"The only way to defeat those things is to overwhelm them with capital ships that far outnumber their fleet. Anything else is like throwing an egg against a stone—pure suicide." — *Imperial Navy of Man*
In a pocket of space within Sotha's low orbit, a swarm of Tyranid bio-ships was pouring its fury into four massive, scythe-like vessels, utilizing absolute numerical superiority. Suddenly, without warning, the four gargantuan Necron ships vanished from the Tyranids' sensory range.
Before the Hive Mind could process the disappearance, several super-giant particle whips composed of antimatter slammed into the Tyranid capital ships. The moment these green lashes touched the bio-vessels, violent explosions engulfed them. The swarm's thick chitinous armor offered no more resistance than paper.
Dozens of Tyranid ships were instantly reduced to fundamental matter. Before the remaining swarm could even turn their massive bulks, medium-range electrical strikes from arc projectors began jumping between the smaller Tyranid bio-groups, incinerating them to ash.
Soon, only the Necron task force—one Cairn-class Tomb Ship and three Scythe-class Harvest Cruisers—remained, standing silent in the void as if unshakeable. Yet, in the distance, more Tyranid bio-ships continued to stream toward them. After a brief pause to recharge their Inertialess Drives, the Necron vessels vanished again, repositioning to strike from a new flank.
This scene was repeating across the space surrounding Sotha. The Tyranid primary fleets were proving incapable of a frontal engagement. The Necron ships could relocate instantaneously to any point on the battlefield, and their antimatter weaponry dealt catastrophic damage to biological hulls. The Tyranids' only recourse was the "Death Charge"—flooding the area with so many ships that they could overwhelm the Necrons during the brief cooling windows of their drives.
---
On the low orbit of a red planet far from Sotha, a dozen battered human ships gathered. These survivors of the earlier void battles represented the last of Sotha's orbital navy. Among them was their new flagship, the *Heart of Sotha*, a battle barge serving as the replacement for the destroyed *Honor of Battle*.
Commander Karon of the Scythes of the Emperor's 1st Company stood silently as an officer reported their remaining strength. "Sir, we have three Strike Cruisers, one Light Cruiser, five Hunter-class Destroyers, and five Nova-class Frigates remaining."
Karon nodded. He had received word from the surface; his battle-brothers, supported by the reinforcements from the distant "Aiur," were still holding on. Now, it was the navy's turn. Their final mission: cover the evacuation of all ground forces to the Aiur fleet. Their damaged hulls could no longer enter the Warp; their only remaining value was to buy time with their lives.
Time ticked by in the silence. Suddenly, Karon received a two-word message from the surface of Sotha:
"They're here."
Immediately, the engines of the Sothan navy roared to life. Like falling stars, they burned toward Sotha's orbit.
---
On the surface, Alexei stood on a desolate yellow plain littered with Tyranid corpses. Countless Zerg stood guard around him. He watched the sky, where green flashes marked the ongoing slaughter. Necron ships were still taking off, one after another.
Finally, a message arrived in his mind from the commander of the second support fleet: "My Lord, we have reached the coordinates. Entering realspace now. Final countdown: 3... 2... 1..."
Six human ships—Alexei's reinforcements—abruptly dropped into Sotha's low orbit near a Necron-Tyranid engagement. Before the Xenos could react, the Yamato Cannons on the six ships began to charge. The Necrons reacted first, firing antimatter whips and arcs at the *Red Romance*. The human ship's void shields overloaded and collapsed instantly under the pressure.
A moment later, the Yamato Cannons fired. Over a dozen city-leveling blasts slammed into a Necron Harvest Cruiser. Caught with its drives on cooldown, the cruiser tried to evade at sub-light speeds, but it was too late. Its shields shattered, and the living metal hull suffered unprecedented damage, scattering fragments into the void.
The Tyranids behind the Necron fleet seized the opening, pouring bio-plasma into the unshielded cruiser until it disintegrated. The Necron Tomb Ship, enraged, prepared to fire on the humans, but the human fleet vanished.
"You aren't the only ones who can perform short-range jumps," the Captain muttered. "Head for General Brand's coordinates."
"Sir, the coordinates are swarmed with enemy units!"
"Lord Alexei told us not to worry. He said the true reinforcements are arriving. Charge!"
Behind them, the remnant Sothan navy caught up. Commander Karon watched the small human fleet with a mix of confusion and hope. "All ships, listen! Not a single scratch is to touch the lead fleet until every Sothan ship has sunk!"