Terra, The Golden Palace.
The Emperor took his seat, his gaze sweeping over the assembled figures before finally settling on Nareth. He spoke:
"Nareth, how progresses the war against the Mitu?"
"My Lord," Nareth replied, "the conflict is largely concluded…"
Nareth briefly reported the course of the war against the Mitu to the Emperor.
After listening to his summary, the Emperor said with satisfaction:
"Nareth, I knew you would not disappoint me, but you have done even better than I anticipated."
"Sixty-three human worlds returned to the Imperium, a Forge World and a Knight World reconnected with the Imperium."
"Over fifty habitable worlds, awaiting development."
A smile spread across his face. "Good. Very good!"
"As your reward, I have decided to grant you the Kalium Gate."
"Once you can repair the human relics left from the Dark Age of Technology, your fleets will be able to travel the Warp faster, and the pace of your Expeditions will quicken."
Hearing this, Nareth's eyes shone.
He knew the Kalium Gate was a technological miracle, composed of a series of interlinked space stations.
These stations were connected by massive bundles of cables kilometers long, forming a Warp Gate containing immense energy.
It had been abandoned and ruined during the Age of Strife. In the early Great Crusade, it was rediscovered by Rogue Traders and occupied by the Dark Angels.
Once awakened, the Gate could allow an entire fleet of warships to pass through the Warp, shortening a journey of several Terran standard years to a matter of weeks.
'I recall that in the future, after Lion El'Jonson reactivated the gate, the Kalium Gate began to be rebuilt, becoming one of the Imperium's hubs in the Segmentum Obscurus.'
'But after the Great Heresy began, Perturabo assaulted this strategically vital node, reducing the Kalium Gate to ruins.'
'Later, the White Scars, in order to return to Terra, launched an attack on the Kalium Gate, clashing with the Emperor's Children. Afterward, the severely damaged star gate could never be repaired again.'
Nareth knew that repairing the Kalium Gate would require vast resources; the Imperium had spent over a century and had only managed to partially restore it.
Moreover, the Gate's location would inevitably make it a strategically crucial point of contention during the Great Heresy, but he truly couldn't resist such a temptation.
The strategic value of the Kalium Gate for him was immense.
Locations of his numerous domains and allies scattered across the Segmentum Obscurus surfaced in Nareth's mind.
Once activated, the immediate use of the Kalium Gate would be that deploying a fleet there could allow rapid travel to any known world.
Some voyages within the Segmentum Obscurus would become far more convenient via the Kalium Gate.
Before the construction of the Abyss Port, workers from Vostroya, Triken, and Cypra Mundi would require immensely long times to arrive.
Once activated, they would only need to reach the Kalium Gate first, and then they could quickly proceed to Hurdesen.
Fleets from the Segmentum Obscurus traveling to other Segmentums via the Kalium Gate could drastically reduce their travel time.
The Kalium Gate offered more flexibility compared to Teleportaria.
Although Araneus Warp Gate could connect domains in key regions and allow for slightly faster travel than standard Warp travel, unlike Warp travel, Gate had to be set up in pairs, allowing only point-to-point travel, lacking flexibility.
The Kalium Gate could not only greatly shorten Warp travel time but also allow access to almost all worlds through the star gate.
'As long as paired Warp Gates are constructed in key nodal star systems and linked with the Kalium Gate, the combination could connect the domains scattered across the galaxy.'
Constructing Gates required enormous resources; Nareth couldn't possibly build them in every star system.
And aside from the original Gate of the Araneus Continuity, all other bidirectional Gates had their other end established on Vostroya.
Even if a Teleportarium Warp Gate network were built, without the Kalium Gate, the Talassar fleet wanting to reach Moab would have to first go to Vostroya, then to Abyss Port, and finally follow conventional Warp routes to Moab.
Once a Warp Gate was placed at the Kalium Gate, one could reach Moab much faster via the star gate.
This would also be important in the future Second Rangdan War; through the Kalium Gate, a rapid response could be mounted against Rangdan attacks.
The efficiency of recruiting new troops and reinforcements would also be higher, which was crucial in a prolonged war.
Any star system with a constructed Garp, upon reaching the Kalium Gate, could proceed directly to any known region of the galaxy, without needing to transfer through Vostroya first and then undertake conventional Warp travel.
'No other faction controlling the Kalium Gate would benefit from it as much as I would.'
The fleets of other Primarchs would have to reach the Kalium Gate each time they wished to use it.
Nareth, however, with his paired Teleportarium Warp Gate system, could have his fleets, after traveling via the Kalium Gate, return by heading to the nearest Gate.
'The more domains I have, the more scattered they are, even spread across the galaxy, the greater the effect of the Kalium Gate combined with the Teleportarium system.
'Deploy via the Kalium Gate, return via the Teleportarium, and rapidly deploy again.'
'Hmm, considering the resources consumed by deploying Teleportaria and their defense requirements, I still need to selectively deploy them at key nodes.'
Conducting Warp travel via the Kalium Gate could, in many cases, complete Warp voyages faster. This held significant strategic importance for Nareth, with his scattered domains, especially those spanning multiple Segmentums.
'Although it requires investing substantial resources to repair the Kalium Gate, build Teleportaria, and establish a defense system centered on Ramirez-class Starforts, it is still worthwhile.'
Thinking this, Nareth expressed his sincere gratitude to the Emperor.
"Thank you, My Lord."
"I will invest resources to repair the Kalium Gate as soon as possible."
The Emperor smiled and nodded. Handing the Kalium Gate to Nareth would both reduce the Imperium's resource investment and give him peace of mind.
With his Pegasus there, He believed no one could damage the star gate.
After the War Council concluded, Nareth's consciousness returned to the Shadow's Sovereignty.
He leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.
'Although the Kalium Gate was activated by Lion, it might not necessarily require a Primarch. Besides, I still need to make a trip to Attila. I'll send people to take possession first.'
'If it can be activated, good. If not, I'll deal with it upon my return.'
'Which Chapter should I assign to garrison the Kalium Gate?'
The situations of his twelve Chapters flashed through Nareth's mind.
'Hmm, the star gate is essentially a Warp Gate.'
'Entrusting it to Santiago Bogdan, skilled in teleportation and someone of the Door pathway, is most suitable.'
Having made his decision, Nareth proceeded to the fourth layer of the Kingdom of Disorder.
His spirituality extended towards the glowing blue orb. He saw Santiago standing before a metal table, upon which lay the strange, smoke-emitting swords of the Mitu.
Concentrating, Nareth formed the message he wished to convey in his mind, transmitting it through a subtle connection into the orb.
Across countless light-years, black mist suddenly rose in Santiago's mind.
A black figure stood upon a throne, its majestic voice sounding directly in his thoughts.
"I will order the 5th Chapter to proceed to the Kalium Gate. Upon your arrival, take possession and find a way to activate it."
"As you command, My Lord," Santiago whispered, clasping his hands together.
Nareth then proceeded to the third layer. He had already decided to use the Dice of Prophecy to divine the Attila system and uncover the secrets within the Ymga Monolith
'If Hannibal could make a discovery, I, with more capable Techmarines and alliances with several Forge Worlds, cannot fail to gain something.'
'A "remarkable" harvest clearly wouldn't refer to something like eating xeno.'
'Moreover, the known information I have about the Ymga Monolith confirms it is a Necron artifact.'
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu