Infinite Metaverse

Nestram system, Mandeville point.

The airlock closed, the pressure increased slightly, and the airtight door separated the cabin from space. Kurland and Laurentius watched the shuttle go away through the window. The hatch opened with a hiss, and a naval officer in a neat uniform and two rows of armed sailors holding shotguns erected on their chests appeared.

"Lieutenant Greydolf, at your service."

The naval officer stamped his feet and nodded. His movements were calm and elegant. He took a step back and signaled the space warriors and technical priests to leave the airlock and enter the hatch:

"Welcome aboard the Achilles frigate."

"Greydolf?"

Kurland walked into the corridor while looking left and right.

"I am from Lanesmud II in the Nestram system. This is a traditional name there."

The naval officer explained casually.

He noticed that Laurentius turned to the other side and walked towards the stern, and immediately reminded him:

"Uh, sorry, sage, the accommodation we arranged for you is here."

Laurentius did not stop or turn around. His head turned on the neck bracket, looking at the lieutenant with a row of sensor lenses and a green single eye, and said:

"I want to check whether the warp engine, sublight engine and plasma reactor of this battleship are normal. Captain Kurland is a very valuable and important asset and cannot be threatened by any negligence in maintenance or execution."

"I assure you that our technical priest Kashibal is very good..."

The lieutenant had not finished speaking.

He was ruthlessly interrupted by Sage Laurentius:

"Your spaceship is too small and is not qualified to be equipped with a sage-level technical priest and his accompanying servitors. Therefore, I am better than the technical priest on board your ship now. Don't feel ashamed for him, he will understand this situation."

"I insist."

Kurland echoed calmly.

This reason seemed to have cut off any objections from the lieutenant, and Gredolf ​​was visibly deflated.

"Very good, I hope everything is in order."

Gredolf ​​said in a somewhat stiff tone:

"Then I will take you to your quarters, Captain."

"No, let's go to the bridge, Lieutenant."

Kurland said and walked towards the bow.

The naval lieutenant was stunned when he heard this, and after reacting, he hurriedly trotted to catch up with the space warrior in front and said:

"Well, I mean, the bridge is only open to naval officers. I'm afraid this is an inherent rule of the Imperial Navy."

Kurland suddenly stopped, and Gredolf ​​almost bumped into him. The soldiers surrounding them also stopped and collided with each other, and the breastplates and epaulettes made a clanging sound. A hand of the Imperial Fist slowly placed on the lieutenant's shoulder.

"I said this out of politeness."

Kurland stared at the naval officer and said lightly:

"Don't make me say it again."

Gredolf ​​looked up at the Space Marine's eyes, perhaps trying to find even a trace of compromise or sympathy in them. However, he met two cold and firm eyes, as ruthless and sharp as flint, with no intention of compromise.

"I understand."

Gredolf ​​glanced at the people around him, and the majesty he wanted to maintain was evaporating as quickly as the sweat on his forehead. He swallowed his saliva, straightened his back and said seriously:

"As the commander of the Achilles frigate, I invite you to follow me to the bridge."

"Very good, I am happy to accept your invitation."

Kurland turned around and continued to move forward.

Gredolf ​​hesitated for a moment, turned around and leaned on his feet:

"Honor Guard, disband!"

The non-commissioned officer in the armed sailor team was caught off guard:

"Sir?"

"You heard my order, sergeant."

Gredolf ​​waved his hand and explained:

"I believe Captain Kurland does not need a group of soldiers following him everywhere."

"Yes!"

The sergeant shouted. He and his men saluted, then turned around and returned along the same route they came from.

"I'd be grateful to you, Captain."

When his soldiers could no longer hear their conversation, Gredolf ​​turned around and whispered angrily:

"If you can at least pretend that I'm still in command of my own ship. After you return to the solar system and leave this ship, I will continue to maintain discipline here. Your behavior is threatening my authority, and the orders I received authorize me to restrict your actions when necessary-but this is not good for both of us, right?"

"Yes."

Kurland lowered his head and agreed to the lieutenant's request:

"I apologize for the problems my behavior may cause."

Gredolf ​​finally felt a little comforted. He stood on tiptoe and nodded, then turned and led Kurland along the main passage of the spacecraft all the way to the bridge door.

Kurland followed the lieutenant in.

