Chapter 53: Rangdan Xenocides Pt.2
After 2 days in the Warp, Baldur and his fleet entered the Halo System, the Rangdan System. The various Imperial Navy ships exited first followed by the Astartes and then the Mechanicum ships.
As the Invictus exited the Warp, Baldur saw all the Imperial ships before him as well as a massive wall of Rangdan ships with several of their moon battle stations behind them. It was a terrifying sight to most as it proved that the Rangda were not simply an aggressive species but they were highly intelligent.
They not only build a blockade of ships 10 ships tall and nearly 50 wide but they built it in the direction that the 1st and 7th Fleet had fled from. While their attack on the 7th Fleet could be excused as defense of their system, their attack on The First was inexcusable. That was an aggressive action that was unwarranted.
The fortress had been there for years and was not a newly constructed one. Their attack there could only be taken as an initial invasion or a test to see how powerful the Imperium was.
The Rangda allowed all the ships from the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Fleet to emerge from the portal without opening fire.
Baldur took a close look at the ships in front of them and noticed that they were unusual. They had spines along them, making them resemble some type of vertebrae. There were also several tendrils at their rear which made many resemble something like a squid with a spine.
Their ships were especially dangerous to the Imperium since they used forward facing weapons mostly. Although this meant they could not fire as much, they had a much smaller profile to hit.
Once all their ships made it through, the massive Warp portal closed behind them and there was nothing but silence.
The Imperial ships began to fly forward with the Rangda not making any movements. They moved at normal travel speed until they reached the barricade. The various ships of the Imperium moved between the ships of the barricade, careful not to touch any of the Rangda.
While they got into positions, the Astartes and Mechanicum ships flew past them and neared the Moons that were behind the ships and acting as the biggest barriers. These could block the path of many ships or even crush them if they coordinated correctly. Each of their vessels surrounded the Moons with their broadside cannons facing them.
And then, they waited. For 3 days, all of their ships remained as they were, neither side opening fire on the others. It was on the 4th day that Spencer turned to Baldur and nodded. With his nod, Baldur reached out to the captains of the fleet through and powerful display of telepathy.
"Their shields are down. Open fire in exactly 10 seconds," he spoke coldly
The time quickly trickled down until 10 seconds had passed. And the silence was broken. Lascannons, Macrocannons, and missiles were fired from every weapon that the Imperium had. In an instant, the Rangda barricade had been decimated.
Baldur's eyes began to stop glowing and the ships that were invisible to all had suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the Rangda System.
Ferrus looked at the carnage from the (OMFG GamesWorkshop! *Sigh*) Fist of Iron, his personal flagship.
"I knew Psykers were powerful but this is unbelievable. Remind me to never piss off Baldur," he told his former Legion Master and First Captain, Amadeus DuCaine and Gabriel Santor.
"Affirmative, Sir," Amadeus replied, also in awe of the destruction that they had just caused without losing a single soldier. Gabriel just looked on, stupefied.
As they were traveling through the Warp, Baldur had come up with this strategy. It would not only allow them to win their first battle with no losses but also force the Rangda to focus their attention on their fleet.
Psykers draw their power from the Warp so when they are inside, they are much stronger than normal. Baldur decided to use that to his advantage and cloaked all the ships of the 3 fleets with his enhanced powers.
The result was complete confusion on the Rangdan side when the portal opened and they saw no enemies emerge. This led to many of the higher ups assuming that it was a feint but there were still some who thought it was some other type of trick. Because of that, Baldur had to hold the cloaking for 3 days until the Rangda finally lowered their shields.
And the moment they did, there was nothing more to be said as the results could be seen from the bridges of every ship and projected to all those computer stations where various men and women crowded around to view the act.
"Any damage?" Baldur called out over the comms, finally allowing the others to use them since there was no danger of their messages being intercepted anymore
"1st Fleet reporting. No injuries," Spencer told him from the captain's seat
"All good, Brother. Our 3rd Fleet sustained no damage," Ferrus called over to him
"The 5th Fleet is unharmed, Warmaster," Ibram informed Baldur after getting a report from all his ships. "No one was caught in the crossfire."
"Then we proceed as planned. Get back into battle formation and proceed forward. This was only the first battle," Baldur felt relieved that the plan had worked but he would not allow himself to become cocky over it. He knew that the Rangda were technologically more advanced than the Imperium so he was going to be very careful with his actions.
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On the Rangda home world, the various leaders were screens in the air
"The barricade has stopped transmitting!"
"Were the able to wipe them all out? Impossible!" another shouted
"We must send out scouts!" a third said
The others kept talking over one another until they heard the cough of a single individual. They all stopped speaking and looked at the screen that projected their king. Their ruler would look very familiar to the Grey Knights as he had taken on the form of Baldur with his 2 pairs of wings.
The king had seen the video of Baldur's design and thought he had finally found someone worthy to mimic so he stole Baldur's likeness for himself.
"The false me is very impressive," he told his commanders. "Do not underestimate him. Consider the barricade destroyed and begin to create plans around them. We shall let those humans know just how mighty our species is."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" the generals called out before the screens in front of them turned off
The king was left alone in his throne room when a figure appeared behind him. It was a creature that looked humanoid but seemed to be composed of nothing but maggots. No eyes for facial features could be seen.
"It seems that you and your people are struggling with these humans. Perhaps you need our help," the creature spoke somehow, no mouth noticeable
Fake Baldur frowned when he heard the creature before standing up and backhanding it with his fist.
"Do not look down on my species, Maggot! We have a deal where you gave us FTL technology and we shall give you bodies. We only did so to save ourselves trouble, not because you were needed."
"Of coursesssss," the Slaugth responded, his true thoughts unknown to the Rangda King. "This war has only just begun.
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