As the Emperor-appointed Lord Protector of the Solar System, Rogal Dorn rose from the chief seat, his suit of bright golden armor gleaming beneath lamps that simulated natural sunlight.
The tightness in Dorn's brow and the corners of his eyes eased slightly, and the nerves that had remained taut since the war began were granted a brief respite.
"Gentlemen, today is a great day. While our Imperium is besieged by traitors, reinforcements from the Ultima Segmentum have overcome countless hardships to finally reach the Solar System and successfully rendezvous with us in the Pluto region."
"The traitors went to great lengths to scatter our strength across the stars, but now it has finally gathered. This is a turning point in the war."
Dorn explained the current situation to Jaghatai, Leman Russ, and the others who had not been informed. The encounter battle that had erupted at Pluto remained classified; even Jaghatai and Russ had yet to learn of it.
"One of the traitor Primarchs, Alpharius, secretly infiltrated the Pluto defense line and attempted to destroy and penetrate our Hydra satellite fortress. It is the data relay hub for the entire Solar System and is of immense importance to us."
"Of course, with the aid of the reinforcements from the Ultima Segmentum, we successfully killed the traitor Alpharius and resolved the crisis at Pluto. This was a victory worthy of pride."
Upon hearing the news, Jaghatai and Leman Russ wore very different expressions.
Lox observed closely. Most of what he knew about the Primarchs came from archival records and the recollections of others; none of that could compare to witnessing everything firsthand.
Alpharius was dead. The expressions of the two Primarchs revealed the satisfaction of purging rebellion, yet also a measure of conflicted sorrow.
No matter what, Alpharius had been their