Imperial Nobility at Its Finest

Jungle Hive City

Upper Hive

This was the highest level of Jungle Hive City. At its heart lay the noble district known as the Crystal Firmament, where even the air smelled different.

There was no scent of gunpowder, blood, or engine oil here. Only expensive incense, carefully cultivated flowers, and chilled wine.

Beyond the vast arched windows stretched a clear sky the lower levels of the Hive City could never see, though war had cast a pall over it, and the trails of explosions occasionally streaked across it.

In the palace at its center, a confrontation was beginning.

"General Bernardo!" The speaker was a noble dressed in a suit of rare silk from a distant star region, covered in useless but glittering ornaments. He was Baron Horace, one of the rulers of Jungle Hive City.

Gemstone rings crowded his fat fingers, which he now drummed hard against the polished obsidian conference table.

"You owe us an explanation! Why have the Imperial Army's defenses crumbled so easily? Hmm? How many days has it been? Hmm?"

As he spoke, he looked around for support from the other nobles.

The men and women seated around the lavish table all wore extravagant clothes. Lives of luxury had left their faces smooth and rosy, in stark contrast to the haggard civilians below and the soldiers at the front.

Fine pastries and wine sat before them, as though the fighting outside were not a matter of life and death, but a play being staged at an inconvenient time.

"Quite right, General Bernardo." Countess Della, another of the Hive City's true rulers, gently fanned herself with a fan set with a teardrop-shaped gem. Every gesture was affected.

"I've heard... I've heard the Spice Garden District in the lower levels has fallen? My family's most important ornamental gardens are there! Will those brutish Orks destroy the plants I've cultivated so carefully? Do you know how precious they are?"

General Bernardo stood at the other end of the table, wearing a crisp Imperial Army officer's uniform that could not hide the dust of his journey.

His hair was gray, fatigue had carved deep lines into his face, and heavy bags hung beneath his eyes.

Listening to these utterly foolish questions, he felt his temples throb.

His adjutant stood behind him, his face livid and his fists clenched, barely holding himself back.

"My lords, my ladies." Bernardo's voice was hoarse, but he did his best to remain polite and restrained.

"The Ork offensive has far exceeded our initial estimates. Their numbers are... practically endless. Our soldiers, the 894th Infantry Regiment and the other auxiliary units, have held out for more than ten days despite dwindling supplies and overwhelming odds. They've suffered terrible losses..."

"Losses? What unit hasn't suffered losses?" came a sinister voice. It belonged to Miles, the noble treasurer, a gaunt man who spoke while absently rolling a Throne Gelt between his fingers.

"But what about results, General? The Imperium allocated enormous military funds to strengthen the Hive City's defenses. New heavy guns, reinforced defensive works, new Lasguns and armor for the soldiers... We approved all of it!"

"And yet the defensive lines keep shrinking! We have to wonder whether... there has been a serious failure of command."

At their shameless words, Bernardo nearly spat blood.

Funds? Equipment? How much of those allocated resources had ever reached the soldiers at the front?

Everything had been skimmed at every level. Less than a tenth reached the soldiers.

At first, the nobles before him had confined their greed to exploiting civilians. The Imperium had looked the other way for the sake of efficiency, as long as they paid their taxes on time.

But now they had reached into the planet's defenses.

As he thought, Bernardo's gaze swept over the powerful figures at the table.

Baron Horace had recently held a grand inauguration for the new luxury shuttle at his private spaceport. Countess Della's Phantom Orchids had been shipped under refrigeration from a distant Agri World at a cost that could equip an entire company. And Treasurer Miles's wealth of dubious origin was an open secret.

Bernardo was almost certain that much of the missing military materiel had become the jewels they wore, the wines in their cellars, and the artwork in their private collections.

He could not say any of it. These nobles were deeply entrenched in the Hive City, their connections tangled through every level of power.

In peacetime, he might have worked his way through the cumbersome Imperial bureaucracy to challenge them.

But now, their shortsighted greed was a noose around the Imperial Army's neck. They were the unseen hands pushing countless civilians and soldiers to their deaths.

"A failure of command?" Bernardo roared.

"Our soldiers are fighting with their teeth and nails! They're short of ammunition, medical supplies, and heavy fire support! Many of those young men went into battle carrying training weapons! Do you know how fierce Ork firepower is? Do you know how many lives it takes to hold a wall built with shoddy materials?"

His voice echoed through the ornate, cavernous council chamber, but his desperate words clearly failed to move most of those present.

They did not care about the soldiers' sacrifices. They cared about their property, their comforts, and whether their lofty positions were under threat.

"Enough, Bernardo!" Baron Horace lurched to his feet, his fat body trembling with agitation. He pointed straight at the general and shouted, "I don't want to hear these excuses! Failure is failure! You and your incompetent army have betrayed the Emperor's trust and failed to meet our expectations!"

"It is your weakness and incompetence that have let those filthy Orks run rampant! That have put our Hive City in such danger!"

"If the Emperor's great angels had not received our distress signal, our fate would have been unthinkable!"

He grew more worked up with every word. The flesh of his face quivered, and spittle flew from his mouth.

Some of the other nobles remained silent. Others looked as though they agreed.

Countess Della hid half her face behind her fan, disgust in her eyes, as though Bernardo's very presence polluted the air.

Then Baron Horace said something that left Bernardo stunned.

"In my view, your hesitation and poor command caused this rout! You are unfit to serve as commander-in-chief of Jungle Hive City! For the safety of the Hive City and the glory of the Emperor, I propose that Bernardo be relieved of his post immediately and executed on the spot! Let military law be upheld!"