The Iron Men utilized only four standard ship classifications: Transport, Electronic Warfare, Close-Quarters Assault, and Long-Range Fire Support.
In terms of scale, they existed in only two patterns: Standard and Flagship. Every Standard-class vessel matched the displacement of an Imperial Cruiser, while Flagships varied in size, with the unique "Command Flagship" being the sole specialized variant among them. Axion designated this newly evolved vessel as a UD-01 Generation Giant Flagship (Firepower-pattern), codenamed Pectaro. He further elevated its integrated intelligence protocols, granting it the capacity for autonomous mission execution.
Should Axion move beyond the ship's communication range or lose direct tactical control, this sub-intelligence would temporarily assume command, exercising independent judgment based on the unfolding strategic theater.
The Pectaro was a hybrid flagship, a configuration that had never existed in the documented history of the Iron Men, possessing both devastating strike capabilities and comprehensive command functions. Its plasma turrets, relativistic particle emitters, and colossal Nova Cannon were hallmarks of Firepower-class vessels, while its massive hull and antimatter energy reaction modules were exclusive to Command Flagships.
Its immense power output could be radiated to surrounding Iron Man vessels. Through quantum transmission technology, it could provide trans-spatial power feeding to other ships during combat. Conventional quantum power cores often suffered energy starvation when charging a Nova Cannon; the combination of heavy void shielding and a vast array of energy weaponry acted as a literal power sink. Without a Command Flagship present, most Iron Man vessels were forced to temporarily cycle down secondary weapon systems to ensure the Nova Cannon and shields remained primed.
With a Command Flagship on the field, it became the fleet's "Super-Battery." Its inexhaustible energy supply was sufficient to support three hundred Firepower-class ships within its radius, allowing them to maintain a continuous barrage of energy weapons even while simultaneously charging their Nova Cannons.
When a full Iron Man fleet entered a combat state, swarms of strike craft would shred all escort-class vessels, while capital ships and star fortresses alike were reduced to atomic dust under the synchronized volleys of plasma and Nova fire. Assault-class ships, equipped with "Lance" prows and bolstered by reinforced energy shields, would strike the enemy directly with their hulls. These massive structures, reminiscent of the ramming prows of ancient terran vessels, possessed terrifying penetrative force. Upon impact, they would unleash their full broadsides—high-density railguns firing in a torrential storm within the enemy's internal decks. Certain Assault ships also deployed nanite swarms upon breach, releasing them to devour the enemy vessel and its crew down to the last scrap of organic matter.
Though the Iron Man fleet was largely standardized in construction, the divergent growth of each ship's sapient core resulted in individual operational preferences. To the Iron Men, every ship was an autonomous unit; the troops embarked within were not considered part of the vessel itself. Usually, only those with swarm-intelligence structures, such as WK-3 robots, nanite swarms, or low-intelligence combat clusters, were calculated as collective independent units.
The Pectaro, having completed its primary structural overhaul, remained an empty shell. Its hangars were cavernous voids containing nothing but three transports. The adjacent storage bays were equally desolate, housing only the dormant forms of the Aegis Protector and other combat units in low-power stasis. For the Iron Men, ship design was utilitarian: there were no corridors, no galleries, and no transit halls. Aside from the machinery, the interior consisted only of tightly integrated hangars, repair centers, armories, and warehouses. These four zones were directly interconnected.
Axion had never entertained the possibility of biological organisms boarding his ship, and thus, he had reserved no space for "guest quarters." Ship maintenance was conducted by the nanite swarms, microscopic entities that could permeate any structure, rendering traditional access corridors redundant.
In those two months, Axion had picked clean every derelict hull in the vicinity. Aside from a few eagle-eyed members of the Adeptus Mechanicus, almost no one noticed that the ship trailing at the rear of the fleet was constantly evolving.
There was simply too much work to be done.
After completing the rescue operations, the Second Fleet remained deployed alongside the Dark Angels, scouring the surrounding void to guard against a secondary Chaos incursion. The Dark Angels themselves were consumed by the recovery of fallen battle-brothers' gene-seed, the repair of The Rock, and the restoration of their fleet.
Vashtorr's assault had clearly been the result of long, meticulous planning. Neither Guilliman nor Lion El'Jonson believed the Arkifane would abandon his designs simply because of a single setback. The damage to the Fortress-Monastery was severe; for ten thousand years, since the destruction of Caliban, no enemy had dared set foot upon this hallowed ground.
The sudden strike had defied all Dark Angel strategic projections.
The Executor Heavy Tanks deployed by Axion had shattered the enemy's momentum. Vashtorr had intended for Angron to distract the defenders while he led his own forces into the inner sanctums of The Rock to seize the artifacts. Instead, by the time Angron arrived, Vashtorr's physical manifestation had already been banished back to the Warp. The profane machineries and war-engines the Arkifane had brought were reduced to smoldering scrap by the overwhelming fire of the Executor tanks and Guilliman's reinforcements.
Vashtorr had tasked Abaddon with ambushing any incoming relief forces, yet the so-called Warmaster of Chaos had failed to deploy his Balefleet in time. Abaddon had sacrificed an Ark of Omen before making a hasty retreat. Despite Vashtorr having repaired the Gloriana-class Vengeful Spirit and providing him with a vast fleet of Arks, the Warmaster's performance was lacking. Vashtorr seethed with a sense of profound betrayal.
Equally incensed, the Lion had descended into the deepest vaults of the Fortress-Monastery's reliquary, desperate to uncover Vashtorr's true objective. Dante, who had accompanied the Lion, had acted on intelligence suggesting the "Daemon-Smith" was orchestrating a grand conspiracy against the Dark Angels, but the specific target remained elusive.
When Dante attempted to trace the origin of this intelligence, he discovered that several key informants simply did not exist. Upon deeper investigation, the lead itself proved to be unsettlingly strange. The information had surfaced from multiple locations across numerous worlds within the Segmentum Ultima, all situated within the Imperium Nihilus. Local Departmento Munitorum offices reported that the messengers were Adeptus Astartes.
However, the identities of these Astartes were inconsistent; they purportedly belonged to different Chapters. Their only commonality was that they all wore archaic Mark V or Mark VI Power Armor. The local Munitorum officials, not daring to offend these veteran "Angels of the Emperor," had immediately forwarded the reports. Following the delivery of the messages, these Astartes had vanished without a trace.
Dante, appointed by Guilliman to command the defense of the Nihilus, had acted on these unverifiable reports and successfully located Lion El'Jonson. Having verified a portion of the data, Dante had not hesitated. After gathering a force at Baal, he had plunged into the enigma-shrouded Somnium Stars.
When Dante presented these findings to Guilliman, the Lord Regent's eyes narrowed in cautious contemplation. Clearly, there were deeper layers to this mystery.
To impersonate an Astartes was no simple feat.
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