Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 1076, page 9 of 1075: "Civil War Breaks Out"

Polaberia, March 30th in the standard Terran calendar.

The atmosphere in Horatio Cochrane's temporary office was tense and oppressive. Many officers had brought in the Thinker array from the warships in preparation for the impending battle. The prosperity of the palace was instantly broken by the mess of pipes and the dense sounds of talking and walking.

"Captain, we have a letter from the Naval Affairs Department. They recommend that we leave the blockade zone as soon as possible." A communications officer saluted Horatio and then handed him a thick file folder.

This is an official document I just received from the Ministry of Military Affairs.

On an electronic map, the core area of ​​Polaberia, which covers almost half of the continent, is marked with a striking blood-red outline.

This area is now a "lockdown zone".

Among them is Stutzianchi, not far from the scene of the crime, Volshar—and the training base for his newly established orbital landing forces.

The official document, written in utterly emotionless administrative jargon, stated: Those within the lockdown zone are permitted to evacuate by train within 15 days and be resettled through the Astronomical Army's lockdown area. After 15 days, no one is permitted, in principle, to pass through the lockdown zone checkpoints.

[In other words... I now have to choose whether to move the entire training base out of Stutzianchi, or to stay here.]
Horatio switched between maps, his fingertips tapping on the "Stujianchi" marker, his mind rapidly weighing the pros and cons.

Tuk Tuk.

There were two knocks on the front door.

"Please come in," Horatio replied without looking up as he flipped through the map data.

Poniatowski pushed open the door, his expression solemn. Jadviga walked in first, and compared to Poniatowski, she was more composed and calm.

"The Colonial Governor's Office is prepared for a defensive battle."

Yadwiga reported succinctly, “The local Sintira people have mobilized their militia. Colonial Security Company transport ships are sending troops to Polaberia ship by ship through the starport.”

She retrieved reconnaissance data from the servo skull she was following, activated a holographic projection in front of Horatio, and pointed to the outline of a mountain range: "Their soldiers have reactivated the ancient mountain fortresses left over from the First Tooth Catastrophe, and are digging trenches and laying barbed wire in the mountains, as well as burying mines in key passages on the plains. They are prepared to turn this place into a meat grinder."

Now, the nobles' attitude is clear—they were unprepared during the Sintira Revolution, caught off guard and scattered by the mob, and now they are ready to unleash their iron fist on this rabble.

“Commander, citizen,” Poniatowski continued, his voice slightly hoarse, “are we going to relocate the training base? Being in the blockade zone will greatly reduce our efficiency in obtaining additional supplies.”

He took a deep breath: "But, regardless of whether they are moved or not, the supplies I withheld... are still scattered in the warehouses of various farms."

We need to send people to collect this information. I'll try my best to avoid making it look like a 'forced requisition of supplies,' so as to prevent negative public opinion against us.

“It’s not a good idea to relocate an already established base before we have a suitable alternative site,” Horatio said, looking at the red line on the map. “At least for now, we still have barracks, quick-setting concrete watchtowers, and defensive structures that have already been built.”

He looked up, his gaze shifting to Yadwiga: "I'll speak with Major General Rana later and discuss it. If we need to evacuate from the blockade zone, I think your brother," Horatio emphasized, "shouldn't make things too difficult for us."

“If he tries to make things difficult for you, I’ll confront him and yell at him.” Yadviga gave a brief smile before quickly regaining his serious expression. “Even if we’re in the restricted area, we always have a way out. They’ll definitely open a back door for us.”

"There's no time to lose; the situation won't wait for us."

Horatio stood up and gave orders, “Citizen Poniatovsky, take your men to the trading posts and warehouses as soon as possible and retrieve the grain and supplies you’ve seized. Yadwiga, continue to monitor the movements of the Sintira and the Jihad. We must…”

boom!boom!boom!boom!boom!
Before Horatio could finish speaking, a dull tremor came from the floor, followed by a continuous, thunderous barrage of cannon fire in the distance.

He frowned, strode to the floor-to-ceiling window, and his gaze immediately fell on the telephoto lens that Jadwiga used to observe the starry sky.

Through the high-magnification lens, the distant scenery is instantly brought to your eyes.

The artillery bunkers on the mountain—the defensive fortifications of the Polaberia colonial defense forces—opened fire.

