Chapter 86: I won’t go if the staff officer goes there. If the staff officer is unlucky, I’ll listen to music
Kane once killed a variant of Leviathan on an active volcano in a dead world. The behemoth, which had been crippled by a fleet attack, still dragged half of the battle group into hell. Whether it was Kane or Qi Fan, I don’t want to believe this news. Although there are many bugs in Damocles Bay today, this is the first time I have seen a fleet of this number and size outside the Damocles Bay.
"Most of the swarm fleet is surrounded by loyal Imperial Navy, preventing them from attacking the human world, but where did this one come from?"
Qi Fan raised the question because the empire had already made basic discoveries. For example, when the size of the insect swarm became ridiculously large, the subspace signals and electrical signals around them would disappear inexplicably. The empire relied entirely on the huge fleet size and painful The cost is to limit most bugs to a controllable range.
The senior Tau official replied. "Two hills ago, about twenty months in human time, an exploration ship was shipwrecked in Koreval de Marches (the fallen Imperial world, probably in the Tau territory in the Gulf of Damocles). This is the last message from the messenger drone.”
The screen in front of everyone at this moment shows the basic construction logic of the drone. It is an introduction to what it is, and it is carefully labeled in Gothic. It seems that it is equipped with a simple low-intelligence AI system, thrusters, and information storage equipment. , a thing the size of a person.
Because the Tau do not have astropaths, they can only rely on this method to communicate. This also makes their communicators escape the will of the Great Devourer because it is a physical transmission method.
In addition to such letter drones, the Tau also have letter ships specialized in information communication. However, there is no doubt that such means are sufficient for their current size. If their scope of activities continues to expand, divisions will inevitably occur. , voyage time and information transport would allow them to begin existing on worlds that had not been patrolled for decades, centuries, and millennia.
But at present, it is definitely barely enough. The Titanium still have confidence in the ability to develop ultra-long-distance communication, and the deep-diving engine is something they are proud of.
The massacre on the big screen continued, and the horrific scenes from the scientific research vessel looked like a highly realistic science fiction short film, with trembling cameras, electromagnetic fluctuations that appeared from time to time, and screams.
The star's light illuminated the terrifying beast, Kane quickly realized. "Why didn't the screen move?" As expected of a staff officer, he immediately thought of why he didn't run. It's difficult for normal people's brain circuits to rotate like this, but he did get the point right.
"According to the recovered data, the engine was already running at full speed at that time." Al'Hasay said seriously. "We suspect the ship is held in place in some way, either by tightening tentacles or clenching claws, depending on the pressure on the hull."
Qi Fan nodded. "I've seen this happen a few times. They rammed a ship, captured it, and then sent those killer bugs in to wipe out the crew."
At this time, the swarms of insects were filling the entire holographic image, and the image became more and more terrifying. Alan Bair had to admit that he was slightly relieved when the image finally disappeared in a burst of static electricity.
The senior Tau official continued. "Actually, we recovered this drone two months ago. Relying on ranging calculations, the insect swarm invasion force will come from "Rem" (the eastern edge of the Gulf of Damocles) to the Gulf of Damocles, and then Eat all the way along the road...to where we are now, and then look for the next target..."
He switched to the star map, which marked the Imperial world in red, blue as the Titanium world, and green as the neutral world, that is, without a master. Of course, there were many problems in it, such as some worlds that were clearly owned by the Empire but had turned blue. Ailan Bayer could almost hear Commander-in-Chief Qifan making a heart-wrenching sound as he bit his teeth.
"If the Tyranid fleet keeps moving at the same speed, they will enter the border area within a few weeks."
"This line stretches out on its own, repeatedly cutting the tortuous border between our two forces."
"This is equivalent to putting more than a dozen inhabited worlds in danger." Qi Fan's tone sounded like he was determined to announce all the bad news in one go.
"If the Tyranid fleet manages to absorb this much biomass, it will become unstoppable."
"Therefore, we propose to shelve the current dispute between you and us." Al-Hasay nodded solemnly. "This is a requirement of the Greater Good."
