Warhammer: Striving to Be a Grinding Man

Chapter 200 The Gathering of the Net Path (Part 1)

947.M41, the Galos Galaxy, a neighboring galaxy in the real universe, is named: a former satellite system.

As the Fireseed Expeditionary Forging Ark launched from Mandeville Point, the dark orange glow of the former satellite system flooded in through the porthole. The former satellite system was a red dwarf star, and months earlier, Garros's exploration escort had confirmed the presence of a large network node there. Close enough to Garros, with a large enough asteroid belt, and resource self-sufficiency—the conditions of this system were practically tailor-made for it. All of this was crucial because Garros's own network portals were too narrow, barely wide enough for personnel and small cargo; starships couldn't pass through. The node of the former satellite system could fill this gap, allowing Garros's network to truly connect to starships. To completely cover the network blind spots, Garros needed its own faster-than-light engine—a path entirely of humanity's own.

The first Gate-class Netway ship sculpted by Cohen is currently sailing alongside the formation led by the Fireseed. Maintaining a steady speed slightly aft of the formation, its flattened hull silhouette gleams with a cold, dark gray light in the starlight's orange glow. Four mechanical arms are retracted to either side of the hull's spine, and the skeleton components are embedded in the gaps of the armor plates, emitting only a faint, pale sheen when in motion. This ship is designed as a mobile Netway gate, to be deployed upon arrival in the Self-Defense System. This is the first step in the transformation of Garros's Netway expansion from "manual labor" to "standardized deployment," eliminating the need for the Forging Director's personal involvement in its creation.

Behind the Fireseed, five Hector-class Luna-class battleships formed a tight formation. These ships were the capital ships completed in the previous batch and, after several months of integration, had achieved full combat capability and were now ready to carry out deployment missions. Their hulls gleamed with a dark gray sheen in the dim orange light, their robust plasma macrogun mounts neatly arranged on the sides, the gun barrels maintaining their standard pointing in standby mode. More than ten Unyielding-class light cruisers and Sword-class frigates spread out around the formation, maintaining a loose defensive formation, their sensor arrays continuously scanning the surrounding airspace. Two Goliath-class foundry ships followed behind the formation, their hulls bulky, cargo hatches arranged in rows along the hull, their internal refining furnace modules and casting lines maintaining low power consumption during the voyage.

Upon arriving at the former satellite system, the fleet made no stop and headed straight into the depths of the asteroid belt. A navigation ship was the first to break away from the formation, circling at low speed near the predetermined anchor point coordinates. After completing terrain scanning and gravity environment assessment, it sent out a confirmation pulse—the channel was clear, the anchor point was stable, and deployment could begin.

The Fireseed immediately took up a guard position, providing cover for the unfolding Gate-class vessel. Upon receiving confirmation pulses, the four mechanical arms of the Gate-class network ship extended, hydraulic actuators operated silently in the vacuum, and the skeletal components unfolded segment by segment from their folded state, assembling into a complete circular structure in mid-air. The psychics stationed on board activated the gate at the same moment the structure locked; ripples of void spread within the circular gate frame, and cold psychic light spread along the skeletal guiding patterns. The ship's side was etched with the serial number: GCN-001. The first Gate-class vessel in the Garros network fleet to be deployed in actual combat had now completed its initial deployment.

Small encrypted astronomical relay towers and navigation arrays were immediately activated, broadcasting coordinate confirmation pulses only to the Galos pre-set beacon channel. Weapon arrays entered standby mode, and the ship's armed aides and escort battalion began their readiness deployment. Simultaneously, a Goliath-class foundry detached from the formation and selected an asteroid approximately ten kilometers in diameter as its anchor point on the flank of the Doorway-class.

With the cargo hold doors open, engineering servitors began unloading the refining furnace module and prefabricated building components, officially commencing construction of the former satellite system's forward base.

One Hector-class Luna-class capital ship, one light cruiser, and two frigates broke away from the main formation and were assigned patrol and defense missions, centered around the Gate-class and Goliath-class forge ships. The mission of this detachment was clear: to guard the Gate-class network portal and the base under construction, ensuring that this passage through the former satellite system would not be easily severed under any circumstances. The Hector-class Luna-class's armor thickness and firepower were sufficient to suppress conventional pirate threats, while the light cruiser and frigates' mobility was sufficient to cover reconnaissance and surveillance beyond the asteroid belt.

The remaining ships in the formation did not slow down. After the pulse confirming the detachment's positioning was transmitted back from the navigation ship, the Fireseed led the way, followed by four Hector-class Luna-class destroyers, while the Sword-class frigates regrouped into the escort formation. They weaved through the debris of the asteroid belt, heading straight for the network portal opened by GCN-001. A navigation ship entered first, its outline swallowed by void ripples, followed by the Fireseed formation filing into the ever-expanding psionic rift. The strategic assessment of keeping the portal open after the main force had passed through was that the former satellite system, as the closest network portal exit to Garros, needed a continuously open passage to maintain rapid response capabilities.

