From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Chapter 626 "Thank you very much for responding to our call for help."

Under the shining light of the star Ma Sara, the fleet of the 3rd Company of the Flame Lizards stretched across the planet's low-Earth orbit like a Great Wall of Steel.

This elite force, as one of the earliest companies of the Flame Lizard Legion, has built a formidable space force with its rich combat experience and sufficient funds and resource reserves.

The core of the fleet is the majestic Emperor-class battleship "Indomitable Flame", its huge eight-kilometer-long hull is covered with scars of hundreds of battles and medals of glory.

The fleet originally had eight sharp-looking destroyers and eight powerful cruisers, which together with the Indomitable Holy Flame formed the main battle group.

However, at this stage, several destroyers and cruisers are being repaired in the docks of front-line bases.

In addition, there are more than 60 ships of various types, including fast-moving frigates, supply ships loaded with supplies, and gunnery ships specially used for orbital bombardment, etc., forming a complete and three-dimensional space offensive and defensive system.

This fleet is not only well-equipped, but the combat personnel it carries are the elite among the elite.

Two thousand battle-hardened Astartes were stationed on each ship, most of whom had experienced the baptism of many battles, both large and small.

Inside the warships, well-trained crew members are busy in front of precision instruments, ensuring that every warship is in optimal combat readiness.

Although the sudden attack by the Zerg caused certain losses to the fleet and some warships still had traces of acid corrosion on their outer armor, the overall combat effectiveness remained intact.

Small ships equipped with maintenance robotic arms are busy working on slightly damaged parts of large warships, ensuring that these steel behemoths can be repaired quickly and their combat effectiveness maintained.

On the flagship's tactical hologram, the indicator representing the fleet's combat effectiveness always remained in the green area above 85%, fully demonstrating the profound foundation and strong resilience of this veteran team.

At this moment, inside the bridge of the Indomitable Flame;

The magnificent bridge space is like a space temple that combines Gothic and Chinese styles.

On the thirty-meter-high dome, intricately carved dragon decorations and the emblem of the Flame Lizard Legion complement each other. The columns on both sides are wrapped with auspicious cloud reliefs, which glow with a bronze luster under the soft lighting.

The ground is paved with a dark jade alloy floor inlaid with a seven-star pattern. Every step you take will cause subtle energy ripples.

Nearly a hundred Flame Lizard crew members, wearing lightweight power armor, were busy at their respective control consoles.

These specially modified power armors retain the core protection but significantly reduce the weight, allowing operators to handle bridge work more flexibly.

Their helmets projected a light blue data stream, and their fingers slid rapidly across the holographic interface, transmitting commands to every corner of the battleship.

Company Commander Gao Zan still stood behind the huge observation window, his heavy Terminator armor glowing with dark gold and dark green under the light of the stars.

He stared in silence at the sight of Ma Sara below. The war-torn planet was now split in two by the terminator, with light and darkness intertwined on its surface.

Suddenly, the holographic projection device in the center of the bridge automatically activated, and dark blue particles swirled and gathered like a galaxy.

Gao Zan turned around immediately, and the armor's servo system emitted a low hum.

I saw those light particles gradually condense, and finally formed a hard light projection that was more than five and a half meters tall.

Vulkan, the Primarch of the Flame Lizards Legion, appeared majestically.

This giant Primarch is wearing a finely crafted exclusive armor, with details such as shoulder armor and chest armor flowing with lava-like patterns.

The primarch's thick black hair was mixed with a few strands of silver. On his resolute face, his eyes, like burning coals, seemed to be able to penetrate the soul.

Moreover, the lifelike fire dragon emblem on the Primarch's armor seemed to be ready to take off at any time, and the "short-handled" power hammer hanging around his waist, even if it was just a projection, exuded a frightening pressure.

"Father."

Gao Zan immediately knelt on one knee, put his right fist on his chest and saluted, his voice full of respect.

"Ah."

Vulkan's response was like a roar from deep within the earth.

His eyes swept across the bridge, and every crew member who was watched straightened their backs unconsciously. Then the Primarch asked:
"What's the situation with the third company?"

Gao Zan maintained his salute posture and reported truthfully:

"Reporting to father, the fleet's combat power remains above 85%. Although we encountered an alien zerg attack, the damage to the main ships has been repaired. We lost a few brothers in the ground combat, but it is within an acceptable range. In addition, the engineering department has successfully built a new city and resettled more than refugees."

