V2 Chapter 109: A New Recruitment World. Tanith.
Seven days after the victory celebrations ended, the expedition began its final adjustments.
The transport convoys in Balhaut's orbit rearranged their routes. The various Astra Militarum regiments on the surface began pulling out of their temporary camps in succession.
The occupation forces designated to stay had already taken over the major cities and orbital ports. The units scheduled to leave were completing resupply, reorganisation, and personnel transfers under the Departmento Munitorum's prodding.
Duvette stood outside the 112th Combined Battle Group's temporary camp and watched the troops carrying out their final preparations.
The framework of four infantry regiments and one armoured regiment had been established. The Krieg 1173rd Combat Group was maintaining its usual silent and efficient order.
The newly arrived officers and troops still looked somewhat unsettled, but with veterans of the 112th and Krieg officers watching them, at least no one was making obvious mistakes in the open.
Duvette appeared to be supervising the proceedings. In reality, his attention had sunk into his System panel.
Under the King of War skill's Laurel Mark, a new Mark had appeared.
[Battle of Balhaut]
[Units formally integrated into the command sequence and recognised by the System as Legion members receive a 10% increase to physical attributes and Warp resistance.]
Duvette looked at that description, as simple as it could possibly be, and the corner of his mouth pulled up slightly.
No complex or elaborate mechanics. Only the purest numerical enhancement. As long as his battle group continued to exist, this victory would remain inscribed on every Legion member who carried it.
The rewards for killing Nadzybar and ending the Battle of Balhaut had also come through.
[Emperor's Wrath +2,000.]
Duvette made no immediate use of it.
He was no longer the Commissar from before, the one who only had to think about himself and a single regiment. With the battle group's expansion, every skill unlock and enhancement could affect tens of thousands of people. He needed to be considerably more careful about how he allocated this.
"Commissar."
Evan's voice came from behind him.
Duvette closed the panel and turned.
Evan approached at a quick pace and came to attention. "The Marshal has requested your presence aboard the flagship to discuss the next stage of strategic planning."
"Understood."
Duvette gave a nod, then looked back at the troops forming up inside the camp.
"Leave this to you. Have Dylan keep a close eye on the new drafts. Don't let the Departmento Munitorum replacements disrupt the order that's already here."
"Yes, Commissar."
Evan acknowledged immediately.
Duvette took one last look at the camp, then boarded a shuttle and made for the orbital flagship.
The flagship's interior was as busy as ever.
The expedition had not genuinely rested since the Battle of Balhaut ended. A continuous flow of operational orders, supply manifests, fleet scheduling, and personnel transfers moved through every deck. Servitors pushed carts stacked with data-slates through the corridors. Officers moved at pace.
On his way to the command bridge, Duvette stopped.
An officer was passing him with a stack of paper documents, and stopped immediately upon seeing him to render a salute.
Duvette's gaze settled on the topmost item in the stack.
It was a poster.
With his face on it.
Duvette was quiet for a moment. He reached out and took the stack.
"What exactly is this?"
He turned through several of them. Every one was a portrait of him. In the image he was in a clean commissar's greatcoat, gaze fixed and steady, the burning High Palace and the expedition's battle standards behind him.
Below the image was a row of slogans.
You do not have to be born great. You only need to step forward when the order comes.
Join the Imperial Astra Militarum. Stand beneath the banner of victory.
Follow Major General Erdmann. Take back the stars.
Something twitched at the corner of Duvette's eye.
"Why is it my face?"
The officer's posture went rigidly straight. No hesitation in the voice at all.
"Sir. These are recruitment posters printed on High Command's orders. They will be distributed during the upcoming recruitment drive to Balhaut, the rear worlds of the Sabbat subsector, and Departmento Munitorum recruitment stations."
Duvette turned through a few more.
They were all more or less the same.
His face occupied the most prominent position at the centre of each poster, and beneath it were various promotional lines that made his stomach turn.
"My question was why my face."
A trace of barely-contained fervour crossed the officer's expression.
"Because you are a hero, sir!"
Duvette looked at him.
The officer continued. "The victory at Balhaut requires a symbol. The Departmento Munitorum determined that your image is well suited to inspiring recruitment enthusiasm."
Duvette was quiet for several seconds.
He realised that these posters were not simply recruitment tools. The Departmento Munitorum was actively constructing him as the expedition's new symbol.
He found that somewhat uncomfortable.
He also understood that it would not stop because he objected to it.
Duvette pushed the posters back into the officer's hands.
"At least have them take a new portrait next time."
The officer blinked.
Duvette waved a hand.
"Carry on."
The officer saluted and left.
Duvette continued toward the bridge. He had been thinking that when he reached Slaydo, he might ask the Marshal to have that particular image replaced with something that made him look less like a stock figure from a Departmento Munitorum propaganda illustration.
That thought went away the moment he stepped onto the bridge deck.
The bridge was very quiet.
Marshal Slaydo stood before the large hololithic strategic map, expression dark. Chief of Staff Macaroth stood to one side, face unreadable. A short distance away stood Gaunt and several officers who had recently received new appointments.
Duvette walked across and spoke quietly to Gaunt. "What happened?"
