Chapter 5

            "Warp breach detected! 20 xenos ships and counting, your orders sir!" A voice echoed amidst the buzzing bridge. Despite suddenly being overwhelmed and surrounded on both sides, the people aboard did not even hesitate or despaired.

The men and women at the bridge simply acknowledge and begin to move and plan ahead for the incoming battle. Dominicus stared at the void as the earlier 5 had been reduced to a pathetic and wounded ship.

The wounded ship seems to be evacuating the ground troops with the help and arrival of the 20. Dominicus was tempted to break the ship apart before facing the 20, but he soon ran out of time before he could decide as the 20 ships begins to engage.

"Leave that wounded ilk. We have more pressing matters to face." The battle barge soon disengages from the wounded ship as it turned to face the new arrivals. 20 against 1. Despite his stoic features, Dominicus could not help but smile in joy deep inside.

It was 20 against 1 for sure, but they were weak. Far too weak. A single salvo was all it would take to outright destroy their ships, unlike the orks whose fractured remains persists. Their weapons barely took down one of the void shields, unlike the great devourer who swallowed entire cruisers whole.

Dominicus knows this, the entire battle barge seemed to understand this fact so well that even with the new arrivals, they did not fall to despair. They in fact welcomed it. The people aboard the ship even preferred them over another tyrranid or ork.

By the emperor, we could even win this alone! They do not- "Incoming!" One of the men yelled as a salvo directly collided with the battle barge. "1st layer had collapsed!" Just as hope begins to blossom, it quickly died down as the men and women grimaced.

Dominicus frowned deeply as he celebrated too soon. Weak or not, they were still outnumbered by 20 to 1. Dominicus swore he would punish himself for taking the enemy easily. As his astarte's mind raced into battle.

"Direct hit fleet master!" Chuckles erupted from the bridge as the elites mused at the foolish lone human vessel. The massive cloud and plasma engulf the puny human vessel like a giant shroud falling before its crew.

Zydo and his elites did not even consider batting an eye towards the vessel as they fired. After all, no need to scan a vessel that is about to crumble. Their actions were brave, commendable even to dare fight alone but like all those who came before it, it died too easily.

And the fact they died too easily made Zydo annoyed even further for the rescue beacon the scout deployed. It was a single human ship! A single weak and frail shell against 5 ccs battlecruisers! Zydo shook his head disapprovingly as he needed to have a word.

Though one question did remain. Why did the vanguard scout, comprised of 5 ccs, signaled an immediate rescue in the first place? On a defenseless human world at that. Zydo thought the signal was wrong and simply was an error, but it repeated over and over again.

Left with no choice, Zydo hurriedly embarked with 19 others to their aid. "Fleet master, there is a transmission coming from the Prudence sir!" "Put them on screen." Zydo said as he wanted to yell at the men for dragging him and his unit for such an inconsequential rescue.

The elites onboard were feeling the same too. For commanding their very own prestigious ship themselves, it was beyond disgraceful to call for aid for a lone human vessel. The bridge soon falls to silence as they awaited for the anticipated berating.

Zydo opened his mouth to speak, to yell at the incompetent shipmasters for wasting their time. He was going to scream at them when he noticed the desperate and terrified tone the shipmaster has when he spoke.

"Stay back fleet master!" The shipmaster yelled in panic as Zydo and the others were confused. "Shipmaster Gryga, you will-" "No! There is no time! Evade! Evade now!" Zydo was about to bite back at the daring shipmaster who dared to cut him off when it happened.

Deliverance and Salvation's shield suddenly erupted before they flickered and died. Zydo had the privilege to look one last look at the ships beside him before it was consumed by a cruel orange fire. Shocks and disbelief rang throughout the bridge as Zydo himself did not know what just happened.

"Fleet master! Fleet master evade! You have to evade!" The screaming of the terrified shipmaster was the only thing that broke the confusion as they snapped into focus. "Evade!" Zydo manages to scream in time before a lance narrowly misses them and impaled the ship behind.