He saw two other officers, one responsible for operating the communication panel, and the other standing next to the sensor and control console, with a row of small screens flashing at waist height. In short, the bridge gave him a very narrow feeling, which was in sharp contrast to the battleships of the regiment that Kurland had been on for most of his life. The Space Marine bent down slightly to avoid hitting his head on the crisscrossing pipes and beams on the ceiling.

"Sir, I received a complaint from the aft cabin..."

Turning his head and seeing the ceramic giant standing in the middle of the bridge, the communications officer stopped talking. The young officer cleared his throat unconsciously and continued:

"Technical priest Kashibal is complaining about the surprise inspection, sir, I don't know what he is talking about."

"Sir, I found that the duct of the subspace engine has accelerated."

Another officer shouted before Greydolf could respond:

"Our subspace engine seems to be starting."

Greydolf said puzzledly:

"I didn't give such an order."

"I think it should be the order from Sage Laurentis." Kurland's voice sounded loud and steady in the small space. He looked at the lieutenant who controlled the sensor, "How far is it from the ship of the Mechanicus now?"

"Twenty thousand kilometers, and it's still increasing."

The lieutenant answered consciously, subconsciously succumbing to the majesty naturally revealed by the Space Marine Captain.

After the lieutenant finished speaking, he immediately glanced at Lieutenant Gredolf ​​and sought confirmation from his superior:

"Well, commander, we haven't received the signal to make a warp jump yet."

"Lieutenant Gredolf, please ask your navigator to report to the bridge immediately now."

Kurland whispered beside Gredolf.

"Why should I do this?"

The lieutenant looked up and asked back.

"Because your orders have changed, commander."

Kurland said calmly.

The red light on the top of the bridge flashed, and the sudden sharp whistle of the alarm interrupted the lieutenant's answer.

"Sir, the warp engine started! The warp engine started! We have no way to stop it..."

"Jump in thirty seconds!"

A servitor suddenly shouted.

"What is that damned technical priest doing?"

The lieutenant was shocked and at a loss.

"The plan has changed, lieutenant. I want to take over your ship."

Kurland finally stated his purpose.

"You can't do this!"

"But I have already done it. Sage Laurentis has started the warp engine, and I am now standing on the bridge giving orders. Lieutenant, what do you think shows that I am not in full control of the situation at this moment?"

Gredolf ​​opened his mouth blankly, thinking about how to answer. A desperate expression appeared on his face.

"Don't force me to gather soldiers, Captain!"

The lieutenant tried to make his voice sound stern.

"I will kill your men without hesitation."

Kurland warned tit-for-tat:

"I remind you that your men may be able to control me and return me to Terra - but they will not be able to do so unless there are heavy casualties."

The Space Marine then tried to comfort the lieutenant:

"I have no intention of harming this ship or its crew."

Hearing the subtle sound of the holster being unfastened behind him, Kurland straightened up slightly, but did not turn around, his eyes still staring straight into Gredolf's:

"Tell your lieutenant to keep his pistol, or I will have to take it from him."

Kurland heard a breath, saw Gredolf ​​nodded slightly, and then saw the officer button up the holster through the reflection on a communication screen.

"Very good, at this moment, we should avoid any rash actions."

Kurland raised his hand to signal everyone to stay calm.

"Jump in five seconds."

The voice of the servitor sounded again:

"Four, three, two, one..."

At the moment when reality and illusion collided, everyone on the bridge felt a throbbing in their hearts. From inside to outside, every atom in the body trembled for a few seconds, and deep in the mind, a strange and disturbing pressure forced its way in.

Ten seconds later, the feeling disappeared.

"The jump is complete."

The servitor announced stiffly.

But it was unnecessary. If the jump failed, everyone on the ship would know, or they would be dead.

Greydolf finally spoke at this time:

"You are not going to Terra, right?"

"That's a waste of time, Lieutenant. The Empire is threatened, and we must respond. Honor requires us to continue fighting, and I plan to meet up with the remaining brothers."

"I don't understand." Greydolf lowered his voice, glanced at the others cautiously, and said with a puzzled look, "I was told that you are the last Space Marine of the Imperial Fists."

"We call it the 'Final High Wall' agreement. Once Holy Terra is seriously threatened, or even may fall, the Sons of Dorn will regroup to deal with this threat together."

