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904.M38
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Going into more detail about the conversation, it involved one of the governors I had assigned to oversee one of the new colonies on a jungle world under our control. Around one million Imperials had settled there, most of them from newer generations who had reached adulthood during the last five years of our rule. They were, in essence, young people who had grown up entirely under the Dominion's system. Although devotion to the God-Emperor of Terra remained predominant, they accepted our authority as fellow humans and showed no open resistance.
A considerable effort had been made in education. The entire population was literate, something uncommon even by Imperial standards. However, they were not given access to advanced education to train engineers or scientists. Those positions remained reserved almost exclusively for Terran families, for obvious reasons: they were atheists, unburdened by faith, and capable of engaging in scientific research without ideological constraints.
Beyond that, what truly made the colony valuable was its demography. The population was extremely fertile, with an annual growth rate close to 23%, driven largely by their religious duty to "create new servants for the God-Emperor." That same faith, properly channeled, had become a productive tool.
Labor was concentrated in manual and semi-automated work: operating logging robots, running sawmills, and working in factories dedicated to producing furniture such as tables, bed frames, chairs, and other basic goods. All of it was destined for the Dominion's internal market, where it was sold at high prices, extracting large amounts of credits from the civilian economy.
As an additional incentive for the colonists, the development of a small local industry had been permitted. Most notable were the hydroponic farms, which rose as the few structures towering above the city's foundations—true agricultural towers amid the jungle.
The result was a fully self-sufficient colony, designed with a clear objective: progressively clearing the planet's jungle to transform it into agricultural land for macro-farms. This world was intended as a key piece in the colonization of the southern sector of our space. There were numerous planets still uncolonized, and with enough work, many could be terraformed in the future.
These agricultural worlds were vital to the project. Their high fertility and birth rates ensured that, within five decades, they could begin sending colonists en masse to found new colonies, guaranteeing the Dominion's sustained expansion.
Additionally, multiple smaller settlements had begun to appear in the area, composed primarily of populations from our recent annexations. Most of them were former low-density mining worlds, from which we relocated around one million people and redistributed them into small mining settlements across the sector, thus ensuring firm and continuous control of the region.
It did not take me long to reach the planet. It was not connected to the Moebius psionic matrix, but the journey was short—barely fifteen minutes from New Korhal. It was, quite literally, a stone's throw from our capital. In an emergency, I could flood the system with troops within hours.
We jumped to a previously selected point where the massive silhouette of the White Star could remain hidden. From there, I boarded my stealth transport and descended to the planet accompanied by a small retinue of my best Ghosts. The idea was to read the Tau minds without raising suspicion.
The governor was not a Ghost. He did not need to be. As this was a world directly colonized by us, it did not require constant oversight by one of my own. He was a member of the Royal Guard, with years of experience managing the logistics of hundreds of battlecruisers. He was more than qualified for the position.
I descended to the planet with my camouflage active and went straight to his office.
I found him working, reviewing reports on the local industry. He was calculating worker payments, analyzing profit margins from furniture sales, and managing the mass import of robotic components needed to continue expanding the vertical hydroponic farms, many of which were already under construction.
When I deactivated my camouflage, he stared at me in silence for a couple of seconds, visibly surprised.
"I'm sorry… at your service, Lord Regent," he finally said. The initial shock showed on his face for only an instant before he recovered and saluted with the fastest military gesture he could manage.
"At ease. I need to know what has happened since you sent the message," I told the governor. He nodded and sat back down behind his desk.
"As you know, we don't have orbital sensors," he began. "That's why we realized too late that there was a ship in our orbit. We don't know exactly how long it's been there, but recently they attempted to contact us. It was brief. They descended in a transport ship and spoke to us in Imperial Gothic. They gave us this," he said, pointing to a strange communication device.
"To communicate with them?" I asked.
"Yes. They wanted to cooperate with us. Over the last few days they've descended to the planet several times, and I've done everything possible to keep the situation stable. I only have ten thousand troopers and nothing capable of shooting down a spacecraft, so I limited myself to tolerating their affronts to our sovereignty until receiving instructions from the Dominion," he said, lowering his head.
"And the local population? No outbreaks of hatred due to the Imperial cult?" I asked while walking around the office.
"Yes, there have been tensions, Lord Regent, but I have kept them under control. This is a matter of the Dominion's foreign policy, and it was not my place to act without your authorization. Everything has remained functional… though extremely tense," the governor said nervously.
I nodded.
"Good. Accept the cooperation they offered and allow them to disembark from their ship. I'm going to—" I stopped abruptly and looked at the device."Wait. Are we sure that what they gave you isn't a listening device?"
I opened the communicator and ran a quick scan. I detected no active emissions or hidden storage capacity.
"Nothing." I exhaled slowly. "It would have been disastrous if this thing had something concealed. Be more careful with gifts, especially when they come from foreign powers. A mistake here could have had serious consequences." I reassembled the communicator and handed it back. "Contact these aliens and schedule a meeting. We'll see what I can get out of them."
"At your command, Lord Regent," the governor replied as he activated the device and began coordinating the diplomatic meeting.
As expected, the T'au did not take long to respond. Enthusiastic about the possibility of dialogue, they descended to the planet to meet with the governor and began their formal introductions.