Zydo turned his focus back to the human ship. He felt he is missing something here, missing something terribly. And to his horror, he was right. The smoke soon cleared, revealing a massive warship. It was nothing like they had ever seen before as it dwarf everything else.

Zydo doubts his eyes for a moment as it was nothing like the humans ever built. He even wondered if it was a new alien, but the marking and the craftsmanship soon proved that of humans. Its broadside was armed to the teeth to what he can only describe as mac cannons.

No, it should have been mac cannons but these... these were nothing like the mac canons they faced. Upon a closer scan, Zydo's eyes widen further into horror as the sheer size and amount dwarf anything they had ever faced before.

Human vessel had one, maybe two  mac cannons studded on its front. This warship however had 5 on each sides. 5 mac cannons! Shipmasters and fleet masters alike were already wary of a single mac cannon as it was one of the reliable weapons humanity created against them, let alone 5 on this side alone!

And there was something else. For all the humans and their pagan ways were, they can at the very least appreciate their works. Their warship, though small and fragile were elegant and eloquent enough to rival that of their own.

This ship however, was not. It looked rough and was designed specifically for one thing only in mind. War. There was no eloquence nor beauty to be found here. This warship was built specifically and only for war.

"By the prophets, what is-!!!" Flashes exploded from the vessel as 3 more disintegrated to dust. "F-fire! Fire on that ship! Deploy all banshee and seraph we have!" Zydo yelled as the threat finally settles in.

"Enemy fighters inbound!" The bridge roared into a unified cohesion. Despite the heavy air and the dire situation at hand, the crew on board moved as if it was their 2nd  nature. They had faced countless hopeless battles before, what makes this one different?

"Deploy a screen of fury interceptors. I do not want any of those flies near my ship, is that understood?" "Yes sir!" Dominicus orders without taking his gaze for a second as he continues studying the ensuing battle before him.

His astartes mind races to comprehend and act with every microsecond that passes, indulging the battle to his liking as if it was a fine wine. Though he was slightly impressed with the xeno commander's command and tactics, it was nothing significant that threatened the battle.

Compared to the tactical brilliance during the shameful badab war or the assault during the 13th black crusade, the battle was like an open book to him. For every move the xeno commander made, Dominicus premade his 5 steps ahead.

Commendable, but that is all. The fury interceptors made quick work at the xeno's interceptors and bombers. Though the shield was annoying to deal with, the speed of the fury interceptors greatly compensate for this weakness as they killed two or more before disappearing.

The battle rages across the void as the xeno's vessel tried to close the gap with little success. The incoming barrage and salvos were intercepted by the fury's whilst their's rammed their miserable craft in a desperate act to save their ships. Outnumbered but certainly not outgunned.

When this assault prove to be a failure, the xenos tried to outmaneuver Dominicus, though it was as effective as the smartest caveman against a genius. Each time they tried to encircle the battle barge, Dominicus was one step ahead. "Use that debris field to cover our left flank." Dominicus said as he pointed to the 4 ruined ships from before.

"Move sword and hammer squadron 12.5 solar clicks to our left flank and bait the ships designated gamma, radia, alfax and tir. When those ships aligned, I want them to be skewered in a single shot." "Sir? Wouldn't it be more advantageous if we used both of our broadsides?"

One of the men asked as Dominicus shook his head. "We have just escaped from the traitor war fleet. We need to conserve our ammunitions whenever possible. We don't know when we can even restock our payload and I don't want to be caught off guard.

Thankfully, these xeno's filth are not threatening enough to warrant our full strength. Bait them and save some ammunition." "I-I see sir! Very well!" The men soon moved busily as they relayed the order. "Oh and also, deploy spear on the planet below instead. They would prove rather useful there compared here." "Yes sir!" Dominicus smiled as he did not need to fear losing one of his brothers this time.

"These damn pagans!" One of the fighters amongst the thousands screamed in frustration as the human interceptors strike like lightning. Though they had no shields thanks to very few lucky shots they landed, the speed and power were unreasonable to unbelievable proportions.

For each fighter they took down, 10 of theirs were taken. Zydo had heard human fighter aircrafts. They were supposed to rival their own, though limited in number. These words were lies. It was nothing like the reports said as they screamed across the void like vengeful angels as he watched three banshee's vanished without so much as a fight before these fighters.

