"By yourself, you're commanding the entire Imperial military," Grey said. "And the enemy you face consists first and foremost of every commander in the Sautekh Dynasty that fought in the War in Heaven. Every one of them is an elite from a warlike species, among the very best at commanding battles. They fought a war that shaped the subsequent course of the entire universe against a species far more powerful than us, one that mastered incomprehensible Psychic Power technologies. The experience they accumulated has created a gap that talent and diligence cannot bridge."
"So what? At least I can't find Imotekh's weakness, and it can't find mine either." Lion frowned. "Besides, I don't trust Imperial commanders with command authority. Most of them had never fought the skeletons before this war began. They need time to learn and grow."
"I'm not saying you should hand command over to Imperial commanders. I'm simply saying that you may need some assistants," Grey said.
Lion dismissed this with disdain and looked toward the Talon Army commanders at the next table. "Will you help me? The Imperial Astra Militarum doesn't have teleportation available anytime and anywhere. Logistics, supply, defensive position construction planning... Can you adapt to the Astra Militarum's command methods?"
Grey turned back to glance at the Talon commanders. "No, obviously not."
Lion spread his hands and lowered his head to continue studying the tactical table.
"Perhaps you can help yourself," Grey said.
"What do you mean?" Lion looked up.
He knew the Tyranids disliked mixing deeply philosophical abstract metaphors into conversation, so he believed Grey's words—you can help yourself—were meant entirely literally.
But there was only one Lion El'Jonson.
"We collected your data." Grey hesitated before speaking. "If you need it, we can deploy many versions of you."
Lion's expression shifted repeatedly, his