POV: Nicole

  I get the notification from Master Doll as he goes into his curated version of the events of the past few months. The message is clear: It is time. I stand up slowly, pulling the stasis case with the original receipt document out from under my robes, holding my Omnissian Axe in my hand, and my hood pulled low over my face as I make my way to the stairs and start to descend slowly while everyone else is focused intently on Archmagos Korr and Master Doll.

  When he presents me, I step onto the stage, and the machine spirit of the stage takes notice of me, probing me curiously. There is a brief moment of absolute silence, and confusion radiates from the crowd before I feel an absolute deluge of queries through the Noosphere as people try to look at my suppressed profile and bombard the Council with queries.

  “I greet you, esteemed Magi of Cypra Mundi. My name is Nicole Cavalerio.” I say with a smile. I smoothly bow, make the sign of the cog, and use my mechadendrites to curtsy at the same time.

  Master Doll clasps his arms behind his back and proudly strides to stand at my side. He chuckles wryly in amusement, “Nicole, you may drop your suppression, in full,” he tells me gently.

  My smile widens, and as I release the suppression, I reach up and pull back my hood. “My apologies. Allow me to expound. I am Nicole Cavalerio. Matriarch of House Cavalerio, Princeps Senioris of Legio Tempestus, Multi-disciplinary Magos.”

  The only one who doesn’t visibly react amongst the Magi of the High Council is the Fabricator General. His attention has considerable metaphysical weight through the Noosphere when focused on an individual. Looking back at his Noospheric presence, his avatar is a massive swirling web of data, at the core of which is a colossal mechanical arachnid; his defenses dwarf those of anyone I’ve met up to this point. The Fabricator Locum is closer to Master Doll, though his presence in the Noosphere feels more fluid, like refined oil, whereas Master Doll’s is a dense, rigid metallic structure.

  With access to my profile, the rest of the Forum is silent for several seconds before someone in the Middle Council behind me exclaims, “What is the meaning of all these ranks!?”

  —---------------------------------------------------------------------

  POV: Fabricator General of Cypra Mundi, Aptimos Mundi Phi<0.05

  Aptimos studied the child standing before him with a critical eye. He had access to her full profile – or he should; he could see at least three minor gaps where a minute amount of data was being hidden from him. It was such a diminutive amount of data that he calculated that there was less than a one in ten million chance any of the Archmagi with comparable access would notice. The amount of data suggests hidden titles or ranks, which in the end are irrelevant.

  Despite the missing data, he had full access to the rest of her profile and all the related data. That included the highly classified reports of: Lord Inquisitor Striker, Archmagos Akellonon Doll, Magos Xor of the Venatorii, Star Dragon’s Librarian Astrovas, Navigator Lily Nostromo, and Choir-Master Esailla Supine. Such reports covered her true transhuman nature, her capabilities, her soul, and her personality.

  He was appreciative of the forewarning from Archmagos Doll. Even so, in person, the physical form of the child was hardly a striking presence; her digital presence, on the other hand, was as impressive as she was ancient. Her Noospheric avatar was fascinating, a near one-for-one match to her physical form down to the most minute of details; his cursory analysis confirmed her defenses and processing capabilities were considerable. He cranked up his perception and processing abilities, and time slowed to a crawl as he catalogued, compiled, and devoured every scrap of data on the network related to the child.

  Meanwhile, the local Noosphere was on fire. Within the Forum’s network, Magi were already arguing over which planet would be best to utilize the second Yggdrasil Seed. Another series of discussions began to pop up as the lower-ranked Tech Priests discovered most of Nicole’s profile was classified to them. In contrast, the higher-ranked individuals scrutinized each of her titles and ranks, which inevitably sparked arguments. The individuals with the fastest processing capabilities were only now noticing the redactions and classifications.

  The situation was delicate. He recategorized her in his systems – treating her like a normal Magi was pointless; she was a wholly unique existence. The reports were clear: a transhuman closer to the Omnissiah's own creations than the baseline human or even an Astartes. Possessing potent technomancy, and suspected divination abilities. A living superweapon against the Abominable Intelligences. On top of it all, she was a Princeps, the daughter of a lauded, loyal War Hero. Simply put, the child was too valuable. She had developed favorable ties to several factions, both within and outside the Mechanicus. Which in itself was mildly problematic.

