Warhammer: Starting as a Planetary Governor

"Victory to Humanity!"

Upon receiving the Savior's supreme command, Zabok—the living-metal governor—became intensely excited.

Emerald flames danced within his eye sockets, while his data-streams produced emotions known as loyalty and exhilaration.

"The Imperium should have mobilized its armies long ago and conquered these xenos who dare prey upon humanity.

"Any xenos who harms a human must face absolute judgment!"

Zabok's voice overflowed with loyalty.

Since obtaining emotions, he had embraced his human identity with even greater sincerity. He had also become a firm believer in human supremacy.

Not only that, but he closely followed important news from within the Imperium and frequently worried about humanity's future.

In the living-metal governor's opinion, His Majesty the Savior had been far too conservative.

Humanity was the noblest and most civilized species in the galaxy, while the Imperium possessed terrifying military potential.

Unfortunately, His Majesty had deliberately suppressed that potential, devoting most of the Imperium's resources and energy to improving civilian life. That had forced many weapons manufactorums to cease production.

Some factories that once produced god-engines and killing machines had even been forced to retool themselves to manufacture enormous agricultural machines and domestic childcare servitors.

Large numbers of newly constructed warships had been placed in storage before they could even leave their dockyards, where they now gathered dust.

Rumor had it that the bureaucrats in the Department of Civil Affairs had even submitted a proposal during a planning meeting to convert those stored warships into public transport vessels.

They wanted to establish a public transportation system spanning the entire galaxy, allowing Imperial citizens to travel more conveniently while stimulating economic growth.

It was an unforgivable waste!

Those new warships and killing machines belonged on the battlefield, pouring fire into the damnable xenos.

Bomb them!

Burn them!

Fortunately, the great Savior had finally come to his senses.

At long last, Eden had decided to unleash the Imperium's military potential and free humanity's long-suppressed war beast.

With that power, they would completely conquer the arrogant Necron xenos entrenched throughout the Pariah Nexus.

The Silent King was especially unforgivable. That xenos had actually dared to covet the position of galactic hegemon.

It was blasphemy of the highest order!

As His Majesty's loyal army, they had to crush Szarekh completely and force him to grovel humbly at the foot of Eden's throne!

Why is this guy so excited?

Eden regarded Zabok, the self-proclaimed human, with some confusion.

He had a feeling that Zabok's personality had changed after spending time with the warmongers in the Department of Military Affairs.

"Your Majesty, this order takes precedence over everything else.

"I will personally return to the Imperial Royal Court and deliver your supreme command!"

Zabok performed the sign of the Aquila with meticulous precision, his expression solemn.

The living-metal governor had decided to make the journey himself and personally convey this incomparably important order to the Royal Court.

"Very well. I'll leave it to you."

After considering the matter, Eden nodded.

It truly was necessary.

If the Silent King was behind the assault on the Sacred Soul Cult, he would undoubtedly deploy Deathmark units throughout the surrounding region. They would intercept messengers in both realspace and the Warp while disrupting phase translation.

Under those conditions, an ordinary Necron unit could easily be intercepted and destroyed by the Deathmarks, preventing the supreme command from ever reaching the Imperium.

But if Zabok personally broke through the blockade, his chances of success would be much higher.

"Everything will be as you command!"

After accepting his orders, Zabok hurried away to carry them out, looking as though he were marching willingly toward death.

The living-metal governor hoped to return to the Royal Court as quickly as possible.

Then he would lead the Imperium's vast armies back and set the xenos territories ablaze with the fires of war!

I hope everything goes smoothly. We don't have much time left.

Eden watched Zabok leave.

He then produced an insect egg with a metallic sheen.

Cracks immediately spread across its shell, and a nearly transparent insect approximately fifty centimeters long crawled out.

It was a specialized Tyranid organism Eden had bred.

The creature possessed astonishing speed and could use planetary energy fields to perform a form of movement similar to phase translation.

Simply put, it was a disposable biological messenger created specifically to carry important information.

It was also exceptionally difficult to intercept.

Screech! Screech!

The newly hatched creature grew rapidly within the slime coating its body. It extended a tentacle-like tongue and licked its master's hand, while its sharp claws scratched sparks from the living metal.

"Go, little one."

Eden gently patted the creature's head, then raised his hand and carried it to the terrace's edge.

Screech!

The Tyranid organism lightly beat its wings and shot into the sky, moving so quickly that it was almost impossible to perceive.

Even the Necrons' detection systems failed to notice it.

Within seconds, the creature had carried Eden's encoded biological message beyond the planet.

