Saladin's fall was like a massive stone cast into a tranquil lake, its ripples spreading throughout the expeditionary fleet. Yet the turmoil at its heart gradually settled after the Emperor's judgment and Lion El'Jonson's resolute departure.
For the Word Bearers, the price of this victory was heavier than anyone could have imagined.
Their Primarch was gravely wounded, and their elite warriors had suffered losses as well. The advance of the Great Crusade had to be checked for the time being.
Lorgar's wounds were far beyond anything ordinary medical treatment could swiftly heal.
The excessive burning of his Primarch essence was like a fracture in a Stars' core. Only a long recovery and meticulous care could stabilize it.
At the direction of the Sigillite Malcador and the Emperor himself, the Word Bearers formally suspended their advance in the Great Crusade.
They would hold the territories they had reclaimed, eliminate the remaining enemies, and consolidate their lines while awaiting their Gene-Father's recovery.
And once his condition had stabilized enough for him to leave the most sophisticated life-support equipment behind, Lorgar's first decision was to return to Colchis.
Angron and Curze did not stay. Their Legions still had orders to carry out.
After brief farewells, the two fleets sailed once more into the tides of the Warp, leaving the deathly silent Star System and Saladin's end behind them.
Only Seras, Third Chapter Commander, some of his elite warriors, and the ever-present Hercules accompanied Lorgar on his return journey.
Colchis Star System.
Primary planet: Colchis.
Tithe grade: special, fully exempt.
The Imperium's vast bureaucracy and taxation system stopped here. The presence of the Adeptus Arbites and the Adeptus Mechanicus was primarily symbolic and concerned with technical cooperation, rather than jurisdiction.
The pulse of this Star System was directly bound to Lorgar's will.
The