bookbashuk Page 731
Page 731
Conrad tilted his head back, his arms outstretched on the sofa.
[Korax didn't say—when can I tear apart blue skins, Mortalian?]
[If you're in such a hurry, Conrad, you could just open the hatch and jump... I think your kid would be happy to go die with you.]
Conrad let out a disappointed cry, but Mortarion ignored him. The Pale Lord brought up the star map, and a faint glow reflected on his face.
titanium……
This is different from some of the battles Mortarion has fought before; it is much larger in scale, which means that Death needs to be more careful in its deployment and planning. At the same time, it will become a real war of genocide.
Of course, there was not much pressure in this battle; at least Death did not feel the despair he had when he faced Nurgle with his scythe.
Death sensed that something within him, dormant due to his official duties, was stirring anew...
Like a person suffering from a long illness yearning for sweet dew, he longed for a great battle that would satisfy him.
The star map lit up, revealing that the Empire's current exploration of the Tau territory was marked by a line with Damocles Bay as the boundary. Before Damocles Bay lay the Tau power known as the "Foresight Enclave."
"Looking ahead to the enclave," Mortarian squinted with a hint of mockery. "Every race has traitors."
The titanium group is no exception.
Among them, the most outstanding visionary commanders declared independence from the Tau Empire and established visionary enclaves in the human world it conquered.
Unlike the typical Tau, the Vision Enclaves have a different faith than the Tau Empire. They prefer the idea that "martyrdom for the sake of the highest good" is the orthodox morality, which is why the warriors of the Vision Enclaves are more skilled in melee combat than their kin.
Crossing the Vision Enclave, the Empire will next face the Tau army stationed in Damocles Bay, commanded by Shadow Sun, which is also the most powerful military force in the Tau Empire at present.
Although the Primarch believed that if the Empire's spears had pierced the Gulf of Damocles and penetrated deep into the heart of the Tau Empire, then the Tau Empire would certainly have fielded an army that was even more powerful and larger than the Shadow Sun's army to fight against the Empire.
After all, this was a battle that would determine the fate of their race. When these blue-skinned aliens realized that if they were defeated, their only fate would be death...
They would then mobilize all the resources within the Tau Empire at an alarming rate, given that Tau is extremely wasteful of resources.
Mortarian tapped the command board lightly with his fingertips.
This could become a springboard for the Primarch to leverage.
If the Titanium Clan suddenly cuts its internal welfare and social operations... hehehehehehehehe.
Mortarian let out a joyful laugh, but to others it sounded like the wailing of ghosts.
Conrad was unfazed. The Primarch, bored, tore at the skin on his forearm with his sharp nails, seemingly contemplating how to dismember the titanium in the future.
This empire has not yet experienced an era of universal conscription, nor has it experienced days when conscription and war have compressed the rest of life to the extreme. When the comfortable life of the past is taken away, and when civilians who did not originally need to stand on the battlefield are forced to stand on the battlefield, can they still show the fighting power of the early stage of the war?
Mortalian said maliciously that although this might provoke Titan to fight to the death, he knew that these people, who were usually pampered by Titan, did not have much fighting power—at least not in the early stages of their deployment.
Titanium needs to repay the debt it owes to the people.
Although the Tau are known for their high loyalty and cohesion, this does not mean that they are absolutely loyal.
The emergence of the Vision Enclave proves that the Titanium Group is not a monolithic entity.
Through the report submitted by the Cult of Mechanics, Mortalian concluded that the Tau leadership, Aether, manipulated the Tau race using some kind of pheromone.
This means the Primarch can do the opposite. Mortarion is a master of medicine making, and as long as there is a complete aether corpse, Death will know what to do.
This is just what I need to do, Mortarion thought, looking at Conrad. A legion spreading fear behind enemy lines... Conrad would be happy to oblige.
In addition, even if Mortarion underestimated the cohesion of the Tau, the Primarch was quite certain that his "allies" would automatically betray him when they saw the Tau on the verge of extinction.
