A Beautiful Day Begins with Boarding (Part 1)

Fwoosh!

Several boarding torpedoes shot from the launch bays of the Lunar-class Cruiser, streaking toward the last xenos warship untouched by Imperial fire.

Crunch!

With a dull thud, the pointed tips of the boarding torpedoes pierced the faintly glowing surface of the alien vessel, driving deep into its hull.

But that wasn't all.

Several landing craft circling in the distance also touched down on the alien ship's deck.

Warriors from the elite First and Second Companies of the Sons of the Emperor joined the boarding action.

A fine day starts with a boarding action!

The landing craft's hatch opened, but what greeted Kasgar wasn't a welcome party—it was a hail of frantic fire from Crystalline Aliens on the ship's landing deck.

Countless dazzling beams of light shot forth from the Crystalline Constructs, searing into the uninvited guests before them.

Such a dense barrage of Focused Energy Weapon fire, if met with reckless action and no proper defense, would have devastated their squad.

Blinding light flooded the cramped little landing bay in an instant.

The Crystalline Constructs chattered with a crisp, glassy clatter.

Perhaps they were celebrating their victory in their own tongue, sneering at the treachery of humanity.

Aboard the ship, they knew the Imperials hadn't fired Macro Cannons or Lances, but instead launched boarding torpedoes—clearly aiming to capture them alive.

So they played along, ambushing the boarding party at the entry point.

Any ordinary boarder caught off guard would have been reduced to ash in that first volley.

But Kasgar was different.

He was a shield dog.

As the dust cleared, the Crystalline Aliens didn't see charred enemy corpses—they saw an intact shield.

A massive golden Imperial Eagle emblem soared across the elegant purple boarding shield.

The boarding shield stood as tall as Kasgar, its surface carved with countless dazzling purple-and-gold floral patterns, intricate and beautiful, complemented by the golden eagle wings unfurling in the upper right corner, adding a touch of grace.

Holding his Master-crafted Boarding Shield (made by Fulgrim), Kasgar extended the muzzle of an Explosive Gun through a firing slit.

Buzz!

A beam swept across the entire cramped landing bay. The ambushing aliens, still waiting for their next shot, were mowed down by Kasgar before they could react.

They turned into scorched, melted silicon crystals, reeking of burnt plastic.

We shield dogs!

Crash!

The Crystalline Aliens that had dodged Kasgar's first volley by hiding in corners chattered in crisp tones as their ambush failed.

They wriggled their clumsy bodies, trying to scatter through the complex twists and turns of the landing bay.

Kasgar had no real way to stop them.

But his teammates did.

"Hmph, trying to run?!"

A ghostly figure darted across the battlefield, a sleek Duelist Sword plunging precisely into alien crystal cores again and again, then swiftly withdrawing.

In the days they'd fought these creatures, they'd long figured out their weak points.

"Lucius."

"Watch your position. The area ahead is unexplored—don't push too deep."

Saul Tarvitz, on Kasgar's left flank, issued a warning.

Carrying a load of demolition charges and a combat axe, he served as the squad's Support, tuning his Augur Array to locate nearby enemies.

"Tch, no fun."

Lucius, heeding the advice, reluctantly fell back to Kasgar's right, slipping back under the cover of the boarding shield.

As the squad's Breacher, he used his melee blade to cut down anything daring to block their advance.

At the rear, Sword Saint Aqua held the line as their mentor.

On one hand, she could observe the overall situation and provide support; on the other, she could offer tactical advice to this squad, letting the rookies gain real combat experience.

Judging by their coordination, these three youngsters were performing quite well.

Three rookies with potential rivaling hers.

Other Legions would consider themselves lucky to find even one.

They'd gotten three at once!

Thinking of how they'd one day lead the Sons of the Emperor as the new generation of the Third Legion, Aqua felt a swell of pride and anticipation.

"Open up! Water bill check!"

Kasgar kicked open the iron door of the xenos warship and shouted.

"And you lot, clear out the filth!"

He kicked open another door.

Alright, scratch that.

Kasgar could never stay serious for more than three seconds.

"No one here. This area should be cleared as a safe zone."

"Based on our initial landing point, we've still got a long way to go before we reach the alien control center."

Walking down the narrow deck corridor, Kasgar analyzed as he moved.

The interior structure of the xenos warship was primarily crystalline, with countless prismatic spikes lining even the deck walkways.

Relying solely on their four-man squad to search for the enemy control room step by step would be far too time-consuming.

For now, this xenos warship was isolated, but once they entered the portal, Kasgar's boarding team would be dragged back to the enemy's stronghold along with the aliens!

They had to seize command of the ship before the enemy rushed through the portal!

"Tarvitz, deploy the New Unmanned Spiders."

"Understood."

At Kasgar's command, dozens of small Mechanical Spiders surged from the pack on Saul Tarvitz's back.

They climbed the irregular walls into other rooms, transmitting real-time reconnaissance data.

Thanks to their small size, these Mechanical Spiders were hard to detect while slipping through narrow pipes into sealed rooms for scouting.

They also mapped the interior terrain based on movement patterns and camera modules.

On top of that, they could relay navigation data like a Servitor Skull.

This was, of course, another ingenious tool proposed by Kasgar and designed by Fulgrim.

It had never been used in a boarding action before—this was its first real deployment.

"Tarvitz, how's it looking?"

"Better than I expected."

The taciturn Terran-born recruit replied, "This xenos warship is different from the ones we've seen before."

"The command room isn't at the bow—it's at the very center of the teardrop-shaped hull."

"Good! Sync the data to the rest of the boarding team."

"Now, push forward toward the enemy command center."

Above the Silent Star's orbit.

"What's Kasgar's response?! Are they still trying to seize control of the enemy ship?!"

The fleet commander, initially ecstatic over their victory, was growing grim as time passed.

"Hurry and notify them—if they can't capture the enemy ship, pull out immediately!"

The ship you're on is very close to the portal. If you can't seize it, evacuate now!

Repeat! If you can't seize the ship, evacuate now!

The Sound Array's broadcast echoed across the Lunar-class Cruiser's bridge.

If Kasgar and his team were dragged through the portal by the xenos warship and vanished without a trace...

How would he answer to Primarch Fulgrim?!

He wiped the sweat from his brow nervously.