Chapter 350: The Three Great Navigator Houses
Lucan also wanted a relatively stable transition, but this issue struck at their fundamental interests, leaving no room for compromise. Before Abathur had acquired the genes of the Genestealer Patriarch, Tiberius, Lucan had had no good solution. A person parasitized by the old Infestor strain would be dull and vacant, easily spotted as abnormal, and was useful only as cannon fodder. Long-term infiltration was impossible.
But now, under Abathur's improvements, the Infestor had acquired a new genetic mutation. They now possessed an ability similar to that of the Genestealers, but not entirely the same. The neural parasites released by the Infestor could now parasitize a creature's nervous system, causing the host to submit to Kerrigan's will without changing their outward appearance or habits.
Although they could not reproduce through generations like the Tyranid Genestealers, the advantage was that the host would not turn into a Zerg or lose their sanity. Its transmissibility was lowered, but its stealth was far greater. They would not be dominated by bestial instincts or the impulse to reproduce. It was almost impossible to tell the difference between them and an un-infested individual.
This was a much better fit for Lucan's needs. Without a thorough, full-body examination, it would be impossible to notice any abnormality. And if he successfully parasitized the patriarchs of the Navigator Houses, would their own descendants truly have the authority to subject their leaders to such an examination?
Before he had even discussed the Navigator problem with Guilliman, Lucan's Mongorte Dynasty had already begun to experience problems caused by the Navigator Houses. Some bloodshed had even occurred in secret.
The current scale of the Mongorte Dynasty was simply too large. Such a massive dynasty that had no need for the help of the Navigator Houses was, in itself, extremely abnormal. It wasn't just the Navigator Houses; even Imperial factions outside the Alliance were also guessing at how the Mongorte Dynasty had managed to break free from the Navigators.
Some had already guessed that the Mongorte Dynasty might truly possess technology that could bypass the warp. Under normal circumstances, a sufficiently powerful faction would inevitably sign a contract with a sufficiently powerful Navigator House. Even the First Founding Chapters would choose to protect a Navigator House in exchange for their services in navigating their warships.
And as the Mongorte Dynasty continued to expand, all the major Navigator Houses in the Koronus Expanse and the Calixis Sector had tried to establish contracts with them, only to be rejected every time. The Dynasty's rapidly mobile fleet and their sometimes-unconventional methods of transport had also aroused more suspicion.
As the enterprise grew larger and the personnel more numerous, it was inevitable that some information would be leaked. The rejected Navigator Houses had long since begun their attempts to probe the Mongorte Dynasty. Although they had not yet obtained any definite intelligence, many things did not require proof. A mere suspicion could lead to serious consequences.
According to the reports from Lucan's intelligence department, a portion of the Navigator Houses had already united and were plotting something in secret. Although the armed forces of these houses could not shake the rule of the Mongorte Dynasty, their industrial assets were spread across all walks of Imperial life. It was inevitable that they would cause social unrest.
And while the Navigators were trying to spy on the Mongorte Dynasty, the Inquisition, led by Ian, was also secretly investigating these Navigators. Some signs indicated that the servants of Chaos had also begun to appear among these Navigator houses.
Lucan relayed all this information to Guilliman.
"Lord Lucan... this proposal of yours is indeed somewhat heretical."
"Guilliman, I don't think you have much time to consider," Lucan pressed. "How about this: let's conduct an experiment, starting with our Koronus Sector. In both our names, summon the leaders of the several major Navigator Houses in the Expanse. After all, the retrofitting of your Ultramarines fleet will still take some time."
Hearing Lucan's proposal, Guilliman fell silent for a moment, then chose to agree. This would also give him an opportunity to confirm for himself if controlling these people with Lucan's method would truly lead to any serious problems.
"Very well. List the names of those who need to be summoned. I will summon them in my name as the Imperial Regent."
While Lucan and Guilliman were carrying out their plan, the three giants of the Navigator Houses in the Koronus Expanse were also gathered together.
House Visscher, House Ortelius, and House Cassini.
House Visscher was the oldest and also the wealthiest Navigator House in the entire Expanse. They even had a magnificent palace on Holy Terra. The family controlled a large number of accurate star-charts, some of which were not even known to the public. Their method of accumulating wealth was not just through normal contracts with Rogue Traders and the Imperial Navy; they also continuously sent agents to infiltrate various factions to steal new routes and intelligence. Although they had been exposed before, the accuracy of their navigation was such that people had no choice but to "forget" their transgressions. They had once had a close cooperation with the von Vancale Dynasty, which Lucan had destroyed. The habits of the entire family also made House Visscher the most active in trying to probe Lucan's secrets.
House Ortelius was also astonishingly wealthy, almost on par with House Visscher. Besides their vast industries in the Expanse, they also had a huge number of assets in the Calixis Sector, which was now also Lucan's territory. Compared to the low profile of House Visscher, the name of House Ortelius was known even to the common people of the Expanse and the Calixis Sector. However, this family seemed to have fallen under some kind of curse. Their bloodline was growing thinner and thinner, and they were beginning to fail to produce a sufficient number of heirs with the Navigator gene. This had forced them to begin to scale back their operations in recent years.
The last, House Cassini, was very young compared to the first two. Their wealth could not compare, but it was precisely because of this youth that House Cassini's style was the most aggressive. Their agents were spread all over the Expanse and the Calixis Sector. Their overt military strength was also the greatest of the three houses.
They had even secretly threatened a general strike, refusing to provide navigation services, and had openly united some factions in an attempt to force the Mongorte Dynasty to once again accept their services and provide sufficient payment. After all, most of the ships in the Koronus Expanse and the Calixis Sector still required their assistance.
Some had submitted to their threats. However, Rebecca had not indulged them. Since you are instigating this in secret, hiding your identity, then you are an enemy of the great High Lord Lucan, and a traitor to the Imperium.
Under the bloody suppression of the Raiders, House Cassini eventually abandoned this path.
The wealth accumulated by the three houses over countless years was indeed a terrifying figure. If they were to all recall their Navigators from across the Imperium, they could indeed paralyze at least half the ships in the Calixis Sector and the Expanse, stripping them of their ability to travel between star systems. They also had enough to gather an elite army; with money, one could get mechanical and genetic modifications. Apart from not having enough warships, their ground forces would be no weaker than any regiment of the Imperial Guard.
And today, these three families had gathered to discuss how to respond to the invitation from Lucan and Guilliman. The three of them had different opinions on the great Primarch's visit to the Expanse and his summons.