"Phicris, what gift did you prepare?" Calgar looked at Phicris, confusion evident in his brows.
"Ah!! This!!" Phicris was tongue-tied.
How was he supposed to explain this??
So troublesome!!
I thought you guys were also giving gifts!!
So I went to prepare a gift, and even planned to celebrate the Primarch's birthday.
Who would have thought it would turn out like this!!
He had made a huge blunder.
Phicris swore to the heavens, he truly hadn't expected that the so-called gift from Calgar that Sicarius mentioned was the Retribution Colossus.
It was a colossal warship capable of destroying a Battle Moon.
He had thought everyone was preparing gifts for the Primarch's birthday.
That's why he went to prepare a gift.
He even asked the economist Reddy to find a cake maker and a batch of fine wine that had been stored for many years, intending to make the Primarch happy.
As a result, who would have thought that the gift from Calgar the Primarch kept talking about was actually the giant warship, the Retribution Colossus.
It wasn't for a so-called birthday at all.
And no one else had prepared any gifts either!!
The moment the giant ship, the Retribution Colossus, appeared, he immediately realized something was wrong.
He told Reddy to stop all preparations.
He even specifically issued a gag order, absolutely forbidding anyone involved from speaking about this matter.
Too embarrassing!!
Oh god!!
Why would he do such a thing!!
Who would have thought that now the Primarch himself was asking about it.
Can anyone come and help save the situation!!
"Gift?" Sicarius looked at Phicris, his brow also slightly furrowed.
He had been guessing about Calgar's gift for several days.
Did Phicris also possess a technological creation that surpassed the current Empire?
"If there's something good, why not take it out now, lest Lord Guilliman makes fun of us again later."
Corvo, the Chapter Master of the Nova Chapter, spoke up.
The others also nodded one after another.
In the final battle against the Ork Warboss.
All of them believed that the Imperial Navy could not possibly confront a Battle Moon head-on.
It was even more impossible for the Imperial ships to destroy the ork Battle Moon.
But the dramatic turn of events caught them all off guard.
No one had expected the Primarch to be able to build such a behemoth as the Retribution Colossus in such a short period of time.
Although it utilized existing technological creations, it was still incredibly terrifying.
It was absolutely not something anyone else in the Imperium could accomplish.
Just the wiring diagrams and energy architecture were extremely complex engineering tasks.
Not to mention other things.
If the Adeptus Mechanicus were to tinker with such a project, don't even think about finishing it in less than a hundred years.
Yet now, the Primarch and Cawl had built a mega-structure like the Retribution Colossus in just a few years.
And it could be mass-produced.
What did this represent??
It represented that the Human Navy would undergo a fundamental strengthening.
The Imperium currently had quite a few mega-structures.
The Phalanx used by the Imperial Fists.
The Dark Angels' home world fortress - The Rock.
The Arch-Mechanic's Mechanicus ark.
Star Forts suspended in the dark void.
And mining bases used for extracting resources from giant planets.
These were all mega-structures comparable to celestial bodies.
However, building these massive structures took an extremely long time.
It often took hundreds, even thousands of years.
Yet the Retribution Colossus was completed in just a few years.
This was undoubtedly a miracle.
And it was a replicable miracle.
Thinking about it now, everyone was still filled with awe.
In the eyes of everyone, the Thirteenth Primarch was already a mysterious and unparalleled super technological master.
Only he could complete a giant structure that would take decades, even centuries, to finish, in just a few short years.
Humanity would move towards unparalleled glory under his hand.
It was very likely that another Golden Age would appear.
That would be an exciting thing.
When Guilliman mentioned Phicris' gift.
Everyone immediately thought about whether the Primarch had acquired new technology.
And what kind of progress and enhancement the Imperium would gain from it.
Feeling everyone's gaze, Phicris' face flushed even redder.
How could he possibly explain this without being awkward.
This was much more difficult than fighting Chaos.
"Perhaps Phicris wants me to personally reveal the mystery. Reddy, bring it up, and distribute the cake and wine to all my sons."
Guilliman said loudly, in Phicris' astonished gaze.
Following Guilliman's command.
Reddy and several men dressed as chefs pushed a giant cake into the room.
Behind them, there were servants carrying boxes of fine wine.
The Chapter Masters looked at the cake, dumbfounded.
Not just them, the Navy Admirals, Knights, and Sisters were all equally astonished.
What the hell!!
Not technology??
Not a brand new achievement??
Why was it a cake??
"Lord, how did you know..." Seeing the cake come in, Phicris was incredibly surprised.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say!!
Hadn't he told Reddy to cancel this plan?
