Chapter 68: Rooting out the Space Hulk (1)
It was no doubt that the Mind Flayers were investing a some resources into the Greenskin WAAAGH!.
They were most probably aware of the fact that even though the Orkish WAAAGH! was huge, with their capabilities, it wouldn't be enough to cause significant damage to the Imperial Forces stationed in the Alaric Star Domain.
Mostly due to the lack of firepower and advanced technology, as most of the fight would be in between the stars, not on the ground, where the Greenskisn could showcase their true strong sides in their sheer numbers and physical prowess.
Unfortunately for them, the Imperial Forces were deeply aware of such a fact and were doing everything to even prevent them from boarding the Imperial Starships. While the Asuryani species were physically strong among the various subspecies of the human race, they were no match for the sheer physical might of the green menace.
Another thing that was most important in this entire endeavor and needed his attention were the contribution to the Empire.
When it came to this, the contribution was everything that Arcturus actually cared about, because the more contribution he made to the Eternal Imperium, the more things he would obtain from the Empire in turn.
As Arcturus was planning to attend the Phoenix Imperial Military Academy in the future and establish a corporation that would manufacture some really advanced pieces of technology, he needed to have a really good relationship with the Imperial Government and Military.
Because he wasn't part of the Imperial Military or any branch of the Government, it was rather hard for him to build such a relationship and obtain the necessary contribution to the nation...
Without it, existing in a meritocratic society such as the Eternal Imperium of the Asurya would be nigh impossible. With his ambition and plans that he had in mind, such an outcome was absolutely unacceptable, so here he was...
Pursuing the opportunities to make contributions to the Phoenix Empire as much as possible.
With more and more contributions being made, he would get a much easier time when entering the core worlds of the Eternal Empire of the Asurya.
Within the Imperium, due to the extreme meritocratic principles that the Empire was built on, it essentially forced every single citizen, regardless of the origin, to contribute to the bigger picture.
Even though he had Grandmaster Arsit Byrmellir behind him, that could only push him that far, due to the nature of the Empire. Still, he just had a better headstart than the rest of the citizens, coupled with the fact that he was a member of the higher caste of the Asuryani..
Highborne got better treatment than the ordinary Asuryani, though the downside was that, they were often required and ordered to fight the most dangerous foes of the Empire.
***
As Arcturus was searching his way to the commander center of the Space Hulk according to the instruction of his Artificial Intelligence, who was giving him the navigation, on the deck of the Greenskins, there was utter chaos when the commanding Ork Nob learned that the main weapons were taken out of the order.
This was considered a great loss for their plans, and he knew that Boss wouldn't be too pleased about such an outcome, and it was highly possible that he would lose his head if the Boss was in a bad mood.
Not only that, but it seemed that only one of the Space Hulks that they got from the space squids managed to fire and successfully take out several tens of Imperial Spaceships, which was just sheer luck on the side of the Greenskins.
"Find that git and kill him, do y'r her me!?"
The Ork Nob in charge of this Space Hulk was named Vorgnux, and he was one of the more powerful Nobz under the Boss. He was already packing a punch at the Gamma-Grade Warrior, a peak of the Grade, and was a very strong Ork.
He was also one of the biggest among the Ork Nobz under the command of the Boss, and he was also the Bersker on the battlefield. Not to mention, he wasn't that far from becoming a Meganob after some time if he managed to advance to the Beta-Grade Warrior.
Vorgnux, in his anger, squashed one of the Gretchin that came to deliver the news about the invader that managed to breach their securities and defenses; not like they were any in the first place, but that wasn't much of a concern to the hulking mass of muscles and rage.
The Ork Nob immediately sent several tens of his henchmen to search for the intruder and to immediately kill him. That was the only way he could redeem himself in front of the Boss so that the Boss wouldn't kill him or one of the Meganobz under the command of the Boss.
Nevertheless, Vorgnux was one of the more thinking side of the Greenskins among the Nobz under the Warboss, and he was rather strategically apt. That was why when he saw how things were going through the window, he wasn't in a really good mood because he could tell that with the current tempo, the Orks would be wiped out sooner or later.
Mostly sooner, not later.
The Imperial Forces were destroying any Orksih attempt to turn over the situation with ease, and the counter-offensive operation that the Imperial had started not long ago was already causing tremendous damage to the WAAAGH! and the main battleships of the Imperium were nearing the central formation where the flagship of the Warboss was located.
Vorgnux was aware that once they killed the Warboss, then this entire endeavor would be null and void because various Meganobz and Nobz would essentially take their forces away, some would continue fighting, some would escape, some would retreat a bit far and see what the others would do...
Basically, the entire situation would become an uncontrollable mess.
Meanwhile, the Ork Nob was pondering over something; the Boyz behind him were running from one place to another as more and more of the Gretchin were arriving at the place, nervous and trembling for the whole time as they looked at their bigger and more aggressive cousins.
Suddenly, Vorgnux turned around when he was disturbed from his thoughts by the raw cry of one of the Ork Boyz severing the heads of several Gretchin. In the Orkish society, the Gretchin were at the mercy and not-mercy of their bigger and meaner cousins, nothing more and nothing less.
Such was their sad fate in a society, where everything was decided by their innate size and physical power.
"What da hell is happenin' her?!"
He screamed as everyone stopped doing what they were doing, before they looked at the sole Ork Nob in the place.
"Boss, the humie is headin her!"
One of the Ork Boyz shouted frantically, as suddenly everything exploded into a blinding explosion and sent everyone crashing into the wall, accompanied by a burst of the Crimson-Blacking cracking energy that instantly obliterated every single Gretchin and weaker Ork Boyz in the room.
Not only that, practically every single Ork Tek Boy was killed by the cracking crimson energy that spread through the place like a tumor, corroding and killing everything that it touched.
One didn't need to be some kind of genius to figure out that the invader had caught up with them and attacked them...