Rising up from a Nobleman to Intergalactic Warlord!!
Chapter 211

---Victor POV---

Docking the Endless Horizons with the crippled vessel, Roxanne and I led a heavily armed boarding across a retractable catwalk to their airlock. Opening the door as we drew near, a man introducing himself as the captain of the ship stepped out from cover with his hands raised in surrender. Announcing they had chosen to surrender over continued bloodshed, he informed us that his surviving subordinates had already been gathered in preparation for us.

“Lord Stark, I beseech you, please spare my crew!”, the captain pleaded, bowing his head to me. “They are all good sailors with families waiting back home for them. Please take my head and allow them to continue living!”

Remaining silent for a moment, I peeked into his head to see what he was really thinking. Surprised to discover he meant every word he spoke, he was truly ready to die if it meant his men could live.

“I am a man of my word, captain. You followed my orders, so neither you nor your men will be harmed.”, I spoke, considering offering him a position within my private military. “Please take us to the hangar; I want to start collecting the names of your crew members. To be upfront with you, the remnants of the Federation’s failed invasion will be handed over to the Grakkan Empire.”

“I… I understand. The Federation was the aggressor here, so it only makes sense that the Grakkan Empire would pay handsomely for us.”, the captain remarked. “Please follow me; I will take you to the hanger.”

Taking point, the older gentleman led us through a series of corridors before stepping out into the mangled hangar. Finding his crew on their knees with their hands behind their heads, each sailor froze when they looked upon my Helldivers and myself. Watching several of them close their eyes, they fully expected to be executed in a few moments.

“Calm yourselves, those who complied with my orders will not be harmed.”, I advised the sailors before turning to the captain. “So, where is the man in charge of this botched invasion?”

“Admiral Everest barricaded himself in his private quarters shortly after I announced we were surrendering to you. Please understand, he no longer acts or speaks on behalf of my crew or myself now.”, the captain stated, wanting to make that crystal clear. ‘That pompous asshole will not get my men killed, even if I have to execute him myself!’

“Captain, please show Palatine Adelenta Junissa and her subordinates where the admiral is currently holed up. They will drag him out here so we can have a friendly chat.”, I said, glancing toward Ionica’s second-in-command. “Bring the admiral to me alive. I care not if he is missing a limb or two.”

Saluting me, Palatine Junissa ordered several of her subordinates forward and set out with the captain. While they were away, I started the tedious process of getting the names, noble titles, and ranks of the crew. Surprised to discover nearly a third of the crew were of noble blood, the remaining two-thirds were a mix of civilians and slaves. Assuming those people would be sent to prison stations or to work in mining colonies, I considered potentially offering them positions within my private military as well.

---Twenty Minutes Later---

“Primarch Stark, as requested, we have returned with the admiral in tow.”, Junissa announced, dragging the beaten and bruised commander behind her.

Grabbing the man by the throat, Palatine Junissa glowered at the man as she warned him to mind his tongue when speaking with me. As the Emperor of Mankind’s grandson, disrespecting me was akin to insulting the Emperor himself, and that was punishable by death.

“How dare you manhandle me, you filthy whores!”, the admiral seethed, completely disregarding her words. “I am the eldest son of the Duke Everest, one of the most prestigious households in the Belberem Federation. When my father learns what you have done to me, the full might of the Federation’s military will be brought down upon your backwater country. If you believe these morons were the best we had to offer, you are sadly mistaken!”

Ramming the barrel of her Meltagun into his mouth, the Palatine was about to execute him when I ordered her to stop. Doing as I commanded, she pulled her weapon back and took up a position beside her subordinates. Opening his mouth to continue berating her and her subordinates, I put him in a Force Choke and began slowly lifting him off the ground.

“You clearly forget who is holding all the power right now, boy.”, I said in a cold voice. “The tiny Belberem Federation is nothing but a speck compared to the might of the Imperium of Man. You are a small nation of barely two hundred thousand worlds; the Imperium of Man controls over a million inhabited worlds. While your country can barely field five hundred billion men, we have ten trillion active-duty service members and countless more in reserve. If you believe for a second that your pissant country could win a war against us, you are sorely overestimating yourselves.”

Placing a temporary curse on him, ensuring he couldn’t die, I flung him over into a corner of the room and ordered my soldiers to blast him. Happily complying with my order, the moment he slammed into the wall, they unloaded him. Bathing him in Meltagun and Plasma Cannon fire, all anyone could hear was gunfire and tormented screams from him as he went through an endless loop of death and life. Letting them mutilate him for a good five minutes, I stopped them just short of reaching the outer hull. Dragging his mangled body back to me with the Force, he wheezed out an apology and begged for mercy. Tossing him at the captain’s feet, I informed him that we were heading back to my flagship.

“Listen, boy, I chalk your declaration of war up to youthful bravado and let it slide this time.”, I stated, walking toward the exit. “Utter such nonsense again, and I will enact Exterminatus upon the Federation’s capital world. All the carnage and death I will rain down will be on your shoulders, not mine.”

“Exterminatus?”, Everest meekly asked.

“It means the complete and utter eradication of all life upon a planet, all the way down to the cellular level.”, Junissa spoke, giving him a cold glare. “The Imperium of Man rarely enacts such drastic measures, but in your case, it is warranted.”

Audibly gulping at her explanation, the nobleman slowly picked himself up and fell in line with the crew. Leading them to our holding cells, I had the medical team treat their wounded people and returned to the bridge. Stowing the crippled flagship in my inventory, we began cleaning up the mess my energetic wives were leaving in their wake.

---Two Hours Later---

Hailing Commander Halls’ flagship as the defense forces began dropping out of FTL, I informed them that we had already dealt with the invasion force. Believing I was joking around to lighten the mood, their tune quickly changed when I sent them photos of our prisoners. Upon realizing I was not joking, a cold chill ran down their spines as they understood how close they had all been to annihilation earlier today.

“I appreciate your assistance here today, Lord Stark and family.”, Halls stated with a relieved expression. “While we already had an established agreement, if there is anything else I can offer you, please tell me.”

“Actually, there is one thing you could do for us.”, I said. “A certain downtrodden space elf we both are acquainted with told me of an accident she was the cause of a short time ago. While she fully expected to be billed for the damage, our mutual acquaintance received a seven million credit bill from you. As your flagship was only lightly damaged, I would have anticipated a charge of 1.5 to 2 million credits. Could you please investigate the matter and sort things out?”

“Of course, I will personally look into the matter.”, Halls acknowledged, shooting a disgusted look at her second-in-command. “Ensuring we maintain an amicable relationship with third-party contractors is very important to me.”

Thanking her, I proceeded to transmit all the data we had extracted thus far from the prisoners. Highlighting the various pirate groups that were secretly on the Federation’s payroll, one of her subordinates suggested dispatching the mercenaries to deal with those in the local vicinity. Not wanting to pay the mercenaries they brought here just for showing up, Halls agreed with the officer and gave the order to take out the pirates.

Asking me to hand the prisoners over this evening at Termaine Prime, I assured her we would be there waiting for her. Bidding her farewell, for now, we set out for our next bounty of the day.