Taros Campaign - Planning the Invasion: The High Command StaffThe Adeptus Administratum decision that the recapture of the Taros system was instrumental to the continued effective operations of the Stygies VIII Forge World and, to a lesser extent, other dependent Forge Worlds, meant it was now the duty of all servants loyal to the Emperor to help bring these misguided subjects back under the Imperium's rule and protection. The first step was to appoint command staff to organise and oversee the planning of the operation. The man chosen to lead the staff and take command of the entire invasion operation was Lord High Commander Otto Ivan Gustavus: a man with long military record who had risen from the officer ranks of the Imperial Guard into the upper levels of the Imperium's military hierarchy. Gustavus' first task was to appoint his command staff and prepare for the invasion. He was given two major questions to answer: when could he be ready to invade Taros, and where should that attack fall? His instructions made the manner clear the invasion should come as soon as possible. By Adeptus Administratum standards, this could mean anytime in the next five years. Gustavus intended to begin within a standard Terran year.Appointing his staff was no simple matter. The upper echelons of the Imperium's military hierarchy are rife with politics, intriguing, favours owed, debts to repay and self-interest. Gustavus had not risen this high without making a few enemies, or without calling on a few favours that he was now in a position to repay. Selecting his command staff took several weeks of hard work and hard negotiations. The first position to be filled was not of Gustavus' own choosing. Commissar General Mordred Van Horcic would be Gustavus' shadow and right-hand man for the duration of the campaign. The high-ranking Commissar was tasked with making sure that the officers of Gustavus’ force did their duty, or faced the consequences. A powerful man in his own right, van Horcic had the power of life and death over many of the Imperial servants involved in the campaign. Whether by choice or coercion, over the subsequent weeks Gustavus made the following appointments. Not all were men he liked or even trusted, many were decisions forced upon him by other political factors. It was Gustavus' job to bring all these factions together and make them work towards ultimate victory. The High Command staff would include: Venerated High Magos Zadakine Volta; a high-ranking Adeptus Mechanicus representative from Stygies VIII; Fleet Admiral Kotto, appointed by the authorities on Kar Duniash to command the invasion fleet; Lord Marshal De Stael, the overall commander of all Imperial Guard regiments who would bear the brunt of the invasion fighting; and Provisioner-Prime Nymus Dree, a bureaucrat from the Departmento Munitorum who had only been granted a place on the High Command staff after his initial investigation into events on Taros. Others included Air Marshal Denvelt, Staff Colonel Scheja, Deacon Gotz, the appointed representative of Cardinal Astral Velas, and Curator Adept Skel. Many others would follow, including any Space Marine commanders or Titan Legion Princeps to be involved in the campaign. The High Command staff would be required to organise and plan the invasion, each member would have his own area of responsibility, and each would have their own staff, aides or retinue to assist them. In all, the High Command staff for the invasion, including all the sub-departments and functionaries, would number approximately three thousand souls.