Chapter Twenty-Eight: Death in Calixis (Part III)

The mysterious Imperial fleet found itself exposed. Caught in the open void with the Worm adjusting its titanic form. Easing its way further into Reality, extending fleshy hooks capped by polished black stone into the wound it had created. Anchoring the Worm and keeping it steady. The Imperials opened fire as they accelerated toward the Star of Dyatlov-Rho. Macro-cannons and Lances rained death upon the Worm. The Vindication's sensors reported the barrage hit but with no observable effect. Shields or more esoteric Alien trickery at work.

Still the fleet fled. They would soon be close to the elements of EF-89 hiding near the far Mandeville point. A flicker of worry crossed Fenj's mind. Would one of the other commanders of the non-Night Lord ships be foolish enough to expose themselves? Hoping to aid the running fleet, even at the cost of the element of surprise. No, Fenj thought not. Fear would keep them to their orders. If there's one thing the Night Lords understand, it is fear and how to use it.

The Worm brought his focus back to it as its head swelled up. Great sphincter of flesh and plastic released and the Worm's maw opened. Splitting the alien leviathans head open. Strange Auger readings flooded the sensors. Long spindly ships with trailing tentacles and bulbous bulls flowed from the Worms mouth. Ships made of metal that twitched and moved like living flesh. Gliding through the Void like parodies of Terran Gelatinous Fish. Rangda War-barques. At least thirty had already exited the Worm and the flow of Xeno ships showed no sign of stopping.

Turning to the Librarian Nostoroi, Fenj growled: "You will explain what you have done, or by the Throne, I will end you myself Nostoroi. Till then we have our duty. Let us learn if these Rangda can feel fear."

Turning from his old friend, Fenj glared out into the Void and the scene unfolding. The War-barques were fast, propelling themselves across the stained canvas of space like primordial sea-beasts. The initial clear Auger readings started to become less certain. Whatever technology the Rangda used to obfuscate themselves was becoming active again. Radiation reports, size estimates, and other scans varied between each observation. Not enough to hide the War-barques but enough to befuddle targeting cogitators. Watching the alien ships writhe across the system, towards the mysterious Imperial fleet. Fenj wondered if his own Strike Cruiser could match the War-barques speed. The Xeno vessels accelerated and moved with a twitching pulsating movement. Leaving a trail of intense radiation as they went.

As the thirty Rangda ships exiting the Worm became sixty, then close to a hundred. Captain Vandcoth, an experienced Voidsman of the VIII and part of Fenj's officer circle spoke.

"Chapter Master, what are your orders? Do we leave the Dawn Angels to die?"

There was no judgment or apprehension in the Astartes voice, simply a question of intent. Fenj could see it in Vandcoth's eyes, and the eyes of his other brothers around him. Pragmatism vied with Bloodlust. For a moment Fenj did not respond, coming to a decision faster than a mortal mind could even comprehend the options.

"We will wait for now. Tell the strike fleet to be ready to attach at a moment's notice though. If an opportunity presents itself we will not hesitate to exploit it."

Vandcoth relayed his orders and Fenj hoped the encrypted Astropathic or Vox transmissions were invisible to the Rangda. The scant data they had suggested so, but even if they could. Hopefully, the brewing battle towards the inner system would keep the Aliens occupied. The unknown fleet continued its escape but turned its weapons towards the approaching War-barques. Lances and Macro turrets lit up the void and struck the Rangda ships. Now Fenj could get a proper view of the enemy's shields. He half expected the Rangda ships to open up and swallow the oncoming fire or some equally bizarre defense. Instead, the void around the first Rangda ships rippled with impact. Shells that hit this strange shimmer slowed and in some cases stopped. Projected energy refracted in useless spurts of light and radiation.

An unbidden memory passed into Fenj's awareness. The strange refraction reminded him of Slaugth shielding. The way the light was torn asunder and dissipated was practically identical. He had heard rumors of a connection between the Rangda and Slaugth but never paid much attention to them. Reaching up Fenj idly traced the exposed bone of his face, a painful reminder of the Walking Worms.

The other shield, or manifestation of the same shield. Which slowed down the kinetic weapons was unknown. A battle report he had read about an Armada skirmish with a Rangda Spoor Vessel mentioning something called "Gel Fields." Now he had an image to go with the brief report, the few survivors of the encounter had provided little information.

Chasing after the wounded and out of formation Imperials, the Rangda started to close the distance. The Xeno's armor had been exposed, now to see their fangs. The War-barques did not keep Fenj waiting long. A dozen cogitators and data-linked servitors across the bridge started to scream warnings. As a gout of radiation streamed from the leading Randa ships. Even from this distance the Auger and Auspex were howling warnings about the radiation levels. The Rangda had fired what amounted to a small Gamma-ray Burst at the fleeing Imperials.

The effects were instantaneous once the energized stream hit a lagging transport vessel. Punching right through its shields and almost instantly frying every circuit on the Imperial ship. Nosteroi flinched horribly shortly after impact and Fenj imagined the Librarian had felt the psychic death screams of the crew. Today he had no pity for his friend's burden. Whatever the Solomonari had hidden from him would be exposed. For now, they had to focus on the battle raging before them.

Without its plasma drives to increase its momentum the rad-soaked transport ship fell further behind its fellows. Drifting through the encroaching Rangda fleet. As the Alien ships passed by a dozen long plastic tendrils struck out from a few of the larger War-barques. Striking the corpse ship like a parasitic wasp laying its eggs, before continuing towards the next target. The rad blasts were obscene acts of destructive power. Weapons capable of such gamma saturation were rare to the point of forbidden across the Imperial military. Only the First Legion and some particularly insane Magos use these weapons. Then only in extreme circumstances. Fenj doubted much could survive such a weapons use, this was a tool of extermination and insanity.

The battle continued as half a dozen more Imperial ships died to Rangda weapons. The Gamma-Gout weapon was only part of the Alien's arsenal. Much of it defied Fenj's understanding of war, but that did not surprise him. The eternal problem when dealing with Xeno's. Alien minds could dream up and produce horrors beyond mankind's comprehension or imagination. The Mechanicum would have challenges dissecting any captured Rangda weaponry. Some of the tools of destruction were within his frame of context or at least somewhat familiar. Shadow Blasters that combined Radiation, Sorcery, Grav, and Necrotic energy in a dreadful slurry of death. Boney spines that spat globs of milky fluid at incoming missiles. Long rubbery tendrils that acted as both grappling spike and boarding pod. Along with a whole host of similarly profane weapons.

With grim satisfaction, Fenj watched the first Rangda casualty. A War-barque overextended and found itself surrounded by a swarm of escorts and cruisers. Its shields taxed by the small ship's fire, and its body burst by a well-timed broadside of plasma shells. Some of the Xeno ships larger chunks wriggled for a few moments before becoming still.

"Good," thought Fenj "They can die well enough, but how to make them afraid?"

Another two Rangda ships soon fell, but the battle went poorly. The Worm-Ship had finished vomiting up its passengers and shut. Awaiting the battles outcome or new travellers. It took multiple Imperial ships sustained coordinated fire to break a single Rangda vessel. And the Xenos outnumbered the dwindling Imperial force three to one. It was an ugly decision but letting these scattered Imperials die to preserve the Expedition Fleet was the right call. Hopefully, once the battle was finished the Rangda would return to whatever infested system they originated from.

Less than a hundred tattered Imperial ships dueled close to three hundred Rangda ships across the inner Dyatlov-Rho system. The relatively ordered formations of the chase were abandoned as the Void came alight with savage close quarter combat. Fenj and every other officer in the hidden Night Lord strike fleet observed the battle with predatory focus. Any weakness or opening would not go unnoticed. One detail that stuck out to Fenj was the lack of variety in weight classes among the War-barques. While he noticed at least a dozen different distinct breeds of Xeno ships. Each combing flesh, metal, plastic and other more esoteric materials in a skeletal mixture of arthropod and cnidaria life. They were all roughly the same size. About equivalent to an Imperial cruiser, but likely with less mass considering the Barques shape. This might be an exploitable weakness. The mixing of different vessel classes provided many advantages. Combined arms warfare stands supreme, even in the void.

A sudden Vox hail caught the Chapter Masters' attention. It was from a Star Galleon leading part of the scattered resupply fleet. As the battle raged across the inner system, a section of the Rangda fleet and fleeing Imperials had split from the larger warzone. Engaging in a running battle that was coming perilously close to the Star Galleon and other elements of the resupply fleet. Detection by either side of the battle might prove disastrous. The hidden ships would need to move and do so subtly.

"Tell them to wait until either side suffers a major casualty. Use the ensuing chaos and fallout to escape to the far side of the Gas Giant they hide within."

Not an ideal plan but one that could work. Almost on cue, shortly after the message was relayed. An Imperial Cruiser exploded in a blinding rupture of its Plasma Drive. The Cruisers engines created a momentary second star in Dyatlov-Rho. Launching the burning ships husk into the nearby gravity well. All while its crew fired its weapons with the desperation of the already dead. A trio of Rangda War-barques swooped down towards the Imperial ship, pounding it with Shadow Blasts and Gamma Bursts. Reeling from impacts and unable to reorient itself. The dying Cruiser spun into the gravity well and finally exploded in a storm of plasma and shrapnel.