Chapter 41: How Are My Own Turrets Firing On Me?!
Agathos was not far from Omiron II. After a seven-day Warp journey, Lucan's fleet exited the Warp and entered the Agathos system.
On the bridge, Lucan could already see the light emanating from the star of the Agathos system.
The three planets possessed by the Mongorte Dynasty orbited this star, constituting the Mongorte Dynasty's capital system.
However, as the augur arrays scanned, the Planetary Defence Fleet that should have been stationed in orbit was nowhere to be seen; only a field of debris remained in the void.
"By the God-Emperor… the Dynasty's Planetary Defence Fleet…" Verre said in disbelief.
It was known that the Dynasty world maintained a standing fleet formation of 10 frigates and destroyers.
The destruction of so many warships now represented an unbearable loss for the Dynasty.
"Approach Agathos first. Get close enough to establish communication with the Governor," Lucan ordered.
And as the warships slowly neared Agathos's planetary orbit, Lucan also got a clear view of his capital world.
Enormous hive cities covered the continent, their structures stacked layer upon layer, seeming to pierce the heavens, housing the majority of the planet's population.
Only a small portion of the population roamed the wastelands, struggling to survive by scavenging scrap.
They faced not only problems of food and essential supplies but also had to contend with mutant bandits and mutated beasts.
However, before he could observe further, he seemed to see several points of light from various locations across the hive city streaking towards his fleet.
Several volleys of plasma erupted from ground defense batteries, firing without warning at the approaching warship formation in orbit.
He never expected to be bombarded in his own capital system!
"Quick, activate void shields! Evasive maneuvers!"
Several plasma blasts slammed into the Golden Ram's void shield, shattering it instantly.
Another massive laser fired from a laser array sliced a frigate, which hadn't yet raised its void shield, in two…
Seeing his void shield almost completely depleted of energy, Lucan was also terrified by this power.
"Leave orbit immediately!"
Lucan, looking at the destroyed frigate, finally understood how that defense fleet had been wiped out.
The massive planetary defense cannons on the ground posed an absurdly large threat to warships.
In most cases, if you wanted to occupy a well-defended planet, you not only had to destroy its fleet but also first neutralize its planetary defense batteries; otherwise, conducting an orbital bombardment of the planet was virtually impossible.
A single plasma cannon shot was enough to destroy a warship without its void shields active.
Even a cruiser couldn't withstand direct fire from planetary defense installations.
And most warships in Warhammer did not have the capability for atmospheric flight. Space Marine Strike Cruisers could manage it, but Lucan had no way of finding such a vessel right now.
"The situation on Agathos is even worse than I imagined. Even such important facilities have been seized?"
"Captain! Given this situation, until we deal with those cannons, it will be difficult for us to even get close, let alone land troops on the surface!"
"Can we still contact the ground?"
"I'll have the Vox-Master try again!"
After repeated attempts by the Vox-Master, they finally managed to establish a tenuous connection with the Governor of Agathos.
"You… you are the heir to the Rogue Trader? I am Rebecca, Governor of Agathos, greetings to you. Glory to you and to the Dynasty! The enemy has jammed our communications!"
The screen signal was intermittent.
"What's going on with those cannons?" Lucan demanded.
"War! The internal family struggle has escalated into war! Originally, the power struggle was merely political. When everyone learned of your return, those traitors launched an armed coup!
They assaulted the planetary defense batteries. The system in the uphive controlling these cannons' anti-aircraft systems was compromised by an unknown program. They opened fire on the unsuspecting fleet. Now, any loyalist shuttle attempting to take off will be shot down!"
Hearing Rebecca's words, Lucan roughly guessed that it must have been the Dark Mechanicum who had seized control of the cannons.
Since their target was Agathos, they surely had more people involved.
"Is there any way to send troops to recapture the cannons?"
"Forgive my incompetence… I have tried to do so, but once we enter the mid-hive, it's full of madmen shouting about 'Dawn and Daybreak.' They are mixed among the civilians, making them impossible to distinguish.
The moment they see Dynasty soldiers, they attack like maniacs. I suspect the traitors have colluded with heretics."
Just as she finished speaking, the Governor's signal cut out again.
"Captain! Perhaps we could risk losing one or two frigates to force an orbital bombardment. Although it would cause great damage to the hive city and result in significant collateral damage, it might be the only way," Verre suggested.
"Orbital bombardment is out of the question. The hive city is a vital asset to the Dynasty. Once we resort to orbital bombardment, the losses won't just be a vast amount of property, but also a huge population. Rebuilding a hive city would take decades, if not longer!"
"Then please allow me to lead an assault team to force a breakthrough! I will recapture those cannons for you!" Verre offered.
"There's no need. I have a way to deal with these cannons. As long as we can destroy them without being detected, that should solve the problem, right?"
"But that's simply impossible!"
Yet, after Verre said this, he felt it wasn't quite right; had Lucan not shown them enough miracles already?
"Verre, help me find some experienced fighter pilots among the Navy personnel we recruited."
"Fighter pilots? The Golden Ram isn't equipped with any shipborne aircraft!"
"It wasn't before, but it will be soon!"
The Psy-crystals in Lucan's possession were enough to construct a Starport.
And Lucan's target was precisely the Banshee fighter that could be produced in the Starport.
These stealthy light fighters should be able to accomplish his tactical objective.
However, based on his experience with constructing the Barracks, a Starport would undoubtedly require a massive amount of metal, and building Banshees would also consume a lot.
The metal reserves within the warship were insufficient to cover such a large expenditure.
But now that he had arrived in his own capital system, Lucan no longer needed to spend great effort buying from the Mechanicus. Wasn't Agalans, within this very system, a mining world?
"Helmsman, change course for Agalans!"
Agalans, unlike the capital world, did not possess comprehensive defense systems.
Several mining facilities and refineries constituted the entirety of this planet; other regions were fundamentally unsuitable for human habitation. Once outside the working areas, a normal person probably wouldn't survive for more than a few minutes.
Rather than a mining world, it was more like a prison. The person in charge here was responsible for production and also served as the warden. Apart from a small number of soldiers, almost all the miners were convicts. The Mongorte Dynasty also used this place as a penal colony.
Nearly 500,000 people were distributed among the various mining sites.
Those who came here had no chance of ever leaving in their lifetime. They could only work continuously, atoning for their sins and seeking redemption through labor in the God-Emperor's eyes.
Faced with Lucan's arrival, the person in charge here was scared silent. He naturally knew about the events on Agathos and feared Lucan would vent his anger on him.
Fortunately, Lucan had no such intentions. Besides, since the unrest began, cargo fleets had not come to Agalans for a long time.
Not only had no food been delivered, but the accumulated minerals had not been taken away either.
Large quantities of refined ore already filled the warehouses, and the workers had stopped working. They had no means of leaving the planet. If no one came soon, everyone here would likely die.
The warden no longer had the confidence to suppress these convicts.
(End of Chapter)