"Lord Horus, I do have some doubts about this."
Patting Torgaddon beside him, who did not dare speak carelessly, Fourth Company Captain Sanguinius stepped forward to raise an objection.
He was not a member of the Council of Four Kings.
At least, not yet.
"Oh?"
Horus was rather surprised by this.
In his memory, this taciturn company captain rarely disagreed with him, let alone over someone like Kasgar, an obviously inexperienced commander who could not possibly excel at warfare.
"Fourth Company Captain, are you saying that perhaps Kasgar had commanded battles on his homeworld, and might therefore truly be capable of commanding one?"
"No, Saiyannus. True interstellar warfare will be far more perilous than the disputes on our homeworlds."
"When I was still a bad kid on Khorosnia, battle, to me, meant a shootout between two gangs."
Horus smiled, as though reminiscing. "Back then, whoever had the bigger guns, more people, and braver men would win."
But war, especially war between the stars, was an entirely different concept.
It required tempering through blood and fire.
It required being forged again and again through endless slaughter, gaining experience beneath the thunder of artillery.
There had never been a WarMaster who could be made overnight.
He ended with a pun, showing a small measure of his humor.
"Lord Horus, you are right."
Sanguinius nodded in agreement.
"But I still believe Kasgar is even more unfathomable than we expected."
"Interesting, Sanguinius. How did you reach that conclusion?"
"A feeling."
He gave a slight nod.
"This is the place."
"All auxiliary troops, along with the Sons of the Emperor's First Company and Second Company, board the Stormbirds with me and proceed to Silent Star. Survey the surface geology and construct Defensive Fortifications."
Looking at the planet outside the window, shrouded in layers of poisonous clouds, Kasgar gave the order.
The Portal they guarded was located at the pole of a planet known as Silent Star.
Silent Star was a planet composed of shattered crystalline sediment, its surface blanketed by an extremely dense acidic toxic fog.
With such a harsh environment and scarce mineral resources, the planet had been deemed a worthless, uninhabitable world when the Expeditionary Fleet arrived.
Other than the Tech-Priests constantly studying the Portal's mechanical structure at the pole, no people or living creatures would ever come here.
Yet Kasgar still insisted on designing three layers of Defensive Fortifications, both inner and outer, according to the Legion's highest standards for enemy attacks.
Who was he defending against?
"The planet's surface is made of extremely hard crystals."
"Combined with the interference from the large quantities of poisonous gases in the atmosphere, construction of our Defensive Fortifications will become vastly more difficult."
"Furthermore, we lack any need to build large-scale defensive installations. If we force the order through, many Terra-born veterans may become dissatisfied."
"Quite a few veterans have already approached me, hoping that we can lower the standard of the defenses and construct only light defensive barriers."
Saul Tarvitz, a recruit under Kasgar's Tactical Squad and also a fellow disciple under Sword Saint Aqua's tutelage, made the suggestion.
"Sergeant Tavitz, your suggestion is reasonable."
Kasgar nodded in agreement.
The greatest problem Kasgar currently faced lay with these proud Terra-born veterans of the Third Legion.
During the early days of the Great Crusade, the Third Legion's recruits had all come from ancient noble families on Terra.
While this ensured the quality of their recruits to a certain extent, it also brought immense difficulties in management.
The gentlemen of Terra were gentlemen indeed.
It would have been one thing if Primarch Fulgrim had personally come to command them, but how could these battle-hardened veterans tolerate being led into battle by a newcomer like Kasgar, who possessed no prestige?
Especially when he was an outsider from some backwater like Chemos.
Their outward obedience and private defiance of his orders were probably already a foregone conclusion.
"But I have my own way of handling this."
Kasgar smiled and reassured him.
"What is that brat up to now?"
Julius Cassalon, Company Commander of the Sons of the Emperor's First Company, scoffed at Kasgar's orders.
As one of the Sons of the Emperor, and one of the two hundred surviving Emperor's Children Veterans, it was not that he lacked skill in constructing Defensive Fortifications.
Or rather, every Space Marine of the Sons of the Emperor could alter his tactical style according to the battlefield's needs.
From masters of close combat, to perfect designers of Defensive Fortifications, to overwhelming long-range barrages, the Sons of the Emperor could carry out any ordered role.
But that was on the condition that the order came from a proper commander!
"Those Tech-Priests said this Portal has not seen a single living creature pass through it for countless years!"
"Why should that armchair strategist waste enormous resources building top-tier heavy fortresses?"
The chance of xenos appearing here was lower than the chance of the WarMaster betraying the Emperor!
Kasgar forcing the Third Legion to remain in the rear, preventing him from taking the field and fighting, was already enough to make him furious.
What angered him even more was that he had to do construction work in the rear!
And unnecessary construction work at that!
Even if they exhausted themselves building it all, there would be no merit or reward whatsoever!
Cassalon was very angry.
He was steeling himself inside and out.
"So, Company Commander, are we actually going to follow Lord Kasgar's instructions?"
Several veterans around him exchanged looks.
Those who served in the First Company were all battle-hardened elite veterans from Terra.
Compared to Kasgar, who had barely emerged from obscurity, they trusted Company Commander Cassalon's orders more.
Though he was merely a sword-obsessed fool who knew nothing about command, he was still more trustworthy than Kasgar, a well-connected beneficiary.
"Just build the basic fortifications and outposts."
"Being saddled with a fellow who craves glory without possessing any real ability is our misfortune."
Cassalon curled his lip in displeasure.
"Exactly! It drives me mad. Every time I see that sword of his, I want it."
"Why does a recruit get to use such a good Power Sword?"
"Sigh, that is just the fate of poor people like us."
Every time they saw this fellow, a mere recruit, wearing such exquisite weapons and armor,
they could not help but envy him terribly!
Everyone was supposedly a noble.
But apparently, some nobles were more noble than others.
"The First Company Commander seems somewhat dissatisfied with your orders."
Sword Saint Aqua Duna stood beside Kasgar, watching the disparity in the progress of the fortifications below.
As Fulgrim's eldest daughter, she served as Kasgar's bodyguard and protector during this operation.
Of course, there was a more flattering name for it, one more fitting for Warhammer—Kasgar's champion.
"Do you need me to step in and remind them?"
Aqua narrowed her eyes slightly.
Cassalon, the First Company Commander, was also her student.
Now that he was acting so arrogantly and refusing to obey command orders, perhaps it was time to teach him a lesson.
"No."
"Once the Xenos Army truly comes through the Portal, invades, and begins its bombardment, he will know he was wrong."
"You are that certain there will be a xenos invasion?"
Aqua was somewhat surprised.
"Where does this confidence come from?"
Naturally, it was because he had read the script.
Haha, what else could it be?
"Because I am one of the Sons of the Emperor."
"Even if there is only the slightest possibility of failure, it must be eliminated with meticulous care to achieve perfection."
"Do not grow proud because you consider yourself noble, and do not grow slack because victory is assured."
"This is the virtue a Son of the Emperor ought to possess."
Kasgar had a very thick skin.
He said it with righteous conviction.
Before you continue