No rest for the wicked
Chapter 1
Tarik rubbed his eyes with one gloved hand his other place firmly on the pommel of his sheathed chainsword as he watched the parade. Every year the Governor insisted on a ceremonial parade. For Tarik it was a thankless chore as the Commissar Attaché to the Planet Yubique's planetary forces located in a minor sub sector in the greater Segmentum Obscurus.
The Commissar stood next to the Planetary Governor as he returned the salutes of the Officers ahead of their men marching along the promenade infront of the Governors palace. Tarik's mind wandered for a moment as he looked at the ageing governor kept alive like most Imperial nobles by rejuvenation treatments; Governor Frederick Tombolt, he was like all Cadian men tall but frail his once blonde hair was now white and balding but it seemed the man didn't care, medals stretched across the left hand side of his chest and the most recent would get trapped between his body and left arm if he lifted it, the mans purple eyes were tired but vigilant always watching for a threat even when there could be none. A veteran of hundreds of battlefields as a Infantry platoon commander, then Company Commander and finally the Commanding Officer of the 98th Cadian Mechanised. It was while serving in this role did the then General Tombolt and his regiment of Cadian Guardsmen acquitted themselves that well the Departo Munitorum felt them worthy to settle a world, as luck would have it the nearest world was Yubique.
Tarik knew this in of itself was rare the only true honour any Guard Regiment could only dream of achieving of course the 98th was near gone by the time they were granted this mercy a respite from humanities never ending war. That was nearly a century ago and with the guiding hand of local systems and support from Cadia itself as a sign of respect to the Regiment combined with the military precision of the Governor the planet had grown into a respectable world with some food and factory production that did assist the sub-sector and segmentum. Yubique was a loyal world that provided its Tithes on time. For Commissar Tarik Faar it was a boring post.
The parade begun to wrap up as the last of the PDF marched past followed by their vehicles, Governor Tombolt turned to his party, High-Priest Turon the local Ecclesiarch while young the Priest was already making waves with his skilled voice that had rallied the population in times of strife to unite for the God-Emperor.
Lord Rieb was the lead administrator for the Departo Munitorum he was a small and rotund man whose skin betrayed a poor health he often would cough and clear his throat handkerchief in hand to collect whatever fluid he was retching up from his chest. Tarik didn't trust the Munitorum administrator as far as the man himself could run which wasn't very far.
Both men had a dozen or so assistants and clerks following them, Rieb often had a servitor that carried a Vox to communicate with his building and often would rudely take calls or send messages to his people.
The only other being of note on the balcony overlooking the parade was the tall and rerobed mechanical Tech-Priest who had stood in machine silence, Tarik was sure the Arch-Magos of the priesthood of mars representative on the world of Yubique was asleep if they could sleep. Arch-Magos Meshoris was the head of any Mechanicus projects and resources on the world. The Priesthood of mars mainly operating within the large space port located just outside the capital city of Yubique called rather egotistically Tombolt.
"Another excellent Parade sir" Called a voice Tarik had honestly forgotten about Colonel Tomas Ria who was the "Leader" of the Yubique PDF and the man who Tarik had spent far too much time with. Tarik knew that if this planet ever did come under attack the Governor himself would lead the PDF. Most of the PDF company commanders had been Cadians under his command his men they'd follow him into the Eye of Terror himself. Whereas rather oddly the higher command of the PDF was mostly Nobleman and their heirs and successors where over the years the ageing Cadian Guardsmen who couldn't pay to keep themselves from death died and their positions were brought by the richer people of the world.
"It is nice to remind them that we are thinking of the men" Governor Tombolt replied stepping down from his plinth towards the people behind him.
Tarik could've sighed in relief as they started to walk back up the stairs into the palace. The civilian crowds started to disperse without any issues and the streets started to empty. Tarik stayed outside the Palace he didn't have to go in, the Commissar didn't need to either.
Chapter 2
"Im sorry Commissar Faar no replies from the Officio Prefectus offices and Sector command as of yet" The Receptionist said. Tarik nodded his thanks to the woman turning away from the desk he stepped towards the exit from the Munitorum offices only to be stopped by a runner who rushed over. Lord Rieb wanted a word.
Tarik knew the way he gave the runner a break he doubted being the mans runner was a particularly well paid or respected job, he mused at the last thought, similar to his own position he thought. As a PDF Commissar, Tarik didn't have to keep morale high or produce propaganda, reinvigorate the fighting troops most of the PDF were descendants of Cadian soldiers and if they weren't they'd grown up around them and more importantly most Soldiers would spend their time off in their own homes with their own families. Unlike the frontline Guard units far from home never to see them or their families again. Tarik was bored the only intervention he'd ever had to of done in his four years on this world was punish one officer for drunkenly assaulting Colonel Ria, and Tarik only did that too have something to do for a day or two.
