Interstellar travel, especially on reliable ships equipped with formal Navigators and powerful Geller Fields, is so exorbitantly priced that it is beyond the reach of ordinary people, even if they spent their entire lives trying to afford it.
For the vast majority of the lower classes who have never stepped into the void, the cost of a single ticket far exceeds the wealth accumulated by their families over ten generations.
Imperial starships, especially those capable of safely traversing the Warp, are rare treasures in themselves.
The vast majority of transport and merchant vessels shuttling through the sea of stars often lack formal Navigators or strong Geller Field protection.
They either crawl slowly at sub-light speeds in realspace, taking decades to complete a single voyage, or risk making short-distance jumps on the surface of the Warp; while this does not require deep penetration into the dangerous Warp and has lower requirements for Navigators, the risks are enormous.
Without the protection of a Geller Field, creatures on a ship exposed to the Warp would be torn apart and devoured by Warp entities in an instant.
Of course, the extremely lucky might survive.
However, if there are Sisters of Silence on board... the situation is completely the opposite.
Facing these Blanks who naturally restrain the power of the Warp, it is the entities within the Warp that should be praying, hoping that the Sisters of Silence kill them more slowly.
After all, there are very few beings who, like the Primarch Magnus, can still slaughter everything in their path with sheer physical strength after having their psychic powers suppressed by the Sisters of Silence.
Under the Void Field of the Sisters of Silence, even a Daemon Prince might suffer greatly.
However, as Blanks, the Sisters of Silence are themselves entities shunned and feared by ordinary humans.
The Void Field they emanate severs the connection between the soul and the Warp; for ordinary people, close contact brings intense physical discomfort and even pain and weakness at a spiritual level, and the consequences of long-term exposure are unimaginable.
Fortunately, the highly trained Sisters of Silence can control the intensity of their own fields to avoid harming bystanders.
Therefore, regarding the extraction request made by the Sisters of Silence, Alex agreed without hesitation: "I will immediately arrange ships to extract them. Several fast frigates in the Sub-Sector fleet have just finished maintenance and can execute this mission immediately."
He paused slightly and added: "Tell them to prepare the necessary personal items; the extraction ships will be there to pick them up very soon. Is there anything else you need to tell me?"
"Yes, Inquisitor." The Sisters of Silence continued to gesture with their fingers in front of their chests, and the sign language interpreter immediately relayed: "It is not only those two congregations willing to migrate that I have contacted; through some special means, I have also established contact with six congregations distributed across three adjacent Star Districts."
She continued to explain in detail: "Among them, three congregations, while having no intention of relocating, have expressed a strong willingness to cooperate."
"Their convent buildings are relatively well-preserved and can still maintain basic operations."
"These congregations are willing to send members to serve you in accordance with the ancient service contracts, while receiving the weapons, medical supplies, and training facilities you provide."
The interpreter paused for a moment, conveying more complex information: "But I must explain to you that these congregations holding their ground are in equally difficult situations."
"The water purification system of the Octavia Congregation has been broken for two years, and the sisters can only rely on rainwater collectors to survive; the training ground of the Malta Congregation was requisitioned by the local Planetary Governor, forcing them to conduct combat training in the catacombs; the youngest Veronica Congregation even had to accept'sponsorship' from the local Chamber of Commerce, exchanging food rations for serving as an honor guard at festival celebrations."
"According to my negotiations with the heads of each congregation," the gestures of the Sisters of Silence became more solemn: "Each congregation expects to be able to send one to two experienced full Sisters, as well as two to three apprentices who have completed basic training to serve."
"The Octavia Congregation promises to send their best anti-Psyker tactics instructor, on the condition that you can assist with a water circulation purification system."
Her fingers suddenly trembled slightly, conveying a rare emotional fluctuation: "I am very sorry, Inquisitor. Each congregation is stretched thin in terms of both manpower and resources; this is already the maximum support they can provide."
"Especially since recent reliable reports indicate that the High Lords of Terra are re-establishing the Sisters of Silence units; although several congregations have not yet received a conscription order, they are already taking stock of their weapons and equipment in preparation, so they cannot send more personnel."
"I understand, that is not a problem." Alex nodded slightly, his gentle attitude carrying understanding.
He noticed that the interpreter specifically emphasized the detail of "reliable reports," which meant that the Sisters of Silence might have already confirmed the movements of the Imperial high command through special channels.
The value of such intelligence far exceeds the support of a few congregations.
He calculated quickly in his mind: if each cooperating congregation sent personnel according to the upper limit, he would eventually gain reinforcements of six full Sisters and nine apprentices.
Adding the two migrating congregations that are about to be extracted, the total force will reach thirteen full Sisters and fourteen apprentices.
Although this scale is not enough to form a complete combat sequence, it is more than sufficient as a special operations unit.
Supporting these scattered Sisters of Silence congregations was originally just a casual move he had laid out; now, to have such a harvest is an unexpected joy, so how could he possibly complain about the number of people?
These pious warriors might not be good with words, but their keen perception of Warp corruption will become an important part of the early warning system.
Even if the personnel arriving are limited, adding them up, there could still be three to five full Sisters of Silence and over a dozen apprentices.
Alex had already outlined a deployment plan in his mind: assigning experienced full Sisters to various key hub worlds, while apprentices would be incorporated into rapid response squads.
Such a configuration can both ensure the defensive strength of key areas and maintain sufficient mobile forces.
In Alex's planning, the greatest threat to the Sub-Sector in the future is undoubtedly the surge in Warp corruption that will inevitably occur after the Great Rift opens.
At that time, Warp Storms will cut off conventional communications, and Daemon incursions will present a situation of multi-point outbreaks.
And the Sisters of Silence are the experts and indispensable safety valves for dealing with such threats.
Their Void Field can not only suppress Psyker mutations but also temporarily stabilize Warp rifts in local areas.
With them holding the line, many potential disasters can be nipped in the bud.
For example, summoning rituals of cult organizations can be strangled before completion, and accidentally awakened Psykers can be properly handled.
More importantly, their very existence can deter potential heretics—under the gaze of the Blanks, any secret connection with Chaos has nowhere to hide.
History has long proven this point—when the Wolf King leman russ destroyed Prospero, it was the Sisters of Silence joining forces with the Adeptus Custodes to slaughter countless sorcerers of the Thousand Sons; in the future Lion's Gate War, the Imperium similarly relied on their tacit cooperation with the Adeptus Custodes to repel the eighty-eight Bloodthirster legions under Khorne.
Now, this new batch of reinforced Sisters of Silence forces is undoubtedly a timely help for him.
"Then," Alex confirmed finally, "for these congregations willing to provide personnel, how will their people come over? Do you also need me to send people to extract them?"
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