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Williams1996

When a world is conquered by the Imperium it is left in the care of a planetary governor who is often a high ranking member of the Imperial Guard, or the Imperial Army back in the days of the Great Crusade, who took part in the conquest. The planetary governor is the one who stays behind after and oversees the planet's transformation into a proper Imperial world. He or she is also the supreme commander of the planet's defences as well as the person running its highest level of government, so they get to decide where the capital would be since he will have to live there and run the world from that spot. Assuming of course that the world doesn't already have capital.

The Lord-Captain isn't going to be running the planet or even living on it in the long term so he isn't the best qualified to decide where the planetary capital should be.

Morkail

Fallout Earth could work. They have easy to make and maintain plasma weapons. Power Armour which should be simple to produce on mass. More than enough cool toys to earn him a bigger and better cruiser. It's a great idea.

The Lord-Captain can't invade a version of Earth as that might be considered treason as Golden Throne or not it is still a version of Holy Terra, but liberating the world while still making a profit should still be okay. As for action, there are lands to cleanse, raiders to burn and mutants to purge.

I think that can be the next story in this series.

deconneur

The Space Wolves already have special wolves to fight with them, and wolves they can ride, and he has no contact with any Space Marines who are busy people. But I do have a plan for the 3rd Thrax Regiment to be styled around the Night's Watch as a guard against the supernatural threats on Planetos, and it will set up by the Inquisition. Perhaps they should have direwolves.

As for the cruiser, it needs to stay in orbit so that the landing craft can refuel and quickly bring down supplies. They are not meant to travel far in space.

Valyrian Steel is magical so the cogboys would declare it to be heretical. The Inquisition can make use of the stuff and so can the Rogue Trader since they get more leeway about using that stuff than other Imperial citizens.

Rogue Trader CYOA Story

Part 7

"The distinction between Trade and Warfare is seen only by those who have no experience of either"

- Heironymo Sondar, High Master of Vervunhive.

Gates of Meereen. Essos.

Lord-General Segean Holam exited his command chimaera and looked over at the Free City that he was about to conquer. The large human settlement had mighty walls that could have kept out nearly any army native to this world. Alas for the slave masters of this city, whose lives the Lord-General had deemed to be forfeit due to their extreme cruelties, the army currently camped outside of Meereen was not of this world. Soon those high and thick walls would crumble.

Holam had seen many disgusting sites during his decades of service, the savage brutality of the Orks, the alien horror of the Nid swarms, and the techno-sorcery of the Tau, he'd even helped cleanse a Hive City after an uprising of mutants, but never had he seen children strung up to die. The Archenemy performed such deeds, but they were evil and mad, the casual cruelty of the masters of Meereen had not even been performed as part of a dark ritual or as a means to demoralise an enemy, as far as Holam could tell they'd done it just to show off. The dead children had served as signposts guiding people to Meereen.

Today those children would have justice and it would come in the form of the Imperial Guard. No single Master would be spared, the slaves would be liberated and placed in their proper role as serfs in service to the Imperium. The wealth of the Master would be used to fund the ongoing conquest. But first, they had to bring down the walls and kill the men defending this city.

That Meereen had been able to hire sellswords in time for what would be a very one-sided battle didn't surprise the Lord-General. He'd not rushed to come here once he'd finishing dealing with the savage Dothraki and by now talk of what had happened at Atasphor would have spread far. The high ranking guard officer didn't mind this as in the end a couple of thousand sellswords would make no difference.

"Prepare to fire!" he ordered.

He looked over to the Demolisher Cannon which was a short-range, large-bore ballistic cannon utilised by the Imperium's military forces on some of their most powerful armoured vehicles. They were often mounted on the Leman Russ Demolishers, Thunderer Siege Tank, and the Space Marine Vindicator, this one had pride of place on one of the regiments pair of Thunderer Seige Tank. Thankfully they would only need one cannon and they had other tanks to aid in the taking of the Free City.

