Warhammer 40k : Space Marine Kayvaan

Anjie muttered a string of curses under her breath, her frustration bubbling over. "I don't even know what this sludge is. It's sticky, and—Emperor's mercy—it stinks! I swear, if this ruins my shoes, I'll—Elizabeth! You should be able to tell me by now, why in the name of Terra did we come to this Emperor-forsaken place? I want to go home!"

For a brief moment, Elizabeth felt something stir in her chest—something painful. She knew exactly which home Anjie was referring to. Not the place where she lived now. Certainly not with her. No, the girl longed for him—for the one who had raised her, the one who had left the deepest imprint upon her heart. Not for the first time, Elizabeth found herself feeling bitter amusement. She was the girl's mother, by blood if nothing else. And yet, compared to her, it was the withered, aging scholars—the old bean sprouts, as Anjie mockingly called them—who had provided the girl with a sense of belonging.

The moment passed. A Battle Sister, a former Inquisitor, had no place for such thoughts. Her heart hardened once more, her voice calm but firm. "Anjie," Elizabeth said smoothly, "I seem to recall teaching you about respect. Especially when addressing your elders. Do you remember what I told you about proper forms of address?"

Anjie rolled her eyes and sighed theatrically. "Throne, Elizabeth, you're such a—" But the cold amusement in Elizabeth's expression made her falter. Raising her hands in exaggerated surrender, she groaned. "Alright, alright, I remember! I'm a genius, after all. How could I possibly forget something drilled into me by a dry old crone?"

Elizabeth ignored the obvious jab, keeping her smile in place. "And what should you call me?"

Anjie grimaced, dragging in a deep breath as if preparing for execution. "...Mom. Mom."

Elizabeth nodded approvingly. "Good girl." She reached out stiffly to pat the girl's head—only for Anjie to twist away with a scowl. Elizabeth merely chuckled, unfazed. "Now, since you've demonstrated such excellent manners, I'll tell you why we're here." She gestured at the desolate landscape around them. "Like most outsiders who set foot on Muddrift Hive, we're here to gather information. But first, let's start with the basics. You need to understand the history of this place."

Elizabeth's voice took on a measured cadence—the tone of a lecturer delivering a lesson. "Muddrift Hive exists in a forgotten corner of the Eastern Fringe. It is so unremarkable, so worthless, that it does not even appear in many of the Imperium's official star charts. The galaxy that houses it is barely worth a footnote in the archives of the Imperial High Command. And yet, there is a record—a single page, buried deep in the regional archives. It speaks of a war fought long ago." 

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied the murky landscape before them. "I have been to many worlds, Anjie. I have seen horrors beyond counting. And yet, I must say—this is the ugliest planet I have ever set foot upon. And I have no doubt that, in all the years to come, it will remain the ugliest.The oceans of Muddrift Hive are a sickly, putrid gray—the color of water left in a rusted bucket after scrubbing filth from the floor. The seas cover more than eighty percent of the planet's surface, giving the entire world its wretched hue when viewed from orbit. This is not the result of natural processes. This is pollution. And that, Anjie, is the reason we are here. We are to determine the source of this ruin."

She paused for a moment before continuing, her tone sharpening. "The data we have is fragmentary. Too much time has passed. The evidence is incomplete. But from what little we can piece together, we know this—tens of thousands of years ago, something happened here. A war. Both sides wielded weapons of terrible power. We do not know who they were. We do not know who emerged victorious—if anyone did. But the consequences of that battle are written across this world. It shattered the planet's ecology beyond repair. Muddrift Hive has been dead ever since. Only one creature still endures in its cursed waters—the Muddrift Hive. A scavenger, thriving in filth, the last living remnant of a world that was turned into a corpse."

Elizabeth turned her gaze to Anjie, her expression expectant. "Now, tell me—what have you learned?"

"The grim history of this wretched planet," Anjie muttered, kicking at the mud caking her ruined shoes.

Elizabeth remained unfazed. "Now, let's talk about its present. Given its geographical insignificance, the ruling nobility abandoned it long ago. House Valtross Dynarii washed their hands of it the moment they realized the pollution was irreversible. The nobility value luxury, and no sane noble would willingly live in a poisoned quagmire. So the planet was sold off—entrusted to three major corporate conglomerates for management. Over time, those companies merged into a single entity, the true ruler of this forsaken rock—the Hydroclad Consortium."

Anjie frowned. "They own the whole planet?"

"They control the only clean water supply." Elizabeth's tone was matter-of-fact. "If you want to drink, if you want to bathe, if you want anything not riddled with toxins and radiation, you buy from them. But water isn't their only business. Muddrift Hive sits in a convenient pocket of Imperial space—out of the way, far from prying eyes. It's a haven for all the galaxy's filth. Pirates, bounty hunters, hereteks, rogue psykers, mutant cults—if you're an outcast, this is the place to disappear. And make no mistake, Anjie—if you pulled a gun and shot randomly into a crowd in this city, you wouldn't hit a single innocent soul. There are no innocents here. This is where the Imperium's laws hold no weight, where even the God-Emperor's mercy does not reach. Here, in this cesspit, the only justice is the kind you bring with you."

Anjie groaned, rubbing her temples. "So, what you're saying is—it's not just a swamp. It's swarming with vermin."

"Precisely."

The girl exhaled dramatically. "Mom, why in the name of the Golden Throne did we have to come here ourselves? If you wanted information, we could've just snatched a couple of lowlifes off the street and beaten it out of them! Don't try to lie to me—I know interrogation and torture are your specialties. My master always said you were the best in the whole Imperium."

Elizabeth sighed, shaking her head. "My foolish daughter, there are many ways to obtain information, and you just described the most inefficient one. Now, stop whining and start moving."

Anjie groaned again but followed nonetheless. The wilds of Muddrift Hive were a death trap. The wretched poor, scavengers, mutant creatures—all of them lurked in the wilderness, waiting to prey upon travelers. Yet, none of these threats mattered in the slightest to Elizabeth and Anjie. They walked openly, utterly unconcerned, as if they belonged in this hell. And, within half a day, trouble finally found them—a band of half-starved gangers wielding rusted shotguns, their hair styled in absurd, explosive mohawks.