"My Lord! The long-range monitoring arrays of the Phalanx have detected an unknown energy surge!"
An Astra Militarum guardsman, laden with vox-equipment, rushed frantically into the grand hall. At the far end of the long stone table sat Lord Solar Leontus, composed and severe. Beside him, Captain-General Trajann Valoris narrowed his eyes slightly.
Under the piercing gaze of the Custodian, the soldier felt a tremor of nerves, but he nevertheless barked his report with practiced discipline.
"The Phalanx has identified a massive energy detonation within the Hive Mind's controlled zone. The surrounding Hive Fleets have undergone a marked behavioral shift. A vast number of bio-vessels are redirecting toward the blast coordinates; it is suspected they are responding to an internal crisis."
"Given that the xenos vessels are disengaging from active combat with Imperial ships, ignoring incoming fire just to withdraw, Lord Vorn has dispatched two Viper-class scout sloops to shadow them."
This sudden turn of events allowed Leontus to exhale a silent breath of relief. For weeks, the Tyranid offensive had been relentless.
Available strength within Segmentum Pacificus was dangerously thin. The swarm was devouring world after world with a terrifying, accelerating momentum. Sanctum had become the front line of the sub-sector, and over half of the surrounding systems had already been scoured clean of life.
The Tyranid bio-ships were seemingly endless, and the Imperial Navy had noted a chilling trend: the xenos were adapting at a geometric rate. A bio-chitinous hull that could be punctured by secondary batteries one day would require an extra volley of main macro-cannon fire just forty-eight hours later.
Furthermore, research by Imperial scholars suggested these horrors did not merely seek biomass. Many common minerals and rare metals were also within their predatory scope. These inorganic materials were refined by complex bio-organs and used to reinforce the claws and carapaces of the next generation of hatched war-beasts.
While humanity sought ways to eradicate the xenos, the swarm was finding ways to optimize its slaughter.
To make matters worse, the situation in Segmentum Pacificus was reaching a breaking point. Three distinct tendrils of Hive Fleet Leviathan were spreading rapidly. Captain-General Valoris was personally leading a massive contingent of Solblades to intercept the tendrils codenamed "Nautilon" and "Promethor," attempting to slow their advance and buy the Imperium time to react.
However, the Soblades were not currently within this immediate theater. This strange withdrawal by the swarm offered the buckling Imperial lines a momentary reprieve.
As the commanders took a breath to assess the shift, a high-priority missive reached Leontus's hands.
"A priority transmission from the Dawn of Fire, under the seal of the Lord Regent Guilliman. A specialized reinforcement unit is expected to arrive in the vicinity shortly. Recognized vessel signature: the Pectaro. Given the unique nature of these reinforcements, Lord Regent Guilliman has ordered them to the mineral world of Vorchad III, adjacent to the Night World of Vorchad. He has granted a series of specific authorizations, the details of which are in the appendix."
"The message further specifies that frontline Imperial forces may, if necessary, petition this unit for assistance. Such actions require the submission of detailed combat logs and a 'Contribution Assessment Report' for the unit."
Beside him, Trajann Valoris glanced at the attached assessment form. It was modeled after the standard Imperial Munitorum merit tables, but the required numerical values for recognition had been scaled up by a factor of tens of thousands.
Leontus, however, slammed a gauntleted fist onto the metal meeting table, leaving a visible dent.
"What is Guilliman thinking? Why is this unit being subjected to such 'special' treatment? With these preposterous calculation criteria, this force could be annihilated to a man and still not qualify for the lowliest medal of service! This will shatter the unit's morale!"
As Lord Solar, Leontus had led countless campaigns; he knew the logistics of martial honors better than any living commander. But Trajann Valoris had spotted the anomaly. He placed a hand on Leontus's arm to still his anger.
"Special reinforcements. How special?"
As Valoris pondered the question, a private, encrypted vox-link chimed within his Auramite power armor. The content was so shocking that even the normally stoic and taciturn Captain-General nearly lost his composure.
Guilliman has entered into a collaboration with an Iron Man. This ancient construct possesses independent consciousness, entirely distinct from Abominable Intelligence. It regards Guilliman as a collaborator and has provided military assistance. Guilliman has now dispatched it to Segmentum Pacificus to aid Imperial forces in the field.
The Custodians aboard the Dawn of Fire had transmitted the data on Axion the Iron Man the moment they crossed back into the Sanctus side. They had observed and evaluated Axion's actions for months. Initially, the Custodes did not believe a single Iron Man posed a significant threat, nor did they fully grasp Guilliman's anxiety.
But after witnessing this relic of the ancient past conjure its own army and fleet out of nothing, and subsequently vaporize over two hundred Chaos vessels in a single engagement, they understood why the Regent treated Axion with such deep caution and intense scrutiny.
This was a razor-sharp blade. Handled correctly, it could solve impossible problems; should it slip, however, the Imperium would face an enemy of unparalleled lethality.
While the two leaders pored over the encrypted appendices, a new report arrived from the Phalanx, accompanied by grainy pict-feeds from the scout ships.
"A Tyranid Hive Ship has been confirmed destroyed!"
As the Viper-class scouts cautiously trailed the bio-fleet into the fallen zone, they found the void choked with xenos wreckage. Countless Vanguard Drones, Escort Drones, and Kraken-class bio-ships had been reduced to dissolving heaps of meat. Several bio-cruisers were in a similar state.
The organisms looked as if they had been passed through a gargantuan slicer.
The scout ship's captain could scarcely believe the data. Tyranid bio-ships possessed no void shields, but their massive carapaces and redundant biology allowed them to soak up incredible amounts of macro-cannon fire. Their spore clouds could even absorb energy or corrode incoming shells to protect the Hive Ship. Their most terrifying advantage was their sheer, overwhelming numbers.
Yet, in the center of the carnage, a vessel reflecting a silvery-white metallic sheen was accelerating toward Vorchad III.
Thick beams of coherent light erupted from the vessel's prow, striking the Hive Ship that was still in the process of consuming the world below. A horrific energy surge triggered a chain reaction within the bio-titan's gut.
A monumental explosion blossomed across the surface of the unfortunate planet. As the Hive Ship shattered, the energy surge traveled down the bio-vessel's feeding capillary, which was still plunged deep into the planetary crust, and slammed directly into the world's core.
Across the surface of Vorchad III, the very earth began to split open.
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