Chapter 670: The Main Body's Conundrum
After sending off the unwilling RDA brass, Ryo, escorted by Maine's squad, entered the core sector of the Trailblazer.
Dr. Grace was waiting at the laboratory entrance. Looking in the direction the RDA personnel had departed, her face bore obvious anxiety.
"They won't give up easily, Ryo," Grace lowered her voice. "I know the RDA's greed all too well. Whatever they set their sights on, they will find a way to get their hands on it."
"I understand," Ryo replied calmly, his footsteps not pausing. "But they also know how to calculate the cost. Until they are certain they can safely crack the ship's defenses or possess the absolute certainty of suppressing us, they will only dare to probe the edges."
He walked into the quiet laboratory. The heavy alloy doors slid shut silently behind him, temporarily cutting off the outside world.
In the center of the lab, several standalone devices dismantled from the Predator ship were emitting a faint, eerie glow on the analysis tables.
Ryo did not inspect them immediately. Instead, he walked to a secluded corner and slowly closed his eyes.
His consciousness sank deep, crossing indescribable dimensional boundaries, establishing a connection with his main body far away on Necromunda.
A massive data stream—detailing the discovery of the Predator, its staggering physiological traits, the potential of the "Yautja Prime" substance, and crucially, the warning of the "Vengeance Hunt"—was transmitted with absolute precision.
The feedback from the main consciousness was not surprise or concern, but rather a cold, calculating interest, akin to discovering a rare mineral vein.
[A biological species capable of providing a stable source of longevity resources? Fascinating. Within the borders of the Imperium, especially when dealing with those high-ranking bureaucrats and military commanders who possess overwhelming power yet fear aging, the value of such a resource is sufficient to purchase the loyalty of an entire fleet, perhaps even a whole sector. The demand for rejuvenat treatments can never be fully satiated, and here, it seems we have a new, stable conduit.]
However, when calculating the acquisition costs, the "emotion" of the main body grew prudent.
[Projecting military force on a massive scale across dimensions results in an exponential increase in energy consumption and carries the risk of exposing core technologies. Should the secret of dimensional transit become known to other factions within the Imperium—especially other sects within the Adeptus Mechanicus—we would lose not only our technological monopoly but also invite endless coveting and conflict. The gains do not justify the losses.]
Ryo's (second avatar's) consciousness responded to these considerations.
[Agreed. The risk-to-reward ratio is unbalanced. The Predators are not opponents to be taken lightly, but if the objective is merely to counter this impending "Vengeance Hunt" and attempt a small-scale "harvest," our own forces should be sufficient. The steel tide of the Skitarii, or the Knights of House Nearl, are more than capable of crushing these hunters who worship individual martial prowess. They might be able to strut before Hell's Gate and the Na'vi, but before true engines of war, they fall woefully short.]
The main body transmitted a pulse of agreement, tinged with a sliver of regret.
[Assessment accurate. The large-scale acquisition plan is temporarily shelved. The current priority is to leverage this "Vengeance Hunt" to capture as many samples as possible, ensuring our technological secrets remain uncompromised. Focus on the resources at your disposal: the Skitarii stationed at the Death World base, the Knights of House Nearl, and Maine's squad at your side. They are sufficient to complete this defense and subsequent hunt. As for the long-term... perhaps in the future, a more efficient and covert method of exploitation can be devised.]
[Understood.]
Ryo (the second avatar) severed the connection and slowly opened his eyes. Grace and Maine were both watching him, having clearly noticed his brief trance.
"Has the situation changed?" Maine asked astutely.
"No, merely clarifying our direction." Ryo walked to the analysis table, his fingers gently brushing the cold surface of an alien device. "The RDA wants a piece of the pie, but we have a far greater problem to handle."
He looked at Maine and issued a directive: "Tighten security, Maine. Parker won't give up; his petty tricks will only increase. As for the research data they desire..."
A cold, faint smile surfaced on his lips. "We can prepare a 'gift' for them. A simplified report on the Predator's fundamental physiological structure and lifespan. After appropriately redacting the critical data, we can 'leak' it to them. Let them see the value, but also clearly see the danger. Maintaining their greed while sustaining their fear is the most advantageous course for us."
His strategy was clear and calculated: utilize existing, completely controllable forces to transform the impending crisis into a limited harvesting opportunity.
The Predator's vengeance was an apocalyptic disaster in the eyes of the RDA, but in his eyes, it was merely a meticulously orchestrated hunt with controllable risks.
While the spacecraft and the greater treasure represented by its species could not be fully exploited for the time being, he was absolutely determined to claim this immediate "interest."
On the chessboard of Pandora, he remained the player who best understood the rules of the game and held the strongest chips.
Deep within the Forge Ship Eternal Seeker, Ryo's true body was conducting silent, fierce calculations.
The biological miracle and technological treasure trove represented by the Predators acted like a magnet radiating an alluring glow, firmly capturing his core logic as a Tech-Magos.
The current reality of being unable to acquire them on a massive scale, or even conduct in-depth research, felt like an invisible shackle, causing a disturbance akin to "unwillingness" even within his absolute, hyper-rational cognitive core.
The clearer cold logic delineated the costs and risks of large-scale cross-dimensional operations, the harder it became to thoroughly suppress his almost instinctual desire to possess and dissect rare resources and unknown technologies.
This was not emotion, but rather a sharp contradiction between the optimal solution derived from the purest rationality—that acquiring them would yield an amplification of knowledge and power far exceeding the cost—and the current logistical blockade at the execution level.
Just as his massive processing core repeatedly weighed the options, attempting to chart a viable path through the labyrinth of risk and reward, a psychic signal flagged for "Permitted Access" gently knocked upon his consciousness barrier.
It was Elandir, the Eldar Ranger from the Ulthwé Craftworld.
Her psychic projection appeared like an elegant phantom within the chamber filled with data ports and energy conduits. She seemed entirely out of place in the cold, mechanical environment, yet carried an aura of primordial mystery.
"Honored Magos," Elandir's voice resonated directly within his consciousness, ethereal and clear, carrying the unique cadence of the Eldar. "The threads of prophecy have been disturbed once more. I have seen that the ripples of the expedition—which will profoundly impact the river of our people's fate—have already begun to spread. And within this interwoven tapestry of destiny, I foresee you... currently facing a conundrum involving resources from a distant star sector."