Chapter 100: Let's Go Raise Some Greenskins
The next step for the joint fleet was to deliver a crushing blow to any of Gorgon's tendrils that deviated from the trap route, to make Gorgon obediently follow the path. At the same time, they had to build fortresses and defensive positions on the final planet. The ground forces would attract Gorgon, and when the hive fleet's attention was focused on the surface war, that would be the time for the main force of the joint fleet to strike, and the time to annihilate Gorgon.
This also meant that the ground forces would not receive any fleet support from the beginning. They could only fight to the death. Sacrifices were inevitable, and they were destined to be extremely tragic. But this was the price that had to be paid to defeat Gorgon, just like the worlds that had been sacrificed.
"This is really difficult," Omega, who had been locked in his lab for some time, said, looking at the Tyranid sample with a headache. He had discovered that the "poison" in the toxin sacs of the Gorgon swarm was not a toxin in the true sense, but a non-toxic spore. However, this spore would release a targeted, deadly toxin based on the genes of the infected host.
If he were to create an antibody targeting these spores, the Hive Mind would only need to change the characteristics of the spore's shell to render the painstakingly researched antibody useless. More importantly, these spores were also Tyranid creatures, under the control of the Hive Mind. This meant that as soon as the Hive Mind discovered the antibody, it could immediately have these spores evolve. The time and cost of the two sides were simply incomparable. Even with all the cog-heads on the ship, Omega could not compete with the iteration speed of Hive Fleet Gorgon.
After giving the anesthetized and bound Gaunt a slap in a huff, Omega decided to change his approach. "So the specific antidote method won't work? You think I, Omega, have no way to deal with you? We cog-heads are good at physical exorcism, and we are also good at physical detoxification!"
Just as he was starting to make some headway on a new route, Omega received a request from Calgar and Gaius to see him. Feeling that something was up, he had to put down his work and go and see what was going on.
"Chapter Master Calgar, Grand Inquisitor Gaius, has something happened?" Omega asked, getting straight to the point.
The two of them now both had Omega's Weapon-Bugs at their waists. This weapon, which could enhance one's thinking ability, was like a brain-booster for these two busy men. No, a booster had side effects if you took too much. This weapon did not.
"I have an idea," Gaius said with a smile. "Chapter Master Calgar, after hearing my idea, also thinks it's worth a try. I just wanted to ask if you're interested."
"Oh?" Omega was intrigued.
Calgar then said, "The troops building the fortifications on the trap planet have discovered a small group of Greenskins. It's not clear how those xenos appeared, but their numbers are small, and they haven't had any impact."
Hearing this news, Omega grinned. Greenskins always had a way of randomly spawning in the most匪夷所思 places in the galaxy. He wouldn't be surprised at all if he heard one day that Greenskins had been discovered on Terra.
"Magos Omega, you also understand the characteristics of the Greenskins. It's very difficult to completely eradicate them without some effort. If we let them be, they will surely affect the progress of the fortifications. So I have an idea."
"Grand Inquisitor, please speak."
"Instead of expending our strength to eliminate the Greenskins, why don't we use their power? Use xenos to fight xenos!"
Omega's eyes sparkled. "Grand Inquisitor, are you thinking of raising those Greenskins and then releasing them to fight the Tyranids when they arrive?"
"Yes. But the Greenskins are uncontrollable. To raise them, we must have the strength to control them. So after much thought, I feel that you, Magos Omega, are the best candidate. I wonder if you agree with this plan?"
Ho ho, this is interesting! Omega thought. "Fine, I agree."
Seeing Omega nod, Calgar and Gaius exchanged a smile. Omega's cog-fleet had a special status in the joint fleet. They had no authority to command it, and they were reluctant to put such a valuable talent as Omega in a dangerous position. But to just look and not be able to use him was also frustrating. Gaius's idea could get Omega moving. If the plan succeeded, it could reduce the pressure on the ground defenses. Even if it failed and the Greenskins got out of control, they would ultimately end up fighting the Tyranids for them anyway. And that place was in the rear of the battle with the Tyranids, so Omega's safety could also be guaranteed. The last time Omega had gone missing, the two of them had been quite scared. Who knew what would happen to Teyedan if something really happened to Omega.
After Calgar and the others had left, Omega immediately called the others and told them that he was going to "raise Greenskins." The others, besides looking a little strange, did not object. After all, Omega was always doing something unexpected.
And so, the Cogboy explorator fleet detached from the joint fleet and set sail for their next destination. There was a little accident during this warp travel as well, but this time it was a good one. They had arrived early. After communicating with the "Hammers of Dorn" Chapter who were in charge of the construction here, they learned that they had just sent out the news that they had discovered and annihilated the Orks yesterday.
