Warhammer: Beginning with Planetary Governors

Chapter 722 Roger Dorn: What's going on? The Imperial Martial Virtue is far too abundant these days!

"Oh my god, what kind of enemy is this? Can we even survive?"

Fear was spreading throughout the ship's cabins; everyone knew what it meant for the ship to be attacked mid-journey.

All they could do was pray for the protection of the golden sun and the savior.

"Don't worry, the ship will be fine. The Redemption Fleet and the Imperial Angels will not stand idly by."

The short, stocky, white-bearded subhuman remained calm and composed.

He calmed everyone down:
"I am an honorary citizen of the Empire and participated in the Battle of Baal. I will protect everyone if danger arises!"

This subhuman was a retired veteran who had served in the trenches of the Apocalyptic War. He wasn't afraid of swarms of insects, let alone this little bump.

The short, subhuman looked at Dorn and said rather heartily:

"Big guy, you must be a veteran too. If an invasion really happens, we'll go and kill those heretical aliens!"

Dorn nodded.

His subconscious alertness just now gave away a hint of his presence, which the veteran in front of him noticed.

There was nothing that could be done about it; he had experienced too much war and slaughter, and it was difficult to conceal his murderous aura.

Dorn decided to take action.

He did not want these devout believers to perish, especially since they were his means of transportation to Terra.

No matter what kind of enemy they are, they have chosen the wrong target!
crunch~
Dorn gripped the metal bed railing and pulled hard, breaking off a solid metal bar to use as a weapon.

Over the years, his weapons had long been worn away in countless battles, but his body itself was the most powerful weapon.

He stood like a city wall, weapon in hand.

However, the next moment, the short veteran's loud voice came from the side:

"Hey big guy, why are you vandalizing public property... Heh heh, you probably haven't been reading the ship's sightseeing brochure properly, have you?"

Dorn was taken aback when he heard this; he hadn't had time to read the pamphlet written in Low Gothic.

"That's right. You're probably not a citizen of the new empire, so it's normal that you don't know."

The short veteran looked understanding:

"According to the latest fire safety standards, emergency weapons must be provided inside ships, including the cabins where we live, which are necessary facilities for public safety."

The security department will conduct inspections..."

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the short veteran approached a safety sign and explained:
"In the event of an intrusion, the ship will issue a notification and unlock the security locks of its emergency weapons."

He just finished speaking.

The ship's alarm sounded, and red lights flashed.

The captain declared that the Chaos Heretics had used witchcraft to teleport and invaded the ship, instructing the pilgrims outside to immediately find a safe area to take refuge.

At the same time, it calls on those who are capable to follow the guidelines and go to the appropriate locations to resist the invaders.

The short veteran remained calm and composed, looking down at the latest intelligence information on the data panel.

He has just applied for access to the emergency communications channel.

"The enemy is the Chaos Warband of the Red Pirates."

There are probably more than thirty Astartes traitors, and a large number of evil followers. Their equipment is poor, so their firepower shouldn't be too strong..."

The short veteran explained reassuringly, "Luckily it wasn't a demon, otherwise we would have been in even more trouble."

Dorn was stunned. When did the Imperial mortals become so tough? It seemed they wanted to challenge the Chaos Warband?!

Snapped--

The short veteran smashed the glass covering the safety sign and pulled out the unlocked emergency weapons box.

The weapons box contains a complete set of weapons, including light and heavy machine guns, laser rifles, shields, fragmentation grenades, armor-piercing grenades, and so on.

"In public areas outside, veterans also have the authority to obtain lightweight versions of explosive weapons and temporary individual armor."

Unfortunately, we ran out of time; those old guys were incredibly fast…

"It's a short veteran," the veteran remarked.

He was somewhat excited, never expecting that his retirement pilgrimage would give him the opportunity to fight against heretics.

Kill more heretics, and you'll receive more divine protection when you reach Holy Terra.

When I'm gone, my soul will surely return to the throne!
???

Dorn stared at the contents of the armory, feeling a bit numb. The weapons inside were enough to equip an elite Astragalus squad.

