ca-book Chapter 689: Seizing the Ship and the First Battle
Chapter 689: Seizing the Ship and the First Battle
Chapter 689: Seizing the Ship and the First Battle
Nestram Galaxy, Mandeville Point.
The airlock closed, the pressure increased slightly, and the airtight door separated the cabin from space. Kurland and Laurentius watched the shuttle go away through the window. The door opened with a hiss, and a naval officer in a neat uniform and two rows of armed sailors holding shotguns erect on their chests appeared.
"Lieutenant Greydolf, at your service."
The naval officer stamped his foot and nodded. His movements were calm and graceful. He took a step back and signaled the Space Marines and Tech Priests to leave the airlock and enter the hatch:
"Welcome aboard the frigate Achilles."
"Gredolf?"
Kurland walked into the corridor while looking around.
"I am from Lanaismud II in the Nestram system. This is a traditional name there."
The naval officer explained casually.
He noticed that Laurentius turned to the other side and walked towards the stern, and immediately reminded him:
"Uh, excuse me, Sage, the accommodation we arranged for you is over here."
Laurentis did not stop or turn around. His head turned on the neck bracket, and he looked at the lieutenant with a row of sensor lenses and a single green eye, and said:
"I would like to check the warp drives, sublight engines, and plasma reactors of this battleship for proper function. Captain Kurland is a too valuable and important asset to be endangered by any negligence in maintenance or execution."
"I assure you, our technical priest Kashibal is very good..."
The lieutenant hadn't finished speaking yet.
He was ruthlessly interrupted by Sage Laurentius:
"Your ship is too small to be equipped with a sage-level technical priest and his accompanying servitors. Therefore, I am better than the technical priest you have on board now. Don't feel ashamed for him, he will understand this situation."
"I insist."
Kurland agreed calmly.
This reason seemed to put an end to any objections from the lieutenant, and Greydolf was visibly deflated.
"Good, I hope everything is in order."
Gredolf said in a somewhat stiff tone:
"Then I will take you to your quarters, Captain."
"No, let's go to the bridge, Lieutenant."
Kurland said as he walked towards the bow.
The lieutenant was startled when he heard this. After realizing what was happening, he quickly trotted to catch up with the Space Marine in front and said:
"Well, I mean, the bridge is only open to naval officers. I'm afraid this is an inherent rule of the Imperial Navy."
Kurland stopped suddenly, and Gredolf almost bumped into him. The soldiers surrounding them also stopped, bumping into each other, and the breastplates and epaulettes made a clanking sound. One of the Imperial Fists slowly placed a hand on the lieutenant's shoulder.
"I say that out of politeness."
Kurland stared at the naval officer and said calmly:
"Don't make me say it again."
Graydolf looked up into the Space Marine's eyes, perhaps hoping to find a glimmer of compromise or sympathy. Instead, he was met with two cold and determined gazes, as ruthless and sharp as flint, with no intention of compromise.
"I understand."
Gredolf glanced at the people around him, and the dignity he hoped to maintain was evaporating quickly like the sweat on his forehead. He swallowed, straightened his back and said solemnly:
"As the commander of the frigate Achilles, I invite you to follow me to the bridge."
"Very well, I am happy to accept your invitation."
Kurland turned and continued walking.
Gredolf hesitated for a moment, then turned back to his feet.
"Honor Guard, disband!"
The petty officers in the armed sailors were caught off guard:
"Sir?"
"You heard my orders, Sergeant."
Gredolf waved his hand and explained:
"I believe Captain Kurland doesn't need a bunch of soldiers following him everywhere."
"Yes!"
The sergeant shouted. He and his men saluted, then turned around and went back the way they had come.
"I'd be very grateful to you, Captain."
When his soldiers could no longer hear their conversation, Graydolf turned around and whispered angrily:
"If you could at least pretend that I'm still in command of my own ship. Once you're back in the solar system and off this ship, I'll have to continue to enforce discipline here. Your behavior is threatening my authority, and the orders I've received authorize me to restrict your actions when necessary - but that wouldn't be good for either of us, would it?"
"Yes."
Kurland lowered his head and agreed to the lieutenant's request:
"I apologize for any problems my actions may have caused."
Finally feeling a little comforted, Graydolf stood on tiptoe and nodded, then turned around and led Kurland along the main passage of the spacecraft all the way to the bridge door.
