"Huh, after walking for more than a year, we finally arrived... the maelstrom."
Looking at the distant and slowly moving red nebula outside the observation window, Soshyan clenched his fists subconsciously.
The fleet is now at the edge of the Kliman Drift Zone, which means they have officially entered the strange area called the Great Whirlpool. After that, the fleet will go straight to the Sagan Galaxy.
The Maelstrom, the area connected to the Empire's territory is usually called the Maelstrom Zone, and the Ministry of the Interior has set a lengthy administrative name for it, calling it the "Imperial Resource Exploitation Network 004-357 Maelstrom Autonomous Region", located at the extreme The area in the star field close to the galactic core.
Like the Eye of Terror, it is an ancient rift in the Warp, but unlike the Eye of Terror, which was created when the Chaos God Slaanesh was born, the Maelstrom is, as far as Imperial scholars can determine, a natural phenomenon.
Just like using physical means to observe the center of a maelstrom, you will find that it is dark because all light is involved in subspace, where the material and non-material worlds intersect. If you are not careful, you will fall from reality into the void, or Return again.
But the area around the maelstrom is visible, because it is located near a straight line between the core of the Milky Way and Terra, and is an area with the densest stellar mass. Therefore, the outer spin covers an area of hundreds of light-years. If you look at it alone The outline of its outer region shows that it is a huge, slowly rotating gyration made of nebulae, dust and stellar matter, although countless stars and worlds in it have long since disappeared.
Although the Warp Storm is volatile and unpredictable enough to render any star map worthless and any conquest or even patrol an impossible task, it is still greater than most other Warp Storms recorded. It is much more stable and there is evidence that it existed before humans evolved.
However, although it is stable, it is not a static existence. As time goes by, the size and turbulence of the vortex will fluctuate periodically, and it cannot find the last location through any position inside. This is why Baiscar is very Tell Soshyan carefully.
Over the centuries, many scholars and explorers tried to find a pattern to the chaotic fluctuations of the Maelstrom, but most went mad or lost themselves, and the few who left discernible records often attributed its patterns to Compare it to the intermittent sleep breathing of the gods, or the electroencephalogram of a nightmare tearing at the brain.
But this does not affect the importance of the Maelstrom. As early as during the Great Crusade, the Emperor sent troops to try to penetrate the Maelstrom and eliminate the evil forces hidden in it. At the same time, the wealth in the Maelstrom also attracted various human explorers and traders. The fleet is attracted to the maelstrom area.
Thanks to the unremitting efforts of many explorers and expeditions, parts of the Maelstrom were discovered in the middle of the Great Crusade. It turns out that humans also tried to colonize here in the early days. There is a lot of evidence that humans in the Golden Age once existed in this area.
Likewise, the Maelstrom is home to numerous enemies, and they come in a variety of disgusting forms. In the early battles of the Great Crusade, hundreds of battleships and troops were sacrificed here, and as other areas of the galaxy were reconquered, The Emperor declared the region cleansed.
In the years following the Horus Heresy, Primarch Guilliman of the Ultramarines Legion believed that the Maelstrom posed too great a threat to the stability of the scarred Imperium and that its danger could not be ignored, and subsequently ordered the reinforcement of the surrounding area , to contain any attacks that may come from within.
Over time, the Empire slowly established several important Imperial outposts within the Maelstrom during the 38th and 39th Millennium. These outposts became increasingly prominent as a beacon of Imperial influence in the region, as well as a swaying beacon of defensive power. .
Three of the important star systems formed a distant trade chain, allowing the resources and wealth of the Maelstrom area to continuously flow into the empire's treasury. These three star systems are Siniax, Sagan and Badab.
As time entered the 41st millennium, the forces of Chaos became more and more active. In particular, the Word Bearers warband repeatedly summoned demons to attack the imperial world. As a result, the situation in the Maelstrom became increasingly unstable, causing this space to almost It has become a paradise for pirates, criminals and traitors, and the empire's most important commercial route is increasingly threatened.
Especially in 41, after the destruction of Signax, the empire's most important military town in the Maelstrom region, the Empire's control of the northern Maelstrom region quickly collapsed. Without Signax, coupled with the Other losses in the region threatened the vital Imperial military supply chain extending to Bakkar and Terra, forcing the High Lords Council of Terra to take action.
41. Under the orders of the High Lord, the Maelstrom Guardian Alliance headed by Star Claw was established.
These include the Lamenters Chapter, the Tomb Guards Chapter, and the Mantis Warriors Chapter.
"Originally, I thought this was the place of our former glory, but I didn't expect that in the end it became our place of curse."
A deep voice made Soshyan turn around, and then he saw Malakin slowly walking over. Suddenly he remembered that he had indeed invited him to the flagship before.
Because he wanted to know some of the internal details of the Maelstrom Guardian.
"Brother Malakim."
Malakin walked to Soshyan and looked at the Kliman drifting zone with some nostalgia in his eyes.
"I separated from the Recruit Company at 41 o'clock and officially joined the Sixth Company, and happened to participate in the Natural Disaster Battle."
"Battle of natural disasters?"
"This is a campaign launched by the Alliance against the demonic worlds entrenched by the forces of Chaos at the core of the Maelstrom. The main target is actually Galmyk, a world occupied by the Word Bearers. This world had already become a state before the end of the Horus Heresy. A lair of the Word Bearers, where they continue to invade the Empire."
"Garmyk..."
Soshyan then remembered information about this legendary demonic world, but since the rise of Huron, the Word Bearers seemed to have rarely been active.
Malakin continued to describe everything that year in a calm tone.
"At first, the expedition was successful until the Tomb Guard Chapter withdrew. The High Lords forced them to withdraw from the Maelstrom Guardians and sent them to the distant Veil Sector to support the Xanatos expedition."
"this--"
At a critical moment in the war, if such an important force was suddenly withdrawn, Soshiyang would probably be furious.
"What are the high lords thinking?"
"I don't know either, but this sudden transfer actually ended the Scourge Campaign. Subsequently, the Guardian Alliance requested that a chapter to replace the Tomb Guards be reassigned to the Maelstrom, but Terra refused... ...In the following more than a hundred years, the alliance suffered a series of setbacks, and the remaining three chapters suffered heavy casualties. It was also during that period that I became the company commander, and the former chapter leader of the Star Claws, Rovik ·Blake was killed in battle while resisting an Greenskin attack in the 41st period. Luft Huron, who was the Third Captain at the time, later became the Chapter Master."
With that said, Malakin turned to look at Soshyan.
"At that time, he had only served for one hundred and sixty years, and was almost the youngest Chapter Master in the empire's recorded history. Of course...until this record was broken by you."
"....Yeah."
Seeing some embarrassment on Soshyan's face, Malakin withdrew his gaze and looked at the star cluster.
"At that time, the Guardian Alliance was already overwhelmed by the Chaos invasion and pirate attacks. It could only adopt an increasingly defensive posture and suspended all operations near the Maelstrom... Even now, I also have to admit that Huron was a skilled tactician and charismatic leader who saved the Guardian Alliance and readjusted the alliance's strategic deployment and instituted a policy of expanding its fleet - taking a large number of captives pirate ships, forming a huge fleet for daily patrols, and he also implemented the policy of scorching the enemy planets, and increased the chapter's reserve of exterminating weapons. At that time, many worlds in the Maelstrom secretly protected pirates, and Huron ignored it The Ministry of the Interior and even the Ministry of Military Affairs protested and decisively ordered the execution of an extermination order, killing chickens to scare monkeys and making many world rulers give up their collusion with pirates..."
