A void battle erupted in the orbit of Syntilla.
When the rebels learned that an unfamiliar fleet was approaching, they all thought it was coming to share the spoils.
After all, the Imperial Navy in the Calixis Sector had already collapsed, unable to organize a counterattack.
Now, what they had to do was plunder as much wealth and population as possible, striving to make a huge fortune from the war.
The Emperor's glory had disappeared in the Calixis Sector, and the Empire's rule would become a thing of the past.
But no matter who ruled this sector, the old rule would not change: the bigger the fist, the greater the say.
It wasn't until the patrolling warning ships were destroyed that the rebels belatedly realized it was a loyalist counterattack.
Their response was swift; they organized a counterattack before the Imperial fleet reached orbit.
To ensure the safety of his soldiers and supplies, Alex did not let the cargo barges participate in the battle, but instead kept them outside the battlefield.
He would have them come over after the void battle ended.
The Imperial Glory led the main warships in an attack, and the two sides engaged in battle in the void orbit.
Volleys of energy cannons intertwined, and void shields rippled from the impact of beams.
The roar of weapons and artillery was accompanied by deafening howls.
The contrails of missiles outlined death and destruction.
The Imperial Glory was like a sharp blade, easily cutting into the enemy's formation.
Fixed gun emplacements mounted on the hull poured out ammunition like a storm.
Accompanied by continuous flashes, explosions resounded incessantly.
"In the name of the omnissiah, attack, attack, attack!"
Blood Pigeon shouted repeatedly, encouraging his companions.
"Ace pilots, today is our moment to make a name for ourselves."
"Completely destroy the enemy. Don't ask if you can return; only ask how many you can kill."
"Die on the battlefield, shed blood in the void, all for the omnissiah."
The flight deck was a scene of frenzied chaos.
Countless shipwrights and Adeptus Mechanicus priests were conducting pre-battle checks on the roaring Fury Interceptors.
Engines flared and pulsed, their dazzling arcs illuminating the tall, wide deck with a pale light.
Hatches slammed shut, safety pins were removed from warheads, and fuel lines were disconnected one by one from the screaming, roaring engines.
When everything was ready, the monstrously large fighters shot out from the catapult tracks like falcons.
Each fighter launched at the same time interval.
The void was already filled with beams, shells, missiles, and torpedoes, with the light of slaughter erupting everywhere.
Blood Pigeon piloted his Fury Interceptor through the void, escorting two Starhawk bombers with his other companions.
The Fury Interceptor is an Imperial Navy void attack craft, usually deployed to intercept enemy missiles, torpedoes, and bombers.
The Starhawk bomber, on the other hand, carries plasma bombs and armor-piercing missiles for heavily armored targets, capable of posing a threat to cruisers.
Blood Pigeon connected to the fighter with a neural link, allowing him to receive all data collected by the fighter's sensors.
He smiled when he saw a small ship appear within attack range.
"Hunting time."
Five fighters glided through the void like falcons; their 70-meter-long bodies were insignificant in the vast void battlefield.
Moreover, the stealth coating sprayed on their fuselages absorbed sensor signals, allowing their movements to be as secret as ghosts.
Blood Pigeon's target was an armed vessel converted from a cargo ship.
It was too small and lacked a Warp engine, so it could only be used within a star system or for trade with nearby star systems.
The armed vessel's augury was not precise; it only belatedly detected the interceptor-class fighters after they entered attack range.
It unleashed a barrage of fire, but Blood Pigeon and the others easily dodged it.
"Fire!" Blood Pigeon shouted, "Let the enemy taste death!"
The five fighters unleashed a volley, and the trails of 10 plasma missile engines slid towards the armed vessel.
It tried to maneuver urgently, but it was too late.
The missiles hit the midsection of the hull, instantly causing it to explode.
Seconds later, its reactor overloaded and exploded.
Their war score rose, leaving others behind.
"Kill +1"
Blood Pigeon beamed with joy, dodging the debris cloud created by the explosion. As he returned to the escort formation, he even took the time to send a message in the area chat channel.
"Looks like the MVP of the Syntilla campaign is us."
Little Fatty: "Shameless! You're taking advantage of us not being able to participate in void combat."
September Ninth: "Your advantage won't last long. Once the ground war starts, we'll quickly catch up in points."
Blood Pigeon: "I hope so. I hope there are that many enemies on the ground, because soon there will be orbital bombardment, and then the flight squadrons will be dispatched to sweep the ground rebels a few times before it's your turn."
"I really hope you can pick up some scraps in the ruins we've bombed, so you don't make a trip for nothing."
"… … … …"
The chat in the area channel also made the members of the Emperor Niuma Battle Group anxious.
Orbital bombardment, plus fighter sweeps...
How many war points could the surviving traitors get when they had to share with Little Fatty's mech-piloting group?
Moreover, the mechs' firepower was far superior to theirs; in terms of killing efficiency, they couldn't compare!
