Forging an Alliance

"My Star Whisperer and Navigator have informed me that the scale of this Warp storm is unprecedented. Even the Astronomican's light has vanished, and the Imperial territories have been sundered on the Warp level. Returning to Macragge will be extremely difficult."

Loci's expression immediately turned grim. Through his mental link with the AI, he knew the truth of the matter.

Even the Red Alert, controlled by the AI, could not maintain its course 100% within the Warp storm. Entering the Warp at such a time was akin to seeking death.

The Red Alert was crucial to the execution of the plan. In his subconscious, Loci regarded this Ark of Doom as a fragile, untouchable artifact of civilization.

He wished to use it in an absolutely safe environment, to unleash its capabilities, rather than in a dangerous situation where war could erupt at any moment.

But now, it seemed there were not many choices left.

He pondered for a moment before continuing, "I will remain on Ultramar until the destructive storm ends. However, if I am able to leave, you must not impede my departure."

Both parties understood that this would be as fair a transaction as possible. Loci would provide the Five Hundred Worlds with suitable technology to help Guilliman forge a more powerful war force to confront his traitorous brothers.

In return, Guilliman would have to provide shelter and necessary support to the best of his ability. He would tacitly allow the existence of an anomaly that used artificial intelligence within the Five Hundred Worlds, ensuring that neither Imperial forces nor the traitors could cross Loci's boundaries.

This was, in essence, an unwritten alliance. Both sides would become a community of interest, mutually supporting each other according to the covenant.

"You won't regret this," Guilliman said, his smile as radiant as the sun. "The Imperium may not be able to accept you, but I can. I am the liege lord of the Five Hundred Worlds, and no one can pass judgment on you over my head."

"Now we must evacuate Kaos. The radiation levels here are no longer suitable for human survival."

"What about those still in the underground shelters on the planet?" Loci asked.

"Our ships can only take a portion of them, but the fleet is too heavily damaged. We can only do our best."

Guilliman's words were sincere. The Ultramarines of today lacked the capacity to save everyone. A portion of the population was destined to remain on Kaos until he could spare the resources to dispatch another fleet to retrieve them.

"Remnants of the Word Bearers have also entered the underground of Kaos. They are utilizing the complex undercities for guerrilla warfare, and we must continue to annihilate them. I am assigning this task to Ventanus."

Guilliman summoned Ventanus to his side.

"I will appoint you as the supreme commander of Kaos. The undercities and intricate network of Kaos can shelter those who could not evacuate in time. They need a leader. Can you do this, my son?"

"I will do everything in my power," Ventanus replied.

"It may take many years before we can dispatch a fleet to rescue you. We are about to head to the battlefield against the traitors, and no one knows when this war will end."

"But I can assure you, reinforcements will come, once we gain some breathing room."

Ventanus, son of Guilliman, stood calmly before the Primarch.

The Glory of Macragge and its fleet departed the Veridian system. Kaos was left to fend for itself.

Ventanus and a contingent of Ultramarines remained on Kaos. They returned to the underground fortress of the Omnissiah's Archive. The transmitter Loci had left behind continued to operate, and the high-level technician Tauren would continue to maintain it.

The voice of the supreme commander of Kaos echoed across the globe via broadcast:

"The star of this system has been affected by abnormal solar flare activity. The radiation levels on Kaos's surface will kill all unprotected life. If you are a local resident, an Imperial soldier, or a warrior of the Thirteenth Legion, please proceed immediately to the nearest underground passage."

"We can endure this stellar activity. We can defeat the Word Bearer rebels lurking beneath the ground. All loyalists who can receive this broadcast should proceed directly to the nearest undercity. Information regarding the undercity can be found in the encrypted attachment to this broadcast."

Ventanus finished recording the message and looked at the servitor who remained.

"You are free to leave. The Primarch needs a high-level technician like you."

The female servitor merely chuckled.

"Compared to the ethereal expanse of the stars, I prefer the feeling of my feet on solid ground."

Her cybernetic eye flickered. In the darkness of the underground, her most familiar lover had never left.

Loci did not remain on his ship; he accompanied Guilliman.

He had also received a new title: Advisor to the Primarch.

"We must return to Macragge first. The flagship and fleet have suffered heavy damage. I believe my traitorous brothers will not limit their attacks to Kaos alone. We must restore my Legion to its full strength before they launch a larger-scale act of destruction."

