Chapter 15: Warp Navigation
Buzz!
A powerful ion beam lanced down from orbit, illuminating the sky as it transformed into a massive column of incandescent light.
The beam pierced the atmosphere like a luminous spear, striking directly into the alien dreadnought below.
Boom!
Omega squinted against the brilliant glare. The weapon harnessed nuclear fusion, but unlike a crude hydrogen bomb, specialized Imperial technology focused the explosive force into a concentrated beam.
The result was devastation dozens of times greater than any thermonuclear warhead, enough to level a city or, in this case, reduce entire mountain ranges to ash.
On the tactical display, the orbital strike connected with pinpoint accuracy.
The aliens were finished. No shielding could withstand such concentrated energy.
The beam carved through the dreadnought's defenses as if they were paper. Countless xenos perished in an instant, vaporized alongside tens of kilometers of mountainous terrain.
Energy shockwaves radiated outward in expanding rings, obliterating what the aliens had deemed impregnable fortifications.
The explosion's afterglow lingered before finally fading. Omega studied the display, where snow-capped peaks had once stood; only smoking ruins remained.
The strike had been successful. Whatever religious significance the Holy Land held for the Rangda no longer mattered.
The Imperium typically destroyed alien religious sites and forbidden knowledge, advocating the Imperial Truth over superstition.
At its core, the Imperial Truth was materialistic: the universe operated on rational principles, and only knowledge could defeat fear and unite humanity scattered across the galaxy.
Omega found such atheistic pragmatism easy to accept, much to the satisfaction of Alpharius.
Yet through archived data and personal experience, Omega recognized a pattern: nearly every civilization, human or xenos, invented gods during its early development.
Solar deities commonly appeared everywhere.
On technologically primitive worlds, faith became a deeply ingrained cultural and spiritual pillar.
The Rangda Holy Land had undoubtedly contained religious texts and practices.
Now, reduced to fragments, the site served dual purposes: eliminating enemy resistance while erasing their theological foundations entirely.
The Rangda on Mylosak were cleansed, but the Alpha Legion had also paid a considerable heavy price.
The xenos possessed technology comparable to the Imperium's own, making this conquest far more difficult than Balsavor.
Manpower, materiel, weapons, warships, and ammunition stocks urgently required replenishment. Forge World Shana was the logical choice for resupply.
In the void, the Alpha Legion's depleted fleet, barely seven or eight hundred vessels, many heavily damaged, prepared for warp transit after emergency repairs by Mechanicus tech-priests.
As the ships entered the Warp, Omega watched the immaterium writhe beyond the Geller fields. Strange colors formed patterns like rising and falling tides. The warp-stuff seemed almost alive, formless entities reaching toward the fleet as if to devour it whole.
No one truly understood what the Warp was, yet it offered immense convenience.
It enabled faster-than-light travel between star systems. Destinations tens or hundreds of light-years distant would require thousands or tens of thousands of years via sub-light engines.
Through warp transit, however, such journeys took mere months. Every major galactic civilization utilized warp travel in some form.
Without faster-than-light capability, civilizations would never collide across the void. Yet few truly comprehended the Warp's nature.
After checking on the astropath and Navigator, Alpharius approached the bridge. His expression remained calm as he spoke.
"The Warp is full of bizarre and unpredictable phenomena. Ordinary humans can experience horrific mutations merely by observing it. This realm is not as benign as many assume. Perhaps even hostile. Demonic, even."
"Do you believe that, brother?"
"I do." Omega pulled his gaze from the warp-view, hesitated briefly, then met Alpharius's steady eyes and nodded. "Does the Imperium have any means of avoiding Warp dependence? True faster-than-light drives would be preferable for my heart."
Several Mechanicus adepts looked surprised at the answer. Alpharius paused, then laughed, a genuine sound.
"Hahaha! Brother, why immediately suggest FTL drives? Even during humanity's Golden Age, no such technology existed!"
"If the Warp is truly malevolent, humanity should gradually abandon it," Omega said bluntly. "We should develop FTL drives to replace warp transit entirely. Given the Imperium's resources and territory, such development should be possible; hell, they should be natural."
A tech-priest in crimson robes, adjusting a chemical solution with one mechadendrite, offered analysis.
"If Golden Age humanity failed to achieve true FTL, the problem's complexity exceeds current understanding. Mars has no record of anyone researching such technology, much less succeeding."
"While the Warp is dangerous, it remains our best method for faster-than-light travel. On balance, warp transit is still optimal."
Julius the Wise Mechanicus Magos added respectfully, "My lord, the Emperor himself provided solutions for warp navigation. On Holy Terra stands the Astronomican, a beacon He personally constructed. Like a lighthouse, it guides Imperial fleets through the immaterium's treacherous currents."
"Astropaths and Navigators calibrate jump routes with greater precision. This system demonstrates the Emperor's wisdom and foresight."
Alpharius nodded toward Omega, who couldn't help but marvel at Terra's Master.
No wonder He had forged such a vast Imperium, even constructing a lighthouse for the Warp itself.
The discussion drew in the assembled tech-priests; the topic's technical nature suited their expertise perfectly.
In humanity's early days, confined to the Solar System, expansion via sub-light drives was agonizingly slow.
Only after discovering the Warp and developing warp-capable engines did galactic colonization accelerate dramatically.
Initially, humans navigated the Warp using chains of beacons throughout the immaterium. This worked adequately during calm periods, but the Warp was inherently unstable. When warp storms arose, beacons were destroyed wholesale. Massive, prolonged storms could sever interstellar travel entirely.
The Astronomican existed to prevent such isolation. Like a lighthouse guiding ships through stormy seas, it drew vessels toward Holy Terra regardless of warp conditions.
Under the tech-priests' detailed explanations, the turbulent warp journey became considerably more interesting.
Alpharius, however, found himself intrigued by the possibility of true FTL technology.
The Emperor held sacred significance in Alpharius's heart, near-omnipotent reverence. If any force in the galaxy could develop genuine faster-than-light drives, surely it was Imperial science.
One month later—Forge World Shana
When the Alpha Legion emerged from the Warp, over a dozen severely damaged warships were... gone.
Tragically Lost to the Warp.
Though the losses pained Alpharius, he had grown accustomed to warp transit's risks. The Warp offered humanity great convenience, but extracted terrible prices in return.
Learning these facts, Omega sighed inwardly.
Now he really believed the Warp truly did harbor demons.
[End of Chapter]