Emperor's Bane

Chapter 696: Can We Cooperate?

"Forgive me, Mother, but I am still confused. Why are you always so enthusiastic about the affairs of the Iron Warriors? Especially when it comes to the issues concerning Lord Dantioch and his Salamas camp."

A question that had not been heard for a long time pulled the Spider Queen out of her [quantum superposition of work and meditation] and dragged her back to the cold marble desk in reality: the Primarch's dull eyes paused for a moment on the mountain of documents, and then she realized that the person who asked the question was the person she trusted most in the world.

[Why are you suddenly interested in these things, my Anya? ]

"Because of the rumors on the ship: my cousins ​​are also discussing these things."

Morgan's daughter turned sideways and glanced at the distant view outside the porthole: Ullanor's scarlet figure was gradually being swallowed up by the deeper void barrier in her eyes, until it became an inconspicuous, dim spark at the edge of her vision. In two or three hours at most, it would disappear in the gray-black fog and be left behind by the Spider Queen and her offspring.

From now on, they may never come to this world again.

But just a few weeks ago, this celebration world was the pearl of the entire Empire. Billions of skilled warriors and thousands of warships came here to pursue their own glory and witness the moment that was destined to be written into epic poetry: and with the end of the Warmaster ceremony, the Emperor and his trusted Terran team left as the first batch, followed by the rolling of countless steel torrents.

Countless powerful warriors from all over the galaxy gathered in the square of Ullanor, doing nothing, waiting for shuttles and transport ships to send them back to all corners of the empire: it would take at least several weeks just to arrange landing craft and send them back to the transport fleet in low-Earth orbit one by one, and the handover work has not been completed until now.

During this period, almost all the bigwigs had left. Except for the Sigillite Malcador and a few Primarchs, the vast majority of the Imperial dignitaries followed the Emperor's pace closely for one to two weeks, arranging their ships as early as possible and rushing to the next voyage destination.

Nikea.

A grand ceremony no less spectacular than the Warmaster Ceremony of Ullanor will be held on that desolate volcanic world in a month. Unlike the military parade and Warmaster Ceremony that are purely used to celebrate the victory of the Great Crusade, show off the Empire's military prowess, and commemorate the departure of the Lord of Mankind, the open and secret struggles on Nikaea are undoubtedly more likely to affect the Empire's internal power struggles in the coming decades, or even longer. The fate of millions of worlds and organizations will be turned upside down because of it.

In the face of tangible benefits, every ship is fully loaded with its own subspace engine.

The same was true for more than half of the Primarchs and their legions. Every day, countless fleets abandoned Ullanor and either headed directly for Nikaea or sailed elsewhere to settle personal matters. The Spider Queen was one of the former, but she was not in a hurry.

Just after more than three quarters of the legions and their primarchs had disappeared beyond Mandeville Point, Morgan and the Dawnbreakers leisurely climbed onto the deck: by this time, almost a month had passed since Horus ascended the throne of Warmaster.

During this period, the entire Second Legion, including Morgan, indulged in various social gatherings, competitions, and reunion banquets on Ullanor, drinking and chatting with distinguished guests from other Astartes Legions, other realms, and even Holy Terra, either to enhance friendship or to resolve past conflicts.

The Primarch himself could be the guest of honor of her blood brothers, the most powerful people in the Imperium, and the High Lords of Terra, led by Malcador, who had too many things to compromise with the Spider Queen face to face, deciding the fate of five hundred worlds or two thousand ships over a toast, and from time to time involving seven or eight large organizations with a vested interest.

What relieved the Terran bystanders who had been terrified throughout the whole process was that, looking at her interactions with various partners in interest, Morgan had always limited her tentacles to the land of the Far East Star Region and never crossed the border. In comparison, a certain Macragge who was even willing to make friends with the governors of the Solar Star Region naturally attracted more attention.

The Sigillite listened woodenly to his high lords and confidants discussing focusing their attention on the Five Hundred Worlds: Morgan and her Far Eastern Frontier had already shown themselves to be harmless and restrained, so they had reason to believe in the Spider Queen's relative loyalty to Terra, didn't they?
Machado did not comment on the matter.

On the other hand, Morgan's most senior warriors can find those old immortals who have also survived. They can sit down and reminisce about their glorious days in the early days of the Great Crusade or even earlier.