Qi Fan also nodded. He was still trying to suppress his anger of wanting to kill the alien. "I think you're right," he finally agreed.
What's amazing is that Qi Fan's vision and attitude as the commander-in-chief of the empire are very similar to Alan Bair's handling methods. They even thought that the indissoluble bond between the empire's hero Staff Kane and the Greater Good could change the situation the empire faces. The state of the swarm.
The final meeting included some discussion and judgment on how to deal with Quadra Vidia. Finally, Qifan decided to return to the flagship headquarters of the battleship group and the staff on the ground to discuss the matter with General Braddick.
"We can't just give up on Quadra Vidia." General Braddick leaned on one of the chairs around the large number of data monitors, emphasizing his assertion hysterically.
Faced with Qifanna's luxurious private residence and the presence of the supreme commander of the Eastern Defense Zone Defense Force himself, the general remained unmoved and still chose to speak out.
After all, he had been fighting hard in that world for several years. The insect skirmishers, the Tau, and the rebellion had all been dealt with by the Imperial Guard. It was certainly impossible for him to give up on this world now, and Alan Bair, as an infantry regiment, felt like this. The military officer who was born has experienced it personally.
Now, a group of imperial officers and officers gathered in the combat command room of the imperial flagship. The messy, haphazardly welded pipes and emergency assembly cables made the whole room cluttered.
Before the renovation, this place was obviously a cargo hold or an arsenal. This was the choice of Commander-in-Chief Qi Fan's flagship. He would choose the largest warship in the fleet and then occupy the largest space at will. But for the navy, this is It is easy to manage. Not every imperial navy can have such a good relationship with the captain of the Bordeaux and Alan Bair.
But the reality is that the design and requisition here are both practical and comfortable for the veterans of the Astra Militarum. Generally speaking, if Alan Bair reaches this position one day, he will do the same.
"No, no, of course we will not give up Cuadra Vidia." The commander-in-chief assured Braddick at this moment, and as usual he appreciated the soldier's straightforward way of speaking. "But you can only stay with a token garrison."
Braddick smiled sadly. "Then the situation has not changed."
"Don't forget that the Tau will also withdraw their troops." Kane reminded him, and now the holographic image in the command room was shaking in the way that the Imperials were accustomed to. It was blurry, although it was not clear in the first place.
The mechanic in charge of it blessed it in a low voice and used the robotic arm to hit the already dented instrument panel, allowing the star field displayed in the image to refocus.
Qi Fan nodded at him and expressed his gratitude. "Generally speaking, the Tau are diverting resources to strengthen the defenses of the three systems belonging to them on the edge of the Gulf of Damocles." When he pointed out the locations of those, the corresponding icons glowed affectionately with a rather ugly green light.
Compared with the technology of the Tau, the empire's holographic images and tactical instructions are simply too... Alan Bair can't describe it, but he believes that the holographic images of humans in the Dark Ages must have been lifelike. After all, he is experiencing that kind of fighting now. Aim assist that looks like cheating in the game.
"So they are preparing to pack up and leave now?" Mr. Braddick's tone was a bit subtle. After all, he had been fighting titanium on the ground for so long, and suddenly told him that those blue-skinned people were leaving without any conspiracy?
After all, in the tone of the Empire, the Greater Good can be translated as greatly good, or becoming better. If the aliens become better, will the Imperial people suffer?
In the end, it was the commander-in-chief's explanation that interrupted Alan Bayer's thoughts. "The Tau are complete pragmatists." Qi Fan said.
"For them, if they continue to waste precious war resources here, causing them to fail to block the Tyranid offensive and lose the other three star systems, then there is no point in continuing to hold on here."
"Envoy Al-Hasay assured us that their troops will complete the retreat early before we prepare to evacuate this system." Qifan said.
And this is the reality. The Titanium is taking away all their power in a whirlwind. It can be said that all the fleets stationed on the ground and in orbit are planning to mobilize. After all, they know the information two months before the empire.
