The Forging Sage and the Vice Admiral beside him looked at each other and finally chose to compromise: “We will go deep into the Maelstrom with you and complete the Star Bullet’s commission.”

The three people present were all very clear about the current situation. The 6th Expeditionary Fleet did not have the Astartes as its spearhead, and its own hard power was far inferior to that of other fleets. It relied entirely on the large number of warships and advanced arms such as the Night Knights provided by the Congregation of Truth to fill the combat power gap.

Every expeditionary fleet was watched closely by the Four Chaos Gods. After leaving the armed fleet of the Order of Truth, especially after losing the Valkyrie-class battleship, they were unable to travel at warp speed and had no chance of reaching Terra alive.

Plumeria seemed to have given them a choice, but in reality, there was only one option that could be pressed.

“She is indeed the captain of the Vicious Woman…” Inquisitor Camus muttered to himself as he looked at Plumeria’s beautiful face that was cold and even a little mean.

“What did you say?” Plumeria frowned.

“I was thinking that you are so wise and decisive, you are truly the worthy captain of the Valkyrie battleship.” Camus immediately emptied his mind and pretended that nothing had happened just now, and then he passed it off.

Or maybe Plumeria deliberately gave him an excuse.

The young judge scolded himself in his heart for his negligence, for actually having the thought of offending in front of this vicious woman.As the director of the psychic research department of the Order of Truth, Plumelia is an extremely powerful psyker in her own right – second only to Alphonse, who was missing in the flare, in psychic strength.

Fortunately, Plumeria did not pursue his thoughts. The huge expeditionary fleet assembled within the patrol range of the Badab Fleet soon attracted the attention of the local star district government. Before the consultation meeting within the 6th Expeditionary Fleet was over, the Evil Woman received a communication request from Badab Main Star:

“We are the Badab Fleet, visitors from afar. Please state your identities and purpose.”

Perhaps because they noticed the Imperial holy emblem and the gear-skull logo of the Adeptus Mechanicus branded and hung on some ships in the expeditionary fleet, the Badab system patrol fleet’s inquiries were quite polite, although the fleet’s weapon systems still politely maintained a state of alert ready to be activated at any time.

“We are the 6th Expeditionary Fleet of the Terra Crusade. In the name of the Emperor, we are heading to Holy Terra…”

Vice Admiral Oguma sent back the identities of his party and some superficial information about the Terra expedition to the Badab patrol fleet. After receiving a positive reply from friendly forces, a vanguard consisting of two frigates and some escort aircraft formations approached the Vicious Woman cautiously.

The closer they got, the more shocked the captains and crew members of the two frigates felt. The majestic and magnificent size of the 48-kilometer-long Valkyrie-class battleship gave the advance team an unparalleled visual impact in this galaxy that adheres to the principle of “bigger is better.”

Many crew members on the frigate had heard the legends about the great Queen of Glory-class battleship, the pride of the Empire, before and after joining the Imperial Navy. Now, as they witnessed the heroic figure of the Valkyrie with their own eyes, they couldn’t help but wonder: Even if the Queen of Glory, who only appeared in legends, came before them, the shock she brought would be no more than this, right?

Or maybe this is actually a great Queen of Glory-class battleship, on an expedition to the galaxy because of the will of the God-Emperor?

This thought continued until two frigates docked at the side of the Malice, and the diplomatic envoys in elegant formal attire solemnly boarded the bridge of the Valkyrie, representing the will of Governor Badab.

Diplomats who are qualified to attend such occasions have naturally received extremely rigorous professional etiquette training, and they take this honor of boarding a huge warship that is suspected to be the Queen of Glory even more seriously.

There was nothing wrong with the diplomat’s facial expression and body movements. Even though his heart was filled with excitement and shock, he still looked calm and composed. His every move displayed a timeless elegance, and he did not lose any face for Governor Badab.

“Even though I’m yelling in my heart, ‘I can brag for fifty years’, I’m still forcing myself to put on an expression of ‘nothing special’. Are all the people of Badab so hypocritical? So funny~ Like a country bumpkin who just came to the city. Badab country bumpkin~country~”

“Who?!” The diplomat was startled and couldn’t help but exclaimed.

The receptionists on both sides of the bridge who were responsible for welcoming him were startled by the sudden shouting. They all looked at the Badab diplomat who had just boarded the ship in surprise: “Um, are you okay?”

“I, I’m fine, nothing’s wrong…” The diplomat walked forward while waving his hands to show that he was in good condition. His eyes kept scanning the surroundings, but he could not find the source of the voice just now.