Kurland followed the lieutenant inside.
He saw two other officers, one manning the communications panel, the other standing at the sensors and consoles, a bank of small screens flickering at waist height. All in all, the bridge felt cramped to him, a stark contrast to the Chapter ships that Kurland had spent most of his life aboard. The Space Marine bent slightly to avoid banging his head on the crisscrossing pipes and beams on the ceiling.
"Sir, I received a complaint from the aft cabin..."
Turning his head and seeing the ceramic steel giant standing in the middle of the bridge, the communications officer stopped talking. The young officer cleared his throat unconsciously and continued:
"Tech-Priest Kashibal is complaining about the raids, sir. I don't know what he's talking about."
"Sir, I've noticed an acceleration in the subspace engine duct."
Before Graydolf could respond, another officer shouted:
"Our warp drives appear to be firing up."
Gredolf asked doubtfully:
"I gave no such order."
"I think that was an order from Sage Laurentis." Kurland's voice sounded loud and steady in the small space. He looked at the lieutenant who was controlling the sensor. "How far are we from the Mechanicus ship now?"
"Twenty thousand kilometers and counting."
The lieutenant answered consciously, subconsciously succumbing to the natural authority exuded by the Space Marine Captain.
The lieutenant immediately glanced at Lieutenant Gredolf and asked his superior for confirmation:
"Well, Commander, we haven't received the signal to make a subspace jump yet."
"Lieutenant Greydolf, please have your navigator report to the bridge immediately."
Kurland whispered beside Graydolf.
"Why should I do this?"
The lieutenant looked up and asked back.
"Because your orders have changed, Commander."
Kurland said calmly.
Red lights flashed on top of the bridge, and the sudden shrill whistle of the alarm interrupted the lieutenant's answer.
"Sir, the warp drive is activated! The warp drive is activated! We have no way to stop it..."
"Jump in thirty seconds!"
A robot servant suddenly shouted.
"What the hell is that Tech Priest doing?"
The lieutenant was shocked and bewildered.
"There's been a change of plans, Lieutenant. I'm taking command of your ship."
Kurland finally stated his purpose.
"You can't do this!"
"But I have done so. Magus Laurentis has activated the warp drives, and I am now standing on the bridge giving orders. Lieutenant, do you think there is anything in this situation that shows that I am not fully in control?"
Gredolf opened his mouth blankly, thinking about how to answer. A look of despair appeared on his face.
"Don't make me gather the soldiers, Captain!"
The lieutenant tried to keep his voice stern.
"I will kill your people without hesitation."
Kurland responded with a warning:
"I remind you that your people may succeed in restraining me and returning me to Terra - but they will not be able to do so without heavy casualties."
The Space Marine then attempted to reassure the Lieutenant:
"I have no intention of harming this ship or its crew."
Hearing the subtle sound of the leather case being untied behind him, Kurland straightened up slightly, but did not turn around, his eyes still staring straight into Graydolf's eyes:
"Tell your lieutenant to keep his pistol, or I shall be obliged to take it from him."
Kurland heard a breath and saw Graydolf nod slightly, then saw through the reflection of a comm screen the officer holster his pistol.
"Very good. At this moment, we should avoid any rash actions."
Kurland raised his hand to signal everyone to stay calm.
"Jump in five seconds."
The voice of the robot servant sounded again:
"Four, three, two, one..."
At the moment when reality and illusion collided, everyone on the bridge felt a throbbing in their hearts. From the inside out, every atom in their bodies trembled for a few seconds, and deep in their minds, an unsettling strange pressure forced its way in.
After ten seconds, the feeling disappears.
"Jump completed."
The servitor announced stiffly.
But that was unnecessary. If the jump failed, everyone on board would know, or be dead.
Finally, Gredolf said:
"You're not going to Terra, are you?"
"That is a waste of time, Lieutenant. The Empire is under threat, and we must respond. Honor demands that we continue to fight, and I intend to rejoin the rest of my brothers."
"I don't understand." Greydolf lowered his voice, glanced at the others cautiously, and said with a puzzled look, "I was told that you are the last Space Marine of the Imperial Fists."
"We call it the 'Final Wall' agreement. If Holy Terra is seriously threatened, or even threatened to fall, the Sons of Dorn will regroup and jointly deal with this threat."
