[Schrödinger's Loyalist]: "If this really is a fanfic universe, I hope the author is a power-fantasy writer. Hurry up and drop a Primarch from orbit to save us! Preferably Sanguinius, he's got the best looks."
[Slaanesh Champion Candidate]: "I think Fulgrim wouldn't be bad either..."
[Papa Nurgle Loves Everyone]: "Mortarion is better. The Grandfather's gifts..."
Zeke's face darkened as he typed in the group: "Chaos heretics, do not interfere with the faith of the Loyalists, or I'll hit you with the ban hammer."
[Pay the Tithe Even if the World Ends]: "I support Zeke! But speaking of the timeline... I noticed something."
"When that overseer said 'In the name of the Emperor,' his tone was very natural. It sounded like everyday speech."
"If the Emperor had already been sitting on the Golden Throne as a god for ten thousand years, would that phrase be used so casually?"
[Fugitive Cogboy of the Mechanicus]: "Good point. In the 40k era, the lower classes are more likely to say 'The Emperor Protects' or 'Praise the Emperor.' 'In the name of the Emperor' sounds more like a formal phrase used for law enforcement or declaring war."
"However, during the Great Crusade in the 30k era, Imperial military and law enforcement did use that phrase frequently."
[Fugitive Cogboy of the Mechanicus] then compiled a summary of the currently known intel:
"World Name: Aurelian IV. Confirmed not a major lore planet in the primary sectors. High probability of being a frontier world."
"Local Factions: Led by the Ximans Trade Consortium, which controls the Aru Pharmaceutical Group."
"Other Factions Present: Knight Houses, Psyker families, Mechanicus offshoots. Based on fragmented info from the workers, the planet is in a state of fractured warlord-style rule."
"Imperial Presence: Confirmed."
"Soldiers invoke the Emperor's name, but Imperial control is weak. Local factions possess high autonomy."
"Tech Level: Typical Hive World. Las-weapons, aircraft, and basic synthetic industries are present, but the lowest levels heavily rely on human hard labor. This fits the uneven technological distribution of an Imperial frontier world."
"Psychic Status: Confirmed to exist. Regulatory status is unknown, but institutions are clearly conducting illegal research."
"Critical Timeline Clues: No direct evidence pointing to a specific millennium yet."
"However, based on the Imperium's loose grip, the technological display, and the lack of large-scale, overt Chaos activity, I hypothesize we are somewhere between the late Great Crusade and the early Horus Heresy?"
"Namely, late M30 to early M31. Reason: The expanding borders of the Imperium diluted administrative control, allowing local factions to grow powerful, which fits the lore. If we were in the Heresy or post-Heresy era, Chaos influence should be much more obvious."
This analysis earned a flurry of likes from the group.
[Soul of Cadia]: "I have supporting evidence too!"
"Those soldiers and overseers—while brutal—felt like they had decent organization. They acted like a normal local militia, not the frenzied or obsessively disciplined zealots you see after Chaos corruption."
"If this were ten thousand years after the Heresy, they'd have to have some Chaos flavor to them, right?"
[Fabricator-General of the Mechanicus]: "Makes sense. Furthermore, their use of the word 'Emperor' seemed habitual, even transactional, rather than rooted in terror or completely abandoned."
"If the Imperium was completely rotten to the core or Chaos was running rampant, they probably wouldn't mention Him at all, or they would do it with a completely different attitude."
[Guilliman is the GOAT]: "So we might currently be in... the tail end of the Golden Age?"
"The Great Crusade isn't over yet? The Emperor might still be... uh, he might not be on the Throne yet?"
"Are the Primarchs still fighting out there? Has Horus not started his rebellion yet?"
[Schrödinger's Loyalist]: "Then here is the question: If this is the 'good era', why did we spawn as wage slaves? Does that make sense?"
[T'au-Kun, You're Right, But the Bolter is Righter]: "Wake up to reality! When has the Warhammer 30k or 40k universe ever been a 'good era' for civilian commoners?! Did fewer mortals die during the Great Crusade? Were there fewer innocent souls accidentally wiped out by Exterminatus?"
"It was a Golden Age for the Imperial elites and the Primarchs. But for us bottom-feeders... it's always the era of the wage slave!"
"The only difference is that instead of being wage slaves for the Imperial Crusade, we're wage slaves for a local trade consortium! The essence hasn't changed!"
"Brilliant!"
"Truth!"
Rows of exclamations flooded the chat.
[Don't Ask, I Finks It Works]: "Then I finks we should go find a Primarch. If we can cling to a Primarch—even if we're just auxiliary serfs for the Space Marines—it's gotta be better than mining in a refinery!"
[Soul of Cadia]: "The prerequisite is that we leave the refinery alive and actually contact Imperial forces. Don't forget, we are undocumented right now. We don't have identification tags. In the Imperial bureaucratic system, we effectively don't exist."
[Greenskins Never Be Slaves]: "Plus, the Aru Group is the local mafia. The Ximans Trade Consortium definitely has people on the planetary council. If a bunch of undocumented nobodies like us run to the Governor claiming we're loyal citizens, the Consortium's people will probably just arrest us as lunatics."
[T'au-Kun, Surrender Your Gun And Live]: "So we still have to rely on ourselves! Steal ore! Save money! Buy guns! Start a riot!"
