In the Fourth Layer Space of the Nation of Disorder, Alpharius leaned against the Throne and listened to the report on the operation at Cavor Sarta.
"The War Hounds purged more than four million cultists," said Galan Surak, the Chief Apothecary, first. "The Word Bearers sacrificed three times that number."
"The Rapid Expeditionary Force would not follow orders at all. They were like children swinging weapons without restraint."
Having explained why, Galan gave the heavy cost: "Five thousand nine hundred and twenty died while purging the cultists and the defiled machines."
"I understand."
Galan breathed a sigh of relief.
"My lord, the Dusk Raiders under Nathaniel and me have retaken every Foundry," Vespasian, the lord commander of the Emperor's Children, reported next.
"Every one of those Foundries was defiled and damaged by the Word Bearers. Rebuilding them will take a long time."
"Good." Alpharius nodded in satisfaction. This was a considerable windfall.
In Nimrod's memories, the Sisypheum had lacked the personnel to storm the Forge World controlled by the Poison Vine Warband.
Sabik Wieland, an Iron Father of the Iron Hands, had used techniques taught by Tech-Priest Seth to infiltrate the four-
dimensional spatial network and sow chaos.
He and Nykona Sharrowkyn had launched a raid, seized a Kryptos, then escaped.
Now Alpharius had gained not only the strategic asset of the Kryptos but the entire Forge World.
Purifying and rebuilding Cavor Sarta would take a long time, but it was worth it.
Cavor Sarta had never been renowned among the Imperium's many Forge Worlds, yet Imperial records described it as possessing "near-infinite resources."
Every Forge World colonized by the Adeptus Mechanicus held abundant resources. For Cavor Sarta to be singled out as near-infinite showed just how rich it was.
"My lord, I did everything I could to preserve Cavor