"But, please forgive my question, if you all die, who will respond?

"The Imperial Fists Chapter may have been destroyed. "

Kurland said categorically:

"But the Legion is not destroyed!"

"Legion!?"

Gredolf ​​was horrified by this concept:

"But the Legion was disbanded by the order of the Emperor."

"Not the Emperor!"

Kurland shouted.

After that, he took a deep breath:

"Yes, it was the Emperor's will, but the will did not come from the Emperor's mouth... None of this matters. The astropathic signal has been sent, and I will wait for someone to respond. "

"But if you don't return to Terra, where are we going?"

"Our enemies are least likely to search for this place. That place is the eternal memory of the Legion... Tell your navigator to draw a route to the Farr system."

…………

"Farr system..."

Fu Qinghai looked at the stopover point on the route.

He couldn't help but pronounce the name.

"Farr system, is there anything special about it?"

Lin Yu looked at the star map and asked with some confusion.

According to the information in the star map, the Farr system is large but only two planets are habitable. One planet is covered with oceans and the other is covered with fungal forests, but they were destroyed in a war a long time ago, that's all. The information is scarce and there is no information worth noting.

"The Battle of Farr happened in this place."

Fu Qinghai pinched his chin while explaining.

The Battle of Farr was a battle that took place during the "Horus Heresy". Its reputation is not as widespread as the Isstvan Landing Site Massacre, the Battle of Calth, the Shadow Expedition and other battles, but it is also a very important battle.

During the Battle of Fal, the four Chaos Gods manipulated the warp storm to force a large detachment of the Imperial Fists to lose their way, and eventually walked step by step into the stranglehold set up by the Iron Warriors in advance - the Fal system.

The Iron Warriors had twice the number of troops as the Imperial Fists, and the Primarch Perturabo was in charge of the command. He set up the battlefield in advance to wait for the enemy to attack, and there were also demons and monsters in the Immaterial World to help (the Imperial Fists fleet lost one-third of its warships and the highest commander of the fleet in the storm), taking advantage of the time, place, and people. Under such a premise, the Imperial Fists detachment was outnumbered, and after paying a heavy price, it still dealt a heavy blow to the Iron Warriors fleet and successfully broke through the siege.

Among them, a suicide squad of the Imperial Fists even boarded Perturabo's Iron Blood and killed all the way to the Primarch's command cabin before being killed by the Lord of Steel himself.

The Battle of Fal was a great humiliation for the Iron Warriors and Perturabo himself. During the naval battle, the isolated astropathic communication briefly returned to normal, and then the Imperial Fists fleet received Rogal Dorn's order to immediately return to defend Terra. Therefore, some people suspected, just suspected, that this communication was actually deliberately released by the Chaos Four Gods to the Imperial Fists fleet to prevent the Iron Warriors from suffering too much loss and losing too badly.

The Farr system is of great significance to the Imperial Fists, but the Imperial officials generally believe that the "Horus Heresy" is a civil war that is neither glorious nor sacred. Not only is it not widely publicized, but a large number of related historical materials are also destroyed. Therefore, later generations know very little about the Farr system, and they don't even know that a great naval battle broke out here, which to a certain extent determined the direction of the war.

Because he has read the original novel of Warhammer 40K, Fu Qinghai knows that the Imperial Fists will complete the assembly and reorganization of the legion in the Farr system. And now he is struggling: whether to wait here for the Seventh Legion to complete the assembly, or go directly to Terra.

"Continue to Terra."

After thinking for a moment, Fu Qinghai ordered.

The White Scars and the Imperial Fists merged, and the two Space Marine Legions might be able to achieve the effect of one plus one greater than two, but after weighing the pros and cons, he finally gave up this option. There is only one reason: try not to change the plot as much as possible.

All of Fu Qinghai's current actions are based on the premise that he has read the original novel. Because he knows the original plot, he can formulate such a risky and radical plan. Once the plot changes, his foresight advantage will be declared invalid. Unless it is absolutely necessary, he wants to try to keep things going along the plot of the original novel.

The White Scars fleet stayed briefly outside the Farr system for a while, and set off again after resting, breaking through the reality curtain and entering the immaterial world again. And soon after they left, one after another huge fleet tore through the reality barrier and arrived outside the system. These warships have different paint colors, the Fist of the Exemplar, the Crimson Fist, the Astral Knights...

