Just as the Forge World reinforcements arrived, and the ground and orbital situation seemed on the verge of turning around, another anomaly occurred.
On the sensor arrays, another massive Adeptus Mechanicus fleet, adorned with Mars' iconic red livery and gear insignia, unexpectedly emerged from the Warp, appearing at the outskirts of the Death World star system.
This fleet from Mars itself did not send any friendly identification signals, nor did it engage in any form of communication or pleasantries with the Neksum fleet waiting in full battle array in orbit.
A mandatory communication broadcast, carrying the supreme authority of Mars, directly penetrated all encrypted channels, resounding through Osiris' command center and the bridge of the Neksum flagship: "In the name of the Martian Council and the orthodox Adeptus Mechanicus, Explorer Magos Osiris, immediately and unconditionally surrender your illegally possessed 'Warp Drive' technology and all related research data.
Any hesitation or resistance will be considered an act of betrayal against the Omnissiah.
Refuse this order, and Mars will declare you, and all forces sheltering you, as tech-heretics, and will proceed with their complete purification."
This sudden ultimatum caused several massive question marks to flash in Osiris' computational core.
He had only informed Sigismund of the Warp Drive's existence, with the aim of securing an opportunity to meet Primarch Dorn.
Given Sigismund's loyalty and meticulousness, it was absolutely impossible for him to casually leak such vital intelligence, let alone directly transmit it to Mars.
"How was the information leaked?" Osiris' thought processes raced, sifting through various possibilities.
Was communications intercepted and decrypted? Was there an undetected infiltration unit internally? Or... some form of precognition or scrying beyond conventional intelligence methods?
Or perhaps, this Martian fleet did not belong to this specific point in time? Did they come from the future?
However, before Osiris could respond, and before the Martian fleet could apply further pressure, the situation in orbit drastically changed.
The muzzles of the Neksum fleet's cannons glowed with hostile energy the very second Mars issued its ultimatum.
Without warning, without negotiation, a volley of fiery lances and dense macro-cannon fire, like an angry iron fist, directly struck the Martian fleet's lead ships!
The Martian fleet clearly had not anticipated Neksum's decisive and fierce resistance; their shields fluctuated violently under the sudden, powerful onslaught, and the Void Shield of one light cruiser even instantly overloaded, its armor torn apart, erupting in a dazzling fireball.
The reason for the conflict was simple and direct—Osiris was a registered Explorer Magos of Neksum, and his research achievements, regardless of their origin, were tightly bound to the Neksum Forge World in terms of ownership and development rights, under the complex legal and customary framework of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Mars' action was tantamount to openly plundering Neksum's core assets and its hope for resurgence.
In the past, facing the pressure from Mars, Neksum might have chosen to endure and compromise.
But at this moment, Osiris and the technological potential he represented were, in Archmagos Vox's eyes, the key bargaining chip for Neksum to return to glory, and even contend with Mars.
Insufficient orders could be remedied by new technology opening up markets, but if even this future hope were to be suffocated and seized by Mars, then Neksum would never rise.
Neksum might not rival Mars in terms of orders and influence, but as a Forge World established during the Great Crusade to serve the expeditionary fleets, its war potential and industrial strength were by no means weak.
To protect this crucial "future," Archmagos Vox unhesitatingly chose to respond in the most uncompromising way—armed confrontation.
In the cold vacuum of space, two fleets of steel, representing different wills within the Adeptus Mechanicus, brazenly opened fire for a technology whose full potential had not yet been revealed.
Lasers streaked across the void, torpedoes crisscrossed, and an internal conflict between Tech-Priests erupted.
And on the surface of the Death World, Osiris and his warriors not only had to face the insane assault of the World Eaters on the ground but also had to divert their attention to the orbital battle above, which would determine their fate.
—
Seeing the situation in orbit rapidly deteriorating, with the Martian fleet gradually suppressing the Neksum fleet due to its sheer size and technological advantage, Osiris knew he could no longer hesitate.
He had to break the stalemate, otherwise, once the Neksum fleet collapsed, he and his base would be the next to be "purified."
His massive mechanical body once again turned towards the mysterious black cube, and after some manipulation, what he retrieved was not the destructive weapon from before, but a device that looked exceptionally exquisite, even possessing a touch of artistry.
It resembled a miniature orrery, constructed from an unknown dark metal, with a complex and precise structure, its core inlaid with an egg-sized, somewhat dull purple crystal.
Osiris placed the device on the control console, his precise Probes connecting to its interfaces.
As he injected energy and commands, the orrery slowly floated up, its internal structures began to rotate, and specks of light, like stars, lit up, rapidly coalescing and outlining a miniature star map in the center of the instrument—it was a real-time status map of the current Death World star system, with the light points representing the Martian fleet clearly visible.
He locked onto the target, his computational core deeply connected to the device.
Next, he made a gesture with clear "reluctance"—with a mechanical finger, he carefully flicked a tiny, seemingly decorative lever on the side of the orrery.
"Click."
A faint sound, as if precise gears had meshed.
The purple crystal at the device's core suddenly flared, emitting a brief yet dazzling light, and then, its internal luster visibly dimmed, as if something fundamental had been consumed.
Simultaneously, within the orrery, the light point models representing the Martian fleet seemed to be violently kneaded by an invisible giant hand, rapidly contracting and squeezing towards the center, chaotically clumping together!
Almost at the same moment, in orbit beyond the Death World, a jaw-dropping scene unfolded:
The space itself in the area where the Martian fleet, fiercely engaged with the Neksum fleet and relatively spread out in formation, was located seemed to undergo a bizarre distortion.
All warships, regardless of size or type, were as if thrown into an invisible gravitational singularity, uncontrollably and violently colliding and squeezing towards a central point!
The colossal roar, even in a vacuum, vibrated through the ship structures via conduction.
Cruisers crashed into the broadsides of battleships, frigates were crushed like toys by larger vessels, armor plates twisted and tore under the terrible compression, turrets were knocked askew, and thrusters collided, triggering explosions... In an instant, the Martian fleet descended into chaos, its internal communication channels filled with terrified shouts and damage alerts.
This sudden spatial anomaly, while not directly destroying these structurally robust warships, caused immense confusion and collateral damage.
More importantly, their formation completely collapsed; all ships were crammed together, unable to move, and their firing network disintegrated.
How could the Neksum fleet, which had been struggling to hold on, miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
"All ships, concentrate fire! Attack!" The Neksum flagship's command was filled with the satisfaction of revenge.
Long-prepared lances, macro-cannons, and torpedoes rained down like a storm upon the clustered Martian fleet.
Deprived of maneuvering space and an effective defensive formation, the Martian warships became perfect targets.
Explosions flashed in quick succession within the crowded cluster of ships, like firecrackers lit during a festival.
The Martian fleet instantly plummeted from an advantageous position into a catastrophic rout, struggling desperately and retreating steadily under this strange compression and fierce bombardment.
Osiris watched the chaotic light points in the orrery and the battle results transmitted from the orbital sensors, his optical lenses flickering slightly.
The effect was significant, but thinking of the completely dimmed, almost inactive crystal, a pang of "heartache" based on resource depletion swept through his logical core.
This precious relic, its value far surpassed that of the Martian fleet in the sky, but Osiris had no choice but to use it to break the deadlock.