After reaching high orbit, Spark immediately went into action.
The strike cruiser vibrated with barely contained power, the air filled with the static from its void shields and the throb of its packed lance cannons.
Lothar replaced Soshyan in charge of the command throne on the bridge, surrounded by a holographic screen and data readings.
The explosion-proof wall of the observation port has been lowered, and the space behind now shows the monitoring screen and observation monitor occupying the center of the Dark Bridge.
Lothar watched the crew members busy.
Generally speaking, Space Marines rarely pay attention to their mortal servants, and even less really notice their activities. This is not out of arrogance, but because of the huge physical and psychological gap that makes it difficult for superhumans to pay attention.
to the thin humans who busied around them. Those who controlled the bridge were the most privileged among the thousands of servants serving the warship, and their experience and expertise provided them with better rations and cabins.
Even so, they are useless and fragile creatures. Their gray-white robes hang loosely on their thin bodies, making them look haggard.
In a vain attempt to imitate their masters, all had their heads shaved, and some added tattoos of sky eagles on their faces and arms.
Lothar watched as they worked in the communications posts and auspicious structures, monitoring engine output and preparing coordinated fires.
Everything is in silence.
At this height, no matter how hard he tried, Lothar found that he could not tell any of them apart, old or young, male or female.
They are the property of the order, and they must serve on this ship for life, whether voluntarily or by force.
This is the cruel and cold side of the human empire.
Choice is a luxury for most people.
"Chapter Master."
Lothar turned on the long-range communicator and communicated with Soshyan, who had arrived at the torpedo launch bay.
"We are catching up with the transport ship. The identity scan and keel mark confirm that it is undoubtedly the New Pharos. What are your orders?"
"Did you signal her?"
"Yes, but she didn't respond. The close-range auspicious detection only detected very few signs of life. About twenty minutes ago, a landing ship was thrown out by her. The target was the orbital station. I think your guess has been confirmed.
Already."
"It seems that those traitors have already had their fun, and the place above is nothing more than a morgue now."
"Indeed, but they may be able to provide us with information before landing, such as the identities of the traitors."
"The traitors will cripple them," Kahu said emotionlessly. "It would be a waste of time to board her."
Lothar looked at the surveillance screen.
Even without magnifying the image, New Pharos can be clearly identified, its spinning green and white sphere contrasting with its mottled, unflattering body.
What happened to her crew? What now occupied her decks and spaces in the darkness?
"Chapter Commander, we still have twenty seconds to reach launch range."
"You control it."
After waiting quietly for twenty seconds, he felt shocked when the attack torpedo surrounding Soshyan was launched.
Behind him, Team 1 stood motionless, fully armored and armed, automatic stabilizers and magnetic locks keeping them steady as the torpedoes fired toward the side of the New Pharos.
The Starfire has reached a very close distance from the opponent, close enough to ensure that no matter what defense system it has, it will not be able to lock them when the Astral Knight's jumping torpedoes tear open the narrow void between the two.
Before the proximity alarm sounded and the inside of the narrow metal cabin was filled with fierce red light, the time on Soshyan's faceplate showed that less than fifteen seconds had passed.
"Get ready to enter the cabin!"
Soshyan ordered, setting the stabilizer to maximum power.
Just when the armor was locked, he felt the thrust of the brake rocket suppressing a rapid collision. At the moment of the impact, he snorted.
Power armor absorbs strong changes in gravity, and this force is enough to tear a mortal into pieces.
The torpedo seemed to pause for a moment, and then new shocks shot through the deck beneath Soshyan's feet as the heat from its head burned through the New Pharos's outer hull.
Soshyan took off the power sword from his waist.
He could feel the desire of the first team behind him to fight. They had waited too long.
But Soshyan found himself praying that there weren't too many traitors left alive on the ship, that there weren't anything to complicate the killing. Not only could the current Astral Knights not accept defeat, they couldn't even accept larger losses.
Then Soshyan pushed his worries aside and concentrated.
He is no longer an ordinary soldier.
Soon, the broken metal plate was exploded by the landing torpedo with a dull explosion, and then the harsh sound of automatic explosions was heard.
The flashing light inside the torpedo changed from red to green, and Soshyan was moving before the ramp was lowered. The roar of the power sword's decomposition stance corresponded to the deathly silence, while outside was the screaming darkness.
The next second, Soshyan's automatic senses captured deformed, unnatural shapes. They were torn apart by the torpedo penetration explosion, and the fragments were scattered throughout the corridor, making the scene even more distorted.
His sensors detected the unmistakable, repulsive stench of the Warp.
This is a group of highly tainted Chaos believers, and may also be the renegade crew from the previous ship.
Their pale bodies were covered with blasphemous symbols, their open mouths were densely packed with fangs, and they rushed towards these angels of death armed with various primitive weapons.
"Destroy them."
Behind Soshyan, the First Squad swarmed forward and quickly eliminated the first Chaos Cultists that came at them from the darkness. The Space Marines did not even use bolters, but used chainsaws and fists to tear them into wet pieces.
of minced flesh and black pus and blood.
Soshyan trampled on their twisted corpses, while the traitors showed their hatred with their fangs.
The deformed fear will destroy the sanity of most mortals. The blood-sucking fangs and newly grown appendages twist and try to catch the silver-gray armor.
But they are still as fragile as paper in front of the Space Marines.
Soshyan easily cut them open with his sword, causing pieces of black filth to spatter on his armor.
Farzad rushed down the corridor, the anger of his two battle axes filling the enclosed space, and the screaming fragments mixed with blood raindrops towards him, making him look dark red.
The second team also quickly exited the landing bay. They protected the flanks of the first team, the detonator guns buzzing with energy overload as they vaporized the Chaos cultists further down the corridor into explosive flames and ash.
After the last Chaos believer died wailing under Soshyan's fist, he moved forward and saw an open passage hatch.
He sidled through it, looking for new enemies.
Automated sensors revealed to him the slaughterhouse he had stepped into. What had once been the ship's church was flooded with blood and hanging body parts. The crazy slaughterhouse was filled with squirming hunchbacks, cloaked creatures, and cultists worshiping Sosh.
Yang shrank away at his appearance.
Soshyan did not hesitate, swung his sword forward, and tore apart their twisted limbs.
In order to escape from him, the cultists tried their best to catch and beat each other, but it was of no use in front of the silver-armored giant.
He soon had these people join the slaughterhouse they once created.
"No other crew members found."
When Farzad came to report, Soshyan stood there breathing heavily, with internal organs dripping from his ancient armor.
He struggled to control himself and the urge to continue killing out of anger.
At the same time, he received a second battle report on his visor, from the second tactical team that had sneaked into the engine room of the ship.
"There are no survivors."
Ustad described everything he saw.
"There are no signs of traitors. The engine room is currently under control."
However, Soshyan's attention was attracted by a huge symbol on the church wall. His intuition told him that this symbol was closely related to the identity of the traitor, so he intercepted it and sent it to Lothar on the bridge.
"Losa, did you receive the picture I saw?"
"Got it, Chapter Commander."
"What's this."
On the bridge of the Starfire, Lothar stood on the command platform, staring at the picture sent by Soshyan in his visor.
"Chapter Commander, it seems that all your guesses are correct. We have indeed encountered a traitor."
On the wall stained red by dripping blood, a brass symbol shone with evil light.
"This is the symbol of the Chaos God Khorne. We encountered a Khorne warband."