"That's enough."
"The break is over."
"Now, let's get to work."
The Lion of Caliban's silence and observations lasted only for a brief moment. As he shifted his gaze elsewhere, the King of Knights' pupils were filled with an endless resolve and solemnity.
If it weren't for the superhuman vision and senses shared by Primarchs, Morgana would have doubted whether her kin had truly taken that fleeting moment of rest and relaxation. The eternal strictness emanating from the deep forests of Caliban seemed to have softened for an instant, yet also seemed utterly unchanged.
But regardless of Morgana's thoughts, from this moment on, she had to adapt to Jonson's work rhythm. Thus, Morgana's aura abruptly shifted, once again becoming the most capable figure and trustworthy right-hand that Jonson had long been accustomed to.
This change in her aura made the Lion of Caliban, the King of Knights, cast an extra glance her way. Jonson remained silent for a moment before nodding, indicating his satisfaction.
The Primarch of the First Legion zoomed in on the star map before him, clearly displaying the outermost reaches of the Sol Sector in his and his kin's eyes. What Jonson revealed was the current northern frontier of the Imperium of Man. Not long before this war, Holy Terra had decided to name this continuously explored and expanding territory the Nebula Sector.
To facilitate identification, the entire star map used two contrasting colors to represent the warring factions: the Imperium of Man's territory was enveloped in a bright light blue, while the Randan Empire's territory was a dull, deep red. This allowed Morgana to understand the war's situation at first glance.
Like a sharp awl piercing downward into a pile of sand, the Randan Empire had launched a deep strike from its territory in the northern Galaxy, carving out a brutal path of blood and bone from the most vulnerable southeastern part of the Nebula Sector. Its vanguard had pierced through the northern territories of the Imperium of Man and now reached the northeastern edge of the Sol Sector.
Behind Morgana, Jonson leaned slightly, the Lion of Caliban inclining his head close to his kin's. As he spoke, Morgana could clearly feel his solemn breaths brushing against her earlobe.
"After the warp storm, the first frontline outposts to report the Randan invasion were Quietude, Sirius, and Newcux. These worlds quickly fell, and they didn't even have time to send a second distress signal."
"In the following months, almost all star systems in the southeastern Nebula Sector were attacked. Only a very few have held out until now. Due to the influence of the storm, the front line was unable to gather enough troops and fleets, so we haven't even been able to organize a major pitched battle in these months."
"However, in the western part of the Nebula Sector, the Randans' assault on the fortress worlds near the Eye of Terror ended in failure. The Forge Worlds Agrippina and Trisolian held their ground. The Caliban System was also harassed by them before, but it was harmless."
"And according to the latest intelligence, these blasphemous xenos' vanguard fleets have already reached the Piscina System. Thallos IV on the other side was officially confirmed to have been captured by the Randan army in a letter yesterday. This is the last fortress world the Imperium possesses in the southeastern Nebula Sector."
"This means that if the Randan fleet continues to advance, they will officially enter the Sol Sector, which is the worst possible scenario that no one can accept."
"At that time, the first major star system they will encounter in the Sol Sector will be the Fenris System. Yes, that guy Leman Russ's homeworld. I don't believe he wouldn't leave something behind in his old lair."
"After the Fenris System are several Forge Worlds, including Voss, Vanaheim, and Parahael. And after these Forge Worlds is Betan-Garmon."
Morgana quietly listened as the King of Knights of Caliban explained the real-time situation on the front lines. The Lady of Spiders narrowed her eyes slightly, and exploratory beams of light shot forth from her blue pupils, lingering on the important worlds that had fallen or were still holding out.
In Morgana's mind, fragments of thought and memory continuously expanded, shattered, and brewed invisible waves. Within these waves, questions constantly arose. Most of these questions were quickly answered by her intellect within a few seconds, and the remaining questions were what she intended to ask Jonson.
Before asking, Morgana once again looked at the star map before her. In her tumultuous mind, memories and understandings of the Nebula Sector replayed over and over again.
The current Nebula Sector was merely a beach explored outward from the Sol Sector, a result of free exploration that the Imperium of Man had almost never officially organized. This was quite normal, as generally speaking, the vast territories east of Holy Terra were the primary direction for expansion during this Great Crusade.
In the decades since the Great Crusade officially began, countless exploration fleets, private fleets, and Rogue Traders, following the Lord of Mankind, continuously explored more territories to the north as the unseen vanguards of the Imperium.
