Iron Blood, Bridge.
Shipmaster Bakhtet Vogt, half-mechanized, sat on the command throne. His body had undergone targeted modifications to suit his duties, and he was completely integrated with the throne.
"My Lord, it will require 25 standard hours and 36 minutes," he said, his voice as mechanical as a Mechanicum's vox-synthesizer, but sounding more like Perturabo's rock-like, cold tones.
"I require you to execute the voyage plan perfectly and arrive earlier than scheduled," Perturabo's voice was like frozen stone.
"Plasma reactor operating at 1.5 times standard. Output power will increase by a factor of 1.49. Estimated arrival in 21 standard hours and 25 minutes."
"Plasma reactor maintenance time will increase by 36 hours..."
"Execute!" Perturabo coldly interrupted Bakhtet's report.
"As you command, Lord of Iron."
Twenty-one standard hours later, Perturabo and his Trident arrived at the flight deck.
Perturabo's ice-blue eyes gazed at the iron-grey Aquila shuttle before him.
"Replace it!"
Forrix, the First Captain and Warsmith, asked cautiously,
"We'll take a Stormbird?"
"Yes."
Perturabo offered no explanation. The Trident exchanged glances.
The campaign was over. Heading to another Primarch Legion's vessel, an Aquila shuttle was more appropriate than a Stormbird.
Their father had previously been pleased with his own design. Now he wanted to change to a Stormbird. Unusual.
The three grew more certain: their father was unhappy.
Servitors moved swiftly and silently, dragging fuel hoses to the Stormbird, disengaging the gravity locks.
The Stormbird gunship roared as it entered the main lift. The atmospheric engines were already primed.
The outer hangar shields opened. Perturabo and the Trident boarded via the ramp.
The Trident sat and immediately fastened their harnesses. Perturabo walked directly to the front of the Stormbird's crew compartment.
"Depart." At his command, though the hatch pistons were still cycling, the gunship surged upward.
The hangar's massive pressure doors slowly opened, revealing the void and countless black-hulled ships.
Perturabo's ice-blue eyes swept across the void, then looked away. A string of numbers formed in his mind.
'Constructing a warp system centered on Olympia would consume resources... require... four hundred and seventy years.'
'Constructing anew takes far longer than repairing.'
Perturabo's ice-blue eyes darkened slightly. He could design a new navigation system, but considering the resource and time consumption, it was unrealistic. He could never gain support from the War Council.
The Stormbird slowly descended onto the Shadow's Sovereignty landing pad. Gravity locks engaged the iron-grey hull.
As Perturabo stepped onto the deck, he immediately saw Nareth's Aide, Arsena Dunn.
"Lord Perturabo..."
"Take me to Nareth." Perturabo interrupted the Aide, his command cold.
Arsena paused, then spoke: "As you wish."
Moments later, Perturabo entered the Primarch's palace. He saw the vaulted ceiling supported by irregularly angled obsidian pillars, twelve metal rods, and Chapter banners arranged asymmetrically.
He quickened his pace slightly. 'Let's get this over with.'
Before reaching Nareth, his dreadlocks swung.
"Nareth, since the Xana campaign is already over..."
Nareth keenly sensed the atmosphere surrounding Perturabo.
His black pupils met the ice-blue eyes. He immediately understood why Perturabo was unhappy.
Nareth smiled slightly. "No, the Xana campaign is only the beginning. We face a powerful xenos alliance."
"Your arrival heralds the start of our counter-offensive."
Perturabo's cold eyes brightened.
He was not late.
He still had the chance to bring the Olympian hammer down upon the xenos.
Perturabo's dreadlocks settled. "Tell me about the xenos. I will formulate the battle plan."
"Arsena, display the intelligence sent by Star Hunter Captain Börger."
"By your will." Seeing Perturabo calmly seated, Arsena raised his control rod.
A star chart of the Vicidax Thule Sector was projected before Perturabo and his Trident. Dense red markings drew their attention.
"My Lord, as you can see, the colony worlds of the Vicidax Thule Sector are under full-scale xenos invasion."
"Millions of humans are enslaved by the xenos, their minds bound by neural collars."
"The Star Hunters have observed an artificial war-moon in the Campinas system..."
Forrix listened to the detailed briefing, feeling an inexplicable strangeness.
He pondered for over a dozen seconds before realizing what felt odd.
'The intelligence was too detailed!'
'This was not the Star Hunters' style.'
'The Star Hunters were unique. They ignored orders from anyone except the Emperor.'
'Even if our Father, Lord Horus, or the Sigillite commanded them, they would not obey.'
'Even if Lord Nareth had rescued the 33rd Company, they wouldn't conduct such detailed reconnaissance.'
'They would only send a few brief reports, then vanish like wild horses, roaming to who-knows-where.'
'Very strange!'
'How did Lord Nareth manage to make those untamable Star Hunters obey his commands?'
'And he always manages to calm Lord Perturabo down... Is this some unusual charisma?'
Perturabo ignored the Star Hunter 33rd Company's anomalous behavior. He converted Arsena's briefing into streams of data.
Only after the Arsena finished did he look at Nareth.
"How many of your Shadows of Order can you commit to the Vicidax Thule Sector?"
Nareth met the ice-blue gaze, seeing the glimmer within.
He knew Perturabo wanted to prove himself. He should provide this opportunity. Therefore, the forces he deployed could not exceed those of the Iron Warriors.
'Because of my intervention, the Fourth Legion did not suffer heavy losses liberating Incaladion. Perturabo did not conduct decimation. Currently, the Iron Warriors likely number around seventy or eighty thousand.'
'But the Iron Warriors build fortresses on every conquered world and leave a garrison force. This is a significant burden and a future reason for Perturabo's downfall.'
'The forces the Iron Warriors can deploy will not exceed seventy thousand. To be safe, let's estimate fifty thousand.'
With this thought, Nareth spoke: "My Legion has just endured a major battle and needs to rest and refit."
"I will dispatch the Second and Fourth Chapters, fifty thousand warriors, to join the war to liberate the Vicidax Thule Sector."
The Second and Fourth Chapters had over sixty thousand assembled in the Kalium Gate region. Four other Chapters were also fully assembled, having not been committed to the Xana campaign.
Nareth considered not only Perturabo's desire to win glory and prove himself, but also the possibility of Rangdan attacks from other directions, especially the Northeastern Galaxy, his territory, the Coronid New Zone.
He remembered the xenos race, the Basmemaniq, would be invaded by the Rangdan during the Second Rangdan War and flee desperately into Imperial space.
Perturabo rose and walked to the hololith projection. "Now, it is time for us to discuss the operational plan for the Vicidax Thule Sector."
Forrix stood behind Perturabo. The other two Trident members, Harkor and Gorg, stood behind him.
Nareth walked to his side, tapped the Gilders system on the map, highlighting the region.
"Xana's Legio Cybernetica will attack this system. This is their vengeance against the xenos."
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu