Chapter 133: Landing Operation on Celestian Star
Just as the Phalanx was battling fiercely against the Ork Attack Moon at the front lines and the Alpha Legion was efficiently harvesting the Ork army forces, an urgent message arrived suddenly.
The voice was none other than Rogal Dorn himself, the Primarch of the Imperial Fists, who spoke directly and clearly. "Alpharius, how many vortex weapons does your Legion currently have available?"
"Five thousand in total!" Omega immediately knew, with certainty, that Dorn wanted to borrow them outright, and he calmly reported exactly half the number he possessed. He had developed a good understanding of Rogal Dorn's straightforward nature from their previous interactions, so he was decisive in his response.
Rogal Dorn paused. "That many? Your Legion is very well prepared indeed. Leave one thousand for yourselves and give four thousand to the Imperial Fists immediately!"
"No need at all, you can have all five thousand. I still have a little bit left over!"
"Good!"
Company Commander Bright stood nearby and watched the Primarch's calm expression when he said he had a little bit left, even though he had actually kept five thousand vortex weapons in reserve. This particular way of speaking was so characteristic of the Alpha Legion's methods, making it extremely hard to discern truth from falsehood.
....
On the other side, on the massive flagship Phalanx, Rogal Dorn and the Emperor were positioned on the immensely spacious bridge together. The Emperor was personally directing the entire battlefield.
Rogal Dorn's successful acquisition of five thousand vortex weapons from the Alpha Legion brought visible expressions of satisfaction to the Imperial Fists Captains present around him.
Some Captains were rendered speechless entirely, thinking how truly wealthy the Alpha Legion was to have so many vortex weapons available.
The Emperor was very satisfied with the Alpha Legion's complete pacification of the Araland Sector within ten years and their generous provision of such a large quantity of vortex weapons. He commented approvingly, "Alpharius Omega has done exceptionally well!"
Rogal Dorn blinked at hearing the Emperor use the full name directly, but without much thought about it, he contacted his subordinates immediately. "Sigismund, lead a sub-fleet to the rear to rendezvous with the Alpha Legion and safely transport the vortex weapons back here!"
From a ten-kilometer-long strike cruiser positioned around the Phalanx, First Captain Sigismund immediately led his forces to break away from the main fleet, fighting their way determinedly to the rear.
Along the way forward, the Luna Wolves' fleet provided covering fire. Omega saw Rogal Dorn's subordinates charging through recklessly from the front, and their aggressive approach startled him somewhat, so he dispatched Company Commander Skor to lead a fleet to rendezvous with them safely.
When the two Legions finally managed to link up successfully, Skor and Sigismund unanimously decided to return to the vicinity of the Phalanx together.
Omega agreed to this decision completely. Those were five thousand vortex weapons, extremely valuable strategic materials indeed.
The Alpha Legion systematically eliminated Ork combat power in the rear. At the same time, Rogal Dorn and the Emperor, having obtained the five thousand vortex weapons, prepared a large-scale assault operation targeting the Ork Attack Moon directly.
A large number of vortex weapons cleared out the Ork fighta-bommas and Ork kroozers positioned around Celestian Star, greatly reducing the pressure on the Imperial Fleet forces.
When the Ork Attack Moon, thousands of kilometers away, launched a large-scale gravitational wave at the approaching Imperial Fleet, a large number of vortex weapons were fired in response, converging into a massive gravitational distortion in space.
The two gravitational forces clashed violently and dissipated into space, causing the entire void to vibrate intensely, as if space-time itself were undulating and deforming visibly.
Such a terrifying phenomenon affected both the Ork horde and the Imperial forces equally.
The restrained Attack Moon was forcibly boarded by a powerful assault force composed of the Legio Custodes, Sisters of Silence, Space Marines, Titans, and Mechanicum Robots. Under the fierce battle conditions, the tide of the war turned decisively in favor of humanity.
In less than a single day, the Ork Attack Moon was severely damaged, with some of its critical functions halted entirely, and the Attack Moon became a chaotic battlefield where Orks and humans clashed fiercely.
