Tala had spent several days now exploring the nooks and crannies of Ishma's stronghold, and what she found was beginning to paint a rather interesting picture of House Saul's operations on this world. At a glance, it was hardly any different from the previous times the Nrac had conquered a technologically inferior alien species and integrated them into the Imperium.

  The planet's governing bodies were ousted through military force, and House Saul installed its own leadership and peacekeeping units to ensure compliance from the local population. Once control had been properly established, the humans were provided with a limited selection of Nrac technologies in exchange for a steady supply of labor and resources. They were given running water, electricity, and advanced medical care—all basic necessities for a functioning society, but nothing they might turn against their new overlords and rebel.

  It was strange, though; according to observation records, the humans of this world had begun to experiment with pre-FTL spaceflight centuries ago, at least until a worldwide ecological disaster flooded most of the planet. Much of their technological progress was lost, and they were only just entering a new renaissance era when Ishma arrived. The humans' cities of wood, brick, and stone could do little against the might of House Saul's naval fleet, and when Ishma's power-armored soldiers moved in to capture and occupy territory, they were met with lines of musketeers and armored knights on horseback.

  However, things got significantly more complex when it came to the subject of conscription. In the Imperium, it was a common practice to replenish one's military forces from the populations of conquered worlds, Nrac or otherwise. Though they were far from being the first alien species forced into the service of the Nrac, every single one of the Imperium's Great Houses had agreed to the non-interference treaty, which had protected the humans for millennia. Ishma was treading on dangerous ground by drafting them into his military.

  And that was where things became truly bizarre, Tala discovered. Humans were not simply being drafted but were being put through a process called Indoctrination. Ishma had decided that humans could not be trusted with military equipment—at least not without powerful mental conditioning to keep them in line. Now, an uneasy Tala was on her way to witness the Indoctrination process for herself.

  The elevator hummed to a stop as it reached the lowest basement floor of Ishma's stronghold. The brushed metal doors slid open with a soft hiss, revealing a long, sterile corridor lined with sparsely furnished holding cells. Tala exhaled as she stepped out, her footsteps echoing off the concrete floor as she passed by a pair of patrolling guards. The guards paid her no mind; their orders were to keep the prisoners from escaping, not to keep the Emperor's representative out.

  At the end of the corridor stood an enormous set of reinforced security doors with another pair of guards watching over them. They saluted Tala as she approached, and each offered a curt bow. "Praetor Rauth," one of them greeted. "The Inquisitor is inside. He has been expecting you."

  Tala nodded and returned the salute. "Thank you," she said before returning her attention to the heavy doors.

  A low hiss filled the air, accompanied by the sound of creaking metal as the security doors slowly parted. Inside was an enormous chamber filled with rows upon rows of human prisoners strapped into gurneys and hooked up to various medical equipment and monitoring systems. A chill ran down her spine as Tala took in the sight before her. "What the hell is this?" she muttered.

  A bald man clad in a leathery Nemesis suit with a stark white lab coat worn over it emerged from behind a row of prisoners, offering Tala a sinister smile. "Ah, Praetor Rauth," he said. "Duke Saul informed me that you would be paying me a visit today. Inquisitor Nox, at your service, your Majesty."

  The praetor stared at the man with a look of disgust before focusing back on the chamber's occupants. "What is this place?" she demanded.

  Nox gestured to his surroundings with open arms. "This is where we indoctrinate our human conscripts," he proudly explained. "Turn them to our way of thinking. It's a rather simple process, really—the machines do most of the heavy lifting. All it takes is time.

  "You brainwash them," Tala said.

  The inquisitor scoffed. "If you're keen on using such a dirty word, sure," he replied. "We merely remove resistance and replace it with loyalty."

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  Tala shook her head as she approached one of the prisoners. A bulky headset was strapped to his face, obscuring his vision and hearing and replacing his senses with whatever the machinery chose. "Is this really necessary?" Tala asked. "It seems... cruel."

  "There are far worse things I could put them through," said Nox, "but Duke Saul wanted these subjects kept intact. So, I do what is needed. I break them down and rebuild them. It takes time, but they come out the other end as obedient, loyal servants of House Saul."

  "But why all... this?" Tala asked, gesturing toward the chamber. "We've never needed to resort to anything like this with other species."

