Emperor's Bane

Chapter 1003 Be prepared
Is Governor Luther feeling any better?

Since his return to Caliban territory, this has been Astram's second most pressing concern.

Every few days or even every few hours, he would ask his clerk again.

However, in most cases, the results he got from his retinue were disappointing.

"The medical staff are still working hard, sir, but they are not yet able to fully control the condition."

"The Governor remains in a long-term coma."

The mortal servant who had followed Astram for thirty years bowed skillfully, but his reply failed to satisfy the dark angel.

Fortunately, he then added another sentence.

"However, in recent times, Lord Luther has regained consciousness from his coma several times. He has not only been able to walk briefly, but also eat on his own, and even consult documents and issue clear commands: the most recent instance was three Terra standard days ago."

Three days ago?

Astlan frowned slightly. He had intended to reprimand his mortal servant for not informing him of this important news immediately, but he quickly remembered what he had been doing three days earlier: he was leading his fleet in the warp, conducting another inspection of Cardia and its surrounding fortresses.

The inspection lasted until half an hour ago, when he had just emerged from Mandeville.

This is not an easy job.

From Kadia to Vigilant Star, and from Red Earth to Agrippina, traversing several star sectors, hundreds of worlds, and hundreds of billions of people: ever since Astram, on the orders of his genetic father Johnson, led the main fleet of the First Legion back from the Far East, he has been constantly traveling between these fortress worlds.

Over the course of several months, Kadia became so familiar with all the names around him that he heard them all the time.

However, this is not enough, far from enough.

In his heart, Astram muttered to himself.

If everything in the documents Luther left him before he fell into a coma is true.

The forces required to defend Cartier are far greater than Astram currently possesses: he must extract as much of the First Legion's remaining strength as possible before the ever-present threat of invasion arrives.

Since the Primarch entrusted him with this power, there was no reason for him to leave it unused.

Thinking of this, Astram quickened his pace: his mortal attendant behind him struggled to keep up with his master's steps while also answering his questions.

"tell me."

The Dark Angel's tone was as chilling as the cold wind whipped up by his iron boots.

"What orders or instructions did Governor Luther give when he awoke three days ago?"

The cold voice echoed through the empty corridor, but there was no need to worry about being heard by anyone: Astram's warships maintained the oldest tradition of the First Legion, and no idlers or anyone else would wander around the area near the commander-in-chief's office without any reason, except for the two guards who were required to be stationed there.

To their mortal servants, the First Legion was not a particularly forgiving master.

Especially for Astram and his rigid Terran army, if they caught a mortal servant wandering around without sufficient reason in a place concerning the Legion's secrets, they would be immediately executed for espionage.

The prisoners will have no chance to defend themselves, because before they realize that their actions have crossed the line of the Dark Angels, the First Army's guns will already be pointed at their heads: in the long run, those mortal servants who are lucky enough to survive will naturally know which areas are not places for them to go.

Astland was very pleased with this.

In his view, the core of the relationship between Astartes and mortals should be respect and awe.

They could certainly cooperate, and even develop into a closer partnership, but ultimately, the foundation of this relationship should be that mortals fully recognize Astartes' superiority and dominance over them, and are willing to serve the Emperor's angels as their attendants.

In return, Astartes must also fulfill all its responsibilities as a master and ruler.

general speaking.

Although the Dark Angels have the power to execute their mortal servants without trial, if their mortal servants and mortal auxiliary forces encounter a powerful enemy on the battlefield, the Dark Angels must protect these mortals at any cost: even if that cost is their own lives.

After taking sole command of the fleet, Astram worked to persuade his men to promote this idea.

He believed that this idea was crucial for the upcoming battle of Kadia: if the Dark Angels wanted to hold the vast area near the Eye of Terror, their own strength was not enough; they had to rely on mortals, on the walls they built with flesh and blood.

Before that, they must establish a proper subordinate relationship with ordinary people.

Just like they were with the Primarch.

As his gaze swept quickly past the Primarch statue standing at the crossroads, Astram once again recalled Johnson's words of advice and promises to him.

Like... him and his Primarch?
"..."

