On the vast star map, the tactical computer marked one star system after another in red.
Each mark meant contact with the local forces had been lost-or, in other words, that the system had fallen. Within those systems, the Necrons were stepping up construction of the Pariah Nexus.
Even though the Necrons now possessed less than a tenth of their former strength, the power they unleashed in this all-out war was still beyond humanity's reach.
There was no doubt that Perturabo's defensive plan had failed utterly.
Perturabo's defensive strategy resembled the T'au Empire's approach to the human invasion: use a flexible defensive line to delay the enemy, repeatedly raid their supply lines, and ultimately force the Necrons to withdraw.
But the Dolmen Gates had changed everything.
These immense hubs of war, inherited from the War in Heaven, could connect the front lines to the rear with ease. Even now, vast numbers of Necrons arrived directly on the battlefield from their Tomb Worlds every second.
Everyone present understood the same thing.
Unless they destroyed those Dolmen Gates, it was only a matter of time before the Necrons' endless armies of the dead swallowed the entire Eastern Fringe.
"We need a plan that forces these Necrons to spread out the forces defending their Dolmen Gates," Bona said.
"Forgive my bluntness, Silent King," Amarkun said from beside him.
"Go ahead."
"Stormlord Imotekh is an exceptionally experienced general. He never underestimates an opponent."
"In every battle, he analyzes the enemy army and its commander's personality. He has been doing this for tens of thousands of years. I'm afraid the commanders you have appointed are all his inferiors in strategy."
"The only opponents who might give Imotekh a headache are the Orks, because he cannot predict their next move."
"And we obviously cannot appoint an