Caliban

"Inquisitor." His voice was low and steady, like the idle hum of a heavy engine, devoid of superfluous emotion.

"Captain Darryl, thank you for coming despite your busy schedule." Chen Xi returned a simple nod, gesturing for him to sit across the long table.

He personally picked up an ancient-looking metal decanter and poured a glass of "Loyalty" for both Darryl and himself. This red wine from the Rostov Sub-sector had now become one of the Empire's most exclusive luxuries. Countless nobles longed to obtain a genuine bottle of "Loyalty" and drink it before an audience, thereby proving their unwavering devotion to the Empire. Though this practice had not been without disastrous cases, including fraud and deliberate schemes, none of that changed the fact that "Loyalty" had become an Imperial nectar on par with "Quadis."

"The dust of war has not yet fully settled, and I have already summoned you so hastily. I hope you will forgive me." His tone was mild, attempting to create a relatively relaxed opening.

"No matter, Inquisitor." Darryl accepted the glass but did not drink immediately.

His gaze swept swiftly and professionally across every corner of the room, as though assessing its security level, before finally focusing on Chen Xi. That gaze seemed capable of piercing through appearances. "The Blade of Repentance Chapter is honored to answer your call for aid. For the Emperor, purging xenos is our duty." His response was flawless, entirely in keeping with the distant respect an Adeptus Astartes was expected to show the Inquisition. He revealed no emotion beyond the scope of the mission.

Chen Xi gently swirled the liquid in his glass. His eyes seemed fixed on the rippling surface, but his Psychic Perception spread like a soft web, attempting to catch the slightest fluctuations in the other man's