Warhammer 40 Spring: Loyalty of the Multiverse

Chapter 82 Multi-Party Meetings (5K)

The basic transaction request progressed quickly between the two parties, and the damaged warship slowly sailed into the repaired port of the starport.

Upon receiving this order, the entire Turaheron foundry world immediately went into full operation. In subsequent exchanges and collaborations, it was even proposed to start the production line for attack cruisers as well.

However, all of them were politely rejected by the great sage Euramis.

After all, this current order for ship repairs, building, and replenishing basic ammunition and supplies is only being paid for with Throne Coins. Considering their past reputations, it's hard not to suspect they might skip out on the payment!
……

At the Honor Prophecy flagship, representatives from the three opposing teams gathered offline.

Tiberius's fleet also rushed here, and after several Terra days, they finally arrived.

The Opalia Expeditionary Force, a branch fleet of the Black Sanctuary, is still converging here at full speed, but due to the great distance, it will take several more days.

So they are now participating in the meeting via holograms. The Ash Claws Chapter was also brought in. They were dragged in by the Death Ghost Chapter, since their upcoming discussions were essentially skirting the lines of the Empire and the Mechanicus.

If we don't accumulate more power, it will all be used up by others!

The portrait of Hart Nef, the Chapter Master of Ash Claws, was now clearly displayed in the hologram on the conference table.

He looked at Tiberos of the Shark Eater Legion with a defiant gaze, then taunted, "Oh dear, who would have thought that our renowned Crimson Scar would actually take the Empire's orders willingly? And what was the result?"

Hart Nef had been holding a grudge against Tiberius for "winning" the pair of relics from their chapter. Although they were allies and trading partners, he felt it was better to speak up and, if necessary, hurl a few sarcastic remarks to ease his frustration.

"Traitor! You will pay a heavy price for betraying the Empire and the Emperor!" A furious voice rang out in the room.

Hart Neff knew perfectly well who the traitor in the voice was. He glanced sideways and saw Adrian Malcardo, the commander of the Black Sanctuary Opalia Expeditionary Force, glaring at him.

Hart Neff was about to speak when a chorus of power boots pounding on armor plates echoed in the hallway outside the room.

Those who wanted to speak immediately stopped and went about their own business.

Tie Hui and the rest of the Astartes entered the meeting room.

Turning to look at the people participating in the meeting, he was also filled with emotion. Four battle groups, and an Astartes Expeditionary Fleet.

The total number of people in Astartes alone is estimated to be over ten thousand.

The Opalia expeditionary force alone probably numbers over 2000, although official Imperial intelligence reports only indicate a force of around 300.

But that's all bullshit. Who doesn't know what kind of people the Black Temple is?
Although this expeditionary force operates near the Ghoul Starfield and the Limit Starfield, their primary defensive location is on the edge of the Solar Starfield.

However, rumors are circulating within the Empire that the Opalia Expeditionary Force has disappeared within the Ghoul Cluster. So, this matter can be put aside for now.

The Ash Claws Chapter is arguably a rather tragic chapter. All its members are Terran, and its parent chapter is the Raven Guard. Furthermore, it has a homeworld located on the main planet Atragatis.

It was an Astartes Chapter that neither sided with Chaos nor the Empire; it was purely a pirate group.

The reason for their betrayal is rather ridiculous.

The original Ash Claws Chapter was almost entirely composed of Terrans before their Primarch, Klax, returned.

Furthermore, they were influenced by Horus's command tactics, so their style also bears some resemblance to the Shadowmoon Wolves. Add to that the 19th Legion's tradition of slave warlordism, and it's no wonder that Corax harbors some hostility towards these Terran descendants.

After all, the Primarch was born on a slave planet and had the most disapproval of the behavior of these slave owners.

In the subsequent Battle of Gate 42, most of the Terran veterans perished in the battle. Korax then seized the opportunity to gather the surviving Terrans and convicts who did not meet the Legion's requirements to form an expeditionary force, which was sent to the Ghoul Sector.

This naturally became the trigger for the rebellion, and the Ash Claws Chapter then turned against their Primarch. It's fair to say they harbored intense hatred for their Primarch.

But their strength is undoubtedly formidable, as they are a warband that was separated from the legions during the Great Crusade.

At the time of their exile, they numbered over 3000 Astartes and more than 30 warships. Their strength was terrifying, especially after they betrayed the Empire and became pirates, treating all Imperial laws and regulations like toilet paper.

While their visible numbers still appear to be over 3000 Astartes, no one can say for sure how many troops they actually possess over the past ten thousand years.

In short, Corax, being a slave, resented the children of Terra, who were slave owners.

How hilarious!
At that moment in the meeting, everyone's eyes were drawn to him the instant he entered.

Apart from the members of the Death Ghost Chapter, the other chapters looked at Iron Glow with deep scrutiny.

Based on the information exchanged, this guy is the Emperor's chosen one and can wield weapons of chaos to attack Primarchs.

