I watched through the eyes of Cipher and Tomvald Drimmons, two of the next generation of Scouts helping keep an eye on important places throughout the galaxy. Like, oh, most of the Empire’s major Fleet bases and the com traffic that went with it.

A subjugation fleet was being gathered by the Empire, setting out for the Corunsun Duchy. There, it would bring the might of the Empire to subdue the recalcitrant Duchy that was ignoring the Empire’s mandates, especially in regard to the extremely suspect Ranthacorp and the woman acting as their Contessa. If a few planets needed to be razed in order to beat them back into proper subservience, this Fleet was prepared to do just that.

I watched them head out into the Warp, Helldiving one after another as they ripped open portals in the Veil and headed off for the territories I was caretaking for Mah Fuzzy.

Eff them!

“Send it out. Turn ‘em all off, and turn them all on.”

The order was given. Solar harvesters flared to life, Angeltech glowed, and strange energies melded with the magnetic fields of suns. There was a faint shimmering as the Veil was strengthened in a unique modulation.

Lights vanished from the Warp.

------

On hundreds of planets in Corunsun space, including every world with Ranthacorp production facilities, the Terrestrial Beacons were shut down, and their dismantling begun promptly. We had more efficient FTL communication systems to put in place, and certainly didn’t need a light guiding our enemies to our worlds in the dark.

Which didn’t mean that we weren’t going to leave a little surprise for them.

The deportation of hard-line Imperial Loyalists was already underway, in very uncomfortable accommodations in bulk freighters. We weren’t very concerned about the captains urgently burning space to Helldive and get out of our systems... because they wouldn’t be able to find the way back. They’d also be able to verify that the purging started after the Imperial fleet was sent this way.

The Coronals and Umbrans were naturally quite upset by all this activity and the crippling of Imperial Authority on their worlds. They were equally disconcerted by the groundswell of support from down below, having seen far too many worlds follow this path to destruction.

I fought three dozen duels against Coronals (who were promptly deported, still alive), killed fourteen Inquisitors who made plays for me when I let them, and generally thinned out the Orders operating in the subsector greatly.

Those that remained got the idea that I didn’t care if they proceeded with their mandate against the threats against humanity, but if they got involved in politics for or nay, I was going to politely visit them and beat the shit out of them.

----------

Dora and Marco were on hand when the Imperial Fleet grandly exited the Warp according to proper proximity to Kammodon III’s Beacon.

They found themselves in empty space, with the Beacon that was flaring in the mindscape ahead of them suddenly and urgently going out.

The Fleet was still confused over what was going on when the Anti-Life entity lured over by the weak Warp radiation and strong psychic signal proceeded to start beating on them with the mass of Jupiter out in the cold dark void between the stars. Only a couple frigates managed to make an emergency jump into the Warp after the fleet fled in all directions from the horror that had crushed a battleship like a tin can, and was shattering and scattering ruined Imperial ships like toys...

-------

News of a direct encounter with one of the deep void entities by the shaken survivors who returned to Tellus spread quickly, preceded only by the news that the Corunsun Duchy had expelled all representatives of Imperial authority rather rudely, and they were now in Brommelspace looking to be put somewhere... and nobody wanted them, of course. Brommel II, and indeed the whole subsector, was well-populated and already had their own healthily padded payrolls of Imperial officials, why would they want more?

The wealthiest among them did manage to bribe their way off the cargo ships, but many of the rest were just stranded and regretting their loyalty to the Empire that refused to get them a new job and place to live.

I could have told them that there were a lot of worlds anti-spinward from Tellus that were really in need of fresh populations after most of them were eaten by xenosyms, but they probably didn’t really want to know that was where they were going to end up...

There were plans to send another Fleet, but too many systems were screaming for relief from the coming jaws of the Xenosyms, and even the most reactionary adherents could only grimace and delay the vengeance of the Empire upon them.

Most surprisingly, after such a major fiasco, the Imperial Palace was silent on the matter...

----------

“You have the Sunwater Crystals?” the Sunhawk asked the Coronal in front of him with a laconic smile.

Coronal Knight Shamalor hid his distaste for dealing with the flamboyant Elvar corsair, as someone walking around in a golden cloak couldn’t berate anyone’s fashion sense. “They are in the hold, and yours if the information you bring is worth it,” he promised quietly.

