Chapter 18: Layout
The renowned lords of Nostramo included Duchess Yilgana the Lamenter, Balthius the heir of House Starflower, and Tiberion the Wheel-Lord...
Yilgana received intelligence concerning Wayne. She frowned upon seeing the photograph of Wayne's adopted son, then relaxed and burst into cold laughter.
"This man is finally starting to resemble a proper human being."
"My Duchess?"
"Hmph, do you not understand?" The woman regarded the assembled nobles and exhaled with evident relief. "He desires to exterminate us all at any moment. He cannot tolerate any injustice, and his methods prove even more brutal than our own."
She paced before the gathered lords. She had never favored the Wayne lineage. They were excessively compassionate and weak-willed, oblivious to the power their wealth and technology represented.
Small wonder their once-prosperous bloodlines were systematically slaughtered. Over tens of thousands of years of human stellar history, various noble dynasties numbered at least several million members, at most hundreds of millions, or even trillions.
They were scattered across the galaxy. Even the smallest noble house on Nostramo maintained tens of thousands of family members.
No one dared challenge the aristocracy for the sake of the impoverished masses, but the Wayne dynasty had proven an aberration. Ultimately, they were hunted until only the last bearer of Wayne blood remained.
No one knew his true designation, no one understood how he ascended from the underhive depths, and no one understood why he returned.
He proved ruthless and merciless, his maniacal laughter echoing throughout the world. He executed tens of thousands of nobles and crucified thousands of gangers upon the hive spires.
He lacked the weakness and incompetence that had plagued the Wayne bloodline. He was cruel. He was the Bat.
He spent ten years reclaiming the Wayne family's former territories, and another ten years developing a vast conglomerate.
He was the adjudicator of Nostramo, the tyrant who slaughtered without discrimination.
No one wished to oppose this enigmatic figure. There existed only one explanation for his success: divine providence from the gods themselves. No one could comprehend why he proved so unstoppable.
No one could understand why those pitiful masses, those wretches at society's underfoot, would sacrifice their lives for Wayne's cause.
The Duchess swallowed hard. "Each house should possess young and aesthetically pleasing daughters. If one such maiden can secure entry to Konrad's chambers, we can arrange a matrimonial alliance with Wayne and compel this madman to cease hostilities."
Murmurs rippled through the assembly. The nobles understood that Wayne was actively preparing for planetary conquest, that he would eventually dominate Nostramo, ultimately claiming sovereignty and becoming the uncrowned king of this benighted world.
They would all perish then.
"This stratagem carries considerable risk. I have heard he is merely two years of age, yet already possesses adolescent physiology."
"Then this correlates directly with what the Imperium of Man reportedly seeks: the Primarchs."
Nostramo, after all, exported adamantium, a resource essential for military operations, and maintained trade relations with various forge worlds controlled by the Mechanicum. Naturally, they had received reports of the Great Crusade prosecuted by the Imperium of Man.
Through this intelligence, they realized that if Wayne had adopted the Emperor's lost son, then the Master of Mankind would inevitably arrive seeking His progeny. At that juncture, Wayne would either clash with the Emperor or forfeit his dominant position.
They had already elected to petition the Imperium for annexation, since what Imperial authorities desired were their privileges and resources, while Wayne desired their lives.
"I have heard Wayne intends to attend a noble gathering. Should we act?"
"Are you insane?" The Duchess stared wide-eyed at the young aristocrat and shook her head emphatically. "The individual who attempted an assassination at the previous gathering perished horrifically. He possesses mysterious wargear. Were we to engage in open conflict, we would be the ones who perish."
The elder nobles nodded gravely. They understood that direct confrontation would not yield victory, but an alliance with the Imperium of Man offered an alternative, and they were willing to surrender everything they possessed.
"Let us contact the Imperium first, characterize Wayne as a tyrannical despot, then petition Imperial intervention for our salvation. Hopefully, they will commence hostilities, and we can profit from their conflict."
"There are complications with the astropathic relay network. We may not establish contact immediately. Based on historical precedent, transmission could require up to ten years."
The Duchess slammed her hand upon the table. "Regardless, it represents an option, a straightforward plan. Regardless, Wayne has not yet pressed us excessively hard, so we retain opportunity."
The surveillance systems monitored everything. The artificial intelligence commenced calculations, then transmitted data to Wayne Group's central processing facility, where a secondary AI assumed control.
The AI subsequently reported all compiled data to Failsafe, which in turn summarized and transmitted the intelligence to Wayne.
This was Wayne's gift. Everyone recognized that Wayne was a prodigy who inherited Thomas's medical expertise, but in truth, his personal genius manifested in his creativity.
He had programmed sophisticated artificial intelligence to govern every aspect of Nostramo through systematic intervention.
After all, people proved unreliable. Actions were what mattered.
"Eliminate them all." Wayne issued the simplest directive. "Eliminate the astropaths capable of contacting the Imperium of Man."
Failsafe delegated related operations to subordinate artificial intelligences. The secondary AI rapidly manufactured military automata, which then infiltrated the hive's undercity networks.
To minimize civilian casualties, the AI waited until the astropaths departed the hive proper, then employed surveillance devices to obtain their latest operational plans, orchestrated assassinations, and forced their relocation.
Subsequently, by altering civilian activity patterns, it created a void zone containing only psyker targets.
Their departure triggered an energy discharge, and flames erupted skyward instantaneously. Before the astropaths could react, they were completely engulfed by the energy burst emanating from the hive infrastructure.
Even if certain astropaths survived through their psychic gifts, they remained incapable of employing warp-craft for extended duration, much less establishing astropathic communication with distant worlds.
"Mission accomplished," Failsafe reported operational results to Wayne. "However, this will only delay their intentions by several years."
"Acceptable."
"Is secondary assassination protocol necessary?"
"Negative. If all astropaths are eliminated, then we become incapable of establishing colonial ventures on other worlds, and Nostramo's interstellar commerce will cease entirely. If we can interfere with their operations sufficiently, we can establish contact with the Imperium later on our own terms."
"Wayne, what occupies your contemplation?" The AI's vocalization carried a note of curiosity. "Or rather, what concerns you?"
Wayne was silent for a moment. "The Imperium of Man is my son's birthplace, and its ruler is a tyrant of whom I possess some understanding."
Wayne naturally comprehended what manner of being the Master of Mankind truly was. His opinions of Him remained somewhat polarized, but this was not the moment to contemplate the Lord of the Imperium.
Instead, they needed to consider subsequent operational phases, because swiftly and comprehensively eliminating Nostramo's aristocracy required extensive preparation.
"What is the progress on warship design and manufacture?"
Nostramo maintained five primary hive cities and five orbital elevators, of which Wayne controlled only one, while the remaining four could potentially serve as escape routes for fleeing nobility.
To eliminate the problem comprehensively, all orbital elevators required immediate control—but that proved impossible.
Therefore, Wayne chose an alternative, time-intensive approach: designing warships to establish an orbital blockade around Nostramo itself. Complete planetary encirclement was unnecessary; securing only the void zones surrounding the five orbital elevators would establish total control.
"The automated manufacturing facility in the asteroid belt continues production, forty percent completion, my master."
"Mm."
Wayne leaned back in his chair. He never harbored any doubts about his own strategic planning. His singular concern was how the Imperium of Man would evaluate his actions.
He did not fear warfare, but he refused to squander resources unnecessarily.
After all, conflict between the Imperium of Man and Nostramo would never benefit humanity as a whole.
[End of Chapter]