  Nicole Cavalerio was on Cypra Mundi for a reason: her Engine - a commission from over ten-thousand years ago. It had been found, but regrettably, not in prime condition. He examined the contract and dismissed the penalties. Given the child’s personality profile and legal analysis of the secondary penalty clauses, the amounts might have been considerable for a normal individual or a faction but not to a Forge World of Cypra Mundi's size, thus he deemed his personal interference in that matter unnecessary. Autokratoris Dravane had the matter in hand; they would negotiate, and he could approve compensation in material, data, and manpower.

  After all, there were additional precious repositories of data and STC-fragments to be shared. He was keenly interested in the physical STC they had brought with them. If the data Archmagos Doll provided was accurate, he did not simply want that STC; he needed that STC.

  His systems flagged a pending request from the Inquisition’s Ordo Xenos, and he skimmed the contents. They required funds and resource allocations to produce both a stationary and man-portable scanner capable of detecting Xenos infiltration on a cellular level. He allocated the required resources and approved the use of two secure manufactories. The Xenos infestation had been causing minor discrepancies in his network and resulting in the loss of valuable human resources. The scanners would eventually rectify that inefficiency. The origin of the schematic buried within the metadata: The child.

  As the seconds finally ticked over, he got tired of the noise within the Forum and raised one of his legs and brought it down with a satisfying clang that echoed throughout the great hall of the Forum.

  “Silence,” he growled as he focused his attention back down on the child before him. He might as well force a clarification on a matter. “Nicole Cavalerio, you claim your lineage from the loyal elements of Legio Tempestus. Clarify: Which planet do you claim as your homeworld?”

  “I was designed and born in the void on a Golden Age space station’s science module. There is only one planet I spent considerable time on as a young child.” Her eyes shimmered brightly as she spoke with confidence, “Mars.”

  He turned, stared down at the representative of Holy Mars, and put the man on the spot. “Archmagos Nocta Seraphex-9. Do you and Holy Mars accept her claim?”

  It was mildly amusing to watch the Martian Archmagos struggle to accelerate his computational processes due to the limitations of his smaller chassis and buy precious moments to consider the various implications of doing so.

  “Mars… accepts this claim,” he said in binaric after a long moment.

  Aptimos did not smirk, such an involuntary physical reaction was beneath him. He merely allowed his endocrine system to produce the required chemicals to enjoy feeling smug for a few moments. “Matter clarified. Nicole Cavalerio of Mars. You may continue.”

  —-------------------------------------------------------------------

  POV: Fabricator Locum, Archmagos Rhydan Korr

  Korr studied the girl standing in front of him. Her build was compact, petite, youthful, despite her recorded date of birth being in the 29th Millennium. Her Noospheric presence was incredibly potent. Her profile was a mess of titles, rankings, and classified warnings. While he had access to most of them, there were certain restricted data packets he could not access without being flagged, and some that he couldn’t access at all.

  He scrutinized every word as the Fabricator General intervened. No one would dare interrupt him, but when he finished, Korr was the first to speak.

  “Princeps Nicole, you just stated you were designed? Would you care to clarify that?” He asked, leaning forward on his throne.

  Nicole took a deep breath. “My original template was designed during the Iron Rebellion of the Dark Age of Technology, unfortunately the project was never finished. House Cavalerio discovered a ruined orbital station containing the remains of that project, and my biological father, Indias Cavalerio, and his team of Archmagi managed to successfully gestate one individual using his genetic material.” She explained, “Me. Before anyone asks. Yes, I am currently classified as a Beta-class psyker.”

  Korr narrowed his eyes as he tried to access the collaborating data. His attention was pulled to her titles as he tapped one of his metal digits on the arm of his throne. Machine Touched, Living Relic, Matriarch of House Cavalerio, Seeker, Daughter of Silver. He dug into the Daughter of Silver title and blanched as it linked to several flagged files. One of which was a transcript of an audio log which recorded her first interaction with a true Abominable Intelligence, a Man of Iron.

  The reveal of her psychic nature was nothing compared to the information he could see. This… entity… was a genetically engineered living weapon against the Abominable. That information was properly restricted, and the few individuals who could access that level of information were all sitting beside him. The Fabricator General knew – of that he was certain. She was radioactive, too dangerous to keep, too valuable to ignore, and Aptimos, with a single inquiry, had made her Mars’s problem. He sent a discreet warning to Archmagos Nocta Seraphex-9 to check the restricted files.

  Korr ignored the gallery as people got upset about her psychic potential. His gaze shifted to Doll. “Why?” He sent over a private Noospheric channel.