For the Imperial Guard, the Demolisher Cannon was the weapon of choice when faced with dug-in enemy infantry in a dense environment such as urban warfare or when they had to siege a fortified enemy stronghold such as this. The terrific blast unleashed by the detonation of the huge Demolisher shell is often sufficient to bring down any buildings in which the enemy take cover, crushing them beneath tons of fallen masonry.

When fired this day it didn't bring down a wall or smash the gate, instead, it had been aimed at the massive golden harpy, a false idol that these heathen savages dared to worship. Like with the idols the Dothraki had used to decorate the entrance to what had been their city, this harpy would be recycled and in time monuments to the only true god of mankind would be raised up.

The people of Meereen had not at all been prepared for such a display of might and perhaps signs of the growing panic would have been heard by the Lord-General if he'd not just ordered the walls and gate brought down. Better defences would be erected later once Meereen was his to rule in the name of the Emperor of Mankind.

As stone walls came apart the massive wooden gate of Meereen shattered sending splinters in all directions. The bombardment didn't last for long, yet by the time it was done there were many holes in the city's defences and the natives were panicking. The soon to be dead Masters fled for their homes while slaves and sellswords alike tried to flee, not caring where they went and many ran through what was left of the city gate, seeking to surrender as it was all they could do.

"I want them contained!" commanded the Lord-General "We need a path into the city!".

The highly disciplined Cadian troops began to march forward. In addition to defending the Imperium from the horrors of the Eye of Terror, Cadia also provided a large tithe of troops to the Departmento Munitorum, and some of the most legendary regiments in the Imperium still hail from the famous Fortress World. The legendary status of these troops ensured that there were Cadian regiments serving in war zones all over the galaxy. Cadians believe that discipline is the single most important factor in the operation of an army and this attitude has served the Cadians well for millennia. Countless Imperial victories can be attributed to the effort and determination of the sons and daughters of Cadia.

Soon the highly focused troops forced the rabble into more easily handled groups. Those with weapons who foolishly tried to resist rather than surrender were shot with little in the way of warning. As some kind of order was restored the guardsmen and women cleared a path for the lighter tanks to begin moving, making use of the caps in the city's walls and its broken gate.

A path to the great pyramids, which would soon serve as a centre of Imperial power in this world, needed to be created and the pyramids had to be seized before any of the slave masters could escape. In order to ensure a swift conquest as possible the smaller buildings between here and the centres of power would be knocked down by tanks with Dozer Blades. Before long all of the buildings in the poorer parts of the city would have to be knocked down and rebuilt to a better standard so that work might as well begin now.

The Lord-Commander got back inside his command chimaera which soon began to move. The primary duty of the chimaera was to accompany other tanks into battle and provide protection for the Guardsmen within so that they may support the tanks when it came time to disembark. When the soilders of the Emperor did that they moved through the narrow streets in an orderly way, shooting anyone who tried to do them harm as they marched on the homes of the ruling elites.

Overall the conquest of Meereen was quick and brutal because the faster a conquest happened the kinder it was to those being conquered. Any sort of resistance had to be put down quickly as mercy in that matter would only embolden others to dare challenge Imperial authority. A rebellion was like fire if you didn't fully stamp it out then the embers could start new blazes.

Once the city was taken and secured then there would be time for mercy. Shelters for the slaves would be set up and food handed out. The masses would be appeased by the executions of those who had until recently enslaved them. The Lord-General understood the value of such things. Once the masses were calm the real work of turning this city of slavery into a centre of Imperial control would begin.

The Lord-General would rule this world from the largest of the structures in this city and while he would like to remain in the field he knew that soon he would need to turn over command of the regiment to someone else and allow a younger officer to start winning some battles.

(Line Break)

Private Quarters. Dauntless-Class Crusier His Glorious Aspirations.

Despite the fact that I had a busy day ahead of me I felt no need to get out of my massive super comfortable four-poster bed. My lack of movement had nothing to do with me feeling down, if anything I was very much up. The sexy handmaiden who I'd chosen to serve my Targaryen princess had entered my room while wearing something that I had no name for but worked well to get my attention given that it showed a lot of skin and the parts it did cover could be seen as the material was borderline transparent. The outfit was some sort of sheer silk, something I must have picked up as part of a payment for guns and then given to Dany who already far too much in the way of clothing.

