Chapter 238: Squad Nearl
Subsequently, the report turned to the family elder, Młynar Nearl—Margaret and Maria's uncle—renowned for his stern, steady demeanor and formidable strength.
He piloted a Knight Preceptor, a chassis specifically customized by the Adeptus Mechanicus to control Knight Houses, loaded with a massive amount of advanced equipment bordering on the edge of technological heresy.
Most eye-catching was the Blessed Autosimulacra, capable of self-repairing non-lethal damage during combat, granting the mech astonishing sustained combat capability.
For defense, it was equipped with an Ion Bulwark deflection field system, which could neutralize enemy attack kinetic energy through exquisite energy deflection principles.
Its main weapons were a pair of Siege Claws, underslung with Twin-Linked Irrad-Cleansers. Coupled with a ranged weapon system composed of a Phase-Ion Flintlock and a Lightning Cannon, this mech could deal with various targets ranging from light infantry to super-heavy tanks.
The data summary pointed out that the Nemesis pattern could break through the enemy's most heavily defended positions within minutes.
In this squad, he was not only the leader but also the spearhead of the attack on the battlefield.
Finally, there was Zofia, nicknamed "Whislash," a distant aunt of the Nearl sisters. Although she didn't bear the surname Nearl, she was a veteran of the family with rich experience and unique tactical insight.
She piloted a Knight Preceptor (the text says "Instructor-type Patrol Knight," which aligns with Preceptor), usually undertaking the duty of cultivating new blood in Knight Houses.
The equipment configuration of this mech was balanced and practical. One hand held a Reaper Chainsword or Thunderstrike Gauntlet as a melee weapon, while the other was equipped with a multi-functional Las-Impulsor capable of switching between anti-infantry and anti-vehicle modes, allowing it to provide effective support at various engagement ranges.
As a pilot, a respected veteran like Zofia was usually responsible for training young Armiger pilots, and even conducting recruitment and psychological counseling for Knight candidates.
Her presence on this deployment was primarily to assist Młynar in teaching the sisters Margaret and Maria.
Simultaneously, she was also responsible for managing the House Nearl private soldiers accompanying the team.
The Sacristan maintenance team mentioned in the report consisted of ten Tech-Priests and twenty specially trained Servitors, responsible for the daily maintenance, damage repair, weapon calibration, and most sacred machine spirit appeasement rituals of the Knight suits.
These Sacristans mastered the technical parameters and maintenance arcana unique to House Nearl's Knights, serving as the key guarantee for maintaining the squad's combat effectiveness.
As for the Armiger detachment responsible for guarding the Knights on the battlefield, it consisted of ten Armiger-class Knight suits.
These were the smallest Knight suits, usually piloted by candidate nobles, outstanding commoners, or illegitimate children of Knight scions.
Benefiting from their smaller size and weight, Armigers were swifter and more agile than other Knight suits, capable of efficiently providing cover, reconnaissance, flanking, or capturing key nodes on the flanks of the main Knights.
Strictly speaking, Armigers were not true Knight suits, as they did not have a complete Throne Mechanicum installed internally. Instead, they used a simplified control system known as a Helm Mechanicum. This system could force the pilot to obey the orders of full Knights to a certain extent, ensuring the unity of tactical execution.
As for the House Nearl private soldiers—who appeared most numerous but actually had the lowest combat power in this team—they were a conventional armed force of about a thousand, equipped with standard Lasguns provided by the Forge World and wearing unified armor bearing the House Nearl crest.
This force was not used for frontal assaults against strong enemies but was responsible for guarding the family station, securing logistical lines, and executing other low-intensity security tasks unsuitable for Knight suits.
Even so, this thousand-strong force still embodied the comprehensive strength of House Nearl as feudal lords of the Kazimierz sector.
The arrival of this complete tactical detachment significantly enhanced Joric's direct military power in the Warhammer universe.
Its configuration demonstrated precise tactical consideration.
The Nemesis (Młynar) and Lancer (Margaret) formed a sharp assault spearhead; the Preceptor (Zofia) and Gallant/Punisher (Maria) provided flexible multi-functional support; the Armigers handled battlefield defense coordination; plus the solid logistical and regional control system built by the Sacristan team and private soldiers—together they formed a complete combat sequence capable of dealing with diverse battlefield environments.
Their arrival was an excellent guarantee of force for Joric, whether he wanted to establish a new order in the Cyberpunk world or explore more dimensions.
However, Joric's thinking core did not stop at a simple assessment of strength.
Because House Nearl had arrived far too early compared to expectations, it was difficult for Joric not to suspect something was wrong.
He calmly deduced various possibilities: Perhaps this was just the common temporal disorder of Warp travel, a pure accident.
Or, perhaps this involved a more complex power game within the Forge World, and both he and House Nearl were merely pieces on the chessboard?
Of course, it was more likely that some Warp entity had already set its sights on him, secretly causing the frigate carrying House Nearl to skip time in the Warp and arrive early.
But insufficient information made any conclusion premature.
Joric temporarily sealed his doubts, marking them as a high-priority observation item.
Before obtaining more data, he decided to maintain the status quo and watch how things developed.
Since this force was already in place, the primary task was to ensure they could be deployed into expected combat operations at any time.
Through the apprentice at the Death World base, he sent a concise and clear directive to the House Nearl squad, which had just arrived and was adapting to the Death World environment: "To House Nearl, Młynar Nearl, and all members: Welcome. Effective immediately, all personnel enter highest combat readiness status.
"Conduct final inspections and maintenance on all Knight suits, Armigers, and auxiliary equipment to ensure readiness for combat at any time. Specific mission objectives and deployment times will follow in subsequent notifications."
The directive revealed no information about cross-dimensional operations.
In Joric's view, the time was not yet ripe. Keeping this force in a tense state of standby would ensure their response speed and allow him to further observe their reactions and loyalty before formal action.
After processing all information streams from the Warhammer world, Joric cut the dimensional rift.
In the temporary workshop, the uncomfortable sense of spatial distortion gradually faded, leaving only the low hum of operating equipment.
Joric's massive metal body turned to the main console, his crimson optical lenses relocking onto the hovering structural blueprints of the Dimension Teleporter.
Volks's message indeed brought positive progress on the technical level, and House Nearl's early arrival provided him with a critical military option.
But at this moment, the primary task for Joric remained constructing a permanent, large-scale portal capable of stably supporting the passage of Knight suits and even larger units.
Only by breaking through this limitation could he truly invest this newfound power into controlling this world, achieving a complete interface of resources and technology between the two worlds.
(End of Chapter)