Chapter 6: Trends of Various Parties
A corpulent man in an expensive suit lounged in his swivel chair, puffing on a cigar.
Beside him stood a striking blonde woman in an elegant gown, her delicate hands sheathed in black gloves. She waited in silence, her pale complexion and commanding presence drawing every eye to her.
Across the massive table stood two men: one in a black suit, the other in a general's military uniform.
The Governor exhaled a cloud of smoke, then locked his gaze on the two anxious men.
"Minister of Intelligence Bruel, you told me Doctor Hermo disappeared. What do you mean by "disappeared"?"
"If someone can just waltz into a top-secret research institute whenever they please, how can you protect the Savol family? Is this some kind of joke to you?"
He leaned forward. "If I don't hand over these researchers to the Imperium military, do you expect me to offer our family's heads instead?"
The man in the black suit, sweating profusely, collected his thoughts before responding.
"Doctor Hermo might already be aboard that warship, Governor. The Imperium's technological capabilities far exceed ours. We can't understand how they accomplished this infiltration. This may be a severe warning."
He paused. "But the Imperium didn't purge us immediately. They didn't even kill the technical personnel at the research institute. Perhaps we still have room to negotiate."
The man in military uniform spoke up, keeping his tone measured.
"The Imperium of Man wages war across the entire galaxy. And these war consumes enormous amounts of manpower and resources. Balsavor possesses advanced technology and a dense population, Governor. The situation isn't as dire as we feared. We can negotiate."
Hope sparked in the Governor's eyes. He straightened in his chair, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"I need to ensure the safety of the Savol family. This planet will remain under our rule. Anyone who compromises that is a traitor."
Bruel and the general immediately bowed, professing their absolute loyalty. They believed the strategic value of an entire planet far outweighed the crime of secretly researching power armor technology.
If the Imperium insisted on a thorough investigation, they could always sacrifice the relevant personnel as scapegoats.
The blonde woman, who had been silent until now, spoke with a clear, youthful voice.
"Major General Kristiel, what progress have you made in locating that mysterious Ghost Warrior? He's wearing the heavy power armor. We need to find him immediately. If high-level Imperium weapons fall into the wrong hands, the consequences could be catastrophic."
She paused. "We appreciate his efforts protecting the city, but if this world is to survive, we must secure military aid from the Imperium, not a Vagabond whom we know nothing about."
Everyone present understood the implication: to protect this planet and preserve the Savol family's position, anyone could be sacrificed if necessary. Against the Imperium's technological superiority and military strength, they stood no chance. In such a situation, they had to prepare for anything.
Major General Kristiel doubted he could find someone as powerful as the Ghost Warrior.
Ghost Warrior's strength exceeded anything they'd encountered. The military statistics compiled over just one month staggered them all. Without his intervention, their city would have fallen to the Rangdan xenobreed long ago.
How can a human really do this? It should be impossible?.
The Rangdan's technology far surpassed their own, and yet millions of xenos warriors had failed to kill the Ghost Warrior over the past month.
So what chance did their military have against someone like him?
The evidence was also undeniable: the Ghost of Balsavar possessed extraordinary reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance abilities. He could come and go without leaving a trace. They didn't even know what he looked like, or whether he was a human male or female.
They only know that some unknown individual came and butchered millions of Rangadan, and left with possibly not a single scratch.
This miraculous feat had also earned him various names: 'Ghost of Balsavar', 'The Wall of Humanity', 'Spear of Reckoning', 'The Silent Angel', and so on.
Their only lead to him was Doctor Hermo, and now even he was gone, Major General Kristiel couldn't investigate further. More importantly, Kristiel didn't want to do something stupid that would turn the 'Ghost' against them; that's why he has been very cautious in this investigation.
When he showed the result of his investigation, everyone in the room was shocked, even the Governor dropped his cigar on the table.
Major General Kristiel took a deep breath.
"Lord Governor, Miss Isha, we should leave the 'Ghost' situation to the Imperium military. His assistance this past month has saved our world. We should be his friends, never his enemies."
"I agree. I never said anything about being enemies with him, not when we know nothing about him," the Governor said with an awkward chuckle.
Miss Isha stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps this Ghost Warrior is an Astartes. He may have been operating in our world for a long time. Such a powerful combatant just can't appear from nowhere."
She continued, "Even if he isn't Astartes, we can recommend him to the Imperium. he has done so much for us, we can't betray that trust. He is absolutely our close friend."
Minister Bruel stood speechless, looking at the woman in front of him. 'She was just talking about handing him to Imperium, and now he is a close friend. Lord, have Mercy.
Miss Isha, raised in politics since childhood, shifted her position with remarkable speed.
The group discussed the planet's overall security situation and reluctantly concluded that without support from the Imperium fleet, their chances of victory were slim.
A technologically advanced planet with industry, manpower, resources, and materials would surely interest the Imperium greatly. Through careful negotiation, they believed reinforcements would arrive. They just needed to hold out until then and prevent a breakthrough.
...
Meanwhile, the Rangdan fleet noticed the Imperium warship's arrival at the starport, which dramatically increased the urgency of their planetary conquest.
In space, aboard a Rangdan flagship several kilometers long with massive bio-organic tentacles extending from its hull, a Rangdan commander stood within the bridge. Three meters tall and clad in heavy power armor, his head writhed with a cluster of fleshy tendrils. Dominance radiated from his entire being.
Within the bridge, dozens of other xenos in heavy armor gathered around a green holographic screen displaying a detailed three-dimensional map of the planet. The dynamic display recorded Balsavor's geography and monitored spacecraft traffic at the starport, providing comprehensive surveillance of the planet's activities.
The three-meter-tall xenos lord gestured, bringing up the warship data from the starport. His telepathic voice echoed in the minds of his subordinates.
'A warship from the Imperium of Man arrived at the starport yesterday. In the worst case, their fleet will arrive within one or two months.'
'We must occupy this planet within a month, seize all its resources, then engage and utterly destroy the human fleet. Only then can we avenge the destruction of the Holy Palace of Nightwalkers during the Second Xenocide.'
One of the two-point-three-meter-tall xenos responded telepathically.
'Lord, what about that human Ghost? His strength is immense; he has evaded our tracking and surveillance effortlessly, killed over a hundred of our elite warriors, and destroyed countless war beasts and heavy weapons.'
'If not for him, we could have occupied this planet in ten days.'
Ranagdn, over time, had tried numerous methods to capture the warrior called 'Ghost of Balsavar', but all had failed.
They had sent their elite warriors, commanders with their battalion, the most advanced weapons they had on board, and countless slaves to capture the 'Ghost', and what did they achieve?
NOTHING!!. Nothing except the mountains of their dead forces.
This shocked them so deeply that during attacks, even the most boastful commanders now stayed far behind or aboard their spacecraft, refusing to expose themselves to danger. This caution had slowed the Rangdan army's offensive to a crawl.
The Xenos lord raised one hand, speaking with calm certainty, as if he'd already secured victory. 'The Ghost Warrior has demonstrated strength comparable to or exceeding that of an Adeptus Astartes Company Captain.'
'I will personally lead the team to deal with him. I look forward to seeing him serve us loyally after we fit him with a slave collar and cleanse his mind.'
The other xenos brightened at this news. After confirming their decision to occupy the planet before the human fleet arrived, the Rangdan army prepared to launch a full-scale assault.
Soon after, the Rangdan fleet in orbit began to move. Numerous spacecraft poured into the planet's atmosphere like rain. The starport's space fleet and ground defense systems immediately went to full alert.
[End of Chapter]