Aboard the flagship Vengeful Spirit, in the strategy chamber on the command deck—the council chamber of Lupercal—Primarch Horus stood alone beside the cathedral-like bridge windows, silently gazing out at the distant stars. He seemed to be trying to make out the battle between his escort fleet and the harassing fleet from the Taiwei system, which was waging a guerrilla war far away.
Unfortunately, even though he was a Primarch, and every aspect of his physical capabilities—including his eyesight—far surpassed those of ordinary humans, reaching what could be called the level of a Demigod, it was obviously impossible to see a battle taking place so far away in the depths of space.
After all, in space warfare, the distance between combatants usually matched the range of their weapons. Take the lances and Macro-cannons aboard their ships, for example. Often, before either side came within visual range of the other, they were already within effective Macro-cannon range.
As a result, they often opened fire before they even saw the enemy. By the time the two sides drew close enough, both had usually already paid a price.
So, in most cases, if an enemy ship could be sunk from a distance—or even the enemy fleet wiped out—no commander would be foolish enough to charge headlong into close combat.
This was particularly true of those cunning humans from the Star Sector, much to the consternation of Horus and the others.
Ever since the two sides had come to blows, the Taiwei fleet had repeatedly relied on its faster ships, more advanced warp engines, and longer-ranged weapons to harass them and unleash volleys from beyond the maximum range of their guns. Then they would cunningly strike and run, never getting entangled with his main fleet, and giving them no chance to close in or launch