"Well done!"
As Adam stared impassively at the scattered wreckage, Qin Mo's image appeared before him.
Qin Mo's face radiated joy, and his approving gaze was unmistakable.
A brief smile flickered across Adam's face, but he responded calmly, "I am unworthy of your praise. I allowed the situation to slip from my control earlier, letting the enemy fleet reach our cruiser and attempt a ramming assault."
"That's completely normal," Qin Mo said, his admiration for Adam evident. "This was your first time commanding in live combat. Even I've never been in a battle between warships. Your poise and composure were more than commendable. The enemy commander was clearly an old hand, experienced enough to use a ramming tactic. It's only natural that he has more experience than you. You just need time to learn and grow."
Qin Mo's words were not mere consolation; he truly believed Adam had performed admirably. Originally, he had expected these barely-trained crew members to simply avoid destroying their own ship. But the results far exceeded his expectations, and it was hard not to be pleased.
"Thank you for your kindness," Adam said with a nod of gratitude.
"Maintain your calm and humility, and proceed with the orbital bombardment," Qin Mo instructed. Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Our warships remain nameless. I had planned to come up with something myself, but due to your and the other two captains' outstanding performance, I've decided to bestow the naming rights upon you."
Adam was taken aback by the sudden honor. "Please allow us some time to consider," he said, slightly surprised.
"There's no rush," Qin Mo replied, nodding before cutting the communication.
Adam stared at the now-empty space before him, his lips twitching as he struggled to suppress a smile.
As a devotee of the Servitors' creed, Adam knew he should not allow himself to smile or show other emotions, but at this moment, he found it impossible to contain his joy. This had been the most significant day of his life.
Not only had he succeeded in annihilating the enemy's three warships and completed his mission flawlessly, but most importantly, he had received personal praise from the God.
"Ahem," Adam cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. In a calm voice, he ordered, "Continue with the orbital bombardment."
...
The war was now all but decided. The remaining skirmishes were mere mopping-up operations for the victors.
Warships rained destruction upon large cities from orbit, while ground forces advanced on the smaller settlements scattered across the planet.
The newly formed 44th Regiment, consisting mostly of fresh recruits except for Grot, still clung to the belief that their unit number would bring them luck—after all, Qin Mo himself had once served in the 44th Regiment.
The regiment was currently assaulting a city nestled in a valley along the planet's equator. Its fortress-like walls and terrain made it a particularly challenging target.
The 44th had already launched an assault on one of the city's weaker defensive points but had been forced to retreat.
Grot, the only combat veteran in the regiment, volunteered to slip near the city alone, carrying only a communicator. His plan was to call upon an old friend in the Imperial Guard to assist by providing fire support on the city's walls.
Though Grot held the unofficial status of a commander within the 44th Regiment, the actual commander readily agreed to his proposal.
Grot moved swiftly, donning powered armor as he maneuvered between rocks and eventually took cover behind a boulder, from which he could clearly see the city walls. But instead of calling for support, Grot stepped out from behind his cover.
The city's defenders spotted him instantly, and all manner of heavy weaponry locked onto him.
"Let me die in battle," Grot muttered, closing his eyes.
But no attacks struck him. Puzzled, he opened his eyes to find an Imperial Guard standing before him.
The Guard was laying down suppressive fire on the city walls, his shoulder cannons shifting forms to unleash a relentless barrage of energy balls and beams. It was as if an entire artillery battalion had opened fire, decimating the enemy and blasting a breach in the wall.
The Guard, deactivating his gravity shield, grabbed Grot by the hair and hurled him back behind the boulder, taking cover alongside him.
"Are you out of your mind?" The Guard removed his helmet, revealing himself as Grey. "If I hadn't been nearby on a mission and decided to check on you, would you have just thrown your life away?"
Grot recognized his savior at once.
"You have no idea what I've been through," Grot muttered.
"I know you were discharged. You think I wouldn't know?" Grey shoved him roughly.
"No, it's not that," Grot began, wanting to explain that Adam, a member of the Servitors' cult, had tried to help him but found him beyond salvation.
Grey had no knowledge of this, or he would have long reported it to Qin Mo.
"Talk about it after the battle," Grey said, donning his helmet again as he prepared to continue the assault on the city.
But instead of repairing the walls or suppressing the approaching forces, the enemy troops on the city's battlements were suddenly firing inward, into the city itself.
Moments later, a golden knight mech appeared behind the wall, its right arm equipped with a massive chainsaw that sliced through the wall, turning the defenders into a bloody pulp.
A second knight mech soon followed, crashing through the city walls in a thunderous charge.
Grey didn't know much about knights, but he recalled seeing one during a Hive battle, where it had fought for the opposing side. He wouldn't jump to conclusions now, though—these knights seemed to be fighting against the forces of Tyran II.
"By the Emperor, it's a knight!" the commander of the 44th Regiment shouted from his command tank as it rumbled past Grot and Grey, coming to a halt. The commander poked his head out of the turret and waved toward them.
Seeing the knights taking control of the walls, the 44th surged forward, their infantry rushing past the tanks toward the city.
The two knights took note of the 44th Regiment but did not engage. Instead, they turned their attention to clearing out the remaining walls.
Some time later, an off-road vehicle emerged from the city. A man with pointed ears stood on the roof, scanning the surroundings. Upon spotting Grey, he banged on the vehicle's windows, signaling for it to stop.
The vehicle rolled to a halt, and a middle-aged man in a tattered uniform, along with the sharp-eared figure, disembarked.
Grey wasn't sure what the pointed-eared man was—perhaps a human subspecies or some kind of xenos—but he didn't seem hostile.
"No time for explanations. Take me to your commander immediately!" the sharp-eared man demanded.
Grey briefly considered strangling him, but decided to report the situation first.
In the end, Grey received orders from Qin Mo: the Eldar xenos was to wait for a transport ship to arrive.