Zydo gripped the edge of his seat in frustration as he watched his pilots outmanevuer and gun down. They outnumbered the humans 14 to 1 even with the loss of the 6 from the surprise attack. They even outnumbered the fighters 20 to 1 and yet they were losing.

The humans who always needed numerical advantage just to take them down, were actually beating them with just one warship? Zydo could not accept it! Whatever forerunner tech they had discovered, he had to take this warship down before they could replicate this monster.

And it also did not help the tactical brilliance of their commander. Zydo was no green leaf by any matter. He had 7 years of experience under his belt fighting the humans. Though their ships are as weak as they were, their talent and tactics was nothing to laugh at as it can even rival theirs.

Some even bested him, humbling him to some degree to the skills of such foes. Before this commander however, he was not simply beaten and bested, he was humiliated beyond any words that would describe his failure. The human commander before him fought as if he can see the future.

Zydo did not know who this commander was, but he never felt so small as he does now. If there was one saving grace to this battle, it would be its weapons. Though powerful and had a ridiculous range, it was relatively slow enough when reloading that Zydo could use.

As it fires, Zydo would immediately order the fleet to spread out and spread thin. It is not much, but at the very least they won't die in collateral anymore. And if they were lucky, they would only be crippled.

But this tactic did not bode well with the younger elites as they grew impatient. And it was this impatient that would cost them greatly. "There! An opening!" Zydo blinked as one of the shipmasters disengage in formation and rushes before the group.

"Stay in formation Greygos!" Zydo screamed but he did not listen. "They abandoned their left flank fleet master! Now is the time to strike! We cannot be sitting ducks here forever we had to act!" The shipmaster voiced out as three more followed his lead.

"That's right! It is only the abominable pagan ship! As the guardians of the covenant, we must strike this monstrosity down!" No no no! You fools! "Shipmasters! Do not break formation! The enemy-" "The enemy is already killing us sir! We have to move now!" No!

Zydo could do nothing as he watched the 4 charges headfirst to the unprotected flank. "We finally made it! Let's show these pagans what we're made of!" The shipmasters roared to a cheer as Zydo's eyes bulge.

"Disengage! Disengage now! That is a direct order elite!" Zydo screamed to no avail. "You are a coward Zydo! The enemy is before us and you want us to retreat! Coward, I tell you! Come brothers! Let us show these humans how we- eh?" Only then did the shipmaster realized.

There were no fighters within their range, no debris to shield their approach. Only the open maw of the gigantic cannons that were aiming. "Commander Greygos!" It was the last thing the shipmaster heard from the three as he watched the three sacrifice themselves for him.

Throwing their own vessel to shield him from the incoming fire. The human canon's roared as it ripped through the three and crippled his in a single shot of power. The violent tremor thrown everybody off as the battle rages outside, tearing vessel after vessel as if they were paper.

"Greygos! Greygos can you hear me?!" Greygos heard the distant screaming of his old rival as he shook his head to focus. "I can." He answered as a visible sigh of relief can be heard from Zydo. "Can you make an emergency jump? You need to leave now before-" "No."

Greygos cut off as he growled in fury. "I will not retreat." Greygos said as he soon roared. "I will not retreat! I will ram this ship rather than retreat!" Greygos screamed as Zydo snapped back. "Don't be foolish! This battle-" "This battle is not lost yet!"

The men from the bridge slowly stand back up as the fury of their captain echoes in their hearts. "We will ram this ship into the humans Zydo! We will take them down rather than letting the sacrifice of our brothers in vain!" The bridge shouts into a roar of agreement.

"And what of your family? What of your wife?!" Greygos hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "If this wretched monster were allowed to roam free, then my family and yours would be in peril. Tell Khasa... I will be late." "Greygos! Don't do this! We can..."

Greygos soon could not hear the words of Zydo as he eyed the men from the bridge one by one. "We will take the enemy with us, if anyone of you wanted to flee, now is the time." No one responds as a smile soon stretch from their lips.