Do empires hide their weapons like this nowadays?

There are weapons in every public area and compartment. How many weapons would that be?
If that's the case, then this pilgrimage ship is practically a mobile ammunition depot!
There was no other way; the new empire's military industry had produced far too many weapons during its previous frenzied expansion, and was constantly upgrading them.

While the older weapons are much better than the previous Imperial weapons, they still lag behind the latest versions.

In order to digest those old weapons, the military and logistics departments went to great lengths to get the savior to agree to and implement the new security standards.

Stockpiled weapons were deployed as part of fire safety measures on Imperial ships and in relevant public areas.

It allows citizens of the Empire to use it at any time to fight against alien heretics and protect themselves.

Of course, that's only temporary.

With the future imperial situation improved and the risk of invasion eliminated, all related weapons will be recycled.

"It seems the empire has overcome its previous resource scarcity, now possesses sufficient weapons, and is placing greater emphasis on security and defense..."

As the Vigilant and Lord of the Mountain Array, Dorne placed the utmost importance on security and defense, and he was very pleased with the Empire's measures.

He picked up a heavy laser weapon and grabbed a combat knife.

Heavy weapons in his hands are like small weapons, but thankfully they are still usable.

Boom boom boom——

At that moment, the roar of cannons could be heard outside, and one could feel the ship firing.

After Dorn equipped himself with his weapons, he went out with the short veteran.

If the situation can be maintained, he doesn't want to directly expose his condition, because it will be difficult to cover it up later.

"May the Emperor protect you!"

Later, he discovered that, influenced by himself and the veteran, two more subhumans who knew how to use firearms had picked up weapons and followed him.

Dorn and the others rushed down the corridor toward the battle zone and found more pilgrims rushing out with weapons.

Their morale was high, and some were even greeting each other; the fear of the ship being invaded was dissipating.

"Go, go, go!"

"If we're too late, we won't make it!"

"Damn it, we have to kill a few heretics. This pilgrimage holiday was definitely worth it!"

The pilgrims, carrying weapons, appeared well-trained and proceeded methodically towards the area of ​​the fighting.

A refined-looking clerk, equipped with electronic goggles, skillfully adjusted the firearm, somewhat excited:
"I'm the champion of the department's firearms and tactics training. After years of hard work, I've finally got my chance to put my skills to use. From now on, who dares to say I'm all talk and no action..."

These guys showed no fear whatsoever in the face of the invasion of the Chaos Heretics; anyone who didn't know better would think they were going to invade someone else's territory.

Dorn looked at the bustling scene with some difficulty in understanding, because these imperial civilians were completely different from what he had imagined.

In the past, when the common people of the empire encountered disasters, they were filled with fear and panic, like helpless lambs.

They could only pray for the emperor's protection and were at the mercy of others.

These guys seemed to be rushing to protect the emperor.

This is due to the educational strategies of the new empire.

While in school, citizens have special courses that tell them who the empire's enemies are and what their specific characteristics are.

It also made them understand what the empire was fighting for.

The school organizes basic military training courses every year.

The sports department occasionally applies for funding to bring back some real equipment from the front lines so that students can see it and practice in a safe environment.

As for high-level schools like the Loyal Successor Academy, the training is even more rigorous, with practical combat requirements and corresponding death quotas.

Even after graduates start working in relevant organizations, there are still corresponding training programs and regular field training sessions.

Of course, this initially helped with the disposal of ammunition nearing its expiration date.

The logistics department went to great lengths to free up warehouse space.

However, due to inertia, no one proposed to cancel it, and it gradually became a tradition.

It has been arranged all along.

Under this long-term training, ordinary citizens generally know what the enemies of the empire look like, what their characteristics are, and how much of a threat they pose.

Naturally, there was less fear and panic.

Moreover, they have undergone training in various combat scenarios, so they know what kind of situation they are facing and will follow orders.

For example, as citizens now know, if a ship is invaded while en route, it has virtually nowhere to escape and must not sit idly by and wait for its demise.

Everyone must unite to increase their chances of survival.

"I am an honorary veteran, and I will temporarily take over everyone's duties."

