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Chapter 169: Strategic Analysis
🕑 Added 2025-09-24 15:22:29 +0000 UTCChapter 169: Strategic Analysis
744.M41
Macragge Third Defense Line - Boros Minor Fortress World.
Marneus Calgar, Chapter Master of the Ultramarines and Lord of Macragge, now stood before a psychic communication opened by Chief Librarian Tigurius.
This man, the greatest Chapter Master since the fall of the Primarch Roboute Guilliman, looked at the faces within the projection, yet seemed somewhat reserved.
Sevastus, dueling champion of the Ultramarines Legion, first Chapter Master of the Blades of Obsidian. Calgar, of course, recognized this venerable elder, but at this moment his brow furrowed imperceptibly, confused as to why this ancient warrior, who should have been long asleep in the annals of history, had reappeared in the world.
Drakus, Master of the Invictarus Suzerain, second-in-command of the ever-victorious army. Calgar's gaze lingered on him for a moment. The portrait of this legendary warrior still hung high in the Hall of Heroes of the Invictarus, for the warriors of later generations to look up to. However, the Chapter Master's fingertips unconsciously tapped lightly on the gauntlet of his power armor. A death clearly announced in the historical records—why had it been overturned?
However, when his gaze finally fell on the majestic figure in the center of the command throne, all his questions dissipated like the morning mist before the rising sun.
Romulus, Leader of the Crusade Fleet, Lord of the Dawnbreakers.
He sat upon the throne, majestic and serene. His very existence was an answer, a possibility: that the Emperor, perhaps referencing the position of the Thirteenth Legion's Primarch, had shaped this new Gene-Primarch.
The contact between the crusade fleet and Macragge was not sudden.
Long before the main fleet had set sail, a small advance party, composed of Astartes Librarians who did not rely on Navigators, had already set out for Macragge.
Calgar was well aware of the crusade fleet's existence. Although the communication across the sea of stars was delayed by distance, the two sides had always maintained a stable and regular exchange.
However, to face each other directly like this was the very first time.
"..."
Calgar subconsciously controlled his newly repaired second heart, letting its beating frequency gradually calm down.
His gaze surreptitiously swept to Tigurius at his side. The staff in the Chief Librarian's hand, a legacy of the hero Marneus, was emitting a faint psychic glow.
Tigurius's loyalty was beyond doubt. The years he had dedicated to Macragge were equally long.
But at this moment, the Chapter Master couldn't help but suspect that this respected warrior was playing a psychic trick on him.
Although they were separated by countless light-years, with this meeting maintained only by psychic communication, Calgar could clearly feel an indescribable pressure. The beings in the projection were by no means ordinary battle-brothers, but some kind of higher-order individuals.
Calgar had never met a conscious Primarch.
But if he were to find a reference for his current feeling, only his Gene-sire, who was housed on the Samothrace, could compare.
—Legendary warriors, returned from the dead.
—A mysterious existence, suspected to be a Primarch.
Every point was enough to arouse vigilance. Every clue could easily lead one to think of the schemes of Chaos.
After all, those blasphemous beings had never known what a bottom line was.
"Chapter Master Calgar."
Romulus's voice broke the silence.
"Lord Romulus, Lord of the Dawnbreakers, I salute you in the name of the Ultramarines."
Calgar immediately responded, the joints of his power armor emitting a faint hum. He leaned his body slightly forward, assuming the most standard listening posture.
And in the shadows that the communication projection could not capture, several Dark Angels crossed their arms in unison, looking very displeased.
'The Lord of the Legion should clearly be His Highness. How can an Ultramarine become the Lord of the Legion!'
"The crusade fleet will be divided into two prongs. One will head for the Calth defensive line, liberating the planets that are still resisting from north to south, while also compressing the Hive Fleet's maneuvering space."
Romulus had no intention of exchanging pleasantries. The Regent was living well in his stasis field, and the Ultramarines were not like the sensitive, love-deprived children of the Blood Angels. The younger members might even be able to go home and see their parents on holidays. It was better to just get down to business.
"The other fleet, including the Imperial Navy, will be under your command. Until we have annihilated the Tyranid swarm in the rear, you must hold on."
Although Romulus "had some words" for a war with advance warning and one-sided transparency being fought to this state, after reading the battle report from Calgar's side, he didn't say much more.
He raised his hand and opened the star-chart before him. Ramesses also adjusted the perspective at the opportune moment.
After showing his plan through the star-chart, the two sides continued to communicate on tactical details, mutually exchanging information and constantly perfecting the details the other had missed.
Calgar breathed a sigh of relief and began to supplement Romulus with various details from the front lines.
[The Tyranids' battlefield adaptability is indeed superior and rapid, but their so-called "tactics" are more like the stress response of a beast after being injured, rather than an advanced tactic based on the prediction of the enemy's actions.]
[For example, if the Hive Fleet's attack is repelled by kinetic weapons, then the next attack will have thickened carapaces, similar to a specific adaptive response to a certain environment.]
[Although this characteristic becomes very troublesome when combined with the swarm's overwhelming numbers, it also leads to the swarm being very rigid strategically. The several local failures of the Hive Fleet fully demonstrate this point.]
[For certain strongpoints, the Hive Fleet will not choose to actively bypass them, but will continuously adapt and fight to the death. This leads to a situation where, if the defenders are fully prepared and have enough courage, the swarm can easily be bogged down, and everything will be reversed when Imperial reinforcements arrive.]
A tactical analysis filled with the flavor of the Departmento Munitorum. It seemed reasonable and well-founded, but in reality, it was just boosting morale and giving the soldiers confidence by constantly belittling the opponent.
But, you had to say, this judgment, after being collectively approved by the Astartes, had actually caused the various planets in the Ultramar sector to erupt with an astonishing enthusiasm for resistance.
The Departmento Munitorum did not have too many restrictions on the use of various ground armaments. The Planetary Defense Forces and the Astra Militarum had referred to the "Tyranid Xenos Campaign Manual - Third Edition (For Reference Only)" written by Romulus.
The large-scale deployment of promethium weapons and plasma, and the deliberate incineration of the remains of both sides after the battle, had indeed brought great trouble to the ground offensive of the Tyranid Hive Fleet.
At the very least, from the day the crusade fleet had entered the primary world of Macragge, these planets had been given a chance to be saved.
Calgar's handling of the battle situation was still very flexible.
Since the Hive Fleet had seen through the Ultramarines' predicament, he had simply pulled in the Scythes of the Emperor and the Silver Skulls to form a joint force, and had let these two be responsible for the battles that did not conform to the Codex Astartes' combat plans.
The Ultramarines, on the other hand, acted as a supporting role, defending the areas that required them to fight a brutal, attritional war. In these areas, the Ultramarines could better display their strengths, and they also didn't have to worry about violating the Codex.
And the quality of the Ultramarines' troops itself was not a problem, especially the First and Second Companies. Their combat effectiveness was top-notch. On a frontal battlefield, even using conventional tactics, the Hive Fleet was not their opponent.
Currently, the defensive line had been stabilized. The Tyranids' advance route had been intercepted. The Boros Minor fortress world, which was bearing the brunt of the Hive Fleet's main offensive, was currently garrisoned by three Chapters.
The other six Chapters had been sent out by Calgar, responsible for liberating the various worlds, or for carrying out exterminatus orders on the already fallen worlds, to disrupt the Hive Fleet's reinforcements.
It was just that because they had lost their mobile fleet, the fleet strikes of the various Chapters were a bit stretched.
(End of Chapter)