"I came to help you prepare for your important day," Missandei said.

She should be serving my future wife, who had either sent her handmaiden here or maybe the former slave just wanted to have sex with me. Thanks to my tailored genes I was pleasing to look at and I certainly had enough power to draw people to me even without my psyker gifts. I also considered the possibility that she was just trying to secure her job. She was much better treated here than she had been in Astaphor. I didn't beat my servants and they got plenty to eat, as well as a little time off.

"I'm not ready to get out of bed yet," I said "Why don't you join me?".

The handmaiden didn't smile or frown she just began to undress.

"Whatever my lord wishes" Missandei stated

While facing away from me she slowly allowed her nightgown to fall down. Her ass was revealed to me and as she needlessly bent over her dark pussy could be seen. She'd already figured out that I was a butt guy and seemed willing to indulge my tastes. Her ass was amazing, her skin was so smooth, if she'd ever been whipped or flogged then it hadn't left any long-lasting marks, but that didn't mean she hadn't been abused in other ways. That was why I was willing to let her set the pace and control the action rather than just use her for my pleasure.

The exotic beauty crawled onto the bed, and soon she was straddling me, with her hot, wet pussy hovering over my erect cock. As she began to slowly fill her cunt with my man meat I grabbed her hips and helped move her down as she'd become a bit nervous despite having done with me before. Missandei gasped in pleasure as she was impaled on my big cock, the Ad-Mech had even enhanced that for some reason.

Missandei smiled at me just a little and began gyrating her hips, slowly at first. As the pace picked up Missandei began really riding me, she bouncing up and down on my cock which felt as it had been given a tongue bath due to how wet the former slave had become between her legs. She couldn't fake her arousal even she hadn't seemed eager to have sex with me. She was used to hiding her true feelings, and while her mouth remained shut her cunt didn't care for any attempts to be stoic.

As we fucked I tilted my head back and despite me just wanting to enjoy her efforts I found myself thrusting up more than a few times. I also watched as her breasts moved. They were impressive in size, only they were not the part of her I wished to see.

"Turn around" I ordered.

She did as I wished and began to ride me in what I would call the reverse cowgirl position, a personal favourite of mine. I now had Missandei very fine ass bouncing as my hands groped her backside. I felt the urge to slap her bottom, only I stopped myself in case she didn't react well to me striking her, if only in a playful way. I'd have to mention my desire to spank her and see if she was okay with it. She might be a serf, but I'd not brought her out of slavery just so she could be treated the same way.

The former slave was having fun too, I could sense her pleasure when I began to use my psyker power. It wasn't easy to ignore what was happening to my body right now, but for just a few moments I managed to reach out and touch her mind. If I could do that while having sex I should be able to use my powers when distracted by something else even I didn't use them very well.

I'd not used my powers much and since I didn't wish to control Missandei I just urged her to reach orgasm. It didn't take long for Missandei to cum and when she didn't the translator didn't miss a beat, she continued to ride me like a pro having learned to focus on the man's pleasure. She even sped up after a few moments, moving her ass even faster as she did her best to milk my seed out of my cock.

A minute or two later and it was my turn. She only stopped when most of my cum had shot up inside her and when she got off me I saw some of my baby batter sticking to her inner thigh. She took a moment to go clean up before she returned with the intent of helping me wash and dress.

I would need to look my very best today as I had an important meeting to attend.

(Line Break)

Docks. King's Landing.

When the strange messanger had arrived to let the rulers of the Seven Kingdoms know that the new Prince of Stepstones would be coming here for a visit, Cersei Lannister, she'd never think of herself as a member of any other noble house, had wondered what it meant. Was the new ruler coming here to bend the knee to the King of Westeros as one of the Targaryan princes had done when he'd finished messing about with those pirate-infested islands? Or was this conquerer planning on expanding his dominion? If so he'd find fierce resistance in these lands as the Seven Kingdoms were far more united than the Stepstones.

