nycdaug Chapter 688 The Last Fist of the Empire
Chapter 688 The Last Fist of the Empire
Chapter 688 The Last Imperial Fist
Nestram Galaxy, Mandeville Point.
"If you ask me, there is nothing to blame for your failure at Adamantua, Captain Kurland."
Sage Laurentis used a mechanical claw to grab a regicide chess piece, crossed it across the chessboard, and placed it on the new position. The chess piece made a heavy clicking sound when it touched the chessboard:
"No one can accurately predict the Orks' next step in technology and strategy, they just are what they are."
Kurland lowered his head and remained silent.
Silently studying the situation on the chessboard.
Two weeks ago, Kurland and his teammates stood on the surface and watched the Imperial Fists fleet's warships fall into the atmosphere one after another from orbit. Then their ground forces were forgotten, and the enemies in space didn't seem to want to pay attention to them. It wasn't until a week later that they were discovered by another Mechanicus research ship that happened to pass by here, and the Space Marines who had run out of ammunition and food and the exhausted Tech-Priest were rescued from the encirclement of a large number of chrome beasts.
As for Kurland's other teammates, the tactical team he led and the Imperial Guard soldiers, they had all lost contact or died on the spot in the vast ocean of chrome beasts. He was the last surviving Space Marine on the surface.
It took the expedition ship fourteen days to reach Nestram, and they were now waiting for another Imperial Navy ship to join them. That frigate should arrive soon and transport Kurland to Terra.
During this voyage, Sage Laurentius had come to this room forty-eight times to play regicide chess with Kurland, and Kurland lost every game. Laurentius had also offered to disable his secondary processor and auxiliary calculator in the next game, but Kurland did not want to accept such a favor: winning against an opponent who did not try his best to win was not a victory at all.
The company commander snorted and made another move.
"This battle can be brought to a conclusion."
Sage Laurentius spoke.
His claws hovered over the chessboard, his mechanical fingers opening and closing with a clicking sound as he considered his next move.
"Based on our own experience, we can infer this, but combined with the observation data of the Mechanicus ships present, this is irrefutable evidence - the Orks' technological accumulation and social expansion have reached a new stage."
Sage Laurentius expressed his opinion.
"Orks have always had access to unstable but destructive technology, energy beams and force field projections. How is Battle Moon any different? Perhaps one of their scavengers stumbled upon a gravity-busting device."
Kurland questioned as he picked up the chess piece.
"If we were to encounter one or two of these orks, I would agree with that view. But the widespread use of technology and the premeditated deployment of battle moons would require a higher level of interaction, even if it is not completely efficient and coordinated."
Sage Laurentius said calmly.
"Smart orc?"
Kurland asked, tilting his head.
"Orcs are always clever, Captain."
Sage Laurentius immediately retorted.
His tone was extremely serious and earnest:
"They are not only intelligent, but they are also numerous and determined. In retrospect, the leaders of our respective organizations have failed to consider this fact in recent centuries."
"The Orcs were defeated by the Emperor at Ullanor."
Kurland held the chess piece and said hesitantly:
"There have been only sporadic skirmishes over the past thousand years."
"So this goes back to my original statement - no one could have predicted that the Ork threat would return with such force and in such a powerful way. From the records I have reviewed, the historical data on the development of the Orks is very scattered. However, I have discovered an underlying trend, not a law, but a phenomenon: Ork activity is explosive. They burst out, expand rapidly, show unprecedented technological advances, and then quickly fade away after being defeated. At the peak of their power, their innovation, culture, and wisdom also reached a peak."
Sage Laurentius said seriously.
“They move with the flow.”
Kurland gently pushed the chessboard away.
He knew he had lost again.
"According to you, every conquest, every expansion, will promote...their bestiality?"
Kurland raised his head and asked.
"That's right. Aggression is to feed back and prepare for the next aggression. Their development is measured by the peak they leap to, and then they may enter a period of decline due to failure, waiting for the next leap to come."
Sage Laurentius replied.
"Battle Moon is such a leap?"
Kurland then asked.
