Chapterr 448 (1/2)
An hour had passed and the cloud had spread out. Where before it had been nearly fifty miles at the base and a hundred miles at the top, it had spread out to over a hundred miles at the base and a hundred and thirty at the top. The cloud rippled with lightning and flashes could be seen deep inside.
It had reached the suburbs of all four nearby cities, two of them it was into the outskirts.
”Sisters of Wrath and the Sons of Hateful Mars have still not launched,” Ensign Yvera said from her console.
The Admiral looked at the holotank again, where grav-shock warnings, temporal dissonance warnings, and just plain atomic detonations were spiking off every second.
The Admiral had never thought he'd consider multiple rapidfire atomic detonations in the 400 kiloton range to be 'just plain' in his worst nightmares.
”Raise the Sisters of Wrath,” the Admiral ordered.
The holotank wiped away the view of the dust cloud where First Telkan was engaged, to be replaced by the ornate wallpaper of the Sisters of Wrath. After a moment it flickered and a large female Terran, clad in ornate Imperium armor appeared.
”Joan Anath, you were supposed to make planetfall thirty-eight minutes ago,” the Admiral started.
”You have deployed a Knight Æsir encased in Novastar Armor in Valkyrie mode,” the Joan said, her strong brown-skinned face was both stern and furious. ”Explain yourself, Admiral.”
Admiral Shtuklar frowned. ”What?”
”Your warplan ordered us to make planetary landing, yet you have deployed a Knight Æsir to that planet. Why was I not informed you have set upon an Exterminus Ragnarok for this world?” the Joan asked.
”Exterminus Ragnarok?” the Admiral said. ”What...”
”Is it your opinion that due to Dwellerspawn infestation this world cannot be saved and it will soon become a breeding world, threatening all worlds around it?” The Joan asked.
”No, which is why you were supposed to land to reinforce First Telkan once they established a landing zone and began to pull the enemy toward them and away from the city,” the Admiral said.
”You claim we are to assist the Noble Telkan Martial Order and their Pater Belli , yet you have deployed a Knight Æsir and order us to assist him,” the Joan said.
”Why haven't you?” The Admiral asked.
The Joan shook her head, her pleated hair clicking as the beads and metal tokens in the tightly woven plaits shook. ”We will not insult a Knight Æsir by inferring he suffers from weakness. He needs no reinforcement. Again, why have you declared an Exterminus Ragnarok upon this world?”
”No. I deployed Sergeant Casey to...” the Admiral started.
The Joan's expression changed to something that made everyone in the command center gape in shock.
Fear.
”Thou hast released an Æsir Ring Breaker upon this world, Admiral?” the Joan whispered. It took a moment for the holotank to translate her speech, making her lips out of synch with her words. ”Art thou maddened? Didst thou restrain such a creature with spells and incantations? With whispered orders and secret commands? Didst thou not commune with a norn to restrain the living embodiment of humanity's wrath and hate? Didst thou bind an cailleach armúr to the Ring Breaker?”
The Admiral frowned. ”Do a what now?”
”Thou didst not!” the Joan proclaimed, her face horrified. She stared at the screen. ”We shall protect and succor the gentle people of this world, but thou art as wind and dust unto the Sisters of Mercury's Blessing. We shalt not heed thy warnings nor thy requests.”
The channel suddenly closed.
”Shall I contact the Martial Order of...” the Communications officer started to ask.
The holotank fuzzed and a young girl appeared. Her face was round, covered in pink and white fur. Her eyes burned with pink fire, and the tips of her white cat-ears were tufted with pink. Her armor was thick, heavy, baroque, scarred and marked, painted white and pink with a bird of prey done in burning pink warsteel on her chest.
”Doki? DOKI? ಠ益ಠ DOKI?!” she exclaimed. She pointed at the holotank. ”Hideo kawaii (◕︵◕) doki (◕︵◕) doki (⊙︿⊙✿) neko (⊙︿⊙✿)neko minikui ̿̿’̿’̵͇̿̿=(•̪●)=/̵͇̿̿/’̿̿ ̿ ̿ ̿ desu?!?!”
”Uhh...” the Admiral said.
”(┛◉Д◉)┛彡┻━┻ ” she screamed.
The holotank cut off.
”Did anyone understand that?” the Admiral said, trying to put levity in his tone.
