Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 985, page 08.984: "Who else but me?"

On the eve of the operation, the tension in the air seemed to solidify into a downpour.

In the slightly cold light of the captain's cabin of the Swifthawk, Horatio sat on the edge of the bed, gently massaging Valina's newly healed wound on her shoulder with his fingertips.

The wound has closed thanks to the effective medical gel, but a faint, slightly pink scar remains, like a mark on fair skin.

“The new recruits said I was too harsh with my words. Ha,” Valina leaned against the headboard with her bare back, her voice languid and hoarse, “Guess how our female platoon leader disciplined us other female recruits when I was still a greenhorn?”

Her fingertips slowly traced circles on his well-defined, sculpted abs.

"I can probably guess, but I still want to hear how ruthless the Qatari people are."

"'Can't even squat down! Put [that thing] on the ground, and let's see who can squat faster! Do another fifty weighted squats!' What else was that? Oh right, 'Can't run fast now! Once the man-eating vines catch you and hang you up, you can expect your mouths and asses to be stuffed full! Oh? I know, you're deliberately not running fast so you can get stabbed, right, you filthy little bitches…'"

Valina mimicked the tone of the female platoon leader from back then with remarkable accuracy, then chuckled softly.

"That was the first time I experienced what it meant to be scolded until my face turned red. The scolding was really filthy, but I got used to it later."

Looking back now, I realize that when I scolded you all, I was actually quite lenient.

She stretched, revealing her curves. "Okay, time to get up. The reminiscing is over. We'll be on combat readiness in an hour."

"Valina."

Horatio put on his clothes and walked behind the huge desk in the captain's cabin.

With his back to her, he gazed out the porthole at the distant void, where the flashes of explosions flickered like stars, and a series of faintly visible artillery trajectories.

"Ok?"

How many Hellsent troops do we still have to deploy?

Valina wrapped a clean white towel around her body, sat lazily on the bed, and lit a cigarette: "Two battalions, including the lightly wounded, less than fifty people."

Her thoughts drifted back with the rising smoke to the bloody battle for the bridge and the two recent heavy losses in ground military operations.

She took a deep drag of her cigarette, letting the smoke swirl in her mouth, but instead of inhaling it into her lungs, she exhaled it directly.

"The veterans of the Chief Eagle Flag Battalion are almost all dead. The combined casualty rate of the First and Second Battalions is as high as 47 percent, with a disability rate of about 30 percent. Less than 30 percent of them are fit to fight in the next battle. Even several of my sergeant majors have died."

"Such a high casualty rate... Hell's elite troops, using the current method, only select soldiers from the Loyalty Academy. Although the quality of the soldiers is indeed extremely high, the losses are simply too great to replace."

"Afterwards, I will try to select some high-quality personnel from the newly formed orbital landing force, without lowering their overall quality as much as possible."

But that's a matter for later. Currently, none of the orbital landing forces are even proficient in using gravity parachutes, let alone jumping from suborbital space.

He turned around and held out his hand to her, "Give me one."

chapped.

The flint lighter made a crisp sound.

Horatio took a deep breath, then lowered his head and slowly, for a long time, exhaled the thick smoke from his mouth.

"In this operation, forward infiltration was crucial, as it directly determined the success or failure of the entire campaign."

"Based on intelligence gathered by Major General Leclerc before his death, our target is this airport."

Its defenses are extremely tight; it is the most important airfield for the Severus rebels on this planet, and the location of all their air mobility forces.

"If we launch an air raid, our aircraft will be immediately locked onto by their air defense radar, and their fighter jets will take off to intercept us at the first opportunity."

Even if we manage to reach the airspace above the airport, the air defenses inside will already be on high alert.

Such an action would only result in a one-sided massacre. "My plan is for Lieutenant Colonel Kretschmer and Lieutenant Colonel Dumanor to each pilot two stealth attack ships, sailing side-by-side at close range, using the overlapping areas of the shadow field generators to provide additional cover for the Scimitar-class escort ships commanded by Archie Cuthbert Collingwood."

"This Scimitar-class escort ship will carry all the landing forces involved in this infiltration operation to suborbital space above the target."

