Warhammer: Start with a dog.

Chapter 524 The Day Before the Arrival of the Great Predator
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Just earlier yesterday, the Supreme Lord Creed was still feeling extremely angry but now he was helpless because of the news that the headquarters had just received that several ration warehouses in the city were running out of food ahead of schedule.

Obviously, someone is secretly making supply cards that are difficult to distinguish between real and fake and using them to make a fortune in the war. Although their troops have discovered signs, the command center now has neither the time nor the manpower to sneak into each nest and capture these audacious bastards layer by layer - all the troops, all here means all the troops that Creed can command and obey orders - have received their tasks and are being sent to the possible estimated directions of the Clave war zone to block the enemy or prepare on the spot and wait for the next order.

As a result, the current security level in most hives and bastion fortresses is almost at the lowest controllable limit, and there are only enough soldiers to maintain basic order on the streets - and, obviously, these bastards have discovered this and know that they will not be caught.

In this case, based on the current emergency ration inventory statistics from the Military Supply Center, they can only decide to redistribute everyone's food quota starting next week, which means that the actual amount of rations distributed will be less than what is on the cards they give to veterans and their families. Creed, who confirmed this, intended to tell the truth to the people and soldiers of Cadia in a routine general broadcast.

But both Logistics Minister Conskavan Reco and his own flag-bearing adjutant Garland Kyle immediately jumped up to stop him.

Although Reco's reassuring words such as "You can't tell the truth to these stupid civilians" had limited effect on Creed, the words of Garlan Kyle, his trusted sergeant, deputy, and veteran who had been with him and trusted him since he joined the army, could not be completely rejected even by a tough guy like Creed.

However, this time, Garlan Kyle unexpectedly agreed more with the words of the Minister of Logistics, and even the Supreme Political Commissar Zabien agreed with the same.

“You can’t just tell people you’re going to cut their food rations by 40% or even 30%!”

"But it is true that we don't have enough food in our warehouses. If we still want to guarantee 90% of the rations for the soldiers on the battlefield, we can only cut 20% of the rations in the rear hive from next week! Do you want to tell me, Conskavan, that you have a whole full granary hidden somewhere in the Clough Plains? Then I must respectfully call you 'you' from today on!"

"Ah, indeed, I don't have it. If I did, I would definitely take it out now to exchange for a hereditary title for my family."

"So you plan to replace these fake cards made with real masters?"

"Unfortunately, we cannot stop printing this version of the ration card now. There are too many ration cards that need to be replaced, and the authenticity verification on the front line will be troublesome. The cycle is too long, which will cause greater chaos. Why don't we end the state of emergency in advance? In this way, the transport fleet and merchant fleet can replenish our warehouses, and the matter can be resolved quickly and quietly."

"I tell you! It's not over yet! The state of emergency will not end until Abaddon's location is confirmed! Why can't I tell the people the truth? They need to know why they need to starve!"

Zabien's Supreme Commissar had to join in at this time.

"I think what Conskavan meant is that, not to mention the state of emergency, you must be gentle and tactful when it comes to cutting rations. We can reduce rations, but you can't tell people you're going to do it, and you can't cut 20% at once. Cutting 2% every other day is a pretty good approach... Poor Porska, may the Emperor bless his soul! Governor Porska never announced or explained in the radio when he cut rations during wartime. The people of Cadia are used to such small cuts. They will get used to it, Ursaka, don't worry. If you suddenly change the practice that has been going on here for more than a dozen centuries, it will cause unrest and chaos among these people."

She paused, then added, "Besides, it would not be a good idea to confess to the people that we have lost some control over the hives and factory districts, Ursaka."

"That's right." The logistics minister's stubby but nimble fingers tapped and swiped simultaneously on the four data pads linked to his skull interface. These calculations overloaded his mind so much that his fingers even left afterimages. A cherubim with his family emblem floated beside him, constantly wiping the sweat off Kangskawan's forehead with a handkerchief.

