Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 442 The Plan to Conquer the Crown of the Eastern Galaxy

One after another, black warships appeared in the Gadinal system.

Battlecruiser, Shield of Gardinar.

The Void Castes were released from their various chambers; they were muscular, but smaller than a normal child.

Their eyes are remnants of evolution, covered with a black membrane.

Their mouths are small and oval-shaped, just enough to satisfy their sucking and feeding functions.

They have black skin covered with a layer of secreted human plastic that acts as a barrier against cosmic rays.

The most distinctive caste design is their limbs, each end of which has hands with extremely long fingers, facilitating the operation of equipment on the voidship and combat.

On the bridge, the fifth adjutant from the servant caste reports to the commander.

“All manpower has been mobilized, including those pieces of garbage that have been identified as ‘expired’.”

The high-caste commander's gaze swept across the video screen with disgust, lingering for a moment on the elderly or suffering from common intestinal inflammations among the low-caste untouchables.

Originally, when returning to Starport for routine maintenance, the human resources department would ensure that all low-caste untouchables marked "expired" were recycled, and their stripped muscles and crushed bones would be their final contribution to Gadinal.

Now, facing a powerful enemy, he has no choice but to utilize these obsolete components to counter the threat.

The "expired" people numbly and obediently walked out of the cabin and took up positions they thought they would never return to.

The high-caste commander immediately looked away. "I don't want to see this garbage anymore."

“As you wish, Your Excellency.” The servant, a member of the caste lieutenant, immediately carried out his master’s order.

In the Gardiner fleet, more than a million “expired” individuals were rapidly and completely erased from the information chain. Even if they still existed, they would not be included in the data collection or appear in any subsequent data statistics.

Such waste is intolerable to most castes in Gadinal, but to the higher castes it is merely a small expenditure of resources, worth as much as the offerings they receive from their subordinate castes for a week.

The young high-caste commander recovered from his negative emotions with a negligible loss of property.

He quickly checked the number of enemy ships on the video screen, and the shocking number pierced his eyes.

As a military aristocrat, born at the top, he also had to bear the responsibilities that came with his birth.

Compared to other castes, he was fortunate to have a degree of choice.

Abandoning the fiercely contested and massive surface system of Gadinar, he opted for the smaller but all-powerful Void Fleet. He received more than sixteen hours of elite education every day, which allowed him to quickly grasp the situation within the galaxy before the pointer completed a full cycle.

Gardiner's fleet was primarily composed of cruisers, with his flagship being a battlecruiser.

The force that suddenly appeared, calling itself the "Shadow of Order," not only possesses a behemoth the size of a satellite, but also has a fleet of more than four hundred ships of the same class as the Gardiner's capital ships, and the number is constantly increasing.

Throughout the entire history of the Gardiner, there were never more than forty ships at any one time.

What made him feel even more powerless to resist was that the black fleet also contained more than fifty warships of a higher class, and... the number was still increasing.

“Report to the High Lord,” he said after a few seconds of hesitation, “In the best-case scenario, the space defenses can only hold out for three days.”

"After that, apart from the ring of stars at the head of the Gadinar, we will lose all space power." Finally, in order to demonstrate his capabilities and seize the greatest benefit in the postwar reconstruction of space power, he proposed a plan.

“A consular caste should be sent to engage in negotiations with the ‘Shadow of Order’ to buy time.”

"Use this time to maximize industrial capacity, build our world into a strong fortress, use resources to wear down the enemy, and win the victory."

Upon receiving the report from the high-caste commanders, the high lords of Gaddinar quickly decided to respond before the two stellar hours required by the "Shadow of Order."

On the Shadow of the Kings, Nimrod wore a mocking smile upon hearing Arsène Dunn's report.

"What do you think they're up to?"

Malena Skala, dressed in a black hunter's suit with forest green accents on her armor, caught a fleeting, mocking smile from the Black Emperor.

“You told us in the previous war conference that Gardinar has a strong ground force and will not surrender.”

"They also did not accept conditions such as opening the passage to the head of the Gadinar, and their proposed negotiations seemed more like a delaying tactic."

The Primarch's attendant, dressed in a black Hunter's suit with white-embellished armor, nodded in approval from the perspective of a "deduction student."

“Our void forces have an overwhelming advantage, and they still haven’t accepted any of our demands.”

"They just want to prepare for war."

“That’s right.” Ninglu knew that the high lords of Gadinal would never surrender easily. In his memory, they had first delayed for a long time with Intep Amar, the negotiator sent by the Thousand Sons, before they were discovered.

Even though Fernus Manus led the Tenth Legion and demonstrated great strength, and after Gadinar suffered heavy losses, the High Lords who proposed negotiations were not honest.

A high lord, accompanied by assassins, personally launched an assassination attempt on Manus.

“I will give them a chance to negotiate, but only after I have defeated Gadinal’s void forces.”

"Then it will be your time to shine. You must find and lock down all the High Lords."

In the caste system of Gadinal, all power is concentrated in the hands of the high lords.

The 413th Expeditionary Fleet, led by Cicerus, employed classic "Ultraman" tactics: identifying key enemy targets, then quickly decapitating them to destroy the enemy's military control structure and rapidly seize control of the local power system. This tactic failed because it was not suitable for Gadinal.

It wasn't just that Cicerus underestimated the ground forces of Gadinar, but also because even if his plan succeeded, Gadinar wouldn't collapse and surrender like other worlds.

The Gadinar people believed that the High Lords had existed since their founding.

Nimrod knew that not all the High Lords were still alive, but at least they had lived for over a thousand years and controlled every aspect of Gadinar.

As long as the High Lord remains, even if Cicerus beheads all the officers of Gadinar, Gadinar's army and society as a whole will continue to function.

Nimrod's plan was aimed at these high lords.

"We only have one chance. We must secure the locations of all the High Lords and complete the operation at the same time."

"The number of high lords will not exceed ten, but it is difficult to determine the exact number at present."

(End of this chapter)