Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 726 The Murphy Dynasty
Just as the defensive and attrition strategy of the Hades Galaxy was about to be established, Judge Chen Xi's voice broke the discussion about conventional troop deployment.

He did not get up, but instead cast his gaze on an inconspicuous gray-brown planet in the Hades system of the holographic star map, marked "Hades IV".

"Gentlemen," Chen Xi's voice was calm, yet it instantly drew everyone's attention, "regarding the utilization of the Underworld Star System, there may be an option... with higher risks, but also potentially higher rewards. This involves a top secret of that star system that has been sealed away in the Imperial archives for a long time."

He manipulated the control panel in front of him, bringing up a series of highly encrypted data fragments and ancient star language records.

"Pluto IV is not a simple lifeless planet. Deep within its crust lies a slumbering necromantic dynasty—the Morpheus dynasty."

Upon hearing this word, a suppressed gasp filled the strategic room.

The Necromancers, an ancient alien race composed of living metal, with technology far beyond human comprehension, and harboring a deep hostility towards all life.

Chen Xi continued, speaking slowly to ensure each word was accurately understood: "The Murphy dynasty was once renowned for its expertise in manipulating stellar energy. This place, the Hades Galaxy, was once one of their throne worlds."

However, according to limited records, the emperor of this dynasty was assassinated by an unknown force during his millions of years of slumber, leading to the collapse of the dynasty's power structure and a long period of division and silence.

Currently, most of the necromancy facilities on Hades IV are in low-power hibernation, and the internal factional situation is unknown.

He pointed to several points of light in the orbit of "Pluto IV" that were originally marked as "large asteroids" or "natural ring anomalies".

"The key point is that, at its height, the Mephistopheles dynasty deployed a massive array of stellar energy refraction lenses throughout the Hades system. This system was originally intended to extract stellar energy to power its world engines or to convert it into destructive weapons."

With the collapse of the dynasty, most of this array became inactive, but its physical structure remained largely intact, and... its core control protocol may not have been completely locked.

Chen Xi's gaze swept over every decision-maker present, finally settling on Lion King and Dante: "My suggestion is that if we can organize an elite team to infiltrate Hades IV, find and activate the control nodes of this lens array..."

We might be able to redirect this focus, shifting the goal from extracting energy to releasing the energy of the stars in the Hades galaxy in a destructive, instantaneous manner, turning the entire galaxy into a giant energy trap.

He paused for a moment, letting this crazy plan settle in everyone's minds.

“Imagine,” Chen Xi’s voice carried a cold fervor, “when the main force of the Hive Fleet floods into the Hades system, filling every inch of space, we detonate a torrent of stellar energy.”

That wouldn't be a conventional explosion, but a pure energy storm focused and amplified by necromantic technology, enough to instantly purify most of the biomass within the star system and inflict devastating damage on its main fleet. This would be far more thorough and massive than damage caused by conventional defenses.

The boldness and risk of this plan plunged the entire strategy room into a deathly silence.

Using necromancy? Infiltrating a sleeping alien throne world? Manipulating the energy of stars?

Any mistake at any stage could lead to catastrophic consequences—the entire squad could be wiped out, the undead could be prematurely awakened and perceive humanity as a threat, or even the energy could spiral out of control and backfire on the Imperial fleet.

Chief Think Tank Mephisto was the first to raise objections, his voice resonating with the psionicists: "Inquisitor, your plan has too many variables. Leaving aside the feasibility of activating necromancy technology, how can we ensure that the energy release won't affect our own forces?"
"How can we ensure that the activation process doesn't accidentally awaken the entire Morpheus dynasty, creating a new and even more terrifying enemy for us?" A Blood Angels company commander added in a deep voice, "That's too risky! Placing our hopes on the evil creations of the aliens goes against the Emperor's teachings!"

Leona, however, looked thoughtfully at the potential lens array model on the star map, her analytical skills quickly assessing its feasibility.

“The risks are extremely high,” she admitted, “but the rewards are equally enormous. If successful, the Hades system will no longer be a war of attrition, but a real blow to the Zerg’s main force, and may even disrupt its entire invasion rhythm.”

She looked at Chen Xi and asked, "Judge, how confident are you that you can locate and safely activate the control node?"

Chen Xi's answer was cautious: "There is no absolute certainty. What I have are some fragmented ancient records from the Star Language Court, and... some inferences based on my limited research into necromancy technology."

The key to success lies in a sufficiently elite and flexible squad, and... a certain amount of luck.

But we all know that conventional methods have a slim chance of success against Zerg swarms. This is an opportunity, a chance that could change the balance of the war.

All eyes were finally on Leon the Lion and Dante the Chapter Master, awaiting their decision.

Dante's golden mask concealed his expression, but his hand on the table tightened slightly.

This plan is undoubtedly heretical, but as Chen Xi said, the outcome of conventional defense is almost predictable.

He was weighing the value of millions of mortal troops and ten thousand nuns against an opportunity that could cripple or even crush the Zerg swarm's vanguard.

Lion King Leon's gaze was as sharp as an eagle's as he stared at "Netherworld IV," as if trying to pierce through the rock layers and see the metallic undead sleeping deep within.

After a long silence, he spoke slowly, his voice low and firm: "Pure defense cannot win this war. What we need is decisive lethality."

He looked at Dante: “We can operate on two fronts simultaneously. The conventional defenses of the Hades system will continue as usual, buying time and creating opportunities for this ‘trap’ plan. Meanwhile,”

His gaze shifted to Chen Xi and Leona. "Organize a special task force. It should be small, but absolutely elite."

He made his decision: "We will try to grasp this double-edged sword of the aliens. If we succeed, the swarm will taste the destruction from ancient times. If we fail..." The Lion King's voice remained unchanged, "and we are prepared to bear the consequences."

The atmosphere in the strategy room became even more tense and complex because of this high-risk, high-reward additional plan. What was originally a relatively clear defensive strategy was now shrouded in the elements of infiltration, technological hacking, and high-stakes gambles.

Baal's fate seems to depend not only on the direct clash of steel and flesh, but also on a secret and dangerous operation in a sleeping undead world.

(End of this chapter)