Although the number of Astartes Monks mobilized for this operation was not extremely high, the mere act of deploying Astartes on such a scale was already a rather thorny issue.
It's important to note that despite the Ashen Knights Chapter's rapid development over the past decade, it now boasts nearly four thousand Astartes Monks. However, Alex could never commit all these thousands of Astartes to the battlefield at this stage.
In fact, even when considering the deployment of a higher-than-usual number of Ash Knights, Alex had to weigh his options carefully and thoroughly to ensure he wouldn't attract excessive attention and vigilance from the Imperium.
He knew that within the Imperium, this vast and sensitive machine, power was both a shield to defend its territories and a lightning rod that could invite suspicion.
After all, the lessons of the Badab War were still fresh, and the Imperium had always maintained a high degree of vigilance regarding the scale and actions of Astartes Chapters.
While the Rostov Expedition could serve as a strong excuse and cover, allowing the Ash Knights' slight over-strength to be temporarily condoned or shelved by various parties, this absolutely did not mean that Alex could directly deploy thousands of Astartes Monks in uniform to the battlefield.
Such an action, besides leading the Imperium's High Lords to believe he had malicious intentions, was almost impossible to interpret otherwise.
Even a powerful Chapter like the Black Templars, which numbers thousands of Astartes, consistently divides its entire Chapter into numerous small Expeditionary Forces operating dispersed, and has never appeared concentrated in a force larger than a standard Chapter organization.
In fact, in the current Imperial environment, the simultaneous appearance of more than a few hundred Astartes from the same Chapter on the battlefield is a signal strong enough to intensely trigger the sensitive nerves of the High Lords of Terra and the Inquisition.
Because, normally, only in major wars affecting an entire planet, or even an entire star system, would one witness so many Astartes fighting side by side.
If hundreds of Astartes were to be deployed simultaneously without such a large-scale war breaking out?
What do you intend to do? Reenact the Badab War, or attempt a so-called "cleansing of the emperor's side" against Holy Terra?
It's worth noting that, under normal circumstances, seeing Astartes deployed in company strength for a mission is already quite remarkable.
Were it not for the grand backdrop of the Rostov Expedition, and Alex's nominal authority as the Expeditionary Force's supreme Commander to mobilize a large number of Astartes, he would indeed need to expend immense political wisdom and diplomatic skill to clearly explain to the Imperium the true intent and necessity of the Ash Knights Chapter deploying five or six hundred Astartes Monks at once.
Although the forces currently deployed account for only about one-eighth of the Ash Knights Chapter's total strength.
This was already greatly testing the tolerance limits of the Imperium's Inquisition and the High Lords of Terra.
In fact, just as Alex began mobilizing the Ash Knights and preparing for the "Quenching Plan," the Star Sector Tribunal immediately sent a cautiously worded but implicitly sharp inquiry, demanding that Alex explain the strategic purpose of mobilizing so many Astartes Monks.
This official document was like a stone thrown into water, foreshadowing potential turbulent waves.
For the notoriously unyielding Inquisition, this was already considered a rather restrained and considerate response.
If it were any other Commander, an Inquisitor would likely have already personally appeared at his doorstep, demanding a "loyalty assessment."
Fortunately, Alex himself is a Lord Inquisitor of the Inquisition's Outreach Ordo, possessing the legitimate authority to mobilize Astartes. Coupled with his current role as the supreme Commander of the Rostov Expedition, these dual identities form his unique protective charm and operational space.
He only needed to explain to the Star Sector Tribunal that this was a military operation targeting Orks and heretics, and the matter could be temporarily explained away.
But this still served as a reminder to Alex that operating within the Imperium's rusty machine, any movement that is too fast could get stuck in its rigid joints, requiring extra strategic caution.
So he sought out Hathor, clearly stating the situation to her and asking if she had a good solution.
He needed not just a technical answer, but a wise strategy that could cleverly carve a path through the labyrinth of Imperial rules.
After listening to Alex's clear and logical presentation, a very clear trace of impatience flickered deep within Hathor Lupeca's molten-gold eyes, like a strategist whose strategic deductions had been disturbed by mundane matters.
She put down the datapad in her hand, her fingertips unconsciously tapping the cold surface of the table, producing a dull thud.
"The Inquisition? The High Lords of Terra?" Her voice was low, carrying an almost instinctive disdain from the depths of ancient memory, "A group of bureaucrats who have never set foot on a true frontline, who have never directly faced the deepest darkness of the galaxy!
What right do they have to dictate to a Commander who wields heavy forces and bears the responsibility of turning the tide in the eye of the storm?"
Her questioning carried the weight of the Legion era.
Her thoughts inevitably drifted deep into Horus's memories—those tax enforcers in their ornate robes, those Terra nobles who enjoyed the fruits of conquest but were indifferent to the sacrifices on the front lines, and… Malcador, who sat beneath the throne and dared to erase the Primarch's existence!
A cold anger silently churned in her chest.
However, this hatred from the past, like churning clouds, violently collided and compressed in her eyes, finally being forcibly suppressed by her powerful willpower, turning into a low hum filled with restraint and displeasure.
She took a deep breath, and the storm in her molten-gold pupils gradually subsided, refocusing on the real predicament Alex had brought.
"In the Great Crusade Era," Hathor's voice carried the undeniable authority of a Warmaster, but her tone had become calm and analytical, "when a Primarch mobilized his Legion to conquer worlds and crush powerful enemies, no one dared to question its necessity!
Power is the conqueror's natural privilege, and the cornerstone of order.
Those mortals… they are only fit to provide the flesh and ore needed to keep the war machine running, on the territories carved out by warriors with blood and fire.
Scrutiny? Inquiry? This is a desecration of power, an interference with duty!"
Despite her efforts to control it, that deeply ingrained contempt for mortal authority still subtly lingered at the edges of her words.
Alex calmly watched the golden light in her eyes surge and then forcibly calm, clearly sensing that the profound disdain for mortal power, stemming from Horus's memories, was being painstakingly suppressed by her willpower.
He did not directly refute this value system from another era, but instead steadily pushed a datapad labeled "Great Rift Prediction Model" towards her.
This action itself was a silent guidance.
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