Eden never placed all his eggs in one basket. He always pursued several options at once.

Even if something happened to Zabok and he failed to deliver the message, the Tyranid organism could still carry it back to the Imperium.

It would merely take a little longer.

As for transmitting information through the Warp, Eden's mechanical clone body wasn't particularly suited to the task.

Besides, doing so would create an opportunity for Tzeentch, that insufferable shit-stirrer, to interfere.

Eden's status was different now.

After the Emperor lost the Sacred Sun and retired to reminisce about his long life, the Chaos Gods had focused their attention on Eden.

He had become their greatest enemy in both the galaxy and the Warp.

Until he defeated the Silent King and obtained technology capable of suppressing the Warp, it would be wiser to keep a low profile.

Once Eden had sent out his supreme command, he knew that war was once again approaching.

It might become the largest Imperial campaign in ten thousand years, with the flames of war burning across thousands—perhaps even tens of thousands—of sectors simultaneously.

The scale of the battlefield would be so immense that merely redeploying the fleets would require a considerable amount of time.

Humanity would also need time to mobilize its armies. Once the grand offensive began, it would require a strong and dependable logistical system.

Now Eden would finally discover how much industrial capacity and military strength the Imperium could unleash after years of reform and development.

More importantly, the Pariah Nexus contained far too many blackstone veils. The information Eden had dispatched wouldn't reach the Royal Court immediately.

In other words, his orders would be delayed.

Under such conditions, precise planning was nearly impossible. Eden could only establish broad strategic objectives and commit as much strength as possible.

All he could do now was trust the wisdom of the Royal Court and the Department of Military Affairs while organizing the forces within the Pariah Nexus to coordinate with them.

"No matter what happens within the Imperium, I must preserve the Sacred Soul Cult's flame.

"Only then can we weaken the Necrons and secure more advantages for humanity..."

Eden murmured to himself.

As long as the Sacred Soul Cult survived, humanity would retain the advantage even if the cult failed to acquire much additional territory.

Despite deciding to begin a total war, Eden remained weighed down by concern.

He still had to endure the pressure of this sudden conflict, defeat the attackers, and defend the Sacred Soul Cult's territory.

Fortunately, Eden had issued redeployment orders well in advance.

The Tyranid Hive Fleet hidden along the sector's perimeter, the Steeltoof Ork Empire's fleet, and humanity's vanguard fleet were already racing toward the system.

Even if the Sacred Soul Cult couldn't defeat the enemy outright, those reinforcements should at least drive the attackers back and preserve this invaluable base.

The system would then serve as an essential staging ground for humanity's invasion of the Pariah Nexus.

"Silent King, your judgment of the situation may be remarkably sharp, but the true contest is only beginning!"

Eden clenched his fist.

The Godslayer was one of the few enemies in the galaxy capable of making Eden feel genuine pressure.

The Sacred Soul Cult had barely established its position before suffering such a devastating blow.

Being forced onto the defensive felt terrible.

The Silent King's instincts were too sharp, and his attacks were too precisely targeted. Of all the beings Eden had encountered, Szarekh might possess the greatest strategic insight and intelligence.

Fortunately, Eden remained confident that he could reverse the situation and launch a complete counteroffensive!

...

The Pariah Nexus.

The Hypnos System and its surrounding sectors.

A hexagonal supermassive warship floated through the void. Its edges curved like crescent moons, and ghostly light shimmered across its immense hull.

It resembled a city drifting through space and was almost as large as an asteroid.

This was one of the Silent King's personal vessels—the Song of Oblivion.

After the Necrons shattered the C'tan, their strength had been severely depleted, and their dynasties collectively entered hibernation.

The Silent King alone refused to sleep.

Instead, he destroyed the command protocols, exiled himself, and led a tomb fleet headed by the Song of Oblivion beyond the galaxy to distant star systems.

His objective had been to find new worlds suitable for Necron colonization.

During the campaigns that followed, the Song of Oblivion defeated countless alien enemies. Its devastating firepower could destroy any planet, no matter how heavily defended.

After returning to the galaxy, the Silent King had used this warship to effortlessly destroy an Aeldari Craftworld.

The Song of Oblivion was a monster capable of conquering the stars themselves.

More Megalith warships surrounded it in a protective formation.

These were likewise ancient and immensely powerful vessels left behind by the Necrontyr. They had fought in the War in Heaven and resembled towering spires planted within the void.

Beyond them were even more tomb ships, stretching to the limits of sight. Each carried the cold corrosion of millions of years spent in hibernation, mingled with the emerald radiance of living metal.

This was the personal fleet of the Silent King—the Godslayer Szarekh.