”The last part. Kind of,” Commodore Asshesha said. His reptillian face was still stiff with anger, his spinal ridge spines were still lifted, and his fan-like crests around his neck were still out and shaking slightly.
”Well, Commodore?” the Admiral asked.
”She said you were an idiot and have killed everyone on the planet and she thinks you are a fool who should be thrown out the airlock,” the Commodore said.
Admiral Shtuklar went rigid with anger. ”I beg your pardon!”
”That was her words, not mine,” he said.
”It was gibberish, everyone knows that,” the Admiral said, glaring.
”Sir,” another tech said. Shtuklar turned and looked at the ensign, who was pointing at the holotank.
The computer had managed to translate the girl's speech.
YOU IDIOT NO KAWAII HAVE/WILL/DID KILLED/DEADED AN ENTIRE PLANET I SHOULD THROW/HURL/HUCK YOU A NO KAWAII FOOL OUT AN OPEN AIRLOCK was scrolling across the bottom.
”Oh,” the Admiral said.
”Sir, transmission from Terra Will Not Yield, flagship of the Martial Order of Hateful Mars,” the ensign said.
”Put him through to...” the Admiral started.
The holotank rippled and the patrician features of a Terran in full Imperium Marine armor appeared.
”Explain yourself, Admiral,” the man said, his voice as cold as liquid helium.
”I was not made aware of the status of...” Shtuklar started.
”You were not aware of the weapon in your midst?” the man sounded disbelieving. ”You were not aware that you have deployed an Æsir Ring Breaker onto the surface of a planet still occupied by civilians?”
”I...”
”You deployed a fully armed and operational Knight Æsir clad in Holy Armor but you were not aware of it?” the man asked.
”His service record merely shows extensive power armor experience and then non-combat arms postings,” Admiral Shtuklar said.
”Were you not aware that V Corps (Old Metal) is a World Breaker armed unit?” the Imperium Commander asked, raising one eyebrow. ”For it's history, since the Dawning of the Age of Blessed Atomic Fire, V Corps has always held the power of humanity's ability of ultimate destruction in its hands.”
The commander leaned forward. ”Explain yourself, Admiral, why you have declared an Exterminus Ragnarok upon this planet and why you have deployed an Æsir Ring Breaker.”
”The situation is desperate. Virtually all of the Terran Descent Human soldiers are dead. 3rd Armor and 8th Infantry have been wiped out. For all intent and purposes, 7th Army is wiped out,” the Admiral said.
”The situation is always desperate, Admiral, that is why it is called war and battle,” The Imperium Marine Commander shook his head. ”Humanity is always on the brink of extermination. It is our place within this, the malevolent and hateful universe that is our mother, to be harried and scourged so as to temper us as the wrath plasma of Holy Mars tempers the warsteel blade.”
The Admiral swallowed, his head reeling. Normally the Martial Orders were strictly former, with little to no communication with Confederate units.
Now he was being yelled at by people that had been widely called ”The Idiots” for longer than the Admiral had been alive.
”We will interlock with commanders on the ground. We are uninterested in any attempts at coordination of combat from you, Admiral,” the Preceptor said. He made a chopping motion and the holotank cleared.
Admiral Shtuklar managed to take one deep breath before the holotank rippled, fuzzed, and then somewhat cleared.
The image was grainy, flickering, shot through with static. In the middle were two hugely muscled beings with dark black hair, tusks, wide faces, serrated ears, and heavy lower jaws. They were fist fighting until one, who appeared to be wearing several wigs, punched the other on the point of the chin with an upper cut. The victim went stiff then fell offscreen. The winner turned and faced the Admiral.
”YOU! YOU SEND RING BREAKER! YOU TRY TO MAKE SONS OF VENUS LAND ON PLANET!” the huge green monster roared, blowing spittle. ”YOU TRY TO BREAK SONS OF VENUS?” the last part was barely a question.
”No, no, he was deployed in the wrong config...” the Admiral started.
”YOU NOT KNOW? WHY YOU HAVE SUCH NICE HAT IF SO STUPID?” the green creature roared. ”TOO STUPID!” he turned and pointed at Ensign Rawglishin, a well muscled Rigellian female. ”YOU! YOU STRONG! STAB HIM! STAB HIM NOW! TAKE HIS HAT!”
The ensign gaped at the green figure for a long moment.
”TAKE HIS HAT AND WOMEN!”
”Uhh...”