The Imperial Instigator

Morgo IV. Research Outpost Delta. Section C.

Instigator Kendrick sat in his office in Room 21. A man in his forties, the Instigator was wearing a black uniform that was common for Imperial soldiers, but the symbol on the left chest, rather than displaying a golden blade that represented the Imperial Army, instead showed the head of a roaring wolf. There was a sidearm strapped to his belt. An oddity, given most enlisted in the company would return their weapons to the armory as soon as they came back from their missions. Even in a military base, not everyone would walk around armed to the teeth.

Then again, the man wasn't a member of the 432nd Company. He wasn't even a part of the Imperial Army. Instead, he was from the Imperial Security Corps.

The Venya Imperium was big, and it should be no surprise that it had many, many different military factions that reported to different individuals and served the goal of defending the Imperium in their own different ways.

Each planet had a Planetary Guard and a Planetary Defense Fleet that reported to the Planetary Defense Command, which then reported to the System Military Command. Most System Military Commands had their own System Defense Fleets. The System Military Command then reported to the Sector High Command. The Sector High Command had authority over all Imperial Army and Imperial Navy units in the sector and was staffed by those chosen by the Greater House and the Imperial Noble that ruled that Imperial Sector.

Theoretically speaking, all these units swear their allegiance to the Leviathan and the Venya Imperium as a whole. The reality, on the other hand, was that they were housed, fed, armed, and led to war by those chosen by the Greater House. Likewise, the Greater Houses have sworn their fair share of oaths, but so what?

The Imperium was a place where power and ambition often co-existed. The greater the power, the greater the ambition. Leviathans that were able to keep their position, and their head, needed their own armed forces to swiftly put down any rebellion and maintain control over the wider Imperium. It was the only way to keep the Lords and Ladies in line.

In the Imperium, four organizations stood as the most zealous guardians of the Leviathan. Four bastions of defense against all external and internal threats to the Imperium and the Leviathan. Four blades forged with the best resources the Imperium had at its disposal.

There was the Imperial Research Academy, the science organization tasked with advancing the technologies in the Imperium at all costs. Then there was the 1st Greater Fleet, also known as Battlefleet the Leviathan's Pride. As the supposedly strongest and largest armada in the Imperium, the 1st Greater Fleet spent more time patrolling the territories of unruly lords and crushing those who decided to take up arms against the Leviathan than facing off against any foreign threats. Thirdly, there was the Imperial Security Agency, an intelligence agency that served as the primary eyes and ears of the Leviathan.

Finally, there was the Imperial Security Corps. Members of the Corps were often called the Wolves. They were chosen from elite veterans who have shown unquestionable loyalty and indisputable skills alike. These candidates, after going through rigorous background checks, would be put through an additional training program for three years.

Upon graduation, the Wolves would often be deployed on missions deemed important to the Imperium as a whole. Some were tasked with hunting down and purging major disloyal elements within the Imperium, such as the Venya Revolutionary Guard or the Venya Liberation Army. The latter was similar to the Guard except for the fact that they were backed by the Salin Empire instead of the Republic. Some Wolves were deployed en masse on battlefields deemed to be especially important. Others were tasked with bodyguarding key figures and ensuring their loyalty and safety.

The influence of these four organizations was present in every single Imperial Sector. These organizations had their own fleets and armies of various sizes in every sector to protect their interests. If a Lord or a Lady was foolish enough to take up arms against the Leviathan, the forces of these four organizations would be their first obstacle.

Instigator Kendrick and his squad of legionnaires were given the last of the three duties. They were assigned to Doctor Payton with the orders of keeping her alive at all costs.

By all accounts, it would be a simple mission. The outpost itself was well entrenched against the local wildlife, not that the local animals would ever try to storm the base. The only ones at risk were the troopers of the 432nd, and their safety was hardly the Instigator's concern.

Still, the Instigator continued to do his job with the vigilance to be expected from a man in his position. He kept an eye on everything going on in the base, and that included every mission report filed.