  The Levelist Archmagos was calmly standing next to her and sent him a private message. “Korr, you have no idea. Keep reading.” He included links to certain files that Korr quickly looked over.

  Korr didn’t want any part of this mess. He quickly spotted a way to shift the conversation. “Archmagos Doll, it is plain to see that a number of her titles were elevated recently. Can you speak to their accuracy?” He asked aloud.

  “Unfortunately, I cannot,” Doll replied, which made Korr blink in surprise. “You see, due to the limitations of my own knowledge and that of my high-ranking Magi, we were only able to test her appropriately within our areas of expertise. Her rankings and accolades as a result are under-reported,” Doll revealed, looking slightly amused and not at all worried.

  Calls immediately rang out demanding they test her and verify the absurd breadth of rankings. Korr ignored them. Given how confident Doll was, he could infer that Nicole would likely test above most of her visible rankings.

  “Excuse me? There was another gift I was supposed to give specifically to the High Council and high-ranking Forge Worlds before getting to the matter of Cypra Mundi’s debt.” Korr felt his remaining human eye twitch violently as he turned back to the girl.

  “Gift?” He asked, his tone guarded. He noticed that at the mention of debt, in his peripheral vision, Autokratoris Dravrane visibly stiffened.

  “During our explorations, we came across the blueprint for the voidship navigational aid known as the Void Abacus. When paired with a skilled navigator, the distance a voidship can cover in a single jump without the guiding light of the Astronomican is increased by nearly a factor of five. The production requirements are strict, but most major Forge Worlds likely have the capabilities to produce them. We even have a few intact Void Abaci to serve as references.” She then forwarded the High Council, and the representatives of major Forge Worlds, the files.

  The design was quite interesting, but he could already tell it would indeed be costly to produce. Several of the difficult-to-produce materials would fall squarely on his shoulders. He loathed working with warp-reactive materials.

  High Council member Archmagos Vessal Croft of the Basilikon Astra immediately sent a petition to both himself and the Fabricator General for resources to immediately look into the production of the devices. At roughly the same time, the Navis Nobilite sent a formal request to halt the sharing of the data and postpone production.

  “Cypra Mundi thanks you for the generous gift,” Korr replied mechanically. He could already tell that this was going to be a massive headache. His only solace was that it was Aptimos who approved Vessal Croft’s request.

  Korr groaned internally. Magi from lesser worlds who hadn’t gotten the Void Abaci schematic were shouting about unfairness and wanting their own copy – even if the idiots didn’t have the means to produce them. While most of the other Forge World representatives who had gotten a copy were wisely keeping their mouths shut on the matter but that didn’t stop some of them from weighing in on the numerous ongoing arguments about Nicole’s absurd portfolio of ranks, status, her age, and her psychic abilities. While the more skittish Navis Nobilite representatives were screaming about Mechanicus overstepping, and legal recourse.

  “As for the matter of the debt.” She forwarded the entire Forum a digital copy of the purchase agreement. “My father, Indas Cavalerio, commissioned a custom Titan for me ten thousand years ago, using rare parts designed to work solely with my unique biology and implant suite. I am here to collect it. I have the original document with me here, in stasis, signed by the Fabricator General and ruling council of Magi of Cypra Mundi at the time.”

  The Fabricator General inquired to the council. “Engine status?”

  Korr watched as Dravane stood up and spoke. “We have located the Engine. It is intact but has not weathered ten millennia without some… difficulties. With permission, my team and I are prepared to negotiate with Lady Calverio on Cypra Mundi’s behalf to determine appropriate recompense after she validates that the Engine itself is operational.”

  “Granted,” the Fabricator General decreed.

  Meanwhile, the local Titanicus factions had been digging up as much data on Tempestus from their archives, and it seemed they had discovered that the Legio Orbitalis Legate, Tyrel Ozkan, had information on the Engine she was here for, and were demanding information from the unfortunate Legate after reading the terms of the sale.

  Korr reached out to the Fabricator General privately. “Lord Aptimos, are you certain in this course of action? If the negotiations go poorly, it could impact even our coffers.”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “Patience, Korr. There is more to come. You will understand soon. Allow the girl to depart with Dravane,” was the vague but confident reply.

  “I would very much like to go inspect my Engine as soon as possible, with your permission?” Princeps Nicole asked politely.

