Warhammer 40k: Starting as a Rogue Trader

Chapter 143: Cloning Technology

Hearing this, even Ian had to marvel at Glydus's administrative abilities. The Imperial Tithe was not a fixed amount; it almost never decreased, but it did increase according to a planet's output. To consistently exceed the tithe could only be described as phenomenal.

However, no amount of tax revenue could conceal the crime of heresy.

"A fine job?" Ian retorted. "Does 'a fine job' refer to her colluding with Chaos and using Chaos technology to enhance her private army? Or perhaps it refers to her arbitrarily declaring loyal servants like us as heretics? Declaring a Living Saint, certified by the Ecclesiarchy, a traitor to the Imperium?"

"A Living Saint? Who? There is a Living Saint among you?"

Leon's brow furrowed.

"Not one of us. It is the Rogue Trader of the Mongorte Dynasty, Lucan Drex Aurelian. The powerful warriors behind me are from his dynasty. Bishop Holter is right here; he can attest to it."

"You say a Rogue Trader is a Living Saint? Wait... isn't this Rogue Trader someone you propped up? Isn't he your puppet?"

Leon suddenly realized that the relationship between Ian and the dynasty was not what he had imagined.

"Inquisitor Hawkins... the Mongorte Dynasty is no puppet of the Inquisition. I believe you are mistaken," Ian said with a wry smile. "Both Bishop Holter and I are acting as assistants, coordinating with Lord Lucan's operations. He is the one who granted me command of these soldiers." After all, almost everything he had now came from Lucan.

This was a first for Leon. It was always the Inquisition controlling others. A high-ranking Inquisitor from the Expanse was working under a Rogue Trader? By the God-Emperor, was the political ecosystem in the Expanse truly so different from the rest of the Imperium?

However, Leon's 'Reunificationist Sect' of the Inquisition was not one to be bound by convention. They were far more accepting of such unusual situations than others. In fact, it only made him more curious about Lucan. An idea suddenly sparked in Leon's mind: to bring Lucan into their fold. The power this dynasty had displayed was more than sufficient for them to be partners. Glydus's loss of control had made them eager to find a new collaborator.

They desired change, but once the instruments of that change slipped from their grasp, they would try to destroy what they had created.

Leon knew that what they had done on Malfi could not be revealed to others. If they publicly requested aid and their actions were exposed, it would be tantamount to holding the entire Reunificationist Sect over a fire. There were already far too many within the Inquisition who wanted to target and destroy them.

This Rogue Trader force from the Expanse was the fastest way for them to leverage power that had no prior connection to the Calixis Sector. They existed outside the Imperium's established political ecosystem.

"So, what is the full story with the governor here?" Ian pressed on.

"Glydus's family line are not naturally born humans. They were directionally cultivated by the biotechnology we have here. On a genetic level, they are the best. We screened a massive number of genes to program their genetics. From infancy, they received the best and most loyalist education and were subjected to various genetic modifications from a young age.

"For nearly three hundred years, we placed this family in the seat of Malfi's governorship and have used the Inquisition's power to guide and control them, helping them manage Malfi. In terms of physical fitness and intelligence, they far surpass naturally born humans. Even their resistance to psychic powers is greater than that of an ordinary person.

"At first, they did an excellent job. Under their leadership, Malfi grew more prosperous, and the indoctrination from childhood made them exceptionally loyal to the Imperium! Just imagine how powerful the Imperium would be if it had more people like them!"

Leon's face was full of yearning; it was clear he truly believed he was undertaking a great work that could change the Imperium.

"You actually tried to artificially create human beings and have them rule the Imperium? This is blasphemy against the God-Emperor and the very concept of humanity!"

Ian, Damon, and Holter were all shocked by Leon's plan.

"Blasphemy against the concept of humanity? They still have pure skulls! They are superior! Although they are clones, from a genetic standpoint, they are still human. In fact, they are more human than many people in the Imperium today."

"Superior? Then how did they lose control?"

"It is precisely because they were too superior... and too loyal. They came to believe that the current Imperium is rotten to the core and must be changed! That includes the Inquisition. And to make the Imperium a better place, they are willing to do anything!

"Over time, this bloodline began to branch out, spreading throughout Malfi. We found that we could no longer control every branch of their family. They gradually slipped from our grasp, and for some unknown reason, they even began to undergo certain mutations. We also suspect that the powers of the warp are influencing them."

Glydus's lineage was even more intelligent than the Inquisitors who had created them. They secretly developed their own power base to break free from the Inquisition's control. In their eyes, the Inquisitors who made them were just another part of the system that needed to be optimized. These artificially created humans were extremely arrogant about their own superiority. They wanted to change the current Imperium and believed they could use their intellect to harness the powers of the warp to do so, without falling to corruption.

They were unshakably confident in this belief, thinking that even the gods could be manipulated by their schemes. And their intelligence, in turn, attracted the attention of Tzeentch.

Except for Khorne, Glydus had made deals with nearly all the Chaos Gods. Her weapons even came from Vashtorr. The Dark Gods had intended to reveal this pawn when it was more opportune, but now they were using her as a tool against Lucan. Tzeentch in particular, through his agent Frank, had guided and assisted Glydus in making many of her deals with the other gods.

Glydus was unaware that everything she did had already made her a puppet of the Dark Gods. The more she came into contact with warp energy, the more her supposedly perfect body began to show mutations that should not have been there. Even if she wanted to turn back now, it was already too late.

"So you still don't think you've done anything wrong?" Ian demanded.

"Wrong? This isn't a mistake, merely a setback on the road to reform. Every great change is accompanied by countless failures. Cooperate with us, Ian. With the power of you and that Rogue Trader's dynasty, we can eliminate Glydus. Otherwise, you won't be able to leave this place either. And even if that Rogue Trader has a fleet and powerful warriors, a direct assault on Malfi will inevitably come at a terrible price!"

Hearing Leon's words, Ian hesitated. He truly did not want to cooperate with these extremists... even if they were fellow Inquisitors of the Imperium. But as Leon said, the cost of a direct assault would be far greater than he could imagine. This was a world with over twenty billion people...

"I need to consider it!"

"I can give you time, but I hope you will be quick. We have been stationed on Malfi for over three hundred years. Our understanding of this planet is far greater than you can imagine. You will not regret this!"

Ian immediately contacted Lucan.

"Well now, these Inquisitors certainly have great ambition... A complete set of cloning technology. That's a very nice thing to have."

Lucan did not have the same revulsion to the idea as the rest of the Imperium. As long as it was used reasonably, it wouldn't cause too many problems. After all, Krieg was a precedent. They provided billions of soldiers to the Imperium every year and they hadn't turned to Chaos.

This Inquisitor Leon had simply been playing with fire and had gotten burned. He was too confident. He lacked the true ability, yet he had tried to change the world.

Lucan thought to himself that if he could obtain this complete set of cloning technology from them, perhaps he would no longer have to worry about qualified soldiers. Rapidly produced, qualified troops, combined with the powerful production capabilities of his StarCraft buildings... when the two were truly integrated, that would be true mass-production of an army.

Lucan didn't need them to have brilliant minds. He just needed them to learn how to fight! The officer corps could be filled by natural-born humans. All the clones needed to do was fight.

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