"Connecting to Imperial Ships' data links. Calibrating personnel identity. Data cache anomaly detected and cleared. Completing data reconciliation."
"Identity verification: Imperial Navy, Subsector Patrol Fleet, Twenty-Second Branch Fleet, Navy Ensign Orlis."
"Secondary data calibration complete. Junior operative of the Imperial Inquisition. Current mission: first assignment."
"Identity verification complete."
Orlis's expression stiffened as his identity was abruptly exposed.
Perhaps his identity was well concealed within the Navy's systems, but any electronic record he left behind—even a message sent through any Communication Device aboard the ship—would leave traces of his identity verification. Besides, Orlis still needed to pass intelligence about Steeltoof to the Inquisition.
Although he seemed relatively seasoned, he was actually quite young. This really was his first undercover assignment, and its purpose was merely to give him practice.
His operative instructor in the Inquisition had only required him to complete six months of training here under the identity of a Navy Ensign without exposing his true identity, and to learn how to blend into the Navy's lower command ranks.
This was Orlis's first encounter with xenos enemies, and it was far more difficult than anything his previous education and training had prepared him for.
After all, ordinary orks were only a little over two metres tall, not much different in height from the Imperium's demigods. They simply had green skin, dull wits, ugly faces, and a foul stench.
But Steeltoof's ork bodyguards averaged five metres tall, and there were psychic units like this Weirdboy as well. For a soldier still undergoing training, it was all rather too much excitement.
And Steeltoof himself, the Ork Warboss, stood a full ten metres tall.
He looked like a small building.
Even the Imperium's Sentinel Walkers were no larger than that.
Still, the operative techniques taught by the Inquisition had allowed him to successfully