Buzz— With an abrupt hum, the entire holographic star map flickered violently, as if interfered with by an invisible force.
Immediately after, a line of shocking, crimson characters, as if congealed from blood, suddenly appeared in the center of the screen, covering the galaxy and Angron's portrait beneath them.
That domineering, indisputable warning caused the ambitions that had just ignited within the bridge to instantly freeze.
"Warning: Target historical node [Angron's Lament] has been locked."
"Required [Warband Points] for entry: 5000 points."
"Current [Warband Points] held: 320 points."
"Insufficient permissions, entry request... rejected."
The cold, synthesized electronic voice echoed throughout the bridge, each word like a heavy hammer, shattering the air.
Rejected.
This word was simple, brutal, and filled with ruthless mockery.
The bridge fell into a deathly silence; even the almost silent low hum of the genesis's engines seemed exceptionally harsh at this moment.
Fogremia's exquisitely beautiful purple eyes stared fixedly at the glaring contrast between "320" and "5000."
Her powerful Primarch brain, accustomed to calculating everything, encountered this most pure, fundamental, and unsolvable predicament for the first time.
It wasn't a failure of combat.
It was purely... poverty.
Although Terrania could not understand those complex characters, she could clearly sense the aura on Leticia shift instantly from excitement to astonishment.
She lifted her little face in worry, her small hand clutching Leticia's hem tightening subconsciously.
Leticia folded her arms across her chest, watching the red text quietly for a full ten seconds.
She was neither angry nor frustrated, just let out a long, long sigh.
Then, in a tone filled with resentment from her past life that only she could understand, she helplessly muttered to herself:
"What the hell?"
"After giving the beginner's gift pack, you won't even give me the ticket money to go out and fight the first world BOSS?"
"There isn't even a first-purchase bonus, this crappy system is too stingy!"
This rant, filled with "slang" from another world, left Fogremia and Terrania, who were standing nearby, completely confused.
But that resentment towards "poverty," emanating from the soul, was so real and so relatable.
Fogremia quickly recovered from her initial surprise; she didn't understand those strange words, but she accurately captured the core issue.
She took elegant steps to Leticia's side, her purple eyes regaining the calmness and sharpness of a strategic decision-maker.
"Big Sister, if I understand correctly, we are lacking a resource called 'Warband Points,' is that right?"
"That's right." Leticia nodded and rubbed her eyebrows, "And the gap is huge, missing over ninety percent."
"In that case, we shall simply go and acquire them." Fogremia's tone was as if she were stating something self-evident.
She walked to the holographic star map, her slender fingers tracing through the void, retrieving intelligence on nearby star sectors; her Primarch strategic mind began to operate at a terrifying speed.
"Based on our current strength, I can immediately think of two most efficient plans."
Her voice was cold and confident, filled with the unique pride of a Phoenix.
"Plan One: Hunting. We can actively search for a straggling Chaos warband, preferably those from the Traitor Legions (fragment fleets). With my sword and the firepower of the genesis, one successful ambush would be enough for us to gain a generous reward."
"Plan Two: Purification. Search for an uninhabited planet that has been deeply corrupted by Chaos but has not yet been marked by the Empire or any major power. Such worlds are usually breeding grounds for Cultists or lairs for some daemon. A thorough purification of it would surely yield enough points to pay for the 'ticket'."
The two plans she proposed were both aggressive, precise, efficient, and lethal.
This was exactly the surgical thunder strike that the Emperor's Children Legion excelled at.
However, after listening, Leticia slowly shook her head.
"Fogremia, your plans are impeccable from a military perspective." Leticia's gaze became profound.
"But you have overlooked our biggest problem right now; it is not strength, but... identity."
She reached out and lightly swiped across the star map, making the map of the entire galaxy's spheres of influence clearer.
