The Emperor’s Angel of Death

When Soshyan called his name, the former Callidus assassin stood up and bowed. →

"Chapter Master."

After considering his words for a few seconds, Soshyan decided it was best to be direct.

"Your superior, Occam, has other important tasks. He will no longer be responsible for the Maelstrom. Therefore, you will be in charge of the intelligence network he deployed in the Maelstrom, and you will no longer be responsible to him. Similarly, I can offer two choices: give up this identity, and I can find someone else, while you return to the Chapter as a normal Chapter serf; or, you remain Thorns, but you only answer to me. If nothing goes wrong, you are free to choose your actions."

Thorns was silent for only two seconds, then said:

"Thank you for your consideration, Chapter Master. I choose the second."

"Don't you want to think about it more?"

"No need."

After Thorns said this, Zolg looked at him and quietly extended his right hand to hold the other's left hand.

Veronica noticed this and a smile appeared on her face.

"I've also made up my mind, Chapter Master. I'll continue to be Zolg."

Soshyan nodded.

"I respect your choices, but you must also understand that this will be a path full of danger, slaughter, and darkness. The Maelstrom is not a kind place. The huge profits bring unrestrained greed. After the crusade ends and I leave, there will be endless enemies and troubles, even including the Imperial bureaucracy, law enforcement agencies, the Inquisition, and so on, all of which will try to squeeze and even eliminate you. You must be mentally prepared for this. That's why I've prepared something special for you."

After he finished speaking, Veronica used her psychic powers, and a hidden compartment suddenly appeared on the left wall. A small metal box floated out and landed on the coffee table with a dull thud.

"This is—"

"Open it and see."

Zolg leaned over to observe carefully. He had seen similar devices. This box should be a transport container with a high level of security, possibly even equipped with a built-in protective force field, enough to be safely exposed to a vacuum for a long time, and even withstand the impact of re-entering the atmosphere.

When he pressed the latch on it, the box opened in a cloud of mist, and Zolg and Thorns saw the flash of a stasis field.

Lying in that ethereal sphere that blocked the flow of time was a beautifully crafted and ornately decorated scroll. The unfolded page was slightly yellowed, as if radiating the power of time. The edges were decorated with gold and silver and purple patterns, depicting an image of a Rogue Trader dressed in opulent robes kneeling at the feet of the Emperor's sacred image, and lines of ancient oaths written in beautiful text.

Zolg immediately gasped.

"A Rogue Trader Warrant?"

Thorns further explained its essence in a tense voice.

"Not an Administratum Rogue Trader Warrant."

"Talos found this in Huron's secret vault in the Caracaras System. It was probably a spoil of war from one of Huron's raids many years ago. Perhaps he didn't use this Rogue Trader Warrant from the end of the Great Crusade because he couldn't find a suitable agent. At that time, perhaps because he was busy with other things, the Emperor did not drip his sacred blood when signing this batch of warrants, but this does not affect its actual validity, because it has the seal of the Imperial Regent, Malcador, on it."

The two looked at the end of the scroll and indeed saw a faint thumbprint.

"So, Zolg, from today onwards, you are the descendant of the ancient legendary female Rogue Trader, Ildabama. You will inherit all the contracts and powers she signed with the Holy Master of Mankind, and you will also become the third Administratum Rogue Trader family in the Maelstrom area."

Zolg took a deep breath, closed the box, then stood up and bowed deeply to Soshyan.

"Thank you for your kindness, Chapter Master. I will spare no effort and die—"

Soshyan waved his hand, interrupting him with a smile.

"Alright, alright, I'm not giving you this to show favor, but just hoping to protect you, and also as a reward for your great efforts in this crusade. But you must also understand that this warrant can only resist some attacks on the surface, but the conspiracies and schemes in private will only be more dangerous. It may be a life-saving charm, or it may be a death warrant, but I think with your ability, you should be able to cope. I have also set up connections for you with Ryza and Angstrom. Next, it depends on how you perform."

"I will definitely not disappoint the Chapter Master."

"Sit down, sit down, don't be so impassioned. This is not a battlefield."

After sitting down, Zolg took out a micro data-slate and then looked at Veronica. She reached out and the data-slate flew into her palm, then passed it to Soshyan.

"The Chapter Master has been busy with combat before, so I didn't disturb you. Now I will report to you on the implementation of the 'New Home' plan in the past few days."

Soshyan nodded and inserted the data-slate into the interface on the table, and then a large string of data popped up.

"The first batch of immigrants was sent in 964. The total number is 1.2 billion, of which scholars and various intellectuals, including culture, education, health and other fields, account for 2%, while skilled technicians and senior engineers account for 9%, farmers, herdsmen, horticulturists, small handicraftsmen, etc. account for 2%, middle and low-level clerks and managers account for 7%, and other non-key personnel account for 21%. Everyone has undergone detailed background investigation and genetic screening."

Soshyan glanced at the detailed data, and then asked curiously:

"How did you complete such a large project in such a short time?"

"Chapter Master, the Department of Internal Affairs has a special immigration agency responsible for this. After all, population transfer has always been a routine means for the Empire to maintain its rule. After the Maelstrom war broke out, didn't you let the Department of Internal Affairs start implementing the immigration plan?"

Soshyan nodded in sudden realization.

"Indeed, there is such a thing. Did the Department of Internal Affairs cooperate with you?"

"Also thanks to you, after all, how to transfer the crowded population of the hive cities has always been the most troublesome problem for the Department of Internal Affairs. The governors even wish there were fewer people, especially in the mid-hive. It has a limited area, but it is relatively safe, so the population has actually expanded much faster than the lower hive. Even the governors sometimes have to find ways to move some mid-hive residents to the lower hive. This is also the reason for the birth of some of their bizarre behaviors. I used the identity of a logistics outsourcing contractor of the Expeditionary Force to get in touch with the Director of the Immigration Bureau of the Department of Internal Affairs. I helped him solve some problems, and he naturally helped me solve some problems. This is the so-called mutual assistance."

"Billions of people, just solved by mutual assistance? Then what about these immigrants? Why are they so willing to leave their homes so cooperatively? Don't they have any doubts or suspicions about where they are going?"