At Nimrod's behest, Szczesny commenced the briefing with measured deference.
"My lord, I have conducted a thorough sweep of all decks. The warriors of the Fourth Regiment are now scouring the more secluded compartments in squad formations."
"In this engagement, the Fourth Regiment suffered one hundred and eighty-four casualties. Fifty perished in accidents during the boarding action, while one hundred and thirty-four fell in combat."
Nimrod remained unsurprised. The Fra'ow possessed formidable martial prowess, and had they not scattered in disarray, the toll would have been far graver.
A cornered beast may yet fight, but bereft of a commander, it loses cohesion and purpose.
"King Nimrod," Szczesny continued, "Sage Kiwior-9 has responded. The xenos artillery holds immense research value, and he will arrive post-battle to confer."
"Wojciech and I have inspected the xenos vessel. While we cannot decipher every control mechanism, we confirm the warship remains operational, its condition stable."
Having absorbed the briefing, Nimrod issued his commands with resolute authority.
"Transmit messages to the vessels of the Fender and Kournikova families, appending encrypted identification runes. Order them to seize control of Bolesław and apprehend Robert."
"Should they require aid, you, Szczesny, shall lead a detachment to resolve the matter."
Before the fleet's departure, Nimrod had secured encrypted runes from Howard and Yelena, ensuring that members of both families would execute his directives upon receipt.
As his subordinates withdrew, Nimrod made his way to the Fra'ow governor's quarters.
He had previously noted that the governor's bed, a sprawling three-and-a-half-meter expanse forged from purple alloy, could just accommodate his colossal frame, albeit with some contortion.
Nimrod rested, restoring his spiritual essence, when his vox crackled to life with precise timing.
"King Nimrod, Sage Kiwior-9 has arrived. Please proceed to the bridge to discuss transaction particulars."
"Very well," he replied.
With great strides, Nimrod returned to the bridge, where he beheld Kiwior-9, cloaked in the crimson robes of the Cult Mechanicus.
Like his fellow adepts, the sage could not suppress his curiosity toward Nimrod's towering physique, though his logical computations swiftly concluded that unraveling the giant's biological enigma lay beyond his capabilities.
"The xenos artillery possesses substantial developmental potential," Kiwior-9 intoned. "On behalf of the Martian Mechanicus, I propose a collaborative endeavor to exploit its secrets."
"Speak plainly. What do you seek?" Nimrod demanded.
"In addition to joint development and shared research outcomes, I require the stellar cartography data for all altars within the Vostonia System."
To navigate the vast cosmos without floundering like a blind swimmer, star charts were indispensable guides.
Though Warp disturbances and other variables rendered charts imperfect, their reference value far surpassed the peril of navigating without them.
"Your demand is denied," Nimrod declared firmly. "The Vostonia star charts are the crystallized wisdom of millennia, forged by countless servants of the Omnissiah."
"Under the principle of transactional equity, you may receive charts for two adjacent systems only."
"No," Nimrod countered decisively, his voice brimming with unshakable confidence. "Such a bargain lacks parity. The xenos artillery's worth far exceeds your offer."
"Its pulse-energy beams, imbued with an aetheric field, bypass void shields, corroding a vessel's hull directly. As a secondary effect, it overloads the target's shield generators."
"No such advanced cannonry exists within the Cult Mechanicus. By studying it, the Omnissiah's servants will achieve a theoretical breakthrough, unveiling new vistas of knowledge."
Nimrod spoke with unwavering certainty, his mind recalling the future tech-priest Hieronymus Tezla, who audaciously analyzed a wrecked Fra'ow vessel in the Tamar Sector, formulating his groundbreaking "Aether-Plasma" theory and earning great renown.
That was merely a derelict hulk, whereas the battlecruiser Nimrod had seized boasted over ninety-five percent structural integrity, its aether cannons wholly intact.
Kiwior-9 fell silent for nine seconds before responding.
