Steel & Oil: Warhammer 32K

The result of the discussion came as no surprise to Lin whatsoever.

Kurande was anxious to rush back and reinforce Terra; Bohemond was bent on having his own way. The two were at odds—but in any case, Cath Maximus could not be kept.

Just because the Orks had ceased their assault, things had come to this sorry state. As the saying goes, the small reveals the large; it now seemed not so hard to understand why the Great Heresy erupted just as the Great Crusade was nearing its end.

Lin could only arrange the aftermath as swiftly as possible. After making rough arrangements for Cath Maximus's subsequent development, he prepared to set out together with the Ultimate Wall alliance.

"Why do you insist on going back to reinforce Terra with them?" Christina asked. "Is a single Forge World not enough to satisfy your appetite?"

"Because this is only a Forge World," Lin answered.

After a period of adjustment, Cath Maximus had recovered some of the production capacity unique to a Forge World. By now it could basically meet the supply needs of the Astra Militarum legion, and some equipment it couldn't supply could be repaired or repurposed.

But this level was already the ceiling for now.

The destruction of the spaceport meant Cath Maximus couldn't provide maintenance for the fleet, much less manufacture new warships. Outside resources also couldn't enter Cath Maximus on any large scale.

Before the spaceport was rebuilt, this Forge World—able to rely only on its own resources—had reached the upper limit of what it could possess.

But rebuilding the spaceport was an enormous undertaking; even with Lin presiding, it couldn't be done in a moment.

The current situation had already diverged from Lin's earlier vision of making Cath Maximus the center—the Ultimate Wall alliance had spent so long only to bring back a hothead who had lost even his ships and wouldn't obey orders, and the Astartes strike fleet hadn't assembled either.

The idea of massing troops on Cath Maximus and then using Astartes transport capacity to counterattack Terra no longer held. Although Cath Maximus was still important, Lin couldn't wait around here.

So he proposed a plan sufficient to persuade the Ultimate Wall, and then, using this plan, left Cath Maximus to travel together with them to Port Sanctus.

"Your decision doesn't seem like one a sage of the Adeptus Mechanicus would make."

Faced with Christina's challenge, Lin could only tap his own head. "Can't help it—it's innate."

Even Forge World Huangquan VIII, which lusted after xenos technology, mostly directed its Skitarii from aboard the Mechanicus exploration fleet. A sage willing to charge into battle alongside the Astartes was indeed rare within the Mechanicus.

This wasn't Lin's true preference; it was just that his golden finger determined that any breakthrough he wanted inevitably required risking his own body.

He had obtained a great deal of knowledge on Cath Maximus—knowledge that let him produce a budget version of the siege tank and complete the first-generation Thundergod—but these were already things he possessed. The current Cath Maximus could no longer meet the demands of his new knowledge.

He had to seize the opportunity to keep looking forward.

"I've already assigned Cath Maximus's next development plan to Commander Hays and Sage Lifar. The next objective is to continue exterminating the remaining Orks on the planet, to further expand Cath Maximus's production, and at the same time to begin rebuilding the spaceport. During this time, Cath Maximus's main task is to accumulate strength—strength that will become an important bargaining chip in our later battle for Terra."

"The battle for Terra? You mean the Imperium will lose at Port Sanctus?"

Lin shrugged and didn't answer the question. "I've already expanded the Thundergod production lines to three. By then, I hope you and your Titan Legion can arrive on time."

"So I just have to wait around here? I thought you'd assign me some more important task."

"Your task is to deter the Black Templars and the Astra Militarum on the planet—that's far more important than any other task."

This was a lie.

Hays had already thrown himself wholeheartedly into Cath Maximus's defensive operations at the risk of dismissal or even execution. This Astra Militarum commander, whose heart was set on the Imperium, no longer had any place to belong within the Imperium, so this time he didn't follow Lin and the others to Port Sanctus, but stayed on Cath Maximus to continue commanding the Astra Militarum. Lin felt quite at ease about him.

As for the Black Templars, they wouldn't take part in the operation to reinforce Terra. The High Marshal had already used Cath Maximus's Astropathic Court to issue a muster order to the other Black Templars crusade forces. Once the great host arrived, those resting on Cath Maximus would set out immediately to attack the other Battle Moons.

Although their actions ran counter to Lin's ideas, Lin trusted these Templar knights wouldn't do something like loot Cath Maximus after he left.

