Shift in the Sands

The Ghost of the Sands considered his orders. The Great Crusade was over and not over. Until the Emperor’s discovery, the Imperial war machine would undergo a radical shift in priority. Although an unprecedented fifth of its strength would be devoted to finding the Emperor, the other four-fifths  would not be idle.

Oh sure, the countless garrisons, bases, and other defensive holdings would continue onward. They would be joined by other mass campaigns. However, where before the emphasis was on expansion, the new word was consolidation. It was imperative that the Imperium sustain itself during this transition period. Resources, stable borders had assumed a greater importance never seen before.

Tertiary priorities of the Great Crusade were now to be ignored entirely, if possible. Known human rogue civilizations took on greater priority with their potential manpower to be added to the Imperium. Only the most dire of alien threats would be considered worthwhile. If no immediate hostile intent could be determined, the aliens were to be left alone for this time.

Above all else, no scouting expeditions were to be considered, unless deemed necessary by the Reclamation Command.

What this meant for the Dune Serpents was a wide dispersal throughout the eastern half of the galaxy. He had already assigned the requisite number of Serpents to the Reclamation Command. The rest of his legionaries were to act as counter-guerrilla and anti-rebellion suppressing forces.

Satisfied, he focused his attention on the tasks ahead. [[Category:S]]