"If you do this, there is a greater possibility that retired soldiers and workers who cannot take home enough rations will start to attack our military supply center warehouse, kill guards and logistics officers, and finally loot the warehouse and you will not be able to find all the criminals... This is Cadia, everyone has military training! Creed! You don't understand these mobs!"

"They are not a mob!" The Supreme Castle Lord roared. The sound of his military boots and his rude voice were louder than those of the Minister of Logistics and the Supreme Political Commissar. His cigar smoke sprayed from his nostrils in the faces of the two men. "We are now grasshoppers on a rope! We must work together! If they have to go hungry to provide us with ammunition, logistics and other things, when their children have to go hungry at home and drink water to get through dinner, then I have the responsibility to tell them what happened! This is an honesty! A sense of common hatred! Like you said, they have never felt it! Then I will give it to them!"

The Minister of Logistics and the Supreme Political Commissar looked at each other and each found an excuse to leave. The former twisted his fingers and looked very nervous, while the latter frowned as if he was wondering whether there were enough military police and bullets to execute people this time.

Garland Kyle saw them off and returned to the command room.

"They're right, sir, and you know it."

The Lord of the High Castle opened his eyes wide, "Kyle! I thought you were the one who understood me the most...you..."

"My family works at the military supply distribution center, and I know very well how wartime rationing works since I was a child. There is nothing wrong with Commissar Zabian's proposal. If you reduce it a little bit every day, the people will only think that it is loss on the road, or there are some accidents in the unloading process, or some warehouses have been bombed. They will understand and silently endure such accidents. They are completely accustomed to such accidents in wartime. As long as they don't starve to death, they will just endure the hardship and get through it. But you can't tell them directly that you, the Supreme Lord Creed, ordered half or even more of the starch scones or protein porridge to be taken away from their dinner table, and the reason for all this is that you and your subordinates failed to suppress the bandits. They will not thank you for your honesty, they will only blame you."

His most trusted lieutenant calmly looked at the blushing and incredulous Lord of the High Castle, and walked over to take away the cigar he was holding. "Don't smoke too much, you need to rest."

"Can……"

"If you were only the colonel commander of the Eighth Regiment, or even a major general, I would not stop you from doing this. But, sir, I have known you since you were a soldier for a short time. Your background... is one of the biggest problems, but not even all of them. You took office too hastily, sir. You did not have time to manage the Rogue Traders' transport fleet, and you did not have the time to get to know and have a long-term good cooperative relationship with other generals, the Imperial Navy, the Adeptus Astartes, and the Temple of the Emperor's Daughters. You cannot lose the firm support of the Cadia Defense Force now."

Kyle glanced at Creed and said, "You are now the Guardian of Cadia, you are the Supreme Lord of the Castle, you are the nominal supreme commander of all the armies on Cadia and in orbit, you are the faith of the resistance fighters, you are the symbol in the hearts of the people, your image cannot be tarnished at all, because if you still want a glimmer of hope for victory, then you no longer have the capital to be the honest person you want to be."

"Damn it." The Lord of the High Castle relaxed his tense muscles. He grabbed his military cap and squeezed it tightly, then threw the crumpled cap onto the cigarette butt-covered floor. "Put me on the line to Conskavan."

"Tell him you agree with Commissar Zabien's suggestion? There won't be any additional content in the broadcast?"

"The fucking throne's got a boot on his ass, yeah, tell him..."

A transmission from orbit lit up with an ominous top-level red glow. Both men in the room turned their eyes to it.

"It seems I can't rest."

Kyle walked over quickly and cautiously, sat in front of the transceiver to decipher the encrypted transmission file, then he suddenly raised his head, walked out and asked the secretary, messenger or other officers waiting outside to go further away.

"what happened?"

The sergeant did not speak, but hurried back and closed the door, then began to transcribe the new data files onto a data pad with the highest encryption level.

"There is news about Admiral Quaren's alert fleet, which has been silent for a long time."