Around the fiftieth year after the Emperor initiated this Great Crusade, the Imperium of Man found the Primarch of the First Legion on the planet Caliban in the western Nebula Sector. This world thus became the core territory of the Imperium of Man in this vast region.
More exploration fleets, centered around the Caliban System, continuously opened up Imperial territory in the western Nebula Sector. Another main force of exploration fleets came from afar in the Eye of Terror region. Before the war began, their advance had reached the Gothic Sector in the eastern Nebula Sector and made contact with the Forge Worlds that had already taken root there.
Overall, the Imperium of Man's expansion into the Nebula Sector was still limited to the eastern and western frontiers, like crab pincers leaving large gaps. At the very least, the vast central and northern parts of this sector remained a murky and ominous shadow for even the most experienced exploration captains.
But this did not deter the Emperor's followers from reasserting their race's ancient, ten-thousand-year-old rights and territories, extending the supposed borders of the Nebula Sector all the way to the empty stars of the far northern Galaxy.
Thus, the strange scene before the two Primarchs was born: this area named the Nebula Sector, claimed by the Imperium of Man, had a substantial portion of its actual territory unknown to Holy Terra.
This was because, before the outbreak of this war, these were truly the territories of the Randan xenos empire and other smaller nations, surrounded by various barren star systems that the Imperium of Man had gradually encroached upon over the preceding decades.
It was precisely for this reason that Holy Terra maintained a certain detachment throughout this war. Although the war with the Randans was indeed exceptionally brutal, with entire fleets disappearing into the shadows of the Galaxy, millions of mortal auxiliary troops going to battle and never returning, and even Astartes casualties already numbering in the tens of thousands.
However, ultimately, the core regions of the Imperium of Man had not suffered more damage in this war. The contested, destroyed, and burned star systems were mostly just buffer zones that the Imperium of Man had not yet truly controlled, and the unfortunate residents affected were not part of Holy Terra's grand plans.
Therefore, although from the colors and layout of the star map it seemed as if the Imperium of Man was on the brink of collapse in this war, the true situation was not as critical and terrifying. In the eyes of Holy Terra, despite the loss of one Legion, the combined strength of the Dark Angels and the continuous reinforcements from other Legions was enough to end any wartime suspense.
The Randans had indeed caused significant trouble. Their cunning and dangerous nature were perhaps the highest since the beginning of the Great Crusade. Or rather, such a powerful xenos stellar empire was one of only a handful in the entire Galaxy.
But ultimately, for a unified, cohesive, and flourishing galactic hegemon, the Randans were merely a nuisance, a problem, a predicament that required the Imperium to deploy multiple Primarchs and Legions.
Holy Terra's attitude could also be seen in their reinforcements for Jonson. Malcador had indeed sent many reinforcements, including Astartes Legions, mortal auxiliary troops, and a large number of new fleets. However, the truly powerful armies that could dictate the outcome on the battlefield, such as the Luna Wolves Legion or the Ultramarines, simply did not appear in this war.
Among the armies under Jonson's command, apart from scattered reinforcements from other Astartes Legions, there were only the large armies led by two Primarchs.
Leman Russ the Wolf King of Fenris, with a melancholic demeanor, returned with his army from the homeworld of the Eleventh Primarch. The Sixth Legion seemed to have suffered some damage, but they could still participate in the upcoming major battle.
The other reinforcement was somewhat unexpected: Vulkan, the Lord of the Firedrakes, and his Legion were not typically associated with such massive frontal engagements. However, upon hearing of the crisis in the northern Galaxy, the Lord of Nocturne silently led his sons to this desperate battlefield, ready to dedicate all his strength for his brother and for the Imperium of Man.
Three Primarchs, three Legions, plus varying degrees of reinforcements from various Legions—this was the core strength under the command of the King of Knights of Caliban.
"Three hundred thousand."
Jonson slowly uttered this number with a steady demeanor. This number was enough to make countless people uneasy, whether they were Randans or Cthonians.
Three hundred thousand Astartes.
This was the power entrusted to Jonson.
Morgana was silent for a moment before asking the newest question in her mind.
"How many of them are your Dark Angels?"
"The vast majority."
The answer was filled with pride.
The Lady of Spiders nodded. She did not delve into a philosophical discussion about the sacrifice and dedication symbolized by this question and answer. She knew that was not what Jonson needed.
