"You're confused, aren't you?"
"Of course you're confused."
"At this stage, most people can't make sense of the truth, because there are too many real-world constraints: whether it's the limitation of vision, the fragmentation of important information, or even the protracted, utterly boring tug-of-war on Sabis IV, all of it blurs our thinking, disperses our energy, and makes us irritable and restless."
"Now, let's simplify everything."
"Before you accept certain necessary minor steps, as a reward for bravely fighting as an ally, you naturally deserve to know: what happened before this, and what will happen after this."
"Actually, to lay it all out, what happened in the Sabis system is very simple."
"A bait, a feint, a trap."
"It's that simple."
"In fact, you'll find that all the clues and details, and the necessary steps, you actually knew a long time ago. It's just that, amidst the endless procrastination and battles of reality, they were forgotten, because they seemed so trivial, so insignificant."
"And now, let us tell you, one by one, in detail."
The relic warship, [Tears of Reason], traversed countless disabled void war engines. It was like a graceful steel swan, flying elegantly through the storm of dead silence.
This peculiar warship did not belong to any classification of the Human Imperial Navy. Even the most seasoned captains and admirals could not identify such a vessel, which completely defied the shipbuilding principles of the Human Empire.
But this did not detract from its power and lethality. Perhaps its name would never appear in the poems recording great victories, and perhaps its silhouette would never appear on archived,
sealed documents, but all this could not erase its power and sharpness on the battlefield: just like its owner, the First Legion, it was born only for the most brutal victory and the most absolute destruction.
This steel behemoth recklessly traversed the Ran Dan warship cluster, swaggering past their creations, which were tens of kilometers long. This extreme provocation drew the most frantic retaliation: almost every second,
thousands of warship muzzles were aimed at this arrogant challenger, firing countless flames and shells, interspersed with numerous electromagnetic rays and energy beams, like an entire downpour unleashed into a pond. The [Tears of Reason]'s energy shield rippled uncontrollably at every moment.
But until the Dark Angels' warship swaggered through one Ran Dan defense line after another, and until even the most powerful Ran Dan capital ships were firing their cannons until they smoked,
the [Tears of Reason]'s thin void shield remained completely intact. Under the watchful eyes of hundreds of thousands of Ran Dan soldiers, it continuously shielded the five hundred-plus Dark Angels in its hold, crashing straight into the disabled battle moon.
"Do you still remember who discovered the anomaly and treasure in the Sabis system?"
"Yes, a Mechanicus priest from the Shana manufacturing world and his servants. They discovered the huge Mandeville Point in the Sabis system, large enough for the Ran Dan battle moon to pass through.
But after he returned to Shana, he quickly died in battle. His colleagues spent a lot of time fighting over his inheritance, causing the Imperium to only learn about the vast treasures hidden in the Sabis system much later..."
"This is what you know."
"But in reality... this is a lie, a false curtain we created to conceal the truth."
"The [Lion] actually knew all of this a long time ago. From the moment that Mechanicus priest from Shana returned to the Forge World, he knew. But that foolish mechanical octopus refused to hand over more data. This wasn't too surprising, after all, Shana had only just submitted to the Imperium, and it was full of rebellious elements."
"Since he was unwilling to offer loyalty, we had no choice but to let loyalty go to him."
"After his death in battle, as expected, his Mechanicus colleagues eagerly began to scramble for his inheritance and documents, and this major upheaval also attracted the Ran Dan spies embedded in Shana's Forge World."
"As for the so-called inheritance dispute, these were indeed the ugly machinations of the Mechanicus. We merely used this farce as a cover to make the spies controlled by the Ran Dan xenomorphs believe the information we released."
"Through the spies' fervent assurances, and other minor tricks, we successfully made the Ran Dan xenomorphs aware of the existence of a Mandeville Point in the Sabis system, capable of accommodating the battle moon,
and an ancient stargate directly leading to Shana. And from the Ran Dan's perspective, we were unaware of all this—at least during the months when the Mechanicus were fighting over the inheritance, we [didn't know]."
"Thus, naturally, among the Ran Dan xenomorph commanders, there would be a few unconventional, audacious individuals eager to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and pull off a grand heist. And since it was such a high-stakes gamble, they naturally wouldn't come with small stakes."
