The two battleships began a frenzied exchange of fire in the void, while the Iron Warriors cruisers focused on rapidly depleting the Imperial battleship's Void Shields.
As a dense torrent of lances and shells rained down upon the warship, the shield generator's recharge capability was quickly overwhelmed.
The captain of the Imperial battleship, having endured only a few minutes of combat, realized the enemy's intent.
The enemy ships were not maintaining a constant, full-fire attack; instead, they were constantly maneuvering, using their own Void Shields to absorb the Imperial vessel's counterfire.
When the forward crewmen screamed that they had spotted numerous light points on the auspex, the captain roared at the top of his lungs:
"Quickly! Scramble every fighter! Intercept all incoming small targets!"
"Inform Commander Thien to order the 'Angels' to return to the vessel immediately! The enemy is targeting us! We must not allow the traitors to seize an Imperial warship from our grasp!"
The battleship swiftly launched two squadrons of Fury Interceptors, and the ship's innumerable point-defence turrets began firing frantically.
In an instant, the entire battleship lit up like a luminous, spike-covered hedgehog.
The void was instantly filled with plasma, laser beams, small torpedoes, and streaking missiles.
The Fury Interceptor was the most common fighter deployed by the Imperial Navy, designed primarily for engaging smaller enemy craft.
However, facing an enemy force that outnumbered them several times over, the Imperial Naval Aviators were quickly overwhelmed.
Their mission was simple: shoot down as many targets as possible before being downed by the renegades' Swiftdeath fighters.
After all, if the enemy successfully breached the hull, the Naval Aviators would have no home to return to, even if they survived the void combat. Boarding Torpedoes and Stormbird Assault Boats were their primary targets.
While piloting an interceptor, a landing craft full of renegade Astartes could be dispatched with a single, short burst of fire.
But once inside the cramped confines of the ship, ordinary Imperial soldiers, separated from their fighters, would face a one-sided slaughter against the Astartes.
The best way to aid those within the ship was to destroy as many of the enemy's boarding vessels as possible in the void.
As for the enemy Swiftdeath fighters, they were to be evaded if possible, or endured if not.
As Imperial Naval Aviators, they had tangled with these commonly used traitor craft many times. Though the Swiftdeath was faster, its armour was weaker. Furthermore, the Imperial fighters were closer to their warship and could use its heavy point-defence fire for cover, while the enemy would have to brave the same dense fire to pursue them.
The chaotic void battle caused flashes of light to constantly erupt in the sky; even in the Hive City, pieces of wreckage or shattered vehicles could occasionally be seen plunging into the atmosphere, leaving brilliant trails of fire.
Axion watched Thien and his squad hurrying away and grabbed the commander, who was running at the back of the group.
A holographic projection immediately shimmered into existence before them.
Axion did not recognize the insignias on the ships in the void, after all, the markings of the Imperial Navy differ slightly from the standard Imperial Aquila.
To prevent his aid from causing unforeseen complications, Axion held Thien back, intending for the commander to witness the assistance he was about to provide firsthand.
Perhaps this might lead to more information during subsequent communication.
"I have identified five vessels in the void. One is being focused on by the other four. I cannot identify any of the ship classes. Tell me, which is your vessel?"
Thien, though unsure why Axion had suddenly grabbed him and instinctively trying to pull away, was quickly captivated by the displayed holographic image.
"You can see the battle happening in orbit?"
"Of course. I plan to offer you a little help, but you must give me more information to assist my journey to Earth or clarify history."
Thien could not fully comprehend Axion's obsession with history, but the current situation clearly did not allow him to dwell on the question.
"What kind of help can you offer?"
Axion did not answer Thien's question directly, but instead zoomed in on the five vessels one by one.
"Which ship is yours?"
Thien pointed to one of the dramatically massive battleships.
"That Oberon-class Battleship is our vessel."
Thien then looked at the other four displayed ships, whose insignias were quite clear.
"Iron Warriors! The damned traitors! They intend to seize our ship!"
Among the numerous renegade Space Marine Legions, the Iron Warriors were known for having the greatest technological strength. Their Legion's specialty lay in mechanical fabrication; every member of the Legion was both a warrior and a Techmarine.
However, building a warship remains a massive undertaking for the resource-starved renegade Legions.
Even for the Iron Warriors, this was true.
Though the Iron Warriors forcibly seized many Imperial vessels during the Great Heresy, they had suffered attrition over ten millennia of warfare.
Aside from building their own ships, their strategy involved finding isolated vessels, initiating Boarding Actions, deploying Space Marines onto the enemy ship to seize it directly, and then piloting it away. Once modified and its Machine Spirit corrupted within the Warp, they had a new warship.
It was a cost-effective strategy that even Perturabo himself would deem shrewd.
Axion marked the Imperial battleship indicated by Thien and flagged the other four warships as hostile.
Moments later, a blinding flash of light cut through the large doorway of the observation deck and onto the hall floor.
The bewildered Thien dashed to the doorway and witnessed a spectacle he would never forget.
The colossal gun turret on the nearby mountainside, the one he had seen during their landing, fired a gigantic, pale pillar of light.
The beam shot straight toward the sky, flying toward the engagement zone in space.
One of the cruisers that had been exchanging fire with the Imperial battleship was instantaneously struck by the sudden beam.
Evidently, the mechanically proficient Iron Warriors had maintained the vessel well. Compared to the previous Death Guard Strike Cruiser, which was covered in biological growths, this ship's Void Shield protection was stronger.
But facing the attack of the Fragmentation Cannon, the extra fraction of a second provided by the shield was utterly meaningless.
The pale beam pierced the entire Void Shield, then ripped the cruiser cleanly in half. The ensuing explosion's shockwave immediately swept through all smaller craft in the surrounding space.
"What was that?!" The gasp of astonishment leapt from nearly everyone's lips.
Standing nearby, Magos Vashur stared excitedly at the Fragmentation Cannon, which was already firing again, then turned to look at Axion, his eyes alight with feverish fanaticism.
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