Aboard the Shadow's Sovereignty, Primarch's Office.
Nareth leaned back against his throne, listening to Arsena's report.
"My lord, I have organized the casualties from the war with Valia-Maximal."
"The Tenth Chapter suffered 1,047 fatalities, the Second Chapter 618, and the Honour Guard 204."
"Following your command, the total casualty figure reported to the War Council was 2,596."
Although the two participating Titan Legions were allies, the Belt of Iron was, after all, within the Imperium's line of sight. Both Terra and Mars had been monitoring the campaign.
"Forty-one tripedal walkers were lost: fourteen Gardinaal Mark I and twenty-seven Mark II."
Nareth nodded. Having arrived in the Segmentum Tempestus and concluded the war in under a standard month, the pace was no slower than he remembered Corvus Corax leading the Raven Guard to subdue Valia-Maximal.
More critically, relying on the Kingdom of Disorder, he had transmitted information in time, avoiding meaningless casualties. Leveraging the goodwill generated and his beyonder abilities, he had secured a covenant with Valia-Maximal before the Martian envoy arrived.
'The casualties are much lower than the over 5,300 lost during the subjugation of Incaladion.'
'Apart from my strategy focusing on breaking the enemy, which avoided brutal urban warfare against rebels and xenos who had infiltrated the Forge World, the existence and development of the tripedal walkers was a significant factor.'
After reflecting on his Legion's growth and changes, Nareth leaned back, crossing his arms, and naturally considered the four Forge Worlds he had a certain degree of control over:
The one with the highest degree of control was Incaladion in the Segmentum Ultima.
The long civil wars and invasions of the Age of Strife had nearly destroyed everything on that Forge World.
He had personally supported its Vox-Omnis, Neto, from Tech-Priest to his current position. Incaladion's culture had been reshaped according to Nareth's vision.
The deliberately preserved isolationist sentiment meant Incaladion had little contact with Mars or other powerful factions.
Nareth's will was executed there without compromise.
Next was Mezoa in the Segmentum Obscurus.
He had liberated this Forge World from the clutches of the Mitus, ending the xenos' brutal policy of annually slaughtering tens of millions from the controlled population.
He had provided Mezoa, which couldn't support a Titan Legion due to frequent volcanic eruptions, with the Ramilles-class Starfort STC, ensuring the Forge World's strategic security.
Third was the newly allied Valia-Maximal, which had only nominally submitted to Mars.
The newly signed, tight covenant ensured that weapons made from the unique liquid-gas mixture extracted from its highly corrosive seawater would be supplied exclusively to the "Shadow of Order."
Valia-Maximal's Legio Laniaskara, along with Incaladion's Legion Furrean and the recently "corroded" Legio Volcanum I, were the three Titan Legions that would have originally sided with Horus during the Heresy.
Among them, the Dark Fire was a front-line Titan Legion with over a hundred Titans.
Finally, there was Xana in the Segmentum Pacificus.
Although Anacharis Scoria had advanced faster within the Forge World's hierarchy than Nareth remembered, and held more power.
As an Archmagos, he was the master of a Forge Temple.
But Xana was by no means comparable to Forge Worlds like Valia-Maximal. Its scale was rivaled only by Forge Worlds like Graia.
Anacharis's control over Xana was not even one-fifteenth.
For now, Xana was only reciprocating his aid during the Second Rangdan War, when he had broken the siege, led a Taghmata, and punished the xenos who had invaded the sacred world during the expedition to the Rangdan homeworld, by building a battle-barge for him and providing supplies.
He still considered Xana as controlled because he believed in the ability of the tyrant of Xana from his memories.
Without his help, Anacharis had still been able, only thirty years after becoming a Magos, to control most of Xana by the time of the Heresy. With assistance, it was even more certain.
Although Xana was currently the weakest in terms of control, it was the Forge World with the highest future production capacity and value.
After contemplating the situation of the four Forge Worlds under his sway, Nareth thought to himself.
'Apart from the Segmentum Solar containing Terra, I have a Forge World under my control in each of the other four Segmenta.'
As Nareth thought, Arsena reported on another matter.
"Mars has completed separating the Furious Abyss from the Rangdan war-moon, rebuilding it as a battle-barge."
"The Fabricator General invites you to come and take possession."
Nareth nodded slightly, silently pondering how to allocate this battleship, a modified Gloriana-class, far superior to ordinary battle-barges.
First, he ruled out the First, Third, and Seventh Chapters, which already possessed Gloriana-class ships; the Second Chapter with the Slaughtersong ; the Fourth Chapter with its Relic-class battleships; and the Eleventh Chapter with the Dark Sovereign, a Dark Age of Technology strike cruiser.
Of the remaining six Chapters, he also ruled out the Fifth Chapter, which had plans to defend the Kalium Gate against attacks from rebel legions ahead of time, and the Sixth Chapter, stationed in the Coronid New Zone.
Finally, from the remaining four Chapters, he chose the Tenth Chapter, which had recently suffered the heaviest losses but had the largest number of Astartes.
"It belongs to Ramsey."
"By Your will." Arsena, his hair silver as snow, acknowledged the command.
...
935.M30.
Amidst the New Year's celebratory atmosphere, the populace of Terra prepared for another celebration.
The Shadow of Order's Primarch, Lord Nareth, having completed the subjugation of Valia-Maximal, was returning to Terra.
The black Aquila Lander descended slowly onto the landing pad. Nareth stepped down the ramp with Ramsey and Hurzeler.
Servo-skulls filled the air. Streamers flew. Loud chants emanated from them.
Hurzeler, following close behind Lord Nareth, listened to the chants of the servo-skulls and loudspeakers.
"Lord Nareth, Primarch of the Shadow of Order, Conqueror of Xenos..."
"Lord Nareth, Subjugator of the Forge World Valia-Maximal, Monarch of Vostroya..."
"Welcome! Lord Nareth, scion of the Emperor, Primarch of the Eleventh Legion, has come among you!"
He gazed admiringly at Lord Nareth's majestic back, the incarnate avatar of the Omnissiah.
Suddenly, his name rang out from the vox system.
"Lord Hurzeler, Grandmaster of the Legio Volcanum I"
"Master of the Flame's Glory, who pilots the Titan's wrathful flames to incinerate enemy machines..."
Hurzeler's every hair stood on end. His name was being chanted on Terra!
This was the glory bestowed upon him by Lord Nareth.
Ramsey, whose face was nearly identical to the Black Emperor's, wore a similar smile as he walked towards Malcador amidst the servo-skulls' looping list of achievements and chants.
A smile graced the aged face of the Sigillite. He spoke.
"Captain Hurzeler, the banner of the Dark Fire will be personally hung by you within the Eternity Gate."
"Nareth, your father awaits you there. He has a gift for you."
Nareth was momentarily startled. The subjugation of Valia-Maximal was hardly a brutal war. Yet the Emperor still had a reward for him?
He thought for a moment, then realized that subjugating Valia-Maximal wasn't just about winning back a Forge World; it signified the pacification of the Belt of Iron, a region long plagued by continuous warfare.
It represented dozens of star systems, spanning the Pacificus and Tempestus Segmenta, entering a new era.
Both the Emperor and Malcador needed this triumph to proclaim the achievements of the Great Crusade and inspire the Imperium's citizens.
'The Emperor has quite a few good things. Even if it's not something like a Uniqueness, it's sure to be decent.'
Filled with anticipation, he boarded the ceremonial vehicle prepared for him.
....
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