"I have come to offer assistance," Vanessa replied humbly, bowing her head.
Qin Mo remained silent, waiting for her to continue.
Seeing he did not press for details, Vanessa took the initiative to explain, "I am privy to every move of the High Lords' Council. I also have connections among retired Imperial Guards. I can facilitate communications between you and the Empire's high command... The voice has instructed me to do so."
At her words, Qin Mo furrowed his brow thoughtfully.
In their past encounter in the underhive, when Vanessa aided in killing the Gene-Stealer patriarch and later served as a test subject, Qin Mo had been uncertain of her allegiance. Upon later meeting the rebel-aligned Eldar, Sarl, he had even wondered if Vanessa might be an Eldar in disguise, there only to scavenge ancient tech.
Now, though, he was almost certain—this woman, like Celestine, was touched by the Emperor's light.
After some reflection, he replied, "You mentioned before that a voice guided you. I need you to relay a message to it."
Without waiting for her assent, Qin Mo delivered his words: "Tell it this—if it has any business to conduct here, send the Imperial Guard; stop sending psykers. I have no patience for psykers."
"I'm sorry, I can't," Vanessa answered regretfully, compelled to explain further.
She could hear the voice, sometimes glimpsing visions, but only intermittently. The knowledge she possessed was imparted through these fragmented messages, but she had no means to communicate back—she could only listen and analyze.
She termed these moments "periods of revelation," which occurred once a year. For her, they were pure torment; each word in her mind brought such searing pain that she would rather end her life.
Hearing her explanation, Qin Mo thought for a moment and then asked, "Then why were you chosen over others?"
"Because of my ability to influence others' thoughts," Vanessa replied. "I can calm the most violent souls, compel even the coldest to sacrifice themselves."
Qin Mo nodded in understanding. Indeed, such psychic abilities would be ideal in a messenger.
"So, what exactly is the High Lords' stance on the Talon System?" he asked from his seat on the governor's throne.
"There are varied views within the council," Vanessa began. "The General of Mars believes you possess numerous STCs and prefers a softer approach. Some believe you to be an agent of the Emperor himself… Most, however, view the Talon System as useful but untouchable—for now, at least."
Qin Mo nodded, her words aligning with his own calculations.
After a brief pause, Vanessa hesitated before softly asking, "So, what are your intentions?"
"I'm not telling you," Qin Mo replied bluntly, echoing his earlier refusal to share the secrets of faster-than-light travel.
"You told Creed that you fight for humanity. That's not true—you only fight for yourself. Otherwise, you'd share your plans and the secrets of dimensional engines," Vanessa retorted, voice rising.
Qin Mo responded calmly, "The Adeptus Mechanicus would require a thousand years to grasp dimensional engine technology, and that's if I were to hand-feed them the knowledge."
"If the Imperium truly cannot master the construction of dimensional engines, I would submit them as tithe. I would not pass schematics and printers to the Mechanicus, only for them to produce garbled whispers of a miracle."
After a moment's reflection, Vanessa conceded the point. Considering Talon's prodigious manufacturing capabilities, it was entirely plausible. Yet, even if the Navy accepted this alien technology, would the Navigator Houses so easily yield their dominance?
"This universe is a brutal place. Humanity, as a species, is like a frightened cat, scratching and biting at anything unfamiliar," Qin Mo said as he approached Vanessa. "If I were not the Lord of Talon, lacking armies and fleets, the first to strike me down would not be the Inquisition, but the Navigator Houses and the Mechanicus."
Vanessa nodded, acknowledging his logic.
He stopped before her, his tone shifting. "You are here to serve as a bridge of communication. Fulfill your role well."
"What would you have me do?" Vanessa asked, resigned.
Qin Mo hadn't fully considered her role yet, but after a moment, he issued a small task as a trial. "From now on, the Talon System will form an alliance with over a dozen surrounding star systems. It shall be called the Talon Sector. Do I need to tell you who its Governor will be?"
Vanessa smiled, jesting, "I understand. Have the Interior Department appoint a Governor after the sector is established." But at his unyielding expression, she grew serious again. "You must control the sector absolutely—ensure no rogue nobles or governors oppose you."
"You needn't worry. I've already taken steps," Qin Mo replied.
In fact, he hadn't seen the Custodians in months, as they were preoccupied with removing every obstacle.
…
**Talon Sector**
System No. 15, Industrial World No. 7
In the capital city of the industrial world, crowds lined the streets, forming long queues.
A slow procession of soldiers from the Governor's Guard and the Planetary Defense Force moved through the streets. The governor himself stood on a high platform carried by slaves, waving to his people.
Cyborg servants, half their heads replaced with amplifiers, flanked the platform. As they moved, they broadcast the governor's achievements.
"When this industrial world was stricken with plague and the dead began to rise, it was our Governor who resolved it all. He saved each of your lives, ensuring you would not become food for the walking dead."
"Praise be to the Governor!"
…
At the top of the city's clock tower, Grey, fully armed, watched the governor's repeated gestures, calculating his plan.
This would not be an assassination, but a public execution.
In the heart of the capital, before the largest crowd, he would carry out the most brutal, striking sentence.
Only then would the other governors of System Fifteen—all those wavering or bargaining—learn one absolute truth:
To deny the Lord of Talon's assistance, to refuse his mobilization orders, to sell off his weapons in defiance… all these acts would incur a single, unyielding fate.