Captain Sterling stood before the hologram, briefing the operatives before the mission.
"The warship that had the accident this time is the 'Void Vigilant'.
The impact point is the left fin-belly, a gash 266 meters long.
As of now, the lower decks have all fallen, and the walking dead are primarily invading the upper decks.
The Sailors of the 'Void Vigilant', with support from boarding parties from nearby warships, have contained the spread of these monsters upwards, but the life support bay has been contaminated.
Two Battle Sisters Kill-teams went missing while attempting to purify the life support bay; these four locations are their last known coordinates.
We will dispatch four of the most highly trained Hellspawns teams as the Kill-teams for this strike mission.
You will board via boarding torpedoes, directly crashing into the ship's hull.
The primary objective is to purify the life support bay at all costs, even if it means destroying it, otherwise the entire ship will become a living, unclean monster.
The secondary objective is to search for and rescue any living Battle Sisterss you encounter, and bring them back."
During the briefing, Horatio noticed Sergeant Louise's body swaying slightly, not as upright as her usual posture.
"Are you feeling unwell, Team Leader?" Horatio nudged her with his arm, and Louise perked up.
Whether it was due to the hologram's lighting or her discomfort, Horatio saw that her face was a bit pale.
"I'm fine, pay attention to the briefing." Louise shook her head, straightening her body slightly.
"Uh… how will our retreat proceed?" David Beatty von Ravensburg, the second son of the Ravenberg Family, asked timidly.
"Depending on your location at that time, we have different retreat plans, so don't worry."
"Will we get infected with the walking dead plague, then?"
David Beatty's voice trembled slightly as he spoke: "There aren't many men left in the main Ravenberg Family."
"The vaccine you just received will at most cause injury, but you won't be infected.
Even so, you must remain fully alert; carelessness is the beginning of death.
You should thank Sergeant Louise; for this operation, she voluntarily contributed her blood, which, diluted with previously extracted serum, was enough for everyone present.
However, be aware that because it is a highly diluted serum, the immunity lasts for a maximum of 6 terra time, allowing you to be unaffected by bites and toxic mist."
"Team Leader, I don't recommend you go on this mission."
Horatio whispered to Louise, "Blood extraction might weaken your combat strength."
Lieutenant Sterling continued, "This mission is a Kill-teams mission, with a commendation of 500 points.
We look forward to your triumphant return, and may the God-Emperor protect you."
All teams stood up and saluted the Lieutenant.
"No, this little bit of blood has no effect.
I must go this time, not only because I am the team leader, but also to conquer the nightmare in my mind, otherwise I will forever be trapped in the shadow of the plague."
Horatio looked at her flickering, determined gaze, intending to persuade her further, when suddenly Lieutenant Sterling called his name.
"Corporal Horatio, please come here."
"Lieutenant Sir." Horatio walked quickly, stood at attention, and saluted.
"Look after Sergeant Louise.
She possesses a valuable anti-toxin constitution; we have only this one."
"Anti-toxin constitution… What did she mean when she said she wanted to conquer the nightmare?"
"Her parents were both Cadia biologists.
They moved to Abyss Port from Cadia, bringing anti-toxin reagents discovered from the Eye of Terror.
However, their passenger ship suffered a plague mid-journey, turning into a plague ship.
Everyone became walking dead, but her parents injected the vaccine into her, leaving her as the sole survivor."
Horatio looked at Louise, who was standing up to leave, and sighed, unable to imagine what kind of nightmare she had witnessed.
"Her blood contains anti-toxin serum, theoretically making her the least susceptible to infection among all of you.
But to be safe, you have an additional task: ensure her safety.
Or, at least, bring back her remains."
[I didn't expect Louise to have such a dark past; no wonder she said she needed to conquer her nightmare.]
"Mission accomplished, Lieutenant Sir, I guarantee she will return alive." Horatio saluted, then asked the doubt in his heart:
"However, Senior Sergeant Valina is also fighting with us, why…"
"Because this veteran Storm Sergeant Major's entire attention is focused solely on protecting your safety."
Lieutenant Sterling returned a cap-tip salute; his words were enough to illustrate the Gothic Fleet's emphasis on the personal safety of Horatio, the sole descendant of Spire.
—
Warm water mixed with holy water sprinkled over Louise's body, and she was half-asleep.
"Damn it, why am I back here again!" Louise ran alone down the dark corridor, holding a knife.
"Ugh!" A Nurgle walking dead with a rotting face rushed out from around the corner and lunged at her.
