The Carcharodons.
These six "giants" in duty uniforms were plainly veteran elites from the Carcharodons company.
Leon strode steadily to the briefing table, his gaze passing over the Astartes.
The Carcharodons' eyes were cold and razor-sharp, apex predators honed by gene-forging.
The eldest among them had rank tabs on his collar marked with numerous kill-tallies. He lifted his head slightly, a horrific scar running from brow to chin across his bronze face.
"Agent Kennedy." The Carcharodon's voice was low, like the rumble before an earthquake. "We received the mission brief."
The holo-table lit on cue, projecting a strategic overview of the entire Universe 18 solar system.
Leon noted that the red dots representing the UED fleet had almost doubled, massing from lunar orbit toward Earth.
"The situation is worse than expected." Leon pressed his palm to the auth plate. "The UED has initiated full mobilization."
As he spoke, the projection flipped to the blueprint of a super-battleship—
Over ten kilometers long, with a main gun at the prow capable of destroying a planet.
This was the UED fleet's flagship, Radiance of the Federation, its specs and length nearly a match for the Empire's mainline capital—the Emperor-class battleship.
However, Radiance's firepower only barely compared to a normal Emperor-class. Most crucially, the UED had only this one super-ship.
The Carcharodons' eyes grew even keener.
"Where do they find the nerve to dream of facing our Empire head-on?"
One Carcharodon sounded genuinely incredulous, the first hint of emotion in his voice.
Leon was unruffled. "Which is why the Emperor and the War Goddess sent you to accompany the Investigation Department's operation."
The air in the briefing room seemed to congeal at that.
All six Astartes stood at once, their shadows thrown against the bulkheads with mountain-like weight.
"Veteran squad of the Carcharodons First Battle Platoon is at your command." The elder Carcharodon's voice carried the promise of ruin. "Let the UED see what true warriors are."
Leon knew that when these angels of death descended on Universe 18 Earth and boarded the UED flagship, the war would enter a "new" phase.
Not long after;
In the stealth ship's large equipment bay, the bass hum of servo systems rolled.
The cavernous space was occupied by thirty-six steel "colossi"—
Each one an awe-inspiring "Iron Cavalry" variant of Terminator armor.
Cold white light poured from the overheads, throwing a glacial gleam across the thick, finely wrought plates.
"Backpack output stable. Energy matrix calibration complete."
A tech reported as his augmetic limbs worked deftly around the Terminator suits' joints, checking each servo node's function.
Leon stood at the hatch, the vision enhancer in his nanosuit painting the scene in crisp relief across his retinas.
Each suit weighed several tons, yet in Carcharodon veteran hands could move with startling agility.
He noticed one suit's pauldron etched with a shark ripping into a warship—the Carcharodons veterans' distinctive kill-mark.
"Pressure seal test passed," the technician continued. "Shield generator nominal."
Chris stepped out from behind Leon, his nanosuit already in combat mode, reinforcement plates subtly raised at the joints.
"Looks like they're playing for keeps," Chris murmured, eyes sweeping the giants flexing armored joints.
Mike, tuning his pulse rifle on the far side, looked up at that. "When have the Carcharodons ever played pretend? Last campaign they wiped a whole Tal'darim fortress off the map."
With a synchronized hiss of hydraulics, the thirty-six Carcharodons completed their final checks.
Their movements were perfectly uniform, the product of years of battle-drill. The Terminator servos gave a low animal hum, like a pack of beasts straining at the leash.
The lead veteran stepped forward.
His armor was older than the others, and more dangerous for it.
Claw marks were etched along the helmet's side, each one a death-match against xenos or heretics.
When he raised an armored fist, the bay fell instantly still.
Click—the Terminator helm finished its final seal.
Scarlet lenses flared on the visor, and shark-tooth trim like Captain Tyberos's gleamed cold under the lights. He might not match their captain's near-primarch stature, but his killing aura was undiminished.
"On my word."
His voice came through the armor's vox with metallic resonance. "Two objectives for this operation."
The bay's holo-projectors auto-activated, displaying a 3D model of the UED flagship, Radiance of the Federation.
The ten-kilometer steel behemoth rotated slowly in the projection; the massive prow gun's structure was highlighted.
"Primary objective: seize control of the enemy flagship." The veteran's Terminator gauntlet pointed to the holo. "Secondary objective: capture designated UED Military Committee members alive."
The projection switched to dossiers for three UED officials, each face magnified and tagged.
One white-haired general's chest medals were especially ringed—the auth key for triggering the flagship's self-destruct.
"Remember, we want them alive." The veteran's voice dropped deeper. "The Empire needs them to witness their failure with their own eyes—and to break UED's will with their surrender."
"Operation countdown: thirty minutes."
He spoke on, bringing up the Terminator vambrace tac-interface. "First Squad boards by assault craft and sets teleport beacons for follow-on squads. Second through Fourth Squads, upon beacon confirmation, teleport directly onto the UED flagship and take the prize.
"Fifth and Sixth Squads, teleport straight to the UED headquarters district, seize two target individuals, and show the UED what it means to face Astartes.
"Lastly, the Investigation Department…"
He looked to Leon, Mike, Chris, and the others, and continued:
"While we are taking the UED flagship, you will secure the bridge immediately."
As he spoke, each team's route lit on the holo in streams of different colors.
Leon noted the boarding paths—perfectly skirting most of the flagship's defense nodes. This had been thought through, and thoroughly.
"Final reminder." Reverence crept into the veteran's growl. "This operation bears the dual blessing of the War Goddess and the Emperor. Let us add another stroke to the Human Empire's glory with our enemy's blood."