Interestingly, it seemed like his caution would pay off this day.

On the screen in front of the man was a mission report that was filed a mere hours ago by Captain Hanson. Even so, the Instigator had already gone over the file several times, and his brows darkened with every additional time he read it.

The mission itself was quite simple. Nothing more than a routine specimen retrieval mission. The 432nd Company had carried out so many of these missions since arriving on this planet. There had always been casualties, but this time, it was different. Instead of suffering a handful of casualties, the squad lost all but one of its members. Granted, the final member was able to bring the specimen back to the outpost, but this level of loss was still quite odd.

The culprit of this disaster was, according to the final survivor, a species of local predators that the Imperials have never encountered before. Given how they wiped out an entire squad, it was obvious they presented quite a threat to future Imperial expeditions into the wild. It would be important for him to get more details from the lone survivor, figure out what risks this entity might pose to their operation here, and devise a plan to mitigate these risks. This was why he had instructed the base's command center to contact this survivor and get her to come to see him.

On a side note, this was also Captain Hanson's job, but it seemed like the captain was content with putting the mission report in the base's archive and calling it a day. It was a level of carelessness that made the Instigator frown, but in the end, he could hardly expect anything more from the captain of a random infantry company from a random division.

The man sighed and leaned back in his leather seat. It was his duty to remain stoic and tireless in front of his subordinates and the Imperial soldiers in the base, and it was only in private moments like this that he could take a breath of relief and allow himself to relax a little. As he did, he reached into a compartment under his desk and retrieved a single ID.

He looked down at the ID and his eyes landed on the rank. Instigator.

There were many ranks within the Imperial Security Corps. The most basic troops, the enforcers, were the legionnaires. Those who served in the Corps's armies and fleets had their own military ranks of generals, admirals, captains, commodores, and so on. He, on the other hand, was an Instigator.

Instead of being a part of an army or fleet, Instigators like him were tasked with leading their own detachments and pursuing objectives that often require something other than just brute force. The forces Instigators led were often limited, usually made of one or a handful of combat squads and no more than a hundred legionnaires, but they could easily call in help from local Imperial forces.

In one of his previous missions, Instigator Kendrick helped the local Planetary Guard track down and purge a terrorist cell that tried to use a bioweapon on an Imperial world. The Guard had more than enough troops to decimate the cell, but it was the Instigator who helped them track the terrorists down.

There was no doubt that he saved many lives that day. Even now, the Instigator couldn't help but let out a small smile as he remembered that event. When the local media wanted to interview him, he declined and had one of his legionnaires serve as the representative of the Imperial Security Corps. He didn't need, or want, to have his achievements acknowledged by the public. He knew he had done great service to the Imperium and its people, and that was all that mattered.

There was a knock at the door, followed by the voice of one of his legionnaires. The Instigator's smile immediately disappeared. As an officer of the Corps, he needed to show authority and nothing else. A smile would threaten that appearance.

"Sir. Private Athena Dane is here to see you."

"Good." The Instigator nodded and sat up straight once again. "Let her in."

Athena stepped into Room 21 and quickly saluted the Instigator. She could feel her heartbeat accelerating as memories of the Imperial Security Corps crept into her head, reminding her of what the man before her and the organization he served was capable of.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that if the Instigator wanted, he could shoot her here and now and no one would dare protest. This was the right given to even the most basic officers of the Corps.

"Instigator Kendrick, sir." She said quietly.

"At ease, soldier." The Instigator gestured at the seat in front of his desk. "Sit."

After Athena sat down, the man pointed at his screen and went straight to the point. "Private, I was going through the report on your mission filed by Captain Hanson. You mentioned that your squad was attacked by a type of animal not yet logged in our database. Is it true?"

Just as Athena expected, her plan had worked. This was why she told Captain Hanson this was what happened. She knew all mission reports would go to the base's archives. She had seen comrades be interviewed by Instigator Kendrick before where they were grilled for more details on their missions, so it was almost guaranteed this would give her an audience with Instigator Kendrick. Even better, it would also seem normal to the Guard members.

