Chapter 82: Successful Jump
After arranging matters, Lucan returned to his room in the palace.
He then immediately summoned Rebecca, Verre, and Pavian.
These three were now among his most loyal and important people.
Lucan was not stingy with his rewards for these individuals.
However, Lucan did not infuse them with as many Psy-crystals as he had for a combatant like Damon.
Lucan infused each of them with 5,000 Psy-crystals.
The Divinity Machine actually had an effect even on someone as heavily modified as Pavian.
Pavian discovered that the power output of his mechanical modifications became higher and more durable, and even his processing speed became faster.
Rebecca and Verre also received physical and mental enhancements.
For these two, the physical enhancement was secondary; Lucan had no intention of having them fight as soldiers.
But the abundance of mental energy would allow them to have more stamina and time to handle more administrative affairs for Lucan.
Compared to combat, Lucan despised those tedious official documents.
Of course, the three of them did not know of Lucan's private intentions. They only felt an indescribable power filling their bodies. The physical enhancement also brought an extension of their lifespan and improved health. It would even allow them to hold out longer if they encountered Chaos corruption.
Perhaps some who live too long might wish for death… but at Verre's and Rebecca's age, that was definitely not the case.
(Commander Dante of the Blood Angels Chapter, on the other hand, had expressed that he really didn't want to carry on and wished he could just be allowed to die.)
"Thank you for your gift, my Lord!"
Such an incredible creation – Verre and Rebecca both believed it to be some kind of precious holy relic, or perhaps an unknown and powerful technology.
They both thought Lucan had paid a great price.
And for Lucan to use such a precious thing on them, this was a sign of his trust.
"Verre, Rebecca, Pavian, this is a reward for your loyalty. I hope you can make even greater contributions to the Dynasty!"
"Everything for you! Everything for the Dynasty!"
Seeing the reactions of the three, Lucan was very satisfied.
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Rebecca returned to her office.
Sitting in her chair, feeling her own body as if it were brand new, she was exceptionally joyful.
Long hours of high-intensity work had caused various hidden ailments in her body, things that a Medicae couldn't solve, many of which were pressures brought on by mental stress.
Feeling the abundant energy, Rebecca immediately threw herself back into the complex administrative affairs.
Refreshed and clear-headed, she processed one document after another. After a full 24 hours, Rebecca found she still didn't feel tired. Her attendants had already come to remind her to rest several times, but Rebecca still felt full of vitality.
And Rebecca, who was already something of a workaholic, found it even harder to stop now.
Poor Rebecca had unwittingly become Lucan's work machine…
And Lucan, for his part, took a shuttle to the Starport on Agalos.
Almost all the ore produced on Agalos was now being used to build Battlecruisers.
The original miners on Agalos had all been replaced. The current miners were all those Genestealers controlled by Kerrigan.
They were more efficient and better at keeping secrets.
Guided by Pavian, Lucan finally boarded this warship he had longed for. He arrived on the ship's bridge.
Tech-Priests and a large number of crewmen were familiarizing themselves with all aspects of the warship.
Besides familiarizing themselves with the ship, the Tech-Priests had even begun to modify it.
The first thing they did, with the help of the SCVs, was to build a chapel inside the warship as well.
One Purity Seal after another was affixed to the various mechanical devices within the Battlecruiser.
Under the religious practices of this group of Tech-Priests, relying on SCVs, Purity Seals, and prayers, this warship, which did not belong to this universe, even seemed to have acquired a nascent machine spirit.
And this machine spirit was born from Lucan's "Machine Faith" divine office.
When Lucan sat in the captain's seat, he felt the warship welcoming him.
All the selected naval crewmen had been through layers of political vetting, and the soldiers in key positions were those StarCraft soldiers under Lucan's command.
"My Lord, the fourth ship will be completed soon. The debugging of the jump drive has been finished. Not only that, but I've also found that the communication system on this warship is unheard of. I have already begun to reverse-engineer it. This technology, called 'quantum communication,' may allow us to achieve interstellar communication without being restricted by the Warp or Astropaths."
Pavian explained to Lucan.
"When can we attempt the first jump?"
"Anytime! Where would you like to set the target for your first jump?"
Hearing this, Lucan took out that star chart and then opened it.
This was just a test. Lucan set the target to the nearest star system, and the real jump mission would be completed by another warship.
Seeing the star system Lucan pointed to, Pavian immediately began to input the coordinates.
The reactor within the warship began to power up. Conventional engines carried the Battlecruiser out of orbit and into the void.
As the reactor's energy began to charge the spatial jump drive, everyone held their breath, watching that warship.
"Energy supply normal. Star system coordinates calibrated. Machine spirit has awakened. Ready to jump at any time."
The warship's crew reported to Lucan.
"Permission granted to make the jump!"
When the command was given, a massive amount of energy surged into the jump drive. Under the gaze of all present, space began to fold, and in the next second, this Battlecruiser vanished from the Agathos system.
Its signal had completely disappeared from the augur arrays.
And at this moment, the quantum communication facility within the warship began to operate.
"Reporting, Lord Lucan! We have successfully jumped! We have arrived at the star system! The jump drive requires a 30-minute cooldown!"
When the news of success reached Lucan's ears, he couldn't help but cheer.
This efficiency… even the Eldar Webway and the Necrons' method of travel seemed weak in comparison.
"Begin the exploration program immediately! Pavian, no matter how many resources you need, I can provide them for you. Complete the reverse-engineering as quickly as possible!"
"I will do my best, my Lord. However, many things within this technology deviate greatly from normal physical laws. We can only continuously experiment and find substitutes. This may take a very long time."
Lucan understood what Pavian was saying. After all, it was a product of a different universe. If it were truly universal, Lucan didn't believe that after so many years, the research capabilities of the Warhammer world couldn't have figured this out. It was too unreasonable.
If 40k couldn't, then what about the Golden Age?
The only pity was that this jump did not discover any valuable planets. The star system they jumped into was not suitable for human habitation. There were only barren worlds, some without even an atmosphere.
However, Lucan wasn't bothered by this. After all, the number of stars in the galaxy was innumerable, but the number of usable, valuable planets was not many. Exploration was inherently accompanied by the unknown; it was a coexistence of risk and reward.
Half an hour later, the warship jumped back to Agathos again.
And Lucan returned to the planet Agathos without stopping.
Agathos had now entered a virtuous cycle of operation, but it would take time to grow into a behemoth. And Lucan, as the Rogue Trader of Agathos, had to accelerate this speed.
The known star systems within the Expanse almost all had masters. If he didn't want to start wars, he could only turn his sights to those unknown star systems.
As soon as he returned to Agathos, Lucan began to coordinate resources and select personnel for this exploration.
Lucan planned to leave Rebecca and Verre on Agathos to manage its trade and daily affairs.
And one Battlecruiser would also remain at Agathos to serve as a temporary communication base station. This way, if anything happened on Agathos, he would have time to rush back.
(End of Chapter)
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