- Unknown, Arexia Prime -
The first of the bombs had come as a surprise. It was a devastating tactic, in multiple ways. The symbol they left certainly began turning popular opinion once more against the Obsidian Crusade, but it also had the effect of absolutely infuriating those who had joined. To those members that had already signed up it was clear that the government of Arexia Prime was behind these stunts, and some even lost direct family in these terroristic actions. It appeared that Gregori would rather slaughter his own civilians than tolerate a vigilante group. But while such actions were undeniably effective they were also undeniably reckless. Because, having made his move he had revealed himself, and in doing so might endanger his seat of power. K'Vari had already sent his response orders, and even now his soldiers scurried about to prepare for his counterattack.
The next morning a pile of corpses would be found near one of the bomb planting devices. No human could possibly have tracked down and killed these attackers without inside information, but then again K'Vari also employed some questionable creatures. And those that had been deployed for this mission specialised in such 'impossible' tasks. The scene of this particular crime differed from others for several important reasons. The most obvious was the man in black who remained standing out in the open, a tattoed member of the Black Crusade, who stared down the arriving enforcers. The other two reasons were at least as shocking, as a bomb powerful enough to blow up the entire complex was found in the back of the room, and the corpses were identified as Imperium officials. Even if attempts had been made to disguise the origin of these agents, K'Vari had made sure to dress them up as proper guardsmen. The member who remained was an initially somewhat reluctant recruit who had lost what remained of his family in one of the bombings. And when they came to arrest him he loudly and publicly proclaimed that the Imperium had declared war on the crusade by impersonating them. That there would be consequences to these actions, and that the world of Arexia Prime would soon be rid of it's corrupt overlords. He decried this new Imperium, and promised that the Obsidian Crusade would work to prevent such bombings in the future. All the while several other agents broadcasted the event, making sure that every citizen on Arexia knew of these happenings. Even if the reputation of the Oblivion Crusade could not be entirely salvaged the world would be thrown into a state of confusion, as the blame for such events was thrown around.
Controlling the upper echelons of the underworld, K'Vari soon noticed when the gangs began to receive new armaments. Using such weapons and the chaos and poverty caused by the explosions these gangs would soon grow in size and strength, threatening K'Vari's control of the black market. But such things were no longer important if he simply destroyed the market. Using his existing gangs he instigated gang wars, setting group against group and army against army. Shootouts occured in broad daylight, lasgun-wielding maniacs fighting for territory over the ruins of newly bombed locations. Old rivalries were renewed, and attacks both real and imaginary provoked brutal counterattacks. Civilian quarters were blown to pieces, schools became battlegrounds, and hundreds of heavily armed maniacs roamed the streets. No longer was Arexia Prime a safe place to live, and even officials of the Imperium soon had trouble. With the world in such a state of chaos and anarchy it would be impossible to root out the Obsidian Crusade, who mostly pulled back from the world to be enslaved on K'Vari's large trade ships. His plans were ruined, perhaps, but he had suffered no great loss. In slaves, he had gained. But he would make Gregori pay quite dearly for this little victory, as production, morale and recruitment rates plumetted.
When you bomb your own civilians it spreads chaos and unrest. When you arm your criminals you only encourage crime and anarchy. While these were initially balanced out by the Obsidian Crusade, by throwing his weight onto the opposite side of the equation K'Vari had effectively begun a chain reaction that would see all of Arexia become a crime-infested hellhole. It would take an army of dedicated Arbites weeks to clean up anything, and the loss of hundreds of men. And in the meantime the critical losses in production, transportation and recruitment would inflict grievous wounds that Gregori could not afford so shortly before an invasion. And even years after this event had passed it would be remembered, scars in the population's trust and morale that would not heal so easily. Even if now Gregori made himself the conquering here there would be those that blamed him, and there would be those who thought him incompetent.
The Obsidian Crusade was no more, but at what cost?
- K'Vari, Arexia System, Star Breaker -
The mention of 'trade' in a vox transmission practically lit up the dashboard of K'Vari's ship. K'Vari himself immediately decided to reply to these strange new arrivals, certain to act before Gregori did. A new faction had entered this area, and K'Vari would need to analyse them as soon as was possible. From what his scanners told him the force that now emerged from the Warp easily matched Gregori's personal forces, not including the many ships belonging to his allies. Such an important player would need to have a welcome.