Even the young Dawnbreakers and mortal officers from Avalon have their own circle of friends: whether it is the previous joint operations of the various legions, or the "study abroad system" that has never declined in the Far East Frontier, Morgan's descendants are actually quite popular among the battle brothers of the same generation. At least they have a thorough understanding of the internal situation of the empire.

Similarly, there are the mortal auxiliary armies who have served the Spider Queen for generations. When the champion swordsmen of the Astartes compare their past achievements and personal martial arts, the [private armies] loyal to each primarch actually have a chain of contempt for each other: the combat effectiveness of the legion is the only benchmark.

Decades ago, the mortal auxiliary troops serving the Spider Queen, under the leadership of the first generation of officers who followed the Primarch and pioneered the entire Avalon, firmly stood at the top of this contempt chain.
In the simulated training grounds of Ullanor covered in yellow sand, the second and even third generations from Avalon further solidified their powerful position among their colleagues: even the proud Agitated Court Army of the Sons of the Emperor, the powerful Cthunian Headhunters under the Wolf God, and even the Prospero Spire Guards who claimed to be able to confront the Astartes Legion in a short period of time, all failed in the large-scale simulated attacks by the Queen's guards. Those who were more stubborn would even end up being annihilated.

The reputation of Avalon's strongest mortal army has shone for a hundred years: perhaps another hundred years awaits them.

However, these large-scale exercises, which lasted for more than a month, did not cause much waves among the Primarchs and the Astartes. Only the Dawnbreakers, in accordance with ancient tradition, sent dozens of military advisers to observe and record in detail the development and changes of the mortal auxiliary forces of each legion over the years. But even on the Aurora, such news had to give way to the return of the earliest batch of Dawnbreaker warriors.

Or in other words: Going back home?
"These people from Saramas who were the first to take root in the Iron Warriors decades ago took advantage of Ullanor to revisit their old place on the Aurora. Many of them have connections within the Legion, and they are also very popular, so they have become the hottest topic within the Legion recently."

"Many of the newly recruited warriors also heard about the existence of these Salamas people, or the Dawn Warriors for the first time. They gave them this nickname. They don't reject these old veterans who have been away from home for a long time, but they are also very curious about why we have to get in touch with the Iron Warriors Legion, which has no connection with us."

"And it's been so long: the materials invested by the Legion are enough to expand the territory of the Far Eastern Frontier. Hundreds of worlds can bring tangible benefits, but now, we seem to have gained nothing."

So, they have doubts?

"The Dawnbreakers never question you. The topic has always been under control. The captains and veterans who have served for hundreds of years are always able to handle small matters like this, but even they can't give an answer: so Lana and the others asked me to ask you."

"They want to... have some peace of mind."

Virgo answered truthfully while piling the last wobbly paper tower onto Morgan's desk: Every time she saw these snow-white behemoths, Morgan couldn't help but begin to hate herself decades ago. Why did she have to keep the military and political power of the entire Far East frontier firmly in her own hands?

It is true that she did train countless mortal confidants and even semi-retired offspring to take charge of the work of the entire Far East frontier for her, but these capable bureaucrats were just shepherds. Without her personally signed permission, they would not be able to shake the core military power: as a behemoth in the remote Far East frontier, the daily military dispatches were so numerous that it made people's scalps numb.

So there was an endless supply of documents on the Primarch's desk.

Yes, Morgan's behavior seemed to be purely asking for trouble, but Morgan was also very clear that no matter how reluctant she was in her heart, if she dared to loosen her grip on power, she would regret it in the future.

After realizing this, the Primarch tactfully picked up the pen and listened to Virgo's story as music to relieve his boredom.

"What they really care about is: if it's just policy bias and providing assistance, it's fine, but why do you have to meet with every batch of Salamas who will return to the Fourth Legion at least once in person and ensure that they live on the Aurora for a period of time?"

【…】

Morgan's pen paused.

[Compared to the huge amount of supplies, they actually care about this kind of thing. 】

"But there are still a small number of Dawnbreakers who have never been received by you."

"When you favor one over the other, it's natural that there will be injustices like this: what good is that to us?"

【benefit.】

The Primarch chewed over the word, his pen following his gaze as he approved a military application to mobilize troops to the northwest of the Far Eastern Frontier to strengthen defenses: the pirate attacks in the Maelstrom were expanding at an extremely unnatural rate, and even Fulgrim and Vulkan had to return first and then go to Nikea after resolving the problems on their respective home planets.