Vulkan nodded slightly, and his projected fingertips passed through the void, calling up several sets of real-time data.

"I heard that the performance of the Goddess of War helped you to achieve victory in the initial unification war?"

"Impeccable." Gao Zan's voice was filled with rare admiration. "The appearance of that goddess directly turned the tide of the battle. The Blade Queen was vulnerable in front of her."

A barely perceptible smile appeared on the Primarch's lips, but he quickly returned to seriousness.

"That infected human female is indeed a variable." Vulkan's projection walked towards the central console of the bridge. His huge palm swept across the tabletop, and suddenly a three-dimensional star map of the entire planet appeared.

"The Intelligence Department believes that it is related to a higher-dimensional existence. What do you think of the Third Company?"

"Father." Gao Zan stood up and followed. "The Intelligence Department and the Investigation Department have determined that the Zerg Queen can lead to the more dangerous existence behind the scenes, and we will fully cooperate with various departments to formulate the next action plan."

Vulkan stared at the flashing symbol in the star sector, pondered for a moment, and said:
"Stay alert. The Zerg are evolving faster than expected. That bastard won't give up."

After saying this, the Primarch turned around, and the light of the projection slightly increased. "You have done well, my child, but the real test may have just begun."

Gao Zan saluted again: "The Flame Lizards are ready to fight for you and the Emperor."

The Primarch's projection began to fade, but before it disappeared completely, his last words echoed through the bridge:

"Remember, we are not only warriors, but also guardians. Protect the civilians. This is what the Emperor truly expects."

As the last bit of blue light faded, the bridge resumed its busy rhythm.

Gao Zan stared at the place where the projection disappeared, then turned to the observation window. The morning light of Ma Sara was shining into the bridge, giving the deck a golden edge.

This brief tranquility did not last long before it was suddenly broken.

The communications officer, wearing a lightweight power armor, turned to report to Gao Zan: "Captain, we have received an emergency distress signal! It is from a neighboring star system, and the source of the signal is identified as an agricultural colony called Agria."

Hearing this, Gao Zan, who was equipped with a heavy Terminator, also turned to the back and walked towards the central control console with steady steps. Every step he took made the finely crafted black jade floor tremble slightly, and he briefly ordered: "Play."

"Yes."

The communications officer's finger slid quickly across the blue-glowing holographic interface, activating the projection matrix of the center console.

With a subtle hum, a holographic screen gradually took shape three meters above the console.

Apparently due to signal interference, noise flickered on the edges of the image, but the core of the picture was still clear.

The projection showed the face of a young woman.

The other person had a slightly messy black ponytail and a pair of square-framed glasses perched on his high nose bridge, and his eyes behind the lenses were bloodshot.

The white medical gown she was wearing was covered in stains and dark red spots that looked like blood, and the colonial badge on her collar was hanging crookedly.

"Repeat! This is the Agria Colony!" Her voice became sharp due to her haste, with obvious gasps:
"We are under a massive attack by Zerg! Request any possible assistance and emergency evacuation! The Terran Empire has abandoned us! We are just a small agricultural colony without sufficient self-defense power! Any friendly units that receive this message, please help us for the sake of humanity!"

In the blurred background, more disturbing details can be seen -

Panicked civilians pushed and ran in the narrow corridor. The emergency lights on the ceiling flashed a blinding red light. The occasional explosions in the distance shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting eerie silhouettes on the walls.

The most frightening thing was the occasional flash of inhuman outlines in the distance from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Those distorted figures undoubtedly belonged to the vanguard of the alien insects.

The communications officer quickly adjusted the signal filter, trying to stabilize the image. "Sir, the signal source is extremely unstable. The colony's communications array may have been damaged."

"Try to establish real-time communication." Gao Zan gave the order.

“It is being executed.”

The communications officer received the instructions and moved his fingers on the holographic console into a virtual shadow, activating the ship's onboard quantum communications array.

With a subtle hum of energy, the projection matrix in the center of the bridge began to reconstruct the signal, and countless holographic particles intertwined and reorganized in the air.

Soon, a clear real-time communication image suddenly took shape.

The woman in the picture was obviously startled by the sudden real-time connection and took a half step back. The light behind her illuminated her flowing hair.

