"Mister Robert, this is just a small token of my esteem."
"I appreciate the sentiment," Robert replied with a polite smile, accepting yet another bottle of wine and bidding farewell to the man who had gone out of his way to court his favor. He watched the man leave, then let out a long sigh.
He placed the bottle—simple in appearance, but virtually priceless in reality—into a cupboard already overflowing with an immense collection of rare spirits.
He desperately wanted to publicly announce, "Stop sending me things!"
But Robert knew that if he did, others would only redouble their efforts. After all, who knew what kind of man Robert was?
What if he was the type who said, "Don't send gifts," but secretly remembered exactly who did and who didn't? Since it only cost a few pleasantries and a precious collectible, this kind of social maneuvering was second nature to them.
Robert himself had no interest in playing these political games; he only wanted to focus on his duties and avoid contact with others if unnecessary.
This attitude might inexplicably make him enemies, but as long as he had one friend in Marneus Calgar, that was enough to deflect all attacks.
Just as Robert settled back into his chair, a Servitor re-entered the room. It carried a communication slate on its mechanical arm and reported respectfully, "Governor Robert—"
Robert braced himself, thinking it was yet another visitor bearing gifts, but then heard the Servitor finish: "Chapter Master Marneus Calgar requests an audience."
Robert shot to his feet, all signs of fatigue vanishing. He strode swiftly to the door to personally greet him.
"Lord Calgar! What great matter brings you here in person?" Robert asked warmly.
"A major one, naturally," Calgar said, entering the room without hesitation. Clad in his Power Armor, his towering frame nearly filled the door frame. Once inside, he spotted the densely packed wine cabinet, raising an eyebrow. "You seem to be quite popular these days."
"I am, thanks to you," Robert shrugged, a helpless, wry smile crossing his face. "The rumor mill is churning that you are preparing an army of over a hundred thousand Space Marines to march on the Imperial Capital with the Helldivers. People are desperately seeking to curry favor with me, hoping to bet on both sides."
Calgar didn't flinch at Robert's alarming joke. He replied with genuine interest, "It appears they have come to the wrong man."
"They have. I don't drink. I used to indulge before I got this godforsaken governorship, but now I won't touch anything that affects my brain—and that includes certain pharmaceuticals," Robert said, sitting down and gesturing toward his bed. "Please sit there. I don't have a chair that fits your body type."
Calgar sat unceremoniously on the edge of the bed. The frame let out a soft groan but was sturdy enough to bear the weight of his multi-ton Power Armor. He looked at Robert and asked, "Planetary Governor is a position countless individuals dream of, yet you sound utterly disgusted by it?"
"If I only enjoyed the power and discarded the responsibility, it would be a delightful job. But the education I received since childhood doesn't allow me to be that kind of person," Robert stated, a complex look in his eyes.
"Truth be told, I never imagined I would become this kind of person. My greatest dream was actually to be a—well, an art critic with millions of followers."
"So, let's get down to business. Why have you come to see me?" Robert steered the conversation back on track.
Calgar did not grasp the complex implications Robert attached to the phrase this kind of person, assuming it only referred to the Planetary Governor of Perditia. Following Robert's lead, his expression turned serious: "Just moments ago, while I was holding a farewell summit with the Chapter Masters of other Space Marine Chapters, a Xenos with a silver skull suddenly materialized. In front of all of us, it announced its intention to destroy the entire Eastern Segmentum, beginning with the Orpheus Sector."
"What?!" Robert's pupils instantly contracted, his mind reeling. The timing is completely wrong! He didn't consider the possibility that this was the work of the 'Planner'—a 'bit'—but instead desperately tried to figure out if he and the Helldivers had caused a Butterfly Effect. Robert racked his brain but could not figure out what could have triggered it.
Logically, the awakening of the Necrons of the Maynarkh Dynasty in the Orpheus Sector was supposed to be caused by the supernova explosion of the Karakull Twin Stars. He and the Helldivers hadn't done anything that could affect two twin stars.
He decided to ask directly: "What is the current status of those twin stars in the Orpheus Sector? The ones named Karakull."
Calgar didn't answer immediately. He gave Robert a strange look, his tone tinged with disbelief: "Governor Robert, be honest with me—does your faction, the Helldiver, possess a Psyker highly skilled in predicting the future? Or is that person perhaps you?"
Robert paused, immediately realizing that his foreknowledge had reached a point where Calgar could no longer ignore it. He hesitated for a moment, then decided to directly confirm Calgar's suspicion. After all, now was not the time to conceal his hand. Moreover, prophecies like this would only become more frequent, so admitting it wouldn't hurt.
"Yes. However, according to the 'prophecy,' this Xenos species should not have awakened until sometime later, with the supernova of the Karakull Twin Stars serving as their alarm clock. And yes, an encounter similar to what you just described was predicted, but only for the Sector Governor of the Orpheus Sector."
"My guess was correct after all," Calgar nodded knowingly, his face still holding surprise but mostly comprehension. Psychic prophecy was not unheard of in the Imperium, but such precise prescience was truly rare. "It's normal for psychic predictions to have deviations. So, based on the information you've foretold, what should we do?"
"Hmm—I will tell you the Best Strategy first," Robert said slowly, organizing his thoughts.
Calgar, hearing this, seemed to anticipate the answer: "I'm guessing that this 'Best Strategy' is something we are politically incapable of accepting."
Robert merely shrugged, confirming Calgar's suspicion: "A complete, sector-wide withdrawal from the Orpheus Sector, issuing an Exterminatus-level decree, and redeploying the forces to the neighboring Eurydice Sector to establish a defensive line and contain the enemy."