The Webway is a fragile place. Perhaps an understatement, but true even so. And while the Old Ones's Webway was fragile but resilient due to multiple redundancies and the sheer power of the Old Gods, the Imperial Webway was not. It was a simple Warp-insulated tube about 10 kms in diameter, with a reinforced pavement for tracked vehicles and the like. There were even railways laid out in places, most of them already broken by the Titans and heavy tanks rolling over them.

It would take a train maybe a month to traverse the tube from the middle point to either side, but compared to regular Voidships flying through space or the Warp, it was possibly 100 times faster. And far less deadly to those not Blanks. Which was the main point here.

Luckily, the Castigator Titans were stepping on anti-grav fields, not directly on the pavement, but the Warlord Titans and the heavy tanks still made a mess. The Knights and Dreadnoughts were much lighter in comparison, while the new anti-grav vehicles like the Astareus and the Repulsor also floated on anti-grav fields.

It helped a little that the Baneblade successors had been upgraded to atomantic reactors and energy weapons, as well as 20 cms of adamantium and blackstone protection instead of a meter of plasteel and ceramite. Still heavy at 200 tons, it was more manageable than the original Baneblade at 320 tons.

The Titans also used Tiamat carapace plates instead of the heavier ceramite, reducing their own mass by a third, without considering the lack of cannon shells or missiles. Pef didn't like consumable munitions, even without considering the difficulties of reloading 300 shells massing 1 ton each on top of a Titan. Yes, a walking behemoth firing 15 inch shells like a mini-gun was awesome, but impractical.

I summoned the clay golem to stand on its shoulder and observe the battlefield from above. Beams and explosions filled the air, as was the return fire from the Necrons and especially their big war constructs. Monoliths and large spider-like tanks strained the Void Shields of the forward Titans, while millions of Necron Warriors and Immortals blew up to small bits of necrodermis all around them.

Bianca took her Red Hot Castigator at a huge speed forward, likely trying to enfilade the entire Necron army by herself. Then again, there wasn't enough space for three such giant Titans to fire at once without getting in the way of each other. The Webway was quite small for such behemoths.

A few hours later, the battlefield constricted enough that Pef could see the other battlefront, Bianca's Castigator joined by the Omnissiah's Judgement Castigator piloted by Janice herself. And a whole Titan Legion from Mars, like ants around her feet.

"All troops, stop advancing. We're now in friendly fire range from the other side." I commanded on the Sounding Board, thus directly into the minds of all those of the Lancefire bloodline, and those closer friends and allies than were recognized via empathy links.

The C'tan wolves returned with a prize in their jaws, a Necron Lord each. 'They wanted to detonate and breach the Webway before they died.' Lash warned him and poked a Necron device like a metal globe with a grinning skull on top. Very cheerful looking.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

'Oh? Dangerous?' I asked with mild curiosity.

'The D-Nexus Bomb? Not to you or us, but the small people would all die. Maybe the big Titans would survive too, if you want to test it now.' Lash proposed with a careless voice.

I shook my head and collected the loot, for later. Including the various inventory carried by the Necron leaders. I already had an arsenal of Necron weapons and devices from the captured Necron fleet, but every Lord carried some unique item as a sign of pride or wealth.

Like this D-Nexus thing. Possibly a remnant from the War in Heavens. The galaxy was still riddled with shattered-space zones and gas nebulas from that war.

Two more portable tesseracts and another Nexus cube were also found among the loot. Decisions, decisions.

Justine should get the cube, and hopefully learn to use it like Valyene. She had suffered greatly until now, time to give her an easier life. Safer anyway.

One tesseract for Laur, to keep the Lamenters safe in his absence. The last one...yeah. The tithe will not be cheap.

Janice advanced her Titan to stand cockpit front to his clay golem. "Daddy, you always cause such trouble!" she yelled as her cockpit opened.

"What do you mean, Janice? I observed the Necron incursion into the Webway and struck them from behind. And now they're all dead." I answered with an easy voice. Telling the truth as well, of course.

His daughter's eyes glowed bright gold for a second. "There is a breach into the Zone Mortalis now, right in the middle of the Imperial Webway. A Dolmen Gate even!"

"Which is great for the Blank colonization in the future. The Gate will be a commercial hub between the two Imperiums, where all the minerals and crops from the Zone can be collected and sold." I answered in a collected voice.

Janice frowned for a minute, thinking deeply. "I see. Always the Rogue Trader, even in your situation. The Emperor will likely approve. He always favors expanding humanity's reach, after all."

I waved my hand grandly, and stored all my armies inside the tesseract space. "I guess you met Justine already?" I asked in a sterner voice, as my mother glared at Janice.

"I was the one to sedate her. The Emperor preferred live surgery." Janice spoke in a lower tone. A hint of guilt lingered in her voice.

"The Lancefire League and my Domain in the Fringe already matches the Imperium in star numbers. It is not a good idea to torture my family. I might not help next time." I said in a gentle voice, then turned my clay golem around and walked away.

Janice stared after her father for a long time. Not a good time to ask for a tithe, for sure. Nor will the Emperor appreciate the tone. But that was another story.

She had warned the Emperor many times. Father didn't even need to take action. It was enough if he refused to act, and let the Imperium crumble.