“But, if you will excuse my question, who will respond if you all die?
"The Imperial Fists Chapter may have been destroyed."
Kurland said categorically:
"But the Legion is not destroyed!"
"Legion!?"
Gredolf was horrified by the concept:
"But the Legion was disbanded by order of the Emperor."
"Not the Emperor!"
Kurland shouted.
After saying this, he took another deep breath:
"Yes, it is the Emperor's will, but the will did not come from the Emperor's mouth... None of this is important. The astropathic signal has been sent, and I will wait for someone to respond."
"But if you don't go back to Terra, where are we going?"
"The last place our enemies would look for is the eternal memory of the Legion... Tell your navigator to plot a course to the Farr system."
…………
"Fal Galaxy..."
Fu Qinghai looked at the stopover points on the route.
I couldn't help but say this name.
"Far Galaxy, is there anything special about this?"
Lin Yu looked at the star map information and asked with some confusion.
According to the information in the star map, the Farr system is large but only has two planets suitable for living. One planet is covered with oceans, and the other planet is covered with fungal forests, but both were destroyed in a war long ago. That's all. The information is scarce and there is no information worth noting.
"The Battle of Farr took place right here."
Fu Qinghai explained while pinching his chin.
The Battle of Fal was a battle that took place during the Horus Heresy. It is not as famous as the Isstvan Landing Massacre, the Battle of Calth, the Shadow Crusade and other battles, but it is also a very important battle.
During the Battle of Fal, the Four Chaos Gods manipulated the Warp storm to force a large detachment of the Imperial Fists to lose their way, and eventually walked step by step into the stranglehold set up in advance by the Iron Warriors - the Fal system.
The Iron Warriors had twice the strength of the Imperial Fists, and the Primarch Perturabo was in charge of the battle. They had set up a battlefield in advance to wait for the enemy to attack, and they also had the help of demons and monsters in the Immaterial World (the Imperial Fists lost one-third of their warships and the highest commander of the fleet in the storm). They had the best of time, place, and people. Under such circumstances, the Imperial Fists dispatched a fleet to fight against a larger force with fewer troops. After paying a heavy price, they still dealt a heavy blow to the Iron Warriors fleet and successfully broke through the siege.
Among them, a suicide squad of the Imperial Fists even boarded Perturabo's Iron Blood and fought their way into the Primarch's command cabin before being killed by the Lord of Steel himself.
The Battle of Fal was a great humiliation for the Iron Warriors and Perturabo himself. During the naval battle, the astropathic communication was briefly restored to normal, and then the Imperial Fists fleet received an order from Rogal Dorn to immediately return to defend Terra. Therefore, some people suspected, just suspected, that this communication was actually deliberately released by the Chaos Four Gods to the Imperial Fists fleet to prevent the Iron Warriors from suffering too much loss.
The Farr system is of great significance to the Imperial Fists, but the Imperial authorities generally believe that the Horus Heresy was a civil war that was neither glorious nor sacred, and not only did they not publicize it, but they also destroyed a large amount of relevant historical materials. Therefore, later generations know very little about the Farr system, and they don't even know that a great naval battle broke out here, which to a certain extent determined the direction of the war.
Having read the original novel of Warhammer 40K, Fu Qinghai knew that the Imperial Fists would complete the assembly and reorganization of the Legion in the Farr system. Now he was struggling with whether to wait here for the Seventh Legion to complete its assembly, or go directly to Terra.
"Continue to Terra."
After thinking for a moment, Fu Qinghai gave the order.
The White Scars and the Imperial Fists would merge, and the two Space Marine Legions might be able to achieve an effect where the sum of the two is greater than the sum of the two, but after weighing the pros and cons, he finally gave up on this option. There was only one reason: to avoid changing the plot as much as possible.
All of Fu Qinghai's current actions are based on the premise that he has read the original novel. Because he knows the original plot, he can formulate such a risky and radical plan. Once the plot changes, his foresight advantage will be declared invalid. Unless it is absolutely necessary, he wants to try his best to let things continue to develop along the plot of the original novel.