  Korr frowned, and he was forced to mute the Forum so he could be heard. “The testing and verification of Princeps Seniores Cavalerio’s Divisio rankings will be postponed to a later date by suitable experts. Autokratoris Dravane, you and your team may escort the young lady and her protection detail to her Engine. Cypra Mundi always pays its debts.” Korr firmly reminded the crowd. “Any further inquiries into Princeps Seniores Cavalerio are hereby tabled and must be made through the proper channels,” he decreed, and slammed his staff down on the stage with a loud metallic clang. He scanned the crowd, daring anyone to object.

  Princeps Nicole made the sign of the cog, did that rather fetching little curtsey-bow she had greeted them with, and then retreated from the stage.

  Dravane stood and calmly moved towards the exit. Several individuals joined him, most interestingly, Inquisitor Solenne Arc-Ferrum, Legate Ozkan, and several members of the senior leadership for Legio Orbitalis. What was mildly concerning was that the Venerable Dreadnought that had come with the rest of the Star Dragons Astartes was following Princeps Nicole, as was someone his systems identification suite tagged as ‘Saint Lael Zyne.’

  Korr made a single attempt to pawn off the responsibility for testing the girl, but that was denied by Lord Aptimos. Seeing he had no other choice, he had opened up slots for volunteers for the eventual testing of Magos Cavalerio’s capabilities. Korr got several requests from various individuals wishing to be present or serve as suitable proctors.

  The representative of Stygies VIII, Magos Erant Xeranthe Vhal-Kyber, wished to proctor her tests for Divisio Xenologis. The normally withdrawn and quirky Magos was an expert in the field.

  The man who had claimed her for Mars, Archmagos, Nocta Seraphex-9 of Mars, volunteered to proctor her testing for Divisio Technicus; they were more than sufficient for the role.

  Korr glanced to the side. High Council member, Explorator-General Luminous Bulbor, had volunteered to test her in Diviso Archaeos and Explorator. He was the foremost expert in both Divisios on Cypra Mundi at the moment. Another easy approval.

  Korr himself could cover Alchemys and Metalurgicus if he wanted to even bother. No one seemed to doubt her Magos ranks as the apprentice to Archmagos Doll; her skill as a Magos in Divisio Fabricator and Artisan was undisputed. While a plethora of other so called ‘experts’ tried to worm their way into the testing pool, forcing him to enact stricter criteria for potential proctors. While not ideal, in place of his Biologis Superior, Magos Zygor Gravox would suffice for Biologis. The most troublesome would be finding a suitable proctor for Psykana; such individuals on Cypra Mundi were rather… reclusive.

  Korr turned back to Doll, clearly hoping that they could finish up and put this mess behind them. He had already had enough surprises for one day.

  Doll inclined his head politely, “I would like to cede my remaining time to Lord Arken Drakios. He has something he believes Cypra Mundi will be interested in,” Doll said, and Korr’s eyes narrowed.

  Korr had ignored the Rogue Trader up to this point. The man stood, and Korr could admit silently that the man was wearing a fairly tasteful garment with a subtle armored underlayer. As Imperial finery went, it was a good choice for a Mechanicus event. A number of archeotech and mastercrafted items dotted his person. He was old but well-groomed, greying but looked to have recently undergone a rejuvenat treatment.

  As he traded places with Doll, he gestured, and the Astartes brought forward the secure crate along with a stand to the center of the stage. He personally undid a genelock and opened the container with a slight flourish, revealing the metal cube that sat within to the Forum. It took his Auspex a few moments to figure out what he was looking at. A physical STC!

  “Lords and Magi of Cypra Mundi.” Drakios bowed crisply, “During our recent travels, we uncovered an STC, this one in particular, my Dynasty is fully credited with its discovery and recovery. After discussing with the Archmagos and other Magi, I was led to believe Cypra Mundi would be keenly interested in purchasing it.” Drakios smiled sharply, his eyes glinted with the telltale look of an experienced negotiator readying for battle.

  “May I?” Rumbled the Fabricator General.

  “By all means, Fabricator General, Fabricator Locum,” Drakios invited with a smile.

  Korr barely held himself back as Aptimos extended a pair of mechadendrites from his throne. The articulated limbs unfurled with a faint mechanical whir, segments telescoping outward before thick cables spilled from their housing. The data-tethers slithered across the surface of the stage like metallic serpents, their outer sheaths rippling. Along their lengths, clusters of tiny sensor nodes flickered to life, bathing the cube in faint pulses of Auspex light as Aptimos analyzed the casing. Only after several long seconds did one of the cable's tips – an intricate crown of adaptive connectors and needle-thin interface pins – rotate, having devised an appropriate configuration, and slid with deliberate precision into one of the available data ports.