She merely took one last look at the star map before her, then turned all her attention to her brother.
"So, what's your next move, Jonson?"
The Lion of Caliban did not immediately answer his kin. He simply raised his head slightly, appearing uncharacteristically reserved.
"I trust your abilities, Morgana. If you haven't regressed in that warp storm, you should be able to see the clues and make an initial deduction."
Morgana had indeed seen some clues.
In the fallen southeastern Nebula Sector, some worlds conquered by the Randans seemed incredibly strange. They didn't appear to have been directly captured; rather, they seemed to have been deliberately... abandoned.
From another perspective, Jonson had been in charge of this front for some time. Morgana didn't believe that he would allow the Randan army to advance unopposed during this period. If Jonson had truly acted with all his might, the Randans, even if they could reach the frontier of the Sol Sector, wouldn't have done so this quickly.
Morgana thought for a moment, not taking long.
"..."
Her eyes lit up.
"Are you letting them in?"
"Are you letting the Randans' last main army into your pocket?"
"For that, are you even willing to abandon worlds that could have held out for some time?"
Jonson snorted lightly.
"It's an old trick, isn't it?"
"But they took the bait."
"I'm not sure if they are overly confident in their trump cards, or if they have indeed exhausted their last drops of blood in previous attrition battles. In any case, the Randan offensive's pace and rhythm have been too reckless, repeatedly throwing all their strength into the front lines without hesitation."
"This indeed made their offensive seem unstoppable for a time. But this also precisely indicates that if we can devour this largest force, the so-called Randan Empire will become a dried-up skeleton in a tomb."
"You know, in the intelligence that came back before, although the Randan army's numbers were unprecedented, a large proportion of 'young' and 'aged' individuals were mixed in. We had never seen them on the battlefield before."
"You know what this means."
Morgana nodded, her eyes constantly shifting with colors: contemplation, calculation, strategizing, but no hint of emotion for life itself.
"How did you persuade those mortals?"
"I didn't persuade those mortals. All the mortals opposed my plan, loudly advocating for every inch of land to be contested. But a single order from Holy Terra had more power than all their voices combined."
"Have you considered that the Randans might truly have some particularly powerful trump card?"
"After all, look at their attack route: it's an unstoppable charge. Once broken, there's no turning back."
"No rational leader would stake the fate of their race on such a crazy offensive, unless they had absolute confidence. This is a gamble beyond madness."
"You got one thing wrong, Morgana."
"In this Galaxy, the fate of every race is a gamble. It's just that our hand is deeper, allowing us to withstand one failure after another."
"And the Randans, as such a powerful adversary, will certainly have their trump cards. This war will definitely not end easily. The missing Legion alone indicates all of this."
"Moreover, in previous wars, frontline worlds did frequently mention a strange individual in the Randan army."
"He radiated a golden light, was incredibly tall, and always descended from the sky. When he appeared, the Randan army would fall into extreme euphoria, and the Imperial defenders' morale would also be disrupted."
"In the most exaggerated cases, he merely stood on the surface, and an entire fortress world surrendered without a fight."
"And regarding the Eleventh Legion, some very bad news has already been sent back from the front, some of which were brought back by your own sons. I'll tell you the details later."
"The reality is this: it won't be an easy victory."
"And what I have to do is to execute my plan... and use everything I have to achieve this victory, nothing more."
The Lion of Caliban gently exhaled, his gaze still fixed on the star map before him, on the endless death and suffering unfolding across countless worlds, caused both by the Randans and by himself.
He did not waver in the slightest.
Morgana did not continue the topic. Her attention was drawn to a term Jonson had inadvertently mentioned.
"My sons, my Legion?"
"Are they also on the front lines now?"
"There are a few hundred of them, coming from different fleets, and they are gradually gathering. One of them, named Hektor, left a strong impression on me."
"However, most of the Second Legion's fleets were scattered. Currently, most of them are dispersed in the southern Galaxy, but some were blown away by the storm and are still missing, including one relatively large sub-fleet that remains unaccounted for to this day."
Evidently, during Morgana's absence, Jonson had also been collecting information about her sons.
"That fleet had originally accepted an invitation from our brother Guilliman to assist in operations, training, and recruitment in the Five Hundred Worlds. However, halfway there, they were attacked by a warp storm."
"The Imperium last sighted them around..."
"The Damocles Gulf."
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