Astram's abrupt and strange laughter made the mortal attendant behind him, who was flipping through documents, pause for a moment, but he quickly replied: he dared not disobey this gloomy master.

"Lord Luther's last period of lucidity was approximately two hours and fourteen minutes. He spent an hour and a half of that time dealing with some of Caliban's most important tasks, summoning various officials, meeting with the company commanders of the Legion stationed in Caliban, and then issuing four executive orders in his own name."

"Say it all."

"The first measure is to expand conscription: recruit at least 50,000 more Dark Angels and 6.5 million mortal auxiliary troops."

"Too little."

Astland shook his head dismissively.

"We need at least 70,000 new recruits."

"As for the mortal auxiliary army: the newly recruited troops are required to replace the local veteran troops first, and then all the veterans should be transferred to the vicinity of Cadia."

The attendants remained silent, simply taking notes.

"The second executive order is to dispatch a legion's plenipotentiary representative and at least two hundred fully armed Dark Angel warriors to each of the Forging World Agrippina, Moredaca, the Knight World Dalowa, and the important military port of Resilient Dedication, to ensure that these worlds can give their all in the war."

"Yes, that's definitely true."

Astland nodded.

"We should learn from the lessons of the Belize Coronary Region."

"The Space Wolf Legion and Lemanrus neglected their naval bases in their respective territories, causing the entire base and most of the fleet to side with Horus. This directly contributed to the collapse of the Sixth Legion. As for the Forging World Agrippina and Moredaka, I don't trust them, so we need to send more people."

"Increase the number of soldiers stationed there permanently to five hundred."

“Sign this decree in the name of the Primarch: tell the two Forge Worlds that this is not to be refused.”

“Isn’t this a bit too harsh?”

The mortal attendants all asked with concern.

"After all, Agrippina and Moredakar are not strictly speaking allied with the Legion and the Primarch. They are just two Forged Worlds near the Eye of Terror, and the High Lords Council is asking them to cooperate with the Legion's actions as much as possible. If a large-scale military presence is forcibly stationed on their lands, it may break the tacit understanding between the Emperor and the Mechanicus."

"Especially Agrippina, whose loyalty and dedication to forging this world are beyond question, but they are also known for their extremely violent temper and strong independent tendencies, which may lead to their backlash..."

"A rebound?"

Astram smiled.

"do you know?"

"As the supreme commander of Kadia, I can mobilize at least 100,000 Dark Angels at any time."

Do you think I need to worry about this?

He waved his hand dismissively.

"Moreover, what about the alliance between the Emperor and the Cult of Mechanics?"

"Look at the state of Mars now: which forging world would still have the nerve to mention something like this?"

"If they really refuse, then in my name, order the Caliban to grant their request for further expansion of their economic territories, giving them more mineral worlds and population. At the same time, don't ask them what they will do with the world; they know how to serve the Empire."

The attendant no longer questioned, and instead recited Luther's last two executive orders in one breath.

"As for the third order, Lord Luther, in his capacity as Governor-General of Caliban, requires that all psionicists under the jurisdiction of the military district be subject to surveillance and information gathering: all legal psionicists must undergo regular mental examinations, and all illegal leaders who hide are declared traitors, and unless they voluntarily surrender to the Imperial authorities before the specified time, they will be killed on the spot by the team sent to arrest them."

"This order was even extended to navigators and star talkers on all ships passing through Caliban, and many navigators showed serious resistance to it."

"..."

Astram narrowed his eyes slightly and pondered for a moment.

"Execute it without any modifications."

This time, he didn't do any repairs.

"Tell the Astartes and mortal officers in charge of hunting down and killing illegal psionicists."

"Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free."

"As for the navigator..."

"Let the Caliban appease them for now: at worst, promise them some future benefits."

"Okay, what's the last one?"

When they reached the office door, Astram did not rush in; he placed his hand on the doorknob, awaiting the words of his mortal attendant.

"Lord Luther's last order while he was unconscious was to open all the storage worlds, retrieve all the military supplies used for strategic reserves, and distribute them as needed to all the fortress worlds, civilized worlds, and naval bases surrounding the Eye of Fear: in his words, we cannot trust the warp routes after the war begins."

