The surface of Colchis.
Antioch Fortress.
The immense fortress, stretching for thousands of kilometers, was shrouded in smoke and fire.
Its walls were assembled from thick metal plates, their surfaces covered in shell scars and corrosion. Green smoke still rose from the places eaten away by Nurgle's acid.
Atop the fortress, hundreds of thousands of anti-aircraft guns roared without pause, their muzzle flashes glittering through the smoke like stars in the night.
In the trenches surrounding the fortress, countless soldiers hurried to carry ammunition, reinforce defenses, and treat the wounded. The firelight cast their figures into long shadows, and their footsteps were hurried but firm.
"The Star Fortress is under attack. Can it hold?" A communications officer's voice rang out in the command room. His fingers darted across the communications panel as he tried to establish a stable connection with the Star Fortress in orbit.
But the communications channel was filled with static and interference. The warp energy unleashed by the daemons was disrupting every electronic device, reducing communications to broken fragments.
"Can we contact the nearby planets? How long until reinforcements arrive?" another staff officer asked immediately afterward. His gaze swept across the holographic projection, watching the icons representing friendly units move slowly.
The reinforcement fleets were returning from the outer reaches, but they were too slow.
The daemons' surprise attack had come too quickly. They had not had enough time to organize an effective defense.
"Communications are jammed. What's happening with the Ground-Based Wave Cannon batteries?" A third officer's voice carried a note of urgency as he looked out the window at the daemons rampaging through the sky.
Those Wave Cannon batteries were their most important long-range weapons. If they could not function properly, stopping the larger daemons from approaching would be difficult.
The atmosphere inside the fortress