  The Fabricator General leaned forward and paused. He cocked his head slightly and closed his eyes. Korr heard the fans and the coolant pumps within the Fabricator General’s throne kick into high gear, and he watched as the Fabricator General’s core temperature spiked. He recognized what was happening but was struggling to identify just what the Fabricator General was calculating. Aptimos was performing innumerable calculations each second as he overclocked his systems, the excess heat was siphoned to his chassis and steam started to rise from his thorax. Everyone with a Noospheric connection got to witness the terrifying true might of the Fabricator General’s mind when it was devoted to a single task, as he crunched the numbers.

  Korr narrowed his eyes at the confused-looking Rogue Trader. “What is this STC for?”

  “This STC produces ceramic cookware,” Drakios said with a small, bemused chuckle as he pulled out a frying pan from the slot in the cube.

  Korr froze. He accessed the data tether the Fabricator General was using and pulled up the STC’s specifications. His mind worked on calculating improvements based on the data within, and no one spoke for a full minute as the Fabricator General recalculated Cypra Mundi’s entire planetary output using the theoretical adjustments from the STC. Korr was still tabulating the data when the Fabricator General’s eyes snapped open. The lights within were burning with a ferocious intensity.

  “I. Need. This.” His deep voice echoed. “Rogue Trader Arken Drakios, name your price.”

  To the Rogue Trader’s credit, he didn’t hesitate for more than a moment. “I want a Ramilies-class Star Fort for the Dracon System. To be shared by my Dynasty and the local Astartes.”

  “Done. Next.” The Fabricator General pulled up a holotable and added the Star Fort to the top.

  Drakios blinked owlishly; he had clearly anticipated needing to barter or haggle. In that he was gravely mistaken.

  “There are two planetary systems in an adjacent sub-sector; Between the Calixis and Ixaniad Sectors. They are both unclaimed semi-independant systems. The primary planets in each system are a fledgling Industrial world and a Resource world, respectively.”

  “Done. Next.” Onto the list they went.

  Drakios glanced at the list and saw the names of the two systems he had not even named appear. “I want either a set of Wayfair Stations, a set of Orbital Defense Platforms, or a set of System Defence Monitors for each inhabited planet within the bounds of my Dynasty.”

  “Done. Next.” The Fabricator General accessed the star charts, calculated the number of planets within the Dynastic boundaries and threw up an 18x next to the request.

  Drakios did not correct the Fabricator General when he spotted the number was two higher than it should have been. “As a reward for their noble service within my fleet and to replace their lost cruiser. I would like a Battle Barge Mk.I for the Star Dragons.” Drakios said, glancing between Korr and Aptimos.

  The Fabricator General paused. “Denied.” The room froze, and Drakios was caught off guard once again as the Farbicator General continued, “All Battle Barge Mk. I vessels for the next three centuries are spoken for. Compromise found. Will a Battle Barge Mk.II, to be ready within ten years, suffice?”

  Drakios turned to Bolaar, who was staring at the Rogue Trader in surprise. He gave a slow nod. Drakios turned back to the Fabricator General and nodded, “That is acceptable.”

  “Done. Next.” The Fabricator General added it to the tally.

  Korr glanced at the Fabricator General. He probed the man with a discreet query about the costs and was digitally slapped with a figure in return. Korr stared at the number in confusion, thirteen percent? It took Korr a moment to parse the accompanying data and find out what the number was tied to.

  Annual total planetary production output: +13.0002% in perpetuity. Korr stared at that figure as understanding quickly dawned on him. It was nearly impossible for them to overpay the Rogue Trader for this. Even if they had to dedicate an entire year's worth of output the gains from the improvements would pay for the expenditure within a decade.

  “I would like some voidships and-” Drakios began.

  The Fabricator General cut him off, “Acknowledged. Your current fleet formation is lacking in several areas. I calculate you were planning to ask for an Overlord Battlecruiser and several escorts. Utilizing the Battlecruiser parts in your cargo hold to enhance them.”

  “Yes,” Drakios confirmed without missing a beat.

