The Blorg finished off the Slaaneshi cultists, assimilating their final planet into the Collective.
Hardly sated, the Great Assimilator next turned its sights against the Prikkiki-Ti. The lizards too would be assimilated. As the Great Assimilator’s envoys made the habit of announcing every time the Galactic Community was in session, resistance was impolite, and all would eventually be assimilated.
The Imperium cared not for the Prikkiki-Ti, who would happily murder every last human if given half a chance, but Sethano was deeply concerned that every planet conquered only made the Great Assimilator more and more powerful. The Gray Tempest was still a nebulous, practically mythical threat, which the Imperium still hadn’t seen any signs of activity from, besides the initial transmission warning of them when they were first unleashed upon the galaxy. But few could ignore the Blorg’s rapid expansion at the expense of their neighbors.
At long last, the Witch Hunts on Holy Terra finally rooted out and purged the last of the Deep One cults on Holy Terra, and those who had allowed themselves to be corrupted by the foul xenos. Many would breathe easier on Holy Terra, though unfortunately, Witch Hunts would become increasingly common across other Imperial Worlds, as the Deep Ones sought to spread their cult far and wide.
Concerting reports arrived on Holy Terra that certain colonists on the frigid world of Kanaka Durga Prime had begun genetically modifying themselves, not only to better tolerate their harsh environment, but to be physically stronger as well. They had even begun openly referring to themselves as “Post-Humans”.
Throughout its history, the Imperium had regularly genetically modified select male trainees into transhuman Space Marines, through the use of Gene-Seed and surgically implanted organs based on the same. But for civilians to be giving themselves such treatments, even if they were but a pale imitation of the procedures used by Space Marine Chapters was highly alarming, and there were some unsubstantiated rumors that it was part of a Deep One plot to mutate humans into beings more like themselves.
Inquisitors were dispatched to investigate, but Sethano was very explicit that no Exterminatuses or purges were to be carried out unless there was genuine and definitive proof of corruption. After all, they were still citizens of the Imperium, and their Imperial Tithes were needed to continue building its defenses against the hostile xenos who surrounded it.
Sethano Horst, as the leading High Lady of Terra and Master of the Administratum, should not have been able to give direct orders to the Inquisition in such a manner. The Inquisition was outside of the normal chain of command, and did not officially answer to her. However, the Thorians had only grown in prominence in the Inquisition since Sethano Horst had first risen to her office, and her steadfast and inspiring leadership against myriad xenos threats had only further fueled their convictions that she was divinely inspired by the Emperor, acting as the living expression of his will. To refuse an order from her would be to oppose the designs of the Emperor himself.
Others in the Inquisition were deeply uncomfortable with this, whispering that Sethano could yet prove a second Goge Vandire, the tyrant whom Sebastian Thor had helped depose millennia ago, who had pretended to be inspired and protected by the Emperor. But any and all covert assassination attempts against Sethano inevitably failed, and often so spectacularly that it only reinforced notions that she truly was divinely protected by the Emperor.
The pace of these attempts slowed dramatically when the Tzeentchian Sorcerers declared war on the T’au Empire, and by extension, the Imperium once again. That wouldn’t stop Sethano from investing heavily in improving the Imperium’s espionage and counter-espionage operations though. Besides protecting herself, these operations were focused on infiltrating both the Tzeentchians and the Blorg to gain intelligence on their movements and steal their technology, once it could be sufficiently purged of Chaos and xenos taints.
The foundation of the Galactic Market in a backwater system that had rebelled from the Drukhari Kabal was largely an afterthought to many in the Imperium, though Sethano would quietly open channels to secure the purchase of supplies and materials needed for the Imperium’s war effort.
As Imperial Battlefleets were deployed to the front, a revolutionary technological breakthrough was made on how to reactivate ancient Warp Gates. While few in number, they would allow distances between them to be traversed almost instanteously, far beyond the range of Jump Drives.
Imperial Battlefleets reached the Rana System. Once held by the Imperium before being taken and colonized by the Tzeentchians decades ago.
Orbital bombardment commenced against the Tzeentchian colony, Last Exit, that, if prolonged, would have eventually culminated in an Exterminatus. However, Sethano wanted to be able to use Last Exit as a forward operating base, so once the Tzeentchian defenses had been sufficiently softened up, the Astra Militarum moved in, along with squads of Inquisitors and Sisters of Battle tasked with the extermination of the surviving Tzeentchians on the ground.
While exploring a natural wormhole leading from the Rigel System in Segementum Tempestus, Explorator Rawohlt reported dire news. The other end of the wormhole opened up near Blorg space. While the Great Assimilator hadn’t reached the cluster yet, it would only be a matter of time before it was on the Imperium’s doorstep.
Emergency work began on transforming the Rigel Gate, as it would become known, into a Fortress World that would rival New Cadia.
As exploration of the cluster on the far side of the Rigel Gate was discovered, a fearsome Scavenger Bot was also discovered, roving among a massive graveyard of ancient void ships.
The arrival of Void Cloud VLUUR in the Sol System was another ill-omen, severly disrupting navigation there.
Two Imperial Battlefleet pushed into the Algorab System, to retake the bastion that the Tzeentchians had seized so many years before.
While the bastion was taken, the Tzeentchians swiftly counterattacked with two large fleets.
The battle quickly turned desperate, with horrific losses on both sides as they closed in on each other.
The better part of both Imperial Battlefleets were wiped out.
But Imperial Starhawks ensured that the Tzeentchians paid a heavy price, and narrowly repelled them.
Both sides were bloodied, but the war had just begun...