Chapter 59: The Advantage of Three Thousand to Eight Hundred is Mine!
Through intelligence reports, Omega had identified two defining characteristics of Ork military strength.
The first was their rapid asexual spore reproduction, granting them numerical superiority over many sparsely populated alien races. Yet this advantage harbored a paradox: every Ork possessed extraordinarily powerful physiology.
Wounds that would kill any human barely troubled them; they recovered with remarkable ease. They were engineered for warfare, the way humans were engineered for fragility.
The second lay in their genetically encoded technical aptitude. Orks could assemble Titans dozens of meters tall from mere junkyards through sheer intuition and will. Countless Orks equipped with heavy armor formed efficient military formations whose combat strength matched that of comparable Imperial Auxilia regiments. Yet efficiency meant nothing without purpose.
An alien civilization capable of conjuring Titans from scrap metal demanded serious tactical consideration, not fear, but respect for the problem's complexity.
The weaponry Omega prepared for the Solar Auxilia targeted heavy vehicles, aircraft, and tank formations with strikes before close contact could occur.
Electromagnetic and ion cannons would pierce Ork armor in direct engagement. Discipline would kill what their ramshackle technology could not.
Several of the Sages had matured sufficiently to meet these demands. Even a large-scale Titan Legion deployment remained achievable.
The Forge World's production was progressing smoothly. From smaller Rapier-class Scout Titans standing slightly over ten meters tall to Warlord-class Titans spanning approximately thirty meters in height, the manufacturing pipeline functioned without interruption. A functional Forge World posed no obstacle to such output.
After a month of strategic planning sessions, most conflicts and logistical problems had been resolved. The mathematics were certain. Execution remained.
Thousands of Alpha Legion warships translated from the Warp, emerging directly into the Sophis Forge World system.
From the flagship, Omega observed transport vessels filling the entire star system, drawing upon the metal resources of the Alpha Sector to satisfy the Forge World's insatiable demands.
Many Rogue Trader cargo spacecraft moved among them, armed merchant vessels capable of serving as auxiliary warships.
Vessels ranged from hundreds of meters to several kilometers in length. Those under a kilometer were limited to local transport duties, incapable of Warp translation or sustained interstellar travel.
Gazing upon this vast convergence of shipping, Omega's spirits remained excellent as the fleet gradually approached. This was thirty years of logistics made manifest.
Countless civilian spacecraft yielded gracefully before the thousands of military warships transiting through the system. Military vessels dwarfed civilian transports in both scale and number, inspiring immediate awe.
As the massive fleet approached the spaceport, the Forge World's transformation became apparent. The planetary surface had long since metamorphosed into a global-scale forging factory.
The patterns formed by countless foundries across the planetary surface created exquisite beauty when viewed from orbit. The massive and small vessels adorning the Forge World's space further enhance its magnificence.
During the decade-long campaign in the Calicus Sector, the Alpha Legion had sustained considerable personnel losses, though periodic warship replenishment had continued throughout.
Julius and several of the Sages managed maintenance of the colossal fleet and Space Marine power armor with skill, coordinating replenishment of vast quantities of weapons, ammunition, aircraft, tanks, missiles, cannons, food, medicine, gunboats, uniforms, and vehicles.
The demands of thirty million soldiers proved staggering. All Tech-Priests across the entire Forge World had been mobilized, with supplies pre-positioned across orbital stations and planetary docks.
Material logistics flowed between space and planetary surface like a cosmic river, vast and mighty, each current a pathway of supply and survival.
Civilian observers throughout the star system watched this resupply operation with wonder, experiencing directly the weight of the Imperium of Man's war machine.
They witnessed something few would ever see: an entire civilization transformed for war.
Over ten million newly trained Imperial Army recruits had been transported to the planet's Hive Cities before the main fleet even arrived.
The Alpha Legion had lost over seven million soldiers fighting in distant star systems. Recruiting ten million soldiers provided sufficient replacement. Losses taught lessons. Lessons meant evolution.
These Imperial Army recruits had undergone military training on their home worlds and were equipped with the latest-generation light armor, laser weapons, uniforms, and basic equipment.
Specialized training for tank operation, missile launching, aircraft piloting, artillery fire control, and vehicle operation had been pre-arranged across various military academies.
