Robert held a sheet of parchment. Written across it was Reddito's proposal for restoring the hive city's industry:
Large-Scale Restoration of Hive City Production
Calling it a "plan" was generous. It contained only two lines.
1. Relocate the Lower Hive population.
With the hive city's population having suffered catastrophic losses, transferring Lower Hive residents into the Mid-Hive would concentrate the remaining workforce, simplify administration, and help fill critical labor shortages.
2. Strengthen labor discipline.
As for how?
Whips.
Bayonets.
And gallows.
Robert stared silently at the parchment for a long moment.
Seeing his expression, Reddito asked bluntly,
"Do you think it's too cruel?"
"Yes," Robert answered without hesitation.
"We need to restore the hive city's production capacity as quickly as possible," Reddito replied calmly. "We need artillery. Tanks. Aircraft. We need enough weapons to stop the green tide when it arrives."
He looked directly at Robert.
"If I'm not mistaken, those were your exact words."
Robert fell silent.
"If you try to imitate your Soldiers Committee by creating a Workers' Committee," Reddito continued, "I can already predict the result."
"At first, it will become a workers' union in name."
"Very quickly, it will become a workers' gang."
"The representatives they elect won't be the hardest workers. They'll choose the people most willing to shield them from work."
"They'll resist production quotas, oppose management, and demand fewer responsibilities."
"And when production inevitably collapses, the army will have to suppress the riots."
He paused before continuing.
"To be honest, I expected the Soldiers Committee to end the same way."
Robert looked up.
"I imagined soldiers refusing to train. Morale collapsing. Committees overruling officers. Everyone is demanding discharge."
"When the enemy arrived, they'd throw down their weapons and run."
"But the army was your responsibility."
"So I chose not to interfere."
"I didn't expect you to make it work."
Reddito folded his hands behind his back.
"But the factories are different."
"They're my responsibility."
"And hive workers are not soldiers."
"If you intend to experiment here, I will stop you."
"My words may sound harsh, but I hope you understand."
Robert let out a long sigh.
"'Harsh' is putting it mildly."
He folded the parchment.
"We'll do it your way."
Reddito raised an eyebrow.
"That surprises me."
"Oh?"
"You seem surprised by my agreement."
"I am."
Reddito nodded openly.
"People who achieve success at a young age often assume the methods that worked once will work everywhere."
"They tend to see anyone who disagrees with them as stubborn old men clinging to outdated ideas."
Robert chuckled dryly.
"I still know what 'analyzing concrete problems concretely' means."
Before Reddito could answer, a sharp communication alert sounded through the room.
He accepted the transmission immediately.
Archer's hologram appeared.
"Master Reddito... Battalion Commander Robert."
"What is it?" Reddito asked.
Archer's expression was unusually serious.
"I think you both need to hear this."
"An Imperial warship just crashed."
"What class?"
"Whose ship?"
Robert and Reddito spoke at the same moment.
Archer answered,
"It looked like a Battle Barge."
"I only caught a glimpse, but I didn't see any lance batteries."
"Just broadside macro cannons, bombardment cannons, launch bays, assault craft..."
He hesitated before adding,
"A textbook Battle Barge."
Only someone with Archer's background could pack so much bitterness into the words textbook Battle Barge.
Robert and Reddito exchanged a glance.
"I'll investigate," Reddito said.
"Someone needs to remain here."
Robert nodded.
"Understood."
Inside the Battle Barge's bridge...
After returning the data slate to Hobbes' arms, RNGesus scratched his head.
"Now, how am I supposed to find everyone else?"
"It'll take hours just to drive back to the hive city."
"And after that escape..."
He glanced toward the battered Chimera outside.
"...it's practically out of fuel."
"I doubt it'll make another trip."
The bridge was silent.
Only twisted steel and flickering sparks answered him.
Then—
Creak.
A heavy door slowly opened behind him.
RNGesus turned.
Reddito walked in.
Behind him marched an entire squad of Servitors.
Before RNGesus could say a word, Reddito brushed past him without even a glance.
He knelt beside Hobbes.
After a brief examination, he spoke in the same cold, emotionless tone as always.
"He's still alive."
RNGesus froze.
"...What?"
The Servitors moved immediately.
As though responding to a single command, they surrounded Hobbes with mechanical precision.
They placed him onto what was technically a medical stretcher...
...although to RNGesus, it looked much more like a metallic coffin.
Without acknowledging anyone else, they carried Hobbes off the bridge.
Neither the Servitors nor Reddito paid RNGesus the slightest attention.
It was as though he didn't exist.
RNGesus blinked.
"Still alive?"
He stared after Hobbes.
"But... he didn't have a pulse."
"He wasn't breathing."
"There was literally a hole through his chest."
"Space Marines must be ridiculously good at suspended animation."
Archer's voice came from behind him.
The other four players had entered with the Servitors.
"It has to be," Archer said matter-of-factly.
"If ordinary people could tell the difference, it wouldn't be suspended animation."
"It'd just be a coma."
RNGesus considered that for a moment.
"...Actually, that makes sense."
Then another question occurred to him.
"Wait."
"How did you guys get here so fast?"
"I haven't even reported what happened."
Garry spread his hands dramatically.
"Because we saw it."
He pointed toward the massive wreck outside.
"A ship that size falling out of the sky isn't exactly subtle."
"We were only about three kilometers away."
"When it crashed, it was trailing smoke the whole way down."
"Oh..."
RNGesus nodded in understanding.
Outwardly.
Internally, however, he was thinking something entirely different.
That lucky-dice ability is ridiculous.
It can even predict where players will be.
Too bad the duration's almost over...
And there's no way I'm rolling another forty-two.