The Commissar reached the door to the Administrators office and lightly knocked hearing a heavily muffled come in he opened the door. "Good morning, Administrator Rieb what can I do for you?" Tarik asked as he entered stepping in front of the man's desk.
"Ah Commissar sit down" Rieb replied placing some kind of meat back on the plate on his desk that was on top of what looked like shipping reports. Tarik smiled warmly at the man as he sat on the expensive wooden chair on his side of the desk and took off the distinct black cap of the Commissariat holding it on his lap.
"I was going to ask for Colonel Ria but since you were here perhaps you could help me with some of the recent requests, he's asking for, for the PDF?" The portly man asked placing two gigantic hands together on the desk leaning forwards and peering at he Commissar. Tarik could've screamed, rather detrimentally the Commissar had taken on a few extra duties as a student of the Scola Progenium. Tarik knew much about the Imperial militaries build up, logistics and resources. One of these duties he'd helped on was training the different companies and regiments in the Yubique PDF including trying to get extra weapons and vehicles.
Tarik also knew while discussing with the younger and less bloodied Yubique officers that he'd got distracted and told tall tales of glory and death while Tarik had served as a Commissar in a Death Korps of Krieg regiment his previous post before coming here. He didn't think any thing of it, using it as a chance to get the young officers to not see him as a bogeyman who'd rather shoot them then help them. It would seem Colonel Ria wanted to stylise himself as some kind of great military general with absolute power through regiments of armour and artillery supported by swathes of Infantry, which Yubique didn't need nor could it produce.
"I see, well I'm sure the good colonel has a reason for requisitioning some things, after all Cadia isn't that far, the arch-enemy is a near and constant threat" Tarik replied diplomatically.
The Munitorum man scoffed, reaching across his death and pulling a stack of papers from a organizer and passing them to Tarik.
"These are the most outrageous requests" He said going back to leaning on his arms watching Tarik, the Commissars eyes darting across the paper.
Colonel Ria had requested things that as far as Tarik was concerned a PDF Colonel shouldn't even know existed let alone be able to go through the Cogitators and paperwork to find the numbers and codes required to demand them in the firstplace.
Manticore Missiles…But not the Manticore Artillery piece itself, the Yubique defence forces didn't have any.
Heavy Bolters, Tarik raised an eyebrow as he noticed the Colonel had requested a platoons worth of these weapons and had on the last bit of paper requested the tripods needed for them, seemingly having forgotten he might need them.
More Interestingly to the Commissar saw that the PDF had requested Lucius Pattern Las-Guns, too Tarik this confirmed that Colonel Ria had been enamoured with his stories and thought maybe if the PDF had the same Las-Guns as the Death Korps maybe they'd become like them, Tarik could've shuddered at the thought.
"Well I can see why youd refuse these requests, the PDF for Yubique numbers just around fifty thousand full time troops and a further one hundred thousand ready to be called up if needed in reserve units" Tarik said remembering the information from the top of his head, the reserves were always a strange thing to him, they were men and women who once a month would give up their day off to do some training and potentially be called up if the world was attacked. They were lovingly referred to as "Weekend Warriors" by the PDF, not that the regular PDF had fought anything more then a pirate band that had crashed far out in the woods.
"Yes well if you could pass on a message to the young Tomas that the Munitorum will not be granting these requests and to stop wasting my adepts time" Rieb said looking down at his papers again signifying the conversation was over. Tarik stood up placing his hat back on and leaving. There was a time once when the Commissar might've berated and scorned the Administrator for speaking down to a member of the Holy God-Emperors Officio Prefectus' own Commissars like a common servitor but frankly Tarik stopped caring not long after he got here.
The Commissar was still diligent he did everything he had to regularly inspected the barracks of the PDF troops, met with the local Law Enforcement and the small Adeptus Arbites unit stationed here to check on their own. However, beyond doing these every couple of months he had little to do, he understood why some Commissars especially the older and perhaps more bitter members of his order enjoyed these postings to see out their waning years. But to Tarik who had only done two duties after being a cadet, both to regiments who saw much action it was hardly what he wanted or what he felt was due. After serving with the Death Korps 13th Siege Regiment for six years before that having served with a Cadian regiment for four years before that. He failed to see why they'd send him here he had a impeccable service record filled with deeds and recommendations even a report from a Inquisitor who'd requested the 13th Regiments assistance it was Tarik who'd led the Krieg Grenadiers with the Inquisitor to complete his mission deep in a underhive, and even had a favour to call in on if he so desired. Tarik stopped walking thinking maybe that was he way off world.