Emperor's Bane

Chapter 863: Holy Terra at Four in the Morning

"Hey! Don't sleep!"

"An extremely urgent and important letter has just arrived from the Council Chamber!"

"How do you know it's important? Have you read what's inside?"

"have not seen."

"But it was Rogal Dorn in his pajamas who brought that letter."

------

Have you ever seen Terra at 4am?
Thanks to a mad primarch and his bastard legion far away in the stars, Kelsey got to see it today.

The only thing to be thankful for is that she was not the only one who saw it.

"whispering sound!"

"It happened to be at this time..."

As Malcador's personal choice and the least experienced of the High Lords, Lady Kelsey represents the Charter Fleet, which is responsible for connecting the four borders of the Empire and managing transportation. Although it may not sound as prominent as the Rogue Merchants, it is actually much more important than the latter.

Although the title of the Imperial Chamber of Commerce spokesperson does not sound as good as the Minister of the Interior or the Marshal of the Ministry of Justice, without the presence of the transport fleet's voice generator, no important meeting of the high lords can be held: even if it is held, it will have no effect.

Without the support of a transport fleet that accounted for more than 90% of the total number of ships in the Super Empire, no matter how great the plan was, it would be nothing but a castle in the air: but precisely because her duties were so important, Kelsey knew that she could not be late or absent, because she could not afford the cost.

The Council of the High Lords also had no way to deal with the transport fleet as a whole, but it would be easy enough to just change a spokesperson: and to be honest, the Charter Fleet was still a relatively marginal force compared to the real core group of imperial power.

The best argument is that Ms. Kelsey's seat in the Council of the High Lords is not permanent; she occupies only a non-permanent seat, on the same level as the admiral next door and the marshal of the mortal auxiliary forces.

As the actual helmsman of the parliament, Malcador only needs to sign an order to replace Kelsey, or even abolish the seat of the Supreme Lord of the transport fleet.

So, when the seal holder personally sent a summons, Kelsey, who had finally rested, almost jumped up, ran to the parliament hall without any image, and broke into the door that symbolized supreme power.

Fortunately, her colleagues around her seemed to be in the same state.

Unlike the immature Kelsey when the Badab crisis just broke out, now she is already a veteran who has sat firmly in the power hall of the High Lords for forty years. She adjusted her state the moment she pushed the door open, and when she walked to the mahogany round table, she seemed to have recovered to her heyday under the urging of the energy potion injected secretly.

After noticing that he was not the last high lord to arrive at the scene, as Malcador's seat remained vacant, the spokesman of the Imperial Chamber of Commerce breathed a sigh of relief, took the drink handed to him by the waiter beside him, and looked around at the situation in the Hall of Power.

At the conference table made of a whole piece of petrified mahogany, most of the high lords have already arrived. Some of them still have bloodshot eyes, while others are openly injecting themselves with sobering potions and drinking boiling hot refreshing tea.

It had been less than two hours since the last daily meeting of the High Lords ended. Considering the subsequent work flow, the imperial elites present had been discussing non-stop for four days and four nights, but before they could even get half an hour's sleep in bed, they were pulled out of bed to attend another emergency meeting.

It’s hard to imagine how important the matter is that requires them to go through so much trouble.

Kelsey glanced at the [low-level] bureaucrats huddled at the edge of the hall: these guys who could speak on behalf of the star regions or secondary departments were not in good shape, and more and more power beasts were pouring in from the small doors one after another. Under their humble brows, the high lords heard the sounds of ordering food and asking for drinks.

Looks like the High Council's kitchenette will need a night shift this evening.

Kelsey yawned, trying to curb her wandering thoughts. She winked at her colleagues at the round table, hoping that someone among them would be well-informed enough to know why the Master of the Seal summoned them at this time: but all she got was the usual confusion and uneasiness.

Especially when the representatives of the Star Language Court showed the same expression as them.

"I hope it's not what I think..."

Kelsey heard that Marshal Rawl, who was sitting next to her, had clenched his teeth. This radical who came from a military background had a gray beard that could not hide his irritable heart at all: he was frowning in worry, and his tightly closed lips revealed his concern about the future.

Kelsey closed her eyes.

Having worked together for more than 40 years, they actually knew what Luo Er was worried about.

As the nominal highest authority in the entire human empire, the high lords do not need to worry about ordinary trivial matters: if it is only related to a few star systems or a few expedition fleets, then these [low-level] bureaucrats behind them can make the next decision at will.

Anything that can be moved onto the petrified mahogany table in front of Ms. Kelsey is at least a major event that affects several star regions; and anything that can force them to assemble urgently is at least a problem that will affect an entire imperial star region.

