St. Giles Festival is one of the most important holidays in the Imperium of Man, second only to 'Emperor's Ascension Day'. It falls on December 25th each year, commemorating Sanguinius's heroic act of dying for the Emperor.
Every St. Giles Festival, busy Imperial citizens receive a seven-day holiday, with the first three days spent singing hymns, praying, and seeking blessings in churches.
In the 41st millennium, the religious atmosphere of the Imperium reached the pinnacle of human civilization.
Not only are there dedicated Ecclesiarchy worlds, but in the Upper Hive of Abyss Port alone, there are hundreds of thousands of religious buildings, with thousands in the Vegas District alone. These range from tall, magnificent Bishop's Cathedrals that reach into the clouds, to small chapels, the only spiritual solace in the underground world.
More and more intelligence indicates that Khorne Evil Cultists plan to create widespread panic on St. Giles Festival. It is said that just one bite of human flesh is enough to corrupt a hungry person. They are emerging from the Lower Hive at an alarming rate, like unkillable cockroaches.
Even with the Ministry of Internal Affairs temporarily conscripting Astra Militarum legions stationed at the Starport, preparing to transfer to other world war zones, to participate in security, manpower still appears insufficient.
The bureaucrats lavishly deployed most of the defensive forces in the Upper Hive and Wangzu District to protect the planet's image and their own safety.
The Fleet Military Intelligence Headquarters expressed the Navy's concerns.
With Captain Afiel of the Blood Angels Second Company, mediating, representatives from the Navy Department, Department of Military Affairs, Adeptus Arbites, and the Order of the Sacred Rose held a private defense meeting concerning the Middle Hive region. Horatio Cochrane attended the meeting as the representative of the Imperial Navy Hellspawns.
It was a large Roman amphitheater-style meeting hall, filled with over a thousand people, but for the Imperium's bloated bureaucracy, this was not many.
Everyone was seated by organizational department, forming red, silver, blue, green, and black blocks when viewed from above.
"St. Giles Festival is a holiday where the people of the Imperium are filled with hope for the future. As Sons of Sanguinius, how can we betray the expectations of Imperial citizens and allow them to suffer harm from the Scarlet Cultists on such a day? The entire Second Company of Battle Brothers swears to protect them, even at the cost of our lives," Captain Afiel, declared passionately.
This was the noble vision of the Sons of Sanguinius, but the vast Hive City planet of Abyss Port was destined to make their wishes impossible to achieve.
"Although the ceremonies in the Upper Hive churches are the most grand, they are not the most crowded. The religious buildings in the Middle Hive are where the most Imperial citizens attend. If Khorne Evil Cultists want to launch a terrorist attack, choosing the Middle Hive would be less costly and yield more heads," Rear Admiral Edward stated after Rear Admiral Hood announced the growing danger.
"Excluding the forces already arranged by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Upper Hive, how many more people can each department gather for the Middle Hive? The Imperial Navy, including the Coastal Defense Infantry (Planetary Defense Forces managed by the Navy), can at most muster another 330,000 armed forces. We also need to be vigilant against threats from the void; we only have this many people," Lord Admiral Venuska Katalia of the Gothic Fleet asked in a low voice.
"The Imperial Guard can muster another 1.68 million. We have already deployed over ten million troops in the Upper Hive; only this many scattered units awaiting reorganization are left."
"The Order of the Sacred Rose can provide another 30,000 Battle Sisterss."
"The Adeptus Arbites has 50,000 Arbiter officers remaining, including those still training at the Loyalist Academy."
"Dividing it up, a monastery in the Middle Hive can only be assigned a few Soldiers as defensive forces, while the Upper Hive averages 20,000 people guarding one church," Lord Admiral Kataria chuckled mockingly, with a hint of sarcasm towards the bureaucrats.
"And even so, they still pulled a considerable number of elite troops for a grand parade," a General from the Department of Military Affairs, uncharacteristically, agreed with the Navy Admiral.