Keeping watch over these forces was merely his excuse for not letting Christina take part in the Forge World affairs.

None of 30K's technology was rootless duckweed; there were traces of the Alpha Legion in the technology Christina provided, so Lin could only give this direction more consideration.

Handing the Thundergod Mecha over to the Titan Legion's command was his promise to keep the other side stable, but who the mecha's pilot would be was within the range he could manipulate beyond that promise.

The pilot of the first completed Thundergod Mecha would for now be filled by the Hunter from the sarcophagus. Although the Thundergod was designed to be operated by mortals, Lin intended for now to select subsequent pilots from among gravely wounded Space Marines.

Lin also left behind on Cath Maximus a Second Legion squad led by Deputy Aibo, Lieutenant Vigan, and Sergeant Longfeather. Although they didn't understand the workings of a Forge World very well, under their supervision Lin trusted the risk of this world running into problems would be minimized.

But that was only barring accidents.

Thinking about this problem gave Lin a headache.

Although he'd snatched a Forge World amid the chaos, what Lin now lacked was reliable talent.

Christina's identity might be problematic; Lifar, who temporarily held the title of director, was a fence-sitter; and his other confidants, unfortunately, didn't understand running a Forge World.

Developing his own power still had a long road ahead. For now, Lin's only requirement of Cath Maximus was that getting it up and running would count as success.

"In any case, this is the current arrangement." Lin waved his hand, and as several Thunderhawk gunships descended from the sky, his conversation with Christina ended there.

Apart from the squad staying to guard this place, the other Second Legion warriors entered the gunship together with Lin. Worth mentioning, the Ork Evil Sun locked in an iron cage was also among them.

Standing at the gunship's hatch, Lin gave Lifar one last look. The fellow tried his best to keep a straight face, but Lin could still see the unconcealable joy on it.

"Do well, Lifar." Lin made a knife-hand gesture across his throat. "Everything you have now I gave to you. If you can't meet my demands, there are certain methods I wouldn't mind using again."

Lifar instantly fell silent as a cicada in the cold. Lin trusted this was enough to ensure this coward wouldn't get any crooked ideas in the short term.

The Thunderhawk's hatch closed, and soon delivered Lin to the fleet in orbit. Aboard the Perfectionist, Kurande and Maximus Sorn waited together for Lin's arrival.

Kurande and Sorn warmly welcomed Lin's joining, but seeing Lin bring up a greenskin, Kurande still furrowed his brow.

"Where did you get this xenos?"

His disgust for the greenskin was beyond words, but the Evil Sun clearly didn't care about the irreconcilable blood feud between greenskins and this yellow can. Caged as he was, he even comically made an Aquila salute toward Kurande, hands crossed over his chest.

To win the favor of Big Mek Lin, the Evil Sun had already begun, of his own accord, to imitate some human customs—though this fawning was somewhat counterproductive.

"A beast can even imitate us...."

Kurande's brow furrowed deeper, and the black-armored Space Marine standing beside him had even drawn his chainsword.

Lin reached out to stop that warrior. "This is exactly why I'm bringing him along—perhaps we can study out from him some of the Orks' patterns."

Kurande nodded and suppressed his loathing for the beast for now. The black-armored Astartes hesitated slightly but still lowered his weapon. Lin looked at him and asked, "And this is?"

"Brother Lancelot, from the Black Templars. Issaga requisitioned him from the Black Templars and asked him to become your personal bodyguard."

Lin understood.

He no longer paid attention to this sole Black Templar, but went with the others to the bridge. There he would make the final confirmation of the entire fleet's status.

A strike cruiser, a Moon-class cruiser, and a Forge Ship the size of a light cruiser—this was the entirety of the force Cath Maximus could scrape together to advance on Port Sanctus.

Lin left Matt Horner and his battleships here—first because they were still needed to mop up the Orks, and second because Port Sanctus was a naval stronghold. The naval commanders there were qualified to issue new orders to Hays's expeditionary fleet.

They could of course choose to defy orders, but Lin didn't intend to play fleet battles against the greenskins coming in on a Battle Moon, so drawing off only the necessary forces was the best choice.

As for the Forge Ship, Lin had placed on it production lines for food, ammunition, promethium, and small CMC powered suits; as the logistics mainstay for the Astartes Chapter, it was clearly more than adequate.

Having confirmed the fleet's status, Lin cast a questioning glance at Kurande, who shook his head, indicating he likewise had no oversights.

