Tyrant

A good-humored Gao Yi returned to the bridge once again.

Inquisitor Ian walked toward him.

I heard that an awakened Psyker has appeared on your warship? Perhaps... I can help him? I also experienced a sudden awakening, and I understand the dangers that might arise.

It is a pity, Inquisitor Ian, I have already had him thrown out. Such hidden dangers must not exist on my warship!

You could have helped him.

Since when does an Inquisitor start sympathizing with illegal Psykers?

Through rigorous training and guidance, they too can become servants of the God-Emperor. I am living proof!

It is a pity that it is too late to say anything, and perhaps next time I will come looking for you! Inquisitor Ian, keep your mind on the present. We will reach Omicron very soon, and macro-cannons and lances are blind.

As the distance to Omicron grew shorter and shorter.

Gao Yi's three warships also slowed their speed.

At this moment, they knew nothing about the situation on Omicron, not even the strength of the enemy. However, one thing was certain: after wiping out the Planetary Defense Fleet, the enemy could not possibly have come out completely unscathed, and given the size of the opposing dynasty's influence, they could not possibly possess too many warships.

"Try to have the Astropath contact Omicron 2!"

The Choir of the Stars began to chant, and the Master of the Astropath channeled his psychic power in an attempt to communicate with the Astropath on Omicron, but all attempts fell into a vacuum. If the Astropath on Omicron was still alive, it was impossible that there would be no reply.

"Captain! There is no response from Omicron!"

"Advance!"

Gao Yi stared fixedly at the augur array before him, and soon a reaction appeared on the augur array.

Yet the displayed identification code unexpectedly belonged to ships of the Mongert Dynasty.

When they drew close to these ships, they discovered a large amount of warship wreckage floating in the void, alongside the corpses of numerous crew members drifting through space.

"These are our transport ships carrying grain! They were ambushed! The fragments of these transport ships are all clustered together—they were focus-fired and sunk without even managing to escape!"

"Another traitor?"

"I don't know. Perhaps they had other ways to learn the transport routes and shipping times! After all, this information was not classified."

"Augur array, continue scanning!"

And as the warships moved further forward.

Several red markers appeared on the augur array.

"Captain! Hostile signal detected—one Gothic-class Cruiser, four Indomitus-class Frigates! The enemy warship count exceeds ours by two!"

The priest in charge of the augur array shouted anxiously.

"Captain! It's the Suarez Dynasty's flagship, Tyrant! If the flagship is there, then Nakanto must also be on that ship!

This Tyrant is a Gothic-class Cruiser, given to them by the sector lord who issued their warrant of trade! This warship has undergone armor modifications, and their decks are thicker than those of normal warships. If we fight them head-on, we stand very little chance of winning."

Veil also recognized this warship.

In terms of length and volume, the warship Tyrant exceeded conventional Gothic-class vessels.

Normal Rogue Traders did not seek head-on combat, and their warships were usually reinforced for mobility, yet this Tyrant truly lived up to its name, walking an unconventional path indeed.

As Gao Yi discovered the enemy warships, the enemy likewise discovered Gao Yi's warship formation.

The five warships anchored in planetary orbit immediately engaged their conventional engines and surged toward Gao Yi's direction.

Although the enemy could not be seen within naked-eye visual range, the lances and macro-cannons aboard the warships of both sides had long since locked onto each other.

"Have Damon lead the Rangers and marine soldiers into the assault boats, and have Pavian dispatch all SCVs to the warship's vital decks, engine decks, artillery decks, and shield decks to ensure that no critical areas suffer complete paralysis."

"Are you planning to board?"

"Our warship count is at a disadvantage, and our crew numbers are not at full strength. Fighting a conventional naval battle puts us at too much of a disadvantage! Our combat suits are our advantage, and the speed of our warships is as well. Directly boarding to sabotage the interior of their warship or even directly capturing the bridge is the most suitable course! I have no desire to see my newly repaired warship battered into pieces or even sunk once more.

Sound the alarm, all hands to battle stations! Distribute those plasteel-crafted combat suits meant for trade as well! Pavian, send my and Veil's combat suits up!"

As the shrill alarms sounded, all crew members were rushed to their respective posts, the armories were unlocked, and weapons were issued one by one into the hands of the crew.

Eight of the ten Ranger companies would conduct subsequent boarding actions, while the remaining two companies would remain inside Golden Ram to repel counter-boarding.

Accompanied by the Rangers in the boarding assault were two thousand naval boarding troopers.

The assault pods of these naval soldiers would execute the first wave of the assault, drawing enemy fire away from the assault pods of the Rangers.

Though cruel, it was necessary.

Individual strength was simply too insignificant in the face of the weaponry aboard a warship. Even if you were a Primarch, taking a lance or macro-cannon hit bare-fleshed would still spell your doom.

Gao Yi had no choice but to let these ordinary naval personnel sacrifice themselves to ensure that more Rangers could board the enemy warship.

"Norris, are you there?"

"I am here, Captain!"

"Embark with Damon. Your mission is to locate the enemy bridge and destroy their command center!"

"Mission guaranteed!"

The Confessor Priest prayed for the soldiers, while priests holding censers blessed every single macro-cannon shell, for only when the Machine Spirit was pleased could these giant artillery pieces operate smoothly.

On either side of Golden Ram's hull were two Mars-pattern Mark VI macro-cannons.

These weapons, which fired massive solid projectiles, were the most potent tools for breaking down the enemy's void shields.

The massive macro-cannon shells were shoved into the breeches with the aid of manpower and mechanical hoists, awaiting the order to fire.

Meanwhile, the Mezoa-type lances along the spine and prow had also completed their charging sequence.

"Distance to enemy warship 200,000 kilometers, void shields beginning to charge, power to maximum!"

"Distance to enemy warship 150,000 kilometers, close assault boat hatches! May the God-Emperor protect you!"

"Sword Rain, Vanguard, stall the enemy frigates as much as possible!"

As the distance closed further, the Acoustic Array Master also received a communication request.

"Captain! Tyrant is sending a communication request. Shall I patch it through?"

"Put it through!"

The holographic display before Gao Yi lit up.

"Hahahaha, Ludwig, you're not dead? No, wait, who are you? Where is Ludwig?"

"Ludwig died in battle! I am the current Rogue Trader, Gao Yi Mongert! You must be Canto, right? You actually dared to brazenly attack my planet! You will pay the price for this!"

Seeing Gao Yi's youthful appearance, Canto made no attempt to conceal his utter contempt.

"It's a pity Ludwig didn't die by my hand... Current Rogue Trader, what a joke, relying on just these three beat-up tubs of yours?

Besides, your capital world is about to fall. By then, you'll probably be the only Rogue Trader in this expansion zone without a single planet!

Your warship and your planet will both belong to me!"

"What happened to my capital world?"

"Dead men have no need to know! Full speed ahead!"

The opposing Tyrant maintained its course without altering its heading or executing any maneuvers, charging straight ahead.

Perhaps in their minds, this was a battle with a foregone conclusion.