Most likely the new Prince of the Stepstones, a man called Lord-Captain Maximinus Thrax, had come to open up diplomatic ties with the Seven Kingdoms since no lord of pirates could hope to take on the combined might of most of Westeros, something that the Iron Born had learned in recent times. A unified Steptsones might be a bigger threat than the Ironborn due to their size and population, but she felt that they would still win a war.

Cersei had heard the Master of Coin mention that even this new Prince of the Stepstones set up a tariff on ships sailing his waters it would be worth it since trade with Esso had always suffered due to pirates and storms. Only the gods could do something about the weather, but pirates were just men and men could be killed. Assuming that the new Prince of the Stepsons was a normal man.

Already there were strange stories about Thrax reaching her ears. Talk about how it was Prince Thrax who destroyed Astaphor before very quickly taking an army of Unsullied to the Stepstones so that he could wipe out the slavers and pirates who called the islands their home in a short amount of time considering the distances involved. If he'd really wiped out all the scum then the waters around the Stepstones should indeed be much after to sail upon.

There was also talk of his warriors carrying weapons that were becoming more common in the Free Cities. The Master of Whispers had acquired a few, but the Maesters hadn't figured out how they worked only that the guns needed special metal bolts called bullets to function and the Free Cities were keeping a tight hold on their ammo as they called it.

Since everyone had been told that a ship would be arriving at noon on this day the royal family had donned their best clothes before making their way down to the docks so as to await the ship, and to make sure that this Prince Thrax got a proper welcome. The sheer number of knights they'd brought with them made sure that the smallfolk were kept at a suitable distance and the display of might would help to ensure that this Rogue Trader wouldn't get any ideas about expanding his little kingdom further west.

"What in the Seven Hells is that!?" a voice called out.

Someone who had looked up while everyone else stared out in the Blackwater saw something that should not have existed in this world. Cersei didn't understand it at first and then it struck her that the rumours of flying ships and sky carriages were true. Those that had conquered the Stepstones must be the people who caused the New Doom so far north that it had been beyond even The Wall and perhaps it was they who had removed all human life from Dragonstone. It had either been these flying people or the gods and somehow she didn't think that gods would have bothered to smite the wildlings, because if they did do such things they would have done so a long time ago.

She had to wonder if the stories about Astaphor were also true, about how a man had come to that city and taken many of the slaves away before destroying the sinful place. If these sky people were those who had destroyed Astaphor and shaken The Wall, then what would they do to the Seven Kingdoms? This Prince of the Stepstones had to be appeased and made an ally of House Lannister or all would be lost. She could only hope that Robert didn't offend the visitor too much or King's Landing might soon be destroyed.

Looking around she saw many faces, some of which were slack-jawed in awe, but a few showed some concern, no doubt they'd come to the same conclusion as she had, her poor excuse for a husband seemed to be delighted by the sight before him as the strange metal ship landed not here at the port, rather outside of the city.

"To the gates!" shouted Robert.

While some had made a mad dash to the nearest gate the royal family could be moved in such a rush due to the crowded nature of the city. The gold cloaks did their best to keep the streets clear, but they had little success the smallfolk either rushed away from the metal ship or towards it in the case of the braver ones or younger and more foolish in this case.

Cersei knew that this would not impress their important visitors and she would have to salvage the situation as best she could when she spoke to the Prince of the Stepstones. Cersei wasn't as clever as she imagined herself to be, however, she was smart enough to understand that if one flying machine could cause this much trouble then the strange people who flew them would have an easy time invading as their presence alone was enough to start a few small riots. What would happen if they actually attacked? She dreaded to think about it.

By the time her carriage got out of the city, the visitors had long since landed and the flying ship had opened up. Before the machine was what Cersei assumed to be the Rogue Trader's honour guard. To her surprise, they were female as were those who followed their lord down what looked to be a ramp. Cersei couldn't see inside the metal flying ship, so she had to settle for a view of those who came out of it.

