[Warhammer: Starting as a Planetary Governor] Chapter 53/54/55 (Patreon)

Chapter 53: The Fate of a Traitor

Deville found it impossible to believe that there could be a traitor among the logistics division.

And worse, a traitor who had colluded with Chaos heretics!

Everyone who joined the logistics division had undergone strict vetting.

Most of their families had contributed to the King's Court for generations, serving the Governor faithfully.

Moreover, the family Arye had accused was none other than that of Vass, Deville's mentor in the logistics division.

When Deville first joined the division, Vass had helped him immensely.

He also learned that Vass's family had served the Governor for nearly a thousand years, with several ancestors dying on the job or from exhaustion.

Vass had even received commendations from the Spire Estate for his hard work.

At that time, Deville had secretly vowed to follow in Vass's footsteps and bring honor to his own family.

But now, that crude one-eyed brute Arye was claiming that Vass was a traitor, possibly even a heretic.

Deville simply couldn't believe it!

Arye, however, didn't care whether Deville believed him or not.

With a cigar clenched in his teeth and a shotgun slung over his shoulder, he said:

"Come on, pretty boy, whether it's true or not, we'll know once we search the place…"

With that, Arye and several guards stormed forward, kicking the door open.

"Open up, we're here to check!"

"What are you doing?!"

"Dad!"

Vass's family, dressed in their nightclothes, were clearly flustered.

But Vass recognized the guards and stood tall, placing himself between them and his wife and son, angrily rebuking them:

"You're with the guards? Who gave you the right to allow these lower hive scum in here? Get out! Right now! According to the laws of the King's Court, you'll be executed for this!"

The guards hesitated at Vass's anger.

After all, he was a legitimate official of the logistics division, holding authority over the distribution of the guards' supplies.

His status was far above that of these lower hive refugees.

Arye, unfazed, stepped forward and stood before the guards, shotgun resting on his shoulder:

"You're suspected of colluding with heretics. We're here to search your home!"

After all, this was the family district of an important unit within the King's Court, and proper procedure had to be followed.

Vass's expression remained unchanged:

"A search? You guards have no authority to search a logistics official!"

Arye cocked his shotgun, pointing it at Vass:

"Damn you! This is an order directly from the Governor! Besides, the guards answer directly to the Governor, just like you. Now step aside, or I'll blow your head off!"

This location had been marked by the Governor himself, so there could be no mistake! After the events of the night, Arye was completely in awe of the Governor's wisdom and godlike insight.

No heretic could escape his watchful eyes! If Vass resisted, Arye had the authority to execute him on the spot.

"You won't fool me! The Governor would never give such an order!"

Vass stood firm in disbelief.

"Mentor, I believe you are innocent, but the Governor's orders are not to be questioned!"

The heavy sound of boots echoed as Deville entered.

He stood before Vass and his family: "Allow me to conduct the search, that way these crude brutes won't mess up your home…"

Vass, looking at his colleague in the black coat with a golden lion badge and a cold expression, finally began to panic.

"Deville, you…"

Deville approached Arye, pulling a document from his coat pocket and showing it to Vass.

"You recognize this, right? It's an order from the Spire Estate…"

Arye felt a bit guilty—it was Kaes who had slipped the document into his pocket, and he hadn't used it until now.

Seeing the document, Vass's face turned pale, and he tried to plead:

"Deville, it's so late…"

"You know the consequences of defying the Governor's orders!"

Deville's expression grew even colder as he sensed something was off about his mentor.

Or rather, he felt that Vass had changed.

His mentor no longer seemed as loyal to the Governor as he once was! Holding the document high, Deville issued orders to the group:

"Watch them closely! Everyone must carry out the Governor's orders—no one is to interfere! Anyone who resists will be executed on the spot. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

The guards received the order.

Arye then turned to Deville : "Do you understand?"

Deville was momentarily stunned.

But seeing Arye and the guards all watching him, he reluctantly responded:

"Yes, sir!"

Deville nodded, carefully folding the document and returning it to Arye's pocket before turning to Vass.

"Mentor, I will now conduct the search. If I offend in any way, I ask for your forgiveness…"

"Fine, search away. The truth will prove my loyalty to the Governor!"

Vass showed no fear and stepped aside.

