Bad News: Cut Off from the Imperium

"Why do we have a Level Four tax exemption?"

Ron could hardly believe it. Only planets or regimes that had made major contributions to the Imperium could receive tax exemptions.

Earth Planet was a low-grade Hive City world. No matter how he looked at it, it did not seem qualified for a tax exemption.

"God-Emperor above, it seems you truly have forgotten many things." Bayev looked somewhat grave. "This began five years ago."

He pointed to the assessment report on the table. "Five years ago, officials from the Administratum on Holy Terra raised Earth Planet's tax rating..."

As Bayev spoke, Ron finally learned what had happened back then.

It was the story of Ron's father, Old Grant, the former Governor of Earth Planet.

Earth Planet was a typical mining world, with a thriving mining industry.

Under the rule of the former Governor, Old Grant, mineral resources had been developed in an orderly fashion. After paying the Imperial Tithe, there had still been a considerable surplus.

Compared to other planetary Governors who were extravagant, brutal, and incompetent, Old Grant had been relatively benevolent. At the very least, he had been willing to care about the lives of his subjects.

Under his leadership, the planet had prospered.

The people of Earth Planet did not have to work themselves to death in the mines day and night, nor did they have to worry about starving. Every now and then, they could even eat bread mixed with sawdust.

In this cruel universe, that had been a heavenly life.

Such days had continued until officials from the Administratum on Holy Terra arrived.

They assessed Earth Planet and concluded that the planet had greater tax potential.

They had misjudged Earth Planet's capacity and forcibly raised its tax rating by three levels!

Old Grant had desperately appealed the decision, but every plea had vanished without a trace. He received no response at all.

With the tax deadline approaching and repeated warnings arriving, Old Grant had no choice but to mobilize every resource for mining.

Yet the reckless extraction had caused tremendous environmental damage. Mine accidents became frequent, and millions of subjects died.

"Was there no other way?"

Though he knew the outcome, Ron could not help asking.

"You mean rebellion?"

Bayev shook his head. "Rebellion would have been unwise and meaningless."

"That would have been betrayal of the Imperium. Earth Planet would become a battlefield, and Ers's people would bleed out their last drop of blood in their own homes!"

No one could refuse an Imperial order.

The Imperium possessed countless enormous fleets, hundreds of billions of soldiers, and millions of powerful Adeptus Astartes.

Sending just one fleet or a squad of Adeptus Astartes would have been enough to easily destroy Earth Planet.

The consequences of refusing to pay taxes were severe.

"The Imperial Tithe is Loyalty to the God-Emperor, the greatest duty of every Imperial citizen. It applies to everyone. No one can refuse it."

Bayev sighed. "Your father understood this well, but his heart was not ruthless enough..."

As a result, he had failed to collect the required resources, and the tax payment had been delayed.

Your father begged the Administratum for more time, but those damned officials only cared about taxes. They did not care in the slightest about Earth Planet's suffering!

They deemed Earth Planet to be resisting taxation and directly dispatched an Adeptus Arbites judge to investigate.

Ron's heart clenched. The judge's involvement meant the matter had escalated.

"What was the result of the investigation?"

"The judge's party was attacked by Chaos heretics. The judge himself was lightly wounded, but a female investigator died. It was an accident..."

Ron sighed. The moment they arrived to investigate, they encountered an attack. Who would believe it was an accident?

Bayev seemed to know what Ron was thinking and continued, "Just as you thought, the judge did not believe it was an accident.

He was furious and reported the matter to the Inquisition, claiming Chaos had corrupted Earth Planet and that it needed to be purged completely!"

Good grief, had that judge lost his mind? He actually dared drag the Inquisition into this.

The Inquisition had been established during the Horus Heresy. It was the Imperium's most powerful secret organization, responsible for uncovering and destroying all threats facing the Imperium and humanity.

The Inquisition wielded immense authority, with no formal internal hierarchy or centralized leadership, and answered only to The Emperor.

