Chapter 209: The Phalanx
However, the priests of the Cult of the Holy Machine had also smuggled a large amount of their own goods among the cargo. For example, Protoss Pylons, already-hatched Nydus Worms, and a considerable number of Drones. With the Custodes vouching for the tech-priests, the Cadians did not even inspect the goods brought by the Cult of the Holy Machine.
The God-Emperor in the warp also sensed the movements of the Four Gods. They were pouring a massive amount of power toward Cadia. The entire warp was in turmoil, and even Lucan's Sarr-Naga projection could sense the unrest in the immaterium.
This let Lucan know that the ground war on Cadia would be even more brutal than before. When the time came, he would not be able to afford to hide his strength; Lucan planned to directly throw his non-human ground forces into the defense of Cadia.
And Lucan's indirect assistance to Cadia did not end there.
At this moment, the Imperial Fists' fortress-monastery, the Phalanx, which was originally stationed at Terra, was sailing through the warp. Not long ago, they had repelled a direct attack on Terra planned by the daemon prince Be'lakor and the traitorous Iron Warriors. With the help of the Legion of the Damned, the Imperial Fists had banished the ambitious daemon prince. But the Third Company of the Imperial Fists had also suffered heavy losses, and the entire Phalanx had been severely damaged, with even a tenth of its hull destroyed.
The damage to the warship had also created breaches in its Gellar field. All the Astartes of the Imperial Fists' Third Company on the Phalanx were urgently repairing the massive vessel.
The captain of the Third Company, Garadon, was in the central hall of the Phalanx. He was listening to the reports from the members of his Chapter and coordinating the existing resources to repair this sacred relic of the Chapter as much as possible. But the repair work was not going smoothly. The losses of the Third Company were too severe, and for a hull as massive as the Phalanx, even a trip to Mars would require at least several years to complete the repairs. All he could do was repair the basic functions of the Phalanx, maintain its ability to travel in the warp, and ensure that it could still continue to fight.
The turbulent waves of the warp battered the Gellar field of the Phalanx. Even now, from time to time, warp energy would seep into the fortress-monastery.
And besides him, in the great hall of the Phalanx, rows of Astartes from the Legion of the Damned, their bodies wreathed in avenging flames, stood silently. They were simply assisting the Imperial Fists in defending the now-vulnerable Phalanx. Warriors of the Legion of the Damned and the Imperial Fists rushed to various parts of the Phalanx, cleaning up the Chaos contamination. The flames, formed of psychic energy, crackled on their bodies. In the entire hall, only the voice of Captain Garadon and the sound of these crackling flames could be heard.
Garadon had heard the legends of this Legion of the Damned. He had also read many of the Imperial Inquisition's investigation reports on them. But any investigation into the Legion of the Damned would often come to an abrupt end. No one knew what kind of existence these warriors from the warp were. But many believed that this Legion was a manifestation of the Emperor's divinity, the souls of Astartes who had been loyal to the Emperor and had returned to the Golden Throne after death. And finally, with the Emperor's help, they continued to protect humanity and fight for the Imperium through the endless ages.
This was also the first time Garadon had seen these legendary warriors. He had witnessed their powerful combat strength when fighting against daemons. Without their arrival, the Phalanx might have been completely destroyed. At this moment, Garadon firmly believed that this was the Emperor's guidance to them. It was the Legion of the Damned that had strengthened his resolve to go to Cadia.
When Garadon looked up again, a sergeant of the Legion of the Damned was already walking toward him. He looked up at him. These members of the Legion of the Damned had not said a single word to him since their arrival, as if they had no ability to speak at all.
But at this moment, the sergeant of the Legion of the Damned who was looking at him actually used his flaming hand to burn a line of High Gothic onto the deck plate on the ground.
"Go to Lorysia in the Agripinaa Sector? Are you telling us to exit the warp now? But with the Phalanx's current weak Gellar field, once we return to realspace, I cannot guarantee that we can re-enter the warp. Why should we do this? Wouldn't this mean we can't make it to Cadia?"
Garadon was puzzled by the sudden suggestion from the Legion of the Damned. Weren't they just indicating that I should go directly to Cadia? Why are they telling us to return to realspace now?
Faced with Garadon's questioning, the Legionary still pointed at the scorched marks. After a period of struggle, Garadon finally chose to trust the Legion of the Damned's suggestion.
"Navigator! How long will it take to get to the Lorysia system in the Agripinaa Sector?"
"We can feel it... I can feel the Emperor's Astronomican is incredibly bright. The great God-Emperor seems to be guiding us. In just three hours, when we exit the warp, we can arrive directly at the system you indicated."
"Head to Agripinaa! And exit the warp!"
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Navigator, execute the order!"
"As you wish, Captain Garadon! May the God-Emperor protect us..."
At this moment, in the Lorysia system, the Stellar Pioneer and a large number of tech-priests and engineering corps from the Cult of the Holy Machine were waiting.
With the crew's report, Lucan knew that the Phalanx was about to arrive.
An intense warp reaction was displayed on the instruments. A large warp rift suddenly appeared. When he saw the Phalanx with his own eyes, Lucan thought for a moment that he had seen another Eldar Craftworld. Its size even surpassed that of Craftworld Kholor, which he had previously conquered. The entire Phalanx was like a planet.
"The Imperial Fists, they've got some nerve... to leave only one company on such a massive star-fortress, it's a wonder they came up with that idea."
Lucan still remembered some of the absurd descriptions of the Phalanx. It even had its own ecosystem on board, and some creatures could even trace a complete evolutionary history.
As the entire Phalanx exited the warp, Garadon also immediately discovered Lucan's fleet in the distance. It was as if they had been waiting here for them all along. And the Legionary sergeant also nodded at Garadon, indicating that he should make contact with Lucan's fleet.
The Stellar Pioneer, its identification signal showing it as an Imperial warship, approached the Phalanx. Even a ship of the Stellar Pioneer's size could directly dock within the shipyard deck of the Phalanx.
Garadon, with the warriors of his company, came to the deck. When he saw Lucan, accompanied by the Custodes, walking down from the Pioneer, he was also stunned. The Imperial Fists, who were permanently stationed on Terra, knew these Custodes better than anyone else. At least, he had never heard of these Custodes walking out of the Imperial Palace.
"Captain Garadon, I am the Rogue Trader of the Mongorte Dynasty, Lucan Drex Aurelian. According to the Emperor's will, I will help you repair the Phalanx in the shortest possible time, so that you can go to Cadia in your most powerful state."
"Captain Garadon, please open the permissions of the Phalanx and direct these tech-priests to the required locations. Lord Lucan will assist you!" a Custodian said at the same time.
"The shortest possible time? Great Custodian, is this some kind of joke? I don't even see a shipyard! If we undergo repairs, we won't be able to make it to Cadia in time."
"Indeed... this warship is even bigger than I imagined. It will be a bit troublesome to repair. But we can use numbers to make up for time. Tech-priests! Get to work!"
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As promised, here's your well-deserved bonus chapter for the week.
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