Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 445 Newland Spaceport
Novaya Zemlya Spaceport is suspended in orbit and is a relatively new spaceport.

However, calling it "newly built" is not entirely accurate.

Because the main structure that makes up this spaceport was not built locally.

Ten years ago, at a crucial time when the Rostov Expedition was in full swing, in order to meet the urgent need of the sub-sector for a large-scale material transfer hub, the Mechanicus of the Mariupol Forge World mobilized a huge engineering force to tow and relocate an existing spaceport that was originally located in another corner of its sector to this location.

This practice was quite common within the empire's vast administrative system.

The reason for this is that building a new facility that meets the standards of a spaceport or starport is an extremely complex and costly process.

In contrast, finding and relocating an existing, largely intact airport from other regions within the empire would be far less difficult and costly.

This phenomenon may seem contradictory, but it has its own logic.
The ancient technological blueprints mastered by the Cult of Mechanics are extremely uneven: they may face numerous difficulties in building a starship of the size of a capital battleship, but they possess the power to move planetary orbits and reshape the galactic landscape.

The technological gap and extreme asymmetry in development have long been an unavoidable and fundamental reality in this Warhammer universe.

This relocated airport was originally just a single-function logistics node under the control of the Mariupol Foundry World.

When it was still in its original location, it played a negligible role in the entire network of the foundry world, with limited function and value.

Because its location is neither a strategic stronghold nor a transportation hub, its core function is strictly limited to receiving, storing, and transshipping various materials that ultimately arrive at the Mariupol Casting World.

Such a singular and clear functional positioning directly shaped its physical form: the main structure of the entire airport is occupied by a continuous and large-scale storage area, forming a scene like a metal mountain.

Correspondingly, no large-scale resident community has ever formed within the airport; it only has the technical personnel, security personnel, and laborers necessary to maintain its minimum operation.

Therefore, over the long course of history, it has never been able to develop any complex social structure or community ecology, and naturally cannot be classified as an "imperial world" in the usual sense, which has a complete social form.

It is important to note that the Empire's concept of "world" is actually very broad and its definition extends far beyond the colonized planets.

Within the framework of the empire's vast territory and complex administrative system, the concept of the "empire world" has broad inclusiveness.

Any space station, orbital facility with a permanent population and clear administrative or management functions, or even a large airport like Novaya Zemlya, meets the basic criteria for being included in the "Imperial World" category.

These facilities are also subject to strict imperial law and may be governed by governors or dedicated administrators appointed by the imperial authorities, depending on their size and importance.

Of course, the most basic threshold still exists: the entity must be officially recognized by the Empire and incorporated into its management system, or at least be a unit with clearly defined administrative responsibilities.

It cannot simply be a facility that performs a single function, or an uninhabited, unmanaged blank area.

In the decade following its relocation to the Rostov sub-sector, the airport underwent continuous expansion and upgrades.

The continuous addition of new berths and various functional modules has significantly improved its capacity and capabilities.

These later additions, coupled with regular and meticulous maintenance, have given the airport a relatively new overall appearance. This external sense of "newness" has, to some extent, obscured the past service history carried by its core structure.

However, this sense of "newness" has recently been overshadowed by a heavy and gloomy atmosphere.

The shadow of the gene-stealing alien infiltration, and the harsh order issued by Governor Chen Xi of the Sub-Sector to leave no survivors and carry out a complete purge, led to an efficient and deadly cleansing within the airport.

The fighting nuns' burning faith and the Ministry of Justice's precise enforcement firepower, in accordance with the court's standard procedures, eliminated a large number of confirmed infected or highly suspected mutants and contaminated personnel.

The most stubborn mark left by this cleanup operation is the pungent and hard-to-dispel burnt smell of proteins that have been completely incinerated by extreme heat in certain areas of the airport.

Walking along the wide yet oppressive main passage, everywhere you look, there are traces of cleaning.

Some structures that might have been small workshops, temporary residences, or commercial stalls are now just charred frames and twisted metal, sealed off by heavy barriers and warning signs from the Ministry of Justice, with the air thick with the dust of the fire.

Squads of law enforcement officers, dressed in dark blue uniforms and armed, patrolled the passageways in groups of three or five with heavy but regular steps, their helmet scanners vigilantly scanning every corner and the few pedestrians.

Occasionally, armored personnel carriers painted in a solemn black and red, bearing the insignia of the Ministry of Justice, would silently drive by, their searchlights piercing the dimness and adding to the grim atmosphere.

It was this omnipresent, intensely pungent, almost tangible acrid stench that compelled Chen Xi and Sister Silent, who had just arrived, to fasten their breathing masks almost simultaneously the instant the hatch opened.

Somewhat surprisingly, the mechanical sage Olivia also frowned slightly and quickly covered her mouth and nose with an exquisitely designed homemade respirator.

Despite her high rank among the Sages of the Mechanic Order, a series of unique past experiences have given her an organic proportion far exceeding that of her peers, making her appearance more akin to a highly modified human than a purely mechanical creation.

This also endowed her with a more acute sensory experience and emotional fluctuations that were closer to those of ordinary people.

"The ventilation system here is infuriatingly inefficient!" Olivia's voice sounded somewhat muffled through the respirator, but the tone of her complaint was clearly discernible.

While deftly adjusting the precision instruments hanging from her waist and the suspended servo skull, she activated the wrist device, unfolding a light blue air purification force field with a radius of about two meters.

"This stench of burnt protein... the concentration indicates it's been accumulating for at least a week, it's practically torture for my sense of smell!" she complained to Chen Xi, pointing at the traces of purification.

Chen Xi did not respond to the complaints, but instead quickly scanned the surrounding environment with his sharp, hawk-like eyes.

His gaze swept over the charred ruins, the patrolling squads of soldiers, and a makeshift checkpoint in the distance guarded by combat nuns, his cold eyes scrutinizing what appeared to be a field report.

Without a word, he and Xi Dejia tacitly stepped into the purifying field set up by Olivia.

Although one was a powerful Lord Inquisitor and Governor of a Subsector, and the other was a silent nun who was isolated from the power of the warp, the acrid stench that permeated the Newland spaceport, a mixture of despair and ruthlessness, was so overwhelming that any creature with a sense of smell would instinctively seek refuge in it.

The air purification field emitted a faint hum, temporarily isolating the outside pollution, but the ruins in sight, silently telling the story of the tragic cleanup, formed another layer of gloom that could not be dispelled.

(End of this chapter)