The White Scars fleet briefly stopped outside the Farr system, and after resting, they set off again, breaking through the reality curtain and entering the immaterial world. Shortly after they left, one after another huge fleet tore through the reality barrier and arrived outside the system. These warships were painted in different colors, including the Fist of the Paragon, the Crimson Fist, the Astral Knight...
The largest fleet among them.
The number of warships far exceeds that of all other chapters.
Black background with white edges.
It was Fu Qinghai's old acquaintance.
Black Templar.
…………
at the same time.
Vesperils system, Sanctus Port.
The news of "The Rise of the Beasts" shocked Holy Terra. After many galaxies and worlds were declared fallen one after another, the Imperial Navy fleet, which was urgently summoned back from the border areas, finally decided to launch a head-on battle against the Orks.
The location chosen was the Port of Sanctus, a starport located in the Vesperils galaxy. It was not only a naval base, but also a shipyard with strong manufacturing capabilities that could produce heavy cruiser-class warships.
The Orks seemed to be very interested in this port, and a battle moon stayed here and did not leave. The greenskins intended to completely occupy this space dock, and the Imperial Navy was naturally unwilling to let an important facility with excellent shipbuilding capabilities fall into the hands of the Orks. Therefore, since the beasts invaded the Empire, the first direct confrontation between the Human Empire and the Orks (the first time that Terra thought) was about to begin.
Mandeville points in the outer reaches of the galaxy.
One after another, warships of all sizes broke through the curtain of reality and entered the vast void. According to the order of the Supreme Lord Admiral Lansong, the Kinki Fleet led by Admiral Acharya and the Border Fleet led by Admiral Price arrived here. The two naval fleets will join forces to destroy the orc battle moon above the port of Sanctus.
At least that was the order the Border Fleet received.
However, when Admiral Price arrived at the outskirts of the galaxy in his Oberon-class battleship, he cursed as he looked at the densely packed and interlaced light dots on the screen:
"What do you mean? Lan Song asked us to attack the orcs after the two fleets merged. Can anyone tell me why the Kinki Fleet is already fighting the orcs? What is that idiot Acharya doing? Who allowed him to take the initiative to attack?"
The entire bridge was quiet.
No one could answer his question.
"Sir, we have received a communication request. Admiral Acharya requires us to immediately rendezvous with his fleet."
A communications officer spoke up.
"This is impossible. Request the Kinki Fleet to immediately withdraw from the battle with the orcs and move closer to the Border Fleet."
Admiral Price flatly refused.
"The orcs are gathering. If we don't reunite with our fleets, one of ours will surely be destroyed!"
Acharya's face appeared, and the admiral's spittle flew all over the camera lens of the communication equipment.
"That's why you have to come and join us, Admiral. Over the past three days, warships from my fleet have been arriving, and they're still arriving. If we try to break out, those ships that come later will be destroyed one by one!"
Price leaned forward facing the screen with his hands clasped, sitting on the chair and responded loudly without showing any weakness.
After Price finished speaking, he leaned back, and the screen in front of him entered a blurry static state, and an unstable signal began to be transmitted to the communication terminal in Admiral Acharya's flagship.
As we all know, subspace jumps are unstable. Fleets that enter the subspace at the same time may arrive at the target __cpLocation at different times. It is reasonable that the border fleet needs to wait for the arrival of subsequent warships.
The captain next to him interrupted and suggested:
"Sir, while it would be the best course of action for Admiral Acharya to lead the fleet towards us, in the meantime, it would definitely be the worst option for us to do nothing."
Price turned to the strategic desk, not answering his captain's question. Multiple monitors glowed beneath translucent bulletin sheets. Three naval doctrine manuals were stacked in a corner, with worn parchment and plaque marking the different pages. Price was trying to find some precedent or rule that would allow him to command Admiral Acharya in this situation.
One of the unique settings of the Human Empire in Warhammer 40K is that the Imperial Navy has the largest and most complex collection of rules and regulations in the entire Human Empire, which are detailed to the extent of how a sailor should clean the toilet on the deck. All actions of the naval commander must be supported by relevant regulations or precedents, which also indirectly reflects that the Imperial Navy is the most rigid and dogmatic force in the Human Empire.
But Price eventually gave up.
Obviously he didn't find it.
The chain of command in the Imperial Navy is sacrosanct, even more so than in the Imperial Guard. A starship may be out of port for months to decades, and during that time, the commander's authority must be absolute. If a regiment of the Imperial Guard betrays its commander, it could cause great damage to the planet it is on. If an Imperial Navy battleship mutinied, it could threaten many star systems.
