Replacing Guilliman, Accepting Ferrus Manus Together

Invitation to develop heavy tanks

Nimrod noticed that the Mars Fabricator-General had not left the Golden Palace either, which meant that what Ferrus Manus was about to say was related to him.

"As the Great Crusade progresses, we encounter more and more powerful enemies," Ferrus said, his silvery eyes gleaming.

"The enemy possesses superior armor protection, or perhaps the Shield-Weave of the Squats."

"We need more powerful heavy tanks to inflict heavy damage on the enemy."

The Sonic Array Device of the Mars Fabricator-General vibrated, emitting a synthesized mechanical sound.

"We have reached a consensus and decided to develop a new type of heavy tank."

"We would like to invite you to join us. You have discovered many sacred building templates, Omnissiah has favored you."

"Your numerous Industrial World will ensure that our achievements are quickly put into practice, providing support for expeditions."

Upon hearing this, Nimrod understood why Ferrus had stopped him: to invite him to Sicaran Battle Tank.

[I remember that Ferrus originally invited Robert Guilliman; the two of them worked with the Tech-priest on the development.]

Although Manus approached Guilliman because of his extensive Industrial World, he did indeed undertake a small portion of the research and development work.

All Primarch possess abilities far exceeding those of ordinary people in many areas, even those that are not their strongest suits.

What they can do largely depends on what they want to do, and in those areas, they will do better than most people in the field.

If Guilliman had invested enough time, he could have achieved technical success comparable to most Tech-Priest.

If he were to forge armor, even if he were not as skilled as top Imperium craftsmen like Belisarius Cawl, who forged the Armor of Fate, or Malevolus, who forged armor for the Primarch, he would still surpass most Tech-priest.

Nimrod thought of Guilliman, he couldn't help but think of the reason why Ferrus had invited him.

[Yes, because the Industrial World I control, excluding those hidden like Gardinal, is far larger and has a much higher production capacity than Guilliman.]

I discovered many more STCs, so Manus and the Tech-priest considered them a more suitable partner, replacing Guilliman.

Nimrod knew that the Sicaran Battle Tank was one of the most advanced armored forces in the "Great Crusade" arsenal, intended exclusively for Astartes.

It is a new type of high-speed tank destroyer developed based on the component technologies of various STCs such as Rhino and Land Raider. On the battlefield, it works in conjunction with Predator and Land Raider to form an all-round, multi-layered armored force with a mix of light, medium and heavy armor.

Nimrod also thought that during the Great Birthday Celebration, the legions were still in the process of introducing the Sicaran Battle Tank, with only the "Iron Hands" and "Ultramarines" being equipped on a large scale.

Horus used his authority as Warmaster to ensure that this new type of tank entered the Legion Armoury fighting alongside him before the outbreak of the civil war.

In the forty-first millennium to come, because neither of the two Primarch revealed the Mystery of their progeny's creation, the Sicaran Battle Tank became rare relics, and even the Lord of the Forge of the various Chapter knew very little about their systems.

They are forced to remain in a state of stagnation for extended periods to prevent damage, and their Machine Spirit are only awakened when needed.

[To ensure my legion is equipped with the Sicaran Battle Tank and masters the technology, I should join the research and development.]

In the future Sicaran will become a technology unique to "Shadow of Order".

Thinking of this, Nimrod spoke up.

"I accept the invitation. We will work together to develop a new type of combat tank to inflict heavy damage on the Imperium's enemies."

The three then discussed the division of labor: Ferrus would take on the core tasks, Nimrod would be responsible for the fewest tasks.

He was in charge of two modules: one was the secondary weapon installed on the side of the ship, and the other was the Auspex and various detection systems.

Having determined his responsibilities, Nimrod had a sudden thought and returned to the Shadow of the Throne.

He sent messages to Arsena Dunn and others, then left the Astropath's chapel.

A moment later, Nimrod leaned back on the Throne and gazed at the star map.

A region in the Segmentum Pacificus in the western part of the Galaxy was highlighted.

Just as he remembered, the Second Rangdan War broke out in Xana, the Forge World.

Nimrod now faces the question of whether to deploy one of the fifteen Ramillies-class Star Fortress into the Xana -Wesidax system.

He had to consider not only winning the Xana War, but also the role of the Ramillies-class Star Fortress after the war.

As a military asset, if it is not destroyed, it has at least three thousand years of life left, and Xana is a powerful Forge World that is difficult to subdue.

After being discovered by the Rogue Trader Cassilida de Aniasi in 843, Xana maintained considerable independence due to its formidable strength.

The Imperium would guarantee Shana's independence and sovereignty if they only required Xana to participate in the "Great Crusade".

Xana only dispatched two Titan Legions, the "Vulture" and the "Gidiano," to participate in the war, fulfilling his obligation.

[Xana is far more powerful than Incaladion, and even with their aid, it would be difficult to subdue this Forge World.]

Well, there's no opportunity now, but it's possible during Great Birthday Celebration.

Nimrod knew that Xana would be known as the Head of Heresy in the future. They sided with Horus during the Great Birthday Celebration and retreated to the Eye of Terror after the war, becoming the core force of the Dark Mechanicum.

As the liberators of Xana, it's reasonable for me to send a force to protect the Shana System, isn't it?

I can use this opportunity to exert influence and "corrupt" some of the Tech-priest, then reap some benefits during the Great Birthday Celebration.

Having considered this, Nimrod made a decision.

He spoke after seeing Arsena and the others enter the office.

"The Rangdan Xenos we encountered at Spiral- Morse have halted their conquests in other directions and launched an attack on the Imperium."

"This will be a long and brutal war, and you all need to realize that."

Upon hearing the Black Emperor's words, the Primarch's Attendants immediately realized the reason why the Black Emperor had ordered the Chapter to assemble and the Ramillies-class Star Fortress to move to the starfield surrounding the Carium Gate.

[The Black Emperor had long foreseen the war against the Xenos; he had previously established the Order of the Broken Claw and hunting bases to familiarize various Chapter with the fighting styles of the Rangdan Warrior.]

As the "Knowledge Keeper" pondered, Nimrod continued.

"The Xenos vanguard has already entered Xana. Our primary task is to liberate Xana and launch an attack from this position."

Nimrod did not want the war to reach his territory, even though he had already deployed Ramillies-class Star Fortress in important territories such as Judang Star and in the territories of important allies such as Dametus.

However, the northern territories of the Galaxy, such as the Colonid Sector, are still vulnerable to attack, and even the Ramillies-class Star Fortress cannot cope with all threats.

To make Rangdan feel threatened, he must quickly defeat Rangdan's Slave Army and reopen Xana's Foundry.

"Transmit my order: the Third, Fifth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Chapter, after leaving behind necessary guard forces, proceed swiftly through the Carium Gate to the Xana -Wesidax system."

"Deploy a Ramillies-class Star Fortress to gain the upper hand in the void."

"Other Chapter, assemble at Carium Gate, ready to join the battle at any time."

"Follow Your command." The Primarch's Attendants immediately relayed the order to the Chapter.