Battle of Baal VI

The Void Shields of the fortress "The Rock" rippled violently under the relentless impacts of dense Bio-Acid Cannon fire and bone shells, their energy readings hovering continuously in the danger zone.

This colossal mobile fortress and the remnants of the Dark Angels fleet around it had now become the last concentration point of Imperial strength in Baal's orbit.

"How much longer until the lance array is charged?" Lion El'Jonson's voice rang across the bridge of the Indomitable Truth as he stared at the swarm vessels that nearly blotted out the starlight on the main screen.

"Three more minutes, Father." Azhrael's reply came through the comms, with nonstop explosions and alarms in the background.

"The Rock's left defensive platform was just destroyed by a suicide impact. We have lost fifteen percent of our close-defense firepower."

The Swarm Tide had completely seized the initiative in Baal's orbit.

The Imperial fleet had suffered grievous losses in the previous war of attrition and had been forced to abandon most orbital positions, withdrawing to the fortress The Rock and the planet's dark side, using the planet itself for cover in a mobile defense.

Though this tactic reduced the area exposed to the swarm's direct fire, it also meant that the Imperium had completely lost the ability to effectively support the surface or intercept swarm drop assaults from orbit.

"All ships, execute Shadow Maneuver. Maintain synchronization with the planet's rotation," the Lion King ordered.

The surviving Imperial vessels began maneuvering close to Baal's dark side, like soldiers hiding behind a boulder and using the planet's immense bulk as a natural shield.

But this came at a cost—they lost visibility and fire coverage over most of the planet's sunlit side.

As the Imperial fleet was suppressed, the intensity of the swarm's bombardment of Baal's surface rose