The moment the communication channel was connected, the first sound was a low, bellows-like breathing sound, accompanied by the slight hum of mechanical components operating.
Vulkan's voice was hoarse, like a leaky bellows, and he had to pause to catch his breath every few words.
But his tone was very calm, showing no sign of panic.
"Major General, please make this brief."
"Those infected frigates and destroyers in front are decoys."
There was a moment of silence on the bridge, and everyone instinctively turned to the main screen.
The bloated, decaying ships were clumsily adjusting their cannons, slowly firing sluggish, slimy shells at the nearby Imperium vessels.
The impact shattered into murky spots of light upon hitting the Void Shield, but the shield's value decreased only slightly.
"The reason," Dominic stated succinctly.
"I've seen the exact same tactics before, Anvaheim." Vulkan's breathing became heavier, as if he were recalling some extremely unpleasant memory.
"Traitors corrupted by the plague never reveal their hand from the start."
"What they do best is to first show you a few out-of-control friendly ships, make you panic, make you fear the spread of the plague, and make you unleash all your firepower on your own people."
"Look closely, these infected ships are all from the same fleet that received supplies from Starport three days ago."
"The source of the disease was already hidden in the supplies. They calculated exactly when it would occur and how many ships would be affected."
"The deliberate infecting of the outermost escort ships first, before spreading inwards, was to create the illusion that the plague would spread rapidly."
"This forces us to consolidate our formation and concentrate our firepower to eliminate the infected ships."
Dominic's gaze fell on the formation array on the screen.
Sure enough, the seven infected ships were located on the outermost layer of the eastern anchorage, like a ring of rotten flesh that had been carelessly discarded, blocking the main fleet's route as it approached the starport.
They were slow-moving, inaccurate, and unable to even maintain their Void Shield. They looked like a horde of out-of-control zombies, seemingly posing no threat other than being disgusting.
But if the fleet actually closes in and focuses its fire, it's like deliberately walking right into the enemy's face.
" Nurgle's fleet's core tactic is also close-quarters boarding maneuvers," Vulkan's voice continued, carrying a deep-seated dread.
"Their ships look slow and lack shields, but they're actually incredibly durable."
"Once they get close, they can use corrupting torpedoes to blast through the shields, board the ship, and rush into the compartments. The entire ship will be completely corrupted in less than half a day."
"The ships that are currently infected aren't even considered pioneers."
"The real main fleet will definitely consist of those dozen or so ships that emerged from the Warp rift, waiting for us to get entangled with the decoys before sneaking up and getting right up to us."
"Listen to me, Major General."
"We can't fight these plagues together, nor can we be reluctant to give up our little bit of territory in Starport."
"Spread out, maintain distance, and use the Macro-cannon and light spears to engage the distant fleet. Don't waste time on decoys."
"The more reluctant they are to abandon densely populated landmarks, the easier it is for them to wipe them out in one fell swoop."
"This is a lesson learned at the cost of hundreds of millions of lives in Anvaheim."
After he finished speaking, only heavy, mechanical breathing could be heard in the channel.
Vulkan didn't say another word, as if he had completely handed over the decision to Dominic.
Dominic did not reply immediately, but instead turned his head to look at the Tech-Priest and Sisters of Silence Elaine beside him.
"Test results."
The Tech-Priest's optical lens flashed a dark red light, and the data stream in front of him scrolled rapidly. "Confirmed, Major General."
"Enemy Void Shield have a penetration rate of less than 1% against the Void Shield, making them almost ineffective against shield systems."
"The corruption effect is concentrated at the physical contact level; as long as the shields remain intact, it will not cause infection of the ship's hull."
" The Warp fluctuation energy levels of the infected ships are relatively low, and the corruption core is not located on this batch of ships."
"A more powerful source of corruption is indeed still at the Warp Rift, slowly seeping into the Realspace."
Sister Elaine nodded slightly and gave a short string of sign language:
[I agree with Vulkan Walken's opinion.]
Both men confirmed Vulkan Walken's statement.
The last vestige of doubt in Dominic's mind vanished.
He looked at the main screen, his gaze passing over the rotting decoy ships and landing on the churning, dark green Warp Rift in the distance.
The crack was still widening, and the outline of a larger, more twisted ship could be vaguely seen slowly emerging, like a giant beast that had sunk in stagnant water and was slowly rising to the surface.
He really wanted to rush down right now, drag Kerry Von to his side, and force him to confess everything about the Genestealer, the Dragon of Frost, and the Xenos ' collusion.
But that was ultimately just internal suspicion within the Imperium, an issue that could be settled later.
Now, a gleaming Chaos Fleet blocks the entrance to the galaxy, the Plague Fleet of the evil god threatening to drag the entire planet into decay and death.
As a rear admiral in the Imperial Navy and a warrior of the God-Emperor, he had no reason to be preoccupied with internal strife.
"Send orders to the entire fleet."
Dominic's voice was steady and powerful, instantly drowning out all the noise in the bridge.
"Abandon the starport anchorage. All combat units must immediately disperse and form a fan-shaped defensive formation with sufficient distance between them."
"All ships must maintain a distance of at least 500 kilometers and are prohibited from close-range formation."
"All Macro-cannon and Lance Battery, cease fire on infected friendly ships."
"Unified fire control, target: fleet at the Warp Rift exit, cover fire."
"The entire carrier-based aircraft group was deployed to patrol the outer airspace and intercept any corrupted ships attempting to approach our fleet."
"Inform Colonel Vulkan that the Spear of Flame has been temporarily assigned to the Vanguard Strike Group, with him in overall command of the left flank long-range firepower."
A series of orders were issued clearly and decisively, without any hesitation.
The officers on the bridge sprang into action immediately, and the previous panic was replaced by a cacophony of responses on the communication channels.
The massive Imperial Fleet began to move in an orderly fashion.
One by one, the warships adjusted their course, leaving the densely packed anchorage area around the starport and dispersing into the vast expanse of space.
Like a giant net slowly unfurling, it surrounds the emerging main fleet of the Nurgle.
Dominic stood at the porthole, gazing at the turning fleet outside, his eyes cold.
We can settle Kerry von's score later.
But now, he wants to send all these Chaos scum who dared to trespass into the Imperium's territory back into the embrace of their so-called " Grandfather."