"Well, this is quite something—"
Ron looked at the intelligence on the Human Federation, his head buzzing.
This intelligence had come from human spies beyond the Galaxy, captured by the Department of Oversight in some backward fringe sector.
That sector lay at the very edge of the Galaxy. Due to unusual cosmic winds and Xenos activity, it had lost contact with the Imperium several centuries ago.
That had left them hundreds of years behind. Their understanding of the Imperium was roughly from when it had first risen to power—the transitional period between the New Imperium and the Old Imperium.
Their way of life was practically that of the Old Imperium.
As the Galaxy entered full-scale war preparations, the cleansing forces Ron had dispatched discovered this sector, allowing it to return and be incorporated into the Imperium's defensive system.
That was an exceptionally fortunate turn of events. Otherwise, in the coming Galaxy-wide war, it might have been silently devoured by the Tyranid Swarms without anyone ever knowing.
Afterward, the Department of Oversight unexpectedly detected traces of electromagnetic signals being transmitted beyond the Galaxy from that star system.
Something had been probing this fringe sector for information, attempting to send it somewhere beyond the Galaxy. And it had already transmitted quite a bit of intelligence.
"We have to catch them!"
This drew the Department of Oversight's utmost attention. The Inquisitors struck hard, conducting a carpet search for the secret spies hidden within the fringe sector.
They believed the spies were most likely special biological agents sent by the Great Devourer to gather intelligence on the Galaxy. They absolutely could not be allowed to escape.
Yet when the Inquisitors captured the so-called spies, they discovered they were living, breathing humans.
That only made them angrier. They were human traitors—utterly unforgivable!
To the Inquisitors,