40 Thousand Reasons

Chapter 49: Fishing

Cleaning up the void of infectious or tainted hull bits and machine parts took us another day, and my destroyers were tasked to push the larger fragments onto a trajectory leading into the Sun.

Emergency systems repair or crew limb replacements continued throughout the fleet, and I was glad for having so many tech-priests and servitors on board, ready to donate the missing limb to a much more valuable crew or guardsman.

I also had to stop my regular schedule and invigorate the ship with visits and rousing speeches. Morale was important, even more so when fighting the Chaos.

But we did emerge victorious against overwhelming odds, and the escorts were somewhat re-supplied from the Canticle's torpedo stores.

Easy to do for the corvettes, as only 2 of them carried torpedo tubes, the rest using plasma cannons. We didn't have 270 torpedoes to supply all the destroyers, but I managed to provide 6 torpedoes to each of them.

More than a regular Cobra-pattern had, anyway.

A squadron of fighters was also repaired and prepared for launch, and a host of other departments got some tech-priest care, like the medical ward, kitchens and sensors.

"Fleet effectiveness at 65 percent, Captain. We can start our attack run if you wish, though the traitors will be aware and prepared for us." Wentian pronounced as I returned to my Captain seat.

"Magos, see that safety belts are installed on the bridge seats and other critical areas. We don't have many expendable crew left." I demanded, pointing at Majoris.

The Tech-priest turned to look at the auspex console, where a flight cadet had replaced the dead officer.

"Very wise, Captain. It will be done, using flak jacket material for the belts. Bridge first, of course." he answered with a flurry of binharic commands to his subordinate priests.

"Permission to flare our long range auguries?" the cadet asked in a timid voice.

I thought for a second, then denied it. "Don't want to scare off the Eldar. They might provide a distraction for the Great Enemy."

In this, every species in the galaxy were allies of necessity. Necrons, Tyranids or Eldar, even Orks, the Dark Eldar and the Tau. Everyone shot at Chaos first, if they had any common sense.

Of course, they would shoot at humans just as well, but perhaps after the Enemy had been vanquished.

The Imperium lacked such common sense, and often targeted everyone at the same time, proving a lack of critical thinking among most Admirals, Inquisitors and Astartes. The Rogue Traders were a different breed, and were slightly more reluctant to shoot at someone they may need to trade with.

We began a series of short bursts of acceleration and course changes, to deny the invaders a proper vector to intercept my fleet.

Sure, I intended to arrive behind the Chaos fleet and enact surprise suppository treatment, but they saw us from half a system away, and were quite wary, since we did blow up the landing forces.

So, a segment of their fleet detached from the besieging orbit, and moved to intercept, a whole battleship, 3 cruisers and 20 destroyers.

But retreat wasn't an option, as it would leave the Forge World at their mercy, and a new landing army could always arrive from the nearby Maelstrom.

"When encircled, use stratagems." I said in a calm voice, and looked around the bridge.

Nobody said anything, too used at getting amazing victory plans from their Captain.

"Ask the Eldar for help?" the cadet muttered in a shaky voice.

I sighed audibly and leaned back. "Doesn't work like that, my young friend. You show weakness, they kill you. But, perhaps providing them with an opportunity for glory will work. Their ship captains are just as idiots as the Navy." I answered while thinking hard how to achieve that.

The Eldar would prefer to stalk from above the planetary plane, so if I sent the fleet downwards, the Chaos ships would expose their engines to Eldar fire, by turning their front and prow armor towards us.

"Torpedo corvettes, stop accelerating and swing around to strike from our right." I ordered with a sad voice. It will probably mean their deaths, two corvettes with 4 torpedoes.

"Roger that, Captain Pef. Opportunity fire or designated targets?" a cousin of mine spoke on the vox, as the two ships fell behind.

"It will depend on what the enemy does. But a cruiser or two crippled will be the best result I can expect." I said and turned the vox channel off.

Then I turned to see Wentian gone pale and clenching his fists. Oh, that guy was his son...nasty business.

"Don't worry Wentian. We will all die, one day. But how we die is what matters. It is the strength of humanity, to draw power from sacrifice" I told him gently.

The old veteran sighed and began breathing a bit calmer. "Yes, Captain. But perhaps not today."

"Perhaps not today. But all men die." I concluded on a somber tone.

Majoris immediately proved his common sense. "But the Machine is immortal. Only the flesh is weak."

I chuckled at his words, although they were rather true. Trazyn, the Necron Lord was living proof of his faith. Not that I contemplated that approach yet. Perhaps the Eldar way, if I could one day get access to the right circuits.

Saving your soul and getting reborn on a new Path seemed rather nice, compared to necrodermis or the Machine Spirits of the Mechanicus.

Then again...humanity already had its own immortality path, joining the Emperor's Angels or his Legion of the Damned.

On the ship's holoscreen the autistic auguries reported the Chaos fleet splitting off again, sending a cruiser and two destroyers after the sacrificial offering.