The largest fleet among them.

The number of warships far exceeds that of all other war groups.

The paint color of black background and white edges.

It is Fu Qinghai's old acquaintance.

The Black Templar.

…………

At the same time.

Vesperils Galaxy, Port of Sanctus.

The news of the "Rise of the Beasts" shocked Holy Terra. After many galaxies and worlds were declared to have fallen one after another, the Imperial Navy fleet, which was urgently summoned back from the border areas, finally decided to launch a head-on battle against the Orks.

The location was chosen at Port of Sanctus. This star port is located in the Vesperils Galaxy. It is not only a naval base, but also a dock with strong manufacturing capabilities, which can produce heavy cruiser-level warships.

The Orks seemed to be very interested in this port. A battle moon stayed here and did not leave. The greenskins intended to completely occupy this space dock, and the Imperial Navy was naturally unwilling to let an important facility with excellent shipbuilding capabilities fall into the hands of the orcs. Therefore, since the beasts invaded the empire, the first head-on confrontation between the human empire and the Orks (the first time in Terra's opinion) is about to begin.

Mandeville Point on the outskirts of the galaxy.

One after another, large and small warships broke through the curtain of reality and entered the vast void. According to the order of the Supreme Lord Admiral Lanson, the Kinki fleet led by Admiral Acharya and the border fleet led by Admiral Price arrived here. The two naval fleets will join forces to destroy Sanctuary. This Orc Battle Moon over St. Harbour.

At least that's the order the border fleet received.

However, when Admiral Price arrived at the outskirts of the galaxy on his Opal Dragon-class battleship, he looked at the densely interspersed light spots on the screen and cursed:

"What do you mean? Lanson asked our two fleets to merge before attacking the orcs. Who can tell me why the Kinki fleet is already fighting the orcs? What is that idiot Acharya doing? Who allowed him to take the initiative?"

The entire bridge was quiet.

No one could answer his question.

"Sir, a communication request has been received. Admiral Acharya requires us to move in immediately to join his fleet."

A communications officer spoke.

"This is impossible. The Kinki fleet is required to immediately break away from the battle with the orcs and move closer to the border fleet."

Admiral Price flatly refused.

"The orcs are gathering. If we don't join the fleet, one of your fleets and mine will definitely be destroyed!"

Acharya's face appeared, and the admiral's spit flew everywhere, spraying all over the lens of the communication device.

"That's why you must be the one to join us, Admiral. Ships from my fleet have been arriving over the past three days and are still arriving now. If we try to break out, those ships that come after us will be wiped out one by one!"

Price leaned forward facing the screen and clasped his hands, sitting on his chair and responded loudly without showing any signs of weakness.

After Price finished speaking, he leaned back. The screen in front of him entered a blurry still state, and unstable signals began to be transmitted to the communication terminal in Admiral Acharya's flagship.

As we all know, subspace jumps are unstable. Fleets entering subspace at the same time may arrive at the target location one after another at different times. The reason why the border fleet needs to wait for the arrival of subsequent warships is also very reasonable.

The captain next to him then intervened and suggested:

"Sir, although Admiral Acharya leading the fleet closer to us is the best course of action, at the same time, doing nothing for us is definitely the worst option."

Price turned to the strategy station, not answering his captain's question. Multiple screens gleamed beneath translucent report sheets, and three naval doctrine manuals were stacked in the corner, with worn parchment and plate marking the different pages. Price was trying to find some precedent or rule that would allow him to command Admiral Acharya in this situation.

A special setting of Warhammer 40K Human Empire is that the Imperial Navy has the largest and most complex collection of rules and regulations in the entire Human Empire. These regulations are as detailed as how a sailor should clean the toilet on the deck. All actions taken by naval commanders must be supported by relevant doctrines or precedents, which also reflects that the Imperial Navy is the most rigid and dogmatic force in the human empire.

Price eventually gave up, however.

Apparently he didn't find it.

The chain of command of the Imperial Navy is sacrosanct, even more so than that of the Imperial Guard. A starship may be out of port for anywhere from months to decades, and during that time the commander's authority must be absolute. If a regiment of the Imperial Guard betrayed its superiors, it could wreak havoc on the planet on which it resided. If an Imperial Navy warship mutinied, it could threaten many star systems.

