Lortuen Perjed nodded as he entered the last cartel's vote into his slate.
'The governor has lost this round and the matter will now be thrown open to a full vote of the entire senate, though this will largely be a formality since I doubt any of the cartel members will vote against their commercial masters.'
'So the planetary governor has been overthrown. Just like that?' asked Uriel.
'Not quite,' grinned Barzano, rising from his seat.
'What are you doing?' demanded Lortuen Perjed.
'I'm going to stretch my legalistic muscles. Uriel, come with me.'
Perjed gripped Barzano's robe and hissed, 'This is hardly fitting behaviour for an adept of the Administratum.'
'Exactly,' smiled Barzano with the glint of mischief in his eyes.
Uriel followed Adept Barzano down the last few steps to the chequered chamber floor, easily lifting aside a startled bailiff who blocked their way. Barzano pushed open the wooden swing gate and strode into the centre of the chamber. An astonished hush descended on the chamber at his audacity and the sheer physical presence of an Imperial Space Marine. The Moderator of Transactions stood incredulous below the voting slate, his face red with fury.
His annoyance at having the normal order of business disrupted overcame his common sense and he advanced on Barzano, spluttering in indignation.
'This is completely out of order, sir! You cannot flout the regulations that govern our lawful assemblage in this manner.'
'Oh, I think I can,' smiled Barzano, pulling the red seal of the Administratum from his robes and holding it above his head for the chamber to see. Uriel kept a wary eye on the senate bailiffs, though none appeared willing to rise to the defence of the senate's regulations.
Barzano placed the seal back in his robes and addressed the assembly of Pavonis.
'Good day to you all. My name is Ario Barzano and I come here in the name of the Divine Emperor of Mankind. It is my task to set this world back on the path of righteousness, to stamp out the corruption and troubles that plague your world. I come with the highest authority and the strength to enforce the Administratum's will.'
Uriel could not help but notice worried glances passing between several of the cartel heads as the word ''corruption'' was mentioned. Barzano swept his arms wide in a gesture that encompassed the entire senate chamber.
'Consider this vote on hold, gentlemen. And ladies,' added Barzano with a nod to Solana Vergen, who fluttered her eyelashes at the adept. Angry voices were raised, but died away as Barzano stood beside Uriel's armoured bulk.
'Now if you will excuse me, my learned friends, the governor of Pavonis and I have a great many things to discuss. Good day to you all.'
Barzano bowed deeply and indicated that Lortuen Perjed should join him on the floor. The old man shuffled out to meet Barzano and Uriel, his face a deep red. As he reached them, he gripped Barzano's arm and whispered, 'That was entirely inappropriate.'
'I know,' answered Barzano, pulling free of Perjed's grasp and marching over to the governor's seats.
Mykola Shonai sat dumbfounded at this unexpected development and numbly rose to her feet as Barzano approached.
'You have my thanks, Adept Barzano. I had not expected you until later this evening.'
Barzano winked and leaned in close to the governor, 'I like to make an entrance, Governor Shonai, but don't thank me yet, this is not a reprieve. It is merely a stay of what may still inevitably happen.'
Governor Shonai nodded, understanding the distinction, but grateful for the lifeline nonetheless.
'I thank you anyway.'
'Now, before your Moderator of Transactions has an apoplectic fit, I suggest we all retire to somewhere a little less public?'
'Agreed.'
Ario Barzano and Lortuen Perjed sat in the governor's chambers while Uriel stood at ease behind them. Governor Shonai sat behind her desk with Almerz Chanda and Leland Corteo either side of her. Smoke from Corteo's pipe layered below the ceiling, circulated by a leisurely spinning fan.
'I have to say, adept,' began Mykola Shonai, 'that I had not expected you to allow me to remain in office.'
'I still may not, Governor Shonai, 'that decision remains to be taken.'
'Then why did you not just allow me to fall to Taloun's vote?'
Almerz Chanda leaned forwards. 'Surely, governor, it is enough for now that the adept did not?'
'No, Almerz, it is not. Well, adept? Why?'
'I liked the look of you, and I could tell Uriel did too,' explained Barzano. Uriel had not thought he had been so obvious in his appraisal of the governor and his respect for Barzano's powers of perception raised a notch.
'Besides, my dear lady, from what I could see of the other potential candidates, you appeared to be the least, how shall I say…?'
'Slimy, deceitful and untrustworthy?' she suggested.
Barzano laughed. 'Yes, something like that. But on a more serious note, we dislike upsetting the stability of a world too much if we can at all avoid it. Replacing you at this juncture would have achieved little of value.'
'So in other words, this may only be a temporary arrangement?'
'Exactly I will be blunt, governor. You have failed in your duties as an Imperial commander. The tithes that are the right and proper duty of the Emperor have not been forthcoming and your inability to maintain the peace on this world has resulted in my despatch to rectify the situation.'
'It is certainly true that we have been having our fair share of problems, but past circumstances have—'
'Past circumstances do not interest me, Governor Shonai,' snapped Barzano and Uriel was surprised at the vicious tone that edged his words. Perjed appeared concerned also and leaned forward in his seat as Barzano continued.
What does interest me, however, is your lack of progress in eliminating this Church of Ancient Ways, an organisation that sounds dangerously like a cult to my way of thinking. What also interests me is the inability of your system defence ships to hunt down the eldar raiders that attacked our ship and caused the deaths of a great many servants of the Emperor. But what concerns me most of all is the fact that you did not feel it necessary to report any of this to the Imperium. An explanation of these circumstances would be most edifying.'
'What would you have me tell you, adept? The Adeptus Arbites and our own local security forces have tried to stamp out the Church of Ancient Ways, but they are like shadows and we can find no clue as to how they are being supplied with their weaponry,' snarled Shonai. 'As to the eldar raiders, our ships are ready to be mothballed: there is not one amongst them less than two thousand years old. How would you have this fight them?'
Barzano smiled as the governor finished her tirade and sat back in his chair, apparently satisfied with her answer.
Mykola Shonai placed her hands, palm down, on her desk. 'I admit it was… unwise not to have come forward sooner regarding our troubles, but I believed we could deal with them internally. If I am guilty of anything, it is that I placed too much faith in my own abilities to manage this crisis.'
'Yes,' agreed Barzano. 'But I do not believe your administration is quite beyond redemption. I propose that we put aside past mistakes for now and work to resolve the current situation as quickly as possible. You agree?'
'Of course,' said the governor quickly. 'What can I do to help?'
'The first stage in any operation is information gathering and to facilitate my researches, I shall need complete access to the data files you have in the palace logic engines and cogitators. And of course that includes all your own private files.'
'Outrageous!' stormed Almerz Chanda. 'You overstep your mark, sir!'