/Verifying
/Clearance Level: Expeditionary Fleet Overwatch
/Authorization Granted
/Data Type: Report
//IDc0001342
[Beginning on the ninth of July, 741.M41, the Expeditionary Fleet departed from Baal. Since providing support to the first world on the tenth of September, the Expeditionary Fleet has reclaimed Imperial Planets along the eastern borders of the Segmentum Ultima that had suffered harassment, moving at an extraordinary pace. The eastern expedition in the Segmentum Ultima is now drawing to a close.]
[From 741.M41 to 743.M41, across 492 Imperial Planets—including thirteen Imperial Shrine Worlds, twelve Necromunda worlds, four Knight Worlds, and one Forge World—the Expeditionary Fleet has eradicated thirty-two types of Xenos and the invasion forces of multiple Chaos forces.]
[Simultaneously, during their advance, the Expeditionary Fleet has recovered twenty-two Lost Imperial Worlds. Lord Romulus individually tabulated their developmental value. Missionaries of the Ecclesiarchy and task forces from the Inquisition assessed these planets. Through comprehensive evaluation, only five possess the potential to be directly integrated into a Sector; the remainder require technical support from the Imperium to facilitate their development.]
[Currently, the Expeditionary Fleet is composed of a combined naval force including two Gloriana-class vessels, twenty-one battleships and battle barges, as well as numerous escort warships. Participants include thirteen Space Marine Chapters, with the Adeptus Mechanicus and Ecclesiarchy providing armed support. There are a total of two million Astra Militarum troops under its command. Furthermore, with the inclusion of Rogue Trader Dynasties, the Imperium can more conveniently secure the fruits of this expedition.]
Aboard The Dawnlight, Aglaia sat at her desk. The documents beside her were neatly organized, and her pen tip traced sharp letters as she frantically pushed through her mission report.
Faced with such a massive gathering of forces by the Expeditionary Fleet—a military power primarily composed of Black Templars—the Council of Terra, having endured two marches upon their capital, finally demonstrated an extraordinary level of swiftness.
Orders and warnings from various High Lords arrived like a flurry of snow, their words laced with profound anxiety and unease.
However, the Expeditionary Fleet turned a blind eye to these commands. After briefly heading to Bushilin Hive City for simple resupply and preparations, they advanced toward the Eastern Galaxy without a moment of hesitation.
Seeing this, and realizing that the fleet's destination was not Terra, the High Lords fell into a tacit silence, no longer wishing to provoke this formidable military force.
Moreover, this fleet certainly was not causing them headaches like Macarius had. He had reclaimed over a thousand virtually useless Imperial worlds, piling on an increased workload that remained unfinished even now.
The fleet's primary focus was eradicating Xenos and Chaos, acting as a massive cleansing sweep for all the Sectors along their path.
Naturally, they did not completely ignore the situation. Instead, they quietly dispatched representatives to act as their eyes and ears, attempting to monitor the fleet's movements.
However, the Expeditionary Fleet struck far too quickly.
By the time the representatives of the High Lords of Terra had just arrived at Baal, still reeling in shock at its revitalized state, the Expeditionary Fleet had already swept across the Galaxy like a thunderbolt, bearing down on Tigrus over twenty thousand light-years away.
Consequently, the task of reporting back to Terra ultimately fell upon the shoulders of Inquisitor Aglaia, who had been traveling with the fleet all along. She was the only one capable of obtaining firsthand intelligence.
Her "excellent handling" of Pierre had earned Aglaia high praise from Terra. A subsequent series of evidence proved that her words held true, making her reports the sole reliable source for the High Lords of Terra to understand the Expeditionary Fleet's movements.
'The Archmagos moves incredibly fast.'
Aglaia recalled the reports sent by her colleagues, a bead of cold sweat seeping from her temple.
She gently wiped it away, unable to stop a wave of cold dread from washing over her heart.
It only took a few years for a Planet to vanish without a trace. If a lonely, unsupported little Inquisitor like her were to truly go missing, she would likely be nothing more than an insignificant speck of dust in the Galaxy.
[As of the eighth of June, 743, the Expeditionary Fleet has docked at a massive commercial port under the Hendaris Rogue Trader Dynasty to recuperate. Preparations are underway to travel to the final destination of the eastern expedition, the Forge World of Tigrus, for final reinforcements, before ultimately advancing toward Macragge.]
[Signed: Inquisitor of the Source Tracing Conclave - Aglaia Hesikioed.]
Clack.
'Perfect.'
With the final stroke, the ink—mixed with the blood of a saint—ran out perfectly, leaving just the right amount of fading at the end of the signature.
'Done for the day!'
Aglaia cheerfully stretched her back and handed the document to the shadows beside her.
As if coming to life, the shadows extended an invisible hand to swallow the document before sinking back into silence.
