The Creators: From Night City

Page 521

“I will consider your suggestion, Judge.”

“Any hesitation is a desecration of the sacred duty you bear, Company Commander Sicarius. It seems I…”

"Enough!" the second company commander interrupted, his voice carrying an absolute air of unquestionable authority.

“Inquisitor Gray Fax, thank you for your suggestion, but I am the commander here.”

The demon judge, who had been 'accidentally' drawn into the war while tracking a demon-possessed artifact and was stranded on this planet, frowned, scrutinized the second company commander's tense face for several seconds, and finally chose to obediently shut his mouth.

He knew very well that, according to the relevant regulations of the Empire, as a judge, he nominally had the power to take over the other party's command and forcibly implement his own decisions.

However, Gray Fax was also well aware that rules were rules and reality was reality. If he dared to do it, the other party would not hesitate to pull out a gun and kill him the next moment.

After all, this is the Limit Starfield, the fortress world of Alarius, and the opponent is an Limit Warrior. What is happening now is a war that can determine the life and death of the Limit Starfield.

He, an outsider, dared to seize power at this critical juncture. He hesitated for even a second, which was a sign of disloyalty from this Ultramarines 2nd Company Commander to Macurag and Robert Guilliman.

He could only retreat to a corner and remain silent.

The judge's words were not without effect; at the very least, the second company commander was now caught in a state of internal struggle.

Lies don't hurt, truth is the knife.

Despite his aversion, Cato Sicarius knew in his heart that the other party's proposal was indeed the most rational and optimal solution at the moment.

Doubt and wavering, like the hand of a shadow, clung to his chest and quietly gripped his heart.

Fortunately, a communication request from the warband leader, Karga, temporarily pulled him out of this quagmire of difficult choices.

In the center of the factory area, there exists a mechanical temple.

Thanks to the hoarding habits of the oil enthusiasts, the temple possesses an old-fashioned but still powerful communication device capable of penetrating the signal blockade of the plague fleet on the orbital platform and directly communicating with the outside world.

Amid the mystical prayers and rituals of the mechanical priests, communication was established.

"Commander, this is Company Commander Cato Sicarius communicating with you."

But what came from the sacred loudspeaker was not Calgary's deep, familiar voice, but a rich, resonant male voice that was like a gentle breeze and made one's heart sway unconsciously.

“Company Commander Cato Sicarius, this is Robert Guilliman. I’m glad to hear your voice under such difficult circumstances.”

The throbbing in his blood revealed a startling truth to this extreme warrior.

"Lord Primarch!"

The Shield of Ultramar, the Pride of Macragge, the current commander of the Ultramarines 2nd Company "Avengers," the "Supreme Champion" and sword master known throughout the Ultramarines for his calmness and self-discipline, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise at this moment.

Chapter 1057 Strange Surface Support

Whichever side gains air superiority on the battlefield holds the initiative in the battle.

The orbits outside the planet Alarius have been completely occupied by the Plague Fleet, which means that all garrisons on the surface are at risk of being bombarded by the orbital forces at any time.

Therefore, compared to the battles on the ground, Guilliman actually valued the struggle for control of the orbital defense perimeter more.

However, the time was not yet ripe to seize the outer orbit of the planet. His fleet strength was not enough to guarantee a victory against the Plague Fleet at the moment, and he needed to be patient.

However, the need to support the surface defense forces of Alarius has become extremely urgent.

In the harsh battlefield environment where orbital air superiority has been lost and the planet's outer defense platforms have been occupied by the enemy, forcibly deploying reinforcements to the surface of a besieged planet is essentially a high-risk, high-loss military gamble.

If they choose to force a breakthrough, even if they manage to successfully deploy the assault pods while braving the Plague Fleet's anti-aircraft fire, only one in ten troops may land safely.

Therefore, launching a large-scale airdrop of troops to support the planet Alarius while under enemy fire is a very unprofitable endeavor.

Both sides in the conflict are well aware of this basic common sense about combat.

However, after Guilliman's arrival, the Plague Fleet did not show any signs of a decisive battle. Instead, they immediately dispatched a large number of patrol ships to further blockade the outer space of Alarius, preventing the Ultramarines from taking advantage of the situation and launching airborne support.