"Get away!"
Louise stopped, stabbed the walking dead, and then kicked it away.
"My comrades need me! Let me out!"
Louise continued to run down one side of the endless corridor.
Upon reaching the very end of the corridor, she finally saw a glimmer of light.
This brought salvation to her almost despairing heart, like a ray of holy light illuminating her soul.
She accelerated, sprinting towards the exit.
But it was just one passenger compartment after another, filled with expressionless walking dead.
They swarmed her, lunging at Louise.
The walking dead at the very front were none other than her parents, with whom she had lived day and night.
Their white researcher's coats were covered in blood, and their purple eyes were already contaminated by an unclean, murky yellow.
"…" Her hand tightened on the knife.
"I will free you.
I swear, I will conquer this nightmare; it will not bind me."
Her purple eyes opened again, firm and resolute.
Louise, clad in carapaced armor, strode forward, holding a Hellgun in one hand and an Aom Shield Helmet tucked under her arm.
Her armor and weapons had been cleansed with holy water and incense, and consecrated sachets were placed in her respirator; the parchment purity seals on her armor fluttered in the wind.
"Hellspawns Team 13!" Louise's voice was loud and clear.
She glanced at Valina, who wore a red beret; she was observing her.
Louise exhaled, then shouted:
"Boarding strike!"
—
Through the glass of the landing craft, everyone saw the accident site.
Debris and wreckage from the impact floated everywhere, threatening passing freighters.
The dense thud of iron boots echoed on the gray-black steel floor.
Horatio walked briskly through the vast Star Fortress.
It was said that this Star Fortress had existed since before the Gothic War, and he could only glimpse a corner of this colossal structure through the portholes in the corridors.
Perhaps it was tens of thousands of square meters, or perhaps even larger.
But without a doubt, it was a magnificent, epic creation.
In peacetime, it opened its embrace to passing Imperial warships; in the hum of combat alarms, it rained fire upon the Empire's enemies.
It witnessed the birth of Gothic heroes and their fall, and now it was still here, still serving the Empire.
Now, Horatio sat in its massive torpedo launch tube; the enormous boarding torpedo contained only a small section of seats, perhaps capable of carrying thousands when fully loaded.
He looked at the people around him; they were all Hellspawns, just like him.
Click—
A locking clamp pressed down on Horatio's shoulder from above; the indicator light overhead changed from blue to dark red.
"Don't be nervous."
Louise, sitting next to him, comforted him, "They're just a bunch of walking dead."
"No, I just find it novel." Horatio said, looking at the spacious interior of the boarding torpedo's troop compartment.
Henry Harvey, sitting opposite them, looked at the two, took a deep breath, and then turned his eyes away.
David Beatty von Ravensburg, next to him, clasped his hands, continuously murmuring prayers to the God-Emperor.
He was very green, but he had actually survived the rigorous trials.
Although something always went wrong each time, his luck was always good; Horatio mused that perhaps his ancestors truly were protecting him.
[Alright, I'll just treat him as a good luck charm.] Horatio thought.
He heard that the reason boarding torpedoes were used instead of the iconic Shark Assault Boat was because only boarding torpedoes had sufficient penetration depth, like a sharp cone, to directly pierce them deep into the necrotic sections of the ship.
This way, they could avoid many detours and head straight for the target, without wasting too much time and life on the way.
After all, even people who had lived for generations on a cruiser did not know its entire structure; the Hellspawns' only map was the standard design blueprint of that class of cruiser.
But the 'Void Vigilant' was an old ship, over a thousand years old; even her Captain didn't know what her deepest structures had been modified into.
"Boarding torpedo ready." A stiff mechanical voice echoed throughout the crew compartment.
"Promethium fuel being injected."
"Securing the torpedo frame."
"Entering vacuum environment."
"Launch countdown."
Horatio listened quietly to the broadcast.
"3"
"2"
"1"
"Propulsion ignition!"
Boom!!—
Horatio immediately felt his entire body lurch to the right, crashing heavily against the restraint pressing on his shoulder; his armor protected his body from injury.
This heavy feeling…
It was like being hit by a large transport truck again.
It's the beginning of the month ~ please vote for me ~ please recommend ~
The rest will basically be kill, kill, kill, boom, boom, boom; I won't drag things out when it's time to be exciting.
Boarding battles, ground battles, and void battles will alternate!
Kill, kill, kill, for the loyalty of His Imperial Majesty!