"We must board quickly to turn the tide," Zhuge spoke the thoughts of the other Emperor Niuma Battle Group members.
"But we're too far away now." Warmaster looked at the enemy ship thousands of kilometers away, his face troubled.
He also knew they had to board.
But at such a distance, a hasty boarding would be suicide.
The other members also sighed; there was no suitable boarding opportunity.
At this moment, on the Bridge,
"All ships fire!" Xia gave the order, "Torpedos launch simultaneously, covering 16,000 meters, lock onto that frigate, and unleash a volley. Macro-cannons reload, prepare for a second volley."
Alex stood on the Bridge, calmly observing the situation of the entire void battlefield.
The enemy had many ships, but most were armed vessels converted from civilian ships.
Some armed merchant ships even flew pirate flags.
There were not many true capital ships.
Overall, they had the advantage.
"That battleship should be ours."
Alex looked at the Exemplar Saint Fist battleship, which was exchanging fire with the Imperial Glory.
He didn't have many battleships in his possession; if he could capture it, it would strengthen his void forces.
"Cortana."
"Master, do you have any instructions?"
"Edit a mission, have the Players find a way to capture that Exemplar Saint Fist battleship."
"Understood, Master. Cortana will do it right away."
… … … …
Just as many members of the Emperor Niuma Battle Group were having doubts about the decision to become an Astartes,
The database updated with a mission.
[Mission: Board and capture the Exemplar Saint Fist Battlecruiser.
The Exemplar Saint Fist Battlecruiser is a valuable asset of the Emperor's servants. Those despicable traitors stole it and used it to harm the Emperor's people. Find a way to reclaim it.
Basic Reward: 4,000,000 Contribution Points, 50,000 Honor Points, 70,000 War Points.
Commission Reward: Different rewards will be given based on the transferred warship.
Hint: Only Warbands can accept this mission. The Atoma Internal Affairs Department provides financial guarantees for the purchase of vehicles and boarding weapons. Please complete the mission diligently. If the mission is successful, Players will receive the full reward, and all losses will be borne by the Empire. If the mission fails, Players must repay the guaranteed funds.
]
"Four million Contribution Points, fifty thousand Honor Points, seventy thousand War Points! Good heavens, such generous rewards! Accept, accept!"
Warmaster was quick-witted and accepted the mission immediately.
"There's also a hint: complete the mission and get the full reward; if you don't, you have to pay back the money." Sea Turtle saw the hint.
"I didn't even notice that! It's a huge profit. As long as we complete the mission, all losses are reimbursed!"
Tenjiro was incredibly excited, "Doesn't that mean we can board without any cost? Blood Pigeon and the others have to pay for their fighters themselves, but we don't have to pay for anything!"
"The officials have changed their tune recently, actually giving such good terms." Twisted person was also a bit surprised.
"Let's take advantage of this while we can. We'll immediately go to the flight deck. As soon as the Imperial Glory approaches the target warship, we'll board it immediately."
"… … … …"
The members of the Emperor Niuma Battle Group rushed to the deck, boarded the Kestros Assault Boats, and waited for the boarding opportunity.
These assault boats are also known as Gauntlet Assault Boats and are the most common boarding tool for Space Marines.
They possess incredible speed and durability,
This is mainly due to the additional armor and power combustion chambers.
They don't have much firepower installed; there's a giant melta-gun mounted at the front, which can be used to cut through hulls.
"Alright, the exploitation was still too light."
Alex heard the conversation of the Emperor Niuma Battle Group members clearly through Cortana.
"Xia." Alex pointed to the light dot representing the Exemplar Saint Fist battleship on the star chart.
"Approach this warship, find a way to disable its shields, and create a boarding opportunity for the God Chosen."
"Understood." Xia nodded.
… … … …
As the Imperial Glory and the Exemplar Saint Fist passed each other, the broadside macro-cannons unleashed a volley, disabling the shields.
Immediately after, the assault boats, which had been waiting for a long time, roared out, rushing through the shield gap towards the enemy ship.
The enemy's defensive cannons and escort fighter squadrons immediately tried to intercept, while Blood Pigeon and other pilots in their interceptor fighters escorted them.
One assault boat was hit in the void.
A 'Holy crap' instantly came through the comms, followed by silence.
The assault boat carrying Sea Turtle and Twisted person was hit and exploded into fireworks, getting their 'lunchbox' before even entering the fray.
Immediately after, two more assault boats were destroyed.
The remaining assault boats, however, successfully arrived and clung to the hull like magnetic devices.
The assault boat's melta-gun released an extremely bright beam of light, burning a hole in the thick hull large enough for an Astartes to pass through.
"Finally inside! Let's avenge our brothers."
Warmaster activated the weapon in his hand, incredibly excited.
"Kill! Kill! Kill! Hack! Hack! Hack!"
"Let's go on a rampage!"
"Feel the wrath of the God-Emperor, you fools! Your doomsday has arrived!"
The Players who successfully reached the enemy ship cheered.
They pounced on the astonished enemies like hungry wolves.