Considering that the Lord of Mankind had divided most of the empire's land among his sons on Ullanor, the answer is obvious: it is impossible for anything to happen in the Sky Territory directly ruled by Holy Terra that would cause them to gather in the middle of the night. Even if something did happen, it would definitely leak out in advance.

So, there is only one answer.

Outside of their control, a Primarch with his Legion, or worse, several Primarchs with their respective Legions, were preparing to make some big news for the High Lords and shake the foundation of Terra's rule: As for which Primarch would do this...

"I hope it's not Horus."

In the gradually quieting air, Kelsey could hear someone groaning.

Then the man added another sentence.

"But unfortunately: the only one who can do such a thing is Horus."

No one objected to this statement.

In other words, those who could enter the highest power hall of the empire, even if they only occupied an insignificant position in the corners on the edge, were all smart people who had already understood everything: they would not doubt the possibility of Horus.

Rather, it is surprising that the Wolf God has endured until now.

Judging from the legendary friendship between the Lord of Mankind and his First Son, the Warmaster should have taken up his sword and gone to Lhasa to question the Emperor as soon as the rumors about his safety began to spread: The fact that Horus had been tolerated until today showed that he had indeed grown a lot over the years.

At least more mature.

"What do you think he's going to do?"

The Law Marshal spoke up, a rare hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Declare war on us?"

"He wouldn't do that."

The Interior Minister shook his head.

"From what I know about him, the Wolf God is not willing to resort to force easily. He may lead his army to Terra, but at this time, he is absolutely unwilling to tear his face off: what he wants more is our submission and let the High Lord Council become his stepping stone."

"What do you mean?"

Finance Minister Ossian gathered his luxurious robe around him. As the oldest person present, his condition was so poor that it was worrying: there was no doubt that in the past forty years, Ossian, who was in charge of the tithe, had been under the greatest pressure of all.

Even if the Wolf God's demands included one more request for the Chancellor's head, Ossian would not be surprised at all.

"It's very simple."

The Minister of the Interior smiled.

"The Wolf God led his army here this time just to find out one thing, which is where the Lord of Mankind is now. If our answer satisfies him, he will naturally leave with satisfaction, satisfied with being a hero who saved the empire from chaos."

"However, if our answer does not satisfy him, he will not lose control and start a killing spree on the spot: he will demand that the Warmaster oversee state affairs and confirm his status as the sole heir to the Emperor and the Empire, assuming that the Lord of Mankind cannot hold power."

"..."

“So, what’s our answer?”

The representative of the Star Tongue Court asked.

"do not know."

The one who answered him was the hoarse voice of Lady Hesula of the Star Torch Court.

"The only thing we can be sure of is that the Emperor has never left the palace, and he has never responded to our pleas, but the Astronomican has always remained in a normal burning state. Although it has lost its former glory since the strange earthquake twelve years ago, it has not weakened to a disturbing degree."

"The Emperor... maybe he just doesn't want to see or can't see anyone."

"He does not want to see his son: is this how we respond to the Warmaster?"

The Law Marshal sneered.

"We can choose not to respond."

Kelsey shook her head.

"We shall stand aside and let the Warmaster go find the guards stationed at the palace."

"If he can get in, then what happens afterwards will have nothing to do with us."

"indeed so."

The Chancellor nodded.

"But have you ever thought that the group of guardsmen have been refusing anyone to enter since the earthquake twelve years ago? We have tried almost every means over the years, but the Emperor has always been unwilling to respond to us: His only response is the new tithe bill."

At the end of his speech, a strange and unpleasant laugh came out of the Chancellor's old throat.

"Are you worried that those guarding the gates will also anger Horus?"

"It's more likely that he will think that we are in league with those imperial guards."

"A group of..."

"whispering sound!"

"Last time, when they came and issued a new tithe, we almost had a fight with them on the spot: the numbers were so exaggerated that even if we exploited the entire galaxy back to the Stone Age, we might not be able to collect them all."

"And the last time it happened, it led to..."

Kelsey leaned back in her chair, having lost interest in the topic of eyeliner.

The reason is simple. What the high lords are discussing now is not some new topic, but the old account books that have been turned over countless times in the past forty years: whether it is the tithe or the Warmaster Horus, they are menstrual topics that are turned up every few days.

It is true that this group of high lords who were temporarily selected by the Sigillite after the great disaster on Nikaea must have their own problems.

In terms of strength and experience, they are far inferior to Machado's initial team.

