At an interstellar research institute in the Holy Radiance Empire's Central Star Region, a grave research accident occurred, and a cosmic bug-nest appeared.
And upon investigation thereafter it was confirmed to be a Grade-5 permanent cosmic bug-nest.
In the moment this news broke.
The whole Holy Radiance Empire seemed to stand upon the edge of a cliff.
The Holy Radiance Empire's Imperial Senate convened conference after conference, and handed down several orders in succession.
First, the recall of the 300,000 interstellar warships on expedition in the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth.
Thereafter, the several Consuls moved their army-group fleets to support the site with all speed, attempting to bring this disaster under control in the least possible time.
But a permanent cosmic bug-nest — and a Grade-5 at that!
It exceeded by far the Imperial Senate's estimate of this disaster.
From the imperial third-grade state of emergency promulgated at the first instant of the event, in under six hours it was raised to an imperial second-grade state of emergency.
And after 12 hours more, it became an imperial first-grade state of emergency.
In the space of under a day, the imperial state of emergency had been raised several times.
One may imagine to what degree the situation had gone bad.
Saint Cana raised a hand, and an interstellar holo-table rose before her eyes.
Though she could not reach the outside network, someone came each day to tell her something of what had happened outside; and over these last few days that could hardly fail to include the state of the fighting.
And Saint Cana, upon these reports, had compiled this interstellar holo-table herself.
At the middle of the holo-table was a red area, for all the world like a bonfire burning upon it.
"In the space of five days. The disaster brought by the hive-race fleets' invasion has already destroyed 27 star systems, and directly or indirectly affected three star regions around them. Those damnable madmen of the Disciple family — what in the world have they done!" Saint Cana was furious past all bearing.
She had already guessed that this disaster must be bound up closely with that hive-race technology out of the Starlight Empire which the Disciple family held in their hands.
That crew of fools, playing with fire and burning themselves.
And now bringing calamity upon the whole Holy Radiance Empire besides.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
A sound from overhead made Saint Cana raise her head; she saw a shuttle coming in, and thereafter settling slowly upon a landing pad not far off.
The shuttle's hatch opened, and a squad of soldiers escorted a middle-aged man down.
When Saint Cana saw this middle-aged man, she knit her brows slightly.
But Saint Cana did not greet this middle-aged man of her own accord, nor make so much as the motion of rising.
"What — after so long apart. You will not even come to meet your father?" There was a thread of grievance in the middle-aged man's voice.
"Father? If you were my father, you would not have kept me under house arrest here." Saint Cana gave a cold snort.
This man was the Sacred Angel family's head, and Saint Cana's father besides: Saint George.
Chieftain Saint George sat down opposite Saint Cana and let out a sigh. "Saint Cana, how can you say that I am keeping you under house arrest? This is my protecting you. Do you know that that crew of the Disciple family had all along been demanding we hand you over? Having no choice, I made this arrangement."
"Heh, heh, heh. So now the Disciple family have turned the world upside down out there — are you satisfied?" Saint Cana said in mockery.
Chieftain Saint George glanced at those about them, and then said in a low voice, "Saint Cana, you must not say such things again; there is no proof! You know the Disciple family's standing in our Empire."
"Proof? Standing? I told you before that the Disciple family were researching prohibited hive-race technology. You did not believe me! Well and good now: this great gift the Disciple family have brought you — are you not pleased?" Saint Cana pointed in fury at that red ring in the middle of the holo-table.
Chieftain Saint George naturally recognized at a glance what this interstellar holo-table signified.
Chieftain Saint George said helplessly, "In some matters one truly is not one's own master. The Disciple family, through these years of development, occupy an absolutely commanding position in our Empire. Of that crowd of old men in the Imperial Senate, two-thirds stand on the Disciple family's side! Even if they know the Disciple family have hive-race technology, even if they know this disaster was the Disciple family's doing. What of it? Move against the Disciple family now? Do not forget: our strongest legion fleet is the Disciple Legion; and two-thirds of our Empire's legion fleets have ties open or hidden with the Disciple family…"
"Enough. You did not come here to tell me these things. Speak. How stands the sorry mess outside?" Saint Cana would hear no more.
She knew all this.
But her principles would not permit her to see such things and remain unmoved.
"The situation… is exceedingly bad." Chieftain Saint George said it in a low voice. "I have come in person to announce an order to you. By the family's latest order, you are to return at once to the Sacred Angel Legion; the interstellar warships the Sacred Angel Legion lost earlier have all been replaced. The Sacred Angel Legion, as one of the Sacred-Light Legions, is ordered at once to hasten to the theater of operations and resist the hive-race fleets' invasion. And this is… the Imperial Senate's order besides."
Saint Cana knit her brows and looked at her own father. "The Imperial Senate has actually thought to use me? Has the Empire's situation grown so bad as that?"
Chieftain Saint George drew a deep breath; he raised a hand and took over that interstellar holo-table from Saint Cana.
Whereupon it changed.
The red area began abruptly to expand.
"Only yesterday, the first T5 Hive Mothership appeared."
Saint Cana's pupils dilated, and her breath stopped for a moment; her fists clenched.
This was the worst case she had foreseen.
A Grade-5 cosmic bug-nest — then there would naturally be T5 Hive Motherships!
"The Imperial Senate and the five Imperial Consuls held an emergency conference and determined. To move five Sacred-Light Legions — the Disciple, the Sacred Guardian, the Sacred Maiden, the Sacred Cross and the Sacred Cleric — in concert with 100,000 interstellar warships of the Central Star Region's army-group fleets. And open a hunting operation upon the area where the T5 Hive Mothership appeared. The T5 Hive Mothership must be destroyed as fast as may be, and its effect upon the war checked." Chieftain Saint George said it in a low voice.
Saint Cana rose abruptly to her feet, her eyes fixed upon her father.
"And the result?"
Chieftain Saint George was silent a while. "At six o'clock yesterday, in star system K41 of the fourth star region of the Central Star Region cluster, the hive-race fleet in which the T5 Hive Mothership lay was located, and a surprise assault launched. At the last, after 35 hours of fighting. The Sacred Cleric Legion and the Sacred Guardian Legion were destroyed to the last, their legion commanders killed. The Sacred Cross Legion's casualties exceed 90%, its legion commander gravely wounded. The Disciple Legion's and the Sacred Maiden Legion's casualties exceed 50%. In the fighting, of 100,000 Holy Radiance interstellar warships, only 10,000 withdrew from that field."
Saint Cana asked, trembling, "Then… and the target?"
"The operational plan to annihilate T5 Hive Mothership No. 1 has failed."