Emperor's Bane

Chapter 823: Federation of Kings

Chapter 823: Federation of Kings
"grown ups."

"Are we really not going to send some soldiers to participate in the battle on the ground?"

[What? You want to bleed for the revenge of the Blood Angels and the Luna Wolves?]

The Lord of Avalon's inquiries were mixed in with the loud sound of flipping through documents. Her fingers brushed across the sharp-edged papers: the long transportation process gave the papers and the ink on them a smell of decay, but it was not unpleasant.

"I just feel..."

While the Spider Queen continued to work diligently at her desk, Zavisa, who had temporarily replaced Rana's duties, stood by, hesitant and stammering under his heavy helmet: both what he wanted to say and his attitude in speaking made the Primarch sigh in his heart.

That was why she had kept Rana in this position.

Because Rana would never ask a question like this, and even if he did, he would not be as hesitant as he is now: the Lord Chancellor of the Guards is actually much bolder than he appears, and even when facing his own Primarch, this former Phoenix does not have an excessive sense of awe.

However, considering that her most handy Lord Marshal of the Guards should have just escaped from the banquet hosted by the Lord of the Space Wolves and was heading back with his fleet, Morgan could only continue to endure the temporary configuration and try her best to train the substitute player in front of her.

[You just think that it is not a good idea for us to stay in the void when the other three legions are all involved in ground combat? ]

"Many soldiers in the legion were frustrated because they had to stay behind."

Zavisa did not dare to refute the Primarch. He whispered his concerns in a low and rapid voice.

"Most warriors believe that the present is different from the past: when we cooperated with the Dark Angels or Ultramarines in the past, we were all acquaintances who knew each other well. Even if we gave them the main attack position, it would not matter. They would not look down on us for this."

"But the Luna Wolves and the Emperor's Children: if they fight on the front lines and we only serve as guards in the rear, there is no telling what the sons of Horus and Fulgrim will do to us after the battle is over. It would be dishonorable to miss the battle."

【I don’t dispute this.】

Morgan stopped writing because the document in front of her required her careful consideration: her little brother Corax, who was in the southern end of the galaxy, had just sent her a letter asking for help.

The content of the letter was simple: because they had not found a Titan Corps willing to cooperate with them, Raven King Corax had to start making preparations for both situations. His plan was to establish a set of Titan factories that could operate autonomously on the heavy industrial world of Kiawah, the home planet of Redemption, and to build a Titan Corps loyal to the Raven Guard from scratch.

In fact, at the very beginning, the XIX Legion had a very close connection with the Forge World of Griffin IV, which controlled one of the most powerful Titan legions in the Empire: the famous War Griffin Legion.

But this Legion's reputation was too resounding. It had made great contributions with the Dark Angels and the Imperial Fists, and had also fought with the Death Guard. Naturally, it did not think much of Corax's recruitment, let alone swearing allegiance to the Raven King himself.

However, in consideration of their past friendly cooperation, Griffin IV and the War Griffin Legion were still willing to provide the Raven King with a batch of important technologies and materials, but this was still not enough for the Titan Factory Project to be implemented.

So the Crow King had to ask his brothers for help again.

Corax hoped that brothers like Morgan, Konrad and Guilliman would be able to provide him with personnel with relevant experience and cutting-edge technology to build Titan factories, and he promised to compensate him with resources in the Raven Guard territory and future military assistance.

This letter was first placed on Avalon's desk. The Astartes and officials who stayed behind knew that this was a serious matter and did not dare to agree or refuse it on their own, so they delivered the letter intact to the Primarch: along with it came an interesting piece of information.

Intelligence showed that the support fleet of the Five Hundred Worlds had already set out, and Nostramo's transport ships had placed their support supplies at the Avalon airport, hoping that the Dawnbreakers could transport them over when the time came: Conrad didn't seem to have considered the possibility that Morgan would refuse to help Corax.

He guessed correctly.

The Spider Queen smiled and began to write a letter to the Forge World Riza and the Warmongers Titan Legion: As a Titan Legion that extremely likes to open branch bases, the Warmongers should not refuse to help establish a brother legion with a strong Warmonger style.

While writing furiously, the Lord of Avalon did not forget to answer his descendants' confusion.

[Do you know why I don't let you participate in the war on the murderous planet? ]

"Forgive my stupidity, Primarch."

Zavisa bowed his head.

"But I believe that there must be some results of your careful consideration."

【It doesn’t count as careful consideration. 】

Morgan smiled.

[To be honest, I just simply hate the Warmaster's weakness in this matter. ]

"weak?"

Dawnbreaker was a little surprised.

Although there was no shortage of derogatory words surrounding Horus, saying that he was both ambitious and selfish, this was the first time that the Wolf God could be said to be weak: a Primarch who was keen to lead the team in every battle could not be associated with weakness, right?

[Don't get me wrong, Zavisa.]

Morgan glanced at her offspring; she could certainly guess Dawnbreaker's confusion.

[Weakness is different from cowardice. A weak person is not necessarily a coward.]

[He may just be indecisive. Although he can be powerful on the battlefield, he cannot understand the necessity of cutting off one's own arm when necessary choices are needed: just like a doctor who dares to perform surgery but dares not draw conclusions before the condition worsens.]

[In my eyes, Horus is such a person now: he is like a doctor who has excellent medical skills but dares not to arbitrarily diagnose the patient's condition. He often has to wait until the patient has to go to the operating room before he dares to put on a mask to remove the cause of the disease that has already been settled. This makes his medical level seem very advanced.]

"..."

Zavisa was silent for a while: Although the Primarch's words sounded irrelevant, as the Primarch's personal guard who could replace Lana's position after his temporary departure, Zavisa quickly figured out the connection.

"Sir: Are you dissatisfied with the Warmaster for launching the Killing Star Campaign again?"

【Any normal person would be dissatisfied.】

Morgan snorted, put the letter he had already written aside, and turned to deal with the next issue: The reports and pending matters regarding Avalon are like the greenskins in the galaxy. If you slack off for a moment, a bunch of them will pop up from nowhere and make your scalp tingle.

[Several companies of Astartes warriors have shed their blood in vain on this world, and the surviving Emperor's children have brought back detailed information about the Killing Planet: it is a barren world with no precious resources, and it is not worth continuing to bleed for it.]

[In this case, any fleet commander with a little common sense would know that the correct way is to issue an extermination order to destroy those damn spiders and their nests together: rather than throwing more soldiers down and letting them shed more blood.]

[It is impossible for Horus not to understand this simple truth, but he still decided to send soldiers down, and even bring armored troops and Titan legions: just for a world that is useless after being conquered, we have to smash a large number of elite troops into it. ]

【What do you think this is for? 】

"The Warmaster probably did this with the thoughts of Masters Fulgrim and Sanguinius in mind."

Zavisa weighed his tone.

"We all know that the two primarchs have been brooding over the disastrous defeat in the First Killer Star War. They want to personally slaughter these spider aliens to avenge their dead offspring. The same idea is also shared by the warriors of the Emperor's Children, Blood Angels, and Luna Wolves."

【Revenge?】

Morgan bit the words with contempt.

[What's the difference between killing those spiders and blowing them up: what do you think? ]

“It’s still a little different.”

Zavisa gave his understanding based on the most basic worldview of the Astartes warriors.

"These aliens are murdering the Empire's warriors. It is an honor to kill them with my own hands."

"Moreover, there are still a large number of remains of Astartes warriors hanging on the branches of those lime trees. It is also a necessary responsibility to recover their remains and relics. The extermination order will destroy the remains of these martyrs, which is a rather dishonorable act."

【Honor.】

The Primarch sighed softly.

[Everything about Astartes seems to be inseparable from honor. 】

[You all like it, don't you: like the first pioneer to land?]

"That's right, my lord."

【whispering sound……】

Morgan shook his head.

[You know what, Zavisa: I have never been able to understand this so-called honor. ]

[Just like I never understood why you were competing for the qualification to land first: from a practical point of view, an important position like the vanguard should be managed by an experienced elite force for a long time, rather than by various companies competing temporarily.] "Some things are higher than reality, sir."

Zavisa spread his hands.

"I think the Warmaster thinks so."

[Of course he would: why else would he agree to this incredibly stupid battle plan? ]

The Primarch raised the corner of his mouth.

[So, like I said: I cannot understand this so-called honor. Even though I have participated in the Great Crusade for a hundred years, I cannot understand it, nor do I want to understand it. It is completely different from the values I believe in.]

[Of course, I have always respected the wishes of others, so I will not stop my three brothers and their legion from bleeding for this so-called concept of honor, but I refuse to let my legion die in a meaningless war for the sake of honor.]

【Do you have any objection to this? 】

"We are your legion, my lord."

Zavisa bowed respectfully.

"Your will is our honor."

【very good. 】

The Primarch raised the corners of his mouth.

[So, let them go to the ground to pick up their revenge and honor, we are responsible for the vigilance in the galaxy: considering that someone has left traces of civilization in the low-Earth orbit of the murderous star, who knows what will be drilled out of the Mandeville Point? ]

【Let the guards keep a closer eye. 】

"Understood, sir!"

Zavisa raised his head and walked out of the room to convey the Principal's new orders, while Morgan put down the documents and watched his figure disappear from his sight in silence.

The Spider Queen knew very well that Zavisa's visit would not only convey her orders, but also use her words to appease and respond to the warriors in the legion who were eager to fight: Primarch adjutants like Zavisa or Rana would often also be responsible for speaking for certain powerful groups in the legion.

And these [groups], in most cases, are relatively radical fighters.

Likewise, beside Horus is Abaddon, the spokesman for the radical fighters within the Moon Wolves, always calling for more fighting and aggression: it is said that his dealings with the Wolf God were rather rude, and quarrels between father and son were commonplace.

