Luna ordered another re-inspection of the Measure of Discipline. This time, she supervised it personally. The focus of the search was clear: Genestealers and any residual psychic traces across the ship's various sections.
She knew that the Tyranids, especially the Genestealer Patriarchs, were exceptionally skilled in psychic arts. These terrifying xenos could transmit information through a hive mind network, interfere with machinery via psychic pulses, and even subtly influence the minds of sentient beings. If Raynor had indeed tampered with the ship, it was highly likely to be a trick of this nature.
She utilized a combination of energy scanners and auspex arrays for dual detection. Servitors moved through every corner of the ship carrying various instruments. Data flickered across screens, and alarms occasionally chirped, though most were quickly dismissed as false positives.
Ten hours later, the search concluded. They lived up to expectations and found one more Genestealer—a Tech-priest responsible for managing the Geller Field. Although he wasn't from the engine department, removing this extremely dangerous hidden threat was a relief. If the Geller Field failed during Warp travel, they would be utterly doomed.
This priest was in his thirties and not highly mechanized; only his limbs, part of his spine, and a small portion of his brain had been replaced. By Mechanicus standards, he was considered "flesh-leaning," making him a prime target for genetic contamination. When he was brought before Luna, he was trembling and muttering nonsensical prayers. Luna glanced at him, said nothing, and simply waved her hand. Two Skitarii dragged him away.
Luna turned to the Tech-priests responsible for syncing the servitor data. "Are there any more?"
The priests looked at each other and shook their heads. "We detected some residual psychic energy near the engines that is higher than the average," one priest reported. "But the concentration is very low. It should be within a normal range; after all, the Hillis System currently has Warp turbulence, so some residue is expected."
Luna frowned. "Eliminate it."
The priests complied, using special high-energy radiation countermeasure devices to wipe out the residual psychic traces. They then checked everything twice more. After confirming there were no further abnormalities, Luna gave the order: "Prepare for the second test flight."
This time, Luna prudently chose to stay at the spaceport rather than board the ship. She stood in the spaceport's command center, watching the Measure of Discipline depart through a holographic screen. The captain was an experienced veteran who had served the Mechanicus for thirty years. The first officer was a confidant of Luna's, tasked with recording every anomaly. The entire crew had been replaced with Skitarii or servitors—those with the highest levels of mechanization and the lowest chance of infection.
Everything looked perfect. The Measure of Discipline began its orbits around Brevis.
The first lap was normal. The second lap was normal. The third lap...
"Report!" the captain's voice came through the comms, tinged with tension. "Anomaly detected in the secondary engines!"
Luna's heart sank. On the holographic screen, the data began to jump. Of the four secondary engines, three had suddenly dropped to forty percent power. They hadn't failed entirely; the power output had simply plummeted. For a starship, this was more terrifying than a drop in the main engine's power.
In real-space navigation, the main engines provide propulsion, while the secondary engines are responsible for precise attitude adjustment, turning, and assisting with docking. A failure in the secondary engines meant the ship's maneuverability dropped drastically, which was far more lethal than merely being slow. An enemy wouldn't even need to predict movements; they could hit the ship with precision just by calculating basic lead distance.
"Duration?" Luna barked.
"Approximately... thirteen minutes!"
For thirteen minutes, the Measure of Discipline stumbled through space like a drunken giant. Its posture became lopsided, its turns grew sluggish, and adjusting its heading took several times longer than usual. If this had been a battle, Luna didn't dare think of the consequences.
Thirteen minutes later, the secondary engines returned to normal power. The Measure of Discipline finished its final lap and limped back toward the spaceport. Luna's face was now as dark as it could possibly be.
Once the ship was docked, Luna summoned someone: Emile van Horn, a Magos specifically in charge of ship maintenance within the Mechanicus. He had specialized in this field for over a hundred years and had handled more warships than Luna had ever seen. Emile led a team of priests and inspected the Measure of Discipline inside and out.
Seven hours later, he walked up to Luna and removed his exaggerated protective goggles.
"There is nothing wrong with it," he said, his voice laced with impatience. He had been called away from researching the STC in the temple to help Luna, and he wasn't particularly interested in being polite. "All systems are performing normally, components are intact, and all data meets the standards."
Luna looked at him with confusion. "Then why did problems occur twice in a row?"
Emile contemplated for a few seconds. "There are only slight residual psychic traces," he said. "But the concentration is too low to cause any substantive impact. Given the current Warp turbulence in the Hillis System, this falls within the normal range."
The answer was almost identical to what the previous priests had said. Luna took a deep breath. She trusted Emile's professional expertise. If he said he couldn't find a problem, then the Measure of Discipline had no mechanical issues.
But the problem existed. The drop in engine power was a fact. Her only explanation was that Raynor had tampered with the ship. But how exactly had he done it?
Putting aside how strictly she had guarded the ship—never letting an outsider enter the Measure of Discipline—and the fact that all infiltrated Genestealers had been rooted out, she truly couldn't imagine where the problem lay. Making engine efficiency an issue was terrifying enough, but what if he could cause problems elsewhere? What if, during a naval engagement, the void shields suddenly dropped in power or shut down entirely?
Luna felt a bone-chilling cold. She was a Tzeentch sorceress; like her patron god, she specialized in schemes and conspiracies. But this time, she felt she was facing an opponent she completely failed to understand.
Just then, a message arrived for her. Luna looked down, and her expression instantly became quite vivid. The message was from Raynor. The content was polite, dignified, and even enthusiastic.
"I have heard that Lady Luna's ship encountered some issues during its maiden flight. I express my deepest regrets. Come to think of it, I encountered a similar situation before and struggled for quite a while before resolving it. If Lady Luna does not mind, I have some technical personnel here who might be of assistance."
Luna stared at the lines of text, nearly crushing the data slate in her hand. What was the meaning of this? She had once heard an uncle responsible for family security say that suspects love returning to the scene of the crime to admire their handiwork. Did Raynor have the same hobby?
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. As far as she knew, Raynor hadn't been in contact with more than two ships in his life. One was the Ode of Sacrifice, and the other was the vessel he took to the Hillis System, which had since disappeared. He had only been on them once, and both had navigated through dangerous peripheral zones. If every ship he stepped on developed problems, he should have died in space long ago.
This was clearly a mockery.
"Despicable outlander!" Luna cursed through gritted teeth. But she restrained herself. She sent back an equally dignified reply:
"Thank you for your concern, Governor. It is a minor issue; there is no need to trouble yourself. However, if the Governor truly has a solution, feel free to send someone over to try."
She wanted to see what kind of trick Raynor was up to.