Warhammer 40k: Starting as a Rogue Trader

Chapter 145: Why Bother Acting So Loyal When You're a Heretic?

Lucan's fleet exited the Mandeville Point. One by one, landing craft began to board the surrounding void defense platforms, forcibly seizing control.

The sudden arrival of this massive fleet threw the numerous armed merchant ships docked around Malfi into a state of terror. They realized war was imminent. Forgetting their cargo, the ships began to evacuate their personnel and flee the vicinity of Malfi. Although armed merchantmen possessed some combat capability, if the two main fleets started fighting in earnest, they wouldn't stand a chance.

The braver ones tried sending requests to Lucan's fleet for permission to leave.

Lucan granted it.

Seeing the first merchant ship pass Lucan's fleet without being attacked, all the other vessels immediately headed for the Mandeville Point. Within a short time, they had all jumped into the warp, escaping the system.

Soon, only the fleets of the Rogue Trader Alliance and Malfi's orbital defense forces remained in the central region of the system.

"My Lord! The merchant ships have all departed. Malfi's warships have deployed into formation; it appears they are ready for battle! However, our warships surpass theirs in both quantity and quality. The enemy possesses no power capable of threatening the Stellar Pioneer. Based on system calculations, if we engage in a direct fleet battle, our losses will be around ten percent.

"We still do not know the level of the planet's ground-based defensive firepower. According to the most optimistic projections, if we break through their fleet and reach the surface, our losses could approach thirty to forty percent."

Listening to the tech-priest's report, Lucan knew that war could not be perfectly predicted by a system, but these reference data points were still valuable. A potential forty percent loss was not something he could accept.

However, Lucan temporarily dismissed the potential losses from ground fire. The priest's calculations did not factor in the Zerg, which had already begun to multiply, nor the Banshees that could destroy many ground defenses. If necessary, the two Gorgon-class battlecruisers in the fleet could be tactically warped directly into the atmosphere for a sweeping purge. In a worst-case scenario, he could even warp the entire Gorgon fleet from Agathos and crush the enemy with sheer numbers, but that was a last resort.

A ten percent loss in a fleet battle was acceptable to Lucan. In a real fight, the combat power of the Stellar Pioneer, his improved void shield technology, and the blessed Purity Seals of the Pleased Machine Spirit could reduce those losses even further. The presence of his SCVs for repair gave him an advantage the enemy fleet could not match.

But before the battle, Lucan made one last attempt to reduce the enemy's will to resist.

"In the name of the Ecclesiarchy, the Inquisition, and myself as a Living Saint, broadcast a message to the planet. Tell them of the heretical crimes their governor has committed! Have Ian get the Inquisition on Malfi to cooperate with us and verify our words! Tell those loyal to the Imperium to stand down and assist the Dynasty's fleet in purifying Glydus's heretical forces. As long as they have not completely thrown their lot in with the enemies of the Imperium, they will retain the right to live on Malfi."

Lucan didn't believe that everyone on the entire planet would be willing to follow Glydus. He didn't bother trying to persuade Glydus to surrender; she knew that death would be her fate even if she did.

As the message was broadcast, and with Ian and Leon cooperating on the planet's surface, a portion of the nobles did indeed choose to break away from Glydus's control. But many more stood by her side. After all, in terms of bloodline, many nobles were of the same origin as Glydus, or were her people to begin with.

If one were to set aside her attempt to use the power of Chaos, she was an absolutely outstanding governor. When collecting the tithe, she reduced the exploitation of the common people, instead turning to squeeze the interests of the other nobles to exceed the quota. Every time the tithe was paid, the other noble houses of Malfi would bleed, while the commoners were spared from desperation.

This behavior had earned Glydus a very high prestige among the common people of Malfi. They didn't believe a word Lucan said. How could such a good governor possibly be a heretic? It must be these people from the Mongorte Dynasty who were lying!

With Glydus's covert encouragement, many even declared they would fight the invaders to the death.

Seeing that his stratagem had not had much effect, Lucan cursed inwardly. What kind of monster did the Malfi Inquisition create? She's clearly a heretic who uses psychic powers, so why does she act so damn loyal on the surface?

"Begin the attack," he commanded. "First, destroy their orbital defenses and their fleet. Perhaps when they see that they cannot resist the Alliance, more people will choose to give up!"

The order was given. The thirty warships of the Dynasty advanced on Malfi in battle formation, their void shields at full power. The numerous defense platforms in Malfi's orbit swiveled their cannons, taking aim at Lucan's fleet.

But then, a beam of light shot out from beyond the effective range of both the warships and the platforms, striking a Malfi frigate. Its void shield overloaded instantly. High-energy plasma rapidly melted the warship's armor, and the beam pierced straight through the vessel, crippling it in a single moment.

"Impossible! How can their range be so long!"

Glydus watched in astonishment as her side lost a warship right at the start of the battle. The power of the enemy's naval guns was far too exaggerated. She couldn't even identify the class of the Stellar Pioneer; its design was so different from any existing Imperial warship.

The enemy's ultra-long-range strike capability had already shattered Glydus's plan to use her planet's defenses to fight back. If her warships remained in orbit, Lucan could destroy her entire fleet and all the defense platforms without suffering a single loss. This forced Glydus to order her fleet to advance and close the distance.

She knew she could not win against this powerful warship and the scale of the enemy fleet, but at this point, all she could hope for was to inflict whatever damage she could. If the fleet battle was lost, then she would switch to fighting the enemy on the ground! The people of Malfi who supported her would fight to the last! And the Chaos cults in the underhive, whose growth she had deliberately allowed, were another force she could use. Then, she would show the enemy that her rule was unshakable.

The dominance displayed by the Stellar Pioneer dealt a severe blow to the morale of Glydus's fleet. Seeing Glydus's resolve begin to waver, Frank reassured her that the Dark Gods would intervene; it just required a little more time.

Lucan's growth had not escaped the notice of the warp gods, especially his demon-killing Night Sentinels... Although their numbers were small, when it came to a fundamental threat, the Chaos Gods had reached an agreement. They also wanted to understand what the Mongorte Dynasty truly was. This was the most important reason why the followers of all the gods had appeared on Malfi at the same time. Glydus was merely their pawn for interfering in realspace.

The outcome of the battle in the void was already decided. Glydus began to prepare to flee her palace. Once Lucan had completely destroyed her fleet, his ships could fire on the surface, withstanding the ground-based fire long enough for a concentrated barrage to destroy large sections of the upper hive. She could not stay here.

She didn't believe Lucan would dare to completely destroy Malfi. It was a sub-sector capital. Even if you were a Grand Inquisitor who gave the order for Exterminatus, the outcome would be an investigation by the Imperium, followed by your execution.

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