Lord-Captain Thrax, the new Prince of the Stepstones, looked more the part of a ruler than Robert had managed in many years. His choice in clothing was odd, a mixture of fine materials, and body armour. Cersei found it to be somewhat alien yet she'd always had an eye for fashion and Thrax's outfit spoke of a man who saw himself as a king who conquered, not one who just sat on a throne. As for the weapons he carried, he had a sword at one hip and what had to be a gun of some kind on the other.

Cersei listened to gossip because she was the queen she had to remain aware of how the ladies of the court would behave, and she picked up some useful information among the rubbish most other women spoke about, much like nuggets of gold might be found in a riverbed somewhere in the Westerlands. She'd heard that these guns were somewhat like crossbows only much louder and faster they fired many bolts before they needed to be reloaded. They also had better aim than a crossbow.

If this was true then she had to make sure to acquire these guns for House Lannister and her house alone so that would have an advantage over all the other houses when it became time for Joffery to take the throne. That time might come sooner than expected if Lord Stark began looking too closely into the matter of Jon Arryan's death. Another good reason to ensure that this Lord Thrax became her ally no matter what it took. Gold, lands, riches, women, her own cunt if needs be, she'd get him what he wanted and it would get what she desired.

"Presenting The Rogue Trader Maximinus Thrax, Prince of the Stepstones and Lord-Captain of the Glorious Aspirations" declared one of the women guards "Here representing his Divine Imperial Majesty the God-Emperor of Mankind".

The titles meant little to Cersei, she was now focused on Thrax's honour guard, who carried a varity of weapons, but what got her attention was the outfits that displayed quite a bit of their wearer's female charms even if they were covered from head to toe. Perhaps in the Free Cities, such a style would be acceptable, however by the standards of Seven Kingdoms they were scandalously dressed and perhaps that was on purpose, it was distracting many of the men here and that gave Lord Thrax's guards an advantage.

When she heard the last part of the declaration she wondered what it meant. Who was this God-Emperor? And did he claim kingship over all men? She had so many questions and since she couldn't ask the Rogue Trader about them, at least not yet, she kept her ears open and listened, just as her father would want her to. Tywin Lannister was on his way to Kings Landing and should arrive soon. By then she would hopefully have laid the groundwork for an alliance between House Lannister and House Thrax.

"Will you not kneel before his Grace," said one of the Kingsguard.

That had been a demand as well as a question and the queen bit her lip as she heard it. Thrax was not just some lord from one of the Seven Kingdoms or a ruler of a single city far away, he commanded flying ships and might have already destroyed Astaphor. Did they want Kingslanding to be next?

"I will only kneel before the God-Emperor" stated Lord Thrax "My loyalty is to the Golden Throne, not to the Iron Throne".

There were mixed reactions to this. Some took offence such as the Grand Maester who'd made it out here rather quickly despite his normally slow pace of movement. Others were confused, having never heard of a golden throne, as for Robert he didn't take offence. Not that shocking given how little he cared for sitting his fat arse on that uncomfortable chair.

Things calmed down with one of the Rogue Trader's female guards came forward and presented the contents of a large box that she'd been carrying. Inside it was a warhammer much like Robert would have used at the battle of the Trident all those years ago. Cersei was no expert on weapons but she'd never seen any warhammer that looked like the one offered to Robert. He took it gladly and some of the tension began to melt away.

"Very well," the king said, "let us return to the keep so you can tell what brought you here".

Another march through the city would not be welcome for Cersei, but she would not miss out on the coming conversation, not with so much at stake.

(Line Break)

The Red Keep. Kingslanding.

Given that I commanded a fortress-city in space it took a lot to impress me as such I was not at all moved by the sight of this city or the keep that served as the seat of power for the King of Westeros. Nor was I impressed with the monarch, who if anything was even fatter than on the TV show, and he didn't seem like one for any sort of exercise either because he collapsed into a chair as soon we entered the Small Council chamber. He'd looked excited about my visit until now, he must really hate this part of his job.

"So what do you want?" asked King Robert.