These alien races, who have already integrated into all aspects of the Tau Empire's society and military, will also become a dagger aimed at Tau.
Mortarion took a deep breath, feeling quite pleased with himself. He didn't understand titanium, but did he not understand the surrendered humans who were part of the Tau Empire?
At that time, the human empire could also give it a little push, such as by offering bounties on the heads of the Tau people to other races.
Titanium needs to repay its debt to the alien race it believes in.
This was the gift that Death had prepared for this newborn empire, and Mortarian believed they would certainly like it well.
Death switched back to another view on the command panel. His white eyes were watching the army he was assembling. He checked the logistics dispatch lines again to make sure they were accurate.
Mortarian was more serious than Conrad.
When Hades came to direct the Mechanicus in collecting technology, Mortarion did not want Hades to see the less-than-satisfactory battlefield.
Ideally, by then the war would be over, and Hades would only need to see Mortarion standing atop the corpse of the High Aether on the core homeworld of Tau. Then Mortarion could demonstrate his warlike prowess to Hades.
This means that Mortalian should be out fighting, instead of being locked up in his office by Hades and the Lord of the Empire.
Ideally, it could be done even earlier, allowing at least two weeks of free time so that Death and Hades could take the opportunity to go back to Barbarossa for a two-week vacation.
Conrad glanced at Mortalian instinctively; his intuition told him that Mortalian seemed to be lost in some kind of fantasy.
【Jie Jie Jie. 】
Conrad grinned, and Mortarian, without hesitation, sent an empty glass flying from the coffee table next to his sofa—aiming for Conrad's head.
Conrad laughed even louder as a result.
【Jie Jie Jie! 】
........................
Three days later
A mediocre fleet...
A sigh of death escaped from the mist. In the dimly lit command room of the Resilience, Death looked at the projected battle map. His voice channel had already been turned on, and the buzzing of electricity faithfully transmitted to the ears of every captain.
This will be a simple test... but if they perform too poorly... Mortarion wouldn't mind probing his scythe a little further into the ground.
He was not a general who followed the rules. If it weren't for the advice from Hades ten thousand years ago, Mortarion would have been a Primarch who preferred to "go straight for the enemy and blow them up."
My soldiers, you will bring death upon the barbarians.
………………
Guardian-class Mothership
This is their proud aircraft carrier.
Led by the Great Aether, and fighting for the highest good, the Tau Empire gathered its finest earth clans to design and create this magnificent space artifact with the full power of the Tau Empire.
Viewed from space, this space spectacle presents a slightly irregular trapezoidal shape, with smooth curves on both sides, showcasing a technological elegance—in line with the consistent technological aesthetics of the Titanium Group.
In the quiet and routine alert mode, the gravity projectors beneath this beautiful behemoth emit a soft hum, as bee-guided torpedoes await to deliver a fatal blow to their enemies.
The Tau's application of gravity has become a rather beautiful branch of their technology tree. Some large defensive devices based on deflecting gravity can even withstand attacks from the human empire's light spears.
Ships of the same type as this mothership once achieved the glorious feat of destroying a Moon-class cruiser of the Human Empire.
Serving on this ship is something to be envied and proud of.
A Fire Clan member belonging to the Shadowsun Garrison sat on its bunk, curiously gazing at the universe through the mothership's observation window. It was a new recruit who had just boarded the Guardian-class mothership.
Although most of the Tau ships are operated by the Air Clan, the Tau Empire also deploys Fire Clan soldiers on larger ships for boarding operations.
After undergoing numerous rigorous trials by the Fire Clan, this Tau can finally embark on the glorious land it has longed for, where it will better serve the Tau Empire and the Path of the Good.
The usually composed Fire Clan member was unusually tense and excited. Sitting in its comfortable single room, it couldn't help but imagine itself boarding a foreign ship with its companions, where it would gain glory and loyalty.
