54: Chapter 54 The Highlords of Terra questioned Marcus, asking if he was insane to ally with the Xenomorphs.

The inquiry from Terra arrived aboard the Wrath of the Emperor just as the Titan-Eater was being retrieved into the hangar. It was not a standard encrypted psychic pulse, but a message forcibly torn through the Warp noise at the highest priority by a soul-bound Astropath. The cost was that the Astropath bled from both nostrils and ears simultaneously after reciting the entire letter, still twitching as medics carried him off the bridge. Marcus Aurelian's fingers were steady as he unfurled the encrypted scroll, but his bionic eye dimmed abruptly when he reached the third paragraph of the text. The sender of the letter was not the Inquisition, nor the Astra Militarum; it was the full session of the High Lords of Terra. The signature seals of the twelve High Lords were lined up: the Ecclesiarch of the Ecclesiarchy, the Master of the Administratum, the Chancellor of the Estate Imperium—names he had only ever seen at formal ceremonies were now all crowded onto the same inquiry letter.

He read the entire letter from beginning to end, then turned to the communications officer, his voice calm: "Summon all members of the War Council to the briefing room. And connect the Brood Queen's quantum translator as well—she has the right to hear the questions Terra is asking."

The briefing room door locked after the last Terminator guard withdrew. Sitting on either side of the long table were Bern, Sebastian, Ortron, and Oldenburg, with the Griffin IV command center patched in via holographic projection. The cold green light patterns of the quantum translator spread across the table. Marcus projected the inquiry letter onto the main screen, the first paragraph enlarged and bolded. Every word of the High Lords' standard official script radiated a cold sense of oppression: 'To Inquisitor Marcus Aurelian, Chairman of the Swarm War Council—The Council of the High Lords has received all battle reports regarding your unit's temporary military cooperation with the Xenos civilization, the Zerg Swarm, in the Ultima Segmentum. In the name of the supreme governing body of Terra, you and all standing members of the War Council are hereby required to make a formal defense regarding the following matters.'

He flipped to the next page. The first question came from the Ecclesiarch, phrased more mercilessly than an Inquisition death warrant: 'Do you admit that the coordinated operations between your unit and the Xenos Zerg Swarm constitute the crime of "Allying with Xenos" as explicitly defined in the Imperial Codex? Do you understand that the statutory maximum penalty for this crime is purification by fire—for yourself, and for all officers and soldiers under your command who have accepted Xenos military directives?' The second question came from the Adeptus Arbites, its tone calmer but more lethal: 'Without prior authorization from the Council of High Lords, your unit took it upon yourself to open military transit rights to a Xenos civilization for Imperial territories—the Forge Worlds of Metallis, Graia, Hails, and the Talasta Tomb. Please explain if this action implies that you personally have exceeded Inquisitorial authority and acted on behalf of the High Lords' power to declare war and sign treaties.' The third question was the shortest, coming from the Master of the Administratum, only two lines long, asking if the War Council had any unreported Xenos contacts and demanding that Marcus immediately provide a complete assessment file on the Xenos civilization—specifically a full psychological profile of the Zerg Swarm Overmind.

No one around the long table spoke. Sebastian was the first to break the silence; he slammed his Power Sword onto the table, the sound of the scabbard hitting the adamantine surface exploding in the quiet. "We were saved by The Swarm in the Talasta Tomb. We were saved by The Swarm on the defense line. Now Terra asks us why we didn't refuse coordination—would they rather have received notices of the total annihilation of the Ultramarines' 7th Company?" Bern took the Psychic Talisman from his neck, laid it on the table, and looked at Marcus. "The true purpose of this inquiry isn't to judge you. The High Lords want to consolidate all the guilt onto one person—if Terra turns against The Swarm in the future, they need a sinner they can publicly burn."

Marcus did not argue. He braced his hands against the edge of the conference table, the fracture in his right arm throbbing with a dull pain under the pressure, then turned toward the Brood Queen's quantum translator: "Did the Overmind teach you how to handle political inquiries?"

The Brood Queen's translator was silent for a few seconds. Then cold green text appeared on the table: 'The Overmind says human politics is the most time-wasting, inefficient process in the galaxy. Do you need The Swarm to help you reply to Terra? The Blackstone Defense Line can suppress the High Lords' inquiry along with their Astropaths into quantum noise for you.'

The corner of Marcus's mouth twitched, though not in a smile. "No need. Thank the Overmind for me. Then tell him—this inquiry, I must answer personally." He pushed himself up from the table and began dictating the defense. First, the charge of Allying with Xenos is invalid. The War Council represents the direct command of the Imperial Fleet; under the threat to the survival of the entire Ultima Segmentum posed by the Tyranid Hive Fleet, a coordinated operation agreement was reached with the Zerg Swarm based on the principle of military necessity. This agreement falls under 'Temporary Defensive Coordination under Extreme Threat' in the Imperial Navy's current rules of engagement and is not equivalent to a formal treaty or alliance. Second, the unauthorized opening of transit rights to Forge Worlds. Those Forge Worlds had already fallen before the War Council took command; the Imperium failed to reclaim them on the battlefield, and The Swarm acquired control through military conquest. The War Council did not 'open' Imperial territory to The Swarm—the War Council secured buffer zones within areas already controlled by The Swarm. Third, the psychological profile of the Overmind. He said only two words: "It is efficient."

The formal response to the inquiry was sent to Terra with the highest encryption. No one spoke in the briefing room again. Marcus sat back in his chair, his right arm hanging at his side, exhaustion pressing down on his shoulders like a layer of heavy armor. Bern put his Psychic Talisman back around his neck, Sebastian returned his Power Sword to its sheath, and Ortron whispered "Hold on" from the Griffin IV hologram. The Brood Queen's quantum translator left one final line of text on the table before going dark: 'The Overmind says that once this war is over, he wants to talk to your Council of High Lords about what "Allying with Xenos" means. He doesn't much like that term.'