Shipping goods from the game to the World of Warhammer

Chapter 85 You want to purify my newly filmed base?

Rod didn't rush to answer.

He turned to the side, his face now displaying a composed expression.

"As expected of the Imperial Judge."

Rod tugged at his collar, looking rather helpless.

"To be honest, after the attack by the green-skinned pirates in orbit, the flagship's Geller force field generator was damaged, making it unable to conduct subspace travel. While waiting for the support fleet, I had to make a short stop on that planet, partly to conduct reconnaissance and partly to replenish supplies."

He shrugged.

"The Ork Orcs control a significant amount of territory on that planet, and if you want supplies, you have to deal with them. Fortunately, I only encountered the Bloodaxe Clan, with whom I could barely communicate. As long as the Empire's interests are not harmed, you shouldn't have any objections, right?"

Judge Said did not interrupt him.

Those grey-green eyes watched Rhodes quietly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, simply listening. This silence was more enigmatic than a direct question, because you didn't know how much the other person believed, or what mental labels they had formed.

"The Bloodaxe clan's trading tendencies are indeed documented in the Empire's records," Inquisitor Sion finally spoke. "It is not uncommon for many generals and caravans on the front lines to have dealings with the Bloodaxe."

Rod breathed a sigh of relief.

"but-

""

He swallowed the rest of his breath.

"Because the Bloodaxe clan's trade tendencies were known to the Empire, it became exceptionally easy to trace the source of the technology when equipment and technology belonging to no known orc clan appeared on the Bloodaxe."

Judge Sion flipped another screenshot from the data panel and handed it to Rhodes.

The screenshot is a close-up of a Bloodaxe orc boy, taken from a tricky angle, clearly filmed from a distance with a high-powered camera. The orc has a bracer strapped to his forearm; although the bracer has undergone a crude, green-skin-like modification, the glowing blade extending from the inside of the bracer is still clearly visible.

It's exactly the same as the Protoss's Psionic Blade Bracers.

"The energy wavelength of this equipment matches perfectly with the energy wavelength on the surface of those unknown alien armors."

Inquisitor Sion retrieved the data panel, his tone unchanged. "Lord Rhodes, if the equipment in the hands of the Bloodaxe Clan has already shown technological connections with products of another alien civilization that the Empire has never recorded, then they may not be considered a threat."

He paused.

Rhodes didn't respond immediately. He leaned against the edge of the tactical table, his arms casually crossed over his chest. The inquisitor was fishing, waiting for him to take the bait.

But this wasn't the first time Rhodes had dealt with a situation like this.

The trade warrants of wandering merchants held a very special position in the Imperial legal system. They were issued by the Emperor himself or the highest authority in the Empire, granting the holder the legal right to conduct all trade activities within and outside the Empire's borders, including limited contact and transactions with alien races, as long as such contact "does not harm the interests of the Empire."

The interpretation of this final qualifier has historically been the core battleground between the Ronin Merchants and the Inquisition. The Inquisition believes that any contact with the aliens carries potential risks, while the Ronin Merchants insist that commercial interests are an extension of the Empire's interests. The two sides have fought in this gray area for tens of thousands of years, with neither able to completely prevail.

Rhodes chose an angle.

"Judge Saen, I understand your reasoning, but please allow me to point out a thing."

He straightened up, stood up from the tactical platform, and faced Sion.

"The Vandreck dynasty's trade warrants clearly state that the warrant holder has the right to conduct all necessary trade and diplomatic activities outside the empire's borders, including but not limited to establishing temporary cooperative relationships with non-imperial powers. The boundaries of this authority cannot be limited by a single factor."

He kicked the ball back.

"If I did indeed have contact with certain forces on that planet, it was within the scope of my license and was a legal act. You have no right to unilaterally determine that the legitimate trade activities of the wandering merchants constitute a violation before the court makes a formal ruling."

These words were not a threat, but they were by no means a sign of weakness.

Rod's use of the trade authorization card made his meaning clear: I am qualified to do these things. You can pursue me if you want, but follow the proper procedures. Don't think you can get me to admit to any crimes on this ship with just a few words.

Judge Sion's gaze remained unchanged, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

It wasn't a laugh, but more like an expression of "it's interesting".

"I am impressed by Lord Rhodes's understanding of Imperial law." His tone remained polite. "However, my purpose here is not to investigate whether the trading activities of the wandering merchants are compliant."

