Warhammer: Empire Reboot

He leaned against the ammunition box, with only his right hand holding a power sword.

Of the remaining fourteen Ultra Warriors, each carried injuries of varying degrees.

Three people's power armors have lost some functionality, and their servo systems have frozen.

They could only rely on their own Astartes constitution to power their now-burdened metal shells to continue fighting.

The Astral Army fared even worse.

Of the four thousand people, less than eight hundred remained.

Lieutenant Colonel Heinz was killed in hand-to-hand combat the day before yesterday.

A plague-ridden beast pounced and bit off his severed arm, which was hanging from his triangular scarf. He drew his sword with his left hand and pierced the beast's head, but a second and a third beast immediately pounced.

By the time the Ultramarines arrived, Heinz's body had been gnawed away, leaving only half of his torso.

He still held the sword in his left hand, the blade stained with black, rotting bodily fluid.

The current acting commander is a captain named Baker.

The first thing this short, stocky middle-aged man did after taking over command was to pull Heinz's sword from his mutilated hand and fasten it to his own waist.

"The lieutenant colonel's sword cannot be left on the ground."

Quintus touched the magazine pouch at his waist.

We've run out of heavy explosives, plasma batteries, grenades, and smoke grenades.

Even the laser gun's charging packs were used up in the last batch yesterday evening.

Behind the steel plate bunker in the drying workshop, fourteen Ultra Warriors and eight hundred Astronaut soldiers had changed their weapons from guns to knives.

Power swords, chainsaw swords, combat daggers, entrenching tools, rifle bayonets, and even steel bars dug out of the rubble.

This is the complete armament of the last defenders of Klein-IX.

"Company Commander."

O'Reilly was at the other end of the drying workshop, responsible for guarding the east passage.

"explain."

"Plague Marines spotted in the east passage, at least a platoon. They are pushing Marauder tanks. Estimated to be within firing range in ten minutes."

"What can we use to block? I still have six brothers here. Three power swords, two chainsaw swords, and one combat dagger."

Six Ultra Warriors used melee weapons to stop a platoon of Plague Marines and a tank, and the result was a foregone conclusion.

"We'll hold out for as long as we can."

"clear."

Communication was cut off.

Quintus turned around and looked at the remaining soldiers in the drying workshop.

Eight hundred Astronaut soldiers were crammed into a corner of the workshop, their bulletproof vests stained with blood and mud, turning a rusty color.

Many people's eyes were already unfocused, because of hunger.

The last time I ate was two days ago.

The last box of compressed rations was divided into eight hundred portions, with each person receiving a piece about the size of a thumb. Eating it was practically the same as not eating anything at all.

Thirst is more deadly than hunger.

The only drinkable water is the circulating water from the power armor cooling system, which tastes like urine soaked in rust.

Quintus found Captain Baker.

Beck was squatting on the ground, wiping Heinz's sword with a rag.

“Baker”.

Baker looked up and saw a fresh wound on his face, running from his forehead to the bridge of his nose. Blood had congealed on his eyebrows, making him look like he was wearing red glasses.

"Company Commander."

"The east side will be breached in ten minutes. The west side will be breached even sooner. The drying workshop cannot be defended."

Beck paused for a moment while wiping his sword, then continued.

"Are your men still able to fight?"

Baker looked around at his soldiers.

Young, old, wounded, and unharmed faces looked back at him.

"Anyone who can stand up can fight."

Baker said, "Give a knife to someone who can't stand up, and they'll stab the ground a few times."

Quintus nodded.

He wanted to say something, but Viktor's voice suddenly came through the communicator.

"Company commander! To the west! Something is falling from the sky!"

Quintus suddenly looked up.

The roof of the drying workshop had several large holes blasted out by artillery shells. Through those holes, one could see a gray sky, a sky stained a dark yellow by plague spores, a sky that never saw sunlight.

Something is falling in that sickly sky.

From a distance, it looks like a group of meteorites falling from orbit.

The fiery red atmospheric friction light trailed behind them, drawing dazzling orange-red streaks across the gray-yellow sky.

The objects simultaneously activated their deceleration thrusters at an altitude of approximately two thousand meters above the ground.

The blue-white thrust flames emitted from the tail drastically reduced the descent speed, turning the fall into a descent.

There were twenty-seven landing modules in total.

Centered on the ruins of Reaper's Fortress, they spread out in a ring within a one-kilometer radius, accurately striking the inner side of the defensive perimeter, the encirclement of the Plague Walkers, and the open space between the drying workshop.

The metal landing gear pierced the soil, and orange-red sparks from the high-temperature friction remained on the outer shell of the landing module.

Quintus gripped his power sword tightly.

"Everyone, prepare for battle!"

Eight hundred Starbound soldiers struggled to their feet.

Some were holding bayonets, some were holding steel bars, and some were just clenching their fists.

The Ultramarines raised their melee weapons.

The nearest landing module was only fifty meters away from the drying workshop.

The hatch hissed as it released the airlock and then sprang open to both sides.

Steam billowed out of the cabin and condensed into white mist in the cold air.

A figure clad in power armor emerged from the white mist.

Quintus's scope instantly locked onto the details of the power armor.

It uses the standard Astartes frame, but has undergone extensive modifications.

The shoulder armor's curvature is incorrect, the chest armor's outline is incorrect, and the joints' movement is incorrect.

This is not the paint scheme or standard of any Imperial Chapter Quintus knows.

There is no chapter insignia.

Quintus's heart sank.

More landing modules opened their doors simultaneously.

More figures emerged, all wearing the same power armor and bearing no Imperial Chapter insignia.

Quintus' stomach shrank.

"Betrayal of Astartes".

The traitorous legions, former Imperial Space Marines corrupted by Chaos.

Those power armors without chapter insignia are most likely rebellious warbands that formed their own after being expelled from their original legions. There are countless such lone wolves in the shadows of the Empire.

The Ultra Warriors behind him simultaneously raised their weapons.

Viktor held his power sword horizontally in front of him with his only remaining right hand, his broken leg kneeling on the ground, his blood-stained face reflected on the blade.

Aurelion arrived with six of his brothers from the east side and blocked the main entrance to the drying workshop.

Fourteen Ultra Warriors and eight hundred Astral Army soldiers.

Facing three hundred traitorous Astartes pouring out of twenty-seven landing pods.

Out of ammunition and food, wounded and dehydrated, with only a knife in his hand.

Not a single person backed down.

If I'm going to die at the hands of a bunch of traitors today, then so be it.

But I'd rather die standing up.

Quintus raised his power sword, the tip aimed at the nearest silver-white figure.

"Ultraman! Prepare..."

Just then, something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, four beams of light shot into the sky from the shadows behind the tallest Astartes.

That is……

Quintus nearly dropped his power sword.

Four figures spread their golden wings in the gray-yellow sky.

With a wingspan of over five meters, it shone with a dazzling golden light against the dim sky filled with plague spores.

They wore the armor of the Imperial Battle Nuns.

The armor's surface gleamed with a holy silver luster, complementing the golden wings on its back.