When Talos returned to the bridge, the Cursed Echo was struggling to move under the gravity of the planet and the firepower of distant alien battleships. Various ammunition hit the void shield and sent out brilliant ripples.
It did not avoid any attacks. It did not slow down or turn. Cursed Echo flew out of the high orbit of Nathan VI like a wild horse, and every cannon and spine on both sides of its body shot toward
swaying forward, ready to shout angrily one last time.
Talos sat on the throne and watched indifferently.
All commanders, all humans, were almost silent in their concentration.
Servants forwarded printed reports, several of them slowly spitting out rolls of inked parchment from their dentures.
The prophet's eyes never leave the eyeball monitor.
The xenos fleet was waiting. He saw them moving through the void on the drifts of the warp, in sickening harmony, their glowing solar sails tilted to catch the faint rays of the distant sun.
"Reports by Region."
Responses came from every part of the command deck, shouts of "Okay" and "Ready" were shouted back in an orderly rhyme that meant, in Dietrian's words, that everything was ready.
But apart from waiting, there is actually nothing Talos can do now.
"The alien fleet is preparing to intercept."
He could clearly see that the smaller ships, shaped like bones, were planning to go to the orbital station to provide cover.
The larger cruiser moved at the same amazing speed, advancing in a flowing arc with its sails tilted.
He didn't like the way they moved.
Not only because its agility far exceeds human capabilities, but also because it is impossible for the Cursed Echo to repeatedly surpass this fleet. The aliens make this fleet seem smarter than humans.
"Fifty-five seconds, Master."
Talos leaned back on the throne, knowing full well that he might never leave this deck alive.
Running to the orbital station seems like the hardest part, but slaughtering those alien wretches on the deck of the Cursed Echo is a joy in comparison.
"Forty seconds."
"All targets marked and locked!"
The officer in charge of the weapons array shouted:
"We need a full minute without interruption to unleash the first wave of attacks without interruption!."
"You can do that, sir, tell me how many targets this will hit?"
Talos asked with great patience.
"The Eldar fleet's actions are too weird. If they have been following us for side attacks... there will be about 15 targets."
Talos' lips twitched behind his visor, not exactly a smile.
Shooting 15 targets in one salvo, he's going to miss the ship.
The Cursed Echo was the Blood Covenant's beautiful twin sister, and it would be rude if he still cared about the armament improvements the Red Corsairs had made in the century they had occupied her.
"Thirty seconds!"
"Initiate a ship-wide communication for me."
"It's done, Master."
Talos took a deep breath, knowing that his words were heard by thousands of slaves, mutants and slaves, sweating profusely below decks.
"I am the captain, Talos Valcolan, and a descendant of the Eighth Legion. I grew up in a world without the sun, just like all of you... Now an unparalleled storm is coming towards us, and survival depends on it.
Your blood and sweat, no matter what deck you toil on, every life counts in the next few minutes, all crew, all souls! Get ready to fight.”
"Twenty seconds, Master."
"Turn on 'Scream'."
"Yes, Master."
"First fire a planned shot, then fire at will."
"Yes, Master."
The Echo of the Curse, with all its power, spewed a trail of plasma fire, circling in a semicircle under the gravity of the orbit with almost panache in their destructive heat.
The Eldar warships continued to approach, their initial dives less graceful than the previous Void Dance, for their prey was playing a different game.
The Eldar ships were ready to engage, setting ambush on clearer routes as they found themselves inadvertently straying away from fleeing prey.
"Did the screaming work?"
Talos asked. He could see several alien spacecraft quickly changing directions and adjusting their attack routes - this was obvious.
Officers stared down at their consoles, no one more keenly than the man stationed in front of the Bird's Eye projector.
"The Eldar fleet is working hard to change our trajectory, and several cruisers have deviated from the interception route."
"It worked."
Talos remained seated on his throne, resisting the urge to pace the deck.
The roar of cannons and the thud of small rocks striking the void shield rocked the ship.
"We avoided almost half of the enemy fire."
In the viewfinder, the alien craft was elongated—all smooth bones and gleaming sails.
He suspected that the distant sun caused the Eldar warships to lack the heat needed for solar sails and move slowly, but he had little understanding of the xenoship's function and it was all speculation.
"The alien vanguard ship has entered maximum weapons range!"
When the officers shouted, Talos also thought of his brothers. They should be sitting in the airdrop pod now, and the Thunderhawk was also waiting at the landing site.
On the eyeball screen, the coin-sized orbital station has doubled in size, and the busy attendants at their respective positions will also chatter about the incoming warheads.
"It's time to launch the airdrop pod and order the Thunder Eagle to set off immediately."
"Yes, Master."
As the cursed echo swoops down, its belly sheds a shower of shiny "seeds" onto the world below.
This process didn't last long.
"Owner!"
shouted an auspicious operator.
"Alien torpedoes scanned! They can resist our interference."
"Even in the face of screaming?"
Talos knew that Dietrian's machines were calibrated to Imperial technology, but even so, he still hoped to have some effect on the Eldar.
"Some lost their way, others self-destructed on the way, but a third are still flying towards us."
"time?"
"The first one will arrive in ten seconds."
"Attention everyone, prepare for impact."
Soon, the rattling sound of the hull turned into tremors, and the tremors immediately turned into violent vibrations.
Talos felt a new, unwelcome unease creeping up his spine.
I don't know when it started, but his preview hasn't appeared for a long time.
"Shields weakened."
An officer was chattering in front of the console.
"Two-thirds of the energy."
Talos did not respond. As the cries around him grew louder, he also watched the iron-gray metal structure in the eyeball monitor grow larger and larger.