Chapter 203 Safinius
The hall of Safinius Mining Guild was drowned by the roar. Every guild president and every administrative official competed to speak at the same time.
The speaker presiding over the meeting slammed the side of the podium several times with his left prosthetic leg before the hall returned to basic order.
"Panic won't help."
He snapped:
"Perhaps there is another explanation."
"What other explanation could there be for an Adeptus Astartes warship appearing without warning in our orbit?"
A guild president asked loudly.
“What explanation can be more reasonable than that the Empire is preparing to launch a large-scale war in this world?”
The hall was once again noisy under the dome, since the divining antenna detected an unidentified ship Breaking into the galaxy, the presidents were called together for an emergency meeting.
The meeting devolved into chaos when the Astropaths identified it as a Space Marine warship.
“They are loyal servants and envoys of the emperor.”
A guild master said loudly:
“Representing supreme authority, we should rely on Congratulations to them."
"Are you crazy?"
The president who spoke earlier questioned him.
“Do you know how much assets we will lose every day once our place becomes a battlefield? Not to mention the parts that are destined to be destroyed in the war!”
“But everyone already knows The mining area is full of monsters.”
At this time, the speaker presiding over the meeting suddenly taunted:
“Or you want to summon the guards, local defense forces and mining area militia to fight those monsters. A battle?”
He looked at the other party with eyes that were almost contemptuous.
"Tell me, which plan seems more crazy?"
The other presidents fell silent, realizing the truth contained in these terrible words.
So the Speaker decided to strike while the iron is hot, and he said calmly:
"There is still an opportunity, and we can seize it. Gentlemen of the guild, we must unite as one, we cannot Let Safinius be reduced to a battlefield. As long as we show our position and strength and have the ability to deal with the underground threats, these angels will leave soon."
"Where's the Legal Department?"
Another president spoke. He had been smoking a pipe before, covering himself in a lingering smoke.
"If the Space Marines support them, there's nothing we can do to stop them."
"It doesn't matter, we have an ally... the Archbishop will take over."
< br>This sentence made everyone’s eyes light up.
"Yeah, I almost forgot about that useless Bishop. If it were him, the situation would at least be controllable."
It was raining heavily when the Space Marines arrived.
The downpour of rain washes over the shaft's main landing platform and the surrounding wilderness beyond the edge of the deep underground mining settlement. The rain-soaked shelter sizzles and the rocky surface of the platform dances with water. .
A giant beast descended from the nearly black sky, with curtains of water hanging down its broad sides. The emblem of the two crossed swords reflected a moist luster on the gray shell.
When this powerful machine roared and flew overhead, the gathered guild presidents huddled together more and more, shivering in their rain-soaked attire.
The aircraft's afterburner engine whipped the embroidered hems of their robes, pulling a lady's shawl off her shoulders and throwing it into the vast curtain of rain.
When the Thunderhawk finally came to a stop on the platform, the painful howl of the engine finally subsided to an idling growl. The dark muzzles of the many weapon systems on board glowed coldly in the rain.
For a moment, everything seemed to stop.
Everyone in the guild looked up anxiously, and finally a loud crash made them almost jump.
The Thunderhawk's front hatch began to lower, spraying out a cloud of water mist.
The seven giants came through the water mist, and their armor-clad steps left a rhythmic echo on the plastic steel plate.
The stature of each giant is far beyond the reach of ordinary people. They are covered in silver-gray battle armor with different shades, and the black eyepieces shine in the dazzling lights of the emergency light belt in the landing area.
On various parts of the armor, streamlined etching lines depict patterns of thunderclouds and flames.
The extremely powerful bolters and melee weapons are held in their fist armor. The only comfort is that the power within them has not yet been activated.
Two columns of seven giants passed through the hatch to the platform, forming a towering human wall in front of the guild leaders.
With the last crash of ceramite, they stood still and let the rain wash away their armor.
For a while, they remained motionless and silent.
Until one of them took a step forward, his armor was more silver-colored, and the thundercloud pattern on it was lifelike, as if destructive power would surge out of it at any time.
The people in the guild cowered in front of him.
"Who is the Governor of the Planet?"
The giant asked. The voice came from the arc-shaped grid of the helmet speaker, as if coming from some abyss, and the words woven in High Gothic seemed stiff and strange. formal.
No one in the guild responded, and the giant did not speak again.
Finally, the head of the planet’s Ministry of Interior office couldn’t stand the silence and responded humbly:
“All government orders here come from the mining collective meeting, sir, except for Holy Terra. The Emperor, there is no other leader here.”
During the Great Crusade, Saphinius was a planet directly under the Terran government and managed by the planetary governor dispatched by the Imperial Ministry of Interior. However, during the Horus Heresy, the planetary governor defected, causing the planet to break away from the empire. embrace.
Although the planet returned to the Empire after the Rebellion, the liberators were not the Imperial Army, but the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Concerning the stability of energy supply, Forge World Griffin IV sent troops to restore this mineral-rich planet at the end of the Horus Heresy, and planned to take it into its possession.
Such a decision was naturally strongly opposed by the Ministry of the Interior. After a back-and-forth and hundreds of years of legal battles between the two parties, the final result was that Safinius became a semi-autonomous planet controlled by the Mechanicus. and the Ministry of the Interior jointly dispatch personnel for supervision, and local production quotas are coordinated by both parties.
This is a mixed solution, but it is undoubtedly the only solution that can resolve the contradiction.
Therefore, the administrative body of Safinius is a parliament jointly formed by the local mining guilds. It is precisely because 98% of the population on the planet are miners, so there is no problem with this system.
For a while, the giant didn't respond.
Afterwards, everyone in the guild heard a rattling noise. Some people recognized that it was some kind of internal voice call, transmitting private messages on the Space Marine's helmet communication channel.
Finally, the giant leader spoke again.
"Nice to meet you. I am Soshyan Alexey, Chapter Master of the Astral Knights Chapter. I am here to request assistance from the Ministry of Justice."
Then he took off his helmet, revealing his tough and sacred face, and glanced at everyone.
After hearing his identity, many presidents let out suppressed exclamations, and even their bodies trembled involuntarily.
Many people have only one thought in their hearts:
A Chapter Master of the Adeptus Astartes arrived in person, and things seemed to be really serious——
(End of this chapter)