Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

On the eighth day of this Ran Dan extermination war, Bayar saw the complete appearance of Ran Dan's home planet for the first time.

The gray planet in front of him gave this veteran of Terra, who had been fighting for more than two hundred years, a very bad association: How different was this world from the sacred Terra in his memory? Similar.

The resemblance is disturbing.

…

Fortunately, he didn't have time to think about it that much.

——————

The war has been going on for eight days.

The silent army of the Lord of Humanity clung to the retreating alien warships, chasing them from the edge of the galaxy to the other side of the sun without any pause. The fighting was going on all the time, claiming thousands of lives.

Thousands of ships of various shapes are tumbling in a network of intertwined firepower that can cover the entire world. Boiling light spears, macro cannons, plasma torrents and anti-matter bombs continuously illuminate the entire galaxy. Short-range melta torpedoes and air-dropped assaults The ships flew side by side, spreading death together, their impact making bursts of noise near the bridge and decks.

The captain of the second company of the Dawnbreaker Legion, undoubtedly the most powerful champion swordsman under the Lord of Avalon: Bayar, and his ship [Gagliano], are the storm of this war. One of the most central participants can even be said to be the eye of the storm itself.

For eight Terran Standard Days, both the [Gagliano], a new and powerful battleship in its own right, and the 500 Dawnbreaker Terran veterans on board, have been deployed across this planet. On the battlefields of the galaxy, they have earned a terrible reputation as the Lord of Destruction. They used their swords to pry open the alien fortresses that guarded key nodes and were enough to kill thousands of human soldiers. Only the best under Jonson's command Only those knights have the ability to compete with them in terms of record and efficiency.

But a victory like this cannot come without a price: by the time the [Gagliano] advanced to the last step, Bayar had lost forty-three heroic men forever, all of whom were from Terra. Among the elite soldiers who came out of the Unification War, there were twice that number of soldiers who were unable to participate in the next gang-hopping battle because of serious injuries.

This kind of loss is quite huge if you look at the entire Dawnbreaker Legion's participating teams, but Morgan's champion swordsman knows that he should be lucky: if it weren't for the entire company that suffered more or less genetic damage before this expedition, If the mother undergoes a second transformation, the number of casualties will at least double now.

At least in the past, it was impossible to save a broken spine or lose half of the neck. But now, as long as the pharmacist accompanying the team moves quickly enough, such seriously injured patients will only be sent to [One No.] above, just absent from this war.

"Has there been any new orders from the original body?"

On the scarred bridge of the [Gagliano], relying on the short rest time between battles, the second company commander of the Dawnbreaker Legion summoned his most trusted officers and staff: Compared with before the war, this The team, which has not changed for a long time, has shrunk by at least one third.

"not yet."

The one who answered the Champion Swordsman was Proclaimer Sergeant Orlando, a [newcomer] who only joined the Second Legion at the end of the Terra Unification War, and his position was recently established by the Spider Queen, aiming to transfer genes The Primarch's will and orders are rooted in the grassroots of the legion. He is a "fat man" who can often see the Primarch himself, which is the envy of all battle brothers.

And Orlando, who can hold such a key position, naturally has a loud and good voice, as well as an attitude and ability that make everyone in the company trust him. When he recounted the last order of the Primarch, even if Reza's allies who were desperately maintaining the huge instrument on the side could hear it clearly with the lowest frequency senses.

"According to the last order of the original body, our company's next target will be a star fortress numbered [B97]. It is in the low-Earth orbit of Randan's home planet. Due to gravity and ground anti-aircraft firepower, The ship cannot launch an offensive nearby and can only carry out a strong attack."

Following the sergeant's words, Bayar immediately turned on the holographic projection, allowing the target to appear in front of everyone's eyes: the size of the star castle itself was very vague. It was too big to say it was a comet, but it was too big to say it was a satellite. Some were too small, but no matter what, the space station that appeared in front of them, armed with no less than forty artillery platforms, turbo lasers and missile turrets, was definitely an existence that could stump a battleship formation.

"Look at those decks and docks, I swear they could be a thousand years old."

"You should pay attention to those void shields. The battleship's full main gun salvo seems to be useless against it. I even doubt whether our jumping torpedoes can knock it open."

"Believe in the technology provided by the Dark Angel Legion. Although those guys are not completely reliable in anything, they are absolutely reliable when it comes to secret weapons."

There were murmurs among the crowd. Everyone could see how old this fortress was, and naturally they could think of another question: For a fortress with such a long history, who knows how many times it has been reinforced and strengthened.

Perhaps it will be another fierce battle that requires the loss of dozens of battle brothers.

Thoughts like this have quietly become a conclusion, but no one will refute the order from their genetic mother: in fact, compared to the previous [small fight] on the Far Eastern border, it is now This kind of terrible casualties and war can make these Terran veterans feel a familiar atmosphere.

"Are we going alone?"

Bayar looked directly at the holographic projection, concerned with more serious matters.

"The Dark Angel Legion will dispatch two knights to act with us, but their numbers are immeasurable, because like us, these two knights have continued high-intensity operations for eight days, and they will definitely not be full."

"Terran, or Caliban?"

"They are said to be from Terra."

"That's okay. At least the Terran people's combat effectiveness is absolutely trustworthy."

The words of the champion swordsman caused a burst of laughter among the battle brothers on the side.

"Don't say that, Bayar: look at these new blood in our legion, don't they perform very well on the battlefield, especially that Hector, his company is closely behind us, in terms of record But don’t fall behind.”

"I'm going to get jealous if you say that again."

The champion swordsman recognized the voice that had been fighting alongside him for more than a hundred years, so he responded with a smile and a pretentious sourness: and of course he received doubled joyful feedback.

Bayar's brows relaxed.

The Primarch...oh no, by the Emperor, they really needed this brief moment of relaxation right now.

"It's good, but not good enough."

"I don't have the confidence to hand over the legion to these brats, especially Hector. His strength is indeed good and he has a promising future. But in the short term: let us old guys work harder."

There was roaring laughter from the crowd.

Bayar looked at his preaching sergeant again.

"Are there only two knights?"

"Won't those secrets of the First Legion be used in this attack?"

“If we put in those things, what else do we need to do?”

Orlando spread his hands helplessly.

"You know, Captain Bayar: In the past eight days, the number of key tactical points captured by the Dark Angels has been three times that of ours. Among them, the most difficult bones to crack are even those that require their genetic materials. Only by leading the team personally and using full firepower can the team be shaken."

"I heard that Mr. Zhuangson has not slept a wink for eight days. The knights who followed him to attack the enemy have been rotated four times, and every time he goes to battle, he has to follow five hundred people. It seems that he has suffered a lot this time. It was so tragic that three leaders were replaced."

"After this battle, the Terran veterans of the First Legion will probably be gone."

Orlando's subconscious emotion made Bayar's brows jump. He instinctively wanted to suppress such words, but when he thought about how he went to the Dark Angel Legion to look for his former friends before the start of this battle, but found very little. I couldn't speak anymore.

In the end, he just sighed.

"This is the price of victory and the fate of us Terrans, Orlando: do not apply our genetic mother to other Primarchs. In terms of offspring, our genetic mother is unique, and in In terms of destiny, we Terran veterans who serve in the Second Legion are also unique."

"Think about what we were doing just now, Orlando: we were actually shocked by the casualties of more than a hundred combat brothers. You know, just over twenty years ago, three-digit casualties were just a common occurrence for us. .”

"That's true."

Orlando's smile was a little ashamed.

Just like Bayar said, before the return of the Lord of the Second Legion, although the Second Legion at that time had only 10,000 or 20,000 people, he could only feel sorry for the hundreds or even thousands of casualties. He would never What a fuss like now.

Unknowingly, the Spider Queen seems to have influenced the thinking of the entire Legion.

"It seems that we are somewhat similar to our primarch: we have become like her, inexplicably petty when it comes to the casualties of soldiers."

Bayar glanced at the battle report of the Avalon Auxiliary Army lying aside, as well as the various logos and summaries that he squeezed out of his teeth to scribble on those reports. Without comment, he looked at the hologram in front of him. Projection: The time above shows that the second company's inter-war rotation is almost over.

So he ended the conversation.

"Resemblance to one's Primarch can only be a good thing, Orlando."

"At the very least, it must be a good thing that we resemble our genetic mother."

"As for the battle brothers of other legions, I can only hope that the Emperor will bless them."

——————

【How is the situation there? 】

"Just finished processing it, how about you?"

【I have arrived at my destination. 】

"very good."

The Spider Queen showed some relief. She glanced at the planet in the holographic projection, and for a moment, she felt a little addicted to it.

As a Primarch, the Lord of Avalon is different from most of her brothers in one thing: as a scion of the Emperor who has officially returned, Morgan has never returned to Holy Terra. , have returned to the place where mankind began, received a complete education, or felt the core, proudest, and most powerful side of the human empire.

According to the Primarchs who understood this, such as Fulgrim and Perturabo, Morgan's lack of experience in this period was an unacceptable and huge loss, and they even encouraged the Spider Queen to make it hers. Tour of Terra and try to come back.

However, in the eyes of other Primarchs, such as Guilliman and Jonson, the so-called journey to Holy Terra was nothing more than the Great Crusade in front of them.

In Morgan's eyes, although she has no more desire for Holy Terra, she still hopes to have a trip to Terra: among other things, in this birthplace of mankind, she can pick up some good things and return to Avalon. , are enough to make the Spider Queen smile.

But now, the Lord of the Far Eastern Frontier has a strange feeling: Although she has never seen Holy Terra with her own eyes, or even seen the corresponding picture, Morgan feels that the appearance of the so-called Holy Terra should match hers. There is no difference between the Randan mother star in front of me.

On an earth-like planet that is not huge and has no original climate, a gray industrial fog envelopes everything, but the barren soil, the heavily polluted atmosphere, and the huge maze-like hive city, But it can be clearly observed in the void.

Even the Spider Queen's psychic induction cannot detect how many aliens there are in this world no larger than Holy Terra: Through a rough perception of the soul's breath, Morgan temporarily set this number at [one trillion 】.

…

Terrible numbers.

Sad numbers.

Tasty numbers.

…

The Spider Queen licked the corners of her mouth that were dry due to long hours of high-intensity work. Her eyes casually looked at the three huge orbital defense systems outside Ran Dan's home planet. They were like three rings of steel. It is covered with densely packed star forts and space stations: the only good thing is that these three rings of steel seem to have not been repaired for a long time, and large areas have been abandoned visibly to the naked eye.

Morgan stared at these alien wonders and couldn't help but think about ways to get some reward from them: the temporary casualties of the Dawnbreaker Legion had been submitted to her desk through reports from each company. Although the number of deaths was lower than she thought, It was a small amount, but it was enough to cut off a living piece of flesh from the heart of the Lord of Avalon, which was not open-minded, let alone generous.

The moment she saw the number of deaths of her children with her own eyes, the Lord of Avalon swore that she would never return empty-handed in this battle: whether it was the Randan Empire's common technology with humans in some technological aspects, or the Randan home planet. , the ancient secrets that must exist are now on Morgan's list of homes to be confiscated.

If Jonson dared to stop her, then he would never want to stay on the "Unyielding Truth": after Morgan had packed up the Caliban people's pile of knights' belongings and wild goods from the forest, he would sweep this guy out and rush to On Luther's flagship.

In her heart, the Spider Queen was confidently deceiving herself.

It was at this time that the communication from Lord Caliban came through the private communication platform of the two Primarchs.

"Morgan, I seem to be in a little trouble here and need your help."

【explain. 】

The Spider Queen did not panic: Although Jonson encountered obstacles at this time, which was not in her original plan, the long relationship had already enabled Morgan to hear every detail in the voice of the Lion of Caliban.

Just from the small ups and downs in Jonson's tone, Morgan was convinced that Jonson was only in literal trouble and not worth her panic.

"While I was leading the team back to the Indomitable Truth, I discovered that there was a very suitable foothold on the low-Earth defense orbit platform of Randan's home planet: there were not many defenses there. I decided to launch a raid there. The coordinates have been Sent to you in advance.”

The Caliban man spoke very patiently, but there was some unconcealable fatigue in his tone. According to Jonson's words, Morgan guessed his intention with just a cursory glance.

[You don’t have enough troops on hand. 】

"Yes."

"I need you to mobilize all the 14th Knights and the 22nd Knights under my command. You can find a way to plug the loopholes in the battle line. Then mobilize at least three battleship formations and two bases of supplies. I All this needs to be done within half an hour.”

【clear. 】

"If possible, I also need a follow-up force of the same size to expand the results at the right time: your company or my company is fine, but it is best to be full, because I am not sure about the scale of the next battle."

【clear. 】

Lord Caliban's demands were fired like a barrage of cannons, but they did not disrupt the Spider Queen's rhythm at all: Morgan took less than a few seconds to mobilize the villagers from the already stretched battle lines and supplies. Everything Sen needs, her will is transformed into words through the connection of the sea of ​​souls, and is conveyed into the ears of each corresponding high-ranking Astartes officer and mortal captain, silently from the appearance These astronomical amounts of supplies were squeezed out of the just-right front line.

[I can give you three bases of material replenishment, Zhuang Sen, but you must first assure me that you will not have sudden material requirements in the next battle: our logistics support is already on the verge of the red line. 】

"Bring the supplies here first."

When it came to the extra supplies, Caliban's usually deep voice became extremely light.

[What about your protection? 】

"..."

【……】

"..."

"How long will it take for the two knights I want to arrive?"

【……】

[The 14th Knights have withdrawn from their battle line. I asked my 23rd Company to temporarily support them. As for the 22nd Knights, I don’t recommend that you mobilize them. Their battle losses have already been More than 70%. 】

[Use the Fifth Knights. They still retain most of their combat effectiveness, and their tactical style is also suitable for this kind of blitz combat. I will adjust their front lines first. 】

"Okay, it's up to you."

I don't know whether it was due to excessive fatigue or other reasons, but there was a gentleness in Lord Caliban's hoarse voice: although this gentleness could not alleviate the weird feeling in the Spider Queen's heart.

It always feels weird to hand over the command of the First Army Corps to Jonson.

Morgan blinked to get rid of this meaningless thought. In the next moment, her pupils were overwhelmed by the endless flow of data: the subsequent modifications required to suddenly change the front line and mobilize supplies on a large scale could amount to as many as There are thousands of them, and they even directly affect the subsequent plan to compete for air supremacy on Ran Dan's home planet, which is enough to turn countless exquisite plans into useless paper.

But fortunately, the Spider Queen has long been accustomed to Jonson's casualness and changeability in this kind of tactics. She knows that this is exactly the military style and strengths of the Calibans: During these eight days, although Jonson's casualness... We had already caused a terrible waste of materials, but without his command and beast intuition, they would not have been able to fight all the way here in just eight days.

The Spider Queen took about thirteen seconds to completely make up for the impact of Jonson's plan. Then she took out her energy and paid attention to other things: the small fleet carrying the Tuchucha engine. Her head of the internal affairs department and [Virgo] personally escorted the fleet. Even Jonson didn't know their specific movements. The fleet had successfully merged with Luther's ship, which meant that their reinforcements were about to arrive. .

It also meant that there seemed to be more mouths asking for supplies: for a moment, the Spider Queen didn't know whether she was happy or sad.

On the other hand, the low-Earth orbit offensive against Randan's home planet has also been accompanied by the fleet of the Human Empire, which has launched the first cannonball towards this sinful nest. It has officially begun, with ten companies of Dawnbreakers being thrown into it. When it comes to the fierce competition for those orbiting space stations and weapons platforms, although this number is far less than the investment of the Dark Angels, it is enough to make the Spider Queen feel worried.

When the workload eased slightly and her energy could be drained, Morgan seriously thought about whether to intervene in the fight of her heirs in those metal tombs, but her rationality eventually defeated her concern for private property. Extremely protective, the Lord of Avalon continues to make the right decisions.

Morgan knew very well that even for the sake of the casualties of the Dawnbreaker Legion, she had to stay here now: after all, compared to the small fights in the orbital space station, there seemed to be something more worthy of her spiritual power in the Sea of ​​Souls. Things that the Queen pays attention to.

【……】

In the next moment, the Spider Queen processed the information simply and roughly. She was able to have some free time, allowing her spirit to dive into the sea of ​​souls, and to open her third eye and look at the Randan mother planet under her feet. .

【……】

【……】

For some reason, the Spider Queen felt an inexplicable... familiarity in this sinful lair that she had never seen before.

It feels like...

A sort of……

Hometown food?