Guilliman stood on the bridge. The Ultramarines had gathered nearly 250,000 warriors on Kaos. After the betrayal and bloody slaughter, this number had been reduced by nearly half, with approximately 70,000 Adeptus Astartes lost and over 30,000 severely wounded.

This was a devastating figure. In addition, over a hundred Titans were destroyed, about 1.5 million mortal auxiliaries were lost, and half the fleet had sunk.

Even the Ultramarines, the most numerous of the Adeptus Astartes Legions, were severely weakened by such a blow.

Hill tallied the detailed situation of the Battle of Kaos. A data slate filled with figures was presented to Guilliman. The Primarch merely glanced at its contents before deducing the enemy's losses.

"The Word Bearers lost at least 50,000 Adeptus Astartes, 65 Titans, and over 500,000 cultists on Kaos."

"A brutal loss," Loci remarked.

Although he was a participant in the war, his involvement was limited to the battlefield around the Omnissiah's Archive. He had little understanding of other parts of the planet.

Countless heroes had sacrificed their lives to resist the Word Bearers' assault: the Adeptus Astartes, the mortal auxiliaries, the pilots of the Titan war machines.

"Thanks to you, we were able to confirm that Khorvalen was aboard that False Emperor, and this greatest culprit almost escaped. You intercepted and destroyed him."

"It is also because of your warning that our losses have been significantly reduced. I believe that without the early warning, the Thirteenth Legion on Kaos might have been annihilated, allowing my damned brother Loka's ambition to be realized."

Guilliman placed his large hand on Loci's shoulder, expressing his deep gratitude.

"This is a brutal era. Humanity's greatest enemy is not the xenos in the void, but other humans within who harbor different ideals."

"A great Imperium never falls to external enemies; only internal collapse will cause the Imperium to disintegrate."

Loci sighed with emotion. After humanity set out into the stars, they formed alliances. While their relationships weren't particularly close, they never experienced such a brutal civil war.

Or rather, even when wars occurred, the primary mode of combat involved war machines like Automatons. Humans rarely engaged directly, fighting with swords and firearms.

This era, even with just a glimpse, had greatly shocked him.

Every moment, his worldview was being refreshed, and he had to spend time and energy adapting to this damned reality.

Although the intensity of the war was far less than in the past, during that era, humanity's method of eradicating alien threats relied on Automatons that could fill star systems. Those terrifying warships could extinguish stars with a single shot, and nanobots could easily break down everything on an entire planet into the necessary materials.

Besides those Eldar who called themselves the [Aeldari], and the [space necrons] discovered on some death worlds, humanity had encountered virtually no enemies.

Even those things called [green-skinned orcs], before they could form a terrifying Green Tide, would be eliminated. Furthermore, they had their own Emperor, and both sides maintained restraint.

However, the wars of this era were more barbaric and bloody. Warriors fought each other with bolter rounds and sharp swords, Titans duelled at extremely close ranges, and fought with massive melee weapons that matched their size.

The warring factions were both human, and the losses were always borne by humanity as a whole.

"We recognized the dangers of the Warp. My brother, Loka, embraced the Warp. I'm not even sure if some evil entities within it corrupted him."

Even after being betrayed by his own brother, Guilliman felt a wave of sorrow after calming down. They shared a father, yet the other had unhesitatingly wielded the blade of betrayal.

Loci sensed Guilliman's low mood.

As the Primarch observed him, Loci was also silently observing the other.

"What an incredible being. How did that fellow called the Emperor create such near-perfect life? More importantly—his humanity is more profound than imagined."

The Primarch's power was by no means as crude as a strong physique; that was merely a projection of a trace of their life's essence. Their true nature was far more advanced, far surpassing ordinary humans.

Even during the Golden Age, Loci had not witnessed such perfect gene-tech creations.

Since waking up, Loci had tried his best to analyze everything he saw from an objective perspective. Although he had taken in some warriors from the Broken Legions after Istvaan V and helped the Ultramarines during the Kaos campaign, this did not mean he stood with the Imperium.

The barbarism and fanaticism displayed by the Imperium were also difficult for him to accept. However, compared to those enemies, the Imperium was not as thoroughly rotten.

And after interacting with Guilliman, Loci had to admit that he was somewhat influenced by the aura the Primarch possessed.

He had initially intended to leave after this was over, no longer interfering in these complex matters. But after a debate with Guilliman, he had begun to waver.

Perhaps running away was not the best solution.

Guilliman possessed a leadership aura that made others involuntarily trust him and feel favorably towards him.

Therefore, as long as the Red Alert's safety was ensured, he didn't mind lending a hand to this Primarch.