Just as the Heart of the Forge finished devouring and began advancing toward the Imperium's Eastern Defensive Line, the Orks of Octarius launched a massive invasion of the Imperial border.
From their very first engagement, these Orks, veterans of battles against Tyranid creatures, displayed combat capabilities far beyond anything the Imperium had known.
Countless warships built from every kind of scrap launched their attacks almost simultaneously, their numbers staggering.
Worse still, these Orks were terrifyingly effective fighters.
Although the Imperial Navy had been on alert, the overwhelming numerical disadvantage nearly saw its defensive line smashed outright.
Had the ships previously left behind by Iax not proved so devastating in battle, the Imperial Navy might not even have survived the first wave.
Even so, the Imperial Navy could only draw its defenses inward as much as possible to improve its combat effectiveness.
Relying on numerous Fortress Worlds or Bastion Worlds, the Imperial Navy struggled to hold back the Ork assaults.
Yet the frenzied Orks were almost unstoppable.
Of all the Imperium's many enemies across the Milky Way, the Orks were the most unusual.
In a normal battle in space, exchanges of fire between ships were the primary form of combat.
Even the Tyranids relied primarily on volleys of bioplasma, biological pulse weapons, and even acid sprays.
The Orks' fervor, however, often turned every battle into a boarding action.
The moment the Ork fleet appeared, it gave the Imperial Navy an intense dose of its traditional style of combat.
Those Junk Ships of unknown origin looked crude, but they were unmistakably tough. The vast fleet plunged straight into the Imperial Navy's formations behind crude yet thick shields.
Then it unleashed terrifying destructive power.
Following the principles that bigger was better and more was beautiful, the Orks not only built their ships on