Chapter 51: Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [51]

The Norn Queen also possesses terrifying psychic power. Around her are the Norn Emissaries and Norn Queen's Guards, who provide close protection. These massive creatures are not only powerful psychic entities but also formidable in close combat, capable of instantly killing ordinary Space Marines. Their combat prowess is on par with, if not superior to, the Hive Tyrant. The Imperium is generally proficient in boarding actions, but in recorded battles, very few boarding attempts against Tyranid Hive Ships have been successfully executed. First, entering a Hive Ship is extremely difficult. Most Hive Ships are surrounded by dense swarms of Tyranid escort bio-ships, forming an almost impenetrable defensive perimeter. Additionally, the Hive Ship's chitinous armor is astonishingly durable. Standard space landing craft lack the firepower to breach its defenses. Thus, attempting a boarding action using a landing craft is nearly impossible. Either they get destroyed before approaching, or even if they reach the Hive Ship, they fail to breach its exterior. Psychic teleportation is also impractical. The Norn Queen possesses immense psychic power and can generate a thick psychic field around the ship, blocking teleportation. Only powerful Librarians from elite Space Marine Chapters have a chance of breaking through these psychic barriers and teleporting inside the Hive Ship. The Real Problem: Can a Boarding Action Succeed? Even if a team successfully teleports inside, can they win? Ordinary Space Marines or Battle Sisters who come face-to-face with the Norn Queen don't even need to be physically attacked by her Norn Emissaries or Norn Brains. They will simply go insane and fall under her control, essentially delivering biomass directly to her like a food offering. Thus, from the emergence of the Tyranids to the present, the Imperium has never executed a successful boarding action against a Hive Ship. Among other factions, only the Necrons might be capable of pulling off a boarding action. The Necrons have phase teleportation and psychic nullifiers. Moreover, Necrons lack biomass, possess advanced technology, and are highly resistant to Tyranid control, making them a nightmare for the Tyranids. Perhaps a suicidal team of Space Marines could attempt a boarding action to see if a Hive Ship can be taken down. Rhodrd has a teleportation bracelet that can bypass the psychic barriers—since it's technology-based rather than psychic-based. The Norn Queen's psychic influence can also be countered—Rhodes plans to borrow the Emperor's psychic power to activate a golden aura mode, creating a zone of immunity that shields nearby Space Marines from the Hive Mind's influence. This could work! A teleportation bracelet paired with the Emperor's psychic blessing—absolutely effective! Rhodes decides to recruit some Deathwatch Space Marines for the mission. The Deathwatch are experts in fighting Xenos, and their Kill Teams are highly skilled. First, he needs to persuade them—by telling them: "The Emperor is watching you! Loyalty! Honor! This is a great mission entrusted to you by the Emperor!" Rhodes enters the mothership's command center and activates its special stealth mode, making it completely undetectable. After upgrading to a mini-mothership, Rhodes' ship can hover in a planet's atmosphere and monitor all surface activity in real-time. Seated in the captain's chair, Rhodes watches the virtual display, tracking his deployed forces, including four split-fighter ships from Bemstar and King Joe. On the ground, Tyranid forces are being wiped out effortlessly, with no meaningful resistance remaining. After some searching, Rhodes locks onto a group of surviving Deathwatch Space Marines. Zooming in, he can even hear their conversation. A squad of black-armored Space Marines wearing skull-helmets—the Deathwatch, the Imperium's elite anti-xenos warriors. Among them, Rhodes identifies the Deathwatch Chaplain with whom he previously communicated psychically. However, this Chaplain is in critical condition, unconscious with a massive wound in his chest, though the bleeding has stopped. "By the Emperor! What was that silver monster? Is it a living creature? Or some kind of machine?" one Deathwatch Marine asks. The silver titan had just single-handedly repelled a Hive Ship—a feat unheard of! Its terrifying rainbow energy beam was as powerful as the macro-cannons on an Imperial battleship! They had seen it annihilate countless Tyranid bio-ships, something that would normally cost the Imperial Navy tremendous losses. Even worse, that red-gold energy beam it fired later destroyed over a dozen Hive Ships, forcing the Tyranids to retreat. "That thing is not a living being—it must be some kind of Xenos Titan." a Deathwatch Sergeant states. This is a major problem—a mysterious alien civilization has intervened in the war against the Tyranids. Its sleek, silver-red body is far beyond anything the Imperium's Forge Worlds could create. "It looks similar to the Eldar Titans," another Deathwatch Marine suggests. Eldar Titans are slender, agile, and incredibly fast—just like this silver giant. "No, it's not an Eldar Titan," the Deathwatch Lieutenant sighs. Elder Titans, while agile, are nowhere near this powerful—and they can't fly. That long-range energy beam attack was terrifying—it could strike space targets from the planet's surface! Even the Imperium's Emperor-class Titans lack such firepower. This silver titan effortlessly destroyed over a dozen Hive Ships and hundreds of escort vessels. Compared to it, other Titans seem like mere mortals facing Space Marines—or even humans facing a Primarch. As the Deathwatch Marines fall into silence, a voice suddenly echoes: "You have been chosen!" Rhodes activates his psychic golden aura mode, using his psychic power to directly communicate with the Deathwatch Marines. "You have been chosen by the Emperor... and by me."