Why hadn't Reddy cancelled this plan??
"I know everything, Phicris. This is the flagship my father gave me. I know every hidden passage, every secret door better than you," Guilliman said with a smile.
"What does this mean??" A Navy Admiral looked at the exquisite, giant cake, asking in confusion.
The others also looked bewildered.
They had guessed wrong again.
Phicris' gift wasn't some new technology, but a cake??
What the hell was a cake??
"This is indeed the gift, gentlemen," Guilliman looked around at everyone, "We need to understand what we are fighting for. Only then can we firmly hold our swords. The dark galaxy should not only have war, and we must never forget our humanity.
Many of you might think that a new gift would be a powerful technological creation, which is why you were astonished when you saw the cake, but I want to tell you that this gift is also a weapon.
It is a weapon for our souls, a weapon to resist the temptations of Chaos. Open your eyes, my comrades, and see how many planets have turned into terrible hells under corrupt bureaucracy, how many of my father's subjects are enduring terrible suffering.
People have nothing, yet are required to toil day and night for my father's Imperium. Their average lifespan doesn't even reach thirty-five years, and their wealth is gathered into the hands of nobles in the Emperor's name. How tragic this is.
In the Imperium, we have worshipped the strong over pitying the weak for generations. Does this make us better? No, this approach has made things worse and worse.
Humanity has lost its pioneering spirit, lost its passion, people have become numb. We recruit a brutal soldier and then let him become a brutal lord, continuing this vicious cycle.
As a result, by now, people have the same attitude towards both Chaos and the Imperium: numbness.
Between beauty and ugliness, a clear line must be drawn. If Chaos offers power to a person living in hell, then what reason do they have to refuse the invitation of hell?"
"Loyalty to the Emperor is precious, and it is worth promoting and praising. But we must always be vigilant against those who do evil and seize benefits in the Emperor's name. Change begins today, we must constantly remind ourselves that the purpose of our engagement in war is to end war. War for the sake of war is always foolish."
Guilliman looked at Phicris, "Thank you, Phicris. You made us understand that some things should not be forgotten. We fight to defend the beauty of humanity, not to push them into the abyss."
"Ah!" Phicris was stunned for a moment, unable to speak.
He had clearly ordered Reddy to abandon the preparations, so how could there still be a cake.
Phicris looked at Reddy in confusion, and saw that she was also smiling at him.
Everyone stood up and applauded, some even cheering.
They would fight for the dreams of the Primarch and the Emperor.
Until everything was on the right track.
The Primarch personally picked up a large cake knife.
The knife was so large it could be considered a cleaver.
But it was just right for Guilliman to cut the cake with it.
After symbolically cutting a few pieces of cake.
Guilliman handed the task over to others.
He didn't have much time, and his attendance at the banquet was not simply for relaxation.
When the fate of the entire human race was placed on one person's shoulders.
That person would certainly not be so relaxed as to drink and revel at a banquet.
He had a plan for attending the banquet, it wasn't purely for relaxation.
Guilliman primarily attended the banquet to award medals to the brave Chapter Masters and Admirals, and also to convey his reform ideas.
There were many reasons for fighting.
If you were to ask, you would get a variety of answers.
For the Imperium, for humanity, and also for loyalty to humanity.
Guilliman knew very well that the Emperor had been sitting on the Golden Throne for ten thousand years.
Even the administrative affairs on Terra were handled by the High Lords of Terra.
Loyalty to the Emperor was a big joke.
If they were truly loyal to the Emperor, why did the Imperial cult still rise? Why was the High Lords of Terra still so corrupt?
As for fighting for humanity, this statement was even more absurd.
Besides Chaos and xenos, the most serious harm to various worlds was caused by the corrupt bureaucracy of the Imperium.
A small mistake in planetary taxation by the Administratum.
Could turn an entire planet into a barren land of bones.
The Imperial tax ships would truly scrape the earth clean to collect the required tax for that planet.
Once there was any defiance, the Imperial Fleet would arrive and cleanse the rebellious world.
Everyone could see the corruption of the Imperium.
Clearing out the corrupt bureaucracy was the best way to save humanity.
Yet now, there was a group of people who claimed to be nobles for humanity, standing on the opposite side of reform.
Isn't this ironic?
Ultimately, many people fought for honor, for themselves.
Guilliman needed to feed these people with honor, power, and benefits.
Only then could these people continue to fight.
This was also one of the reasons for holding the celebration.
Guilliman hated these things, but he also had to admit that he needed these methods to win over these loyalists and consolidate his base.
After completing the awarding of medals, Guilliman withdrew from the banquet.