Greygos felt a sense of pride enveloping him as he watched his men willingly stay by his side. "Let's go then! We will take this monster down before it destroys ours!" Shouts echoed across the bridge as the wounded vessel begins its final journey.

The human vessel was preoccupied by the others, a perfect chance to strike. The vessel, deliverance, soon plows through its fallen comrades as it races toward the humans. "Full power on shields now! Fire everything we got!" The men cheered as they unload everything.

Plasma cannons, torpedoes, lasers, and lances fired directly toward the mighty warship to no avail as the shield simply comes to life. Greygos cursed for a moment as their armaments proved next to useless. Was this how they felt when they faced us?

In his final moments, Greygos found a new sense of respect to the humans he had killed. It must have taken great courage to face him with weapons that were next to useless. It was ironic really as he charges unto death like so many humans he had faced against with who had tried the same tactics against him.

The humans realized a second too late as they crashed directly before the vessel. A cataclysmic bright light envelops the vessel as Zydo watched his long rival die, taking the enemy with him. Zydo sagged back to his command chair as the victory felt empty.

Was this how they felt when they won? Zydo thought as, in one of the few victories humans made, it caused them catastrophically. For the first time since the beginning of the war, Zydo felt something change. Unlike before where they scored victory after victory, the humans were now really fighting back.

He did not know if this was a special case or if it was happening all around him. Whatever it may be, he has to report this. "Order the remaining fleet to retreat back. Tell Prudence to take whatever men it has and retreat back to... what?" Zydo trailed off in sheer disbelief as he watched the smoke clear, revealing the human vessel unharmed.

"T-this! This can't be!" Zydo shouted in dismay as the disbelief spread across the rank. The human warship was still alive after all the cataclysmic damage?? It was impossible! And yet here it was. Zydo did not waste a second as he hurriedly shouted.

"Retreat! Retreat damn you! We cannot take this thing down now! Retreat! Don't stay in formation! Retreat if you can now!" Panic settles in as the fleet soon falls into disarray. There was no coordinated disengagement that day as each one fled for their own safety.

"Layer 1 and 2 are down sir! 3 and 4 are heavily crippled. It would take sometime to turn them back online!" "Redirect the lower levels energy to the shields. Prepare to move at a moments notice." Dominicus calmly respond as his body tense for the upcoming barrage, except it never came.

"Sir the xenos are in full retreat! Should we give chase?" One of the men at the bridge shouted as Dominicus took a moment before answering. "No, we have to make sure the planet would remain unmolested. Forget the glory of killing for the lives of humanity worth more than anything."

Dominicus said as he watched the ships hurriedly disengage. "These xenos are even more of a coward than the tau!" Snickered escaped from the bridge as Dominicus shook his head. "No. Do not underestimate them men. They may be vile aliens, but they are still warriors."

Dominicus answered softly as he recalls the suicidal ramming from the survivors. Though it was futile, Dominicus found some semblance of respect as warriors to them, though that is all they will ever receive from him.

"S-sir? T-the message had been sent. I-it appears the entire fleet would be arriving..." As if on cue, several tears in reality appeared as one by one, the entire fleet emerges from the warp. "Captain Dominicus, it seems the xenos have already been driven back." A flickering image of Alvar soon showed up.

"That is right captain Alvar. Though they were... disturbingly weaker than I would have ever thought." Dominicus said as Alvar gravely nodded. "Could it be a disguise? A wool over our eyes perhaps to hide their true strength?" Dominicus nodded in response.

"We do not know if that is truly the case, but I would rather be preparing for nothing than to be caught unprepared." "On that, I agree." Alvar grunted as a small smile appeared on Dominicus face. "So, what is our next move?

Should we hunker down and fortify in this system or move to a more strategic location?" Alvar asked as Dominicus took a moment to respond. "The system should be highly compromised if they managed to find it before us. We should move to a much safer location after the evacuation of the planet."

Alvar simply back nodded in response. "I would send a company of my brothers on the planet. They should prove useful in evacuating this planet." "That would be greatly appreciated." Dominicus says as the planet-wide evacuation begun.