My ear hurt like hell, but there was no immediate danger in the wound. it had been cauterized by the las shot so bleeding was not an issue, it just hurt like hell. The governor had been under the care of the chiurgeon and was now sitting on the ground with several troopers standing close by to watch over him. Not that it was needed, he seemed to have withdrawn into himself after his failed attempt at killing me. Nothing we did elicited a response in any way, and with a missing arm he was no threat, but I had a feeling it was not the wound that caused his apathy, but rather the thought of what he would be subjected to by the Imperium before he would most graciously be allowed to die. If he was even granted that mercy, and if I remembered Imperial law correctly, the punishment for treason, as his actions rightfully were, was death through decapitation or firing squad, or enforced conscription into a penal platoon. Somehow, I think the enforced conscription would be his fate, someone in power would most certainly get a giggle out of seeing a former governor placed in the penal legions.

We got him back to the ship and locked him away in the brig, but before we started on the short trip back to Bakka, I had a message sent to the space station. Their Lord had been summoned to Bakka station and would be back at his earliest convenience. No reason to cause a panic. Panic among the rank-and-file soldiers of the Imperium usually leads to a split in the troops, followed by infighting and finally either full-blown heretical worship or extreme, fanatical, Imperial worship, among the survivors. This simple act of informing them of what was happening would be enough to keep them under control until someone could replace the governor.

As was expected, the trip back was uneventful, the travel lanes of the Imperium enjoyed a relatively high level of security anywhere except the fringes of its territory. We made it back to Bakka without issue, and during the back-and-forth communication, I informed them that I had the former governor of Slud in custody. That caused the call to be redirected to the Astartes contingent on the station and Captain Acheran was waiting for me when we dragged the prisoner from the ship. "I see you had a successful journey. The Emperor's justice awaits him in the near future." he rumbled, even sounding rather pleased with the whole thing. His eyes followed the whimpering tub of lard as he waddled after the Arbites that had come to secure him. "Unfortunately, a new governor has not been found. It has been decided that the planet will be placed under your charge until a replacement can be found."

"Wait, no, I can't take on that responsibility, I have duties to attend to as a rogue trader. I cannot spend my time playing governor! You can't do this!" I protested, the prospect of spending my time playing Lord to a planet of medieval peasants was not an appealing one.

"It is already done! We must all do our duty to the Emperor and this is what is being asked of you. Be mindful, rogue trader, that this is merely a stewardship, until a governor is chosen, but the tithe shall be paid as expected." Acheran cut through my protests and made it clear in no uncertain terms that this was not negotiable. It pissed me off greatly, being ladened with this responsibility. It was not something I wanted, despite the potential wealth that could be gained. How would I find a way home if I spend my time lounging about in a space station hanging above a shithole of a planet? But if they wanted me to stir the pot, I would stir it to such a degree that the Deparmento Munitorum would have an aneurysm with the changes I was going to enact on the planet of Slud. A planet was governed as its ruler saw fit, even a temporary ruler. And while the old ruler might have had an aversion to technology to keep the people subservient, I wanted more. If I was to be burdened with the responsibility of ruling these people, I could at least do the one thing no one else would. Find a way to improve the lives of the people under me, like I did with the indentured workers on my ship.

Speaking of, they were doing well in their training, the reports from their senior armsmen glowing with praise of about the willingness to serve and sincere faith of these former glorified slaves. There had also been reports of less mutinous behavior among the lowest ranks on the ship, fewer morale problems among the general crew, and an increased sense of duty among the voidsmen in general. Perhaps, the way to get out of this assignment was to start rocking the metaphorical boat. Alternatively, get someone to do the practical work for me while I continued my work as a rogue trader. Now there was an idea, some loyal fanatic that could run the place like their governor had not been replaced until his actual replacement could arrive. I knew I was doing the very same thing, that Acheran was doing to do, but so what, I had better uses for my time than sitting in orbit over a mining planet with so antiquated technology that an outhouse in the yard was considered modern technology.

Without Elris on board to function as my de facto information broker, I would need to set up my retinue of people. And I just happened to have been given a planet to scour of people. Shit. I was going to assume the temporary position, at least for a short while until a suitable puppet could be installed in power. "As the Emperor demands," I said and Acheran acknowledged my acceptance with a nod before he turned and left me to my own devices.

With this new task at hand, I made my way to the Administratum, closely followed by Trokk, the giant abhuman sticking to the order I gave him earlier. Once we arrived, I made my way into the building and found the first clerk I was able to locate. It took a few words but once he understood who I was and what I wanted, I was escorted to a Prefectus who immediately started the process of digging out all available information on the people stationed in orbit above Slud. I wanted to know the number of men, their designated titles, and everything else the Imperium knew about them. The former governor was bound to have had several specialists enlisted and I wanted them all. Sure, there might be a little initial grumbling, but a small talk about the actions of their former boss, and the fate that he is suffering, as well the fact that anyone who still supports him will be taken in as an accomplice, should clear the air of any feelings of resentment they might hold toward me.

Once again, it struck me how casual an approach I had taken to using and exploiting people, thinking of them not as living beings, but more like tools to further the one goal I had set for myself. Was it something about this universe that either forced that mentality or saw you perish? Or did I always have the capacity and potential for sociopathic behavior, and I just suppressed it on account of living in the society I did? It was a thought that was both scary and intriguing. At what point did morals and ethics start to supersede survival and thriving? To what extent was it morally acceptable to push those boundaries, without losing yourself and your humanity in the process? How far did you have to go before you started becoming a threat to the very humanity you were fighting to preserve?

These were thoughts worth pondering, but I had a lot of things to do and little time to do it. With the requested information being taken to my ship, I made my way to the Departmento Munitorum. I had a special request that I wanted to take care of, one that would see Trokk busy for the majority of his waking hours, and make him damn near indestructible in battle. We arrived at the Office of the Imperial Pursary. However, every single bureaucrat I tried to make contact with ignored me and went about their business, making it clear they had no intention of dealing with me right now. Well, we would just have to see about that, now wouldn't we?

I physically grabbed the highest-ranking bureaucrat I could find and he immediately called for the Arbites to have me removed. It took them less than 10 seconds to arrive and 2 Arbitrators rounded the corner, wielding shock mauls and suppression shields, their jaws the only thing exposed by their matte black carapace armor. "In the name of the Emperor, you will release the official and follow us to be punished in accordance with the Book of Judgement!" They ordered and the energy fields of their mauls sprang to life as they bore down on me. Trokk didn't move, torn between his understanding that the arbitrators worked for the Emperor, and the order to protect me, who also worked for the Emperor.

"Arbitrator, I have a very interesting document you might want to review before you tell me what to do and who to release!" I said sternly without letting the bureaucrat dangling in my arms, a good foot off the ground.

"A document? Explain yourself immediately!" They ordered, but they didn't advance any further.

"If you wish, I will let you inspect my Letter of Marque, and then you can decide whether you want to pursue your previous action." I snarled and out of the corner of my eye I noticed the color drain from the unfortunate man I was holding off the ground.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"You are the rogue trader that has docked at the station?" One of them asked as he slowly lowered his maul and relaxed his shield arm. His comrade still kept his battle stance, but I couldn't blame him.

"How many people do you see wandering the station with an Ogryn?" I countered and his eyes wandered from me to Trokk and I would swear, I could hear the wheels in his head turning. Did he dare risk offending me, or did he dare risk letting a potential criminal go? In the end, the natural desire for self-preservation won, and they turned on their heels and left after offering me an apology. The clerk, still hanging from my arms, looked crestfallen, but I suspected that was more because he learned who I was than the fact that he was not in control of the situation.

"Do you have time to listen to an agent of the Emperor? Or should I find your replacement and request their help?" I asked the now-shaking bureaucrat, and he quickly spouted into a lengthy apology mixed with promises of expedient handling of whatever request I had.

"You can start by leading me to the Officio Tactica. I wish to requisition specialist troops and war gear." I stated and looked at him expectantly.

He tried stalling, citing rule after rule, and regulation after regulation and it started to bore me, so I cut through his rant, "Your objections have been noted. Now, take me to the Officio Tactica!" And with no more ways to delay me, the now defeated-looking man in front of me turned to lead me on my way. Despite my ham-fisted approach to getting what I wanted, I got my wishes fulfilled. I acquired a full set of bullgryn armor for Trokk and even managed to get my hands on 3 more Ogryns. They would not be part of my retinue but would become the sledgehammer among the forces at my disposal. Sure, 3 Ogryns didn't sound like much, but when commanded by a Bone'Ead, namely Trokk, they would be an unstoppable force moving around the battlefield. Faced with regular humans, they would be neigh impervious to anything that could be thrown at them. Against something more dangerous, like traitor Astartes, they would still stand a chance, even in melee. Stories about Ogryns beating traitor Astartes to death with nothing but their fists, or maybe the discarded helmet of said Astartes.

When the Ogryns were brought forth, they immediately huddled around Trokk which I must admit surprised me. They were strangers to each other, and yet they sought his company and leadership almost by instinct. They all started speaking with one another and it quickly became apparent that they would follow Trokk without hesitation. I would have to look into that at a later time, perhaps there was an untapped potential to be discovered and used.

With this done, I could return to my ship and depart for Slud. I would have a little time to go over everything I had received from the Administratum before I arrived back in orbit around the planet. It seemed the governor had only kept 1500 soldiers occupied on a station that could comfortably accommodate at least 10 times that number of troops. This was worrisome. Not because it was common to fill your station, but because the planet was situated fairly close to unexplored regions, by Imperial standards, so to only keep a skeleton crew gave food for thought. Over the next day, I dug deeper and found several discrepancies with the estimated earning when compared to the treasury status. When you added the demanded increase in payment for the ore the planet delivered, I started suspecting that the governor was paying off someone to leave the planet in peace. Well, we would just have to see about that. I sent a message to Farsyn, asking that a request be sent to Bakka, asking for naval reinforcements for no more than 3 months, on account of a suspected attack by renegades. I attached my findings alongside my speculations as the reason for my request and now I could only wait for a response. I hoped it would be positive and quick.

