Port Wander is a behemoth of a void station, essentially a giant hive city suspended in the black with a permanent population of tens of millions. Located on the Drus frontier in the Calixis Sector, it's the last civilized stop before the void gives way to the treacherous Colonus Expanse.
The Imperial Navy originally established it in 917.M40 as a staging post to figure out what was sinking all their warships in the Drus border region. Later, a Rogue Trader discovered a stable passage nearby into the Colonus Expanse.
This discovery drew a crowd of fortune-seekers and adventurers, making Port Wander the main transit hub and trade market. You could find everything here, from xeno-artifacts looted from the Expanse to standard-issue weaponry straight off the Forge Worlds.
The population here is a motley crew—a real melting pot of shady characters: pirates who pillage trade ships, Inquisition agents working in the shadows, family gangs running gray-market operations, and fanatical missionaries. This mix made Port Wander rapidly prosper, turning it into a hot spot coveted by every power in the sector.
Port Wander technically fell under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Navy, but the Navy mostly just collected management fees and provided protection. The day-to-day operation and management were farmed out to several influential local families. Relying on the Port, these families grew filthy rich and became forces to be reckoned with.
But when the Colin family pulled the trigger on their rebellion, these influential families turned on a dime. They stabbed the Imperial Navy in the back while the fleet was docked for rest and resupply.
With internal and external cooperation, the rebel fleet easily seized control of Port Wander and massacred the Imperial Navy fleet. The void became a floating graveyard, choked with ship wreckage and the bodies of loyal soldiers—a total bloodbath.
"Why? Where is your loyalty to the Emperor?"
Vice Admiral Fenry, trapped in the Naval Headquarters on Port Wander, angrily dressed down the rebel siege command and the major families who planned to serve up his head for credit.
With Port Wander's firepower and reserves, they could have held out for years, making the rebel fleet pay through the nose. Instead, the leading families chose betrayal and handed the keys over to the rebels.
"The Age of the Emperor is over, and the Gods are coming," declared the representative of the Hal family, bragging about his choice.
"Cadia has fallen. The Eye of Terror has expanded, ripping the galaxy wide open. Terra is stretched thin. Even the light of the Astronomican has vanished. Surrender, Vice Admiral Fenry. Everything you're holding onto is meaningless," the representative of the Fittes family urged.
Fenry was furious, roaring like a cornered lion. "I'd rather die a thousand deaths than betray the Emperor! Traitors, you'll pay dearly for this day!"
"You idiot!" the Hal family representative yelled back. "Then you can die!"
Finally, the mob, whipped into a frenzy, breached the Naval Headquarters Fenry was defending. Loyal Navy soldiers were slaughtered.
Vice Admiral Fenry fought to the bitter end and was eventually killed. His body was brutally abused and hung up for public display in the ruins of the headquarters.
After the rebels took control of Port Wander, widespread looting and massacres broke out. Countless Imperial citizens were persecuted and sent to factories as slaves to produce military supplies for the Colin forces.
The Port Wander incident was just one piece of the puzzle in the Calixis Sector rebellion. The same scenario played out on landing ports, the industrial planet of Finks, the agricultural planet of Aikans, and more. Betrayal was rampant, and the Imperial loyalists suffered crippling casualties.
Many worlds pledged loyalty to the Colin family, effectively turning their backs on the Imperium. The loyalist forces in the Calixis Sector were pushed into a desperate corner. The Colin family just needed to play the long game, encircle the scattered loyalists, and mop up the rest. Despair had settled like a blanket over every servant loyal to the Emperor.
After a week of traveling through the Warp, the fleet, led by the Imperial Glory, crossed the raging Warp Storm and returned to the Atomal area of the Calixis Sector.
The fleet opened a Warp rift at the Mandeville Point, and the Imperial Glory was the first to punch through into real space, with the rest of the warships close behind. The news of the fleet's arrival spread quickly and caused a sensation. Atomal's defense system immediately went live. A makeshift fleet of Navy deserters quickly turned and took up defensive positions. Many people were on edge, terrified that this was the rebel fleet.
Fortunately, the misunderstanding was quickly resolved. When the population learned it was the Imperial Glory returning, they were overwhelmed with unimaginable joy. Fax, Hydrak, and other senior executives boarded transport boats or fighters and headed to Lycard Space Station to prepare to greet the Guide. Several influential people who had fled the war followed them.
After entering real space, Daniel passed the baton, handing full command of the fleet over to Sha. He retreated to the Imperial Glory's strategy room to check the compiled intelligence from Arale.
Daniel checked the report, and the contrast was night and day. The player base and Atomal? Doing great. With the Mechanicus' help, players had built space factories, smelters, and mines, extensively exploiting void resources to meet their escalating industrial needs.
