Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 771 Saint Gilles comforts Captain Athena Ducard
The flagship of the "Holy Blood Angel"—the Blood Tear—is located in the Cyriolet system.

The flagship of Saint Gilles is unlike any other Primarch.

There wasn't even a place for him on the bridge, which he requested himself.

His command throne is located on the upper level of the Blood and Tears Ridge Tower.

When Saint Gilles took command of his legions, he imposed a unique form of humility.

He refused to serve as captain on any ship in the fleet, striving to avoid undermining the authority of the commander.

As Admiral Athena Ducard took command, Saint Gilles's pure white wings were folded to their smallest size, and she stood with one hand resting on the back of the female captain's high chair.

His dazzling hair fell naturally, maintaining a sculpted stillness and silence.

The same was true of the Primarch Honor Guard members, who waited on the port and starboard sides of the bridge deck, behind the crimson curtains.

The command center of the Blood and Tears ship resembles an amphitheater.

At the very bottom is the main control console operated by Ducard and her senior naval officers.

The three-tiered seating area, resembling an auditorium, rises in stages, while the semi-circular second and third-level workstations serve as a space for the remaining commanders, gunners, engineers, detection experts, and others.

Like Saint Gilles, Ducard did not look down upon her subordinates like a high and mighty queen.

Ducard is like the center of everything, the fulcrum of the starship and its leading fleet.

Saint Gilles' armor was adorned with gold ornaments, precious rubies, and teardrops of gemstones, with a silk overcoat and fine gold chainmail hanging above the magnificent armor.

He gazed at the holographic image before him; apart from a few warships left to guard Baal, the Legion's fleet had almost been deployed in its entirety.

Two hundred and thirty-nine capital ships, most of which were heavy cruisers and battleships.

Few legions can match the firepower of "Blood Angels," "Iron Hands," and "Ultraman"...

Only the "Shadow of Order" capital ships possess firepower significantly superior to the "Blood Angels," along with four Glory Queen-class battleships and fifteen Relic-class battleships...

However, the "Holy Blood Angels" have yet to achieve any results with their firepower.

Ducard's failure to encircle the Eldar Ark was due to the Legion's fleet focusing on a single strategy: firepower strikes.

Of the 492 secondary ships, most were slow-moving escort vessels.

There are very few frigates and destroyers.

Escort ships are the eyes of large cruisers, using onboard astronauts to scan and lock onto the positions of enemy ships.

The speed disadvantage was amplified when encountering the Eldar Ark.

The star of Cyriolet was shining brightly, and there were no asteroids or celestial debris in the system, but the enormous warship was difficult to detect.

The barrage of light spears, the continuous bombardment of macro cannons, and the flashing of runes indicating hits all failed to produce any real results—the burning wreckage of enemy ships.

The wreckage floating in the void were all escort ships.

The phantoms projected by the Ark holographic field showed no obvious changes.

"My lord, I need the help of your think tank."

“I need them to pinpoint the location of that cunning ark.”

“Of course, they’d be happy to assist you.” Saint Gilles smiled, a number forming in his mind:
One hundred and thirty-nine.

There were even five capital ships.

The numbers did not come from the calculations of the Primarch, but from Sanguis' innate instinct—the ability to foresee the future.

Saint Gilles opened the communication and contacted his Blood Chief, First Company Commander Radolon.

A moment later, the man in blood-red armor stepped onto the bridge.

Radoron wore an emblem engraved with the ebony patterns of the hunter tribes from his home planet Baal.

He took off his helmet, revealing a gaunt and resolute face beneath towering gray hair.

"Father, the think tanks are performing divination. In their battle with the Eldar mad witches, they have captured the solar sail for the first time."

Ladoron, who always plans meticulously, had already made preparations in advance.

General Ducard did not make the request, and he will not interfere forcefully.

But if she asks for something, Radolon will respond immediately.

He also has a unique title within the Legion—Warband Master, which is also widely recognized by Ducard and others.

“Very good, that’s precisely their significance.” Saint Gilles smiled approvingly.

“I really hope my brothers understand this.” “The think tank can enrich our options. Without them, we would need a long hunt to force the Eldar Ark into a narrow area.”

His voice was gentle as he comforted Ducard, whose eyes were dim.

“Ducard, this is not due to your incompetence.”

"The Eldar were an ancient race that once ruled the galaxy, and they did have some unique abilities in certain aspects."

"My lord, I understand..."

Amidst the piercing beeping sound, Ducard quickly turned his head.

Ships appeared out of thin air on the screen.

"Confirm fleet identity."

The workstation bustled with activity as the readings from the escort ships were identified one by one, marked by flashing runes.

"The shadow of order."

"Communication connection being established."

Ducard's voice suddenly rose, "They deployed their attack formation."

"They opened fire?"

Dukat shouted in a sharp, questioning tone.

Ladoron walked to the other side of her seat and looked at the screen with Sanguis.

Colorful rays of light leaped up and rolled past.

Rainbows streaked across the screen.

A dazzling flame rose up.

"Their attack... hit."

Radolon's helmet hummed.

As Ducard's mind went blank, Warband Master Radoron spoke up to remind him.

"Think tanks have confirmed that the Shadow Order's firepower uses some kind of psionic weapon."

Ducard immediately checked the scan results of the divination array and indeed found high-frequency ether readings.

The captain paused for a few seconds, then said, "Their weapons have caused direct damage to the Eldar Ark."

Saint Gilles looked at Ducard, and the comfort he had just offered now had a negative effect.

"Nimrod is considered a man favored by Om Messiah, and his legions possess some special weapons."

"That kind of psionic cannon is one of them."

Ducard turned his head and saw Saint Geres's perfect face, filled with obvious concern.

She quickly adjusted her mindset, "Sir, I understand."

"I will immediately adjust the plan to provide support for the boarding."

Seeing that Ducard was fully engaged, Saint-Gilles nodded to Radolon, and the two then left.

As Saint Gilles stepped out of the elevator, the red-robed technical priests standing before the command throne on the spine tower looked at both Saint Gilles and Radolon.

"The connection is ready."

"Holographic projection?" Radoron asked.

"The connection is very weak due to energy fluctuations," a synthesized voice from the sound array announced.

"Audio-based."

Radolon followed Sangilis onto the holographic platform, where it shone brightly.

In the flickering illusion that he could barely focus, he could make out the dangerous figure of Lord Ninglu, as well as three figures, one tall and two short.

The tall figure, without needing to be examined closely, was immediately recognizable as Thierry Vieira, the Knight Lord of the Eighth Warband of the "Shadow of Order".

The highest point in the Astartes.

Radolphin could vaguely make out the other two figures by their silhouettes:
Lord of the Eleventh Warband, the strong Per Koscielny.

Lord of the 12th Regiment, the skillful William Wood.

(End of this chapter)