The deployment of the former satellite system was completed within standard time. After the formation crossed the network, the voyage for the next few days was uneventful, with only the cold white light of the continuously pulsating surface of the sacred bone wall silently flowing past the portholes.

Cohen had been stationed on the transit ship in the Shattered System for some time, awaiting the arrival of the Fireseed. On the outer berth of the transit ship, the Starfire, an expeditionary forging ark of the same class as the Fireseed, and Cohen's forward flagship, were already in place, their hangars loaded with nearly a hundred Titans and tens of thousands of Starfortress mechs. The Black Pearl had been officially handed over to Marcus's command, serving as the flagship of the Garros fleet, and was incorporated into the Netway Fleet's command order along with the Pale Judgment under the command of Onris.

Cohen stood at the edge of the central platform in the core control hall, watching as the massive cavity outside the porthole was cleared section by section, preparing to welcome the arrival of the Fireseed fleet. On the display screens on the side walls of the hall, the reports from the Garros interstellar relay tower scrolled continuously in the standard format of the Imperial Navy, with the top few lines marked in dark red font.

Cohen's self-illuminating light stopped on one of the encrypted notifications. The Thinker Array completed the decoding and projected the full text onto a screen in the center of the hall—the signature confirmed it came from the direction of Terra.

Seven days ago, after weeks of fighting the Imperial fleet outside Karasta, the Dark Eldar fleet suddenly withdrew entirely from the front lines, with all ships returning to Gamor. The withdrawal was orderly; the rearguard did not panic or rout during disengagement, but rather it was a planned retreat.

Cohen knew the answer. Those fleets withdrew from Karasta not because the Imperium had repelled them, but because Gamor had finally confirmed the anomaly. For over a year, the Garros Webway fleet had been relentlessly hunting down Eldar raiding fleets deep within the Webway, with patrol groups, scouts, and raiding ships losing contact one by one. When Garros's scout fleet began briefly engaging Gamor outside its borders, Gamor could no longer dismiss it as a coincidence. A recall order had been issued, and the Eldar were amassing forces, preparing to wipe out what they considered their greatest threat.

Cohen moved to the next report. The Garros Exploration Fleet had engaged in several small-scale firefights with Dark Eldar patrols outside Gamor. However, during a recent reconnaissance mission, the fleet detected an unusually dense concentration of psionic signals deep within a main tunnel—the engine heat readings of dozens of ships appeared simultaneously, indicating a formation far larger than any previous encounter. This formation was advancing along the tunnel leading to the Shattered System and was expected to launch a probing attack on the Garros Network node soon. In response, the three Eternal Bulwark base ships had moved into position according to the battlefield plan, preheating their engines, and were ready for deployment at any time.

On a data terminal in the corner of the hall, a newly marked psionic signal record was being updated, its encryption level lower than that of a report. It had been marked for several hours in the patrol logs of the Garros Network Fleet—a signal captured by a forward reconnaissance ship in the outer tunnels of Gamor, marked as "persistent, stable direction of movement." That fleet was still advancing.

Cohen confirmed that the Fireseed fleet had arrived at Node 0124. Three Eternal Bulwark ships were deployed in a defensive formation within the nexus, where dozens of ships from the Garros Network Fleet converged. The Fireseed, with only one Goliath-class forge, continued through the Network Main Gate to the transit star to receive the Titan Legion—the forge would bolster the industrial power of the Shattered System. The remaining four Hector-class Moon-class ships, several light cruisers, and over ten Sword-class frigates were all incorporated into the Network Fleet, under the unified command of Marcus and Onris.

Cohen felt it was about time, so he stepped off the observation platform and walked through the newly expanded passageway of the transfer station. Newly installed data terminals and communication arrays were embedded in the walls, and at intervals, servo skulls hovered at the intersections of the passageways, monitoring the flow of personnel and supplies.

Father Fernandos waited at the core observation platform of the relay star. He stood before the enormous armored glass window, its surface reflecting the lights inside the hub and the silhouettes of ships waiting in the distance. Hearing footsteps, he turned his head, the focus of his optical lens lingering for a moment on Cohen.

"Director. The deployment progress of the five gate-level satellites has been confirmed. GCN-001 has been deployed in the forward satellite system. GCN-002..."

Departed from Garros several hours ago for the Medusa system, expected to arrive within weeks—His Excellency Felus Manus has confirmed cooperation. GCN-003 is deployed to Macragge, confirmed with Regent Guilliman. GCN-004 is heading to Baal, Grand Master Dante has replied. GCN-005 is deployed to Chogris, Whitescar has confirmed. Each network ship is accompanied by several navigation ships, and all parties will cooperate with Garros's network exploration and online integration plan.

He paused briefly, then continued, "The main force of the White Scar Chapter has broken away from the front lines in Karasta and is approaching via the network route opened by Garros, with the approval of the Imperial Regent. Navigation ships are currently guiding them, and they are expected to meet at the key junction leading to Gamor and Garros in a few weeks."

Cohen's gaze remained fixed on the porthole. The five Gate-class destroyers had already been completed in Wangshu; deployment was a natural next step. "The Garros network war has arrived. Where are our reinforcements?"

