After ending the communication and getting a clear picture of the situation, Iax paid little attention to its exact location. The fleet began adjusting its positions in an orderly fashion.
The Heavy Assault Cruiser, damaged by the Aeldari Pirates during the brief gap when its shields were switching, repositioned itself. It rolled its hull sideways, slotting the damaged section at an angle into the Shipyard beneath the Industrial Ship Mechanicus Weaver. The remaining ships spread into formation, protecting both Transport Ships at their center.
The entire fleet held position in space and began repair operations.
Huge support structures secured the enormous hull firmly inside the Shipyard beneath the Industrial Ship, while swarms of Castellans worked rapidly between the two vessels.
The damaged outer plating was cut away and sent back to the Industrial Ship for remelting, while new armor modules were fitted directly onto the ship's hull.
Ships without life-support systems were quite simple to repair. An airless hull could be cut open at will without any concern over depressurization, and placed far fewer demands on the repair environment.
Worman's fleet likewise remained anchored in place.
These Pirates were after supplies, not simply waging war. Their objective was not to destroy the merchant ships, but to seize their cargo.
As a result, the Aeldari had destroyed parts of the propulsion systems on quite a few merchant ships.
With no enemies attacking and no dangerous cosmic storms appearing nearby for the moment, these merchant ships had to begin repairing their propulsion systems as thoroughly as possible, immediately.
Otherwise, if they fell behind during the journey ahead, their survival would depend entirely on the Emperor's protection.
Yet a shortage of spare parts ultimately forced these merchants to abandon several smaller ships, stripping their remaining supplies for use aboard other vessels.
Only the