The Blood Angels fleet appeared almost "out of thin air" at the rear of the Federation expedition fleet.
In truth, the fleet had been concealed by ship-grade optical camouflage, completely bypassing the Federation's primitive detection systems.
It wasn't until the expedition fleet was at its most vulnerable—stationed in low orbit and deploying Mobile Infantry to the planet's surface—that the Blood Angels' First Company Fleet, along with the Primarch's flagship, disengaged their cloaking.
The view on the pilots' helmet screens revealed a formation led by a New Epoch class carrier, flanked by two Valiant class super-heavy cruisers, two Phoenix class support vessels, and a total of sixteen frigates of various classes, including Paris, Fields, and Serenes.
And at the fleet's core was the Primarch's flagship: the Tears of Blood, a ten-kilometer-long blade-shaped Wanderer class dreadnought.
!!!
The pilots of the DR-4 Viking dropships were stunned as they realized the Tears of Blood's sheer size.
Ten kilometers?!
Even the Federation's most advanced Athena class transport ships were less than two kilometers long.
This…
Was this truly the "insignificant threat" that the Federation's leaders had dismissed?
As the pilots struggled to comprehend the situation, the voice of the Rodger Young's captain crackled through the comms:
"All dropships, listen up! Our intelligence about the enemy's strength was severely flawed. Once you've deployed the Mobile Infantry, return to—"
Static abruptly cut off the captain mid-sentence.
It was clear that the Blood Angels had deployed signal jammers, crippling the expedition fleet's communications.
Without orders, the dropships were left to decide for themselves.
The two pilots exchanged uneasy glances. Should they continue the mission or abort?
Seeing that none of the other dropships were altering their course, they decided to proceed, focusing on penetrating the planet's atmosphere.
Within minutes, nearly 300 F-76 Lightning fighters and over 2,600 DR-4 Viking dropships successfully entered the atmosphere, heading toward the capital city of New Hope.
Meanwhile, the Federation fleet attempted to turn its ships around to engage the Blood Angels' vastly superior force of only 22 vessels.
The Blood Angels were quick to act.
Once the Mobile Infantry had entered the atmosphere, the Blood Angels initiated a "low-intensity" barrage.
Plasma and Gauss secondary cannons targeted the engines of the Federation fleet, disabling them and rendering the ships immobile.
Without engines, the Federation fleet couldn't maneuver, let alone counterattack effectively.
Desperate to salvage the situation, the Federation commanders launched a massive wave of fighters, armed with tactical and strategic nuclear warheads, in a last-ditch effort to strike back.
But the Blood Angels anticipated this move.
The Tears of Blood, which had been on standby, activated its unique hard-light weaponry.
Zwoosh—Zwoosh—!!
Dozens of azure beams shot from the Tears of Blood's secondary cannons, splitting into thousands of smaller beams that homed in on every single Federation fighter.
Boom—Boom—!!
The resulting silent explosions lit up the dark void of low orbit, painting the sky with countless fiery sparks.
Even at only 30% power, the Tears of Blood's secondary cannons annihilated the fighter engines with precision. None of the Federation pilots had the chance to eject or escape.
Though the Empire sought to minimize casualties in this human "civil war," they couldn't allow nuclear-armed fighters to approach their fleet unchecked.
With the Federation's fighter squadron neutralized, the Tears of Blood began advancing toward the immobilized expedition fleet.
On the bridge of the Rodger Young:
"Captain Delaire! All four main engines are offline! Backup power will only sustain the ship for two hours!"
"Most of the Mobile Infantry has entered the atmosphere, but we've lost contact with them and the rest of the fleet!"
"Captain! Enemy fleet has launched a massive wave of fighters!"
The chaotic reports came from every station as the ship's crew scrambled to handle the crisis.
Captain Delaire sat in her command chair, her brows furrowed in frustration. "Damn it! Intelligence screwed us! Who the hell called this enemy 'insignificant'?!"
Snapping out of her rage, she barked orders:
"Use backup power to turn this ship around in two minutes!"
"To all gunners: as soon as we're facing the enemy, target their fighters and open fire. Do not let them get close to the fleet!"
At the helm, Carmen Ibanez and Xander Barrow worked to rotate the ship using what little power remained.
As the ship turned, the bridge view shifted from New Hope's surface to their fellow fleet vessels, and finally, to the advancing Blood Angels fleet and its accompanying swarm of Thunderhawks, Stormhawks, Ghosts, and White Templars, supported by an array of drones.
But then…
"What… what is that?!"
A bridge officer rose from their seat, pointing a trembling finger at a golden dot rapidly approaching the Federation fleet.
Zooming in on the golden light, they saw a figure clad in ornate golden armor and a helmet, wielding a spear ablaze with golden flames, and sporting a pair of pure white wings.
It was none other than the Primarch of the Blood Angels, Sanguinius.
The bridge fell silent.
Captain Delaire, Carmen, Xander, and the rest of the crew stared in shock.
Was that… a human?
Why did he have wings?
And how could his spear burn with golden flames in the vacuum of space?
The existence of this "supernatural" being shattered their understanding of warfare.
For a fleeting moment, Delaire and her crew felt as if "God" might actually be on the enemy's side.
Regaining her composure, Captain Delaire barked, "Gunners! Target that humanoid and their fighter escort! Fire everything we have!"
"Understood!"
The gunners scrambled to lock onto Sanguinius and the Thunderhawks escorting him.
Boom—Boom—Boom—!!
The Rodger Young unleashed its full firepower.
But Sanguinius, along with the Thunderhawks and Stormhawks, easily evaded the barrage. Even the point-defense turrets struggled to land a single hit, their rounds unable to penetrate the energy shields protecting the Blood Angels' ships.
The Thunderhawks and Stormhawks, designed for boarding actions, were built for durability and equipped with energy shield generators. The Rodger Young was utterly outclassed.
Sanguinius paid little mind to the Federation's futile efforts. Leading a Thunderhawk carrying Honor Guard warriors, he sped toward the Rodger Young.
Zwoosh——!!
The Thunderhawk's twin melta cannons fired beams of superheated energy, cutting a molten breach into the Rodger Young's hull.
Sanguinius accelerated, flying ahead of the Thunderhawk and entering the breach before it docked.
Once inside, the Thunderhawk deployed gel-filled "airbags" to seal the breach, preventing oxygen from escaping.
Boom! Crash!
The sounds of the Thunderhawk smashing through the hangar reverberated throughout the ship, even reaching the bridge.
Captain Delaire immediately ordered, "Send the security team and any available Mobile Infantry to the hangar! Repel the intruders at all costs!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Meanwhile, in the Rodger Young's hangar:
"Cough, cough!"
"What the hell just happened?!"
"Something broke in, right over there!"
Disoriented by the sudden boarding, the ground crew and support staff scrambled to their feet, staring at the now stationary Thunderhawk.
The heavy thuds of magnetized boots against the deck signaled the arrival of the intruders.
Emerging from the Thunderhawk were the Blood Angels' Honor Guard—the Rageblood Wardens—and at their head was the Primarch himself, Sanguinius.
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