Oleksandr commanded his First Company, repelling two waves of assaults, then ordered his command squad to advance, expanding the landing zone.
Gardinaal Prime's sky was stained metallic rust-red by bombardment. Shadow of Order black ceramite boots trod upon scorching ferrocrete.
After repelling two waves of assaults, Oleksandr commanded his First Company to advance, widening the landing zone.
The foundation beneath was exceptionally solid, a product of millennia of Gardinaal construction.
Within the ferrocrete towers, the few surviving cannons after the orbital bombardment stubbornly fired their guns skyward.
"Breaching Squad!"
Oleksandr bellowed. Ten Honor Guard members clad in Mark III Power Armor charged from the formation, splitting into five groups as they ran.
Shadows of Order unleashed a hail of fire upon the enemy, suppressing the defenders' firepower.
Bolters roared, diamond-tipped bolts struck adamantium, failing to penetrate the formidable defense.
Five "Apprentices" placed hands on the adamantium-clad ferrocrete towers, opening a "door".
With the Legion's first development phase concluded, each squad now having Court Adepts, the Legion entered its second phase.
Court Adepts granted different abilities by the Gene-Father, through various combinations, formed new squad types.
The Breaching Squad was a tactical unit specifically designed for scenarios where impregnable fortifications were encountered.
The other member of each group charged through the opened "doors" "Warriors" and "Hunters" swung power swords. "Sleepless" and "Arbitraters" activated power fists.
The warrior-castes watched in astonishment as black-armoured warriors breached the turret.
They froze in shock. The turret had remained undamaged through previous assaults.
A fissure suddenly appeared without a sound, and the enemy was inside.
This incomprehensible sight shattered their numb minds.
They cried out in fear, staring at the black-armored warriors as if they were monsters appearing from nowhere.
The Shadows of Order charged with lightning speed, their gleaming disintegration fields tearing through grey armour and flesh alike.
A faint, echoing chant sent shivers through those who heard it, momentarily dazing their minds. The Breaching Squad leader, a "Midnight Poet", fired bolt rounds at the enemies whose eyelids grew heavy.
After seizing the defensive turret, Oleksandr activated his communicator and issued the landing order.
Before the armoured forces of the First Company landed, Oleksandr first spotted the rolling enemy armoured regiment.
Giant tanks bore inspiring slogans as their turrets swivelled, locking onto his position.
Massive super-heavy tripods followed behind the steel chariots, advancing with heavy, deliberate steps.
Flanking the armored formation were warrior-caste, ever-present in their numbers, an endless column exceeding a hundred thousand strong.
After ordering the armored units to expedite landing, Oleksandr opened another channel, requesting support from the Legio Astorum.
'I didn't expect to need reinforcements so soon.'
Gardinaal's tank forces weren't the reason for his request.
Though the Black Emperor stated during pre-war briefings that Gardinaal tanks were based on the same Standard Template Construct as Rhinos and Predators, Oleksandr's forces possessed comparable armoured strength.
What compelled him to seek reinforcements was the Black Emperor's warning: Gardinaal walkers could match Titans.
Besides the Legio Fureans mobilized for this campaign, the Legio Astorum were usually dispersed in several detachments, cooperating with Chapters Three, Six, Eight, and Eleven, centered in the Segmentum Obscurus.
Compared to other Titan Legions, the Legio Astorum were more agile and arrived on the battlefield faster.
Oleksandr immediately ordered defensive preparations. Before armored units landed, he had to hold against the Gardinaal assault.
The newly captured defensive turrets became potent weapons for the defence.
The turrets swiveled, unleashing a dense barrage of fire upon the grey heavy tanks.
Oleksandr marked the foremost enemy tanks within his divination box. Guided by his targeting, the turrets unleashed concentrated beams of laser fire upon the designated targets.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Amid explosive reports, five tanks billowed black smoke, metal wrecks slumped on the ferrocrete.
Second-wave grey tanks collided with the smoking wrecks, their speed dropping instantly.
With Oleksandr's precise elimination, Gardinaal armored vehicles slowed.
Seeing grey tanks cluster, Oleksandr marked a central bombing rune, then swiftly marked over a dozen enemy concentration points.
"Nightmare, bombard marked locations."
The First Captain's flagship, an orbital relic vessel, its newly installed Punisher-class reactor heart operating, aimed its lances and macro-cannons groundward.
Five "Savants" swiftly completed calculations, locking onto surface targets.
Light Lances pierced the rust-red clouds, striking the center of the Gardinaal tank formation.
In blinding light, grey vehicles were shredded, drivers vaporized instantly.
Oleksandr watched as rain-like shells fell upon the Gardinaal ranks. Vast areas were instantly cleared. Not a single shell impacted the defensive zone.
The Military Sub-Consul, seeing his forces thrown into chaos by enemy orbital strikes, shouted over the comm-network.
"Reform your ranks! They number less than a hundred. We still have tens of thousands!"
"Victory belongs to Gardinaal! For the High Lords!"
Shackles deeply ingrained through a hundred generations of evolution swiftly quelled the warrior-caste's fear. They reformed ranks, attacking the defense turrets.
Oleksandr saw grey heavy tanks roar in unison, firing dense volleys at the defense turrets.
Despite orbital support inflicting heavy casualties, Gardinaal still had nearly two hundred armored vehicles approaching.
Oleksandr scanned the communications channel, reviewing the landing report calculated by the Simulus Chamber.
[First landing wave: thirty Vostroyan-pattern Rhinos, ten Gabriel-pattern Predators. Estimated remaining time: two minutes thirteen seconds.]
...
[Fourth landing wave: one hundred Vostroyan-pattern Rhinos, thirty Gabriel-pattern Predators. Estimated remaining time: one hour five minutes fourteen seconds.]
Oleksandr placed complete trust in the projected landing times. The application of the Simulus Chamber enabled the Legion to deploy its forces with greater flexibility.
Regarding the landings, embarkation and launch sequences would be adjusted to facilitate rapid reorganisation.
Precision scheduling could reach ten-second accuracy, enabling Oleksandr to base defensive deployments on minute-by-minute calculations.
The foremost defense turret fired continuous volleys. Overheating and failing within a minute, it destroyed four Gardinaal tanks.
"Hunters" planted melta bombs. "Apprentices" opened doorways. Shadow of Order swiftly withdrew.
The enemy's retreat boosted the Military Sub-Consul's confidence. He shouted orders.
"Advance!"
As "Apprentices" opened doorways on the second defense turret, "Hunters" detonated the bombs.
The melta bomb ignited the turret's energy core. A blinding light erupted skyward, flames engulfing the adamantium alloy as it hurled shards in all directions.
Over a dozen fireballs crashed into advancing tanks. Adamantium alloy mixed with ferrocrete chunks, like meteors, slammed into grey tank hulls.
As the second defense turret was abandoned, black gunships and landers pierced the rust-colored clouds, descending slowly.
.....
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