Gaunt glanced at him, keeping his voice low.
"The Marshal and the Chief of Staff have a disagreement on the next stage of strategic planning."
"They argued?"
Gaunt gave a nod.
"Chief of Staff Macaroth believes the expedition should complete the post-Balhaut resupply and fleet repairs first, then advance in phases. The Marshal believes now is precisely the time to press the advantage while Nadzybar's death has left the Chaos forces without direction, not give their remnants time to regroup."
Duvette looked at Slaydo.
The Marshal did indeed look displeased.
Disagreements of this kind were not uncommon at the expedition's senior level. But Duvette had the impression that Slaydo's temper was sharper now than it had been before.
"Duvette."
Slaydo spoke.
"Gaunt as well. Both of you, come here."
Everyone moved to the hololithic strategic map.
Slaydo did not wait for questions. He spoke directly. "After Balhaut, the expedition cannot stop. We need a mobile combat group capable of detaching quickly from the main line and handling complex battlefields independently."
His gaze settled on Duvette.
"That is your function."
Duvette came to attention.
"Yes, Marshal."
Slaydo raised a hand. Several routes on the hololithic map lit up.
"Your 112th Combined Battle Group will be placed in the expedition's Phase Two mobile reserve sequence. You will not remain on Balhaut as an occupation force. Your subsequent assignment takes you toward the Sabbat Fringe Chain direction, to deal with battlefields that conventional forces cannot resolve quickly."
Duvette listened carefully and said nothing.
Slaydo continued. "Admiral Caspar Villent will serve as your naval coordination commander. He is responsible for transport, escort, orbital reconnaissance, and fire windows. You present your operational requirements; he determines how the fleet executes them."
Duvette gave a nod.
"Understood."
"You have worked with him before." Slaydo said. "That will spare both of you considerable unnecessary friction."
Duvette did not disagree.
At that point, Slaydo turned to Gaunt.
"Gaunt."
"Sir."
Gaunt came to attention immediately.
"After your Colonel-Commissar commission is formalised, you will proceed to this world first."
The hololithic strategic map shifted. A world ringed in green appeared.
Tanith.
Duvette's gaze stopped on that name.
"This is the first world designated for raising new regiments." Slaydo said. "The Departmento Munitorum has approved the formation of three light infantry regiments from the local population. You are given full authority over their formation, training, and initial organisation."
Gaunt looked at the name on the map. His expression did not change.
"Yes, sir."
Slaydo continued. "Once formation is complete, Tanith's three light infantry regiments will be attached to Major General Duvette's 112th Combined Battle Group as an independent light infantry formation. You retain your Colonel-Commissar authority and are responsible for the formation's political oversight and battlefield command, while remaining subject to Major General Duvette's campaign-level direction."
Gaunt saluted immediately.
"Yes, Marshal."
Duvette glanced at Gaunt.
The turning point in his fate was nearly here.
This time, he was not going to let Tanith burn the way it had been written to burn.
Slaydo paid no attention to either of their expressions and continued. "Duvette. Your 112th Combined Battle Group's total strength will be expanded to fifty thousand. In addition to the existing 112th elements, the Krieg 1173rd Combat Group, and the Eisenmark Armoured Regiment, the Departmento Munitorum will assign you specialist forces."
He named them one by one.
"The Armageddon Mechanised Infantry Regiment, to serve as your armoured accompanying force."
"The Elysian Drop Troop Regiment, for rapid deployment and behind-the-lines objective seizure."
"The Catachan Hunting Company, for jungle, ruin, and complex terrain operations."
"The Mordian Iron Guard Combined Defence Group, consolidated from three understrength regiments, responsible for fortified positions, defence lines, and occupation order."
"One company of Storm Troopers, as a direct high-risk assault element."
Duvette listened and quietly assigned each of these forces their position in his thinking.
They would not become his core forces overnight.
Some were formally integrated; others were theatre-attached on a temporary basis. Regardless of what the Departmento Munitorum documents said, on the battlefield they would all operate under the 112th Combined Battle Group's command structure.
That was sufficient.
When Slaydo had finished presenting all of it, he clearly had no further interest in extended conversation.
He waved a hand.
"You may go. The detailed allocation documents will be issued by Macaroth and the Departmento Munitorum clerks. Duvette, I want the 112th Combined Battle Group naval coordination requirements list within three days."
"Yes, sir."
Everyone acknowledged at once.
Duvette turned to leave, then looked back at Slaydo once more.
The Marshal was still standing before the hololithic map. The darkness had not fully left his expression. He was looking at those routes as though staring at a victory that had to begin immediately.
Duvette's brow tightened.
Something about Slaydo's condition still did not sit right with him.
But there was no red light on the Marshal through the Eye of Judgement, and the strategic map showed no contamination markers. Macaroth was standing right beside him, and that Chief of Staff had served at Slaydo's side for years; he would know Slaydo's state far better than Duvette did. If there were something genuinely wrong, Macaroth would not be standing there without reaction.
Perhaps it was only the wounds, the disrupted sleep, and the weight of strategic pressure.
Duvette turned away.
With that thought, he left the command bridge alongside Gaunt and the other officers.