A whole month later, the Alpha Legion, Luna Wolves, and Imperial Fists had destroyed tens of thousands of Ork kroozers and countless Ork fighta-bommas.
The void around the Celestian Star system was littered with warship wreckage and debris scattered everywhere. The Alpha Legion, led by Omega, had also cleared out the Ork combat power on the outskirts of the star system completely, approaching the Luna Wolves' combat zone.
With all three Legions in one star system simultaneously, they could clearly observe each other's void combat characteristics through the Data Repository systems.
The Luna Wolves' void tactics were ever-changing and unpredictable, with the entire fleet forming a constantly shifting formation around their nearly thirty-kilometer flagship Vengeful Spirit. Each sub-fleet led by a Captain had its own distinct tactical characteristics.
The Imperial Fists' void combat style was very conservative in nature. The entire Legion clustered defensively around the massive Phalanx, counterattacking when the Ork horde attacked and rarely launching proactive strikes.
The Alpha Legion's void combat style was ever-changing, yet its tactical framework rested on fundamental shifts in formation. The tactical characteristics of each company were broadly similar, and the entire Legion's formation moved as one unified entity.
After the three Legions fought together, each tactical style had its own distinct advantages and disadvantages.
In terms of void combat tactics and command ability, Omega and Horus were evenly matched, as the Alpha Legion's void combat capabilities were powerful.
With Rogal Dorn's defensive-only void combat approach, the Luna Wolves bore immense pressure to hold up the entire battlefield alone. The addition of the Alpha Legion, proficient in void combat, made things considerably easier for them.
During the battle, Horus frequently chatted with Omega, and their tactical exchanges benefited both of them immensely.
Over this entire month, Rogal Dorn finally understood what Omega meant by having only "a little bit" of vortex weapons left. In his mind, that "little bit" should have been a scattered dozen or so, but the reality was that Omega used far more than that number.
Another whole month passed, and the number of Ork fleets was forcibly reduced to around ten thousand vessels by the three Legions combined, with all functions of the Attack Moon completely crippled.
The Emperor's tactics were far wilder than Omega's methods. Once his side gained an advantage in void combat, he would directly conduct orbital bombardment on Celestian Star.
In contrast, the void battle was still ongoing, without waiting for absolute superiority before proceeding to the next step.
After the orbital bombardment, the Emperor announced the landing operation order to the three Legions.
Omega stood on the bridge and looked at the fierce and chaotic void battle around Celestian Star, where countless laser beams and explosions continuously flared, then at the massive body of the Attack Moon thousands of kilometers away, where the war between the two sides had not yet ceased.
He shook his head at the Emperor's chaotic and shifting tactics.
Looking at the Luna Wolves' constantly changing fleet formations, he thought to himself, "No wonder the Luna Wolves' tactical characteristics are so unpredictable and all-encompassing. At first glance, it's just a chaotic mess with no discernible regular tactical features. Turns out Horus learned this directly from the Emperor!"
The Data Repository and others clearly understood the Primarch's methods well. According to the previous rhythms, it was far too early for a landing operation. They didn't even know how many Orks were on Celestian Star, so a landing operation now would be too rash.
Compared to Omega's hesitation, the Luna Wolves were the first to undertake the landing operation. Horus felt he needed to set an example for his two brothers.
The Imperial Fists remained inactive in the void. The entire Legion's fleet still adopted a defensive strategy around the Phalanx, waiting for the Ork fleet to attack.
Compared to before, now only a small number of Orks would proactively attack the Imperial Fists, but Rogal Dorn did not change his tactics to launch a proactive offense, holding his ground like bedrock.
Rogal Dorn's tactics at this stage seemed inefficient.
Company Commander Bright, seeing the Imperial Fists' mode of operation combined with the star system data, sighed. Due to the Imperial Fists' slowness, the Alpha Legion had no choice but to be the second to conduct the landing operation.