In this case, the defense of the small border between the Far East and the Great Vortex should be strengthened, and she and the Sigillite tacitly ended the Shadow War here and chose another place to train troops: after decades of fighting each other, both Malcador and Morgan had actually trained a group of ruthless mortal agents from each other.

It's a small reward.

Everything was going on in the Primarch's mind, but she could still hear Virgo's words and gave a reply after a little thought.

[It's a simple truth, my innocent little Anya, have you ever heard of an old term called: convert fanaticism? ]

"Converts..."

[Oh, no, this word is still a bit inappropriate: let’s put it this way, do you know there is another ancient word called color revolution? Words that often go with it are often the fifth column, ideology, or cultural front. ]

"Of course I know, mother. But from what I know, in human history books, these words do not play a glorious role. From their roots to their inner meanings, they are wrapped in a rather dark color of conflict of interests and are part of the unlimited war."

After instinctively reciting the words in the memory array, Virgo was stunned for a moment.

"Wait, you mean..."

【Yes. 】

In the blink of an eye, several piles of approved documents had piled up on the left hand side of the Primarch. She processed the difficult and complicated problems from various star regions in seconds or microseconds, at a speed dozens of times faster than that of the Astartes warriors. What was not important was the display screen not far away, which was displayed one after another like an assembly line. The Primarch would devote her energy to ensuring that they were implemented correctly.

At the same time, Morgan was thinking about the questions about the Fourth Legion that he accidentally remembered because of Virgo's question, and he contacted several other brothers, as well as what happened on Nikea not long ago: In such a multitasking situation, the Primarch spared a little energy to confirm his daughter's inner guess.

[The relationship between Perturabo and I is far from the point of going to war, but Olympia is too dangerous. If I can have a close relationship with the Iron Warriors, Perturabo's country will become the largest shield facing the west in the entire Far Eastern Frontier: his guidance can easily reverse the balance of power between me and Terra, or other people. ]

【Considering his character, I naturally cannot count on my personal relationship with Perturabo to ensure the safety of Avalon. Instead, taking advantage of the opportunity that Perturabo has completely abandoned the Legion and Dantioch's belief in repaying the Legion, I would like to cultivate a group of Dawnbreakers in the leadership of the Fourth Legion who are born in the Far Eastern Frontier and who identify with the culture and values ​​of Avalon and the Dawnbreakers from the bottom of their hearts. It would be a very good idea, isn't it?】

[At least, even if my Iron Brothers decide to become my enemies in the future, I will not be completely defenseless: over the years, I have exported thousands of Dawnbreakers to the Fourth Legion, and there will always be one willing to tip me off.]

[Of course, the better scenario is that they will work hard to make the Iron Warriors Legion more in line with the Far Eastern Frontier, and even influence my Olympian brother who is undergoing a drastic psychological change, so that he will choose to stand on my side in the subsequent chaos.]

[At least we have to remain neutral. As long as the Iron Warriors choose to remain neutral, there will only be two ways for outsiders to attack the Far Eastern Frontier: either pass through Sanguinius's territory and attack the border between the Dawnbreakers and the Night Lords. Or go south through 500 worlds. Either way will give us ample options.]

"So, you intend to bring the Fourth Legion under your influence?"

[Not really. This is just a casual move at best: Perturabo and Angron are of the same type. If I rack my brains to influence them, it will definitely backfire. I'm afraid I'll force them to the other side.]

[But on the other hand, if I maintain my current friendship with them, with deep feelings but no more demands, then it will be difficult for them to overcome the barrier in their hearts. Whether out of friendship or pride, they will not abandon me for no reason, at least they will not drive their troops to my territory: then I will have two steel shields facing west. 】【As long as I don't stupidly expand my sphere of influence to the Great Vortex like Guilliman did, these two shields will be enough to protect the entire Great Avalon: and the relationship with these two countries will become closer in the future, and then form an offensive and defensive alliance like the Five Hundred Worlds or the Ghoul Kingdom, it is not impossible. 】

[But not now: the union of the five Primarchs is too conspicuous after all. ]

"So, Ms. Kelly Fanny is also part of this big plan?"

[No, she and I are real friends, but we just happen to be able to help each other. ]

【Let me give you an example.】

The Primarch absentmindedly signed his name on a commercial development treaty.

