On the streets of Gravelax,
Commissar Cain looked around, trying to regain his bearings: "Where the hell are we?"
"The docks."
Divas, though drunk, answered with certainty and strode towards the nearest brightly lit street.
Cain shrugged and followed. After all, they were new to this unfamiliar place. As they walked down a well-lit street, Cain felt a touch of unease.
They had chatted animatedly all the way, but he recognized none of the surrounding buildings, and a faint suspicion grew that Divas's confidence might be misplaced.
Cain observed the increasing number of menacing, shaved-braid-headed people on the street and asked, "Old Divas? Are you sure this is the way back to our quarters?"
Divas grinned and replied, "Not back to our quarters. This is their quarters. I thought you'd want to see the enemy."
Cain yelled, "What the hell do you want me to see!?"
Cain clutched his head, letting out a silent scream. Oh, Emperor! This guy… Divas had completely bought into Cain's heroic nonsense, without a shred of doubt.
In fact, Cain and Li Feng had once unexpectedly become heroes by single-handedly charging into a swarm of Tyranids with Chainswords, and Divas had been a firm believer ever since.
In reality, Cain had merely been lucky to have the formidable Li Feng with him, and they had only won by luring the Tyranids into a pre-arranged heavy fire zone.
Divas, however, believed Cain would be eager to participate in such a dangerous reconnaissance mission.
"Are you out of your mind!?"
Divas swayed and said, "There's absolutely no danger. We're not in a state of war right now."
That was true, but Cain didn't want to initiate a state of war through such foolish actions.
"Before we start fighting, it's best not to provoke them…"
Commissar Cain said with appropriate gravitas. Divas lowered his head like a child deprived of candy. Cain realized that to play his role properly, he might need to offer some verbal encouragement.
"We cannot place our desires above the Emperor's assigned duties, no matter how tempting."
"I suppose you're right." Divas reluctantly agreed.
Cain finally breathed a sigh of relief. He just needed to get Divas back to camp as quickly as possible before he came up with any more stupid ideas. So he put a hand on Divas's shoulder, turned him around, and asked,
"How do we get back to camp?"
"How about in body bags?"
Suddenly, a voice spoke from behind them. Cain turned, his heart clenching. A dozen locals stood behind them, their shaved heads gleaming coldly in the streetlights, armed with makeshift weapons.
They looked fierce, or at least thought they did. After being intimidated by Orks and Eldar raiders, Cain felt no reaction to these guys, only that it was like seeing a group of children threatening him with knives.
Cain carried a laspistol and a Chainsword, and having been through battle, he knew these were far more effective than the crowbars in their hands.
Cain put a hand on Divas's shoulder and gave a lazy smile. He said, "Believe me, you really don't want to start anything."
The leader stepped forward, standing under the streetlight, and looked at them coldly:
"That's not for you to decide. You Imperials are here to take our world, aren't you?"
"I didn't quite catch that, what did you say?"
Cain feigned confusion, buying time. However, Cain noticed more Heretics emerging from the alleys, cutting off their retreat. He began to calculate his chances.
If he could land a shot on the leader, he might create an opening to break through. If they were distracted attacking Divas, he would have enough time to escape.
But he wasn't sure, so he continued to stall, looking for a better opportunity. Thus, Cain chose not to betray his comrade.
"You came here to take our world!"
The leading Human Heretic roared, his face even painted blue with intricate patterns, especially a large "Y" on his nose. It should have looked ridiculous, but it unexpectedly enhanced his presence.
"You will never take our freedom!"
Divas broke free of Cain's grasp and charged forward:
"We came here to give you freedom, you fools who rely on xenos! But you brainwashed idiots would never understand!"
Diplomacy was over. Divas was clearly lost in his own performance. Cain secretly hoped this absurd charge would at least allow him to slip away.
Unfortunately, luck was not on their side. The Heretics formed a wedge, gradually surrounding them. Cain drew his pistol and fired, hitting one man's half-face, creating a steaming hole in his cheek. The man collapsed weakly to the ground.
Suddenly, an iron bar struck Cain's wrist heavily. He barely dodged, avoiding a fracture, but the heavy blow knocked his pistol away. He tried to bend down to pick it up, but it was futile.
A knee strike hit his ribs. Cain coughed and fell to the ground, his knuckles scraping against the cold, hard concrete, in agony.
He knew that if he couldn't escape, his life would likely be forfeit.
"Divas!" Cain roared, hoping Divas could help him, but Divas was also in trouble and clearly couldn't be relied upon.
Cain desperately curled up, trying to draw his Chainsword. He now knew he should have intimidated them from the start, but that thought was useless now.
He was pinned down, unable to draw his Chainsword, and could only frantically roll around, protecting his vital areas, enduring a barrage of punches and kicks.
