What Daimon had long seen in his visions was about to come to fruition. The Republic Senate, with the support of the Jedi High Council has voted to take military action against the Imperium through a declaration of war. With them in this war, they were joined by three of the four empires from the unknown regions.
Leading up to the declaration, Republic diplomats had already secured the support of the Theocratic Dominion of Kalyndra, Kingdom of Rylothis, and the Coalition of Free Stars. The Varraxian Technocracy who were neutral to the Imperium had remained neutral in the war. Unlike the other three empires, they were somewhat friendly to the Imperium because of the technological benefits that they would get.
However, even now their neutrality was being tested by the other three empires who were pressuring them to join the war against the Imperium. They resisted the pressure thus far, but when the war inevitably spilled into their territory, they would be forced to make a choice.
On Coruscant, Chancellor Thrace appeared before the galactic holonet to address the Republic and its allies. "Citizens of the Republic, allies across the galaxy, today we face a threat that demands our unified response. The Veldari Imperium has conducted unprovoked military action against Republic civilians, resulting in hundreds of deaths. We have exhausted all diplomatic options. The Senate, with the full support of the Jedi Order, has voted to authorize military force to contain this aggressive expansion and protect free peoples everywhere."
The speech continued and it was carefully crafted, mixing truth with lies in ways that made the Republic appear entirely justified. Images of the Giju attack played across billions of screens with the emotions of the people overwhelming any questions about evidence or investigation.
The Republic had already mobilized their fleets leading up to this day and they were pretty much prepared to attack. The military machine that had been building for centuries finally had a purpose.
Shipyards started to prioritize military vessels and accelerate production schedules. Recruitment centers were flooded with volunteers eager to defend democracy against tyranny.
On Veldari, Daimon watched the declaration with Warmaster Raelos, Deputy Warmaster Ilaria, and several Progenitors gathered around him. The holographic projection of Chancellor Thrace flickered as he finished his speech.
"We've just now recieved declarations of war from the Republic, Theocratic Dominion of Kalyndra, Kingdom of Rylothis, and the Coalition of Free Stars. With this, we are surrounded on multiple fronts and severely outnumbered." Announced Progenitor Thoryn.
Daimon knew this as well. The Republic had around 20 quadrillion people living throughout their 250,000 something member worlds. This number was about 1,400 times bigger than that of the Imperium which had a little over 14 trillion.
Now some may think that this is a lot, but Daimon knew the true story. Most of the power in the Republic was centered around the Core worlds which held the most power. Outside of that were the Mid-rim worlds and Outer-rim worlds who mostly maintained local defense armies.
The Central government controlled the main Republic military, but most of the military power rested in the member worlds who had their own armies.
In times of war, these member worlds would be called upon to contribute forces, but coordination between thousands of independent militaries would be a logistical nightmare. The Republic's advantage in numbers was offset significantly by its decentralized command structure and reliance on the core worlds.
The three Unknown Region empires presented different challenges. The Theocratic Dominion of Kalyndra was a religious state that viewed the Imperial Faith as heretical. Their zealotry would make them unpredictable but also prone to tactical mistakes driven by ideology rather than sound military doctrine.
The Kingdom of Rylothis was a traditional monarchy with a professional standing military. They would be competent adversaries, though their tactical doctrine made them predictable.
The Coalition of Free Stars was the wild card. A confederation of independent systems bound by mutual defense treaties; they had diverse military capabilities and no unified command structure. Some of their member worlds might commit fully while others provided only partial support.
"The dimensional gates give us a significant advantage," Warmaster Raelos said, studying the tactical displays. "We can reinforce most of our threatened system within minutes. The enemy will need days to weeks to move their fleets between engagements."
"Assuming the gates remain operational," Ilaria cautioned. "They'll be priority targets once the enemy knows their locations."
"Let's also not underestimate the Republic." Daimon warned. "The Republic may be extremely bureaucratic and inefficient, but they have access to an endless supply of resources on a much greater scale than we have. They can afford to lose a lot more ships, vehicles, and soldiers compared to us."
