The Lord Commander commanding the entire fleet, the Fleet Master in charge of tactical naval command, the Solar General leading the mortal Auxilia, and the Remembrancer tasked with recording history, the highest echelons of the Expeditionary Fleet's power, gathered in the central council chamber.
Every Expeditionary Fleet had a complete command structure, with both naval and ground forces under the Lord Commander's authority, enabling them to independently conquer lost human colonies.
The Remembrancers were witnesses to the Great Crusade, their presence spanning its entirety. They bore the sacred duty of recording their observations objectively and rigorously, ensuring the glorious deeds of the Crusade were preserved for posterity.
This was not only a testament to Imperial glory but also an oversight over commanders at all levels. Their every move would be faithfully recorded, compelling Lord Commanders to act with caution, hoping for favorable accounts in the histories the Remembrancers would write.
Some Remembrancers were entrusted with a special mission, compiling biographies of the Primarchs, ensuring their lives and great achievements were immortalized. Remembrancers had observer rights in military meetings at all levels; they were responsible for objective recording, not actual combat command.
With Dorn's return, everyone in the Expeditionary Fleet was immersed in excitement and glory. The Remembrancer responded with equal speed, authorized to attend this historically significant military meeting with recording equipment.
Dorn's gaze swept over the assembled officers. "What is the current time?"
Love immediately snapped to attention. "My Lord, there may be a margin of error up to three months."
Dorn asked, "Is the Imperium aware of the situation in the Inwit Cluster?"
Love answered, "Before your return, we had already sent distress signals to the Imperium. Seven fleets are currently en route, including at least one primary fleet. The moment your return was confirmed, I ordered the entire Astropaths to redouble their efforts to transmit the news back to the Imperium. Though we haven't received a response yet, it won't be long before the entire Imperium knows of your return. Hundreds of fleets will swarm here."
Though Love acted on his own authority, it was his duty as Lord Commander. Dorn had not yet formally returned to the Imperium or gained a seat on the War Council. Love volunteered to serve under his command but was not required to consult him on every matter. Announcing his return to the Imperium likewise served Dorn's interests. Dorn broadly approved.
Dorn nodded, "Have there been casualties among the Astropaths?"
Love unconsciously stiffened. "At least seven astropaths have died from the high-intensity communications. It is a necessary sacrifice."
"It is not." Dorn's voice carried undeniable authority. "We are not yet in crisis. Reinforcements are on the way, and the Imperium knows of my return. There is no need for such haste. Return the astropaths to normal communication frequencies. Their lives are also precious."
Love was briefly silent, then gave a solemn salute. "As you command, my Lord."
He glanced at his aide, who immediately understood and hurried from the chamber to relay the Primarch's order. A psyker's life matters. Dorn speaking for the astropaths was also a strategic calculation. If the astropaths all died, they would truly be isolated and helpless.
Dorn asked, "General Gutierrez, how many soldiers do you have left?"
Gutierrez answered, "Sixty-seven thousand of the Saturnine Rams, ninety-eight thousand Auxilia, and three hundred seventy thousand militia."
Dorn said, "I have dispatched seven hundred thousand Inwitan phalanx soldiers to reinforce Reach, with more to follow. But new Ork fleets could arrive at any time. The Imperium and Inwit must both prepare for a long-term defense."
Gutierrez's face was resolute. He didn't ask how long they would have to hold; the question was superfluous. They had to hold until reinforcements arrived. Once reinforcements came, even if their lines were on the brink, they could turn defeat into victory. If reinforcements didn't arrive, they had to hold, even to the last soldier.
With only his hundred thousand-plus men, Gutierrez might not have been confident. But now, with a Primarch in direct command and seven hundred thousand Inwitn reinforcements, what was there to worry about?
Typically, mortal Auxilia provide supporting roles on the battlefield as required by the Legion, protecting flanks of large battle formations, holding captured territory, providing garrison forces, conducting bombardments, etc. Different Auxilia have distinct tactical styles, often shaped by the Astartes Legion they support. But some Auxilia fight independently, like the 77th Saturnine Rams.
Yet even independent Auxilia long to fight alongside Astartes! Even as the Reach situation worsens, history will remember their glory, Solar General Norman Gutierrez, leading the 77th Saturnine Rams, fought alongside a Primarch in the Reach campaign, battling Orks to the death.
Gutierrez's heart swelled with unprecedented pride. If he died now, he would surely be happy!
Dorn said, "Commander Turner, Lord Commander Love. I need your fleets to maintain a vigilance at the Mandeville Points. If you detect a large Ork fleet, prioritize mobile harassment. Avoid direct engagement. Your mission is to buy time, not die needlessly."
