[At the same time, you stand motionless before the bridge viewing screen. Your eyes close slowly, deliberately, your expression carved from stone and utterly blank.]
[You don't want to witness the horrific and tragic fate of the three Terminator teams. You already know what's coming. The knowledge sits in your chest like cold lead.]
[On the silver shield, that perfect barrier which even space teleportation technology cannot penetrate, something terrible unfolds.]
[The surface appears evenly smeared with an extremely scarlet pigment. Flesh and blood. The remains of warriors who served the Emperor for centuries, reduced to paint across an alien shield.]
[From the cold void beyond, the round sphere of the World Engine seems to have opened a narrow, elongated bloody eye toward the watching fleet. A slash of crimson across silver. It looks almost mocking, as if the ancient Necron technology itself is ridiculing the Astartes' presumption.]
[Fleet Master Sheherz stares at the scene with a livid face. His skin has gone pale with rage and horror.]
[He opens his eyes as wide as they'll go, forcing himself to watch the cruel tableau captured on the bridge screen. He's memorizing it, burning every detail into his mind so he'll never forget what the enemy is capable of. So he'll carry this fury forward.]
[These weren't battle-brothers of the Astral Knights, true. But facing a group of fellow Astartes who suffered such humiliating and cruel deaths, any Imperial human with a shred of honor would feel empathy and burning resentment.]
[You slowly open your eyes again, the lids lifting with deliberate control. You take a deep breath, filling your lungs completely before releasing it through your nose.]
[You turn your head suddenly, gaze fixing on Fleet Master Sheherz.]
["Notify the joint fleet on the front battlefield to retreat temporarily." Your voice is utterly flat, drained of emotion by conscious effort. "This attack attempt failed. Don't increase casualties unnecessarily."]
[You pause, jaw tightening as you make the next decision.]
["Also, reassemble all battle-brothers of the Chapter. It's time for us, the Astral Knights, to make an important choice."]
[You hesitate for just a moment, uncertainty flickering across your features before resolve hardens them again. The final decision crystallizes in your mind.]
[You can't stop the Astral Knights from walking toward their destiny. The path forward is clear, written in the stars and in the blood already spilled. But before that inevitable end, you still want to make some difficult changes. To ensure something survives what's coming.]
[You activate your power armor with a thought, servos whirring to life. You walk toward the bridge exit, each footfall heavy with purpose.]
[The third month arrives like a funeral bell.]
[In the desperate effort to stop the World Engine's rampage, the numerous powerful ships and auxiliary vessels of the joint fleet have been almost completely annihilated. The casualty reports read like the death of an entire sector fleet.]
[Only a weak remnant remains: more than a hundred scarred frigates with breached hulls, damaged destroyers limping on failing engines, and transport ships with supplies running critically low. These survivors cluster together like wounded animals.]
[After the loss of Imperial Navy Admiral Cruz and his naval flagship in yet another futile assault on the World Engine, his ship torn apart by silver spears while attempting a desperate nova cannon barrage, only five main battleships and Chapter flagships remain from the entire Rescue Fleet.]
[Among them is your flagship, the Tempestus battle barge. She still holds together, her ancient hull scarred but intact.]
[The star field throughout the entire Vidar Sector has become a graveyard. Metal wreckage from destroyed ships floats in massive debris clouds. Countless mortal crew members lie entombed in the starry void, their bodies frozen and preserved in the absolute cold. The tragic corpses of Astartes drift among them, their power armor still sealed but forever silent.]
[Even with all this sacrifice, all this blood and fury and determination, the World Engine remains completely unscathed. Not a single scratch mars its silver shield. Not one system shows damage.]
[It continues moving its huge round sphere toward the next target: Wavencaster, the most populous hive planet in the system. Billions of souls await destruction there, unaware that their defenders are broken and desperate.]
[Inside the Hall of Hate aboard the Tempestus battle barge, the atmosphere crackles with barely contained fury and despair.]
[Without the Supreme Commander's authority to maintain order, the assembled captains erupt in fierce quarrels. Voices rise and overlap, accusations flying freely.]
[A captain from the Crimson Fists, his blue armor dulled with void dust and scoring, proposes that the entire joint fleet withdraw temporarily.]
["We call for support from naval fleets in neighboring sectors," he argues, his voice steady despite the desperation behind it. "Bring in the survey fleet of the Mechanicus, their ark mechanicus vessels with more powerful weapons. Then we re-launch the attack on the World Engine with proper force."]
[But when you activate the tactical hololithic display, showing the World Engine's projected trajectory and the next hive planet directly in its path, the captain's expression changes.]
[The projection is merciless. The timeline is clear. By the time reinforcements arrive, Wavencaster will already be ash.]
[The Crimson Fists captain retreats to the back of his Chapter's shrine without another word, his face expressionless. He falls into heavy silence, unable to argue against simple mathematics.]
["Wavencaster." You speak the name clearly, letting it hang in the air. "A little-known hive planet that most of you have probably never heard of. It has more than two billion people who belong to the Imperium. Two billion loyal citizens."]