In terms of selfishness, even the Marshal of the Ministry of Justice, who seemed to be the most honest, took advantage of the decades in power to desperately fill his subordinates with his own confidants and blood relatives in order to squeeze out other factions that he disliked.

As for justice and mercy, that is an even more laughable topic: the High Lords have always been known for their cruelty and ruthlessness in their judgments. From their perspective, the lives of people in a world or a galaxy are nothing more than chess pieces that can be discarded at will, even if they are worthless.

But despite this, despite their countless shortcomings, the High Lords are not a group that can be easily denied: for they are indeed doing their best, eager to make the Imperium and humanity a better place, eager to practice their loyalty to the Emperor and to serve the Master of Mankind with all their might.

They really did the best they could.

Over the past forty years, the High Lords have tried countless times to stop the absurd tithe from continuing to run rampant in the Empire. They have tried to unite, go to the gates of the Imperial Palace, ask for the Emperor's grace, or simply confront the Custodians who came to inform them of the tax: but the will of the Lord of Mankind has never changed. Similarly, they have tried to make friends with the powerful vassals of Horus and Guilliman, ease the conflict between Terra and the local areas, and are even willing to make certain concessions and recognize some of the ridiculous plans proposed by Horus and Guilliman.

At the same time, they have always maintained friendly relations with the Imperial Fists and the Space Wolves, and supported the missionary work of the Word Bearers and the expeditions of the Dark Angels as much as possible: when Dorn bluntly asked to build a fortress on part of Terra's land, even though it involved the interests of the High Lords themselves, they gritted their teeth and approved the plan.

It can be said that within the limits of their power, the High Lords have indeed done their best: although the Sigillite has made considerable contributions, they have also considered most of the political demands raised by Horus and other local factions.
Of course, except for one thing: accepting local factions into the High Lords' Council.

It's not that they are reluctant to give up the power in their hands, but because once the circle is broken, certain truths that have been hidden will most likely be exposed to the entire galaxy: finding a good balance between the Emperor's unreasonable demands and the Warmaster's loyalty is difficult enough, and the High Lords don't want any unexpected factors to get involved.

But now it seems that all their previous efforts have been in vain. When Horus decided to march towards Terra, the High Lords' usual strategy of using a small force to achieve a great effect seemed to have no place to turn: instead of political power, fighter planes and artillery were more needed.

"So, instead of discussing this, let's count how many chips we have left."

After another familiar and fruitless effort, it was finally the always radical Marshal of the Ministry of Justice, Rawl, who spoke in a calm voice the truth that everyone knew.

"If it were just the few of us, I don't think the Wolf Shepherd God would be in the mood to negotiate with us."

"No need to worry about that."

Although the auxiliary marshal and the admiral were both at the front line at this time, the high lords present actually knew some in-depth answers to the questions concerning Terra's army.

"Although we have to admit that the Wolf Kingdom has indeed expanded its army with amazing efficiency in the past forty years, and the number of mortal auxiliary troops serving under Horus now may be the largest among the many Primarch kingdoms, and far more than our army: But this does not mean that we are not capable of fighting."

"Whether it's us or the four superpowers among the Primarchs: Horus, Morgan, Lorgar, and Guilliman, if we only ask the mortal legions, our military strength is at the same level, and there is no gap between us. The result of a total war will only be mutual destruction. The Warmaster cannot be unaware of this."

"Guilliman is worse, of course."

Someone laughed.

"In the past forty years, he has carried out several large-scale disarmaments in the original armies of the Five Hundred Worlds. A large number of mortal officers and soldiers have retired or changed careers. Although those Astartes warriors still retain their fighting instincts after becoming civilian officials, the heritage of the mortal army cannot be unaffected."

"It is true that the Five Hundred Worlds still maintain a sufficiently elite standing mortal army, but their numbers cannot support a large-scale war. They are sufficient for rapid operations and security battles, but if a war really breaks out, there will not be much time left for them to mobilize. Moreover, Guilliman has not put them into actual combat for a long time."

"Don't gloat over this: we don't have much time left to mobilize."

The Arbitral Marshal rubbed his rough-skinned temple.

"The Sixth and Seventh Legions: They will be the focus next."

"Lord Leman Russ will not allow any troops to enter the solar system."

The Minister of the Interior was firm.

"There's no doubt about that."

"As for Lord Dorn: He has been on Terra all these years, and he understands our difficulties."

"But the question is: Is it enough?"

"Can these two Primarchs and the legions behind them contain the Warmaster?"

"..."

For a moment, the parliament hall fell into silence.

Until a voice as hard as rock answered them in a loud tone.

"enough."

