Amarah Prime, Senate Chamber.
Inside the solemn and majestic hall, a massive holographic projection hovered in the center, displaying the star chart of the Orpheus Sector. At this moment, several points of light on the map had already dimmed, representing planets that had lost contact.
Seated there were the supreme commanders and representatives from the Astra Militarum, the Imperial Navy, and the Adeptus Astartes. Their faces flickered in the light of the holograms, their eyes revealing expressions ranging from gravity to vigilance. It could be said that they represented the vast majority of the Imperium of Man's military might—the very foundation of the Imperium's survival. If they reached a consensus, almost nothing could stand in their way.
Lord Marshal Calgar, the Ultramarine clad in blue power armor, stood at the head of the conference table. His voice was low and powerful, carrying an unquestionable authority: "Gentlemen, just moments ago, we confirmed that several worlds in the Orpheus Sector have lost contact. Furthermore, this zone of silence is continuously expanding."
His cursor swept across the star chart, making those dimmed points of light clearly visible, like festering wounds.
Silence filled the hall, with only Calgar's voice echoing. Everyone present understood what this meant. This was no simple communication failure; it was the precursor to a full-scale invasion.
And now, these three parties—the Astra Militarum, the Imperial Navy, and the Astartes—powerful forces that originally operated independently under the Imperial system, were acting in unison under Calgar's leadership.
Everyone knew that perhaps Calgar had been pushed into this position initially; he might not have wanted to engage in such radical centralization of power. But clearly, regardless of the initial motive, Calgar was now actively attempting to use methods outside the Imperium's inherent systems to better protect humanity.
This matter was sensitive. The Imperium's massive bureaucracy and deep-seated traditions regarded any attempt to change the status quo with suspicion. However, at this moment, everyone maintained their silence.
Those who had long wanted to change the status quo and were dissatisfied with the Imperium's rigid system went without saying—they were happy to see it happen. Meanwhile, those who felt uneasy or harbored doubts about Calgar's "overstepping" of authority were unwilling to bear the consequences of breaking the illusion. That could lead to even greater chaos.
Thinking of this, many people stealthily cast their gazes toward the representatives of the Death Korps (Krieg/Helldivers) present. The formation of this Senate fundamentally stemmed from the previous large-scale coalition of Astartes Chapters, and there was no doubt that the Death Korps Legion had played a major role in this.
Their alliance with the Ultramarines was now world-renowned. Calgar even allowed them to continue wearing their gas masks in such an important military meeting, making it impossible to read their expressions. One could only sense their murderous and cold aura, which fit the stereotypical image others had of a Death-worshipping Astra Militarum regiment.
In reality, this was because Robert (the developer/admin) was worried the players would make silly faces or goof off during such a serious meeting. Once they put on the gas masks, at least they could "act like humans" during the cutscenes.
"Let it be for now, let it be for now—" a similar thought surfaced simultaneously in many people's minds. Regardless, Imperial history never lacked people trying to change the status quo, but in the end, most such attempts ended in failure or were assimilated by more powerful forces. Perhaps in a few hundred years, after Calgar himself died for whatever reason, this so-called Senate would vanish like smoke. For now, survival was the first priority.
Calgar scanned the generals in attendance. He knew their inner calculations, but he didn't care. He only cared about the survival of mankind.
"This clearly proves the enemy has begun to launch a large-scale offensive. They want war? Then we shall give them war!" Calgar's voice suddenly rose, carrying a chilling killing intent. "Amarah Prime will immediately begin the next phase of the plan. From this moment on, Amarah officially enters a state of war!"
---
After the Senate meeting concluded on Amarah Prime, the pulse of the entire planet quickened. The massive war machine began to operate at full speed, and countless orders flooded every region like a tide.
Deep away from the Hive cities, within the vast and sprawling underground defense systems of Amarah Prime's old industrial zone, a gargantuan cavern capable of holding thousands of heavy vehicles was lit bright by artificial lighting. Here, the sight was even more shocking.
[BUG] (a player) looked at the rows of self-propelled artillery in front of him that stretched beyond the horizon and couldn't help but let out a low exclamation. Even though he had played this game for a long time and was used to big scenes, facing such a massive "Iron Tide" still left him shaken.
"Holy shit, this is fing incredible. Just how many Basilisks are there?" BUG's voice came through the amplifier inside his gas mask, sounding slightly hoarse with disbelief. He had never seen such a dense deployment of firepower. The vast sea of gun barrels glinted under the artificial lights, pointing toward the end of the deep tunnel as if they could punch right through the rock layers above.
Beside him, [Assimilation Complete] responded indifferently: "They aren't all Basilisks. There are plenty of other models of self-propelled guns. Added together, there are about 13,000 vehicles. Generally speaking, they are all 'firepower-first' types."
"Wait, are there no Leman Russ tanks or anything?" BUG asked, puzzled. He was used to the Imperial Guard's iconic armored clusters; the Leman Russ was almost synonymous with ground warfare.
Assimilation sighed, the sound echoing dully inside the gas mask: "Use your brain, will you? The enemy we're facing is the Necrons. Against this kind of enemy, the thicker your armor, the harder you get hit. Their anti-armor weapons can literally decompose an entire tank into atoms. The most appropriate military theory here is the 'Armor is Useless' theory—"
"Oh, so our armored forces this time are all the glass cannon type?" BUG seemed to catch on. He scanned the endless array of self-propelled guns again and said excitedly, "Not bad! Over ten thousand self-propelled guns... what about the towed ones? There must be over a hundred thousand of those, right? With this kind of firepower, even the Necrons should be blasted into a daze."
Assimilation shook his head, his tone laced with worry: "Depends on the situation. We might not be able to deploy them all."
"Depends on what?" BUG pressed. "Once the fighting starts, just drive them all out and start firing, right?"
"Poor kid," Assimilation sighed again, this time with a tone of helplessness. "We don't have air superiority! I just hope the Necron bombers don't hit us here. If these vehicles all get blown to hell before firing a single shot, it would be a damn shame."