Astral Hawk’s 1st Armada; Laeren System
The command deck of the
Starfury was a quiet hub of activity. Dozens upon dozens of servitors and adjutants bustled around the cavernous bridge of the Gloriana Class Battleship. Several staff officers, both mortal and astartes stood gathered around a massive central holo-display of the system. Above them on the command dais, the Primarch of the seventh legion lounged in silent contemplation; much like one of the great cats of ancient Terra herself. Those who did not know the Primarch well could be forgiven for viewing him as slothful or irreverent, but anyone who had been welcomed into Atherel's inner circle knew better than to judge the master of the seventh by his outward demeanor.
The First Armada had translated in system approximately two hours ago. Within the first twenty minutes of arrival, the remains of the Laer fleet had been sighted in the shadow of one of the system's planetoids, designation LS-LIPO-3. The first had immediately changed course to intercept and informed Imperial Command on Laeren itself of the change in plans. Since then, the Primarch and his command staff had been reviewing the Night Watch's combat footage against the Laer.
Eyes flitting between nearly a dozen viewscreens and one hand almost idly working their control panel, there was an almost imperceptible shift in Atherel's demeanor. A slight twitch of the eyes, a skipped breath, a momentary cessation of all idle movement. The data had been analyzed and a conclusion had been reached. Righting himself, the Primarch retrieved his helm and opened a ship-wide vox.
{High Admiral Acastian? Atherel here.} There was a moment of silence before the High Admiral's gravelly baritone cut in; a stark contrast to the Primarch's clear tenor.
{Acastian recieving. Orders my lord?}
{Yes. A change in plans. Take command of the Vanguard Wings and eliminate the remaining Laer naval forces. We'll perform a burn and drift to mask your approach.}{Understood my lord.}
{Good. Fly fast and true. Atherel out.} Closing the vox, the Primarch looked down to the assembled staff officers; many of whom where looking back up at him, expecting more. Cocking his head to one side as if in confusion, Atherel arched an eyebrow behind the cover of his helm.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Prepare the Armada for a burn and drift. This is no time for superfluous speeches." He stated dryly before once again lounging back in silent contemplation. A scattered chorus of "Aye, my lord"s echoing back up, the command staff of the
Starfury set about their given tasks; an aura of calm determination and dry amusement settling among them. This was going to be one of those days.
Now aboard
The Angel Ascendant, lead Vanguard Light Cruiser of the first fleet, High Admiral Acastian settled into the ship's command dais; a token element of the Primarch's own Void Guard accompanying him.
"Vox-master, open me a priority override command line vox. Fleet wide."
"Aye, my lord... Vox line open." Came the clipped reply.
{This is High Admiral Acastian. You have your orders. All ships prepare for maneuvers in... 60 seconds.} The venerable astartes paused, watching the clock in the corner of his HUD tick away. {30 seconds... 15... 10... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Execute!}
Like a well-oiled machine, the First Armada sprung into action. The ships of all three Vanguard Wings cut power to their engines and engaged silent running protocols; the freezing temperatures of the void quickly striping what heat remained from their previously active emissions. And so, in a matter of minutes, the ship of the Vanguard wings were reduced to little more than hunks of ceramite and plasteel hurtling towards the Laer fleet; invisible in all but name against the vast emptiness of space. At the same time, the rest of the First Armada turned on their axis' and began to burn hard toward Laeren Prime itself. The increased output from their engines masking the absence of the Vanguard Wings.
Back on the
Starfury, Atherel watched as the Vanguard ships rapidly became little more than sensor ghosts on the main holo-display before disappearing entirely. Idly observing their projected trajectory for a few more moments, the Primarch of the Seventh quietly signaled the
Starfury's command staff, slowly gathering their attention.
"Alright. Mich, my brother and Master of the Second, is looking to wrap up this campaign as quickly and cleanly as possible. To that end, I want boots on the ground and wings in the air as fast and as safely possible. We'll launch landing and strike craft when the Fleets switch to decel; make the most of their higher thrust to weight ratio. From there we'll enter through the surface to orbital corridor our allies have opened."Pausing, Atherel took a moment look over the gathered officers.
"Needless to say, this will be an Astartes only alpha strike, sustained high-Gs start to finish. I want a flight plan that steers well clear of the Laer's orbital defenses and an operations timetable in thirty minutes. Any questions?"
Letter Bee
Zarkun
Alby47