Omega sought a system that would turn newly recruited soldiers into combat-capable troops. The entire regional network of military academies taught battalion-level leadership, with elite officers rotating to the Forge World for advanced instruction in starship piloting.
All recruits received comprehensive elite training. Quality produced quality. Excellence bred excellence.
Through systematic development and relentless pursuit of equipment excellence, Omega forged the Alpha Legion into an elite, professional force.
Such a legion's combat power far surpassed forces relying purely upon numerical strength. Numbers without discipline were merely meat.
The Forge World had produced substantial quantities of Titans and vehicles. Heavy tanks and assault vehicles commenced production months prior, and quantities steadily accumulated.
By the end of one month, the Alpha Legion's fleet had reached three thousand three hundred vessels. The vast majority of Titans and heavy weaponry were now deployed, including over 100 million missiles. The well-armed Alpha Legion departed for the front lines.
In the Veredian Star System, as the Alpha Legion's massive fleet emerged sequentially from Warp translation, space was filled with oddly-configured Ork warships.
These Ork vessels ranged in length from hundreds of meters to several kilometers. From their patchwork exterior construction alone, Omega harbored concerns regarding structural integrity.
Yet they held together through will, momentum, and something beyond reason.
The number of Ork warships reached over eight hundred, with prominent Ork metal symbols clearly visible across the hulls.
Julius the Wise observed the rapidly appearing tactical models with mixed admiration and complaint.
"By fundamental technical principles, these Ork warships should disintegrate and prove incapable of propulsion. Yet these miraculous Orks have fashioned functional space vessels from metal scrap! This represents an utterly irrational alien species!"
"Is this the manifestation of the gestalt field?" Omega asked with evident amusement.
Beside him, an ancient psyker clad in black robes and holding a staff of power offered gentle elaboration.
"A collective psychic phenomenon unique to the Orks. Their belief shapes reality. Will given form through the warp itself. Their numbers amplify it."
At that moment, the Ork armada, observing the countless allied fleets, erupted with excited WAAAGHs and surged forward, not tactical, but instinctual, the entire fleet moving as one organism driven by primal hunger for battle.
For them, no concept of numerical disadvantage existed. No fear of casualties tempered their advance.
Orks were born for warfare itself. As long as the conflict continued, they experienced extreme excitement and joy.
This excitement and euphoria amplified the gestalt field, strengthening their bodies and enhancing their cognitive capacity. The greater the scale of the war, the more they anticipated it. They were addicted to this.
The vast, junk-like formations of Ork warships, their giant cannons themselves patchwork assemblies of metal and steel, unleashed stirring WAAAGHs that seemed to shake the entire cosmos.
From vast distances, Omega could hear the Orks' excited vocalizations reverberating through the void.
The more Omega comprehended Ork nature, the less surprised he became. They were warriors stripped to essence, no bureaucracy, no doubt, no hesitation. There was a purity to it, however brutish.
He raised his hand toward the starfield and declared with absolute confidence, his voice carrying the weight of mathematical certainty.
"Whatever this gestalt phenomenon represents, three thousand against eight hundred, the advantage belongs to me!"
"Let the Orks experience what military science truly means! Attack!"
Upon this command, the company commanders erupted in agitation. Even the Legion fleet roared and howled with excitement, matching the Orks' ferocity with disciplined fury.
With their strength, what Orks could they fear? They constituted the attacking force. The entire fleet, consumed by excitement, surged forward as if they themselves were about to WAAAGH!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As both fleets approached engagement range, laser cannons, electromagnetic cannons, and ion cannons unleashed continuous barrages, filling space with brilliant fire. Surprisingly, even these patchwork Ork warships, assembled from salvage, returned fire with ion cannons and laser weapons of their own.
As both sides exchanged devastating fire, brilliant explosions erupted continuously throughout the void.
Omega observed his warships' energy shields holding firm while enemy Ork vessels, facing the combined firepower of thousands of ships, sustained damage after only a few impacts before exploding or suffering critical damage.
He felt surprised by the durability the Ork salvage warships displayed during direct engagement; belief did reinforce metal, after all.
Yet durability alone was no match for overwhelming firepower and coordinated assault.
[End of Chapter]
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