Chapter 364: Martian Fleet
Just as the Forge World reinforcements arrived and the situation on the ground and in orbit seemed about to reverse, another anomaly occurred.
On the sensor arrays, another massive Adeptus Mechanicus fleet, painted in Mars' signature red and cogwheel heraldry, dropped out of the Warp without warning, appearing on the outskirts of the Death World's star system.
This fleet from the Martian headquarters did not broadcast any friendly IFF signals, nor did it engage in any form of communicative pleasantries with the Nexum fleet waiting in strict formation in orbit.
A forced vox-broadcast, bearing the supreme authority of Mars, pierced directly through all encrypted channels, echoing within Akira's command nexus and on the bridge of the Nexum flagship: "In the name of the Martian Parliament and Mechanicus orthodoxy, Explorator Magos Akira, immediately and unconditionally hand over the 'Warp Engine' technology you illegally possess and all related research data.
"Any hesitation or resistance will be deemed a betrayal of the Omnissiah.
"Refuse this command, and Mars will declare you, and all factions harboring you, as Hereteks, and will enact a complete purgation."
This sudden ultimatum caused Akira's computing core to instantly flag several massive questions.
He had only informed Sigismund of the existence of the Warp Engine, with the purpose of securing an opportunity to meet the Primarch Dorn.
Given Sigismund's loyalty and rigor, it was absolutely impossible for him to casually leak such vital intelligence, let alone transmit it directly to Mars.
"How was the information leaked?" Akira's thought threads spun at high speed, investigating various possibilities.
Was the communication intercepted and decrypted? Was there an undetected infiltration unit internally? Or... some sort of precognition or prying that surpassed conventional intelligence methods?
Or perhaps, the Martian fleet before his eyes did not belong to this time node? Were they from the future?
However, before Akira could respond, and without allowing the Martian fleet to apply further pressure, the situation in orbit suddenly changed drastically.
The muzzles of the Nexum fleet lit up with hostile energy light the very next second after Mars issued its ultimatum.
Without warning, without negotiation, searing lances and dense macro-cannon volleys crashed directly into the vanguard ships of the Martian fleet like an angry iron fist!
The Martian fleet clearly had not anticipated that Nexum would resist so decisively and fiercely. Their shields fluctuated violently under the sudden, ferocious strike. The void shields of a light cruiser even overloaded instantly; its armor was torn apart, bursting into a blinding ball of fire.
The reason for the conflict was simple and direct—Akira was a registered Explorator Magos of Nexum. Regardless of their source, his research achievements, under the complex legal and customary framework of the Adeptus Mechanicus, had their ownership and development rights tightly bound to the Forge World of Nexum.
Mars' action was tantamount to openly robbing the core assets and hopes of rising that belonged to Nexum.
In the past, faced with Mars' coercion, Nexum might have chosen to endure and compromise.
But at this moment, Akira and the technological potential he represented were, in Magos Dominus Vox's eyes, the crucial bargaining chips for Nexum to return to glory and even rival Mars.
A lack of orders could be solved by opening the market with new technology, but if even this future hope was strangled and stolen by Mars, then Nexum would never have a day to rise above.
Nexum might be inferior to Mars in orders and influence, but as a Forge World established during the Great Crusade to serve the expeditionary fleets, its war potential and industrial strength were by no means weak.
To protect this vitally important "future," Magos Dominus Vox did not hesitate to choose the most unyielding method of response—armed confrontation.
In the cold void of the universe, two fleets of steel representing different wills within the Adeptus Mechanicus brazenly opened fire over a technology that had not yet fully revealed its face.
Lances cut across the void, torpedoes flew in crisscrossing patterns, and a civil war among Tech-Priests erupted just like that.
And on the surface of the Death World, Akira and his warriors not only had to face the frenzied attacks of the World Eaters on the ground, but they also had to divide their attention to watch the orbital battle overhead that would determine their fate.
Seeing the situation in orbit take a sharp turn for the worse, as the Martian fleet gradually suppressed the Nexum fleet relying on its sheer size and technological advantages, Akira knew he could no longer hesitate.
He had to break this deadlock; otherwise, once the Nexum fleet was routed, the next to be "purged" would be him and his base.
His massive mechanical body turned back to the mysterious black cube. After a series of operations, what he took out was not a weapon brimming with destructive aura like before, but a device that looked exceptionally exquisite, even possessing a bit of artistic flair.
It resembled a miniature astrolabe, composed of an unknown dark metal. Its structure was complex and precise, and embedded at its core was a purple crystal the size of an egg, its luster somewhat dim.
Akira placed the device on the console, the precise probes of his hands connecting to its interfaces.
As he injected energy and commands, the astrolabe slowly levitated. Its internal structure began to rotate, and specks of faint light lit up like stars, rapidly condensing in the central area of the instrument to outline a miniaturized star chart—it was the real-time tactical map of the current Death World star system, with the light dots representing the Martian fleet clearly visible within.
He locked onto the target, his computing core connecting deeply with the device.
Immediately after, he made a movement carrying an obvious sense of "reluctance"—using a mechanical finger, he carefully flicked an extremely tiny, seemingly decorative lever on the side of the astrolabe.
"Click."
A soft sound, like the engaging of a precise mechanism.
The purple crystal at the core of the device suddenly flashed, bursting with a brief yet blinding light. Subsequently, its internal luster dimmed at a visible rate, as if something fundamental had been consumed.
At the same time, inside the astrolabe, those light dot models representing the Martian fleet looked as if they were roughly kneaded by an invisible giant hand, violently contracting and squeezing toward a central point, bunching up chaotically!
Almost at the exact same moment, an astonishing scene occurred in orbit outside the Death World:
The very space in the area occupied by the Martian fleet—which was fiercely exchanging fire with the Nexum fleet in a relatively spread-out formation—seemed to fold bizarrely.
All warships, regardless of size or class, were as if thrown into an invisible gravitational singularity, crashing and squeezing violently toward a central point uncontrollably!
Deafening booms vibrated through the hulls via structural conduction, even in the vacuum of space.
Cruisers slammed into the broadsides of battleships; frigates were crushed like toys by larger vessels. Armor plating twisted and tore under the terrifying pressure, turrets were knocked askew, and colliding thrusters triggered explosions...
For a time, the Martian fleet was thrown into utter chaos, its internal vox-channels filled with terrified cries and damage alarms.
Although this sudden spatial anomaly failed to directly destroy these sturdy warships, the chaos and collateral damage it caused were massive.
More importantly, their formation completely collapsed. All the ships were bunched up together, unable to move, and their fields of fire disintegrated as a result.
How could the Nexum fleet, which had been struggling to hold on, let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip by?
"All ships, concentrate firepower! Attack!" The command from the Nexum flagship was filled with the thrill of vengeance.
Lances, macro-cannons, and torpedoes that had long been gathering power poured down like a torrential rain upon the bunched-up Martian fleet.
Having lost their maneuvering space and effective defensive formations, the Martian warships became perfect targets.
The firelight of explosions flashed in chain reactions amidst the crowded fleet, like firecrackers lit during a festival.
The Martian fleet instantly went from having the upper hand into a disastrous rout, only able to struggle arduously and retreat step by step under this bizarre pressure and ferocious artillery fire.
Looking at the chaotic clump of light dots in the astrolabe and the battle results transmitted from the orbital sensors, Akira's optical lenses flickered slightly.
The effect was remarkable, but the thought of that completely dimmed, nearly inactive crystal caused a pang of "heartache"—based on resource depletion—to sweep across his logic core.
The value of this precious relic far exceeded that of the Martian fleet in the sky above, but Akira had no choice but to use it to break the deadlock.