Everyone looked in that direction and saw the Seal Bearer slowly walking out of the small door that only he could enter and exit. In another larger door next to it, the Lord of the Imperial Fist, who was dressed in casual clothes, was scanning everyone present with a firm gaze.

Dawn continued.

"As early as on Ullanor, the Emperor had issued an absolute order: no one, without the full approval of the Sigillite, Leman Russ and me, was allowed to lead the fleet into the Solar Segmentum. Anyone who violated it, regardless of his official position or reason, would be regarded as a traitor to humanity and an enemy of the Empire."

"When the time comes, the whole world will attack it together."

"Horus will be no exception."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the entire parliament hall relaxed for a moment.

For no reason: Although they knew that Dorn had been on good terms with Horus for a long time, the assurance from his own mouth could still make the high lords, a group of suspicious old foxes, feel truly at ease.

"We have no doubts about you, my Lord."

The Minister of the Interior nodded and bowed to the seal bearer.

"We are merely concerned about the Warmaster's sudden action."

"I know."

Dorn did not speak again, he never liked to speak in this place, and the one who took over the leadership was Malcador: in his hand he still held the letter delivered by the Primarch himself.

"In fact, the good news is that Horus has no intention of overstepping this rule."

He placed the letter on the table.

"In fact, he took the initiative to send this letter to Dorn as a brother. The content of the letter first explained his purpose: to go to Terra and confirm the safety and whereabouts of the Emperor. Secondly, it fully recorded the entire process and steps of his trip to Terra and promised that he would strictly abide by every step."

"..."

After these words were spoken, the high lords who were originally a little worried could not help but look at each other.

"You mean: He really doesn't intend to lead the fleet into the Solar Sector?"

The palm bearer nodded.

"Only one ship: Leman Russ must lead the fleet to escort him."

"But please note that this does not mean that the Wolf Kingdom is still harmless: Horus has mobilized all his forces. From the northern border of the Dark Angels and the Moon Wolves to the outpost closest to Holy Terra, all observation points are reporting that the military forces of the entire Wolf Kingdom are being deployed to the front line on a large scale."

"Although Horus will only sail into the Solar Segmentum with his Vengeful Spirit, outside the Solar Segmentum, there is an army large enough to provoke a galactic war, always paying attention to the orders and safety of the Wolf God. Their numbers are so large that the Sixth Legion is helpless. Rus's letter for help is already on my desk."

The High Lords were silent.

Then, the Marshal of the Ministry of Justice spoke first.

"So, this is the Warmaster..."

At this point, the Marshal of the Ministry of Justice suddenly began to weigh his words.

"I am willing to sacrifice myself... I mean the reason why I came here alone."

"Do not."

The seal bearer shook his head, his eyes resting on the last paragraph of the letter, which contained a row of concise names.

"His real support is the ship he is on, the Spirit of Vengeance."

"Horus extended an invitation to every Primarch and Legion on all sides of the galaxy, with the exception of the Space Wolves, the Imperial Fists, the Thousand Sons, and the Obliterated Legion, to join him in his cause: sadly, none of his blood relatives responded."

"At least for now: they are all willing to follow the Warmaster's orders and act in unison."

"Horus has done what only the Emperor could do."

"Fulgrim, Jaghatai Khan, Sanguinius, Mortarion, Vulkan, Corax, and Alpharius: they are all aboard the Vengeful Spirit now, and will come to Terra with the Warmaster Horus, demanding to see their Gene-Father in person."

"besides."

"Jonson sent Corswain."

"Morgan sent Lana."

"Conrad sent Sevatar."

"Luo Jia sent Angertai."

"Guilliman sent Gage."

"Angron sent Karn."

"As for the other Primarchs, they have also sent their most trusted lieutenants one by one. The Spirit of Vengeance now carries all the will of the Empire except Terra, and Horus will lead them to stand before us and ask where the Lord of Mankind is now?"

"..."

Once again, the high lords looked at each other in bewilderment at how powerless they were.

"Then...how should we respond to him?"

"I have a plan."

The seal bearer first glanced obscurely at Dorn who was standing beside him.

"No need to strengthen defenses. Let the Spirit of Vengeance in and lower the Void Shield. I will go and talk to the Warmaster with sincerity."

"Sincerity?"

This word caused the high lords present to frown uneasily.

"With all due respect."

Kelsey asked boldly.

"You: do you know where the Emperor is?"

"..."

The seal bearer did not answer this question.

He just raised his head and let out a slight sigh which could be heard by others.

"This one……"

"It's not your concern anymore."

(End of this chapter)