After a series of thrilling near-death navigational adventures, the Spear of Destiny was now only one standard Terran day of sublight drift away from the Mandeville Point.
On the bridge, Solomon, now completely composed, expertly began ordering his crew to inspect the ship from bow to stern, while also having Magos Lena perform three separate rites to ensure that the machine spirit of the cogitators controlling the vessel was in a good mood.
When, unsurprisingly, they found several abnormal pressure valves, Solomon immediately ordered repairs and reinforcement, and also directed that every section of the ship be mechanically isolated.
This kind of isolation cut off the coordinated systems between different sections. Put simply, it meant each part could only run on its own and could no longer function as a linked network.
Although this would hurt the Spear of Destiny's overall performance and reduce travel speed, it had one major advantage:
if one section suffered a major mechanical failure, that failure would not spread to the rest of the ship in a short time.
Many experienced bridge officers believed the measure was completely unnecessary, but Solomon insisted on doing it anyway.
"I have a feeling my caution is going to save all our lives."
And so, under Solomon's stubborn insistence on safe navigation, most of the Spear of Destiny entered a mechanically isolated state.
While the bridge was in full chaos, Mitchell, exhausted after his work in the Navigator Sanctum, staggered away from the guiding seat.
He cursed out the servants trying to support him and walked alone onto the upper deck outside the sanctum.
The bloodshot look in his eyes made it obvious that he was having just a tiny bit of trouble adjusting to his new job.
Which was understandable.
For Mitchell, this was like a senior-year student on Ancient Terra who had spent all year drilling true-or-false questions, only to discover on the day of the final exam that this year's paper was multiple choice, with twenty options per question.
Rubbing his aching temples, he walked along the upper deck with a dark expression.
Before they reached the Mandeville Point, this was his first chance, and possibly his last, to come out for some air. Once the ship entered the Warp, a Navigator had to remain inside the protection of the sanctum the entire time, or the raging forces of the Warp would try everything possible to devour them.
In truth, he did not even dare imagine what kind of twisted mess this ship's route would become once they entered the Warp.
Mitchell sighed and quickened his pace, trying to calm himself through movement.
And as he walked, panic rippled through the senior deckhands and crew on the upper deck.
These mortals all looked at Mitchell with fear in their eyes and instinctively moved away from him.
This was entirely normal. As a sanctioned mutant, a Navigator's appearance differed drastically from that of an ordinary human, making them extremely prone to triggering the uncanny valley effect in others.
Because of this fear, all sorts of horror stories about Navigators possessing cursed eyes had spread widely through human society.
Those tales likely had their roots in the Navigators' ability to foresee danger and disaster. To sailors of little education, this ability to avoid danger in advance felt less like wisdom and more like an omen.
In other words, most ordinary people did not see Navigators as people who avoided disaster.
They saw them as things that brought disaster.
Though this idea was obviously stupid, it carried enormous credibility among the deeply superstitious citizens of the Imperium.
There were even rumors that such stories had been deliberately spread by other factions within the High Lords' council in order to weaken the Navigator Houses.
Mitchell felt the negative emotions in all those eyes around him and frowned.
This was the first time he had ever been aboard a ship not controlled by a Navigator House, and the first time he had personally experienced the fear and disgust ordinary mortals felt toward Navigators.
He felt a little irritated, but did not want to waste this rare chance to breathe, so he found a corridor with little foot traffic and sat down in a corner, hugging his knees.
Just as he was preparing to enjoy this rare moment of peace, he caught sight of another small figure out of the corner of his eye.
It was a cute little girl, sitting alone in the opposite corner of the same corridor in almost the same posture as him.
When he looked more closely, he immediately sensed something strange about her.
How to put it...
The feeling was like disgust.
He found it odd. This was the first time he had ever experienced such inexplicable aversion toward a person.
Curious, he opened the Warp-eye hidden behind the jeweled band across his forehead and prepared to glimpse the path of this girl.
The next instant, he spat out another mouthful of blood.
