With a bang, the hot-melt breaker on the front of the landing craft tore through the metal of the hull.
The ensuing inertia caused Jacob to bump slightly into the seat behind him, and then the seat belt was tightened sharply, saving him from the inertia penalty caused by the retrorocket launch of the landing craft.
The lights of the landing craft were extinguished one by one, making the surroundings darker and darker, but through the optical components on his eyepiece, the 10th Company sergeant could still see the clear outlines of nine recruits, wearing safety belts and huddled next to him.
All around, everyone was completely wrapped in silver-gray power armor. The brand-new coating and chapter logo on the armor surface reflected the light of the flashing status lights in the cabin from time to time.
They held weapons tightly in their hands, ready to slam into the enemy like ferocious beasts at any time. Jacob could feel the recruits' confidence surging.
In fact, strictly speaking, he is still a new recruit, which is slightly older than these "little guys" because they were all transformed during the Maelstrom Expedition, and he is a "veteran" who has already participated in the expedition.
Naturally, he became their leader.
What they have to deal with is a passenger ship full of people and the remnants of the Genestealers hiding inside.
A few months ago, their company commander Bahram started actual combat training after completing the environmental training of the new recruits, so he used two cruisers to take the tenth company to the Ben Tosun system near the Neisan system.
There are two colonial worlds in this galaxy. A Genestealer riot broke out on one of the planets called Tosun 1. Although the scale was not large, the Genestealers had developed for many years and had sufficient armed forces.
The local guards are completely unable to deal with such a problem and can only stick to the unconquered area and temporarily confine the gene stealers to a certain area.
If it develops according to the regular rhythm of the empire, since "the matter is not serious", there is a high probability that the planet will not receive any support. Even if a Space Marine accidentally learns of this matter, it will not care until the planetary governor finds a way to solve the problem on his own.
Or if he is eliminated by gene stealers and the entire planet is on the verge of collapse, then the armed forces of the empire may notice this and send troops or intervene.
But the planetary governor of Tosun No. 1 was very lucky. It happened that the Astral Knights came out for "practical training". When Bahram appeared with his troops on the governor's spire, the planetary governor knelt down excitedly.
To praise the emperor is to kowtow.
After all, the gene stealers have been wreaking havoc for two years before this. I don’t know how many resources and troops the governor smashes down, but they are always suppressed. He also sets off poison gas, sets fires, blockades, continuous sittings, curfews, and so on.
, the scorched earth strategy was used, and perhaps more civilians were wiped out in the process than the gene stealers, but they couldn't be eradicated, and instead the opponents spread like wildfire in the bottom nest...
Why exactly?
The governor scolded his officers again and again, but to no avail.
Seeing that the tithe payment cycle is coming soon, if it cannot be calmed down, their tithe collection for this period may not be carried out in time, and the consequences will be quite serious. After all, there are many people eyeing the governor's position...
Just when the Governor was so anxious that he was about to go bald, the savior finally came.
Bahram didn't waste any words, and directly asked the other party to hand over the military command completely to him. Of course the governor accepted it, not to mention the command power, even if he gave the other party his wives, it would be no problem!
What happens after that is very simple.
Bahram knew the genestealers' activity patterns very well. After reviewing the Planetary Guard's two-year battle process, he immediately discovered the problem.
The Governor did promptly close roads, pipelines, shafts and most of the passages that could allow a large number of people to enter and exit. However, facilities could still be connected between various areas, that is, huge pipeline passages, which often provide energy and power for those giant facilities.
The integrated pipeline, although crowded inside, is enough to allow flexible creatures like gene stealers to move.
In fact, the Governor may not be unaware of it, but this is a matter that is under the control of the Adeptus Mechanicus. In addition, the Adeptus Mechanicus ensured that it was already filled with high-voltage current and it was impossible for living things to pass through smoothly, so he didn't care too much.
However, Bahram refuted this view on the spot. The current in the Mechanicum's integrated pipeline channel may not kill an adult immediately, and the physique of gene stealers is far stronger than that of normal humans, especially the pure blood among them.
species, and its body covered with chitin shell is extremely resistant to arcs.
Almost all the cases where the Planetary Guards were attacked from behind were initiated by purebloods, which shows that the opponent is definitely capable of passing through the integrated pipeline channel.
So Bahram immediately ordered the Adeptus Mechanicus to close all the comprehensive pipelines in the fallen area, and then roughly analyzed the locations of several of their possible "nests" from the gene stealers' activity trajectories. To deal with the gene stealers, the fastest way
There is no better way than to eliminate their clan leaders and elders first.
Then Bahram planned a grand hunt. He first asked the Planetary Guard to launch a full-scale attack to attract the attention of the gene stealers, and then used the Governor's most elite guards to launch a feint attack on the suspected targets. According to the gene stealers
The intensity of the reaction quickly targeted their three nests.
This is the shortcoming of Gestalt creatures. Many of their actions are almost instinctive, especially those related to the topmost creatures.
Bahram immediately ordered the tenth company to start a raid.
Soon, the roar of Land speed boats and Javelin speed boats could be heard in the deep and dark shantytowns and complex ruins of the Undernest. At the same time, hundreds of Eagle-type mechs belonging to the Tenth Company were also released onto the battlefield.
Above, these flying machines are an important object of Bahram's new tactical drills, and they are also projects that Soshyan told him to carry out.
Under the control of the mechanical priests accompanying the army, these flying mechs quickly collect battlefield information and feed it back to the frontline warriors as soon as possible. When the opponent needs to raid a certain target, they will immediately launch a raid in small groups.
Each squad leader can call for the support of the Greedy Vultures, and their relatively small size also facilitates their movement in the bottom lair where the pipes are crisscrossed.
The Genestealers obviously did not expect that Space Marines would participate in the battle. Although this was the first time for the recruits to fight against such aliens, they had received sufficient training. Everyone strictly followed the instructions of the squad leader and killed in an orderly manner.
A monster that taints human genes.
Their offensive was overwhelming, with explosive bombs piercing each deformed head, chain saws tearing apart the fallen flesh, and iron boots trampling the sticky internal organs and blood.
Just three hours later, all the nests were breached, and all the elders and bishops inside were killed, but the patriarch was still nowhere to be seen.