Recruitment

As promised weeks began to pass on the ship. Boring weeks I assure you. The people of the station were not as lost as one might have hoped, if one enjoyed firing off their bolter into crowds of fleeing citizens. I did, but every soul brought to his light is a greater victory still. After that first sweep they were quite eager to report the heretics in their midsts. My servants were working tirelessly to secure the facility and make it a proper station of humanity is this far and strange lands.

I wanted to get to the pirates.

"Rise and shine mistress!" My faithful Albino was upon me, plying me with breakfast and data slates as she prepared to get me dressed. A far easier prospect these days, I will say.

There was a happy creature, she didn't care who owned the station. So long as there was order in this little bedroom.

Well little was a bit modest.

It had an echo.

I ate my breakfast and poured over the reports. There was no night on the ship, so I could go to bed and miss a whole cycle of valuable information. Wisteria had selected the final three candidates for being promoted to Governor of Jasmine's Landing. That's what we were calling the station now. In honor of my mother.

What really interested me were the scans of a nearby nebula. There was something that could be a large ship hiding in those dust clouds.

That would need a follow up.

I'd devoured my breakfast, and rose so my big-handed maid could undress me.

"Let's go without underwear today."

DC 40

Roll: 91+2=93

Success

Bertha's corruption +1

Bertha's Corruption: 3

"What are those?" I looked suspiciously at the bunching of fabric in Keiki's hand.

She looked down at them confused. "Umm.... bloomers?"

"I think I'll do without them today."

"Without...bloomers." I don't know why it should confuse her, that loin cloth wasn't doing her any favors. I'd grown used to seeing her vagina the way people get used to seeing a cat's asshole. "Something else then?"

"No, I don't think so."

She nodded. "No... underwear?"

"That's correct."

She lowered her head. "I've been a bad influence."

"Maybe so." I smiled. "Dress me up anyway, I've got worlds to conquer."

She nodded and like any faithful did her duty. "Is the mistress not... constantly complaining about how cold the ship is?"

"She is." I agreed.

"Why is she suddenly abstaining from clothing?”

"A shorter hem and no underwear is hardly abstaining. It's a whim Keiki, don't get your loincloth in a bunch. I'm a Rogue Trader I'm allowed to have whims. It's expected of me even."

She shrugged and made nothing more of the issue. Which suited me fine, because I really couldn't explain myself. It's just that the thought of wearing underwear today seemed unbearable for me.

I needed to be out there killing pirates. After a taste of battle I couldn't go back to the idle life of a ship in transit.

I got on my lift, and was brought to the bridge. As I walked across the length of the ship to my throne, I certainly noticed a little... breeze. With my shorter robes, and lack of panties the cool air of the ship made it's way to unfamiliar places. Not only that but as I passed the pits of engineers of crewman below I became embarrassed, even panicked that they might look up, and see me exposed!

Horror!

This was all seeming like a very bad idea now.

Wretched Keiki! Why had she let me out like this?

The issue was only amplified when I ascending my throne, and sat upon it. I had to keep my legs firmly crossed, with my hands in my lap to keep myself from flashing the whole crew! It was without a doubt the most humiliating moment of my life... up until then.

"Good morning Lord Captain." Wisteria said, half looking at a data slate, which she then handed to me. "How did you sleep?”

"Well enough." I always dreamed about my mother's life. There were moments of peace, and moments of her drowning in gore. It was always a coin toss which one I'd get. There didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to the visions. "I saw you and mother training as Novitiates. Gunning down gangers on some hive planet."

"Ah." Wisteria sighed wistfully. "Sellis-6 under sister Willow. Those were fine days. You've come a long way since then."

I eyed her, slightly confused by the statement. "I suppose, but then again not really. We've got sisters in the station now, doing similar work. My mother's bloodline has risin, but humanity is much the same as when you were a fresh faced girl."

"Fresh faced." Wisteria laughed, and grumbled all at once.

"A ship of the Emperor's righteous warriors should not fear fire nor heat! Raise the ambient temperature and see who squirms the most."

DC 40

Roll: 46+3=49

Bertha's Corruption +1

Bertha's Corruption: 4

"That reminds me, I want you to put in an order to the enginseer. I'm sick of the damn cold on this ship, have him increase the heat."

Wisteria sighed. "Lord captain we've discussed this before. To heat the whole ship would affect fuel consumption, we'd need more workers manning the burners..."

Why was she so resistant to this? Perhaps all those years as Senechal had made her weak? "Then do those things Wisteria. We're not in the warp anymore, we can afford to spend resources on making sure I can't see my breath in the morning."

"Very well lord captain, I'll put a ticket in."

I smiled, satisfied.

"Now if matters of your comfort have been appropriately addressed, may I present your candidates for governor?"

At this Dionaea appeared at my side, from whatever hiding hole she'd been in.

"You may." I nodded.

Three vastly different figures approached the throne. The first was obviously a man from the station itself. I'd already read his profile. He was the head of the clan that maintained the station's generator. He'd been worked, and bribed enough that Wiseria's people felt he could be trusted with command. Which might be true. We'd be leaving a hefty force of enforcers at the station who wouldn't hesitate of end the man. Plus he was a local, it was always good to install one of those when conquering a land.

The next option was my choice, one of my enforcers. A good honest man, who'd suppressed several riots in the lower decks, while in command. He was close to the Sargent At Arms position, but was at the point where he'd have to wait for her to die to get the job. So Wisteria thought moving him to governor would be a handsome reward, and she was right. I favored this candidate, he was one of my people, and his specialty was riot suppression, which would be his primary job aboard the station.

The final pick was down to politics, he was a noble. You couldn't leave them out of anything. Especially when it involved handing titles over. He was some sort of scion of a hive city's ruler, or something of that sort. Very well educated, but nothing to show for it. No accomplishments other than getting on my mother's ship three years ago. He was, however very handsome.

"You should give it to the noble." This thought came to me as I admired the pretty man. "He'd be grateful, I'm sure."

"He's not the best candidate." I thought back.

"Don't be silly. He's a noble, he's born to rule. Merit is pointless, what matters is your favor."

DC: 80

Roll: 81+4=85

Success!

Bertha's Corruption +1

Bertha's Corruption: 5

"Lord Summergale, congratulations. The nobility will not be idle in my domain, but for you all to prove yourselves you must have something to rule. I'm assigning you as Station Master for a tenure of 5 years. If I'm pleased with your rule by that time, the title will become hereditary and pass to your descendants."

His eyes went wide, and he dropped to one knee. "Yes Lord Captain! I thank you for placing your faith in me!"

"Now tease him. Spread your legs a little, so only he can see..."

DC 50

Roll 46+5=51

Success!

Bertha's Corruption +1

Bertha's Corruption:6

Feeling devilish and powerful, I smiled at him, and spread my legs a little. Due to his kneeling position only he had the right point of view to look up my robes, and at my sex. His eyes went wide, and he looked away as if he'd seen the sun. Then when he dared he looked back up at me and I winked at him.

"Lord Summergale." Wisteria thundered, oblivious to the little exchange. Though that didn't stop him from turning pale, and nearly jumping out of his skin. "I'll brief you on the situation in the station." She nodded to him, and the two vanished off to Wisteria’s office. A Noble within the Imperium might balk at being awarded the station. It was unimpressive enough, lore Summergale was taking a risk, and putting some faith in me. If I conquered the vortex, or more likely, my descendants conquered it. That station would be the main way in. A passage way of wealth and power, and the Summergales would control it all.

That's if any of this worked at all.

"That'll please the nobles." Brugmansia said, her voice full of static.

'Yes but will the nobles please me?' I thought to myself, feeling a rush of forbidden joy.

"Wisteria wouldn't have recommended him if he didn't have some merit." Dionaea said to the bald woman.

"I didn't say anything." Brugmansia said, her eyes crinkling with what would have been a smile to a person with a mouth. "He was handsome enough anyway."

"You not say something?" I laughed. "You've got the loosest lips on the ship."

"Occupation hazard." She then played, the sound of a rimshot over her vox.

Dionaea and I could only roll our eyes. "Now that the nobles know there's actual lands to inherit they'll start shaping up." I said. "There will be plenty of riches to go around soon." I looked to Dionaea. "Speaking of which does my Arch-Militant have any news on that ship we're chasing?"

"Not unless it's in the shadows trying to kill you." She scoffed. "Brugmansia summon the Voidmaster, the Rogue Trader's eager to go pirate hunting."

-----

Things are heating up! Literally!

Thanks for all the comments and keep them coming, and don't get disheartened if I didn't choose yours, sometimes not all the comments fit well together, or I don't want Bertha's accumulating a bunch of corruption all at once, which she totally did this chapter!

New chapter the crew will be preparing to go pirate hunting, how will the voices spice that up?