On top of that, they'd built void cities and space farms, not only accommodating a huge number of refugees but also ensuring plenty of food to go around. The Doraemon Workshop had successfully completed the first light cruiser voyage test. This meant the shipbuilding industrial chain was perfected; they could now produce warships as easily as making dumplings simply by boosting production capacity.
Furthermore, nearly 3,000 Astartes had completed implantation surgery and were now training under Captain Sotha. Atomal's standing army had reached 20 million, with nearly five million wearing exoskeleton armor and equipped with Gauss weapons—their combat effectiveness had increased tenfold compared to the past.
The Atomal sector was crushing it, but the Calixis sector was an absolute mess. The Imperial loyalists had been thoroughly defeated and were now scattered, waiting to be bagged and tagged by the rebels. If they weren't rescued ASAP, they would be completely wiped out.
"The situation has gone downhill this badly?!" Daniel was temporarily at a loss for words. Compared to the Colin-led rebels, the Imperial loyalists were simply out to lunch!
Arale's projection appeared beside Daniel. "Master, Fax and Hydrak sent a message saying they are waiting for you at Port B-145 of Lycard Space Station. Also accompanying them are Inquisitor Kaidin, Sector Law Marshal Gorman, Cardinal Ignatto, and others."
Daniel frowned. These were all heavy hitters in the Calixis Sector. Why were they sitting on their hands and fleeing to Atomal instead of fighting?
"Did Fax tell you what these sector representatives are after?"
"Fax only said they were seeking the Emperor's Living Saint to unite all loyalist forces against the rebels."
Upon hearing this, Daniel's head started to pound. It turned out the loyalists were still caught up in infighting? He thought the situation couldn't get any worse, but apparently, he was thinking too optimistically.
"I see." Daniel rubbed his temples, then looked at Arale and gave new orders. "Arale, I need you to prep a new expansion pack, code-named 'The Emperor's Wrath.'"
The corrupt situation in the Calixis Sector couldn't wait. Action needed to be taken immediately. After this development period, Atomal had established strong war potential. He wanted to use Atomal as a base to wage war outward and turn the tide for the loyalists. This upcoming battle was the perfect opportunity to roll out the first expansion pack for the new version of Warhammer Online and fire up the player base.
"Okay, Master. Arale will get right on it." Arale nodded and set off to execute Daniel's task.
The Imperial Glory entered the harbor smoothly. Fireworks for the celebration rocketed into the sky from several surface hives. The waiting crowds cheered, shouted the Guide's name, and gave the Aquila salute to the Imperial Glory.
During this period, Daniel's story had continued to circulate among the refugees. The more the stories spread, the more larger-than-life he became. Now, Daniel was seen as a savior representing the Emperor. "Just come back as the Guide, attack the enemy, and everything will be in the bag," was a widely circulated statement, firmly believed by countless refugees.
When Daniel finally appeared, the fanatical worship of him hit a fever pitch, and his EXP points soared out of control. Especially those white wings, which, when merely waved, released golden light that could heal the soul—all of it screamed Living Saint. Some people knelt before Daniel, weeping bitterly, praying that he could save their homeworlds.
"In the name of the Emperor, I will rescue every world in despair and distress," Daniel assured them, but he gently corrected those who regarded him as a God of Salvation. "There are no gods in this galaxy except the God-Emperor. He is nobler than all others, and we should believe in Him alone. I am merely an ordinary person blessed by Him."
"At this moment, I finally understand what Rogal felt!" Yuji, who was following behind Daniel, griped over the comms.
"The Guide says he's not a god? Oh, for crying out loud, why all the fuss? I'm going to pray right now and hope I win the lottery tomorrow," WrongHammer complained.
"You don't get it. Faith calms people down. These people are scared stiff by the rebels. How else are we supposed to make them get their confidence back without some shocking spectacle?" Veteran interjected.
"While it's comforting, if things keep going like this, the Guide is definitely going to be worshiped as the Second Emperor," Warmaster observed.
Fred chuckled, "Maybe after the three great galaxy slogans—'This is part of the plan,' 'I am not a god,' and 'I am Rogal Dorn'—we'll have a fourth: 'I am just an ordinary person blessed by the Emperor.'"
Daniel sighed, shaking his head at the players' complaints. He didn't want this either, but this method was the fastest way to win the hearts of these refugees and get them to work his objectives. The situation in the Calixis Sector was devastating, and he couldn't waste another second.
Escorted by soldiers, Daniel passed through the enthusiastically cheering crowd and arrived before the group of waiting dignitaries. A fanfare of trumpets sounded, and Cherubim and Servo Skulls whirred overhead, announcing the Living Saint's arrival.