Without comment, Deville searched the rooms one by one, finding nothing unusual.

"Have you found anything?"

"All the rooms seem normal, nothing suspicious…"

Deville glanced at Arye and shook his head.

Vass approached, looking at Deville and the others:

"Well, then, this proves my loyalty. Now, can you leave? My family and I need rest!"

The guards exchanged uneasy glances, while Arye furrowed his brow:

"How can this be! The Governor himself marked this place. It can't be wrong!"

"The Governor is never wrong! Do you not smell something strange?"

"Smell?" Arye sniffed the air: "Yeah, I smell something… it's kinda sweet."

"That's a special type of nano-incense. As far as I know, that incense is used to mask the smell of corpses.

And the area covered by the incense happens to be this living room!"

Vass immediately shouted at Deville: "Nonsense! Look around this living room—what could possibly be wrong?"

"We'll find out soon enough."

From Vass's panicked glances, Deville had already figured out where the hidden mechanism was.

He walked to the wall lamp in the living room, examined it briefly, and pulled it down with force.

The floor beneath them trembled slightly as the mechanism began to move.

It wasn't surprising that Vass's family had installed hidden mechanisms after a thousand years of inheritance.

But what followed left everyone stunned.

In the center of the living room, the floor sank, and an iron bed covered in strange symbols rose from below.

On the bed lay the corpse of a young girl wrapped in thin film.

Her face was twisted in fear and pain, and her body had been dissected! Above her, the rusted ceiling slowly opened, revealing a hidden space.

The ceiling was inscribed with a blood-drawn ritual circle, and several dried corpses hung from it.

"Is this your loyalty to the Governor?

Is this how your family repays the Governor's grace?

Your actions have brought shame upon your ancestors, and I am ashamed to have known you!"

Seeing this, Deville was filled with rage!

This was the most despicable form of betrayal!

Vass's actions would bring shame upon the entire logistics division, leaving them unable to face the Governor or their colleagues!

Deville drew his laspistol, pointing it at Vass.

Vass, realizing he had been exposed, fell to his knees, trembling:

"Deville, I didn't betray the Governor! I never acted against the King's Court! I did all of this just to save my wife's life—she had an incurable disease!

Those sacrifices were just some underhive people on the verge of starving to death.

I traded food for them with their families! Surely you wouldn't punish me for these lowly underhive scum, would you?"

Deville's gaze turned even colder:

"Treachery is a dagger that pierces the soul, an unforgivable sin!

Since you've chosen betrayal, prepare to face the Governor's wrath!"

"Die, lapdog of the false Emperor!"

At that moment, Vass's wife suddenly revealed sharp fangs.

She transformed into a monstrous creature and lunged at Deville.

"No!"

Vass tried to stop her, but it was too late.

Boom!

The powerful blast of Arye's shotgun sent the creature that had once been Vass's wife flying against the wall.

The guards immediately opened fire, shredding the monster until it was nothing but a mangled mass of flesh, silent and still.

Vass, staring at his dead wife, was consumed by grief and rage, quickly reaching for his gun.

But Deville was faster, shooting Vass directly in the head, the las-beam piercing through his skull.

Vass fell dead.

The gunfire ceased, leaving only the sound of pitiful sobbing in the room.

Of Vass's family, only one remained alive.

Vass's son, terrified, was crying uncontrollably, calling out for his parents.

Deville stepped forward.

He looked down at the pitiful child, showing a brief moment of sympathy.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 54: Dawn Approaches

Deville felt a twinge of guilt.

After all, they had just executed this child's parents right in front of him.

By the end of the night, all of the privileges enjoyed by the Vass family would be revoked.

The only son of Vass, and all remaining members of their extended family, would be exiled to the lower hive through special channels.

This was an extremely harsh punishment, one that all families loyal to the Governor feared most.

Deville could imagine the suffering this child would face in the future.

But at the very least, he would live.

Even if only for a little while longer.

If a stranger from the King's Court had been in charge, the child would certainly not have been spared.

This was the only mercy Deville could offer to his former mentor, Vass.

Unfortunately, that mercy was misplaced.

Looking at the child, Deville could see the deep hatred brewing in his eyes, and he sighed inwardly.

That was not the look a normal child should have.

Biu!

