Chapter 167: Establishing the Contract
Morning stars shone faintly, twinkling in the depths of the vast universe. Enormous, magnificent war machines stood silently in Graia's display warehouse, revealing their formidable power to all who approached.
These were the Legio Astraman, belonging to the Titan Legion of the Graia Forge World.
The Lord of Death looked upon these dark green machines with satisfaction. Once the collaboration between the Death Guard and Graia was perfectly sealed, these towering Titans would become a heavy assault force for the Death Guard, unleashing their wrath upon the kingdoms of the xenos.
Originally, the Imperium would assign Titan Legions to each military legion. However, these assignments could change depending on the star system the legion operated in and the scale of wars they faced. Titans might also be temporarily redeployed when conflicts erupted in other regions.
Outside the battlefield, Primarchs had limited authority over their assigned Titan Legions.
But if a legion reached a direct agreement with a Forge World, then summoning these Titans became much simpler for the commander.
A smooth, mechanical voice echoed through the corridor as a Tech-Priest introduced the Titan Legion. Mortarion listened silently, his gaze fixed upon the magnificent war machines.
Elsewhere, a silent wail echoed through a chaotic office. Discarded contracts and agreements littered the floor. A servitor tried to clean up, but buried under the paper, it could only let out a helpless cry for aid.
No one paid it any attention.
Except for the necessary maintenance crew left on the legion fleet, nearly all of the Death Guard's Armoury personnel had been dispatched. These Techmarines, normally tasked with battlefield repairs under gunfire, were now locked in intense negotiations with Graia's Tech-Priests, haggling over details down to the last decimal point.
After Mortarion and Graia's Tech-Priests had agreed on the general direction of cooperation, it was time to hammer out the technical specifics.
Though interest in Hades surged within Graia, the more rational leaders—those with real authority—kept things grounded. Thanks to their restraint, even the fanatical believers didn't immediately compromise on material benefits.
Faith and profit did not have to be linked.
Just like the Fabricator 021 whom Hades first met: even though he so eagerly believed Hades to be the "Omnissiah," what he really did was use that belief for personal gain.
And in front of these cunning Tech-Priests, every number hid a potential trap. Even if the higher-ups spoke kindly on the surface, under the veil, turbulent waters churned.
This was another battlefield.
Hades wore a professional smile as he "sincerely" faced the Tech-Priests before him.
They came in various forms and expressions, but they all had one thing in common: the roar of logic engines within their bodies. The council of thirteen Tech-Priests now "examined" Hades.
Compared to the "warm welcome" he received along the way, the atmosphere here in the technical negotiation chamber was much colder. Religion played little role in this room.
There were still some sane people here—for some reason, Hades let out a small sigh of relief.
The Archmagos stared at Hades in silence, seemingly deep in thought. Hades quietly grew more alert, hoping they wouldn't make the contract terms too difficult.
However, what Hades didn't know was that within the Tech-Priests' internal communication channel—
[Haha, I win! Time to collect my winnings!]
[No way! You must've peeked at the earlier surveillance footage!]
[Nope! I just bet this guy was a normal person. I'm the only one who did, you all know nothing!]
They had been betting on what kind of person this so-called "Divine Emissary" Hades would turn out to be.
"Huh, didn't expect him to be so... ordinary."
Compared to the inwardly tense Hades, the Tech-Priests weren't particularly concerned. The broader framework of the collaboration with the Death Guard was more or less finalized. All they had to do was be extra strict with a few clauses, and when the other side pointed out issues, they could "relax" those already-lenient terms.
It's all about leaving a good impression.
Even with this partnership, the research of the Tech-Priests wouldn't be significantly affected, so their interest was less in the collaboration and more in Hades himself.
Unfortunately, they couldn't dissect him directly, so they had to settle for recording his biological behavior patterns.
What the Tech-Priests didn't know was that, during the ensuing negotiations, Hades would earn the title of "Ideal Collaborator" and "Most Rational and Intelligent Tech-Officer" they had ever encountered.
. . . . . . . .
At long last, the talks were over. Hades felt as though his soul was about to leave his body, but finally, he had reached an agreement with the Tech-Priests.
Debating against thirteen logic engines was… quite the challenge.
Aside from the general contract signed earlier between Mortarion and the representative Magos, the subsequent supplemental clauses expanded heavily on the specifics.
Graia would supply the Death Guard with military materials (specifics designated by the Death Guard), as well as partial command rights over the Legio Astraman.
The Death Guard could also place direct orders for other equipment from Graia.
Graia would assist in the technological and instrumental development of worlds governed by the Death Guard.
Both parties would share warp-space routes between their core worlds, granting each other top-level travel authorization.
A warp-call communication network would be established, with highest priority given to shared data transmissions.
In exchange for this support:
The Death Guard would dispatch a permanent squad to Graia, to demonstrate their commitment to protecting Graia's interests, including through military action if needed.
Graia would receive first-tier exploration rights on all planets conquered by the Death Guard, and any STC (Standard Template Construct) discovered—so long as it did not violate Imperial or Mechanicus law—would be ceded to Graia.
Resource planets (mining and agricultural) under the Death Guard would prioritize supplying Graia's forges. Graia would have the right to designate both type and category of these resources.
To facilitate future collaboration, Graia would unilaterally construct a forge satellite for the Death Guard's homeworld, Barbarus, and station a Knight House to protect it.
. . . . . . .
In a lounge specially prepared by Graia, Mortarion was quietly studying the contract Hades had brought him.
He glanced at Hades.
Was it his imagination, or did Hades look… worn out after dealing with the Tech-Priests?
Ah well, no matter.
"This part—doesn't that imply more than what it says?"
Mortarion pointed to the clause about the forge satellite.
While it would certainly provide strong support to the Death Guard, a forge satellite orbiting their homeworld wasn't just a protective measure—it was also a silent form of control.
Leaning on his arm, Mortarion pondered what he had read earlier about Graia and related Imperial policies.
As a Primarch, he didn't need to dive into the sea of technicalities, but assessing the overall risk and planning contingencies was his responsibility.
He took a moment to think, then flipped through the contract again, carefully reviewing the details.
"I believe it's workable. What do you think?"
Hades nodded.
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind paying $5 each month to read the latest posted chapter, please go to my Patreon [1]
Latest Posted Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 188: No One Can Reject Horus[2]
Link to the latest posted chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/131840711?collection=602520[3]
https://www.patreon.com/collection/602520?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/131840711?collection=602520
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/131840711?collection=602520
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/602520?view=condensed