Warhammer: Echoes of Divinity
Chapter 93: The Flames of War Ignite Once More

"How do you plan to handle them?" the Shapeshifter inquired, its voice slithering like static-laced whispers leaking from broken vox-speakers.

"I will launch the assault on Talon II. The resistance fighters there cannot be abandoned," Qin Mo replied.

"And what about Talon III?"

"That cesspit of a planet is beyond salvation," he said flatly, his tone devoid of even contempt.

"Agreed. Even I think they're beyond saving."

For a Star God, a being that had witnessed the rise and ruin of entire civilizations, to declare a world beyond redemption spoke volumes about how far Talon III had fallen into damnation.

"I don't have time for more conversation. I'm leaving," Qin Mo said, now having all the information he needed.

As he turned to depart the dream-realm, the Shapeshifter's voice slithered through the ethereal void once more.

"You may temporarily trust another Star God, but never trust one forever. That is the greatest lesson I've learned in my eternal existence. It applies to both you and me."

Qin Mo paused, meeting the being's ever‑shifting gaze. For a heartbeat, the Shapeshifter's form flickered between angelic splendor and monstrous maw.

"You think I needed you to tell me that?"

Then, in an instant, reality reasserted itself. Qin Mo awoke, his eyes opening to the dull, metallic confines of his underground research facility deep beneath New Kato.

This dream realm was undoubtedly the Shapeshifter's personal domain, meaning the c'tan shard was still hiding something.

Qin Mo regarded everything the Shapeshifter had shown him with both skepticism and belief.

After all, even the Star Gods had a history of cannibalizing their own. They were not allies, they were predators, each scheming, ancient entity vying for supremacy in the cold void.

Yet if the visions were accurate, his first target had to be the shielded fortress-cities of Talon II.

Destroying their void shields would allow orbital bombardments to commence.

And since the resistance forces were fighting in the labyrinthine tunnels beneath the surface, collateral damage to the supposedly allied forces would be minimal.

With that in mind, Qin Mo began drafting a detailed war plan.

As soon as the fleet was completed, the entire Hive World would enter a wartime state.

All Legion forces and naval personnel will teleport to the orbital shipyard.

Ground troops will form up and await deployment, while warship crews will be transported to their assigned vessels.

Once all forces were in position, the orbital shipyard would engage a Dimensional Jump (DI-Jump) alongside the fleet, emerging in Talon II's orbit.

Scouting operations were to be conducted before launching the main offensive.

The primary objective: eliminate the shielded fortress-cities and cripple Talon II's surface command structure.

Once the plans were finalized, Qin Mo returned to his research.

But unlike previous campaigns, this time, he would personally take part in a battle that would decide the fate of the war.

....

Three Months Later

The fleet was complete.

Dozens of warships now rested within the massive orbital shipyard, awaiting deployment.

Qin Mo did not need to oversee the process, his subordinates had already begun executing the plan on their own.

The First Legion regiments and warship crews began their mass teleportation to the shipyard.

....

Orbital shipyard.

For the first time, Adam stepped onto the colossal lower platforms of the orbital shipyard, an industrial leviathan suspended in vacuum.

He looked around in fascination.

Above him, drones carried endless streams of supplies, while smaller drones with integrated holoprojectors hovered 20 meters overhead, displaying color-coded navigation paths for newly arrived personnel.

Adam followed the black-marked route, the designated path for cruiser crews.

Along the way, he passed First Legion formations, assembled in tight battalions, receiving their final pre-battle briefings.

A commanding officer barked:

"Remember, we are the 44th! The Governor himself fought in the original 44th Regiment! Do not disgrace this sacred number!"

"For the Emperor! For the Governor!"

"FOR THE EMPEROR! FOR THE GOVERNOR!"

Further ahead, five Thunderborns had just arrived via teleportation, following the gold-marked route.

Everywhere they walked, all eyes were on them. Thunderborns were living legends, transhuman war-gods clad in His holy armor.

"This is truly a war unlike any other," Adam muttered, finally reaching his designated assembly point.

With all crews assembled, the AI Core performed a final series of calculations, determining the optimal teleportation vectors to deposit each crew member directly at their stations aboard their assigned vessels.

When the teleportation sequence completed, Adam found himself standing in the command center of his cruiser.

However, this was not a traditional bridge, there were no viewports, no captain's chair, no crewed consoles.

Instead, it was a dimly lit metallic chamber, lined with ten sarcophagus-like pods.

Each one a neural command nexus.

Every crew member had been trained for this system, though the training period had been short, it had used the most advanced neural conditioning methods available.

Simulated battle environments, rapid cognition drills, and direct mind-link protocols had allowed them to adapt to their roles at an accelerated rate.

During training, the AI Core had assigned ranks and roles based on performance.

As the top-performing candidate, Adam had been designated Captain of the Cruiser.

Without hesitation, he stepped forward to his command pod.

The system scanned his retinal pattern, confirming his identity.

As the pod's hatch opened, Adam entered.

The pod sealed shut, and a neural interface connected directly to his brain.

Darkness. Silence. Then, awakening.

His mind expanded beyond his flesh.

His perspective shifted, and suddenly he was no longer confined to his body.

He was the ship.

He could see the entire ship, the vast orbital construction yards, and the dozens of warships surrounding him.

Overlaying his vision were countless status readouts:

Hull integrity reports. Weapon system readiness. Crew performance indicators. Tactical navigation data.

The cruiser housed 2,000 crew members, each responsible for an array of critical functions:

Communication systems. Dimensional engines. Automated repair drones. Heavy weapon stations. Life support systems.

Now fully integrated with the ship, Adam's crew awaited his first command.

They expected an inspiring speech.

Instead, Adam simply said:

"Power up the Dimensional Drive. Stand by for DI-jump upon command."

The engineers complied immediately, activating the ship's Dimensional Engine.

The reactor cores siphoned energy from the massive fusion generators, and soon a new status appeared in Adam's vision:

[DIMENSIONAL JUMP READY]

He waited.

Then a voice echoed across the officer-wide command channel.

Qin Mo had given the order.

"All ships, execute the jump."

Without hesitation, Adam initiated the command.

His cruiser's shields flared to life, A dimensional rift opened.

And in an instant, the warship vanished from the shipyard, reappearing high above Talon II.

....

The Lunar-class sized cruiser emerged from the Dimensional rift, its form solidifying as its shields stabilized.

Almost immediately, two escort frigates arrived at its flanks.

Then a far larger rift tore open.

From it, the colossal orbital shipyard emerged, an impossible construct the size of a small moon, anchored behind the war fleet like the throne of a god.

Adam glanced around, taking in the battlefield.

Off in the distance, near Talon III, two frigates were fleeing, their engines flaring as they attempted to escape the system, heading in the opposite direction of the planet.

Even as he watched, the ships reached the system's outer orbit and vanished into the Warp in a blaze of crimson light.

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