Chapter 887 - 886

Not long before, in a reception lounge within the Imperial Department of Military Affairs.

The room had an antique elegance to it. Several large leather sofas stood around simple wooden tables, while the deep crimson decorations evoked the style of ancient Terra.

Many important areas of the Imperial Court contained surprisingly little machinery or psychic equipment, favoring a return to simpler designs instead.

It was safer that way.

"The Imperial Court will approve a new armaments budget. You can further expand the military and increase weapons production.

"Perhaps we can also have more xenos armies participate while expanding the scope of our campaigns against other xenos species..."

The Minister of Economy sat down on the sofa beside A'Rey, casually lit one of the commander's prized cigars, and began speaking at length.

All his previous resentment had vanished, and he now behaved like an old friend.

In truth, he and A'Rey had been friends for many years. They had known each other since their days on Urth, though the minister had later transferred from the Storm Army Group's logistics system to the Imperial Court's Department of State Affairs.

Their earlier clashes had merely stemmed from differing opinions about the Imperium's future development.

Once the Supreme Decree was issued and the Imperium entered a state of total war, however, all those differences disappeared. Only one path remained.

They had to cooperate.

The Minister of Economy proposed several plans, including campaigns to purge xenos species other than the Necrons.

Naturally, his plans also covered the subsequent control and exploitation of finances and resources.

???

A'Rey's head buzzed as he listened to the minister's plans.

This conservative, who had previously advocated military cuts and loudly called for peaceful reconstruction, had somehow devised a plan for total war that was far more aggressive than anything the Department of Military Affairs had proposed.

Many of his measures were extremely ruthless and would deal devastating blows to the xenos.

"You deskbound academics really do have filthy minds," A'Rey remarked with grudging admiration.

There was more than a hint of mockery in his voice.

"Everything I do is for the Imperium and our great Savior..." The Minister of Economy ignored the one-eyed man's sarcasm.

As the senior official responsible for the Imperial Court's economy, it was his duty to balance the books and keep the Imperium's economy stable.

That was true in both peace and war.

Now that the Imperium's war machine had thundered to life, vast numbers of troops would be recruited, expanded, and assembled.

With so many Imperial Navy fleets and Storm Army Groups being deployed, they naturally had to consider costs and returns while ensuring that all strategic objectives were achieved.

That would help sustain the wartime economy.

After all, once the Imperium's armed forces deployed, every passing second represented an astronomical expense. They might as well recover some of those costs along the way while sweeping the surrounding regions clean.

That would also spare them from having to return later and incur the same expenses all over again.

In short, if the Imperium was going to war, it might as well fight its way across the entire galaxy in a single campaign. While dealing with the Necrons, its armies could also purge regions that previous expeditions had failed to clear.

Furthermore, recruiting additional xenos armies and integrating xenos worlds would reduce both human casualties and military expenditures.

Why wouldn't they do it?

The Department of Military Affairs soon accepted the Minister of Economy's proposal, or rather, the new plan submitted by the Department of State Affairs. It once again increased the scale of the Imperium's military expansion.

The proposal did not conflict with their strategic objectives and would provide even greater support for the coming total war.

Once the Imperial Court and the Department of Military Affairs completed the relevant plans, the Ministry of Propaganda sprang into action.

They would ensure that every citizen of the Imperium understood that war had arrived, and that all humanity stood united.

...

Hummm.

Every minute, tens or even hundreds of billions of messages poured from the core of the Imperial Court's psychic network.

An endless tide of information surged toward every segmentum, sector, and civilized world within the Imperium.

These were the Imperial Court's countless notices and commands. The Imperium's propaganda machine had begun operating at full capacity.

The Imperial Court's most important media outlets were the first to publish the news.

Accompanied by sacred hymns, a message appeared on the front pages of every citizen's dataslate and communicator:

Supreme Edict.

The entire Imperium has entered a state of total war. Humanity hereby declares war upon the Necron xenos!

There was no embellishment. The announcement merely stated a simple fact.

Yet everyone could feel its gravity.

The fewer the words, the greater the matter behind them.

Anyone who read the message understood that both the Imperium and their own lives were about to undergo tremendous changes.

After the announcement was released, the entire Imperium and countless regions across the galaxy fell briefly silent.

Then humanity erupted.

If one could look down upon the vast galaxy, one would see countless people cheering, shouting, and proclaiming their devotion to the Savior.

Their voices intertwined into an immense, surging tide.

Humanity did not fear war, especially war against xenos.

The news reports released during this period had shown the people just how grave a threat the Necrons posed to humanity.

They mutilated human souls and sought to exterminate the entire human race!

More media outlets and propaganda systems soon joined the campaign.

Along the central avenues of colossal towers, urban districts, and hive cities, enormous hololithic projections repeatedly explained the Necron threat and the importance of the coming war:

Citizens!

Workers!

