"Reporting, Big Boss!" Ghazghk puffed out his scrawny chest and proudly patted the mech's rivet-covered toe. "The Justice Enforcer is 90% complete! We've perfectly combined the Tau Boy's energy core with the Ork Warboss's big guns! It now runs faster than a Stormboy and packs more firepower than an entire warband of Ork Boyz! Just give the word, and it'll tear Skullkrak's flagship to pieces!"
Liu Zhipeng patted Ghazghk's head in satisfaction. "Well done, Ghazghk. You're the pride of our Gretchin people. Remember, we're conducting a technological exchange. We're learning the essence of the 'Greater Good' and carrying it forward in our own way. This mech isn't a tool of slaughter, but a messenger spreading peace and justice. Every shell it fires is our fury aimed at the oppressors; every slash it makes is to liberate our enslaved brethren."
Ghazghk nodded vigorously, only half understanding, then asked, "Then... Big Boss, when do we start spreading peace? The lads can hardly wait. When they saw the Tau Boy's colony world, they nearly flooded the deck with drool."
An almost imperceptible smile curled Liu Zhipeng's lips. He knew the time was ripe. The Gretchin needed a victory to cement their newfound confidence and faith in him. The T'au needed to see a swift return on their investment. And the Orks needed a thorough beating to make them understand that times had changed.
"Go, Ghazghk," Liu Zhipeng ordered. "Use the best fuel and the shiniest polish on the Justice Enforcer. Meanwhile, have Snot's intelligence squad and propaganda team get to work. Tonight will be a sleepless night on Jade VII."
That night, a bizarre sight appeared on the battlefields of Jade VII.
The vast no-man's-land where the T'au Empire and the Ork armies faced each other had been a place of gunfire and