This is one of the reasons why the Imperial Navy has such a vast array of rules and regulations. Price's ships and fleet were not obliged to obey any orders issued by the Acharya, but he could not issue any orders of his own to him either.

Price shook his head and said to his captain:

"No, doing nothing is not bad. Doing nothing will get us and the newly arrived ships close enough to Mandeville Point that if push comes to shove, we can jump out of the system at any time. Acharya himself stuck his head in the Ork's lasso "I don't see any reason why we should follow him."

"Are you abandoning the Kinki fleet, Admiral?"

The captain was extremely shocked when he heard this, and his superior's calm attitude towards the prospect made him shudder:

"Tens of thousands... no, hundreds of thousands of lives?"

"And bring ourselves into it for no reason?"

the Admiral asked sharply. He strode towards the holographic projector and waved his hand to shrink the constructed picture:

"Look what the Kinki fleet is doing? Their pursuit of the Ork warships has gradually penetrated into the asteroid field in the galaxy. This is a trap. Acharya obviously knows it, but it is too late. His flanks and rear are being squeezed... I know what you want to say. Only the Emperor knows why these rough green barbarians suddenly awakened to the subject of naval tactics, but the facts are in front of us and we cannot turn a blind eye!"

"Smart orc?"

A naval staff officer muttered to himself.

At such a long distance, the Opal Dragon-class battleship's detectors and auspices cannot tell whether those things in the asteroid field are ordinary planetary debris or dormant Ork battleships-unless they have a ship whose manufacturing technology has been lost. Emperor class battleship. But even so, everyone present knew that there was a high probability that there would be an ambush hidden in the asteroid field.

Because the Orks like to hollow out the inside of asteroids and install a few engines on one side to create the most classic "ship" of the Orks - the Orc Monolith. In a sense, the Battle Moon is also a super giant orc boulder, but the object that is hollowed out is replaced by a satellite.

"Asteroid fields throughout the galaxy are dotted with their rock fortresses. Once a ship comes within range, they can approach and attack, launch torpedoes or jump directly, and the shield system we are proud of will become ineffective. Everyone here No lack of courage, but I don't think any of you want to be swayed by the Greenskins - we don't have any Space Marines on board."

As he spoke, Price threw a stack of analysis reports on the screen of the strategy desk, stared at the projection and cursed:

"Acharya is not a military idiot, but I still haven't figured it out. What is his purpose for doing this? Ever since he launched the attack on his own initiative, the battle has been declared a failure. Now Acharya is the only one What he can do is lead his Kinki fleet to break through in reverse and approach us, enter Mandeville Point and escape from the battlefield through subspace jumping."

The battle lines in the galaxy are intertwined, and every screen around the bridge is refreshing combat data. Everyone looked up at these live images and gradually realized some differences:

In the Imperial Navy's inherent impression, Ork warships will always go straight and rampage, not only because Orks are reckless and stupid, but also because Ork warships generally have poor steering performance. For example, they like to pile a large number of weapons on one battleship, pursuing the ultimate in firepower, but completely ignore the overall performance and overall balance of the battleship. The maneuverability and defense are very poor, and they have no advantage in space naval battles.

However, now, the battleships are still those Orc battleships, but the Orc fleet has shown extraordinary and extremely complex coordination and cooperation. Assault ships are quickly interspersed, heavy gunships are forming an encirclement, and jump boats and fighter jets are flying around like flies. ...It is difficult to imagine that the Orcs can even out the performance gap of the warship itself through tactical execution. This requires extremely strong organizational and coordination abilities.

Why did the orcs suddenly become smarter?

This question is on everyone's mind.

"Price!"

The communication video came again.

Acharya anxiously said to the camera:

"If we are surrounded, you..."

The despair on Acharya's face suddenly disappeared, and the Admiral turned his head and cast his gaze to one side, his frown unfurling, showing a look of relief.

The screen then went blank.

"So what does he mean?"

Price turned to look at everyone and said doubtfully.

Everyone on the bridge also looked at each other.

"Didi dididi..."

The intercom beeped, and a green light lit up on a control panel next to Price. The captain reached over and gently pressed the receiving switch.

