Warhammer 40k: Starting as a Rogue Trader

Chapter 98: Returning to Agathos

"The Calixis Sector is issuing a call to arms to the Expanse?"

Looking at the message sent via quantum communication, Lucan was also a bit surprised. The Imperial powers in the Koronus Expanse were summoning all factions to Footfall to discuss subsequent matters.

It was known that the Calixis Sector was an extremely important sector for the Imperium, located in the Halo Stars region. A large number of Imperial troops were stationed there, and even many Astartes Chapters were active nearby. Its scale was simply not comparable to that of the Koronus Expanse.

For the Calixis Sector to issue a call to arms to the Expanse, an extremely serious problem must have occurred.

Lucan searched through his own memories, thinking about major events near the Calixis Sector.

"Wait a minute… could it be Abaddon's Thirteenth Black Crusade?!"

The Calixis Sector was not very far from the Eye of Terror. Although the purpose of the Thirteenth Black Crusade was to destroy Cadia, the forces of Chaos had long since begun their own schemes before the crusade truly began, with various overt and covert plots continuously targeting the Imperium's important worlds and fortresses.

"Could it be that Cadia hasn't fallen yet, and the Eye of Terror hasn't opened?! And Regent Guilliman hasn't awakened yet?!"

The history of the Koronus Expanse had never originally reached the time period of Abaddon's Thirteenth Crusade; it was almost independent of the history of the Imperium of Man, and there was little interaction between the two regions. This was why Lucan had never heard anything about matters within the Imperial heartland from the people around him.

Lucan tried asking his soldiers. Sure enough, in their understanding, there was no such thing as an "Imperium Nihilus," much less did they know about the fall of Cadia.

Perhaps this call to arms from the Calixis Sector was the prelude to the Black Crusade.

However, according to the Imperium's speed of travel and communication, even if the Expanse were to dispatch manpower, it would not be surprising at all for it to take several years from the call to arms to actual departure.

The Warp was always the most severe problem hindering communication and reinforcement in Warhammer.

And this amount of time should be enough for Lucan to return to the Expanse again.

If it was as Lucan thought, he could be certain that by the time the Imperium's fleet arrived, a considerable number of planets would have already fallen into the hands of the enemy.

And what Lucan needed to do was to accumulate more strength.

"Better you die than I do," he thought, adopting the self-preservationist creed. Even though the Dynasty's Gorgons with their jump drives could quickly deliver troops to the battlefield, Lucan had no intention of letting his forces be the first to stick their necks out.

The first force to arrive on the battlefield would surely face the most ferocious resistance. This was no small skirmish; this was an event capable of splitting the vast territory of mankind in two. Throwing in a few hundred thousand men or a single fleet wouldn't even make a ripple.

The Raiders, now part of the Astra Militarum, were also being summoned by the Imperium.

However, Rebecca, following Lucan's orders, was delaying their departure as much as possible.

And the Imperial officials also hoped Lucan could attend the pre-war council, but unfortunately, Lucan had to solve the problem of the Stellar Pioneer first.

Lucan looked at the jump drives inside the Stellar Pioneer, which had been plastered with a large amount of scrap material. Under the "finking" of this group of Orks, it had actually worked. Two jump drives had been successfully installed.

He needed more Mekboyz. All three jump drives needed to be installed on the Stellar Pioneer to barely be able to move this massive warship.

And the Swarm's attacks on the different klans had even caused some of the Ork klans to unite.

But by the same token, the scale of the Zerg had already fully expanded. Under the pressure of their massive numbers, the annihilation of the remaining Orks was only a matter of time.

Lucan ordered Kerrigan to speed up the Swarm's progress. He needed to return to the Expanse as soon as possible.

Nothing brought wealth faster than war.

And with an ample supply of biomass and energy, more large-scale Zerg were also beginning to be produced.

Another month passed. If not for the need to capture more Mekboyz alive, this progress might have been even faster.

The Swarm had almost swept across the entire planet, and the number of Zerg here, Lucan had no doubt, could destroy and devour an ordinary planet.

Looking down from orbit, the entire planet no longer bore its former appearance. Seventy percent of the land was now covered in Creep. Most of the Ork klans had been eliminated, and a large number of Mekboyz had also been captured and brought near the Stellar Pioneer.

The jump drives on all three Gorgons had now been completely removed.

And inside the Stellar Pioneer, KABOOM! was leading a number of Mekboyz he had never dared to imagine before, making their final attempt.

At this moment, KABOOM!, under the enhancement of WAAAGH! energy, was smarter and larger than before, even surpassing the former Irongob.

If he were in his current state back then, the former Irongob would have just been another warlord under his command.

And as his strength increased, KABOOM!'s ego would swell from time to time, and he had even attempted to rebel once. However, after that one attempt nearly got him beaten to death on the spot by Lucan, he completely put away such thoughts.

KABOOM! couldn't help but look back. Lucan was standing not far behind him, glaring menacingly.

"KABOOM!, what are you looking at? Get back to work!"

After saying this, Lucan unhesitatingly gave KABOOM! a punch. KABOOM! had become stronger, and at the same time, he was also tougher. After taking a punch, KABOOM! no longer dared to dally.

Feeling his head buzzing, KABOOM! now truly didn't know if becoming stronger was a good thing or a bad thing.

The three jump drives, with the help of KABOOM! and countless Mekboyz, were finally nearing completion.

The Tech-Priests looked at these three jump drives with heartache. Such precious artifacts were now, under the operation of these filthy Orks, like a pile of scrap iron.

They wanted to confirm if these engines could really function normally, but the Orks' teknology was beyond their comprehension.

"I reckon dis fing'll definitely work now!" KABOOM! looked at his masterpiece with excitement, and the surrounding Mekboyz all chimed in in agreement.

Lucan also looked at the engine before him with a doubtful expression. As energy was channeled into it, the engine did indeed begin to run, but the continuous strange noises and the occasional popping screw kept Lucan's heart on edge.

"Have the warship attempt a short-range tactical jump!"

As Lucan's command was given, the crew on the bridge immediately began the operation.

And the jump drive also began to let out a wail.

When the power of these three jump drives reached its peak, the Stellar Pioneer actually vanished from its original position and reappeared high in the sky.

The anti-gravity engines began to operate, and the warship's conventional engines also began to provide power to the entire vessel!

This warship, which had originally crashed, was actually flying again.

Hearing the continuous cheers from the bridge through the communicator, Lucan knew it was a success!

Looking at this group of Orks, even though they were so ugly, they now looked a little friendly and cute.

Since the jump drive could function normally, Lucan immediately began to arrange the trip back to Agathos.

The Swarm on this planet would be left behind. Lucan had Kerrigan command the Queen here to completely devour all the Orks on the planet and then develop as much as possible.

And biological warships of the Zerg, like the Leviathan, would also be put on the hatching schedule. This massive biological warship also possessed jump capability. When necessary, it could even jump a Zerg army to help Lucan eliminate his enemies.

As for the three Gorgons that had temporarily lost their jump capability, Lucan could only temporarily abandon them in this star system.

All crew and supplies were transferred into the Stellar Pioneer. This massive warship could easily accommodate all the crew.

And the news of Lucan's impending return was also sent back to Agathos.

And the fact that this exploration had ended so quickly even made Rebecca and Verre a little unaccustomed to it. In the past, this much time might not even have been enough to finish the Warp travel.

(End of Chapter)

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