He took half a step forward.

"I only care about one thing: eliminating the alien forces on that planet that pose a threat to the Empire. This is the responsibility of the Alien Inquisition, and has nothing to do with trade warrants."

Rhodes cursed inwardly.

This judge is very experienced. He doesn't get bogged down in legal verses; he directly steers the conversation back to his own territory. The power to determine whether something is an alien threat rests with the court, and the trade warrant can't help with that.

The two men stared at each other for a few seconds on the bridge.

Rhodes was the first to break the silence.

His expression shifted from his previous composed and professional demeanor to a more relaxed one, as if the tense atmosphere just moments before was merely a minor misunderstanding.

"Your Excellency is right." He nodded. "I didn't spend much time on that planet, and my interactions were mainly with the Bloodaxe Clan. To be honest, I don't know as much as you do about the unknown aliens you mentioned."

He tapped twice on the tactical platform, pulled up a surface scan of the planet, and pushed it in front of Sion.

"Originally, I thought that Bloodaxes were just a group of relatively easy-to-deal-with greenskins, and that the Vandrick Dynasty's existing armed forces could bring this planet under control. But since the Inquisitor has informed me that there are even more dangerous aliens, I must reconsider my plan."

He made a very sincere gesture.

"I will handle the affairs of this planet properly and will never cause trouble for the Empire."

That sounds nice, but what it really means is: I'm not going to move on this planet for now, so please don't keep bothering me.

Judge Saien nodded after listening.

Rod thought that was the end of it. But the next sentence almost made him lose his smile.

"Thank you for your understanding and cooperation, Lord Rhodes."

Inquisitor Sion's voice was calm and even, "However, since high-threat Xenomorph activity has been confirmed on this planet, the Xenomorph Inquisition has a responsibility to launch a full-scale elimination operation."

"I have requested assistance from the nearest Imperial Naval Theater Command, and Deathwatch will also send reinforcements to the planet's surface. The plan is to complete the sorting and elimination of the alien threat across the entire planet within a few weeks."

Rod's smile was still on his face, but his mind was in turmoil.

What?

Within weeks, the Imperial Navy and Deathwatch will descend upon that planet for a complete cleanup.

His Protoss base, crystal tower, warp portal, and the newly warped mechanical platform all stood boldly on the surface of that planet, emitting a blue glow.

No need to sweep; just go down to a high place, use binoculars to take a look, and you'll find it.

Rod maintained his smile, his mind racing, and he spoke first.

"Your Excellency Judge is decisive and admirable. It is an honor for the Emperor to have such a loyal servant as you protecting him."

""

Judge Saien tilted his head slightly.

"Since we've brought up cooperation,"

His tone carried a "since you've put it that way, then don't be polite" implication. "Lord Rhodes' flagship is currently undergoing repairs and shouldn't be leaving this star system anytime soon. The cleanup operation requires a large amount of surface transport and logistical support, and it will take at least ten days for the Imperial Navy's main fleet to be transferred from the nearest war zone."

During this period, I hope the Van der Régis dynasty can provide shuttle transport capacity and some ground armed forces support.

He took a hastily printed request for assistance from his trench coat pocket and handed it to Rod.

The heading read "Temporary Conscription Order of the Alien Tribunal," while the body of the document was a standard military assistance request. Although the word "request" was used, everyone knew that the only difference between the tribunal's "request" and its order was whether or not it needed to be stamped.

Rod took the document, glanced at the terms, and nodded.

"No problem." He placed the document on the tactical table. "The Vandreich dynasty will fully cooperate with the Inquisition's purge operation; it is the duty of the wandering merchants."

Judge Sion nodded in satisfaction and extended his hand for a brief handshake with Rhodes.

"It's been a pleasure working with you, Your Excellency Rhodes. I will keep you informed of any developments."

He turned and strode toward the side door of the bridge. Two Death Watchers in black armor, who had been standing silently near the door, followed behind him. Their heavy footsteps in power armor thudded evenly on the metal deck until the side door closed and the sound gradually faded away.

The bridge has resumed its normal operations.

Rod stood facing the side door for two seconds, and the polite smile on his face gradually disappeared.

Aliya walked to his side, her voice very low.

"Captain, regarding the Inquisitor's request for assistance—" She paused, her words carefully chosen, "how many troops should we send to help him clear the targets on that planet?"

Alia means...