His status was too high, and staying at the celebration party was not a wise decision.
It would make those people feel restrained and unable to relax.
After he left, people felt more at ease.
The troop transport ship, 'Wrath of Justice'.
The Empire has many troop transport ships of this class.
Their mission is to transport the Empire's soldiers from one world to another.
Once they set sail, very few soldiers ever get to board a ship returning to their homeworld.
The galaxy is truly too vast, too vast.
A moment of carelessness, and decades, a hundred years can pass.
Forget about going home, you might just die in a foreign land by mistake, your soul unable to return.
In this era where darkness is increasingly closing in, surviving a few years on the battlefield is considered a blessing from the Emperor.
Still want to go home?
Stop dreaming.
The ordinary soldiers' revelry was held in the cabins of the 'Path of Justice'.
After careful consideration by the Empire's high command.
These Astra Militarum soldiers were also allowed to participate in activities to celebrate the Empire's victory.
Hawk stood in the crowd, raising a glass with his regimental brothers to celebrate.
Celebrating victory.
And celebrating that they were still alive.
Compared to how he was a few years ago, he had changed a little.
Shedding the dullness left by long periods of labor, his eyes and face had become weathered.
His gaze was no longer cynical, but calm.
Having seen more death, he had also realized the dangers of the battlefield.
These years of fighting had also made him understand the terrifying bloody price that must be paid for the Empire's continued existence.
His left hand had been replaced with a bionic metal limb.
His original arm had been chopped off by an ork long ago and could not be reattached.
During a battle with the orks.
The Imperial forces were ambushed, the battle was lost, and the front line was breached.
The entire line collapsed, with countless casualties.
The Imperial commanders had intended to withdraw the troops, regroup, and then continue fighting.
Hawk misunderstood the commander's order and charged forward with the regimental standard.
His actions inspired a large group of people; others saw them charging and followed suit, confused.
As a result, they accidentally won.
Hawk's hand was also lost at that time.
The Imperial commanders, seeing his bravery, arranged for a tech-priest to install a bionic limb for him and promoted him to captain.
Shortly after, he was promoted on the spot to Major, becoming the commander of a temporary regiment.
After the Charadon campaign this time, he was officially confirmed as a regimental commander, leading the Natal 502nd Regiment.
The 502nd Regiment was a group of new recruits just drafted from the planet Natal.
To cope with the attrition of the Indomitus Crusade, the Primarch was thirstily drawing soldiers and resources from various worlds.
Natal answered the Primarch's call, sending men and women of age to the battlefield.
Unlike other wars where equipment gets worse the longer they are fought.
The 502nd Regiment was a new regiment, and they received new equipment.
After the Primarch reintegrated the Five Hundred Worlds, many Forge Worlds were entrusted to Archmagos Cawl.
Comprehensive reforms and technical optimization allowed the various Forge Worlds to flourish.
A large amount of technical and theoretical knowledge was directed towards junior Priests.
Allowing them to avoid wasting too much energy on less important technologies.
According to the Primarch's orders, Cawl was optimizing the Empire's knowledge structure, ensuring that humanity could once again rekindle its desire to explore the universe, rather than being obsessed with finding lost Golden Age technology.
With these measures being implemented, the Five Hundred Worlds would experience a technological innovation every so often.
These innovative technologies would also indirectly affect the forge factories, thus producing more cost-effective individual equipment.
Of course, the various measures in the Five Hundred Worlds had seriously violated many of the Mechanicus' prohibitions.
The conservative faction of the Mechanicus had been continuously putting pressure on the Ultramar Sector during this time, demanding that they immediately cease these blasphemous acts against the Omnissiah.
Mars had even issued a declaration of war, demanding an immediate halt to the blasphemous behavior.
Otherwise, they would take all necessary measures to uphold the dignity of the Omnissiah.
Guilliman had been playing it by ear, not taking the conservative faction's ideas and numerous protests to heart.
He instructed Cawl to continue forming new research teams, accelerate the absorption and digestion of the various technological knowledge he had provided, and integrate the current Mechanicus technology to strengthen the Empire's power.
Of course, Hawk had no access to these matters.
He only knew that the later regiments had better equipment.
Some regiments even wore full exoskeletons, making their combat power much stronger than other regiments.
"What are you thinking about, Colonel Hawk?"
A clear voice rang out. Hawk looked up and saw a red-haired, blue-eyed woman walking up to him.
She was holding a bottle of fruit wine from who knows which world.
The distance between star systems was too vast.
Logistics procurement could not simply designate one star system but followed the principle of proximity.
"Major Cass," Hawk nodded in response.
"You still haven't answered me, what are you thinking about?" Cass shrugged and asked with a smile.
"Nothing, just wondering if the Emperor is protecting me tonight," Hawk said with a smile.
"The battle is over, do you still need the Emperor's protection?"
Major Cass asked with a hint of curiosity.
"You and I both know that war never stops. I've heard some new information. The tyranids are coming. Their target is the Charradon Sector. Do you think the great Primarch will lead his army to fight the tyranids?"
Hawk took a sip of the wine in his hand. It was sweet and sour, and the taste was very good.
He had heard from a few colleagues that this wine had a strong kick.
If you drink too much, you won't be able to get up the next day.
"That's for the future. The Emperor doesn't need to protect you tonight," Major Cass smiled.
"Because there's another battle tonight," Hawk said with a smile, "I just don't know if I can invite Miss Cass to be my opponent."
"Are Natalians all so fond of beating around the bush?" Cass chuckled. "Besides, if you choose me as your opponent, I'm very worried you'll lose too quickly. The Emperor can't protect you."
"Even if the Emperor doesn't protect me, I still have a great chance of winning."
How quickly do Astra Militarum soldiers get promoted once war breaks out??
It's absolutely unbelievable to ordinary people.
If you're thrown onto the battlefield today and manage to survive, you might just be promoted to Colonel.
This is a dark joke, but it also reflects how high the Astra Militarum's casualty rate is.
The Empire's main enemies: Chaos, tyranids, orks, necrons, Dark eldar. These powerful forces, once they arrive on a planet, will unleash terrifying wars.
At this time, the Departmento Munitorum will throw dozens, even hundreds of regiments onto the battlefield.
Exchanging lives for victory, it is incredibly brutal.
Casualty rates of up to one hundred percent are not uncommon.
For example, the tyranids once attacked a place called the Crana System.
To this end, the Departmento Munitorum deployed over a hundred regiments, and when they finally withdrew, less than a tenth of the personnel remained, and half of those were injured or disabled.
In such battles, the Astra Militarum are like weeds, easily harvested.
Under such pressure, hormonal activity between men and women is also very peculiar.
When they are aroused, they speak of love, but after it's over, they are just ordinary people who no longer know each other.
Everyone understands that investing emotionally will only bring them more sadness.
No one knows when death will arrive.
Hawk didn't understand before, but now he does, and Cass also understands.
They looked at each other and instantly understood each other's thoughts.
Cass drained the wine in her hand and turned to leave.
Hawk also finished his wine and walked over with a smile.
If death is to come tomorrow, then why not revel today??
*******
The Vitoria System.
This is a system on the edge of the Charradon Sector.
Under the rule of the Senatorum Imperialis on Terra, the various worlds of the Empire adopted different systems.
Vitoria is purely a capitalist world.
Here, merchants are everything. They are judges, law enforcement officers, and councilors.
Business families have ruled here for generations. The planet Vitoria has been shaped into their backyard, their factory.
Due to the existence of interstellar trade, the merchants do not care if the common people and workers of Vitoria can afford their products.
Their customers are the nobles of other worlds.
There is no need for workers and common people to consume industrial goods.
The only purpose of the common people on Vitoria is to provide cheap labor. Other than that, they are useless.
Unemployment is very high on the planet Vitoria , and people can only become vagrants.
Because the highest law here is the sacred inviolability of private property.
For whatever reason, the laws of private property cannot be violated arbitrarily.
And everything on the planet Vitoria belongs to the merchants.
The common people have nothing.
If it weren't for the Empire's explicit regulation that the ownership of all human colonial worlds belongs to the God-Emperor.
It is likely that these people would not even have the right to wander and would be driven out of their cities by the merchants.
The merchants also knew that their rule was unpopular.
To maintain their rule, the merchants invested heavily in building a powerful security force.
This security force is well-equipped, with biological and bionic enhancements, and is militarily formidable. Any rebellious behavior will be crushed by them.
But where there is oppression, there is resistance.
A Free cult was established in the sewers of Vitoria's cities.
Some cultists with long foreheads and smooth scalps were spreading their religious tracts about freedom, equality, mercy, and kindness among the crowds and vagrants.
At a hidden gathering place.
"We must overthrow those damned oppressors and reclaim the gifts the God-Emperor has given us! For the God-Emperor, we will sacrifice everything!"
A man in a long robe shouted loudly.
As he shouted, the other believers also shouted with him.
"Let us pray to the great God-Emperor!" The man pointed to a statue of the Emperor with four arms, painted in red on the wall. "We will bring salvation to this world."