Chapter 414: Ha—
The enemy's encirclement was tightening step by step.
Obscurus Segmentum, The Rock, Command Sanctum
"My lord, the augur arrays indicate massive Plague Legion activity at two astronomical units."
The Master of the Rock, a Techmarine eternally bound deep within this fragment of Caliban, spoke. His distorted voice indicated that part of his trachea or lungs had been replaced by machinery.
"Numbers."
Knight-Sergeant Aphkar, one of the Knights of the Round Table, stood beside the empty throne, frowning at the holographic projection before him.
As one of the Grand Masters of the new generation Ravenwing, unlike Sammael and others who were mainly responsible for battlefield assaults, Aphkar had assumed the responsibility of infiltrating and ideologically reforming the Dark Angels as early as the first encounter with the Consecrators Chapter.
Including but not limited to guiding extremists to attack each other through accusations, gradually taking over the recruitment of the Inner Circle, and screening and educating the special agents dispatched by the Chapter to the Dawnbreakers.
Recalling the message from Azrael in his mind, 'Hold at all costs, reinforcements are on the way', Aphkar never expected this.
The recruits he sent over back then have now become his leaders.
"One Abyss-class, seven conventional battleships, three large escort formations, and a considerable number of Space Hulks."
The Master of the Rock replied quickly, listing a series of detailed data.
"At the Mandeville Point further away, there are also traces of Black Legion activity."
He added.
"Another routine of squeezing living space by relying on numerical superiority."
Aphkar cursed in a low voice: "They still have no intention of actively attacking the Rock?"
"Calculations confirm your judgment."
"Damn it."
Aphkar looked at the star map gradually occupied by green.
At the Medusa Gate, a fortress world in the northern region of the Rock, the Imperial Guard, assisted by Astartes, launched suicidal counterattacks against the traitors occupying the starport. Heavy artillery began to tremble and shake, gun crews working frantically in the vibrating emplacements.
Even though yellow-green rain fell from the sky, these emplacements were soon covered with dust and smoke.
The equipment of the Imperial Guard, replenished by various Forge Worlds, was brand new. They pierced the invaders' defenses, chiseled through the makeshift ceramite fortifications and Chaos altars, bringing unprecedented pressure to the Chaos forces attempting to blockade the starport.
But repeated successes on the ground were useless.
BOOM!!!
A streak of yellow light fell from the sky.
Infantrymen lowered their bodies in the outer trenches. The sound of plasma tearing the atmosphere drowned out the roar of chainswords in their hands. The ground hit melted like burning foam, along with the Imperial Guard within.
Flames raged in the fire trenches. Waiting for surface anti-air fire to force back the enemy warships in low orbit, amidst the commander's roar, the regiments shattered by naval bombardment reorganized, launching another desperate charge behind the thick smoke.
Most troops now were mixed units from various regiments, led by NCOs from Cadian, Mordian, and Vostroyan veterans.
Above their heads, red and yellow lights flashed alternately in the sky. Several scattered Space Marine squads on the ground also spread out to join the battle.
Such scenes were playing out on planets around the Rock all the time.
The Black Legion and the Plague Fleet had set up an encirclement net. This net was nearly four hundred light-years long and wide. Most planets along the way were occupied, and various routes were blocked by the enemy as if they had foresight. The Rock was driven into the trap they deliberately released after repeated naval defeats.
All because of the Dark Angels' failure in naval warfare.
Staring at the dense blockade lines around him, not knowing where to start, realizing he couldn't count on many people, Aphkar couldn't help but sigh.
"How did the Dark Angels become like this?"
Voices of Chapter Masters from various Second Founding Chapters echoed in the comms channel. After passing through hundreds of communication stations, these voices were cut intermittently.
The Dark Angels had always been famous for naval warfare.
Or rather, there was nothing related to war that the First Legion was not good at.
But how to say it.
Aphkar stared at the massive holographic projection. The Dark Angels fleet marked in gold appeared somewhat scattered and disorganized.
At this moment, he inexplicably felt a sense of powerlessness, like he couldn't carry the team.
It wasn't that these Dark Angels were incompetent. In fact, due to the reduction in size, the grassroots level of these warriors, who fully verified Ferrus Manus's social Darwinism theory, was much higher than during the Legion era.
But it was a Legion that had been divided for nearly ten thousand years. Internally, the complete separation of the Inner Circle and the outer circle caused a rift. When they really cooperated, because each Chapter Master had his own ideas, combat appeared extremely rusty and full of loopholes.
And the enemy commander was obviously more calculating.
The opponent keenly discovered that these fleets coordinated poorly with each other, finding it difficult to have a unified voice, and defeated them one by one in repeated tug-of-war.
The surrounding commanders subconsciously lowered their heads and continued to busy themselves with their affairs.
This wasn't the first time this Knight of the Round Table had said this.
Thinking back decades ago, their glorious brothers achieved brilliant victories in the Eye of Terror under the leadership of the Lord of Knights, while they were now being chased all over the ground by a fleet.
