Warhammer: Striving to Be a Grinding Man

Chapter 109 Preparing for Battle 940.M41

The inspection team had returned to Lucis months earlier aboard the Anvil. Cohen was waiting. Not only for the fleet reorganization to be completed, but also for further news from Lucis, and for the lengthy review process on Mars to reach its first hurdle.

In the doctrines of the Mechanicus, the loyalty of a Titan legion returning from the Warp must be purified and verified on Mars—this is an ironclad rule. Garros has accepted Lucis's guarantee, and the application for registration by the High Priest of Enp has been submitted to Mars, but Martian approval is forever as distant as the starlight of the Warp. Those Sages of Dominion deep within the Red Planet are in no hurry. They have plenty of time; the gears of the Empire never turn slowly. But Cohen knows that another kind of vetting will come faster and more decisively than any Martian ritual—war.

In the Warhammer 40 universe, loyalty isn't proven by prayers, but by blood and fire. Whether a Titan's soul is corrupted by Chaos, whether it has developed unwanted rifts during millennia of drifting in the warp—these things require years, even decades, of testing and ritual verification in the purification sanctuaries of Mars, but on the battlefield, only a single, correct shot is needed. When the banner of a traitor appears on the horizon, when the muzzle flashes of volcanic cannons illuminate the enemy lines, when the Titan's massive feet crush the skulls of Chaos cultists, all doubts about loyalty vanish in the roar of the cannons. This isn't the dogma of the Mechanicus; it's the experience of the Imperium over millennia. The reason the Uldysh Forge sided with the rebels during the Horus Rebellion wasn't because their technology was corrupted, but because they were never allowed to prove themselves through war. Mars refused to give them core technologies; they were marginalized, doubted, and left idle. Idleness is the breeding ground for corruption. If a Titan lies dormant in a hangar forever, its soul will slowly slumber, and a slumbering soul is most easily lost in the whispers of the warp. But if a Titan is thrown into battle year after year, crushing aliens and traitors in every engagement, its loyalty is ironclad proof etched into its armor plates, something no purification ritual can bestow.

A census on Mars is necessary. A guarantee from Lucis is necessary. But the most thorough census is on the battlefield.

When the Titan Legion appears where the Imperium of Man needs them most, when cannons are pointed at the Imperium's enemies, when the Machine Souls roar in battle—who would question their loyalty then? Cohen understood from his ascent from the bottom of the hive that in this cruel universe, the best proof of loyalty wasn't a Martian certificate, but blood. It was battle. It was survival. So he would wait for the Martian approval, but he wouldn't place all his hopes on it. Garros's Titan Legion would prove itself on the battlefield of Amegiddon—with the blood of the Greenskins, the blood of traitors, the blood of all the Imperium's enemies. Not now, but soon. When the fleet is fully reorganized, when the Void Shield array is complete, when Garros is ready for war, that day will come.

The spaceport is the oldest and currently busiest orbital facility built in the Galos Dominion. The berth area extends to both sides along the central axis, with countless berths constantly handling transport ships and shuttles day and night.

When the Indomitable docked, Hawke walked down the gangway and stood in front of Cohen.

"Sir. The last group of immigrants has disembarked and is undergoing quarantine in the transit hall."

"How are the road conditions?"

"Three green-skinned raiders on the edge of the star system," Hawke said. "Not the main force, just wandering skirmishers. Their firepower is so-so, but their numbers are increasing. Other ships in the convoy have encountered them in the past few months as well, and the frequency is getting higher and higher. Last month, Anderson's ship was caught near Mandeville point, and its cargo hold was almost breached."

"Your judgment."

"We can't go any further in the Amighiddon direction," Hawke said firmly. "The armor of the combat transport ships can hold out for now, but if we keep going, one day some ships won't make it back."

Cohen was silent for a moment. "The convoy transport mission is complete. Combat transport ships, be incorporated into the Garros fleet, and participate in formation integration training and tactical preparations."

Hawke nodded.

After the last group of immigrants disembarked from the Unyielding's cargo hold, Garros' population surpassed eighty million. Dozens of domes dotted the streets, shops lined both sides, crops were rotated in greenhouses in the agricultural districts, and children ran on school playgrounds. But the immigration route towards Armageddon was closed. Green-skinned raiding ships were appearing more and more frequently. Eighty million people. Not enough. The Empire's borders never lacked people willing to migrate; they only lacked a safe ship.

Phyllis arrived at the spaceport while the Indomitable was unloading cargo. She disembarked from the Valiant, wearing her captain's uniform and the Garros gear and skull insignia pinned to her chest. Cohen met her in the drawing room, where Marcus was also present.

"The entire ship of the Valiant has completed its armed preparations, and ammunition, fuel, and supplies are all in place." Phyllis flipped open the data panel.

Cohen nodded. "The Valiant will not participate in fleet training. I'm assigning you another mission—a long-distance trade voyage, destination: Wandering Port."

Phyllis's eyes lit up. She knew exactly what Wandering Harbor was—the outermost Imperial outpost of the Calissis Sector, the gateway to the Colonus Expansion Zone, a place teeming with merchants, mercenaries, and purchasing representatives from various forging worlds. It held the rare raw materials Garros needed, as well as goods Garros could sell.

"What are you selling?" she asked.

"Weapons and equipment produced underground in Garros," Cohen said. "Standard Astral Army equipment—shell armor,..."