"So you see, a true hunter never worries if the prey will appear. Even if they truly hide, using bait and deception to draw them out is a hunter's most fundamental skill."
[Prepare for impact.]
A stern voice echoed in every crew member's ear.
The colossal figure of the Ran Dan battle moon finally appeared completely before their eyes. It was a genuine metal planet, roughly two sizes larger than Luna, and like other Ran Dan warships, it was covered in gigantic spikes and flails, clearly visible even in the void, like a cage in space.
This blasphemous weapon, unmatched by any void engine, was hidden within layers of defensive firepower, composed of massive starforts and automated gun turrets. Not to mention, it itself possessed anti-air firepower comparable to an entire expeditionary fleet. Hundreds of Ran Dan [Overlords], tens of thousands of Ran Dan warriors, and millions of flesh-and-blood monsters were also stationed on it.
But none of this could hinder the progress of their mission, or rather, no one in the galaxy could stop the Dark Angels.
Over five hundred veterans of the First Legion, who had traveled all the way from Terra, stood quietly in their positions. Most of them held swords or firearms that did not [exist] in the Imperial Army,
and their breastplates and shoulder guards were covered with so many honor badges and heraldry that there was barely any room left. Their helmets were mostly placed aside, and their solemn faces showed no sadness, joy, or even any emotion. Only the constantly flowing beads of sweat were the sole moving objects.
Some stared straight ahead, some closed their eyes, and others simply wiped their swords over and over again until every detail was reflected.
And in this dark solemnity, a few silver glints from the Second Legion were somewhat dazzling.
Their reactions were varied.
Kaelen, as an ancient warrior and Terran, behaved no differently from a regular Dark Angel. But Salius and Aias were visibly more nervous. Their gaze darted across each Dark Angel's hand, yet they searched high and low but couldn't recognize any of the weapons.
Hector's performance was somewhat better. He seemed to be chewing on something, his gaze constantly sweeping over a silver figure in the distance. His throat continuously bobbed, clearly not a normal swallowing motion.
And at the edge of Hector's vision, Morgan watched the approaching battle moon, performing the same action as Hector: swallowing.
Every time she looked at that planet of death, looked at the millions of vibrant, safe souls that could be freely consumed; looked at that vast hall where she could escape the Dark Angels' gaze and eat at will; and the heavily injured, dying, yet incomparably sweet ultimate treasure hidden deep within.
She had to swallow, to suppress the ceaseless saliva in her mouth.
Mmm.
She was hungry.
"Then, the [Lion]'s deployment began."
"During those few Terran standard months when Ran Dan believed we were achieving nothing, the First Legion began its deployment on Sabis IV. We successfully found the device that opened the stargate. At the same time, as a precaution against the Ran Dan [Warmaster], we established some temporary underground fortresses on Sabis IV to store trump cards specifically for those Ran Dan [Warmasters]."
"That psychic warhead was one of them. Its power, compared to other preparations, was actually not too strong."
"As for you, and that [Alpha], and even those of the Second Legion, you are all essentially corresponding means, brought to this galaxy as 'bottle openers' to activate these trump cards. However, after considering the actual situation, we chose that [Alpha]."
"And while these preparations were underway, everything on the surface proceeded normally. We deployed a pure cannon fodder unit to guard this place. Even the logistics department, responsible for distributing supplies, considered this a completely ordinary deployment."
"All of this was to target the spies hidden within the Imperium, controlled by Ran Dan's psyche. All of this was to make Ran Dan's fleet fall into this net."
"For this, we paid a greater price than you can imagine."
"Do you remember Azrael? Oh, you've probably forgotten him by now."
"Azrael, and the others, their deaths were so unremarkable among the ignorant. For instance, in the mouth of that brat Zagariel, they died in an ambush. If I'm not mistaken, that brat and his Caliban Company are now deployed on Sabis IV, clearing the battlefield."
"The true heavy lifting still falls to the Terrans, doesn't it?"
"Speaking of which, whether it was Azrael or all those who died in the encounter with this Ran Dan fleet, their deaths were actually deliberate. Even that 244th patrol fleet, which lost contact, its actual commander was one of ours."
