Chapter 4.6 War Plan Silver
The Photep, the Gloriana class warship named after the temple of the Thousand Sons Primarch, drifted slowly through the void. To her port and starboard drifted a pair of very similar vessels. The Fidelitas Lex and the Iron Blood were both Gloriana class, but one was styled with religious iconography by the Word Bearers, whereas the other wore the rugged practicality of the Iron Warriors.
Aboard the Iron Blood, Perturabo prepared the presentation he had prepared for his guests. Sanguinius, Magnus and Lorgar were present, with Jagahatai informing his brothers that 'The Spirits guide me to elsewhere I might find glorious tribute.'
Perturabo didn't care. The War Hawk's changes unsettled him so addressing the others was quite acceptable. It would be Sanguinius' job as Warmaster to bring the War Hawk in line when the moments mattered.
"Brothers," pronounced the Lord of Iron to his kin, "As commanded I have begun the analysis for what is required for us to wage war against our Father and any of our brothers that might stand with him. Our biggest problem as of this moment is man power and logistics. If we are to campaign with the Crusade Vitae, we will need to be sure wherever we strike in the galaxy we can be resupplied with ammunition, ordinance, rations for the Armies, spare parts for repairs of our Mechanicum and Titan resources."
"The Mechanicum has the potential to be a real problem," said Sanguinius, pensively, "I know for a fact Kelbor-Hal, Fabricator General on Mars will not stand with us. Whilst I don't recall having ever talked with the Fabricator General, and despite rumour he has no love for our Father as the Omnisiah, I am certain given his opinion on psykers and his general beliefs on sacred technology he would not approve of our cause. We do however need the Mechanicum or similar worlds to be with us, lest we run out of resources to prosecute the Crusade Vitae."
"That would be accurate, Warmaster," confirmed Perturabo, "However this is not the problem it might appear at first. The entire Mechanicum is built on a web of fragile alliances, hated rivals, blood sworn enemies and alike. We can push parts of the Mechancium to war with itself, stepping in to pick up allies amongst the conflict. If the Fabricator General is eliminated and if Mars loses control of itself and its ability to enforce its will in the wider galaxy, the remaining Forge Worlds will need to decide how best to align themselves with respect to their friends and enemies."
"You have a plan for assassinating Kelbor-Hal?" asked Lorgar with interest, "We could infect Mars with a scrapcode virus. I believe I know of some places where I might be able to acquire such a weapon."
"No scrapcode," said Sanguinius forcefully that made Lorgar flinch, "We want to save the Imperium not destroy it. I will not have my Crusade Vitae bring about a new age of Old Night. We want as much of the Mechanicum intact and unharmed by the end of the war. Any scrapcode capable of destroying the Fabricator General will be too dangerous to control. If we do this, it must be a clean precise surgical cut, not an out of control plague."
"Whilst the method isn't yet decided upon, my plan does require the elimination of the Fabricator General, yes," nodded Perturabo, "There has not been a succession on Mars for many years. There will be many claimants to the leadership of the Mechanicum. An agent, or agents will be sent to assassinate the Fabricator General with as little footprint as they can manage. We will let the war play out for a while without interference. We will make it seem like an entirely civil matter for Mars. However, when Terra sends forces to back a side, perhaps members of the Custodes or a regiment of the Imperial Fists, we will quietly extend our aid to the other side. It will take some time for Terra to realise there is another player in the Martian Civil War, and by that time the faction we side with will be fully indebted to us."
"How will we get resources into the Sol System without tipping our hand?" asked Magnus, "Surely once the Martian Civil War begins any unscheduled vessels making for Mars will be noticed."
"At first they will appear as humanitarian aid," explained Perturabo, "Relief for parts of Mars in conflict, or even supplies for the faction aligned with Terra. By the time it is discovered the enemy are getting support we can have several Legion fleets within the confines of the Sol System to actively participate in the battles."
"As Warmaster I alone see much of the positioning of our fleets," admitted Sanguinius, "If I make certain fleet movements classified knowledge we can have several within the Sol System without anyone being aware of their presence. We can bypass most of the System's outer defenses and have them cut a supply line to Mars that cannot be broken without committing the defenses of Terra, which they will be reluctant to do."
"We still need to secure our supply lines elsewhere in the galaxy," pointed out Magnus, "It does us no good if we seize Mars only to be surrounded."
"You would be right, Magnus," said Perturabo, matter-of-factly, "Which is why when the Martian Civil War starts we will reach out to various Forge Worlds with warnings of impending attack from their rivals. We will offer our forces in defense, and in exchange they will supply us with the materials we need. We will also ensure local governors begin to align with the Warmaster. The image of the Great Angel is extremely symbolic and a way to rally many systems to our cause. We will produce various forms of propaganda extoling the greatness of the Warmaster and the abandonment of the Emperor in the coming weeks and spread them across compliant worlds susceptible to the influence."