"Hah, the magical warp," Omega rolled his eyes and complained. He was now a little worried about warp travel. He hated this unpredictable uncertainty. But without any other FTL means, he had to use it.
Having finally arrived at a planet with mountains, rivers, and forests, Omega decided to give himself a holiday, to see the scenery and soothe his bad mood. When the Tyranids came, the scenery here would be gone.
Korsa was a standard feral world, as remote as it could be. The Far East was already the frontier of the Imperium of Man, and this was the frontier of the Far East. The human civilization on it had degenerated to a tribal level. If it weren't for this Gorgon invasion, it would have continued to be isolated from the world.
Now that a star-faring civilization had arrived, the idyllic life of the Korsa people, herding and hunting, was over. Everyone had been conscripted as laborers, toiling day and night on the various fortifications on the planet. If they weren't worked to death in the end, they could still get a lasgun and contribute one last bit to the cause of fighting the Tyranids with their lives. Compared to the inhumane Imperium of Man, the positions defended by the T'au used all kinds of unmanned machinery, a completely different style.
After a tour, Omega, in an even worse mood, found a branch and started hacking at the weeds. "Order, survey for mineral veins and begin mining on the spot. All unmanned production lines, start producing engineering machinery now," Omega, having vented his frustration, returned to the ship and issued his first order.
"Jacob, go and talk to the Hammers of Dorn. I'll trade them engineering machinery for their laborers."
"Yes," Jacob replied and left.
"Louis, take the other priests, the Skitarii, and two hundred Battle Automata to the forest where the Orks were discovered and capture some Orks. I want them alive."
"Yes, no problem," Louis replied and also left to arrange his men.
"Paul."
"Boss, what is it?"
"Your task is heavy. You are to build a colosseum in this great canyon, and at the same time, build living quarters for the laborers who will be transferred to us."
"No problem, but I'll need a lot of manpower."
"The men on the fleet are at your disposal. They're not doing anything anyway. We can't just let them stay on the ship all the time."
"Don't worry, boss. I guarantee I'll complete the mission."
With everything arranged, Omega began to think if he had missed anything. But he quickly gave up. Anyway, everything had to be built from scratch. It wouldn't be too late to add what was needed when he discovered it.
With nothing to do for the time being, Omega once again devoted his energy to the work of "physical detoxification." His idea was to have the medical nanites help the human body to clean up those Tyranid spores and the toxins they released. The difficulty lay in how to make the nanites use the energy in the human body to keep running. You couldn't just give them a shot every few hours. Nanites without energy could only be excreted as waste. At the same time, he needed a more portable, integrated detection and treatment device. The original medical bay's detection and treatment device was too large to be deployed on the battlefield. The method of transporting the wounded to the rear was not effective against the Tyranids' instant-death toxins.
These were all problems Omega had to overcome. Fortunately, he now had some leads, and the warp had given him more time.
The Hammers of Dorn did not refuse Omega's offer to trade engineering machinery for laborers. It was precisely because they lacked engineering machinery that they had to use inefficient human labor to make up for it. To show their gratitude, they gave Omega a Chapter relic: an ancient copy of the Codex Astartes.
Omega, upon discovering what the gift was, strongly suspected that they were being sarcastic. He was about to let these ungrateful Space Marines know the wrath of a cog-head. Fortunately, Inquisitor Fenni, who had come with him, saw that he was about to blow up and quickly intervened, saving the Space Marines from a bruised and swollen return.
After the Hammers of Dorn had left, the Inquisitor explained, "Omega, they were really just trying to show their gratitude!"
"Huh?"
"They are an Imperial Fists successor Chapter that is extremely devoted to the Codex Astartes."
"Huh?"
"They claim that 'although the Codex was written by Guilliman, only Dorn and his sons truly understood it'."
"Huh?"
"They also have an extreme hatred for the Word Bearers, just to prove that they are superior to the Ultramarines and their successor Chapters."
"Huh?"
'Huh'-Omega, after understanding the situation, quickly asked Fenni to take the gift and go and build a relationship with the Hammers of Dorn for him. The atmosphere at the meeting had been a little awkward. It wasn't that he, Omega, was afraid of trouble, but that for people with such an unusual way of thinking, it was best not to offend them if he could help it.
The Hammers of Dorn, after seeing Omega's generous gift, and hearing from the Inquisitor that his father was the "Regent's Hound," had mistakenly thought that the little cog-head really liked the relic they had sent. Seeing Omega being so generous, they had had the Inquisitor bring him back another, even older copy. From then on, Omega's treasury had two more rolls of toilet paper. He was keeping them to give to anyone like the Hammers of Dorn he might meet in the future.