[Kelly Fanny's Olympia exports some exclusive technological products and unique stones to Nostramo, and Conrad allows the opening of metal trade with Olympia. Both of them also transport raw materials to the Five Hundred Worlds and obtain mature industrial products and sufficient food supplies from the Five Hundred Worlds.]

"So what are we responsible for?"

[Almost all of the most important transportation routes in the tripartite trade are within the territory of Avalon. Moreover, these three countries that do not touch each other also need the credit of the Far Eastern Frontier to endorse each other: and our reward is considerable tariff income and a more core position in the economic alliance. ]

[How is it? Does it look familiar? ]

"This was the basis of the initial alliance between Avalon and Macragge decades ago: first reaching economic and military cooperation, and finally forming a permanent cultural alliance. However, this time, Nostramo and Olympia are added, and it runs more smoothly."

[Yes, Dantioch and his Dawn Warriors are just a small part of this grand blueprint. Compared with the income we get from Olympia, a small long-term investment is not worth mentioning. You can tell Lana and others according to this idea and say what you need to say.]

"clear."

Virgo lowered her head and took in the first pile of approved documents she received from the Primarch: the one at the top caught her attention.

"Well, are you really not going to consider the current chaos in the Maelstrom?"

[I have already asked the Far Eastern Frontier to strengthen its defense in the west. What else can I do? ]

"I mean: you have a lot of interests in the Great Whirlpool."

【These are all indirect benefits.】

The original body blew away the iron filings on his fingernails: the result of accidentally breaking a pen while distracted at work.

[My core interests in the Maelstrom are only Riza and Catachan. Riza is just my ally, not my subject. If they ask for help, I will definitely help, but other than that, I have no reason to dictate their internal policies.]

“They won’t say no.”

[But there will be a gap in the heart: the abuse of power will eventually lead to the loss of authority, and prestige cannot be built solely by the use of violence. ]

"Then Catachan..."

[Catachan?]

Morgan smiled and touched her daughter's forehead lovingly.

[I admit, Aniya, the pirate activity in the Great Whirlpool has indeed reached an incredible level during these days. They are able to attack hundreds of imperial worlds at the same time and dispatch thousands of ships. This has never happened in the past hundred years.]

[But even so, they are probably not crazy enough to actively offend Catachan. Did you know that my friend in Catachan even sent me a message saying that they can provide more recruits this time: because many young people have been well trained.]

Virgo was speechless.

She thought again.

"In that case, why don't we hurry to Nicaea?"

What to do in Nikaia?

"Arrange everything in advance: just as you have here in Ullanor."

【The situation is different, Anya.】

Morgan waved his hand, showing extremely little interest in Nikea's affairs.

[Things are different now. I am half a party to the matter in Nicaea. The Psychic Conference will definitely involve my interests, so I can't get involved too much: the Emperor and Malcador have hinted this to me. They don't want me to be like Ullanor, secretly involved in the development of Nicaea. The Emperor has already made a final decision for Magnus and Mortarion.]

"You have no objection?"

[Why do you have an opinion: My dear old dad has decided to be independent for once. ]

[How does that sentence go: We need to cultivate children's ability to think independently. ]

"..."

So, that's what happened.

[In the land of Nikaea, the role I need to play is just a spectator. Anyway, they have promised me benefits, and I have also received benefits from the Thousand Sons. Ahriman's performance is reassuring: I don't really care about the fate of Magnus and his remaining offspring. ]

[I have already told him what I should have said decades ago. The rest is nothing more than his own choice.]

"You... have decided to abandon Magnus?"

【…】

#There was a silence that was unimaginably long for Morgan, and a sigh#

【He abandoned himself first.】

The Primarch shook the tip of her pen, she still looked a little upset.

She wanted to sigh, but she forced her lips shut.

That's Morgan here, an early verdict on Magnus
But then, a strange smile suddenly appeared on his face.

[Ah, right. 】

[If you hadn’t told me, I would have almost forgotten. ]

[Look at this, Ania: This is related to Nikea, who is on your mind.]

"Um……"

Virgo took it, glanced at it, and then her pupils widened in shock.

"This...this is..."

【Yes. 】

Morgan smiled.

[It's surprising, isn't it: that person would actually make such a choice. ]

【My brother.】

[Mortarion: Mortarion, who despises psychic powers the most and has the worst attitude towards me, actually condescended to write me a letter in person, hoping that I can find time to visit his Endurance and have a chat with him...]

[Alliance on Nikaea?]

(End of this chapter)