Morgan expressed her doubts: in her impression, Abaddon was a good-tempered guy who was very polite in dealing with others.

Probably just a rumor.

The Primarch shook his head and planned to continue dealing with the documents on the desk: Although the matter of Corax has been resolved, there have been a lot of busy things happening in Avalon recently, and many of them require the Spider Queen to make the final decision herself.

The most important issue was the mobilization of the Dawnbreakers' camps: after the crisis at Badab was resolved, Morgan went all the way to the Far Eastern Frontier. The external threats did not necessarily come only from the east and north. In addition to the Ghoul Stars and the outer darkness, the galaxy controlled by Holy Terra was not necessarily a completely safe direction for them.

Therefore, at the stroke of the Spider Queen's pen, a considerable number of Dawnbreakers were sent from Salamas in the east of Avalon to the western border of Avalon, where they built fortresses near the border of the Maelstrom in preparation for certain things that would happen in the future.

In Morgan's plan, these fortresses need to withstand the joint attack of several Astartes Legions. Even if they cannot resist, they must at least be able to delay the attack so that the main fleet of the Dawnbreaker Legion can prepare for a counterattack in a safe area where the enemy cannot interfere.

The Spider Queen even planned to keep some of the Dawnbreakers forever on the western frontier of Avalon, separated from Dantioch's camp in the Salamas sector: although the warsmith had remained loyal and reliable for more than a hundred years of service on the Far Eastern Frontier, the Primarch did not want to place all his bets on others.

This was also for his own good: instead of letting him stay in that awkward position, maintaining a psychological balance with the Primarch, it would be better to cut it off cleanly at the beginning, so that both Morgan and the Warsmith could rest assured.

In the heart of the Spider Queen, she had already decided to give some galaxies in the Salamas sector as a reward, permanently bestowing them on Dantioch and his team. As one of the founders of the Far Eastern Frontier, they could live forever in this easternmost land of the galaxy, and their descendants would inherit their glory.

The Warsmith himself seems to be satisfied with his current life. Although he cannot return to the Fourth Legion, he can still contribute to his beloved Primarch and the Iron Warriors in his own way: compared to some simply forgotten camps and warsmiths, Dantiok is already a lucky man.

And he also knew: just like Ahriman, with whom he had a good relationship, after spending a century on the Far Eastern frontier, some of his habits and concepts had changed, and he might not be able to adapt to returning to the life of his original legion.

Of course, these things did not need to be expressed in books. All the Primarch needed to do was to separate a dozen carefully selected companies from Dantioch's team: and just as she slowly put down the last stroke, anxious knocks on the door began to echo in the air.

Is it Zavisa?
Morgan was skeptical at first, but quickly dismissed the idea: Zavisa couldn't possibly come back so soon.

【Come in. 】

"grown ups."

Bernard's face appeared: there was a rare hint of anxiety on his face.

"Front-line troops report: Three large unidentified warships suddenly jumped out near Mandeville Point. Both their appearance and movement characteristics are unprecedented, but they are definitely not Imperial ships, and they have been sending us unknown signals."

【Show it to me.】

Morgan took the document and quickly skimmed over the top text. The Lord of Avalon quickly focused his attention on the picture at the bottom of the document: that was the shape of the enemy warships photographed by the front-line troops.

【It’s really big. 】

This was Morgan's first reaction.

All three ships were huge, behemoths even by the standards of the Glorious Queen, the largest of which was twice the size of the Vengeful Spirit and slightly longer than the Dawnbreaker's Aurora: this was quite incredible.

It also means that the other party is likely to surpass the Empire at least in terms of shipbuilding technology.

But after taking a closer look, the Spider Queen frowned unconsciously: these unknown giant ships were not only large, but also bright and smooth, like silver and bright yellow scepters, with heavy bows and slender hulls, engines like open wings, and there seemed to be external sails at the tail end.

【Do you feel that...】

"Some of them look like Eldar warships."

Bernard knew what the Primarch wanted to say: because he had the same question.

"Do you need to prepare for battle, my lord?"

[Don't worry, inform our fleet to prepare for battle, and then tell Horus and his men what's going on here: By the way, your warships have been sending us signals? Is it a declaration of war?]

"In fact..."

Bernard pulled out another document, a look of disbelief on his face.

"They were not sending a signal. They were broadcasting to all as soon as they entered the system. The Imperial ships closest to them had already deciphered the message the moment they received the broadcast, because they were sending pure human language: the vowels were indistinguishable from Gothic."

"That is their message, my Lord."

【Just read it once. 】

"Ok."

Bernard cleared his throat.

"We, the Federation of Kings, to our unknown compatriots."

"What are you doing here?"

"Didn't you see the warnings we gave us about staying in this system?"

"Please cease your hostile actions immediately."

"In the name of all the people of the Federation of Kings, let us clear up misunderstandings and build friendship."

[…That’s all?]

"And there's some music: it's very pleasant."

【Oh my god: a group of normal people?】