Warhammer 40: Starting as a Rogue Trader

Chapter 207 Cardia

Eye of Fear, the world of Cardia Fortress.

Various types of imperial warships were moored in the planet's orbit, but every single one of them was in a state of disrepair.

They all looked as if they had just gone through a major battle. The priests of the order did their best to restore these heavily damaged warships to their basic combat capabilities, and even the technical sergeants in Astartes were involved in this work.

Occasionally, warships would break through from the subspace to bring vital war supplies to Cardia, but only one-fifth or even less of these fleets would successfully reach Cardia.

Chaos has never ceased its attacks on Imperial shipping lanes, and the Imperial fleet is putting up a desperate fight to maintain these lanes. Any reinforcements attempting to enter the Cardia system will be intercepted by the Chaos fleet.

In order to deliver supplies, Imperial warships had no choice but to risk ignoring Mandeville Point and embarking on more dangerous warp voyages to evade Chaos interception.

On the surface of Cardia, countless trenches and fortresses are being built.

Mortal reinforcements from the Empire, along with summoned Cardian legions throughout the Cardian galaxy, are fortifying these positions in anticipation of the enemy's arrival.

Everyone's face was filled with determination and an overwhelming sense of exhaustion.

The mental pressure constantly eroded everyone's will, but people held their ground through loyalty and faith.

They had repelled more than one chaotic ground invasion, and the soldiers on the front lines burned the corpses of the enemy and collected the remains of their comrades.

Meanwhile, in the hospitals behind the battlefield, a large number of wounded soldiers were groaning in pain, as medical supplies were far from meeting their needs.

However, many things that shouldn't belong here are active in these combat hospitals.

Philip sat in a chair in the hospital, looking at the combat suits that Damon had provided for them, including more than a hundred sets of medic combat suits and nanotherapy guns.

Philip himself never expected that his regiment would be broken up and reassigned to a relatively safe rear area to protect the Cadia soldiers dressed in medic combat uniforms.

Although it was relatively safe in the rear, Philip preferred to go to the front lines.

These medics have become an indispensable part of Cardia's existing healthcare system.

When Philip returned to Cardia with the combat suits, he immediately reported the existence of these special combat equipment to the Lord of Creed Castle.

After the priests of the religious order and the pastors of the state church confirmed countless times that these extraordinary pieces of equipment did not carry the corruption of chaos, they were immediately deployed to the army.

The regular combat suits were requisitioned by Kadia Kashezin, who was protecting Creed. The effect of this number of combat suits on the front lines was not as great as expected, but the effectiveness of the medic combat suits was tested.

Creed immediately distributed the medics' combat uniforms and deployed heavy guards to protect them.

Although it has no direct combat power, it is many times more valuable than a regular combat suit.

Injuries are no longer a burden; with the help of medics, they can quickly return to the battlefield, which is crucial for Cardia, which is short of combat personnel.

"Commander Philip! By order of Lord Creedburg, you are now required to proceed to Krafburg to report to the lord!"

The arrival of the messenger made Philip quickly get up.

"You want me to go to Kraf Fortress and report to the fortress lord?"

"Yes! This is a direct order from the Lord of the Fortress. The Valkyrie has landed. Please depart immediately!"

With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Philip boarded the Valkyrie and arrived at the most heavily guarded area of ​​Cadia.

Not only are the most elite soldiers of the Cardia here, but you can also see a large number of Astartes defending this place. The different colored power armor and chapter insignia represent that several chapters are gathered here.

The Astartes, which are rarely seen on ordinary days, were now being used as if they were free.

Upon entering the fortress, Philip was led directly into the war council room. "Great Supreme Lord! Philip of the 99th Mechanized Infantry Regiment of Cadia reporting for duty!!"

Philip straightened up and performed an impeccable Eagle Salute.

He looked around the war room.

The white-haired Lord of Creedburg sat at the end of the long table with a somber expression, the cigar he almost never put down illuminating his resolute face.

The huge holographic map clearly shows all the current combat deployments on Cardia, as well as the situation of the fleet in the void and the location of the enemy.

The star map shows several scarlet dots, which are planets that have been occupied by Abaddon.

However, several important strategic resources and fortress planets remain under Cardia's control.

These planets are currently under attack by the Chaos Fleet.

Creed fiddled with a tiny miniature Cardiac soldier piece in his hand. When he removed the piece from the map spread out on the table, it meant that the entire regiment of Cardiac soldiers had been wiped out.

Life is just a number at this moment.

On either side of the long table sat commanders from various Astral Army legions and leaders of Imperial Knight families.

Space Wolf, Dark Angel, Black Templar, and other Astartes commanders were also seated here.

These superhuman warriors, who wielded immense power within the Empire, also gave Creed the respect he deserved.

This mortal man won over everyone with his extraordinary art of war and strategic vision, and they were willing to cooperate with his command and orders.

Upon seeing Philip's arrival, Creed looked up at Philip.

"Soldiers, tell us where that equipment came from!"

Faced with Creed's questioning, Philip swallowed hard, looking at the countless gazes directed at him. Then, under pressure, he told Creed without reservation about the existence of the Rangers and everything he had seen, also stating that a force from the Montgomery dynasty had arrived in Agrippina.

His words also attracted the attention of the surrounding commanders.

Meanwhile, Harald the Space Wolf was also in the operations room.

“Alpha Wolf, what Philip said is true. I have fought alongside the Montgomery dynasty. Their combat power is astonishing, and most importantly, their production capacity is remarkable. The combat suits currently available on Cadia are insignificant in the eyes of that merchant dynasty. If we can obtain their support, we can even gain an advantage in ground warfare!”

However, Philip and Harald's words were questioned by other chapters and commanders. Did a merchant ronin dynasty want to change the existing situation?
If the Montgomery dynasty, capable of fighting against the demonic legions, truly existed, how could it have remained unknown?
"Enough! Are you questioning whether the Space Wolves warriors are lying?!" Logan slammed his fist on the table in front of him, instantly silencing the entire conference room.

Nobody wanted to provoke these fierce wolves.

“I also believe what Philip said; the brave warriors of Kadia would not lie about this!” Creed exhaled a heavy puff of smoke.

Regardless, he needed to find a glimmer of hope in this seemingly hopeless situation; he could not place his hopes on this illusory merchant dynasty.

At this time, the warp storm became increasingly violent, interstellar communication was blocked, and a large number of Imperial ships had to suffer terrible losses in order to enter Cardia.

Even if the dynasty's fleet has reached the outskirts of Cardia, can they bypass the blocking Chaos fleet and reach Cardia?
No matter how strong these combat suits are, they will be useless if the ship itself is destroyed.

At that moment, the conference room door was pushed open.
The soldier's shouts drew everyone's attention.

"Lord of the Fortress!! Several large transport ships have suddenly appeared on the outskirts of the star system!!"

"A transport ship?!"

Even a single battleship entering the Cardia system might not be able to reach Cardia amidst the chaos's fleet encirclement, let alone several transport ships!
(End of this chapter)