vncnus Chapter 18: Whoa, Abaddon, charging at me?
Chapter 18: Whoa, Abaddon, charging at me?
The Void Shield defense system of battleships like the HMS Tyrant, which is the Queen Glory-class, is mainly composed of multiple large arrays of Void Shield generators, because a single Void Shield projector cannot cover the extremely large hull of more than 20 kilometers.
Eight sets of void shield generator arrays work together at the bow, stern, and two sets on each side of the ship to maintain the overlapping bubbles that envelop the entire ship.
Generally speaking, the Void Shield is almost equivalent to a warship's health. Without these absolute defensive systems capable of withstanding the bombardment of an entire fleet, a behemoth like the Queen Glorious-class battleship would be an easy target on the battlefield.
Who would have thought that someone would treat such an invaluable lifeline of a warship as a disposable bomb?
"The gunboat was hit by debris in multiple places, its propulsion system suffered 70% failure, and almost all equipment systems experienced varying degrees of malfunction!"
Amidst the violent rocking of the Thunderhawk gunboat, Abaddon clenched his fists, staring intently at the large hole blasted into the stern of the Great Tyrant ahead.
As you can see, at the gap that was torn open by the impact, in addition to the twisted metal debris, a strange, eerie blue current continues to flicker, and the surrounding space also distorts and changes.
Although his original plan was to blow open the outer wall armor and board the Tyrant to shut down the Void Shield generator, it would be meaningless to achieve both goals now.
"Communication received from the Vengeance Soul... Commander's order: the current situation makes it impossible to deploy boarding forces remotely via teleportation. Immediate evacuation and return to the Vengeance Soul!"
As mentioned earlier, the Empire's teleportation technology and Void Shield both utilize warp technology; the overload detonation of the Void Shield generator array is equivalent to the explosion of a small warp engine.
Even though the Void Shield itself is closed, in an environment filled with warp turbulence, let alone performing the already high-risk teleportation, even the approach of a Thunderhawk would be disrupted by the intense energy radiation interference.
"It's not over yet... There must be another way. We can change the route to shut down the void shield generators on the side..."
"We have received another communication from the Vengeful Spirit. The Tyrant has entered the landing preparation phase. Deactivating the Void Shield at this point may cause it to crash out of control and damage friendly forces. The mission has failed. The Warmaster requires us to—"
Whoosh—Bang!
Amidst the horrified gazes of the other crew members on the gunboat, Abaddon's powerful claws mercilessly pierced through the co-pilot and the communications equipment simultaneously.
"The communication system was damaged by the pulse fluctuations from the explosion, so I can't hear any commands—understand?!"
Abaddon's voice was almost forced out through clenched teeth; for him, there was no option of failure in this mission.
He would rather die here than fail to salvage his honor and wash away his shame.
Even if it might cost hundreds of thousands of Astartes on both sides the lives of those below, we would not hesitate.
The remaining crew members inside the Thunderhawk gunboat dared not breathe, with only the constant beeping of various equipment alarms urging Abaddon to make a decision as soon as possible.
Abaddon frowned. Although he was reluctant to admit it, Horus's judgment was correct. Shutting down another Void Shield generator array would only be a desperate act of mutual destruction, and it would not be considered a victory at all.
The Tyrant is now in the deceleration and landing phase, and it is impossible for it to change its established course.
Hmm? Thinking about it from another angle...
"What? Wasn't the answer obvious from the start?"
Abaddon's eyebrows suddenly relaxed, and he grinned, revealing a slightly manic smile.
"Abandon shield defense, allocate all remaining power to the engine... and then notify the other units in the squad to obey my commands unconditionally."
He raised his head and looked at his new goal.
"Full speed ahead towards the bridge of the Tyrant Ship!"
-
"Is Abaddon and his Thunderhawk squad not retreating, but instead charging towards the bridge?"
Upon hearing the news, Sun Qian remained outwardly calm and composed, but in reality, his heart was pounding in his chest like a drumbeat.
His best-case scenario was that since he had already detonated a Void Shield array, Horus should have known when to stop and prepare for ground combat. Why would he let Abaddon use kamikaze attacks?
In fact, unlike the stern area, the area near the bridge has the most intense firepower defense network, which should theoretically be able to easily shoot down a half-crippled Thunderhawk...
But the opponent is Abaddon.
No matter how much Sun Qian belittled him just now, this man is still one of the top Astartes below the Primarch.
Logically, the best course of action now is to leave the bridge, ensure one's own safety, and then try to reunite with the loyalists after the Tyrant lands before making further plans.
but......
Sun Qian glanced at the new card he had just acquired, [Standard Edition - Zhuge Liang], and sighed helplessly.
This prime minister has really given me a tough problem.
With this "ingenious trick" at his fingertips, how could he resist giving it a try?
Thus, within a fraction of a second, Sun Qian had already made his decision.
"After setting the landing course, hand over control of the fire control system to me, and then everyone leave the bridge immediately—including you, Sergeant Noctua."
Upon hearing Sun Qian's order, the crew members on the bridge were filled with doubt and surprise.
"Didn't you hear me? I should have emphasized the consequences of disobeying my orders."
Sun Qian raised his explosive gun, and all the ordinary crew members seemed to wake up from a dream—or rather, they scrambled out of the bridge as if granted a pardon.
Interestingly, Sun Qian even sensed awe and gratitude in the gazes of the several people looking at him...
It seems they believed that Sun Qian was sacrificing himself to save their lives.
Even Gerel Noktua seems to think so.
Why go to such lengths?
Greer looked at Sun Qian with a complicated expression.
By now, even if he's incredibly stubborn, he must have realized something was wrong.
"You're just a low-ranking soldier, why..."
"Didn't I already give you the reason?"
Sun Qian calmly walked to the control panel of the firepower system and handed his back to Greer without any suspicion.
"For Horus Lupecal—not a puppet of the Chaos Gods, but the true Imperial Warmaster."
Through the reflection in the porthole, Sun Qian could see Greer hesitating to speak.
But in the end, he simply clenched his fist, patted his chest, and gave a military salute.
"For the God of Shepherds."
-
Under the cover of the Thunderhawk squadron, Abaddon quickly broke through to within range of the bridge of the Great Tyrant.
Although nearly half of his Thunderhawk gunboats were lost under extremely fierce artillery fire, Abaddon had no time to mourn his brothers.
Even this chief company commander of the Son of Horus was seeing the Great Tyrant from the enemy's perspective for the first time.
He personally directed the installation of almost all the defense systems here, using various methods of coercion and enticement to force the Cult of Machines to hand over their top-tier technological creations.
Perhaps it is indeed nearly impossible for them to break through to the bridge.
"Whoa, Abaddon, charging at me? Instead of running away, you're actively approaching me?"
Sun Qian's mocking voice echoed from the broadcast array on the bridge of the Great Tyrant.
"That suits me perfectly—how can I gain the Tyrant's recognition without personally eliminating you, its former master?"
Upon hearing Sun Qian's obvious provocation, Abaddon laughed instead of getting angry.
He pushed aside the driver, whose hands and feet were already trembling, and personally took the control stick of the Thunder Eagle.
"At all costs—"
He issued a brief but firm order.
"Rush!"