Sons and daughters who defend our homes!

The slumbering Necrons have awakened. Cold, living-metal xenos now trample upon our soil.

They plunder our homes and seek to bury human civilization forever.

This is not a crisis confined to a single world. It is a trial of life and death faced by all humanity...

banners were also replaced. They now displayed crossed-out images of Necrons, with enormous red Xs stamped across their hideous, living-metal faces.

Several major food conglomerates that had prepared in advance immediately released food packaging based on an "Oppose the Necrons" theme.

The packages displayed various images of Necrons being beaten down or collapsing in humiliating defeat, all to complement the atmosphere of total war.

Crispy Energy Bar, Imperial War Reserve Edition: Recharge with one bite and face the endless tide of Necron reanimation! Choose organic flesh, and never become fuel for the Necrons!

Bug-Meat Ration Tin, Hold-the-Line Edition: Sealed for freshness and protected from Necron corruption! With a ration tin in hand, you can hold the defensive line!

There were also Frontline Quick-Supply Instant Noodles, Tomb-Purification Energy Drinks, and countless similar products.

All of them proved popular among the citizens of the Imperium.

Whenever someone purchased one of these specially themed products, they even received a message from the Imperial Court's Ministry of Economy thanking them for their contribution to the Imperial economy.

After all, these themed products were considerably more expensive than the standard versions, which meant they generated more tax revenue.

The Imperium's taxation methods had become far more diverse and humane. It no longer needed to dispatch fleets of Black Ships to collect tithes by force, as the old Imperium had done.

The economies of every segmentum, sector, and planet had been fully integrated into the Imperium's economic system. The taxation departments no longer needed to send fleets roaming across the galaxy.

Rogue Traders, major conglomerates, private enterprises, and countless Imperial citizens all continued contributing to the Imperial economy simply by working and living their lives.

The Imperial Court had developed a new taxation system, allowing tax officials to handle all relevant matters directly through the psychic net.

It was quick and convenient.

Naturally, if anyone had problems with their taxes or refused to pay them, the Inquisitors responsible for taxation would still come down on them with overwhelming force.

That was one matter on which there could be no compromise.

With the propaganda campaign underway, Imperial citizens began seeing wartime slogans everywhere, along with countless programs analyzing the Necrons and the Imperium's present circumstances.

"Children, this is humanity's most hateful enemy. Do you know what kind of xenos they are?"

"Neckwons!"

The children in the classroom were extremely confident. They raised their little hands and shouted excitedly through the gaps where their front teeth had fallen out.

Even the Loyalist Academies had been affected. Their teachers had added new lessons about the Necrons.

These included nursery rhymes about resisting the Necrons, small theatrical performances depicting humanity's triumph over them, and similar activities.

The children loved these new lessons.

As far as they were concerned, anything that added more games and activities to their day was wonderful.

The older students at the Loyalist Academies, however, were considerably less enthusiastic.

"Students, I will emphasize this once again. You must study all this new information and intelligence concerning the Necron xenos in depth."

Inside a classroom at the School of Administration, the female teacher's electronic eyepiece flashed as she swept a stern gaze across her students.

She pointed at the hololithic projection behind her. Her voice passed through a vocal modulator, emerging with a sharp crackle of electrical static.

"You shouldn't merely understand it. You had better memorize every last detail!"

"The Imperium has declared total war against the Necron xenos. That means this subject will be a major focus of this year's advanced examinations.

"It will be on the exam!"

"With decades of teaching experience behind me, I can guarantee that the Necrons will appear as a frequently tested essay topic.

"You won't merely be tested on the historical timeline. You'll also need to analyze each side's strategic advantages and disadvantages, possible countermeasures, the legal basis for His Majesty the great Savior's declaration of war, the organizational structures of both civilizations, and the fundamental nature of their conflict."

"Many of you know only about the raid on Sanctuary 101 in the Vidar Sector in 897.M41.

"Yes, according to official Imperial records, that was humanity's first confirmed encounter with the Necrons. The Adepta Sororitas paid a tremendous price in that battle.

"However, humanity's true contact with the Necron xenos began even earlier. In 666.M40, for example, an Imperial fleet encountered what appeared to be a Necron tomb fleet conducting a 'harvest' operation in the Yuctan System near the Eastern Fringe. Only a single destroyer survived.

"Due to the incomplete nature of the surviving information, the Imperium did not confirm the incident as evidence of a new xenos threat.

"There are also scattered records from the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy indicating that Imperial Explorator fleets encountered anomalous metallic constructs or dormant tomb complexes. None of those encounters triggered a large-scale awakening, however, and the entities involved were never classified as an independent xenos threat..."

"In short, you must write down every key point I've identified, and merely recording them won't be enough.

"You must thoroughly understand the three underlying layers of logic. Otherwise, you'll lose marks whenever you encounter a comprehension question!"

