Chapter 37: Even Inquisitors Are Human
After dealing with the fleet orbiting Omiron II, Lucan immediately ordered his own fleet to approach.
Leaving the battlefield behind, the Golden Ram began to draw near Omiron's orbit.
Even from orbit, the naked eye could see the utter devastation across the entire planet.
Omiron was an agri-world, with a land-to-ocean ratio of roughly four to six. There were no sky-piercing hive cities here; the tallest structures were aweather-control Mmachina.
Originally, Omiron had possessed a primitive native species, still in a tribal societal stage. However, after the Mongorte Dynasty discovered its suitability as an agri-world, they had completely cleansed the planet of its indigenous race.
One shouldn't imagine that an agri-world was much better than an Imperial hive world.
Even for Imperial commoners on an agri-world, eating well was an impossibility; merely eating one's fill was already considered the greatest privilege.
Fresh meat and vegetables had little to do with these lower-class commoners.
Transport ships would carry these expensive products away to be exchanged for greater profits.
And the lifespans of the commoners here were often extremely short. Vast quantities of fertilizers designed to boost plant production were ceaselessly dumped across the world by transport aircraft. All sorts of chemicals were too numerous to count; as long as it made crops produce more and faster, no consideration was given to the working environment of those commoners.
Even the land itself was polluted; only genetically screened crops could grow in such a harsh environment.
At this moment, the farmlands covering the planet's surface had been destructively harvested, and the shantytowns beside the fields, where the laborers lived, were nothing but ruins.
The palace where this planet's governor had resided was now replaced by a massive crater – clearly the result of orbital bombardment from warships!
From the captured enemy crewmen, Lucan learned that after destroying most of the Planetary Defence Fleet, Kanto had subjected the planet to devastating plunder.
Crops from the storehouses were carted away, buildings were destroyed, and existing crops on the planet were destructively harvested. This activity continued for a full month. And it wasn't just grain that was plundered, but also a large number of people.
Despite the vast population of the Warhammer world, people were also a precious resource. For some planets, population could even be paid as part of the Imperial Tithe. Kanto had no intention of occupying this planet; he had intended to raid it like a pirate and then leave.
"Damn scoundrel!! Activate scanning equipment! Find all survivors and begin disaster relief!"
Lucan had originally thought he would reclaim his first planet, one that rightfully belonged to him. Instead, he was faced with a complete mess.
One shuttle after another flew towards the planet's surface. Kanto couldn't have killed everyone; there were surely many survivors hiding.
While waiting for planetary status reports, Lucan also prepared to head to the Tyrant to see the captured Dark Mechanicum Tech-Priest.
Lucan and Ian were about to board a shuttle when Pavian and a group of Tech-Priests, survivors of the recent ordeal, approached them.
"Captain! Please take us with you! I can feel the suffering of the Tyrant's machine spirit! Perhaps we can soothe it!"
Lucan, looking at this group of Tech-Priests with their new faith, did not refuse. He could feel that some kind of connection had formed between himself and these Tech-Priests.
"Then come aboard together!"
Upon entering the Tyrant, guided by Damon, the group arrived at the corrupted forge workshop.
The once sacred forge workshop had been defiled by Chaos.
The slender crane armatures and the steel and cabling within the workshop had transformed into a grotesque amalgamation of metal and flesh.
Although the thick smell of sulfur had dissipated somewhat, it was still pungent.
Workbenches were strewn with dissected corpses, their bodies stuffed with various blasphemous objects. A dimensional furnace, once providing power to a Forgefiend, still burned, and even mortals without psychic talent could almost hear the agonized wails of the souls trapped within.
"Dark Mechanicum, is it?" Ian also recognized these things. In the Inquisition's archives, there were records of not a few forge worlds, even in the Expanse, that had fallen into the embrace of the Dark Gods. Purifying such worlds often required an immense price.
"It's a good thing you dealt with them. Otherwise, if the corruption had spread and the Suarez Dynasty had been completely corrupted, it might have required mobilizing several fleets to resolve, and countless loyalists would have died in the process."
Pavian and his retinue of Tech-Priests walked in of their own accord.
They lit blessed incense, sprinkled holy water, and, ignoring the nauseating mutations on the machinery, anointed it with sacred oils.
Under the ritual performed by these Tech-Priests, the sulfurous smell permeating the workshop began to fade, and the faintly radiating Warp energy also started to weaken.
"These Tech-Priests… I've never heard the prayers they're chanting before. What is this 'Holy Machine'?" Ian asked.
"Don't make a fuss, Inquisitor Ian. Even within the Imperium proper, the number of sects within the Adeptus Mechanicus is said to be as numerous as the stars, let alone in the Expanse. Isn't it the same with the Ecclesiarchy? They worship different Saints and spread the God-Emperor's glory in their names throughout the Expanse."
And watching the performance of Pavian and the other Tech-Priests, Lucan also realized that this group seemed to possess some special abilities. While being able to communicate more effectively with machine spirits, they also seemed to have acquired some of his ability to purify Warp energy.
And their method of using this ability was through the ritual of soothing machine spirits.
Lucan's slowly increasing Psy-crystal count was the best proof.
And it had to be said that Lucan's gains this time, even more so than previous harvests combined – the scrap code, the Forgefiends, and the soon-to-be-purified forge workshop – all together, were enough for him to build a Factory and a Starport. The Yamato was beckoning to him!
Once again guided by Damon, Lucan walked onto the warship's bridge. The corpses on the floor had not yet been cleared. Norris had once again vanished like a ghost within the ship; only Lucan and Damon knew of his glorious deeds.
Lucan walked towards Kanto's corpse. The las-hole punched through his head had almost destroyed his entire face. If Norris hadn't personally witnessed him being killed, Lucan would have had some trouble verifying his identity.
Ian also walked over to the corpse.
He sensed the mechanical devices on Kanto's body. Although Kanto was dead, there were still faint traces of Warp residue.
"A blasphemer. To forsake the great God-Emperor and choose those Dark Gods… he's lucky he died this way. Otherwise, he would surely have faced the Inquisition's most terrible tortures."
"Ian, as thanks for your help in persuading those warships to surrender earlier, how about I gift this achievement to you? I imagine resolving the matter of a corrupted Rogue Trader would also gain you considerable benefits within the Inquisition, wouldn't it?"
"You're offering me this credit, free of charge?"
"In any case, the Inquisition won't give me any reward for eliminating him. You helped me, so I'll help you. Isn't trade the most important principle for us Rogue Traders? And there's nothing more delightful than a mutually beneficial transaction."
Although Ian didn't say it aloud, he was indeed tempted. Inquisitors were not saints; they too enjoyed comforts, had desires for power, and even feared death. If he could become a higher-ranking Inquisitor, why wouldn't he seize the opportunity?
The number of Inquisitors within the Imperium who fell to corruption each year due to personal greed and various desires was unknown.
Apart from a few true fanatics, everyone pursued their own interests to some extent.
(End of Chapter)