This was one reason why the Imperial Navy had such a vast array of rules and regulations. Price's ships and fleets were not obliged to follow any orders issued by the Acharya, but he could not issue any orders of his own to him.
Price shook his head and said to his captain:
"No, doing nothing is not bad. Doing nothing will allow us and the newly arrived ships to get close enough to Mandeville Point so that we can jump out of the system at any time if the situation becomes critical. Acharya put his head into the orc's lasso himself, and I don't see any reason for us to follow him in doing so."
"You're abandoning the Kinki Fleet, Admiral?"
The captain was extremely shocked to hear this, and his boss's calm attitude towards the prospect made him shudder:
"Tens of thousands... no, hundreds of thousands of lives?"
"And involve ourselves in this for no reason?"
The Admiral asked sharply. He strode towards the holographic projector and waved his hand to shrink the constructed image:
"Look at what the Kinki Fleet is doing? They are chasing the Ork warships deeper into the asteroid field in the galaxy. This is a trap. Acharya obviously knows it, but it's too late. His flanks and rear are being squeezed... I know what you want to say. Only the Emperor knows why these rough green-skinned barbarians suddenly awakened to the subject of naval tactics, but the facts are in front of us and we can't turn a blind eye!"
"Smart orc?"
A naval staff officer muttered to himself.
At such a long distance, the detectors and auspicious instruments of the Oberon-class battleships could not tell whether the objects in the asteroid field were ordinary planetary fragments or dormant Ork warships - unless they had an Emperor-class battleship that had lost its manufacturing technology. But even so, everyone present knew that there was a high probability of an ambush in the asteroid field.
Because the Orks like to hollow out the inside of asteroids and install a few engines on one side to make the most classic "spaceship" of the Orks - the Orc Monolith. In a sense, the Battle Moon is also a super-giant Orc Monolith, but the object that was hollowed out has been replaced by a satellite.
"Their rock fortresses are scattered throughout the asteroid fields of the entire system. Once a ship enters range, they can close in and attack, launch torpedoes or directly board, and our proud shield system will become useless. Everyone here is not lacking in courage, but I don't think any of you want to be boarded by the greenskins - there are no space marines on our ships."
As Price spoke, he threw a stack of analysis reports onto the display screen of the strategic desk and cursed at the projection:
"Acharya is not a military idiot, but I still haven't figured out what his purpose is. From the moment he launched the attack on his own initiative, this battle has been declared a failure. Now the only thing Acharya can do is to lead his Kinki Fleet to break through in the opposite direction and get closer to us, enter Mandeville Point and evacuate the battlefield through a subspace jump."
The battle lines in the galaxy were intertwined, and every screen around the bridge was refreshing the battle data. Everyone looked up at these live images and gradually realized something was different:
In the Imperial Navy's inherent impression, Orc warships will always go straight and rush around, not only because the Orcs are reckless and stupid, but also because the Orc warships generally have poor turning performance. For example, they like to pile a large number of weapons on a warship, pursuing extreme firepower, but completely ignore the comprehensive performance and overall balance of the warship. The maneuverability and defense are very poor, and they have no advantage in space naval battles.
However, now, the warships are still those Orc warships, but the Orc fleet has demonstrated extraordinary and complex coordination and cooperation. Assault ships quickly interspersed, heavy artillery ships formed a formation to encircle, boarding boats and fighter jets flew around like flies... Through tactical execution, the performance gap of the warships themselves was eliminated. It is hard to imagine that this is something the Orcs can do. This requires extremely strong organizational and coordination capabilities.
Why did the orcs suddenly become smart?
This question is on everyone’s mind.
"Price!"
The communication video came again.
Acharya said anxiously to the camera:
"If we are surrounded, you..."
The despair on Acharya's face suddenly disappeared. The admiral turned his head and looked to the side, his frown relaxed, revealing a look of relief.
Then the screen went blank.
"So what does he mean by this?"
Price turned to look at everyone in confusion.
Everyone on the bridge also looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Drip drip drip..."
The intercom beeped, and a green light flickered on on a control panel next to Price. The captain reached over and flicked the receive switch.
