"You have brought 3 million Blanks, father?"" Patrocles asked with a hesitant voice, almost in disbelief.
"And enough equipment and gene crucibles to create 1 million Blank Prmaris Astartes. Plus a decent size Auxilia for them. Like 4 million Armed Sentinels and some tanks." I answered in a calm voice. Fewer Dreadknight suits, and more Terminator armors, but auramite and Blackstone would give them similar protection to the Invictus Dreadknights used in the Fringe.
"Still the same distribution pattern, then? 4000 Sentinels per regiment. 1000 Astartes Chapters and 1000 Auxilia Regiments." Patrocles noted as we walked along the halls of the Lancefire Spire, now filled with Ion Sentinels and Merk-wa tanks.
"Only enough Blanks for officers and Sergeants, with the rest of the soldiers ranks filled with cloneskeins. I almost want to say it is not enough, but you must have worked hard to produce all of this." Patrocles spoke in a lamenting voice, as we reached the section filled with light power armor and personal weapons for officers and NCO.
"I'm not sure when I'll be back, if ever. There's an Old One still at large, most likely Qah . He is worshiped by the Hrud, and foretold to return and banish the C'tan forever, but like all Gods he wouldn't act directly. Manipulating events, creating conflict and sowing discord, that's how he works, weaving a Dark Pattern that would result in his victory." I answered while my left hand ruffled Canis, who closed his eyes in satisfaction.
"And yet, you have a plan. You always do." Patrocles deduced and hugged Purity to his side.
I grinned and stopped the exposition, and returned to my apartment in the upper Spire. The large windows showed me a Terra that had blue skies again, and even some liquid water in the deeper parts of the Pacificus plate. Still an ecumenopolis planet, with quadrillions of people living on it, and under the surface, but probably half of what it had before. No more genestealers and Chaos cults though, just the regular crime and misery of any human world.
Perhaps better standards of living than before, although with even more religious fervor and intolerance. The Starchild used the Imperial Faith to the maximum, and Saint Lorgar Aurelian was now spreading the Word legally, and to great effect.
Saint Fulgrim worked as a Chief Architect, constructing magnificent buildings and palaces that would put anything I built to shame, in beauty and perfection of craft, at least. I could build bigger, but I was not an artist. Thousands of tall spires and cathedral steeples pierced the sky into low orbit, where millions of supply ships brought food and other raw resources to the teeming masses of humanity. Terra had enough aluminum and iron in its crust to last a billion years, but it was not self-sufficient in food and consumables and probably never will.
"I will build a pair of planetary shields, and a Reality Ward. Consider it my last gift, to the cradle of humanity." I said gently, as the Starchild appeared next to me, his golden glow muted by the concentrated Blank aura of millions of Blanks settled on the Lancefire Spire.
"It's all doom and gloom with you, Lancefire. We will win, in the end. The xenos..." Starchild answered in a convinced voice, as I raised my hand.
"I will need 19 Sinister Titans, and 3000 Grey Knights, for Wolf Time. New Grey Knights, that won't be missed when they die." I demanded in a level voice, and drew a deep Breath to begin my work. I was not a genial architect like Fulgrim, but my Breath of Gods outmatched any Primarch or other Demigods.
The first Hex Shield flickered to life around Terra, then a single hexagonal section opened to allow further trade. I passed the STC data-slate to the Starchild, and began building another one, deep under my spire, beside the Reality Ward that consumed megatonnes of Blackstone and other rare elements.
By the time I had finished my work, the Starchild had returned to rest on his Golden Throne, while six Grey Knight Forts were moved in position to guard the new Lion Gate, high in orbit above Terra.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
"Your special guests have arrived, father. A maniple of Ordo Sinister Titans and three entire Grey Knights Chapters." Patrocles noted as the sacrifices waited at the base of my House Spire. My son will hold the control over the second Hexshield, just in case something happened. Terra was too important to fall.
I turned to find a Grey Knights' Prognosticator at the side of my tech-marine son, watching me with curious eyes. "How is Ordo Malleus these days, Prognosticator? Still led by the same corrupted Inquisitors?" I asked as I took out a bottle of Amasec to regain my strength.
"Dealing with daemons is always perilous, Lord Lancefire. But with the help of the God-Emperor, many of the corrupt were found and purged." the old Grey Knight answered with a cautious voice.
"You have your pick of Blanks from my spire now, Grey Knight. Your at-risk Inquisitors will train their Blank replacements here, then retire with honor. Better they visit the Golden Throne once in their life, than visit the Sun for the first and last time. Sorry to add to your burden, Patrocles." I spoke in a soft tone, then grabbed my wolf and returned to my ship.
'Direct route to Nocturne, or should we stop by the Forge Worlds near our path?' the Blade asked as two trajectories lit up on my implant.
I frowned for a second. Too many delays on the second path. 'We can stop at Phaeton, then Ryza. One more week will not change things much for me, but might save two Forges.' I ordered with a heavy, bleeding heart.
Then I sunk into the tesseract to speak with my fellow Ordo Sinister Perceptors, and upgrade their Psi-Titans with better armor, weapons and shields. The Power Claw was nice as is, but I should add a pair of Melta Cannons on the forearm, and anti-grav plates to their feet and shoulders. The Warp rarely gave you solid ground to stand on, better make sure the Titans could levitate without much burden on the Alpha battery psykers.
Same with the Grey Knights. Their adamantium and ceramite Aegis Suits were quite good already, but auramite and Blackstone were much better. And a multi-melta gun for each of them would triple their firepower, as would a shoulder-mounted grenade launcher filled with the ash-grenades of martyr Blanks.
"I've been told you are all new Grey Knights, recently raised and without much worth. Your deaths will not be missed, and other recruits will take your place. What say you, Grey Knights?" I shouted on my Laud Hailer.
"Death is our duty!" the poor fools answered in a sad chorus.
"Death comes to everyone, so let's not overstate that duty. Your mission is more important. You, brave Grey Knights will be my fists, punching the Warp into submission. This is Drach Lancefire, the weapon of Abaddon, the End of Empires! Many of your Battle-Brothers have died against this daemon, but look at it now! Eager to serve." I proclaimed and held the Daemon Lance in hand, while its red runes lit up in flames.
None of the new Grey Knights carried Daemon Blades, as they were too new to their rank. But they must have seen their older Battle-Brothers carry something similar.
"What is our target, Lord Lancefire?" their Brother-Master asked in a cogent voice.
"Did you ever hear the tragedy of the Old Ones? They were a race of psychic beings, so powerful and wise they could use the Warp to create life. They had such knowledge of the Warp, they became immortal and could grant immortality to others. The Old Ones created the Webway and numerous slave species like the Kroks and the Eldar, the Rashan and the Jokaero...such that the only thing they feared was losing their power. And of course they did, when they denied the Necrontyr salvation from their pitiful, disease-ridden bodies. Thus, the Necrontyr turned to the C'tan, the Star Gods feeding on stars, as new allies to fight the War in Heaven." I began as time slowed down in the tesseract.
We had time to spare now, about 300 years until the Singularity reached Forge Phaeton in the outside world.