The group, led by Alexei, arrived at the spire of the Main Hive. Observing the plain, box-like buildings standing like upright crates, Armand thought to himself, Just as I suspected.
Commonly, a Governor who could afford to equip his personal guard with such exquisite gear would own a palace of unparalleled opulence.
Seeing these utilitarian structures, Armand was now a hundred percent certain that the Planetary Governor beside him was nothing more than an upstart who had lucked into an STC.
Nonetheless, he maintained his smile as he stepped into the hall of one of the buildings.
As a banquet held to welcome a noble Rogue Trader Lord, the attendees were mostly the planet's high-ranking officials, along with some former nobles from other Hives whom Alexei had brought in to fill the room.
As Alexei finished his opening remarks, melodious music filled the hall, and the banquet officially commenced.
Attractive human maidens wove through the crowd, providing premium service to the various dignitaries.
Armand had absolutely no interest in any of this; he possessed far better versions of everything present. Right now, his only desire was to secure that complete STC template as quickly as possible.
He took a small sip of his fine wine, his gaze casually sweeping over the fully armed guards in the corners of the hall before he slowly made his way toward Alexei, who was laughing and chatting with others.
"Governor, might we have a word in private?" Armand raised his wine glass slightly toward Alexei.
"Of course." Alexei returned an "amicable" smile. Can't wait already, can you? He nodded slightly to Armand.
The two soon retreated to a secluded reception room. As the attendant closed the door behind them, Armand got straight to the point. "Lord Alexei, I noticed your personal guard's equipment... it's quite unique. If I'm not mistaken, you must have something very special in your possession."
Alexei lowered his head, feigning a look of hesitation, while laughing inwardly. He knew exactly what this man was thinking. During the reception, Diana had used her abilities to uncover everything. While Armand possessed a device to ward off psionics, his Master of Intelligence certainly did not.
Alexei let out a heavy sigh. "It seems I can no longer hide it from you. I do indeed possess a technological legacy from the Dark Age."
Upon receiving confirmation, Armand's hand, hidden behind his back, clenched slightly. He suddenly leaned in closer to Alexei. "That is a major problem, you know. If the Adeptus Mechanicus finds out, you'll end up losing both the treasure and your life."
He paused, watching Alexei's feigned indecision. "I can handle this trouble for you."
He lowered his voice further. "My trade routes span the Segmentum Obscurus. I have special channels to liquidate such sensitive cargo..."
Alexei closed his eyes and opened them only after a long silence. "But as you know, a complete STC template is valuable enough to buy the governorship of an entire wealthy sector. I need something of equivalent value."
"But your possession of it is illegal... Lord Alexei," Armand said unhurriedly. "I must take a massive risk to handle this for you. Of course, you may state a reasonable request, and I will judge accordingly."
"You've likely seen how weak Aiel's current navy is. I need Imperial warships—for instance, that cruiser of yours..." Alexei dropped the facade of hesitation and stated his demand.
"Impossible..." Armand replied instinctively. But seeing Alexei's expressionless face, he began to waver. His family's cruiser was an heirloom passed down through generations, a vital asset of the Capet Dynasty.
However, compared to a complete STC template, this was like trading a single bullet for an entire armory.
Armand paced back and forth in the room. Finally, he seemed to make up his mind. "Fine. But I must take all the personnel with me." He figured he could always ask the Imperial Navy for another decommissioned cruiser; compared to the gain, this loss was negligible.
Alexei also laughed inwardly upon hearing the answer, though his face still wore a look of "painful" sacrifice. "A pleasure doing business with you, Lord Capet. Oh, and I have one more request."
Seeing the wary expression on Armand's face, Alexei said slowly, "I wish to establish a long-term trade agreement with your dynasty."
Heh, is there anything left worth trading for in this godforsaken place once I take the STC? Armand thought. Nevertheless, he agreed; he had already scored a massive bargain.
Of course, Alexei felt exactly the same way. He had just traded a single Barracks module—manifested by his system—for a Conquest-class Cruiser. It was an absolute steal.
Furthermore, he had locked the Barracks under his own authority. It could only produce and repair basic Marine power armor sets and resupply ammunition; it served no other purpose. Even if someone tried to use that power armor against him in the future, he could lock them down instantly with a single thought.
Moreover, this move effectively passed a "hot potato" to someone else. His Ghosts had just informed him that the Tech-Priest under this Lord had already found an opportunity within the ship to notify the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Both men, carrying their own hidden agendas, walked out of the meeting room with smiles on their faces, as if they had just been having a relaxing chat.
As Alexei signed his name on the trade agreement, he stated, "Witnessed by the God-Emperor, our cooperation is officially in effect."
Armand could no longer suppress his emotions and let out a loud laugh. "Lord Alexei, would you be willing to take me to see the goods?"
"Of course!" Alexei nodded and led Armand to an open space at the spire.
There, a silver-white cube lay quietly on the ground. Seeing the confused expression on Armand's face, Alexei smiled faintly and led him to the giant block, signaling for Armand to place his hand on it.
With a thought from Alexei, silver-white patterns flickered across the cube. After the two retreated to a safe distance, the module slowly unfolded. To the shock of Armand and his entourage, it transformed into a complete Barracks.
"This... is this a complete STC template?!" Armand murmured, a fervent heat burning in his eyes. Now, it was his. Alexei stood by, watching their expressions in silent amusement.
He then led the group into the Barracks and began explaining its functions. Armand immediately had his attendants try on the new power armor.
Seeing his guards clad in brand-new, master-crafted power armor, Armand excitedly grasped Alexei's hands. He was profoundly grateful to this "fool" for being willing to part with such a treasure.
Alexei gripped Armand's hands just as tightly. He was equally grateful to this "fool" for taking a massive, burning problem off his hands.