"Isn't that so? The Planetary Governor is a greedy exploiter, he takes our last grain! Isn't it because of him that we live in poverty?"
The rebel commander was agitated, his fingers clenched into fists. Despite his excitement, understanding was growing within him.
Li Qingyu's words shattered the last remnants of this faith.
"What if the Governor isn't a villain at all? Maybe once he also dreamed of improving the lives of his people. But about ten years ago, a neighboring industrial world was invaded by orks. Green-skinned xenos – monstrously cruel creatures. Because of their invasion, the Imperium imposed an increased tax on our planet to support the forge world."
The commander's heart sank. So, the source of their troubles was not the Governor himself, but the Imperium behind him.
Li Qingyu gave him no respite:
"Your revolution has been going on for over ten years. You control the surface of the agri-world – a considerable achievement. But understand, over these years, the Governor has not paid a single coin of tribute to the Imperium. Imagine what will happen when you take the Hive, kill the Governor, and create a new government. In the midst of the victory celebration, a tax fleet will appear. It will demand payment of the debt for all these years. What will you pay with?"
A large drop of sweat rolled down the old man's forehead. He understood: they themselves would become the new oppressors.
They were powerless against the Imperium. A kilometer-long space battleship carries thousands of macro-cannons capable of obliterating a city with a single salvo.
Fighters, tanks, tens of thousands of elite guards – all this would strike without a chance of survival.
To survive, the new government would have to become a tyrant. Revolutionaries would turn into tax collectors.
Seeing the commander turn pale, Li Qingyu sighed:
"History goes in circles. If you cannot change the conditions, the dragon slayer becomes the dragon. A revolutionary dreaming of freedom turns into the Imperium's overseer."
Li Qingyu had his own guess. Having spent months in the Hive, he had seen enough to suspect that the Governor had enough strength to regain control.
After all, 99% of the industry and tens of billions of souls were concentrated in the Hive. How could a crowd of peasants win?
It seemed the Governor had calculated everything. Even if he crushed the rebellion, the taxes still wouldn't be collected on time. The result would be the same – a fleet would arrive, and a commissar would put a bolt through his forehead.
Why waste strength on war? Let the people enjoy a couple of decades of peace until the Administratum arrives to collect the debts.
Perhaps the next generation, inheriting a world without ruins, would pay faster and suffer less.
These were just assumptions. Li Qingyu had never seen the Governor, but everything seemed logical – like a carefully constructed balance.
Without the silent consent of the higher powers, such a situation would not have lasted.
The commander was overwhelmed. He no longer knew what to believe and decided to end the conversation.
But before leaving, he asked one last question:
"Can we not control our destiny at all?"
Li Qingyu answered immediately:
"To become the master of your destiny, you need at least your own warp ship. That's your ticket to freedom."
He himself often pondered this. In the madness of this world, staying on one sphere is suicide.
Xenos, demons – anyone could destroy everything before you could escape.
True freedom is a starship. It doesn't matter the size or armament – what matters is speed and a reliable Gellar field for warp jumps.
Only then does a person truly control their life.
The conversation was over. Li Qingyu was about to leave, and the commander went to see him off.
At the exit, Li Qingyu heard muffled groans.
He turned and saw several wounded fighters in the shadows. They were bandaged haphazardly, with no medicine at all.
The commander noticed his gaze and exhaled heavily:
"We have a terrible shortage of medicine. The only remedy is some herbs for pain relief."
He looked at Li Qingyu with a plea:
"If you get antibiotics or painkillers next time, our friendship will become stronger."
At that moment, a system signal sounded in Li Qingyu's head:
"Ding! New quest: the rebel leader urgently needs medicine. Required: three packs of anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving drugs. Reward: faction friendship and additional privileges."
Having accepted the quest, he said:
"Prepare the grain. Next time, I'll try to bring medicine."