Chapter 425: Extinction-Level Crisis, Part 2
"My lord, don't panic just yet."
Kian finished reading the report and moved to steady the Apothecary.
"Rushing off to the battlefield right now solves nothing. Blackiron and his full force have the entire Deathmine locked down. Forget rescuing anyone, you wouldn't even make it in."
Desai knew that perfectly well already, and it was exactly why he was on edge.
The Crimson Bite Chapter fielded ten companies, spread across separate ships. A full Chapter of nearly a thousand Astartes had to cover an enormous stretch of territory, sometimes fighting multiple threats simultaneously across different fronts. Out of necessity, individual companies, a hundred-plus men with their own dedicated vessel, often got deployed independently to handle a single world's crisis.
Captain Doron's third company had been exactly that: dispatched alone by the Chapter Master to handle this Forge World's Ork infestation on its own.
When they'd first arrived, Ork ships had clustered thick in low orbit, pounding the surface hive cities relentlessly, a genuinely nightmarish sight. Doron had assessed the situation and made his call. Using his ship's speed advantage, he'd pushed straight into orbit, dropped fifty Astartes, including himself, onto the surface to reinforce ground forces, then had the remaining fifty stay aboard as the ship broke off and led nearly the entire Ork fleet on a chase into deep space.
The plan had worked. Even now, the bulk of the Ork fleet was still out there in the void, chasing his strike cruiser, which occasionally struck back with a burst of macro-cannon and lance fire, crippling or destroying an Ork vessel here and there. The plan was simple: keep the Ork fleet strung out and burning fuel until it wore itself down, then return to the Forge World.
The upside was that the Ork fleet had been drawn off entirely. The downside was that Doron's ground force was now cut off from any support from their own ship.
Kian asked, "Twelve Astartes pinned at the Deathmine, including Captain Doron. That leaves thirty-some more on this planet. Any way to pull them back together?"
Desai shook his head. "No. They're all tied up. The moment Doron got pinned by Blackiron, every Ork on this planet went into a frenzy simultaneously. Every human defensive line is taking heavy pressure right now. My brothers are already scattered thin, running from front to front putting out fires. Pull them off those lines now, and the whole planetary defense collapses in an instant."
Kian's eyes narrowed. "That's Blackiron's whole scheme. He knew he'd trapped something valuable, and he's making sure nothing interferes with finishing them off, launching a coordinated global offensive to guarantee it."
Genuinely cunning, this one. Fit right in with the two Ork gods' respective mottos, Gork was brutal and cunning, Mork was cunning and brutal. Trick Kian into using his own macro-cannons to wipe out a rival, pin Doron's company down, then trigger a planet-wide offensive to keep humanity from pulling anyone off the line to help.
At this point, Kian had a genuinely uneasy suspicion. Had Nor'n, and now Doron, walked straight into Blackiron's trap from the start?
Kian's read on the Orks had sharpened considerably. Without wasting another second, he said, "My lord, let's make a deal. I'll find a way to get your people out. In exchange, you give me the black needle's formula."
At this point, Desai was practically frantic, with his Chapter's entire senior leadership hanging by a thread. If Kian had asked him to eat a watermelon while picking cotton in exchange, he'd have said yes.
"Deal, deal! Count, whatever plan you have, let's move on it, now!"
"In that case, my lord, follow me."
Kian led the Apothecary out of the bunker, boarded a shuttle, and headed for the Titan Temple. On the way, he used the shuttle's comm system to contact Trasolh. The console screen flickered to life with Trasolh's face.
"Count, what's going on?"
"My lord, emergency. Captain Doron and twelve Astartes have been pinned down by Blackiron himself, the Ork leader. Their situation is critical."
Trasolh's expression shifted sharply. "What? Doron's pinned down? How did this happen?"
He understood perfectly well what losing Doron would do to the entire planet's morale. In the middle of a crisis like this, something like this happening was disastrous.
"Count, what do you need from me?"
Kian said, "My lord, I need you to use your shuttles to bring down my first five companies, along with every Chimera and Leman Russ tank I have, and mass them on the open ground around the Titan Temple. And please, position at least one gunship over the Deathmine, ready to provide fire support and cover an extraction if needed."
Trasolh didn't hesitate for a second. "Understood. I'll deploy every shuttle I've got and have your troops on the ground within half an hour. I'll station my flagship, my heaviest firepower, directly over the Deathmine to provide orbital bombardment support."
Kian thanked him, cut the channel, and moved on to the next call.
Desai, watching from the side, remarked, "Trasolh really is different from other Inquisitors."
Kian nodded. "Whatever else, working with him so far has been alright."
Right then, the next connection came through, and Major Noa's face filled the console screen.
"Major Noa, I've got an emergency. Tell me, what mechanized forces can you get to the Titan Temple within half an hour?"
Hearing the request, Noa started to explain she had no authority to command Astra Militarum assets directly, but caught sight of the Astartes standing behind Kian through the feed and reconsidered.
"My lord, the front is under heavy Ork pressure right now, an all-out assault. The most I can pull for you is one tank company, eighteen Leman Russ, that's it."
Kian said, "That'll do. Get them massed at the Titan Temple immediately."
He cut the channel and connected next to Boothe.
"Tech-priest Boothe, get my squire-suits ready, maximum weapons loadout. I need them immediately."
Boothe answered, "Understood, my lord. The divine machines stand ready."
Kian killed the channel and focused on flying the shuttle. Desai watched him quietly the whole time, genuinely impressed. In just a few short calls, this man had pulled together a full heavy strike force out of nothing. If he took things seriously, he really was someone worth relying on.
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