socalfunplaces Chapter 15: The Fireball of Istvan 3
Chapter 15: The Fireball of Istvan 3
Spaceships must operate in space.
This is common sense that even a three-year-old understands.
Especially for behemoths like the Queen Glory-class battleships, warships of this class must be built in orbital shipyards, and their design has never considered the possibility of landing on land.
After all, an object that is more than 20 kilometers long is equivalent to an asteroid. If it lands carelessly, it could cause extinction-level damage to the planet's surface in a matter of minutes. No matter how careful you are, it will have an irreversible and devastating impact on the planet's ecosystem.
More importantly, the warship itself must also bear the destructive force, and the Glory Queen-class battleships are already precious treasures that can serve as flagships for various legions. It is simply impossible for them to voluntarily allow the warships to engage in such extremely high-risk behavior.
In the history of the Empire prior to this, the closest the Glory Queen-class battleships came to "landing" was during the Randan War when the Dark Angel's Abomination Paradigm crashed into an alien combat satellite. Of course, this was a literal suicide attack, and the result was that the Abomination Paradigm and the entire alien combat satellite perished together—which is enough to prove the destructive power that the Glory Queen-class battleships could cause.
but.
Common sense was shattered at this moment.
Whether it was the loyal soldiers fighting to the death on the Istvan III, the rebel army preparing to slaughter their former comrades with heavy weapons under the orders of the War Marshal, or the remaining troops stationed and commanding in orbit, they all witnessed this unprecedented scene of madness.
The black hull of the Great Tyrant obscured the sky above Istvan III. The unfolded Void Shield was less about resisting the high temperatures caused by atmospheric friction and more about savagely tearing apart the planet's atmosphere, leaving a dazzling crimson trail in the sky.
Of course, unlike ordinary soldiers who could only stare in disbelief at this spectacle, this scene caused an uproar on the highest-level encrypted communication channel between ships.
"Can anyone tell me what's going on?! Has the Tyrant been attacked by the enemy?"
Tai Feng, the company commander of the Death Guard, spoke in a deep and gruff voice, but one could still sense his shock and confusion through the slight tremor in his tone.
"Bullshit! It's obvious someone on that ship betrayed us! I suggest the entire force open fire and shoot that damn thing down!"
Lord Commander Edoron, perhaps due to excessive excitement, had completely shed the elegant facade of the Sons of the Emperor's Legion, and his sharp, piercing voice was worse than noise—of course, since Fabius Beyer had transformed his throat into a weapon, his roar was, strictly speaking, a form of noise attack.
"Are you insane, Adoron! My father is still on the ground! If we shoot down the Great Tyrant now, everyone on the Istervan III will be doomed! Typhon! Your Primarchs have already landed and begun their operations, haven't they?!"
The voice of Kahn, the company commander of the Eighth Company of the World Devourers, was filled with barely concealed rage, but he forcibly restrained his destructive urges.
The principle of "not wanting to break the law" is very simple.
"But now we are the ones commanding the fleet on behalf of the Primarch, and we must make the best decision from a strategic perspective."
But Taifeng is more ruthless than calm.
As he said, the Primarch of the World Eaters Legion, Angron, is personally leading the attack, and Mortarion of the Deathguard Legion is also leading his troops to provide support as ordered by the Warmaster. Meanwhile, the Emperor's son, Vorgrim, is not in the Eastfan system.
Command of the Legion now rests in the hands of these Primarch deputies.
"That's right, I suggest a swift resolution, otherwise if that ship successfully lands, these diehards will have a stronghold to continue their resistance—"
"Insolence! Anyone who dares to fire, I'll chop off their head!"
Kahn's roar was chilling even through the communication channel, and both Typhon and Aidoron knew very well that this battle maniac never bluffed and always meant what he said.
Just as the three were arguing...
That's enough.
A hoarse, authoritative voice rang out, and the entire communication channel fell silent instantly.
Primarchs still have an undeniable deterrent effect on ordinary Astartes, especially when they are also Warmasters.
"Have you considered that this battle is merely the first step of the Great Crusade? Infighting, chaos, loss of control, betrayal—what an ugly situation. Even if we ultimately triumph, after paying such a heavy price, can we still persuade our brothers to march on Terra?"
Horus's voice echoed through the communication channel, but no one dared to respond to the Warmaster's question.
"Issue my order: all ground forces cease their attack and seek cover to prepare for the impact; all orbital forces are to stand by and are not to attack or interfere with the landing of the Great Tyrant without authorization."
"But, but General, what if it falls to the ground and becomes a stronghold for the loyal... blindly loyalists, then we..."
"Then we'll take it back! We've conquered countless planets; do you think a mere warship can stop us?"
Horus interrupted Edoron with a resolute and firm tone.
"Moreover, this work could be completed before it lands."
-
Amidst the violently rocking bridge of the Great Tyrant, fear and despair spread. The crew could only obey Sun Qian's orders to calculate and manipulate the Great Tyrant to slow down and stabilize it, as this was their only chance to survive.
What Sun Qian found somewhat laughable was that he could even vaguely hear some of the crew members praying, but the object of their prayers was the very emperor they had previously betrayed under Horus's command.
In stark contrast, Sun Qian sat calmly on the command throne.
It wasn't that he possessed some extraordinary willpower that would remain unchanged even if Mount Tai collapsed before him; it was simply because his main objective had already been achieved once the plan had reached this stage.
If Horus shoots him down, or if the landing fails and he makes a hard landing, Sun Qian can take at least two rogue Primarchs and most of the rebels with him.
If they successfully land, the loyalist warriors will receive a fortress equipped with a void shield and a full-fledged fire defense system.
And then there's the possibility that, while extremely slim, the probability isn't zero...
Dengdengdeng.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the bridge. Sun Qian's heart sank, and his hand subconsciously went to the handle of the explosive pistol at his waist.
Fortresses are always most easily breached from within, and now that he has become the temporary new master of the fortress, he naturally has to be wary of this.
"Brother Sun Qian, all the passageways of the Great Tyrant have been sealed off as per your orders, but..."
Seeing that Greer seemed hesitant to speak, Sun Qian used his persuasion ability to tentatively ask.
"This is the War Commander's order. You will continue to assist me, right?"
"Of course!"
Greer's answer was more decisive than expected, and Sun Qian, who was relieved to see the alliance's success, breathed a sigh of relief.
"The problem is that more than a dozen Thunder Eagles caught up at full speed, trying to force their way onto the ship."
Is this a boarding move?
As expected, we've reached this point. Sun Qian's heart sank, but he still maintained a calm expression as he spoke.
"They were ordered to immediately cease their dangerous actions; any further approach would result in them being met with fire."
"Understood, but... one of the Thunderhawk gunboats has sent a communication request."
After a slight hesitation, Grell lowered his voice and said.
"The other party claims to be the First Company Commander, Ezekiel Abaddon!"