Omega turned to his officers and stated firmly, "We will first conduct a wave of orbital bombardment, then drop a batch of cyclonic torpedoes, and then land!"
"Primarch, afterwards, someone in the War Council will say you have destructive tendencies again, won't they?" Bright didn't expect the Primarch to pull this stunt even in front of the Emperor.
Worried it would displease the Emperor, he asked with some concern, "Will this anger him?"
Omega shrugged. "If he's displeased, he's displeased. It's better than sacrificing my subordinates' lives! Give the order, bomb them!"
"Yes!"
Company Commander Bright quickly relayed the order to the Legion's Captains and ship commanders. A part of the Alpha Legion's fleet engaged in fierce combat with the Ork fleet for cover, while another part of the fleet began to orbit Celestian Star.
After hypersonic aircraft entered the atmosphere and rapidly collected data, Omega was shocked by the number of Orks on Celestian Star.
An estimated colossal force of over three billion Orks, with Ork settlements and Ork war installations all over the planet, caused everyone on the bridge to fall into an unusual silence upon hearing this data.
Omega muttered to himself, "Making us land now is practically suicide!"
After the shock, the fleet, as per usual, conducted orbital bombardment on the marked Ork settlement coordinates on Celestian Star. Lances, hundreds of meters wide, pierced through clouds and atmosphere, striking directly at the planet's surface.
Celestian Star rumbled loudly, and the force fields of many Ork settlements forcibly withstood the orbital bombardment strikes.
On the Phalanx, Rogal Dorn saw that the Alpha Legion did not conduct a landing operation but instead carried out a large-scale orbital bombardment. He glanced toward the Emperor, who was commanding the entire battlefield at the front.
The Emperor watched calmly, not stopping Omega's actions. Nearby, Horus of the Luna Wolves was greatly surprised by the Alpha Legion's actions.
Many Ork settlements on Celestian Star stubbornly resisted one wave of orbital bombardment, but they could not withstand the subsequent waves. Continuous orbital bombardments shattered a large number of Ork settlements.
After destroying over a hundred settlements and eliminating more than five hundred million Orks, the Alpha Legion finally ceased its bombardment.
The next day, Omega's Legion began its landing operation, designating a remote wasteland area on the planet. While landing, they simultaneously conducted cyclonic torpedo bombardments on the Ork forces within a ten-thousand-mile radius. Amidst roaring explosions, a large number of personnel landed.
On the barren plains, colossal war fortresses, three times the size planned by Omega, were continuously being constructed.
The entire Legion built three war fortresses, each heavily positioned towards the planet's barren regions. Throughout this process, the Alpha Legion made no combat deployments against the Orks whatsoever.
The Alpha Legion only defended and built, but the Ork horde discovered them and immediately Waaaaghed over!
Countless Ork mobs streamed in from various parts of the continent like water. Ork dakkajets were the first to fly in from high altitudes to strike, and the Alpha Legion's Xiphon Interceptors scrambled in large numbers to engage them in aerial combat.
The entire Legion conducted rapid earthworks. As soon as high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft detected an Ork horde of over ten million, they immediately launched an orbital bombardment.
If several million Ork troops converged, cyclonic torpedoes were directly dropped from high altitude for bombardment.
To ensure the war bases took shape, Omega dispatched troops to guard strategic points and conduct delaying actions to buy time for the base construction. The entire Legion operated like a single, massive organism.
Compared to the Alpha Legion's defensive operations, the Luna Wolves adopted large-scale offensive operations with their Titan Legions and other forces.
On the Phalanx, Constantin Valdor reported the progress of the two Legions to the Emperor.
When Valdor spoke of the Alpha Legion building war fortresses, he saw Dorn looking at him and calmly said, "The Alpha Legion's tactics are somewhat similar to the Imperial Fists. They are intentionally luring the Ork horde to the northern wasteland to facilitate orbital bombardment and cyclonic torpedo bombardment!"
"This should be the influence of observing the Imperial Fists' operational methods over the past month. The Luna Wolves have adopted a proactive offensive!"
[End of Chapter]