Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 837

Chapter 832, Join Me in Sparkling Fire

“Lord Taishi, we couldn’t find Siflaig, he has run away.”

After hearing the report, the commander of the Spear of the Dragon King, Taishi Chen, turned around and was a little surprised.

Next to him, his Fourth Captain, Ricardo Lazio, crossed his arms and said, “That traitor ran fast.”

Taishichen waved his hand, “It’s hard to call him a traitor since he hasn’t been tried yet.”

“He had a call-up order but didn’t show up. What’s wrong with calling him a traitor? Furthermore, he actively spread the Void Parasite to the remaining Imperial worlds, directly leading to the deaths of billions of people on several worlds!”

Hearing this, Taishichen nodded slightly. “That’s not wrong. Communicate this demand to the entire territory: In the name of the Darkside Expeditionary Command, strip Siplegg of his status as Inquisitor and issue a Red Notice throughout the Empire. He’s guilty of disobeying military orders. Capture him and bring him to trial. Amberon, you handle this.”

The man named Amberon was the one who had come to announce Siplegg’s escape.

He came from the Alliance’s military intelligence department and had arrived before the main force of the Alliance’s western front entered the Forward Space Domain.

His mission was to gather as much military intelligence as possible, liaise with local forces, and win their support for the Alliance before launching a full-scale operation to reclaim the Forward Space. Ideally, they would refuse resistance and submit to the Dark Side Control Council when the Dark Side Expedition arrived.

Even if widespread submission wasn’t possible, he could at least ascertain the attitudes and inclinations of many local forces. He knew where stubborn opposition was, and they would be decisively crushed. He knew where the fence-sitters were, and if they were defeated, they would naturally come over. He knew where the pro-Alliance factions were, and with a little help, they could easily take over the planet. He also knew where Chaos or alien influence was severe, requiring full support.

This intelligence was essential to gather before the Dark Side Expedition officially entered the Forward Space; it would greatly reduce the difficulty of the expedition.

It was during this intelligence gathering process that he discovered the problem with Omgeria.

On the one hand, he managed to cultivate connections among Sipleg’s subordinates, persuading him to abandon his “clever” plan, emphasizing that the Alliance was imminent and that even if the orcs escaped, Alliance forces would be there to stop them. On the other hand, he quickly reported the situation, hoping that the Alliance troops would arrive as soon as possible to resolve the crisis. He achieved

both goals, one lost and one gained.

The intelligence he sent back even gained the attention of Gu Hang. Under Gu Hang’s orders, the Western Expeditionary Force, despite being unprepared, dispatched a unit into the Forward Space Domain to specifically address the fighting in the Ohmgeria Sector.

The commander in charge of this mission was none other than Tai Shichen, Chapter Master of the Dragon King’s Spears.

The entire Dragon King’s Spears, accompanied by several army groups and Alliance fleets, entered the Forward Space Domain and arrived in the Moon-Watching Sector, just off the Ohmgeria Sector.

Upon arriving on the first day of the new year and understanding the current events in Omgeria, Taishichen realized that the situation there was beyond the reach of his own forces.

Whether it was the Zerg or the Orks, the assembled armies of either side were simply too vast for his forces to withstand. Rashly entering Omgeria and engaging in the conflict would be suicidal.

Fortunately, his superiors, the Darkside Expeditionary Command, had not issued any particularly difficult orders.

After conferring with his captains, the Chapter’s senior officers, and the expeditionary force’s naval and land forces, they reached a unanimous decision: in the area surrounding Omgeria, the current expeditionary force could only adopt a defensive stance. Containing the situation within the sector and preventing it from spilling over was already the best they could do; an offensive offensive was out of the question.

To proactively intervene within Omgeria would require at least one-third of the entire Western Expeditionary Force,

but this was strongly discouraged.

With only this level of force, they can only establish a foothold within Omgiria, turning the conflict between the two factions into a three-way melee. For humanity, if they cannot quickly and thoroughly quell the alien infestation within the star system, rashly engaging in a chaotic conflict is pointless and will only result in wasted lives.

