Warhammer 40k: Shattered Steel Soul

Chapter 344 Iron Warrior·Four Seasons·Part Two

Time becomes perceptible around Hrud. The particles in the universe move faster, and the fluctuations of light change along the river of time. Where the influence of Hrud is divided into different levels, the color changes slightly or obviously, changing the boundaries of Hrud. Many planets are highlighted in the universe.

Perturabo sat in the main seat of the strategic command room, looking out of the porthole to the outer star field, gazing at the pale outline of the Satrada region in the dim and twilight stars.

This is a complete and well-conditioned area of ​​the universe. No stars are about to self-destruct, and there is no imminent violent impact. However, a sign of aging and the passage of time seems to hang here forever, shrouding those who intrude here. All lost wanderers, or boastful conquerors.

He turned his head and asked the holographic projection in the center of the table: "Tell me your opinion, sage."

The Mechanicus Sage rotates his multiple tentacles in the projection. There are many buzzing things attached to the surface of the Sage's body that has been modified so that it barely resembles a human being. Some vessels store unknown solutions. There was a boiling gurgling sound inside.

Like a giant insect, thought Pertura, one common in the Olympian countryside, hanging from the ceiling on threads, eyeing their interested prey.

"The stasis field cannot counteract the entropic energy field brought by the Hrud," the sage said, part of his limbs hissing in response to the narration. "Your assumptions are not sufficient. This is excessive. Simplifying the problem, treat the time stream as a one-dimensional container of increase and decrease.”

That was why he didn't want the Adeptus Mechanicus on his ship. Few people use such straightforward language to refute him, thinking that his ideas are simple rather than complex, and that the knowledge he possesses is limited and insufficient. This is not wrong, but the key is that they themselves cannot give it. The solution is to worship the silent false god.

Perturabo said to himself in his mind, complaining slightly.

"What do you think will happen if I do this?" The Iron Lord sat in his steel chair, his eyes calm, his eyebrows slightly lowered. He doesn't get angry often and refuses to vent his anger on others, but his power makes few people dare to truly touch his limits.

The sage exchanged information briefly and quickly in the holographic projection with someone beside him who was not in the projection through the Mechanicus method, and then said: "Time will expand here, my lord, and mass will accumulate in the effect field. Inside, the magnetic field strength increases geometrically, and time either accelerates forward or recedes rapidly."

"I have calculated the effects and read the literature of the Dark Age of Technology. Unless the force field intensity generated by the stasis field excitation device is exactly proportional to the Hrud's entropy field..." Perturabo said, After thinking for a moment, he raised his gaze and said, "Tell me why you stopped me from using space-time weapons to destroy this area. My army is already bleeding here."

The sages were discussing on the other side of the projection, and then another sage wearing a wide hood appeared in the projection.

"Every planet is a valuable asset of the Empire," he said. "Wantless destruction is a waste of resources."

"You'd better write a document to prove that if I continue my frontal attack here, the reward will be worth the strategic resources I consume here. You and I both know that according to this, the nearest human activity locations are located in the Ten light years away," Perturabo said. "Or, to be honest."

"Please forgive me, sir. I am an apprentice of time. You must understand how important knowledge is to us, and how attractive the Hrud people's time and space technology is to me." The sage said in his tone. Gradually, the surging passion unique to the Mechanicus increased, "This is a treasure house of knowledge, and I discovered the traces left by the truth in it."

Perturabo mused. This battle made him feel the dissatisfaction of being restrained for a long time. Although he controlled the casualties, this war zone had made him understand that even if he invested more, it would be extremely difficult for him to take down the Hrud fortress head-on.

It is certainly a stain on the army to withdraw from the battlefield, but it is even more of a scar of stupidity to dump its troops in exchange for nothing.

"Go on," Perturabo said.

"Yes, sir. We know that a period of years ago, there were no Hruds in the Satrada Abyss. But as if overnight, a large number of Hruds migrated here and occupied this area. On many planets Building forts and fighting the Empire ferociously. Their actions are unpredictable and erratic."

"Yeah." Perturabo nodded slightly.

"Our normal movement trajectories are reflected in the changes in space, moving from a certain space at the same time to another space point. But the Hrud people are probably not, because their spatial trajectories are difficult to figure out. So, there is a Maybe, they regard time as another ordinary dimension that we should not be able to touch, and move on the timeline.”

Perturabo said nothing. Maybe the sage was just lost in the abyss of knowledge, but maybe he was right.

"The Hrud may travel to our era from the future, the past, or the end of time, and stick to this moment..."

"What do they do in this age?" asked Perturabo, adding with a sneer, "To bear the glory of the Emperor?"

The sage choked at the Primarch's words, the machine buzzing inside his robes, "Perhaps so, my lord."

"Then why didn't they go to a later era, a hundred years or a thousand years later, to bask in the glory of peace in the human empire, instead of coming to this war-torn year?"

Perturabo said, raising one hand to stop the Mechanicum Sage's subsequent words. He could imagine how the other party would praise the current empire, and then change the topic to hint that he had obtained the technical reserves of the Hrud people.

The data cable connected to the interface under the desktop sent a command, and the door to the command room slid open to one side.

The commander of the 11th Battalion walked into the command room, saluted the Iron Lord, and then began to report directly: "The Hrud's anti-aircraft shield disarmed our extermination weapons."

"Lord Primarch!" the Mechanicus sage shouted anxiously, although the mechanical voice did not change except for increasing in speed.

"Why, do you think only the Emperor's First Army likes to use the Extermination Order?" Perturabo smiled in a rare and obvious way. He waved to the battalion commander, motioning him to come over.

"I used offensive weapons to cooperate," the battalion commander said, "but it had no effect."

"Is there any long-range firepower combination that has not been tried?" Perturabo asked and answered, "No, there is none. All the ammunition of the fleet has hit their shields."

The battalion commander remained silent, standing beside the Iron Lord, waiting for Perturabo's next order.

"What do you think, Dantioch?" Perturabo turned sideways and asked.

"The Hrud can be killed," Barabas Dantioch said. "Fire can ignite them extremely quickly, and energy weapons can destroy the crystallized stone from which they draw their energy - an emerald-green stone. Stones seem to induce mutation and pollution of certain substances and the soul world when approached; if they are not afraid of the consequences of getting close, they can be strangled to death."

"Pollution?" Perturabo emphasized.

"We discovered this after we penetrated deep into the inner layers of its defenses." Dantioch continued, "Their weapons are not stable and will self-destruct at any time, but our soldiers are affected by this."

He avoided certain words in his choice of words, and Perturabo knew that this was due to the presence of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

"Go on. Give me strategic advice. Continue the attack, or retreat?"

"Depends on whether we have a way to stably neutralize entropic weapons, my lord."

Perturabo nodded and turned to the projection of the Mechanicus: "Put in the stasis field and conduct weapons experiments."

Then, he cut off the projection and said, "Any other suggestions?"

"Even if we can neutralize the force field, we still need a real ground attack force to destroy the Hrud forces." Dantioch said, "With all due respect."

"I understand." The Iron Lord nodded, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and looked into the distance.