Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 1080, page 09.1079: "Twilight is Approaching"

"Don't you need me with you, Horatio?"

The sound of an officer's boots came from the doorway; it was Louise walking briskly in, her purple eyes filled with resentment.

She was certain that her body had recovered enough to return to the fierce battlefield and fight alongside Horatio as before, instead of continuing to stay in the rear.

"You need a reliable helper."

“Albert also needs milk and a mother’s love, Louise.” Horatio’s voice was gentle as he turned to face her and explained, “There is no one here but you who can feed him.”

He walked to the window and continued, "Besides... we can't possibly take an infant through a heavily threatened and harsh lockdown zone."

Horatio turned his head and gazed at the distant western horizon.

There, towering storm clouds, like a snow-white, towering cliff, were slowly rolling towards this continent.

According to locals, this winter is exceptionally cold.

The area was still affected by the lingering effects of the cold wave from the north and had not yet completely escaped the tail end of winter; blizzards were still falling.

That storm could engulf any aircraft that dared to enter it, causing them to lose contact.

“The safest route is by land,” he said in a low voice. “But for an infant in swaddling clothes, the low temperatures during a cold snap can be fatal.”

To put Louise at ease, he then explained his personnel arrangements:

"Colonel Yadwig will be with me. You've gotten to know her quite well by now. Although her promotion directly from captain to colonel in the Star Forces was somewhat naive and idealistic, she's cautious and reliable. With her by my side, we can look out for each other."

But Poniatovsky Hunyati…

Horatio frowned with concern. "He's a good man, but he's too emotional and prone to acting impulsively. Leaving him to guard the base makes me worry that if the enemy provokes him, he might lead his men out to fight and fall into a trap."

As for Archie, I gave him an even more important task. The surface of Polaberia is in chaos, but the Void must not be. He not only has to maintain order in the Void, but also inspect any suspicious ships that come ashore or leave the shore. We can't let any monsters take advantage of the chaos to reach the ground. Archie is in charge of weaving such a net.

Lieutenant Colonel Kretschmer was still recovering from his injuries at the Calithis Fleet Sanatorium in Sintira; while Colonel Sterling was heading to meet Rear Admiral Edward Perug's fleet. With someone leading the way, their sailing would be much faster.

This makes Archie the only officer currently capable of performing this task.

He turned around, walked back to Louise, and looked directly into her eyes:

"Therefore, Louise, the training base is now under your full responsibility. This mission is equally heavy and important. Even if I return safely, if the base is lost, we will still fail completely."

“This task isn’t as simple as you think, just sending people to patrol and stand guard.” His voice was low and serious. “I don’t believe either side in the conflict will allow a force as threatening and neutral as us to remain unscathed in their civil war. They will definitely try to put pressure on us, or even play the role of their adversary to stir up trouble in order to win us over. That’s something you need to assess, or contact me—if you can still reach me.”

Horatio looked into Louise's purple eyes, reached out, and gently brushed aside a strand of hair that had fallen across her forehead as she walked briskly.

"Be careful," she said softly, tilting her head back.

"You too, be careful." Two warm lips slowly approached.

"Wow—!!! Wow—!!!"

However, before their lips could fully touch, Albert in the cradle seemed to sense something and suddenly burst into a loud cry, instantly interrupting this tender moment.

“He…he’s hungry.” Louise smiled bitterly, somewhat helplessly. “He always wants to nurse at this time every day.”

"Thank you for taking care of them." Horatio nodded, withdrew his hand, and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"Go quickly." Louise turned and walked towards the cradle. "There's not much time left until sunset. I've packed your luggage and left it by the door. Check if there's anything else you need to take, so you don't forget anything."

Horatio glanced one last time at the mother and son, then at Horace, who was gripping the telescope eyepiece and trying to make out the storm cloud in the west.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Goodbye. I'll be back.
-
Night falls.

Commander Poniatovsky of the Second Half Brigade, leading a battalion of dragoons, set off in heavy wheeled chariots at the moment when night fell and the sun was setting, when the sky still held a faint light but the ground had already fallen into darkness.

The roar of their engines shattered the evening's tranquility, and the convoy's headlights illuminated the dark road ahead as they headed toward the grain depots scattered throughout the territory.

The long battlefront was temporarily halted due to decreased visibility and poor diffuse reflection.

The ravaged land was given a brief respite.

Although everyone knew that once night fell completely, the anvil of war would strike again—the Jihad Army would never let the night pass. The vast majority of their victories were achieved at night. They would suddenly illuminate the Sintira people's positions with the Holy Emperor's statue, which was equipped with searchlights, temporarily blinding the pampered defenders in the bright light.

In this war zone, watched by eyes from all corners of the sector, the Sintira people weren't crazy enough to dare fire directly at the God-Emperor's statue. Under these circumstances, the fearless holy warrior fanatics were more likely to break through the defensive forces' positions than during the day.

Of course, the Sintila had a countermeasure. They would use even more intense artillery fire to carpet-bomb the entire area around the icon, blasting the charging fanatics and their faith to pieces with tons of shrapnel and dirt, burying them in the earth.

Horatio arrived at the watchtower of the training base.

Yadviga was already waiting there, carefully observing the movements in the direction of the station in the distance using a telescope with night vision mode activated.

"We'll set off when it's a little darker," Horatio's voice sounded calm in the cold wind. "Are the soldiers ready?"

“They are ready, Commander Citizen,” Yadviga said solemnly, putting down his binoculars.

“Very good. Valina’s Hellslingers are already on standby around the station and are continuing to scout. We will lead a mobile advance team and a team of engineers to occupy the station first. After ensuring safety, the main force participating in the expedition will then assemble and board the train.”

Horatio added, "How many troops can actually board depends on how much transport capacity we can repair."

"Okay, Commander Citizen, I'll have the soldiers prepare right away."

(End of this chapter)