Warhammer 30: The Second Legion's Expedition

Chapter 62 Negotiation

The leading escort fleet received orders, and their thrusters began to propel them closer to the enemy ships, their dark gun barrels almost parallel to the enemy's.

"Sir, should we fire the first round of warning shots?" a crew member asked.

They are equipped with non-lethal munitions, which are typically used for deterrence against stubborn planets that are unwilling to surrender through diplomatic means.

"No." The commander shook his head.

He felt deeply humiliated and gritted his teeth, saying, "Five minutes."

The mortal nobleman from Terra took a deep breath, and the servo skull beside him floated over, relaying his orders to every artillery group.

He gazed at the starry sky, his mind already conjuring up images of broadside cannons firing in unison, bringing the wrath of the Emperor and Hector to the enemy.

As time ticked by and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, the mortal nobleman from Terra was about to give the order to fire.

"grown ups."

The sound awakened the increasingly fanatical nobles.

"A message."

Damn it! The nobleman let out a low growl of discontent.

He pushed aside the floating servo skull beside him, walked to the scanning array, and coldly looked at the data that appeared on it.

"What tricks are they playing!" the nobleman said impatiently.

The time was delayed to four minutes and forty seconds, which was almost at the limit. The other side clearly knew the loading time of the Imperial ships' shells.

"Take it!" the nobleman said to his servant.

This order was simultaneously issued to the rest of the Second Expeditionary Fleet responsible for the hunt, and even the Dawn received a signal from the strike cruiser requesting communication.

Not long after, a semi-transparent holographic image appeared.

From the silhouettes of several Imperial Astartes appeared, and Moriarty recognized them the instant he saw their outlines.

"It's you guys!" His voice held no joy at seeing his brothers, but rather alienation and disgust.

"This is the First Legion warship, the Spear of Sanction," said the opposing company commander, Kadan.

He wasn't angered by Moriarty's impatient tone. In his coldness, Cardan chose a more formal tone: "Stop your orders to fire. This is a betrayal of the Empire."

"Your identity is unclear. There isn't a single person on the ship who can prove that you are from the First Legion," Moriarty sneered.

He did not comply with the other side's request to withdraw the guards and issue the order to open fire.

"As I request, immediately shut down the ship's power source, lay down all weapons, remove the force field, and allow my troops to land."

"You know we will never agree to your demands," Cardan refused without hesitation.

"But you also know, Company Commander. We have to make sure we're in the right place and that you're not just some alien deception."

"Our armor is enough to prove our identity!"

"Then answer me! Why did you refuse our communication requests beforehand? Why didn't you send us any information in advance? Where did this damn alien ship come from?!" Moriarty roared.

"Do you think we're fools?!"

"The First Legion is on a mission!" Cardan raised his voice, winking at his companions to signal them to continue contacting Company Commander Avimus, who was on another mission and boarding the alien ship.

Time was running out, and Cardan inwardly grumbled about the foolish actions of that stupid Avimus.

He had gone so far as to use the Primarch's flagship as bait to lure and force the Randan aliens into launching a desperate charge against the Dawn.

Kadan's memories went back several Terra times.

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The spine of the Spear of Sanctions emitted a painful groan unique to machines, the ship's communication towers were being frantically repaired by technicians, and the First Legion's skeletal celestial army was trying to contact their comrades.

They had recently engaged in a long-range artillery exchange with the heavily damaged Randan alien fleet, during which the Void Shield of the Spear of Sanction was instantly overloaded by the enemy.

Their fragile engine was shaking irregularly, and the entire deck of the ship was rocking and swaying, waiting for the soldiers to carry out emergency repairs.

Their secondary expeditionary fleet of the Skeleton Army consisted of 15 frigates, 2 strike cruisers, more than 2,000 Astartes, and tens of thousands of auxiliary troops. However, even with this configuration, they suffered the most humiliating crushing defeat when facing the Randan alien ship.

"Disgrace!" Company Commander Avimus stood on the deck of the Spear of Sanctions, surrounded by his tactical command team and another company commander.

"The ambush turned into a counter-ambush! Those despicable bastards spotted us long ago; they even managed to mimic the detection signals of Imperial warships!"