While that had been rather blunt I didn't mind getting to the point, but first I took a moment to check out who else was on this council. I saw Grand Maester Pycelle, Lord Renly the Master of Laws, then there was Littlefinger, the corrupt accountant of this realm who I would need to deal with sooner rather than later, the Hand of the King who was current Eddard Stark. As well as the queen and the king. The show didn't do Ceresi Lannister justice, she was quite the beauty. Lord Stannis who acted as the Master of Ships could not be seen. I'd heard that someone had wiped out the whole population of Dragonstone. I wondered if it had been the Inquisitor if so I could only guess at his motives.

"I am an envoy for an organisation, which you would call an empire" I explained "An empire that spans more worlds than you can imagine".

The Grand Maester huffed before speaking.

"There is only one world" he stated "You must come from some land we simply don't know about".

His words made me smile.

"You've seen my flying ship," I said "Do you really think if there was a kingdom out there with such devices that you would have never heard of it before?".

At least the others were considering my words.

"As to what we want" I was saying "The Imperium of Man, the empire I serve is taking is this world and bringing it into the empire".

Now that caused a stir, so much so that King Robert had to yell to get people to shut up.

"Before anyone starts worrying about a war" I went on to say "The Imperium is a vast empire and as long as certain are followed and tribute is made we have no interest in governing every part of this world. So should the Seven Kingdoms join with us this can become the start of mutually beneficial agreement".

Again there was more muttering.

"You can't expect to just bend the knee," said Lord Stark.

I was surprised that it wasn't King Robert saying that.

"Have you heard what happened to Astaphor?" I asked "Don't kid yourselves you can not defeat the Imperium. We could wipe out every city if we chose to and rule over the ashes, or invade with our armies, however, we wish to profit from bringing the power of Imperium to this world, and you can profit too".

I signalled more chests that were carried by some naval armsmen were deposits on the table. They were soon opened and inspected.

"This appears to be something akin to a Mryish spyglass," said Lord Renly as he inspected a pair of binoculars.

Rather than lavish them with gold, spices and silks, the kind of loot we'd taken from the Stepstones, a lot of which had ended up in my vaults as such things had value in trade should I need to deal with another primitive world or some planetary governor who wanted some exotic, I'd made use of the manufacturing facilities onboard my cruiser to produce items that the Machine Cult don't consider complex enough to regulate their use with any needless mysticism.

This included binoculars, telescopes, combs, paper, samples of dyes, cans of deodorant as well as luxury items such as perfumes and incense. We even had these little hand-crank torches that would stay lit for hours as long as you charged the battery with a generator that just required you to move a handle. They were very hard to break and didn't make much effort to charge.

All of this was easy for me to acquire as I had a well-stocked ship and could acquire raw materials very easily thanks to my Ad-Mech allies who had set up far from here.

"We're not merchants!" complained King Robert "What about these guns that I've heard about. You sell them in Pentos, well we want them too".

I'd promised Illyrio that he would control the supply of ammo and the selling of guns in the Free Cities between the Narrow Sea and Slaver's Bay, so far this had proven to be highly profitable. I didn't mind giving a House here in Westeros the right to sell ammo to anyone in the Seven Kingdoms, although that would give that House too big of an advantage over the others. It would be better to sell to everyone and reap the profits while the natives weaken each other. Then I could install a puppet without much trouble just as planned.

"Weapons might win wars and win you a kingdom, but it is trade that keeps an empire going," I said "But yes I can sell you guns. Assuming you can afford them, according to the Iron Bank you're broke".

Oddly it was Balish who agreed with me.

"We're massively in debt I doubt we can afford to purchase anything from Lord Thrax," he said "At least not as a kingdom".

Given that he'd been stealing from the crown he would no doubt be able to afford all the guns I could supply him. Alas for Petyr he would soon be spilling all his secrets to the Inquisition who I knew had agents on my ship who could break Littlefinger for me. Then I would find out where he'd stashed all the gold, and once I had it I could fiance some houses to make them my allies or just keep the gold. Why sell to him when I can just take his money directly?

House Lannister would try to take control of the new trade of guns, seeking the lion's share so to speak. I might give them something I didn't sell to other noble houses, but it would not serve my needs to give them too much in the way of advantages.

