Part 5

House Krin

The remainder of the trip was spent mostly in silence, although Bale and his pilot shared a quiet discussion.

“Eric, do you know what my two jobs are?”

“You just have two sir?”

“Yes, in the end it boils down to two, those jobs are commanding the ship, and making deals, they are my purpose in life, what almost my entire upbringing and training lead me to, so when you sabotage a deal by pulling a gun on the person I am negotiating with, you not only are putting us all at risk and risking my house reputation, but you are showing me immense disrespect.”

“Sir, I couldn't let them get more power! You saw how many they killed, it wasn't right and you know it.”

Bale sighed, “I do, the situation on this station has degraded far past what vox reports have lead me to believe, the Ecclesiarchy has always had its share of hard liners but they rarely get in a position to commit atrocities like that. But Eric, I wasn't planning on giving them any weapons and that is a fact. I wanted to unload some useless extra hands on them in return for whatever resources I could squeeze out of them, we then would have a great many options later, including reporting them to the authorities, such as they are around here.”

“Your morals do you credit Pilot, but you need to learn that if your opponents know you have them then you are at a disadvantage.”

“I'll work on my temper sir.”

“That is all I ask.”

Eventually the party arrived at the Chamber of Gold, a great colonnaded room of white marble, its painted ceiling covered in a beautiful mural of Saint Drusus the Warrior. Guards in power armor line the walls, each one armed with a more exotic-looking weapon than the last.

Tech-Priest Gaetan immediately moved towards the guards and began inspecting their gear, extending a tool equipped mechadendrite as he went and asking each guard questions about their maintenance rituals. Bale considered stopping him, but he wasn't in danger, House Krin was as upstanding as you were likely to find in an Imperium financial institution, and wasn't about to anger the Mechanicum by doing violence to one of their ranking members.

Seated at the far end of the Chamber, surrounded by gilded servo-skulls, was Honorable Representative Plutarch Norn. A gaunt and angular man, dressed in heavy black robes embroidered with gold. Although not an actual blood member of House Krin, he was nonetheless influential and highly-placed. As is common with such individuals, he loved to hear himself talk.

“Lord-Captain Bale of the Parte Visiblis and his associates,” the emissary introduced them

“My SINCEREST apologies for the state of Port Wander, Captain Bale and company,” said Norn, his voice magnified by some unidentified technology, the use of which even drew Gaetan's attention from his inspection of a backpack power source. “You’ll find our humble abode somewhat less than hospitable these days. A great pity. Terrible for business. How is everything aboard your ship?”

"Better than the state of the Processional at least"

"We have our malcontents, people giving into urges violent or... otherwise, but we keep it under control. With the Warp calming it is about time for us to leave though.”

Norn nodded. "But of course. Ever onward. To the Gargantua system, I'm told. A bright foothold of Imperial control among the Heathen Stars. Or so they would have the colonists think.”

"I understand that your family and its allies have recently acquired a great many interests there. So has House Krin."

You are well informed, which suggests you have something of a partnership in mind.” Bale said warily.

“Always, Captain Bale. A man in my position does not invest in whims or vicissitudes. We don’t buy on margin. We arrive with gelt in hand to back our word, and we hold our position. Many a man has earned a small fortune from selling a larger one. But even a stubborn bastard like myself knows when he’s throwing good money after bad. So you’ll believe me when I tell you that Port Wander cannot be saved.”

"That is... a bold stance, one that would perhaps be unwise to take in some company."

"Are you referring to the unrest, Captain?"

"Let's say that those we encountered on the way here might disagree, what do you mean by cannot be saved? Is the station in danger of destruction? Or do you mean it will simply fall into the hands of elements not suited for business dealings?"

"You are referring to the Red Redemption? They lack vision. These skirmishes will end as they always do. Rivals butchered. Old friends lost and new ones found. House Krin would normally invest handsomely in tipping the scales. And what luck - with that Naval prig, Commander Larius Sans and his jackboots departing for Malfi even as we speak, not to return until...well, who knows? Possibly never. The whole of the Imperium is being rent asunder by war and sedition. We could have the run of the place. Alas, it is not to be.”

This was new information to Bale, Malfi was the subsector capital, if the fleet was gathering there, it suggested that there was a danger that threatened perhaps the entire Calexis sector, but if rumors were to be believed, the Imperium as a whole was at risk these days. He desperately wanted to be back on his ship, he had calls to make.

“So what do you want from me?”

“Not just you Lord Bale, you and that beautiful ship of yours.”

"She is a beauty isn't she? She is also not for sale and I assume you know that, so you want us to take you to Gargantua?”

“Not precisely. I’m going to share something important with you. All of you. A premonition.

"Some months ago, the Navy’s senior Astropath, Omidaeus, emerged from the choir-sanctum within the Central Bastion - a feat the old psyker has not performed in many years - and came directly to my audience chamber without any servants or guards. Not even Isshaak, that pathetic handler of his. How Omidaeus managed it I’ll never know - we thought he'd lost his mind decades ago. But he stood right where you are now and told us in no uncertain terms that Port Wander would be destroyed. He spoke the words Cicatrix Maledictum. And then he died. What do you think of that?”

“I always think it wise to trust the word of crazed old psykers myself, but go on.”

Bale was being sarcastic, but this troubled him, Cicatrix Maledictum was a phrase he had heard himself during his time as a peacekeeper on the feral world Androni 3, a High Gothic phrase meaning Evil Scar. He had no context for it but the clan seer who pronounced it at the time spoke not a word of High Gothic that he knew of, hearing it again was unsettling.

“The phrase can be found in thousands of unrelated texts on a diverse range of subjects. Divorced from context, the term lacks any obvious meaning. I’m not a superstitious man - superstitions are too expensive. But I am someone who pays attention when miracles occur. Omidaeus wasn't just crazy, he was comatose. No one outside the Astropathic Choir was supposed to know this. Isshaak was found just weeks ago by maintenance personnel. He had been strangled, his body stuck in a service chute. Other members of the Choir were also murdered, a fact the Navy has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep secret."

"And now they depart, likely never to return here."

Bale really wanted to get back to his ship. "Norn, I just watched hundreds die, I had to leave my ship which always make me unhappy, I have a cargo hold full of unruly passengers, the Warp has given me a headache, it has been a long day, your news is interesting, terrifying, and possibly useful, but I want to get out of this system. What. Do. you. Want."

Pultarch Norn like a kindly grandfather. "I have spoken with your benefactors. You may not have heard this due to the Warpstorm, but it is in your interest - and the interest of House Krin - that the Gargantua system's current administrator, Celeste Ayonne, be deposed.

Currently, you have a contract to deliver her 51,500 penal colonists. You will need to get rid of them, you will not have room when I bring my cargo aboard.”

Navigator Rasputina, who had been silent most of the time, spoke up “What is as big as 51000 people that you use for one murder?”

"Oh, this cargo is not an assassination tool, honored Navigator.”

Despite himself, Bale was actually interested in this"You want my help taking over the Gargantua system? Fantastic, now that is actually a tangible goal, you say you have proof that my house and allies support the idea? Provide it and let's get started."

Gargantua was not actually an Imperial colony, being in the middle of the Koronus Expanse, at best it was an... experiment, one that could grow into a useful colony in time, Bale knew the Administratum would not care who ruled the world so long as it paid its tithes on time and didn't foment rebellion. And a true commanding interest in a system would be extremely lucrative for his house.”

"But of course. Let us adjourn to my private audience chamber. In there, I will provide all the answers your seek.”