"This is all we have. Does anyone have a better method for personnel allocation?" Lord Admiral Kataria pressed on.
Silence fell upon the room, and after a long while.
"Starting with the Imperial Navy! Speak directly, you will not be held responsible for this decision," Lord Admiral Kataria prompted the Navy to lead.
'No responsibility' indeed sparked a flurry of whispers and discussions, with some people offering different perspectives.
"Anything else?"
Horatio Cochrane looked around. After no one else seemed to want to speak, he slowly stood up: "I believe we can use the existing intelligence network to prioritize terrorist attack threats. Based on previous experience in combating Evil Cultists, we have compiled a frequency map of all attacks."
Horatio Cochrane used a neural plug to project a holographic image meticulously prepared by the Fleet Military Intelligence Headquarters overnight.
"Although attacks have occurred globally, the Vegas District, adjacent to the Wangzu District, is a high-incidence area. Furthermore, according to our intelligence network, the Scarlet Evil Cultists have undergone a large-scale transfer. Through clues and screening, we surmise that the main migration direction should be below the Vegas District.
Therefore, we need to conduct a preliminary screening of these churches, assess their risk levels, allocate human resources according to different risks, and at the same time, keep air-transported mobile units on standby at the Starport for immediate reinforcement."
"I believe this concept is feasible," Rear Admiral Hood said. "We have a large number of Avis Landing Crafts and Valkyrie Fighters. If anything happens, vehicles can quickly transport a contingent of troops there."
After everyone had offered their suggestions, the meeting proceeded with a general vote. Horatio Cochrane's proposed risk assessment and mobile defense theory might not have been the best, but it was certainly the most feasible at the moment. Many theories seemed perfect but, once the required manpower was calculated, were simply insufficient.
"Then let's implement the plan proposed by Sergeant Major Horatio Cochrane. I hope each department performs its duties. We don't have much time left. Meeting adjourned."
The following days were extremely exhausting.
The Fleet Military Intelligence Headquarters was bustling with activity. Facing immense intelligence pressure, the Navy Department temporarily dispatched an additional 50 Naval Officers, 300 Ministry of Internal Affairs civil servants, and 1,000 scribes.
Even so, it was a drop in the ocean; unconsciousness, sudden deaths, and deaths from overwork constantly occurred, with bodies being carried out of the Navy Department every day.
There were also cases of people going mad and harming others or destroying intelligence due to the abuse of stimulants, with some numbers even strangely adding up to a string of 9s.
However, the situation was not optimistic; the sacrifices made now would ensure the survival of more lives.
Furthermore, it was said that an Inquisitor was on their way to Abyss Port.
On the eve of St. Giles Festival, the Imperial authorities in Abyss Port finally completed this risk assessment plan. It might not be entirely reliable, but everyone had given their utmost.
Horatio Cochrane and an Astra Militarum Lieutenant jointly served as the Church of the Celestial Woman's garrison commanders. If one fell, the other would immediately assume command of all defending forces.
They would, along with 30 Hellspawns, 50 Battle Sisterss, 200 Astra Militarum Soldiers, 5 Blood Angels, 5 Arbiters, and 20 'Holy Sepulchre Guardians' crusaders serving as internal church guards, jointly defend the 'Saint Arabella Church of the Celestial Woman' in the G-8 district of Vegas Middle Hive.
This location is a holy site, said to contain some holy relics of Saint Arabella, the founding Saint of the Sacred Rose Sisterhood.
The church's holy images are triple-rotating, featuring the Emperor, Saint Arabella, and Sanguinius. Normally, only the holy image of Sister Arabella is displayed, but during St. Giles Festival and Emperor's Ascension Day, mechanisms are operated to switch the images.
Horatio Cochrane personally inspected the area's foot traffic and importance, assessing it as a high-risk zone. Furthermore, G is the 8th letter in high gothic, and 8 is Khorne's sacred number; it just seemed too dangerous, no matter how one looked at it.