On the edge of the Planditium System, the veil of reality was mercilessly torn open in a massive, ragged wound.
The bizarre, shifting light of the Warp surged out of it, followed immediately by colossal vessels piercing the Mandeville Point, like mythical beasts escaping their cage to return to the material universe.
Leading the way was the legendary battleship, the Macragge's Glory. Its hull was so immense that the accompanying Attack Cruisers appeared merely like escorting sharks.
Following closely, a torrent of steel, composed of more battleships, cruisers, and frigates, continually poured out of the Warp rift, assembling into strict and deadly formations under the cold starlight.
Hundreds of warships, each representing the pinnacle of the Imperium's industrial might and the art of war.
Together, they formed an iron wall spanning the void, their muzzles gleaming with cold light, and their engines blasting blue plasma flames bright enough to illuminate a star.
Facing this fleet, which represented the wrath of the entire Ultramar Sector, the Tyranid Hive Fleet—composed of twisted carapace, sinew, and biomass—which had previously clustered on the system's periphery, suddenly seemed dwarfed by comparison.
Yes, the Tyranid fleet was eclipsed by the human fleet. This should have been an exhilarating sight, yet it cast a pall over the bridge of Macragge's Glory.
"Strange," Robert remarked, his brow furrowed as he stood before the holographic star map. "Why are the tyranid forces so few?"
Chapter Master Calgar, imposing in his heavy Terminator Power Armour, replied with a voice as steady as a mountain: "Perhaps, as you previously surmised, the tyranid have concealed a portion of their fleet where we cannot detect them, hiding in asteroid fields or gas giant shadows, waiting for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack."
"But even if the tyranid split their forces, their main fleet should still be larger than ours," Robert said, pointing to the red contact points representing the enemy ships on the map.
"I fear you overestimate the Tyranid threat, Robert," interjected Admiral Dylan, splendidly attired in his Imperial Navy uniform. His tone carried a subtle hint of pride. "Aside from essential stability forces, the fleets of all five hundred worlds of Ultramar have been mobilized and assembled here. A fleet operation of this scale may not be seen again for a thousand years. No random xenos force can compare."
Robert knew well that the 'Indomitus Crusade' launched by a newly awakened Guilliman a few centuries later would dwarf this current deployment many times over. However, there was clearly no need to voice this and dampen the Admiral's pride.
"Perhaps," Robert conceded vaguely. "However, it is best that we proceed with the original plan. We should not rashly change course because of a perceived advantage."
"Of course, of course," Admiral Dylan nodded emphatically and stated gravely. "To deviate from the original battle plan on short notice is a very low-level military error.
Not only would our Navy never commit such a mistake, but any Planetary Defense Force officer who did so would be considered utterly incompetent!"
And so, despite the apparent absolute advantage, the immense Imperial fleet did not attempt a single, overwhelming push to crush the enemy with thunderous force. Instead, it meticulously dispatched several reconnaissance fleets, composed of fast frigates and destroyers, to sweep every corner of the system.
Before this action, many captains had expressed reservations about Robert's strategy. They deemed it overly cautious, almost an insult to the formidable power of the Imperial Navy.
In their view, since the human fleet held a clear advantage in both quantity and quality, they should have sought out the enemy's main force for an immediate decisive engagement, which would have saved precious time and quickly lifted the siege of Planditium.
However, this chorus of doubt completely vanished after one of the reconnaissance fleets genuinely discovered a furtively concealed Tyranid splinter fleet on the far side of a barren planet.
Upon being exposed, the xenos bio-ships immediately abandoned any thought of resistance, fleeing without engagement and scattering into the deep void.
But Robert's doubts were far from resolved; they only deepened. Because even accounting for the Tyranid ships that had been discovered and forced into a frantic retreat, the total size of their fleet was still too small.
Absurdly small.
After spending several hours and repeatedly ensuring the safety of the surrounding void, the dispersed reconnaissance fleets rejoined the main force.
The massive Imperial fleet reassembled, engines at full power, and began an irresistible, steady advance toward the long-besieged world of Planditium.
When the vanguard of the Imperial fleet reached effective engagement range of Planditium, the Tyranid main fleet, which had been lurking in the shadow of the planet's orbit, finally revealed its terrifying full scale.
Thousands of bio-ships surged out from behind the planet's debris rings, forming a biological ocean composed of carapace, claws, and twisted flesh.