"In fact, Avimus," another company commander added, "their capabilities go far beyond that. Their ships are practically a complete fusion of flesh and steel. I personally witnessed that enormous steel tentacle tear apart the Kavil Rapid Deployment Squad that tried to board the warship."

"I don't want to hear how powerful those aliens are, Brother Kadan," Avimus said coldly. "The Empire will judge these things. I just want to know where they are. We must wash away this shame with their blood."

"At any cost," Avimus added.

His words were echoed by the Astartes behind him.

Company Commander Cardan did not object to this, though he too was burning with anger.

They should have had the upper hand in this space naval battle. Under the siege of the Crown Celestial Army and another Skeleton Celestial Army, the enemy had already lost all their escort ships, leaving only their flagship which they encountered.

But even in this matchup where the odds were almost 20 to 1, they suffered an extremely humiliating defeat.

Dozens of brothers and thousands of auxiliary troops lost their lives as a result. The enemy's technology was in no way inferior to that of the Imperial warships; they were more agile and had more powerful firepower.

"Sir, perhaps you should take a look at this." An Astartes approached.

The conversation was abruptly ended, and before the assembled officers and Space Marines, amidst the flickering images caused by the unstable generators following the Battle of the Spear of Sanction, they saw a vast fleet.

That was undoubtedly the Empire's fleet, and definitely a major fleet, second only in size to the Imperial and Horus's expeditionary fleets.

Company Commander Cardan narrowed his eyes.

"That's the Glory Queen-class." He recognized the massive Dawn, which was still incredibly conspicuous despite being surrounded by layers of guards, in an instant.

Company Commander Cardan subconsciously looked at Avimus. Although their ranks were the same, they benefited from the First Legion's almost cumbersome and bizarre internal system.

His voice carries less weight than Avimus's, and he is subject to Avimus's control.

"The Primarch's flagship, I've seen the Iron Fist's Glory Queen-class battleship, the Iron Ten Legion. That ship doesn't look like this; its armor is far thicker," Cardan said.

"Then it's quite obvious, monk," Avimus nodded. "It's the flagship of the Second Legion, the Dawn."

"Do you have any ideas, monk?" Avimus asked.

"We can request the help of the Dawnbringer Legion," Cardan replied.

"No, it's not about helping," Avimus objected. "Exterminating the aliens is simply the duty of humanity."

Cardan was unwilling to waste words here. As the first legion to be born, the First Legion not only followed the Emperor the longest and controlled secret technology, but also had the largest number of members and the strongest combat power.

The First Legion itself is not as eager to reclaim its original form as other legions; its nature is arrogant, and it often looks down on the other legions.

This is perfectly exemplified among the Legion's high command, especially by Hector Thrann, the current commander of the First Legion.

"Wait a minute." Avimus suddenly spotted a tiny, barely concealed ship.

Avimus immediately recognized the flexible mechanical tentacles and called out to Kadan, the company commander of the Second Legion, who was about to contact them.

"Prepare to board the troops." His eyes held a resolute and almost fanatical determination.

Cardin didn't notice this and turned his head in surprise.

Why?

"The First Legion must wash away its own shame." Avimus left behind this ambiguous statement.

…………

…………

That hateful Avimus! Where has he placed the Legion?! Kadan cursed Avimus, who had not yet returned, in his heart, filled with unease.

As planned, they would use psionic teleportation to enter the interior of the Randan ship as quickly as possible, killing, decapitating, and obtaining prisoners and intelligence about the alien empire.

This usually doesn't take more than fifteen minutes, but until now, there has been no news of Avimus leading two elite companies back.

Their ships, under the surveillance of the Dawn Messengers, could no longer hide and were in grave danger.

Is this trend within the Legion correct? Is the role of the Primarchs far greater than imagined?

Cardan couldn't help but think to himself.

The First Legion is not as eager as the other legions to find their genetic father.

Even after the Primarch's return, Hector Thrann remained one of the most powerful figures in the entire Empire.

