Sitting in the command seat of the Dark justiciar I watched as many of the fleet's ships rotated around it and constantly communicated. Most of the vessels were commanded by High Humans still but many of the functions were covered by the AI of the individual ships.
"Mistress... I have detected the presence of a native vessel."
"On screen." The few crew members on the bridge turned to look at the screen and witnessed a relatively large vessel with a massive Omega symbol on the front, coloured white with a blue background.
'Heh, the smurfs have shown up huh...? Well, let's contact them I suppose.'
"Send a video communication channel."
"Right away mistress." Justiciara instantly started to communicate with the opposing vessel, all signs of AI being present on the ships being scrubbed from all detection devices on the opposing ship.
Looking down at my nails in thought I heard the channel start and become secure as a metallic and eerie voice travelled through the comms systems.
" ' This is Chaplain Cassius of the Ultramarines chapter, representing the Imperium of Man... Speak. ' "
"Delightful... My name is Emelia Lionheart Empress of the Veritas Imperium."
The line went silent for a time, no doubt that they were quickly discussing the connotations of my introduction. I waited patiently as my vessels maintained their lack of hostility, the troops being prepared for an operation on the planet, to cleanse the Tyranids. I hadn't personally sent the command but Justiciara was my second in command so it was within her jurisdiction.
"Emelia, was it? This is the Imperium of Man's territory. This planet is under the rulership of the God Emperor of mankind! First, you shall not make any movements towards the planet. Secondly, you shall submit to a AI scan. Thirdly, you will be questioned on your faith to the God Emperor of Mankind."
The Chaplain's tone was very forceful and unquestioning, as if he were used to his orders being immediately accepted. I held a chuckle back as many of crew just rolled their eyes and went back to their duties, their lack of interest obvious. Justiciara was livid but held back because I was still parleying with them.
"No. I will not allow you close to our vessels... Nor will I not assist the people on this planet that are fighting against such a savage mindless force as the Tyranids. I understand your religious and moral quandaries but first we must establish a basic line of communication... If you are unable to move forwards on this then I shall request to speak to your superior, perhaps the Chapter Master or even your Primarch?"
I talked about these points because it would slow the inevitable discovery and allow me to talk with Guilliman or at least someone of a higher standing than Chaplain. Don't get me wrong, Chaplain was a high rank, but it was sorely focused on pig-headed stubbornness and complete faith. Very little other than these aspects were maintained as a consideration.
The comm channel went silent as the comms were cut, the Ultramarine Vessel breaking its orbit to get closer to my armada. I grinned, they weren't challenging us. No, they weren't that stupid, they were getting in range to potentially detonate their vessel and cause some sort of warp storm potentially. It was a strategically intelligent move, if a bit suicidal. I sighed as I watched onwards, Justiciara glaring at the 'provocation' as her fingers twitched as if she was of instant readiness to unleash our armaments.
"Justiciara, they are not threatening us. They are ensuring that they can at least resist enough to sacrifice themselves to take some of our vessels out."
"Why do you allow it Mistress!?"
"Because they are merely gaining security so that they can either wait for a higher up or have more leverage in conversation."
Justiciara calmed down immensely at the logic, finding it sound and interesting. Her emotions gradually settled as she watched on with thinly veiled worry and curiosity. Shaking my head I just summoned up a comm link with the ship again, which was immediately accepted.
"Well, now that you have reached a position to take out some of our fleet, i assume you can get me a higher up or someone with more say with regards to the Imperium?"
Silence once again reigned from the comms link before the Chaplain's voice ushered out again from the link. It was jarring still, had i not been a Primordial I probably would have been lightly intimidated by the almost grandiose and echoing metallic voice.
"It seems I have been seen through... Currently our Primarch is enroute for this Solar System, specifically this planet. Wait here with us until he appears."
My eyes narrowed at the continuing attitude of the Chaplain but I deflected it off of my mind as I considered this a win. If I could speak with Guilliman there could be a peace of some sort reached. I had AI on my vessels, but, if i could cloak them in hard light technology and play them off as uploaded minds then It would be much more copacetic.
"Very well. We shall wait."
Thus began the wait. It was annoying and painful but we just stayed in space, unable to assist the planet in any meaningful way due to the imminent appearance of Guilliman. The link cut off and I looked to Justiciara, her red hair and golden eyes moving slightly as she activated our dark matter shielding.
"I still think you should not let them sit there like that mistress..."