The best strategy now is to assemble over 70% of the Western Expeditionary Force and fully prepare for war, charging into the Omgiria star system and inflicting a devastating blow to both the Greenskin Orks and the Zerg. Slaying the inevitable Zerg Queen and the Ork High Chieftain is crucial to a successful campaign. Once this is accomplished, they must swiftly sweep through the region, swiftly annihilating the aliens within, and rapidly reducing their numbers.

Regarding the Greenskin Orks, the goal is to prevent further infighting among the Orks to establish a new Chieftain.

Regarding the Zerg, the goal is to prevent new tentacle fleets from arriving and taking over their former power. The Zerg currently congregating in Omgiria is too numerous, and there’s too much food. Before the Zerg’s hive mind network devours this place, it will consider it a formidable challenge, but also a place of abundant food. Combined with these two factors, the Zerg will likely deploy ever-larger tentacle fleets for relentless attacks.

This means a “Void Black Hole” could form in Omgeria.

The natural solution to this Void Black Hole is to quickly create a dead zone, depriving the Zerg of food and preventing them from returning. Even if they return, they will face a hungry Zerg after a long voyage. Void Zerg are the easiest to deal with when they are hungry.

They are not ordinary “beasts.” They are insatiable. A full stomach doesn’t diminish their appetite, nor does it stop them. They will only swell in numbers, wreaking havoc on even more areas.

Until the expeditionary force is fully prepared for war, their best bet is to watch the Zerg and the Orks clash.

While the crease could potentially cause both sides to spiral stronger amidst the brutal conflict, now that it had become a reality, humanity had missed the opportunity to resolve the issue at the most opportune moment. No matter how unwilling they were, they could only watch helplessly from the sidelines.

Of course, they weren’t simply sitting back and watching.

There were eleven astral passages from the Omgeria Sector to the outside world. Sealing these tunnels, allowing the two to fight each other internally and preventing the conflict from spreading outward, was humanity’s job.

In reality, this had become a very real threat.

Whether it was the Orks or the Zerg, if I couldn’t defeat the other, could I not defeat you?

They both had ample motivation to expand outward.

The Zerg could eliminate human worlds, where resistance was much weaker than that of the Orks, to obtain more biomass, which they could then use in their war against the Orks.

The Orks could also plunder human technology and transform it into their own war machines. Furthermore, conquered planets could be used to “grow mushrooms,” giving rise to even more Orks.

This wasn’t even a concern; it was a reality.

Each of the eleven exits from the Ohmgeria Sector to the outside world had been attacked to varying degrees.

“We must block these eleven exits,” Taishichen declared at the military meeting. “We must create an impenetrable line of defense!”

…

Talk is one thing, action is another.

The Alliance forces accompanying Taishichen and his regiment were still too few in number.

While they were elite and exceptionally powerful, the eleven interstellar tunnels and eleven exits almost completely circled the Ohmgeria Sector. Even a warship would take three or four months to complete a full circuit. Relying solely on the Alliance forces, divided into groups, to guard them, the system would inevitably be full of loopholes, vulnerable to a single attack.

What if the available forces were insufficient?

Consequently, the indigenous forces of the surrounding star systems must be mobilized.

The situation in the Forward Sector was slightly different from that of Magre, captured by the Dark Side Expedition. Perhaps because the Forward Sector was further from the Scarlet Scar, the islanding was present, but to a more manageable degree.

Many Imperial factions, in the process of outward exploration, spontaneously formed small alliances. A dozen or even dozens of worlds gathered together, forming a power.

Navigation and communication remained difficult, but not completely isolated.

And within the periphery of the Ohmgeria star field, the most important world was called Steel Forge.

It was a forge world controlled by an orthodox Martian sect.

A meeting took place within the domed chamber of Steel Forge’s forge world.

Steel Forge was a mere four star jumps away from Exit Seven and was the world most vulnerable to the Greenskins.

A Greenskin fleet, seeking to extract revenue, had already approached Steel Forge, posing an imminent threat.

Twenty-seven holographic flags slowly rotated above the circular conference table. The mechanical eye of Wang Kerong, Forge General of the Steel Flame Furnace, scanned the assembled representatives. The gold ribbons of the planetary governors clashed with the bone medallions of the mercenary leaders, creating a subtle hostility. The jewel-encrusted datapads of the Rogue Traders vied for illumination with the reliquary on the chest of the Ecclesiarch.

He sighed softly inwardly.

Unity?

As a region so close to Omgeria, he certainly desired unity. As the leader of the Forge World, he held considerable prestige in the surrounding star systems before the Cataclysm. He had tried many times to rally the people and change the situation,

but to no avail.

He could only watch the situation deteriorate day by day until that bastard, Sipleg, stepped forward.

But who could he blame?

He had supported Sipleg’s actions.

Despite warnings that Sipleg’s plan was merely a temporary solution, he allowed it anyway. He had been thinking of a last-ditch effort, believing that when no one else had, letting Sipleg try was better than doing nothing.

And then… that guy, in his car, already not far from the Abyss, slammed the accelerator, dragging the Steel Flame Furnace into the abyss as well.

He admitted that he had made some mistakes, trusting that bastard. He wanted to capture that fraudulent Inquisitor and tear him to pieces.

But before that, he had to protect his Forge World.

The Alliance’s arrival gave him new hope.

Back then, he had also received the so-called “Letter to Fellow Compatriots in Disaster,” but honestly, he had dismissed it as nothing more than the tyrant’s wild talk. But now, he was eager for the Alliance to arrive.

However, upon learning that Taishichen’s troops were only “that small,” he was somewhat disappointed.

But it wasn’t so bad, at least they could hold it, right? If they couldn’t hold all eleven exits, they could help secure Exit Seven, where he was.

But Taishichen actually wanted to unite the numerous forces from the surrounding star regions?

That was a bit far-fetched!

If they could unite, what would Sipleg even be worth?

Wang Kerong felt annoyed watching the people at the conference hall with their ulterior motives.

He said nothing, letting the venue become noisy, thinking about how he would talk to Taishichen later.

After the idea of uniting together to build an unyielding line of defense failed, he had to think of some conditions to ensure that the so-called unyielding line of defense could be realized here at Exit 7 first.

Somewhere else?

To hell with them!

Just as he was thinking, he heard the heavy sound of power armor entering the conference hall.

Looking up, he saw the majestic Chapter Master, wearing Terminator power armor, walking into the conference hall.

Taishichen did not go to the main podium in the center, but walked straight through the crowd. The magnetic lock of the power boots made the prayer to the God of All Machines engraved on the floor sparkle.

“Three days ago, the Orks captured three agricultural worlds in the Eagle sector.” His voice, modulated by a voice changer in his throat, carried the metallic resonance of a Space Marine. “Those planets’ orbital defense platforms should have held out for three months, but the Ork junk fleet rammed the void shield generators—you should have all received the footage from the refugee ship.”

A holographic projection unfolded in the center of the round table: an acid-melted orbital elevator plummeting to the surface like a dying python, spore bombs erupting in densely populated areas in dark green mushroom clouds, and hordes of Orks howling with excitement as they dismembered the golden statue of a planetary governor. The image finally froze on the junk fleet setting sail again, its next target still unknown.

One of Wang Kerong’s ruling bishops spoke up, “According to the Furnace of Steel Flame, the current defense system can only sustain two Terran moons at most.”

“That’s the result of your lack of unity!” Taishichen rapped his knuckles on the adamantine tabletop, knocking over a Rogue Trader’s wine glass. “If we activate all the furnace arrays and allow Komer to release their restricted Holy Crystal mining rights…”

“Impossible!” the Ecclesiarch roared, shaking the holy candles. “Those machines will defile the soil of the Holy Land!” As

the Chapter Master turned, the wind pressure from his cloak extinguished all the candles. In the darkness, only his eyepieces shone red as he stared fiercely at the Bishop of Komer’s Shrine World. “This is a mandate from the High Lord, and an order from me, the Emperor’s Angel of Death. Before leaving, I consulted with the Shimmering Inquisition. They consider anyone who refuses this order to be a heretic.”

