In the low orbit of Aiel, two colossal orbital shipyards floated in the void near the starport. Within their open-air drydocks, a gargantuan vessel was under construction.
Alexei stood in the observation room of the orbital shipyard, watching the automated assembly of the giant ships. This was already the second batch of Battlecruisers being built.
It had been a year since the end of the wars on Aiel. Six months ago, he had used these orbital facilities to produce his first two naval vessels—Minotaur-class Battlecruisers.
Although they were classified as Battlecruisers, their total length was only 600 meters. They were slightly smaller than an Imperial Escort and looked like children standing at the feet of giants when compared to Imperial Cruisers and Battleships, which often stretched for several or even dozens of kilometers.
However, their smaller size had its advantages; they could directly enter a planet's atmosphere for combat operations.
Furthermore, these Battlecruisers were equipped with Yamato Cannons, Defensive Matrixes, various laser battery arrays, missile pods, and, most importantly, warp drives. For now, this was more than enough.
The Yamato Cannon used highly concentrated magnetic fields to contain the energy of a nuclear fusion explosion, focusing it into a massive beam of energy to blast enemy ships. Its power was nothing to be scoffed at.
The only downside was the complexity of the charging process, requiring nearly a hundred specialized crew members and a significant amount of time.
After the first ships were completed six months ago, Alexei immediately had Colton recruit personnel to form a naval crew for preliminary training. After half a year of drills, they had basically mastered the ship's systems. Unlike the Imperium, they didn't need thousands of serfs to manually haul shells, and they were currently conducting combat exercises within the star system.
Now, nearing completion before Alexei's eyes, was the Gorgon-class Battlecruiser—larger and more powerful than the Minotaur-class.
Stretching 1,200 meters, it was roughly the size of an Imperial Frigate. While slightly more sluggish in combat than the Minotaur, its defense and firepower were maximized in every category.
It boasted 25 ATX ground/air laser battery arrays, 16 J23 anti-ship missile launchers, 145 point-defense arrays, and a Yamato Cannon with a much larger caliber than the Minotaur's, along with a thicker Defensive Matrix.
With the current construction pace, these two new warships were almost ready. The newly formed ground-based naval trainees had finished their theoretical studies and rotational practical training on the Minotaur-class; they were just waiting for these two new cruisers to roll off the line to officially begin their service.
Looking at the thriving Aiel Navy, the corners of Alexei's mouth curled up slightly. "In another six months, I should be able to build two more Minotaur-class Battlecruisers."
There were about six months left until 992.M41. He should make it in time. With six Battlecruisers under his command, he would at least have enough strength to go and take a look.
Alexei's gaze drifted toward a specific direction in the void. There lay a Tyranid main force far more terrifying than the small splinter fleet he had faced before: Hive Fleet Kraken. Their shadow was enough to blot out thousands of light-years, and they had already consumed countless worlds.
His six ships obviously couldn't confront the main body of Hive Fleet Kraken—that would be left to the main force of the Ultramarines. Alexei intended to head toward a location where one of the Hive Fleet's tendrils would pass.
On their path lay an agri-world called Sotha, the home world of the "Scythes of the Emperor," an Ultramarines successor chapter.
The Scythes were originally the 199th Company, ordered by Guilliman to guard the Pharos—a mysterious ancient beacon. After the Legions were broken into Chapters, Captain Oberde founded the Scythes of the Emperor.
Ironically, it was the activation of the Pharos ten thousand years ago that had attracted the Tyranid swarms wandering outside the galaxy. Now, after a long ten-millennium journey, the Tyranids were heading straight for the origin of it all.
In early 992.M41, the Scythes of the Emperor would face a tendril of Hive Fleet Kraken. Despite the Space Marines' desperate struggle, they would be forced to abandon their home world two years later.
Later, on a death world, the Chapter Master would fall in battle, and only about 200 warriors would manage to break out. In the end, the original "Old Scythes" would all perish, and their gene-seed would be corrupted, leaving only a new generation of Primaris marines to take up the mantle.
Alexei, naturally, would not let this tragedy repeat. He had already obtained the precise spatial coordinates of Sotha. He would lead his fleet to jump directly into the Sotha system.
Although the straight-line distance between Aiel and Sotha spanned half the galaxy—roughly 60,000 light-years—it was a journey that could be completed quickly thanks to the terrifying jump speeds of the Battlecruisers' second-generation warp drives.
The most critical factor was stability. By not traveling through the Warp, they wouldn't encounter any of the chaotic demons or warp entities. This was far more reliable than Imperial warp engines.
This gave Alexei the confidence to cross such a vast distance to help the Scythes of the Emperor defend against the Tyranids. Even if they couldn't hold the line, he could use his fleet to evacuate them instantly.
In his view, the sons of Guilliman were at least somewhat rational. Considering he would be saving their lives, if they accompanied him to Macragge to meet Guilliman, they would surely speak well of him.
As long as he gained the trust of the Lord Regent, he wouldn't have to worry about attacks from the Imperium in the Imperium Nihilus. He could even legitimately conquer "rebel" planets to expand his own territory.
He might even be able to establish a new Second... Cough, thinking too far ahead. Alexei pulled his thoughts back to how he would support the Scythes.
Six Battlecruisers could carry nearly 20,000 fully armed ground troops, nearly a thousand combat vehicles, and air-to-ground strike craft. Such reinforcements would be a godsend for the Scythes of the Emperor when they were besieged by the Tyranids.
Of course, Alexei didn't plan to engage the Tyranid fleet directly in space. He intended to enter the planet's atmosphere and drop his troops directly onto Sotha's surface, then have the fleet break out of the atmosphere and initiate a warp jump before the Tyranids could react.
The warp principle of the Battlecruisers was similar to spatial jumping—positioning the target, entering a sub-spatial corridor, and exiting back into real space after the predetermined distance.
While a precise jump to a specific location required exact coordinates and several hours of charging, every Battlecruiser was also equipped with a short-range tactical jump drive, allowing the fleet to retreat instantly in the heat of battle.
A tactical jump didn't cover much distance, but it could place the fleet in a safe position to regroup before heading home.
In other words, he could transport reinforcements back and forth, returning to the shipyard for refueling in between. He could even fire a Yamato Cannon at the bugs before jumping away—they could never catch him.
In a defensive war spanning two years, this meant his support would be far more than just a single wave of soldiers. As long as his fleet remained intact, he could provide a continuous stream of reinforcements.
"Very good..." Alexei nodded after his contemplation and turned to leave. Now that the space fleet was taking shape, it was time to prepare the ground strike forces.