“The voice I heard just now was soft and high-pitched. It should be the voice of an adult woman, but there were only men among the receptionists on both sides, and they showed no signs of hearing the voice… Where did that voice come from?”

With suspicion and hidden worries, Badab diplomat continued to walk forward politely under the guidance of a group of receptionists and entered the cabin of the Evil-Worded Woman.

“Country~bum~”

As soon as his front feet stepped into the cabin, the familiar tone appeared again, and the velvety soft voice seemed to ring directly in the skull.

Big beads of cold sweat broke out from his back, soaking the silk lining under the diplomat’s luxurious dress.

Chapter 186 Star Claws

Among all the 13 Terran expeditionary forces, the largest fleet is the 1st Expeditionary Fleet led by the Emperor’s prophetess Alexi herself, and the mysterious man Bramimond, whose identity is unknown, is also among them. The second largest fleet is the 13th Expeditionary Fleet where the Blue Blood Nobles Chapter is located. The descendants of the Ultramarines have always had great fortunes.

Excluding these two, the 6th Expeditionary Fleet currently commanded by Plumeria is the most luxurious expeditionary force.

Including the Flame of Repentance, Oracle of Truth, Unfinished Business, Forsaken Truth, the Jealous Lady, the Ark of Bliss… and the dismantled and rebuilt “Eumenes”, many powerful warships capable of serving as flagships in the regular Imperial fleet were incorporated into the 6th Expeditionary Force, together with a large number of light cruisers and destroyers to guard the Valkyrie-class battleship known as the “poisonous woman”.

Such a terrifyingly large fleet force appeared out of thin air right under the noses of the Badab Galaxy Defense Force almost as if by magic. It is no wonder that Governor Badab was so nervous.

After a brief exchange, Vice Admiral Oguma informed the diplomatic envoy sent by Badab of the purpose of his visit and showed them the authorization documents jointly granted by various major departments of the Esbonis star region, which finally eased the tense atmosphere.

For some reason, the diplomat’s steps were hurried when he left, as if he was afraid of being late for getting off the ship.

Two days later, the 6th Expeditionary Fleet obtained permission to dock at the star port in the Badab system. As the commander, Plumeria was invited to go to the main star of Badab with the forging sage Macbeth to meet with the local governor.

The Star Claws stationed in the Badab system were founded in the 35th millennium, but Luft Huron, who was later known as the Tyrant of Badab, had not yet been born. Therefore, Badab is still governed by its planetary governor.

Badab, adjacent to the Great Whirlpool, has never been a place with simple folk customs. The indecisive planetary governor does not have the iron fist of the “Black Heart King” of later generations. The security situation here can naturally be imagined.

As soon as the transport plane of the 6th Expeditionary Fleet approached the orbit of the planet Badab, Plumeria’s innate psychic ability sensed the crime and violence that filled every inch of the planet’s surface. The last time she felt this was in Mirafar.

This is not a good start, Plumeria murmured in her heart.

“To be honest, I don’t understand why you guys are staying here.”

Sure enough, after exchanging greetings with Plumeria and Macbeth, the Sage of Forging, Governor Badab bluntly expressed his intention to expel them: “Whether you are going to Terra for pilgrimage, or to the Maelstrom to seek death… or treasure, since you claim to be just passing through – then it’s best to leave as soon as possible.”

Governor Badab’s meaning was obvious. The shock brought by the huge military force of the 6th Expeditionary Fleet and the power of the Valkyries turned into uneasiness and anxiety written directly on his face. He wished he could send these unwelcome guests away as soon as possible, even if it cost him a relatively small price.

Just think of it as being robbed.

Plumeria was not surprised by this. “Your Excellency does not need to drive us away. We do not intend to stay in Badab for too long. In the name of the Star Bullet, we will complete our preparations as soon as possible and then enter the whirlpool to find the treasure that the leader requested.”

What the hell is a Star Bomber… But as long as you are willing to leave, it’s fine.

Governor Badab was afraid that they would stay here and not leave. This group of people had more ships than he did, their flagship was bigger and their cannons were more powerful than his. If such a group of big and powerful guys decided to stay here on a whim, he felt that his butt might not be too safe. He didn’t know if he would be kicked off the governor’s throne one day.

The overjoyed governor immediately expressed his willingness to provide logistical supplies to the expedition fleet so that they could leave Badab as soon as possible.