"this is correct."

Astland nodded.

"Let's do it this way..."

"However, we should not touch the warehouse worlds closest to Caliban for the time being, and all supplies should be prioritized for supplying Kadia."

"I'll go and convey the message right away."

The attendant put away the notebook, bowed, and then quickly left the cold space.

He knew he never had the right to follow Astram into his office.

Only after he had completely disappeared from sight did the Dark Angel open the door.

Behind this iron gate lies a world that is completely different from the outside world, a darker and more realistic one.

------ "Yes."

"This is the Uncrowned King."

Astland liked the new name of his warship.

In his view, the name not only cleverly reflects his current situation and status, but also casually reveals his true inner dream.

Before realizing this dream, there is one more thing he must do wholeheartedly.

"Tell me first, where are you?"

A huge, detailed star map encompassing the entire Milky Way galaxy floated in front of Astram's desk.

This translucent giant was almost larger than a Dreadnought, and it meticulously marked every world, every region of space, every fortress, and every unknown den of evil under the rule of the human empire.

Some of the names on this star map were unknown even to the high lords of Holy Terra, or even to the Marker Macardo.

They are the First Legion's secret, and also the First Legion's unknown outposts in the galaxy.

The oldest of these outposts dates back to the early years of the Great Crusade, but the vast majority were left behind after Johnsen's return, when the Primarch commanded the Legion in their galactic campaigns.

Whenever the First Legion's iron cavalry wiped out yet another powerful enemy unknown to outsiders, they would habitually leave behind some remnants on the battlefield ruins: usually an outpost for surveillance and as a precaution, where dozens to hundreds of soldiers would be stationed: all of them were veterans who had been tempered by the battlefield.

In Astram’s view, this was a rather wasteful use of manpower, with hundreds of experienced veterans being abandoned in a corner of the galaxy, wasting their time on a crisis that might never even occur.

In his view, rather than leaving these men to guard the ruins of battlefields and unspeakable dangers, it would be better to concentrate their strength and deploy them all at once to the battlefields that demand the most courage and sacrifice: just think, thousands upon thousands of Dark Angel veterans from the Great Crusade—their strength is enough to turn the tide of any war.

To Aslan's delight, whether it was because Johnson suddenly had a change of heart or because he had been given a few pointers during his conversation with Lord Morgan, in any case, when the Lion handed over the power of Caliban to Aslan, he finally said the words that Aslan had always wanted to hear.

Mobilize the strength of the legion.

All the strength: naturally including the veterans of the outposts who have almost been forgotten.

For this reason, Johnson specially gave this priceless star map to Astram. It was marked with the coordinates of each location in the Milky Way that the Dark Angels Legion had personally explored during the Great Crusade, and it recorded in detail every outpost owned by the Legion.

Their location, their importance, their purpose, and the number of troops stationed there.

What Astram had to do was to draw as many veterans from these outposts as possible and then gather them on Cadia to await the upcoming war.

"Just like I said."

Holding an instrument that carries ancient technology and enables stable communication across star sectors, Astram ensures that his voice can be clearly transmitted to any location.

Unfortunately, this instrument's function was limited to use within the Dark Angels Legion; otherwise, it would undoubtedly possess the great power to change the history of the galaxy.

"This is the will of the Primarch, the will of the Father."

“I am summoning you in the name of Zhuang Sen, and I request that you get to Kadia as quickly as possible.”

"Whatever orders you received before this, this order takes precedence: I have shown you the Primarch's requirements, and you know that he will never want anyone to be late."

"And as I've emphasized to you, what I need is the maximum number of troops."

"Come as many people as you have."

"If you are really worried about your outposts, then leave behind a minimum number of garrison troops."

"The others must get to Cardia as quickly as possible."

"That's right, just like that."

"I await your good news: for the Emperor."

Astram put down the communicator, a satisfied smile finally appearing on his lips.

Another outpost.

He grabbed the record board beside him, his eyes searching for something on the star map in front of him.

Pick up a pen and slowly cross out the names on the notepad. Then, write down the numbers that need attention after the crossed-out names.