"Their deaths were brief, fragmented, yet priceless. When the Ran Dan believed they had swallowed all witnesses without a fight, Azrael and his team were actually continuously transmitting intelligence and observations from the first moment they discovered these xenomorphs."
"When their blood spilled across the stars, their blood droplets fell onto the map, making Ran Dan's trajectory undeniable. This allowed us to confirm it was a massive prey worth continuing to invest in and wait for, and enabled us to precisely control the number of personnel, both to stall Ran Dan's initial offensive and to prevent them from becoming suspicious."
"This is sacrifice."
"Remember, you brat, every sacrifice is not meaningless. Sacrifice itself is the greatest meaning."
"And none of this, they knew."
"They thought we were unprepared, thought we were weak, thought we were a new medal in their blasphemous conquest."
"They knew nothing."
"And in this ignorance and arrogance, they walked straight into the [Lion]'s trap."
"Gentlemen, I regret to inform you that due to the density of the firepower network of this behemoth before us, any landing operation using drop pods, boarding torpedoes, or Stormbirds would be pure suicide."
"Therefore, we will directly crash into it."
"Repeat, the [Tears of Reason] is about to make a hard landing. Please prepare for impact, and for millions of xenomorph scum!"
"I know you all want to eliminate them, gentlemen, because I want to do the same. But please remember our first priority, do not forget it, otherwise, the [Lion] will be angry, and that is far more terrifying than an entire planet of xenomorphs."
A low chuckle spread through the ship's hold.
"Alright, enough talk. Now you still have time to bid farewell to your battle brothers. Soon, those scum will charge up, and you know, all organizations and formations will become history."
"Now, prepare for impact!"
His voice suddenly deepened.
"Prepare for death."
"When the Ran Dan fleet entered this galaxy, the final hunt had already begun."
"But before that, as you can see, we still spent a day on Sabis IV. This was to allow the xenomorph fleet to completely surge into the central region of this galaxy, especially that battle moon. Although it is incredibly powerful, its slow speed is its only drawback."
"And when we stalled for enough time, which is right now, as you can see, we temporarily shut down the Mandeville Point using one of the Legion's secrets, turning the Sabis system into a flawless net."
"What's next?"
"Of course, we're waiting for the real killing blow."
"You don't think we, with our numbers, can annihilate such a massive force, do you?"
"As for what the killing blow is..."
"You should still remember, or perhaps you've forgotten. At this very moment, on the front lines of Shana, the war between the Imperium and Ran Dan is in a stalemate. Reinforcements from various legions are also arriving successively. This means we can extract enough troops."
"And based on this, do you still remember the plan of these Ran Dan fleets?"
"They plan to warp directly to Shana's vicinity through this Mandeville Point and this stargate, to launch a surprise attack on our main forces."
"So here's the problem."
"Since they can warp to Shana through this stargate, can't our main forces stationed in Shana warp here through this stargate?"
"After all, we are the hunters."
Light.
As the [Tears of Reason] launched its final charge towards the Ran Dan battle moon, light burst forth from a corner of the Sabis system.
Morgan could feel something. She felt that on Sabis IV, certain things were awakening, an ancient slumber that had been interrupted.
A sharp edge slowly sliced through the desert of Sabis IV, cutting into the void's skin. In the blink of an eye, amber light flooded out from within, and simultaneously, fully prepared, flocked battle-squadrons of the Human Imperial Navy emerged.
And among them, the most dazzling, the most magnificent, was an almost purely black, terrifying warship, a merciless reaper in the void, a metal beast ready to roar across the four directions at any moment.
That was a Gloriana-class battleship.
That was the flagship of the First Legion.
That was one of the most magnificent and proud forces of the Imperium.
That was the personal flagship of Lion El'Jonson, the Primarch of the Dark Angels.
[Unbeatable Reason]
It came.
The [Lion], came.
Emmm, it's confirmed, I'll probably be putting it up on shelves around February 1st, so I'm trying to save up drafts these past two days.
This chapter roughly covered the events of the Sabis system. I subtly hinted at various details and premises in previous chapters. You can go back and check; maybe there's a surprise~
But then again, this chapter was originally supposed to be around fifty pages. I did indeed drag out too much time on various side character perspectives, emmm.
Need to improve, need to improve!
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