Half an hour later.
Within the orbital dock, Qin Mo and Grey stood together, gazing at the alien before them.
It was an Eldar male.
The Eldar were one of the alien races that occasionally cooperated with humans, but they were far from trustworthy. One moment they fought by your side, the next they might betray you with their cryptic ways.
The Eldar revered the prophecies of their Seers, and each one of them was an enigmatic puzzle.
Qin Mo harbored a deep disdain for the Eldar, primarily because of their superior psychic abilities and their strong connection to the Warp.
"Saar."
Qin Mo learned the alien's name, and with a cold nod, acknowledged it without emotion.
Had he not already known the full picture of Talon II and III, Qin Mo would have been quite startled to see an Eldar here.
What kind of forsaken place was the Talon system? Chaos cults nearly in full force, Orks, Genestealers—and now even the Eldar? What could they possibly be after?
But now, Qin Mo was unmoved. He had come to understand that this star system was nothing but a shallow pond teeming with all manner of beasts.
"I shall now explain the reason for my presence and what my comrades and I have been doing on this planet," Saar began, fixing his gaze on Qin Mo.
Qin Mo sat in his chair, expressionless, looking back at Saar.
Moments later, Saar abruptly asked, "Did you see?"
"I did," Qin Mo nodded, "I saw an alien fool standing there, trying to explain something to me, and after staring at me for a while, it asked if I saw anything."
"&&&!" Saar exclaimed in his native tongue, then realized that the human before him was unaffected by psychic influence.
He hadn't been standing there blankly; he had attempted to convey information psychically. Normally, Qin Mo should have seen visions and understood immediately, but he felt nothing.
With no other option, Saar began to explain verbally.
After listening to a rambling tale, heavily interspersed with Eldar terms, Qin Mo finally understood why the Eldar had come to this planet.
Saar and his thirty companions were scattered across various corners of the world, aiding the local resistance in their struggle. They had been sent by the Seer Drar Uslun of the Ulthwé.
Their purpose was to retrieve an ancient technological relic, one that would eventually serve as a gift to humanity, offering a slight advantage in a future great war.
The friendly knights Grey had seen during the battle were also part of the resistance—half a knightly household and several nobles had joined the fight, resisting the rule of the Cult of the Lord of Wisdom ever since it began.
After hearing the full story, Qin Mo wasn't entirely convinced by Saar's words. Still, he found them far more straightforward than their Seers, who usually spoke in riddles and visions.
"Are you the governor of one of the planets in this system?" Saar suddenly inquired.
"I am," Qin Mo replied without hesitation.
Saar seemed puzzled. He hadn't been informed of a governor leading a fleet to cleanse the star system when he embarked on the Seer's mission. If such a figure existed, why not directly seek him out instead of collaborating with the resistance?
"I wasn't a governor initially," Qin Mo said coolly. "I seized control of my planet through war, and now I plan to purge this entire system of all xenos and heretics, including your kind."
"You don't think I actually want to linger here, do you?" Saar scoffed, unperturbed by Qin Mo's hostility. Then, in a sudden shift, he began speaking of history. "Do you know the greatest secret of this star system?"
Without waiting for a response, Saar launched into his tale.
"According to the history I know, the Talon system was once uninhabited by humans, until a wandering trader named Talon arrived millennia ago.
He discovered an ancient technological relic left behind by a human civilization. He then had his three sons establish colonies on three planets, keeping the relic a secret within his family ever since."
"Additionally..."
Before Saar could continue, Qin Mo raised a hand to interrupt, "Hold on. How do you know all of this?"
"Because the original planetary governors were in close contact with us. They didn't know how to use the relic, so we analyzed and decoded it, then taught them how to use it," Saar smiled as he explained.
Qin Mo's eyes widened in shock as Saar continued.
"We found that they had lost control of it. And when the Seer foretold an impending war, in which our two races would cooperate, we knew this relic would be of use. We need to retrieve it now, and at the right time, return it to you."
After hearing this, Qin Mo narrowed his eyes at Saar. He didn't fully believe the alien's words. This might just be a manipulation, and the Eldar might have another reason for being here... But Saar's attitude greatly displeased him.
The relic rightfully belonged to humanity. What gave the Eldar the right to take it and return it when they deemed fit?
"If I captured you now, and decided to return you to your kin at a time of my choosing, how would that be?" Qin Mo asked coldly.
"I'm not looking for trouble," Saar raised his hands, suddenly changing his tone. "We don't need the relic anymore. The Seer did not foresee your presence. If the mission fails, I won't be blamed... But perhaps we can take this chance to get to know one another better. Why always label us as xenos? Wouldn't it be better to have one more ally?"
Qin Mo could guess what Saar was thinking.
He likely saw Qin Mo as someone he could use, someone not worth making an enemy of.
But Qin Mo's thoughts were far removed from what Saar might have hoped for. With a cold voice, he rejected him outright, "I am not like the former governors. I have no interest in associating with your kind. Since you aided the resistance, I'll allow you and your comrades to leave, but that is the extent of my generosity."
Hearing this, Saar hesitated, his expression filled with reluctance, but in the end, he nodded. "Thank you. You may have your men supervise our departure from this system. I promise we won't return."
"You had better not," Qin Mo said, nodding.
"Of course. May I request that your transport ship take me down to my companions? We will leave at once." Saar asked.
Qin Mo granted the request, signaling Grey to escort Saar back to Talon II and ensure his departure from the system.