After Activation 1193 - Origin Universe
After Insertion 1154 - Cultivation Universe
Millennium 166-32M - 40k Universe
The fleet in orbit over Ullanor Prime was a grand one.
Made so in part due to the fact that there was in fact 2 fleets over the planet, 2 fleets that were made up on one hand by the Imperium, while on the other was that of the Orks. The Ork ships (if they could be called that) outnumbered the ships of the Imperium by several times, but they were notably ineffective given their ramshackle designs.
It wasn't even their fault really, it was in part due to the quick reaction of the Imperium that was only possible because the Caretakers and their Warp Lanes. The Beasts hadn't managed to predict what was coming and they were going to be paying the price for it sadly enough, not really their fault at all. Just terribly, terribly, bad luck.
It wasn't as if anybody regardless of how intelligent they were would have been able to predict what had happened with the Caretakers. Even the Imperium didn't know that they existed. Granted the Beasts did destroy anything and everything that could have given them information as they arrived on Ullanor which likely had something to do with it. It wasn't like doing that was a good idea in any way shape or form.
But their innate Orkishness had come out from being repressed for so long. 1500 years and suddenly there were targets in front of them? What else were they supposed to do?
If they had left something intact, or ordered their Orks to leave something intact, then perhaps they would have been able to tell that the Imperium was very different from the past. As in it had entirely new units, they had a new fighting force, and they had what appeared to have the element of surprise on their side.
Regardless it had happened and they had only themselves to blame for this one. They could try to teleport off the planet but just as they were bolstered by the constant irradiation of Waaagh(!) energy, it also served to make them legendarily stubborn as well, enhancing all the traits of their Orkish nature at the same time.
They would hold the line here, they would crush the Imperial Fleet and use their ships as salvage for their advance across the galaxy all the way to Terra itself. They weren't going to stop until they were all dead. That was a promise.
And so it was that the fleet above Ullanor Prime battled it out while the Beasts prepared things on the ground.
In the past few months they had managed to pull together what was billions of Orks, the sheer amount of Orkish energy that they were giving off just drawing more and more of them in, voluntarily or not. The Orks came from the Warp in a never ending tide, from their ships, to individual Orks that had been lost to the Warp (of which there was a surprising number), only they ejected into Space which generally did not end so well for them.
The ships would serve either as salvage for the Beasts to build their ground defences and anti-orbital weapons, or they would be using the ships to bolster the fleet that itself was steadily bleeding out. In terms of Orks they were doing well, but as for ships that actually mattered when it came to defending Ullanor, they were running dangerously low and something needed to be done as soon as possible, their Battleships were being boarded as they spoke, the smaller ships being crushed by the combined fire of several squadrons together, while the Orks themselves… well, coordination and tactics didn't go so well when it came to Orks.
Plans were being made, but they really did need to hurry up before things changed for the worse, the end of all things worse as opposed to the regular worst.
The Orks were not having a good day that was for very sure.
Ensign Armsman Niklas was not having a good day. The Eternal Regret had been crippled by the Orks, not the boarders, of course, they had fought those off. But rather by the fact that the Orks had rammed a Destroyer equivalent into the engines which had seen them shut off without thankfully exploding.
This left the Eternal Regret outside of the fight as the front moved beyond their initial position, pushing on towards the planet of Ullanor Prime. This was a good thing in the opinion of Niklas, it meant that he was able to take a break and maybe just wait until things were back to normal. The Eternal Regret would be repaired and he could sit out the rest of the fight, it wasn't as if they really needed him when it came down to it.
Only things had not worked out as smoothly as he would have liked. Rather he was now being sent forward to serve aboard a Destroyer that was running duties protecting the fleet, while also ferrying crew members around as necessary. After all, it was rather normal to send Armsmen around the fleet as they were needed, that way each ship could boast more numbers than normal and that would allow them to survive things that perhaps they shouldn't of. In regards to boardings that is.
And so Niklas would be seconded to the Eternal Rage, a sister ship of the Eternal Regret, only it had weathered the initial fighting much better than that of the Eternal Regret. It had managed to turn in time to dodge the Ork boarding parties and had its batteries ready to fire on the fleet as it circled around the rear.
It certainly made one jealous to have a captain that was actually competent, but that was a very bad thought to have. If a Commissar heard him then it was off to the airlock with him.
Still… he was going to be serving on the front line again.
Joy.
The Eternal Rage was a very nimble ship if Captain Airnheim had anything to say about it. She was his baby and he loved her every much as his actual children that he hadn't actually seen for a few decades now. The dangers of being a naval captain when it came down to it.
