Chapter 23: New Enemies

Fredrick was reviewing a series of reports within his planetary command center, the old strategy room of his predecessor.

A breakout attempt of a mutant psyker had been contained, at substantial loss and damage to to the inner workings of his Psyker control operation. The prototype for the IG-200 series IG-190 had dealt with the creature but had been heavily damaged in the process. Most of the droid staff had been destroyed, but several had been in repairable states while others had been scrapped for parts.

He had trouble believing what had happened, actually occurred.

Other reports were positive, his military was accumulating strength, new frigates were joining the Confederate navy, and the two providence class destroyers were approaching completion.

B7782 was at work nearby, his attendant tactical droids chattering in their low monotones.

A high priority signal appeared, jumping to the top of his list of reports. It bore the code signature of HK-217, Fleet Admiral.

"Lord, we are ready to begin preparations."

Fredrick rose to his feet, and addressed the command center.

"Make ready my droid armies. We have discovered our next target for conquest."

The command staff reacted quickly. Tactical and Super Tactical droids snapped to inform their numerous sub commanders.

B7782 approached Fredrick,

"Lord, what is our target? In order to properly bring the correct force to bear against our target we need to know what it is."

"B7782, we will be briefed on the target system by HK-217"

A shuttle was enroute to carry them to the Star Hammer. HK-217 had prepared an immense amount of data on the subject.

The shuttle touched down on the ground and they walked aboard it. A quartet of Rogue class Starfighters hovered in formation around it.

A pair of Magnaguards in the white of Fredrick's guard entered the shuttle, cloaks flapping in the engine wash behind them.

The ramp came up and the hull sealed in preparation for leaving the atmosphere.

The shuttle landed in the hangar of the Star Hammer, Fredrick was greeted by an entire of battalion of battle droids arranged in parade formation. A super tactical droid, awaited him, by his color markings, a high ranking naval officer. Next to the droid was Captain Roidic, her hair bound in a tight professional bun and her confederate navy uniform crisp.

When his metal feet touched the floor of the Star Hammer, the droids as one raised a salute. A group of D-100 assault droids and several B-3 Ultra battle droids stood in salute.

"Welcome to the admiral ship, Star Hammer. We've made all the preparations for your arrival Lord Fredrick."

Fredrick kept walking past them, towering over the organic and droid officer.

"We have brought the fleet to readiness Lord, the all vessels are fully loaded and prepared to bring our droids to war."

"Good, I will assume command during the initial engagements, HK-217 has prepared the navy, correct?"

"Yes, they merely await your command."

They waited as the doors of the flagship's bridge opened and Fredrick saw HK-217 and a collection of high ranking naval droids clustered around a strategic display.

"You have asked for me HK-217?"

The droids turned to face him and rendered a salute, a few stepping aside to get out HK-217's way.

"Lord, we have found another inhabited system. Another Imperial planet, however there is a complication."

Fredrick waited while the hololith stabilized and an image of a Imperial Battlefleet materialized.

"One of our scout vessels has detected a major force concentration in that system. Three enemy Cruisers and several escort flotillas lead by light cruisers."

"So its too tough of an target for our current fleet. I won't risk our Lurcehulks against enemy cruisers, not without more support."

Fredrick turned to face HK-217.

"Given our encounters with the new enemy, how do you rate our effectiveness in a campaign against them?"

Captain Roidic interrupted HK-217,

"Lord, we have inbound hostiles."

Emergency klaxons started blaring and the hololith resolved itself into an image of a series of dagger shaped vessels.

"Based off their emergence point and heading we will have an hour to prepare."

Fredrick stared at the hololith, noting the estimated tonnage and length of these vessels. Of particular note to him was immense Lance batteries on their broadsides.

"We have sally forth to meet them. Have the loose transports fall back from our fleet. Nothing smaller than a Munificent should engage enemy forces."

The deck shook as the Star Hammer's engines roared, accelerating the stationary battleship.

"Captains return to your ships, and fall into formation with the Star Hammer."

These raiders would not endanger the invasion fleet, Fredrick would make that certain.

