The structure known as 'The Tower' was located at the very center of the mining satellite Lycaeus. Despite its name, it was actually a colossal edifice, tens of kilometers in diameter, stretching impossibly high into the clouds. This was the ancestral home of Lycaeus's ruling class.
Lower Levels of The Tower
"Lord Agamemnus, news has arrived from the supply station below. A mining tunnel in one of the camps has collapsed. A drill tractor was operating when it happened, and a squad of armed overseers was patrolling that area at the time. They've since lost contact," Budelin reported carefully to Agamemnus.
Agamemnus oversaw all matters concerning the lower levels of The Tower, wielding immense power over material exchange rates, ore mission requirements, the allocation of criminals, and more.
"What are you trying to imply?" Agamemnus asked without looking up from the large floor-to-ceiling window, where he was gazing at the scenery outside.
"Your subordinate suspects whether the slaves below are maliciously plotting revenge against The Tower," Budelin said softly.
"What are your thoughts?" Agamemnus did not answer directly, instead inquiring about Budelin's proposed plan.
"I plan to send people to investigate. If it is confirmed, all involved slaves will be executed," Budelin's answer followed the standard procedure stipulated by The Tower.
"Inflexible," Agamemnus's cold voice cut through the air.
"Please instruct me, my lord." Budelin shivered, prostrating himself fearfully before the somewhat short man who exuded such a majestic aura. This was the true essence of power!
"It's just a mere drill tractor. The Tower isn't saying it can't afford the loss. A team of overseers? They're just ants."
"Those slaves wouldn't expend the resources to operate a drill tractor just to kill a team of overseers; that cost is something they can't afford," Agamemnus asserted.
"Then what does my lord mean?" Budelin asked for clarification.
"It doesn't matter if the drill tractor is gone, it doesn't matter if the overseers die, and it doesn't matter if it's a natural or man-made disaster. As long as the ore is submitted, that's fine."
"Double the rare mineral quota for that camp for the next quarter," Agamemnus issued this order very calmly, as casually as if discussing eating and drinking.
He didn't even ask how many people were in that camp, what their usual workload was, or how long it would take for the rare minerals submitted to offset the loss of the drill tractor. This was the power of The Tower's true authority! A casual remark from him, when it reached the miners of Lycaeus, was like a crushing mountain.
"I obey your command." Budelin rose and began to convey the upper echelon's wishes downwards. From beginning to end, Agamemnus simply watched the busy scenery outside the window.
At the Supply Point
At the supply point, Saro Jin was anxiously awaiting news from The Tower. Beside him, a squad of armed overseers guarded him. Saro Jin could not leave until the decision from above was issued.
Unlike the patrolling overseers who were only equipped with stun guns, these overseers were armed with the army's good old reliable, the Lasgun. The Lasgun is an energy weapon, the most common and widely used type of laser weapon within the Imperium, and also the standard weapon for Astra Militarum infantry and most junior non-commissioned officers. It fires a focused beam of light, and the concentrated energy within the beam creates a small explosion on impact with the target, vaporizing the hit portion. Even the weak points of a Space Marine's power armor can be penetrated by a Lasgun.
The overseers here were equipped with the M35 Galaxy Stubcarbine Lasgun, which was most suitable for the conditions on Lycaeus. Compared to other models with longer barrels, the M35 Galaxy Stubcarbine could better suppress rebels attempting to hide in mining tunnels. Its 150-shot high-energy laser capacity could silence rebels.
"How much longer..." Covered in dust, his face grimy, Saro Jin was pacing back and forth anxiously.
"Slave, send word to your camp's person in charge. For the next quarter, all of your camp's quotas will be doubled. Now you can get lost." A cold and greedy voice emanated from the sound array set up at the material exchange station. Clearly, the lower-level overseers on Lycaeus had a knack for escalating demands. Agamemnus had spoken of rare minerals, but after several layers of transmission, it naturally became a complete doubling of all quotas.
"What? All doubled? My lord, shouldn't someone be sent to investigate the cause of the collapse first?" Saro Jin, who had been pacing restlessly, was instantly stunned. This was not the procedure he knew.
Unfortunately, the only response Saro Jin received was the silent sound array system.
"Slave, get out. Go back and announce the good news of your camp's demise." The armed overseers guarding nearby sneered as they drove Saro Jin away. They were delighted to see how, in the next quarter, this unfortunate camp would soon fall into disrepair due to its inability to submit enough ore, eventually being completely consumed by other camps. This was also one of the few sources of entertainment they had during their boring guard duty.
Saro Jin, walking with heavy steps, even heard the overseers betting on how long this unlucky camp could last, their voices filled with fervent excitement. Saro Jin felt as if the sky had collapsed at that moment.
"No, I must quickly bring the news back."
Coming to his senses, Saro Jin frantically sprinted towards the mining area with all his might. For the first time, Saro Jin felt the wind whistling in his ears so urgently, as if urging him that he wasn't fast enough.
"Faster, not fast enough, need to be faster!" Saro Jin's brain constantly urged his body. All the energy in every cell of his body was being frantically squeezed out, and strands of energy converged into a stream, surging towards Saro Jin's legs.
Immediately, Saro Jin's speed, already at a full sprint, suddenly increased by another notch. He transformed into a black arrow, hurtling towards the mining area.
"What's going on? Why is it so slow this time? According to The Tower's procedures, Saro Jin should have returned by now, shouldn't he?" Swain had been waiting quietly at the mining area for a long time and, seeing no one arrive, said with some confusion.
"Uh, psychic energy???" Swain, still wondering why no one had arrived, felt a faint psychic fluctuation, but it was very weak.
Confused, he looked up in the direction the person was coming from, only to see Saro Jin rushing towards him alone. A mass of black psychic energy enveloped Saro Jin at his feet, carrying him directly towards Swain's location.
"Saro Jin, what happened?" Swain barely managed to steady the somewhat out-of-control Saro Jin, asking anxiously.
"Boss, The Tower demands that we… double all… the… ore submissions for the next quarter…" Saro Jin struggled to say this, and then he fainted.