"STC???"
The moment Zhou Ye finished speaking, the Tech-Priest's voice immediately jumped several registers. Even the man's habitually flat and even tone shifted noticeably in that instant. A traditionalist Tech-Priest, this one.
The two of them had arrived beside the Thunderhawk. Zhou Ye reached inside and produced three STC Templates.
It should be said that STC Templates exist across a wide hierarchy. The highest tier — production lines of the Leman Russ pattern, for example — were entirely out of the question. That kind of find was enough to start wars between Forge Worlds without a second thought.
Of course, relative to that supreme tier of STC, most other STCs existed in something closer to a sacred relic state.
Zhou Ye did possess one high-grade STC — the Universal Printer. But he was absolutely not pulling that out. He wasn't an idiot.
What he produced instead were the one-use STC Templates he had used earlier to repair the Dreadnought — consumable items, not reusable. Still genuine, still precious. But as an STC....
The Tech-Priest's expression became extraordinarily complex almost immediately. The moment he registered that distinctive STC glow, the man looked as if he were about to ascend to a higher plane of existence. Then he made contact with the templates, and his expression grew stranger still.
"I observe this is a four-piece combined template. You appear to be missing one piece?"
The Tech-Priest who had introduced himself as Hewitt examined the item in his hands and identified that this was a kit — with one component missing. He wasn't wrong. Zhou Ye had deliberately fabricated it as a modular set.
"What did you use the missing piece for?"
Hewitt's expression flickered with a brief flash of genuine anguish at Zhou Ye's reply. This damned tin can — what had he used it for? These sacred STC Templates should not be wasted on repairing junk.
The divine machinery of the Omnissiah was what deserved them. Mars alone housed any number of Titans that had long proven impossible to repair. These Templates could release enormous value in the right hands. So what had he used the missing one on.
"Repairing a Dreadnought Ancient."
"....."
The Tech-Priest's neck visibly retracted. He elected not to say another word.
The Adeptus Mechanicus were not fools. There was genuinely no need to antagonize a Space Marine over this. If it had been a Thunderhawk or some other transport being repaired, he absolutely would have said something. But a Dreadnought Ancient........
"You know that covering this planet's outstanding Tithe doesn't require three Templates like these."
He reached out and smoothly pulled two of them back from Hewitt's hands as he spoke. These might be hand-fabricated by himself, but even hand-fabricated, their value was not going to be low.
Honestly speaking, even one Template might be more than enough. So he offered a cheerful look from behind his helmet.
"Gulp...."
If he had his full fleet with him, Hewitt would absolutely have tried to take this by force. But starting a confrontation with a Space Marine Chapter on his current resources was, objectively, unwise. Or rather, suicidal. And yet allowing precious STCs like these to slip away was something he genuinely could not stomach.
These had the potential to repair the divine machinery of the Omnissiah. Sending them back to Mars would be no small accomplishment.
Of course, if he let them go now, the opportunity was gone. The Templates were not quite valuable enough to justify the Mechanicus mobilizing a major force to recover them.
Zhou Ye had calibrated the offer well. He smiled pleasantly from behind his visor — invisible, naturally, beneath the helmet — but the Tech-Priest understood the intent clearly enough.
Shortly after.....
"Excellent. The vehicles alone make this worthwhile. The ones I fabricated myself have always had small discrepancies compared to the real thing. For keeping by my own side they're fine, but equipping other squads with them is a headache. Now I have a proper supply. When I get back I'll run the Universal Printer and duplicate everything."
Zhou Ye was very satisfied with his haul. He had essentially emptied the Ark Mechanicus of its vehicle inventory. Covering the Governor's outstanding Tithe had been an afterthought done in passing.
Now that he had this enormous supply of vehicles plus bolt ammunition, presenting a convincing Chapter identity became considerably easier. Regardless, trading his hand-fabricated items for genuine physical assets was always going to come out ahead.
As for what happened next with the Tech-Priest — that was no longer his concern....
Back in the Planetary Governor's residence.
"The Adeptus Mechanicus will be covering Tillius's outstanding Imperial Tithe on his behalf. We are now free to depart."
"Ah?"
The Administratum Adept looked at the Tech-Priest, then at the large armored figure beside him. A brief moment of bewilderment. Then it clicked.
The Astartes and the Tech-Priest had reached some form of arrangement. And from the look of things, both parties were reasonably satisfied.
Governor Tillius, for his part, was barely stopping himself from throwing his arms around Zhou Ye's legs and weeping openly. He had never been so fortunate in his life.
The Angel had truly descended. Beside him.
Shortly after, both visitors departed together. Though just as they left, Zhou Ye caught a small murmur behind him.
"The purity and stability on these Gene-seeds is extraordinary. Something isn't right. This shouldn't be possible."
"Hmm...."
Zhou Ye said nothing. Of course the Gene-seeds were pristine — they were effectively brand new.
Though strangely, as the Administratum Adept departed, he gave Governor Tillius a glance that carried just a trace of pity.
He happened to know something about certain Space Marine Chapters' methods of replenishment — specifically the Blood Tax. This Chapter was probably planning to collect that particular kind of tribute from this planet. He wished him luck. He just hoped they didn't depopulate the entire world in the process.
So, shortly after, a small fleet departed from Tillius's world. After traveling a considerable distance, it finally entered the Warp.
What Zhou Ye didn't know was that the moment that fleet entered the Warp, it ran straight into a Warp storm. It was swept all the way to the Eastern Fringe — the Ultima Segmentum — where it then encountered a heavily depleted Ultramarines successor Chapter that had just suffered significant casualties....
But that was a story for another time.
For now, Zhou Ye was faced with another problem on this planet.
The planet still needed to be dealt with. The Governor had already stepped aside and made himself scarce. Zhou Ye was now the one calling the shots here. And....
Since the Governor had said he was willing to pay any price, Zhou Ye saw no reason to be polite about it. He infected the man with Honkai energy without leaving a trace and made him one of his Kin. He needed this man to provide him some cover. Nothing particularly difficult.
He also gave him a communicator. Direct contact for the future if anything came up.
Then....
"Are you aware of what this contract actually is?"
"Ah, my lord — didn't you receive the message and come in response to it?"
"Even if I had, I wouldn't have arrived this quickly. This is a contract issued by the Iron Warriors — a Traitor Legion that has betrayed the Imperium. Thank your lucky stars you didn't show this to those other two. If you had, your entire family would be looking at death by white phosphorus, minimum."
He looked at the item in his hand and exhaled slowly.
What in the world had this man gotten himself into. It really was just like that promotional video — a world in distress that somehow ends up with something far worse than the original problem. Though obviously not literally the same planet.
---o---
Author PS: Someone left a comment saying "make the protagonist grow large enough to frighten the planet." I misread it as "make the protagonist grow large enough to do unspeakable things to the planet." I spent a moment wondering how unhinged the readers had gotten — but actually.....