The enlarged yellow eyes of the pale-skinned elvar studied him for a moment, glanced at the silver badge on his shoulder, and held out a universal Imperial data-crystal. “If you would care to examine it, then.”

Knight Shamalor took it in his dark hand, plugging it into his Band and focusing on the cyberpsi feed.

His dark eyes nearly popped. He glanced at the amused, infamous Elvar raider in disbelief, then back at what he was seeing.

“The crystals are yours.” He sent out a thought of authorization, and received the Elvar’s sweeping, somewhat mocking bow. He formally bowed hand over fist in return. “The thanks of the Coronals for bringing this to our attention, Commodore Sunhawk.”

“A trifling for the gains,” the Elvar replied, giving him a dismissive gesture at once elegant and telling the Coronal he was now boring his host. Knight Shamalor did not press matters, rounding about sharply and heading for the door where his escorts were waiting.

This information would upset everything they understood of the Corunsuns...

---

The Sunhawk watched the Coronal frigate leave, and smiled to himself. -Fair Contessa Sama, the message is delivered.-

---------

The Empire was still wincing at the fact that all the major systems of Corunsun space seemed to have vanished from the Warp when the video made its way to them.

It was a darkly foreboding scene, showing a fleet of uniquely-designed, but defiantly human ships closing in on a great Swarmfleet of Xenos in exogalactic space... and proceeding to maul them.

With the help of the cellulocusts...

The sight of dozens of the world-eating starflowers flitting across the sensor arrays and throwing themselves upon the massive bioships made the blood of even the most callous of the watching high officials run cold.

The teamwork was obvious. The largest starflowers wrapped up the largest bioships, soaking up any kind of ranged assault, while the human ships reaved through the smaller vessels, which ceased to move with unreal speed and effectiveness... and smaller starflowers swirled in to feed...

The fleet’s course had been towards the Corunsun system of Tregiamor, a major mining system. None of the Xenosyms survived to carry word of what had happened back to their kind; the cellulocusts made very, very sure of that.

The Corunsuns have found a way to tame the cellulocusts...

The ominousness of that thought gripped the hearts of the entire High Council. The Empire had only ever managed to kill off one cluster of the star-faring plants, and the cost to do so was ruinous. It was judged thereafter to leave them alone if they were not directly threatening an Imperial World... and Omega Sanction any such world to deny the plants the biomass for any victory.

Not that such behavior had ever made any difference in the actions of the starplants...

Indecision gripped the High Council, and even more importantly, greed, and ambition.

How had the Corunsuns done such a thing? What were those ships they were using? How were they killing the Xenosyms so efficiently? How were they engaging so far outside the galactic rim?

And most importantly, where had all their major worlds gone? Their Beacons going dark was not unexpected, but not even the best Navigators could find them in the Warp anymore, although divinations had clearly indicated that the worlds themselves were safe and sound...

Then the air trembled, and an unreal presence washed past them psychically, setting off all kinds of mental defenses... and effortlessly suppressing them all.

The Duke Corunsun has conquered the Khagan Sector.

Most of the men in that room had only ever heard that Voice once: on the day they took the oath of office. There was something in it now that had not been there that day.

They remembered power. They remembered vastness, a breadth of mind and power that dwarfed their own so powerfully that lifelong ambitions and arrogance were crushed without effort.

They had thought themselves great and powerful men, the foundation upon which the Empire was built, and it was only by their grace and service that the Emperor remained upon His throne.

That simple meeting had let them know that the only reason they were ascending to the High Council was that they barely satisfied His requirements to sit there, and He did not need them to rule... they needed Him, or they would have no place to go whatsoever...

They were not powerful men. They were mere tools for the Emperor to use, because He had nothing better to use at the moment...

And now they felt something else in the direct touch of that Voice they had not...

Agitation. Unease. Danger.

And... confusion?...

Something had surprised the Emperor?

The old men who bandied the fates of trillions over their tea with nary a thought all glanced at one another in fear.

What was powerful enough to surprise the Emperor?

What had gone on over in the Khagan Sector?

The Duke Corunsun had returned? And was acknowledged by the Emperor?

Exactly what was going on in the galaxy, and how had they missed it all?