Gravelax Street.
Commissar Cain had just left the Command Post Hotel, and on the street, a long line of new weapons and equipment brought by Li Feng stretched out, including various tanks and armored vehicles Cain had never seen before, as well as heavy artillery and rockets mounted on trucks.
In the sky, numerous aircraft, armed helicopters with propellers on top, and transport helicopters were flying... Amidst the noise, Cain suddenly heard someone call him from behind.
"Ah Kai! Over here, over here!"
Cain had few friends, probably due to his work, but over the years, only a handful of people had called him that.
He turned his head and indeed saw Divas, who had just walked out of the hotel, running towards him with his usual foolish smile.
"Old Divas!"
Cain greeted him. Divas rounded a transport vehicle and quickly ran to Cain's side.
"When did you get promoted to Major?"
The last time Cain saw Divas, he had just been promoted to Captain, watching Cain leave the 12th Field Artillery Regiment with a hangover headache. At that time, Divas was probably the only one who was reluctant to see him go.
Cain immediately said, "Are you still with the 12th Artillery Regiment?"
Divas chuckled breathlessly, with that precocious childishness: "Yes, I'm the Regimental Chief of Staff now. Mostly just maintaining order, eradicating Heretics, the usual stuff."
Cain noticed a few white hairs at Divas's temples and that his belt was one buckle looser, but his enthusiasm was as strong as when they first met.
Cain looked around at the noisy scene. The firepower before him was enough to make this remote planet tremble.
Divas immediately said, "If the Tau mobilize, none of this firepower will be wasted. You have to see their weapons with your own eyes to know how powerful they are. Those things are like a combination of Dreadnoughts, but faster and twice the size of an Astartes Warrior. Their tanks will make you think Eldar equipment is just Ork junk."
Divas still found war an interesting thing. It was certainly easier to fire shells from a few kilometers behind the front line, but it wasn't so amusing when you were face to face with the enemy and could smell them.
But Divas wasn't worried about that, because... "See those 155mm truck-mounted cannons? Those cannons can fire extended-range shells, several times the range of our old 132mm earthshaker cannons, and those shells are precision-guided, with an error margin about the size of a window."
"Several times!?"
"Yes, Ah Kai. Little Li... ahem... our Old Li, brought a bunch of new toys this time. The rockets from those rocket launchers can travel hundreds, even thousands, tens of thousands of kilometers, and they're also precision-guided munitions. Our artillery this time ranges from 380, 280, 240, 230, 155, 122... everything is available. I even heard we're building a super weapon, a giant railway gun with a caliber of about 800mm! It can even fire directly into outer space!"
...On the streets of Gravelax, Cain and Divas walked along. On the streets, Cain could see a large number of Military Police in action, knocking on door after door, then entering to purge traitors.
Many traitors had their homes raided, and the Tau goods they had purchased were thrown directly out of windows, smashing to pieces on the ground. Soldiers pulled out bayonets, held down those with strange Tau hairstyles, and cut off the braids on their heads.
At the same time, the Military Police dragged the stubborn traitors directly out of their houses and threw them in the middle of the street, publicly beating them with stun batons and truncheons. What Cain found amusing was... "Three strikes to shatter the Tau soul! Sir, I am an Imperial!"
Under "stick education," the traitors cried out in pain, begged frantically, and pleaded for forgiveness. On both sides of the street, on one side were loyal Imperial citizens applauding and cheering, and on the other were the Tau collaborators glaring at the Military Police.
In the night, Cain and Divas's figures stood out under the streetlights. Cain, wearing a heavy Political Commissar's overcoat, passed the sentries guarding the camp gate without hindrance.
Although a Soldier gave them a reminder: "Be careful, Sirs. This area is prone to unrest."
This statement didn't mean much to Cain. He smiled and nodded, casually indicating he would be careful, and once they were out of the Soldier's hearing range, he immediately whispered a warning to Divas never to go near that place.
Divas frowned and replied, "By the Emperor, no! That place is overrun with Heretics. Unless you give me a squad of those new 'Leopard' tanks, don't expect me to go clean it up."
Cain thought that Divas had probably never seen what a flamethrower does to a person, otherwise he wouldn't be so enthusiastic about the idea. Cain himself had seen such scenes, and even for his most hated enemies, he wouldn't wish such a cruel end upon them.
"Where did these people come from?"
Cain asked, walking through the gradually lighting streetlights and advertising signs under the night sky. The surrounding crowd silently made way as they approached, watching them with awe or disgust, clearly intimidated by their Imperial uniforms and personal weapons.
Cain noticed some of the disgusted looks came from locals with peculiar hairstyles, who had shaved their heads, leaving only a long braid on top.
It was only later that Cain learned this hairstyle symbolized a certain heretical faction, and that these people were likely to betray the Imperium once the war began, but for now, they merely cursed in low voices.
Divas replied, clearly unconcerned by their presence: "They are locals; the entire planet has been infiltrated by alien sympathizers."
