Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 139: Chess Game, Selecting the Flagship Captain
On the first floor of the villa in the courtyard, the Primarch looked through the information of the five captain candidates and then asked the Primarch's attendant.

"Arsene, what do you think of these five people?"

The Primarch's attendant raised his head and expressed his thoughts.

"Lionel Touré, 42 years old, comes from the most prominent family of the five. His family has a long history and is a powerful family in Terra."

"But Lionel himself is a typical traditional officer. From his command log, we can see that his tactics are too conservative."

"Playing it safe in every battle will result in winning those battles where you have an advantage, but it will come at a high cost and will not prevent avoidable losses."

Nimrod nodded slightly. Arsene Dunn had the same opinion of Lionel as he did.

"go on."

The "Reader" has already taken the information into his mind and completed the analysis. He analyzes the backgrounds, strengths and weaknesses of each candidate one by one, and occasionally cites their battle examples as a basis.

"Diana Pauline, 33 years old, has the most ordinary background of the five. Her family isn't even considered powerful in Sabaudia."

"But Diana herself is exceptional. She has a sharp mind and excels in every role she plays."

“In her logistics role, she demonstrates meticulous attention to detail, processing information accurately, quickly, and clearly.”

"When she coordinated the expeditionary fleet, she transported large numbers of soldiers from one node to another, ensuring they arrived on time, with ammunition, rations, and proper support. Everything was done in an orderly manner."

Arsène recalled the battle examples on the datapad. "Her actions against pirates and aliens were swift, precise and deadly, which aligns with your thinking."

Ningluo tapped his fingers on the back of the chair and nodded in approval.

"She is indeed the right person."

He doesn't have to choose one from the candidates, but if he does, he will definitely choose the right person.

"I want to arrange a time to meet with her."

Ten days later, Nimrod met Diana Boleyn, who was wearing a neatly tailored military uniform with neatly arranged golden buttons and three shining military medals on her chest.

Her blonde hair was tied up neatly, and her deep eyes looked even sharper against the backdrop of her military cap.

Diana walked briskly up to the Primarch.

"Lord Nimrod, Diana Boleyn has been ordered to report to you."

The Ministry of Military Affairs has not yet been established and will not officially begin work until the eve of Ullanor. Currently, both the Astartes and the Solar Auxiliary Corps only have ranks but no military ranks.

The Primarch noticed that Diana's blue-green eyes wanted to look away for a moment, but she pursed her lips, suppressed her natural reaction, and used her will to overcome her biological instinct.

Nimrod nodded in satisfaction, "Sit down."

"Yes."

Diana straightened her back, and only after sitting down did she notice the two chessboards in front of her.

"Regicide chess, or Go?"

Upon hearing this, Diana understood that the Primarch had to make her own choice, and this was a test for herself.

"Regicide chess."

Regicide is a board game popular among people of all classes. It is similar to chess, but the board is round.

The pieces in Regicide Chess include the Emperor, Empress, Prince, Priest, General, Sexton, Fortress, Citizen, Warrior, and Samurai.

Diana explained, "I've only had a little exposure to Go."

"The chess game of regicide has a clear goal and a clear path - kill the Emperor, and you will win."

"But there are no emperors on the Go board for the player to kill. Or rather, there are many emperors on the Go board."

"Let's start, you first."

Nimrod nodded slightly. Regicide chess was widely used among the Imperial command, while Go was only more common among the future White Scars. Diana raised her hand, her face solemn, and took up the checkmate.

The Primarch and the female commander moved quickly at first, then slowed down.

Diana frowned. Every move was within her expectations, but she felt a sense of crisis and uneasiness.

"One more move and you'll lose."

Nimrod lowered his voice and said, "I think you want to use the 'priest' to get out of the 'blind man must be killed' situation."

Diana felt uneasy immediately after hearing the Primarch's thoughts, but she used the force to calm herself down and examined each piece on the chessboard.

After a moment, she smiled bitterly and said helplessly.

"Your 'Prince' can walk out of the 'Traitor's Gamble' at any time. I lost."

"Your performance is excellent enough."

The Primarch smiled and said that no matter how outstanding Diana was, she had the limitations of a mortal, and her ability to calculate and deduce could not compare to his.

He looked at the frustrated female commander and said, "You will be the captain of my flagship. Hand over your current duties immediately."

Diana was stunned for a moment. She didn't have much hope before she came, and after losing the game, she gave up completely. Unexpectedly, there was a sudden turn of events, and she was actually appointed as the captain of the flagship by the Primarch.

After a few seconds, she came to her senses, stood up from her seat, and spoke excitedly.

"My Lord Primarch, thank you for your trust in me. I will definitely work hard to serve you."

Nimrod nodded and he began to speak.

"Arsène will send you the status of the XI Legion."

"If you have some free time in the future, you can invest some energy in Go. It will teach you to be aware of threats from all sides and deal with a variety of enemies."

"Taking all factors into consideration and seeing the situation clearly in time will make you a better commander."

Diana was thoughtful. "As you wish, sir. I will devote my time and energy to researching this area in the future."

"Well, I look forward to our next game."

At the same moment that Nimrod selected the captain of his flagship, in the upper nest of the Iphigenia Hive.

Gray rain fell lightly, and Tierney, with a black hood on his head, looked like everyone else strolling around the business district.

But the "Thief"'s seemingly aimless gaze is actually observing. Having undergone surgery on an Astartes visual control organ, he has a clear view of his surroundings thanks to the bonus of "Excellent Observation".

The "thief" suddenly walked forward and walked towards a middle-aged man wearing a blue robe and a golden lion emblem on his chest.

Calais, the patriarch of the Reina family, had just sent off the servants sent by the seal holder to inspect the commercial district, and then he walked towards where the airship was docked with his guards.

As he walked around the corner of a jewelry store, the guard holding an umbrella behind him suddenly slipped, lost his balance, and stumbled and fell.

The "thief" had anticipated this, and his "excellent observation" captured a slight depression in the slippery ground.

Tierney predicted that someone among Carles' followers would slip.

At that moment, the guards will be in a panic for a moment, and that will be his chance.

The "Thief" slid, and his "agile hands" allowed him to maintain the stability and flexibility of his wrists and fingers even at high speed. He stretched out his right hand and reached towards Cales.

The "thief" easily "stole" the key from Kales's inner pocket, a lion-shaped metal key with thirteen runes engraved on it.

Calais was completely unaware, and when he saw the guards restore order, he frowned and shouted angrily.

"waste!"

At eleven o'clock in the evening, just as Carles was searching for the key in the bedroom and study, a dark shadow quietly climbed up the nest tower of the Reina family.

(End of this chapter)