The Imperium's Frontier: A Grim Situation

Countless anti-aircraft shells streaked from the hive city toward the horizon. Chimera anti-air batteries, ground-based heavy artillery, and laser arrays set the sky ablaze. The entire hive was shrouded in this cloud of death, with burning fire-clouds illuminating the upper levels and outer structures. Every massive building's glass and pristine exterior walls reflected a scarlet glow.

In the oval hall of the Administratum, the dome and the massive, fan-shaped floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the flickering firelight, but the people here had no time to spare for such things.

Everyone here was busy, operating at near-full capacity in a continuous cycle. Countless mechanical instruments and communication devices echoed one another, and the semi-circular hall was packed with people coming and going.

They came from all vital units: the Planetary Defense Force, the Astra Militarum, the Imperial Navy, and the Adeptus Mechanicus were no exceptions. They were all crammed into one corner, relaying messages through various voices or pure, unadulterated cursing.

Those crude, almost barbaric words conveyed reports of the battle, which data-clerks quickly recorded to project onto the real-time Victoria global war map.

Every plea for reinforcements, troop movement, and frontline status was clearly displayed, shifting with the ebb and flow of the shouting. The war on the surface and in orbit was intensifying.

At the other end of the hall was another group: staff from the Administratum, the Adeptus Arbites, and the hive government gathered together. They were busy maintaining order throughout the hive, a task no easier than the war itself.

Fighting was occurring both inside and outside the hive; the fierce conflict was not limited to the walls.

According to the results of Vito's Operation Dynamo, a population in the tens of billions was gathered within the mega-hive. Their food, water, sanitation, and housing were all critical issues. The terror of war and the rapid consumption of supplies created severe security problems, keeping the Adeptus Arbites overwhelmed, while the Administratum scrambled to feed, hydrate, and shelter the masses.

Vito watched the main screen projected in the arc-shaped hall. It was a summary display of the entire planet's situation, with countless markers and signals flickering across the planet's three-dimensional surface, while the orbit was filled with dense clusters of light.

Vito's eyes darted between the pieces of information. The flood of data streamed before him. To process this chaotic and complex information, several servitors had already burned out their brains and been replaced, and it seemed this trend was continuing.

Massive amounts of data poured in. The sound of artillery fire echoed incessantly outside the hall, and the shockwaves of heavy impacts periodically rattled the glass of the headquarters' outer walls. The colorful stained glass clattered as if it were on the verge of shattering.

Vito looked down from the data at the beauty beside him. Olivia sat in the command chair belonging to the planetary governor. The chair, set upon a shrine-like platform, resembled a throne, and she sat upon it like a true queen.

Of course, it wasn't real; after all, the Imperium had only one Emperor, and that was The Emperor. So, Olivia wore no crown or royal robes; she was dressed in a form-fitting white lace-trimmed shirt and a black corset. She sat on the golden throne, her eyes filled with anxiety and even terror as she looked at the global data.

Her fingers gripped the armrests of the throne, her knuckles white with tension. In truth, Vito thought she was brave enough; most women, or even men, might have already begun to weep in terror, but she had not. She maintained the utmost composure—a breathtaking level of calm.

Vito smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. Olivia looked up at Vito. He wore the red robes of an Inquisitor, with an "I" pendant symbolizing the Inquisition hanging from his chest.

Vito stood beside the queen like a king. He calmly directed and coordinated the massive flow of data for the entire planet. Every troop and fleet was under his control, and he was doing quite well—at least, for the three days since the war began, the city had not fallen.

Of course, the situation was not much better. Olivia could clearly see the fallen districts on the holographic map. The entire outer city of the hive had been overrun, and scarlet markers were closing in on the hive's core from all directions.

Several districts had vanished entirely, their populations swallowed in an instant, as had more than half of the planets in the Victoria System. Olivia still remembered the terror she felt when she first saw this data—a fear that felt like a blade piercing her heart.

But she soon steadied herself. Whenever Vito placed his hand on her shoulder and stood by her side, an inexplicable sense of security and trust welled up in her heart, as if all the great enemies in this vast galaxy were no match for him.

Olivia took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling. "Have you seen worse situations before?" she asked softly. Her voice would have been drowned out in the noisy hall, but Vito heard her clearly.

The Inquisitor smiled and looked at the global data map. "Believe me, my dear, if you had fought as many battles in this galaxy as I have, you would get used to it. This is not the worst-case scenario."

As Vito spoke, he pulled a plane of data from the map. It was a string of figures. Vito pressed the communication icon in the corner of the projection.

"Grand Master, have the Vostroyan 6th Regiment retreat to the inner city. Forget that position." "We can hold this! The Vostroyans never retreat!" "If you still wish to serve The Emperor and the Machine God, pull back immediately. I need living men to serve The Emperor and the Imperium, not dead ones."

Vito said sternly, his words filled with authority and unquestionable weight. After a brief silence, a sigh came through. "I will issue the order, Inquisitor." "Good, Grand Master. Stay alive to serve The Emperor as long as you can." "As His will be done."

Vito switched the data panel to the next frequency, and the communication opened naturally. "Lord Marshal, how is the Valhallan regiment?"

"Heavy losses, Inquisitor. Four of the ten regiments under my command have been crippled, and two have been wiped out. Although the Astartes have repelled the Tyranid assault, I believe we must abandon the outer wall positions and reorganize our defense around the city walls."

Vito nodded slightly, looking at the tactical map showing the actual frontline. "I have already ordered the Vostroyan troops to pull back. A portion of them should rendezvous with you. The Tyranids will reorganize their attack soon; reorganize the defensive line as quickly as possible." "Understood, my lord."

