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Chapter 174: Cawl: Did I Join a Scam Organisation?
Constantin Valdor was wholly focused on one thing: making sure the Adeptus Custodes had absolute military power over all other forces in the human Empire.
"I truly wish I could help you, Lord Raven," Valdor said. His expression showed genuine trouble. "But my current duties consume every moment. Please forgive my inability to assist."
Raven smiled with apparent understanding. "Of course. No need to worry."
Relief flickered across Valdor's face. How surprisingly agreeable Raven seemed today! No pestering or dramatic outbursts, truly rare.
His satisfaction lasted exactly one second.
"I'll speak with Malcador and Perturabo immediately," Raven continued with cheerful malice. "The Imperial Palace needs a large ornamental pond nearby."
Valdor's expression froze completely.
So guarding ponds was his unavoidable fate? This obsession with water features had gone too far.
"Actually," Valdor said quickly, "I'm not quite as busy as I first thought. I can spare some time to help with your work."
Faced with such shameless blackmail, he had little choice but to give in. The genuine fear of this madman building a pond just to make him guard it was too real to risk.
Raven's laughter carried triumphant satisfaction. "Now that's the right attitude."
"Oh, and this help is completely voluntary on your part."
"We need to record your agreement to prove I didn't force you. Otherwise, the Emperor will lecture me again about proper procedures."
Valdor fought the urge to roll his eyes in contempt.
"Quickly now. Say you're participating voluntarily."
A recording device appeared from nowhere in Raven's hand.
With a resigned sigh, Valdor faced the camera. "I am voluntarily helping Lord Raven in this matter. Without any form of coercion whatsoever."
Raven beamed with satisfaction. "You truly are a pillar of the human Empire. With dedication like yours, how can our civilisation fail to prosper?"
'Agreeing to work makes me a pillar?' Valdor thought bitterly. 'Refusing means exile to pond-guarding duties. What a manipulative bastard.'
Having successfully persuaded Valdor through his considerable charisma and eloquence, Raven began seeking more candidates.
Technical personnel formed the backbone of any worthwhile operation. His first thoughts turned to 9527 and Arkhan Land, but both had left with the First Expeditionary Fleet on the Great Crusade. While forcible recall was possible, it would create unnecessary problems, and they might also prove reluctant participants.
Following the Great Crusade and uncovering lost mysteries was the lifelong dream of dedicated Mechanicus followers. After consideration, Raven decided to seek alternatives.
Through careful use of his fate-reading abilities, he quickly found a suitable candidate: "Belisarius Cawl".
In the future timeline, this man would become a legendary figure capable of reshaping the Imperium's fate. Born on Mars in the early 31st Millennium, Cawl was created in the birthing facilities of Zanthi Tera. During the Horus Heresy, he would play a crucial role in defending against traitor forces.
He would live for over ten thousand years, witnessing major events from the Horus Heresy to Cadia's fall. His most outstanding achievement would be creating the Primaris Space Marines during the 13th Black Crusade.
Currently, however, Belisarius Cawl remained unknown, a recently promoted Tech-Priest serving as jailer to some dangerous prisoner within a secure facility.
"Perfect," Raven added Cawl to his recruitment list.
He tore open space itself and stepped through the dimensional rift, emerging directly in front of his target.
The newly promoted young man startled violently and hastily swept various items from his desk into a drawer before slamming it shut. Cawl's promotion to full Tech-Priest status had earned him expanded quarters, but they remained as cluttered as ever.
Precision electronic components scattered across gleaming workbenches, mechanical parts piled in room corners, and embedded cogitators hummed their endless calculations while status reports scrolled across integrated displays.
Raven assessed the scene instantly. "Using evolution fluid to enhance brain function?"
After the Emperor returned from the Shrouding the Heaven Universe, knowledge of the evolution fluid had been uploaded to Imperial networks. It was available through merit point exchange and differed from Marvel Universe enhancement serums.
Those targeted only physical capabilities, but Feixianxing (Flying Immortal Planet) evolution fluid enhanced both soul and flesh simultaneously.
As a junior Tech-Priest, Cawl clearly lacked sufficient merit points for such valuable knowledge. The only logical explanation involved black market acquisition.
Given Cawl's character, frequent black market dealings seemed entirely normal. Most components and tools in his quarters hadn't been bought legitimately; only a few items truly belonged to him. The rest had been obtained through... uncertain circumstances.
Cawl justified such actions through Mechanicus operating principles: the sacred act of discovery. How could anything related to Mechanicus followers be considered theft? Everything had been found and collected through righteous exploration.
"Randomly taking Mechanicus property and illegally buying valuable Imperial knowledge through black market channels," Raven observed. "Either offence alone would be enough to end your career permanently."
Cawl's face drained of colour. He enjoyed pushing legal boundaries, but paying consequences for such behaviour was another matter entirely.
"You have two choices, Cawl," Raven continued.
"Join my team, and your past crimes will be forgiven. Plus, you'll gain the honour of travelling to alternate universes. The second option involves Mechanicus enforcement units providing their specialised services for dealing with thieves."
Cawl had little choice but to accept Raven's terms.
"Excellent. Your transfer papers will arrive shortly," Raven said. "By the way, for a Mechanicus follower, you have remarkably few mechanical augmentations. Don't your people believe flesh is weakness and only mechanical ascension represents the true path?"
"Mechanical evolution isn't the only approach," Cawl replied. "As the Omnissiah shares expanded knowledge, more followers support alternative theories. I'm one of them."
Within Mechanicus culture, many despised human biological form. They believed millions of years of evolution had reached natural limits, and only machinery could elevate humanity to new realms.
But as the Emperor continuously acquired technologies and knowledge from other universes, the once-declining Gene Cult had returned. These followers believed human bodies retained infinite potential; they simply lacked proper development methods.
Cawl subscribed to this philosophy. He opposed excessive mechanisation while favouring biological enhancement through strengthening agents, evolution fluids, and genetic engineering.
"I see." Raven showed little interest in internal Mechanicus ideological disputes. After a few quick questions, he moved on.
"Where will our department be located?" Cawl asked hopefully.
"Not decided yet," Raven scratched his head. "I'm still assembling the team. Find personnel first, establish headquarters later."
Cawl's enthusiasm plummeted instantly.
"How many people currently make up our department?"
"Counting you and myself, two and a half."
Raven had calculated seriously. Since Valdor merely provided assistance, he counted as half.
Cawl's heart turned to ice. 'Good Lord Emperor, not enough personnel AND we're just an empty shell.!!'
"Oh, you have your first assignment," Raven continued. "Name this new department, then recruit more personnel. If problems arise, ask Valdor; he'll provide assistance. I don't care about process, only results."
Cawl's remaining hope died completely. Not enough personnel was bad enough, but they hadn't even named the department yet.
If not for Lord Raven's special status, he would have suspected recruitment into a fraudulent organisation.
Cawl found himself trusted with an incredibly bizarre task. The weight of responsibility settled on his shoulders like a heavy cloak. He had gone from an anonymous Tech-Priest to a founding member of a mysterious new department in the span of minutes.
But what exactly was this department supposed to do?
And how was he supposed to recruit people when he didn't even know what they were recruiting for?
These questions would have to wait. Lord Raven had already disappeared through another spatial tear, leaving Cawl alone with his doubts and a recording device that still hummed softly on his desk.
[End of Chapter]