Yes, that was the real reason.
Not that his wife was a terrifying woman that made him more afraid than any Ork Fleet could.
Or at least an Ork fleet that was smaller than this one.
Because this one was frakking ridiculous.
Still, he was a Captain and he knew what his duty was. He would be providing the anchor the squadrons of Destroyers and Frigates that were even now flitting around his vessel. The Cobra Destroyers with their torpedo tubes had already torn a devastating arc through the Ork Fleet. While they were too busy focusing their firepower on the Eternal Regret the Vipers were able to sneak their way through, drop 12 Torpedoes on the Ork equivalent to their Cruiser and gutted the abomination.
Something that would be rinsed and repeated many times as the Orks couldn't help themselves from going after the massive lumbering ship that was the Eternal Regret. Only the ship was much more manoeuvrable than any of them could have expected and he was able to simply dodge their boarding torpedoes, dodge their Macro batteries and present his bow armour against their energy weapons.
In short, he was running circles around the Ork fleet elements that he had been matched with. Something that had him praying a prayer of thanks to the Emperor. The other fleet elements had been tasked with objectives that included doing ridiculous things like trying to hold off the Ork Battleship equivalents while the Imperial Battleships went and did their work against the masses of smaller ships. One Salvo was able to effectively end the existences of a great deal many things, Ork ships being one of them.
Still, this was combat in the Void. Which meant that contrary to popular expectations, it would not be ending in a few hours, but rather a few weeks at this rate. The fleets were clashing and the guns took hours to load, the torpedoes taking days and weeks to arrive, the manoeuvres taking what felt like days.
Something as large as the Eternal Regret was not going to be able to make pin point turns, not unless he wanted the crew splattered across the interior of the ship as their bodies collapsed under the pressure. No, going slow and steady was the goal in this situation.
Airnheim stood and watched the holotable that was displaying the current strength of his Fleet Element, he still had a good number of destroyers and frigates, another Cruiser, a Light Cruiser, both armed primarily with Lance Batteries, and what looked like boarding torpedoes.
The Ork fleet from what they could see held several dozen of their destroyer equivalent ships, each armed with one or 2 guns, but that was it. What was a concern were the ones with massive prows, those were the ones that were going to try and ram. Their standard practice being to hide amongst the rest of the fleet, rush forward then boost ahead while the Imperials were pinned.
Dastardly tactics but what else could you expect from an Ork?
As for his side, he would be going for the classic encirclement technique using bait.
"Have squadrons 1 through 4 follow course pattern Alpha, have squadrons 5 through 8 follow course pattern Charlie. Fleet ships Eternal Regret, Solace of the Emperor, Spear of Light are to remain at course Pattern Beta and to present broadsides towards the enemy fleet elements. Engage them as they come into range." Airnheim said, his head twisting slightly to watch his Vox Casters relaying the orders. If there was one thing good about being where he was, it was that he no longer needed to wait for extra orders or something, he was the one giving the orders now and it felt good.
As for the fleet, it began to move as Engines flared, but it was slow going, it was going to take them hours to get under way, the momentum had to be built up slowly or they were going to lose crew from injuries sustained.
As for the Destroyer that was currently docked with the Eternal Regret, it was transferring across hundreds of Armsmen from the Eternal Regret's sister ship. They would be bolstering his own, since the Orks were going to be trying to hit his ship and they were currently sitting ducks.
There was going to be numerous boarding craft, boarding torpedoes and likely teleportation attacks on his fleet, the fact that they were stationary only made that all the more easier for the Orks to get a lock.
It was dangerous but it was part of the plan… and if the Orks thought they were getting helpless little lambs, then they were very much mistaken. The Orks were going to be facing the might of what might as well be double the usual Armsmen count, the wrath of the other Cruisers and their point defence systems, as well as the sucker punch that was coming into their rear lines.
The fact that Airnheim parked his elements in such a manner was only a provocation for the Orks, one that would prove impossible for them to ignore. There was no way that they could just give up the insult that was sitting right in front of them, ships daring them to attack, ships that thought they were safe from the Orks.
The bait had been placed, and judging by the way that the Ork ships were manoeuvring on a straight heading for his fleet, it was rather clear that they had taken it. Airnheim shook his head at just how gullible the Orks were.
Regardless they were coming in and it would take roughly 2 weeks before they arrived, enough time to rest and prepare certainly.
