Warhammer: Empire Reboot

Billions of gaunt-faced imperial laborers here perform grueling labor passed down through generations. They work eighteen hours a day until they collapse on the assembly line, then are sent to processing plants to become protein rations on the plates of the lower-nest residents.

After penetrating the thick, murky, and perpetually toxic cloud of mist, one arrives at the upper nest of each hive, or what is known as the spire district.

This is truly a paradise on earth.

The brilliant starlight shone down without reservation on the magnificent spires constructed of marble, fine gold, and stained glass.

The air here is fresh, filtered through multiple purification systems, and even carries the scent of artificially synthesized roses.

Here you'll find expansive indoor gardens, crystal-clear artificial lakes, and rare and exotic creatures found only in the very heart of the Empire.

At this moment, inside the governor's command post at the very top of Obolos 1 main hive.

This hall, which can accommodate tens of thousands of people, is extremely luxurious.

The floor was paved with whole pieces of blood-stained wood airlifted from an agricultural world hundreds of light-years away, and a huge chandelier made of thousands of pure crystals hung from the dome; the walls were covered with huge tapestries depicting the great achievements of governors-general and the holy countenances of emperors throughout history.

Beneath this veneer of extreme luxury, the giant holographic strategic projector in the hall, radiating a chilling blue light, ruthlessly reveals the catastrophic impending doom facing this planet.

On the holographic projection, the entire planet Obulus was completely surrounded by a dense array of red dots.

That was an endless horde of green-skinned orcs!

The hall was filled with all the truly important people on the planet.

The planetary governor of Obolos III, Cassius van der Carter, was an extremely obese man who wore a long robe of gold-threaded silk hand-sewn by a Martian textile master, and around his neck hung a long string of pure gold beads symbolizing the piety of the Imperial state religion.

At this moment, the fat pig was covered in sweat.

He kept wiping his forehead with a scented handkerchief, his right hand gripping a crystal goblet filled with 150-year-old Amasec.

On either side of Governor Cassius stood the most powerful figures on the planet:

Senior officers of the Planetary Defense Force (PDF), clad in magnificent military uniforms and adorned with medals, but who may never have even been to a real front line.

The heads of various powerful noble families who monopolized the planet's water and energy supplies,

And several senior technical priests of the Mechanicus, dressed in heavy robes and with half their faces replaced by mechanical prosthetics.

In a shadowy corner of the hall stood a tall figure that seemed completely out of place with the extravagant atmosphere.

That was Gideon Thorne, the Grand Marshal of the Department of Justice on Planet Obolos.

He was dressed in a jet-black, heavily armored senior uniform from the Ministry of Justice, and wore an iron mask that covered most of his face, with the goggles beneath the mask flashing a cold, ruthless red light.

Just minutes ago, the holographic projection showed two massive green-skinned warships relentlessly bombarding the planet's Void Shield Generator in orbit.

Each feedback from the orbital bombardment elicited a collective gasp of horror from the nobles in the hall, like the screams of pigs being slaughtered.

Everyone knows that once the Void Shield completely overloads and collapses, the Orks will drop drop pods onto the top of the No. 1 hive like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

At that time, even this seemingly indestructible spire district will be reduced to ruins by the Greenskins' raging Waaagh energy.

Governor Cassius issued an extremely cold-blooded order.

He transferred all the most elite troops on the planet, the best-equipped PDF armored reserves, the noble private army, and even an entire elite force composed of the Ministry of Justice's riot control troops, back to the top spire district of the No. 1 main hive, making it as impregnable as an iron fortress.

As for the factory area in Zhongchao and the civilian area in Xiachao?

Those are nothing more than meat shields used to deplete the green-skinned soldiers' ammunition and stamina.

"Governor, the temperature in the area of ​​Void Shield Generator No. 3 is approaching the melting threshold. If those damned green-skinned warships launch two more volleys like that, our sky defense network will be breached," General Wayne, a senior officer of PDF, reported.

Chapter 89 Are the residents who descended the nest still human?

"I don't want to hear 'what ifs'! Wayne! I didn't raise you idiots to bring me bad news!"