Aglaia could not help but feel an eerie chill.
Heaven only knew when the assassins of the Officio Assassinorum had crept up right beside her.
Sometimes she genuinely felt that this Galaxy was far too dangerous.
Aglaia thought to herself.
She felt the safest period of her life was probably back in the Terra Vaults, where she would simultaneously set traps for her colleagues and carefully plan her daily routes to prevent sudden death.
At least back then, she felt her destiny was in her own hands.
Knock-knock-knock.
The sound of knocking from outside the door pulled Aglaia's thoughts back to reality.
"Come in."
Glancing back at the shadows once more, Aglaia unlocked the door.
It was Arthur.
Arthur did not enter the room. He simply stood at the doorway, his gaze resting at his side for a moment before he spoke.
"Multiple Rogue Trader Dynasties are currently meeting with Romulus. The reception ceremony has now entered its final stages."
Which meant that everything important had already been discussed, and it was now time for corporate bootlicking.
"I will head over right now."
Aglaia's eyes lit up. She nodded, suddenly feeling exceptionally relieved.
Although living day by day in precarious uncertainty was stressful, following the Ancient Warriors was genuinely quite easy. Aside from their unorthodox method of incinerating Daemons—a practice that drove the Ecclesiarchy and the vast majority of the Adeptus Astartes up the wall—these Ancient Warriors had never thrown any bizarre tasks her way.
On the contrary, the detailed documents provided by these lords allowed her to rapidly coordinate with all parties after every mission, effortlessly drafting a report acceptable to both the High Lords and the Expeditionary Fleet.
Walking along the newly modified, immaculately smooth corridors of The Dawnlight, Aglaia considered the best trait of these lords to be their excellent communication skills and their refusal to cause unnecessary trouble for others.
Most of the time, it was not as though an Inquisitor could not turn a blind eye to a situation. In reality, they were human too, with their own needs and desires—provided you hid the matter well enough to keep the Inquisitor in the dark.
Just like those mysterious Chapters.
"My Lord!"
At an intersection, a warrior clad in white-gold armor saluted Arthur.
"Greetings."
The knight gave a polite nod and led the Inquisitor through the security checkpoint.
The Platinum Oathkeepers—a successor Chapter of the Ultramarines and a fleet-based Chapter. Their last contact with the Imperium was over two hundred and sixty years ago.
Aglaia truly had no idea how this Chapter—which had most likely been wiped out by an invasion of mechanical Xenos—managed to show up at their doorstep with a standard Codex Compliant Chapter fleet. Not only did they readily accept the Primaris Space Marine augmentation surgeries, but their conduct was drastically different from the vast majority of Space Marine Chapters in the modern Imperium.
The most typical disparities were their distinct lack of religious fervor, their surprisingly humane nature, and the fact that their Fleet Adeptus Mechanicus aesthetic was practically overflowing.
Walking along the red carpet, Aglaia noticed the unfamiliar Space Marines conversing with the veteran brothers of various Chapters.
The numbers just kept growing.
It was honestly quite comical.
Aglaia's mouth twitched.
According to the Imperium's current expedition model, forces would first consolidate resources, plan their routes, and then launch the expedition, followed by an endless stream of reinforcements depending on whether Warp travel decided to cooperate.
Usually, the vanguard units that charged the fastest suffered outrageously steep declines in numbers.
But the Expeditionary Fleet was exceedingly bizarre.
Not only was their Warp travel completely issue-free, but their combat casualties were also astonishingly low. Though credit still belonged to Lord Romulus—he and the brain trust formed by Draxus and the other Invincible Iron Guard shouldered the fleet's command while still finding the time to restore order to war-torn Planets and completely reorganize the garrisoned troops along the way.
The result of fighting this way was that the fleet actually grew in numbers the more they fought, while the liberated Planets left in their wake were perfectly equipped to handle any short-term threats that followed.
The vast majority of the members within those Chapters seemed as though they had just been introduced to this Galaxy, much like Lord Romulus and the others were in the beginning. However, compared to the Elders, these warriors behaved more like students, eagerly absorbing the combat experience of the hardened soldiers forged by the desperate era of the 41st Millennium.
And there were three more Chapters just like the Platinum Oathkeepers within the Expeditionary Fleet.
Equally absent for long periods, practically declared wiped out and archived, only to pop back into existence boasting the exact structure of a standard Codex Compliant Chapter.
As for where they came from—
Taking a seat by the side of the banquet hall, Aglaia began to fulfill her duty of observing Romulus and the Rogue Traders.
She did not know, nor did she dare to ask.
The Hendaris Trade Port.
This was a colossal military harbor left over from the Golden Age of Technology, serving as one of the core hubs for the Hendaris Rogue Trader Dynasty. Built upon the foundation of several stray asteroids, it stretched for over a thousand kilometers.