They lacked portholes and engines, possessing only constantly twitching sinews and glowing sensory organs.
The leading colossal Hive Ships rivaled the size of Imperial Navy Battlecruisers, and their weapon ports were visibly brewing destructive biological energy.
From the bows of the Imperial fleet, hundreds of macrocannons roared like thunder, unleashing a thick, impenetrable steel barrage upon the Tyranid fleet.
Following this, blinding beams of energy tore through the dark void, like the very Spears of Judgment delivered by the Emperor, striking precisely at the largest Tyranid Hive Ships.
The Tyranid fleet immediately retaliated. They vomited forth an overwhelming cloud of spores, tiny organisms that rapidly dispersed in the void, attempting to disrupt the Imperial fleet's sensors and fire control systems.
Concurrently, countless fighter-sized flying organisms detached from the motherships, gathering into a locust-like wave that surged toward the Imperial warships.
But thanks to the advance warning from the cautious reconnaissance, the fleet had already prepared several countermeasures. More robust anti-jamming targeting systems were activated, and ships shared clear battlefield imagery via encrypted data links. The spore cloud's disruptive effect was minimized.
It was at this moment that the bow of one of the largest Tyranid Hive Ships yawned open, revealing a gigantic biological gun port. Within it, a heart-stopping, ghostly blue energy gathered—energy that seemed capable of swallowing the light of the stars themselves.
Over a dozen ready-and-waiting Hunter-class Destroyers and several Gladiator-class Frigates immediately pivoted their weapons. All their Lances and Macrocannons fired in the same instant. Dozens of devastating energy beams and kinetic shells crossed the vast distance, landing precisely on the giant, charging biological gun port.
A violent explosion bloomed at the Hive Ship's bow. The ghostly blue energy, stripped of its containment, violently collapsed inward.
The giant Bio-Plasma Cannon, capable of vaporizing a Lunar-class Cruiser in a single salvo, was destroyed by its own terrifying energy before it could even unleash its first roar, exploding into a mass of expanding flesh and fire.
The ease with which the Tyranid tactics were neutralized profoundly boosted the morale of the entire Imperial fleet.
The ensuing battle quickly became a one-sided slaughter. All of the Tyranid tactics failed completely against the prepared Imperial fleet.
In a pitched battle where both sides were fully revealed, ships composed of biomass simply could not stand against fortresses forged of hardened steel.
Lances tore apart carapace, Macrocannons shattered alien bodies, and torpedoes detonated inside the enemy vessels, reducing them to floating chunks of organic debris in the void.
Ultimately, at the minor cost of several heavily damaged frigates and one destroyer sunk, the Tyranid fleet entrenched in Planditium's orbit was utterly defeated.
"We are victorious!"
"For the Emperor! For Macragge!"
Cries of victory echoed across the bridges of every warship, and the comm-channels were flooded with joy and pride. Admiral Dylan's face shone with a brilliant smile; he was immensely proud of his fleet's flawless performance.
Yet, beside the command throne, Robert's brow remained tightly furrowed. He did not join the celebrations but instead fixed his gaze intently on the red contact points representing the scattered enemy ships on the holographic star map.
Many of the Tyranid wrecks were fleeing, attempting to escape the battlefield—a normal, biologically driven reaction. However, many more bio-ships did not flee; instead, they turned and began plunging toward the planet Planditium below!
"Something is wrong—" Robert murmured.
His voice was quiet, yet it cut through the festive atmosphere of the bridge. Calgar and Dylan both turned their attention to him.
"Look," Robert said, pointing to the enlarged orbital view of Planditium on the map. "Those bio-ships are plunging toward the planet. It's not a loss of control; it is a purposeful descent."
Only then did the others notice the disturbing sight. Hundreds of burning streaks sliced through Planditium's atmosphere, the visible friction of the Tyranid ship wrecks.
This clearly contradicted the fundamental Tyranid characteristic of valuing all biomass. A warship, even a wreck, contained massive amounts of biomass and genetic information, making it precious property of the Hive Mind. To deliberately crash it into a planet from which it could not escape was an incomprehensible waste.
Furthermore, according to Imperial records, Planditium was merely a common agri-world, containing nothing that the tyranid would sacrifice valuable warships to obtain.
The enemy in space had been cleared, but the real threat may have just landed on the surface.