Patel

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Patel (帕特尔)
Species/Race	Human 1 3
Gender	Male 1
Affiliation	Waste Mine Society; pledges the settlement’s allegiance to Governor Gu Hang 7
Occupation/Role	Leader of the Waste Mine Society; overseer of its heavy industrial production 7 49
Family	Old Butch — uncle and predecessor as leader 7
First Appearance	Chapter 1, “My Declaration” 1

Background / History

Leadership of the Waste Mine Society

Patel became the Waste Mine Society’s leader after his uncle, Old Butch, lost a hand following an ore-cart accident and an infected wound. Leadership was elected and carried little material privilege: Patel worked and lived under conditions much like those of the other residents. He knew all nine hundred-plus members personally, while Old Butch assisted him after recovering 7.

The settlement survived by extracting ore from abandoned pre-war mines with crude tools or bare hands. Its ore was sold primarily to Trash Town, whose low purchase prices contributed to the community’s inability to feed itself adequately 1 17.

Seeking the Governor’s Protection

After the Prisoner-Dead bandits killed seventeen residents and kidnapped forty-two, Patel sought help from the Alliance authorities in Revival City. Their response was only a written warning. The bandits subsequently murdered two children outside the settlement, destroyed the warning, and demanded double the ransom despite having already received payment 1.

Patel then appealed to Gu Hang, offering increased Imperial tax payments in exchange for rescue. Gu Hang rejected the idea that the impoverished settlement could afford such a bargain, stopped Patel from kowtowing, and promised both military protection and economic reconstruction 1.

Accompanying the relief force, Patel learned that the bandits intended to sell the settlement’s inhabitants to Orks as food. During the bombardment of their temporary camp, he watched with satisfaction, knowing the surviving captives had been moved elsewhere, and inwardly pledged lifelong service to the governor 3 4.

Submission and Reconstruction

Returning to the mine, Patel announced that the governor had saved the settlement. Although Old Butch warned that powerful patrons could discard people once they ceased to be useful, Patel defended Gu Hang’s intentions. That same day, he brought influential residents to pledge complete submission, reporting a population of 907 awaiting the governor’s orders 7.

Patel assigned Old Butch to oversee construction of a surface settlement while taking responsibility for the planned Alloy Plasteel production line. He also selected the first hundred residents intended for military training 9 11.

When furnace components arrived, Patel organized unloading and helped assemble the equipment under a technical worker’s guidance. Despite his limited literacy, the illustrated manual made the process accessible; he personally installed the furnace door. He and Old Butch celebrated the first batch of Alloy Plasteel ingots together 16.

Industrial Production and Trade

Patel later showed visiting merchant Dennison Henry the settlement’s factories, improved housing, and protective equipment. He demonstrated an Alloy Plasteel vest by firing a dozen Pipe Rifle shots at it from over ten meters away. He also urged Henry to encourage Trash Town’s leaders to submit to Gu Hang 27.

When Henry sought to purchase an entire shipment and secure exclusive trading rights, Patel refused to make commitments independently: the goods belonged to the governor, and sales required his approval 28.

By this stage, Patel oversaw the Waste Mine Society’s heavy industrial production. Its shortage of able-bodied workers constrained expansion. Gu Hang expected Patel to support further military recruitment nonetheless, while struggling to maintain output with fewer workers 49.

Appearance

• Build: Thin, neither tall nor sturdy 1.
• Complexion: Dark-skinned, with a lean face and skin described as rough as sandpaper 1.
• Initial clothing: Filthy, thin garments marked by the grease and dust of mining life 1.

Personality

Patel is protective of his community and willing to humble himself to secure its survival. His relief after obtaining help coexists with anxiety about what submission will mean for the settlement. He is particularly conscious of the gulf between the governor’s status and the miners’ poverty, fearing that the mine’s appalling conditions will damage Gu Hang’s opinion of them 1 7.

His initial uncertainty develops into fervent loyalty. Old Butch considers his faith dangerously naïve, but Patel points to concrete promises of security, housing, and machinery. Later, he takes obvious pride in Henry’s astonishment at the settlement’s transformation, regarding it as confirmation that accepting the governor’s authority was the right decision 9 27.

Abilities & Skills

Community Administration

• Mobilizes influential residents behind major political decisions and delegates construction work to Old Butch 7 9.
• Selects recruits for the settlement’s new military company 11.
• Oversees heavy industrial production as the settlement shifts beyond subsistence mining 49.

Practical Industrial Work

• Helps assemble and operate the first Alloy Plasteel smelting furnace using illustrated instructions and technical guidance 16.
• Has limited literacy; his initial concern about understanding the assembly process is resolved by the manual’s diagrams 16.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Pipe Rifle: Uses one to demonstrate the resistance of an Alloy Plasteel vest. The settlement received hundreds of these crude firearms as self-defense weapons after the Prisoner-Dead’s defeat 27.

Relationships

• Gu Hang — Governor, protector, and superior. Patel becomes a devoted supporter after receiving military aid and reconstruction assistance, while respecting Gu Hang’s authority over industrial sales 1 9 28.
• Old Butch — Uncle, former leader, and administrative partner. Initially skeptical of Patel’s trust in Gu Hang, he oversees surface construction and shares Patel’s excitement at their first successful industrial output 7 9 16.
• Dennison Henry — Old friend and traveling merchant from Trash Town. Patel introduces him to the settlement’s new products and directs him to the governor for commercial authorization 27 28.

Notable Quotes

“In this world, just staying alive is already a struggle.” 1

“Everything here belongs to the great Governor. I wouldn't dare promise you anything on my own. Without the Governor's nod, not a single piece of Alloy Plasteel can be sold.” 28