Hearing Alexei's words, Armand's breathing grew rapid. "Of course! I would be delighted to assist you."
Alexei smiled without speaking. He poured himself a glass of water, then slowly sat down under Armand's expectant gaze. Taking a sip of his tea, he finally spoke. "I need a few things."
Alexei paused, looking at Armand. "Of course, I won't take them for free. I will repair—and upgrade—your ships at no charge."
"Upgrade?" Armand froze. He knew Aiur had its own unique warships, but aside from that spinal lance cannon, he hadn't noticed anything particularly unusual.
"Yes," Alexei said slowly, taking another sip. "By relying on a specific engine, our ships can engage in ultra-long-distance travel without entering the Warp. Its speed is on par with the legendary Webway—safe and efficient."
He looked at Armand, who still seemed somewhat bewildered. "I can give your warships the same capability. That way, you won't need to enter the hazardous Warp to travel. As you know, making long-distance Warp jumps in the Segmentum Obscurus—now torn open by the Great Rift—is practically suicide... After the refit, you will only need to input the target coordinates, and you can travel safely to your destination."
As his words fell, Alexei stopped looking at the man opposite him. A moment later, the sound of heavy breathing echoed in Alexei's ears. Curling his lips into a faint smile, he looked at Armand, who was trying hard to master his emotions, and spoke again. "However, a gift comes with a price."
Alexei's expression turned grave. He gestured for Armand to lean closer, then leaned slightly forward himself, speaking in a low voice. "I need you to help me find the Necron C'tan Shards—those ancient gods who once ruled the universe and were the incarnations of reality's laws."
"What?!" Armand gasped in shock, then let out a bitter smile and shook his head. Where was he supposed to get such terrifying, taboo things for Governor Aiur? Even if he could dodge the Inquisition's eyes, he lacked the power to capture them. If he were actually capable of capturing C'tan Shards, why would he be sitting here?
"I'm not asking you to capture them," Alexei explained, naturally aware of Armand's concerns. "You only need to pass along news of their sightings to me in a timely manner. Naturally, it's best if you verify it first—I don't want to make a trip for nothing."
Armand lowered his head, gritting his teeth as he sank into thought. This was a dangerous mission; merely investigating such intel could plunge the Armand family into irreversible ruin.
After all, most C'tan Shards were held by the Necron Dynasties. If word leaked about any scattered outside, it would inevitably draw the gaze of every major faction. Jumping into the fray at that point was undoubtedly suicidal. Furthermore, if the Inquisition discovered he possessed this kind of non-Warp travel technology, he would be equally doomed...
However, if Governor Aiur's claims of long-distance travel without the Warp were true, it would bring unimaginable profits to the entire Capet family. The strength Alexei had demonstrated made Armand believe his words.
"Fine. I agree to this deal!" After pondering for a while, Armand raised his head, looked at Governor Aiur, and said in a deep voice.
"Very good!" Alexei clapped his hands in satisfaction. "A wise decision. You won't regret it."
Then, Alexei spoke again, "I have another deal." He glanced at Armand. "I need you to help me find some unusual organisms, and bring them alive to Aiur."
"Unusual organisms?" Armand asked, puzzled.
"Yes. For example, Catachan Barking Toads..." Alexei dropped a hint.
'What on earth?' Armand froze, looking at Governor Aiur in confusion. What did he want that thing for, and alive no less? What was the difference between that and a walking nuclear bomb? Still, this task was slightly less dangerous than hunting for C'tan Shards, so Armand agreed without hesitation.
Alexei nodded in satisfaction. "For every new species you provide to Aiur, Aiur will supply the Capet family with new equipment."
He then extended his hand and shook Armand's. "Pleasure doing business with you."
Armand looked at Alexei in surprise. "No contract or agreement to sign? Aren't you afraid we'll default?"
Alexei said nothing, merely staring at Armand with a smile until Armand swallowed hard. "Friends of Aiur will receive full support. Likewise, enemies of Aiur will face our wrath."
"The galaxy is vast, but it is also very small." After saying this, Alexei stood up, downed the water on the table, and said, "I still have official business to attend to. Please get some rest."
As the parlor doors opened and closed, Armand slumped heavily against his chair, staring blankly at the table. He didn't know if he had made the right decision or what lay in store for the Capet family, but he no longer had room for regret.
"By the Emperor above, may the Capet family prosper forever..."
Standing outside the doors, Alexei's superhuman senses caught Armand's final prayer. Indifferent, he simply curled his lip and turned to leave.
Alexei hadn't directly used infected hosts to control Armand. Unlike Aiur, which could peacefully remain in its own corner, the Capet family had to travel across the Imperium of Man for trade and reclamation. Along the way, they might encounter Imperial Inquisitors capable of seeing through mind control, and no one knew what xenos tech those lunatics had in their hands.
For now, Aiur's neural parasite control could not be exposed to the public. Before they possessed enough power to withstand interrogation from every faction, it was better to act with caution.
Besides, placing a tracking beacon in the Capet family's warp-fold engines served a similar purpose. As for communication, Belisarius Cawl's newly invented comms equipment could be put to good use. Packing a few Zerg organisms into the lower decks of their ships to act as relays would allow the Capet family to use the new comms gear to communicate with him instantly via the psionic network.
After a few transactions, the Capet family's gear and ships would be Aiur technology from the inside out. By then, any thought of betrayal would be a fool's errand—pure self-destruction.
As for what would happen if someone discovered the Zerg on the lower decks? Alexei wasn't worried at all. In his view, finding xenos in the lower depths of a ship wasn't surprising anyway. Warships several kilometers long lacked AI system assistance, so who knew how many strange things were crammed inside? Having a wild beast or two down there was completely normal, wasn't it?
Musing on this, Alexei headed toward the military zone outside the hive city. He had been away from Aiur for several months, and he wondered how the two Tech-Priest Archmagi were getting along with the Tyranid genetic master.