He didn't find a scapegoat, nor did he shift the blame to his subordinates; he simply took all the responsibility upon himself.
Dominic's eyes flickered slightly, and the doubt in his heart inexplicably faded a bit.
He pretended to be unaware and asked with a frown:
"Please forgive me? What crime has Governor Kerry committed?"
Lynn gave a bitter laugh, raised his head, and his eyes were full of self-mockery.
"You don't need to hide it from me anymore, sir."
"If I hadn't noticed something amiss after you sent a scout team into the Lower City, I wouldn't be fit to be the governor."
He sighed, walked to the window, looked down at the starport below, and his voice carried a hint of weariness:
"It's actually quite simple."
"After the plague broke out, the Lower City was completely thrown into chaos."
"My official epidemic prevention team is simply overwhelmed. More people are dying every day than being born. If this continues, let alone three billion soldiers, we'll have a hard time even gathering one billion."
"I couldn't sleep at night during that period. On one hand, there was the looming plague, and on the other hand, there was the deadline for the Tithe. Both were incredibly heavy burdens."
"Just then, a Plague Cleansing Cult appeared in the Lower City, claiming to be able to distinguish who was infected with the plague and who was healthy, and to appease the people and maintain order."
There was a hint of regret in his voice.
"I had my doubts at first; something felt off."
"But the people we sent back said they were really able to accurately identify infected individuals in the incubation period, and they really did stabilize order in several districts."
"I... I was momentarily blinded by greed, thinking that I should get through this difficult time first, so I tacitly allowed my subordinates to use them to help screen the population."
"I was just taking a chance, thinking that as long as we could control the plague and gather enough soldiers, this little trickery wouldn't matter."
"It was also due to my lax oversight that the sect was able to expand and even infiltrate the recruitment pool."
Lynn turned around and looked at Dominic with an open and honest gaze.
"In the end, it's all my fault."
"I was blinded by self-interest and forgot the rules of the Imperium."
"I have now ordered the Vanguard to wipe out all sectarian strongholds, and all remaining conscripts have been handed over to the Ecclesiarchy for re-examination. We will definitely eradicate the influence of heresy completely."
"I will leave this matter to your discretion, whether it's reported to the Administratum or I am punished; I will have no complaints."
After saying that, he stood there, his back ramrod straight, looking as if he were accepting his punishment with equanimity.
The command room fell silent, with only the low hum of the air conditioner echoing in the air.
Dominic looked at the young man before him, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
He felt that what Kerry said was quite credible.
In particular, he packaged everything as a routine dereliction of duty, namely "emphasizing quick success and instant benefits by appointing heretical sects."
Yet, ironically, he also felt a certain fondness for it.
I admire this sense of responsibility—not shirking blame or passing the buck.
I admire this honesty and willingness to take responsibility.
If it were any other noble governor in this situation, he would have already pushed his subordinates out to take the blame and washed his hands of the matter.
Unlike him, who takes all the blame without even offering himself a way out.
Moreover, Dominic understood all the difficulties he mentioned.
If he were in Governor Brevis's position, facing the dual pressures of the plague and the Tithe, could he have done a better job?
That's probably not the case.
Imperium dogma is dead, but people are alive.
When faced with a life-or-death situation, everyone will want to find a shortcut.
Moreover, the result speaks for itself.
The first batch of recruits was of high quality, the plague was brought under control, the Lower City did not completely collapse, Tithe was being steadily implemented.
Objectively speaking, Kerry did a better job than the vast majority of governors in the Imperium.
The scales in Dominic's heart had already quietly tipped.
Instead of blaming him, he stood up, patted Lynn on the shoulder, and spoke with a hint of regret.
"Alright, I'm not an unreasonable person." He sighed.
"I know exactly what's going on with Brevis right now."
"Plague, civil unrest, Tithe —these are all happening at once; anyone would have a headache."
"It's only natural to take a wrong turn or be misled by unorthodox methods."
Lynn looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
This wasn't acting; he genuinely didn't expect Dominic to say something like that.
"As for manpower, you don't need to worry too much," Dominic continued.
" The Ecclesiarchy's blessing ceremony and the Adeptus Mechanicus's physiological tests—after this double screening, the first batch of recruits showed no problems."
"They are all healthy ordinary people with relatively firm beliefs, and haven't been too easily swayed by heretical doctrines."
"That's good." Lynn seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
"I will also oversee the screening of the remaining 300 million to ensure everything is foolproof before handing them over. I will absolutely not allow a single heretic to infiltrate the Tithe Fleet."
