Encouraged by the Governor, the nobles throughout the Governor's Palace were filled with fighting spirit, roaring their response to him. Their voices intertwined into a powerful wave of sound, as though they might burst through the roof.
Yet the Governor knew perfectly well how many of them were genuinely pleased, and how many were merely going along with the display. He could not discern each person's true thoughts.
"Quiet!" the Governor roared at the crowd, his voice booming through the hall like thunder.
The disorderly, noisy crowd immediately fell silent. Their eyes turned to the Governor as they quietly awaited his next orders. In this tense and critical situation, everyone longed for a steadfast leader, someone who could point them in the right direction.
Among the many nobles present, only the Governor possessed sufficient prestige and strength to command their obedience. The other nobles were often bound by complicated interests and conflicts, and found it difficult to trust one another.
Thus, no one was willing to casually obey another's orders, fearing they might be sent on a dangerous mission or even to their deaths.
"Guards!" the Governor shouted at the soldiers kneeling outside the door. His voice was so imposing that the soldiers did not dare delay.
"Governor!" Several soldiers scrambled into the hall and dropped to their knees, respectfully awaiting his instructions.
"Go inform the astropaths. Have them send a distress message to the Imperium, requesting that the Imperium dispatch reinforcements to support us."
The Governor pointed at one of the soldiers kneeling on the floor and issued the order loudly.
"Yes, Governor." The soldier the Governor had pointed at immediately rose from the floor and ran out of the Governor's Palace, heading for the Astropathic Court to find the astropaths.
"Go inform Marshal Adams. Have all Planetary Defence