Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 997

Chapter 988: Assist and then attack

the Glorious Queen. The entire Imperium’s navy lacks a single such vessel.

Yet, every naval officer and admiral has heard of its fame and dreamed of sailing across the galaxy, commanding one of these massive warships, seemingly born with supreme glory.

At the very least, they wished to fight alongside such a vessel, a privilege.

Each of these vessels, passed down through the millennia, represents a glorious founding Legion of Space Marines. Even the most glorious of these vessels was personally piloted by the Emperor during his mortal days. These Glorious Queens truly embody the Imperium’s most glorious era.

The three vessels present here all reflect their status.

The first, painted azure and silver-white, resembles an Alliance warship, but is in fact the flagship of the Infinite Legion, the ‘Excessive Limits’. Ten thousand years ago, it served as the vessel of Robert the Son of God, and even now, ten thousand years later, it still serves as such.

The other two are equally renowned.

The first was the ‘True Word,’ the Glorious Queen warship, the flagship of the Saints Chapter.

The second was the ‘Holy Blood,’ the Glorious Queen warship, the flagship of the Blood Angels Chapter.

The Alliance, of course, had its own Glorious Queens, and quite a few, currently numbering eight.

But reputation was a primary concern.

While their combat power was roughly equal, the Alliance’s Glorious Queens were all newly built, unlike the two Founding Chapters already affiliated with the Alliance, which were being used to bluff.

Currently, there were only nine Founding Chapters in the entire Empire.

The presence of three Glorious Queens was a testament not only to the might of these three warships, but also to the renown these three Chapters had built over millennia.

In the name of the Imperial Regent Robert, in the name of the Imperial High Lord Gu Hang, in the name of the Chapter Masters of the Empire’s three founding Chapters: Nero of the Infinite Chapter, Raymond Weiss of the Saints Chapter, and Dante, Chapter Master of the Blood Angels and a legendary hero of the Empire.

The order signed by these five, especially the endorsement of the former Regent by the latter four, was of immense significance.

Combined with the sight of the entire expeditionary fleet, led by the three Glorious Queens, the visual effect was truly stunning.

Those ships that had originally intended to siege the fleeing fleet led by Marshal Song Min hesitated.

Not every ship that didn’t follow him was corrupted. The majority were still bewitched, or simply unsure of what to do in the chaotic situation.

Even the over two hundred ships Gu Jing had discovered, with high-ranking officers and generals, corrupted, weren’t entirely flawed. Tzeentch’s corruption meant they preferred covert and reserved actions until the very end. For some ships, the removal of corrupt leadership significantly alleviated their problems.

Even for those ships with a significant percentage of their crews corrupted, the overall percentage was low, and the removal of their leaders had also slowed their actions.

In the end, only about sixty warships and half of Holy Terra’s orbital defense fortresses and space stations actually opened fire.

This resulted in the loss of some of Marshal Song Min’s warships, with over ten ships destroyed.

However, their decisive retreat secured a safe space for survival.

The most effective attack came from the three expeditionary warships led by the Queen of Glory. They swiftly engaged and fiercely attacked the vessels deemed traitors. The “Overrun,” commanded by Robert himself, directly suppressed Terra’s orbital defenses.

His voice, replayed over and over by the astropath, echoed throughout the entire sound array.

Under his encouragement, ship after ship broke away from the Solar Fleet and began to follow their marshal, moving further away. More and more Terran defense fortresses, bewildered, remained neutral, and even some that had been firing in tandem stopped.

The few staunchly rebellious ships suffered a fatal blow.

Robert even saw this as a golden opportunity—the Solar Fleet was in complete disarray, and Holy Terra’s sturdy orbital defenses were also in disarray. Their defenses were now incredibly weak.

This was the perfect opportunity!

Even at the risk of his life, he decided to switch his original plan of reconciliation to an all-out assault!

At that moment, a shrill cry emanated from the “Base Holy Grail,” one of Terra’s largest orbital fortresses, defying the laws of physics and the vacuum of space.

…

Galardo was furious!

He had learned of the enemy’s ruse. He knew someone had impersonated the Lord of Change, causing a major malfunction in his hidden forces within the Solar Fleet. They hadn’t caused the desired chaos, and over half the Solar Fleet had even deserted and sided with Robert. The remaining half was also hesitant, and a few, due to their positional issues, were being severely attacked by the “Veritas” and “Holy Blood.”

Hunting geese all day, only to be pecked by them!

His most skilled schemes and intrigues were outmaneuvered!

Even his near-surface defense system, which he had previously had greater control over, was shaken!

Under ideal circumstances, if all orbital defenses could open fire instantly, not only would Song Min’s ships have escaped, but the Robert Expeditionary Fleet, which had rashly intervened, would have suffered a crushing loss!

This was Holy Terra, the most heavily fortified region of the Human Empire!

Unfortunately, the combined power of the Regent, High Lord Gu Hang, and the Chapter Masters of the three founding Chapters was too powerful.

Even in many locations, despite orders from high-ranking, direct superiors, the executors, even station commanders, refused to carry out the orders and demanded a review of their legitimacy.

In some places, armed “rebellions” even broke out.

They believed that the enemy wasn’t their enemy, but the one who ordered them to fire was a traitor!

Gallardo had underestimated the value of loyalty.

He now regretted not being quicker to corrupt key positions in the past year or two, seeking stability and avoiding exposure. He should have been more aggressive, even replacing some of the artillery operators with “his own people”!

But it was too late now.

That sharp scream had just emanated from him.

His eyes glowed with an ominous blue light. With the Lord’s blessing, he unleashed his full power.

Every hidden device he had deployed was unleashed.

Every space fortress he could reclaim must be recaptured.

This was the most critical moment. With the Solar Fleet no longer reliable, he could only rely on the planetary defense system to withstand this ferocious attack.

He processed countless calculations in his mind, issuing one command after another through a special channel.

There was still a chance, everything could still be turned around!

Hmm… something was wrong. What was this?

He sensed a power within his fortress that seemed familiar, yet upon closer inspection, it seemed different.

Oh no!

It was that fake Lord of Change!

When had he infiltrated the “Holy Grail of Base”?

(End of this chapter)