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Chapter 306: The Importance of Reputation and the Completion of the Synaptic Lathe's Research
🕑 Added 2025-09-19 11:10:01 +0000 UTCChapter 306: The Importance of Reputation and the Completion of the Synaptic Lathe's Research
The Spear of Adun, its hull heavily damaged, immediately executed a warp jump, returning to the center of the human fleet to escape the disaster of the Disassociation Phenomenon. Artanis and the other Protoss were shaken, looking out at the catastrophe they had created. The destruction caused by the Disassociation Phenomenon was far greater than their entire invasion had been up to that point. It was not just Eldar who were killed; the xenos slaves and captured humans in the city had no way to escape.
Lucan could not save everyone. Rescuing every human in Commorragh was an impossible task. He tried to calm his emotions. He knew that no one would blame him for this, but his heart still felt that those people had died because of him.
Damon, standing to the side, seemed to read his thoughts.
"My Lord, it was unavoidable," Damon said quietly. "Compared to the world you and I came from, this one is far more cruel. Necessary sacrifices cannot be avoided. It is the only way we can survive, isn't it?"
"I understand all of this, Damon. Notify all forces, including the vassal dynasties, to return to the warships as quickly as possible. The Disassociation Phenomenon is still spreading. We must evacuate immediately."
Lucan had already returned to the Stellar Pioneer, but the evacuation of the ground forces was not yet complete. The looting parties were spread far and wide, and they had all encountered resistance from the remaining Dark Eldar. However, with the joyful addition of the Orks and the intrusion of Slaaneshi daemons, the Dark Eldar ground forces no longer had the luxury of dealing with the human invaders. The Greenskins, who had been trapped in the Webway for who knows how long, were unleashing their full desire for battle.
If the scattered Orks were not a major problem, the daemons were. A large portion of the Dark Eldar's effective strength autonomously joined the fight to cleanse the daemonic incursions. For them, although the invaders led by Lucan were their mortal enemies, the humans could not escape. They could take their revenge later. In fact, some Dark Eldar were pleased with what Lucan had done; only with the death of the old guard could they climb higher up the ladder of power.
But the daemons were a different matter entirely. They could truly destroy all of Commorragh. If these daemons were not dealt with quickly, their numbers would only continue to grow.
The path of retreat became much smoother. The vast majority of the troops, laden with spoils, successfully returned to their warships. The sheer quantity of loot was so great that they were forced to abandon some of it.
The powerful void shields of the fleet were like paper in the face of this disaster. Even on the periphery of the phenomenon, Lucan's fleet was impacted. Alarm sirens wailed across the bridges. As this was a disaster formed from psychic energy, the massive waves of power caused the warships' void shields to flicker constantly.
"The life force of these Dark Eldar is truly stubborn," Lucan mused, watching the scene with a lingering fear. "How did they survive this kind of disaster in the past? No wonder these creatures are so terrified of anyone using psychic powers in Commorragh. If this kind of cataclysm happened on Agathos, it would be enough to destroy everything I've built over the years."
Eldrad and Yvraine, who had previously left the bridge, now returned. Both of them stared out the viewport at the chaos. So many Eldar must be dying... Countless Eldar souls were flooding into the warp.
Both Eldrad and Yvraine turned to look at Lucan, their eyes filled with accusation. Eldrad's original intention in letting Lucan into Commorragh was simply to solve the problem of the Kabals and their leadership. Now, the Disassociation Phenomenon was affecting not only their original targets, but also the many potential converts they needed.
"Lord Lucan! You have gone too far!" Eldrad couldn't help but accuse him. "This catastrophe will kill many Eldar who did not need to die!" But he quickly realized the impropriety of his actions.
"Eldrad, save your false pity!" Lucan shot back. "This is war. You provided us with the locations and the intelligence. You provided us with the Webway portals. Do you think you are innocent in this?! If you think my actions were improper, then you should ask yourself if your own calculations were fair to those 'innocent' Eldar you spoke of! If you think all this could have been avoided, then you go and talk to the Dark Eldar fleets blocking our retreat! Tell them to open a path for us! See if they will listen to you!