[I'm Not the Lord Regent, I'm Just a Passing Guilliman]: "Agreed. Current objectives: First, survive. Second, accumulate resources. Third, gather intelligence. Fourth, establish an organization."
"We can reference the Imperial Guard Rank-and-File Mutual Aid Manual and the Preliminary Guide to Underhive Resistance Movements..."
[Schrödinger's Loyalist]: "G-Man, where are you getting these reading lists?"
[I'm Not the Lord Regent, I'm Just a Passing Guilliman]: "Uh, personal hobbies."
The group discussion was burning hot, filled with Warhammer memes and dark humor flying back and forth.
Someone uploaded a hand-drawn map of the refinery, marking the overseer patrol routes, potential hiding spots, and the stench-filled waste tunnel.
Someone else compiled the fragmented phrases from the NPC workers, trying to piece together clues about Sector 7. The phrase "After Sector 7 fell" appeared the most frequently.
[Fugitive Cogboy of the Mechanicus]: "Sector 7 might refer to the 7th layer of the Hive or the 7th Administrative District. The word 'fell' is critical. Did an upper-hive sector collapse and fall? Or did an orbital facility crash? If it's the latter, it could have been a massive accident, or perhaps evidence of orbital bombardment."
[Four-Armed Emperor Above]: "The old worker I heard said, 'After Sector 7 fell, a lot of things changed.' This might be a key historical node. Perhaps it was the opportunity that led to the rise of the Aru Group or the Ximans Trade Consortium, or the turning point that reshuffled local power."
[Soul of Cadia]: "Who cares?! We can't even leave the sector this refinery is in right now. What's the point of asking about history from Emperor-knows-how-many years ago?"
[T'au-Kun, You're Right, But the Bolter is Righter]: "It is useful! What if there's an STC hidden in the ruins of Sector 7? What if there are relics from the Dark Age of Technology? We'd be rich!"
[Praise the Omnissiah]: "And then get hunted to the ends of the galaxy by the Mechanicus? The Cogboys' obsession with STCs is deeper than Slaanesh's obsession with pretty boys."
Watching the rapidly scrolling chat log, a smile unconsciously crept onto Zeke's face.
These guys. They had just returned from a game that felt like literal hell. Everyone was dead tired and probably slightly traumatized. Yet here they were in the group chat: cracking jokes, conducting serious analysis, and actively plotting.
This was a player.
This was the Fourth Scourge.
They might complain, they might be terrified, they might get themselves killed doing stupid things. But as long as you gave them a sliver of hope and a goal, they could erupt with terrifying agency and creativity.
Zeke opened the Group Files. People had already uploaded compiled documents:
Aru Refinery No. 3 Overseer Patrol Schedule (V1.0)
Promethium Scrap Purity vs. Recyclable Value Chart
Refinery Sector Hazard Level Assessment
How to Pretend to Be a Proper Hive City Wage Slave: A Guide to Facial Expressions and Body Language
Warhammer 40k Basic Lore Quick Q&A (To Prevent Breaking Character)
...
He even saw a document titled Preliminary Concepts for Conducting Labor Union Struggles Within the Refinery, authored by [Pay the Tithe Even if the World Ends].
Zeke clicked it open. The author actually cited historical texts—from Marx to Lenin, from the British Chartist Movement to an analysis of the current state of Hive City workers. The document concluded:
Given the current massive disparity in power between the enemy and ourselves, the lack of awakened worker consciousness, and the absence of external support, it is inadvisable to openly organize a union. However, we can develop an underground mutual aid network, secretly disseminate ideology, and accumulate strength.
"Tax Bro is a real talent," Zeke sighed in admiration.
The time neared 7:00 PM.
Many people in the group had already started discussing when to log back in.
[Schrödinger's Loyalist]: "It's currently the night rest period in-game. The players on watch should still be online. When are we all logging back in together?"
[Eternally Loyal to the Emperor]: "According to the in-game time, we should probably log in soon. It's past 7:00 PM in reality... which means it should be around 4:00 or 5:00 AM in the game. The overseers are about to start the shift."
[Fugitive Cogboy of the Mechanicus]: "I suggest a mass login at 8:00 PM reality time, which corresponds to the morning shift start time in-game. We need to arrange the watch schedule for tonight."
[Soul of Cadia]: "I volunteer for the watch tonight! I don't have work anyway!"
[Don't Ask, I Finks It Works]: "I volunteer too! I also don't have work!"
The watch schedule was quickly finalized. Zeke uploaded it to the Group Files and tagged the relevant members.
[Eternally Loyal to the Emperor]: "Alright everyone, that's it for today. 8:00 PM, see you in the game. Remember our plan: lay low, steal ore, save money, fish for info, and wait for our chance."
[T'au-Kun, You're Right, But the Bolter is Righter]: "For the Imperial Coins!"
[Schrödinger's Loyalist]: "For not being turned into nutrient paste!"
[I'm Not the Lord Regent, I'm Just a Passing Guilliman]: "For piloting mechas one day!"
[Soul of Cadia]: "For shoving the one-eyed overseer's head into the reactor!"
[Pay the Tithe Even if the World Ends]: "For... paying fewer taxes?"
[Eternally Loyal to the Emperor]: "Alright, meeting adjourned! Rest up! Get your energy back. Soon we go back to working for the Aru Group—and robbing them blind while we're at it."
Rows of 'For the Emperor' scrolled through the chat.