Traitor in the High Ranks

"Elias, I'm Gao Yi, acting captain of this vessel. You say you saw Master of Discipline Scott and Lord Ludwig heading below?"

Gao Yi quickly linked into Elias's sonic array.

As he spoke, he used his current perception to sense Master of Discipline Scott, who was still on the Bridge.

Scott was diligently processing a flood of reports and personnel assignments from the Lower Deck, showing not a hint of abnormality.

"If the Master of Discipline and the Rogue Trader went below... then who's this one here? If Scott really did accompany the Rogue Trader down there, why didn't he report something this critical to me?"

Something was off—definitely off. If the Scott Elias mentioned wasn't an impostor, then Scott was hiding something.

"That's right, my captain! I wouldn't mistake it—it was definitely Master of Discipline Scott. The few priests who survived with me can vouch for it! They were right by my side at the time! They said they were going to look for something! I saw with my own eyes as they headed toward the Deep Hold!"

Elias said urgently.

"I understand... Get some rest for now. I'll remember your service, and the Dynasty will remember your contribution."

After cutting the sonic array communication, Gao Yi calmly contacted Veil.

"Veil, has the new batch of equipment been issued?"

"Captain! Two hundred soldiers have been fully equipped, and five soldiers outfitted with Marauder Combat Suits are ready and awaiting orders to support Lord Damon." Veil's voice carried clear excitement.

"Pull a hundred soldiers up first, and bring all the Marauders to the Bridge."

"The Bridge? Captain, have you run into trouble?"

"What do you know about Scott?"

"Scott? Why do you ask? Even though his recent dereliction was serious, he's usually competent. He hasn't caused any major issues in the last few years, and he's even racked up quite a few merits!"

"When did he come aboard this ship?"

"He was born on this ship. His clan has always worked the Lower Deck, but he was selected to become an Enforcer in the Deep Hold. His origins in the Lower Deck made it easier for him to handle the scum down there—he's put down several riots. That's how he earned commendations and climbed step by step to his current position."

"The Deep Hold... what kind of place is that, really?"

"It's a place even the Shipworkers of the Lower Deck don't want to go... The Lower Deck at least has basic living guarantees. If you work hard, your ration card can get you enough Corpse Starch or a bit of normal food, plus filtered drinking water. If you scrimp, you might even have leftovers for a change of clothes, some smokes, some booze.

Let's call them smokes and booze for now...

But the Deep Hold... strictly speaking, it's not even a proper deck. This Lunar-class vessel has served the Dynasty for many years.

The Imperium only allows privately owned ships up to Lunar-class, and only those decommissioned by the Navy.

So from the moment we acquired this ship, to keep it running and boost its combat power, the Dynasty paid a huge price to have the Adeptus Mechanicus repair and refit it.

After all, the Dynasty's needs for a warship are very different from the Navy's.

And the closer you get to the ship's bottom, the less those facilities are maintained.

Over countless years, many of the pipes and compartments there have completely lost their function. Even the Tech-Priests deemed them worthless for repair or salvage.

And altering the ship's overall structure would cost far too much.

There's no food, no water down there. Only criminals from the Lower Deck or those with physical mutations hide there—you know the Imperium's stance on mutants.

And during Warp travel, some mutations are unavoidable. The occasional Warp Anomaly always claims lives. Losing half the crew on a long voyage is considered acceptable.

Lord Ludwig used to purge the place regularly, but as long as this ship exists, people will always find a way to hide below. The tangled pipes give them plenty of places to evade. The Deep Hold has long since reached a kind of balance with the upper decks."

After hearing Veil's explanation, Gao Yi couldn't help but grumble inwardly.

Isn't this just a perfect breeding ground for Chaos corruption? But that's the norm in the Imperium of Man—no matter where you go, you'll never be short of these cultists. As long as people have desires, the daemons will find a way in. Gao Yi had no doubt that even at the heart of humanity, Holy Terra itself, these bastards existed—they just couldn't stir up much trouble.

In the end, it all came down to whether these cults could grow strong enough.

Gao Yi relayed the intel from Elisia to Veil. After hearing it, Veil couldn't believe it.

"You're saying Scott was already corrupted back when he was on the Lower Deck and in the Deep Hold? And that Lord Ludwig's disappearance is connected to him?!"

"Exactly! Now that we've found a breakthrough, let's give him a proper interrogation. Veil, you're good at that, right?"

"Of course! As the Steward, all these officers fall under my jurisdiction! This ship has seen similar incidents before.

But never has someone of the Master of Discipline's rank turned traitor. If it really is him, it explains how the traitors managed to get weapons and reach the upper decks. Scott, as Master of Discipline, has plenty of clearance. He must have used some special method to cover his tracks, which is why the Thinker logs didn't flag him.

My lord! I'll bring men to the Bridge right now. Please don't act rashly until we arrive—your safety is the top priority!"

"I won't. And don't tip your hand as soon as you walk in. If he's really fallen to Chaos, he might have some tricks up his sleeve. We can't afford to break this lead. Remember, pick crew from the upper decks, not the Enforcer Squad. Who knows how many eyes he still has."

"Understood, Captain! I know exactly who's absolutely loyal to the Dynasty!"

The communication cut off, and Veil immediately gathered his selected soldiers and headed for the Bridge.

Scott, still unaware of his exposure, continued his work.

Before long, the hatch to the Bridge slid open. Veil strode in, face dark and murderous, leading a squad of soldiers in CMC Combat Suits.

The five Marauder soldiers at the front radiated overwhelming pressure. They too wore CMC-660 heavy combat suits, but unlike the Firebats, they hadn't invested in fire resistance—instead, they'd poured resources into armor strength. The oversized K-12 quad Punisher grenade launchers on their arms packed a devastating punch.

If he swapped those arm weapons for heavy bolters, would they be even stronger? Gao Yi was already mulling over whether he could combine Adeptus Astartes Technology with the Adeptus Mechanicus's techniques.

They weren't so much infantry as humanoid heavy vehicles.

The arrival of Veil and his soldiers put every crew member on the Bridge on edge.

After all, they'd just survived a mob storming the Bridge—they were still jumpy.

"Everyone stay at your posts and continue your work! No need to panic!"

Seeing Veil's arrival, Scott, as the Master of Discipline, actually took the initiative to step forward.

"Chief Steward Veil! Why have you brought soldiers here? The riot below hasn't been dealt with yet, has it?"

"The Captain sent us. Scott, just focus on your own work!"

With that, Veil directly pushed past Scott and walked on his own toward Gao Yi. However, the formation of the soldiers began to shift, subtly positioning themselves to encircle Scott.