South of the City of Tizca, beneath Outpost K-39.
Sulekh Kontep spoke to the adjutant of the Shadow of Order and Kadon Afae, commander of the Paladin Guard.
"The Thousand Sons of the Corvidae Cult foresaw a large-scale attack. The Pavoni Cult subsequently confirmed it: more than a thousand Soul-Eater Bees are heading this way."
Both men's expressions changed.
The Soul-Eater Bees had been terrifying in life, but Thousand Sons Librarians and Royal Court Friars of the Shadow of Order could kill several at a time. The strongest among them could even deal with dozens, or hundreds.
The true threat lay in the Soul-Eater Bees' keen perception of Psionic Energy. Once they caught the scent of food, an endless sea would engulf the Thousand Sons.
The Soul-Eater Bees were even harder to deal with after death. Psionic Energy could harm them, but it required several times as much Aether.
More terrifying still, the ground was no longer an obstacle to them.
"We can only abandon this settlement," the adjutant said.
"No." Kadon shook his head.
"The Space Wolves' orbital bombardment destroyed Prospero's wilderness. The nearest settlement lies west of the city. Most civilians would die of wasteland radiation before reaching it."
This outpost was one of the strongholds the Shadow of Order had established in the wilderness, and it was also the nearest large outpost to the City of Tizca.
After the Thousand Sons took it over, they developed it into an outpost.
Before Prospero met its end, it and many other outposts had been designated as small settlements, and construction had begun.
Because Soul-Eater Bees infested the wilderness, the outposts and small settlements outside the City of Tizca all had underground facilities to shelter from large-scale attacks.
The people of Tizca had barely held on with stored food, but