Atreus and a squad of Astartes were aboard a boarding torpedo, launched from their frigate toward an Imperium cargo vessel.
As they approached the enemy Geller field, the torpedo suddenly decelerated upon impact, then rapidly accelerated again after passing through without difficulty.
Geller fields have the particularity of defending against fast-moving objects, but this makes them vulnerable to unknown objects moving slowly.
Stronger models exist that can compensate for this weakness, but this flaw remains very common in the Geller fields of the Imperium of Mankind.
Under the effect of a violent jolt, the torpedo's fusion cannon struck the spacecraft head-on.
The hull did not resist the assault for long and melted under the attack.
The torpedo directly penetrated the enemy ship through the breach it created, then released its contents inside the cargo hold.
Atreus was certain the enemy would not dare fire at them, as he had planted doubt in their minds.
But beyond the psychological aspect, he had not based his entire plan on simple speculation.
Another Astartes had already acted in this way.
Barabas Dantioch
The man behind the distinctive shape of his helmet.
That Astartes had seized a ship from the Iron Warriors legion by exploiting a major flaw of the Imperium: the fear of mortals toward the legendary Space Marines.
Contrary to what many Warhammer 40k fans think, humans were not as well informed about traitors and the Horus Heresy.
Especially in the lower ranks.
Dantioch exploited this fear to defeat his former superior, after allowing him to take over his fortress.
The former servant of Perturabo teleported into the main vessel of the Iron Warriors fleet; he casually walked to the upper bridge to seize control.
No mortal even considered stopping him or questioned whether the old Dantioch was not on their side.
The operation was a monumental success and a humiliation for Perturabo's subordinate.
"The Imperium never assigned a major role to the Imperial Army during the Great Crusade, because the Space Marines were its main force," he thought while leaving the boarding torpedo.
The ancestor of the Astra Militarum was much stronger than it in many logistical aspects.
Nevertheless, the latter is certainly more ferocious for an obvious reason.
The Astra Militarum is meant to fight more wars on the front line, while its ancestor was more of a support force for the legendary Astartes Legions.
Thus, the Imperial Army is also called the auxiliary weapon to emphasize its supportive role in the conquest during the Great Crusade.
Crack.
Atreus raised his assault shield in one hand, then tightened his grip on his bolter with the other.
He observed the outside of the torpedo and signaled five Astartes to follow him in a direction.
Heavy footsteps echoed around them as a group of armored crew members quickly approached.
Their weapons were stored at their belts or slung over their shoulders, safeties engaged; they clearly had no murderous intent toward them.
The senior officer stood at attention after encountering Atreus's group.
He performed a military salute and spoke:
"My lord, I am Officer—"
His voice was cut off by the sound of a bolter shot.
Bang!
Before the officer could finish his sentence, his head exploded like a watermelon crushed by a truck.
Brain matter scattered everywhere.
Atreus's face was unreadable behind his signature helmet, but his eyes showed true indifference to the man's death.
Was he innocent?
From the Imperium's perspective, yes.
Could he have spared him? Yes.
So why?
Why take the life of this mortal when the cargo ship's capture was nearly guaranteed after a successful boarding?
The answer is simple.
Efficiency.
An Iron Warrior prioritizes efficiency above morality itself when it ensures the success of the Legion's objectives.
Atreus despises his gene-father.
However, Perturabo's teachings have saved his life countless times.
He does not intend to change his habits.
"Interesting, my fingers did not tremble on the trigger of my bolter. Indeed, I am worthy of having an iron heart," he thought while tightening his grip on the assault shield.
His bolter roared again in the cold corridor of the spaceship as mortals desperately tried to retaliate.
The other Astartes also began opening fire.
Against crew members whose lasguns were still slung over their shoulders and safeties engaged, it was nothing but a massacre.
The other Astartes also advanced on their side of the Vagabond-class cargo ship under Anthony's command.
(Image)
Both groups acted in concert, aiming to seize the ship quickly and efficiently.
After eliminating enemies at the boarding point, Atreus's order came through internal communications:
"Scar, Grey, come with me to secure the bridge. Thomopolus, take the two other brothers and secure the engine room," he ordered while moving through the corridor.
"At your command, my lord," he replied, with a hint of hesitation.
Boarding is a tactical discipline following specific patterns, and this was the standard boarding tactic for merchant vessels.
The bridge is and will always be the brain of a spaceship, and the engine rooms its legs.
Against such ships, taking control of these two strategic points first is essential to secure victory.
In case of success, whether by eliminating those on the bridge or destroying the engines, the ship would fall at the mercy of its invaders.
Of course, different tactics would be used for other types of spacecraft or special situations.
For example: a squad of Astartes sent on a surgical strike to decapitate an Ork tide would not target the engine room.
They would focus solely on finding the Boyz' boss to eliminate him quickly.
In the end, a veteran Space Marine must know how to use all boarding methods to avoid unnecessary losses in a space battle.
"P-please! I-I'll do anything you want," a woman pleaded, unable to meet the Space Marine's gaze.
Atreus knelt down to bring himself to the mortal's level and spoke in a voice distorted by his helmet:
"Are you crew?" he asked, without releasing his grip on his bolter.
She nodded immediately, like a chicken pecking.
"Excellent, you will do," he said, grabbing her by the collar of her robe in a careless manner, then snapped her neck.
He could have simply forced her to show the way, but Atreus preferred to avoid such inefficient practices.
"It's this way," he said, using the woman's memory information.
In the narrow corridors of such a ship, a Space Marine resembled less a foot soldier and more a walking armored vehicle.
Their groups occupied almost all available space, advancing like Roman troops in a tortoise formation.