Plumeria smiled knowingly. “Don’t worry. We will leave as soon as possible. But in addition to entering the whirlpool to find a treasure, the leader has given me another mission.”

As soon as these words came out, Governor Badab’s heart, which had just been relieved, became tense again: “…What mission?”

Plumeria smiled without saying anything. The forging sage “Macbeth” who had been staying beside her came forward. A mechanical arm wrapped with fine threads stretched out to the table and displayed a holographic projection in front of them.

This holographic projection was recorded in Fallas, and in the center of the picture is one of Fallas’ most famous landmarks – the “Guide” statue.

Under the suspicious and cautious gaze of Governor Badab, Plumeria signaled Macbeth with her eyes to mark the key points of the projection. Then, the human emperor dressed as a scholar was quickly enlarged, and the “lantern” in the left hand of the statue occupied the entire screen.

Megastructure: L-Gate.

“As you can see, this is a star gate.”

“A stargate capable of real-time teleportation across star systems.”

“A stargate that can achieve inter-galactic teleportation without the need for the subspace.”

Governor Badab’s cowardice and snobbery made Plumeria lose her patience with his use of honorifics. She used the most concise sentences to explain to the person in front of her the nature of the L-Gate and the fact that the gate network in the Far East Frontier had been completed.

Then came her third mission: “Entrusted by the Emperor, we will stop at important star systems on the way to Terra and help build L-gates there, so that we can complete the galactic-scale stargate networking as soon as possible after we finally arrive at Terra.”

“And Badab is the first stop of the 6th Expeditionary Fleet. We will build a star gate here to prepare in advance for the Terra government to directly govern this place in the future.” Plumeria said, looking directly into the eyes of Governor Badab.

Governor Badab’s eyes changed rapidly, and thoughts quickly flowed through his mind. Plumeria’s brief description of the L-Gate was repeated in his mind over and over again, and he soon understood what it meant.

Even though he is indecisive, selfish and pedantic, he is a planetary governor after all. He has received a full set of elite education and possesses all the knowledge and qualities needed to rule a planet – except kindness.

After a brief thought, Governor Badab made his own judgment on the L-Gate.

That is: allowing the 6th Expeditionary Fleet to build the L-Stargate here would do him more harm than good.

Badab didn’t say a word from beginning to end, only his eyes changed slightly, but his powerful psychic power allowed Plumeria to sense his mood swings.

“It seems that the governor will not support us building a star gate here…” Plumeria said silently in her heart.

“The Badab system is a strategic location for watching over the Great Vortex. It can even be said to be a weakened version of Cadia. If the Terran government can directly govern this place through the stargate network, it will undoubtedly be of great benefit to the human empire – but this is not the case for the Badab governor.”

“Due to the uncertainty of warp navigation, the human empire’s military presence in these border outposts is seriously insufficient, and it can only be said that it is better than nothing. Local officials like Governor Badab who hold military power are actually equivalent to local emperors. The actual power of the planetary governor is infinitely close to infinity. In places far away from Terra’s control, they can do whatever they want.”

“But if the stargate is connected to the Internet, the direct jurisdiction of the Terran government will inevitably greatly weaken the power of the local dignitaries. It is not impossible that they will be purged in the name of judging past crimes… This is not only a power struggle, but also a zero-sum game involving life and death.”

After clarifying the role that Badab plays in the human empire and the position of the planetary governor, it is easy to see that it is impossible to gain the support of local dignitaries for the construction of a stargate.

“Thank you for your kindness, but building a stargate is a huge project. It will consume a lot of manpower and material resources, and it will take ten years. In my opinion, instead of wasting precious time in Badab, you should seize the opportunity to continue the expedition and send the STC of the stargate to Terra.”

Governor Badab smiled politely and said, “The Sieglinde family has controlled Badab and has been watching over the Great Vortex for a thousand years. Even if the Star Gate is blocked for a while, it will not fall. However, if we don’t hurry up on the expedition to Terra, I’m afraid there will be many unpleasant changes.”

This was no longer a hint, but an explicit statement. Governor Badab’s face was almost like “Your fleet is docked in my starport, and if you don’t get out now, you won’t be able to leave later.”

This was a matter of family status, power and life. Even a coward like him was forced to fight to the death.

“Finally you look like a good person.” Facing Governor Badab’s threat, Plumeria smiled instead of getting angry: “If you keep being so cowardly, I’ll think you’re a little girl in men’s clothes. But who gave you the courage to talk to me like this? – Star Claw?”

