From a high perch over the hive, Rhodes watched the spreading silver giant below, smiling.
This fused Sphere-beast was immensely powerful. One pity: once a Sphere finalizes its form, its outer shape no longer changes.
Only the primordial Sphere state can infinitely split and keep fusing with new targets.
"Tartarus, our cleaner works well."
Tartarus nodded. "Master, what will you do with this genestealer-fusion beast?"
Rhodes chuckled. "It has its uses. Next, it's going to fight another enemy."
They'd wiped the cult HQ and Patriarch, but many hybrids remained, some hidden in other continents or among the nobility.
For genestealers, Rhodes had zero tolerance—found means destroyed. Better to kill by mistake than let one slip.
Hunting them one by one among nobles and commoners would waste time he didn't have.
That's where the monster comes in. By devouring the Patriarch, it effectively seized the brood network.
Using that network, it can locate all hidden genestealers among humans.
"Master, you'll identify them all, then use something like a psychic resonance to pop their skulls?" Tartarus ventured.
"No. The Pauper Princes' penetration is too deep. If we kill them all at once, Vigilus will be thrown into chaos.
"We can't do that," Rhodes said.
This isn't simple. Rhodes intends to turn Vigilus into a net—a trap. And traps mustn't be obvious.
If something big happens before Guilliman arrives, that's bad. The Chaos godshard must be handled—this is about humanity's survival.
"Then you intend…?" Tartarus hesitated.
There were only two of them here unless more monsters were summoned. None of Rhodes's other assets could appear on Vigilus; otherwise, Fulgrim might smell a trap.
"Feel out there—a greenskin fleet is inbound," Rhodes said with a sly smile.
The genestealers had to go to prevent them summoning the Tyranids.
As for the other invaders—Orks are the perfect tools and temp labor. Rhodes has ways to control them.
He commands Warlord Gromm of the Ultra-Orks; his mob no longer worships Gork or Mork.
That gives Rhodes room to maneuver. The Advanced Shop is open, and he can buy outright.
The mid-tier shop has plenty of monsters for mind-control.
"Use Orks to cull the remaining cult?" Tartarus realized.
Using Orks is ideal: with minimal nudging, they'll fight humans upon arrival.
Orks brawling humans won't tip Chaos off to a trap; if this were a sprung snare, you wouldn't start by letting Orks trigger it.
Who would suspect Rhodes can control the greenskins? When both sides are bloodied, he steps in and seizes them.
"Right. And I'll do more than purge leftovers. The remaining genestealers aren't a huge threat—some nobles hosting them, that's all.
"Vigilus's problems are far worse. The chaos here needs proper correction," Rhodes said.
"Perfect plan, master! In that case, why not deploy Spheres to assimilate the Orks too? If they can eat the cult, they can eat greenskins," Tartarus suggested.
"We'll fuse them—just not yet. Watch. I'm setting a colossal pocket to bag Fulgrim," Rhodes said.
…
Days later, Mechanicus personnel on Vigilus detected an Ork junk-fleet inbound.
Everyone in the Imperium loathes the Orks.
Upon learning of the greenskins, local authorities alerted the Imperial Navy to intercept—under strict orders not to let greenskins ruin the Regent's welcome.
The Navy was speechless—intercept Ork fleets?
The Indomitus Crusade had drawn off major naval assets. Locally, only small craft remained.
Not even one battleship—just escorts, destroyers, light cruisers. Against Ork fleets?
Ork ships look like scrapyard junk, but don't doubt their performance. With the Waaagh! field, they're the stablest ships in the galaxy and can do bugged things—if Orks believe a ship works, it works; if they believe guns hit, they hit; if they believe their gravity ram can pancake a human cruiser, it does.
To fight Orks, you want a line of Imperial battleships.
Send these tin cans, and not only won't they crack Ork shields, they'll be harvested as parts to upgrade Ork junks.
So the Navy decided to ping Holy Terra for help.
Terra responded immediately, with the Emperor's directive.
The Navy was both relieved and baffled. Relieved they wouldn't be sent to die.
Baffled because the Emperor ordered them to hold position, defend their new port, wait for Guilliman's main fleet, then coordinate to destroy the Orks.
If the Orks land, the planetary Guard handles the ground war.
The Navy relayed the order to Vigilus's nobles.
All factions convened—nobility, Mechanicus, and the Imperial Cult—in a joint council established centuries ago by House Agamemnus to coordinate Vigilus.
"The Mechanicus must field all Skitarii and protectors. Vigilus cannot fall. It anchors the Nachmund Gauntlet, and the Regent will arrive soon. If we hold, we win," a noble declared.
"No problem. The Mechanicus can field many cohorts. But our numbers are thin—send us your private troops. We'll refit them for free into protectors and throw them into the fight," a tech-priest said coldly.
Yes, they could deploy—but lacked bodies. Send your house troops to be upgraded.
After cybernetics, they'd be better than your rabble.
Silence. Hand over private armies? Lose them to Mechanicus control and, even if they win, the nobles would be purged later.
"Our house troops must defend our interests. Instead, let the Ecclesiarchy deploy Sisters and Frateris. The Ecclesiarchy has been reforged; High Ecclesiarch Lorgar will aid us," another noble said.
Aside from the Mechanicus, the Ecclesiarchy is strong on Vigilus. With Lorgar's recent ascent, local cults restructured.
Battle Sisters are formidable—now even stronger than old Primaris Astartes in some respects. Vigilus's Sororitas aren't gene-daughters of the Imperial Princess, but their faith is iron.
The Frateris are being fully reequipped—new-era Frateris as Astartes-grade. But Vigilus's units lag behind the refit; they're still the old type.
The Imperium is vast. Even with cutting-edge tech, rollout takes ages; the next generation arrives before the current one is fully deployed. That's with the Emperor and Primarchs boosting efficiency—otherwise it'd be slower.
"The Frateris and Sisters will fight. But we have only a few hundred thousand Frateris, fewer than ten thousand Sisters. Even at full commitment, we can't annihilate this Ork horde," the Ecclesiarchal representative said.
They couldn't refuse, given the new doctrine—but the nobles had to bleed too.
"How about this—hive underclassers are idle anyway. Rather than let Orks butcher them, send them to the Mechanicus for conversion into protectors, to serve their highest purpose. Even in death, they return to the Golden Throne," a noble suggested.
The nobles approved—civilian lives are cheap, the Imperium's coin. The Cult and Mechanicus tacitly agreed.
"Decided. The lower-hive masses will be converted into Skitarii thralls," the tech-priest concluded.
As they deliberated, a warp-tear opened. Imperial reinforcements and the Ork fleet arrived almost simultaneously.
Blue battle-barges translated in—Ultramarines.
A psychic broadcast reached all powers planetside: Captain Calgar had arrived.
The Ork junk-fleet and the Ultramarines were within a light-year.
War was about to explode.