Governor Cassius screamed hysterically, "Order the railgun array to return fire! Drain all the energy! Even if it means the entire Lower Nest is without power for three months, hold the shield up!"

"Sir, the railgun array was destroyed by the Greenskins' boarding torpedoes ten minutes ago."

Several pampered noble ladies even fainted and were dragged away by their servants.

Some noblemen who were usually high and mighty began to kneel on the ground without any regard for their image, offering the most incoherent prayers to the emperor's portrait.

They weren't afraid of death; they were only afraid of dying peacefully in a velvet-covered bed, but rather being chopped into mincemeat by those foul-smelling green monsters with rusty machetes.

However, just as everyone was waiting for the final judgment, the holographic projector suddenly emitted a piercing high-frequency shriek.

"What's going on? Are those green-skinned monsters going to be airdropped?!"

Governor Cassius was so frightened that he slid off his high-backed chair, spilling his amasec wine all over the floor.

"No! Your Excellency! Look!" The technical priest in charge of operating the projector exclaimed in an electronic voice.

On the holographic projection, the image of the high-altitude orbit was rapidly magnified.

What was originally a hopeless situation suddenly took an extremely bizarre and shocking turn!

In the scene, the two green-skinned warships that were firing wildly at the planet's surface were simultaneously subjected to a devastating attack in that very instant!

A dilapidated Sword-class frigate, painted green and red, appeared out of nowhere and somehow managed to squeeze between the two green-skinned warships at an incredibly bizarre angle.

Immediately afterwards, to everyone's stunned gaze, the much smaller frigate unleashed an extremely terrifying broadside firepower!

"O great, sacred gear..."

The aperture in the Tech Priest's mechanical eyes contracted rapidly: "Those are the Empire's macro-cannon array and high-energy laser batteries! But why is the energy reading so overloaded?!"

In the silent holographic projection, a destructive spectrum blinded everyone.

The green warship on the left side of the screen had its stern engine pierced, followed by an extremely terrifying internal plasma explosion, turning the entire warship into a dazzling supernova in space!

The ship on the right side of the screen was even more tragic. Its side fuel tank was cut open by a high-energy laser, and the chain reaction directly blew the behemoth in half!

The strange green-skinned frigate, seemingly also struck by a torpedo fired by the dying warship, lost power and was falling towards the ground like a giant fireball, leaving a long trail behind.

The hall was deathly silent for a full half minute.

Everyone stared intently at the slowly dissipating space ruins on the holographic projection.

"What's going on?" General Wayne rubbed his eyes, incredulous. "This doesn't make sense. Why would that small boat attack its own capital ship?"

Immediately afterwards, a frenzied commotion erupted in the hall, as if everyone had survived a catastrophe!

No matter how absurd the process may be, the result is what it is.

The green-skinned fleet in planetary orbit is gone!

The greatest threat from outer space has dramatically destroyed itself!

"Hahahaha! Praise be to the holy Emperor! Praise be to the throne!"

Governor Cassius sprang to his feet: "The crisis is over! The skies are safe!"

A portly nobleman immediately stepped forward, grinning obsequiously, "I told you those green-skinned monsters were a bunch of brainless beasts! See? This is typical green-skinned behavior! They must have started fighting in the sky over who got to rob whom, or because someone glanced at whom!"

“You’re right, Your Excellency Spencer.”

Another general made no attempt to hide his mockery: "Those green-skinned scum covered in fungi, what do they know about fleet coordination? What do they know about military discipline? They can't even tell left from right! Letting a bunch of beasts pilot a starship, this is what happens! They killed themselves with their stupidity!"

"No! This is not merely the enemy's stupidity!"

A PDF general immediately echoed loudly, "This is even more because your usual piety has moved the Golden Throne, Your Excellency! It is the Emperor who is protecting you, protecting our planet Obulus! You have made those heretics kill each other under your radiance! Your Excellency, you are the true guardian of this planet!"

This extremely nauseating and illogical flattery, however, made Governor Cassius feel completely at ease.