That meant Inquisitors could freely preserve the Imperium's survival and continuation in whatever manner they deemed appropriate.

69 Book, New

Without restraint, Inquisitors often became fanatical, ruthless madmen. When they went mad, they even killed their own people.

Just as Ron had expected, that judge had been terribly unlucky. He encountered a violent Inquisitor.

An important ritual of the Inquisitor's had been interrupted, and he arrived at Earth Planet suppressing his rage.

After arriving, he first investigated the judge.

Once he found the relevant evidence, he executed the judge on the spot for accepting bribes and abusing his authority.

Afterward, the Inquisitor investigated Earth Planet, but found no problems. It truly had only been an accident.

Old Grant thought the matter would finally be over, but the Inquisitor believed that paying taxes was a sacred duty and the foundation of the Imperium.

No planet, regardless of its reasons, was permitted to evade or resist taxation.

If every world acted like Earth Planet, the Imperium's foundations would become unstable and risk collapse.

Therefore, Earth Planet had to fulfill its obligations. Not only did it have to repay the overdue taxes, it also had to pay a fine!

Old Grant pleaded with the Inquisitor to think of Earth Planet's people. They could not bear such a burden.

"Life is the Emperor's coin, and sacrifice is the foundation of the Imperium!" the nearly insane Inquisitor declared.

And so, under the Inquisitor's supervision, Earth Planet launched an inhuman tax collection campaign. Anyone who resisted was executed.

The planet's tens of billions of people worked day and night. Billions of subjects died in the mines, while countless others were sent into the Astra Militarum to fight Xenos on the front lines.

By the time the tax collection ended, Earth Planet had lost half its population. Vast stretches of its surface had been devastated, and deadly pollution covered the land.

"After paying such a price, the people of Earth Planet finally gathered the taxes demanded by the Inquisitor."

As Bayev spoke, tears filled his eyes. "That was Ers's blood and tears!"

"When the Inquisitor was leaving, Lord Grant begged him to help appeal the case. Earth Planet truly could not endure such crushing taxes.

He hoped the Inquisitor would tell the Administratum on Holy Terra about Earth Planet's true circumstances, have them reassess the planet, and lower its tax rating."

"Did he agree?"

Bayev's eyes reddened. "He... he cut off Lord Grant's head. Blood splashed over everyone...

He declared Lord Grant a heretic and said he smelled Chaos!

But Lord Grant had been so kind. How could he possibly have been a heretic?"

Ron clenched his fist slightly. "What was that Inquisitor's name?"

"It does not matter. He is already dead."

What?

Ron was incredulous.

An Inquisitor was a powerful existence capable of confronting Chaos, Xenos, and any potential threat. He could even fight Chaos Daemons one-on-one.

How could he have died so easily?

Bayev answered Ron's question. "We did not kill him. It was a Warp Storm..."

After the Inquisitor's ship set off and entered the Warp, an accident occurred.

A powerful Warp Storm tore the ship apart. Wreckage and severed human limbs were thrown out of the Warp and fell to the ground.

"Less than half of the Inquisitor's body was left. He lay on the ground, unable to move, and ordered us to treat him immediately!"

As Bayev recounted it, he seemed somewhat relieved. "We could have saved him, but no one moved. We just watched him.

We watched him lower his head and beg us for help. We watched him slowly fall into despair and begin cursing our blasphemy...

Everyone watched him struggle on the ground until he died!"

Ron let out a long sigh and patted Bayev on the shoulder.

"Perhaps Old Mike was right..." Bayev wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. "We blasphemed the God-Emperor. We were abandoned!"

"Why?" Ron asked, confused.

"That inexplicable Warp Storm destroyed the shipping route, and the planet's only Astropath also died. We lost contact with Holy Terra, and it has remained that way until now..."

Astropaths were important intermediaries connecting Imperial territories with Holy Terra. Under normal circumstances, Warp Storms would not affect them.

A Warp Storm powerful enough to kill an Astropath outright?

Ron shot to his feet. "Could it have been the Great Rift?"