(Thank you, Slaanesh Above and False Emperor Below, for the tip. Bonus chapter 2/5)
The old man's words seemed to possess some kind of magic. You He simply could not doubt whether they were true.
Something in his blood had been stirring all along, and that agitation told him the old man had not lied. Every word he spoke was true.
After his worldview collapsed, You He remained silent for a long while. Then an instinct kicked in, compelling him to defend the T'au's current rule.
"Grandpa, let me ask you: is the T'au's rule better now, or was the Imperium of Man's rule better before?
"I'm telling you, under the leadership of the Greater Good, everyone lives in great prosperity.
"We enjoy the conveniences of the cities, medical care, and education. We have endless food, endless alcohol, and endless beautiful lives to enjoy.
"Tell me, is the Imperium of Man you keep talking about any better than things are now?"
He nearly roared that final question, frightening the boatman into an immediate defensive stance.
You He was having a stress reaction. For the past twenty years, everything he had received had been T'au education, the worldview the T'au had built for him.
Now, someone had suddenly told him that the world was not like that. The T'au were invaders, and they were descendants of the invaded—people who had been tamed.
How could he possibly endure that? Driven by every instinct, he began arguing in defense of the T'au.
The boatman's grandfather looked at the hysterical You He with an utterly calm expression.
He turned the Bolt Pistol over and ran his fingers across the row of gilded words on its receiver.
"For the God-Emperor."
You He froze.
"What does that mean?"
The boatman's grandfather continued tracing those words with