Donia had brought Ovilia's tech team, apprentices, and Skitarii aboard her forge ship.
After sealing the cooperation agreement with Alex, she promptly deployed them to the surface.
Watching Ovilia joyfully reunite with her Skitarii and tech team, Alex marveled at their opulence.
Compared to an Astra Militarum regiment, akin to pre-WWI line infantry with basic uniforms and muskets, the Skitarii were like late-Cold War super-soldiers.
While the Militarum wielded mocked "flashlight" lasguns, the Skitarii carried galvanic rifles—handcrafted weapons firing energy-burst rounds.
(Galvanic Rifle)
Transuranic, radium, arc, plasma, and phosphor weapons—gear most Militarum soldiers never even heard of—filled the Skitarii's armory.
A Skitarii unit's firepower depended on their master's wealth. Ovilia's teacher, Belisarius Cawl, was arguably the Imperium's richest figure.
Like the old joke: "What if I hid 400,000 Astartes from the High Lords?" Answer: emulate Cawl, back the 13th Primarch, become Regent, and rule as Mars' Fabricator-General.
What tech could Cawl, who equipped Guilliman with hundreds of thousands of Primaris Astartes, provide his disciple?
Twenty-four Kastelan robots with phosphor blasters, for starters.
(Kastelan Robots, adorable "Big Whites")
Plus, arc and plasma weapons galore, enough to make the Militarum weep, and even Ironstrider Ballistarii with graviton cannons.
(Ironstrider Ballistarii, the Imperium's mightiest servitors)
Officially "Kataphron Breachers," Alex preferred "Steel Tanks."
Sydonian Dragoons, Dunecrawlers, and rare Pteraxii flyers were also present.
(Sydonian Dragoons, perpetual-motion machines)
(Dunecrawlers)
(Pteraxii, ornithopters if memory serves)
"Honestly, this Skitarii force was meant to guard Cawl's forge, wasn't it?" Alex asked Ovilia, who was busy updating their identification codes.
She glanced back. "You're overthinking it. My teacher's defenses are far scarier."
Alex raised an eyebrow. Scarier than this?
"Titans?" he whispered.
"You know about Titans?" Ovilia paused, surprised.
Titans, relics from the Age of Strife, were mostly decommissioned or sealed. Few, even Sages, had seen them. These fortress- or hive-obliterating weapons could one-shot Titans with ship-grade firepower.
(Godbreaker-pattern Titan, a volcano cannon stronger than a Warlord's)
"How do you know about Titans?" Ovilia stopped, eyeing Alex. "They're not in Mariupol. Even my teacher wouldn't use one for security—that'd profane the Omnissiah's works!"
Alex shrugged. "I read about them in Inquisition archives. Just curious."
"Curiosity's natural. Any Omnissiah devotee would kill to see such a miracle," Ovilia said. Rediscovering a Titan could spark wars among Mechanicus factions.
Alex dropped the topic. Ovilia's Skitarii could flatten Rostov II's entire defense force. Prying too far risked virus bombs or cyclonic torpedoes from touchy tech-priests.
With this force, though, that Necron tomb seemed ripe for exploration.
First, he needed to confirm Ovilia's loyalty. Her 30-year service was agreed when she had nothing. Now, with her Skitarii and team back, she might have other ideas.
"Sage Ovilia, does our deal still stand?" Alex asked formally.
"The 30-year service? Don't worry, I honor my word," Ovilia replied casually. "You helped me reclaim my team and Skitarii. I won't backstab you so soon. I, my team, and my Skitarii will serve you for 30 years, as agreed. But I'll assess risks and reserve the right to refuse overly dangerous tasks."
(End of Chapter)
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/TripleCrown07
If you guys wanna check it out.