"Task force 2, dive and force them to turn." I provided my order to the few torpedo corvettes, while the Canticle Spirit murmured prayers and vectors for every ship in the fleet, directly into my mind.

"Jorvis, begin dive with your escorts now." I demanded from my uncle.

The Canticle kept accelerating in a slightly zig-zag manner, until we reached torpedo range with the Chaos Battleship.

"Torpedo room, full salvo and secure yourself for aftershocks. Yellow alert, entire ship." I ordered as our battlecruiser lurched from losing the mass of the departing torpedoes.

We didn't have more vortex torpedoes, but just this one should be sufficient if it wasn't intercepted.

And since the leading enemy admiral has split off his Chaos destroyers to engage my own, he wouldn't have much chance of an intercept.

Indeed, the leading 5 plasma torpedoes were shot down too early, but we could launch 8 at one time.

Their void shield faltered for a second as 2 capital class torpedoes struck in head on, and the vortex torpedo passed through the flaw and detonated at the impact with the battleship's hull.

Immediately, a large Warp rift emerged and devoured half the enemy battleship, setting fires and infesting it with more demons.

The Canticle began to slowly veer around, trying to find a spot where we could fire without getting mauled by the surviving batteries on the battleship.

At this moment, the auspex sensors flared in warning.

"Xeno holofield scrambled high above our transversal plane. We detect energy emissions. Eldar lances!" the cadet yelled in excitement.

I just nodded and focused on my task, waiting for another torpedo salvo to reload and the lance batteries of the Canticle to get into effective range.

"Objective achieved, Lord Pef. Engines to full!" my cousin shouted victoriously on the vox, as his target was hit by 3 torpedoes and the Eldar lances finished it off.

"Targeting enemy cruisers. Torpedoes away. Executing high energy turn!" my uncle Jorvis added as his escorts unloaded their own surprise gifts on the Chaos cruisers.

My escorts were all running away now, with 20 Chaos destroyers chasing after their blood and souls.

"Transmission incoming from Eldar cruiser, Captain. Allow vox or pict?" the hymnal officer asked with a suspicious voice.

"Negative, on that. Don't want us involved with any Eldar plots." I answered in a level voice, and Ludvaius growled in approval.

"Teleport detected and redirected, Captain. Is that traitor shooting us with a bolter?" Majoris said in disbelief.

I glanced at the holoscreen to see the Chaos Astartes receive a warm greeting from an escort corvette, with a few Volcano Lances that would even damage Titans.

The idiot was not wearing a Titan though.

"Not anymore." I said wisely and began firing the lances at the half-battleship wreck.

Then a few seconds later, a flurry of explosions marked the detonations of the torpedoes launched by the Los Angeles destroyers, forming a pretty blue constellation and even damaging a couple enemy destroyers that ventured too close.

"Well done, destroyers. Form up in pattern Delta on the Canticle. Volcano corvettes, dive and engage the pursuit from behind." I commanded while keeping an eye on the torpedo reload time.

Another lance volley and another, all hit the enemy, scouring the adamantium armor and melting the macrobatteries of the battleship.

Unlike cannons, lances were near instant weapons at shorter range, and we almost never missed.

The reload was slower though, but we wouldn't need ammunition. Lances were still better, in my opinion.

But I should try to obtain some Nova Cannons. If only a Forge World would be generous enough. Nobody was till now.

"Captain, we have loaded the last 6 torpedoes. Well, except the pretty one with golden words on it." the head enginseer reported in a wry voice.

Not calling it a bicycle was an improvement already.

I leaned back and consulted with the Machine Spirit. We could spare 2 torpedoes for the enemy destroyers, and use 4 right now. So I did.

The Chaos battleship cracked and ruptured into the void, and another lance volley ignited something important, as it went boom with roaring flames and psychic screams.

"They had a ritual going, my lord. We stopped it just in time." Ludvaius muttered in pain, and I turned my head to see him bleeding from his eyes.

"Silly traitors. I could have bagged another Great Demon or something. They were too slow!" I complained petulantly, for morale.

Captain Thrasius laughed and slapped his knee in mirth, and soon enough the entire bridge crew joined him in hoots and laughter.

"We are in position, Captain Pef. Enemy destroyers in pursuit." my uncle announced on the vox.

"Break off in pattern Beta. Then wait for the explosions." I said as the Canticle left skidmarks on the void, turning the ship's bow towards the pursuers and flying backwards by inertia.

And...launch. The servitor guided torpedoes stuck two destroyer squadrons head on and vaporized two small targets, also collapsed the voidshields of the nearby enemies.

Then my fleet started firing our direct beam weapons, popping one Chaos destroyer after another, with the corvettes supporting from behind, targeting engines and their exposed backsides.

The Eldar cruiser flashed by and scored a few more kills then vanished under a cloak of illusions and fake augury returns.

I decided to ignore it for now, as I had bigger fish to fry.