Fortunately, there were so many of them that the back rows couldn't get close, and his uniform was thick enough to absorb some of the impact, otherwise he would have been on his last breath.
"Stop!" A sharp voice suddenly rang out, the inhuman squeal making the hairs on Cain's neck stand on end.
The crowd attacking him stopped. Cain barely managed to roll over and saw the previously arrogant leader being pulled back by a strong force.
He could hardly believe his eyes, the pain in his ribs reminding him it was all real. A creature with a hooked bird-like beak stood before him, its head adorned with intricate feathers. It emitted a nauseatingly cold aura.
"Are you alright?"
The creature asked in a strange, low, clicking tone, but its words were perfect Imperial Gothic.
Cain was too stunned to speak for a moment. This creature could talk?
After a moment, he responded hoarsely. Politeness was the only reaction he could think of: "Ah… yes, thank you."
"You're welcome."
The creature said, easily tossing a Heretic aside. The attackers looked timid and bewildered, like students caught by a teacher.
Cain watched it extend another slender, sharp claw, realized its intention, and accepted the offer, standing up. The creature then turned to the thugs. It said coldly:
"What you are doing now is not for the greater good. Go, and avoid conflict."
The thugs quickly scattered like birds, and Cain secretly breathed a sigh of relief, staring at his savior, but filled with apprehension. Before him was a Kroot from the T'au Empire.
This Kroot was slightly taller than him and exuded a menacing aura. If it wanted his life, it wouldn't take long at all.
Cain picked up his dropped pistol, suppressing his trembling, and tried to calm down. Cain said,
"I am very grateful to you, although I don't understand your motives, I am truly appreciative."
He clumsily shoved the pistol back into its holster, his hand swollen, his fingers difficult to move.
Cain's savior let out a strange clicking laugh: "The T'au currently do not wish for Imperial officers to die here. The political situation is tense, and we do not wish to escalate it."
"I wouldn't want that outcome either, especially if one of those officers were me."
The Kroot clicked with laughter again. Cain then remembered Divas and stumbled over to check on him. He was still breathing, with a deep gash on his forehead. Cain could tell he would recover quickly, but his head would ache for a while… which suited Cain just fine! This idiot Divas had almost gotten them both killed!
The creature then said, "It is an honor. I am Gworok of the Cha'kor tribe. I am a Kroot."
"I know. The Kroot killed my parents."
Cain explained that his parents were Soldiers who died in a border conflict with the T'au. He was then sent to the Schola Progenium and later entered the Commissariat. Otherwise, he would have been clearing sewers in a Hive City, earning a small amount of money to buy a small house. His anger over this fact even surpassed his grief for his parents, who hadn't cared much for him when they were alive. But taking the moral high ground was always a safe bet, although his savior didn't seem to care.
It is worth noting that the background Cain provided about himself during his conversation with the Kroot, while seemingly credible on the surface, did not hold up under later scrutiny.
One point was that the Schola Progenium typically only accepted the offspring of officers and nobles. If his parents were indeed ordinary Soldiers as he claimed, then they must have displayed extraordinary bravery in the battle where they fell. This clearly contradicts his description of their characters.
Furthermore, Cain implied that his parents enlisted together and served together. While mixed-gender units did exist in the Guard, it must be noted that such instances were extremely rare.
Cain mentioned living in a Hive World in his early life multiple times in this dossier, but never specifically stated which one. Conversely, verifying such a claim is practically impossible, as Inquisitor Vail knew of no mixed regiments in any Hive World during his timeframe.
Regarding Cain, this must be kept firmly in mind: Cain is a compulsive liar, a fact he himself admits. Only partially revealing the truth is a very effective method of manipulation.
Gworok said, "I believe they must have fought hard."
Cain was unimpressed. The only reason his parents joined the military was to escape the Hive City, and they clearly hadn't seized that opportunity to slip away, perhaps a genetic issue.
"Not very hard."
Cain replied, and Gworok laughed in its own way again. This situation frustrated Cain; a non-human creature understood him better than his own kind.
"Be careful, Political Commissar. Know your enemy. We do not necessarily need to conflict."
However, if Gworok had known Cain's true identity and everything that would happen in the future, he would have killed Cain here without hesitation.
Because… a dozen minutes later, when Li Feng learned that his two friends had been beaten by a group of "blue-skinned Human Heretics," Li Feng chose not to send the Military Police to "knock on doors," but instead sent the fanatical zealots… "Damn it! Scum! Daring to strike my Political Commissar! These are not ordinary thugs! We must strike hard!"
The zealots immediately began a "Loyalty Operation." They chased the Human Heretics through the streets with blunt clubs, and it was said that these zealots killed many people.
Later, as Cain was being treated in the hospital, he saw several zealots carrying the thugs who had ambushed him and Divas directly into the room. The men were beaten beyond recognition, their painted blue faces covered in blood, and their limbs twisted unnaturally.
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