Arkan Land and Anacharis Scoria

The Rift Between Arkan Land and Anacharis Scoria

After the Shadow of Order seized the orbital facilities of the Jingyuan Federation's homeworld, black warships and the shale-gray vessels of the Word Bearers' Scions of the Quill deployed in orbit, thousands upon thousands of weapons taking aim at the orange planet below.

The Shadow of the Throne fired the first shot. Its Heaven's Punishment-class Reactor pumped power, light flared at the prow, and an ice-blue beam stabbed downward.

The searing beam had only just torn open the amber sky like the finger of a god when it slammed into the giant ice-cap shield the Jingyuan Federation had spread across the entire globe.

The artificial ice, astonishing in both thickness and hardness, rippled with shining waves, its iridescent light reflecting off the warships in orbit.

Warships joined the orbital bombardment one after another. Hypersonic shells smashed into the cloud layer, the multiple sonic booms they triggered producing deafening thunder across the ice cap, ringing through the towers below.

Lava bombs fell like rain, hammering the ice cap without pause and carving crack after crack across it.

Blinding energy weapons drew streams of flame through the sky, punching speckled holes through the barrier.

A Shadow-pattern Stormbird slipped silently out of the Shadow of the Throne. Since becoming the primarch's personal pilot, this was the first time Nelson had transported other passengers.

Winner pushed and pulled the control stick, staring at the instrument panel, letting inspiration choose an ice hole.

He raised his left hand and rapidly marked it on the tactical network. The uploaded information would make the fleet conducting the orbital strike avoid the selected location.

At the same time, Nelson's right hand pushed the Quantum Field Repulsor to maximum power. The Shadow-pattern Stormbird flew soundlessly into the churning mist and plunged