At that time, you Hell Vanguard soldiers will board the 'Skyraider' Valkyrie transport ship and leap from suborbital towards the airport.

"After landing, your task is to mark all the air defense firing points on the ground, as well as the location of the enemy's main hangar."

"Then, Archie's 'Cutlass'-class escort ships will hide in the overlapping area of ​​the shadow field and launch a precise orbital lance bombardment at the coordinates you marked, completely erasing the area where the enemy's main hangar is located from the map."

And you are responsible for destroying those scattered anti-aircraft vehicles.

"At that time, the enemy on the ground will definitely start frantically searching for the naval warships launching the light spear bombardment in orbit, and use their shore-based macro guns to fire threateningly."

However, our escort ships have a very small frontal projection when their bows are facing the land, and they are also camouflaged by shadows, which will create considerable resistance for the rebels' bombardment cannons in terms of aiming and locking onto targets.

"This is a surprise attack. This orbital bombardment will only be carried out once before the start of the war. Otherwise, the enemy's bombardment cannons will soon unleash a barrage of fire on the location where the light spears were launched, destroying all three of our warships."

Therefore, your positioning must be absolutely accurate.

“Hmm, I understand. What’s next?” Valina pondered, exhaling smoke from her mouth.

"The enemy will definitely fire into the orbit, which will trigger the security protocols of our naval security forces," Horatio said. "I don't have direct command of the stormtrooper units on board that belong to the Department of Naval Affairs."

However, if the warship itself is threatened, according to the security agreement, the stormtroopers of the security forces are obligated to destroy any enemy units that pose a threat to the warship.

“I think we should send Falida to command the Stormtroopers of the security forces and participate in the first large-scale airport raid.”

After you destroy the ground-based air defense positions and main hangar, they will travel aboard 'Shark' assault boats and Valkyries to reinforce the ground, where they will rendezvous with you—the Hell Vanguard on the ground—and launch a final assault on the airport.

"You must seize the control tower as soon as possible, clear the runway, and ensure the safe landing of subsequent troops."

Because right behind you are the 'Devourer'-class large landing ships transporting the Astronaut Army forces.

"Two battalions of troops will board this behemoth and land directly on the airport runway."

Tanks and dragoons will surge forth from the hull of these colossal ships, launching a ground offensive to completely seize control of the airfield and then assault the enemy command post.

"When the enemy discovers that their command post has been pierced through the ribs by a sharp knife, they will surely defend it to the death while urgently evacuating their commander. At that time, the large cruiser 'Duke's Pride' will inevitably come to pick up the enemy commander."

"And I will seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to command the fleet in orbit and launch a decisive 'horizon raid' against the enemy fleet. Our two attack ships and one Scimitar-class escort ship, which have been hidden above suborbital space, will now be tasked with shifting from the mission of projecting forces to the crucial task of launching a fatal blow against the enemy flagship at the most critical moment."

Horatio's gaze was stern, but then a hint of worry appeared on his face: "However, the Hell Vanguard has suffered heavy casualties on several occasions. I worry... about your morale, your will... Each time, you have paid the heaviest price to overcome the most difficult battles."

Now, an even more arduous and challenging battle, one that must be won, lies before us.

I'd like to know if you are ready. Or, do I need to adjust the plan and switch to other combat units?

clatter! clatter!
Valina remained silent. Already dressed in full military uniform, she walked behind Horatio and gave him a perfectly executed Eagle salute.

"This mission is my responsibility, Captain," she said solemnly, in the tone characteristic of an elite professional soldier, devoid of any emotion.

"Hell Vanguard soldiers step into hell with their bare feet. Everyone who joins this force is, and must be, prepared to sacrifice."

Just give the order. The elite soldiers of Hell don't care about casualties, they don't care about difficulties. All we know is that when faced with a heavy responsibility, who else but us can shoulder it?

"If not me, then who..." Horatio murmured the words Valina had spoken.

"Alright. The code name for this military operation will be 'Who Else But Us'. Good luck. The Divine Emperor is watching us. We will succeed, and we must succeed."

(End of this chapter)