  “Proposal. In exchange for the turnover of the Battlecruiser drive and weapons. We will provide a Furious-class Grand Cruiser, utilizing the M39 rebuild upgrades, and a calculated tonnage of transports, and a calculated tonnage of escorts for you to select from our stores,” The Fabricator General said as he calmly studied Lord Drakios.

  “A Furious?” His eyes lit up with a hint of nostalgia, and he gracefully bowed, “I accept! How about a hundred megatonnes? I will also need crew for the new ships and replacements,” Drakios asked cautiously.

  Korr almost snorted. He could have doubled that number, and they would have likely accepted. The Fabricator General was emotionally manipulating the man by offering a rare hull he was familiar with based on his service record.

  “One hundred megatonnes total, with no more than one Battlecruiser and no more than two heavy transports, with no other transport exceeding a cruiser in tonnage from options in mothball. This allocation is intended for escorts and support craft. Crew will be provided with a minimum rating of sufficient or better, any carrier voidships will come supplied with a balanced allocation of strike craft,” Aptimos clarified.

  Drakios nodded and glanced up at the display. Average or better crew seemed acceptable to the man, his file noted a distaste for press gangs and penal crews. “I would like to retain a copy of the STC and a license for use within my Dynasty.”

  “As an ally of the Mechanicus that is acceptable. In exchange for the STC and all rights to it, you agree to the above terms. In addition, we will waive all docking and fuel fees for the Drakios Dynasty here in Cypra Mundi for the next thousand years. Your status as an ally of the Mechanicus is hereby elevated, and you are granted permission to purchase and trade for restricted Mechanicus war materials here in Segmentum Obscurus.” The Fabricator General was content with the trade, and the Rogue Trader seemed more than pleased with the exchange.

  “That is extremely generous of you. I thank you.” Drakios said as he went to sign the datapad a servitor presented to him, finalizing the transfer.

  “No. It is not.” The Fabricator General did not elaborate further. A squad of his personal Skitarii, each a mechanical drider resembling the Fabricator General in form, came to collect the STC cube from the Astartes.

  With a final bow, the Rogue Trader returned to his seat. Heat was still radiating from the Fabricator General as the titanic man leaned back in his cradle, looking gratified.

  Korr almost dreaded asking, but he spoke up, “Is there anything else that requires our immediate attention?”

  Archmagos Doll unfortunately replied, “I have one more intact STC and a partial one to trade. However, I am not in a rush to do so, I believe I have been more than generous already with my blessings. The intact STC is for a voidship air purification system. The damaged STC is for a powered mining suit. I will provide the High Council and Forge World representatives with a list of the artifacts we have recovered in our recent excavations. I also need to speak with the representatives of the Centurio Ordinatus. My apprentice also has Legio Tempestus production data and Engine items of interest to exchange with the Titanicus, as well as a large cache of stellar cartographic data recovered from an ancient Mechanicus probe.”

  Korr did not glare at the man, doing so was beneath him. He merely stared fervently and muttered a prayer to the Omnissiah under his breath. “Thank you, Archmagos Doll, if that is all?”

  Doll hesitated and then spoke, “I will be accepting a limited number of commissions while the Drakios fleet is present in the system. I will openly share on the Noosphere when I am ready to do so, as a thank you, the first slot shall go to you, Archmagos Korr. My apprentice will need to meet with you at a later date, Fabricator Locum, or you, Fabricator General, to discuss the possibility of utilizing a beneficial phenomenon to enhance productivity.”

  Korr nodded slowly, “I will endeavor to make time for such a meeting,” he replied curtly. For a moment, he allowed the statement to hang in the air before turning his attention outward, amplifying his voice through the chamber’s vox-relays as he sought to bring the gathering back under control. “Magi and Adepts of the Forum,” Korr intoned, the authority of his office carried in every syllable, “this debate will be postponed. The magnitude of the revelations presented here demands analysis before rhetoric. Each data archive and schematic provided must be authenticated, examined, and catalogued by the proper authorities.” A few protests rippled through the chamber, but Korr pressed on before they could gain momentum. “When the Omnissiah grants us such a bounty of knowledge, it would be the height of inefficiency to squander our attention on circular arguments.”

  His optics flickered briefly back toward Doll, sending a private message. “Perhaps there will be time enough to discuss the ideological implications of these… contributions.” The pause before the last word was deliberate. “Privately, at a later date.”