Vito pushed the data panel away and immediately opened the communicator on his wrist, holding it up to his face. "Hello, hello, Cole? How is it on your end? Is the picnic going smoothly?"

"If you mean the Tyranid picnic, and them treating us as lunch, then they are close to succeeding." "How much longer can you hold?"

"I don't know. Although the Navy and the Astartes fleet have temporarily blocked the swarm, their numbers are simply too vast. We will definitely lose a war of attrition. I can only say that the previous retreat, combined with the timely destruction of some supplies, prevented the Tyranids from replenishing enough biomass. If The Emperor protects us, we might be able to outlast them before the Tyranids take the planet."

"What is the situation on the ground?" "Most of the hive is gone. We are organizing the defense of the core. Fortunately, no Tyranid drop pods have crashed in yet."

"We must find a way, Vito, otherwise it's death sooner or later." "I know." "You have a plan, right? I can tell by your tone." "You're that certain?" "We've been partners for over a decade. I know when you're confident and when you're not, but still have a way—a dangerous way."

Cole sighed. "Do you think your plan is feasible?"

Vito was silent for a moment. He did not answer, only silently watching the firelight outside the window. After a moment, he spoke. "Feasible, but... very dangerous." "Follow your own instincts, Vito. I trust your judgment."

"I know. Good luck, my friend." "Good luck to you, too."

Olivia watched as Vito placed his hand on her arm. The Inquisitor looked down at the uneasy Governor. He smiled and touched her fair face.

"Don't worry, my dear. This isn't the first time I've fought a battle like this. I've fought many such sieges, and one of them... was exceptionally brutal."

"More brutal than this? More dire?" "Yes. At that time... the situation was even trickier than it is now, but back then, a friend was always helping me—three, to be exact. We held the city together and ensured that everything didn't end."

Vito said, swiping the data board away. Olivia looked at the artillery fire outside the window. The ground-based turbo-laser batteries fired again, the flickering red light illuminating half of the command hall.

The red light shone on Vito's face, but the Inquisitor's expression remained as calm as ever. Olivia watched the red light fade into the darkness after the peak and remained silent for a moment. "How was it when you fought the Tyranids last time?"

"Last time? Ah, on Macragge. That was the first time the Imperium clashed with the Tyranids. I fought alongside the Ultramarines. Chapter Master Calgar and everyone else held the polar positions. That time was more brutal, more desperate."

"Several times I thought the position would fall, especially when Calgar dueled the Tyrant and was sent to the orbital ship heavily wounded. All command fell onto my shoulders. The 1st Captain was missing in action, and it was just me, Mikael, and Sicarius—the two captains—directing the northern polar defense."

"Back then, just like now, the heavy ground-based laser cannons fired non-stop, and the Tyranids struck our positions like a tsunami. It was a desperate war, at least it seemed so at the time."

"But you all survived, you and the captains." "Yes, we all survived. And Sicarius... ah, The Emperor be praised, he didn't die either."

Olivia tilted her head in surprise, looking at Vito in confusion. "You seem disappointed. Aren't you happy the 2nd Captain survived?"

Vito gave a wry smile. "My dear, if you spent a few days with Sicarius, you'd also want to put a bullet in his head just to stop that idiot from blathering on."

"But in the end, yes, we won. Macragge did not fall. After a series of heroic sacrifices and a final battle, we achieved victory. So, my dear, we won't die here today either."

He smiled and pressed Olivia's shoulder. "The Emperor doesn't intend for me to die yet, and many others feel the same. So, we will win."

Olivia also smiled and leaned her head against Vito's waist. The latter gently held the Governor's head with his hand. She closed her eyes, seemingly casting all the noise and war out of her mind, leaving only a world for the two of them.

"How many years have you lived through war?"

Vito let out a long sigh, his eyes flickering with a multitude of things. "To be honest, I've forgotten. I've even forgotten how old I am." "How is that possible?" "My dear, if you had lived through centuries, or even longer, like I have, time would no longer be so important. You see, once your life extends beyond a century, time begins to blur."

Olivia closed her eyes and smiled, a genuine expression finally appearing on her face. "So I slept with an old man who is hundreds of years old?"

Vito chuckled, laughing softly. "Old? I'm still quite young. At least to me, I'm not old yet. No matter how time passes, my soul and optimistic nature remain forever young."

"Of course they do," Olivia said with a smile. Vito looked at a newly appeared data panel before him, covered in strings of red lines. These were the migration and evacuation routes for the refugee columns; the survivors had gathered within the inner walls of the hive city, waiting here for final salvation or destruction.

There was a marker for a newly arrived group of people, and they seemed to be moving very slowly. To make matters worse, they appeared to be mixed with some Planetary Defense Force units. If Vito remembered correctly, the order he had given this unit was to hold their position.

Well, this wasn't entirely unexpected; morale had collapsed, and hearts were scattered.

Vito smiled jokingly and swiped the data panel away. He patted Olivia on the head, and she opened her charming eyes to look at him, meeting his gaze.

"My dear Governor, it's time we went to boost their morale." "Boost their morale? You mean..." "No, I don't intend to use a Bolter to boost morale. I'm not like my peers."

Vito took Olivia's hand, and she stood up from the throne, linking her arm with his. Vito smiled as he looked at the artillery fire flying outside the window.

"Let's go for a walk." "Your choice of date location and timing is truly..." "As unique as always, yes."

Vito smiled and walked with Olivia toward the rear door of the command center. Outside the window, explosions continued to flash incessantly within the clouds. Yes, this was not a good time.

For anything at all.