed us over to his client.

He did not name him, but Jaya knew who he was; some Inquisitor acquaintance of hers who owed her heavily. But the Chaplain also warned us that due to my unconfirmed status, I would be spoken to very seriously later, and gently requested that I not leave the station until that moment. Not the most pleasant situation, but it has its upsides too. If I manage to get the Templars on my side as well, I will have the opportunity to influence a great many things.

We immediately set off to meet the Inquisitor, still surrounded by a dozen Space Marines protecting us. Not that she particularly needed it, because almost immediately after leaving the starport, we boarded a transport and drove somewhere toward the center. Inside, the station itself was not quite as impressive. Or rather, its architecture was not what was impressive. It felt as if someone had just taken a voidship and scaled it up a hundred times. Then added a few parts from a Hive World.

Yes, the countless crowds living inside stood out, but even the ceiling with its giant lumen globes reminded me of my native Scintilla. However, I could not help but notice how much freer everything was here. People wore a wide variety of clothing that made me feel like I was going crazy.

Here you could spot natives of feudal worlds dressed in actual knightly plate or the garments of typical Renaissance aristocrats, alongside people indistinguishable from the citizens of third-millennium Terra who had clearly come from a Civilized World. In some places, soldiers walked by in gas masks, looking like they had stepped out of the First World War, walking right next to mechanized cyborgs. Thousands of cultures, of which the Imperium was rich, mixed here, and that was the most curious thing of all.

Every person seemed unique and unrepeatable, bearing the legacy of their homeworld. Moreover, it was amusing to see good old-fashioned advertisements on the streets for the first time in this life. Banners for both small, unknown companies and mighty corporations were an amusing detail I had almost forgotten about. I did not recognize the local brands, but that was enough. A small detail, but for some reason, I had missed it immensely.

As we drove through the streets, it was impossible not to notice that the problem of crime and illegal trade was much more severe here than even on Sibellus. Illicit activities were being conducted right before our eyes, and it did not look like the Arbitrators ever bothered to look into it. And that is a very bad sign, because these enforcers of the law do their jobs far more thoroughly than even the Inquisition, since catching criminals is essentially all they do.

This means everything here is rotten to the very top, clearly preventing local law enforcement from doing their jobs. To put it mildly, a very bad sign. The journey to the client took a couple of hours, but we eventually reached a gigantic building devoid of any elegance. It was a grey box that did not even have the typical Imperial skulls and eagles on it. Honestly, it stood out by virtue of having absolutely nothing stand out.

We stepped inside, still surrounded by the Black Templars, and immediately met the likely employer of the Astartes. A very interesting man stood before us. A statuesque man with a short haircut and dark skin, he wore a formal military uniform. I must admit, it truly suited him, as it significantly amplified his aura of power and authority. What stood out most was some sort of augmentation at his temple, from which a wire ran down to his back.

I have no idea what it is, as I had not seen anything like it even among the Tech-Priests. Furthermore, I was unsettled by a certain strangeness about this place in the Warp. I had never seen anything like it before and could not articulate exactly what the problem was, but it just felt like something was wrong. Incorrect, maybe? It was as if a strange shadow hung over the Immaterium, and it was somehow strangely affecting the material world itself. A bizarre phenomenon that I will need to investigate further.

I also could not help but notice that this man was a decent psyker. Much weaker than Jaya, but it was still a relatively decent level. Moreover, several artifacts hidden beneath his clothing were worth paying attention to. Even from here, I could tell they were the result of worthy craftsmanship, and even Jaya would not turn her nose up at using them. Besides, she still had not forgiven me for destroying her collection, and her shadow-dog in particular.

Because of this, she refused to elaborate on the nature of such monsters until I found her a worthy replacement. I suspect this was all just a game, but I saw no point in pushing her. At least, for now. The man smiled broadly as he met us. He first looked at Jaya, but soon shifted his gaze to me. And I strongly disliked his eyes. This is what a madman escaped from an asylum might look like. Wide open with dilated pupils, there was clearly something wrong with his eyes.

It might be some kind of mutation, but I did not believe it. Playing against that theory was the rosette resting on his chest. Before me was another Inquisitor, and he looked the least sane out of all the ones I had met. Emperor, what did I do to deserve this.

"You have no idea how much I anticipated our meeting. Radok, I am grateful to your Chapter for completing this mission and I am ready to fulfill all my agreements. I have already contacted the High Marshal and your Chapter will receive everything it needs. May the Emperor bless your crusade, and may the gifted relic help you punish all the Emperor's enemies." The Space Marine he addressed did not answer, merely nodding silently, before turning around and walking toward the exit without a word.

I noticed him cast one last glance at me before leaving, but I could not figure out what he was thinking. But I did not have time to dwell on it, because the Inquisitor soon addressed us directly. His voice was firm and rather harsh, in which the notes of a former military man were clearly audible.

"Well then, I imagine you are tired from your travels. In that case, I suggest you take a walk and rest. And then, we will talk."