Warhammer: Empire Reboot

If Star City were to enter combat mode in the future, this cannon would slow down or even explode during the most critical few minutes.

This is what it means to lie in wait.

It's not going to be blown up now.

Instead, it should be made to shut down when it needs to in the future.

Red Bone Market.

An undercover agent, posing as a slave trader's middleman, began spreading the word.

Huron went after them to the warp.

"His flagship was stolen."

These kinds of things are not said publicly.

They only circulate in a half-true, half-false manner at the back door of taverns, next to slave cages, and under black market gambling tables.

Pirates fear order most of all.

They also love to take advantage of chaos.

When enough people believe that Huron won't be coming back anytime soon, they will start testing the limits.

First, you pay less tax.

Then they withheld another box of goods.

Then they secretly sold the slaves conscripted by the Red Pirates.

Finally, it was time to fire the gun.

Lawson doesn't need every pirate to serve him.

He just needs to let them become noise.

The more noise there is, the less responsive the large vortex-based system becomes.

Black Tooth Lake District.

Many small privateers are moored here.

After Huron pursued and destroyed the Ghost, a portion of the defense forces in the port area were withdrawn.

The infiltrators, disguised as dockworkers, began to contact some small captains who had long harbored resentment due to the Red Pirates' screening process.

“You have been re-registered three times.”

"Next time it might be dismantling the ship."

"The Red Pirates are busy chasing the flagship now."

“There is an old waterway in the ship graveyard on the east side, and no one has checked it for the past thirty-six hours.”

"If you want to leave, leave now."

Some people will leave.

As soon as they leave, the Red Pirates will chase after them.

If the red pirates chase after them, they will scatter.

The higher the vortex goes, the more it will be forced to break its remaining defensive forces into smaller pieces.

The outer ring of the rusty star city.

The lurking nodes are beginning to approach areas of real value.

Star City Defense System.

Fuel tank.

Subspace anchor point.

Dark Mechanics Repair Dock.

Huron's peripheral ransom ledger.

These places cannot be penetrated by ordinary chaos.

It depends on identity, permissions, time, and substitution relationships.

A Red Pirate guard was transferred to quell a riot at the docks.

The person who took his place was a temporary recruit.

Temporary requisitioned personnel need a maintenance certificate.

The repair certificate was forged by the infiltrators.

So, a "repairman" approached the Void Shield secondary control room on the east side of Star City.

Deep within the vortex lies a dark warehouse of the Mechanicus.

This place contains reactor components salvaged from countless wrecked ships, alien power cores, old Imperial navigation instruments, arrays of polluted thinkers, and unclassifiable fragments of dark technology.

Lawson was very interested in this kind of place.

Huron moved his most important treasures onto the Ghost of Destruction, but he couldn't possibly empty the entire Great Vortex.

Many large pieces of equipment, partially damaged components, dangerous relics, and technical wreckage still remain in Star City and the shipyard.

The infiltrator marks the location first.

This data is gradually fed back to the swarm intelligence system.

Lawson stood on the bridge of the Ghost of Destruction, watching the node diagram within the vortex gradually brighten.

Snatching the flagship is an open secret.

The explosion of the whirlpool was a hidden attack.

Ming Dao ordered Huron to chase after them.

The hidden dagger will only be used when Huron is far enough away.

T-001 reports: "The covert network is expanding. The chaos index in the core area of ​​the Great Vortex is rising. The Red Pirates' on-duty response remains effective, but their dispatch speed is decreasing."

Lawson asked, "Are there any exposed nodes?"

"Seven."

"Self-destruction or withdrawal has been executed. The mainnet has not been affected."

Lawson nodded.

It is impossible to achieve zero loss during a stealth operation.

In places like the Great Vortex, anyone can be randomly killed.

The value of infiltrators and suicide bombers does not lie in the fact that every one of them survives.

The key is to not expose the entire network when you die.

Lawson continued, "The progress of penetration in key areas."

T-001 Expand Layers.

"Rust Star Wharf. Taxation, berths, and fuel dispatch have penetrated 31 percent."

"Ruined Star City. Twenty-two percent of the outer layer of the defensive turret maintenance system has been penetrated."

"Red Bone Market. The slave trade and black market intelligence network penetrates 46 percent."

"Blacktooth Port area. Small privateer groups are showing signs of fleeing and can continue to create chaos."

"Dark Mechanicus warehouse. Outer perimeter marked, core area not yet entered."

"External subspace anchor points. Three have completed route recording, and two could be detonated or misled in the future."

"Huron's backup treasure location. Still being verified."

Lawson looked at the data.

"Not urgent."

Penetration takes time.

It will take time to hold off Huron.

If it is launched now, the vortex, though empty, is not yet in complete chaos.

Huron is not far enough away yet.

If he notices a large-scale attack erupting from the vortex and immediately turns back, he may still be able to bring back a portion of his main force.

Lawson wanted to launch the operation twelve standard days later.

By then, Huron had already chased after them a considerable distance in subspace.

His pursuit fleet will venture deep into the smuggled trails and decoy channels laid out by Lawson.

To return to the Great Whirlpool, one must find a stable course, navigate through the storm, and gather the scattered pirate ships that have gone out to hunt.

Once the order is issued, they may not execute it immediately.

Many ships will continue to pursue the Destroyer Ghost.

Some people will try to salvage dead ships from fake wakes.

Some will take the opportunity to escape.

Some will wait and see if Huron will actually come back to help.

This is the time difference that Lawson wanted.

The whirlpool is too big.

Within this subspace storm zone, there are the outer shells of the Death Star dragged into the boundary of reality, wrecked ship belts formed after ancient colony ships broke apart, temporary docks cobbled together by the Dark Mechanicus, slave markets, Mars City of the Armed Forces, cargo anchorages, old space stations occupied by pirate groups, and countless secret warehouses, black market berths, and ransom transfer points.

Huron was able to rule this place through prestige, fleet, fear, and a chain of interests.

But he couldn't control Agrippina like Lawson did, connecting every pipeline, every warehouse, and every shipment to the same will.

The pirate order is always flawed.

Twelve standard days are enough for Lawson to reach into these gaps.