After Activation 1193 - Origin Universe
After Insertion 1154 - Cultivation Universe
Millennium 166-32M - 40k Universe
The Imperial Fleet had finally pushed back the Ork Fleet enough for the next stage of the operation to begin. Massive dropships were departing from the troop ships that had been tagging along at the rear of the fleet and in turn they were now at the forefront of the attack.
The orbital guns of the fleet were pulverizing the Ork positions from orbit, those that were visible and those that were not. A continuous tide of artillery that stretched from the initial projected landing zone to that of the the horizon, a continuous wave of explosions that stretched out and delivered nothing but death to the Orks.
The dropships landed upon the areas that had been cleared by the bombardment, the explosions shaking up the earth enough for them to finally get clear and secure for themselves a defensive perimeter without the Orks attempting to halt it.
Only there was nothing really for them to defend against. The Orks were not around, or at least they were not trying to force an engagement, not yet at any rate. It was strange and had the commanders worried, the Orks never gave up a chance to strike out, not when they had such a clear advantage that they could use. No… something was happening and it was something that was no doubt going to be very dangerous.
Perhaps the myth of the "smart Ork" had some bearing in reality? It would certainly not be the greatest thing to have ever occurred if there were in fact, smart Orks and they were capable of tactical thought. Their innate stupidity meant that they were killable in large numbers. But if this wasn't the case, then… something was of a concern.
Still, they were the Imperial Guard, the Astra Militarum, the Emperor's Fist. They would be pushing on regardless to take back the planet. The Orks could not be allowed to keep their grip on it, that was something that was unacceptable to Segmentum command, not the least of which was due to the fact that this was Ullanor, the home of the Emperor's last and greatest of victories.
They damned Orks could not be allowed to stay.
The Guardsmen spread themselves out, regiment after regiment on the surface, Space Marines dropping into what they assumed were critical positions only to find them empty of anything resembling an 'important' Ork. All they had to show for their efforts were Boyz and those were certainly not worth anything in the long term.
Something was very definitely up.
As the forces of the Imperium of Mankind continued to make planetfall, the undercurrent of worry only increased. The Ork Fleet had been here to defend something, they would not have thrown away that many ships for no reason, nor would they have picked such a bad place for a pitched battle, one that did not cater to their strengths in any way. Rather it actively hindered them, there being no asteroids for them to hide behind, there being no wrecks to launch sudden surprise attacks from.
Just empty void, a battlefield that allowed for the Imperium to break their numerically superior numbers. The Imperial ships were not obstructed by anything and could bring to bear their firepower in such a way that allowed for them the ability to dismantle the greatest of the Ork ships in a matter of days.
No, there was something afoot and they were going to be watching every single patch of dirt as hard as they could. The Orks could not be allowed to do as they pleased. This was the Imperium and it belonged to man.
Albina of the Valhallan 98th Regiment was standing guard at her post. A small post dug into the twisted hellscape that was what was left of the surface after the Imperial bombardment. She had seen it from the dropship as it dropped out of orbit, a massive thing that was able to hold her entire company while also carrying with them their Chimeras and the like. It was certainly a majestic little thing and she was glad she had been able to ride in that instead of the cramped Valkyries that marked her usual deployment pattern.
Still, this was very worrying for her if she was being honest here. The Orks were… not here and the generally boded ill. Orks that were able to think on their feet and hide was something every Regimental Commander was afraid of. Smart Orks? Might as well start mentioning things like Orks that can shoot straight, or Orks that can build proper tanks.
Albina looked around carefully, the Orks might have some kind of trick that they had up their sleeves and that they were planning to use. A trick that would catch them all off guard and killed. She was sure of it.
She paid attention, there wasn't going to be anything getting past her guard. Not if she could help it.
Only for the ground to begin shaking.
This wasn't what was supposed to be happening. What was going on?
Tremors? No.
Underground!
Albina dove the ground and prepared to fight off whatever was coming from underneath. She had been trained to fight the Orks in the tunnels of Valhalla, this was far too much of an ingrained response for her. Something was coming from the ground and she was going to be ready for it.
Lasgun at the ready, she strained her eyes. Just where…
There.
In the middle of the camp was a massive amount of dirt that was being piled up as if it were an anthill.
Picking up her Lasgun in both hands, Albina pushed herself forward. The Orks were going to be coming out of the tunnelling device and she was going to make sure that she was there to greet them with Lasgun and grenade.
The device that came out of the ground looked like it belonged on a scrapheap, a big thing, a drill on the front, a patchwork body and what looked like dozens of angry Orks inside of it.
