"Based on the information we currently have, unrest has broken out across all Imperium-controlled areas."
"Not just the outlying hive cities. Even Hyperia has seen widespread civilian riots."
"Lord Calgar has rushed back from the fleet. Not only have the Astra Militarum and the Planetary Defence Force fully mobilized, but a considerable number of Astartes have also been detached to suppress the unrest."
"Oh, and the nobles. In some hive cities where things could still barely be kept under control, the nobles gathered up all the supplies and hid inside the fortresses they built for themselves."
Holding a communicator used for the Adeptus Mechanicus's internal communications, Ana kept speaking as she followed closely behind Sith, afraid of falling behind.
"The nobles went into hiding? What about the civilians outside?"
Brunok frowned and asked from beside her. Sith, who was walking ahead, did not answer, while Ana raised her data-slate.
"Projections based on the current information indicate that the number of civilians joining the Genestealers is growing by hundreds of millions."
Brunok's brow instantly froze, his eyes turning toward Ana in disbelief.
The corners of his mouth twitched several times. Even with Sith right in front of him, he could barely hold back the curses on his lips!
"We're here."
Only when Sith abruptly stopped and spoke did Brunok lower his head slightly, his mouth opening and closing rapidly without a sound.
"Lord Daviro, will these explosives be enough?"
Sith had not joined Brunok and Ana's conversation behind him. He simply took a huge backpack off his back and tossed it in front of Daviro.
With vast numbers of Genestealers beneath Sith's feet, and this being the last human stronghold outside the safe zone, Daviro had been temporarily stationed here to bolster the defenses while preparing to venture deep into the hive city again at any moment to gather intelligence.
Yet during a gap between missions, the first thing Daviro received was Sith's request.
Looking at the full load of Melta Bombs before him, Daviro nodded casually. After all, he approved of Sith, but not of the civilians.
Had the nobles not taken even Sith's water, Daviro would not even have bothered to intervene.
"Get ready. Breaching the door won't take long."
Daviro gave him a warning, then picked up a large number of Melta Bombs and turned toward the gate of the nobles' fortress at the top of the tower.
Behind him, Sith immediately drew his bolt sidearm at those words. But after a moment's thought, he put it away again, turned, and picked up an autocannon being used as a heavy weapons emplacement.
Seeing Sith actually shoulder an autocannon, Brunok, who had also hoisted a heavy bolter with his face flushed red from the effort, froze for a moment.
Huh?
I know you can definitely carry the big guns, sir, but isn't this one a little too big?
Brunok was speechless. Up ahead, Daviro, who was busy planting Melta Bombs, also caught sight of the scene behind him and got a fright.
After all, he was standing right in front of the gate, and Sith's autocannon was practically aimed straight into his face.
And whenever he thought of the way he had seen Sith hacking people apart along the way, Daviro grew wary of that autocannon.
After all, the difference between an autocannon in an ordinary mortal's hands and one in Sith's hands was rather too great.
He hurriedly devoted even more attention to planting the Melta Bombs. Only after using up five whole bags of bombs did Daviro hastily step aside and pick up the detonator.
Turning toward the crowd, Daviro ignored every other mortal outright and fixed his gaze solely on Sith.
There was a hint of a request for approval in his look. Sith did not nod, merely shouldering the autocannon and racking its bolt with a clank!
The sight made Daviro narrow his eyes slightly despite himself. He then turned toward the gate, a trace of sympathy suddenly appearing in his eyes.
Of course, that sympathy was not for the gate, but for the nobles behind it who were about to face Sith.
He pressed the button, and the Melta Bombs erupted at the gate's critical points.
As the explosions traveled from bottom to top, the final bomb splashed out pale blue melta, and the fortress gate the nobles believed impregnable toppled backward in one piece once again.
In the last instant before it fell completely, a burst of terrified shouts came from behind the gate.
But as the gate flattened all the nobles' private soldiers behind it without the slightest resistance, the tightly packed survivors beyond it saw Sith standing in the entrance, aiming his autocannon at the crowd.
"Tell the starch factory workers to get ready. There'll be a batch of prime raw materials today."
The autocannon roared. Behind the gate, the nobles' private soldiers turned to bloody pulp before they could react.
Although not all the private soldiers had been behind the gate, when the other survivors saw the carnage there, a group of private soldiers threw down their weapons and fled in every direction.
All that remained was a group of faintly blue-tinged nobles overseeing the fighting from the second floor, staring at the entrance in terror.
And when Sith walked in carrying the autocannon, faced with a muzzle wide enough to fit their heads inside, the nobles' expressions slowly calmed after their extreme terror.
"I think..."
"There's no need for this..."
When Sith emerged from the nobles' fortress again, Brunok was behind him, leading men in continually rooting out the private soldiers and executing them on the spot.
Ana, meanwhile, led the heavily protected water tankers as they began making repeated trips to Sith's heavily guarded headquarters.
Daviro stood at the entrance, with a herald from Hyperia beside him.
Seeing the herald, Sith collected himself somewhat and tossed the autocannon aside under the man's wide-eyed, disbelieving stare. It hit the ground with a tremendous, dull thud.
"What is it?"
Only when Sith came up to him did the herald snap out of his daze, hurriedly standing straight and saluting Sith.
Presenting a manifest, the herald spoke.
"These are supplies Lord Calgar personally ordered delivered."
Calgar? Personally?
Sith was taken aback. After all, with the situation such a desperate mess, how could Calgar possibly have the spare time to think of him? Let alone personally order a shipment of supplies?
Sith gave the herald a puzzled look. Only after confirming that there was nothing amiss about him did he dubiously pick up the manifest and casually look it over.
But the moment his eyes landed on it, Sith's previously hesitant gaze became riveted to the page.
Because the manifest did not list ordinary ammunition or food, but a full two thousand Jump Packs.
Why send me so many Jump Packs?
Although this was likewise an extravagant gesture, Sith still became intensely vigilant inwardly.
The herald did not equivocate either, immediately taking out another report.
Handing it respectfully to Sith, the herald spoke.
"Lord Calgar has drawn up a plan. Headquarters will launch a large-scale offensive to draw the attention of the Orks and Genestealers."
"And you, my lord, will need to organize a force to retake the water purification station!"
Sith froze where he stood. He looked at the manifest before him, then at the space elevator in the distance, thousands of kilometers tall and reaching straight into space. After a long while, he could not help drawing a deep breath.
The herald seemed to know how difficult this mission was as well. Not daring to delay in front of Sith, who could carry an autocannon with his bare flesh, he immediately turned again and pointed to a transport aircraft on the nearby landing pad.
Sith forced down his inward speechlessness and followed his gaze. The hatch opened, and four elite private soldiers of the nobles emerged, carrying an ornate cabinet as tall as a man.
Every mortal around them, and even Daviro, cast envious looks at the cabinet.
After all, although Daviro also had Power Armour, his suit rather paled in comparison to Artificer Power Armour.
Almost immediately after delivering the nearly suicidal order to Sith, the herald wasted no time having the men open the cabinet.
And as sunlight shone inside, the full-body suit of Artificer Power Armour behind the cabinet doors gleamed a dull silver, silently awaiting Sith.
At last, his spirits, which had sunk at Calgar's order, lifted a little.
After all, even setting aside how impressive the armour looked, just thinking of the Hundredfold Amplification this suit was about to receive made Sith feel that, even in such a fucked-up situation, the sunlight seemed a little brighter!