From his perspective, that was not a little girl at all, but a roaring endless abyss, furiously tearing at his sight and soul with horrific suction.
"What in the hells are all these freaks on this ship? Throne damn it, I should never have come out for air in the first place. I'm going back."
Cursing the whole way, Mitchell got to his feet and returned toward the Navigator Sanctum with an even uglier expression than before.
Behind him, the little girl named Nia watched his miserable retreat and looked even more dejected.
Although under Solomon's special instructions no one aboard openly showed their disgust toward Nia, she was sensitive enough to still feel how distant everyone was from her.
So in order not to bother anyone, and also to have a chance of running into the people who liked her, Gaia and Solomon, she spent her days crouched in this corridor between the upper deck and the captain's quarters.
But she had not expected that even after hiding here, someone would still come over and express disgust toward her in such a strange way.
By vomiting blood.
Nia sank into full emo mode and curled up into a little ball.
Just as sadness filled her heart, a familiar yet slightly unfamiliar voice sounded from the other side of the corridor.
"Nia? What's wrong?"
The voice belonged neither to Gaia nor Solomon, yet it instinctively made her feel safe.
Confused, she looked up and saw Horne, half his face still wrapped in thick bandages.
It truly had to be said, Mechanicus technology was astonishing. After Magos Lena's round of treatment, the seven-tenths-cooked Horne had successfully escaped mortal danger.
Having won his resurrection match, Horne had learned about his situation from that Tech-Priest who kept looking at him strangely, and now intended to find Solomon and discuss returning to report back to the Astra Militarum.
And so, on his way to the captain's quarters, he ran into Nia.
There were very few people who did not dislike Nia, and even fewer who actually liked her.
Horne was one of them.
Nia immediately rushed forward and hugged his leg.
Horne looked down at her in complete helplessness. As a Cadian who had dedicated the prime of his life to the Emperor from the moment he could remember, he had absolutely no experience with children.
He could feel Nia's sadness, but had no idea how to comfort her.
As he was fumbling awkwardly, something fell from a torn pocket in the military trousers damaged when the Chimera exploded, hitting the floor with a crisp sound.
Horne looked down and saw that it was his commissar's handbook.
In that instant, inspiration struck him.
He immediately crouched down, picked up the handbook, looked Nia in the eyes, and asked seriously,
"Nia, do you know how to read?"
Nia looked at the stern-faced Horne in confusion, then shook her head.
Horne sat down beside her, opened the handbook, took out an emergency pen from a tactical inner pocket in his undershirt, and smiled.
"It's alright. Then I'll teach you."
He wrote a line of Low Gothic on the cover of the handbook, pointed at it, and said,
"This is your name. Nia."
...
Having finally finished with the bridge command work, Solomon stretched and glanced at the chronometer on the instrument panel. After confirming there were still seventeen Terran hours before reaching the Mandeville Point, he decided to head back to the captain's quarters and rest for a while.
On the way, he ran into Gaia, who had apparently been looking for him.
"I need to talk to you about something. Do you have time?"
Gaia spoke in a low voice.
She was preparing to persuade Solomon that after reaching Ultramar, they should first go to San Leor before continuing on to Kalles.
Though Solomon was tired, he could see the seriousness in her eyes, so he nodded.
"Then let's talk in my quarters."
Gaia nodded. What she intended to say was important enough that it was better discussed somewhere private.
But just as the two of them reached the corridor outside the captain's quarters, a strange voice came from ahead:
"Sacrifice is the foundation of the Imperium. Life is the Emperor's currency."
"To die in battle against the enemies of mankind is a glorious honor, and to have one's soul return to the Golden Throne is an even greater blessing."
"In the Emperor's name, we shall pour out our unyielding wrath upon the enemy!"
Under the utterly baffled gaze of Gaia and Solomon, Horne was standing there pointing at the lines in his commissar's handbook and reciting them loudly.
And beside him, Nia was listening with shining eyes and a face full of excitement...
(End of Chapter)
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