They basked more in the glory of the emperor, and a large portion of the legion believed that finding the original would be a devastating blow to the existing legion structure.

but now……

Cardan watched Moriarty's gaze grow colder, watched Moriarty's preparations for firing showing no sign of slowing down, and watched his hand gradually grip the weapon at his waist.

That was a very confident, subconscious defensive and offensive maneuver.

This was actually quite uncommon in the past.

Conflicts between legions occur from time to time, but the First Legion always enjoys some more potential privileges.

Their equipment supply is given higher priority, and they have far more fortresses and strongholds in various worlds than other legions.

It wasn't until Horus's return that the Shadowmoon Wolves' weapon supplies gradually caught up with theirs.

Cardan narrowed his eyes. Although he had thought a lot and discovered the changes in the situation and the potential hidden dangers within the legion, this did not mean that Cardan was afraid of Moriarty.

Fearing the Second Legion, whose Primarch has returned.

They are the Emperor's angels of death!

"I said we're monks, we're on a mission."

"We are not enemies, but brothers who are fighting to eliminate the aliens for humanity."

"There are no allies in the void." Moriarty stood firm.

At this moment, he could not possibly back down; it concerned the honor of the Second Legion and Hector.

His hand returned to the gun handle; the order to fire was about to come from him.

"This is your last chance."

Kadan met his gaze, and after a long while, from the side of the Spear of Sanction, the nearby Astartes could hear the company commander's helpless sigh.

He glanced at the time; Avimus still hadn't returned.

Under the gaze of the many soldiers, he lowered his head slightly, took off his helmet, and revealed his face so that Moriarty could see it clearly.

"I commend your courage and perseverance."

"What is your name, monk?"

"Second Legion, Ninth Company Commander, Moriarty," Moriarty replied.

He breathed a sigh of relief, and his subconscious movements, honed over a century, relaxed as his hand withdrew from the weapon at his waist.

He did not want to actually fire on friendly forces unless absolutely necessary.

But this matter must be resolved.

They must find the truth and defend the Legion's honor.

"Alright, Company Commander Moriarty," Cardan sighed deeply.

"This is the Spear of Sanctions. I am Kadan, the company commander of the 23rd Company of the First Legion's Skeleton Army."

"We departed from Shiling Shengang twelve weeks ago. You can check with Moriarty, the company commander of the 9th Company of the 2nd Army Corps."

"As for why we didn't have enough proof of our identity, please understand that we were engaged in a fierce firefight with that alien ship."

"You should be able to see the signs of emergency repairs on our ships."

"Yes, that's obvious," Moriarty said.

He didn't dwell on that point any longer, even though there were many points in Cardan's statement that could be refuted.

For example, why are there obvious signs of erasure? Why do they downplay their true intentions and not reveal their real purpose?

But digging into the details under the public eye is pointless.

Moriarty never intended to engage in a firefight with the other side.

"Well then..." Moriarty paused for a moment, his eyes fixed on Cardan, "Please board the ship, Captain Cardan."

Company Commander Cardan remained silent for a long time, but faced with the cannons parallel to the warships, he chose to compromise.

"certainly."

Soon, escorted by the Dawn Messenger honor guard, Company Commander Cardan was disarmed and, wearing only his armor, was "welcomed" onto the Dawn.

"I thought I would see Lord Hector in a rage," Cardan said with a wry smile.

He had already made preparations.

To his surprise, when he said this, Moriarty, who was in charge of greeting him, looked extremely displeased.

The time it took for Kadan to board the ship was enough for the Dawnbringers to eliminate all the aliens who dared to board.

Moriarty had done everything in his power to stop those damned aliens from disturbing the enraged Primarch, but then, a powerful psionic teleportation occurred.

A Randanian alien, clearly the leader, appeared directly in front of Hector.

He recalled Hector's gloomy face, carrying a worm-like alien head in one hand and a huge bat brain in the other, as he walked back to his chambers on the Dawn.

He also strictly ordered the Night Guard to keep all dawn messengers except Paris and Holmes out.

Moriarty suddenly felt suffocated.

He looked at Cardan, observing the Trojan-style interior of the ship, and said through gritted teeth, word by word.

"What a wonderful gift, Company Commander Cardan."