Perhaps I should go and say hello to my comrades again.
This fire-type creature thought to itself, even though its future comrades had warmly welcomed it the moment it boarded the ship—
Among them were the Krut, who were the best allies of the Tau.
Although the Fire Clan sniffed uneasyly when it thought of the Kruts, the Kruts' scent was subtle and unpleasant to the Titans.
Yes, I should go and talk to my comrades more.
It thought of it and prepared to get up, but just as it was about to look away from the galaxy that fascinated it, it caught something out of the corner of its eye.
?
The Fire Clan turned around, trying to see clearly what they had just seen.
It was a flickering, faint light.
what is that?
The Fire Clan became puzzled. It immediately summoned its machine bees, which were connected to the entire Guardian-class mothership terminal system. The machine bees quickly retrieved the data for it, and the airspace seemed to be one of their ship groups' anchorages.
Then, it seemed like only a moment had passed.
The flames began to spread continuously.
Within the vast sea of stars, tiny, brilliant flames unfolded, swaying like fireworks, reflecting in the eyes of the tense and excited Tau, revealing the cruelty and allure of another race.
Although it was too small to know exactly what had happened.
It stood up in astonishment, placing three fingers on the window as if trying to figure out what had happened.
It quickly realized what had happened.
Inside the cabin, the alarm suddenly blared! A red light flashed! The Fire Clan had no time to think; it immediately grabbed its guns and ran, following its training. No matter what happened, it needed to assemble on the first deck.
Along the way, it saw the gas clans running desperately, as well as the alien allies darting between the various hubs. It seemed that something terrible had happened. Near some corridors, it heard some titanium shouting in despair.
"We can't get in touch with the third team either!!! No! There's been no response!!!"
hum!
Engine starts at full power.
The Fire Clan sensed that their ship had suddenly started moving, and the captain seemed to be ordering the entire fleet to move toward the nearest planet.
What on earth happened?!
It wanted to ask, but its discipline prevented it from speaking. Finally, it reached the first deck, where the darkness had already been illuminated by the firelight from the explosion.
The Fire Clan member raised its head, and when its eyes reflected what it saw, its mouth opened involuntarily.
Around the Guardian-class mothership, all the small and medium-sized ships that had sheltered it were shattered, their remains drifting near the Guardian-class mothership, striking its hull.
Explosions and fires were everywhere.
What kind of being could have directly torn their fleet apart?!
The Fire Clan thought incredulously, feeling its mind collapse. A huge shadow descended, obscuring the sky-covering explosion. Now there was no one to command it, and all the Titanium were plunged into unbelievable terror.
So, it slowly, very slowly turned its head back.
Directly above the Guardian-class mothership, the dark gray monster stared silently at them, not even starting its engines, gliding through the airspace purely by some strange power.
The monster was so large, as big as a satellite, that it stared at the collapsing titanium with a malicious, amused look—
【Hello. 】
On the Resilience, Mortarian flicked the microphone in front of him and calmly spoke,
His words will be faithfully relayed and heard by those alien races.
Go to hell.
Death said calmly, "Goodbye."
He then shut down the communication.
Compared to the Empire, the strength of the Titans' ships was indeed somewhat lower than Mortalian's expectations.
That's it! Great!
The only problem with writing about titanium now is that its combat power is vague, and both titanium enthusiasts and titanium haters seem to have fabricated a lot of false information, making it time-consuming to verify.
Chapter 756 Try Again
How weak.
How boring!
[If you can't keep quiet on your own, I can help you hoarse your voice, Conrad Coates.]
[You lack a proper sense of humor, Mortalian—you should learn to find ways to have fun more often.]
【…】
In the dark dungeon corridor, between a scythe strike on Conrad's head and silence, Mortarion decisively chose to use physical means, naturally and easily dodging Conrad, who was carrying a handful of Tau skulls.
If you continue to be this noisy,
Mortarian calmly withdrew his scythe; he hadn't hit anything, so nothing happened.