Guilliman remained calm in the face of the enemy's reaction. The massive 'Radiance of Macragge' stood quietly guarding the main fleet, as steady as a mountain.

After all, nobody knew that Guilliman already had a better way to provide support.

This was something that was decided before departure.

32 hours after the Ultramarines flagship 'Magna Grail' arrived at the battlefield.

A team of elite warriors was quietly assembled.

Titus was not originally on the shortlist for this mission.

However, since he was very familiar with the other side of the mission, and considering communication costs and other issues, Robert Guilliman specifically included this former Ultramarines 2nd Company Commander in the mission list.

'Invisible Blade'

A Duke-class raiding ship is one of the few special vessels in the Empire that possesses a high-level stealth field.

It will serve as the primary means of transportation for this infiltration mission.

Unlike the rugged, stacked design philosophy of the Imperial Navy's main warships, this special warship has smoother, sharper lines, presenting an ominous, predatory fish-like shape and aesthetic.

Its deck has very few weapon turrets, only two light spear arrays, and even fewer laser turrets or close-in weapon systems.

Instead, it features a much larger hangar and drop bay than other ships, capable of accommodating more Space Marine commandos, Imperial Assassin's Court agents, Inquisitor squads, or special infiltration units than conventional ships of the same type, allowing them to quietly join the battle.

Its role is that of a special infiltration vessel.

Six fully armed Astartes, led by Titus, escorted Lily, who was on a field mission, and Rasma, who was still on her mission, into the cabin.

With the massive hull of the 'Magnificent Makura' providing cover, the small ship quietly glided into the boundless universe from the shadows.

With the activation of the multi-spectral stealth device, the ship's hull blends into the starry background in the visible spectrum.

Subsequently, thermal/radiation concealment, sensor stealth, and subspace signal silence functions were activated one after another, and the entire ship entered a state of invisibility at various dimensional levels.

Using the shadows between planets, this 'dagger' hidden in the darkness silently approached the outer orbit defense perimeter of the planet Alarius.

Once it reached the appropriate distance, the 'Invisible Blade' shut down all non-essential shipboard systems and relied entirely on its auxiliary plasma thrusters combined with inertial gliding.

Its unique plasma thruster was designed with low signal characteristics in mind, so that conventional scanning arrays cannot detect any energy response unless they are in close combat.

Inside the drop chamber, several carefully selected extreme warrior infiltration experts frowned, awaiting their fate.

Given the current situation, once the spaceship is detected by the Plague Fleet's orbital defense perimeter, it will be met with an overwhelming barrage of firepower.

The 'Invisible Blade' essentially sacrificed its defensive capabilities for the sake of concealment, so once discovered, the people inside the ship would be doomed.

The feeling of not being able to control one's own life and death is not pleasant, but fortunately, these veterans have gotten used to it.

Calder, a member of Ultramarines Company 1 and a multiple scout champion in the company's grand competition, serves as the deputy commander for this mission.

Of course, he was supposed to be the commander of this mission before Titus joined the team.

However, Calder had no complaints about the Primarch's decision; he was simply curious.

So, in the midst of his anxious wait, he secretly observed Titus and his two entourage sitting opposite him.

His gaze swept over the service stud on Titus's forehead. He had heard of his comrade's name but had no curiosity about it.

What truly aroused his suspicion were the other two people, two targets whom they needed to escort at all costs.

To be honest, judging people by their appearance is not a good habit, but it does have its own correct internal logic.

In Calder's eyes, the two targets opposite him exuded an oddity from head to toe.

The primary escort target is Lily Artemis II.

An engineer who looks like a young girl and has a slender figure.

Its thin limbs showed no signs of training, its clothes were flashy but impractical and offered no defense, it was unarmed, showed no obvious signs of modification, and apart from its exceptionally 'beautiful' appearance, it had no other noteworthy features.

As he watched the other person look around curiously, information about the target flowed through Calder's mind.

More intriguing to him than to the person himself was the metal box that the other person always carried.

However, the mission instructions did not mention this, and Calder's long-cultivated tactical skills quickly made him suppress his curiosity and not try to find out.

The second escort target was a gloomy-looking young man with pale skin and white hair, who appeared to possess psychic abilities.