"To protect yourself, or to protect the Eldar, have you not sacrificed few other races? Do I need to list them all out for you?! And Yvraine, you too! When you awakened the power of the Death God, you shattered the Gate of Khaine. Do you believe all the Eldar who died in that daemon invasion deserved to die?!"
Lucan's words left both Eldrad and Yvraine speechless. He channeled the guilt he felt for the humans who had died in the disaster into anger, directing it squarely at Eldrad. The soldiers on the bridge immediately aimed their weapons at the two Eldar. The Visarch, who had been guarding Yvraine, also drew his blade. But Eldrad immediately pressed his hand down on the Visarch's Crone Sword, forcing it back into its sheath.
"Visarch, Eldrad clearly understands the situation better than you do," Lucan said coldly. "I have already taken care of Vect for you. From now on, no one will interfere with the growth of your faith."
"You... you really dealt with Vect?" Eldrad still couldn't believe that the man who had ruled the Dark Eldar for so long was dead, just like that.
"Of course. Eldrad, I must remind you again: I hope you have chosen to submit to me in good faith. Do not use your calculations on me. If those Harlequins come looking for you, and try to make you cooperate against me, I expect you to inform me immediately. Otherwise, Vect's fate will be yours."
Lucan's words were a blatant offense, but Eldrad merely clenched his jaw. When you are under someone else's roof, you have no choice but to bow your head.
"I will respect our cooperation. Yvraine, let us go."
As the Webway portal opened, the human fleet, using the breach the catastrophe had torn in the Dark Eldar defenses, entered the Webway once more. Following the route, the fleet emerged directly back at Agathos. The invasion had lasted a very short time, but its intensity had been absurdly high. The high-intensity battle had left everyone physically and mentally exhausted.
In this invasion of Commorragh, the entire fleet had lost nearly forty ships of various classes. The casualties among the ground forces were also not insignificant. Although most of the losses were frigates, for any Imperial sector, such a loss would be considered enormous, enough to cripple its void defense capabilities. Nearly every ship that returned to Agathos was covered in scars. Even the Spear of Adun had suffered unprecedented damage. The number of Dark Eldar warships was simply too great. If it weren't for the presence of the SCVs, the number of ships lost would have been even higher.
But compared to the results, these losses did not seem so tragic. Including the Disassociation Phenomenon, the Dark Eldar had lost hundreds of warships, and the number of Dark Eldar killed was beyond counting.
The losses to the Dynasty's core fleet were not high. They had the best armor and enough SCVs to endure a large amount of damage. Most of the losses came from the vassal dynasties, and the majority of the ground casualties were also their troops. Having entered the ground battle to plunder, they had met with heavy resistance from the Dark Eldar. With their equipment and combat effectiveness a full step behind the Mongorte Dynasty's, they had been forced to risk everything for the sake of loot. However, the damaged ships were a small problem. As long as they were brought back, they could be quickly repaired.
And despite having lost a large number of warships and personnel, the vassal dynasties showed no signs of heartache. Because for them, the sacrifice was worth it. War always has casualties. As long as the profits far exceeded their losses, it was worthwhile. They had plundered an immense amount of wealth from Commorragh. Selling this wealth to the Dynasty or to the Imperium was more than enough to cover their losses and earn a return far beyond them.
Some of the captured equipment, although they couldn't crack it, could be used directly, such as personal holo-fields or displacer fields. Such personal protective equipment was not a common commodity for any race. They had turned the Kabal headquarters, Dark Eldar research labs, and warehouses upside down. The weapons and other supplies that the Dark Eldar had accumulated from raiding countless planets and merchant caravans were all piled up in their warehouses. There was even some production technology and knowledge to go with the equipment. Some was human, some was xenos; some were weapons, some were special cultural relics and technology.
Both the Dark Eldar and the Craftworld Eldar maintained an extreme arrogance. Perhaps with the exception of the Necrons, they viewed most of the current technology of other races as primitive. Coupled with their racial differences, they would never deign to use this tech. However, these items still had value. For example, many Planetary Governors within the Imperium had cooperated with these Eldar pirates. These materials and technologies could be sold to them in exchange for slaves. The Dark Eldar did not get everything through raiding.