Occasionally, crew members armed with lasguns or autoguns appeared along the way, drawn by the noise of footsteps and bolter fire.
Some of these men and women had taken up arms after realizing the betrayal of the Astartes aboard their ship.
However, it was too late.
Their ship did not possess defensive systems advanced enough to pose a real threat to Atreus and his squad.
Any crew member attempting to stop them could not damage their armor, ending as unrecognizable piles of flesh under bolter impacts.
"Am I being too cautious?" he thought for a moment while destroying a defense turret emerging from a wall.
Because of "Trust," Atreus had become an unusually powerful Space Marine among his peers.
Beyond that, he was naturally extremely cautious in his operations.
He knew too much to lower his guard.
Thus, this boarding became so simple and smooth that he grew bored.
[Emergency crew alert]
[We are under attack]
[Please defend the ship]
An emergency message echoed throughout the vessel, ordering all armed personnel to go on alert.
From now on, mortals would no longer be confused by the sudden attack of the Astartes.
Atreus had officially lost his advantage of surprise.
The mission difficulty would certainly increase.
"Tch… one must truly be careful with wishes, but I've already achieved my objectives," he muttered neutrally inside his helmet.
When the order from the bridge was given, it was already too late in Atreus's view.
He had advanced too far into the ship.
"Heresy!!!" roared an officer while firing relentlessly at their group.
The squad had already reached the bridge perimeter. As they turned a corner, they encountered a powerful laser cannon.
It was a twin-linked laser cannon, and its power and rate of fire pushed Atreus back slightly with a single blast.
Another Astartes would have certainly been injured by such an attack, but he regained his balance using his abnormal strength.
Even though his shield was damaged by the brutal assault, he did not panic.
"Was I too careless?" he thought briefly while sacrificing his shield to protect himself from the laser fire.
He should have expected it; even if it was a merchant cargo ship, the command bridge was of critical importance and would not be left undefended.
Taking cover behind a steel pillar, Atreus noticed the heavy weapon blocking the corridor was immovable.
This situation gave him the idea of using a fragmentation grenade at his belt, but he was interrupted.
His squadmate Scar spoke up:
"My Lord, why not use this?" he said, proudly displaying his favored weapon.
Atreus looked briefly at the flamethrower, then nodded.
The Space Marine did not enjoy unnecessary suffering, but he was not a saint either.
He approved Scar's action.
Scar moved to the corner of the corridor and aimed the flamethrower at the twin-linked laser cannon, executing his attack properly.
A storm of purifying flames engulfed the enemy position as they attempted to retaliate with their laser cannon.
But in vain.
The heat was unbearable for unarmored humans without proper masks or suits.
Beyond heat and oxygen deprivation, their vision was consumed by Scar's raging flames. The men were faced with a deadly combination for mere mortals.
They would perish like witches of old.
"That's enough," Atreus thought internally, witnessing the excessive cruelty.
He picked up his damaged shield and threw it toward the officers operating the laser cannons.
The man and his subordinate were cut in half by the thrown steel, but this end was quicker.
Atreus had granted them mercy.
"Chief, you know my flamethrower would have been enough, right?" Scar said while watching his split targets.
The heat wave from the high-temperature combustion had reduced the former humans into unrecognizable forms.
However, Scar was not wrong.
"We must not waste resources," Atreus replied calmly.
He could not admit that his subordinate had been acting excessively cruel.
He was, after all, the leader of a warband.
Scar nodded in understanding.
"Damn, I should have avoided wasting energy on those pests," he thought while burning the remaining survivors.
Unlike him, Atreus had to manage the warband's ammunition.
Scar respected Atreus, so he decided to avoid wasting resources unnecessarily.
"At last, we are here," Grey said while tightening his grip on his still-hot bolter.
The squads had reached the command bridge door Atreus had mentioned.
The crew woman's memory had been correct.
The Space Marine fired a few bolter shots to create a weak point, then immediately punched through the reinforced steel.
A few lasgun shots passed through the opening toward them, but Atreus had already learned his lesson from the laser cannon.
He dodged sideways, though a few shots still hit Grey's shoulder plate.
However, the injury was not serious.
The Space Marine could ignore it and continue the operation without issue.
This time, Atreus directly primed a fragmentation grenade and threw it through the breach.
Using Scar's flames to damage the bridge was out of the question for him.
A loud explosion echoed.
"Alright, you can go in," he said, signaling his subordinates to take the lead.
He did not want to risk entering first, as an unwanted surprise could always occur.
"Is it cowardly to use subordinates as scouts? Yes, but I am alive because of methods like this," he thought, remembering fallen comrades.
The command bridge plunged into chaos after the grenade explosion and the Astartes' entry.
Atreus kicked the body of an officer who fired at him despite his ineffective ammunition.
A dozen armed crew members remained on the bridge, but they could do nothing against the roar of bolters.
An Astartes' aim was simply too lethal, and the difference in experience was the final blow.
Atreus activated his external loudspeaker to address the remaining non-combatants, his gaze fixed on the various machines.
He also focused on a middle-aged man clearly identified as the captain by his more decorated clothing.
"Captain, this ship is now ours. You have two choices: surrender or die," he said coldly.
The captain glared at Atreus, gritting his teeth.
"Damned traitors! I will not surrender to you. The Emperor will punish you!" he replied, though Atreus could detect strong reluctance to die.
The man was even gripping a necklace so tightly that his palm nearly bled.
"A bit foolish, but at least you have courage," Atreus replied, offering an impartial assessment.
He was a captain.
Too valuable a resource to be eliminated by a bolter shot alone, but his instincts told him the man could be broken.
***
Author's note: +2000 words in this chapter. Damn, that was more complex than expected.
Otherwise, I'll post a bonus at 35 stones, so let's go!