The "target" on that planet was their own power. The Inquisitor wanted Rhodes to send men and resources to attack his own base; anyone would be furious in that situation.

Rod turned around and walked toward his command chair.

"Of course we'll help."

He laughed again.

"The Empire conducts countless operations to eradicate alien activity across the galaxy every year, but less than 30% of these operations are actually carried out to completion. The Inquisition's resources are not unlimited, and the Imperial Navy is already overwhelmed. If the alien threat on a remote, strategically worthless wasteland planet in a remote star system were to be eliminated—a process that would be time-consuming, labor-intensive, and extremely costly—what do you think the Inquisition would do?"

Aliya's eyes flickered slightly.

"They will assess the cost-benefit ratio," she said softly. "If the cost of eradication exceeds the value of the planet itself, the Inquisition will lower the priority and move on to the next more valuable target, at which point we'll have to face the aliens on this planet."

"That's right."

Rhodes settled into the conductor's chair, the back of which made a soft click. His fingers rested on the armrests, his thumb rhythmically tapping the metal surface.

"The Empire has so many things to worry about, and the Inquisitor can't spend his whole life on a barren planet. If the cleanup operation is troublesome enough that he feels it's not worth continuing to invest in, he'll take his Death Watch and leave, marking the planet as 'under continuous surveillance' and stuffing it into some low-priority folder to gather dust. That's why we have to do everything we can to help them."

Aliya understood.

She didn't ask any more questions, bowed to Rhodes, turned and walked towards the communications station to begin arranging the shuttle capacity allocation requested by the judge.

After Aria walked away, Rhodes leaned back in his chair and stared at the dome of the bridge above him.

OK OK.

You, Marcus Sion, are going to call the Imperial Navy and Deathwatch to come and turn the planet upside down, are you?

Then I won't stand on ceremony.

Rhodes brought up the system panel in his mind.

Instructions were issued one by one.

All Protoss structures exposed on the surface began to function.

Zealots and Stalkers retreated back into the base, and the Sentinels reduced their force field projection range to a minimum, maintaining defensive coverage only in the core area of ​​the base. All Protoss units entered a low-activity state to minimize the leakage of psionic signals.

Then there's the machine table.

The Protoss mechanical platform, which had only recently been completed, began to operate.

Rhodes stared at the production queue on the panel.

The Immortal.

The Protoss's heavy walking mech is equipped with a phase interference cannon on each arm. It is nearly three stories tall, with armor thickness far exceeding that of the Zealot, and the strength of its plasma shield further increases its durability by an order of magnitude.

The Immortal is specifically designed to counter heavily armored units and should also be able to withstand a considerable amount of firepower.

Rhodes put the immortals into the production queue.

Following closely behind the Immortals was the Star Gate.

Upon receiving the command, the probe drifted toward the last reserved open space in the basin, and the projector at its bottom lit up with a pale blue light.

The structure of the stargate gradually solidified in the energy field, and two towering arched pillars rose from the ground, with the space between the pillars filled with blue and white energy vortexes.

With the stargate, the Phoenix fighter can be put into production immediately.

Are you going to carry out a cleanup operation on the ground?

Come on.

Rhodes' fingers paused on the armrest, his gaze shifting from the ceiling to the main observation screen in front of the bridge. On the screen, the grayish-brown planet hung silently in the void, its thin atmosphere surrounded by a hazy halo.

Judge Said did not say a few weeks.

But even just a week or two is enough time for him to get a lot done.

Rhodes mentally shut down the panel, closed his eyes, and leaned back in his chair.

He opened his eyes.

"Aliya."

The voice from the communication station paused for a moment.

"exist."

"Has the judge's accommodation on the ship been arranged?"

"I've arranged for you to be in the VIP cabin area, next to the Deathwatch warriors. I've already assigned someone to take care of your accommodations."

"Empty the cabin next door as well."

Aliya was silent for half a second.

"clear."

If the judge wants to investigate him, he also needs to find out exactly how much the judge has up his sleeve.

At the end of the corridor outside the bridge, Inquisitor Sion was leading two Deathwatch warriors toward their assigned VIP cabin area.

He stopped halfway through his journey.

The Deathwatch warrior behind him, wielding a chainsaw sword, spoke in a low voice, which sounded muffled through his helmet.

"Judge, this traveling merchant answered too quickly."

Judge Said did not turn around.

"He does have a secret."

He continued walking forward, the sound coming from the corridor ahead.

"But we have no evidence either."

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