Shame lingered in the hearts of these representatives from various Chapters. They wore black and red armor, retaining the emblems of their past successor Chapters only on their pauldrons.
Apart from complaining, Aphkar wasn't too harsh on these members. Being able to turn some around in a few decades was already a blessing from the Emperor, at least not like some weirdos.
After sighing, Aphkar couldn't help but glare at Asmodai and Ezekiel at the end of the council hall, locked inside their armor.
At the same time the Plague Fleet attacked, the Dark Angels also experienced a brief civil war.
After the influence of the Lord of Knights, Aphkar tried to explain the status quo and hoped to reach an agreement with the diehards within the Chapter, but then he endured an attack from the diehards represented by Supreme Grand Master of Chaplains Asmodai with a look of relief.
Then, in less than two weeks, the Legion faction led by Aphkar, assisted by external pressure, struggled to gain control of the Rock. With the help of the Master of the Rock, the Interrogator-Chaplain group led by Asmodai and others was overthrown and stripped of combat capability.
Azrael promised this sergeant who dedicated his life to the Chapter that he could walk out of the Rock, go to various Forge Worlds to enrich his skills, and no longer be trapped on the iron throne waiting for death like a bird in a cage.
After all, the First Legion today really had no secrets.
And the secret Primaris Space Marine surgery performed on him also made him completely lean towards Azrael's faction. Infinite life gave him ample time to witness all this in the Rock.
Facts proved there was a big difference between having no sword in hand and having a sword but not using it.
After the brief conflict ended, Aphkar, silently reciting the influence of the Lord of Knights, tried to communicate face-to-face with these two again, hoping they could make the diehards in the Chapter behave and resist foreign enemies together.
But it was useless. A series of explanations would eventually go from 'I think you are a Fallen!' to 'You are indeed a fucking Fallen!'
REPENT!
You motherf—
Aphkar suddenly smiled with relief.
Recalling Lord Ramesses's harsh sarcasm, Aphkar suddenly felt the other party's temper was actually quite good.
Fortunately, their influence on the Chapter had been quite good over time, at least most outer circle members supported them.
The Consecrators Chapter, as the core of the Pyrewing, was the first and only Chapter violently infiltrated by the Dark Angels. This allowed the veterans returning from ten thousand years ago to grasp the most important part of the Chapter's Inner Circle in a short time.
Recruitment and screening of new recruits.
Although he didn't quite understand why the Pyrewing, known for rationality and responsible for coordinating various projects, became the base camp of the Interrogator-Chaplain group ten thousand years later, now he at least witnessed the degree of madness of these people.
This forced Aphkar to keep these two under his nose.
Because they still hadn't caught who released Ezekiel from the stasis field!
Damn it—
Thinking that he was commanding the fleet in battle, maintaining the fragile trust relationship between Chapters due to the Fallen being brought to the table, bearing a pile of external pressure while guarding against shots from unknown directions, Aphkar wished he could punch the command platform.
But now with unstable elements inside and strong enemies outside, he couldn't let himself show the slightest wavering.
Too tired!
How did the Legion become like this!
Beep—
An emergency communication access interrupted Aphkar's anger.
"Communication from the Angels of Vigilance."
The Master of the Rock spoke.
Angels of Vigilance, a Second Founding successor Chapter, part of the Wardens of Steel combat force, known for their mechanized defense capabilities.
"Connect."
"Don't think about fire support."
Aphkar knew what happened just by glancing at the star map, pressing the communicator button and calling: "Prepare to repel them independently."
This Chapter must guard the starport area of that planet, otherwise the maneuvering space for the Rock and its coordinated fleet would be even worse.
"We are ready."
The Chapter Master of the Angels of Vigilance replied, but the voice was distorted and noisy: "Is our support force ready to depart?"
"They should have arrived."
Aphkar replied subconsciously, then frowned and asked the Master of the Rock.
"Where are the Angels of Redemption?"
Angels of Redemption, a Second Founding successor Chapter.
In the past, the Angels of Redemption were the most obsessed among the Unforgiven with hunting the Fallen. Because of this, these people often abandoned assigned tasks without permission, causing most Imperial forces to refuse to fight alongside them, and many Space Marine Chapters had conflicts with the Angels of Redemption.
"They are hunting Fallen in the warp."
The Master of the Rock replied: "There is news that they found a Dark Angels Chaos warband worshiping Nurgle."
And then they abandoned friendly forces and ran?!
Most stereotypical episode.
Aphkar kept a straight face and replied: "We will reorganize support. The last contact engagement damaged the flagship of the Disciples of Caliban Chapter. The fortress is conducting emergency repairs on it. Arrival time postponed to ten months later. You need to persist until then."
He heard curses.
Then the communication was cut off.
"There will be no cover over their heads. The surplus fleet will focus on the defense of the Rock."
Aphkar turned his head and said to the Master of the Rock: "Tell them this."
The Master of the Rock glanced at the tall Dark Angel standing aside from a distance. This Knight of the Round Table had taken off his helmet, standing resolutely among a group of 'comrades' with their own thoughts.
Theoretically, the Master of the Rock ranked higher in the position promised by Azrael, but at this moment he still had to obey this Legion veteran.
"I told him, my lord."
The Master of the Rock said.
"Tell them again. Ensure they know this."
Aphkar frowned.
He must seize every opportunity to maintain the fragile trust relationship between Chapters.
Fortunately, at least there was a role model for him to learn from, allowing him to apply what he learned, trying to maintain this crumbling resistance at this moment.
The mechanical ticking sound transmitted to his skull along his arm. Aphkar raised his eyes, passing over his colleagues.
Several of them left with orders.
Aphkar continued to lower his head and focus on combat, extending the time the Rock struggled as much as possible.
If everything developed in an irrevocable direction, they would destroy all this without hesitation.
Squelch!
On the dim starport, a giant scythe wrapped in rot and stench swept down an Angel of Vigilance.
Corrupt flies drilled into the cracks of the armor, hollowing out the warrior who had fought hard in the encirclement until the Chosen descended.
"They are exceptionally tough."
Typhus whispered.
The banner of the Plague Legion unfolded behind the advancing bulwark. Plague Legion soldiers advanced in the rain. A large amount of grey-green fungal carpet emerged on the metal ground. Military chemicals dissolved in the rain and poison gas mixed with acidic components, torturing this broken starport together.
On the periphery of the battlefield, the remnant enemy fleet and surface anti-air fire were still entangled with their own side.
It took the Plague Legion seven weeks to complete the occupation of the outer area of the starport.
"They are much weaker."
Abaddon commented.
Having witnessed Corswain leading thirty thousand Dark Angels to break through the defense of hundreds of thousands of people to retake the Astronomican and hold it, he only felt that these current Dark Angels were not good enough.
The Night Lord beside him nodded, adjusting his leather cloak polished shiny.
Any existence who had witnessed the intensity of the Great Crusade Dark Angels would feel that the current Dark Angels' response was a mess.
Guarding against each other, fighting separately, lacking tactics.
Equally massive naval power couldn't be condensed into one place. Most of the areas they defended and the resistance, along with the bastions themselves, were razed to the ground, leaving a smoking magma pool where the entire city used to be.
Typhus shrugged.
Of course he knew. He was the one who was almost pierced by Sigismund and Corswain with superior forces in the Hollow Mountain beside the Astronomican back then.
Precisely because of this, he was very dissatisfied with the results they achieved.
Their pace had been delayed too long on this planet, yet these guys around seemed complacent about it.
Typhus, whose mind was full of tasks assigned by the Grandfather, frowned, criticizing his own performance. If the area above his eyes filled with two maggot fasciae could be called a forehead.
A white light flashed in his vision.
"What is that?"
Typhus's compound eyes turned, asking the colleague beside him.
"Eldar pirates."
The Night Lord, who had been mixing in the Ghoul Stars for a long time, replied:
"Ignore them. These xenos always like to loot burning houses when we engage with our cousins."
Typhus nodded. He wasn't as obsessed with Eldar as Ahriman, and his understanding of these xenos was limited.
Then he looked at the planet below.
Attacks by asteroids dragged by the Plague Fleet were swallowed by the ripples of void shields. Occasionally, fragments fell on the wasteland far from the city, raising huge mushroom clouds. Azure plasma occasionally broke through the dim atmosphere, offering futile resistance to the Omen Ark entrenched here.
Gryhne. It was the innermost and most critical stronghold in the giant bastion defense line guarding the star map leading to the Rock.
As a trade route node, this planet wasn't specially reinforced like the fortresses around Cadia, but it had blocked the Plague Fleet's pace for a long time.
The Angels of Vigilance dug in and defended to the death, doing their best to resist any artillery fire and attacks on the Colossus Gate. The Death Guard's heavy armored units and Exalted Plague Marines comparable to Primaris Space Marines had been dueling with the defenders for more than a month, but no winner had emerged.
By Chaos standards, their progress was actually quite good. As long as this place was captured, the Rock would have no possibility of escape.
Now, the Plague Legion was shrinking its encirclement net.
Far away in the designated area, Vashtorr looked at the masterpiece before him with a satisfied smile.
Look, this is the efficiency possessed after exquisite calculation!
Beside him, Supreme Grand Master Naberius of the Dark Angels, bound to the Chapter Banner, stared at the star map. This unyielding Chapter Master was now full of regret and despair as time passed.
As the Rock gradually entered the trap under internal and external troubles step by step, Vashtorr's plan was steadily taking shape.
11th Day, 11th Month, 818.M41
Webway, Wardens of Steel Fleet, The Silent Vow
Two Eldar Ranger Lords were led into the Round Table Hall.
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