The enemy fleet wasn't as large as the Confederate Navy, but even its smallest vessels dwarfed their counterparts. The sole exception was the Lucrehulks, both of which had matched themselves against enemy cruisers before and survived.

Resculant destroyers sped past the Star Hammer, while the Confederate lumbered alongside it, the pair of battleships forming the center around which the Munificent frigates formed up around in a picket ring.

On the Star Hammer's bridge Fredrick watched as the enemy sped towards them, had they arrived at a closer point they probably would've engaged before the fleet could transition into a combat formation.

Fredrick watched as hundreds of droid fighters streaked by, thousands streaming towards the enemy fleet, while the heavier slower droid bombers made up the rear.

"Broadcast on all frequencies I'm sending a message."

An OOM droid hurried to carry out his order.

"Broadcasting sir." Came the high pitched confirmation.

"This is Lord Fredrick, you are in MY system, surrender you vessels to me and I will spare your lives. Offer resistance and I will annihilate your fleet."

Fredrick made a cutting gesture and the droid cut the video.

"Enemy ships are maintaining course, we are headed to optimal firing range for our turbolasers."

A red lance strike cut off whatever else the droid staff had to say as it impacted against the star hammers shield. Other lighter weaponry began impacting the immense force fields that protected the Lurcehulks.

A squadron of escorts, a menagerie of classes faced off with the Munificents and Resculants while the pair of Providence destroyers engaged the immense cruisers of the chaos fleet alongside the battleships.

Shouting could be heard all over the bridge. Fredrick watched as tactical droids and super tactical droids coordinated turbolaser batteries and fighter wings.

HK-217 was pressing the more numerous droid fleet into a close range fight with the enemy vessels. An enemy macro cannon broadside shattered one of the frigates as the enemy cruiser raked towards the Confederate, it's void shields shedding turbo laser fire from the lesser ships of the CIS navy like rain.

"Bring all quad batteries to a firing solution along the enemy capital ship, deploy Hyena wings to attack its Lance turrets!" HK-217 ordered his subordinate droids.

One of the enemy's destroyers was ripped apart in a reactor explosion as one of the Providence destroyers and a pair of munificents pierced it's hull plating in a massive turbolaser and proton torpedo barrage.

"We have reports of boarding parties in the Confederate, the enemy is rampaging along its portside wing!" A tactical droid stated, nervousness coming through even on its mechanical voice.

"ACTIVATE ALL DROIDS ABOARD THE BATTLESHIPS!" Roared Fredrick, the vocalizaler in his armor making it grinding roar.

An enemy light cruiser of a similar type to the one seen earlier was disgorging another wave of fighters towards the Star Hammer, massive beams of energy streaming from its lance turret.

"Deploying boarding shuttles!" said a Super Tactical Droid.

Fredrick tracked their progress towards the enemy, watching as defensive fire thinned their numbers and enemy fighters clashed with their Vulture droid escorts.

A wing of Rogue class fighters intercepted many of the enemy's starfighters and small explosions rippled as they destroyed each other.

They were further winnowed by enemy turrets, sprays of auto cannons shredding the small craft, but they were numerous and some made it inside the enemy hangar bays to disgorge their Super Battle Droids.

Turbolasers splashed against the vessel's void shields as a trio of light destroyers opened fire with their spinal armaments.

One of the enemy cruisers was still dueling the Star Hammer, its massive fighter bays and guns trading blow with the enhanced battleship.

"One minute to shield failure under this barrage!" Reported a tactical droid, bearing the yellow markings of a damage control officer.

"First, Third and Sixth batteries are cycling out for cooldown, transferring tibanna gas flows to Second, Fourth and Eighth batteries."

An explosion rippled out across space as the immense lance batteries of the second enemy cruiser targeted and shattered one of the Providence destroyers.

Tri fighters sped past the Star Hammer's bridge trailing a flight of enemy fighters.

"Reports of enemy star fighters landing on the ship, attacking our main batteries."

"Rerouting the 50th Squadron."

