Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 823, 08.822: 'Immediate Execution'

The steel fortress closed in the void, preparing to meet the unknown threat lurking in the shadows.

In the direction of the attack, a Scimitar-class escort ship and a Cobra-Widowmaker-class destroyer were speeding toward the merchant ship that had sent out the distress signal at maximum tactical speed.

Their plasma engines left trails of fiery blue light several kilometers long behind them, like two angry brushstrokes tearing through a dark canvas, the roar of their energy output turning into a deep growl in the bridge's loudspeakers.

Inside the light cruiser HMS Swift Eagle, the piercing shrieks of battle alarms, the heavy footsteps, and the anxious chatter rose and fell, weaving together a noisy and tense symphony.

The emergency lighting system was fully activated, and the dark red light pulsed along the pipes on the corridor walls, casting the running figures of the crew into elongated, distorted ghostly shadows.

Several damage control team members, dressed in heavy Void Protective Suit, were placed on stretchers. Their masks and armor shells were covered with a layer of pale frost formed by rapid decompression.

The sailors carefully carried them off the main road to make way for the crew members heading to their battle stations.

The wounded on the stretchers stiffly raised their gloved hands and gave a silent, solemn military salute to their comrades who rushed past them.

These damage control team members who were thrown out of the docking channel in the instant of the disaster were undoubtedly lucky.

It was precisely because they strictly adhered to the operating procedures and firmly secured the safety ropes to the ship's anchor points that they were not thrown into the merciless void and were fortunate enough to survive this sudden disaster.

Apart from a few highly skilled damage control team members, including Mr. Joe and his two sons, who required medical care for minor frostbite, the incident did not cause any more serious casualties on the warship.

However, one of the main docking channels on the starboard side of the Swift Eagle had completely broken off, and the twisted metal structure resembled a broken bone, exposing the internal pipes and power cables that were flashing with electrical sparks.

This vital connection facility will be unusable until a thorough overhaul is carried out.

Meanwhile, on the bridge of the transport ship Babel's Light, which was struggling on the edge of the fleet formation, a group of uninvited and arrogant guests arrived.

A Shark-class assault boat ripped through the bridge's armored hull with its bow end with tremendous force.

An Imperial Navy security force rushed out of the assault boat.

Amidst the deafening sounds of metal breaking and the whistling of the air, Valina led her Hellsoldier contingent to swiftly seize control of the bridge. Then, a beautiful blonde female military supervisor appeared before them. Her footsteps carried the chill of death, and her mere presence sent shivers down their spines.

Outside the shattered observation window, the stars slowly rotated, while inside the bridge, only a deathly silence of fear remained.

"You let fear take over your mind, seriously endangering the safety of the warship. Now, I sentence you to death for dereliction of duty, desertion, and incompetence." A calm and collected female voice echoed in the bridge, cold and devoid of emotion, like the chilling wind in a cemetery.

“I…I beg your forgiveness! I was just following emergency procedures! I must take responsibility for my merchant ships and the assets of the merchant dynasty…” The captain, dressed in a magnificent but rumpled uniform, knelt on the ground, stammering his explanation.

"inability."

boom!
A deafening roar from a bolter abruptly interrupted his pleas.

Then another shot was fired.

Farida personally used two explosive shells to smash the captain, who disobeyed fleet discipline and caused chaos in the formation during the attack, along with his indecisive first mate who was also slumped on the ground, into a shower of blood, flesh, and bone fragments.

Bright red blood and flesh splattered all over the luxurious carpet, and a strong smell of blood and gunpowder instantly filled the air.

Farida's boots made a slight sound as they stepped into the sticky pool of blood.

She indifferently blew away the gunpowder smoke from the muzzle, her gaze sweeping over the crew members who were huddled in their respective battle stations in fear.

“Stupid trash,” she coldly remarked, her voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone’s ears. “At such a critical juncture, disobeying orders and even sabotaging the escort flagship, putting the entire fleet in danger, and still daring to argue that you are responsible for the assets. If you can’t distinguish between what’s important and what’s urgent, then you’re useless.”

Her gaze settled on a man huddled behind the Thinker array of ship controls, shivering. His second mate's epaulets were faintly visible in the dim light.

“You,” Farahud commanded, pointing her bolter at him with an unquestionable tone, then at the command throne, “you are promoted, commoner.”

She appointed the ship's second mate as the new captain.

Then, she slowly paced around, her gaze sweeping over the terrified faces one by one, her index finger tracing the trigger of the bolter.

"The Imperial Navy will not tolerate the same mistake a second time. If a similar error occurs again, it only proves that the problem with the crew on this ship is not just stupidity, but also questionable loyalty." Her voice lowered, filled with threat, "Then I will personally carry out a massive purge of the traitors on the entire ship."

Or, to put it more simply, let the navy's massive cannons blast the traitorous ships that blasphemed the Emperor's glory into cosmic dust. The choice is yours.

After the bloody purge, the Babel Light's course immediately became orderly. Like a frightened beast, it stayed close to the fleet's massive formation, daring not to deviate even slightly.

The light cruiser HMS Swift Eagle quickly turned its bow around and, while damage control crews worked urgently to repair the hull damage caused by the previous violent pulling, slowly sailed toward the rear of the formation, preparing to take over the guard position at the back of the formation.

"HMS Salokhan Lion, report the situation," Horatio ordered the Scimitar-class escort ship heading to provide support over the command channel.

"Commander, we are providing assistance to the attacked cargo ship. The 'Cobra-Widowmaker' class is conducting surveillance scans around it."

"What is the condition of the attacked ships?"

"The situation is not optimistic, Commander. Report from the ship: a torpedo has penetrated the engine array. A strange black substance is clinging to the power supply pipes, wriggling like a living thing."

These substances... they are consuming energy, causing a continuous decline in the ship's overall power, and plasma energy cannot be effectively transferred to the engine units.

Can these substances be removed?

"Our technical priests have boarded the ship to provide assistance. They are attempting a 'purification ritual,' Commander."

Should we reduce the overall speed of the fleet and wait for the results of the trial?

The "purification ritual" mentioned by the Tech Priest is a standard procedure to combat alien or subspace technology contamination. It combines complex mechanical repairs, sacred prayers, and the appeasement of the machine spirit.

"No." Horatio immediately rejected the proposal without hesitation: "Inform the 'Rosa's Smile' that we will try to have the faster Caravel merchant ships in the fleet tow them, but the fleet will not reduce its overall speed as a result."

He paused, then activated the fleet-wide broadcast. His voice, transmitted through the subspace communication network, reached every corner of every ship in the task force, from the grand bridge to the lowest slave labor quarters:
"Attention all RX-0371 Task Force. This is Fleet Commander Horatio Cochran. Navigation parameters are hereby reiterated: maintain a minimum speed of 12 void knots, and the maximum permitted speed shall not exceed 15 void knots."

Repeat: Fleet minimum speed 12 void knots, maximum permitted speed 15 void knots. Absolutely no errors. Command complete.

Horatio understood that “care clouds judgment” was a common hunting tactic used by the Dark Eldar.

These raiders from the shadowy city of Comoros are masters at exploiting human weakness and compassion.

By precisely striking one or two lone ships, they forced the entire fleet to slow down, much like a pack of wolves driving their wounded prey until it was exhausted.

Once the fleet's speed decreases, the hunters lurking in the darkness will gather in greater numbers, like sharks that have smelled blood.

At that time, it's likely that the attack will be much more than just these light raiding ships used for harassment.

The only and best way to preserve the largest fleet is to extricate themselves as soon as possible.

(End of this chapter)