The offensives on the eastern and western fronts had come to a halt.
The great battle on the plains had ended with Chaos retreating in defeat.
Several Chapters left behind by the Imperial fleet continued their grueling war against the Red Corsairs, though the fighting was no longer on Manros.
The Imperium and the Red Corsairs had both sent envoys, demanding permission to build starports or military installations in the Manros system so they could gain an advantage in the next war.
Naturally, both sides had offered terms to the Manrosans, along with material gifts before negotiations even began.
After speaking with both sets of envoys, the Manrosans came to the command center to report to Lu Jin.
"The Imperium and the Red Corsairs have both offered generous terms."
"But we all know that the Imperium may compromise for now, yet it will never allow us to exist forever."
"We took a hard line and hoped the Imperium would clear the charges borne by the Fierce Angels. The Imperium agreed to every condition except that one. It still demands that we sever ties with the Fierce Angels."
The new Marshal delivered his report.
After listening, Lu Jin shook his head. "You don't need to consider the Fierce Angels. The charges we bear are our own problem... You can announce that you have issued an expulsion order against the Fierce Angels. They will not actually inspect whether you drove us away."
"The Manrosans cannot accept that, even as a pretense," the Marshal said. "It would be like the Red Corsairs demanding that an Ecclesiarchy world expel its faith in the Emperor and its priests. Who could agree to something like that?"
"It's fine. The Fierce Angels cannot remain on Manros forever. We have our own business to attend to."
The Marshal