According to Axis's explanation, the Necrons were indeed arrogant, yet they adhered strictly to noble etiquette.
Even if you were their enemy, as long as you were a worthy opponent, a Necron Overlord would grant you the respect you deserved.
If you provided the Necrons with some form of assistance, they could be reasoned with, so long as you did not desecrate their tomb worlds or seize their territory.
"When Axis officially becomes a Primarch of the Imperium, he will have the authority to sign the Warrant of Trade, granting him the right to negotiate freely with xenos. But for now, I have no desire to make contact with the Necrons. I would rather see the Rangda and the Necrons bleed each other dry," the Emperor said after a moment of thought.
The Rangda were not a simple xenos civilization.
They were formidable, and their technology surpassed that of the current Imperium.
If the Great Crusade had never been launched, this civilization might have replaced mankind as the new rulers of the galaxy.
For humanity to reclaim its former status as the galaxy's dominant power, the Rangda had to be eradicated.
The Necrons, still slumbering in their tomb worlds, could be used as tools to achieve this end.
The Emperor planned to sit upon the mountain and watch the tigers fight, allowing the Necrons and the Rangda to clash until both sides were weakened, and then move in to destroy whichever side emerged victorious.
That would be the true fisherman's profit.
"Understood, Father," Kasha nodded, then relayed the Emperor's words verbatim to Axis.
This old man was cunning.
Since both sides were already fighting, letting them wear each other down before swooping in to claim the spoils was indeed a sound strategy.
Decades after the Second Rangda War, the Rangda had apparently succeeded in annihilating that particular Necron dynasty.
Only then did they wage an all-out war with the Imperium, during which the Emperor truly reaped the benefits of his earlier plan.
However, the two sides had not been equally crippled.
The Rangda still held the advantage, pushing the Imperium to the brink. In the end, the Emperor was forced to wield the void dragon shard to achieve final victory.
Axis, however, intended to make use of Necron technology.
The sooner he could get his hands on King Vegeta's private collection, the better it would be for him.
"Kasha, tell your father this, the Rangda are extremely powerful. If we do not assist the Necrons in this war, this Necron dynasty will be destroyed quickly. The Rangda could then acquire their technology.
"If that happens, their strength will not diminish but will grow even greater, making them far harder to deal with," Axis said.
This was not an exaggeration; it had already happened before, such as with the Blackstone Matrixes aboard the Solus Prime.
Those things were also far superior to anything the Imperium currently possessed. Such technologies were not developed overnight.
Even if the Rangda could not fully decipher Necron technology, they could certainly make use of parts of it.
Unlike the Imperium, they were not bound by rigid dogma, they would adapt and use whatever worked.
"Axis, should we tell Father about the Blackstones?" Kasha asked.
"Hmmm, tell him that while fighting the Rangda, I discovered they were using a special kind of Obliesk structure that could block psychic power.
"They thought my ki was some form of psychic ability. But since the thing had no effect on me, I destroyed it," Axis replied.
Kasha nodded and once again contacted her father, delivering Axis's words exactly as he had spoken them.
This time, it was the Emperor's turn to fall silent.
Of course he knew what the Obliesk structure Kasha was talking about was, it was an ancient Necron technology known to very few.
It was the bane of psykers, and Axis's concerns were not without merit.
If the Rangda managed to learn from Necron technology, it would be greatly detrimental to the Imperium.
"Kasha, tell Axis that once he has his own Legion, I will permit him to make contact with this Necron dynasty. For now, your priority remains defeating the Rangda forces," the Emperor said.
Only when Axis officially gained the title of Primarch and commanded his own Legion would the Emperor feel secure enough to grant him such authority.
"Yes, Father. I will relay your words to him."
"For now, I authorize you to carry out some preliminary reconnaissance of this Necron dynasty.
"The main goal is to assess how long they can hold out against the Rangda. The longer this war drags on, the better. It will give the Imperium ample time to prepare for the Rangda's complete destruction."