Then all that was left was to prepare to enter the small station orbiting Slud, and after a few hours of work, I had what I felt was a solid enough plan that it would go off without a hitch. I would bring 2000 of my guardsmen with me, leaving the last 1000 as well as the designated voidsmen to guard the ship. We would make our way to the private chambers of the former governor, which I would take into my possession as soon as possible. Once that was done, we had to assume control of the bridge of the station. Some might wonder why I didn't go for the bridge first, but planetary governors were unreasonably paranoid when it came to their safety and I had a hunch that there were quite a few surprises that could be countered, simply by going to the private quarters of the former governor, first thing. We would have to see if my instinct held up or if we wasted time and gave away our intent before we could reach a point where we would be in control before the stationed troops knew they were under attack, so to speak.

Happy with the state of things, I left my quarters and decided to check in on Trokk and his new charges. I found them doing supervised training by a frustrated sergeant, and I made a mental note to also secure someone with greater patience to train the Ogryns. I feared this one would rather blow his brains out shortly, rather than be stuck with this duty.

"Trokk," I called out, and the group of Ogryns turned their heads collectively to stare at me. I waved him over and he came trotting without hesitation. "Tell me, Trokk, how are the new Ogryns doing?

"They are okay. Not very smart, but they want to make the Emperor happy. So they are okay." He stated with all the simplicity and insight one could expect of an Ogryn, but then he surprised me by adding, "They need more training."

I looked at him in surprise, a tactical suggestion from an Ogryn? Practically unheard of. "What makes you say that?" I Inquired, my interest piqued by his suggestion.

"They are new Ogryns, they didn't have a lot of time to get proper Ogryn training. Yes, more training." He reasoned, and without any further interaction, he lumbered back to the Ogryns who had busied themselves with using their ripper guns to bash at each other in what appeared to be a heated argument, which was over as quickly as it started as Trokk come close, his size dwarfing the other Ogryns and his neural enhancements making him a great deal smarter than the 3 of them collectively. The fact that he had not only carried a conversation, albeit a short one, and even made a reasonable tactical suggestion, again, even if it was still a minor one, was more than enough proof that there was more than just a handful of screws rattling around that skull of his. I would need to keep a very close eye on him. My gut told me there was a lot more to this giant than his strength and size.

With the Ogryns now subdued by the presence of their bone'head, they could resume their training, and I watched the new Ogryns struggle to remember the difference between empty and full clips for their ripper guns. full ones heavy, empty ones light. This was not the time to present the new armor to Trokk, he had his mind elsewhere, and if I gave it to him now, the rest of the day would go without training. That wouldn't do, I needed discipline in my new Ogryns. They would be strictly kept where they trained and lived, as far as possible, so Trokk was the only Ogryn to have freedom of movement on the ship, but he usually stuck near to me whenever he was not doing Ogryn things.

I decided to go make sure everyone understood what was going to happen once we reached the space station above Slud. That was another thing that made me different from the regular commanders of this universe. I informed my troops what was going to happen, to the extent it was possible without putting us at risk. I always believed that people were much more willing to do their job if they understood why they were doing it. At least, that's how it worked back home, and I saw no reason for it to not work here as well. No matter what, it made me more transparent as a leader, which was always a reassuring trait in people in positions of power.

We soon found ourselves nearing the station once more, and contrary to last time, we were immediately hailed upon entering communications range. As soon as they learned we were the same ship that had taken their governor to the planet, and later led them away, they assumed we were back with their leader and immediately gathered most of their troops in the hangar we were designated to land in, to throw a parade for their returning lord. This made things easy for me but required a massive and hurried undertaking to change the orders I had so carefully planned out. I decided to take 2500 soldiers with me, to subdue the bulk of the defensive forces with one stroke, granting us enough troop superiority that I could demand the surrender of those that remained opposed to us. I wanted to take as many of them alive as possible since their only sin was serving their lord dutifully, but I was prepared to use deadly force to take the station. The amount of damage they could cause to the planet below, to the trade ships that passed through, and to the tithe collectors, if they remained in control of the station, was simply too great to ignore. They had to surrender or die.

But there were other ways of going about this, and I still had time to make a change in plans. I could initiate an attack immediately, causing a massive firefight on the station, but culling the garrison in the process. Or I could stick to the plan I had made now, of letting my troops mingle with theirs for the supposed parade before we struck. Or I could simply fly my ship in position near the plasma reactor, inside the void shield of the station, train my weapons on it, and demand immediate surrender under threat of blowing up the station. Of course, if they called my bluff, there was a very good chance I was going to be blown out of the void by the orbital weapons platforms that circled the station.