Chapter 326: The Rehearsal is Over
As if the Omnissiah had answered Cawl's prayers, a transmission from the Dawnbreaker Fleet accessed Trazyn's central processor.
[Return to the fleet. We need to talk. Bring Karna with you.]
A very brief message, but one that Trazyn, accustomed to wandering, clearly had to take seriously.
"It seems the rehearsal is over, and the curtain is rising," the green-robed Archmagos said with a look of regret. His gaze lingered on Cawl's augmented form for a moment longer before he bid a swift farewell and headed for the surface.
Cawl finally breathed a sigh of relief and returned to calibrating the thousands of Blackstone pylons.
On the surface of Cadia, Trazyn easily found Karna inspecting the local deployments.
Compared to the other three 'Primarchs'—who were either holed up in offices or as elusive as phantoms—the Angel operated at a much more grounded level. You could usually find him among the mortals.
Karna left the fortress through the Gate of Petitioners and followed the road through the courtyard, two Sanguinary Guards flanking him.
In the atrium, under the light of candles in frosted glass globes, groups of petitioners waited. Uniformed guards and Astartes were processing their pleas.
Most of the petitioners were high-ranking citizens or retired soldiers.
Karna knew their proposals were likely reasonable: requests for increased ration allowances for the front lines, more medical supplies, permission to evacuate the elderly and infirm to the secure zones of the rear fortresses, or petitions to return to the front lines themselves.
With the gradual activation of the Blackstone array, at least the fortress-cities built around the pylons didn't have to worry too much about a Greater Daemon bursting out of the sewers. They could focus more on the threats from the wastelands.
But the shadow of war hung over everyone.
Everyone knew the current calm was merely the prelude to a more violent storm.
The Astartes were assisting with administration, and the officials were exhausted.
Karna was auditing the gaps in local supply distribution, then using his psycho-materialization abilities to fill those gaps. The Sanguinary Guard beside him would record these expenditures to be cross-referenced later with the Ultramarines' logistics.
This was wartime. In times of war, anyone who wanted to do more for humanity had to shoulder a heavier burden.
His appearance caused a stir, a ripple of whispers.
Most people carefully averted their gaze, but he saw a few considering approaching him.
It seemed that years of fighting side-by-side had allowed the courage in their hearts to prevail.
Karna smiled back.
It was a small group, men and women of different ages and from different places, seemingly representatives of various districts, standing around a stone bench near an archway.
On the bench sat an infant in swaddling clothes and an visibly elderly man.
As the Angel walked by, one man stood up and walked towards him.
It was Ferdinand.
"My lord—"
The retired Kasrkin, forced out of service due to brainstem damage, blocked his path.
"I only ask for a minute of your time, my lord," Ferdinand requested, bowing slightly. A metal prosthetic was visible beneath his trouser leg.
"Speak," Karna replied.
He stopped and turned, noticing the man's hesitant expression.
"Is it a request for combat deployment?"
The Angel asked gently, while observing the group.
Compared to the truly elderly and infirm, these Cadians, ranging in age from twelve to fifty, showed no obvious physical defects.
Karna's gaze lingered on the women with slightly rounded bellies.
Cadia was a world where everyone was a soldier.
On Cadia, even pregnant women could kill. Until the moment of labor, these female warriors maintained full combat capability. In the extreme circumstances of the past, this demographic was counted among the combat units.
And on Cadia, extreme circumstances were omnipresent and refreshed randomly.
It was a truly tragic reality.
"Yes, my lord," Ferdinand replied. "We wish to form a separate guard unit for regional deployment. We ask that the General Staff process our placement."
The veteran knew they were physically inferior to the regular army. And with the Dawnbreakers' almost limitless investment in the Cadian people, untrained minors could hardly be integrated into the mechanized forces.
So he knew his group couldn't simply be slotted into regular units.
Karna's gaze swept over the crowd, resting on a young pregnant woman. Hanging at her waist was a metal tag passed down from her father, blackened by oxidation, on which the words "Cadian 43rd 'Broken Swords' - Kovek Allen" were faintly visible.
"The war has not yet become so desperate that we need you on the front lines," Karna said.
The tag swayed gently with the woman's breathing.
I hope it never will, he thought.
"However, I support the plan to gather members who retain some combat capability into a guard unit. The rear also needs you to maintain order and form a sufficient combat force. Brother Tycho will hear your proposal with my authority and issue you a permit."
Tycho, a young man and a member of the Sanguinary Guard. Dante had discovered his potential beyond being a warrior and had dispatched him to Karna's side to learn alongside Sarpedon and the others.
Tycho, who was still processing reports, glanced at Karna.
"My lord?" he asked, seeking specifics.
"Listen to their proposal. Seal it with my signet. Just ensure there is nothing too unreasonable in their request."
"By what standard, my lord?" Captain Tycho asked.
"Use your own judgment," Karna said, turning to leave without another word.
In the corner behind him stood Trazyn, constantly recording.
The Great Collector's metal fingers gently adjusted the focus. He had a particular fondness for the light of humanity shining in times of crisis; in the vast universe, it was a rare treasure.
"You are as merciful as ever, Lord Karna," the green-robed Archmagos couldn't help but compliment.
"There is no need to rank our actions," Karna shook his head at Trazyn's praise.
"I need to thank my companions more. It is their existence that allows me to focus on what I can do, and what I am good at."
Without the other three carrying the heavy load, he would likely have been crushed by the endless pressure. After all, he truly had no idea how to coordinate various factions, analyze strategic deployments and scientific research results, or decipher the mysteries of the warp.
Secretly rejoicing in the comprehensiveness and reliability of their savior team, Karna nodded slightly to the Archmagos.
"Let's go."
Karna knew exactly why Trazyn was here. There was no reason for his partners to notify a xenos and not him.
Mainly, the current defense system of the Dawnlight was so exaggerated that without Karna to swipe his face for access, Trazyn probably wouldn't make it to the bridge alive.
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