Chapter 373 - Far Future Ch. 83 – Bear You on the Breath of Dawn (1/2)
Captain Donnal was not surprised, given the position of the planet, although the nature of the Warp Zone might have called for a Battalion being stationed here, given its size. The bureaucracy of the Empire at work...
”My circumstances and method of travel here were somewhat unique,” he admitted, as the Duke gestured, and all three of the men sat down together. ”I believe you have a purpose for this meeting, other than standard greetings, Your Graces. Shall we set aside the pleasantries and idle conversation?”
Neither Duke blinked. ”Of course,” Duke Parablum went on, unperturbed. ”Due to the exceptional circumstances of your arrival, Captain, we are wondering if you might not want to set up new companies of Legionnaires upon Janus. There is a unique opportunity for us to act on here.”
Captain Donnal frowned, wondering what machinations were happening in the background. ”I am required to register and return to my Battalion, sirs. What are you trying to do?” He let more than a little cold escape his voice.
”We are aware of your protocols, Captain,” the grim voice of the shadowed Umbran Duke replied, unmoved and precise. ”Unfortunately, all contact with Tellus and the worlds beyond the Rift is impossible at this point. The only news that can be carried is through use of alien couriers circumventing the Warp, and as you might consider, that is hardly an avenue the Empire is going to use for sensitive information.” Captain Donnal inclined his head fractionally. ”As such, you are effectively here under your own authority and guidance, and as a Legionnaire, not wholly within the hierarchy of any other branch of the government. Your unique status gives you opportunities that a normal Legionnaire simply would not have.”
”You use opportunity dangerously, sir. Tell me what you think I might want to do, and I will give you a reply.”
”Certainly. In the view of the Empire, you are dead.” Captain Donnal blinked. ”The entire position of your Company is listed as obliterated by multiple fusion explosions as the Warp Storm that spirited you away swept past. The appropriate paperwork has been filed, and your Legion and Battalion have by now replaced both your Company and your men in their rosters.
”As of right now, you are officially not associated with any Legion, which makes you free agents until you formally align yourselves once more. Furthermore, as death ends your official service, there are various contracts, laws, regulations, rules, and stipulations that likewise end. Furthermore, if you do not join another Legion or Battalion, those contracts, regulations, rules, and stipulations will not come back into play.”
Captain Donnal frowned more deeply. This was administrative power-shuffling, something both unbefitting a warrior, and yet which could be extremely important. It was merely another form of logistics, and logistics was not something a good commander ignored. ”I am listening,” he merely acknowledged.
The Coronal Duke nodded. ”My reports indicate you have met Colonel Sama Rantha.”
”I have,” he acknowledged.
”Your opinion of her?”
”An impressive and dangerous young woman,” he judged calmly, which, coming from a Legionnaire, was high praise.
”Here are some files for you to peruse.” He waved his hand, and several holoscreens winked up before the captain. He turned his attention to them, and as the two dukes waited, he read through them, scrolling through them with great speed and thoroughness without effort.
He finished in several minutes. ”This technology is very interesting,” he acknowledged. ”She is the source of it?”
”She took a line of technology abandoned over eight thousand years ago and turned it into the most fascinating advance in anti-Warp and psi-resistant technology ever,” Duke Parablum stated solemnly. ”This technology has been tested on the battlefield and off, and the results agree: Rantha-tech is unequivocally the finest anti-Warp equipment to be found in the galaxy. AMT and non-Rantha vakker-tech simply cannot compare.”
Captain Donnal considered that. ”By your tone and expression, I see the Orders have a massive interest in expanding use of this technology.” Both dukes nodded affirmation. ”What has this to do with me?”
”The Legions are bound by contract with the Mechanists for their wargear. The Mechanists cannot replicate the Rantha-tech, nor anyone else, although many have tried, including ourselves.”
”And so the Legions cannot gain access to this technology, unless the Mechanists purchase it for them, or we acquire it independently somehow...” Captain Donnal understood where they were going with this.
”And worse, are subject to seizure if it is found, for no purpose other than not being AMT standard Legion patterns,” Duke Rimval laughed under his breath. ”None of which applies to an unaffiliated Legionnaire from a unit below the size of a Battalion, as contracts are simply not issued to such units, and any prior obligations are satisfied by your official deaths. Our lawyers were very certain of the ramifications.”
”So...” Captain Donnal said thoughtfully, ”you wish me to form a new... non-Battalion, of Legionnaires, equipped with this Rantha technology?”
”We can arrange for the necessary resources, including suitable recruits according to the standards you desire,” Duke Parablum confirmed for him. ”There are Battalions of nine different Legions at work on this side of the Rift, and many have had to make similar adjustments to renew their numbers and replenish their supplies, being out of contact with their Legions. However, they are still under contract, and this offer cannot be extended to them.
”If you wish, we can put you in contact with those Legions you have a history with, and I am certain they will help you rebuild your Company according to the traditional methods of your Battalions.”
Captain Donnal saw the goodwill for what it was... this, then, was not a hammer being held over him. ”And what of supplies?” He was not privy to all the knowledge of Battalion finances, but he knew taxes and levies of entire worlds were used to support the Legions, and even a Battalion needed a strong world behind it to remain viable.