Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 482: Replacing Guilliman, accepting Fernández Manus's invitation to jointly develop a heavy tank.

Ninglu noticed that the Mars Foundry Director had not left the Golden Palace either, which meant that what Finus Manus was about to say was related to him.

"As the Great Expedition progresses, we encounter more and more powerful enemies," Fernus said, his silvery eyes gleaming.

"The enemy has stronger armor protection, or perhaps the Skots' woven shields."

"We need more powerful heavy tanks to inflict heavy damage on the enemy."

The sound array device of the Mars Foundry Director vibrated, emitting a synthesized mechanical sound.

"We have reached a consensus and decided to develop a new type of heavy tank."

"We would like to invite you to join us. You have discovered many sacred building templates, and Om Messiah has favored you."

"Your many industrial worlds will ensure that our achievements are quickly put into practice and support expeditions."

Upon hearing this, Ninglu understood why Fernus had stopped him: to invite him to join the development of the Sikaran battle tank.

[I remember that Finus originally invited Robert Guilliman; the two of them worked with the oil enthusiasts on the development.]
Although Manus approached Guilliman because of his extensive industrial world, he did indeed undertake a small portion of the research and development work.

All Primarchs possess abilities far exceeding those of ordinary people in many areas, even those that are not their strongest suits.

What they can do largely depends on what they want to do, and in those areas, they will do better than most people in the field.

If Guilliman had invested enough time, he could have achieved technical success comparable to most tech priests.

If he were to forge armor, even if he were not as skilled as top Imperial craftsmen like Doraemon who forged the Armor of Destiny, or Malevolus who forged armor for the Primarchs, he would still surpass most of the average tech enthusiast.

When Nimrod thought of Guilliman, he couldn't help but think of the reason why Finus had invited him.

[Yes, because the industrial world I control, excluding those hidden like Gadinal, is far larger and has a much higher production capacity than Kirimando.]

I discovered many more STCs, so Manus and the tech enthusiasts considered me a more suitable partner, replacing Guilliman.
Ninglu knew that the Sikaran battle tank was one of the most advanced armored forces in the "Great Expedition" arsenal, reserved for Astartes use only.

It is a new type of high-speed tank destroyer developed based on the component technologies of various STCs such as Rhino and RAND Raider. On the battlefield, it works in conjunction with Predator and RAND Raider to form an all-round, multi-layered armored force with a combination of light, medium and heavy armor.

Ninglu then thought that during the grand birthday celebration, the various legions were still in the process of introducing the Sikaran battle tanks, with only the "Iron Hand" and "Ultraman" being equipped on a large scale.

Horus used his authority as warlord to ensure that this new type of tank entered the armories of the legions fighting alongside him before the outbreak of the civil war.

In the forty-first millennium to come, because neither of the Primarchs revealed the secrets of their Progeny's creation, the Sikaran Battle Tanks became rare relics, and even the Forge Masters of the various Chapters knew very little about their systems.

They are forced to remain in a state of stagnation for extended periods to prevent damage, and their souls are only awakened when needed.

[To ensure that my legion is equipped with the Sikaran combat tank and that I master the technology, I should join the research and development.]

In the future, Sikaran will become a technology unique to the "Shadow of Order".
Thinking of this, Ning Lu spoke up.

"I accept the invitation. We will work together to develop a new type of combat tank to deal a heavy blow to the enemy of the Empire."

The three then discussed the division of labor, with Finus taking on the core tasks and Ninglu handling the fewest tasks.

He was in charge of two modules: one was the secondary weapon installed on the side of the ship, and the other was the harpooner and various detection systems.

Having defined his responsibilities, Ninglu had a sudden thought and returned to the Shadow of Royal Power.

He sent messages to Arsena Dunn and others, then left the Star Speakers' chapel. Moments later, Nimrod leaned back on his throne, gazing at the star map.

A region in the Pacific Sector in the western part of the Milky Way was highlighted.

Just as he remembered, the Second Randan War broke out in Shana, the world of casting.

Nimrod now faces the question of whether to deploy one of the fifteen Ramirez-class star fortresses into the Shana-Wesidax system.

He had to consider not only winning the Shana War, but also the role of the Ramirez-class Starfortress after the war.

As a military asset, if it is not destroyed, it has at least three thousand years of life left, and Shana is a powerful forging world that is difficult to subdue.

After being discovered by the traveling merchant Cassilida de Aniasi in 843, Shana maintained considerable independence due to its strength.

The empire would guarantee Shana's independence and sovereignty if they only required Shana to participate in the "Great Expedition".

Shana only sent two Titan legions, the "Vulture" and the "Gidiano," to participate in the war, fulfilling his obligation.

[Xana is far more powerful than Incarardion, and even with their aid, it will be difficult to subdue this forging world.]

Well, there's no opportunity now, but it's possible during a grand birthday celebration.
Nimrod knew that Shana would be known as the leader of the mechanical heretics in the future. They sided with Horus during the Great Birthday Celebration and retreated to the Eye of Terror after the war, becoming the core force of the Dark Mechanicus.

As the liberators of Shana, it's reasonable for me to send a force to protect the Shana system, isn't it?

I can use this opportunity to exert influence and "corrupt" some of the geeks, then reap some benefits during the big birthday celebration.
Nimrod thought about this and made a decision.

He spoke after seeing Alcéna and the others enter the office.

"The Randan aliens we encountered at Spiral-Morse have halted their conquests in other directions and launched an attack on the Empire."

"This will be a long and brutal war, and you all need to realize that."

Upon hearing the Black Emperor's words, the Primarch's servants immediately realized the reason why the Black Emperor had ordered the chapters to assemble and the Ramirez-class fortresses to move to the starfield surrounding the Caligum Gate.

[The Black Emperor had long foreseen the war against the Xenomorphs. He had previously established the Broken Claw Order and hunting bases to familiarize the various warbands with the fighting styles of the Randan warriors.]
As the “Guardian of Knowledge” pondered, Ning Lu continued.

"The alien vanguard has already entered Shana. Our primary task is to liberate Shana and launch an attack from this position."

Nimrod did not want the war to spread to his territory, even though he had already deployed Ramirez-class star fortresses in important territories such as Hurricane Star and important allied territories such as Dametus.

However, the northern territories of the galaxy, such as the Colony New District, are still vulnerable to attack, and the Ramirez-class star fortresses are unable to cope with all threats.

To make Randan feel threatened, he must quickly defeat Randan's slave army and reopen Shana's foundry.

"Transmit my order: the Third, Fifth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Warbands, after leaving behind the necessary guard forces, proceed through the Caligum Gate and quickly reach the Shana Wesidax system."

"Deploy a Ramirez-class star fortress to gain an advantage in the void."

"Other chapters, assemble at Caligum Gate and be ready to join the battle at any time."

"Follow Your command." The Primarch's servant immediately relayed the order to the various chapters.

(End of this chapter)