That Desolate Planet was the outermost world in the Bolomite system, a ball of rock with no atmosphere, no water, and no life—not even bacteria. Nothing but rocks and craters, craters and rocks.
The Imperial star charts listed it by a designation. They had not even given it a name.
More than a dozen gigantic Bio-ships landed on the surface of the Desolate Planet, carapaces pressed to the ground, tendrils tucked away, great mouths shut as they lay motionless at rest.
The gigantic mothership that had evolved five times was at the front. The shell fragments and bodily fluids on its carapace had dried into a grayish-white crust. It lay beside an impact crater, its body larger than the crater itself.
Moving a body that size even once took an enormous amount of energy.
Even Tyranids did not like chewing on rocks.
Fortunately, they had already eaten their fill of their coworkers.
Lin En left them there and had the Lamenters collect Tyranid remains from the battlefield to feed them.
Not too much. Enough to keep them from starving, but not enough to let them reproduce.
The Lamenters flew Transport Shuttles to the battlefield to pick up shattered carapaces, then carried them to the Desolate Planet and dumped them beside the Bio-ships' mouths.
The Bio-ships opened their great mouths, worked their jaws twice, swallowed, and went back to lying there.
Lin En had instilled his will into them, forbidding the bugs from attacking humans.
They were not allowed to eat anything except what they were given.
Pretty good.
Each of the Purple Carapace Chapter's twelve mothership-class Bio-ships was larger than an Imperial Navy capital ship, and there were countless Escort Frigates besides.
Wasn't this just free fighting power?
"Notify Bolomite. A new garrison unit has arrived. It's called the Purple