"Still en route. The Calithis fleet has not yet announced its arrival time." Fernandos put down the data panel. "The Pale Judgment, Black Pearl, and other capital ships and light cruiser formations have all completed their deployment and coordination adjustments. Given the current total tonnage of the fleet, if the main force of the Dark Eldar advances before the Calithis fleet arrives, the main defensive force will be the Eternal Bulwark."

Cohen simply nodded to indicate that he understood.

The communications panel on his wrist terminal flashed. A short, encrypted pulse—from the Fireseed's navigation array—appeared. Brief, decoded text flashed across the screen: Fireseed has entered a relay satellite.

A few minutes later, the airtight door at the platform entrance slid open.

Cohen turned around and saw Captain Edric of the Fireseed and Dumas, the chief technical sage of the Titan Legion, walk up to him, stop and bow.

Edric said, "Your Excellency, the Fireseed has docked. The battle fleet has been taken over by Marcus and Onris. The entire Titan Legion carried by the Fireseed has arrived."

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Cohen nodded to Edric and then said, "Thank you for your hard work. The Titan Legion will be reorganized on the spot as a ground reserve for the defense of the network nodes and anti-piracy operations. The Fireseed will remain on standby on the transit planet, ready to deploy Titans to the battlefield at any time. There is also an expeditionary forging ark, the Starfire, which is also a Titan deployment ship. You will be responsible for personnel appointments and integration to ensure that it can independently carry out deployment missions."

"Understood," Edric confirmed.

Then Cohen looked at Dumas. Dumas stood at the platform entrance, his dark gray robes still warm from the circulating air in the Fireseed's corridor, and the shoulder line bore the faint marks left by the friction of the metal bulkheads during the long voyage. The adamantite mechanical structure on his left arm gleamed dimly in the light, and the silver coating on his face shimmered faintly in the warning lights at the edge of the platform.

He performed a gear salute, slightly faster than usual, with the tension of someone who had just come from a long voyage, a sense of "ready to go."

"The status of the Titan Legion?" Cohen asked.

Dumas's voice rang out, his mechanical tone possessing a steady rhythm. "The entire Titan Legion carried by the Fireseed has arrived at the transit planet. Full system calibration was completed during the voyage. The forging bay has been replenished with two Warlord-class units since the Armageddon War."

Five Raider-class and eleven Warhound-class units have been incorporated into the Legion. The first batch of apprentices' integration and training have been completed during the voyage, and the second batch of apprentices have all passed the neural link stability test. Currently, the Garros Titan Legion, totaling fifty-seven units, is on standby throughout the Ark, awaiting deployment orders.

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Cohen looked toward the passageway behind Dumas. The bow of the Fireseed had come to a stop under the lights of the transit berth area, the twenty-kilometer-long steel behemoth gleaming with a somber, dark golden luster in the cold psionic light. Service boats were moving between its sides and the berths, connecting energy pipelines, supplies, and personnel into the hub's operational system.

Dumas turned his head following his gaze, glanced at the outline of the Fireseed, and then looked away. "All Titans are ready to engage in battle at any time."

Cohen stood at the edge of the platform, watching the Forging Ark connecting to the hub, and said to Dumas, "The Starfire hangar has two Emperor-class, sixteen Warlord-class, twelve Raider-class, and forty-eight Warhound-class. Add to those brought by the Fireseed, you will organize and allocate them to all groups, and form combat capability as soon as possible."

Dumas stood half a step behind and to the side of Cohen. His mental array flickered briefly; the combined number of Titans on the One Starfire and Fireseed ships had exceeded one hundred. Garros, a forging world less than ten years old, had already amassed such power in the Web Path. His microphone reconnected after a short pause: "Confirmed."

He had just come from the hangar of the Fireseed, traversing the entire berth area and the passageway now filled with service boats and servants. The Fireseed's mission was complete—it had safely delivered the Titan Legion and was now connecting to the hub's energy and supply systems. Dumas himself, however, needed to integrate the Starfire's power into a war machine ready for immediate combat.

"The Garros Titan Legion will not fail in its mission," Dumas said. It was a confirmation—a confirmation that the connection had been established, a confirmation that the power Cohen had been waiting for was now in his hands.

Cohen turned his gaze away from the Fireseed. "I'll give you two weeks to get used to it," he said. "By then, all Titan crews must be ready for combat at any time."

Dumas pressed his right fist against his left chest. "Confirmed." He turned and walked along the passage toward the Fireseed. The rhythm of his boots hitting the metal grille was faster than before, his steps carrying a sense of urgency that no longer needed further confirmation.

Cohen remained standing on the observation platform. The stars of the shattered galaxy burned in the distance, their dark orange light falling on his shoulder armor. The silhouette of the Fireseed was being gradually illuminated by the lights of the service boats in the berth area, like a steel mountain awakening. The psionic pulse from the depths of the network had settled into a persistent background noise on the edge of his consciousness, like a lurking hunter adjusting its breathing in the darkness.

The blade is already drawn. Deep in the distant tunnel, the pulse of the fleet's advance continues, like a shadow closing in.