"Stop looking so miserable. You have it easier than anyone else.

"The Forge Academy and the War Academy have both added entirely new subjects because of this war.

"The Economics Academy has even introduced a new statistics examination requiring students to calculate the Imperium's current reserves of war materiel. So many students have fainted that they've had to carry them out in batches.

"If your usual teacher hadn't been seriously injured by an intelligent machine, I wouldn't have agreed to substitute for this class.

"After class, every one of you will write an analytical report on the history, power structure, and organizational hierarchy of the Necron xenos.

"This isn't difficult. Savior preserve me, you are the worst class I have ever taught.

"And there isn't even a close second!"

The woman had previously taught an elite class. Now serving as the ordinary class's substitute homeroom teacher, she regarded the students with an oppressive stare.

In her opinion, the students in an ordinary class were significantly less intelligent. If these had been her elite students, she would not have needed to explain any of this.

Those elite students would have familiarized themselves with the Necrons before class even began, and they would already be writing professional research papers.

Some exceptionally gifted students might even advance to the higher academy ahead of schedule before applying for internships within the Department of State Affairs.

"Damn Necron xenos! You bastards deserve to die!"

Faced with the vast quantity of newly added information and intelligence data, the intermediate students gritted their teeth so hard they nearly cracked.

This year's advanced examinations were unquestionably going to be much more difficult.

They directed all the fury born from their teacher's criticism and their endless practice questions at the Necrons.

Nor were these students alone.

Most students across the Imperium were cursing the Necrons over the same issue. They wanted nothing more than to grab meltaguns and blast those damned xenos themselves!

The declaration of total war affected more than the Imperial military. It affected every citizen of the Imperium.

New policies and regulations emerged one after another, influencing every aspect of civilian life.

Older Imperial citizens did not react too strongly. Most had already experienced one or even two periods of total war.

Many were even delighted and invigorated by the news.

After every previous total war, the Imperium had taken another great leap forward, and the people's lives had improved.

Naturally, all of that depended upon the Imperium achieving another overwhelming victory.

Everyone knew what devastation and loss humanity would suffer if it lost a total war.

No one could remain untouched.

For certain planets, however, the Supreme Decree and the declaration of total war were nothing short of disastrous news.

This was particularly true for frontier systems near the Pariah Nexus.

Korosan.

The impoverished civilized world was thrown into turmoil as soon as it received the announcement.

Its people were deeply dissatisfied. Their disappointment was so crushing that they looked as though they had suffered a death in the family.

"What?!"

Kent, a worker who had been celebrating only moments earlier, received the planetary governor's public announcement. His face immediately fell, turning faintly pale.

He pushed open the door to his cramped home and looked at his waiting wife. His body visibly sagged, and he could barely remain standing.

The news had struck him that hard.

"What happened?" his wife asked anxiously, cradling their still-sleeping child.

"Darling, the new notice says the evacuation plan has been canceled. I'm afraid we won't get the chance to move to the Segmentum Solar."

Kent's voice was hoarse.

According to the Imperium's original plan, their planet, which lay close to the Pariah Nexus, would soon undergo a complete evacuation. Its population would then be resettled in the Segmentum Solar.

The central segmentum itself!

For Imperial citizens living in a frontier system, especially ordinary workers like Kent, this was a once-in-a-lifetime relocation opportunity.

The government was relocating his very own home!

It meant that frontier citizens like Kent could move directly from the distant fringes of the Imperium to one of the galaxy's most prosperous regions, where they would receive both housing and employment.

From that moment onward, even their children and grandchildren would be registered residents of the Segmentum Solar!

Better yet, they might be resettled in the wealthy Corona System and given jobs in one of its major conglomerates.

The prosperous central regions offered more employment opportunities and a far more comprehensive education system. They would finally have the chance to live better lives.

It was a fortune dropped from the heavens, a chance to transform the destiny of their entire family.

Yet with the Necron xenos advancing step by step and the Imperium entering total war, the planet had been informed that evacuation was no longer necessary.

An Imperial Navy fleet would arrive within days and establish defensive lines beyond the system to protect the security of Imperial territory.

The fleet would shield them from the xenos threat, which meant they no longer had to leave their homeworld.

In short, the good news was that the Imperial military was coming. They would no longer need to fear the destruction of their home at the hands of the xenos.

The bad news was that their planet was now completely safe, so the evacuation and resettlement plan had fallen apart.

They were not going anywhere.

Kent could almost see his coveted residency in the Segmentum Solar, shining brightly as it drifted farther and farther beyond his reach.

"Damn Necron xenos!"

Kent wanted to cry, but no tears would come.

He had no doubt whatsoever that the Imperial fleet could protect the system and safeguard every Imperial citizen living there.

But they genuinely wanted to leave this impoverished backwater and move to the Segmentum Solar, where they could work for one of the great conglomerates!

(End of Chapter)

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