Warhammer : The last hope of the 30th millennium

Chapter 2: Reinforcement of the Future

Since the landing site massacre, the overall organization of the three legions—Iron Hands, Salamanders, and Raven Guard—has been disbanded. The mixed team, composed of Bucky and others, harassed the traitors through elusive guerrilla tactics.

But on a planet completely controlled by the enemy, the living space for the loyalists was rapidly shrinking. The enemy was killing the survivors through constant fire bombardments.

They had to leave this damn planet, escape the traitors' encirclement, strike them where they least expected, and let their blood dry on the road to Terra.

"We still have the Sisyphum. After being repaired and upgraded by the Iron Father, we can use it to leave here."

A gleam of light flashed in Nykona's eyes. The Warmaster's ambition had ruined the glory of the Great Crusade. Most of the soldiers of the three legions had been killed. The next target of the Warmaster would undoubtedly be the throne world of mankind—Holy Terra.

The tempo of war had to be wrested back from the enemy.

But to evacuate to the Sisyphum, hidden in space, they needed to break through the blockade of the damn traitors.

"We still have to find a way to reach the Sisyphum. Although the main force of the traitors has left, the remaining enemies are still beyond our ability to handle."

Bucky was about to say something else when a violent scream suddenly came from outside. It was a warning—the air was being torn apart, and death was about to strike.

Heavy firepower coverage!

As a clan warrior of the Iron Hands Legion, Bucky was well aware that this was the bombardment from heavy vehicles and artillery.

Their shameless traitorous brethren, the Iron Warriors, were particularly adept at this.

Even though they were underground, with thick rock and soil as a cushion, the people hiding below were still shaken to their knees, a dull pain in their chests despite their power armor.

"Too many brothers stronger than me have died in this indiscriminate bombardment..."

Nykona sighed silently. In the face of such devastating firepower, stealth skills seemed useless.

The bombing continued, and Bucky's face became increasingly grim.

He noticed that the traitors' firepower was increasing, and the density of fire was rising.

This meant they already knew the coordinates. The noose was tightening.

"Those Death Guards were bait."

"Notify the soldiers to continue evacuating through the underground tunnels. We have to try!"

---

Deep within the mantle of Isstvan V, a one-kilometer-long metal ship drifted through the endless flow of molten magma.

Faced with the pressure of hundreds of millions of tons of rock and soil, even the hardest refined gold of the human empire would have struggled against such forces. Yet, this long-dormant ship moved freely in the magma, like a fish in water.

The planet's geological activity drove this human creation.

As the ship restarted, the stasis field generator in the core compartment shut down, and the sound of system self-checks echoed.

[Level 1 protocol initiated]

[Information entropy reading completed]

[Vacuum zero-point energy engine initiated]

A voice that had been silent for ten thousand years reappeared in the command center of Red Alert.

After a period of adaptation, Bucky finally recovered from his ten-thousand-year hibernation. He ordered the starship's computer to go online and begin maneuvering.

The Red Alert was in perfect condition, as if it had just left the laboratory, untouched by time.

A beam of blue plasma burst from the rear engines, and the Red Alert began accelerating through the incredibly dense magma.

The ship's hull was shielded by a thin energy barrier, and the decomposition field at its bow shattered any rock formations blocking its path.

At the same time, Nykona and the others, still evacuating through the underground tunnels, suddenly sensed an unusual vibration.

The perceptive Son of the Dark Raven, using the sensors in his power armor, realized that the shockwaves were different from the bombardments outside. This disturbance was coming from deep below.

Not only that, but Nykona's twin hearts pounded violently, and his cerebral cortex felt as though invisible needles were piercing it—an overwhelming sense of crisis.

It was the same feeling he had experienced when he first landed and saw his own warships being torn apart by lance strikes and macro-cannon fire, crashing down into the planet's gravity well.

He and the Iron Hands warriors abruptly changed direction, sprinting through the underground passages, ignoring the risk of exposing themselves to enemy sensors.

Then, a faint light broke through the ground. Rocks tumbled into the opening and were disintegrated by an invisible force.

"Emperor! What is that? An underground rebel craft?"

The Iron Hands warriors were stunned. Before them stood a massive ship, its sheer size making it impossible to see where it began or ended. Its gleaming prow obliterated everything in its path.

Had they not changed direction in time, they would have been crushed by this unknown mechanical behemoth tearing through the earth.

Bucky's electronic eyes scanned the intruder, running it against the Legion's database.

[Comparison failed. No matching records found.]

Their retreat was blocked. The Emperor's warriors tightened their grips on their bolters and power swords, ready for death.

These survivors of the Istvaan massacre feared nothing.

"Hold your fire. This might not be a traitor's vessel. We need to assess the situation first."

Bucky restrained his warriors from opening fire.

This mysterious ship could travel freely through a planet's crust and mantle. There was no way they could challenge something of this magnitude without overwhelming firepower.

---

Even in space battles, Astartes required boarding torpedoes or teleport beacons to storm enemy ships.

The Iron Warriors above had intensified their bombardment, their firepower now focused on the unusual seismic activity below.

Nykona was certain that their pursuers weren't just a small detachment—Terminators clad in heavy armor and bristling with weaponry were closing in.

Suddenly, the giant ship stopped. It had noticed them.

Debris tumbled from the rock ceiling, clanging against their armor.

Then, as tension mounted, a four-meter-high hatch hissed open on the ship's side, venting high-pressure gas.

Until that moment, none of them had even seen a door in the ship's smooth hull.

It was just large enough for their power-armored forms to enter.

Nykona and Bucky exchanged glances.

Why was the owner of this mysterious ship so confident in letting them in?

There was no Sky Eagle emblem, no Imperial Navy insignia.

The hull was sleek, a single piece of silver-white metal, devoid of welding seams or rivets.

Imperial warships typically had macro-cannons and lance arrays lining their flanks, but this vessel bore no visible weapons.

"Could it be an alien craft? It doesn't look Imperial, and I've never heard of a vessel that can burrow through planetary crust!"

An Iron Hands warrior voiced his confusion.

A Salamander beside him, towering even over his comrades, muttered darkly:

"If it belongs to the Dark Eldar, we'll board it and slaughter them all."

The Astartes advanced cautiously, weapons raised.

Inside, the ship's interior gleamed silver, lit by an unseen source.

Then, suddenly—

"Boom!"

The hatch sealed behind them, its edges liquefying and merging seamlessly with the hull.

A Salamander Apothecary instinctively reached for his last melta bombs.

"I suggest you not attack my ship, warriors. Let's talk."

A human voice.

All bolters swiveled in its direction.

And there stood a man—1.75 meters tall, with a muscular build and an air of vitality.

He did not fear them.

He did not even seem fazed.

Bucky met their gaze.

"Before I answer your questions, tell me—what are you, and what is happening in this war?"