Lynn's expression turned serious again, and he changed the subject.
"However, sir, just because there's no problem with manpower doesn't mean this matter can be left like this." His tone was solemn.
" The Plague Cleansing Cult is ultimately a heretical and private religion. Allowing it to continue is a challenge to the authority of the Ecclesiarchy and a destruction of the purity of faith."
Even if they are useful temporarily, we must never rely on them for the long term.
After hearing this, Dominic did not respond to Lynn immediately, but looked at him with his eyes slightly narrowed.
interesting.
He, on the contrary, started emphasizing faith and rules to himself.
Dominic remained silent, simply staring at Lynn with a half-smile, wanting to see how far he would go with his act.
Lynn looked at him too, their eyes met, and neither of them spoke first.
A subtle, unspoken understanding suddenly filled the air.
Both of them knew perfectly well that the other hadn't said everything clearly, and that the other was hiding a secret.
But there's just a thin veil separating them, and no one is willing to point it out.
After a few seconds, Lynn looked away, her lips slightly pursed, as if she were a little embarrassed.
After a moment, Dominic broke the silence first, letting out a soft laugh.
"You..." He shook his head, sat back down in his chair, and tapped his fingers on the table, "You make it sound so high and mighty."
He leaned forward, his tone softening, and his voice carrying a hint of frank honesty. " Kerry, let me tell you something honestly too."
"What time is it now? The fighting in the Cadian War Zone is fierce, and people are dying on the front lines every day."
"Thirty billion soldiers may not seem like much, but it can solve the immediate crisis."
"At times like these, rigidly adhering to dogma and rules, refusing to make any compromises, is not upholding principles, it's being pedantic."
"Practicality is sometimes more important than dogma."
Lynn looked up abruptly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, as if he hadn't expected Dominic to say such a thing.
"So..." Dominic leaned back in his chair and shrugged.
"Just keep the conscription in mind."
"As long as the soldiers ultimately handed over are healthy and usable, I can temporarily ignore these minor detours."
"But," he abruptly changed his tone, becoming serious, "I have two conditions."
"Please speak, sir," Lynn said immediately, his expression turning serious.
"First, strictly control the scale." Dominic's eyes were sharp as knives.
"We can only use them; there must be absolutely no deeper collusion."
"Throughout the Imperium's history, there are countless examples of being devoured by Xenos or letting wolves into the house."
"If you dare to use them to deal with the plague today, they will dare to hollow out your planet from the inside tomorrow."
You must find the right balance.
"Secondly, after the Tithe are fully handed over and all three billion soldiers have been sent away, the Plague Cleansing Cult must be completely eradicated," he said decisively.
"No matter how many merits they have made in the past, they are ultimately heretics and a hidden danger."
"When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked; I don't need to teach you this principle, do I?"
The Rock that had been hanging over Lynn's heart finally lifted completely.
He had prepared a whole host of arguments, intending to persuade Dominic little by little.
To his surprise, the major general was even more flexible than he had expected, and directly stated his position.
This saved him a lot of trouble.
"Don't worry, sir, I understand." Lynn nodded solemnly.
"Actually, I've been planning to eradicate them for a while now."
"These heretical forces will ultimately be a scourge if they remain in the Lower City. Once the conscription is over, I will immediately organize a force to wipe them out completely."
He paused for a moment, as if suddenly remembering something, and then extended an invitation:
"Speaking of which, there are quite a few sect strongholds in the Lower City, and quite a few tough nuts to crack."
"If you're interested, sir, why not join us in overseeing the operation? With the navy's cooperation, the cleanup will be much smoother."
Dominic's eyes lit up immediately.
Lower City mopping-up operations? Street fighting?
He had spent his entire life fighting space wars, and he was skilled at using Macro-cannon and light spears to destroy warships, but he had very few experiences with this kind of work: going deep into the Hive City to fight urban warfare and wipe out heretical strongholds.
This is much more exciting than sitting on the bridge looking at reports.
"Okay!" he agreed immediately, slamming his hand on the table.
"I'm just as bored as can be."
"Just let me know in advance, and I'll bring a squad of Marines down with you to take down their lair!"
Seeing Dominic's enthusiastic expression, Lynn also smiled genuinely.
Things went even more smoothly than he had expected.
After exchanging a few more words about the general arrangements for the mopping-up operation, Lynn got up to take his leave.
Dominic personally escorted him to the door, watching his figure disappear at the end of the corridor before turning back to his room.