Alexei led all the survivors from the Upper Hive back to the factory district of the Lower Hive. To his surprise, he found no sign of the Planetary Governor; perhaps the man had fled into a Warp rift at the very last moment.
On the way back down, he saw countless corpses: gang members from the Sons of the Tide, Enforcers, PDF soldiers, and the bodies of countless Lower Hive civilians whose faces were frozen in masks of terror.
The survivors were systematically organized by the Sons of the Tide. A large number of temporary medics treated the wounded civilians and soldiers, while workers piloting SCVs began clearing the battlefield ruins.
During the previous struggle against the demons, the alloy walls of the Lower Hive had been breached several times. The defending forces had been forced to retreat into the buildings to engage in grueling urban guerrilla warfare against the Warp entities.
This had resulted in massive civilian casualties. Fortunately, Alexei's plan was executed successfully; the demonic forces in the Lower Hive gradually thinned out, allowing Zagara and Colton to push back.
Now, the former PDF garrison in the Lower Hive was entirely under the control of the Sons of the Tide. In fact, Alexei was now the de facto supreme commander of the entire Hive World.
Alexei sat in a conference room surrounded by the high-ranking leaders of the Sons of the Tide. Anna was among them, standing beside Colton with a complex expression.
She hadn't expected her former superior—the Marshal of all PDF regiments on this planet—to have already sworn fealty to the man sitting before her.
Anna glanced at the man, who was currently frowning in deep thought. Knowing he could control those powerful xenos only made her more curious about him.
Alexei seemed to sense her gaze. He glanced at Anna, who quickly looked down, and he said nothing.
He cleared his throat. "Everyone, we have successfully thwarted the Hordem family's conspiracy and held this world for the Imperium."
"However, our work is far from finished. Heretical rebellions are still occurring in other Hives on this planet, and many enemies still watch us from the shadows."
"Kerr," Alexei looked at a short, lean man who was previously an assistant in the Rust Sons and was now in charge of logistics for the Sons of the Tide.
Alexei addressed him, "Tally all casualties of the Sons of the Tide. I need the report before the next bell rings. Also, accelerate the armoring process. I want every member of the Sons of the Tide equipped with power armor."
"Yes, sir!"
"Laurend," Alexei turned to the former and current deputy gang leader. "Relocate all homeless scavengers from the Underhive to the Lower Hive. Speed up the renovation of the factory district and gradually move the production facilities from the Underhive to the Lower Hive."
"Yes, sir!"
They needed to compensate for the labor force lost during the war against the demons. Alexei planned to have the Zerg spread creep over most of the Underhive to accelerate the Swarm's development.
"Colton, Luseka." He turned his gaze to the two high-ranking officers.
The High Marshal of the planet's Adeptus Arbites had likely perished in the disaster; Luseka was now among the highest-ranking law enforcement officers remaining.
"Lead your teams to resist the rebel forces in the other Hives. You don't need to attack; just hold your positions," Alexei said calmly.
"Yes, sir!" The two responded immediately with an Aquila salute.
Those Genestealers were an excellent source of biomass. He had already ordered the Zerg army to consume them; it was also a good chance to open expansion hives in the other Hives, though it would take time for them to travel.
In the meantime, the PDF and Enforcers stationed in other Hives had to hold the line.
"Anna," Alexei finally looked at the survivor he had met in the Upper Hive. "You are familiar with the Spire. You will coordinate with my people to handle the cleaning and reconstruction of the Upper Hive."
"Understood."
The Upper Hive was now a ruin and would require a long time to renovate. As for the palace at the very peak, Alexei planned to tear it down completely. It had been the epicenter of the demonic infestation, and he found the site repulsive.
After receiving their tasks, the group saluted and hurriedly left the room.
Alexei remained in his chair, looking at his system interface and contemplating future developments.
The Warp crisis caused by the Hordem family was resolved, and the Genestealer Cult riots in other Hives were merely sparks that would be extinguished sooner or later.
But the problem was that the Genestealers had already launched their "Day of Ascension" rebellion. Did this mean the tendrils of the Great Devourer were almost here?
The Tyranids were much harder to deal with than Warp demons. Furthermore, against the Tyranids, he couldn't summon the Protoss—the strongest of the three races—and would have to rely on Terran equipment and the Zerg Swarm.
"The difficulty has more than doubled..." Alexei stared at the panel. He estimated the time was short, but there was still a chance. He should be able to unlock aerial units soon... then he might have a chance to resist.
Alexei stood up and walked toward the Hive Core in the Underhive. He needed to consult Abathur about the Swarm's evolution, discuss tactics with Zagara, and bring the little girl, Ellie, back to his side.
Currently, all members of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica in the planet's main Hive were dead, meaning they had completely lost contact with the Imperium.
If the Inquisition headquarters in this sector discovered something, those fanatics might decide to subject this "worthless" planet to Exterminatus. He had to send word that the rebellion had been suppressed.
Moreover, with the Tyranids approaching, Alexei hoped to receive naval support from the Imperium.
The only way to inform the Imperium was through Ellie—an Alpha+ psyker.
Alexei planned to take her to the Astropathic Spire in the Upper Hive. He would have her use the psionic communication network to send a "Telepathic Message" across the Warp to the sector's Astropathic Choir. Although this method risked the message being distorted or swallowed by Warp storms, there was no better way.
Normally, this required dozens of Astropaths working in a choir to amplify the signal, but Alexei believed that Ellie, as an Alpha+ level psyker capable of bearing a fragment of the Emperor, could handle it alone. In short: sheer power would overcome the technical hurdles.
He walked slowly into the Hive Core covered in creep. In the distance, Ellie, who had been circling Zagara, noticed Alexei. She immediately ran over and leaped into his arms.
"Brother!" Ellie seemed very happy. In the distance, Abathur and Zagara slowly moved toward them.
Alexei patted Ellie's head. "Go play with those Zerglings for a while. I'll come find you in a bit, okay?"
After the girl nodded and left, Alexei began his conversation with Abathur and Zagara.
"Master. Swarm psionic network... evolved, strengthened. Difficult to invade, control enhanced," Abathur's voice drifted into Alexei's mind in fragments.
Because Warp demons lacked biomass, the Swarm couldn't evolve by devouring enemy genes in the last battle. However, Abathur had used the combat data to strengthen the psionic network once again.
"As expected of the Swarm's Evolution Master," Alexei couldn't help but praise. Upon receiving his master's affirmation, Abathur's emotional projection in the psionic network seemed to flicker slightly.
Zagara also began reporting on the state of the Swarm. "Master, we lost over half the Swarm, but we can compensate for some losses by recycling biomass. The Swarm heading to the other Hives is expected to arrive in one week."
Alexei nodded. "I have dismantled all corpse processing plants in the Underhive. The Swarm will be responsible for recycling all bodies from now on. Additionally, you will be in full command of the battles in the other Hives. I trust your abilities."
He then turned to find Ellie. "I'm leaving this to you."