SWNOVELXO Chapter 134: Chapter 135: Malfi, the "Little Commorragh"
Chapter 135: Malfi, the "Little Commorragh"
Larrius did his best to control his table manners, but Lucan could still see the expression of pure enjoyment on his face.
"Larrius," Lucan began, "we have answered the Imperium's call to reinforce the Calixis Sector. Can you tell me about the current situation?"
Lucan's words made Larrius reluctantly set down his knife and fork.
"Lord Lucan, the situation in the Calixis Sector is not good. The sub-sectors are rife with conflict. As you've seen, even a relatively important fortress like Port Wander has been left to fend for itself. If you hadn't arrived, I truly don't know how much longer it could have held on.
The food shortage alone would have caused Port Wander's population to plummet by more than seventy percent in the next standard year. By then, everyone here would have been lambs to the slaughter for our enemies. The sector capital, Scintilla, has even outright rejected our requests for aid. I have no way of knowing what is happening in the other systems."
Larrius did not hide the present reality of Port Wander; the state of communications in this era left them exceptionally isolated.
"How long has it been like this?"
"Almost two years!"
"Scintilla is a considerable distance from here. Haven't you attempted to send astropathic messages to other nearby Imperial worlds? As part of the Imperial Navy, you should be able to request support from other worlds."
"Of course, we have. But the entire sector is in utter chaos. God-Emperor be praised, I have never seen anything like this in my life. The Warp storms are growing more severe, making it a gamble whether any astropathic message can even get through.
Moreover, the governor of the nearest major world, the hive world of Malfi, has ordered us in her capacity as sub-sector commander to abandon Port Wander and rally to their position! But how can a vital Imperial fortress simply be abandoned? Whether it's occupied by xenos or traitors, it would become a grave threat to the Imperium!"
Larrius couldn't understand it. Such an order was far too abnormal.
Lucan mulled over Larrius's words.
The hive world of Malfi was a well-known world, boasting a population of over twenty billion. It was the capital of the Malfi sub-sector, and its population alone demonstrated the vast difference between the core Imperial worlds and those in the Expanse. The scale of such a prosperous and developed hive world was something the planets in the Koronus Expanse could not hope to compare with.
The entire population of all the planets currently managed by the Mongorte Dynasty did not equal that of the single hive world of Malfi.
However, the forces under Lucan's command were not limited to humans. The Zerg swarm controlled by Kerrigan had already grown to a frightening scale, even producing several biological warships of the Leviathan class. Their development was entirely self-sufficient, requiring no additional Psy-crystals from Lucan.
Malfi also had another name: "Little Commorragh."
Its countless noble factions were like the Kabals of the Dark City, and the entire world was steeped in conspiracy and intrigue. Its order and law were considered weak, even among hive worlds.
A planet like this was a favorite playground for Chaos. Heretical cults were practically rampant on the world, and it was said that many nobles were secret worshippers of the Ruinous Powers.
The message from Harris had been sent to Malfi; who it was sent to, however, remained a mystery.
But Lucan knew that no matter how decadent this hive world was, it was still an important world of the Imperium. It wouldn't be corrupted so easily. He was more concerned that hidden enemies wouldn't attack him directly, but would instead use official channels to sanction him.
To know oneself and know the enemy, Lucan decided to first understand the situation on the planet. Port Wander could serve as his foothold, a transit point for subsequent supplies and personnel. Without using the Gorgon's jump drive, reaching Scintilla would take hundreds of standard days, to say nothing of the even more distant Cadia.
Lucan didn't dare to make a blind jump without knowing the specifics of the situation. With bad luck, he could jump right into a Blackstone Fortress, and the Gorgon's small frame wouldn't survive that. The sheer time it took to travel between sub-sectors highlighted the constraints the Warp and travel speed placed upon the Imperium of Man. If these limitations were ever overcome, the Imperium could crush most of its opponents with its unparalleled size alone.
"Thank you for your explanation, Rear Admiral Larrius. My fleet and I will assist you in the defense of Port Wander."
"It is an honor to fight alongside you, my lord. With you here at Port Wander, I can rest easy. I must now travel to Malfi. After all, their governor is the nominal head of the sub-sector. If I continue to delay, she could use her authority to sanction me, even though I am a Rear Admiral in the Navy..."
"Then why not have my people accompany you? My dynasty and I have just arrived. It is necessary to make contact with their governor."
After leaving Larrius, Lucan returned to his quarters.
Holter Reyes, Ian Hoffmann, and Damon were gathered in his room. Lucan briefly explained the situation, voicing his suspicion that Malfi might be suffering from an uncontrollable level of Chaos corruption.
"I have been to Malfi before," Ian said. "I made contact with a few Inquisitors there. Perhaps I can go first to assess the situation."
"I also visited Malfi before coming to the Koronus Expanse," Holter added. "I can accompany Lord Ian to make contact with the local Ecclesiarchy."
Ian and Holter spoke at the same time.
"I will provide you with a contingent of The Raiders for your journey," Lucan decided. "You will also take two squads of Night Sentinels. Damon, you will lead them."
With Damon present, Lucan could receive real-time updates on the situation in Malfi.
"Rest assured, my lord. I will protect them both."
Lucan also had Norris and twenty Ghosts accompany the fleet. They would operate under Damon's command, providing covert support to the team.
The next day, a small fleet from the dynasty, consisting of one light cruiser and three frigates, departed for Malfi, carrying the three men. Larrius traveled with them.
The fleet jumped into the Warp, arriving in the Malfi system ten days later.
Atop Malfi's colossal upper hive, countless intricate palaces spread across the surface. Each massive palace belonged to a high-ranking noble. Unlike on Agathos, where the nobility answered to Lucan, the nobles here were more like individual warlords.
Malfi's planetary defense force was utterly useless, but the private armies of these nobles were astonishingly effective. The primary tithe Malfi provided to the Imperium came from the planet's ferocious, belligerent natives—nomadic tribes who were the source of the nobles' private soldiers and the manpower sent to the Imperial Guard.
The largest palace of all belonged to the nominal ruler of Malfi, Governess Glydus.
At this moment, the Governess was in her private chamber. Within it stood a pristine statue of the God-Emperor, and she was praying before it. She looked up at the sculpture, her mouth full of words of penance.
Beneath her exquisite robes, however, was a body bearing clear signs of mutation.
Leaving the secret chamber, Glydus entered a medical bay where an apothecary had already prepared a special serum. With the injection, an indescribable pleasure followed an immense wave of pain.
Forcing herself to endure the sensation, Glydus's body, which had been on the verge of collapse from mutation, was once again suffused with life. Incredibly, she was even able to cast simple psychic illusions to make her mutated form appear ordinary to others. It was clear she was wielding powers belonging to different, competing gods.
"My mistress," a servant reported, "Larrius from Port Wander has arrived in Malfi as commanded... However, we have lost all contact with Harris. He sent one last astropathic message before he went silent."
"Harris is missing? And the ever-defiant Larrius has returned on his own initiative? Did the xenos take Port Wander? Was the plan a success?"
"Not exactly... The message mentioned the arrival of the Rogue Trader fleet from the Expanse that you warned us about... They even have a fleet that arrived at Malfi with Larrius. The delegation is strange, however. Their representatives are a Cardinal and a high-ranking Inquisitor... but the Rogue Trader himself did not come."
The servant's words piqued Glydus's interest.
"Interesting... I suppose I shall have to see for myself just what kind of person has garnered the attention of the beings in the Empyrean."
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