The commander of the Valangia 33rd Regiment, a veteran renowned for his iron resolve and pragmatism, stood silently before the observation window.
The optical lenses zoomed in, clearly capturing the enormous, ugly idols of "Gork and Mork" that the Orks had cobbled together from living metal atop the tomb ruins.
One idol even had a complex crystal embedded in its hollow eye socket, still flickering with a faint, eerie green glow—it was undoubtedly the remains of some Necron Lord's or technician's thought core, which the Orks had used as a decorative "gem," gleaming with sacrilege and ill omen.
The veteran's gaze was as cold as ice in the depths of winter.
He turned, his voice heavy as grinding steel.
"Communications officer. Send a report at the highest priority, encryption level 'Extinction,' to the Sector Departmento Munitorum, the Ordo Xenos... every department with the highest clearance you can think of."
He enunciated every word.
"Contents: Antares III has been confirmed completely lost. Ork xenos have acquired and successfully deployed advanced technology on a massive scale, strongly suspected to originate from a Necron Dynasty, including but not limited to xenos weapons, living metal applications, and unknown energy technologies. Individual Orks have undergone significant anomalous enhancement. Threat level: Extremis. Request: immediate, complete, and thorough Exterminatus of Antares III. Repeat, execute immediately."
As the order went out, the Imperial Fleet in orbit swiftly adjusted its formation like a swarm of venomous hornets startled awake.
The capital ships' main guns slowly traversed, targeting the areas of the planet's surface with the highest concentrations of Ork activity and the coordinates of the two Hive Cities, calibrating for a devastating Orbital Bombardment.
They dispatched no landing craft, made no attempt to contact any potentially surviving defenders, and did not even linger long.
After completing the preliminary scans,