In the grand hall connected to the spaceport, Romulus was conversing with the Rogue Traders and familial representatives who had rushed over from all directions.
This faction—granted Trade Warrants signed by the High Lords, Primarchs, or even The Emperor himself—was one of the very few groups in this rigid and decaying Imperium that still embodied the spirit of frontier exploration.
Although the borders of the Imperium of Man nearly encompassed the entire Galaxy, the vast majority of it remained unexplored and undeveloped. Coupled with various Xenos and the infinite wealth and resources scattered across the stars, it became absolutely vital to have a class of people who could operate freely and discard dogmatic traditions when necessary.
They were the Rogue Traders, the ultimate Nobles among the elite of the Imperium.
"On behalf of the Expeditionary Fleet, I thank the various dynasties for your support."
From the seat of honor in the banquet hall, Romulus expressed his gratitude to the Dynasty Lord of Hendaris.
"We must thank you as well. Had your expedition not driven out the Xenos and Chaos, the trade routes of the Imperium would have suffered an unimaginable blow."
The Rogue Trader lowered his posture as much as possible, holding a glass of golden dry wine produced in Quatis. His gaze kept wandering, assessing the invited Military officers milling about the tiered decks.
Military officers, Nobles, the Adeptus Astartes, and others were strictly separated into different resting zones. This was to prevent the drastic differences in status from hindering the recovery of troop morale.
Prolonged deep-space voyages always left people utterly exhausted, yet he saw absolutely no trace of fatigue on these Crew members.
From the Adeptus Astartes to the Astra Militarum, from the ship captains to the foremen of the lower decks, he could feel an overwhelmingly fierce confidence emanating from every single one of them.
This was the natural result of long-term victories trickling down to empower every stratum of their forces.
"I truly look forward to seeing what your next voyage will look like."
The Rogue Trader rubbed his ring, looking at Romulus.
"Indeed."
Romulus gave a slight nod, maintaining his placid demeanor.
The first to answer the call of the Expeditionary Fleet had not been the various Space Marine Chapters scattered across the stars, nor the Astra Militarum deployed by the Departmento Munitorum, nor even the Imperial Navy fleets patrolling the void. Instead, it was these remarkably well-informed Rogue Traders.
The four Transmigrators had thoroughly analyzed Macarius's Great Crusade. As the most recent massive expedition assembled by Imperial forces, it possessed considerable reference value.
Despite its unimaginably glorious achievements on paper, its actual benefits for the Imperium were entirely negative. The Imperium simply could not establish effective governance over the reclaimed Planets, instead being forced to divert massive amounts of military power just to quell rebellions and maintain Imperial control.
Everyone was acutely aware that what the current Imperium lacked was not territory, but control over its various regions. If this were a grand strategy game, the "Over-expansion" penalty would have already triggered a total collapse.
Therefore, Romulus shifted the core focus of his expedition toward liberating and reorganizing the Imperial worlds that had suffered incursions.
First, they used overwhelming Combat Power to swiftly resolve the crisis on a Planet.
Then, they analyzed the local situation and retained stationed garrisons. Relying on the Transmigrators' informational advantage to map out optimal warp routes, they utilized the Expeditionary Fleet as a highly mobile strike force to constantly redistribute the Fighting Force across different star systems.
The result of fighting this way was that the fleet actually grew in numbers the more they fought, while the liberated Planets left in their wake were perfectly equipped to handle any short-term threats that followed.
Although there were instances where a world fell the moment the fleet turned its back, they had still managed to preserve humanity's Planets to the absolute maximum extent possible.
Moreover, the ultimate outcome of such meticulous operations was the creation of a sufficiently stable environment behind the vanguard.
Consequently, the Rogue Traders came flocking in like sharks smelling blood in the water.
Once the simple pleasantries concluded, Romulus stood up and led the Rogue Trader toward the high balcony before asking, "Mr. Hendaris, I wonder how much you know about the situation in the Optus System?"
Romulus's sharp intellect and low profile allowed the Rogue Trader to quietly breathe a sigh of relief.
Under normal circumstances, given the sheer power of his dynasty, he would not need to act so reserved. However, the composition of this Expeditionary Fleet was entirely too complex; they even had assassins from the Officio Assassinorum among their ranks.
His lips twitched. He glanced around to ensure the nearest person was at least ten meters away, then covered his mouth and whispered to Romulus:
"The Optus System is a G-type single-star system bearing significant traces of artificial intervention. Deep within the system lies only a single Relic Planet, Optus. Ten thousand years ago, it served as a weapon supply world for a specific model of the Imperium's Psychic Titans. It was abandoned after the Horus Heresy, and it is highly likely connected to Eldar Xenos."
"This system was reclaimed by the Iron Warriors. At the exact same time we intercepted their distress call to the Imperium, the local Planetary Governor also broadcasted a secret cipher from ten millennia ago."