The Emperor’s Angel of Death

#2257 - The power of old bureaucrats

Seeing the tense look on Faisal's face, Sojusz Yang leaned back slightly, resting his arms on the armrests, his gaze sweeping towards Terra in the distant observation window.

"I don't want anyone to die. I just want to get back the justice that the Mantis Warriors deserve. That's my promise."

Hearing this, Tieron smiled and retorted in a playful tone:

"Have they been treated unfairly?"

"During this Great Maelstrom Expedition, they were among the first Chapters to participate, and they have already washed away their past shame with blood in battle."

"It's just about canceling the Crusade of Penitence? Is there a need to make such a fuss? It's just a matter of an official document; there's no need for them to come to Terra."

Sojusz Yang pursed his lips.

"And they hope to be able to retrieve their Chapter Master."

"Oh~"

Tieron nodded exaggeratedly, drawing out the sound.

Then, he changed the subject.

"What does this have to do with justice?"

"They have made contributions, made sacrifices, and achieved many military merits. These are enough to offset the mistakes they made in the past."

"I said, canceling the Crusade of Penitence is just a matter of an official document."

"The Mantis Warriors are willing to exchange their dedication for the return of Chapter Master Niotra. This request is not excessive."

"Not excessive?"

Tieron tilted his head, asking meaningfully:

"Chapter Master Sojusz Yang, how much do you know about Imperial law?"

"Not much."

"Then do you know what the consequences are in Imperial law once a citizen commits a Class Three felony?"

Sojusz Yang remained silent. At this moment, a Chapter serf walked over with a tray, on which were two iron cans. Tieron was not polite and took a can, pulled the ring, and took a sip of this Chapter's special drink, which had just been taken out of the cold storage.

"Hmm, this thing has a unique taste. I thought the things Space Marines drank were all very stimulating."

Saying that, he glanced at the logo on the can, a red ant-bull wearing a chef's apron and holding a thumbs up.

"Red Ant-Bull? That's interesting. It seems Space Marines also have a rich food culture. Getting back to the point, once a citizen commits a Class Three felony, first the person is executed, then the direct relatives become slaves or servitors, and relatives within three generations are forced to work for fifty years."

Sojusz Yang frowned slightly.

"Do you think it's cruel?"

"This has nothing to do with what we're talking about."

"You see, if a mortal makes a mistake, their relatives still need to accept such severe punishment to make up for it. Then the crimes caused by Niotra far exceed any Imperial law."

"The dedication of the Mantis Warriors far exceeds what mortals can do."

"So is this the justice you speak of? Acknowledging the inequality between Space Marines and ordinary people in terms of the value of life?"

Sojusz Yang's palm gripped the metal armrest of the chair tightly, and the Terminator Guard around him also slightly turned their heads towards the Imperial Prime Minister, a sense of dissatisfaction brewing in the air.

"So, are you here to quibble with me?"

"No, I'm just here to point out your attitude. It seems that in your opinion, a person who has already been declared a traitor can be released with merit. Perhaps it's because you've become accustomed to this kind of thing? Like the Blood Angels? But is it just? No, never. It's a privilege. You have achieved great victory, so you think you should have this privilege."

"Prime Minister, I must point out that you and the High Lords are able to talk glibly on Terra and give pointers because the warriors are fighting bloody battles on the front lines. They should not be treated so harshly."

"Then Chapter Master Sojusz Yang, if one day, a Chaos traitor who killed your Chapter's warriors comes to you with the head of another Chaos traitor, would you just forgive him?"

Sojusz Yang turned his head, looking at the other party with a somewhat annoyed expression.

"I must point out that you are confusing the issue. Chapter Master Niotra was only deceived, and he never truly betrayed the Imperium, otherwise he would not have surrendered."

Tieron smiled, finishing the last mouthful of drink in the can, then threw it aside under the worried gaze of the female servant, the can hitting the ground with a series of clangs.

"Chapter Master Sojusz Yang, then please tell me, was everyone you ordered to be killed during the expedition guilty?"

"You--"

"Chapter Master, don't rush to get angry. I'm not saying this to satirize you. In fact, just looking at the results, the lives consumed in this expedition are far lower than the Council expected. No one should be able to do better than you."

Since the other party said so, Sojusz Yang couldn't get angry and could only angrily turn his gaze back to Terra.

"What I'm saying is that I hope Chapter Master, you can understand one thing. Why are the laws of the Imperium so harsh? Why can't the Imperium easily forgive traitors? Why does the Imperium seem to be punishing everyone all the time? The reason is simple. The Imperium can't motivate everyone. The Imperium has no way to treat everyone kindly. The Imperium has no ability to distinguish who is right and who is wrong. For our infinitely proliferating and infinitely chaotic race, only punishment can come closest to fairness and justice, and only through punishment can we make everyone feel the real existence of the political entity 'Imperium'. So do you also have this illusion that the Imperium just glosses over sacrifice, and the Imperium will relentlessly pursue betrayal? But this is not what anyone 'wants' it to be, but it has become like this. It is the true reality of the Imperium that determines it can only be like this. The laws of the Imperium are never fair. Its value is only to strangle everyone's necks with fear and authority."

Sojusz Yang's expression slowly darkened, but not sullenly.

But his idea did not change.

"The matter of the Mantis Warriors is ultimately excusable. What's the point of continuing to keep Niotra locked up? Why can't he continue to create value for the Emperor?"

"What you said is right, but who can guarantee he won't make a second mistake?"

"I am willing to vouch for him."

"Ah, why do you want to vouch for him?"

"This is my promise."

Tieron spread his hands.

"Well, that's the problem. Just like you said before, Niotra was only deceived. Why was he deceived? Because of the oaths and promises between Astartes brothers. That's one reason. Personally, I admire the brotherly and comradely feelings between Astartes, because that is one of the few emotions among humans that can transcend identity, interests, and even positions. But similarly, it can easily make people's heads spin and make irrational behaviors in the heat of the moment."

Then the old bureaucrat lowered his voice.

"Chapter Master Sojusz Yang, do you know about the story of the Exemplars?"

Sojusz Yang narrowed his eyes, not answering immediately. Tieron smiled and waved his hand.

"Don't misunderstand. I have no intention of tracing those ancient histories. I just happened to see it in a historical document report organized by the Assassinorum."

"I know."

"Then I think you must already understand the intentions of the High Lords. They are not targeting the Mantis Warriors or you, but... the Mantis Warriors have already made such a mistake once. No matter the reason, we should avoid them making a second one, don't you think?"

Sojusz Yang raised his head slightly. He had already tasted something. It could only be said that this Tieron was worthy of being an unfallen figure who had been floating in the Imperial bureaucracy for a hundred years. He had fallen into a disadvantage in his first verbal confrontation with a mortal.

And what the other party had said to him before actually conveyed several meanings--

According to the Imperial laws and rules, Niotra's crime is absolutely unforgivable.

But in reality, it's not impossible to make an exception, but there is a condition, that is, this 'grace' cannot be given to the Mantis Warriors by Sojusz Yang.

The reason why Sojusz Yang cannot bestow grace on the Mantis Warriors is because the Mantis Warriors made mistakes before because of "brotherly feelings". The High Lords want to prevent a second Huron from appearing because of "brotherly feelings", and a more powerful Huron.

After realizing these points, Sojusz Yang had a plan in his mind, so he turned his head and said:

"I understand. Then Prime Minister Tieron, I will not bring the Mantis Warriors to Terra, but you must guarantee that their requests can be met after I leave the Sol System."

Tieron's fat, round face showed a slightly comical smile, and he nodded.

"That's, no problem."