The Progenitors all nodded. They understood this the most as the Imperium had faced the Abominor who underestimated them, only for them to get defeated.
"We will focus on defend the worlds we have alongside the dimensional gates that we have. We will expand the Dimensional Gate Security Forces immediately and station a fleet and dedicated ground army on each planet that has one." This whole ware was caused by the dimensional gates, so allowing the enemies to destroy or gain control over them would make Imperium's advantage slowly degrade.
"Will we implement a empire-wide draft for more soldiers?" Asked Warmaster Raelos.
Daimon shook his head. "That won't be necessary. Once the people hear what I have to say then we will have billions of volunteers lining up to join the Veldari Armed Forces."
Warmaster Raelos nodded. He understood how much of a motivator his words can be. Sure, Raelos himself can relay the words, but if it came from Daimon himself, the people would rush to defend the lives of the people within the Imperium and lay down their lives for the Emperor.
The meeting went on for another hour before it ended. To summarize it, all Progenitors would mobilize their Ascendent Legions and march to war. This would be the first time since the war that founded the Imperium that all Progenitors would be mobilized.
Daimon on the other hand had prepared for his speech to the people of the Imperium in response to the Republic and its allies' declaration of war upon them.
A few hours later, a million people had gathered within Emperor's Square which was just a massive place located within the capital city Aeteris built for Daimon's addresses to the people. Watching the screens were the Trillions of citizens and residents throughout the Imperium waiting to hear their Emperor's response to the declaration of war by the Republic.
They didn't have to wait long as Daimon eventually made his way to the center, which prompted cheers from the crowd of people. It had been some time since he personally came out to address them.
As he took the center of the stand, Daimon raised his hand causing the people to quiet down.
"My people…." he began. "Children of the Imperium. Today will be marked as a historic day for we have been declared war upon by the Republic and its allies. They accuse us of aggression, of tyranny, of crimes we did not commit. They fabricate evidence and manipulate their citizens with lies designed to justify their own ambitions. The Republic, which claims to champion freedom and democracy, has chosen war over truth."
Anger stirred amidst the crowd as they listened to Daimon words. It was the same words they had been hearing on ImperiNet.
"For centuries, we have built something extraordinary together. We have abolished slavery where we found it. We have uplifted entire civilizations from poverty and oppression. We have created a society where every citizen, regardless of species or origin, has the opportunity to thrive. And for this, they fear us."
He raised one finger. "One lie, One Senate, and One Cowardly Council was all it took for them to condemn trillions of people to suffering."
"Make no mistake, this war will test us as never before. We face enemies on multiple fronts, enemies with greater numbers and vast resources. They believe they can overwhelm us through sheer weight of numbers. They believe our commitment to our principles makes us weak."
He paused, focusing his eyes on the camera directly in front of him. "So, I say this to the Republic and its allies. You exist only because I allow it. I feed off the fear that you have of me, and I will continue to do so until the end of time."
He then focused his attention back on the people. "Since the Republic has threatened our existence, I am hereby declaring the beginning of the First Great Holy War." The crowd and everybody listening was shocked. Never before had a holy war been waged in the Imperium's entire history.
"We will march to war to ensure our continued survival. And I will be right alongside you as the God you all see me as fighting against these infidels until they are broken. Only then will we give them peace and not a moment sooner."
The declaration sent shockwaves throughout the crowd. A holy war meant total mobilization, a commitment that transcended ordinary military conflicts. This was no longer just a defensive action; it was a crusade to protect everything the Imperium represented.
Cheers erupted, but they were different from before. These were not celebrations but war cries, the sound of Imperial citizens preparing to fight for their very existence. Within hours, recruitment centers across every Imperial world were overwhelmed with volunteers. Young and old alike sought to serve, driven by a combination of religious fervor, patriotic duty, belief in the Emperor, and genuine belief in what the Imperium stood for.
The entire industrial base of the Imperium was shifted into war mode. The Star Forge started producing weapons, ships, and supplies for immediate use by the future men and women who would crew them.
The news headlines on ImperiNet had called this day as the 'Imperium's March To War.'