"Reactor output is holding steady."

A torrent of droids all communicating and giving orders surrounded Fredrick as he watched the battle unfold.

The surviving Providence Destroyer was dueling one of the enemy's escorts, a strange vessel with a quartet of forward jutting spines and a potent forward cannon. It was being ravaged by proton torpedo barrages and reports from its captain said they had boarding teams in the vessel.

Plasma shots were scourging the Confederate's shields as the enemy cruiser made another pass, its sheer bulk interrupting the engagements of the smaller combatants. A pair of frigates using their spinal mounts had managed to maneuver into its rear arc while it was preoccupied with destroying the Battleship.

The orange tinted ordinance impacting the shields while an occasional thick beam of red energy signaled a Lance discharge. The Confederate was holding firm until Dreadclaws made contact with its hull. A tide of Heretics and Cultists poured into the droid warship, at their head were the Word Bearers, their red armored forms towering over any of their subordinates.

The tide of faith met the steel forms of the Confederate's garrison, swelled as it was by the invasion preparation. Super Battle Droids gunned down the unarmored cultists, autogun fire deflecting off their reinforced bodies.

Gouts of dirty flame burst forth and these first droid defenders fell, their circuitry scorched by the flames heat. But these were but the first of the Battleship's defenders.

B1 droids advanced in great mass upon the breach points, B2s and Droidekas intermingled with their lesser brethren. They advanced like they would have onto prior boarding attempts, either against clones, or much more recently against Voidsmen. They were no match for the Chaos Space Marines that formed the hardened core of the boarding action.

Bolter and heavy bolter fire joined the barrage, felling even the shielded droidekas with sustained bombardment. Yet even as this wave was destroyed, more droids advanced to take their place.

A squad of ten D-100 assault droids advanced, their shields activated. They smashed into several squads of heretic soldiers, stubber rounds liquified or redirected by their shields. Hails of repeating blaster fire scoured the slaves of the Word Bearers. It failed to repulse the Word Bearers themselves.

Bolt rounds exploded on the energy fields that shielded the assault droids and strange purple bolts replaced the bursts of red blaster fire. One struck a cultist who was standing in front of one of the Chaos marines. He burst into flames as the high energy bolt flash boiled all the water in his body.

"VOLKITES" shouted one of the other Chaos Marines. The alarm in his voice evident. Tails of those dreaded heresy weapons had been passed down by several of the highest ranking Chosen who had been veterans of that conflict.

One of the massive machines advanced out of the smoke that had filled the area. One of its arms had a trio of weapons barrels poking from it, one larger than its others, glowing from the immense amount of energy that had passed through it.

It raised a claw that crackled with purple lightning and crushed the torso of one their mortal slaves, hurling it onto the Marine who was firing his heavy bolter into the corridor.

Another of the giant droids clashed with their squad's champion, catching his power maul in its immense fist, the power field clashing with the crackling purple energy wreathing its fist.

He ducked his head as the droid fired its repeating blaster cannon, and gut shot the beast with his bolt pistol. The D-100 lurched from the impact, and released the power maul.

He used this opportunity to strike, and smashed down his weapon upon its upper body, causing a portion of its thick armor plating to bend inwards.

A scream came out across the squad vox. The marine entrusted with the heavy bolter was fending off numerous small droids that had dropped onto him from the ceiling. Two were attempting to stick saws and cutting torches into the area around his helmet. He was spraying rounds from the heavy bolter.

The battle had been joined aboard the vessel, just as it was in the stars.

The combat was mirrored in the immense hangars of the vessel, cultists trading fire with battle droids as Chaos Marines went about their work of disabling the right hangar arm of the Confederate. Plasma shots and the bark of meltas filled the air, machinery dedicated to repairing and housing fighters being reduced to slag.

A pair of Ultra Battle Droids were scything down the unaugmented humans with billowing jets of fire from their massive flame throwers, while autogun and heavy stubber rounds pinged harmlessly off their indomitable armor plate.

Hundreds of droids and cultists fought across the ship and similar engagements occured on several other vessels.