Suddenly, Deville raised his laspistol and pulled the trigger.

The laser beam struck its target squarely.

The boy clutched his chest, blood-red eyes full of even deeper hatred, his body beginning to mutate.

He screamed and charged at Deville.

But the next second, another laser pierced his head.

Deville calmly pulled the trigger again and again, until the energy in his laspistol was depleted.

Clang!

The smoldering body of Vass's son collapsed, and a small bloodstained dagger fell from his hand.

Deville stood in silence, staring at the body, lost in thought.

"I told you…" Arye spat, walking over to pat Deville on the shoulder.

"These heretic scum aren't even human. Trust them, and you're as good as dead!"

Deville's expression returned to its cold demeanor:

"I know, I was just reflecting. These traitors enjoyed the Governor's grace, yet they showed no gratitude or loyalty.

Instead, they walked the path of heresy, destroying the efforts of generations in a single stroke!

I despise these traitors. This is the price of disloyalty!"

Arye scratched his head:

"Joining the heretics, dying like this is too easy for them. If I hadn't run out of thermite charges, I would've cooked these scum."

He turned to leave, calling back to Deville:

"Come on, pretty boy. Someone else will handle this mess."

Arye and Deville exited the house one after the other.

They looked up at the darkened sky, unsure of what to say.

At that moment, the sounds of gunfire and explosions began to quiet down.

The battle in the residential areas around the Sacred Square had come to an end.

The Imperial Guards gathered their fallen comrades and the fourteen sealed jars of Chaos essence, then boarded their assault ships to return to the King's Court.

They had lost three guards in this battle.

For the King's Court, this was no small loss.

But fortunately, the Guards had fulfilled the Governor's trust, successfully containing the crisis and preventing the spread of Chaos.

The defense forces began to regroup and return to their posts.

The enforcers, however, were the busiest.

Not only did they have to escort the surviving prisoners, but they also had to organize efforts to calm the panicked citizens.

Claudi was overwhelmed, calling in even more enforcers.

He swore that the enforcers had never been so courteous.

They not only had to pacify those damned lower hive dwellers, but also help put out fires, locate missing persons, and treat injuries.

But those were the Governor's orders, and Claudi had to follow them to the letter. If he didn't, the Governor wouldn't spare him.

Claudi patiently explained to the people through a mechanical loudspeaker drone:

"Tonight, it was the vile heretics from the Hoffman family who invaded, but thanks to the great Governor's war angels, they were all dealt with.

Along the way, we also took care of the gang leaders who had been oppressing you."

The residents cheered in response.

At the same time, Claudi ordered the enforcers to stay vigilant and maintain order in their assigned areas.

Anyone attempting to stir up trouble would be executed on the spot! Mercy alone wasn't enough—an iron fist was also needed to prevent chaos.

This had been Claudi's rule ever since he took charge.

The mercy granted to the lower hive dwellers by the Governor should never be an excuse for them to cause trouble.

Such behavior would be a far greater blasphemy!

In the Drake residential district...

Alia was praying, hoping that the God-Emperor and the Governor would protect her and bring an end to this terrifying chaos quickly.

Otherwise, it would affect her work at the factory.

If she didn't get her paycheck today, she would starve and be unable to move! Fortunately, as if in answer to her prayers, the gunfire ceased, and the curfew was lifted.

A shrill bell rang out in the residential corridors, signaling that it was time for people to wake up and prepare for work.

"Thank the Emperor, it's finally over,"

Alia sighed in relief, mustering the strength to get up and join the workers heading to the factory.

"Hey, this damned sky is finally lighting up!"

Arye took a long drag from what remained of his cigar, gazing at the faint sun in the sky.

Indeed, the sky was lightening.

Deville looked up at that faint light.

As the sunlight pierced through the hazy fog, the long and bloody night had finally come to an end.

...

At the Spire Estate of the King's Court…

Eden lay in a soft bed, sleeping peacefully until the gentle morning sunlight finally woke him.

It had been a long night, during which the armed forces of the King's Court had followed his orders to carry out a cleansing operation.

When Eden awoke, everything was as he had planned—peace had been restored.

This was the privilege of being the Governor; he didn't need to risk his life in battle, fighting desperately.

