Chapter 53: The Business is Steaming Ahead
Once the brewery began its first production cycle, the sheer number of laborers was no longer necessary. Kian paid out the thirty-odd syndicate gangers and dismissed them.
The men left wearing wide, satisfied grins, clutching enough Agri-Scrips to keep them in lho-sticks and corpse-starch for years. As they departed, several of them clapped Shiv on the shoulder, telling him to vox them the moment "Boss Voss" needed more muscle for a "pour-job."
Watching them leave, Kian checked his balance and felt a sharp pang in his chest. He had started the week with over 110,000 scrips; now, after buying the high-end medical equipment, the distillery parts, and paying the wages, he was down to a mere 20,000.
With the first batch of amasec requiring five days to ferment, Kian couldn't stand the sight of an empty stash. He decided it was time to head back to the surface to farm credits and experience.
He prepped his production lines in the Sanctum, then called his core "Officers" together.
Shiv, Silentium, Little Joel, Big Joel, Sansa, and the ten-year-old brother—a motley crew of veterans, civilians, and one highly unstable warp-freak. A regular 'dirty dozen' in the making, Kian thought, satisfied.
"Cough, cough."
Kian let out a theatrical cough to get their attention. "Listen up. I'm heading out on a 'Long Raid.' You lot are the garrison. Look after the fermentation pits and keep the bulkheads locked."
He turned to Little Joel. "Just because your spine is snapped doesn't mean your trigger finger is broken. You've got the training. You sit by the gate in that wheelchair and act as the Sentry. If anyone tries to breach, you turn them into a sieve. Clear?"
Little Joel snapped a crisp military salute. "Understood, sir! I can still put a slug through a mutant's eye at fifty paces."
Kian pulled out two rebel-pattern autoguns. He handed one to Joel and the other to his father.
"Big Joel," Kian said, addressing the patriarch. "You've seen what the Sump is like. You're still in your prime. I need you to learn the art of the kill, and I need you to learn it fast. I'm not running a charity; I'm building a Syndicate."
Big Joel took the rifle with trembling, reverent hands. He bowed low to Kian. "My Lord... thank you for the protection you've granted my blood. I will become the warrior you require."
Kian then turned to Sansa. He handed her the letter from the Cathedral. "Ma'am, this is from your daughter. She's a Novice in the Cathedral of the Blessed Martyr. She's safe and busy with her catechisms. If you want to write back, have a letter ready for when I head to the Mid-Hive again."
Sansa clutched the parchment to her chest, tears of joy cutting tracks through the grime on her face. "Thank you, Master Voss... thank you. I will work until my fingers bleed to repay this debt. What do you need of me?"
Kian waved her off. "I'm going to have a lot of mouths to feed soon. You're the Quartermaster. You handle the cooking and the cleaning."
Finally, he looked at Shiv. "Shiv, while I'm gone, you and Little Joel are to run training drills. But your primary job is logistics. I need furniture—tables, chairs, beds, and crates. I want this tunnel looking like a barracks, not a sewer."
Under Shiv's shocked gaze, Kian slapped a roll of 5,000 Agri-Scrips into his hand.
"Use this for the 'Base-Ops' budget. Don't be stingy. I want efficiency. I want this factory running like a well-oiled Machine Spirit."
Shiv stared at the credits, his hand shaking as if he were holding a live grenade. "L-Lord Voss..."
He was nearly in tears. Five thousand scrips was more than a Sump-rat could hope to see in a lifetime. Kian wasn't worried about Shiv running off with the money. He was testing him. If Shiv vanished, Kian would have spent 5k to find out he had a traitor in his midst—a bargain. If Shiv stayed, Kian had a loyal lieutenant for life.
"One more thing, Shiv," Kian added. "Recycle every 100ml glass bottle you can find. Scavenge them from the bins, buy them from the dregs. We need thousands of them for the distribution phase."
Shiv nodded like a frantic rooster. "Consider it done, Boss! I'll bring you every bottle in the Hive!"
Lastly, Kian turned to Silentium. The Psyker was currently staring at a damp patch on the wall, his mind clearly wandering the Empyrean.
Kian snapped his fingers in front of the freak's scarred face. "Hey! Void-brain! Focus!"
The Psyker blinked. "Yes, Master Voss?"
Kian pulled him into a corner. "You're the one I'm worried about. I don't want to come back and find tentacles growing from the ceiling. I don't want to see my staff being used as snacks for your 'imaginary friends.' Understand?"
Silentium's eyes drifted. "The Silence is so sweet here... I will be a very good boy."
Kian pointed two fingers at his own eyes, then at the Psyker's. "Listen to me, my 'living saint.' I'm a traditional man. I like 3k-era values. If you pull some 99%-pure Warp-heresy out of your hat and scare me, I'm going to be very upset. No demons. No gore-art. Just silence."
"I promise, Master Voss! No trouble!" Silentium muttered, sounding slightly annoyed by the nagging.
Kian knew when to stop. He patted the Psyker's shoulder, returned to his private Sanctum, and geared up. He grabbed the Long-pattern Marksman Rifle, donned his Grade-3 flak set, and packed his surgical kits and stimms. It was time to grind some "Long-Las" proficiency.
As Kian locked the brewery gates and vanished into the dark shadows of the transit tunnel, Silentium's expression shifted.
He looked at the heavy, sealed blast door of Kian's private Sanctum. He checked to make sure Shiv and the Joels were busy with the starch-vats.
The Psyker crept toward the door, his fingers twitching. He wondered what kind of toys the Master of Silence kept in his private nest. He reached out with a thread of psychic energy, searching for the tumblers of the lock...
He wanted to see what was inside.
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you