A colossal Warp rift tore open in the lightless void between two sectors, and the silver armada finally arrived at its destination: Segmentum Pacificus.
Unlike their first arrival, Axion did not receive a "warm welcome" from the Tyranid Hive Fleets. This was the final battlefield Axion had stood upon before his departure, the very site where he had deployed his parting gift.
However, returning months later revealed only a hollow silence. Axion had no way of knowing how much damage his bomb had truly inflicted upon the massive Leviathan tendrils. He had returned hoping to scavenge any lingering remains, but the void offered nothing but emptiness.
Confirming that no matter remained, Axion led his fleet toward the vicinity of the former Dead World, Vorchad III. Only by reaching the Imperial theater headquarters could he understand what had transpired after the Warp tides had swept his fleet away.
The Imperial Navy elements lingering in the system were nearly frightened to death by the appearance of the massive Warp aperture. Fear turned to astonishment as the iconic Iron Men vessels filed out from behind the Titan's Spear. By the time the full armada of hundreds of ships had fully transitioned into realspace, the Imperial sailors stood frozen in awe at their stations.
Axion was indifferent to the shock he caused the Navy; his priority was locating Lord Solar Leontus and confirming the impact of his previous strike. His fleet was now potent enough to crush any known enemy in a direct engagement. Once these Tyranids were purged, Axion believed he would have sufficient leverage to petition Guilliman for passage to Terra.
Upon receiving his transmission, the Navy quickly provided the coordinates of the current frontline command and the battle reports recorded during the Iron Men's disappearance. As the silver fleet vanished toward the system's outer rim, Axion finally evaluated the results of his previous attack.
All three Leviathan tendrils had been damaged by the Super Plasma Torpedo he had left behind, but the image he had envisioned, of the tendrils being severed entirely, had not come to pass.
The reason was simple: scale.
During the initial encounter, Axion had assumed the tendrils, several thousand kilometers in diameter, were the "complete" form, with only their length being exaggerated. However, Imperial data revealed that after surging past his fleet's last known position, the three tendrils had extended for several light-seconds. Their true dimensions were infinite orders of magnitude larger than he had perceived, not just in immeasurable length, but in widths spanning light-minutes.
The portion he had encountered was merely the insignificant tip of the spear.
The plasma charge had indeed performed its function, "searing" the tips of the tendrils to at least a medium-rare state and incinerating countless bio-ships. Yet, the main stalks remained functionally unhindered.
In the wake of the Iron Men's disappearance into the Warp, the Imperial fleet had unleashed a saturated bombardment upon these scorched tips. This pressure forced the Leviathan tendrils to withdraw at a staggering speed, carrying their mangled bio-vessels with them.
The Imperial Navy had immediately pursued, attempting to push the entire front forward. However, after losing hundreds of ships, they were ground to a halt in the Saphiris Sector, adjacent to the Bastior Sub-sector.
While the bio-fleets lacked the technical sophistication to rival the Iron Men, their lethality against the Imperium was horrific. Hive Ships shrugged off macro-cannon fire, their colossal maws tearing Imperial Battleships into scrap metal. Narvhal organisms utilized gravity-wells to blink entire swarms behind Imperial lines. Bio-acid was sprayed across the void, and thick spore clouds stifled the potency of lances and macro-batteries.
Each engagement followed a grim pattern: the Imperial Navy suffered catastrophic losses, while the Tyranid swarms were merely battered. These damaged bio-vessels would return to the main tendrils to be recycled and decomposed, only to be reborn as new ships.
In contrast, Imperial losses were absolute. There was no rescue for a defeated fleet; every soldier in the wreckage, whether Astartes or mortal, became fodder for the Hive Mind. To the Tyranids, an Imperial vessel was like a tin of "grox-meat" to an Astra Militarum soldier, slightly dangerous to open, but ultimately just a meal.
The mounting casualties were not limited to the Navy; reinforcements from various Adeptus Astartes Chapters and massive waves of the Astra Militarum were being fed into the meatgrinder. To date, over 20,000 Space Marines and more than 60 billion Imperial Guardsmen and Navy personnel had arrived at the front. Thirty percent of them had already perished in the struggle to liberate the Bastior Sub-sector.
Furthermore, while the Imperium had ships, Navy personnel were far harder to replace than Guardsmen. It took years of training to ensure a voidship functioned, and the manpower shortage was reaching critical levels.
The Hive Mind, seemingly wary of the silver machines' return, had abandoned its multi-pronged harassment tactics. The three tendrils had merged, initiating a concentrated breakthrough. In response, Leontus was forced to consolidate ninety percent of his defensive strength into the Saphiris Sector. The bulk of the Imperial host was now gathered there, including the Lord Solar himself and a contingent of the Adeptus Custodes left by Trajann Valoris.
With his target locked, Axion commanded the fleet to set course for Saphiris.
…
"You are saying those strange automata are 'Iron Men,' relics of ancient technology?!"
Abaddon sat upon his throne, staring at Archmagos Tokart with unmasked incredulity. Tokart's metal-grafted visage twitched into a satisfied expression; he relished the sight of shock in others.
"The False Emperor long ago forbade that rotting Imperium from using or even touching silicons-based intelligence," Abaddon growled. "Do these hypocrites dare defy the will of their own Corpse-God?"
Tokart remained indifferent to Abaddon's ideological disdain.
"I require your aid in capturing a specific specimen. Reports indicate that a Hive Mind command node, a Dominatrix, has appeared in Segmentum Pacificus. I require its biomass as the catalyst for my next sequence of experiments. It will not be difficult: lurk within the folds of the Warp, wait for the Imperial fools and the xenos to bleed each other dry, and then harvest the prize."
Abaddon narrowed his eyes. "You believe that for the sake of two sentences, I will commit my legions to a brawl with mindless locusts? You overestimate the value of your secrets."
Tokart reached into his robes and withdrew a shimmering crystal, a piece of Aeldari spirit-stone architecture, flickering with a faint blue arc of energy.
"This was an unexpected find. Should you encounter the Iron Men, present this crystal to them. I believe you will find the resulting... cooperation... most advantageous."