Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 1064, page 09.1063: 'Favorable Transaction'

"As the Supreme Lord Colonel, don't you have even the slightest... special privilege?" The governor leaned forward again with difficulty and urgency, a slick, almost obsequious smile appearing on his fleshy face.

[Yes, but I don't want to approve it.]
“However,” he changed the subject, as if giving the other party a way out, and offered an alternative, “I can accept you sending a military training team to be trained here and then go back to instruct you on training your troops. But sharing training facilities is absolutely out of the question.”

He placed his hands, clad in power armor gloves, fingers interlaced on his knees, and stated the facts in an unquestionable, instructor-like tone: "The Imperial Navy's Orbital Landing Force is a specialized special operations unit, with training content completely different from that of conventional planetary defense forces."

Our training programs cover a wide range of highly specialized areas, including suborbital airborne operations, high-altitude parachuting, tactical airdrops, and heavy-armored rappelling, with a strong offensive component.

He shook his head slightly: "Your planetary defense forces should focus on defense; there's no use in learning these things."

Because the aircraft necessary to carry out these missions are valuable assets of the Imperial Navy.

Even if they learn it, there are no vehicles that can deploy them quickly.

"So... what if I... had it?"

The governor leaned forward again with difficulty, this time almost touching Horatio. His small eyes, squeezed shut by his fat, gleamed with a greedy light. He lowered his voice, speaking in an almost whispered, greasy tone:

"Although I don't have the Imperial Navy's standard aircraft, I can still find ways to obtain those with similar performance. And... what we're about to discuss. My hope is that if the planet is threatened again, I can quickly mobilize my forces to launch a fatal counterattack against the invaders."

“Then a military training corps is sufficient to meet your needs.” Horatio remained unmoved, his answer like an unshakeable wall of steel. “You can send one of your elite units to my unit for full training. After they have completed their training, they can return to instruct your other units.”

“Alright…” The governor seemed to have finally given in. He deliberately let out a long sigh, and with a theatrical air of disappointment, leaned back heavily in his chair. The enormous chair specially made for him immediately groaned under the weight.

“Well,” he said casually, as if he had just remembered, “I have a second, small request.”

I'd like to purchase a batch of... 'Valkyrie' aircraft from you. Both gunships and transport planes are acceptable.

My judge has already checked for me; with formal approval from the Admiralty, non-Imperial Navy units are permitted to possess such weaponry in 'limited quantities.'

"How much do you want?"

“One squadron.” A barely perceptible glint of greed flashed in the governor’s eyes. “No more, no less, exactly the maximum legal limit for possession under the Imperial Code.”

He stubbed out the large cigar in the ashtray, his chubby, short fingers tapping lightly on the table.

"My lord, money has never been an issue. We will fill your... treasury with gleaming Skyhawk coins. Your private treasury, not the Navy's..."

Horatio finally revealed a smile as "bright" as the other person's.

“No problem. But,” he interrupted the other party’s suggestive words crisply, “a private slush fund is out of the question. All funds will be transferred through the company’s bank account.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Yadvig's face as she stood behind Horatio. She hadn't expected Horatio to grant her wish, but her long-standing trust in the commander prevented her from expressing her emotions further. Just then, Yadvig saw a red inverted triangle, one she had seen before in previous battles, appear above the governor's head, flashing at a specific frequency—it was Morse code!

Don't worry, I'm just using some of the junk from the warehouse to exchange for some much-needed military funding for our new troops.

Horatio used the psionic mark of the Command Hand to show a message to Yadwiga.

After Yadwiga finished reading, the horse's ears twitched slightly.
-
The heavy, carved wooden door closed slowly behind us, completely shutting out the suffocating atmosphere of extravagance in the office.

As he stepped out of the planetary governor's office, Jadwiga's unease and anxiety were almost palpable.

She quickened her pace to catch up with Horatio, lowered her voice, and said urgently:
“Commander, he must be planning to use those ‘Valkyries’ to suppress those who are resisting his brutal rule. Perhaps to us, these vehicles we’re handing over are just a bunch of insignificant things, but to the people being suppressed, they’re a catastrophe! We can’t let him succeed…”

“Yadwiga.” His steps did not falter, the hydraulic hum of his power armor echoing in the empty corridor with a cold rhythm.

He looked ahead and said calmly, "If a rebellion can be easily suppressed by a mere squadron of 'Valkyrie's, it only proves that it could never become a raging fire. It must be countless, scattered sparks."

A single squadron of Valkyries cannot extinguish all the flames at once. You don't need to worry about that.

His tone was quite serious. "If things go wrong, I have my own countermeasures. I won't let him use the Imperial Navy's equipment to wreak havoc on the region. I guarantee that."

Having said all that, Yadviga, though still worried, chose to trust her commander.

"……Understood."

As soon as he finished speaking, Horatio's gaze suddenly paused for a moment on a beautiful, incredibly smooth, and priceless marble wall in the Governor's Mansion.

Amidst the intricate, naturally formed stone patterns, a tiny cat paw print, painted with some faint fluorescent dye, is playfully imprinted.

"This way." He didn't stop, but simply turned into another corridor very naturally.

Jadvig and his guards immediately followed. They followed the almost imperceptible cat paw prints through several corridors, and finally, in a secluded corner with huge ornamental flowerpots, Horatio stopped.

His gloved hand stealthily and swiftly reached into the shadows at the bottom of the flowerpot and pulled out a small, folded note.

The note contained an urgent message written in a childlike, crooked handwriting:
"Lord! (YOYO's typo) I've already infiltrated the Governor's Mansion and am investigating here according to plan! I'll also go to the surveillance room to copy all the surveillance footage from that day and give it to you! Remember to pick me up at the meeting point in 3 days! Don't worry, Lord, YOYO will take good care of herself! There's so much good food here! —YOYO"

"Let's go back first," he calmly ordered his men. "But we'll come back again in three days."

(End of this chapter)