"Then, let's set out," Lin issued the order.

The three vessels ignited their engines and headed for the Mandeville Point. Along the way there were scattered Ork gunships, but these things—whose greatest difficulty lay only in how to wipe them out cleanly—clearly couldn't bring them any trouble.

The real trouble came the instant they tore open the veil of the Warp. The psychic storm that surged from the Warp into the material universe drew an indescribable shriek from the ship's Navigator.

"It's a Warp storm!" warned Issaga, who was temporarily serving as auxiliary Navigator. "The storm is strong! If we rashly enter, we may not reach our intended destination before the storm subsides!"

Turning back was clearly the wise move at this moment, but Lin had no intention of doing so.

"No need to worry," he said without hesitation. "Press onward!"

The three warships charged into the turbulence of the Warp and vanished from the material universe. The Warp's malign power ravaged the warships' Geller Fields; the three five-kilometer-long warships looked like a tiny leaf-boat before the treacherous storm.

The Warp was not humanity's home ground; countless daemons clung to these "passing-through" warships, scheming to get inside for a feast. This made the Geller Fields' energy consumption far more severe than estimated.

Even the most experienced captain couldn't help worrying at this moment, but Lin turned his gaze to Admidel—the dragon sword Red Leaf on his back was now flickering with a faint red glow.

Although the Warp was not humanity's home ground, Lin had his own ally here.

Admidel's eyes had now turned into lizard-like vertical slits. He first looked around, then came to Lin's side. "It seems you've already gathered a batch of very interesting fellows."

"I'm just riding the momentum; it can't count as gathering," Lin replied in a low voice. "Can you lessen the Warp storm?"

"A little bit."

Formless energy extended outward with Admidel at its center, dispersing part of the turbulence outside the Geller Field. Although the storm continued, the Navigator could now barely make out the way ahead.

"I'm in a hurry, you know. Is this your limit?" Lin wasn't satisfied with this result.

"I'm too far from here. Do any more and I'll be discovered by that rotting corpse or something else—I won't take that risk."

Saying more was useless. Lin knew he couldn't persuade this old dragon, who had thoroughly mastered the art of lying low. So he simply patched into communication with Issaga.

"Brother Issaga, how is the Warp storm now?"

"It's suddenly weakened a great deal. We can now barely discern our direction and proceed. Although it'll take more time, at least we can reach Port Sanctus before the Geller Field is exhausted. Sage Lin, do you know what happened?"

"I think it must be the Emperor's protection."

Lin perfunctorily hung up the communication and looked back at Miraboreas. "Just keep it at this level."

"Aren't you in a hurry?"

"Can't count on you for that either. Let's wait and see—maybe something else will lend us a hand."

"Your new ally? Or that rotting corpse?" The Black Dragon was very interested.

"Neither. I'm guessing it's a group of xenos who can't quite be called allies."

The three cruisers struggled through the waves of the Warp for several days. After the initial grueling few days, their voyage through the Warp grew increasingly smooth and easy. The ship's Navigators regarded it as a miracle sent down by the Emperor, but only Miraboreas knew whose merit it really was.

"Craftworld Aeldari...."

Watching the cloaking-capable small craft clearing the Warp lanes ahead and calming the Warp storms—those beansprouts—his voice held undisguised disgust. "When did you strike up a relationship with them?"

"I just know they would come."

The Eldar had been far from quiet during the Beast War. Although the process had been turned upside down, for a great matter like calming Warp storms to let human armies reinforce, Lin trusted they would still do it.

"You don't actually think they're helping you sincerely, do you? I think we should kill all those beansprouts." Miraboreas was itching to act.

"I won't do that before their usefulness is exhausted," Lin denied him.

He of course knew these beansprouts liked to make humans their scapegoats. Now that the tide of the Beast swept across the galaxy, their fundamental purpose in calming the Warp storms was merely to push humanity to the front line against the greenskins, so that they themselves could enjoy peace and quiet.

But at least they could indeed provide some help now.

Miraboreas shook his head regretfully, seeming rather bored. "Then it seems there's no point in me staying here."

"I do still have a question to ask you."

Lin held back the Black Dragon, who wanted to leave, and took him to his laboratory, showing him the Ork he'd caged.

"About the greenskins—as one who was once an ally of the Old Ones, how much do you know?"

____

________________________________________

If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on (P). with 50 advanced chapters available on (P)

👻 Join the crew by searching Leanzin on (P). You know the spot! 😉