Warhammer 40: Starting as a Rogue Trader

Chapter 12 Traitors in the Top
"Elias, I am Gao Yi, the acting captain of this warship. You said you saw the Master of Discipline and Lord Ludwig go down together?"

Soon Gao Yi connected to Elias's sound array.

While saying this, Gao Yi was also using his current perception to sense the Master of Discipline Scott who was on the bridge.

At this time, Scott was still diligent, processing a large amount of battle reports and personnel arrangements from the lower deck, and there was no sign of any abnormality.

"If the Master of Discipline and the Rogue Trader went down there... then who is this person now? If Scott really went down there with the Rogue Trader, then why didn't he report such an important matter to me?"

There's something fishy! There's definitely something fishy. If the Scott Elias mentioned isn't someone else impersonating him, then Scott is definitely hiding something.

"That's right, my captain! I won't make a mistake. It's definitely Master of Discipline Scott. The few priests who survived with me can also testify for me! They were with me at the time! They said they were going to look for something! I saw them head towards the bottom warehouse with my own eyes!"

Elias said eagerly.

"I understand... You should have a good rest first. I will remember your merits, and the dynasty will also remember your contributions."

After cutting off the sound array communication, Gao Yi contacted Weil calmly.

"Vill, is the new batch of changes finished?"

"Captain! Two hundred soldiers have been dressed, and five soldiers wearing raider combat uniforms are also ready and are preparing to go to support Lord Damon." There was obvious joy in Will's voice.

"First, send 100 soldiers up, then bring all the raiders to the bridge."

"Bridge? Captain, what happened to you?"

"Do you know Scott?"

"Scott? Why do you say that? Although his dereliction of duty this time was serious, he's usually quite competent. There haven't been any major problems in recent years, and he's even made quite a few contributions!"

"When did he come onto this battleship?"

"He was born on this battleship. His clan has always worked on the lower decks, but he was selected to be an enforcer in the hold. His background on the lower decks made it easier for him to handle conflicts among the scum below, and he has quelled several riots. That's why he accepted the commendation and gradually rose to his current position."

"The bottom hold... What exactly is the bottom hold of this battleship?"

"That's a place that even the lower deck workers don't want to go to... The lower deck at least has basic living security. As long as you work hard, you can get a ration card that allows you to exchange enough corpse starch or a small amount of normal food, as well as filtered drinking water. If you save a little, you can even have a surplus to buy a couple of clothes and exchange them for some cigarettes and alcohol.

Let’s call them cigarettes and bars for now…

But the bottom cabin... it's not a normal deck in the strict sense. This Moon-class battleship has served the dynasty for many years.

The highest warships allowed for private ownership by the Empire were Moon-class, and those could only be purchased from those retired from the navy.

Therefore, from the moment it acquired this battleship, in order to make it operate normally and gain stronger combat effectiveness, the dynasty spent a huge amount of money to ask the monastery to repair and transform it.

After all, the warship capabilities required by the dynasty are very different from those of the navy.

The closer you get to the bottom of the warship, the less maintained the facilities are.

After who knows how many years, many of the pipes and compartments there have completely lost their functions, and even the technical priests have deemed them unworthy of repair and recycling.

However, it would be too expensive to change the overall structure of the ship.

There's no food or water there. Those who have committed crimes or have mutated on the lower decks hide there. You know the Empire's attitude towards mutants. Furthermore, some mutations are inevitable during warp travel. The occasional anomalies always claim lives. Even losing half the crew by the end of a voyage is considered acceptable.

Lord Ludwig used to regularly clear that area, but as long as the battleship was there, there were always people hiding below, and the complex pipes there also provided them with opportunities to hide. The bottom hold had long since formed a kind of balance with the upper decks.

After listening to Weil's introduction, Gao Yi couldn't help but complain in his heart.

Isn't this a hotbed of pure Chaos corruption? This is the norm in the Warhammer Imperium of Man. These cultists are always present, no matter where they are. As long as humans have desires, they will give demons an opportunity to exploit them. Gao Yi has no doubt that even in the heart of humanity, Holy Terra, these creatures exist as well, but they simply can't cause any trouble.

Ultimately, it all depends on whether these cults grow and become stronger.

Gao Yi told Weier about the information provided by Elicia, and Weier couldn't believe it after hearing it.

"Are you saying that Scott was already corrupted when he was on the lower deck and in the hold? Even the disappearance of Lord Ludwig is related to him?!"

"That's right! Now that we've found a breakthrough, let's give him a proper interrogation. Will, you should be good at interrogation, right?"

"Of course! As the chief steward, these officers are under my jurisdiction! Similar incidents have occurred on warships before.

However, there has never been a case of someone of the status of the Master of Discipline rebelling. If it was really him, it would make sense that the traitors could easily obtain weapons and reach the upper deck. As a Master of Discipline, Scott had a lot of authority, but he used some special method to cover his tracks, so his problem was not discovered when the Thinker's log was checked.

My Lord! I will bring someone to the bridge right now. Please do not move until we arrive. Your safety is the most important thing now!

"I won't. And don't reveal your intentions right away. If he really has surrendered to Chaos, he might have some special tactics. We absolutely cannot let this thread get lost. Remember to try to pick crew members on the upper deck, and avoid the law enforcement team. No one knows if he has spies."

"As you command, Captain! I know who are the ones who are absolutely loyal to the dynasty!"

When the communication was interrupted, Will immediately rushed towards the bridge with the selected soldiers.

Scott obviously didn't know that he had been exposed and was still doing his job.

Soon, the hatch leading to the bridge opened, and Will strode in with a gloomy face and murderous intent, accompanied by a group of soldiers wearing CMC combat uniforms.

The five soldiers in the front wearing Marauders were even more oppressive. They were also wearing CMC-5 heavy combat uniforms, but unlike the Fire Bats, they did not have fire resistance. Instead, they invested more resources in the strength of the armor. The proportions of their arms were a bit exaggerated, and the K-660 quad-punisher grenade launcher was incredibly powerful.

If the weapons on their arms were replaced with heavy explosives, perhaps their combat effectiveness would be even greater? Gao Yi was already thinking about whether he could try combining interstellar technology with the oil man's technology.

Rather than being infantry, they are more like some humanoid heavy equipment.

The arrival of Will and a group of soldiers made the crew on the bridge extremely nervous.

After all, they had just experienced thugs storming the bridge, and they were still experiencing some stress reactions.

"Everyone stay at their posts and continue to do their jobs! There's no need to panic!"

Seeing Will coming, Scott, the master of discipline, actually took the initiative to greet him.

"Butler Weir! Why are you here with your soldiers? The riot down there hasn't been resolved yet, has it?"

"The captain sent us here. Scott, just do your job!"

As he said that, Will pushed Scott away and walked towards Gao Yi on his own. However, the positions of the soldiers began to change, and they seemed to be preparing to surround Scott.

(End of this chapter)