"The Battle Moon is just a technological leap. Our colleagues in the Astropathic Ordos tell us that there is also a leap in psychic power. They hear the roar and roar of beasts in the warp. That creature is the core of this latest round of expansion. It is the embodiment of the psychic potential of the Orks, the likes of which have never been seen before."
Sage Laurentius added.
“The two things have to be connected.”
Kurland stood up and said:
"No matter how things change, the essence remains the same. The best way to deal with orcs is always to decapitate them. If we can destroy the beasts, the peak they have reached will also collapse."
Kurland walked towards the door.
Laurentius stood before the Space Marines.
"My sensor detected that your heart rate is increasing, your skin temperature is rising, and the activity of your sweat glands and blood vessels is also increasing. Generally speaking, this is due to the adrenaline rush before you perform some action, Captain."
"I just thought of something I must do."
Kurland waved his hand and walked to the right.
But Laurentius moved sideways again to intercept him.
"Get out of the way, or I'll force you to."
Kurland frowned and stared at the biological sage and said in a deep voice.
"Permit me to say a few words, Captain."
Sage Laurentius's demeanor and tone were calm.
"You said."
"The only plausible explanation for your sudden action is that you have decided to act on the conclusions we recently discussed. Reconsidering what you said, I can also logically assume that this theoretical course of action is related to your conclusion that destroying the beasts may prevent the orcs' attack."
"What's the problem?"
"The data we have on the Orks' psychic fluctuations and technological development is incomplete, Captain. Biological and sociological developments are also very likely."
"What do you mean? Just speak your mind, sage."
"What I mean is that the beast, whatever it is, is most likely a different kind of orc than any we've ever encountered. The heightened psychic activity means it may be undergoing parameter changes we've never seen before."
Sage Laurentius' words were euphemistic, unique to the Mechanicus, and most people could not hear it.
But Kurland had worked with him for a long time, and he understood what the technical priest wanted to express.
"You think wild beasts are unkillable?"
There was some dissatisfaction in Kurland's tone.
"I believe it can be destroyed, however, I am not sure if the operation you are about to conduct will accomplish this feat."
Sage Laurentius looked at him calmly.
Kurland took a step back, staggering as if he had been hit by a bullet. Sage Laurentis's euphemistic and cold words hit him harder than a bomb, and suddenly made him realize that the Imperial Fists no longer existed. Kurland held onto the bulkhead with one hand, barely stabilizing his body, and an unprecedented sense of emptiness enveloped him tightly.
He is the last Imperial Fist in the universe.
"Sorry, Captain, no offense intended."
"No offense..."
Kurland murmured with his head down.
After a moment he slowly stood up:
"Your deduction is correct, Sage. I cannot kill the beast by myself, and I do not have any more Imperial Fist brothers to command in such an operation."
"Do you have a backup plan?"
"I have!"
Kurland raised his head sharply and walked forward.
Forcing the Tech-Priest to quickly step back and get out of the way.
"I need to speak to an Astropath."
Kurland said as he walked.
"If you allow me, I can help you facilitate this meeting, Captain Kurland."
Sage Laurentius said behind him.
"Why do you want to help me?"
Kurland turned around and looked at the sage and asked.
"For the good of all non-Orks, the beasts must be stopped. I know you have always considered my fellow officers and me to be lacking in humanity, Captain, but we do occasionally consider the common good of humanity. The Adeptus Mechanicus, like the Imperium of Man, cannot survive the present threat alone. If you have a plan to combat the Ork menace, I would be happy to assist."
"Very good, lead the way!"
Kurland waved toward the door.
The two walked all the way to the stern, and on the way to the top deck of the spacecraft, they only encountered one servitor - the ships of the Mechanicus were like this, with a small crew and a very high degree of automation. Two armed servitors were stationed in the archway leading to the Astropath Choir Room. These bulky and twisted creatures were even taller than Kurland, with saw blades and gun barrels on their arms.
At the command of Sage Laurentis, the two armed servitors retreated to the side, and Kurland breathed a sigh of relief. The Imperial Fist Captain was sure that he could defeat these servitors, but it was better to avoid any conflict with the Mechanicus, after all, this was someone else's ship. They had the ability to make him unconscious or unable to move, and he didn't want to be imprisoned for this.