"You'll find the money or I'll find a new Master of Coin" threatened the king.

I was amused by this.

"If you're just going to borrow the money from someone I might as well sell to them directly," I said.

The queen almost jumped in her seat upon hearing that.

"I am the king!" shouted Robert.

That meant little to me.

"I'm not one of your subjects" I reminded the man who wore the crown.

If not for the fact that I had a lot of armed guards with me I felt sure that Robert would have taken action or at least yelled at me, but he wasn't actually that stupid.

"These guns are valuable" stated Lord Renly, who seemed to have sensed that this was a good time for him to speak "But what about ships, do you have more of those flying machines?".

Even if we had the means to build more landing craft and shuttles, and for now we didn't, I wouldn't sell them to anyone because they gave us such a huge advantage over everyone.

"They are not for sale" I replied "I'm offering more of what you see before you and the guns, as well as people who can train your soilders to use them. As for the Imperium, as I already mentioned as long as you're willing to pay tribute I see no reason not to leave you to your own affairs while we focus our efforts on Essos. This world's new governor has his eyes on bringing down Slavers Bay and there other lands for him to deal with".

Unless they were true fools they'd know that sooner or later they'd have to bend the knee to their new overlords or be conquered. As such they would want all the weapons they can get their hands on and time to prepare. Hence why it would suit the Imperium if they had a civil war that I could profit from while we secured Essos as then they wouldn't be prepared. An organised Westeros would be a pain to conquer given our limited manpower so we'd either have to flatten it or spend a couple of years pacifying the Seven Kingdoms.

Sure Aegon the Conquerer took over with only a few thousand men and a few dragons, and the armed shuttles could serve the role of dragons, but we didn't want direct control of the Sunset Kingdoms, we wanted a king under our control in power so that we could change Westeros over time. Its faith would have to be restricted and new laws accepted. Much easier to do if we had some control of its leadership.

"There is another matter that needs to be addressed before any sort of alliance is agreed upon," said Varys, the Master of Whispers "My little birds have informed me that you have taken the last Targaryans into custody".

Of course, Illyrio had told his friend all about me. I wasn't at all surprised by this. What did annoy me if nothing else was Varys mentioning this in front of the king, who had deep-seated hate for what he called dragon spawn, despite himself being descended from a Targaryen grandmother and the founder of his House supposedly being the half-brother of Aegon the Conquerer?

"I want them!" demanded the king as he slammed his fists onto the table "Hand them over!".

That wouldn't be happening.

"They are my guests and under my protection" I informed the king.

Lord Eddard Stark had to hold Robert back, who despite his size looked ready to leap across the table and strangle me.

"They are wanted by the crown for crimes against the Seven Kingdoms," said Lord Renly "Perhaps you should do as my brother asks".

No chance.

"They left Dragonstone when they were children" I pointed out "What possible crimes could they have committed?".

No one had a decent reply to that and I didn't need one I could tell that they were thinking about how the Targaryens are a threat to their positions of power. Which is exactly why I kept them close. If the current leadership proved to be unsuitable for the Imperium then I can simply place Visyers on the throne and by the looks of things we'd be going with that plan. Varys must have known that telling Robert about my guests would turn him against me. What was he playing out?

Predictably the king ordered that I be taken and thrown in the black cells, which didn't work out well for those who tried to lay a hand on me. My bodyguards didn't even need to kill anyone and Eddard Stark prevented things from getting out of hand.

"I'll be on my ship should anyone wish to make a deal and ally themselves with the true power in this world," I said "Good day to you all".

Thankfully no one else was foolish enough to try to hinder me in any way.

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The Wall. Westeros.

Inquisitor Allectus Jacobus of the Ordo Malleus was not used to having his orders questioned by anyone as even those of the Imperium who'd never heard of the Inquisition felt compelled to follow his orders if only because Allectus tended to be escorted by heavily armed people. However, Lord-Commander Mormount was not an Imperial citizen, as such he knew nothing of the God-Emperor or the authority that his divine majesty had entrusted to the Inquisition. Normally his ignorance would not have saved his life. What did save him was the Inquisitor needed the Lord-Commander's cooperation.