"This unit requests an inspection of the artillery to ascertain its precise transactional value."
"By all means," Nimrod replied, unperturbed.
The Fra'ow's preeminent advantage over other races lay in their aetheric technology, impervious not only to human void shields but also to the Aeldari's holo-fields.
Engaging the Fra'ow in void warfare was folly, as Nimrod recalled. During the Great Crusade, Konrad Curze of the Night Lords, commanding the *Slaughter's Whisper*, bravely—or recklessly—engaged a Fra'ow fleet during a retreat.
His vessel was obliterated, its fragments later forged by his company captain into the *Blood Shield*, a battle-shield adorned with malicious ceramite barbs, serving as both a mark of Curze's defiant shame and a cruel jest.
The deeper Kiwior-9 delved into the aether cannons, the more he would recognize their inestimable worth.
"Wojciech, draft the transaction documents as I have outlined," Nimrod commanded.
"Four copies, two for each party, penned in Vostonian Low Gothic and the Tongue of the Machine."
"As you decree, my king," Wojciech affirmed, setting to work.
Rosicky, however, furrowed his brow.
To his knowledge, Nimrod had not even inspected the vessel's flanks, yet he asserted with absolute conviction that the sage would acquiesce to the deal.
This surpassed even his prescient judgment before the void battle, where at least data had underpinned his calculations.
One hour later, by ship's reckoning, Nimrod received Wojciech's contracts. Employing the "Lawyer" Beyonder ability to dissect their intricacies, he identified three vulnerabilities and, for strategic leverage in negotiations, highlighted one critical amendment.
"The transaction pertains solely to the aether cannons, not the vessel itself."
Rosicky and Wojciech exchanged startled glances, swiftly grasping the implication.
"My king, this will not escape the sage's scrutiny.what are your thoughts?"
"Doesn't matter," Nimrod replied calmly. "Proceed as I have instructed."
Wojciech, a technical adept, lacked finesse in negotiation.
Proposing all terms upfront risked derailing the deal, but once the counterparty recognized the transaction's value and deemed it indispensable, they would pay a steeper price.
The revised agreement was finalized within ten minutes. No sooner had it been prepared than Kiwior-9 returned with his entourage.
"I accede to your terms. Let us discuss the particulars," the sage declared.
"I have prepared the agreement. Review it, and if it meets your approval, we shall sign forthwith," Nimrod replied.
At his gesture, Wojciech presented the data-slate to the sage.
Kiwior-9's mechanical tendrils seized the slate, scanning its contents with alacrity.
"This clause requires amendment. The transaction encompasses the entire xenos warship," he insisted.
No cannon existed in isolation, least of all the aether cannons, which were integrated into a complex system. Moreover, the warship's other modules held considerable research value.
Having recognized the vessel's worth, Kiwior-9 and the Mechanicus were resolute in claiming it wholly.
Rosicky and Wojciech exchanged knowing looks, acknowledging that a logis would not overlook such an evident flaw.
"The entire ship can be yours, provided you meet my demands," Nimrod countered.
"What do you seek?"
"I offer a battlecruiser and expect one in return. A fair exchange, is it not?"
Rosicky and Wojciech shared a silent thought: [A one-for-one exchange is equitable, even advantageous to the Mechanicus, yet Nimrod demands star charts as well.]
Noticing Kiwior-9's hesitation, Nimrod pressed with a disarming smile.
"Star charts are replicable. The Omnissiah's servants lose nothing. Trading a mass-producible vessel for a xenos warship, while gaining novel technologies, is a worthy bargain."
Nimrod's "Beyonder Eloquence" steered the sage into an alternate logical framework.
After three seconds of silence, Kiwior-9 responded.
"I accept your terms, but I impose a condition of my own."
"You must, within ten stellar days, eradicate the Fra'ow raiders abandoned in the Sea of Canticles."
"I accept your condition," Nimrod declared.