When the other party's eyes fell on Gao Zan's huge physique, especially the Terminator power armor that was different from the CMC model, the pupils behind the lenses suddenly contracted.

"Thank you very much for responding to our call for help."

But the other party quickly calmed down and pushed up his glasses. "I am Dr. Ariel Hansen, the chief medical officer and temporary administrative representative of the Agraya Colony. May I ask who you are?"

"Captain of the 3rd Company of the Flame Lizards, great!" The captain replied briefly without further explanation, and then asked:
"Report your current battle situation."

Sensing the other party's straightforward attitude, Dr. Hansen did not hesitate any more. His throat rolled, and he turned around and quickly operated a control panel to connect the surveillance footage of the colony to the communication, and reported:

"The main force of the Zerg has broken through the last line of defense in low-Earth orbit. The colony is expected to fall completely within six hours."

Dr. Hansen's voice remained amazingly professional, but his trembling fingertips revealed his inner fear. "In the past twelve hours, we have been organizing the evacuation of civilians to all starports, but now..."

The scene switches to surveillance cameras throughout the colony.

Swarms of Zerglings were tearing at the roadblocks, and a large number of Hydralisks were spraying bone needles in the distance. Suddenly, the whole picture shook violently, accompanied by the roar of explosions nearby.

"The defense line has completely collapsed, and we have lost 70% of our security personnel." Dr. Hansen's voice finally choked up a little, "More than civilians are still trapped in the residential area. I request your emergency evacuation support!"

As the words fell, everyone in the bridge held their breath and waited, casting their eyes on the "Terminator" standing tall in front of the central control console.

The blue light projected by the holographic platform flowed across the surface of Gao Zan's armor, reflecting the scars of hundreds of battles.

At this moment, even the sound of breathing became clearly audible.

In fact, the final decision was made the moment the distress signal was received.

As the Emperor's "Angel of Death", the protection of the human flame has long been engraved in the genes of every Astartes. Gao Zan's eyes swept across the star map and responded:

"We will immediately organize a rescue fleet and it is expected to arrive at Agria within thirty minutes. Dr. Hansen, please make sure to hold the main roads of each starport before then."

After receiving this reply, the female doctor in the holographic projection seemed to be injected with a shot of cardiotonic. Her face, which was pale with fear, instantly glowed with the light of life.

When the other party nodded vigorously, tears behind the glasses sparkled in the cold light: "Thank you in the name of the colony! We have activated the final defense protocol and will guard the evacuation passages of Starports 1, 3, and 7. At the same time, we will send rescue notices to all public broadcasting terminals that are still functioning."

"Keep the communication open," Gao Zan added, "We will continue to update the rescue plan."

After the communication ended, the bridge immediately entered combat mode, and each command triggered a series of responses:
"The flagship formation immediately enters combat mode. The first combat platoon rushes to support the flagship, and the remaining units maintain the Ma Sara defensive formation."

"Contact the Xincheng Resettlement Center and activate the Level 3 refugee reception plan."

"The hospital ship is ready with emergency medical treatment units."

"Navigation officer, plan the optimal jump route and start the jump preload program."

Then, the huge hull of the Indomitable Holy Flame began to tremble.

The plasma engine nozzle at the stern of the ship gradually lit up with a faint blue light, like a giant beast awakening and opening its eyes.

Outside the observation window, the azure atmosphere of Ma Sara was being replaced by the starry sky, and Gao Zan raised his armored hands and fastened the finely forged fire dragon helmet tightly onto the cervical armor.

With a mechanical "click", the tactical interfaces inside the visor lit up one by one, projecting information such as star maps, fleet status and real-time threat assessment in front of his eyes.

When the hum of the jump engine reached its peak, the captain took a last look at the flashing distress coordinates on the star map.

sixty thousand
Even more lives are trapped in the countdown under the fangs of the Zerg, but the word "give up" has never appeared in the dictionary of the Flame Lizard.

The armored servos growled in a low, battle-like roar, as if answering all the unspoken vows that no matter how desperate the situation, the Emperor's warriors would always fight for the survival of mankind.

Gao Zan knew that this would be another race against time and death, but the Flame Lizard was never afraid of a challenge, especially when innocent lives were at stake.
(End of this chapter)