Hellfire Guns, Melt Guns, Multi-Barrel Laser Cannons. The CMC-100 and CMC-200 fully enclosed power armor for mortals are flagship products. Plasma pistols, bomb guns, precision-engineered long-range laser guns. A full range of light and heavy weapons, and even canned goods for the food industry.

Phyllis's data board has already started listing items.

"Where's the purchase list?"

"Adamantite ore powder, rare alloy elements, subspace travel supplies, and population. You can buy anything at the roaming port as long as you can afford it. Go there and see for yourself."

"Flight routes and escorts?"

"The Valiant will go alone. The Odysseus-class ships currently have enough firepower and armor to protect themselves on this route. Once we reach the Wandering Port, we'll establish the Garros Trade Office and sign long-term supply contracts with the Ronin merchants. How the business is conducted is up to you."

Phyllis closed the data panel. "When do we depart?"

"Once preparations are complete, we'll set off."

Cohen pressed the communication button. A moment later, five people walked in. They wore gray-white power armor, helmets tucked under their arms, and titanium alloy inlays on their foreheads forming mental barrier modules. Their gait was steady, with their center of gravity slightly forward.

"The elite ships of the Truth and Black Pearl have already begun their second phase of modernization. Taking them on the journey will be useful."

Phyllis nodded and said to the five men, "Follow me." The five men clenched their right fists against their left chests and followed her out.

Marcus stared at the closed door. "Will adding five elite soldiers be enough?"

"The Valiant already has a reinforced regiment of the defense force on duty, which is sufficient," Cohen said.

Garros needs to expand outwards, it needs more shipping routes, a traceable supply of resources, and a diverse population.

The industrial center of Garros has shifted significantly in the past year. The underground industrial center and the Wangshu Foundry World are responsible for heavy industry—shipbuilding, equipment production, machine tool manufacturing, and weapons and ammunition. Under the dome operates another system: agricultural cultivation, canning, textiles, and pharmaceuticals. A can of vegetables with a shelf life of a hundred years is more convincing than a plasma cannonball that Garros is a worthwhile place to settle. Immigration routes are temporarily closed, but the industries under the dome will not stop.

Ten giant void shield generators are evenly distributed along the equatorial circumference, with their main structures buried deep underground. Currently, the main structures of the ten generators are more than half installed, the adamantite confinement chambers are in place, and the laying of energy conduits and force field calibration are proceeding according to plan.

Cohen retrieved the Galos fleet organization chart from the terminal at the Governor's Mansion. The four Odysseus-class ships—the Unyielding, the Courageous, the Hercules, and the Extraordinary—need to be integrated into the fleet. The Valiant was reassigned to a long-range trade mission.

The Gallos fleet had already undergone several rounds of integrated training. The cruisers and Cobra destroyers had long since completed their coordination and had conducted dozens of group exercises. This time, however, it was only the first time that the four Odysseus-class combat transport ships had joined the fleet. Marcus condensed the integration training into six days, with a tight schedule, focusing directly on the core subjects: fleet formation maintenance, fire coordination, and loading and delivery.

Three days later, at Wangshu Shipyard. The Unyielding entered the dock, where engineering servo removed the scorched armor plates and welded in new fine gold armor plates. The Courageous, Hercules, and Extraordinary were moored on the outer rails of the dock, where service servo unloaded supplies. Personnel redeployment proceeded simultaneously. Combatants drawn from the garrison regiment boarded the Odysseus-class ships, while sailors transferred from the transport convoy required short-term intensive training.

On the fourth day, in the outer airspace of the Garros system, the fleet assembled. The Black Pearl led the way, with three Luna-class ships fanning out, ten Cobra-class ships patrolling the flanks, and four Odysseus-class ships following behind. On the holographic projection platform, the fleet's flight path drew blue arcs. Marcus issued the formation maneuver command, and the thruster exhaust trailed over a dozen blue streaks in the darkness. The Odysseus-class ships turned slower than the Luna-class ships, but kept pace with the formation. The Courageous's gunnery team performed best, while the Indomitable's turrets, recently restored from repairs, achieved a satisfactory result. In the loading and delivery drills, the Indomitable's crew was the most experienced, while the Courageous's servitude team was the most efficient.

Marcus wrote in his log: "The four Odysseus-class destroyers have initially acquired the ability to carry out missions with the fleet."

The training of the psionic forces is quietly nearing its end. An independent section on the edge of the First Spaceport has been converted into a psionic training center, its walls reinforced with multi-layered electromagnetic shielding arrays, isolating it from the main spaceport. Sixty combat psionics are undergoing group spellcasting training under the guidance of two Zeta-class psionic mentor candidates. Psionics from Yota to Kappa classes are assigned to squads to provide psionic fire support within the anti-jumping front. One of the two candidates possesses a talent for divination; the Astronomical Court has assigned him to the Black Pearl to provide battlefield foresight and early warning during warp travel. Twenty-five technical psionics are dispersed to the capital ship's engine room; their innate mechanical empathy can assist the technical priests in monitoring the operation of the Void Shield and the Geller Field. The control collars and psionic suppressors have been debugged, and all psionic files have been entered into the Garros Dominion's registration system, belonging to the newly formed "Garros Psionic Support Corps."

Several days later, the Valiant departed from Spaceport One and headed toward Mandeville Point, then toward Roaming Port.

>