The air in the Central Command was thick with the smell of blood, the acrid scent of ozone, and the silence of death. It had become a tomb.
The Ethereal curled up under an overturned tactical command console, making himself as small as possible. He covered himself with a star chart tapestry, stained with dust and unknown grime, holding his breath, his heartbeat seemingly paused.
Outside, the suffocatingly dense gunshots and the continuous cries of the dying were approaching with an unstoppable momentum. Every sound was like a cold chisel, striking his fragile nerves.
He closed his eyes and prayed in his heart to the elusive The Greater Good, praying that he would not be found by the demons from hell.
But the T'au clearly did not favor it.
With a 'whoosh,' the tapestry covering him was roughly pulled away by a heavily gloved hand. Dazzling beams of light shone on his face from several directions at once, causing his fear-widened pupils to contract sharply.
The leading Helldivers, his gas mask lenses reflecting a cold light, tilted his head and let out a flippant whistle: "Look what we found?"
"Squad leader, what should we do?" an adjacent soldier interjected in an equally unperturbed tone, his autogun casually pointed at the Ethereal's head. "Just kill it?"
"No, no, no," the squad leader shook his head, his voice muffled and distorted through the mask. "This is a big deal; our squad can't just decide what to do. Besides, the exp of eliminating a T'au Empire Ethereal... just thinking about it is probably astonishingly high. Even if we do kill it, every Helldivers should get to slap it once, and then it should be executed by firing squad. That would be fair."
After speaking, the squad leader turned and pointed his scratched autogun at the trembling Ethereal: "Stand up yourself? I don't want to make a mess."
The Ethereal shakily stood up, supporting himself on the edge of the command console. His gaze swept around, seeing the shattered bodies of the Fire Caste warriors and Water Caste liaison officers who had loyally protected him. A strong wave of nausea rose in his throat, but he forcibly suppressed it, striving to maintain the last shred of his leader's composure.
"Very good." The squad leader seemed to nod in satisfaction, waving his hand casually. "Guard it for now!"
...In the strategic command center of the flagship Sorrow's Edge, Inquisitor Grande stood with his hands behind his back, staring intently at the large blue area on the main tactical screen that had been disabled by the EMP.
"The enemy has activated a large-scale EMP electromagnetic pulse," his aide reported in a near-whisper from behind him. "Now, apart from the relatively simply equipped Helldivers Legion, most of the Astra Militarum and astartes Legions' equipment has been affected and requires some time to regroup. We... cannot continue the attack."
"I knew it," Grande said to himself without turning, his voice low and full of venom. "I knew it... Those guys, they're all traitors! All heretics! I knew it from the start!"
His voice suddenly rose, and he turned to pace the cold deck, his gauntlets, emblazoned with the Inquisition's insignia, creaking as he clenched his fists.
"Lucian Gritte, Wendell Gage, Ruman... Brimlock, Krieg, Cadian, Rakarthan... and those astartes! From the moment they started that damned rebellion ten thousand years ago, they should all have been tagged for 'purging'! The Adeptus Mechanicus too; they also betrayed the Emperor!"
He stopped, his eyes bloodshot with fury, appearing incredibly ferocious.
"What EMP electromagnetic pulse... excuses! All excuses! Everyone is harboring ill intentions, not a single one is steadfastly loyal to the Emperor! Even those Helldivers! Their incredibly fast, abnormal advance clearly has its own ulterior motives... They think I can't see it, but in reality, I see everything clearly!"
He suddenly waved his hand, pointing at the tactical screen.
"Otherwise, why has my Exterminatus been issued, yet it is so slow to be carried out?!"
Grande took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger, and turned to walk towards the door: "Everyone follow me... I will personally go to the bridge of the Sorrow's Edge, personally confirm, and order the captain to immediately launch the Whirlwind torpedoes!"
Just as Grande, accompanied by his personal guard of carapace-armored, Hellgun-wielding soldiers, was aggressively advancing towards the bridge, some figures suddenly emerged from the side passages at the end of the wide corridor ahead, forming a silent human wall that blocked his path.
Grande instinctively pressed his hand to the bolter on his hip, wanting to immediately order to fire, but when he noticed their distinctive gas masks and black carapace armor, he hesitated.
Helldivers?
At this moment, a voice he was quite familiar with came from behind the group of soldiers, carrying a hint of playful amusement: "Inquisitor Grande? What a coincidence... Heh heh, you're in such a hurry, where are you going?"
"Commander Ghostface?" Grande narrowed his eyes, recognizing the familiar voice. "Shouldn't you be on the ground, commanding your Helldivers Legion to fight the xenos?"
"Yes, theoretically, that's correct." Ghostface slowly emerged from among his soldiers, his hands clasped behind his back. "However, just a short while ago, Commander-in-Chief Wendell and Lord Lucian urgently summoned me, saying there was a matter of utmost importance to discuss."
Ghostface paused here, his eyes behind his mask seeming to pierce through layers of obstruction, looking directly into Grande's soul: "Grande, I heard that you intend to use Exterminatus to bomb me, my warriors, nineteen other Astra Militarum legions, four founding astartes legions, two astartes sub-legions, and the Legio Tanathalis Titan Legion, all of whom are bravely fighting for the Imperium on Planet Dalis?"
Grande unhesitatingly drew the bolter from his hip. He answered with a deafening gunshot and a whistling bolt round.
Ghostface dodged to the side like a phantom, the bolt round exploding where he had just stood, leaving a charred crater on the metal wall. Almost simultaneously, the Helldivers and the Inquisitor's guard immediately began to exchange fire, dense laser beams and Hellgun energy beams wildly crisscrossing in the narrow corridor, vowing not to stop until the other side was completely annihilated.
Inquisitor Grande, hiding behind a massive metal pillar, roared furiously: "If you step aside now! Then I can still give all of you a clean death!"
And Ghostface responded loudly: "The Helldivers Legion will resolutely strike down all enemies of humanity!
All traitors must die! I hope you understand..."