Although there is video evidence, this kind of thing is still hard to believe no matter how you look at it!

In particular, Adrian Malcardo, the marshal of the Opalis Expeditionary Force and the youngest marshal in history, had the most intense scrutinizing look in his eyes.

After all, he became the marshal of an expeditionary force at a young age, and the results of his past victories in commanding battles gave him a certain amount of pride to be proud of in the face of any Astartes.

Even after hearing about the deeds of Tie Hui and his entire Fiery Angels battle group, a sense of comparison even subtly arose in his heart.

But when he saw the bright red five-pointed star in the very center of the emblem of the Seraphim chapter on his chest, he was suddenly jolted.

This was practically an imperial manifestation. The imperial power contained within the five-pointed star on its chest was so intense that almost everyone present, even those who were not psionicists, could feel the intense heat within it!

Ksharol, the strategist of the Death Ghost Chapter, silently observed this scene, secretly delighted.

The Emperor's Chosen One!

They are even chosen ones who can communicate directly with the Emperor! And they are chosen ones who can bring large quantities of supplies from the Emperor from time to time!

In short, we made a fortune!
Ironbey naturally sensed this, but he made no other comment. After all, as fellow Astartes, although they didn't communicate often, they frequently compared the number of kills against humanity's enemies.

The insignia that originally belonged to the Seraphim Warband on his chest was deliberately replaced by him.

Wings formed by overlapping lightning symbols, two outstretched sharp talons grip two golden longswords gleaming with flames. Above the two eagle heads, slightly above the center, is a skull wearing a laurel wreath. But the most striking change is a bright red five-pointed star, like a heart, lying quietly in the very center of this double-headed eagle statue!

As he changed, the entire Seraphim Legion also added a red five-pointed star to their insignia.

Even the Death Ghost Chapter and the Manhunter Chapter were discussing whether to change their logos and add a five-pointed star.

After all, the red five-pointed star was personally manifested by the Emperor and bestowed his blessing upon it. It can be considered a sacred object!
However, this matter has been put aside for now, since there are more important things waiting for them to discuss!
"Gentlemen, I'm sure you've all received the news by now?" Tie Hui sat down in a chair at the round table and slowly spoke to the assembled bigwigs.

Everyone nodded; this commotion was enormous. Four Chaos Primarchs had appeared together, and according to the Black Sanctuary's observations, the Black Legion near the Eye of Terror was already showing signs of gathering and mobilizing.

It seems that Abaddon's fleet will launch another attack soon! I wonder if this will be another Black Expedition.

The entire Extreme Starfield is currently being mobilized at full capacity, and there is already concrete information that the Extreme Starfield's home fleet has undergone armed preparations and is now heading towards the Eye of Fear, preparing to find a suitable starfield to establish a defensive line.

But the problem now is that it is still unclear where Abaddon's Black Legion's main offensive direction is.
"In this battle, our three battle groups lost over 1200 brothers! The Crimson Angels battle group is practically crippled, and if nothing unexpected happens, it will most likely be disbanded. The Man-Eating Shark battle group lost more than half its strength in this battle, and the defensive forces within the Ghoul Starfield were reduced by almost a third." Seeing that everyone knew the basic information, Tie Hui didn't waste any time and directly explained the current disadvantages.

Tiberius tapped the table with his index finger, looking at everyone seriously as he said, "According to the current intelligence, four Chaos Archdemons were sent back to the Warp in this battle. The four Primarchs suffered varying degrees of damage in this battle! The Chaos Gods' power has also been somewhat diminished. Therefore, they will definitely use the Black Legion to make up for these losses. Given the location of this battle, it's likely that the Black Legion's objective is to continue their attack here!"

Ksharol nodded, completely agreeing with the analysis. He and Tiberius even suspected that Chaos was targeting the Seraphim Chapter, or more specifically, Iron Radiance Cypher.

After all, their behavior was simply too illogical.

"Before leaving, our chapter leader conducted a reconnaissance. The entire Ghoul Starfield has shown varying degrees of chaotic erosion, especially near the Eye of Terror. It has even been discovered that some planets have begun to hatch into fleshy, bloody planets!"

"Moreover, the storms in the warp are becoming increasingly frequent. As for the reason why you brothers provided such timely support in this battle, it must be a manifestation of the Emperor's power. However, the home fleet and support fleet in the Limitless Starfield will likely not receive such treatment again! Therefore, I have convened this meeting to gather our collective strength to jointly face this invasion of Chaos!" Tie Hui looked at everyone and stated his ultimate goal: "In short! I oppose the Astartes Grand Ceremony!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

But which of the people present actually abided by the Codex Astartes? Although they didn't really follow it, none of them dared to openly declare that they didn't, after all, it was a rule personally set by Robert Guilliman, a loyal Primarch and now the Regent.