Athena knew her problem now wasn't just having to survive the Guard soldiers. She also had to make sure she wouldn't be arrested and executed after returning to Imperial space for potentially being a traitor. To do that, she needed someone to vouch for her. If there was one person in this facility who was definitely not a traitor and could vouch for her loyalty, then it was the Instigator.

If the Instigator somehow happened to be a member of the Guard as well, then she would be really out of luck. In that case, her only option would be to call in the Zerg units, purge the base, and then kidnap a pair of pilots and hope they could be her way out.

Instead of answering the officer immediately, Athena glanced at a security camera in the corner.

"Forgive me, sir, but is this conversation private?"

Instigator Kendrick frowned. Why would this young woman care if this conversation was private? Perhaps there was something more to this mission than he expected. In reality, the camera was fully functional, but he was the only one with access to the footage. Of course, there was no need to tell Athena that.

"Speak freely, soldier."

"Yes sir." Athena nodded. "To answer your question sir, that is not true."

"What?"

"What I told Captain Hanson was a lie, sir. We weren't attacked by the local animals on our way back."

A lesser officer would be slamming his fists into the table and threatening Athena with corporal punishments now, but Instigator was smart. Obviously, Athena wasn't just some idiot who randomly lied to her captain and then confessed to him for no reason. She did this on purpose, but why?

"You wanted an audience." The Instigator immediately knew the answer. "Why?"

"Sir, I have reason to believe a large portion, if not most, of the unit has been turned against the Imperium."

Once again, Athena told a story. This time, she stuck to the truth a lot closer than she did with Captain Hanson. According to her, she was separated from the squad by accident. She tried to find her way back to them, and after a while, she did. However, before she could greet them, she witnessed most of the squad abruptly turn on and execute Ren and Michael, two members of the squad.

Afterward, she stalked the squad and continued to pick them off one by one. The local atmosphere and environment, along with the element of surprise, allowed her to take out every single member of the squad without being shot even once herself.

In the end, she returned to the base with the sample. However, given the extent of the treachery, she didn't know who she could trust, so she told a lie and secured an audience with Instigator Kendrick to confide in him.

By the time she was finished, the Instigator somehow seemed even more serious than before. He stared into Athena's eyes, hoping to tell if she was lying or not, as so many different thoughts raced through his head.

Major elements of the garrison had been corrupted against the Imperium? That's impossible! This was Instigator Kendrick's initial reaction, but was that really impossible? Generals and admirals have betrayed their Imperium for one reason or another. Lesser and Greater Houses alike have seen numerous treacheries. Was it so absurd to think that some officers and enlisted of the Imperial Army could be twisted against their rightful cause?

"Why did your squad turn on you and the others?" He finally asked. "What are they after?"

"My apologies, sir. I don't know." Athena told another lie. She could tell the man the rebels were of the Venya Revolutionary Guard and they were here for Doctor Payton to score some additional points, but how would she explain how she got this information without exposing the Zerg? Torture? Interrogation? In an environment where a single breach in the armor could result in death?

Most likely giving the Instigator an answer now would only increase his suspicion. Athena was confident she had given the man enough information to prove that she wasn't one of the Guard. No need to take more risk.

As she finished, Instigator Kendrick nodded. Despite all the thoughts going through his head, he did his best to keep a poker face.

"Thank you for your service, trooper. I am aware of this information now. You can go. Don't share this with anyone."

Athena raised her eyebrows. This was it? Then again, regardless of if the Instigator was taking her accusations seriously or not, it was unlikely he would share too much information with her. No matter. She had achieved her purpose here. Even if the Instigator was completely unprepared for the mutiny, Athena could do her best to keep him alive and rely on him to vouch for her when it was all over.

As Athena left the room, Instigator Kendrick sat there for a few seconds before accessing the comm channel of the legionnaires in his squad.

"Men, we've got a problem…"