A target then. A very big and very ugly target.
As the hatched swung open, Albina fired her Lasgun at the advancing masses of Orks, or what was soon going to be the advancing horde. The Lasgun punching through the air above the hatch as it opened, forcing the Orks to pause slightly at the incoming fire. The molten metal of the hatch likely had something to do with that as well. What with the Orks being afraid of molten metal on their faces like everyone else on an instinctual level. That was until they got into a rage and ignored all of it.
The Valhallans took the opportunity to dump their grenades into the hole, grenades from nearly 10 Valhallans sailing through the hatch and into the tunneller.
Boom
The explosions were muffled but the answering roars were enough in volume that they were able to hear them from all the way outside.
Albina smiled as she waited for more Orks to try and get out, to try and attack them. It was the perfect opportunity for the dumb things after all.
And they did, the Orks rising out of the hatch and being cut down as they did so, the bodies falling back in as more grenades were liberally poured into the Tunneller, the Orks being wiped out as they tried to push out.
The Valhallans took the chance to take a breath when the Orks were wiped out, the Tunneller displaying no further activity. Only for it to change… again.
The sensation of more Tunnelers moving into position sent the Valhallans diving to the ground again. If something came up and it had a warhead, being as close to the ground was paradoxically the best option they had available to them.
The dust cleared and revealed to them what was very clearly not what they had been expecting at all.
There was not just 1 tunneller but 10 of them that surrounded the base. Albina gritted her teeth and ran to the embankment that had been established in order to defend against any attacks. It would serve its role now, just how well it would do so was another question. The damned Orks were too close for them to make full use of the parapets, they were going to be cut down by the sheer volume of fire and the close range at this rate.
Dammit all, the Orks had outsmarted them.
"Bring up the Meltas!" came the shout from the Company Captain. Albina nodded, if they were able to take out the top of the tunneller, then firing directly into the Ork horde was possible, wiping them out in the narrow confines of the tunnel.
Kneeling down at the firing step that had been dug earlier, Albina hefted her lasgun to the lip of the embankment and narrowed her eyes at the nearest of the tunnellers, a beast that was barely 30 meters away.
No space at all to a charging Ork, she needed much more space if she wanted to put one down cleanly.
Every shot had to be perfect at this range or she was going to be counting out just how painful it was to be cleaved in half, the cleavers that the Orks loved to use were dull, but when hefted by an Ork, it could chop a human in half with ease.
Damned things.
Albina continued to do her duty and sight the lasgun, there wasn't going to be an Ork that escaped her, not today.
As the green arm opened the hatch on the side of the tunneller, Albina sent a lasgun bolt at it, slamming into the beast's elbow, blowing it clean off. A grin on her face at the hit, she continued to pull the trigger while aiming at the gap in the tunneller, the Valhallans on either side of her joining in. A few were making their way forward, grenades in their hands ready to be hurled forward. The Valhallans were not stupid of course and ran to either side of the suppressing fire, they weren't going to making themselves targets for their own side, that was just foolish.
Albina continued to pull the trigger. Her face split into a grin as she imagining the effect of what her Lasgun had on the Orks inside only for a scream to break her out of her trance.
Spinning around to face the sound, she spotted what was Orks inside of the base. The damned tunneller! It had more Orks? The company was pinned, Orks from the outside, Orks from the inside.
Frak.
Albina turned and began to fire at the Orks as they rampaged through the base from the inside, destroying tents and equipment.
A bolt into one Ork's head saw it drop down, an easy one, it was coming straight at her. The ones that were heading sideways, diagonally and bobbing up and down were going to be harder.
Albina took in a deep breath as she sighted the Ork horde, making sure to fire, making sure to engage them wherever she could. Every little bit counted, especially if the Orks were going to be gathering even more, numbers. They wouldn't be able to hold out if they did that and it was only going to see more Valhallans die and maybe the company wiped out.
One just did not let Orks get in close, and dammit these ones were already too damned close.
Sighting more Orks, Albina let out a sigh as she began to fire again, reloading and then firing again. The damned Orks just kept coming and they just weren't stopping.
She was going to die here, wasn't she? She just wasn't going to make it out of this one, there were too damned many of the greenskin and she was just… one Valhallan. She could fight and fight, but just one of her against what looked to be dozens more Orks every few seconds was just not going to do it.
A brief prayer to the Emperor and another magazine loaded, Albina resolved herself to die in service to the Emperor.