Chapter 192: Don't Think Weird Thoughts
"Drune."
"According to the estimates of the accompanying Mechanicum, this is a planet of extremely high productive value. Therefore, in this campaign, we need to avoid using any weapons that might cause permanent regional damage."
Horus glanced meaningfully at the toxic fumes swirling around Mortarion.
"For example, radioactive weapons."
Mortarion said nothing. He stood at a subtly measured distance from Horus—a distance Horus would never admit was optimal for a potential "fight or flight" response.
A sense of subdued oppression loomed over the meeting room. Horus attributed it to the Death Guard's particularly gloomy interior decor. The lack of ornamentation, the bone-white and moss-green color scheme, the dim lighting—it all reminded one of a tombstone covered in moss.
Each Legion's flagship was the best reflection of its culture. The Red Tear, a holy and magnificent haven of art and beauty, home to the Blood Angels; the Macragge's Honour, solemn and radiant, hung with Macraggean murals for the Ultramarines; or the Hrafnkel, with its wild Fenrisian aesthetic, home to the Space Wolves. Every Primarch ensured their flagship served as a cultural sanctum for nurturing their warriors.
And the Endurance? To Horus, it was like Mortarion himself—overly austere, shrouded in the scent of death.
Horus could only hope the Death Guard's combat style wasn't equally extreme, but it now seemed that hope was vanishingly small.
Little had been disclosed about the Death Guard's first battle. Both Ferrus Manus and Vulkan had chosen silence.
As for the joint operation with Perturabo, the Lord of Iron had only offered repeated curses toward Mortarion, providing Horus with no useful insights into the Death Guard's methods.
But not this time. After collaborating with the Death Guard once, their entire pattern of warfare would become clear.
Aside from the First Legion, the Dark Angels; the Sixth Legion, the Space Wolves; and the mysterious Twentieth Legion, Horus had already gained a general understanding of the combat styles of the other Legions.
"One standard Terran month ago, the Imperium received a formal request for surrender from this planet. In response to the Imperium's diplomatic delegation, the planetary ruler chose to join the Imperium and signed a preliminary treaty. Under it, the ruler retained political control, and the Imperium would develop the world into a garden world."
"I don't believe that under such terms, any human civilization would choose to break the treaty and oppose the Imperium."
Mortarion spoke at last. The treaty the Imperium offered this planet was one of the most merciful kinds available. He could not understand why rulers like this always made such foolish decisions.
Horus nodded.
"That's why the Imperium dispatched a reconnaissance team again. Their report concluded that the human population of this planet has been parasitized by some kind of xenos that possesses psychic powers."
Mortarion tightened his grip on his scythe.
Xenos and psykers—he now understood why the Imperium had sent the Death Guard to this region of space.
The Death Guard would bring these xenos the most merciless destruction.
Horus motioned to activate the display screen.
Soon, the latest intelligence data flickered to life in the dim room, projecting holographic images of the xenos before the two Primarchs.
Hades involuntarily drew a sharp breath.
The xenos looked somewhat like an octopus but were far more blasphemous—bloated, slimy tentacles burst from a central fleshy mass. Each tentacle was lined with sharp, fang-like barbs along its back, glowing with an ominous purple light that hinted at venom.
On the front of each tentacle and across the central mass, countless eyes crowded together, twitching and blinking in frantic, chaotic motion.
"Abominable things," Mortarion said.
Horus nodded approvingly.
This would be a politically simple campaign.
They needed only to defeat these xenos, in the name of humanity—there would be no complex negotiations, no weeping civilians begging for their homes to be spared.
Many times, the Lupercal had to spend time negotiating politically with human empires that had been brought to their knees, which often left the Legion in a rather demoralized state.
So Horus was currently in a relatively good mood. He believed that while Mortarion might disagree with some of the Luna Wolves' political tactics, those methods were both necessary and indispensable.
For the Emperor. For the Imperium.
Horus paused, then continued briefing Mortarion on the basic intelligence collected by the reconnaissance team.
While the two Primarchs were busy analyzing the enemy, Hades stared at the xenos, his scalp tingling.
The appearance of these creatures reminded him of... unpleasant things from his previous life spent surfing the internet.
No! Not that kind of thing!
Were these xenos even proper xenos?
Hades wanted to scream in protest, but the thought of what kind of scenes might occur during battle—being wrapped up by tentacles, for instance—left him in utter despair.
Looking on the bright side: as xenos, all they probably want is your life.
"These xenos control humans as their psychic puppets."
Horus' voice interrupted Hades' attempt to deceive himself.
Great. These xenos are interested in human bodies. Are we really heading into some hentai storyline now?
Cough cough. Hades quickly shut down the increasingly inappropriate images forming in his mind and instead tried to recall what he remembered about this campaign from his past life.
Unfortunately, his memory contained very little useful information. All he remembered was that the original main force in this campaign was the White Scars, and that the White Scars Stormseer had played a significant role in the victory.
Three Legions had participated in the liberation of Drune: the Luna Wolves, the White Scars, and the Death Guard.
It was worth noting that in the original battle, Mortarion had been the textbook definition of a terrible teammate. He openly mocked Jaghatai Khan's caution as cowardice and criticized his use of the Stormseer.
Hold on a second! Where were the White Scars now? Did the Imperium really send one less Legion this time?!
Wasn't the final boss battle only barely won thanks to three Primarchs and the Stormseer?!
Hades silently went into panic mode.
If Hades knew that it was his own letter to Malcador that had triggered this chain reaction… he'd swear never to stop Mortarion from swinging his scythe at Malcador again.
'No, no…' Hades thought weakly. Maybe the White Scars would arrive later as reinforcements. He should try to maintain a positive outlook on the Imperium.
"So, that's the situation, my brother."
Horus finished his briefing and began outlining a preliminary strategy.
"The strongest warp activity is centered in Drune's main city, Duna. We expect the xenos leadership to be there. However, we can't land directly on the city's platforms—some kind of psychic anti-air defense is preventing it."
"Likewise, orbital bombardment won't be very effective. In addition to the psychic barriers, the old human defense systems are still operational."
"But we can land on the outskirts."
Horus pointed to the flat grasslands on the map.
"There are warp-based devices there as well, but the good news is they're far weaker than those in the capital. We can use heavy firepower to force a breach."
"So, my brother—your thoughts? I've heard the Death Guard specialize in this type of warfare. That's why the Imperium sent you."
Mortarion glanced subtly in Hades' direction.
He knew why they had been sent.
But now wasn't the time to explain it. At the very least, he needed to keep silent about the Death Guard Zero Company.
The Death Guard could have their exceptions, but they must never let others realize what they were building.
"Perhaps it's because we're very good at fighting xenos."
Mortarion finally replied, slowly and evenly.
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Author's Note:
Information on Drune is limited, so I've modified the original battle scenario. Originally, it seemed to be a solo show for the White Scars, and only involved ground combat with no orbital action. The circumstances of the xenos' discovery also seemed odd (and not quite reasonable), so I've changed it to make things more coherent.
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