In the next world, the Astra Militarum only needs to be responsible for the small Tyranid troops that appeared due to the invasion, but those things are just detectors and do not even have node creatures. Such troops are very common in the Empire. They suddenly appear in an area in small numbers. Many, it will take hundreds or even thousands of years after the destruction is completed before the main force of Tyranid forces will come over.
Obviously, if it weren't for Titanium's early warning, the Empire might still think it would be business as usual.
General Braddick nodded. He was very worried about the bugs, but he was a defeated general before and now he was victorious. It was inevitable that he felt complicated inside.
Commander-in-Chief Qi Fan complained again. "Those titans made demands before they left, and they need compensation."
Braddick frowned. "They dare!"
Qi Fan noticed that he had used the wrong vocabulary. "No, they want to compensate the world as an apology for invading this world..."
"They asked their merchant corps and engineering troops to stay here to help rebuild the city, and even sent food to the empire's residents."
"It will definitely include full-time preaching of subversion and heresy." Braddick snorted.
Qi Fan and Kane nodded in unison, while Alan Bayer still felt familiar when he recalled this incident. After all, a country starting with M had done this before.
"In general, the Tau have proposed compensation, and the Governor is willing to accept this proposal." Kane said in his most sophisticated tone.
"Because your Excellency the Governor is a narcissist and a born imbecile who only sees benefits but no harm." Qi Fan added in a tone that was not tactful at all.
This time, all the officers in the command room, as long as they had seen the planetary governor, couldn't help but nod.
Qi Fan coughed, interrupting the strange atmosphere here. "Let's get down to business." He opened the star map.
"There is only one road before us." Qi Fan said. A world on the Imperial side of the border glowed with a crimson light, indicating that it belonged to the Adeptus Mechanicus.
"The forging world of Fekundia, he built most of the ammunition and vehicles in our area of Damocles Bay."
"But the bug will probably not choose this world, because behind it is a Tau family world. If I were a bug, compared to a feast full of biomass, it would still be an almost hollowed-out forging world. Obviously, I don't need to go too far. Select.”
Kane was instantly interested. "In other words, those titaniums will become the empire's death-free gold medal?"
Qi Fan smiled. "Even better, but we still need to select a regiment of troops to go to that Tau world for so-called cultural exchanges."
"This is a difficult task, because we need someone to monitor every move of the Tau, and the Tau also need Imperial soldiers in their hands to ensure the so-called peaceful alliance, and the Tau's reporting to the Empire is too slow, and battleships are needed to carry stars. Whisperers help them combine information ”
"The problem now is that we need someone to go to the forge world of Fekundia to protect the empire's area, and we need someone to go to the world of Tau as a chess piece of the empire."
"Both tasks are almost equally important."
Kane said without hesitation. "I will go to the Forge World, even though it is very close to the swarm."
Commander-in-Chief Qi Fan expressed satisfaction with Kane's courage and strong motivation. Of course, he hoped that Kane would go to the world of Tau as a reporter, because the communication in the Tau world was too slow, and the Imperial Fleet's Astropaths were also needed.
"Then, who goes to that Tau world?"
Alan Bair is no longer silent at this moment, because wherever Staff Kane goes, the insects will definitely go there. He is the chosen one, and he has his own enemy-absorbing physique.
"Sir, in order to express your help to the Bordero, and since I have served under you during this period, and have traveled with the Tau for a period of time, I think I can represent the empire in that world."
This sentence made all the officers here express their respect and recognition for this "little-known" (referring to the Terra Star badge) lieutenant colonel, and Commander-in-Chief Qi Fan nodded.
"Soldiers of the Emperor, you have truly fulfilled your duties. Then I am ordering the Imperial Lunar-class strike cruiser Bordeleau and the Imperial Fourth Infantry Regiment from the Skadi World to go on a diplomatic mission to the Tau world at this moment!"
"The senior staff officer of the Kaifas Cain Empire and his Valhalla 597 regiment are heading to the forging world of Fekundia!"
"Kai Kai Kai Fas Kane! The great hero of the empire!"
——A concise summary of Kane’s career
"I'm just a piece of shit! A big liar!" - Kane's concise summary of his career
(End of chapter)