The mockery and insults from the ten power-armored Minotaurs Astartes made even Grey seethe with fury. The sound of their derisive laughter echoed off the cold ceramite walls of the detention block, thick with barely-concealed contempt.
He couldn't comprehend why Phoros hadn't already lashed out at those arrogant bastards.
Phoros was by no means a patient or mild-tempered man.
He too wanted to lash out, but he simply couldn't think of anything that would truly get under the skin of the Astartes of the Minotaurs Chapter.
"The Lamenters are to blame here. Feel free to ridicule them all you like," Qin Mo stepped forward and addressed the Minotaurs. "And don't worry about the Lamenters seeking petty vengeance. That's beneath them."
Grey was stunned. He didn't understand why Qin Mo was speaking in favor of the Minotaurs rather than putting them in their place.
Even Phoros remained silent, enduring the humiliation. His fists clenched at his sides, gauntlets creaking, but he said nothing.
The imprisoned Minotaurs were likewise taken aback by Qin Mo's unexpected neutrality. Their expressions stoic before now flickered with suspicion
"I don't know much about your Chapter," Qin Mo continued, "but from what I've seen, you're little better than hired muscle from a hive-world gang. As it happens, I have use for some hired muscle. How much would it cost to contract you for a mission?"
The words hung in the air like a challenge issued across a dueling floor. Silence slammed into the chamber like a bolter shell.
Even Qin Mo felt that his words were too harsh, perhaps even unjust. While the Minotaurs did operate under the authority of the High Lords of Terra, that didn't make them soulless mercenaries. They still held to a sense of honor and retained some noble traits.
They were an instrument of compliance, often unleashed upon other Space Marine Chapters that strayed too far from Terra's will. Their purpose was rarely questioned, except by those who knew what questions to ask.
But this was not the time to offer a balanced evaluation of the Minotaurs Chapter.
The silence in the cell snapped like a taut wire. With that single remark, all hostility in the prison cell shifted from Phoros to Qin Mo. For a moment, the Astartes were stunned, then enraged.
Voiceless snarls twisted their features before the first curse was spat, a litany of profanities ancient and baroque, drawn from battlefields across a thousand forgotten wars. They hurled every profanity they had ever learned across centuries of warfare, slamming against the laser grid in an attempt to break free.
Qin Mo gave them a passing glance before turning his back and leaving the detention block. His footsteps echoed with finality, an act of dismissal more powerful than any spoken insult.
Once they were out of sight of the imprisoned Astartes, Phoros frowned slightly and offered a quiet warning: "They're still Astartes… Minotaurs no less. Their Chapter has close ties to the High Lords."
The words carried weight, for even among the Adeptus Astartes, few enjoyed such direct patronage from Terra's ruling elite.
Phoros wasn't being direct, but Qin Mo understood what he meant immediately.
Release them. Tread carefully.
"With that kind of attitude? No way," Grey said flatly, clearly taking the opposite stance.
Caught between the two, Qin Mo didn't overthink it. He shook his head and said, "I just want to know why they're here in the sector. Did the High Lords shift their stance on us? Send an Inquisitor and Astartes to probe our defenses?"
"Maybe they're here for us specifically," Phoros replied. He had a gut feeling that the Minotaurs were dispatched because of the Lamenters. The ghosts of the Badab War still whispered in the halls of power. The entire Chapter had begun gathering in this sector, and perhaps the High Lords had finally grown wary of them.
"No point in guessing." Qin Mo looked at Grey. "Let's extract their memories. Use the same device I deployed last time."
"Yes, my lord." Grey bowed and turned to carry out the order.
Seeing that Qin Mo had already made up his mind, Phoros didn't press further. After all, he was merely offering his perspective.
The decision, in the end, rested with the Lord of Talon.
A silence passed between them, punctuated only by the low whine of servos and the distant clank of armored boots.
"The Badab War was a disgrace, sure," Qin Mo said suddenly to Phoros. "But you've been pardoned. That doesn't mean you have to react like you're still being judged every time you see a Minotaur."
Phoros stiffened. The words cut deeper than they should have.
The details of the Badab War were classified within most Imperial records; only participants and high-level authorities should know the operational truth.
But Qin Mo was a mysterious planetary governor, such knowledge being in his hands made sense in its own way.
Phoros nodded slowly. "I understand. I've just never wanted personal grudges to influence this situation. Keeping them alive is probably more beneficial to the sector than killing them."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Qin Mo muttered, turning to leave.
....
Moments later…
Grey had already extracted and organized the memories from the captured Astartes, compiling them into a detailed report that he sent to Qin Mo.
He didn't deliver it in person, mainly because Vanessa was currently confined within the fortress, yet no one could truly restrain her. Given her psychic abilities, Grey couldn't help but worry about her potentially reading minds.
A justified concern, since Qin Mo was now seated across from Vanessa, engaged in a private discussion about sector governance.
"I really can act as a liaison. Just give me a ship, and I'll get you recognition from the Adeptus Administratum within a month. One month. One day over, and you may as well kill me," Vanessa said, full of confidence.
But she noticed that Qin Mo was suddenly unresponsive, his gaze fixed on the table as if reading something.
She realized he must be accessing classified data, but she couldn't penetrate his mind. There was a void where thought should be, Qin Mo's mental signature felt like iron wrapped in fog. Since arriving in the Talon system, her psychic abilities had been mysteriously dampened. She was helpless in this case.
Qin Mo read through the file Grey had just sent. The data, projected from the retinal device fitted beside his eyes, flickered silently.
The captured Minotaurs had come under escort of an Inquisitor named Eren, a subordinate of the notoriously radical Lord Inquisitor Karamazov. A firebrand among firebrands, Karamazov was infamous for turning Hive worlds into ash just to prove a theological point. Unlike Karamazov, Eren was known to be… flexible, with extensive connections.
The High Lords of Terra remained distrustful of the newly established Talon sector but wished to avoid direct conflict. So they reached out to Karamazov, who sent Eren with ten Minotaurs as escorts.
The High Lords ordered Eren to serve as a spy. Karamazov, however gave him a different directive, become a martyr. The first Inquisitor to die in the Talon Sector, and ignite a holy war.
Eren found a middle ground: act as a spy while stirring trouble wherever he could. That's why he never entered the core Talon systems or acted too aggressively. His mission was to stall the sector's unification efforts.
The Minotaurs were just muscle, collateral damage in a political chess match.
In short, they were expendable.
This time, they were simply unlucky.
At the bottom of the report, Grey had added a question: "How shall we handle the ten Astartes?"
Qin Mo considered carefully, then made his decision: keep them imprisoned for now.
They could be implanted with artificial personalities when needed, just like the former inquisitorial agent Reina had been.
As for Eren, whose soul had already been purged, he would meet the same fate. His body, preserved in stasis, could still be useful, perhaps as a false martyr after all.
Even the dead could serve, if you knew how to use them.
One way or another, the Talon Sector would be unified. Through diplomacy or fire, through lies or loyalty.
Now was the time to test Vanessa's value. Was she really capable of acting as a diplomatic bridge or had she been spinning lies all along?
As Vanessa idly glanced around, bored, Qin Mo finally spoke.
"One ship and one month? Fine. Granted."
"A month is generous. I won't need to travel to Holy Terra, I only need to find the nearest messenger," Vanessa replied with a smile.
"I'll assign you a Null bodyguard and a warship to accompany you," Qin Mo added.
Vanessa still appeared confident, because everything she had said was true. "All I need from you is a little patience, my lord."
.....
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