When the lights returned, the hem of the Bishop’s robe was discovered to be covered in ice crystals.

Taishichen had already reached behind the Casting General, his power claws gently resting on his shoulder armor. “Sage Wang Kerong, what are your thoughts on this?”

A metallic scraping sound echoed from the Casting General’s throat. “If we can provide the Steel Flame Furnace with sufficient Holy Energy Crystals, we can improve Exit Seven…”

“Not just Exit Seven, but the entire Indomitable Line.”

Wang Kerong fell silent.

How much would that cost?

Just as he was debating whether to temporarily agree, to get through the immediate difficulties and then slowly deal with the rest, he suddenly saw Taishichen’s finger trace an arc on the holographic map:

“In addition, exclusive mining rights for this route for the next twenty years.”

The marked system happened to be the traditional territory of a merchant family, triggering a burst of muffled curses.

Wang Kerong fell silent.

He had coveted those places for decades, but the merchant families were not easy to deal with.

Mercenary Queen Tristan suddenly spoke up: “My girls need live ammunition! The laser rifles from various worlds can’t penetrate Zerg armor, and there’s no guarantee of killing the Greenskins!”

“The Steel Flame Furnace’s warehouses are stocked with high-energy crystals and Infernal heavy laser rifles. If that doesn’t work, the Alliance Army’s logistics warehouse has even better equipment.” Taishichen pulled up the inventory. “Trade the Greenskin leader’s head. One head for one container.”

“Deal!” The female mercenary leader licked the notch on her axe blade. “But I need to inspect the goods first.”

Alliance staff officers brought in documents and placed them at the tables.

Over the terms, arguments erupted again.

Even though the overall situation had been decided, everyone seemed to feel they had room for discussion on the details.

But at that moment, the Chapter Master suddenly tossed something into the air. It was an Greenskin skull immersed in embalming fluid, fragments of the Siphalag Inquisition’s insignia still lingering on its tusks. The power claws crushed it to pieces amidst the crowd’s screams. The splattering liquid burned the force field barrier, hissing white smoke.

“This idiot thinks he’s saving humanity,” Tai Shichen shook off the residue from his hands. “Now the entire Charon Sector ecosystem is contaminated by parasitic spores. Do you think those mutant vines will devour the slums first, or your private estates?”

The holographic projection switched to a real-time strategic map, showing the purple of the Zerg and the green of the Orks slowly encroaching on the sector’s borders. The Chapter Master activated a holographic transmitter hidden beneath each seat, suddenly transporting the attendees to the burning streets of a hive city. The virtual Ork warcry sent several civilian representatives reeling, and one planetary governor even pulled out a defensive laser pistol.

“The Indomitable Line requires three hundred missile platforms and forty-seven rapid-reaction fleets,” Taishichen’s voice cut through the virtual artillery fire. “The Steel Forge will provide the orbital defense network, Lady Tristan’s mercenaries will mop up the remaining enemies, and the Ecclesiarchy will provide public pacification—as for the cost…”

He paused, watching the merchant representatives instinctively clutch their wallets. “How about using your smuggling fleets, hidden in the shadows of the satellites, to cover the cost?”

By the time the last electronic agreement was completed, night had fallen on the Forge World outside the dome. Taishichen removed his helmet, revealing a scar running from his brow to his jaw—a memento of the Chaos Lord three years prior. This deliberately displayed moment of vulnerability left the bargaining representatives speechless.

“At this point, do you still feel safe behind these walls?” He stroked the cracks on the tabletop left by the axe. “Now… who’s willing to join me on the journey to Starfire?”

(End of Chapter)