Thirty-six Terminators raised their melee weapons in unison. On several veterans' heavy shields, blue arcs crackled to life. The bay filled at once with the hum of charging plasma and the snarl of awakening power claws.
"For the Emperor! For the War Goddess!"
The thunder of the warcry made the metal bulkheads quiver.
Leon glanced at his spec-ops troopers.
Mike was sealing his full-face tactical helmet. Chris checked the energy readout on his pulse pistol.
The same battle-fire burned in every eye.
"Check gear," Leon ordered curtly, bringing his nanosuit's stealth module online. "Remember, we're not the main act—but we will not be the drag."
As the countdown ticked away, the bay's atmosphere grew heavier.
Techs moved to perform the final "blessings" for the Terminator suits; incense from the Flower of Purity curled through the chamber.
When the count hit zero, a violent shudder ran through the ship—the
stealth vessel had reached optimal launch position.
Warning lamps strobed overhead, red light stretching every silhouette across the walls like a death legion marching to war.
"All hands, attention," came the bridge broadcast. "Assault craft ready. Fair winds to you all."
The veteran Carcharodon rose. Every joint in his Terminator plate voiced that poised, pent aggression.
He turned to his brothers and said only:
"The hunt begins."
Soon after;
Universe 18 Earth's near orbit was awash in harsh stellar glare. The UED flagship Radiance of the Federation wore a cold sheen on its silver-gray armor in the sunlight.
The ten-kilometer steel leviathan was ringed by hundreds of escorts, like a whale escorted by schooling fish, in a tight defensive lattice.
Suddenly, a searing red alert flashed across the flagship's tactical displays.
"Unknown energy anomaly detected! Range three thousand kilometers!"
The radar operator's voice leapt an octave.
In the holo, empty void twisted, and a pitch-black warship took shape—
The stealth-class ship dropped its optical camo and appeared like a ghost before the UED formation.
Energy filigree veined "her" hull, and the main battery arrays flickered with dangerous blue light.
On the flagship's bridge, a white-haired general rose slowly from the command chair, his uniform heavy with medals. Most striking, though, was the key-badge on his chest that could trigger self-destruct.
A thin, contemptuous smile tugged the old man's wrinkled face.
"Heh—no wonder there's a nest of rats scurrying on Earth," he rasped, imperious even hoarse. "They brought a mobile nest with them."
He paced to the tactical holotable, skeletal finger tapping the console. "Whole fleet, lock target. Use pulse batteries to cripple their drives."
A greedy gleam slid through his eyes. "I want that ship intact as our prize."
"Yes, General!" the adjutant snapped, relaying. "All ships to capture mode. Main batteries charging!"
But as the UED fleet shifted formation, the radar op suddenly yelped, "Enemy just launched an assault craft! Speed—Gods, that assault craft is incredibly fast!"
On the tactical plot, a scarlet point knifed out from the stealth ship's launch bay.
The Thunder assault craft shot like a spear-bolt, its hull sheathed in the blue glow of an active shield.
The general flicked a dismissive wave. "Point-defense array—turn it into a sieve."
At the order, thousands of CIWS guns across the UED fleet opened up.
Dense tracers wove a death web through the void, big-caliber shells carving a hundred orange-red streaks in the vacuum.
But the Thunder assault craft showed staggering agility.
It moved like a ghost through the hail, jinking at angles that defied reason. Its shields flared brilliant blue under impact, shedding most of the fire.
"How is that possible?!" The gunnery officer stared, aghast, at the readouts. "It's pulling over 20 Gs of acceleration! No human pilot—or, for that matter, human passenger could survive that!"
At that, the general's face finally changed. "Some sort of special damping system! Redirect all fire, now!"
While the UED formation scrambled to shift modes, the stealth ship's main gun fired.
Ri\~— whoosh——————!!
A cerulean beam tore the void, spearing a forward UED frigate.
The stricken ship's armor parted like paper; internal fireballs ripped the hull in two.
"They're covering the assault craft!" the adjutant cried. "General, do we prioritize the mothership?"
The general stared at the board. The assault craft was under five hundred kilometers from the flagship.
A flicker of unease clouded the old eyes. "No—keep intercepting that craft! Bring the flagship defensive matrix online!"
Armor plates peeled back on the flagship's exterior, revealing hidden defense turrets.
These latest UED plasma CIWS were, in theory, capable of defeating any conventional strike. But as the turrets finished charging, the assault craft on the screen suddenly split into hundreds of minor returns.
"Decoy pods!" the radar op shouted in despair. "We've lost the real track!"
The bridge fell into a split-second of chaos.
In that sliver of time, the Thunder assault craft punched through the last line, a naked blade driving for the flagship's belly.
"Collision alarm! Starboard Sector C!" Damage control's voice cracked over the net.
Kra—
The jolt rolled through the flagship.
The assault craft's thermic melter, paired with a reinforced ram, drilled straight through three armor decks and nailed itself to the flagship's skin.
Drills on either side of the craft's cabin whirred to life. Special-alloy augers, boosted by an energy field, chewed visibly into the flagship's thick plating.
The general's face went leaden. "Deploy marines to Sector C immediately! Bring internal defenses online!"
He turned to the comms officer. "Patch me through to the Military Committee—we need—"
The order died in his throat.
Because the tactical display now carried live feeds from Sector C.
Onscreen, six Terminator-armored Carcharodon veterans were "sauntering" out the Thunder assault craft's forward hatch—and boarding the UED flagship's interior.
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