Warhammer: I live under the watchful eyes of the gods

Chapter 157 Loyalty or Betrayal?
==Odysseus-class (combat transport) on deck==
After meeting with Political Commissar Kedwina, Drake's phalanx got a new mission.

They will temporarily withdraw to the Spirit of Vengeance with the reporter Petronilla and the guard Kelia in the phalanx.

At first there was no problem at all, and they can say that they completed all the tasks smoothly.

But just when the Stormbird they were on docked with the Spirit of Vengeance, an accident happened.

The psychic guard named Kai Liya suddenly showed signs of a psychic collapse.

But according to the records, that is clearly an extremely stable psyker.

According to this situation, she should have been imprisoned immediately until the psychic power subsided or the psychic power went berserk and she was directly shot dead.

But at this moment, political commissar Kedwina changed his mind after stopping a few whispers from the narrator Petronilla.

In Draco's view, this is simply a betrayal!
He couldn't believe that Kordwina, who was originally "strict in everything" and tried to strictly abide by those rules, would joke about such a serious violation of discipline.

But he will not stop it.

In other words, it is a kind of "trust" that cannot be expressed in words.

But even so, he felt that he still needed to know some so-called truths.

With a "click", he took off his helmet.

Staring at the figure in the distance who didn't have the slightest desire to step down from the Stormbird, he asked, "Do you think that what you have done is worthy of the badge you wear?"

Hearing this, Kedwina was stunned for a moment.

It wasn't until Petronilla reminded him that Draco didn't seem to have experienced "baptism".

Thinking of this, Codwina suddenly figured out something.

Taking off his helmet solemnly, he said to Drake who hadn't figured out the situation: "Everything will change, everything you are familiar with before will be set ablaze, this is the beginning of a disaster, and what we know It's all just a struggle that may be doomed to futility."

After finishing speaking, Codwina followed the trend and walked down the slanted passage of the Stormbird.

"That was the Emperor's guidance, and he gave us a task to do."

While speaking, Codwina walked to the shelf he was familiar with.

Koldwina, who took off the heavy helmet of the sun-shaped void armor, retrieved his most comfortable big-brimmed hat from the temporary shelf.

"Do you believe the Emperor is divine?"

After putting on his favorite hat, Codwina asked Draco after a pause.

Hearing this, Drake immediately blurted out the truth about the empire.

Looking at Drake who was reciting the truth of the empire seriously, Codwina felt a bit of irony.

Yes, once upon a time he also had the same idea.

But since experiencing the "power of hope" personally, everything has changed.

The emperor is the protector of mankind. The mistake is not to call him a god, but to overly mystify the concept of "god".

After all, he is only a person, and it is not who he is that determines the divinity he possesses, but what he has done.

Now, it's Koldwiner's turn to do something for his "protector of humanity".

"It's a pity you didn't see that scene, but I believe you will understand someday."

Stretching out his hand to support the gray bottomed hat with a red border and a large brimmed hat, Koldwina continued to add.

"Then if I order you to escape from the expedition fleet, will you listen?"

As soon as this remark came out, Drake, who was still recalling the second half of the truth about the empire, froze in place as if he had been shocked by an electric shock.

He couldn't understand why it took only half a day.

The political commissar Kedwina, who was familiar to him, turned out to be so strange.

He knew exactly what it meant to flee the expedition.

That's betrayal, that's...

But his hand, which was just about to take out the deflagration gun, accidentally touched the badge in the air.

That's the House of Terra's badge of membership.

A blue planet, a dream world, a once shattered utopia.

=Don't mind too much, we are all brothers after we come here, maybe we can find a place to gather on Terra after the Great Crusade is over. =
The invitation from Koldwiner is still vivid in my memory.

Yes, Cordwina has spoken of this dream to nearly all the newcomers to House of Terra except Carl.

Thinking of this, Draco hesitated.

His hand, which was about to draw out the incendiary gun, stopped in mid-air.

"Take her to leave the fleet secretly, don't worry, there is the Emperor's Light in the subspace to guide you."

Without giving Drake much time to think, Koldwina pushed the narrator, who was holding an ancient book at the moment, in front of him.

"It's too late, you have to start acting now, and you will soon understand what we are going to do."

"Remember, her order is equivalent to my order, which is equivalent to the order of the 7th company commander."

By the end of the conversation, Drake was in a trance.

In just a few minutes, he lost his most respected company commander and political commissar, Kedwina.

After all, even if it is too late to pursue the behavior that is equivalent to betraying the legion now, it is certain that he will not be able to escape in the future.

Regardless of the context in which those remarks are made, they will be included in the list of traitors.

This is the cruel side of military discipline.

Brutal military discipline isn't just for the lowest ranks of soldiers.

Those middle-level non-commissioned officers are the focus of investigation.

After all, the higher the status, the more harmful it would be to betray.

But at the moment, in Draco's mind, "traitor" is just a new term that has just been touched for a day.

But in just one day, almost earth-shaking changes have taken place for him.

Shouting the name of the emperor, doing actions that violate the overall command of the legion.

If neither side is wrong, what does Kordwina mean that the 63rd Expeditionary Fleet is about to mutiny?

This is an answer that would terrify Draco just by passing it through his mind.

He didn't want to believe the answer.

But he also didn't dare to bet that Codwina was lying to him.

Just as these so-called "warrior associations" can lead to the corruption of entire Legions.

House of Terra has a status in Drake's heart that even surpasses command orders.

It is a kind of trust, a kind of "brotherhood" that is real to the parties, although it is easy to be distorted and used.

The so-called treats of Kordweiner have never been polite words.

Those expensive ingredients are the last pockets of Kordwina himself every time.

Therefore, even if he had doubts about Kordwina's order, Drake would not refuse.

Preparing for an escape is actually not that difficult.

Especially this kind of "scene where the enemy is in the clear and I am in the dark".

There are too many reasons for this Odysseus class (combat transport ship) to apply to be separated from the main force.

In this combat state, ships have a high degree of autonomy.

If something unexpected happens on the ship, it is understandable to temporarily apply for readjustment away from the established orbit.

Of course, the most important one is the sentence =In the subspace, there is the Emperor’s Light to guide you=.

Navigating the M31 warp itself is not a difficult technique.

What is really scary are those strange creatures hidden in the subspace, and the unpredictable subspace storm.

Those can lead to a ship never returning.

And the sentence =the Emperor’s Light in the subspace will guide you=, almost reduced the danger of fleeing from the subspace to zero.

The only question now, then, is, where is the evidence that Kordwiener claims?
Yes, while thinking about it, he had already started calling all the "acquaintances" on this ship.

After all, we have been working together for a long time and are already very familiar with each other.

As long as Drake can give evidence, whether it is lurking or fleeing, it can be supported.

Time passed slowly in a tense atmosphere.

No one knows what the so-called evidence will be.

And the only one at the scene who might know the truth, Petronila, was holding the ancient book in her hand, silently watching the Devon satellite in the distance from the porthole.

"Where's the evidence for what Codwina said?"

Seeing that he was fully prepared, Draco asked the ecstatic Petronilla who was watching.

It's a pity he didn't get any answer.

In other words, the super-corruption storm that rolled up on the Devon satellite at this moment has already explained everything.

…………

(End of this chapter)