  "I can assure you this is absolutely necessary, Praetor," Nox said. "Humans are unlike anything we've encountered, and not just because they look like we do. They are unstable, dangerous, and prone to needless acts of violence when left unchecked. They nearly destroyed themselves before they made it to the stars; they would burn their own world to cinders if it meant they could be free of us. So we unfortunately cannot rely on the same methods of control that we have used with others."

  A glint of metal suddenly caught the praetor's gaze, and she noticed a familiar metal band locked around the neck of one of the prisoners. "Is this one wearing a disruptor collar?" she asked.

  Nox nodded. "Yes," he replied. "We've found that psychic abilities are far more common among humans than our kind—about one in ten compared to our one in a hundred thousand if I remember my numbers correctly. We use the collars to keep their abilities in check throughout the process. We wouldn't want them causing any problems, after all."

  Tala frowned in disapproval but continued questioning the inquisitor. "And what exactly happens to them once this... 'indoctrination' process is complete?" she asked curiously. "And how can you be certain that it curbs the aggression you're so worried about? How do you know they won't turn against you?"

  "Successfully indoctrinated recruits are sent to an offshore facility for basic training," Nox explained. "And yes, there certainly have been a few incidents over the years, but we've had a decade to perfect the process. Today, we have about a 99.9% success rate, and we have never had any issues once the humans leave my care."

  "And what of that 0.1%?" Tala pressed him further.

  The inquisitor let out a grim chuckle before responding. "They are useful in other ways," he replied.

  The praetor's gaze bored through Nox, her expression hard and unflinching. "Speak plainly, Inquisitor," she ordered. "Do not be coy or stupid. I have little patience for either."

  "Yes, of course," the inquisitor replied with an apologetic smile. "Regrettably, some minds do not survive the indoctrination process. It is unfortunate when it happens, but it gives us the opportunity to study the humans' biology. We know remarkably little about these creatures."

  Tala's gaze drifted back to the prisoners, her lips curling into a frown. She had always known that her people were not above using extreme measures to secure their interests, but this was a new low. "This is barbaric," she hissed. "I think I've seen enough."

  The praetor turned and started toward the exit, but Nox hurried after her, keeping up with her brisk pace. "Praetor Rauth, please," he said, his tone desperate. "You must understand that this has to be the way of things here. We cannot simply treat Renatus as another conquered world under House Saul's banner; the humans are a new challenge that requires new solutions."

  Tala halted in her tracks and spun to face Nox, nearly causing him to run into her. "I understand that you have your orders, Inquisitor," she replied sternly, "and I will not interfere with them. But do not mistake my silence for approval; what you are doing here is abhorrent, and I will be reporting it as such. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've had quite enough of this place."

  Nox bowed his head and backed away from Tala with open arms. "As you wish, Praetor."

  Tala turned away from the inquisitor and quickly returned to the elevator at the end of the corridor. She pressed the call button, and the doors opened immediately, allowing her to enter. As they shut, she sighed heavily and leaned against the wall behind her. The elevator began its ascent, and Tala closed her eyes as she tried to process what she had just witnessed.

  Ishma was drafting the humans into his own military after brainwashing them to be loyal servants, and he had spent the last decade perfecting the process. Nox had explained that the humans were 'too different' for their usual conscription methods, but Tala's gut told her that was a flimsy excuse for something more sinister.

  Her thoughts kept coming back to the disruptor collar she had seen on one of the prisoners, as well as the interest Ishma seemed to have in detaining psychic humans, or 'Gifted,' as they called themselves. Psychic abilities were quite rare among the Nrac; Ishma's concubine was probably the only nrac psychic on the whole of Renatus. An entire army of these Gifted humans loyal to Ishma's cause could easily alter the face of warfare throughout the Imperium.

  Tala had witnessed what the Terran Vindicators were capable of—and Ishma's fearful reverence of them. She wondered if perhaps the duke sought to create a similar force for himself, shuddering at the thought.

  The elevator hummed to a stop, and its doors slid open with a soft hiss. Tala stepped out onto the roof of the stronghold and took a deep breath of fresh air as she made her way to her shuttle to file another report back home to Emperor Rauth.

  < What are you planning, Ishma?>