Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 424 The Yellow Robe Cult, the School of Hearing the Dao?
"The small fleet in orbit around Aventinium has not moved. They have neither reacted to our presence nor taken any action to deal with the fighting on the ground," Per Koscielny asked in a deep voice, examining the video screen.

What happened on the ground?

"The analysis by the Master of the Hungry Matrix suggests that a civil war has broken out in Aventinium," said the Sound Array Master.

"As you can see, the orbital fleet still exists, and Auger Matrix scans show that the orbital defense facilities are still operational."

"The current situation could be due to internal strife in Aventinium, causing the orbital fleet to wander aimlessly and become confused about which side to follow."

"Send a full-band broadcast demanding that the orbital fleet surrender to us and immediately cease the civil war," Per ordered.

The fleet of the 11th Battle Group deployed and steadily approached Aventinium.

Forty-one warships, nearly three times the size of Aventinium's fleet, put pressure on the defending fleet.

The fleet commander stared nervously at the holographic screen, the sound playing on a loop echoing in his ears.

“We are the Shadow of Order, the Great Primarch, the offspring of the Kings of Vostoria, and we demand your immediate surrender.”

"'The Shadow of Order' is..."

The fleet commander reviewed the video screen and saw that the enemy fleet was not only more numerous, but also had warships of much larger size than his own.

His flagship was surrounded by at least twenty-five warships of the same or larger size in the enemy fleet.

"To conduct tactical maneuvers around the orbital defense facility."

What worried him more than the enemy's powerful fleet was the conflicting orders from the council and the Yellow Robe Cult.

The Yellow Robe Cult, which rose to prominence 1,500 years ago, played a decisive role in the rise of Aventinium through its advocacy of eugenics and intellectual development.

They cultivated a large number of elites, and even within the noble council, many families were affiliated with the Yellow Robe Cult.

The Yellow Robe sect has developed for over a thousand years and has permeated every aspect of Aventinium.

Not long ago, the Yellow Robe sect launched a coup, plunging the entire city of Aventinium into chaos.

Although the Osopol family, to which the fleet commander belonged, was not affiliated with the Yellow Robe Cult, it endorsed its ideology and did not take sides in the conflict.

Osopor put on his helmet, switched to the family's private channel, and sent a message to the family.

"A force calling itself the 'Shadow of Order' Eleventh Chapter has suddenly appeared in the galaxy, and they possess a powerful fleet."

"If we want to resist, it is impossible to rely on my fleet alone; we need the support of the entire Aventinem."

"Please make a decision immediately, clan chief."

Osopor will receive an audio message, which will be attached to the end of the communication and sent to the family patriarch.

Osopor stared nervously at the video screen, awaiting the patriarch's command. He knew the "Shadow of Order" fleet wouldn't give him much time.

The clock ticked away, and after two laps, an old, weary voice came from inside Osopor's helmet.

"Delay them..."

"Now the nobles and the Yellow Robe School are fighting in all thirty-six hives, and neither side has gained the upper hand."

"You will not receive any support... Be prepared, the fighting may soon spill over to the ground-based air defense arrays."

Osopor remained silent for a few seconds. He wanted to roar, but he was powerless to defend Aventinium's airspace. He knew that roaring would be useless, and the chieftain was powerless to change the situation.

Even if the Osopor family joins either side, they will not be able to suppress the other faction. Their loss of composure will only attract the attention of other officers and cause panic.

Obsol removed his helmet, took a deep breath to calm himself, and calmly gave orders to the communications supervisor.

"We need three days to consider sending a message to the other party."

Upon hearing the report from the Sound Array Master, Per, commander of the Son of Vostonia, twitched the corner of his mouth.

"They really do treat me like a puppet."

“Tell them they only have thirty minutes.”

"Also, tell them that we know Aventinium is embroiled in a civil war, and that if they want to end the conflict as soon as possible, their best option is to surrender and cooperate with us."

Gibbs agreed when he heard the order given by Pell.

"The commander of the orbital fleet must not belong to any side in the internal conflict, otherwise he would not have remained inactive."

"In Aventinium, both sides in the civil war are focused on each other, and third parties are also affected, unable to make quick decisions. If we act now, we can win the victory in the fastest and least costly way."

“I think they will neither agree nor refuse, and will send one or more warships to test our attitude.” Per considered the other side’s conflicted mindset and devised a response strategy. “Artillery commander, prepare to attack.”

"Guards, prepare to board."

"We must seize their warships with overwhelming force, giving them no time to think or even resist."

Per immediately walked to the tactical table and stared at the holographic image.

On the flagship of Aventinium, Osopol issued the following order:

"Send out two warships, activate their ether shields, and test the enemy's reaction."

The Yellow Robe School's advocacy of intellectual development and the supremacy of scholars, along with the use of psychic power, endowed Aventinem's Voidships with unique technology—the Aether Shield.

The two sides are more than 40,000 kilometers apart, and even if it were to break through the ether shield's defense, it would not be easy. He could use this time to complete the delaying task assigned to him by the clan leader.

If the other party is forced to back down by his tough attitude, that would be an even greater surprise, and he would become a great hero of Aventinium.

On the Son of Vostonia, Per saw two warships. Judging from the scanning signals of the oracles, one corresponded to the Imperial frigate class, and the other to the destroyer class.

"Artillery commander, fire!"

The light spears on the bow of the Relic-class warship pierced through the void and struck the escort ship.

A dazzling light bloomed in the void, and Per saw the flickering feedback image on the video screen hanging above the tactical table.

He switched the communication headset channel and gave orders to the adjutant in charge of the simulated sanctuary.

"Light spear attack ineffective, analyze!"

Just two seconds later, the three specialized warship command teams led by "The Reader," along with fifty auxiliary officers, completed their analysis of the battlefield data.

"My lord, the Aventinium fleet employs a special energy shield."

"Judging from the readings, it should be using Ethereum technology."

"It is recommended to use the Ether Cannon to launch an attack, with a 94% probability of penetrating the enemy's shield."

The "readers" completed the report concisely and systematically, interpreting, analyzing, and offering suggestions to support Pell's decision-making.

"Artillery Commander, fire the Ether Cannon!"

The Son of Vostonia, with its ether cannons mounted on both sides below, has muzzles that gleam with a blinding light.

On the flagship of the Aventinium fleet, Osopol was surprised to see two beams of light with abnormal readings flash across the screen and slam into the frigate.

Then, the enemy ship emitted a blinding beam of light, with the same reading as the energy weapon that had previously failed to attack.

But this time, the beam pierced the escort ship he had dispatched.

He lost his frigate.

He lost his destroyer.

The enemy fleet suddenly accelerated, and countless cannons opened fire on his fleet.

"Report: Mid-deck A-13 has been attacked; the deck has been breached; enemy forces have entered the warship."

"Report: Upper deck A-5 has been lost."

After a moment of stunned silence, Osopol gave the order, but was unable to do so.

"surrender."

He felt a sense of relief. The next moment, a bright light shone through him. He closed his eyes slightly, adjusting to the sudden, blinding light illuminating the bridge.

Pell, dressed in a Saturn-shaped Terminator suit, walked up to him.

“You made a wise choice. Now tell me what happened in Aventinim.”

One sidereal time later, Per teleported back to the Son of Vostonia.

Before issuing the order for the orbital drop, he went to the altar and prayed to the Black Emperor.

"A country in disarray," Nimrod thought to himself after hearing Per's report.

The Yellow Robe Cult: psychic, promotes eugenics and intelligence.

[The School of Hearing the Way?]
(End of this chapter)