Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 826, 08.825: 'Use hunters to fight hunters'

The bridge of the Swift Eagle is a Gothic domed sanctuary constructed of iron and stone, its towering vaults hidden in shadow, its outline only defined by the crimson glow of the emergency lights and the eerie blue light emanating from the tactical holograms.

As the brain and core of the escort fleet, countless fleet orders are issued from it.

Horatio sat high on his command throne.

The data stream silently flowed into his consciousness through the neural implant.

Below him, a dozen or so communications officers and warrant officers in Imperial Navy uniforms, along with slave laborers whose faces had been completely altered, were busy in front of rows of flashing terminals and data panels.

Intelligence officer Lina personally handled the encryption process.

Encrypted, prayer-like binary codes were whispered among them, intertwining with the hissing of encrypted shortwave communications from distant warships, creating a monotonous yet tense symphony of emptiness.

At the same time, a psionic pulse, deeply encrypted by a new type of Tarot cipher machine, was transformed by the ship's Star Speakers Choir into a distorted torrent of imagery, existing between reality and illusion, and sent to other warships.

The star talker at the receiving end will decode this short-range mental storm full of symbolism and omens within minutes and speak it aloud.

"Captains of all escort ships, this is Horatio Cochrane, commander of the escort convoy."

Horatio's voice rang out from the loudspeakers of the other escort ships, steady and clear, without a trace of superfluous emotion.

"Ships E-99 and E-103 of the First Attack Squadron, activate the shadow field generator immediately."

You will remain hidden at the rear of the fleet, using the stealth advantage provided by Shadow Field technology to report the movements of incoming enemy ships to your main ship in real time.

In critical moments, you will transform into assassins, hunting down the Dark Eldar attack ships lurking in the vicinity, waiting for their chance to strike.

Horatio's idea was clear and bold—to make these two attack ships, equipped with Shadow Fields of the same origin as the Xenomorphs, as lethal as the 21st-century attack submarines of Ancient Terra.

He knew that the best way to fight the predators lurking in the shadows was to become a more deadly shadow himself.

This "hunter-hunters-hunters" tactic was one of the most effective countermeasures he devised based on his experience commanding the Bayonet-class assault ships, targeting the terrifying maneuverability and stealth of the Dark Eldar pirate ships.

Next up are the loyal "sheepdogs".

The Imperial Navy's escort ships have always been highly praised for their combat prowess throughout the war-torn galaxy.

They are the perfect combination of speed and firepower, and their core tactical tenet can be summarized by an old Voidwalker proverb: those who can catch me cannot beat me; those who can beat me cannot catch me.

This advantage became even more pronounced after the new Voss-Scimitar-class escort ships gradually became more common in the Imperial Navy.

The Sword-class corvettes of the past were criticized for their "weak firepower and ability to only serve as reconnaissance vessels," but the emergence of the Scimitar-class completely changed this situation.

The Sword-class escort ships are only 1.6 kilometers long, while the Scimitar-class ships are an astonishing 2.2 kilometers long.

The longer hull provides this cutting-edge warship with an unparalleled firepower platform:
Three lightweight large gun turrets mounted on the stern could launch tons of shells at enemies tens of thousands of kilometers away in seconds; at the same time, the bow was equipped with two torpedo tubes, filled with six spare torpedoes, ready to deliver a fatal blow to the weak armored areas of enemy capital ships at any time.

Despite possessing significantly enhanced weaponry, the Scimitar-class maintains its top speed, reaching an astonishing 20 void knots even at its maximum limits. Currently, no other ship of its class in the entire galaxy can surpass the Scimitar-class in single-ship combat.

These loyal and up-and-coming "sheepdogs" are capable of easily tearing any Dark Eldar raider to shreds with overwhelming force, much like how destroyers hunted submarines in Ancient Terra during World War II.

However, the most pressing problem at present is that the number of enemies far exceeds that of the escort ships, and with the invitation of the conspiracy group to a feast, more of the attack ships belonging to the 'Sons of Thorns' are approaching the RX-0371 escort fleet.

The Dark Eldar pirate fleets swarmed like locusts, while the Imperial Navy's fleets, though numerous, were scattered throughout the vast star sea, each individual fleet like a small boat on an endless ocean.

"Our objective for this operation is very clear," Horatio continued, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest of his command throne. "The Imperial Navy will not allow any alien to lay a finger on the precious assets of the Lord of Mankind."

Therefore, we must strike first before the enemy has fully assembled and launches a general offensive against us.

An encrypted communication came in from the captain of the "Loyal and Brave Hound." After being analyzed by Chief Astrologer Melon and Intelligence Officer Lina, his image flickered slightly on the hologram: "Commander, the enemy ships are numerous, elusive, and fast. How should we achieve a preemptive strike?"

"We will set a trap."

Horatio's voice carried a hint of cold confidence, "We will feign pursuit and drive away an enemy naval flotilla that is making a feint attack."

The Dark Eldar are cunning and greedy by nature; they will surely exploit the gap in our escort fleet to send their main force infiltrate.

“This tactic sounds somewhat familiar,” Lieutenant Colonel Kretzmer’s voice rang out, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.

“That’s right, Lieutenant Colonel Kretzmer.”

A sly glint flashed in Horatio's eyes. "This is exactly the tactic we used when we attacked the Tau alien HX229 merchant fleet."

The Dark Eldar are no smarter than us; they can do just as much as we can think of.

However, they don't know that we now possess new attack ships with similar functions to theirs, and we are fully aware of all their tricks.

The Eldar are ultimately a stagnant, even declining race. Now, they're playing games that our First Assault Squadron was already using against the Tau.

Horatio clenched his fist heavily on the armrest, stood up, and looked down at the orderly bridge below. His tone became forceful: "Lieutenant Commander Kretschmer, Lieutenant Commander Pierre. I will order the merchant fleet to reduce its speed to 8 void knots, creating the illusion that we have been forced to slow down due to an attack and to rescue damaged merchant ships."

The long-range attack ship you two command will activate the Shadow Field. The speed of 8 Void Knots is exactly the critical speed at which the Shadow Field can be perfectly effective.

Your two ships are hidden in the subspace beneath the cargo ship at the rear of the convoy, lurking within the escort 'void' we deliberately created.

He paused to allow his captains to fully understand the ingenuity and risks of the plan.

"We set a trap, deliberately letting the attack ship in."

Just when they think they're about to have their fill, you will become assassins in the shadows, silently slicing their throats with a sharp blade.

(End of this chapter)