And now, all of it had been cheaply acquired by Lucan's vassal dynasties. For them, they could raise another ground army at any time with enough equipment and resources. For humanity, population was often the cheapest resource. And with the Dynasty's current warship production capacity, their fleet losses could also be quickly replenished.
In addition to the material benefits, the boost to their reputation could not be ignored.
Lucan did not intend to hide the results of this battle. The moment he returned to Agathos, a communication was already sent to Terra to inform Guilliman. Lucan wanted him to publicize it throughout the entire Imperium.
Many people in the Imperium were still untrusting or skeptical of Lucan becoming a High Lord. They believed he was just a puppet propped up by Guilliman. Lucan's foundation in the Imperium was too shallow, and the history of the Mongorte Dynasty was not long enough. Although the name of the Mongorte Dynasty was well-known in the Koronus Expanse and parts of the Hazeroth Abyss, in the context of the entire Imperium, most people had never even heard of his name.
But the results of this battle were enough to solidify his position. No High Lord had ever accomplished such a feat. It was something that had never happened in the history of the Imperium. Lucan's actions would also affect the entire Imperium. Almost every sector in the Imperium had suffered from Dark Eldar raids. It was foreseeable that, for a short time, the Dark Eldar would be too busy fighting for power, cleaning up the after-effects of the Disassociation, and purging the daemons and Orks to even think about raiding the wider galaxy.
While Lucan gained fame, the vassal dynasties that participated in the battle also gained their own prestige. Rogue Traders did not just operate in the Expanse; most of them also returned to the Imperium regularly. This honor would bring them great benefits when cooperating or trading with other Imperial factions. When you are talking to a potential partner within the Imperium and they don't trust you, you can just say you successfully invaded and plundered Commorragh. They will inevitably look at you with newfound respect. It is proof of your ability and strength.
What, you don't believe me?! This is a certificate personally signed by Lord Lucan. I've still got a trunk full of nice things I 'liberated' from some Archon's private chambers in my cruiser.
Countless spoils of war began to be cataloged and sorted by the Dynasty's administrative department. Rebecca was in for another busy period. Determining the value of these spoils and giving the vassal dynasties a reasonable payment was no easy task.
But as mentioned before, compared to the material goods, the technology and various kinds of knowledge seized from the Dark Eldar were of the highest value. The technology and knowledge that was originally human could be used to fill out the Dynasty's tech tree.
And in addition to these, some of the common technological artifacts from other, lesser xenos races, especially the cultural relics, brought Lucan an unexpected windfall. By researching and analyzing these things, it was just like the "research anomaly" mechanic in the Stellaris game. Lucan's scientific officers were not limited in number. His countless Tech-priests were all scientific officers. They could analyze countless artifacts simultaneously. The artifacts from other, lesser xenos civilizations were easily cracked. Although they were of no use to the Dynasty, they provided Lucan with additional research points.
Watching his research points climb, Lucan watched as the progress bar for the Synaptic Lathe continued to rise! It was almost complete! These xenos artifacts, which had been piled up in Dark Eldar warehouses, had been turned into priceless treasures in Lucan's hands.
As the last bit of the progress bar for the Synaptic Lathe filled, the research, which should have taken at least another year, was completed ahead of schedule. The surprise was incredibly sudden.
With the successful acquisition of the Synaptic Lathe's manufacturing process, Lucan also discovered that he could import the construction technology into the SCV's servo-system, relying on the SCV's construction speed to rapidly build this massive construct.
He immediately called for Pavian. He was a little worried about building such an artifact on Agathos; it was simply too eye-catching. The best way was to build it near the Protoss and Zerg on Char. He immediately ordered Pavian to organize a construction fleet, carrying sufficient materials and nearly ten thousand SCVs, to the star system where the Zerg and Protoss were located.
While waiting for the Synaptic Lathe to be completed, he immediately had the Blood Ravens take the fragments of the Panacea STC to a secret workshop. It could be said that besides the completion of the Synaptic Lathe research, this was the greatest harvest of the entire trip. All the other loot combined was not as important as it. Lucan had Pavian bring Cawl along to study how this thing could be used.
Hearing the news, Cawl also stopped everything he was doing and rushed over. He was incredibly curious about this legendary STC.