Most people remained silent, but Hart Nef of the Ash Claws Chapter immediately slammed his fist on the table, startling everyone. He stood up excitedly, as if meeting a long-lost friend, and exclaimed, "It should have been like this a long time ago! The Codex Astartes. What a load of rubbish! Unable to fight big battles, and never enough small ones. I really don't understand what Guilliman's purpose was in setting such a number!" He vented his dissatisfaction to the crowd. Although he wasn't affiliated with the Empire, he had read the Codex Astartes before, and then dismissively tossed it aside!
Seeing that someone immediately supported his suggestion, Tie Hui hurriedly said, "That's right! Brother, you're right! Each battle group only has a base of 1000 people. It's simply not enough to fight a major war, especially in the current situation. I'm afraid there will be an unprecedented war within the next two or three hundred years! Under the influence of the subspace storm, if everyone doesn't take advantage of the limited time we have to expand our forces, then what awaits us is probably annihilation. I think you all know that such rapid support from you in this battle is unlikely to happen again, right?"

The group nodded, agreeing with his statement. They weren't exactly a chapter that could adhere to the Astartes Code. Since the matter was now out in the open, let's put it on the table!
Seeing that everyone agreed, he continued, "So, 1000 people aren't enough, I even feel that a few thousand aren't enough. We need at least tens of thousands, right? Ideally, we should restore the legion system of the Great Expedition era. Who knows, maybe the Emperor might even travel among mortals again then!"

Adrian Malcardo and Kessaror were both taken aback upon hearing this, then asked with some uncertainty, "Such a large quantity... what are you going to do about the Regent? After all, this still requires Guilliman's consent!"

Iron Glory Cypher was speechless for a moment. The warp storm was so severe that even communications within the Empire couldn't reach here.

Their current remote video conferences are only barely being held with the support of numerous psionicists in the Death Ghost Legion.

So why bother getting his permission?

You can't contact me by communication, and you can't find me on Renren. Your support fleet is nowhere in sight, it'll be ages before they arrive. So what if I break some rules to protect myself?
As the saying goes, "When a general is in the field, he may disobey the emperor's orders."

So this is perfectly normal! And there's an important question: how many of those present are your Guilliman's sons?

He looked at Adrian Malcardo and said, "Aren't you Black Templars also violating the rules?"

Adrian Malcardo's expression suddenly turned awkward. "This...this can't be the same. How can you say it's a violation of the Black Sanctuary's rules?"

Tie Hui, not wanting to listen to his rambling, waved his hand and said, "Look at those Dark Angels! Did they obey? Go ask the Blood Angels if they'll acknowledge their Death Company. And the Iron Hand, they use a clan system too, don't they? So I'm telling you, brother, your nonsense is useless!"

Everyone fell silent, except for Hart Neff, who looked smug.

"Let me mention something everyone knows. You all hold high positions, or have been with the army since the late Great Expedition. You've all heard of the Imperial Truth! Look at how many people actually follow it now! The Emperor himself said he wasn't a god, and look at how many people actually listen to that? Look at the state religion now!"

The Emperor in the subspace exclaimed, "This is awesome!"

“It’s good to adopt a completely new system, but what if we are tempted and corrupted by the demons of the warp, like during the Great Crusade…” Tiberius was not interested in this topic from the beginning, and he did not participate in the discussion at all.

However, when it came to the end, Ksharol, the think tank leader of the Death Ghost Chapter, expressed some concern. After all, a thousand or two is fine, but tens of thousands...that's a bit much!
After all, those who are involved in innovation and AI are easily corrupted by the Tzeentch in the warp, which is really hard to guard against.

Tie Hui's lips twitched as he looked at the guy. "What about those space dwarves? Their so-called ancestral cores are actually the AI ​​cores from our ancient times."

Everyone: "?"

Everyone stared at him in astonishment, wondering how this guy knew so much. Although they had heard of the space dwarves and knew a little about them.

But who would have thought that the so-called progenitor core was actually AI?

Seeing everyone's expressions, Tie Hui was taken aback for a moment, feeling a little guilty. He scratched his nose and forced himself to remain calm, saying, "This is what the Emperor told me!"

He managed to gloss over the situation, and seeing the somewhat skeptical expressions on everyone's faces, he continued, "Anyway, don't worry..." As he spoke, he clapped his hands, and several Seraphim Staths behind him placed a large bag of things on the table.

Tie Hui picked them up and showed them to everyone, saying, "These things contain ancient technology. Although they're not STC, once they're taken out and used properly, they're just as good as STC! Moreover, they were personally selected and given to me by the Emperor. Exclusive authorization, quality guaranteed!"

As he spoke, amidst the astonished and somewhat envious gazes of the crowd, he turned the items around and added, "There will be plenty more to come. As long as I'm involved, everyone will have something to eat!"

After the valuable item was brought out, everyone's gaze instantly changed. Adrian Malcardo was already tempted, but then, as if remembering something, his expression fell, and he said, "That...that group of...Assassin's Court..."

……

(End of this chapter)