"Prepare to board."
The temporary squad formed by Khârn, Paulus, and the others made their preparations in the dim compartment, waiting for the order to assault.
"Word Bearers, we'll lead the way in the coming battle."
"Use your Terminator Armour to cover our flanks. I will personally cut off the enemy commander's head and offer it to the Primarch."
Khârn stowed the Chainaxe that stood several heads taller than he did, then looked over Paulus and the others in their Word Bearers armour.
In the conference room, time seemed to stretch endlessly beneath Commander-in-Chief Kalapan's long, hollow speech, turning into a mild form of torture.
Griffins and Spencer sat among the officers, outwardly maintaining the same proper posture as their colleagues, but their impatience had already reached its breaking point.
Beneath the table, Griffins's fingertips tapped unconsciously, tracing the rhythms of various tactics.
Meanwhile, Spencer kept scanning the exits and potential cover out of the corner of his eye.
For Alpha Legion warriors accustomed to efficient action and covert warfare, this public gathering devoid of any substance was nothing short of an insult to their professionalism.
Just as the two were about to lose patience and began using extremely discreet gestures to discuss whether they should arrange a little "accident" to end this farce early—
BOOM!!!
A muffled yet piercing blast rang out, accompanied by the teeth-grating shriek of the ship's metal framework twisting violently, as a tremendous force surged up beneath everyone's feet!
The entire transport ship, that enormous steel beast, shuddered violently without warning, as though an invisible giant hammer had smashed into it!
In an instant, the main lights overhead crackled, flickered wildly a few times, then went out altogether, as if the beast's throat had been abruptly crushed.
Blinding red emergency lights spilled down like