"My lord! The Phalanx's long-range sensor arrays have detected an unknown energy burst."
An Astra Militarum guardsman carrying communications equipment rushed into the Great Hall in a panic. Solar Lord Leontus sat at the end of the long table in the Great Hall.
Beside him, Captain-General Trajann Valoris narrowed his eyes slightly.
Under the gaze of Terra's chief steward, the Astra Militarum soldier grew a little nervous, but then delivered his report in a loud voice.
"The Phalanx detected a massive energy burst within swarm-controlled territory. The surrounding Hive Fleets have shown a marked change in behavior. Large numbers of Bio-fleets are returning to the area of the energy burst. We suspect something has gone wrong within their ranks."
"Since the Bio-fleets have even abandoned the Imperial Ships they were fighting and withdrawn under fire, Lord Vaughn has dispatched two Viper Scout Ships to follow them."
The sudden change allowed Leontus to breathe a quiet sigh of relief.
The swarm's offensive had been far too fierce of late.
Few forces were available in Segmentum Pacificus, and the swarm was overrunning world after world at a frantic pace. The sense of urgency was growing ever stronger.
Sanctuary had now become this sector's frontline, with more than half the entire sector already lost.
The Tyranids' Bio-ships came in an endless stream.
The Imperial Navy had also discovered that these Bio-ships were rapidly growing tougher.
A biological shell that secondary batteries could easily penetrate one day could withstand an extra shell two days later.
The Tyranids' biological adaptability was making them increasingly difficult to deal with.
Research by numerous Imperial scholars had also revealed that these terrifying space xenos did not merely absorb biomass and energy.
Many common minerals and quite a few metals also fell within the scope of what they devoured.