Chapter 169: Hades Has No Ill Intentions
Three standard Terra months later...
The battlefield of Graia-106 was still undergoing post-war cleanup. Due to the fierce battles that had unfolded, vast stretches of blackstone had been exposed, only to be further shattered into transportable fragments by the relentless shelling.
The obsidian-like blackstone was funneled through Graia's industrial mining lines, then sent through the warp routes, continuously flowing toward the Star Ring of Barbarus.
Inside one of Barbarus's colossal storage facilities—designated specifically for housing blackstone ore—Jin stood still, quietly observing his "colleagues" from another world as they worked to stack the blackstone with practiced efficiency.
They were Tech-Priests, but unlike his former colleagues on Mars, these Graia-Tech-Priests weren't trying to minimize their own wear and tear. Jin had known smiths who worked under the guidance of the Magos, and they would go to great lengths to avoid exhausting themselves. But the Graia were... different.
They worked with a certain—what was it—reverence?
Jin furrowed his brows. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but deep down, he already knew the answer. Korklan's cryptic words still echoed in his processors.
The virus file known as "KKL" had already taken over two of the four logic engines in Jin's body. The impact was undeniable—his thoughts moved sluggishly, and complex calculations dragged far longer than before.
And yet, frustratingly, the virus didn't seem fatal. After commandeering those two logic cores, it just... stayed there. Dormant. Passive.
Was this truly Korklan's doing, or merely the echo of some computational algorithm he left behind?
Jin didn't really care. Korklan's survival or philosophical residue meant little to him.
"Morning, Jin!"
A familiar voice called out as Hades stepped into the warehouse.
He had just finished formalizing the subordinate treaty with the Graia's Forge World.
Jin was about to return the greeting—when—
"Hey! Little Herila! Get down from there!"
Hades darted toward one of the blackstone piles, yanking off a vaguely humanoid figure perched atop it.
Little Herila pulled a face, muttered something like "Okay okay, geez," and slipped out of Hades's grip, bolting for the exit.
"Brother Hades hasn't come to play with us in so long!"
Before Hades could protest, the mischievous kid was already gone with a sharp zip sound.
Hades could only sigh, staring after the disappearing blur that was Little Herila.
That kid's ability to conceal herself had gotten terrifyingly strong—as a true Blank, it seemed no one but Hades could see her anymore.
She had been casually playing on the blackstone piles when he walked in.
Seriously... where was the Black Ship of the Sisters of Silence? Weren't they supposed to pick her up?
But what Hades didn't know… was that the Black Ship was already on its way.
However, for it to arrive, there was a condition: Hades had to send back something else—preferably something valuable.
As he turned to chat with Jin for a moment—
"Praise the Omnissiah!"
"Milord, have you come to inspect your most devoted believers?!"
Hades visibly flinched, even with his helmet on. Just the sound of that triggered a full-body spasm. The not-so-pleasant memories of dealing with the Graia Magos surged back like a trauma wave.
NOOOOOO!!
Jin watched him carefully.
Hades didn't look well—probably still recovering from barely escaping the fanatical mob of Graia Tech-Priests just moments ago, with Jin in tow.
And to be clear, Hades was easily twice Jin's height, which allowed him to pick Jin up by the scruff and ran.
The image of that… was something Jin wished he could unsee.
Even worse, those clearly deranged Tech-Priests had the nerve to call out enviously as Hades carried him away.
Seriously?! What is WRONG with you people?!
Jin grumbled internally, flipping them the Martian middle finger as subtly as he could.
Hades sighed heavily.
The blackstone shipments were moving way faster than expected. But obviously, that efficiency came at a certain cost...
He let out a bitter smile.
The war in Graia-106 was over. After privately stashing a fair number of Death Guard single-man necro-units, the main fleet had begun its return journey.
What's that? You're saying the Death Guard's weapons depot glowed green in the middle of the night?
Well duh. Our paint job is green. Of course it glows. Totally normal.
With the need to haul the Graia's massive cargo loads, the Death Guard fleet now made constant jumps between the Forge World and Barbarus via the warp routes.
Hades had returned to Barbarus. With the newfound wealth of blackstone at his disposal, he could finally begin to test some of his more... ambitious theories.
