The Emperor’s Angel of Death

"As planned, all torpedoes will be launched in waves."

With each order issued, torpedoes of all sizes slid out of their launch tubes, ignited their engines, and accelerated towards the enemy. Their target was the Tyranid fleet directly ahead. Then, ten seconds later, six Viper-class missile destroyers, in groups of three, unleashed a volley of missiles, targeting the Tyranid clusters flanking the fleet.

Twenty seconds later, the second wave of torpedoes was launched, and the first wave reached maximum speed. Information tags on the screen tracked their course, as Mechanicus priests blessed their successful hit in the language of technology.

In response, the Tyranid fleet spewed out a vast number of smaller bio-ships, numbering in the tens of thousands. Like a dense protective net, they moved according to the torpedoes' electronic signals, attempting to intercept the dangerous metal objects.

However, in the seconds before contact, the first wave of torpedoes detonated, sending a massive storm of sharp metal fragments across kilometers of space, accompanied by countless smaller explosions. Bio-ships within range had their carapaces shattered and tentacles torn apart, writhing like wounded fish.

These torpedoes were specifically designed by the Mechanicus for Sochoyan's needs, targeting small Tyranid bio-ships. The technology wasn't complex; the torpedoes' outer shells used a special metal, and the warheads were filled with many small bombs. Upon detonation, they released a large amount of high-damage shrapnel and bombs, functioning like fragmentation grenades.

The shrapnel torpedoes swept across the Tyranid fleet's "bio-protective net," quickly creating huge gaps. The second wave of torpedoes then roared through, locking onto the larger Tyranid warships using bio-thermal signals, and slamming into them as they tried to evade.

A Tyranid Harridan, after violent struggles and convulsions, exploded like a punctured balloon. A fragment of its carapace struck another bio-ship's maw, misaligning its acid-spray organ.

Then, the third and final wave of torpedoes approached the Tyranid fleet. This time, the Tyranids released a large number of small flying organisms to intercept them. However, the third wave was also composed of shrapnel torpedoes. In a series of violent explosions, countless small Tyranid organisms were vaporized, costing the Tyranid Hive Fleet a significant amount of biomass.

Simultaneously, missile attacks from the Viper-class destroyers on the fleet's flanks inflicted considerable damage. The wide area-of-effect of the Sunfury plasma missiles caused severe damage to the dense Tyranid bio-ship clusters, slowing their movement. The Viper-class's rapid reload system meant another saturation missile attack was imminent.

With the torpedo barrage as an appetizer, the "main course" was naturally served. As the weapon systems of the 30 capital ships from the Astral Knights, White Templars, and Lamenters Chapters activated, lance strikes targeted their marks, traversing millions of kilometers in an instant.

When the sensor chief detected that over twenty large Tyranid bio-ships had been destroyed, cheers erupted across the Eternal Crusader's bridge.

But Sochoyan felt no joy, knowing that this was only a small fraction of the Hive Fleet.

He shifted his gaze to a separate screen, displaying data from a Mechanicus-developed bio-field radar. A bright red dot stood out, surrounded by layers of smaller red dots. Through image simulation, a virtual image of a uniquely shaped bio-ship was projected.

It possessed more pronounced biological features, resembling some primal sea monster, with a conical body and long tentacles. The powerful psychic signal was so strong that Sochoyan could almost see it through the observation window.

There was little record of such ships in the Imperium. Instead, the Draconis of the Court provided much valuable intelligence. The archivists called this ship a Hive-Ship, a designation indicative of its importance.

According to the archivist's description, a Hive-Ship was the core of a Tyranid Hive Fleet, acting as a control node for the Hive Mind, directing the surrounding bio-ships. It also served as a massive bio-factory, producing countless Tyranid organisms, including Tyranid bio-ships. Its size was also exceptionally large; some Hive-Ships were asteroid-sized. The one Sochoyan was observing was no exception. According to the scans, even the Abyss-class seemed like a small boat in comparison, perhaps only comparable to an Eldar Craftworld.

Logically, destroying the Hive-Ship would greatly weaken, or even defeat, a Hive Fleet. But the Hive-Ship was not only powerful itself, it was also usually positioned in the safest location during battle. To attack it required traversing countless Tyranid bio-ships and bio-weapons, undoubtedly a gamble, one where Sochoyan had to wager his entire fleet.

Today, he could no longer accept such operatic all-or-nothing gambles. The archivist had also said that a Tyranid Hive Fleet might have more than one Hive-Ship, and that the Hive-Ships that were easily discovered were often "traps," luring desperate opponents into a final, suicidal attack, completely exhausting their last resistance.

So, despite the tempting target, Sochoyan had to ignore it, or wait for a future opportunity, such as when the Abyss-class joined the battle, to launch an attack.

As if provoked by the Imperium's firepower, the Tyranid bio-ships suddenly accelerated, their numbers increasing. The distant star illuminated the Tyranid bio-ships' yellow-purple carapaces, resembling a devastating tsunami.

The Tyranids were unwilling to simply endure the attacks. The first change came from the flanking tendrils. Just as the Viper-class missile destroyers launched another volley of plasma missiles, they were no longer blocked by small bio-ships, but by large bio-ships, similar in size to large cruisers, with exceptionally thick carapaces and a large, three-lobed maw at the front.

As the waves of plasma painted a strange blue light in the void, these bio-ships roared, charging straight through the plasma fire and towards the Imperial fleet at high speed.

"Deploying large assault ships to the flanks, interesting."

Sochoyan chuckled, watching the changes on the battlefield, as a monotonous mechanical voice appeared in his comm-bead.