The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Hearing Soshian's question, Dorar nodded in response:

"Your Highness is correct. Actually, Eslo first sought help from the Frost Star Troupe because that world is located in the north-eastern part of the galaxy, closer to the Frost Star's home of Cybaris. In the past, they would turn to this troupe for help when something happened."

Upon hearing this, Soshian understood, because although the Frost Stars had not directly joined the Royal Court, they were indeed loyal to Veronica, so naturally, they would pass the message to the Royal Court.

"Then, wouldn't it be okay to let the troupe handle it themselves?"

"Of course, Your Highness, but-"

"But what?"

"You know their style. These attackers are from a planetary governor of a human world. He somehow discovered the exact location of Eslo and then organized a ragtag group consisting of the Astra Militarum, Planetary Defense Forces, and some fanatical members of the Ecclesiarchy, along with dozens of ships of various sizes, to launch a small expedition. It is said that he wants to incorporate this 'uninhabited' world into the territory of the Empire. Although this army is not very good, their numbers have reached 5 million to 7 million, while the total population of the Linnae Kingdom of Eslo is less than 100,000. In addition, after preliminary reconnaissance, the Frost Star Troupe suspects-"

"Suspects what? Just say it."

"That planetary governor is likely a follower of the Great Enemy. He is attacking Eslo to slaughter our people to sacrifice to the Great Enemy in exchange for his transcendence, that is, ascension to daemonhood. Furthermore, the soldiers, subordinates, and family members he leads are likely all sacrifices in this ritual."

"A follower of Slaanesh... Why do you think the Frost Stars can't handle it?"

"It's not that they can't handle it, Your Highness. The Frost Stars' style has always been to eliminate future troubles completely. If they confirm that the governor is indeed a follower of the Great Enemy, then even if they destroy this expeditionary force, they won't stop. They will definitely attack the world ruled by this governor and completely destroy them, completely erasing any possible contamination and threat. You certainly understand that such behavior can easily provoke retaliation from the Empire. After all, the Empire doesn't know what this governor is. The Frost Stars' home is located near the T'au, so they are naturally not afraid, but Eslo may face further retaliation. If the Empire really sends a large army, the Frost Stars are, after all, just a troupe, and their power is limited. At that time, will the Royal Court help or not?"

As Dorar spoke, Soshian paced back and forth in the cabin with his hands behind his back, Dorar's eyes following his movements.

"If we help, then at that time, the Royal Court will not be facing a fallen governor, but a larger Imperial army, or even Space Marines. It will be even more difficult for Your Highness. If we don't help, the damage to the Royal Court's prestige will be too great. Her Majesty is now known as the Mother of the Eldar. If she cannot protect the people who believe in the Mother Isha, or even abandon the compatriots who seek help, how will the other maiden worlds and craftworlds view the Royal Court, how will they view Her Majesty? That's why I'm anxious to find Your Highness. Only you can control the scale of the war so that it doesn't escalate into a large-scale mutual slaughter. The Empire might not make too much of a fuss over a failed expedition. After all, there are too many small units in the Empire acting on their own."

Soshian stopped and sighed:

"My dear, you have considered everything very carefully. This is indeed the best choice. Is there still time to deal with this matter?"

"There should still be time. I managed to stall the troupe leader of the Frost Stars. The troupe hasn't had time to act yet."

"Then, how do you plan to deploy the troops for this operation?"

"Your Highness, this rescue operation is also the first time you have personally led troops into battle, so for the navy, I have arranged for Tal-Anlek to be your flagship, along with 2 Tormentor (black bean sprout cruisers), 3 Wraithships (craftworld cruisers), 10 Nightshade (craftworld destroyers), and a escort fleet of 21 Shadow Hunters."

"Hmm? Don't the maiden worlds have webway gates? The army doesn't need warships to transport them, right?"

"Yes, the navy's role is mainly to annihilate the enemy's orbital forces. As for the ground forces, in addition to the Frost Star Troupe, the Royal Court will also dispatch 1,000 warriors, including 400 warriors from the craftworld of Laggnesh, 1 Wraithlord, 6 Wraithguard, and an armored detachment from the Iyanden craftworld with over 50 war engines and 600 warriors. In addition, there is also air support, with 113 various flying vehicles dominating the skies. As for the Phoenix Lords, Morga-ra the War Leader and Jain Zar are also eager to participate in the battle against the followers of the Great Enemy."

"These two don't need to go. They can stay and protect Veronica."

Soshian then thought for a while. He had to say that the Royal Court's troop composition was too chaotic. It was still a mess. There were troops from various craftworlds, troops originally brought from Commorragh, troops under Dorar's command, and troops that had joined one after another, and even Harlequins were in there. This was a complete disaster for command.

The most core problem was that, apart from Dorar's original Bloody Woods Cabal troops, there seemed to be no troops directly under Soshian's command. This made him very uncomfortable.

But there was no way. After all, this was another race, and he had to adapt to a different style of combat than humans. However, the matter of reorganizing the Royal Court's troops had quietly changed its position in his mind and become a top priority.

"I will directly lead the ground forces. Let Giuliio Pula Star Marshal command the navy."

Star Marshal was the title of a high-ranking naval commander in the ancient Eldar Empire, usually the commander of a sword-class fleet—the Eldar Empire divided fleets into three levels: dagger, sword, and halberd. The scale of a dagger-class fleet was similar to the current Imperial sector fleet, so Star Marshals were actually divided into small Star Marshals, medium Star Marshals, and large Star Marshals. However, the Royal Court's various systems were still relatively crude, and the fleet was not that large, so Soshian was too lazy to create so many levels.

Giuliio Pula was the commander of the ancient Aeldari fleet at the Blackstone Fortress. Although he had almost no naval combat experience, at least his theoretical knowledge was solid, and he also knew Tal-Anlek, this ancient warship, very well. This was enough. After all, with this ship, this naval battle was probably not much easier than drinking water, and it could also give Giuliio a chance to gain practical experience.

Moreover, there were other Eldar naval officers to help him, so there shouldn't be much of a problem.

Dorar thought for a moment and nodded.

"Your Highness's arrangement is indeed more appropriate."

"What is the situation in Eslo now? Has it already been attacked?"

"It should have been attacked, because the webway connection was cut off not long ago. The Frost Star Troupe was stalled by me and didn't send anyone to investigate, so the situation there may be more complicated."

Soshian raised an eyebrow and asked with a hint of worry:

"The webway has been cut off?"