When everyone was surprised.
The next second, the Arbitrator drew the pistol from its holster and aimed it at the Bishop - Barov had never been pointed at by a weapon before.
The bishop felt a warmth coming from his pants, and he realized that he had just shitted his pants. He felt ashamed that he was afraid and panicked when facing a gun.
"In accordance with the rights granted to me by the Ministry of Justice and the Astral Knights Chapter, Chapter Master Soshiyan, I hereby relieve Bishop Barov and General Administrator of their duties."
"no, do not want……"
Amidst the screams, the pistol made a loud bang, and three bullets passed through Barov's forehead and exploded in the back of his head.
Barov's fat body was thrown backward to the ground, and the chair was pressed under his body.
Immediately afterwards, three bullet casings fell on the marble floor with a pleasant clanking sound, and even before the pistol was retracted into its holster, light smoke was still coming out of the muzzle.
The Arbitrator stepped forward along the edge of the table, his booted footsteps echoing through the hall.
Then he pushed the bishop's body away with his heel, straightened his chair, and sat down at the table.
"My first order, all local Planetary Defense Force units withdraw to the hive."
The Arbitrator said to all the people with pale faces who stared at him in fear and shock:
"And cut off all traffic in and out of the hive city, then set up armed checkpoints along the main roads and announce an indefinite curfew! Anyone who still appears on the streets after the curfew begins will be shot!"
After several guards representatives looked at each other, they nodded in agreement.
"Second, empty the mining area, force all miners to leave the mining area, and establish decentralized concentration camps. No one is allowed to leave without my order!"
"But--"
Representatives of the guild immediately expressed different opinions.
"This will affect production indicators for the next quarter."
As he said that, the guild representative also glanced at the Mechanicus representative not far away who kept making a slight ticking sound. The man was almost completely wrapped in red robes, with only the occasional red mechanical flash visible under the hood.
“Production quotas cannot be allowed to be disrupted.”
Then, an emotionless mechanical male voice came out from under the hood, and the representative of Griffin 4 had a very tough attitude.
"The Mechanicum's production quotas will not be affected."
The arbitrator looked at the guild representative.
"The local guild still has surplus inventory, all of which will be transferred to the Mechanicus' production quota."
"First, sir! This - this is a blatant act of plunder! You have no right to do this!"
Facing the red face and angry eyes of the guild representative, the arbiter just sneered and slapped his gun on the table.
"You ask it and it will tell you whether I have the right to do this."
"you--!"
The guild representative looked at the Mechanicus representative again, as if expecting the other party to stand up and say something fair.
But that damn reformer just replied without emotion...
"As long as production quotas are not affected? I, and the Forge World I represent, have no other opinion."
"grown ups!"
The guild representative turned to the official of the Ministry of Interior. But as a seasoned bureaucrat, not to mention other abilities, he still had the ability to adapt to the changing circumstances, and he was quite strong.
He could tell from the Arbitrator's action of shooting Barov that the other party must have the support of the Astartes.
In this case? There is no need to ask for trouble.
"Ahem, um... the current situation is so difficult? Everyone should work together? Regardless of personal gains and losses, we should make contributions and sacrifices together to stabilize the situation."
The exquisite bureaucratic response immediately silenced the guild representative.
Seeing that the opponent finally couldn't move any reinforcements, the arbiter smiled and continued to announce his order.
"Contact the remaining hives? Order their defense units to return to the city limits immediately, and tell them to be ready to respond to potential alien actions."
His eyes scanned the entire table, his eyes stern.
"We have a lot of work to do, and the Astartes are not here to play petty political games with us. They are here to bring order to the world in the name of the God-Emperor? To avoid a This is a disaster, and they will use all means to do so... If someone delays? The consequences may be extremely serious, and I hope everyone is mentally prepared."
Barov's blood had accumulated under him and formed a puddle. Silence surrounded the hall.
No one dared to move. The pungent smell of gun smoke mixed with the fishy smell of blood.
"Saphinius is on the verge of destruction."
The Arbitrator stood up.
"And the gentlemen here are the only hope to save it."
Just as the meeting was coming to an end, the much-discussed Astral Knights Chapter had disappeared from people's sight.
With the assistance of the Ministry of Justice, the ten-man Astartes team entered Mine 14 through a secret passage.
As the team travels through the dark tunnels and refineries that remain beneath the city, Soshyan gains a new understanding of how fragile human existence is on this planet.
There are cooling pipes all around him to prevent the promethium ore flowing in them from exploding in the hot air.
Although Griffin 4's technology was trustworthy, in Soshyan's opinion, the danger of the aliens surrounding the city pales in comparison to the facilities underground.
He couldn't guess how much promethium was flowing in those pipes, but the amount must be staggering.
Soshyan had hoped that the temperature would be lower underground, but the Mechanicus' servants used fans and vents only to a minimum - perhaps keeping the oxygen levels in the complex low to make the promethium mines more stable.
The underground corridors and tunnels were narrow and cramped, barely enough for workers to run the refinery and erect pipelines. It was very uncomfortable for the tall Astartes to walk in them.
Some of the walls are reinforced with cement and granite, while the rest remains exposed rough rock.
In every corner, the servitors were performing their tasks meticulously, and they did not even react when the Space Marines passed by.
The smell of engine oil and ointment that emanated from their bodies was stronger than the smell of sweat.
The low hum of the machines mixed with the roar from the transport tubes and echoed through the tunnels.
The refining equipment and instrument panels were the only sources of light, emitting a blood-red artificial light so weak that it was barely visible.
They had been walking for several hours, but they were still some distance away from their destination.
The purpose of this departure was to confirm the underground alien threat and the actual situation of the so-called Crow Lord. Soshyan did not intend to alert the enemy, so he did not use the faster shaft passage - he did not want to fall into a trap.
"here."
He led the team cautiously and covertly through a tunnel with exposed rocks. The soldiers followed him, constantly scanning the entire area, looking for traces left by the aliens.
They all have to deal with sudden enemy attacks carefully and use firearms cautiously.
One wrong move or a misfired weapon could break the pipeline and explode a large pile of promethium ore, cooking them inside the armor.