  “Moving on! According to the current active polls in the Middle Council, the most pressing concern appears to be the placement of the second Yggdrasil seed. The primary seed has been promised to Holy Mars, which is not up for discussion. The final discretion for the placement of the secondary seed falls to Archmagos Doll, and as such, this discussion is merely advisory and consultative. I will now open the floor for individuals to give suggestions in turn...”

  —---------------------------------------------------------------

  POV: Sandra Dune, Legio Clypeus Obscurus Princepts candidate.

  Sandra’s eyes drifted down to the legates who sat at the fore of the Titanicus section. Shortly after the highly controversial figure of Nicole Cavalerio had departed, the two legates for Legio Clypeus Obscurus and Legio Bastionis followed the Legio Orbitalis legate out.

  While the High Council and individuals graced with seats closest to the stage seemed content to ignore the various ongoing disruptions. That was much harder to ignore when the disruptions were happening directly behind them. It had been over an hour, the Princeps wasn’t even in the Forum anymore, and they were still arguing.

  “The child is blessed by the Omnissiah!” One yelled.

  “She’s a child, how can a child be a Princeps Senioris?” cried another.

  “I demand proof she is Machine Touched!” demanded another.

  “No, she is a cursed witch!” screamed a different individual.

  “What did you say!? How dare you! Blasphemy!" followed by the sound of a scuffle.

  Some poor, aged Tech Priest’s head caught fire as they tried to download one of the free STC files and overheated their cortex module. Someone from the security team quickly came by with an extinguisher to extinguish the fire on the poor old man.

  Sandra’s thoughts remained turbulent; The Legio Clypeus Obscurus was by far the weakest of Cypra Mundi’s three Legios at the moment. The recent turbulence and opening of the Great Rift had resulted in massive losses for their units abroad.

  Sandra turned and leaned over to reach the ear of her grandmother. The elderly woman was one of the most well-respected Moderati in their Legio. She had served as a Moderati on everything from a Warhound all the way up to briefly serving on an allied Legio’s Imperator. Why she was never elevated to full Princeps was beyond Sandra, she merely knew it was a prickly situation within their family. The Warlord she had most recently operated was down for repairs, having lost her Princeps, and Sandra had yet to be assigned another Engine.

  Her father was Princeps and older brother Morderati on the family Reaver, a role she was slated to never inherit. Sandra had been next in line to be elevated to Princepture to pilot a Warhound only for the Engine to go to a senior Princeps to replace their lost Engine.

  “Grandmother, do you know anything about Legio Tempestus?” She asked quietly.

  Her grandmother raised an eyebrow, and her lips quirked upwards in amusement. “I suppose history was never your strong suit, child. Legio Tempestus is a… complicated Legio. Originally part of Mars’s Triad Ferrum Morgulus. Then the Schism struck, the loyal portion of the Legio on Mars, under the command of Princeps Senioris Indias Cavalerio, The Stormlord, fought to the last. While the abroad portion of the Legio sided with the Warmaster as traitors.” She hummed softly, “I believe they lost their homeworld twice? There were attempts to rebuild the Legio after a small portion of the loyalists survived, but it never regained its full glory – They may have rebranded to Tempestor? Or was that the traitors? Either way, they’re stationed far away from here, somewhere out in Segmentum Ultima,” she shook her head. “Anyway, the Princeps is not just a former loyalist. She’s not some distant descendant of The Stormlord. That peculiar girl is his biological daughter.”

  Sandra struggled to wrap her head around how someone who looked that young could be that old. “Do you think she can do it? Rebuild her Legio?”

  “I think… that anything can be rebuilt with enough time and resources. Legio Clypeus will recover eventually, though it won’t be within my lifetime, even if we could afford the rejuvenat – and I think that underestimating that child is going to get a lot of people killed. Were you listening to any of the gossip before the Legate left?” Her grandmother asked her eyes sharp.

  Sandra shook her head guiltily. “I was a bit distracted.”

  Her grandmother flashed a cheshire smile, “Orbitalis found her Engine, and it might not be in ideal condition. So they’ve got a whole team of paper pushers trying to work out who’s got to pay up, the Forge, Orbitalis, or Cypra Mundi. And from what they implied, little Cavalerio has a ship full of Engines, a full class of trainees, but no Princeps or trained crew.” She gave Sandra a pointed look.

  Sandra could read between the lines as she considered the unthinkable. “So… she might be recruiting?” She whispered under the sound of some rowdy screaming Tech Priest in the section above them getting hit with a shock maul.