"Greetings, Ark Imperialis. This is K'Vari of the Star Breaker, representative of K'Vari enterprises and current guest of Gregori Amastov, honoured ruler of the Imperium Reborn. I have received your request for assistance, and profess myself open to trade. You appear to possess many ships, perhaps more than you need. Although I believe that Gregori's pet Imperium at this stage will be quite unable to assist you, being in the midst of war preparations and a minor riot, my caravan ships certainly contain the supplies you need. We would be happy to engage in trade. I believe I should be able to provide you with all of the food, ammo, scrap metal and other resources your honourable fleet may required." With this humble little message K'Vari hoped to open friendly communication with these outsiders. He would need to ensure that they were not all too attached to Gregori. It was a good thing that his honoured trading partner would be hard-pressed to provide them with charity, as that would certainly earn some degree of loyalty, or at least improve relations between the two. Any supplies given to the Ark Imperialis would cut out of those he himself needed to prepare for the war, and would make the battle ahead that much more dangerous.
The Goliath-Class transport ship was perhaps K'Vari's main store of supplies. While most of the supplies he had brought with him had been traded away, he was in need of a refill. For relatively little he bought up vast amounts of food from the agri-worlds under Gregori's control, one of the reasons he had managed to keep his Imperium relatively prosperous. Having been loaded with an immense amount of food and small amounts of other supplies the ship set off into the Warp.
Shifar sat behind a series of consoles, carefully and skillfully navigating the ever-changing tides of the Warp. With a degree of skill that was unmatched in other races the Stryxis pilot manoeuvred his ship to his destination, as he considered his situation. As one of the few Stryxis under K'Vari's control he was technically free to keep a share of the profits made. But like all Stryxis he dreamed of one day usurping K'Vari's position and becoming Caravan Master. While he currently lived a life of luxury, as caravan master he would be able to buy and sell entire planets. K'Vari knew nothing of how to wield true power, his position was wasted on the cunning but unimaginative little trader. They had the military might and secrets to devastate entire worlds, and yet K'Vari insisted on trading for their goods, even if his manner of trade wasn't always what others would consider 'fair'.
The immense ship soon emerged from the warp, interrupting his musing. A small Forge World resided many systems away, extensive defence platforms and skitarii regiments keeping the local Imperiums from getting too greedy. The Forge World had the military might to protect it's secrets, but lacked food, and that was exactly what K'Vari had been providing. In exchange for cargoes of weaponry, servitors, and other important constructed items, K'Vari would deliver great stores of food from far-off Agri-Worlds. It was a task the Stryxis were uniquely suited for, not requiring Navigators, Geller Fields or the Astronomican. Instead their technology and unique heritage allowed them to sail the warp in safety and comfort, with a speed only the Eldar could match. And as such K'Vari and his predecessors had accrued a network of worlds that needed certain items, and a great knowledge of where to acquire such items. Of all of the Stryxis' mysterious gifts, perhaps this ability to safely move through the warp was their greatest advantage in this time of shattered trade routes and great needs. It certainly helped propel K'Vari to fortune, and allowed him to possess what he now had. It was simply a shame that there were so few placed still capable of constructing ships, and K'Vari had been unable to replace those ships he had lost in his encounters. Hence why he was in the market for new void-capable vessels.
About a day later Shifar once more guided the Dark Moon back through the warp, allowing the immense ship to languish once more in Imperium territory, now loaded with a variety of goods. Perhaps one day soon Shifar would make his move, when his mysterious master least expected it, and all that wealth would be his for the taking.
- K'Vari, Emperor's Chariot -
Once more flanked by his honour guard of two vat-brutes, K'Vari made his way into Gregori's audience chamber. This time, however, a series of slaves behind him dragged large metal boxes, containing a variety of goods he hoped to either sell or show off. Smiling upward at Gregori he made a little bow, causing the variety of trinkets haphazardly attached to his robes to clink together. "Honoured biped, I believe that it is time for us to engage in trade? The first order of business shall be the stealth device that you witnessed before. It is the Phase Reality Field, surely a most stunning and astonishing weapon. Wielding such a devastatingly effective device one ship is as a hundred, and a fleet equipped as such could conquer the very stars. A weapon truly unmatched within this universe. Truly befitting of your fleet, is it not?" With another bow K'Vari sent a series of tinkling sounds echoing through the room, and a ruby sheat attached to his shoulder threatened to fall off entirely. "Surely there is no need to discuss price for such a fine weapon, such a device. Any price would be too low, for in truth, am I not selling you the Empire of Man, the dream you pursue? Why certainly it ruins me to sell it to you at all, for anything I would ask would be too low a price. But I am a fair trade, and you are an honourable trade partner, and as such I believe I will choose to sell it to you, as opposed to any other force in this universe. That you, and no other, might inherit the power to rule, and to rule without opposition even from the vast armies of the Dark Ones." Looking over Gregori stood straight and made a dismissive gesture, as if the price he named was trivial, barely even a scrap. "I believe that I will, just for you my honourable trading partner, settle for merely 10%."
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