"Our actions at Isstvan III, although within a historical slice, must have surely alerted certain entities in the main universe with the energy ripples they created. Whether it is Chaos or the Empire, they are likely searching for us, this third-party force that appeared out of nowhere, using their own methods."
"In this situation, actively attacking a Chaos warband is equivalent to lighting a giant torch in the middle of the night and shouting to everyone: 'We are here!' This will immediately bring endless pursuit."
"As for corrupted uninhabited planets, they are rare and hard to find. We do not have the time, nor the luck, to scour the galaxy looking for such a perfect 'target'."
Fogremia fell silent.
She admitted that she had indeed overlooked the most important premise of "concealment." She was accustomed to appearing on the battlefield as a Legion Master, fair and square, not like this, like a group of fugitives needing to dodge hounds.
"Then we..."
"We need a... commission." A glint of cunning flashed in Leticia's eyes, a look that formed a sharp contrast with her divine appearance.
"A commission?" Fogremia felt unfamiliar with this word.
"Yes, a 'commission' that is just right." Leticia walked to the star map, her fingers tracing over those dim star points representing the frontiers of the Empire.
"We need a place where the scale is not large, and the highest combat power will not exceed the scope of the Astra Militarum, so as not to attract too much attention from the higher-ups of the Empire."
"At the same time, it must be filled with 'Chaos corruption,' rebellion, cults, heretics... the more chaotic, the better, so that we can profit from it."
"Most importantly, our appearance must be 'needed.' We must arrive in the posture of saviors, not invaders."
Leticia paused, and in a summary tone that felt incredibly novel to Fogremia, she said:
"We need to find a place where we can legitimately earn enough points, and incidentally let our new troops get some practice."
"A perfect... starter village."
Fogremia was completely stunned.
She looked at Leticia, at her divine and perfect profile, watching her seriously planning how to "meticulously budget" and "grind for money" using terms she didn't understand...
At this moment, the image of Leticia in her heart underwent a miraculous chemical reaction.
She was no longer just the high and mighty, compassionate and majestic goddess who had saved her from the abyss.
She was also... an incredibly "pragmatic," even somewhat "mercenary," and interesting soul.
This contrast, far from weakening Leticia's divinity, actually made her unreachable image become more vivid, more accessible, and more... charming.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile, like a dragonfly skimming the water, quietly appeared on the corner of Fogremia's lips.
She discovered that her goddess sister was ten thousand times more complex than she had imagined. And exploring this complexity seemed to give her more pleasure than pursuing any form of "perfection."
"I understand, Big Sister." Fogremia bowed slightly, gracefully accepting this new strategic direction, "Your will is the direction of the Phoenix's sword."
"Very good." Leticia nodded with satisfaction.
She turned around, facing the main console, and issued new instructions.
"genesis, enter stealth navigation mode, and begin passive information scanning of Imperial frontier worlds within fifty light-years."
"Filter all distress signals, and filter out high-level encrypted communications from Navy fleets or Space Marine chapters."
"Collate all low-priority signals from Planetary Defense Forces, Astra Militarum ground units, or local Governor's offices that have not been responded to by superiors, and present them before me."
"As you command, my master." A gentle female electronic voice responded.
Following Leticia's order, the lights on the genesis's bridge dimmed slightly, the optical camouflage system of the hull activated, and it completely blended into the deep cosmic background.
A massive stream of information, like an invisible brook, began to flow into the genesis's database. The vast majority was meaningless noise and redundant Imperial propaganda broadcasts.
But less than three minutes after Leticia gave the order.
"Beep." A soft sound.
In the corner of the main screen, an Imperial distress signal, automatically marked by the system as [Priority: Extremely Low], [Source: Griffin IV Mining Planet], [Status: Signal weak, has been transmitting for seventy-two standard Terra days], was filtered out separately, silently blinking, waiting to be opened.
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the fanfiction has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 or more chapters in advance over on my patreon: patreon.com/FTLGenBen
Also every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone, Thanks.