Astlan muttered to himself.

"In the Storm Starfield, confirm another seventy people."

"One hundred and thirty-five new Taiping Starfields have been added."

"The Solar Star Region, 229 people."

"There should still be four hundred people in the Far East Star Region..."

Just as the most greedy tycoon was meticulously counting the gold coins in his treasury, Astram was also tirelessly counting the numbers that had already been counted countless times.

Every star system, every outpost. Every unit that has answered his call or has not yet made contact with his forces: these are symbols that can be matters of life and death.

If he can contact one more outpost, he can gain dozens or even hundreds more veterans. If one team can arrive in Cardia sooner, the protection against the Eye of Fear will be enhanced. If there are a thousand or even a hundred more veterans on the battlefield, the outcome of the entire war may be very different.

For Astram, the act of digging up the Legion's hidden treasures in various places also brought him an extraordinary sense of satisfaction and euphoria: what could be more joyful than discovering that a comrade-in-arms whom you thought was long dead is actually alive and well in the world?

He had experienced this hundreds and thousands of times during this period, yet he never grew tired of it.

He reveled in unearthing those brothers who should have been forgotten from every corner of the five star systems, and seeing them again on Cadia a few months later.

Of course, not every time is so smooth.

Some outposts could never be contacted; perhaps the local watchmen had long since turned to dust due to some unforeseen event or an unknown war.

There were also some outposts that had made contact, but their locations were too difficult to reach. For example, those outposts around the Far East or the Five Hundred Worlds preferred to go directly to Avalon to report to Primarch Johnson rather than travel all the way to Cardia. After understanding the situation, Astram supported their decision.

Despite these problems, the Dark Angels still received a generous reward after months of tireless efforts.

A reward he himself could never have imagined.

“Who would have thought…”

After writing down the last string of numbers, Astland let out a heavy sigh of relief, threw the pen aside, and continued searching for the next batch of targets while looking at the star map, muttering to himself in the empty room.

"Just search around the galaxy."

"They were able to find... several thousand people!"

Yes... thousands of veterans from the inner ring road.

Even Astlan himself did not expect that he would find more than a dozen people at this outpost and plunder more than a hundred people at that outpost. The total number of people he found, even if he counted them in bits and pieces, had already exceeded four figures.

However, it is confirmed that at least five thousand veterans from the Legion can reach Cardia.

It should be noted that in the entire First Legion, including the main fleet led by Astram and the squadrons that Johnson took to the Far East, the number of veterans of Terra who could be called Terra veterans totaled only a little over 30,000, barely reaching 40,000.

Now, if we add the manpower squeezed from various outposts, Astram may very well have more than 40,000 Terra veterans under his command.

And if we're even luckier, it's not impossible to reach more than 50,000 people.

No, that would be a bit of an exaggeration.

But the 40,000 veterans from the inner ring road also have a lot to offer.

Astlan curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

In his mind, a flame, a mixture of loyalty, desire, and ambition, was burning fiercely.

He believed that whatever opponent awaited them on the other side of the Eye of Fear was nothing to fear.

When thousands of Dark Angels' inner circle veterans once again gather under the same sky: nothing can stop their swords.

Traitor? Demon? Or the warp itself?
No, compared to what they have faced before.

They are not worth mentioning.

Instead of fearing them...

Instead, we should worry about another issue.

The Dark Angel paused, his gaze sweeping over a document that had been deliberately placed to the side.

……

At this tense juncture...

In some worlds where defenses are weak, certain unwelcome figures have suddenly appeared.

Dark Eldar.

They emerged from the unknown, unexplorable warp gate and roamed freely in the real universe.

However, this time was different. They didn't seem to be there for looting and killing.

The dark angels who went to investigate placed their report, filled with doubts, on Astram's desk.

In their words.

These are the Dark Eldar.

They were not looting.

It wasn't about killing.

Similarly, their faces lacked the arrogance and madness that were so commonplace.

Quite the opposite.

They are afraid.

They are running away.

They surged into the real universe amidst screams.

It was as if, in the netherworld, in their homeland, something most terrifying was hunting them down.

(End of this chapter)