Archmagos Saronic's Gambit- the Zaragozan War

 

Archmagos Saronic when in the Vasar nebula pitched a radical idea to the sector leaders and the sector inquisition conclave.  Saronic had designed a noctolith emitter similar to those designs of Archmagos Cawl but on a smaller scale and a slightly different function.  Where as Cawl used massive emitters to seal patches of the rift, Saronic's device would send negative charged noctolith pulses into the rift lessening it's effects.  Saronic was unsure if repeated pulses would create a stable corridor through the rift.  In fact he rather doubted it.  He did believe that these pulses could create corridors that astropathic communications could then pass through for a certain amount of time.  That time potential being anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours.  Saronic argued that this would allow the Imperium some communication with Imperium Nihlis allowing the situation there to be accurately assessed.  It could also allow some limited strategic coordination between the Imperium's forces in sanctus and Nihlis.  Saronic received the backing of the astra telepathica to build and test his design.  The inquisition conclave reluctantly gave their backing to the project after the plan was advocated by Inquisitor Vaughn.

     The frontier world of Zaragoza in the Vasar nebula in close proximity to the great rift was chosen as the site for Saronic to build and test his emitter array.  The planet had natural deposits of noctolith and some theorized this had kept it from being swallowed up by the great rift.  It was also thought that the world had once been an outpost for the necrons who had mining operations there.  The planet was to be the test bed for Saronic who could mine the needed scarce noctolith on site.  A major astropath hub was also to be built on Zaragoza in the event that Saronic was successful.  The Watch Knights chapter was dispatched to the world with orders to protect the project.  The Imperial Fists successor chapter was also tasked with overseeing the design and construction of Zaragoza's increased defenses.  A number of recently raised astra militarum regiments were dispatched to help serve as both a garrison and as cadre for newly formed Planetary defense force (PDF) units formed from the citizens of Zaragoza.  Saronic's Gambit was about to be created and tested and the seeds of the Zaragozan war were down.