“You…” The vicious look in Governor Badab’s eyes suddenly turned into astonishment, but this slight astonishment quickly dissipated: “As the watchmen stationed in the Great Vortex, what’s wrong with the entire Star Claws regiment being dispatched to defend their home world from hostile outsiders?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Plumeria smiled, “But there’s a small misunderstanding that needs to be corrected – you’re the one who came.”

As the psychic supervisor finished speaking, Governor Badab subconsciously wanted to call his personal guard to come in, and the door to the reception room was indeed pushed open in time as he expected. But after the door opened, it was not Governor Badab’s fully armed personal guard who appeared outside, but a humanoid combat machine over three meters tall.

“This, this is…” Governor Badab was a little incoherent.

“Nightbearers.” Macbeth, the forging sage, said truthfully in his voice mixed with electronic buzzing: “A specialized unit to fight against Chaos, a professional anti-psychic soldier – Nightbearers.”

The humanoid war machine outside the door held a solid shield in his left hand and a giant platinum sword wrapped in a decomposition force field in his right hand. The sword body was engraved with dense and regular psychic theory formulas.

The finely crafted Zero Element Armor presents a gorgeous platinum color under the sunlight. The golden ratio of the human body curves and the cold and tough mechanical lines together present a unique artistic beauty. The tall body is like a demigod, and behind its broad back extend symmetrical pulse artillery arrays on both sides, like a pair of spread mechanical wings, like an angel in mythology.

However, the moment she saw this mechanical angel, Plumeria couldn’t help but reveal a look of disgust.

——The wearers of Scholar-type mobile armor are all Untouchables. These soulless aliens will make ordinary people feel uncomfortable and disgusted involuntarily. Psychics are even more sensitive to this. Even if they just meet the Untouchables from a distance, they will experience both severe psychological and physical discomfort.

Plumeria suppressed the intense nausea in her heart and tried her best to keep her expression calm.

Governor Badab was completely unaware of the psychic chief’s gaffe, because on the left and right sides of the Night Knight, several Space Marines wearing steel power armor, holding bolters and power swords, walked out.

He was very familiar with the paint job of this armor and the chapter logo on the shoulder armor. This was the Overwatch Chapter stationed in the Badab system: the Star Claws.

“Badab is the home world of the Astral Claws, so the Astral Claws warriors should work together with their hometown people to resist external threats – the idea is good, but the actual situation is far from that simple.”

Plumeria smiled as she watched the Night Knight and five Star Claw warriors enter the reception room, and tried to keep her voice steady as she spoke:

“You only want to hold on to Badab’s power, but you overlook the most important issue: Space Marines never care who becomes a planetary governor. They only fight for the God-Emperor.”

The opening of the star gate will weaken your power, but it will greatly reduce the defense pressure of the imperial forces. The logistics and transportation efficiency problem that has plagued the empire for many years will also be solved. This is exactly what the Star Claws who watch over the Great Vortex need most. “

“Your interest demands have never been the same, and your positions are inconsistent. How can you make the Star Claws give up the L-Star Gate to safeguard your pitiful power?”

Looking at Plumeria’s cold and beautiful face, Governor Badab realized belatedly: the expedition fleet had met with the Star Claws before meeting him. This group of big and burly outsiders used some unknown bargaining chips to incite the warriors of the Star Claws to rebel and join forces with them to oppose the lord of the regiment’s home world!

“If you had cooperated with our work honestly from the beginning, perhaps you could have sat on the governor’s throne for a while longer. What a pity.” Plumeria sighed.

A mechanical arm quickly swept past the side of the psychic supervisor and then quickly retracted. The forging sage Macbeth neatly twisted the neck of the supreme ruler of the planet. The dripping blood dyed the expensive goose down carpet under his feet red, and a skull rolled down.

I am afraid that Governor Badab would never have imagined until his death how convincing “expedition to Terra and audience with the God-Emperor” would be to the Astartes monks.

Plumeria stood up from her seat and walked out of the reception room with graceful steps. The corridor outside the door was full of smoke, mottled craters and dried blood, and the sky was dark. If she hadn’t used her psychic power to block the entire reception room from the outside world, such a fierce battle would have been noticed by Governor Badab inside.

In orbit, the fleet of the Sky Claws was airdropping to their home planet to clear out the remaining forces of Governor Badab. The Forging Sage came to a Sky Claws warrior who had just taken off his helmet and handed him a file with the template for the construction of the L-Stargate – using his original two hands instead of a mechanical arm.