Chapter Fifty-Eight: Preparing to Depart for Mores

In the following days, the “Starborn Traversers” conscripted a total of five hundred thousand mortal auxiliary troops from Terra. These new recruits would undergo their training during the coming months of warp travel, aiming to be battle-ready upon arrival at Mors.

During these days, Wang Ming began executing the “pest control” plan he had discussed earlier with Guilliman. Guilliman had hoped that, while he was away at Volus, Wang Ming would use the Assassinorum to eliminate those Imperial dignitaries who might hinder the Unyielding Crusade. Chief among them were the conservative faction led by the current Minister of Internal Affairs. Virtually overnight, they all vanished without a trace, and by the next day, a new batch of officials had taken their places.

“Clean them all out! How can one govern an empire with these vermin crawling about?” Those were Wang Ming’s exact words to the assassins.

As for the chaos cults and Genestealer cults lurking within Terra’s hive cities, Wang Ming dispatched Traversers to accompany Inquisitors and eradicate them. In those days, a great number of those Imperial parasites, desperate to cling to their power, had their skulls opened by the blades of the Assassinorum. The chaos and Genestealer cults entrenched in the underhives were uprooted by Traversers led by the Inquisitors.

During the purge of hive cultists, Astra Militarum units forcibly drafted into the “Starborn Traversers” mortal auxiliary corps also joined the fight. They were all reequipped with standard-issue gear of the auxiliary corps. Clad in individual power armor, the mortal auxiliaries of the Traversers left indelible psychological scars on the cultists in their final moments.

These auxiliaries wore the “Golden Age” United Human Federation’s combat power armor and wielded QBZM21 laser rifles, engaging in fierce firefights with the Genestealer cultists in the underhives. This standard-issue laser weapon from the early Federation era outperformed the lasguns used by the 30K and 40K mortal armies.

The potent firepower of a one-hundred-round energy cell left a lasting impression on the cultists as they died. Even so, the auxiliary forces still suffered occasional casualties; though the Federation’s power armor could withstand most attacks, it struggled against heavy weapons like demolition charges. Moreover, their power armor was force-feedback type, making it impossible for mortals to dodge modern firepower. Due to time constraints, Wang Ming had not equipped them with neural-linked power armor, but instead had issued mass-produced force-feedback suits.

After this great purge, the chaos and Genestealer cults of Terra were almost completely eradicated. However, the population of the underhives plummeted rapidly during these days—for reasons well understood by those familiar with the situation.

The time for departure was fast approaching. Now, only Guilliman’s return from dealing with matters on Volus was needed for the official launch.

At the Lion’s Gate Spaceport, the “Imperial Truth” and two transport vessels were docked. Under the direction of the Traversers, squads of mortal auxiliaries marched in orderly columns into the transports.

“Attention, everyone! Mind your equipment and belongings—don’t mix them up! Once on board, report to your squad leader. If you need anything, tell your leader for unified processing.”

Amidst the crowd, a Traverser shouted boarding instructions through a loudspeaker. Once aboard, the new recruits would gather in their squad’s area and report in for headcount.

“This is just like the scenes from the Great Crusade,” Guilliman remarked, standing beside Wang Ming and Fulgrim. They watched the well-disciplined mortal auxiliaries being guided by the Traversers, unable to hide their admiration.

Incidentally, during this period, Fulgrim had also paid a visit to the Emperor. Afterward, his mental state was much like Guilliman’s: as if he’d glimpsed Cthulhu. Wang Ming wondered why, when he himself had met the Emperor, he encountered a persona imbued with humanity. It even seemed that the Emperor deliberately revealed his human side to Wang Ming, though the reason remained a mystery.

Yet Fulgrim’s body had changed after meeting the Emperor—he was taller, stronger; Wang Ming even suspected the Emperor had blessed him.

“After we deal with Mors, I’ll establish an industrial world cluster around it to support the Unyielding Crusade,” Wang Ming said to Guilliman, reiterating his earlier plan. Guilliman had thought the idea sound but raised a concern.

“To establish an industrial world, you’ll need the support of the Cult Mechanicus. How do you plan to secure their cooperation?” Guilliman asked.

“I’ll work with Belisarius Cawl. As for the current Mechanicus, they’ve lost all ambition,” Wang Ming replied.

Belisarius Cawl was one of the few in the Mechanicus who still possessed true drive. Moreover, what Wang Ming intended to do on Mors would, if discovered by the Martian Mechanicus, certainly be denounced as heresy.

The embarkation of five hundred thousand troops took three hours to complete. Once all squads were accounted for, the three “Starborn Traversers” ships began to slowly leave Lion’s Gate Spaceport, setting course for the Gate of Bliss near Uranus to initiate a warp jump to Mors.

The three Golden Age vessels departed the Lion’s Gate, slicing through humanity’s endless night among the stars, traversing the shores of the soul to another world. The soul-lighthouse atop sacred Terra guided them homeward, so they would not lose their way in the warp.

“One! Two! Three! Four!” Inside the transport’s hold, a Traverser and an Astra Militarum officer called cadence as they drilled the new recruits in bayonet technique, laser rifles fixed with blades. All training—bayonet, laser rifle marksmanship, tactical maneuvers, basic physical conditioning—would be completed during the months of warp travel, so that the troops could fight upon arrival at Mors.

In addition, Wang Ming had specially recruited a group of educated Ecclesiarchy priests from Terra to instruct the recruits in faith in the God-Emperor and basic literacy courses. For these former mid-hive Imperial citizens, such basic education was invaluable, and none voiced complaint at the demanding curriculum. After all, the angels in their hearts—the mighty Astartes—were attending classes alongside them.

The Traversers, besides combat training, needed to familiarize themselves with the unique cultural aspects of the 40K universe.

Author: Last night I dreamed that the Emperor unleashed a massive psychic attack on me, so tonight I’m posting another chapter.