"This is Count Marna of House Lingguang, accompanied by Lady Margaret and Lord Sophia. They bring three Knights and ten Armigers to join our operation," Alex introduced Marna to the group.
The others nodded in welcome.
Marna bowed, displaying impeccable noble etiquette, as did Margaret and Sophia behind him. For Imperial Knights, decorum was ingrained, inviolable.
Seeing an Astartes, Mechanicus Sages, Battle Sisters, and himself—representing the Inquisition and Knights—Marna noted the Imperium's mightiest factions were assembled.
With all present, Alex cleared his throat and began. "We face an unknown xenos ruin, home to the Necrons, a civilization dominant sixty million years ago." He gestured at a holographic map, displaying a vague, mountain-buried structure due to incomplete data. "This is the rough scale of the ruin, scanned via augur arrays. We're fortunate—it's small, within our capacity to handle."
Sword-class frigates' augurs were too weak for detailed scans, hindered by the tomb's depth and mountain cover. Donia's forge ship, with stronger arrays, provided this rough outline.
"It looks small, unlikely to house many enemies, yet you've gathered such elite forces. It's not as simple as it seems, is it?" Marna asked, eyeing the map.
"Correct," Alex nodded, projecting more Necron data. "Their advanced tech includes gauss weapons that shred Astartes power armor. Mortals facing them are doomed, so avoid getting hit. Their phase blades, studied by the Inquisition, bypass armor, cutting through dimensions. But these aren't the worst. Your loyalty and faith will overcome them. The real threat is their trans-galactic teleportation. If we wake the tomb, they could summon reinforcements from anywhere. We must destroy their portal immediately."
"That portal's worth any cost to the Imperium!" Donia interjected, eyes gleaming.
Alex didn't disagree. "Acquiring its tech would be ideal, but safety first—we destroy it. Their portal could link anywhere. Regular Necron reinforcements? We can handle them. Elite forces? We'd need orbital bombardment, as stopping them otherwise would be tough."
He wasn't joking. Ovilia's forge ship was in synchronous orbit, ready to bombard.
No one objected.
"Now, deployment," Alex continued. "The Mechanicus Skitarii and some Holy Rose Battle Sisters will lead the tomb exploration. Defense forces and Lingguang Knights will hold a perimeter outside. If enemies break through, hold them until the forge ship bombards. Some Skitarii and Obsidian Chalice Battle Sisters will support you."
"Sounds solid. House Lingguang will uphold its duty," Marna said, accepting the plan. Knights were ill-suited for tight underground combat, and staying outside minimized losses.
General Gregory spoke up. "Governor, why not excavate the mountain and destroy the ruin outright?"
All eyes turned to him, making the defense force officer uneasy. Outranked by everyone, he wondered if he'd misspoken.
Gutrez answered, "Digging would wake the tomb prematurely, counter to our goal."
"And the xenos tech inside is a treasure worth recovering," Donia added, voicing the Mechanicus stance.
Gregory, realizing his error, stepped back silently.
"No further objections? Then the operation begins!" Alex declared.
(End of Chapter)
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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