The ship's engine area is safe, let's go to the main deck... Shieldmen, go to the front, and follow my instructions..."

The short veteran loudly announced his identity and quickly organized the armed pilgrims in the area. He continued to monitor the situation through emergency communication channels.

Now they are considered a militia organization, mainly participating in the battle as supplementary firepower, and the command chain has been successfully established.

Suddenly, the short veteran received a message, looked up, and roared angrily as a warning:

"This area is about to be impacted. Hold on tight to anything and resist the impact!"

Immediately afterwards, ship alarms sounded in the area.

Dorn saw people assuming various positions to brace themselves for the impact, clearly having undergone training.

After the violent tremors subsided, everyone quickly got up and lined up to head towards the location of the firefight.

"These mortals are trained to a similar level to the Astronauts, and their weapons might even be more sophisticated..."

he thought so.

If all the people of the Empire were at this level, then the war against the alien heretics would not be as difficult as before.

Dorne had witnessed the devastation of many civilized worlds within the Empire, where most ordinary inhabitants were starving, listless, and utterly incapable of fighting.

The number of people who can serve as recruits for the Astral Army is extremely small.

In many cases, the Ministry of Justice even takes local gangs along as part of the larger force, which actually makes them more effective in combat.

But now, these citizens of the Empire have completely changed his views; the change is too great.

The citizens of the empire were no longer fearful and apathetic, but instead were filled with fervor and high spirits.

As Dorn and his men advanced, more and more corpses appeared on the ground, mostly belonging to heretics.

They lay on the ground covered in spent shell casings, riddled with bullets.

He even saw the corpse of a Chaos Warrior.

That thing blended into the steel bunker, clearly caused by a large number of molten metal grenades.

Judging from the remnants of the battle, the Chaos Warrior led his heretics in an attempt to storm the residential area, only to be met with a devastating blow.

"Savior above, this heretic traitor is feigning death, is he trying to launch a sneak attack?!" Suddenly, an excited voice rang out.

"no, do not want……"

The evil man trembled with fear as he faced the pilgrim militia who had surrounded him.

He seemed terrified: "Lord of All Changes, save me! I... I'll do anything!"

I surrender!

This scoundrel was originally following the adults of the War Gang to raid the residential area, but he was overwhelmed by firepower before he could even see a figure.

He had never experienced such intense firepower, not even heavy laser cannons.

They had no room to hide. Even the adult was injured by the dense laser bombardment and was subsequently killed by more than a dozen molten metal grenades.

Extremely humiliating.

The firepower of the ship's guards is truly terrifying!

"Not only did you invade the empire's territory, but you also dared to surrender?"

"Unforgivable!"

The pilgrim militia, filled with righteous indignation, raised their guns and mowed down the evildoers until they were unrecognizable.

Afterwards, Dorn and his companions encountered a small group of scattered evil foes, which they annihilated with overwhelming firepower.

Those scoundrels were not as skilled in combat as these temporarily organized citizens. Even disregarding the advantage in firepower, they could have been dealt with simply based on their combat skills.

bang bang bang-

Dorn and the others rushed out of the ship's bridge and onto the main deck area, where their view suddenly opened up.

The roar of artillery fire and the flashes of light rushed towards us; the area, stretching for nearly a kilometer, was filled with the sounds of battle.

It was comparable to a small-scale war.

These pilgrim militia members arrived at their assigned areas, took cover behind bunkers, and followed orders to fire or throw grenades in the direction of the target.

Provide fire support.

As supplementary firepower, they don't need to aim at the enemy; they can simply fire in one direction.

Dorn and the others, behind cover, had no chance to make a move, or rather, they didn't need him to.

He was very amazed.

What kind of defense system is this? Imperial ships are now equipped with heavy war vehicles. Aren't they afraid the ships will explode?!

On the main battlefield not far away, two nearly eight-meter-tall "living saints" were unleashing their firepower, while several heavy artillery emplacements were firing nearby.

As for the ammunition belts of the naval guards and militia, they also formed a dense fire network to saturate the enemy's positions.

