Warhammer: Empire Reboot

Every step is small.

So small that even Hamad Leah might not notice.

Because it's focused on danger.

Psychic fluctuations.

A powerful stranger.

Hidden murderous intent.

Several months have passed.

The storm on the surface of the whirlpool is still churning.

The lockdown in Huron has gradually transformed from an initial period of high pressure into a new normal.

A number of the outer gangs were eliminated.

Many of the young pirates died.

Taxes are being levied again on the black market.

The price of slaves rose.

Several star cities have changed their administrators.

Huron took the opportunity to eliminate many truly troublesome individuals.

From Huron's perspective, this purge was not a bad thing.

Even though Lawson didn't infiltrate, he still took the opportunity to trim the overly messy branches and leaves around the vortex.

But the cost was that dissatisfaction accumulated.

Some captains began to feel that Huron was too tight.

Some of the dark merchant guilds felt that the Red Pirates had too big an appetite.

Some privateers felt they had spent their lives fighting for Huron, only to have to buy back even the right to anchor.

These people dare not rebel.

But they started to think.

As long as you start thinking, there's always something to write about.

Lawson did not rush to make a move.

He was waiting for a reason that would make Huron leave the Ghost of Destruction.

For Huron to personally take action, several conditions must be met simultaneously.

First, the matter must involve betrayal.

Huron could not tolerate the fact that his captains were embezzling cargo, evading taxes, and setting up their own businesses behind his back.

The Pirate King's authority was based on the rules governing the distribution of loot.

Anyone who bypasses him is challenging his throne.

Second, the profits must be large enough.

It was big enough to tempt even the strongest captain, and enough for Huron to feel he had to handle it personally.

Third, the location cannot be too far away.

Otherwise, Huron would send a fleet instead of going in person.

Fourth, the Destroyer Ghost must not be used.

Because the subspace engine signal of this ten-kilometer flagship was too obvious.

It is inside the great vortex, like a star in the darkness.

If Huron were to sail it, any experienced captain would be able to detect it from a million kilometers away.

Fifth, the intelligence must be sufficiently credible.

Ideally, it should come from Red Pirate's internal channels.

Ideally, there should be multiple pieces of evidence that corroborate each other.

Ideally, Huron should feel that even if it might be a trap, it must be thrown at him before the enemy disperses.

So, Lawson arranged for a ship.

An imperial smuggling ship.

The ship's name is "Saint of Mercy".

Its exterior resembles an imperial heavy merchant ship that has undergone multiple modifications. The hull shows signs of repair, the propellers are worn, the cargo hold sealing structure looks like it has been temporarily reinforced, and the bridge communication system is deliberately kept old-fashioned.

In the eyes of the Red Pirates, this kind of ship was very common.

The dark side of the empire is full of wrecked ships.

What really matters is the goods.

The Merciful Saints carried a batch of "extremely precious" resources.

At least on the surface.

There are refined gold ingots in the cargo hold.

There is a Blackstone Shard Chest.

There is a mechanically sealed casket.

There are several reactor regulators that look like relics from the Golden Age.

There are a large quantity of high-purity pharmaceutical raw materials.

There were chests full of gems, precious metals, and noble ransom certificates, enough to buy the governance of a small planet.

These things were obviously forged and pieced together by Lawson.

Genuine products are available.

There are also counterfeit products.

The genuine product is enough to shut up scanners and black market appraisers.

Counterfeit goods are enough to make greedy people lose their temper.

The truly valuable parts are limited.

But it looks like a ransom for an entire planet.

The route of the Merciful Saint was also cleverly designed.

It emerged from an abandoned smuggling route, disguised as a Mechanicus defector caravan. It evaded the main Red Pirate force, but deliberately allowed itself to be tracked by several peripheral pirate groups.

The chase lasted for nine days.

During this time, the Merciful Saint deliberately burned out its thrusters twice, lost three escort boats, sent out two distress signals, and pretended to take down a small group of pirates.

Finally, it "accidentally" fell into the territory of one of the three most powerful captains under the Red Pirates.

More accurately, all three captains learned of the news at the same time.

Iron Teeth Hall.

Gray Hook Malos.

One-eyed Savik.

These three were not ordinary pirates.

Irontooth Hall commands a heavy privateer fleet, consisting of two cruisers and a dozen or so frigates, and is most skilled at frontal raiding.

Greyhook Malos controls several slave trade routes and has a large number of black market traders and intelligence brokers under his control.

One-Eyed Savik is the king of the ship graveyard, skilled in salvage, hoarding, and black market trading, and has a group of traitorous technicians from the Dark Mechanicus under his command.

All three submitted to Huron.

They were all overshadowed by Huron.

They suffered heavy losses in the past few months while cleaning out the outer perimeter of the Huron vortex.

There are too many taxes.

The boat was inspected.

Some minor vassals were swallowed up directly by the Red Pirates.

They had accumulated enough discontent with Huron.

The Merciful Saint fell into the boundary of their three spheres of influence, like a piece of bloody meat falling into the middle of three wolves.

At first, Ironjaw Hall wanted to take it all for himself.

Greyhook Malos learned of the goods list through an informant in the slave market.

One-Eyed Savik intercepted the encrypted fragments dropped by the Merciful Saint.

All three understood that this shipment could not be given to Huron.

At least not all of them should be handed over.

Because the goods are too valuable.

If the list is accurate, these resources are enough to buy several small star cities, recruit a few fleets of wandering pirates, repair several old cruisers, and even have the Dark Mechanics convert a private shipyard for them.

So the three of them agreed to meet at an abandoned black market space station.

That space station is called "Broken Ring".

It used to be a smuggling market, but was later hit by a subspace storm, which damaged the outer ring, while some areas inside were still able to supply energy.

The location is concealed.

It is not far from the core anchorage of the Ghost of Destruction, but not on the main channel.

Suitable for private conversations.

It is also suitable for murder.