After this campaign ended, the Emperor wanted Axis to return to Holy Terra as soon as possible. He himself would also return to assist in the formation of Axis's own Legion.
Kasha nodded.
After the father and daughter had finished their exchange, they ended the psychic transmission.
"Axis, Father hopes we focus on the war in front of us first. Then, you should return as soon as possible to resolve the matter of your gene-sons.
"Once your Legion is officially established, we will move to eradicate the Rangda completely," Kasha said.
"I understand," Axis replied with a nod.
To build his own Legion, he would indeed have to return to Holy Terra.
Even the Emperor, currently leading the Great Crusade in the southern reaches of the Imperium, would have to come back.
"Axis, you could dispatch a dauntless-class battleship to the target star system to conduct a search. It's over a thousand light-years away, it will take several months of warp travel," Kasha suggested.
The Solus Prime already had the coordinates for the Necron dynasty's location, but it was more than a thousand light-years distant.
Thus, only an Imperial warship could be sent ahead for reconnaissance.
Axis himself could not leave, as he had to devote his full strength to the current war, and afterward return to Terra.
By the time they were still traveling through the warp, Axis would likely have already ended the war against the Rangda.
If the Imperium fought alone, this war could last for years, perhaps decades. But with Axis on the battlefield, the Rangda's defeat was all but certain.
"In that case, we'll send an Dauntless--class cruiser to the system where the Necrons and Rangda are clashing. Have them observe first and gather intelligence," Axis decided.
After ending his communication with the Emperor, Axis immediately returned to his Wolf Pack and summoned a lieutenant.
He assigned him one hundred Space Marines and the first Dauntless--class cruiser he had obtained.
Axis explained the details of the Necron threat and handed over the reconnaissance mission.
"Your mission is to conduct reconnaissance. If possible, I authorize you to engage in talks with the Necrons.
"Remember, you represent the Imperium of Man. If, after negotiations, they are willing to form a temporary alliance with us, you are to bring back a Necron envoy," Axis instructed.
"Wolf Lord Axis, I guarantee I will complete this mission," The Lieutenant replied, saluting.
"I will have Mader accompany you. Mader will maintain communication with me. Remember, your mission is not to fight the enemy, it is reconnaissance and if only possible diplomacy," Axis said.
With Mader along, Axis could stay in contact with them at all times through psychic communication.
It also greatly reduced the danger, since a Rube Priest could foresee threats in advance.
"I understand, my lord. I will negotiate with these Necrons," The Lieutenant said.
"My lord Axis, take care," Mader added.
This was his first external assignment since joining the Wolf Pack, and he intended to perform flawlessly to be worthy of his Wolf Lord's trust.
"Stay safe. Avoid combat unless absolutely necessary. Go and prepare, you will leave the fleet at the next star system," Axis said after giving them a few more instructions.
A few days later, they arrived at their next target system.
The Rangda incursion here was small, with only a few dozen warships, and the planet held little plunder value.
Upon arrival, Axis took only a few hours to annihilate the Rangda fleet in orbit and wipe out every xenos on the surface.
That same day, Axis reported to Lion El'Jonson, the Lion.
This was the fourth star system he had liberated.
After resupplying in this system, Axis split his forces.
He led the main fleet toward the next objective, while Mader and the Lieutenant took the Dauntless--class cruiser toward the Necron system, thousands of light-years away.
From then on, the battles held little challenge.
The Lion provided the intelligence, and Axis provided the killing blow.
Wherever Axis struck, the Rangda collapsed.
Facing the Golden Devil, the Rangda finally understood what true terror was.
After repeated clashes, they realized just how fearsome this enemy of the Imperium truly was.
This was a being who shattered the balance of the campaign itself.
Space battles meant nothing to him. He would destroy entire fleets and wipe out every land force on the surface of a planet.
Even the War-moons had been reduced to wreckage by him.
The war had begun to tilt overwhelmingly in the Imperium's favor.
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