"The Night's Watch has been an independent organisation since its founding" argued the Lord-Commander.

Allectus was sitting in the commander's office and trying to make the man see sense. The Inquisitor's arrival had caused quite the stir given that he'd landed outside of Castle Black. Not one had even dared come near him at first other than one brave man called Jon Snow who'd approached the shuttle along with his animal companion. He didn't know much about the young Night Watch recruit, but Suzan seemed to think that he was important and she was a good judge of character, at least when you could understand her judgements.

"The world as you know it is over, Lord-Commander" stated the Inquisitor "The Imperium has come. You have already felt our presence".

Lord Jeor Mormont was no fool. He'd quickly realised that the shaking of The Wall and the appearance of a flying machine were connected, he just didn't understand how.

"What are your terms?" asked the leader of the Black Brothers.

The old bear figured might as well hear the man out.

"Join us and I will transform the Night's Watch from a collection of tired men and exiled criminals into a proper Imperial Regiment. You will have powerful weapons, all the supplies you need and I will bring hundreds of my own people to join you. We can restore and man all of the castles given enough time. I will find you many new recruits and have your men trained to use the weapons you will be supplied with. If the horrors to the north did survive the wrath I unleashed upon them then you will not be found unprepared when they attack The Wall. You know what kind of power I can unleash. Let me share some of it with you".

That was tempting. The Night's Watch was dying a slow death and the Lord-Commander knew this to be true.

"In return, I would expect you to make men available to me should I need their aid against what threatens mankind," said the Inquisitor "There is more out there than you know".

The Inquisitor had found warlocks and worse things in the far east. On the far side of Essos beyond the Five Forts was a land not that different from the lands beyond The Wall only with deserts and jungles rather than snow and haunted forests. Foul things roamed in those lands, mutant creatures and cannibal raiders. Orbital bombardment would take care of many of the threats, but men would need to be sent in to be sure. Just as they would need to go north to ensure that the dead were defeated.

For that, the Inquisitor needed his own army. The Night's Watch wasn't much, but they were sworn to guard the realms of men and didn't answer to any lord other than the one they chose. Many of the Black Brothers were better suited to a penal legion than the kind of regiment that the Inquisitor needed to build so he would need to 'borrow' at least a few squads of veteran men from the Lord-General and as many navy armsmen as could be spared. They could train the Black Brothers and help prepare them for the conflicts ahead.

As for that Jon Snow lad that Suzan seemed so taken with, perhaps it was time that the Inquisitor took on an apprentice, someone who could carry on his work should he fall.

"You will remain Lord-Commander and oversee the formation of the new regiment which will carry on your traditions and swear the same oaths," said the Inquisitor "I will find someone who can serve as your aide, someone who can help you transform The Night's Watch".

Once all the men here had lasguns, with a mixture of flamers and other support weapons mixed in, they'd become much more effective against the dead. Should any remain. Given training could go beyond Westeros to fight in lands they'd never heard about, but that would take time. Thankfully the Inquisitor had it.

"What will you do if I refuse?" the old bear wondered.

He'd seen the strange weapons carried by the Inquisitor's warrior and the heavily armoured woman. He didn't know their power he just understood that they were dangerous. Given that the New Doom had shaken The Wall the Lord-Commander imagined that The Wall could be brought down as well.

"Then I will gather what man I can and take The Wall from the south," said the Imperial "Your traditions will be lost and new Night's Watch will be set up".

Mormont knew that it would be pointless to resist people who could make The Wall shake and make metal machines that flew.

"I will inform the brothers of what must happen if we are to survive," said the Lord-Commander.

They wouldn't like it, but there wasn't much they could do about the coming changes other than accepting them or be wiped out. Even if the armies of The North came to their aid it might not matter given that these Imperials could summon up the kind of power to cause a New Doom.

"I will give you a few days to decide," said the Inquisitor.

With that, he left the Lord-Commander's office knowing that Jeor Mormont had a lot to think about.