Both Lord Commanders struck their chests simultaneously. "As you command, my Lord."
After the Primarch's strategic deployment, Lord Commander Love immediately led his fleet at full speed towards the Mandeville Point.
Establishing a comprehensive defense network across the vast stellar system perimeter was unrealistic; the required resources were immense, beyond even the Imperium's capacity. But targeted defensive positioning was a feasible tactic.
Love ordered, "Dispatch all engineering vessels. Establish a minefield within a three-thousand-kilometer radius centered on the Mandeville Point coordinates."
Areas within a stellar system unaffected by celestial gravitational forces, safe for entering and exiting the Warp, are theoretically Mandeville Points. However, without a Warp route, even at a Mandeville Point, entering the Warp would lead to destruction.
Each stable Warp route creates fixed Mandeville Point coordinates in the target system. The more Warp routes, the more usable Mandeville Points. Navigators can precisely locate each Warp route and calculate the spatial coordinates of their corresponding Mandeville Points.
The Reach system has three Warp routes, corresponding to three Mandeville Point coordinates. One was discovered by Love's Expeditionary Fleet, one leads to the Inwit Empire, and the third is the Ork invasion route. So the Imperial fleet only needed to mine the Ork invasion route.
Mines are extremely powerful. Their prox or contact fuses often allow them to ignore void shields. A minefield can significantly delay and impede an enemy invasion; the enemy fleet must slow down or detour, while the friendly fleet can intercept them outside the minefield. This system is well-established in the Imperium, familiar to every Lord Commander.
"Pity," Love murmured. His aide knew what he pitied. The Expeditionary Fleet was designed for offense, not defense. Its arsenal held few mines; otherwise, the minefield could be larger and denser. Everyone wanted to show their best side to the Primarch. If favored by him, they might even serve in a primary fleet. Though in a primary fleet, the Astartes Legion would command, and a Lord Commander would be second-in-command. It was still an honor sought by countless others.
The Imperium's military and political power resides in the War Council. At the Crusade's outset, the Council had only four members, the Emperor, the Fabricator-General of Mars, the Sigillite Malcador, and the Master of the Astra Telepathica. As the Crusade progressed, the Imperium's territory expanded. The War Council's power grew; every returned Primarch automatically gained a seat. Gaining a Primarch's favor could lead to limitless prospects.
The aide lowered his voice. "My Lord, have you decided to pledge loyalty to this Primarch?"
Love didn't answer directly. "Why do you ask?"
The aide answered, "Our Primarch already leads a vast empire. The Inwit Cluster has at least hundreds of habitable worlds. His fleet rivals a primary Expeditionary Fleet. His mortal soldiers are no less capable than our Auxilia."
Love looked at him. "You might as well speak plainly."
The aide, no longer hesitating, stated bluntly, "After the Primarch returns to the Imperium, what will become of the Inwit Empire? Will it integrate into the Imperium, or... remain independent?"
The aide's words were deliberately provocative, but considering the Imperium's current state, it wasn't groundless. The Emperor founded the Imperium of Man, yet each Primarch is also building their own empire. This is no exaggeration!
The Great Crusade has been underway for decades. Since the second Primarch's return, each has, overtly or covertly, used their homeworld as a base to conquer and administer surrounding worlds. According to an insider in the Terran Administratum, the Primarchs' goal is to build Five Hundred Worlds. But 'Five Hundred' is merely a symbolic figure; the Primarchs likely desire far more.
This has yet to cause major ripples within the Imperium. Compared to the worlds conquered by the Primarchs, the number they seek is very small. The Imperium still rules 90% of its territory. Still, many are concerned, fearing this could lead to conflict or even civil war between the Imperium and the Primarchs.
The Expeditionary Fleets are similar. Many fleets are, overtly or covertly, under a Primarch's control. Their Lord Commanders hold the Primarchs in the highest esteem. It's hard to tell if they are Imperial commanders or Primarch's servants.
The aide's concern was that Love might also fall under the Primarch's sway. Primarchs taking command is natural, but what is it to abandon the Imperium for a Primarch?
Lord Commander Love looked at the tactical hologram, his gaze pausing briefly on the Inwitn fleet. His voice lowered, "This is not for us to decide. If the Emperor Himself has not expressed concern, it's not our place to worry."
Even if the aide's fears come true, it will be after the Great Crusade. Humanity will be unified, the galaxy's demons purged, and humanity will be the sole master. The Emperor and the Primarchs are father and sons; the Primarchs are brothers. Even if they have their own empires, at worst, they'll become states within a state. Civil war is unlikely.
Unlike his aide, Love believed the Primarchs wouldn't rebel. Why else would they only rule a tenth of the worlds they conquer?
