Negotiations and Conditions

Half a Terra-day later, David arrived in the underhive after a long journey and immediately headed to the front lines of the confrontation to initiate negotiations.

To show his sincerity, David came alone without any guards, holding only his Psy-cat as he walked towards the First Army.

Upon seeing David approaching, Grey, who had been standing by, rose and walked toward him.

After the two stood face-to-face, David surveyed Grey and was surprised to find that the power armor Grey wore was unlike anything he had ever seen in the Imperium.

How could this man, after a trip to the underhive, gain the ability to produce power armor?

David's gaze drifted behind Grey, and he saw that all the soldiers on the defensive line were also clad in power armor.

Compared to this sight, the origin of Grey's power armor no longer seemed important.

"Are you their leader?" David asked Grey, subconsciously assuming he was the actual commander of the First Army.

Grey remained silent.

Two seconds later, a rift appeared before David, and then a man emerged from it.

"Qin Mo." Qin Mo looked down at David and stated his name.

Seeing that Qin Mo did not salute, David felt a slight displeasure but did not dwell on it. "David. I am honored to share my name with a steadfast believer of the Emperor."

Qin Mo sized up David, judging from his attire that he was an Ecclesiarchy official from Hive Terra. This person appeared to be one to two hundred years old, with visible signs of cybernetic modifications all over his body. A black metal canister connected to his heart was likely a life support system.

Upon seeing David, Qin Mo suddenly recalled the prophecy Mimic had told him: the first person he met would be a follower of a Chaos God.

In the eyes of other factions, the Emperor was indeed a Chaos God, so the prophecy was accurate.

As Qin Mo observed David, David also observed Qin Mo. He found this young man to be somewhat arrogant, both in expression and attitude.

As an Ecclesiarchy official, David could tell at a glance that Qin Mo was not a true believer of the Emperor, but he could not openly state this.

"Who do you represent?" Qin Mo asked.

"The hive and the Ecclesiarchy," David replied calmly.

"Let's talk," Qin Mo said, turning and walking towards the defensive line.

As they walked side-by-side, Qin Mo observed David.

David, while walking, gently stroked the Psy-cat in his arms. The creature, which could only form a psychic link with its master, was sleeping soundly, clearly not sensing any worry or fear from its owner.

This indicated that David was very calm, confident that he would not be killed, and that the people who had narrowly escaped the underhive did not intend to start a rebellion.

But this was merely his assumption.

Upon reaching the defensive line, Qin Mo and David sat on two chairs brought by the soldiers and began their negotiations.

"Poor children," David said, scanning the people present. "What did you go through in the underhive?"

"A war," Qin Mo replied without elaborating, then began to state his conditions: "My people must be allowed to move freely within the underhive. Their activities, including but not limited to, include meeting with their families, bringing their families away, and purchasing and transporting supplies."

David listened quietly until Qin Mo finished, then a look of confusion appeared on his face. "Take their families away? You plan to return to the underhive?"

"Yes," Qin Mo nodded.

David did not respond immediately but lowered his head in thought.

The current restraint on the First Army by the entire hive was their families. If they were allowed to bring their families back to the underhive, that restraint would be gone, and nothing would stop them from launching a large-scale retaliatory action.

But if he refused…

With that thought, David looked up and stared at Qin Mo, attempting to use his psychic power to probe Qin Mo's mind, discover his plan, and determine if he was indeed preparing for war.

At this moment, the Psy-cat also awoke from its slumber and stared at Qin Mo along with its master.

After probing for nearly a minute, David found nothing. He then began probing Grey's mind, but also found nothing.

David immediately realized that the power armor they wore contained anti-psionic devices, which he found utterly unbelievable. These people did not seem like survivors from the underhive at all; they were more like extraterrestrial visitors from some high-tech world.

"Speak," Qin Mo stared at David. "Do you agree or not?"

"Alright," David nodded, agreeing to the terms.

"Very well, the first negotiation is concluded," Qin Mo said, very pleased, and stood up to leave.

Hearing that the first negotiation was concluded, David realized that Qin Mo had only presented the first condition and that there would be a second and a third.

The best way to avoid being passive was war – to declare these people rebels and eliminate them.

However, David, having been a soldier in his youth, knew the outcome of engaging in war with Qin Mo.

As he watched Qin Mo leave, David suddenly remembered a question and loudly asked, "You went through all the trouble to bring these soldiers out of the underhive, why would you let them go back? Are you just using them as tools to fulfill your ambitions?"

Qin Mo stopped and turned to look at David. "I want my soldiers to have the freedom to act. They can choose to bring their families to the underhive, or they can choose to stay in the underhive. I will not force anyone to return to the underhive."

This answer confused David even further. "Why? Aren't you afraid they'll all choose to stay in the underhive?"

"Heh," Qin Mo simply chuckled, his body was then enveloped by a barrier, and he vanished.

David was even more perplexed and surprised. He felt that the situation was getting somewhat out of control and that, if necessary, he might have to request the Inquisition to come to Terra.

However, Hive Terra was just one of many worlds in the Imperium. After the governor handed over the production lines for lasguns and Centaur APCs, the entire hive became increasingly insignificant. Unless sufficient evidence could be gathered, it would be difficult to get the Inquisition involved.

But perhaps it would be feasible to extend an invitation in the name of the Ecclesiarchy.

"Leave," Grey gestured towards Barritt and his subordinates.

"Oh, alright," David nodded and turned to leave.

At this moment, the Psy-cat in his arms suddenly became restless.

David soothed the Psy-cat and took out a can from his arms, placing it by the creature's mouth.

The Psy-cat could use psychic power. It made the contents of the can float out into its own mouth, and then it chewed excitedly.

Grey stood by, witnessing the Psy-cat's feeding process. He discovered that the food for this beautiful creature was disgusting—a fat, white grub.

"That thing looks quite cute, just the food is a bit gross," Grey complained over the comms channel.

"God knows how that old man managed to raise the Psy-cat like this," Anreda said. "The Psy-cats I've seen don't eat grubs."