Calder glanced up discreetly, only to meet the other person's eyes.

The unusually bright eyes made him involuntarily flinch and instinctively look away.

Rasmar, a biological sage, plague scholar, and biochemist.

The information from the mission briefing flowed through the Ultramariner's mind, only to be rejected without hesitation.

He swore on his 130 years of service that the gloomy man sitting opposite him was definitely not some so-called biological sage or biochemical expert.

He gave Calder the feeling of being more dangerous than a bloodletter.

Chapter 1058 The Real and Fake Grafaff

"We have entered the combat wreckage zone. The spaceship has entered 'Shadow Walker' tactical mode. Please prepare for deployment."

The notification from the crew brought a sigh of relief to everyone.

The debris field created by the previous Battle of Alarius consists of a large number of decommissioned ships, transport vessels, orbital debris and other space junk.

The large amount of metal debris in the wreckage area can effectively block the detection of the scanning array. Once the 'Invisible Blade' enters this area, it is basically equivalent to entering a safe zone.

The Ultra Warriors donned their helmets in unison, a crimson light flashing behind their goggles.

They entered one by one into a specially modified assault pod, secured themselves, and awaited deployment.

To Calder's surprise, the two escort targets were not provided with a safer, more human-friendly liquid-stabilized internal pod for this mission; instead, they were fixed inside the air assault pod along with them.

It's important to know that the Astartes' assault pods weren't designed for comfort.

Functions such as cushioning, shock absorption, and heat insulation must give way to tactical components such as armor, propulsion, and fuel tanks, making them virtually non-existent.

All the Astartes are fixed in a standing position to the central cylinder by mechanical devices, much like roast ducks in a street-side oven.

This design is intended to allow for immediate combat deployment once the assault pod lands.

The doubt flashed by, but the crew's notification put Calder on high alert.

"We are expected to enter the planet's empty zone in 40 seconds. Please prepare for the final sprint. May the Emperor bless us."

After the crew finished their prayers, the 'Invisible Blade' rushed out of the wreckage without hesitation and headed towards the planet that was now mostly green.

The empty zone, the safety 'fire barrier' between the planetary orbital defense system and outer space, will never have any obstructions.

When the 'invisible blade' enters this circle, it will be time to truly gamble with one's life.

Fortunately, this high-tech ship from humanity's golden age is indeed outstanding in performance. However, a small portion of the orbital defense platform, which had experienced fierce battles, had been completely destroyed by the Plague Fleet. Even after being taken over by the Dark Mechanicus, it was impossible to completely repair it in a short time, and the carefully constructed defense system inevitably developed vulnerabilities.

Under the control of the crew, the 'Invisible Blade' swept through one of the gaps and opened the hatch upon reaching the designated near-Earth orbit point.

The assault pod slid out silently.

The two sides parted ways abruptly, going their separate ways.

The assault pod used by the Titus team was also specially modified, with an outer layer of optical and microwave stealth.

Furthermore, the tracking and control capabilities within the atmosphere are not as strong as those in outer orbit, so theoretically the descent of the assault module is quite safe.

But the Nurgle faction has never been one to play with technology.

They are best known for their bizarre 'biotechnology'.

The atmosphere of Alarius has been contaminated with extremely high concentrations of plague miasma and various spores, and the originally transparent atmosphere has turned slightly green.

The most unexpected thing was that among these green clouds were many living floating objects the size of human heads, densely packed like dandelion seeds, covering the entire sky.

As the optically stealthy assault pod passed through, it inevitably collided with these floating objects.

Like a submarine hitting a mine, a loud explosion rang out.

Then, as if a hornet's nest had been stirred up, these 'living torpedoes' began to frantically converge on the location of the landing pod.

The small cabin began to shake violently with the bursts of explosions.

The outer armor was groaning in agony, emitting the strained sounds of metal fatigue, and could disintegrate at any moment.

Even worse, a green light suddenly flashed past the observation window; it was anti-aircraft fire from the ground, high-speed artillery firing at the landing craft.

They've been exposed!

More live spores, like tadpoles, struggled to swim and fly into the sky.

Under intense anti-aircraft fire, the descent pod was quickly hit.

The outer armor cracked violently, the engine caught fire, and thick smoke billowed out.