He even saw the same clerk from before firing at the enemy from the militia not far away.

"The firepower of the ships' internal armaments alone has reached this level; those personal armored units are even more powerful than those of the Solar Auxiliary Force..."

Dorn was deeply moved and mourned for his enemies.

As a master of defensive tactics, he naturally understands the battlefield and knows how difficult it is to break through with today's firepower.

There are almost no blind spots.

Even he would find such a barrage of fire troublesome.

"Retreat! Retreat!"

The Chaos Warriors' commander roared, ordering the failed Chaos Warriors to retreat.

His scalp was numb.

Not long ago, the Red Pirate King sent out intelligence that the Savior and Emperor of the Empire had just won the Battle of the Vigilant Star and was about to arrive in the Solar System.

The Chaos Warband planned a surprise attack to dampen the enemy's morale.

That's how this operation came about.

The war gang that the Chaos Commander originally belonged to wanted to take advantage of the Redemption Fleet being tied down to launch a surprise attack on this poor pilgrimage ship and slaughter the pilgrims here.

They planned to use the corpses of pilgrims to construct a blasphemous array, then throw the ship into the solar system as a demonstration against the false emperor and the empire.

This will make that so-called savior, the emperor of the empire, lose face.

Unfortunately, the Chaos Warriors, who are now resisting the Empire, have been greatly weakened and are temporarily unable to launch attacks on the core areas of the Empire. They don't even dare to touch any larger ships.

But the Chaos Warbands, who rejected the rule of the savior and the new Chaos Warmaster and resolutely resisted the Empire, decided to do something to boost morale.

Even if it's just to spite the savior, we can't just do nothing.

For the Chaos Warband, raiding a civilian pilgrimage ship is effortless; sending a few Chaos warriors is enough to slaughter the entire vessel.

However, in order to complete the blasphemy plan as quickly as possible, they still sent out several squads and a large number of wicked people.

Although the pilgrimage ship's shields and onboard firepower were somewhat unexpected, the Chaos Warriors and the heretics still managed to board and invade successfully.

However, what happened next was beyond expectations.

The Chaos Commander's main force was intercepted in the main deck area, after which they suddenly discovered that the "living saint" statue in this area had moved.

The ground shook, and heavy firepower poured down like a torrential downpour.

That's not a statue of a living saint for decoration, but a modified heavy war vehicle—an Imperial Knight!
What legitimate warship would have such a heavy vehicle installed inside? And it's not a warship, it's a civilian vessel.

"Damn it, this isn't even a key defensive line, so why are elite troops stationed here, and why are Imperial Knights protecting them?"

Is there some high-value objective here?!

The Chaos Commander realized he had chosen the wrong target and was in a state of impotent rage.

This is the terrifying aspect of the savior's strategy of hiding soldiers among the people.

No matter which region the alien heretics attack from, even if they only attack a civilian ship, they will be met with fierce counterattacks.

Instead of being fearful and helpless like the old empire, at the mercy of others.

The enemies of the empire will be met with a vast ocean of imperial citizens.

The Chaos Warriors and the heretics were stunned, and their repeated attacks failed to break through the Imperial defenses.

Later, as reinforcements arrived, they were beaten so badly that they didn't even dare to show their heads.

The Chaos Warriors' worn-out power armor was no match for the firepower of the Imperial Knights and their heavy artillery, not to mention the support of individual armor.

Their protective force fields had long been exhausted by the continuous firepower, so they dared not come out of their cover.

Even so, the Chaos Warriors and the Outlaws still face deadly dangers, as armor-piercing grenades and molten grenades can take their lives at any moment.

The Empire's saturation fire was relentless, and they saw no hope of victory.

Then we have no choice but to evacuate.

They decided to abandon their plans and leave that damned pilgrimage ship.

However, just as the Chaos Commander issued the evacuation order and tried to contact reinforcements, he discovered that the warships' communication channels had gone silent.

???

He looked back and saw that his own Chaos Warship was already—

Blasted!

Then, the war angel battle barge's scarlet paint suddenly came into view...

(End of this chapter)