The locals had been trading with the Tau aliens for generations. While it seemed illogical, one couldn't expect higher loyalty from these remote farmers.
The locals had grown accustomed to the Tau's presence, and despite repeated warnings from the local Ecclesiarchy bishop that they would suffer for it, they continued to ignore him.
Gradually, many began to accept alien ideologies, and Li Feng's mission here was to reverse their thinking before the situation completely deteriorated.
The two soon arrived at a barbecue bar, found a seat inside. The bar was filled with officers and Soldiers in Imperial uniforms, and the large neon sign above the bar's entrance explained why it was so popular.
"Veteran's Barbecue"
Divas concluded, finishing a drink: "The problem is, those hardliners are too deeply influenced; they've completely turned against us, believing the Tau should rule the The Galaxy / Milky Way, and that we are villains here to take away their new toys."
Cain responded with a smile: "But if the Tau really come, I'm afraid they won't let go so easily."
Cain also drained his glass in one gulp. The smoky liquid flowed down his throat and into his chest, warming his limbs. But the taste of this liquor... Cain couldn't compliment it; they had only ordered it because the bottle looked like a shell.
Divas sneered in reply: "They certainly know we won't give up this place easily. They claim they're just here to protect their trade interests."
Both laughed simultaneously. The Imperium had invaded countless other planets with the same excuse. Of course, the Imperium's actions were not mere excuses; Cain's duty as a Political Commissar was to execute those who dared to question the Imperium's resolve.
Cain signaled the Bartender and ordered another round. The bar's "generous" and beautiful waitress poured their drinks with patriotic fervor.
Cain had to admit, Divas had a good eye for choosing bars. This place, called "Veteran's Barbecue," was clearly a stronghold for patriots.
The smoky bar was filled with Astra Militarum and garrison Soldiers. Civilian customers showed great enthusiasm for seeing real Imperial Guard Soldiers, constantly cursing the Imperial government for not sending Guardians sooner to fight the aliens.
The bar owner was a recently retired Astra Militarum Sergeant who had lost a leg fighting Orks. He was clearly immensely proud that these two high-ranking officers would visit his bar.
And Divas was a smooth talker; he immediately introduced himself and Cain to the owner as "friend of the emperor" and also spoke of Cain's various exploits as an imperial hero.
Cain showed appropriate humility regarding the compliments about his early adventures, and soon, the two no longer needed to pay their tab. Cain even signed autographs for some civilian customers, who hoped "Heroic Commissar Cain" would wipe out "those blue-skinned rascals."
Cain also began flirting with the waitress, and it must be said that Cain's "flirtatious remarks" were quite smooth... "Smile for me... Do you have a boyfriend?... Hmm? What do you think of me? If I'm not good enough, how about him? If he's not good enough, how about both of us?... We'll pick you up after your shift? What do you say?... Come on, let's chat, right? Your boss is a Soldier, don't you know what kind of people we are?... What do you mean 'not good enough'? If you take away the 'not,' all that's left is 'good enough' for me!... Sister, this is the end of the line, this is the end of the line..."
After flirting with the waitress, Cain and Divas retreated to a secluded private room in the bar, allowing them to continue their conversation in peace. Divas was a little tipsy and once again reverted to his old nickname for Li Feng... "I actually think what our Little Li has done this time should make a difference. I'll tell you a secret..."
Divas raised his glass, unconsciously tapping his nose. Cain drank slower; he still needed to stay sober to navigate the potentially hostile city at night.
Cain asked, "What secret?"
"What do you think?" Divas dipped his finger in his drink and wrote a fancy letter 'I' on the table, added two horizontal lines, then wiped it away.
Cain couldn't help but laugh: "Ah, the Inquisition... But indeed. However, the Inquisition has nothing to do with us now. Li Feng is here; with his gravitas, even an Inquisitor wouldn't dare touch us."
Because he knew that if there truly were no such rumors, that would really mean the Inquisition was operating behind the scenes.
Divas finished his last drink, put down the glass, and said with a somewhat blurry expression:
"I heard it from an Administratum bureaucrat; he swore... the source is absolutely reliable." Then he stood up, swaying, and said he needed some fresh air outside.
"I probably need some fresh air too."
Cain agreed. Although he outwardly dismissed the rumors about the Inquisition, he secretly made a note of them. The situation here was clearly more complex than he had initially imagined.
After bidding farewell to the bar owner and the reluctant waitress, the two stumbled down the stairs. The cold night air invigorated Cain.
Cain scanned his surroundings and saw Divas lying in a ditch by the roadside, still muttering things only he could understand.
Fortunately, the bar was located in a secluded alley, so no one would see their comical state. After ensuring there were no sudden emergencies, Cain pulled Divas up and joked:
"Your alcohol tolerance isn't that bad, is it?"
Divas shook his head helplessly: "This liquor is really bad quality... Gun liquor, cannon liquor, bullet liquor, specifically designed to rip off old comrades..."
Cain said impatiently, looking around, trying to regain his bearings: "Oh my goodness, where did you take us?"
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