The envoy returned to The Great Maelstrom.
And delivered Sith's exact words to Huron in their entirety.
Huron, who had still been holding onto a final sliver of hope, saw that Sith was actually going to bring his troops along to Terra to fight the Tyranids to the death.
Heartbroken and disillusioned, Huron shut himself away completely in his palace.
As Sith drew closer and his original words were spread for various reasons, the pirates, who had once constantly gone out to raid, fell into an eerie silence.
The once busy shipping lanes vanished without a trace, and a massive number of pirate ships were docked in orbit, not even having their engines started.
The pirates gathered everywhere, discussing the current situation.
Unlike the Chaos Traitors who simply ignored the Empire, the pirates were purely pragmatic.
The Chaos Traitors not only fought the Empire but also fought xenos, regarding the Great Crusade as their life's glorious highlight.
The pirates, however, were different; all their actions were based on profit.
For profit, not to mention cooperating with xenos, they could even be hired by xenos if the price was right!
Thus, without any emotional resistance, the pirates simply waited silently for Huron to make a final decision, while proceeding with... their own preparations step by step.
Although not all pirates were willing to give up everything they currently had to join Sith and head to Terra for the expedition.
Most pirates were very clear that joining Sith might not only yield no profit but could actually lead to significant losses.
But not joining Sith, as the surrounding factions mocked, was not a question of whether there was profit to be made.
Amid such restlessness in The Great Maelstrom, on the homeworld of the Red Corsairs located at the center, Huron's loyalists were terrified by the increasingly strange looks from other pirates, while anxiously and repeatedly looking toward Huron's palace.
Then, the sound of sighing constantly came from the mouths of these few remaining loyalists around Huron's entire palace.
Until another wave of scouting pirates brought back the latest news from the front, reporting that Sith was only two jumps away from the edge of The Great Maelstrom. Unable to wait any longer, the pirates sent envoys to Huron's homeworld one after another.
Although Sith had not yet reached the edge of The Great Maelstrom at this time, the Warmaster Sith had stated clearly: if everyone waited until the Warmaster Sith was at their doorstep to show themselves, then they should prepare to wash their necks!
Watching the growing number of pirate envoys gathering around, the loyalists could only grit their teeth and force open Huron's doors.
Why not knock?
Because the loyalists had already knocked until their hands were red!
Waiting for the loyalists inside the room was not the furious figure of Huron, but Huron himself slumped in the darkness of the palace, expressionlessly watching his former subordinates break in.
The loyalists looked somewhat embarrassed and even avoided eye contact, but the many other pirate envoys held their heads high, looking at Huron with dissatisfaction.
If he could no longer bring profit to these pirates, then who would continue to follow him?
However, before the pirate envoys could press their questions, Huron, who had been waiting for a long time, finally stood up after seeing the final answer his subordinates had given him.
Huron had been waiting; he was waiting for the final choice of his subordinates.
When the choice of his pirate subordinates was to smash open his door and stand before him with questioning expressions, Huron knew that everything was settled.
After all, the pirates below were all pragmatists... And was he, Huron, any different?!
Since the arm cannot twist the thigh, I will change the method; I won't twist it. I'll embrace it!!!
Huron's powerlessness and helplessness lasted only for a fleeting moment. When Huron stood up again, a long-lost, ferocious smile appeared on his face, and the pirates below, who had originally intended to question him, instantly lowered their heads.
Huron looked at these pirates who were eager to defect to Sith, his gaze sweeping over the crowd as if inspecting prey.
And then...
Huron raised his Bolter, and before anyone could react, he shot a pirate envoy in the head.
With his usual pirate ruthlessness, and before all the pirates could fly into a rage and prepare to kill Huron, Huron pulled out the imperial decree personally issued to him by Sith and held it in front of himself.
The pirates were not afraid of Huron, but when Sith's decree was held up in front, the pirates instantly stopped their actions.
Then, while maintaining a ferocious grin, Huron stepped out of the shadows and back into the light.
"Lord Sith told 'me'!"
"To lead you all out."
"Now, you can certainly kill me, but whoever kills me had better go explain it to Lord Sith themselves."
"Why the Pirate Lord he personally appointed was killed by someone other than Lord Sith!"
What is called acting arrogant on the strength of one's master? What is called playing the fox assuming the tiger's might?
A moment ago, Huron was abandoned by everyone, and in the next second, he dared to raise his gun without hesitation and kill a subordinate who refused to obey him.
And all his confidence actually came from that decree, which likely even Sith had not expected.
Because when this decree was issued, regardless of whether Sith had such an intention, at least before Sith explicitly raised an objection, he, Huron, was the nominal Commander of the pirate forces within the Sith Legion.
And he was the third close attendant by Sith's side to command the pirates, following Van Roth of the Empire and Bayer of Chaos.
With this status, unless it was a faction in the entire galaxy that was locked in a life-or-death struggle with Sith, who could kill Huron? Who would dare to kill Huron?!
The pirates below understood this point very well. Looking at Huron, who held Sith's decree in front of him, they just gritted their teeth for a long time, then forced themselves to slowly lower their heads and retreat.
And then, accompanied by Huron's continuous pulling of the trigger, they endured Huron killing those among them who refused to obey in the name of Sith!
Fortunately, Huron also knew when to stop. Although he could rely on Sith's name to kill all these pirates.
He knew even better that if he killed a few, Sith might turn a blind eye.
But if he killed too many, even if Sith did not punish him, if there was dissatisfaction in Sith's heart, it would be greatly detrimental to Huron's future following of Sith.
So, having killed just the right amount, Huron put away his Bolter.
This scene was also seen by other pirates who were equally well-versed in such ways, and they complained that this old guy Huron was worthy of being a pirate leader who prioritized pragmatism above all else.
He was still being coy a moment ago, and the next moment he was already considering his future impression in Sith's heart!
Then, under the complaints of the survivors and the gazes of his loyalists that had become fervent once again, Huron finally looked up at the towering Chaos Gods outside his palace. After a moment, he lowered his head again, his eyes completely firm.
Waving his hand, he raised his ferocious power claw, facing the pirate ships gazing from orbit, and facing the boundless pirate army at his feet.
Huron's high-pitched voice echoed throughout the world:
"All Red Corsairs, heed my order."
"I, Huron, in the capacity of the third close attendant of the Sith Legion, formally issue a mobilization order."
"Every ship in The Great Maelstrom! Every person! Every round of ammunition!"
"Must unconditionally begin assembling immediately."
"Three days from now, I want to be ready before Lord Sith arrives at The Great Maelstrom."
"The Red Corsairs army, in its most respectful state, to welcome..."
"The Lord of Pirates!"
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