"I can work on that," said Lorgar proudly, "I will compose verse that will make even the sturdiest heart swell with pride and loyalty to The Great Angel. We shall also be careful to make sure it does not lead back to us. Few can deny their love for the Warmaster so it will simply appear an over exuberance in support for our brother. But the seeds will be sown and when the conspiracy is unmasked they will stand with us."
Perturabo nodded in agreement. He wasn't a big fan of Lorgar and his worship of these⦠warp creatures, but even he could admit when it came to a sermon, the one you wanted on the mount was Lorgar. He could manage the meaningless side of rallying forces whilst he could get on with the REAL job of winning this campaign with force of arms.
"Taking Terra would be a massive victory," continued Perturabo, "But doing so would be expensive. With Mars in disarray we should expect the Throne World to reinforce itself. We can expect at the very least to face the Imperial Fists on the ground, but there may be other Legions who will rally to the call of the High Lords if called upon. The question is, how many Legions can we expect to face? We have Six Legions we can reasonably expect call upon at this time. How many more can we bring to our side?"
"I can give you some expectation in that part, brother," said Lorgar, with some slight discomfort, "Our efforts with the Death Guard might have fallen through so we can count them against us. Obviously Rogal Dorn on Terra with his Imperial Fists, to which we can add Russ who will never join us, and now Mortarion for obvious reasons."
"You can add Curze to that tally," muttered Sanguinius, subconsciously running his hand over his scars again, "And I have not heard from Alpharius directly since I was appointed Warmaster. I know he was working closely with Malcador on discovering the assassins that murdered Horus. We should assume unless he comes forward he will not be working with us."
"That gives us Five known Legions against our Six," concluded Perturabo, "Which leaves Angron, the Lion, Ferrus Manus, Fulgrim, Corvus Corax, Vulkan and Roboute Guilliman currently uncommitted. How many of these can we expect? Ideally we would desire three or more to ensure we have sufficient force."
"I might be able to persuade Fulgrim, and if we can turn Fulgrim we have a chance of bringing Ferrus at the same time," said Sanguinius thoughtfully, "I have developed a rapport with Fulgrim in recent years. I might be able to convince him of the justness of our cause."
"I have some plans for our other brothers," said Lorgar, nodded at Magnus, "With the assistance of our brother we can deliver between probably between two and five Legions depending on our success. Also soon warp travel is going to become increasingly difficult due to an increase in warp storms. This will hamper any Legions who do not stand with us. We will be able to move unincumbered throughout the galaxy whilst the enemy flounders in the sea of souls, unable to find their path."
"That will be a useful tactical advantage," affirmed Perturabo, "Roboute and Ultramar would be most advantageous to have with us. If he does not join us his Imperium in miniature will need to be broken, as it will serve as the bulwark against our efforts. That said, if he does reject our offers then at least we can pin much of the enemy force down within the space of Ultramar that they will try to defend whilst we consolidate in other sectors. A Siege of Ultramar, if you will. Also if we get a choice, let us choose others over Angron and Corax. Neither are good at following the kind of plans I have drawn up. We will need discipline, not mindless carnage or contrarianism. I would also be surprised if you can bring the Lion to heel."
"I would have Roboute, if I could speak with him," said Sanguinius softly, "But we shall see what can be done. There is much to do and very little time. Every day brings risk our secrets will be uncovered too soon. We must gather whom and what we can as soon as possible. If Roboute remains trapped within Ultramar due to the warp storms then perhaps we can win a significant enough victory that he will side with us without contest. He is no fool and will not sacrifice Ultramar to a lost cause, and my words would help him see reason. But that may have to wait until we have secured our position. Magnus, Lorgar and I must also make a journey before the Crusade Vitae begins. There is a planet I have seen in my visions, a place called Molech. It is where our Father stole the power he now covets. There are more secrets to be discovered there which may turn the tide in our favour."
"It will take much time to set the wheels in motion," said Perturabo, wrapping up his findings, "I shall contact those forces and resources I require to prepare the groundwork for our preliminary actions. We shall of course await the Warmaster's command before executing the Martian Civil War. And we must find the appropriate assassins for such an operation."
"Whilst we must act with all due speed, our conspiracy is not uncovered," said Lorgar calmly, "I shall provide you with assassins capable of carrying out the task, brother. As for the rest of us, we shall go to Molech and consult with what resides there. Once complete, we shall gather our forces and put your plan into action."
"Agreed," said Sanguinius making to stand, "I will also order our brothers to push deeper away from Terra, or to such places where they will be unable to react to our maneuverings due to the warp storms. When the time comes we shall have a massive advantage as we move on Terra and resistance shall be minimal. We shall capture the Throne World, imprison Father, and begin a new Age of enlightenment for the galaxy where none shall fear death, none shall be left wanting, and peace shall reign under our new rule."
"As the Warmaster commands," concluded Perturabo.