Following Laurentis, Kurland entered the waiting room of the Astronomical Chamber. A bell rang, reminding the guests of their arrival. In the middle of the hall stood a black stone sculpture of the Emperor as a messenger, with one hand outstretched, holding a star in the palm, and wings on his back. The two stood and waited, and after a moment the side door opened, and a young man in a robe walked out.
The Astropath's empty, dry eyes stared at the two visitors in front of him, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Captain Kurland, I didn't expect to have this honor."
"I have a message to deliver."
Kurland cut short his pleasantries by getting straight to the point.
"Well, I'm not sure..."
The Astropath turned to Laurentius with a confused expression.
"That is, whether the authorization is..."
"Authorization passed."
Before he finished speaking, Laurentius spoke directly:
"Please follow all instructions from Captain Kurland."
"As you said, sage."
The Astropath looked back at Kurland:
"What's the news, Captain?"
"Full broadcast."
Kurland said without hesitation.
"It's a bit tricky. All the Orks in the warp are roaring, and the screams of the dead souls are also..."
The Astropath fell silent as he spoke.
Because Kurland frowned.
"Of course, of course, I will do my best. We have a relay station that can amplify the signal. I just think you should know that since our current location is close to the orcs' psychic energy gathering center, astropathic communication has become more unstable."
The Startalker quickly tried to find a way out.
"Is the beast nearby?"
Kurland asked in a deep voice with cold eyes.
"Not the beast itself."
The Astropath looked a little embarrassed.
He rubbed the tassels on his robe with his fingers.
"All kinds of strange signals echoed in the warp. After the beast arrived, its roar was the loudest, but it was not the only one. Or, it was an echo from somewhere else. Or, the beast's roar was echoing all the other roars. It's complicated, and we don't quite understand the principles... In short, the roar is very bad."
"Can you send a signal, yes or no?"
Kurland asked somewhat unhappily.
"Yes, I can."
The Astropath nodded firmly.
"But the message to be delivered is complex, and any slight error could result in it being lost. The psychic echoes of the orks' bursts in the Warp mean that we must focus on a single, intense pulse of psychic energy."
At the same time, he did not forget to remind.
"This message will be very brief, just three words. I want you to send it as far as you can, as fast as you can. Every relay station, every planet that hears it must reprint it. I need this signal to get through the Ork noise, from one end of the Solar Segmentum to the other. Is this possible? Can you do it?"
Kurland stared at the Astropath.
The Astropath said as he pondered:
"I can add a bounce tone to the transmission, so that it can be spread further and wider. Just three words? No sound? No picture? No codeword?"
"Just three words, the louder the better."
Kurland shook his head and then emphasized again.
"As you wish."
The Astropath shrugged and said easily:
"If that's the case, the signal should have no trouble penetrating the greenskin noise. What do you want to say?"
Kurland took a deep breath.
He pondered the consequences of his actions in his mind.
With just three words, the secret plan that the great Rogal Dorn had devised thousands of years ago could be put into action. Technically, what Koorland was about to do was treason - a serious violation of the oath that Robouti Guilliman had made when he reformed after the Heresy. But Koorland didn't care. This was a time of crisis, the Imperial Fists were dead, and his honor was gone.
In this degenerate age.
Depraved action must be taken.
Kurland stared at the Astropath.
Slowly uttering those three words:
“The Last Wall.”
……
Kurland didn't know that at this moment, he still thought that he was the first Space Marine in the Human Empire to issue a call for the assembly of the legion - such a rebellious act, no one would follow suit. Little did he know that there was another legion that had already initiated the assembly several months ago, and after completing the reorganization of the legion, it was marching towards the Solar Star Region and Holy Terra.
Kurland didn't know that at this moment he still thought that he was the first person in the human empire to be attacked by the battle moon. He thought that he was the first person in the human empire to come into contact with and realize the threat of the beast. He had the sacred mission and great responsibility to warn the top leaders of the empire and defend Terra. The sense of mission and urgency forced him to have no time to think more.
However, he had not thought about one question - why, after the Imperial Fists fleet was destroyed in the orbit of Adamantua, a Mechanicus research vessel happened to pass by there and picked him and Sage Laurentis away?
…………