Seraphs of the Emperor’s Judgment

Chapter 187: Plan of Attack

Malakim looked away from the holographic projection and over to the Chapter Master of the Excoriators Chapter.

"So you advise against doing that?"

"Earlier I was worried about Greenskin reinforcements arriving from outside the system, but now that they've been destroyed, another problem has arisen."

Magyar mused:

"In the previous naval battle, every fleet suffered heavy losses. Very few warships capable of executing an orbital bombardment remain, and with our current firepower, it would likely take months to finish it off."

According to post-battle statistics, after the engagement in the asteroid belt, the entire expeditionary fleet lost nearly forty percent of its warships. Among them, light warship losses exceeded fifty percent, and heavy warships suffered a casualty rate of nearly thirty percent, not even counting the losses to the transport fleet.

And of the surviving capital ships, including the Starfire, at least half were severely damaged and had to be withdrawn from the order of battle for repairs.

Right now, only the Mother of Tears, the Fire of Punishment, and a few heavy cruisers were capable of carrying out orbital bombardment missions.

"We currently have three Chapters, totaling nearly a thousand warriors. We can strike directly at the fortress and chop off that beast's head."

Malakim believed things might not be so complicated."Striking directly at the vital point for a one-hit kill is a good idea."

Magyar said calmly:

"But please take a closer look at the broader picture here."

The projection zoomed out again. Radiating several kilometers outward from the fortress's walls, the ground was densely packed with trenches and shanties, numbering a full several thousand per square kilometer on average.

As Magyar continued to zoom out the image scale, more and more fortresses and redoubts rolled into view, a few of which were comparable in scale to the Warlord's own stronghold.

"This is the most highly militarized zone on the entire planet. Clearing a path to strike into the fortress isn't difficult, but once we deploy our forces, they will be bogged down in layer upon layer of encirclement... Formations of Greenskins are indeed difficult to deal with, so I suggest it's best to proceed with caution."

Soshyan raised an eyebrow.

"So we just wait here for the Inquisition's Exterminatus Fleet?"

Magyar shook his head.

"They aren't coming. An emergency arose at Chicano, and the Inquisition fleet has gone to deal with it."

"In that case..."

Soshyan pondered for a moment, recalling another plan that had been executed before.

"During the earlier operation to destroy Gathis, the Imperial Navy employed a tactic of nudging an orbiting asteroid out of orbit and using it to obliterate the Greenskin city."

Hearing this, the eyes of the other two Chapter Masters instantly lit up.

"Brother Soshyan, are you suggesting we push one of Vorenus's moons into the surface?"

Soshyan nodded.

After contemplating for a while, Magyar raised his own concern.

"But a moon is not like asteroid fragments; its mass is far greater. Nudging it out of orbit and smashing it into a designated target will not be an easy task to accomplish. It might take months."

"True, but there are five moons in orbit around Vorenus. We only need to move one of them."

"One moon might not completely wipe out the Greenskins upon it."

"We don't need to kill all the xenos on the surface at once."

Soshyan smiled faintly.

"We only need to decapitate the enemy chieftain, and the rest will just be a disorganized mob. They won't be able to mount an effective threat for a short time, and the subsequent mop-up operation can be left to the brothers of the Lamenters."

Hearing him say this, Magyar paused for a second, then looked thoughtfully toward Malakim.

Malakim also picked up on the implication, but he hesitated slightly.

"This—"

"Alright, no need for so many reservations. Serving the Emperor is the same wherever we are, Brother Malakim."

Soshyan patted the other man's shoulder, and Malakim silently nodded in tacit agreement to the plan.

Afterward, Soshyan smiled faintly at Magyar and switched the image before them to a static state. Aside from the fortress right in the center, three other large defensive positions could be seen surrounding it.

"My rough tactical outline is as follows: we deploy the entire Astra Militarum to the east and establish a defensive line on our right flank to block any enemy forces coming to reinforce the fortress. The battle brothers of the Lamenters and our mortal auxiliary forces will land in the north. Their goal is to destroy the generator complexes powering the shields, stripping their shields of power to ensure we can conduct precise orbital strikes. Our Chapter, along with the battle automata formations, will land from the west of the fortress, take down the smaller redoubts in the surrounding area, seize the surrounding pathways, and completely cut off the fortress's connection to reinforcements."

"What about this fortress then?"

Magyar asked.

"That is yours, of course, Lord Magyar."

Soshyan gave a definite response.

"If you so wish, the honor of claiming victory shall be yours."

"This is a good plan."

Lord Magyar said with a smile, his voice very soft.

"Then it is decided."

Another hour passed before the three Chapter Masters finally concluded their meeting and bid their farewells.

The fleets pulled apart once more. The lightly damaged ships would head to the temporary dockyards at Gathis for repairs, while the heavily damaged warships had to leave the system immediately, heading for a nearby Forge World or a world with a higher industrial capacity for long-term repairs—the Starfire supposedly belonged to the latter category, but since the Chapter had to participate in subsequent operations, it could only head to Gathis first for simple repairs and reinforcements.

The fleet whose strength remained relatively intact headed for orbit above Vorenus Prime.

Currently, a solid blockade line had already been established across the entire orbit, with small Navy ships cruising the void, patrolling back and forth between Vorenus's poles and equator.

Although the general offensive was set to begin in a month, that didn't mean they were going to leave the Greenskins idle during this time.

The Fire of Punishment organized the remaining fleet, and the cannons that had once targeted enemy vessels were recalibrated. This time, their targets were the shields enveloping the planet's surface.

Amidst the torrential downpour of shells, resounding clangs echoed continuously through the starry void.

After the bombardment began, Malakim returned to the bridge.

At this moment, the Chapter's Sanguinary Priest walked in. He, too, was fully armed, but his steps seemed somewhat heavy and lethargic.

He watched his Chapter Master sitting upon the command throne and then asked his question.

"How did it turn out?"

"Soshyan is a good man. He doesn't blame us, and he formulated a new battle plan."

The Priest crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby pillar.

"You seem to admire him."

"Indeed."

Malakim broke into a grin.

"I admire him greatly. He is very young, yet he possesses an extraordinary demeanor."

He shot the Priest a thoughtful look.

"Not only is he an outstanding warrior, but he is also an excellent diplomat."

"Your description reminds me of that man."

Upon hearing this, Malakim's entire body instantly stiffened.

The Priest then straightened his back and softly spat out that cursed name.

"Lufgt Huron."