The mocking scorn from the ten Minotaurs finally provoked Grey's anger; he couldn't understand why Foros held back from rebuking these wretches with equal fury. Though not the most patient of men, Foros struggled to find words that might truly wound the Astartes of the Minotaur Chapter.
"The Lamenters were indeed in the wrong. Feel free to mock them as you please," Qin Mo stepped forward, addressing the Astartes. "Nor need you fear any clandestine revenge. That's simply beneath them."
Grey was visibly taken aback. He could not fathom why Qin Mo would defend the Minotaurs at such a moment instead of putting them in their place. Foros, too, remained stoically silent, without any visible reaction.
Meanwhile, the Astartes behind the laser grid were even more surprised than Grey.
"I know little of the Minotaurs," Qin Mo continued, "but you seem no different from hive-world henchmen. Incidentally, I'm in need of mercenaries for a task. How much would it cost to hire you?"
Qin Mo himself felt the words too blunt, even dismissive. Although the Minotaurs indeed served the High Lords, it did not mean they had abandoned all sense of honor or finer qualities. But he wasn't here to craft a fair assessment of their Chapter.
The effect was immediate; the imprisoned Astartes, momentarily stunned, quickly became enraged. They hurled every curse they had ever learned in their long lives and lunged at the laser grid, attempting to break free.
Glancing at them with mild interest, Qin Mo turned away and exited the detention area. Once out of their sight, Foros raised an eyebrow and remarked, "These are Astartes, Qin Mo, of the Minotaurs, closely allied with the High Lords."
Though Foros's words were indirect, Qin Mo understood immediately. It was simple: he wanted the prisoners released.
"Their behavior hardly warrants such clemency," Grey countered, holding an opposite view to Foros.
Caught between the two, Qin Mo shrugged. "I only want to know why they're in the Tyrone sector. Could it be that the High Lords sent an Inquisitor and Astartes to test the waters?"
"They might be here specifically for us," Foros replied, suspecting the Minotaurs had been dispatched to confront the Lamenters, who were currently gathering in the Tyrone system. Perhaps the High Lords had grown wary.
"Let's not waste time with guesses," Qin Mo replied, casting a glance at Grey. "We'll simply extract the information from their memories. You remember the device I used last time? Fetch it."
"Understood." Grey bowed and departed to carry out the order.
Since Qin Mo had made his decision, Foros said no more, offering his counsel only from his perspective.
"The Badab War was indeed our fault," Qin Mo suddenly remarked to Foros. "But you've been absolved. It doesn't mean you need to bow before the Minotaurs."
Foros froze, surprised. The details of the Badab War were classified, unknown to any who hadn't been involved. Then again, Qin Mo was an enigmatic governor... Foros nodded. "I understand. I have no intention of taking private revenge, as keeping them alive would serve the sector better than slaying them."
"I'm not so sure," Qin Mo replied, turning to leave.
…
Moments later, Grey successfully extracted memories from the minds of the Astartes and summarized the information in a report sent directly to Qin Mo. Grey didn't deliver it personally, wary that Vanessa, currently held within the fortress, might pry into his mind with her psychic abilities. Such caution was necessary, for Qin Mo was currently seated face-to-face with her, discussing sector governance.
"I am genuinely capable of facilitating communication and coordination. Just give me a ship, and within a month, I can secure your appointment from the Ministry of the Interior," Vanessa assured, her confidence unwavering. "One month, no more, or you can kill me."
Vanessa noticed that Qin Mo had suddenly fallen silent, his gaze fixed on the table, evidently reading something unseen. She guessed he was accessing data through some special means, but her psychic powers couldn't penetrate his mind. Since arriving in the Tyrone sector, she had found her abilities mysteriously weakened.
Qin Mo examined the report projected onto his retinas. The captured Minotaurs had accompanied an Inquisitor named Ellen, a subordinate of Karamazov, but Ellen differed from his master, being far more... flexible. He possessed an extensive network of contacts.
The High Lords still harbored suspicions about the Tyrone system but wished to avoid outright confrontation. They enlisted Karamazov, who dispatched Ellen as a scout, supported by ten Minotaurs as his escort. The High Lords' orders instructed Ellen to serve as an observer, while Karamazov desired Ellen to play the martyr, the first Inquisitor to fall in the Tyrone sector, sparking a war.
Ellen, however, chose the pragmatic route, prioritizing his role as a spy and aiming to disrupt the unification efforts in the sector subtly.
The Minotaurs, pawns in a grander scheme, had merely become collateral damage.
Grey appended a question at the end of his report: "What should we do with the ten Astartes?"
After some thought, Qin Mo decided to keep them confined, biding time until they might prove useful by implanting them with artificial personalities, as he had once done with Reina. Ellen, too, would share this fate, his soul already purged.
All things considered, the sector would soon unify. It was high time to test Vanessa's reliability—to see whether she truly had the power to facilitate communication or if her claims were mere fabrication.
"One month and a ship? Agreed."
As Vanessa sat idly, Qin Mo finally spoke.
"A month is more than enough," she replied with a confident smile. "I needn't even go to Terra; I only have to find the nearest 'Messenger.'"
"I'll assign a Null Custodian and a ship to accompany you," Qin Mo added.
Unfazed, Vanessa replied with certainty, for she was telling the truth: "All I ask is your patience."