Warhammer 40: Starting as a Rogue Trader

Chapter 152 Forbidden Army
The unusual sounds coming from the throne room of the palace put countless imperial guards on high alert.

At this moment, not only the royal palace, but even the Star Torch was burning exceptionally brightly, and this commotion alarmed almost all the high-ranking officials on Terra.

There is no place more important than the royal palace.

All the high lords stopped their incredibly arduous work and turned their attention to the palace. The palace had been peaceful for countless years, and the high lords' messengers flocked to it, eager to find out what had happened.

The Imperial Guard began to assemble.

Meanwhile, the imperial guards in the palace all rushed towards the throne room.

The Imperial Guards, whose members were as powerful as demigods, were extremely tense at this moment. Their very existence was to protect the Emperor.

Groups of Imperial Guards took up arms, and even the fallen soldiers of the Imperial Guards, the Fearless, were mobilized.

They rode their Galatian contemptuous steeds and gathered fearlessly before the throne room.

However, the large groups of guards did not open the doors and enter the throne room despite the unusual sounds coming from inside.

Even for ordinary members of the Imperial Guard, entry into the throne room, where the Golden Throne is located, is strictly forbidden.

Only the commander of the Imperial Guard has the authority to decide who can enter the throne room.

They are waiting for their commander, Trajan Varolis, to arrive.

And not long after, under the protection of an entire Shield Guard company, Trajan, the current commander of the Imperial Guard, also arrived at the throne room.

His face was scarred from countless battles, making him look exceptionally disheveled. Every wound on his face was left by incredibly powerful enemies, all of whom had died at his hands.

Trajan, the most powerful commander of the Al-Khelaifi outside of its formation, had never seen anything like this in the throne room.

"Commander Trajan! Shall we open the doors to the throne room?"

Faced with the current anomaly, Trajan decisively ordered the Imperial Guard to prepare for battle, as any regulations seemed insignificant in the face of the Emperor's safety.

But just as Tula was about to lead all the royal guards into the throne room, the voice of an imperial envoy came through the communicator.

"Commander Trajan, I have heard the Emperor's clear command!"

"A clear command! What did the Emperor say?!"

Emperors sitting on the golden throne often find it difficult to clearly convey their will to their followers, and can only communicate vague messages to certain individuals.

Imperial messengers were the emperor's summons officers.

They could receive vague and ambiguous revelations from the God-Emperor in meditation and dreams, but these revelations often required them to guess and discuss them. However, this time the command was much clearer.

This was the first time these imperial envoys had encountered such a situation.

"The Emperor told me there was no need to worry and not to enter the throne room. He instructed you to send men to the Calithis sector to find a traveling merchant named Gao Yi Menge and assist him."

"A wandering merchant?! Does the Emperor have more revelations?!"

"That's all," the imperial envoy said, his voice filled with disappointment. "The Emperor's voice quickly faded from my mind."

At this moment, the throne room fell silent once again.

That overwhelming spiritual energy seemed to have never existed.

Trajan looked up at the doors of the throne room. He couldn't understand why a wandering merchant deserved the emperor's attention, and why the royal guards would be sent to assist him.

This has never happened since the establishment of the Imperial Guard.

After the Emperor ascended the Golden Throne, Primarch Robert Guilliman signed an agreement with the Imperial Guard.

Their actions were confined to the palace grounds.

However, the Imperial Guards did not always adhere to this rule. They would occasionally slip out of the palace to maintain their network or secretly eliminate targets they deemed threatening. But there was one thing they strictly adhered to: they would not get involved in the affairs of the human empire.

Even during the period of apostasy, when Van Diehl, under the guise of the Emperor, wreaked havoc throughout the Empire, they never stepped outside the palace to resolve the situation. Only when the conflict reached the palace would they intervene, crushing their enemies with overwhelming force. It must be said that the actions of the Imperial Guard are incomprehensible. Each member was an unparalleled warrior, politician, and artist; their absolute loyalty could have made the Empire better through their involvement in its affairs, yet they failed to do so.

Even just staying in Terra temporarily, replacing or even punishing some high lords can reduce the Empire's efficiency and corruption by countless times.

The Imperial Guard's intelligence network was everywhere; they were well aware of everything happening outside, yet they remained oblivious.

Guilliman probably never imagined that the Imperial Guard would adhere to even a part of the restrictions in such a way, just as he couldn't understand how the Astartes would still follow his written Astartes Codex word for word after all these years.

However, no agreement or order can supersede the Emperor's will.

Even though Trajan didn't know exactly what was going on, he intended to act according to the emperor's orders.

The Calissis sector is very far away, and they must set off immediately.

"Summon a squad of Chosen Ones and send them to the Calithis Sector ahead of us," Trajan ordered.

The palace remains the most important place, and he cannot spare too much manpower from it.

Not long ago, Chaos launched a surprise attack on Terra, even severely damaging the Imperial Fist's Mountain Array. Now, the Mountain Array, which has been guarding Terra for many years, has also headed to Cadian.

Terra's defenses have been significantly weakened.

And some Imperial Guards who are not part of the Shield Company and are called the Chosen Ones can complete this task.

The chosen ones immediately boarded warships and left Terra through the Imperial Guard's own secret channels.

"Commander Trajan, the messengers of the high lords are asking if there is any problem with the palace. How should we answer them?"

"No need for excessive explanation, just tell them that the palace is safe."

Trajan had also observed the behavior of the High Lords; the Emperor had granted these High Lords the right to manage the Empire, a right he could not change.

Trajan also acknowledged the hard work of these high lords, but their foolish actions made him extremely distrustful of them. He did not intend to allow these high lords to hinder them from carrying out the Emperor's orders.

Letting these guys get involved will only make things worse!
"Activate our intelligence network in Calicus. I need to find out who this Gao Yi Mengget is as soon as possible!"

"I'll do it right now!"

The Imperial Guards returned to their posts as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, Gao Yi, aboard the Star Pioneer, slowly awoke.

Inside the medical room, biological priests, pharmacists, and even medics surrounded them.

When Gao Yi opened his eyes, the people around him burst into cheers.

"The lord has awakened!"

Gao Yi looked around...

Kerrigan was lying there not far away.

"Fa...what happened?"

"Lord! A terrifying burst of golden spiritual energy suddenly erupted from your body, and then you fell unconscious. This is the fifth day you've been unconscious. After examination, your body is found to be fine..."

Bishop Holt said you may have received further blessings from the God-King, and that we should simply wait patiently.

"Has she been in a coma for five days? How is Kerrigan?"

"Your daughter is also fine; her vital signs are stable."

Gao Yi sensed Kerrigan's presence and felt relieved.

(End of this chapter)