I remained standing in one corner of the room, motionless, as if I were just another guard. The T'au delegation had brought an escort, though to their credit, they were all unarmed.
"Governor," said the xeno in a soft, perfectly modulated voice. She spoke in Low Gothic, with a refined accent clearly adjusted to what she had heard among the local population. "Por'el Sa'cea T'ros Kel'ui of the Water Caste, representative of the T'au people. We appreciate that you have agreed to grant us this time."
She gave a brief bow.
"Over the past few days we have observed your world and its infrastructure. The level of technology and organizational stability you display is not common among the species that inhabit the stars. Our interest arises from that observation." She paused, waiting.
"So interested," I said, looking directly at her, "that you don't even know Low Gothic is not the language of the Terran Dominion."
The diplomat froze for a fraction of a second. Her eyes shifted slightly, likely following adjustments made by her translator. Then she inclined her head again.
That hesitation gave me an opening to probe her mind—something curious, as the T'au are almost open books to telepathic reading.
"We acknowledge the correction," she replied calmly. "The error will be rectified immediately." She made a brief gesture. "I request confirmation," she continued. "Is the correct designation of your people 'Terran'?" she asked, looking at the governor.
The idiot governor stared at me for several seconds, waiting for an answer that clearly was not his to give. He said nothing. He just looked at me, as if he needed permission to speak.
I sighed faintly and spoke directly into his mind.
"Answer normally and stop looking at me like that. You're making it obvious I'm your superior," I transmitted telepathically.
The governor blinked, cleared his throat, and turned back
"Yes… uh… forgive the initial tone," he said, visibly uncomfortable. "My guard is not accustomed to this kind of encounter."
The T'au diplomat did not react to the internal exchange, but she registered it. It was evident in the way she subtly adjusted her posture—she suspected something, both from the governor's nervousness and from my presence.
"We appreciate being able to continue communicating in Low Gothic," she replied calmly."We understand it is not the administrative language of your Dominion. In future encounters, we will endeavor to adapt to your language with greater precision."
"As I was saying," she continued, "the reason for this contact is the potential we observe in your civilization. We believe there is room for mutually beneficial cooperation."She paused briefly
"The T'au people seek to establish stable trade relations with species that demonstrate organizational capacity and technological development. We also request authorization for limited transit of our fleets through your space, for purposes of scientific exploration and contact with other intelligences."
The governor looked at me again. The diplomat did as well.
"You're not suited for this," I said without taking my eyes off him.
He bit his lip and lowered his head, fully aware he had been exposed.
The T'au inclined her head slightly, studying me with renewed attention.
"Then I assume you are not a guard," she said calmly. "With whom do I have the privilege of speaking?"
"Nothing that concerns you, xeno," I replied in my own language, while simultaneously sending a psionic message to my second-in-command aboard the White Star to destroy the T'au ship—I had already extracted everything of interest from the diplomat's mind.
The diplomat frowned faintly and turned her head, requesting assistance from her ship to reinterpret the linguistic record. She did not fully understand the linguistic difference. She did understand the intent.
"May we continue in Low Gothic?" she asked. "It would facilitate communication."
"You don't know who you're speaking to," I said. "Or what you've involved yourself in."
I stepped forward, enough for everyone in the room to notice.
"You will not wrap the Terran Dominion in courtesy treaties or that façade of gradual cooperation. We already know that method. Trade first. Agreements later. Selective technology transfers. Dependency. Loss of autonomy."I stared directly at her.
"You've done it before. Your people have done it before."The silence became heavy."The Dominion of Man is not a young civilization seeking guidance," I continued."We are stronger than you. Much stronger."
I extended my hand. Pressure fell upon the T'au Fire Caste almost instantly. Their armor creaked under the force of my will, plates warping and bones cracking as they screamed in pain.
"There is no need to resort to violence," the diplomat said, her voice no longer steady."I offer apologies for the offense caused by using an incorrect language. We do not seek your annihilation. We only ask for your commitment to the Greater Good—nothing more than what could benefit us both." Her fear was evident, though she tried to contain it.
"The Dominion of Man does not make deals with aliens," I replied as I took another step forward. "The survival of our species is not negotiable. And it so happens that the T'au represent an existential threat."
I extended my hand and seized her effortlessly. I lifted her off the ground and dragged her toward the panoramic window of the office, forcing her to look.
Outside, her ship was completely eclipsed.
The White Star had taken orbital position. Its colossal silhouette covered the sky, blocking out the sun and casting vast shadows over the city. Energy began to accumulate in the Yamato cannon, illuminating the atmosphere with an absolute white glow.
The shot was immediate.
The T'au ship ceased to exist. There was no explosion. Only disintegration.
I forced her to watch every second.
"Kurt," I said into the communicator, without taking my eyes off the void where the ship had been."When you receive this message, mobilize the fleet. I authorize a preemptive strike." I closed the channel.
I released the diplomat. The T'au had no time to react. I snapped all their necks with telekinesis. When it was over, the room fell silent, covered in T'au blood.
"Clean this place," I ordered the governor.
He nodded without saying a word, staring at the floor, unable to meet my gaze.
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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
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