The Blackrock's engines fired up, and the warship moved into orbit around the planet. As it adjusted its speed to match the planet's rotation, activity began inside the Blackrock, a Shortsword-class Frigate.
The orbital lance beneath the ship began to gather energy. A moment later, a red beam shot down from above the atmosphere, striking the battlefield where Peter had fought the daemons. As the first lance strike ended, a second and then a third followed.
The orbital lances bombarded every inch of land within a radius of more than ten kilometers, including the Pyramid ruins.
The lances' searing energy continued to scorch the earth, physically reacting with "silicate minerals," which made up more than 90% of the material in the planet's crust.
In the outermost area of the orbital strike, all organic matter in the soil was burned away by the intense heat. There was no humus or moisture left, and nothing would grow there for years, perhaps even decades.
At the strike's center, the minerals in the soil melted and crystallized under the intense heat, forming a dense, sintered mass. The soil's structure changed, too. Its atomic structure was broken down and recrystallized, turning it into a glassy, amorphous, ceramic-like material.
It was no longer soil that could be dug up with a shovel. It was artificial "granite," which could only be processed with specialized mining equipment. The land would be a barren glass surface, which was why some people in the Imperium called this kind of strike "glassmaking."
That was why Peter hadn't wanted to use orbital bombardment in the first place. If an entire continent were treated this way, it would no longer be suitable for any plants or animals. Nothing could be farmed or cultivated there.
The Dark Mechanicus might be able to mine the land, but once the minerals were depleted, it would be worthless. They might be able to build industrial production lines or even a Hive City there, but they would still have to import food and water.
Fortunately, the war was over. Peter had successfully reclaimed the land from Tzeentch and Khorne, though it had cost the lives of two of his brothers.
According to the Dark Mechanicus' calculations, if the land were used for agriculture, it could feed between ten and fifteen billion people, even without the kind of extreme industrial farming they employed.
Next, the continent would undergo five to ten years of planned drought, a gentler means of driving its plants and animals to extinction.
At the same time, the Dark Mechanicus would deploy mining equipment at the continent's center, mine the local resources, and begin building a fertilizer factory, facilities for converting agricultural Servitors, and a factory for producing farm machinery.
As Magos Yamila put it, "Incorrect. Corpse Starch production is sufficient. There is no need to build an agricultural continent."
Nearly a month had passed since "Operation Drought." Peter, having taken off his armor and changed into a silver-gray robe, was writing furiously in his private office at the Fortress Monastery.
He was signing a parchment request for ammunition and maintenance supplies from the War Band's Armoury. After signing his name, he set the parchment aside. A Servitor would deliver it to Magos Yamila, who would provide Filon with the materials at the prices agreed upon earlier, and even arrange delivery.
Then both sides would transfer a batch of resources belonging to the Forged Steel Brethren War Band, which the Dark Mechanicus held in storage, into the Dark Mechanicus' books. It seemed convenient; the supplies didn't even need to be moved.
But Peter had always known the Dark Mechanicus fudged the numbers when it came to how many resources they collected. He simply had neither the time nor the energy to deal with it. It was more convenient to let the Dark Mechanicus handle everything than to mine the resources himself, refine them, build storage facilities, and transport them.
His brothers didn't have the energy to deal with such trivial matters, and ordinary people were even less capable than the Dark Mechanicus. They might steal less, but their production wouldn't amount to a fraction of the Dark Mechanicus'.
The Dark Mechanicus had contributed a great deal to the planet's development over the past few years. Their efforts to improve the climate and develop agriculture and industry were already beginning to bear fruit.
More than a hundred seaweed farms, each stretching for dozens of kilometers, had been established at sea. They could produce countless amounts of seaweed every year. It could be made into supplementary food or used as livestock feed.
Shipyards had been built on Limnos III, and steel cargo ships and fishing boats now sailed the seas. Industrial fishing had begun in earnest. Almost anything caught in the massive trawl nets could be thrown into a grinder and mixed with chemical preservatives to make Protein Bars. These bars could be stored for decades, even a century or more.
Of course, the most abundant food was Corpse Starch. With Promethium being mined on Limnos III, IV, and V, Corpse Starch, a byproduct of Promethium production, was now in surplus. Fortunately, this food kept exceptionally well, and most of the planet's slaves now lived on this cheap, filling fare.
The Dark Mechanicus was also using enormous machines to level the gently rolling land. To the locals, flattening "mountains" like this seemed almost like a miracle.
Once the land was level, they spread fertilizer, pumped up groundwater, and began growing whatever was needed. Cotton was especially important; the people of this land had never seen fabric like it.
The Dark Mechanicus was too stingy to use refined metal for civilian housing, so they built equipment to crush rock into powder, add a hardening agent, and pour it into molds to make houses. These homes were quite popular among the locals. Their only drawback was their low strength: two or three stories was the limit.
Civilian heavy-industrial production lines had also been established on the planet, capable of producing simple civilian vehicles like motorcycles, cars, and trucks, as well as aircraft for use within the atmosphere.
The Dark Mechanicus had also helped establish a military industry, setting up production lines for simple Flak Armour and weapons and ammunition such as Laser Guns, Autoguns, Logging Guns, Grenade Launchers, grenades, and Rocket Launchers. But they couldn't possibly win a real war with these light weapons.
To be fair, over the past few years, the Dark Mechanicus had supported the War Band wholeheartedly, aside from their tricks with the resources they collected. But they were exceptionally stingy in certain areas: the weapons that could truly decide a war.
Leman Russ Battle Tanks, Petrifying Lizard Cannons, Hydra Flak Tanks, Buffalo Armoured Cars, Medusa Siege Tanks, Fury Interceptors, Valkyrie Transports—the true mainstays of any battlefield.
Whether tanks and armored cars on the ground or fighters and transports capable of flying through the Void, the Dark Mechanicus' answer was always the same: they could be bought, but the production lines wouldn't be provided.
Not to mention the good stuff: Power Armour, Terminator Armour, Bolter Guns, Void Ships, or Exterminatus Weapons like Whirlwind Missiles and Virus Bombs.
Even with more destructive weapons like Plasma Guns, Meltaguns, Hellguns, and Meltabombs, the Dark Mechanicus deliberately withheld the equipment needed to produce them.
Whenever Peter dealt with Magos Yamila of the Dark Mechanicus, she repeated the same thing over and over:
"Confirmed. They can be purchased."
At that moment, Peter sat at his desk, tearing his hair out over the Dark Mechanicus holding him back:
"I fucking know they can be bought. You don't have to tell me."
Before you continue