[You pause, letting that number sink in. Two billion lives. Not statistics. People.]
["I know the current joint fleet has suffered devastating losses. I know our attacks on the World Engine have made no progress whatsoever." Your voice drops lower, becomes almost intimate. "But I am unwilling to give up. And the Astral Knights will not give up easily."]
[You glance at the silent captains around the hall with calculated indifference, reading their faces, their postures, the way they won't quite meet your eyes.]
["Well? Then tell me!" A voice erupts from the back, raw with fury and pain. "What else can we possibly do?"]
[The captain from the Invaders Chapter steps forward, his armor still bearing scorch marks from recent battles. His face is twisted with anger and grief.]
["We've tried everything! No weapon can penetrate that damned shield. Even my Terminator teams couldn't be teleported inside..." His voice breaks slightly, remembering those warriors smeared across silver metal. "What can you do with the Astral Knights that we haven't already attempted?"]
[The question comes out almost as a roar, echoing through the vaulted hall.]
[You narrow your eyes slightly, considering your words carefully. Then you move.]
[You suddenly lift one heavy magnetic boot and slam it down against the metal floor of the Hall of Hate. The impact rings out like a gavel, sharp and final.]
["This Tempestus battle barge is an ancient ship from the Forge World of Ryza." Your voice carries absolute certainty now. "It's even stronger than ordinary battle barges, reinforced with archeotech the Mechanicus barely understands anymore."]
[A grin slowly spreads across your face, wild and slightly unhinged. There's madness in it, but also liberation.]
["Therefore, I plan to use it to gamble with the Necrons' World Engine. Ram it directly into that silver shield at maximum acceleration."]
[Silence falls like a hammer. Every captain stares at you as if you've lost your mind.]
["Emperor above!" The captain from the Aurora Chapter finds his voice first, his eyes going wide with shock. "Are you insane, Astral Knight? Setting aside the preciousness of a capital ship to any Chapter... have you forgotten the miserable fate of the Invaders' three Terminator squads?"]
[He gestures wildly, his movements sharp with agitation.]
["How can you possibly be certain that the Tempestus battle barge can break through their shield when teleportation itself failed?"]
["Captain Amhrad, please wake up." Another voice joins, calmer but no less concerned. "Our reckless advance will only lead to the destruction of the entire remaining force. And when we're gone, Wavencaster will still be destroyed by the Necrons."]
[The speaker steps forward slightly, his posture pleading.]
["So, respected Captain, however painful it is to say... we have to give up those two billion lives. We have to preserve what strength remains for battles we can actually win."]
[You look around at everyone with an expressionless face, your gaze touching each captain in turn.]
["It doesn't matter now." Your voice is utterly flat, drained of judgment or accusation. "If you have a clear conscience as an Astartes, the Astral Knights will not stop you from leaving. Take your ships and warriors. We hold no grudge."]
[You pause, making sure they all understand.]
["Moreover, all consequences of this action will be borne by us Astral Knights alone. My only request is this: when we create an opening, seize the opportunity we've fought for with our lives. End the World Engine completely."]
[Your words hang in the air like an oath.]
[The captains from more than a dozen other Chapters fall silent for a long moment, processing what you've just said. What you've just committed to. Then, one by one, they nod slowly and agree to your request.]
[They understand now. This isn't a plea for help. It's a final command from warriors choosing their death.]
[Everyone walks out of the Hall of Hate without further hesitation, their footsteps heavy but purposeful. They have preparations to make, positions to coordinate.]
[The Aurora Chapter captain seems to hesitate for a moment near the entrance, his hand hovering at the doorframe. But then he follows behind the others, unable to find words adequate for this moment.]
[However, the captain of the Seventh Company from the Ultramarines becomes the last person remaining in the hall. He stands silently as the others depart, waiting.]
[When the last footsteps fade and you're alone together, he finally speaks.]
["Captain Amhrad." His voice is quiet, respectful. "You contacted me in advance and asked me to stay temporarily. Is it to find a way out for your Chapter?"]
[He drives his dark blue power armor forward slowly, stopping a few paces away. His gaze is steady and direct, seeking truth.]
["Yes." You don't hide it or dress it up with pretty words. "And it's also because I believe in the honor and character of the Ultramarines. Your reputation for keeping oaths is well-earned."]
[You're silent for a moment, gathering your thoughts before continuing.]
["I will order a team of one hundred Astral Knights to remain behind. They'll carry some precious Chapter relics, all our gene-seed stores, and every Dreadnought we possess. These warriors will stay aboard your capital ship."]
[Your expression becomes deeply serious, almost pleading despite your steady voice.]
["That is the only fire I have left for the Astral Knights. The only hope that something of us survives what's coming."]
[You pause, then add the final, most important detail.]
["As for their commander, the young captain named Soshyan... after my death, he becomes the Astral Knights."]
[Your voice drops to barely above a whisper, weighted with absolute finality.]
["The last Chapter Master."]