"What?" Creed stood up from his chair. "Where are they now? We really need—"

"There was only one ship, just one, the Garden of Pyrax. It was the Garden of Pyrax, badly damaged. They made a hasty warp jump and were attacked. Three-quarters of the messenger ships of the alert fleet were lost on the way. The Garden of Pyrax itself was also destroyed. The warp creatures damaged their reactors. The radiation leak was serious and killed most of the crew. In the end, they only found one messenger officer alive, a lieutenant. He insisted that it was the order of the admiral and the captain that he had to tell you the news in person. It was too risky to use the communication. But he died before he could land. Fortunately, someone was carrying a video servo skull, and the medic had enough cardiotonic drugs."

"Quick! Let me see this video!" Creed lit up a new cigar, his voice trembling - not because of fear, but because of the excitement of a judgment being confirmed, "I bet the news he brought must be about Abaddon's whereabouts!"

"Okay, sir."

Kyle took one last look at the data packets, making sure they hadn't been opened or read by anyone on the ground, and pressed a button to start playing the footage.

A face with wrinkled skin, dark complexion, missing teeth and hair appeared on the screen, and the servo skull was photographed from top to bottom.

——This second lieutenant seemed a little too old——No, no, no, his skin was peeling off rapidly, and the two people watching realized in the next second that he was suffering from unimaginable severe radiation, and he actually managed to hold on until here.

"..."

The lieutenant opened his mouth, and the skin around his mouth broke because of this action, and black blood and tissue fluid began to flow. Kyle realized what he said, but the voice was too soft, so he immediately fell back and adjusted the volume to the highest.

"...witnessed...too much...destruction...beams..." Then the tortured courier let out a hoarse dying sigh and twitched. A medic's hand wearing an anti-radiation and chemical protective suit appeared in the camera and gave him another shot of cardiac stimulant.

"...in his eyes...many...secret codes...shattered black! Shattered black——!"

The poor guy opened his eyes wide, his turbid eyeballs that had turned white and were almost rolling out, and he spurted out large pieces of black blood and internal organs from the depths of his throat. The camera blurred, and then the video ended.

"We have agreed with Admiral Quarren on several codes to indicate the size of the incoming force," Kyle said calmly. "Shattered Red is an expeditionary-sized enemy fleet heading for Cadia, while Shattered Black is a higher level, it is..."

Creed put the cigar butt in his mouth and chewed it with a crackling sound. It was obvious that the commander's mind was working at super speed.

"…Sound the alarm, highest level of emergency. Then gather everyone. I mean, Sage Coran of the Adeptus Mechanicus, all the representatives of the Adeptus Astartes who have arrived, the leaders of the Sisters of Battle, the Admirals of the Imperial Navy, the representatives of the Cadian Military Council, the Admirals of the Cadian Air Force, the Logistics, the Commissars, the Inquisitors! - Everyone! I need an emergency meeting to be held immediately with the participation of representatives of all the teams that can move and fire guns!"

"At once, sir."

The flag officer nodded, and at the same time walked to the other end of the room, inserted his fingertips into the dial and dialed the numbers one by one rapidly.

Soon, because of this unexpected alarm that finally came to light, Creed's Supreme Castle main conference room was filled with attendees of different sizes, clothing, and colors for the first time.

Thanks to the selfless sacrifice of Admiral Quaren and his fleet sailors and the tenacious will of the courier, the attendees knew about the arrival of the great plunderer a day earlier than gangster merchants like Salva Gent or ordinary guardsmen like Captain Marda Helske.

In theory, every minute and every second that is wasted before the participants of this meeting make a decision, reach a consensus, and dispatch their troops is so precious.

But if Roboute Guilliman were here, or even one of the Carosini Archons, he would be furious or start calling some irresistible people to the scene to get this waste of time out of the way.

It's a pity that these two adults are not here at the moment.

Therefore, before the start of this life-threatening emergency military meeting of the Black Expeditionary Fleet against the Great Plunderer, Sergeant Kyle, as the most shrewd and capable lieutenant of Supreme Lord Creed, had to rely on an additional etiquette expert from the Ministry of the Interior to guide and help him for the first time. In order to ensure the smooth start of this meeting, he had to perform an urgent task - to arrange the seating order around the conference table in a proper manner.

(End of this chapter)