Romulus tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling upon the Rogue Trader Hendares standing beside him. The voices of Arthur and Rases echoed in his mind, their words confirming the truth of Hendares's claims from different perspectives.
Even so, Romulus's expression remained as calm as a still lake, betraying not the slightest hint of concern.
"I understand."
Romulus gave a subtle nod.
These Rogue Traders had shadowed the Expeditionary Fleet the entire way, bearing witness to the fires of war the fleet had weathered while forging new trade routes. They possessed a crystal-clear understanding of the sheer intensity of the conflicts the fleet regularly engaged in.
Many skirmishes that local Sectors considered nightmarish were little more than montary recreational activities for the Expeditionary Fleet. In certain situations, the assault forces would even hold internal duels just to warm up before deploying.
However, the Iron Warriors were a different breed altogether.
In void warfare, the Iron Warriors might not be considered the strongest among the Adeptus Astartes, but the mont they entrenched themselves within a fortress, everything changed.
Take Dantioch, for instance. He had once commanded a few tactical squads to repel an assault by tens of thousands of Space Marines. Not only had he annihilated thousands of enemies, but he had also brought down an Emperor-class Titan.
While other Warsmiths might not boast such exaggerated combat records as Dantioch, their foundational skills remained rock-solid, tempered by Perturabo's agonizingly strict demands.
Furthermore, these fortresses were typically outfitted with permanent void shields, rendering orbital bombardnts and fleet support strikes largely ineffective.
Romulus's eyes glead faintly as he pressed on:
"So, Mr. Hendares, what is it that your dynasty seeks to gain?"
Hendares waved a hand dismissively, a bitter smile gracing his lips. A mixture of resignation and relief shone in his eyes, as if he had long since accepted an inevitable fate.
"From the mont the Dark Eldar annihilated our entire Mobile Fleet, I realized that whatever lies on that Planet is far beyond my reach."
Romulus narrowed his eyes, peering past Hendares's expression to see the man's true intentions.
The Rogue Trader's mindset was glaringly obvious: if he could not claim the prize on that world, he would make damn sure no one else got their hands on it easily either.
'And that is why you specifically emphasized the Iron Warriors, isn't it?'
Romulus mused to himself, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
It was evident that Hendares's dynasty possessed a truly ancient history, to the point of being intimately familiar with the bitter blood feud between the Iron Warriors and the Imperial Fists.
Romulus could bet everything that if soone rely whispered, "The fortress on this Planet was built by the Iron Warriors, and now those Chaos Traitors have reclaid it,"
then Supre High Marshal Ledodes would not hesitate for a second. He would imdiately charge forward with his Black Templars, tear down the planetary stronghold with unprecedented offensive fervor, and then construct an even more impenetrable fortress over its ruins.
A glimpse of this was already evident in Ledodes's shifting deanor.
The Supre High Marshal, who just monts ago had been sharing combat experiences with the Primaris Space Marines, was now leaning in to listen. He had clearly developed an intense interest in the situation regarding this world.
The Dynasty Lord had not even bothered to create distance or activate a privacy field. Instead, he openly discussed these matters right in front of the Adeptus Astartes—a deliberate move on his part.
'He certainly has plenty of little sches.'
Romulus thought to himself, though his face remained perfectly composed.
"Thank you for the warning."
Romulus nodded slightly, a hint of cool detachnt coloring his tone.
Hendares's actions were nothing more than an implicit suggestion that sothing crucial lay on that Planet, while simultaneously highlighting the risks involved. He was attempting to manipulate the Adeptus Astartes into acting as his muscle.
The Dynasty Lord was sharp, having seemingly pieced together the true objective of the Expeditionary Fleet from a few scattered clues.
'One of the raw materials previously supplied to the On Conclave for their Psychic Titans... Hiss, don't tell they excavated an Eldar Infinity Circuit?'
Rases's voice echoed in Romulus's mind, laced with genuine intrigue.
Everyone knew exactly what constituted the most precious treasure on an Eldar Relic Planet. Not encountering any Eldar corsairs during the expedition had been quite a sha; the group had already copied the Spirit Stones collected by the Rogue Traders, but having only the stones left them without many leads to pursue.
Romulus decided it was necessary for them to see it for themselves.
If for no other reason than sheer security, they had to go.
Although the Iron Warriors were relatively rare among Chaos Space Marines for their disdain of mutation, that did not an they were above wielding the power of Chaos.
The Eldar, whether their Creations or the beings themselves, were among the highest quality materials for Chaos Sacrifices in the entire universe.
"What I can tell you is that we will still proceed to that Planet."
Romulus's voice was steady and resolute:
"If it continues to resist, we will liberate it. If it has already fallen, we will destroy it and reclaim the system. But if we choose to run, a whole new storm of war and crisis will likely sweep across the entire human realm."
"Understood."
Hendares replied earnestly, his face wiped clean of any emotional fluctuation.
Seeing Romulus's reaction, the Rogue Trader realized it was ti to hold his tongue. He bowed slightly in a respectful salute, then retrieved a sealed letter from his coat and offered it with both hands.
"Then I shall take my leave."
Hendares spoke with utmost deference.
"May victory ever walk by your side."
Romulus accepted the letter and casually tucked it into his armor, a faint smile touching his features.
"And may your path lead you to discovery and the unknown,"
he replied, turning to leave with a steady, unhurried stride.
The lights in the room flickered slightly, casting a cold, hard gleam across Romulus's armor as his silhouette gradually vanished down the end of the corridor.
Hendares stood nearby, his gaze deep and thoughtful as if pondering sothing profound, before he finally let out a long, heavy sigh.
——
"Lord Romulus."
Ledodes hurried over, a rare sense of urgency in his stride. Close on his heels were Pedro and The Priest of the Executioners, moving as if they had caught the scent of sothing monuntal.
Clearly, the successors of the Imperial Fists had a genuinely extraordinary reaction to the re ntion of the Iron Warriors.
"This is the detailed intelligence on the situation upon the Planet Optus."
Romulus lifted his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping over the assembled commanders. He then drew the carefully sealed letter from his storage pouch and handed it over.
"Have all Space Marine Chapters begin their tactical planning, then we will convene for a centralized tactical discussion."
"Yes, sir."
Ledodes accepted the letter with crisp, decisive movents, showing not a fraction of hesitation.
He did not consider Romulus's approach to be redundant; on the contrary, he treated it with the utmost importance.
While Romulus's battlefield command granted the Chapter Masters a degree of Liberation from burdenso tactical deliberations—allowing them to focus entirely on their martial prowess—the expedition would eventually co to an end. Romulus could not serve as their commander forever.
Romulus's greatest asset was an analytical capability akin to a battlefield cogitator. Though his personal combat experience might not match that of these veteran warriors, he could swiftly synthesize existing scenarios and select the most optimal tactics.
Regardless, the summarized tactical doctrines were highly valuable for study and reference, offering significant practical application.
Moreover, aside from guarding their knowledge of The Warp, the Transmigrators held few reservations about disseminating other forms of information.
Over the course of the two-year campaign, Romulus had compiled nurous battle accounts into a comprehensive manual. The commanders of the Expeditionary Fleet were currently undertaking intensive studies of these texts. Even if the exact tactics were not directly applied, the process itself relentlessly encouraged critical thinking, helping to filter out those truly suited to bear the mantle of command.
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