On the bridge of the Shadow of the Throne, the communications headset of its female captain, Diana Pauline, rang.
The voice of a Primarch's Attendant came through. "Captain, Lord Nimrod has authorized strikes against the rebel warships in orbit."
"Understood." Diana replied as she opened the fleet command channel.
"Shadows of Order, officers."
"The Warmaster has betrayed the Imperium. We have the honor of delivering their first punishment and making them pay for their treachery."
Diana called up the scan results on her console, and the Auspex array updated to the latest scan data.
The fleet of the Shadow of Order formed a crescent formation centered on two Gloriana-class Battleships—the Shadow of the Throne and Death Wither, flagship of the Fourth Legion.
She stared at the glowing red data runes. Fifteen enemy Destroyers, arranged in a standard crescent formation, were speeding toward them.
"Their Destroyers are trying to delay us and buy time for the Heavy Transport Ships."
"7th Legion Relic-class warships, take them out."
"The Reapers are moving, Captain Diana," replied Sanchez, lord of the 7th Legion.
Four warships accelerated, shooting forth like arrows.
Lances fired from the ancient Relic-class warships, carving burning arcs through the void.
Deadly crossfire struck two Destroyers.
Vaporized metal gave off blinding light, swirling together into enormous fireballs.
A torpedo hastily passed through the two vortices and sped toward the black fleet.
Explosions flashed in the dark void. Plasma streams bloomed like fireworks, but failed to touch a single ship.
The remaining Destroyers burned their engines fiercely, cutting through expanding clouds of gas as they attacked the black warships.
Burning destroyer debris, tangled in their Void Shields, interfered with their Auspex scans.
The surveyors searched the storm for traces of the Shadow of Order's engines.
Within the radioactive smoke, hotspots suddenly flashed into existence,