The teleportation field shimmered as Grey materialized inside the fortress, stepping out of the portal with practiced ease.
Heavy Hammer was dead.
The slums of District One had been purged.
Two objectives, two successful missions.
Yet, as Grey removed his helmet and sat across from Qin Mo, his jaw tensed—as if something weighed heavily on him.
Qin Mo barely glanced up from his work.
"If you have something to say, say it."
Grey exhaled, hesitating—then turned to Yoan.
"Uh… have you two eaten yet?"
Yoan gave him a blank stare.
Qin Mo set his tools down.
"Grey. We're not just superior and subordinate. We're brothers-in-arms.
Speak your mind."
Grey exhaled slowly.
"Did I just… kill Grot's brother?"
Qin Mo didn't answer immediately.
He simply held Grey's gaze.
The realization settled in.
Grey's stomach twisted.
At the time, Heavy Hammer had been just another cultist leader—a madman screaming praises to a false god, slaughtering civilians in the streets.
But now?
Now, he understood.
The man he had executed—no, crushed into a smear of flesh and metal—was none other than Grot's blood brother.
And to make matters worse—
Before the killing blow, he had mocked him.
"You're a disgrace to your brother."
Grey swallowed hard.
At the time, it felt like the right thing to say.
"He was murdering civilians in the slums—I… I had no choice," he muttered, voice uncertain.
"But… Grot… I…"
The words felt empty.
Like an excuse.
Qin Mo raised a hand, silencing him.
He understood Gray's internal conflict.
On one hand, he knew what he did was right.
On the other, he felt guilty for executing Grot's brother.
And sooner or later, Grot would find out.
"This truth is known only to us."
He leaned forward, voice unwavering.
"So, here's the plan."
....
Grey and Yoan listened intently.
"We'll tell Grot that his brother did indeed die—but not by execution.
Instead, he fell in battle against the gang lords of District One.
A warrior's death. A hero's death.
One that saved many lives."
Grey immediately nodded.
This was exactly what he had wanted to ask.
It felt right.
But Yoan frowned.
"Lying… isn't that wrong?"
"It is."
Grey hesitated.
"Deceiving Grot… it feels dishonorable."
Qin Mo's gaze hardened.
"Then give him the truth.
Tell him his brother was corrupted.
That he abandoned the Emperor and started worshiping something else.
That he butchered innocents—not warriors, not enemies, but unarmed civilians.
Tell him his brother was beyond saving."
Silence.
Neither Grey nor Yoan could answer.
Qin Mo sighed.
"He wouldn't accept it.
He'd demand to know why.
Why did his brother go mad?
Why did he slaughter civilians?
Why did he suddenly turn into a zealot for an unseen god?
Can either of you give him an answer he'll believe?
An answer he'll accept?"
Grey clenched his fists.
....
Yoan looked away.
They couldn't.
Yoan knew what Chaos was.
But Grot?
A man who thrived in battle, who relished the thrill of the fight?
What if he learned about Khorne?
Would he resist—or would he embrace it?
"It's settled," Qin Mo said at last.
"The lie is mercy."
And with that, the discussion ended.
....
Qin Mo turned to his next task—constructing a gene-scanning device to find Grot's last surviving family member—his sister, Maya.
Using DNA matching, drones would scan the entire Lower Hive until they located her.
Only then may Grot's family be reunited.
....
Grey, however, remained seated.
His fingers drummed against the table, his mind racing.
Then, he spoke again.
"We're going to war with the Hive, aren't we?"
Qin Mo looked up.
Then, without hesitation—
"Yes."
Everything pointed to it.
The assault on the Underhive had never been meant to succeed.
They had been sent to die.
And if one Ecclesiarch was tainted, how many more had fallen?
The entire assault on the Underhive had likely been a Chaos plot from the start.
And now, with David's last moments recorded, they had proof.
"Talon I is not yet ours. Choose your words carefully."
The recording played over the vox, the guard captain's voice eerily calm.
Grey furrowed his brow.
Then, a notification flashed inside his helmet—Yoan had sent him a classified report.
After decrypting it, the full assassination log appeared.
For the first time, Grey saw what Yoan had done.
And now, there was no doubt left.
This wasn't just a war with the Hive Lords.
It was something bigger.
"I had Yoan eliminate David for one reason," Qin Mo said.
"Because he wasn't an Imperial loyalist.
He was part of something else."
Grey didn't question it.
He believed it instantly.
"Then that means…
We're not just fighting the Hive.
We're fighting David's faction too.
Where is his true stronghold?"
Qin Mo smirked.
"There are three planets in the Talon system.
If it's not Tyrone Hive, then it's one of the other two.
Maybe both."
Grey didn't look surprised.
Just… thoughtful.
Then, he grinned.
"If a fleet comes, you can invent something to take care of it, right?"
Qin Mo smacked him across the helmet.
"What do you think I am, a wishing machine?"
Grey laughed.
"Then we'll just have to teleport onto their ships and fight to the death."
Qin Mo shook his head.
"No need to be dramatic.
We're building a shipyard."
Grey blinked.
"A shipyard?"
"In the Underhive," Qin Mo continued.
"Once we seize orbital control, we'll teleport the entire shipyard into orbit.
Then we'll mass-produce warships."
Grey stared.
"A shipyard that big—can it even be teleported?"
Qin Mo smirked.
"You thought teleportation was just for infantry?"
"Heh. Fair enough."
Gray finally relaxed.
....
Qin Mo leaned back.
"We need to expand our forces.
Deploy water purification systems across the Hive.
Once that's done—begin recruitment.
All recruits will be sent to the Underhive for training.
Any who display strange beliefs…"
He paused.
"Will be screened."
Grey exhaled.
"What if we lose control of the purified water zones?
What if the enemy takes them?"
"Let them drink all the water they want."
Qin Mo's eyes gleamed.
"It won't help them break our gravity shields or destroy our tanks.
Even now, with our current forces, we can conquer the Hive—even if they outnumber us tenfold."
Grey and Yoan exchanged glances.
Then, as one, they saluted.
"Understood."
They turned to leave.
And with that—war preparations began.