...
"Father, regarding the Inwit Empire's future, do you wish it to be fully integrated into the Imperium, or to maintain a degree of autonomy?" While Love and his aide worried about the future, Dorn sought Caelan's advice.
Contact between the Imperium and Inwit had already occurred. It was inevitable; they had to prepare.
Caelan answered, "If you ask me, I would suggest autonomy. I believe your other brothers would make the same choice."
"The galaxy is too vast. True unification is nearly impossible. Autonomy is a necessity."
"And I trust you and your brothers more than mortal governors."
In the canonical history of Imperium 40K, autonomy was also the choice of various March Lords. Guilliman's administrative skills were the best, his Five Hundred Worlds most famous, but he wasn't the Primarch who ruled the most worlds.
For example, Perturabo's Legion left a garrison squad to administer every world they conquered. Before the Perfect City incident, Lorgar's Legion's worlds all devoutly worshipped the Emperor, creating a close bond with the Legion. None ruled fewer worlds than Guilliman. When the Horus Heresy erupted, at least half the Imperium's worlds declared their secession. Besides Horus's own charisma, this was part of the reason.
Dorn asked, "What is my father the Emperor's view on this?"
"He probably follows the 'three nos' principle." Caelan raised three fingers. "No initiative, no refusal, no responsibility."
The Emperor won't proactively let the Primarchs establish states within states; it contradicts his vision of human unity. But He won't refuse them either, as long as these pocket empires are nominally part of the Imperium. If a Primarch's pocket empire causes trouble, the Emperor won't clean up the mess.
Dorn frowned slightly. "Isn't that tacit encouragement?"
"You don't have to say it out loud."
Dorn was right. The Emperor's attitude was permissive, and permission encourages. But one shouldn't be so blunt. Otherwise, if something does happen, how can the Emperor distance Himself?
"Father, if it were you, who would you want to rule the Imperium?"
"Why does it have to be one or the other?" Caelan shook his head. "This isn't a zero-sum game. I choose the middle ground."
"The Imperium should be governed by humanity. Mortals and Astartes are both human. The military has Astartes and mortal Auxilia; why can't governance be a partnership between Astartes and mortals?"
"Though mortals aren't as powerful as Astartes, occasionally there are those with noble character and great talent, even more gifted than Astartes."
"Astartes' autonomy does not mean depriving mortals of advancement opportunities. It means giving mortals role models."
The disadvantages of purely mortal autonomy were starkly evident in Imperium 40K. Though a few mortal governors were decent, most were thoroughly corrupt. Having the Legions and their Primarchs govern worlds could ensure a minimum standard of governance, raise the ceiling, and provide examples for other mortal-run worlds.
Caelan said, "The world needs models and benchmarks. Only when people have examples to follow can they set their goals."
"The Astartes Legions look to their Primarchs as models. The Emperor is a model for all humanity."
"But you all stand too high, too far away."
"Mortals need more relatable models. Astartes can be those models."
Hero worship is human nature. Mortals' admiration for heroes inspires them to learn and imitate. Faith is a form of hero worship; devotion to a truth is also hero worship. This is an unavoidable phenomenon in human society. If you don't become a hero, someone else will occupy that niche. Rather than let demons corrupt society, it's better to actively provide mortals with examples to follow, guiding them positively.
Heroes are like public opinion. If you don't control it, your enemies will and use it against you.
Dorn still frowned. "But Father, won't this model of autonomy risk future division?"
"Tell me, Dorn, will you ever secede from the Imperium?"
"No." Dorn's answer was resolute.
Though the future is uncertain, Dorn now had a full understanding of the Imperium. Unless the future him ceased to be himself, or the Imperium fundamentally changed, nothing would make him break with it.
"That's enough." Caelan smiled approvingly. "You won't, your brothers won't. So what is there to worry about? We are all striving for the same noble goal. What do the whispers of others matter to us?"
Dorn's gaze was steadfast as stone. "If people talk, let them talk!"
Caelan said, "An ancient Terran king once said, Officials and commoners who dare to criticize my faults face to face shall receive the highest reward; those who submit written remonstrations shall receive the middle reward; and those who slander me in the markets, where it reaches my ears, shall have their families executed!"
"To err is human. Primarchs are not perfect. A mistake acknowledged is a virtue."
"But if someone secretly slanders a Primarch, they must be acting on another's orders. Such slanderers must be rooted out!"
Caelan had confidence in his Primarchs. The children he taught would not make grave mistakes. This was the era of the Great Crusade; the entire Imperium held its Primarchs in the highest esteem. If anyone dared secretly slander a Primarch, only Tzeentch could give them such audacity!
...
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