His loyal soldiers would shed blood and make sacrifices to eliminate all enemies for him! His will was his power, and it extended wherever he desired. Even though his current power was but a fraction of what it had once been at his peak, he remained confident.

Eden believed that he would reclaim his planet.

And once he had regained his strength, he would conquer the stars, bringing more planets lost in the dark corners of the Imperium under his rule, until his name was feared across the galaxy!

Of course, that was all in the future. For now, he was still in the beginner's zone, yet to defeat even the first boss.

At this moment, Eden felt invigorated—his body had grown stronger again!

In one night, he had gained 50,000 points of Hope Power.

The faith of the people was nourishing his body!

Initially, Eden had thought that the aftermath of the chaos would deepen people's fear, reducing the amount of Hope Power he could collect.

But things had turned out quite the opposite.

The locations he had marked for heretics and gang leaders had been so accurate that the entire battle had been contained within a manageable range, avoiding significant damage and casualties.

Plus, the rumors he had spread before were still circulating among the people.

Most of the population had heard the whispers: The Governor was blessed by the Emperor and would destroy all evil, driving away the darkness, and ensuring everyone would eat wood pulp bread.

And tonight, the Governor had truly sent his war angels to wipe out the heretics and the oppressive gang leaders! The rumors were coming true. If the evil was gone, then could the wood pulp bread be far behind?

Moreover, by dipping into next month's grain reserves, Eden had managed to increase the people's food rations.

Although it was still less than before the rationing cuts, this small increase brought immense joy to the workers struggling to survive. They wouldn't starve to death!

These combined factors led some to start believing in the rumors, and in Eden, their Governor.

As a result, the Hope Power surged dramatically!

Hope Power had increased significantly, but Eden wasn't entirely happy.

For some reason, he felt a vague sense of unease.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 55: Let It Pretend to Be a Servitor

After getting out of bed, Eden immediately summoned Bayev to report on the details of last night's cleansing operation.

Upon hearing the report, Eden was deeply concerned.

The release of just one vial of Chaos bio-weaponry had cost him three Imperial Guards.

Even his strongest warrior, Carter, had suffered minor injuries.

If he hadn't discovered those Chaos bio-weapons ahead of time, the consequences would have been unimaginable! Fortunately, it was all over now.

"Governor, all of the targets you marked have been eliminated. Now, we can proceed with the preparations for the Emperor's Ascension Day…"

Bayev looked at Eden with growing reverence.

The damned traitorous Hoffman family had launched such a vile attack on the King's Court.

If not for the Governor's divine-like powers of reconnaissance, the King's Court would have suffered great losses.

"By the way, make sure to properly compensate the families of the Guards who sacrificed their lives in the battle. Have their names inscribed on the monument at the foot of the Emperor's statue."

Eden instructed Bayev:

"From now on, all warriors who fall in battle should be properly compensated. You'll be in charge of planning it."

In the past, there was no such thing as compensation in the King's Court. Warriors were expected to fight bravely and sacrifice themselves if necessary—it was a symbol of loyalty.

It wasn't just the King's Court; even the Astra Militarum rarely had such compensation.

When the Astra Militarum left their homeworlds to fight across the galaxy, they ventured farther and farther away.

So far, in fact, that with a mortal's brief lifespan, it would be impossible to return home, even if they spent their entire life traveling aboard a ship.

Unless a soldier demonstrated extraordinary ability and earned exceptional honors, thus rising to the rank of officer, there was only a slim chance of ever returning home.

Even for officers, it was rare. For regular guardsmen, it was unthinkable.

Once they left their home planet, they were essentially saying goodbye to their families forever.

Their fate would either be death on the battlefield or, if they were lucky, dying of old age in a foreign land.

And after their deaths, it would be nearly impossible to track their identity or home planet.

Given the vast distances, delivering compensation to their families was practically impossible.

Even if compensation were to be sent, by the time it arrived, it would likely have been several generations since the soldier had passed.

Whether their family even remembered them was uncertain.

For these reasons, compensation had never really been a consideration.

Eden briefly explained his understanding of the compensation process to Bayev before handing the task over to him.

He believed Bayev would be able to formulate a suitable compensation plan, given the current resources of the King's Court.

