Abaddon stood on Bridge, and the aura around him seemed to still be stained with the burnt and bloody blood from the fight inside Gungnir.
His carapace was covered with scratches of varying depths, and a large piece of the plating on his shoulder armor was broken open by Bolt, revealing the black metal base underneath.
Hobart's blood was still on his cheek, drying into a dark red mark and sticking together with the wound that was still bleeding, making his face look like an iron sheet that had been repeatedly forged.
The braid on his head swayed slightly in the airflow from the ventilation duct. He pressed the communication station with one hand and held the Warhammer with the other hand. He looked through the Bridge and Observation Window at the slowly shrinking black vortex in the distance.
Then he pressed the full-site communication button and connected the entire Fleet.
"I am Ezekel Abaddon, Lord of the Black Legion, and I speak to my Fleet."
His voice came from Bridge and flowed into the cockpits and corridors of Warships one after another along the lines of Communications Arrays.
There was no roar or anger in that voice, but it carried a heaviness that had been hammered repeatedly.
He could feel that the communication station under that finger was getting slightly hot, and countless signals were spreading in all directions along those invisible cables.
"I don't want to ask for your sacrifice, but now we must make a choice." He paused and moved his eyes to Gungnir outside the porthole. The huge weapon was gathering power enough to tear reality apart.
He continued, "Our goal is to accelerate Warship, and then detonate Warship's engine at the moment of release, and use the explosion of Warship and the concentrated power of Gungnir to disperse it."
This sentence was said calmly, but he knew what it meant.
Once those Ship turn around, once those engines are forced to overload, their hulls will be torn apart by their own energy the moment they hit the Warp vortex.
There would be no chance of escape, no room for a lifeboat, no chance of a miracle.
He said, "I don't know how much Warship will be invested. It may only be one ship, or it may be a hundred."
He raised his eyes and continued, "Therefore, Luna Wolvess, sons of Lorgars, and Mortalss of Warships, Commanders, we have to make sacrifices. If no one is willing, I am willing to be the first to launch the impact."
After the voice fell, Communications Channel fell into silence.
Bridge The air seemed to be solidified, and even the low roar of the main engine became extremely distant.
In such silence, some people lowered their heads, some clasped their hands, and some closed their eyes.
They all knew what this order meant. A few seconds later, the first response sounded from Communications Channel.
"This is Holy Light, we are willing to be the first to enter the battlefield." That voice came from Ship Captain of a large Escort Frigate. He was a Mortals. His voice was hoarse, without gorgeous rhetoric, only a clear confirmation.
Following the confirmation, Holy Light immediately began to adjust its course after the communication ended, and the bow of the ship was aligned in the direction of the black vortex.
"I am Hand of Lorgar, we are willing to make sacrifices."
Ship Captain of Hand of Lorgar is a Mortals officer who believes in Lorgar extremely. The ship still retains many Prayer paintings from the old era.
There was no hesitation in his words, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
"Philogus, ready to sacrifice at any time." It was an old Cruiser, which had been damaged many times by Warfire. Shell was full of patches and traces of Laser etching.
Immediately afterwards, more and more voices poured into Communications Channel.
From different Ship, from different Commander, some are Space Marine, some are Mortals, some have high voices, some have low voices, but all the responses converge into the same meaning.
"Abaddon, please give the order."
No one asked about success rates, no one suggested alternatives, no one asked what they would get in return.
The names poured out like mercury...
Holy Light, Hand of Lorgar, Philogus, Fang of the Grey Wolves, Crimson Testimony, Oath of Black Iron...
The communication panel of Abaddon lit up into a dense patch of light spots, like rows of lit candles.
Abaddon said no more. He lowered his head, grasped the handle of Warhammer, and said in a deep voice, "Instruct all Ship who voluntarily join the impact sequence to concentrate their power, adjust their course, and wait for my signal."
He let go of the communication panel and pressed his fingertips on the edge of Control Console. The cold metal touch made his clenched teeth loosen slightly.
Outside the Bridge porthole, he saw those Ship turning slowly, their huge steel bodies like a pack of wolves spreading their fangs in the dark, silently arranged in a wedge-shaped array pointing toward the abyss.
Long lines of fire erupted from the propellers on the side of the ship, like muscle lines taut in the darkness.
On the other side, inside Heavy Cruiser and "Fidelitas Lex", the warning lights flashed at an almost violent frequency.
The red light continued to sweep across the corridor walls, intertwining with the dark shadow of the black vortex in the distance to form a suffocating picture.
Ship Captain Strahn stood at the entrance of the corridor leading to Bridge. His uniform was soaked with sweat, and a strand of gray hair stuck to his shiny skin.
He looked at the Word Bearers soldier in front of him who was adjusting the Power Armour interface, and finally said the words that had been brewing for a long time, "Sir, I hope you leave the Fidelitas Lex number."
Kais did not respond immediately.
He just readjusted the nerve wiring welded inside the arm armor, and his fingers made a crisp sound on the metal fastener.
His Power Armour is already covered with marks, and there is still a trace of an old injury that has not completely healed on the edge of the shoulder armor.
He raised his gaze and looked at Strahn. His eyes were as calm as a lake that had not been blown by the wind.
"You are Word Bearers Space Marine, you should not die in a place like this." Strahn spoke again, the pleading in his voice almost overflowing.
As a Ship Captain, he has seen many deaths and seen countless people fall for Imperium, but he cannot just watch such a Space Marine die in vain on his own Ship.
"Are you depriving me of the right to sacrifice, Strahn Ship Captain." Kais's voice was still steady, as if he was reciting the last line of a scripture.
He didn't mean to blame, only a kind of quiet persistence.
As he spoke, Kais lowered his head and spoke after a moment, "When I was a child, my home planet was invaded by Orks. It was a Word Bearers warrior who saved me."
"After that, I regarded it as an honor to join Legion and die for the Legion."
Strahn After hearing this, he did not refute again.
Kais continued, "My company has evacuated this Warship under my order, but I choose to stay here and die with honor."
He raised his palm and gently placed his fingertips on the Insignia hanging on his chest. The Insignia represented the oath he had made with the Legion warrior.
"Strahn Ship Captain, you don't need to take away my choice. I am here of my own volition."
Strahn looked at him, and he finally stopped trying to persuade him, and allowed his right hand to slowly rise, and made a standard Imperial Army salute forward.
His fingertips were trembling slightly, but his arms were as steady as iron. He did not speak again, but turned around and walked to the other side of Bridge to give the last command to run the engine of "Fidelitas Lex" at full power.
Only Kais was left standing alone in the corridor, the huge shoulder armor casting a wide shadow in the red light.
He held the huge Chainsword hanging on his waist again in his hand, his fingertips touching the sawtooth switch.
He listened to the engine sound of the entire Warship gradually rising from a low roar to a throat-ripping scream, waiting for the imminent impact command.