The materials and instruments he had requested from Graia Forge World were also arriving en masse. Atop the Forge World's great landmarks, the Crown of Graia roared day and night, its mechanical symphony fueling the construction of Barbarus and Galaspar.
Meanwhile, a half-completed orbital forge-satellite had begun circling above Barbarus. It mirrored the massive Barbarus Star Ring and would one day form the backbone of its primary operational network.
Hades had plans for this satellite—but before he could implement them, he needed one thing first.
A capable assistant.
He turned toward Jin, staring him down.
Then waved a hand in front of his face.
"Jin?"
"…Yes, my lord?"
A delay. 0.6 seconds. For a logic-engine-driven Tech-Priest, that was... practically a lifetime.
"Your response time just slowed," Hades said, flat and direct.
"That's because—"
"Praise the Omnissiah!"
A sudden electric surge burst from Jin, his shout loud and glitchy enough to startle both of them.
"I'm alive, my lord!!" Jin blurted out.
From his voicebox, a cheery little jingle started playing—some bizarre, upbeat tune that echoed across the warehouse.
An angry symbol blinked over Jin's head.
He looked absolutely disgusted.
"My lord, I've been infected with a virus, you really don't nee—"
"Praise the Omnissiah! Isn't being alive just wonderful? Come, let's share a familiar embrace, Lord Hades!"
'We've literally never embraced.'
Hades stared at Jin with a bewildered grin as the poor guy started... fighting himself? One half trying to explain, the other gushing with manic joy.
Hearing that painfully familiar tone, Hades finally pieced it together.
'Wait. Don't tell me… that's a backup copy of Magos Korklan's consciousness inside Jin?'
It wasn't impossible. The Mechanicus had long dabbled in the research of soul and consciousness backups. One of the most famous breakthroughs would eventually be Belisarius Cawl's subminds.
However, while Cawl's mind was the dominant mind, Korklan's case... seemed a little more chaotic.
He and Jin were currently co-piloting the same body—and not very harmoniously.
Hades sighed deeply.
"Alright, that's enough. Stop it."
No one listened.
Hades calmly activated the Black Domain—his personal field of suppression. A wave spread outward... then snapped back in.
"This is it!"
Korklan let out a shrill yelp of satisfaction, but the moment the domain's soul-pressure settled in, the bickering pair finally shut up.
Hades crossed his arms, trying to look stern. In truth, the Black Domain was very effective. Under its pressure, Korklan quickly confessed everything—how he'd managed to package and transmit his own consciousness just moments before death.
"I didn't think I'd actually wake up again, either! But perhaps it's the will of the Omnissiah! I was destined to assist you, Lord Hades!"
Hades rolled his eyes. Korklan seemed... way more optimistic about life after dying once.
Then came the murmuring.
Things like "I knew it, that guy's no real god" and "the one true deity is clearly Lord Hades" began muttering from somewhere in Jin's speakers.
Hades ignored the fanatic.
He decided to let Korklan ramble until he cooled off—then maybe he could bring up the next phase of the plan.
Actually, the Forge World Graia had sent only their most zealous adepts to oversee construction of the orbital forge-satellite.
That was fine—Hades could put their... creative fervor to good use.
He might even leak a few tidbits of Necron technology to help them realize his more unorthodox weapon concepts.
As for blackstone tech though… that had to stay locked down.
Jin and Korklan, surprisingly, were the best candidates for that work.
Hades himself could wield the tech, sure—but building automated pipelines, overseeing manufacturing lines, maintaining industrial throughput?
He didn't have time to babysit every cog.
Delegating that work to Mechanicus personnel already trusted with Imperial weapons supply chains?
Efficient and convenient.
At least in the early stages, the Graia Tech-Priest were still technically his people. They'd need some time to settle in.
But Jin and Korklan? They should be stable enou—
"Lord Hades, when are we overthrowing the false god?"
Korklan's voice cut in with disturbing clarity.
"…Huh?"
"What false god?"
Hades blinked, completely thrown off.
Then Korklan's next words made his blood run cold.
"The Emperor, of course."
He said it with full conviction.
He was a man who had already died once. What was there left to fear?
<+>
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