Its mere presence was enough to make any species tremble!

Inside the bridge—

The circular, domed chamber had been fashioned from a single slab of exotic crystal.

Faint energy patterns flowed across its surface, forming a holographic star chart of the entire region.

The Dais of Dominion, powered by a shard of Nyadra'zatha the Burning One, floated at the very center of the bridge. The Triarchal Menhirs connected to the Dais gleamed with terrifying patterns of flame.

This was the Silent King's throne.

The Dais itself possessed no direct offensive capabilities, but the C'tan shard's power allowed it to command the two Menhirs—each containing the bound power of a star—and unleash their devastating might.

The Dais could also generate a contra-immaterial energy field capable of destroying daemons and open Dolmen Gates that temporarily granted passage into the Webway.

This gave the Silent King and the Triarch the ability to move freely across the galaxy.

They could unleash the fires of war upon any region and assert dominion over any territory they wished to conquer.

The Silent King Szarekh sat upon the central throne of the Dais of Dominion.

His living-metal body gleamed with cold silver light, while faint currents of void energy coiled around him.

The leader of the Necrontyr—the Godslayer—had witnessed millions of years of the galaxy's rise and decline.

Without conscious effort, he radiated the solitude and majesty of one who stood above all creation.

The two Phaerons beside him—Hapthatra the Radiant and Mesophet the Shadowed Hand—maintained respectful postures.

They were members of the Triarch, yet possessed no independent authority.

They were merely the Silent King's voices.

"My king, the Stormlord has once again rejected your command protocols. War has begun," Mesophet the Shadowed Hand reported, his voice cold.

Not long ago, the Silent King had made one final attempt.

He had sought to bring Imotekh the Stormlord under his command, end the division among the Necrons, and extend the blackstone veil across the entire galaxy.

Imotekh had refused.

Not only had the Stormlord rejected the offer, but he had used his armies to openly threaten the great Silent King.

Szarekh remained silent upon hearing the report.

He merely raised his head and looked into the void beyond the dome.

Tiny points of fire dotted the darkness like flowers blooming across the sea of stars.

They marked battles between the two sides' fleets.

Countless tomb ships were fighting across hundreds of sectors simultaneously.

"Such exquisite tactical deployments are worthy of admiration," Mesophet the Shadowed Hand remarked.

Imotekh was a brilliant strategist whose intelligence could overcome virtually any military commander.

His deployments resembled an intricate and flawlessly calibrated machine, with countless gears turning to influence battles across the stars.

Even from dozens of sectors away, he could predict where his armies would win and where they would suffer defeat.

He could then direct precise firepower and launch counterattacks timed down to the exact minute.

Whether in force allocation, strategic deployment, or fleet redeployment, the Stormlord's command was virtually flawless.

"Unfortunately, the Stormlord has encountered the great Szarekh. He is destined to taste defeat," Hapthatra the Radiant proclaimed in an exaggerated tone.

Unlike the cold and restrained Shadowed Hand, the Phaeron known as the Radiant never hesitated to sing the Silent King's praises and proclaim his greatness.

The Silent King withdrew his gaze.

The supreme ruler no longer paid attention to the battles raging among the stars.

Nor did he care how many Tomb Worlds fell or how many tomb ships became wreckage.

Such matters weren't worthy of his attention.

To the galaxy's other species, this was an apocalyptic void war incinerating entire sectors.

To the Silent King and the Stormlord, it was merely a minor exchange before the true war began.

The real conflict had yet to start.

Both sides were still mobilizing their forces and summoning more armies, preparing to continue until one had crushed the other completely.

The Silent King studied the star chart projected across the dome.

Dense markings filled the emerald strategic display.

According to the chart, the Stormlord had already seized approximately one-fifth of the Pariah Nexus.

"Mesophet, give me more intelligence."

The Silent King ignored the territory occupied by his enemy and instead focused upon the Crownworlds in the central region.

His voice was low and heavy.

"The war in Hypnos must not be allowed to fail, and there can be no unrest whatsoever among the Crownworlds behind our lines.

"If those hidden rebels and madmen dare exploit this war to covet my throne or disrupt the established order, send the Triarch Praetorians to destroy them..."

The supreme leader of the Necrontyr would never tolerate anyone exploiting this war to bite pieces from the territories behind his front lines.

To Szarekh, such an act would be an unbearable humiliation.

Countless streams of data flowed across the display before him, carrying the latest intelligence from throughout the Pariah Nexus.

Before long, he noticed a strangely familiar name.

The Sacred Soul Cult.

(End of Chapter)

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