"I understand Justiciara, but sometimes a little trust goes a long way. Plus, it is not like the explosion would penetrate our shielding or anti-warp technology with any certainty."
"Mistress trusts our technology too much." With a sigh I just settled back in my chair, watching the empty space for any tell-tale signs of Guilliman showing up. It sucked to wait but sometimes it was necessary.
...
Meanwhile, on the planet of Redna.
"Sisters! Target the Carnifex's limbs! We have to bring it down so that we may burrow our swords into its fowl flesh!" An explosion rocked their surroundings as stray las fire flooded into the surroundings, Tyranid and Hybrid dying perilously every second amongst a swamp of human bodies and blood. Rubble that was once buildings was cracked and ground further as boots and flesh buried them or crushed them. Cordite and electrical discharges filled the battlefield as Heavy Stubbers and tanks fired their weaponry against hardened carapace.
The Sister Superior knelt in a bomb crater as the mud sludged and stuck to her holy armour. Around her the bodies of Guardsmen could be seen, limbs chomped off or guts freed from the packaging called a body. It was a hellscape, one all too familiar to the Sister Superior. Having battled in three campaigns within her life she had a keen understanding of risk and reward, now most of the time this was ignored due to other objective goals or points that needed to be taken into consideration, but still, she was skilled in it. With this situation she knew she could not hold out this Defense point for much longer, her limbs were already damaged and wounded, her armour barely seeing any repair or rest as its power supply and many other aspects had become cut or malformed with various feats she has had to make.
It wasn't looking good. Everything was fire and brimstone, and when it wasn't, It was a wet landscape of even deadlier and futile combat. Thousands had died in this battle, this singular battle throughout the day, and she knew that another hundred thousand would most likely be needed to stymie the flow of Xenos. Thunder hawk gunships flew across the sky, their las cannons and bolter weaponry sundering various points along the city's upper levels and spires. They had seen these Gunships from one of the numerous spire towers several days ago, the entire spire adjacent to them at the time bursting in holy fire. Now these Gunships had become a common occurrence as word of Astartes help came to them in dribs and drabs from Guardsmen saved from the clutches of the Xenos.
A stray glob of acid hit the Sister Superior's power armour as the sizzling of metal created a small crispy undertone to the fight. She screamed in pain as the metal was quickly eaten through and the residual acid fell onto her skin, the pain becoming as white hot as a poker being stuck into skin. Her battle sister rushed to her side, grasping the banner and firing towards the stray Tyranid that had wounded the Sister Superior so.
"Sister!" Another battle sister came up to her side, this time a Hospitaller who quickly took out some medications and immediately administered them, the pain killers and battle stimulants kicking in within seconds. The wound was gnarly and ghastly but so was the existence of the Xenos, the Sister Superior stood with all of her willpower and began to fire her bolter off into the faces and limbs of surrounding Tyranids, their numbers becoming too concentrated. Within moments the sound of a nearby explosion made ears ring as a Sister of Battle detonated a grenade on top of herself, preferring the death of holy fire to being eaten alive.
The Sister Superior flinched at the sound and the sight as her bolter continued to fire off. Another glob of acid flung towards them, hitting a guardsmen instead as he jumped in front of one of the sisters, his face showing happiness as he saved one of the Emperor's greater servants. Feeling an extreme distaste for the order she was about to give the Sister Superior ripped the standard from her Sister and raised it high.
"Sist-" before she could finish one of the Thunder Hawk gunships flew over head, hovering for a few moments as large blue object dropped from the back, the gunship taking off seconds later as the object slammed into the ground. Craters formed around these 'objects' as seconds later the roaring snarl of Bolter rounds tore through the bodies of Termagants and Hormagaunts.
A squad of four Primaris Ultramarines quickly engaged the remaining Tyranid forces as their bolters splayed and fractured their bodies. Crisp sounds of burning followed as one of the Primaris Marines took out a flamer, unleashing wildly into the unending tide. The Sisters, finding themselves with sufficient aid, soon joined the fray. Those that could use their Bolters did so, those that were left with grenades used them and ultimately those that only had a knife jumped into glorious melee.
"FOR THE EMPEROR!"
...
Emelia sat in her chair awaiting the arrival of Papa Smurf as she watched some episodes of Reincarnated as a Slime, the cute little thing making her smile in the face of the horrors of 40k.
'Hehe, I should take my children some time...'
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