"Oh dear, don't say that. This is the result of everyone's prayers."

Governor Cassius straightened his somewhat disheveled gold-embroidered robe and sat back down in his high-backed chair, regaining his composure.

He picked up a freshly poured glass of amasec and swirled it gently, as if the fat pig who had just wet his pants in fear was not him at all.

He breathed a long sigh of relief.

The threat from the fleet in outer orbit has been temporarily averted, which means the safety of the Spire area is guaranteed.

As for the crashed green-skinned frigate, at that terrifying falling speed, it was impossible for any living creature to survive, so it was not a concern.

However, not everyone in the hall was blindly optimistic.

A relatively young PDF frontline officer, looking at the holographic projection showing the distribution of the green-skinned army on the ground—which was still a deep red-purple color despite the elimination of the space threat—gritted his teeth and stepped forward.

"Your Excellency the Governor! Generals!"

The officer reported loudly, "Although the enemies on the tracks are fighting amongst themselves, the situation on the ground remains extremely critical! According to the latest battle report from three minutes ago, defense zones seventeen through forty-two of the Lower Nest have been completely breached by the Greenskins. Those monsters are simply endless!"

"The planetary defense forces in the lower nest are almost at their breaking point. Our brothers are using their flesh and blood to hold off those beasts that are over two meters tall and wield heavy machetes. The casualty rate has already exceeded sixty percent! Sir, now that the defensive pressure on the Spire area has eased, could we send down the elite armored reserve force and the Ministry of Justice's riot squad stationed on the top floor to provide support?"

"As long as we have a fresh force joining us, we can stabilize the defenses of the Middle Nest! Otherwise, once the Lower Nest falls completely, the Greenskins' horde will directly flood into the power center of the Middle Nest!"

The moment the young officer finished speaking, the lively celebration in the hall instantly cooled down.

Many nobles and high-ranking generals looked at him as if he were an idiot.

Governor Cassius's fat face, which was covered with a greasy smile, instantly turned so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip from it.

He slammed the crystal goblet he was holding onto the marble tabletop with a loud, jarring sound.

"presumptuous!"

Governor Cassius spat as he spoke: "Send troops down to provide support? Has your brain been suffocated by those toxic fumes from the nest?!"

"Do you even know what strategic planning means, you stupid junior officer!"

"The Greenskin fleet in orbit may be destroyed, but who can guarantee that another fleet won't emerge from the warp storm?! If I send down the Spire's reserves, what if some Greenskin drop pods slip through and crash into Upper Nest? Who will protect the Empire's administrative center? Who will protect the sacred symbol of this planet?!"

He waved his hand with righteous indignation: "The Spire District is the extension of the Golden Throne on this planet! If the Spire District falls, it is tantamount to Oberus being disgraced before the Emperor! This is an absolutely intolerable desecration!"

"As for the civilians and defense troops who went down to the nest..."

Cassius sneered: "An army is raised for a thousand days, but used for only one. The Empire has fed them with cheap rations for so many years; now is the time for them to serve the great Holy Terra and the Holy Emperor!"

“Every drop of blood they shed was their ticket to the Golden Throne! Their sacrifice was glorious, in accordance with the laws of the Empire! And your duty is to shut your mouth, return to your post, and urge them to die in a more meaningful way!”

The young officer was so shocked by these utterly shameless words that he trembled with fear.

He wanted to loudly refute, to tell the governor that those who died below were not only soldiers, but also tens of thousands of unarmed women and children.

But just as he was about to speak, several noble family heads standing behind the governor let out disdainful snorts.

"Hmph, these young people nowadays really don't understand any manners."

A richly dressed nobleman, toying with a jade thumb ring, said slowly and deliberately, “The Governor’s vision is far-sighted; how could a lowly officer like you, who can only see a few trenches in front of him, possibly understand? What does it matter if a few hundred million of those ants die? As long as we survive this alien invasion, we can just import another batch of laborers from other planets. The Emperor’s human resources are inexhaustible.”

"Exactly, are the lives of us nobles the same as those scum who grew up eating corpse starch?"