Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 980

Chapter 971, Return Soon

Faced with two different reports from Holy Terra and Mars, who should Robert believe?

Of course, no one!

From the looks of it, something had definitely happened.

Without enough information to determine who was at fault, Robert decided to see for himself.

To protect himself and avoid being pitted against a problem on Mars, he led the fleet forward with extreme caution, maintaining formation and sending numerous reconnaissance ships outward.

Later, it was confirmed that the incident had indeed occurred on Holy Terra.

The forward reconnaissance ship saw a war raging on Holy Terra!

Robert monitored closely, demanding that every intelligence report from the front be relayed directly to him.

Based on this intelligence, Robert felt that the war on Holy Terra wasn’t an invasion by an “external” enemy, but rather an internal uprising.

But this was even stranger.

Holy Terra certainly has a massive population, well over a trillion people. The oceans have been drained, and densely packed hive cities have been built. Not only are living spaces cramped, but many areas are inevitably under-governed.

Riots are commonplace.

Not only since the Cataclysm, but even in the past, when things were better, things weren’t necessarily peaceful.

With such a large population, coupled with the Empire’s rampant corruption and inefficiency, some unrest is only natural.

However, unrest is both easy to break out and easy to suppress.

Forget the Imperial Guards, who are permanently stationed within the Imperial Palace. After all, these “nerds” won’t leave the house even in the most dire of circumstances.

Besides the Guards, the Golden Knights, one of the founding Chapters, are also permanently stationed on Holy Terra. They have a record of suppressing numerous uprisings.

Beyond them, the defenses on Holy Terra remain formidable.

The Solar Legion is the foremost of the Astra Militarum. Of these, over ten billion in number, a considerable portion were outside Holy Terra at the onset of the Cataclysm and will certainly not return. However, nearly half remain permanently stationed within Holy Terra.

They are the absolute main force in suppressing Holy Terra.

Besides them, the Ministry of Justice cannot be ignored. Holy Terra is the home base of the Ministry of Justice, and the police force here is no less well-equipped and well-trained than an elite military force. The difference lies in the police force’s emphasis on investigation, bomb suppression, urban warfare, and small-scale operations.

Perhaps, in a large-scale field operation, the Ministry of Justice is no match for the military, given their different equipment and training, and the different scenarios they face. However, they are clearly more specialized for suppressing riots in urban environments.

The Ministry of Justice’s police force on Holy Terra is no less numerous than the Solar Expeditionary Force.

In addition to the basic police force, the Ministry of Justice also boasts a large number of elite officers. Power armor and Terminator armor—of course, force-feedback versions, wearable by mortals—are also available.

Besides the two main forces, the Solar Legion and the Arbites, there are also forces like the Inquisition and the Court of Assassins…

Holy Terra is teeming with capable individuals capable of tackling unrest.

Throughout its history, Holy Terra has experienced virtually no successful uprisings.

But what if they weren’t simple uprisings?

Within the Sol System, amidst the turbulent waves of the Warp, it’s perfectly normal for deep Chaos corruption to develop.

In fact, even before the Age of Cataclysm, Chaos corruption was always present among the impoverished populations of the Lower Hives on Holy Terra.

However, beneath the Crimson Scar, it must have been exacerbated.

Of course, unrest caused solely by the added Chaos corruption isn’t a formidable threat.

But what if the very defenses supposedly responsible for suppressing unrest are also corrupted?

Astra Militarum generals, police bureaucrats… these have all happened before.

So far, it’s still not particularly alarming.

After all, Chaos corruption has always been the core threat facing the Imperium of Man. The Ecclesiarchy, the Mechanicus, the Inquisition, the Arbitral Tribunal… they all have a series of rigorous mechanisms to monitor and control various aspects of the situation.

But what if the corruption is even more profound? What if even these institutions are corrupted?

If it reaches this point, it’s hard to say.

And then there’s the terrifying reality: even without Chaos corruption, are humans truly a flawless race?

In these chaotic times, even without Chaos corruption, the planet’s powerful and influential individuals undoubtedly harbor hidden agendas.

And then, spurred on by Chaos corruption and whispers from the Warp…

“Huh…” Robert let out a long sigh of relief.

Now, no matter how complex or difficult the situation on Holy Terra became, he had to face it.

That was something he had mentally prepared for.

Otherwise, why would he have come alone? Why bring a massive Terran Expeditionary Force?

…

When the Terran Expeditionary Force arrived near Holy Terra, he didn’t even need to initiate contact with the surface; the transmission from the surface arrived first.

However, it was a warning.

They still didn’t recognize Robert’s identity.

Entirely expected.

Whether they were truly cautious and didn’t believe in the Son of God’s resurrection, or if they did believe but for various reasons, particularly because they didn’t want the Son of God to return to his throne and seize power, they might have done so.

Robert responded with a stern letter, emphasizing his identity and legitimacy. In the name of the Imperial Regent, he demanded that all political and military forces on Holy Terra, if they remained loyal, obey his orders.

Here, he didn’t fall into the trap of identity verification. If he

had truly relied on the people on the surface to verify his identity, no matter how genuine his credentials were, they would have countless means to drag out the process in the name of procedural justice.

Instead, he had to seize the initiative.

And where did his initiative lie?

There were two crucial aspects.

First, his identity.

Before he fell asleep, besides being the Son of God and Lord of the Legions, he held another, particularly important and undeniable identity: the Imperial Regent.

The very title spoke volumes about the weight of this position.

He was the undisputed supreme and legitimate ruler of the Imperial government, even a dictator.

As long as the Emperor has not returned, he is the master of the Empire.

And this identity has never been deprived until he was seriously injured and fell into a deep sleep.

It is normal. Who can deprive him of it? What’s more, why bother with eleven ancient mythological figures who are already asleep and can’t wake up?

Now, this legal identity is here, and it is the greatest source of legitimacy for him to rule the entire empire.

As for the second source of his initiative, it is the large-scale expeditionary force he leads, which has been restored to its peak after being replenished by the Alliance.

He is determined to make good use of his advantages.

The order he issued to Holy Terra was not just for a single government. At the same time, he also activated a secret channel and sent a letter with different wording to each key force on Holy Terra, including the Imperial Guard, asking them to support him.

In addition, he drove his army into the lunar orbit.

(End of this chapter)