The pre-calibrated artillery fire, like vengeful iron fists, swiftly and precisely struck the area where the Chinese Holy Army was slowly descending from the air.

Several transport ships that had just landed and were unloading troops and supplies were instantly engulfed by a chain of explosions.

Their remains burst into flames, sending black smoke billowing into the sky.

In the observation mirror, tiny human figures scattered in panic, like startled ants.

Upon seeing this, the follow-up transport ships still in the air immediately stopped their descent and circled around in confusion.

But hovering doesn't mean you're safe!

Countless tracer rounds and anti-aircraft missiles rose from Sintira's position, strafing the jihadist aircraft that were falling from the sky. A series of dense explosions echoed in the sky, and anti-aircraft fire blasted up clouds of black smoke.

Aircraft were continuously hit, falling in trails of black smoke and flames.

Fragments of metal and burning human figures scattered like terrifying raindrops.

The shockwave from the explosion spread from the sky to the earth and then rebounded back into the sky, as if the whole world was trembling.

Amidst this hellish scene, Horatio turned his focus and saw a monk with a receding hairline—holding aloft a golden statue of the Angel of Death that still gleamed in the smoke—rushing to the front of the procession.

He spread his arms and shouted something to the panicked jihadists around him.

Then, an incredible scene happened.

The panicked crowd seemed to be infused with invisible courage and regrouped.

Holding all sorts of steel guns, new and old, they followed behind the priest holding the statue of the angel of death, forming ranks and marching towards the front lines amidst the gunfire.

The shelling continues.

Several shells exploded around the priest, sending dirt and shrapnel flying everywhere like a torrential downpour, but he and the icon in his hand miraculously remained unharmed.

The people seemed to be inspired. They opened their mouths and sang hymns that sounded like battle cries.

People were constantly being hit by flying shrapnel or torn to pieces by the shockwaves, but those behind them immediately filled the places of the fallen with expressionless faces and continued to move forward.

The transport ship, which had been stationary in the sky, was quickly repositioned by ground personnel and landed in an open area behind a huge barn.

boom! boom! boom!
Several shells fired from a distance, seemingly intended to destroy the transport ships, instead struck the outer shell of the barn with great force.

The shells were blocked by the thick, quick-setting concrete structure and did not hit the transport ship that was landing behind them.

However, the impact and high temperature of the explosion ignited the grain stored inside the barn.

Crimson flames shot high from the breach in the barn, and thick white smoke, carrying the aroma of burnt grain, filled the entire horizon.

"Do not!!!"

A piercing scream rang out beside Horatio.

Poniatowski gripped the window frame tightly, his fingernails turning white from the force. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the plume of white smoke.

“That’s barn POL-366! It’s full of freshly harvested winter wheat! Kurwa!!! They’re fighting on my territory without my permission as their lord!”

Faced with this sudden outbreak of war, Poniatovsky was filled with impotent rage, but even so, he could not stop anything from happening.

The conflict came too quickly, faster than anyone expected.

Colonial planetary defense forces, Imperial Navy orbital landing forces, and the newly arrived Holy War Army... none of them were prepared for a full-scale conflict, yet they were forced to confront the war ignited by the defense forces' artillery fire.

Now, it all comes down to who can act faster and think more clearly.

Whoosh!

Before Horatio could finish thinking, a shell landed very close to the outer wall of the orbital landing force training base, and shrapnel scratched the quick-setting concrete protective wall covered with terrazzo steel.

The sentry in the watchtower immediately crouched down for cover.

“Hey! Where are these guys shooting?! Are they blind?! Can’t they see the Imperial Navy’s emblem painted on the wall?!” Poniatovsky shouted in protest.

“No, the artillery is all pre-calibrated; it’s impossible for it to miss. This shot is likely a show of force from the colonial defense forces.” Yadwiga frowned as he looked at the large crater blasted out of the wall. “Someone is warning us not to get involved.”

"We must act quickly."

Horatio's expression was serious, as if facing a formidable enemy. Whether it was a warning shot or an accidental firing, he trusted no force on this land except himself; his destiny had to be in his own hands.

"Requisition all Valkyries and Averus landing craft, including those intended for the colonial governor! Requisition them all! We must seize those granaries at all costs, before they completely destroy our remaining food supplies!"

(End of this chapter)