"what happened?"
"Sir, there are signs of a jump at the edge of the galaxy."
"Yeah, we've been doing this for three days in a row. What's wrong?"
"Massive jump signals, sir. Detection teams have picked up close to a dozen signals in the last five minutes. We've also confirmed an identification symbol on one of them."
"A dozen ships? Who are they?"
"The Eternal Cephalax, sir."
"Lan Song's flagship!"
Price exclaimed:
"Lan Song is here in person?"
Supreme Lord Admiral Lanson was the second High Lord to personally participate in the fight against the beasts after Hess, the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guard. Unlike Hess, who was only a marginal figure in the Council of Twelve, Lanson was in the limelight in Terra's political arena. He had won over the Minister of the Interior, the Pope of the State Religion, the spokesman for the Merchant Fleet, and even the Mars Forge Commander. There was no need for him to take such a risk and go to the front line in person.
As the communication was connected, the face of Lansong's senior fleet attaché first appeared on the screen.
"Please pay attention to this, Admiral Price, Commander-in-Chief of the Border Fleet of the Solar Segment Fleet and Admiral of the Imperial Navy."
The senior military officer narrated in a serious tone:
"I hereby request and demand that upon receipt of these orders, you immediately assemble the border fleet in accordance with the attached designations and deployments to prepare for the upcoming operations."
Price paused the receiver, the image stopped, cut by flashing lines and disappeared. When he heard the words "the upcoming battle", his expression became frozen.
"Lanson intends to continue Acharya's stupid plan... He really wants to liberate the port of Sanctus."
Before he could finish his words, the communication signal changed, and Lan Song's bloated face appeared on the screen:
"Listen, Price. Acharya put the reputation of the Imperial Navy at risk. It's my reputation and yours, Price. I don't know why or how, but someone must have found Acharya and either convinced or forced him to launch this attack without waiting for the Border Fleet to join up. When this is over, I will find out who made the move within the Imperial Navy. Acharya will pay the price, and if he survives the ensuing court-martial, he will be lucky to command a garbage truck... Anyway, it doesn't matter."
Lan Song turned his body away from the video capture unit, revealing his thick chest between the buttons of his clothes.
"We cannot afford to fail here, Price. This battle is extremely important. I'll tell you an inside scoop: the Imperial Fists were badly hit by the Ork Battle Moon in the Adamantua system, and they were nearly annihilated."
"hiss……"
Price took a breath when he heard this.
Because the High Lords requested that the news of the annihilation of the Imperial Fists be kept strictly confidential and not to be spread outside, the Admiral only learned of this situation now through Lanson's mouth.
A start-up regiment was wiped out...
It's unimaginable.
Price thought in horror.
"We desperately need a victory, and fast, if we are to salvage anything from this dire situation. Unless I return to Terra victorious and with my authority intact, the entire Imperial Senate will lose faith. Frankly, whether the other High Lords like it or not, this will be a war won by the navy."
"If we retreat, I will be disgraced, and there are six admirals lined up to replace me, but none of that matters, we don't need a power struggle among the top brass of the Imperial Navy right now. I know you all think I'm a greedy person who only cares about my own future, and maybe you are all right, I may be that kind of person. But I'm not a beast, billions of people have died trying to stop this green tide. If we don't turn things around now, all hope will be shattered. I don't care if we have to sacrifice the entire fucking star fleet to win, victory is the only option!"
Lan Song took out an embroidered handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his face, then stuffed the handkerchief into the sleeve of his shirt.
"After the three fleets meet, we can discuss various tactics and options. But before that, I ask and request you to strictly abide by all my orders. Believe me, this is our best chance to get out of this predicament alive and intact. Admiral Price, may the Emperor protect you in all your upcoming battles."
The fat face on the screen dimmed and disappeared.
"The fat guy is right."
Price curled his lips in disgust and said:
"We'll have to find a way to destroy these armed satellites sooner or later, so we might as well try here. Damn Acharya for disobeying orders and acting on his own. And damn Lansong for letting such an idiot command the Kinki Fleet."
"So what are your orders, sir?"
The captain asked, standing straight at attention and saluting.
"Unlock the deployment order sent by Admiral Lan Song."
Price gritted his teeth and stared straight ahead:
"Attack immediately, target: Battle Moon!"
…………