Bayev nodded in agreement:

"Governor, I will devise an appropriate compensation plan. On behalf of the warriors, I thank you for your generosity!"

Afterward, Eden and Bayev discussed the process for the upcoming ceremony.

Once satisfied with the answers, Eden urged Bayev to check on the progress of the Emperor's statue construction.

Eden was grateful to have someone like Bayev as his steward—his energy seemed boundless, and he could handle multiple tasks simultaneously.

Without him, Eden feared he might collapse from exhaustion.

Everything had been set in motion, and the Emperor's Ascension Day was just three days away.

All Eden had to do was appear at the ceremony, make a promise to his people, and that would be enough.

Then, he would gather enough Hope Power to open the portal and send himself to the Green Wave farm on the space hulk.

There, he would obtain the advanced farming techniques and food resources, along with an automated robot.

Currently, the administrative methods in the King's Court were too outdated. There was no internet, and in some ways, it was worse than the world he had come from.

He had to get the internet up and running as soon as possible so that he could implement modern communication and management systems.

As for digital daemons or rogue codes, he wasn't worried.

He'd simply use the small sun to bless the servers for protection. He could create a few sacred relics with the blessing of the small sun, then gather some priests.

They could perform rituals and sprinkle holy water on the servers daily to ensure their protection.

Right now, the servers were only operating within the territory, so protecting them wasn't too difficult.

It wasn't like the Golden Throne, where the Emperor sat, maintaining the Astronomican—a massive beacon network that spanned the galaxy.

The strain of managing such servers across entire star systems, sectors, and even regions was unimaginable. No wonder they had to burn through so many psykers.

In any case, once he had the farming technology, and the servers for the internet set up, it would drastically reduce administrative costs and increase productivity.

The only tricky part was that robot.

The Imperium strictly forbade the use of AI robots.

If Eden really brought back an AI robot, symbolizing "hatred of intelligence," it would surely incite fear or opposition from the people.

If the Imperium found out, it would cause serious trouble.

But then again, Urth was now in the Imperium's dark zone. The Imperium had no control over him anymore!

Eden had made up his mind—he had to bring that AI robot back.

At worst, he'd disguise it. Put it in a robe, weld the Imperial Aquila on it, and pass it off as a servitor!

As long as Eden didn't admit it was an AI, who could challenge him?

Everything was moving in the direction Eden had hoped for.

He allowed himself to relax a bit, leaning back in his throne to rest.

But for some reason, the feeling of unease only grew stronger.

Suddenly, a sharp sense of foreboding struck Eden! Darkness, pure and overwhelming darkness!

He looked toward the Hoffman family's territory, his psychic senses faintly picking up on something terrible brewing there!

It was a terrifying Chaos monstrosity, a creation of the dark gods.

If it were allowed to fully mature, his territory would be powerless to stop its attack.

However, Eden couldn't risk starting a war with the Hoffman family directly.

Based on the strength they displayed yesterday, even if he won, it would be a pyrrhic victory.

The only ones to benefit would be the Grey Wolf gang.

Fortunately, there was still some time before that monstrosity was fully birthed.

Eden's only option now was to race against time, betting that he could gather enough Hope Power to restore his strength before the Hoffman family unleashed that creature.

Actually, Eden had another concern.

After last night's battle, the Hoffman family might have already uncovered the vulnerabilities of the King's Court.

If they chose to launch more attacks during the Emperor's Ascension Day, things could get very complicated.

As Eden brooded, in the secret laboratory of the Hoffman family's territory…

Squeak, squeak, squeak!

In a glass chamber, a mutated grey rat gnawed happily on a severed hand, looking quite content.

Its eyes were unusually bright, hinting at a level of intelligence.

Yusef had noticed this and ordered the rat to be kept alive, growing rather fond of it.

At that moment, Yusef gently stroked the grey rat, as if petting a small pet.

He was waiting for news.

Not long ago, he had received reports of gunfire within the King's Court's territory.

It seemed they had opted for a large-scale purge.

The heretics he had sent there would have immediately released the Chaos essence, unleashing those terrible mutated creatures.

Suffering would soon spread throughout the King's Court!

Cackle, cackle!

Yusef was pleased, imagining that the residential areas around the Sacred Square had already been turned into a wasteland, with countless casualties.

(End of Chapter)