"What's wrong?"

"Sir, there are signs of a jump at the edge of the galaxy."

"Yeah, we've been doing this for three days in a row. What's wrong?"

"Extensive signs of warp, sir. Detection teams have detected close to a dozen signals in the past five minutes. We have also confirmed one of the identification symbols."

"A dozen ships? Who are they?"

"The Eternal Sephalax, sir."

"Lansong's flagship!"

Price exclaimed:

"Lan Song came in person?"

High Lord Admiral Lanson was the second High Lord to personally participate in the fight against the Beast after Lord Commander Hess of the Imperial Guard. And unlike Hess, who was only a marginal figure in the Council of Twelve, Lanson was very popular in Terra's political circles, including the Minister of the Interior, the Pope of the Ecclesiarchy, and the Spokesperson of the Merchant Fleet. Even the Forge Commander of Mars was appointed by him. After winning over, there was no need for him to take such risks and go to the front line in person.

As the communication was connected, Lan Song's senior fleet attache's face first appeared on the screen.

"Please pay attention to the Commander-in-Chief of the Frontier Fleet of the Sun Star Fleet, Imperial Admiral Price."

The senior military attache described it sternly:

"You are hereby requested and requested to immediately, upon receipt of these orders, assemble the Frontier Fleet in accordance with the attached designations and deployments to prepare for the upcoming operations."

Price paused the receiver and the image froze, cut away by flickering lines. When he heard the words "the upcoming battle", his expression froze.

"Lamson intends to continue Acharya's foolish plan... He really wants to liberate the port of Sanctus."

Before he finished speaking, the communication signal changed, and Lan Song’s bloated face appeared on the screen:

"Listen, Price. The Acharya has put the Imperial Navy's reputation at risk. It's my reputation and yours, Price. I don't know why or how. , but someone must have found Acharya and either persuaded him or forced him to launch this attack without waiting for the border fleet to converge. After this is over, I will investigate who has tampered with the Imperial Navy. Acharya will also pay the price, and if he survives the ensuing court martial, he will be lucky to command a garbage truck... Anyway, it doesn't matter."

Lan Song turned his body away from the video capture unit, revealing his plump chest through the buttons of his clothes.

"We must not fail here, Price. This battle is very important. I'll tell you an insider tip: the Imperial Fists were hit hard by the Ork Battle Moon in the Adamantua system, and they were almost wiped out."

"Hiss..."

Price took a breath of cold air when he heard this.

Because the high lords required that the news of the Imperial Fists' annihilation be kept strictly confidential and prohibited from being spread outside, the admiral only learned about this situation through Lanson until now.

A founding regiment was wiped out...

It's hard to imagine.

Price thought in horror.

"We desperately need a victory, and fast, if we want to salvage anything from this dire situation. Unless I return to Terra with victory and my authority intact, the entire Imperial Senate will lose confidence. Frankly, whether the other High Lords like it or not, this will be a war won by the Navy."

"If we retreat, I will be disgraced, and there are six admirals waiting in line to replace me, but none of this matters. We don't need a power struggle among the top brass of the Imperial Navy at this time. I know you all think I'm a greedy person who only cares about my own future, and maybe you are right, I may be that kind of person. But I'm not a beast, and billions of people have died trying to stop this green tide. If we can't turn the situation around now, all hope will be shattered. I don't care if we have to sacrifice the entire fucking star fleet to win, victory is the only option!"

Lansong took out an embroidered handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his face, and then stuffed the handkerchief into the sleeve of his shirt.

"After the three fleets meet, we can discuss various tactics and options. But before that, I ask and request you to strictly abide by all my orders. Believe me, this is our best chance to get out of this predicament alive and intact. Admiral Price, may the Emperor protect you in all your next battles."

The fat face on the screen extinguished and disappeared.

"This fat man is right."

Price curled his lips in disgust and said:

"Sooner or later we will find a way to destroy these armed satellites, so we might as well try from here. Damn Acharya, disobeying orders and acting privately. And damn Lansong, let such an idiot command the Kinki Fleet."

"So what is your order, sir?"

The captain stood at attention and saluted.

"Unlock the deployment order sent by Admiral Lansong."

Price gritted his teeth and stared straight ahead:

"Attack immediately, target: Battle Moon!"

…………