The Emperor’s Angel of Death

The Overlord-class battlecruiser assigned as the fleet flagship this time was also the last of its class in the Bakka Fleet. Named "Light of Faith," it had a very troubled history. Its construction coincided with infighting within the Bakka Fleet, nearly leading to the demolition of the half-built hull. After much modification and construction, during its first deployment, it and its escort fleet were driven out of an unmarked star system by Necron Raiders from an unknown origin. The escort fleet was almost entirely wiped out, leading to the dismissal of its first captain for negligence less than six months into his tenure. Afterward, it was relegated to unimportant training missions until the outbreak of the First Tyrannic War. This was the Light of Faith's moment of glory. With the carrier faction purged, the Bakka Fleet's anti-air defenses were extremely weak, relying solely on ship-based anti-air guns to resist the swarms of smaller Tyranid units. The Overlord-class played a crucial role, using its limited flight deck to effectively shield the fleet flagship and provide fire support from a relatively safe distance.

It thus became one of the twelve surviving warships after the war.

One might think the Light of Faith was a war hero for its anti-Tyranid service, but this did not change its marginal status in the Bakka Fleet. As a rejected "remnant," the Light of Faith continued to perform various idle tasks after the war, and many damaged facilities were not repaired promptly. Sending such a flagship indicates the mindset of the Bakka Fleet naval base's high command. Moreover, aside from the Light of Faith, the remaining 18 ships in the fleet were all Diligence-class and Endurance-class light cruisers, and Gladius-class frigates, all of which had been in service for over a thousand years.

Although Saul Tarvitz knew the Bakka Fleet was known for its "old, broken, and small" ships, it was not supposed to be this bad. This so-called support fleet was not even enough to fill a Tyranid's teeth.

"I don't believe the Bakka Fleet can't produce a decent fleet! They clearly see the Covenant of Sorrow here and are trying to minimize investment and losses!"

After complaining, Saul Tarvitz suddenly lowered his voice.

"However, Rear Admiral Sandi Woodward is full of fighting spirit. He is very eager to continue the Light of Faith's glory from the Tyrannic War. His fighting spirit has not been worn down by long, boring missions, which is the only thing to be grateful for."

"Perhaps the Bakka Fleet suffered too heavily in the previous Battle of Macragge. Looking at the records, the Bakka Fleet mobilized nearly half of its main force, over two hundred ships, to support the Ultramarines. As a result, only 12 warships survived, and even the Bakka Fleet's commander was killed."

"Yes, this battle two hundred years ago has left the Bakka Fleet unable to recover, and it may be the very reason they have become...somewhat wary of engaging the Tyranids."

"So, you're back not because of the Bakka Fleet."

"No, it's other matters. On one hand, the Ecclesiarchy has arrived, and I need to deal with them. Vayllets believes that Ustad might not be able to handle it. Also...there are some things in that place that require my personal attention."

Hearing Saul Tarvitz's vague words, Talos immediately guessed what "that place" was, and asked softly:

"Something happened?"

"Yes, Bellerophon was attacked. According to reports, it was by Imperial forces. A fleet composed of Imperial ships and a group of Astartes without markings attacked the evacuating Bellerophon. Although they didn't cause much damage, they severely damaged Bellerophon's navigation systems. Shortly after these mysterious individuals left, a fleet from the Third Legion arrived. Fortunately, the Royal Court sent fleets and reinforcements in time to prevent the situation from further escalating, but hundreds of Bellerophon residents were still killed or injured. The Bellerophon people are very angry, they want revenge."

Talos pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice:

"Saul Tarvitz, you won't be able to maintain this position for long. Many forces know your identity, and they will disrupt the balance you painstakingly maintain, forcing you to make a choice."

"I initially thought the first group were disguised as the Third Legion, but Bellerophon's seers are certain they were not. So the only possibility..."

Saul Tarvitz walked aside, lowered his head slightly, and supported himself with his hand on a pillar.

"Saul has been gone for a while, and Sevatar doesn't know where he went...Tell me, how can I not suspect them?"

"Actually, none of this matters anymore. You just need to know that someone is trying to make an issue out of your identity. However, I think this matter is a bit strange. At least, I don't think they would collaborate with the Third Legion, not even unintentionally. This matter is a bit suspicious. I think you need to investigate the Astartes without markings."

Saul Tarvitz sighed, straightened up, and turned around.

"But now the Tyranid Hive Fleet is close at hand, and I really can't spare the time. I can only do some simple processing now, but even that will waste some time, so I'm afraid the front line needs you to watch over it more. I've entrusted Arash with command for now, but you also know that he doesn't have experience with this scale of battle. Fortunately, the Tyranids have just been hit and are in the stage of recovering biomass, so they shouldn't launch an attack immediately, but their long-distance navigation speed is very fast, so we still need to pay attention to that."

"So what are your next deployments?"

"Deployments...Well, I haven't really figured it out yet. The Tyranids are not an opponent that requires complex strategic games, but often the simplest and most direct crushing of power is the most difficult to deal with. There are tens of thousands of Tyranid bio-ships, and they don't care about losses, which is the biggest difficulty. My idea is to wait until the Abyss-class can be put into combat and see if there is a chance to destroy the Hive Ship, so that at least we can stabilize the situation temporarily."

"It seems you plan to stay here for a long time."

"My friend, haven't you noticed that this place is good? The sky is high and Terra is far away, the resources are considered abundant in the Storm Zone, and there is no interference from Imperial institutions. The Ecclesiarchy is also a very easy force to get along with. If we want to restore the strength of the Legion era, two star systems alone are not enough, and here there is a sector, and very abundant human resources, most of whom are devout and simple-minded, which is a very ideal source of soldiers. Not only Astartes, but mortal troops can also be recruited in large numbers. I think your company can also replenish personnel here."

"Ha, this matter is already being done, but it is Cassati who is in charge, I don't ask much about it."

Hearing Cassati, Saul Tarvitz's eyes darkened slightly, and he asked:

"Are you so trusting of him? You know he has defected to another Primarch, are you not worried that the people he recruits will be different from what you think? Or even tamper with the new recruits?"