The Servitor in the middle of the table passes a report to Thalk, Calligos and Lyre. None of them look at the report and stare at Abbisine with neutral, almost bored expressions.

Abbisine clears her throat, an entirely unnecessary action as her voice box is a speaker, then says, “Imagine if you will, you are the Commodore of a moderate strikeforce patrolling the Koronus Expanse. It has been forty years since your vessels were properly overhauled at a Forge World and you can expect to wait another sixty years, if not more, until your ships are scheduled for another service.

“Supplies are tight and you’ve been getting most of your spare parts from the pirates you’ve destroyed, averaging one major battle every decade and a couple of lighter skirmishes. However, you make do. Your ships still function.

“Sure, the void shields now max out at eighty five percent and there are patches in your armour from hasty repairs. One of the macrocannons on your light cruiser has been permanently destroyed and your escorts are also suffering from minor damage as well. You’re not concerned though. It’s still better than the Orks and Imperial raiders you’ve been purging and the last report of a Chaos warband was seen over three sectors away and is part of someone else's patrol schedule.

“The real problem though is trained crew. Attrition on the lower decks has been high, a mix of food riots, some difficult Warp encounters, and multiple boarding attempts have drained your manpower. To deal with this, you’ve taken orbit around a Feudal World, one that hasn’t seen an Imperial presence in two centuries and has forgotten that they’re part of the galaxy’s greatest empire.

“You decide to press gang the locals and seize their excess food supplies, trading a few laslocks to the local leaders to help them cement their rulership and gifting them some cheap jewellery, whipped up by a couple of Tech-Apprentices, tasks that took less than a week. Even so, this jewellery is of finer quality than these barbarians have ever seen. They happily agree to your trade.

“To absolutely no one’s surprise, civil unrest breaks out as the serfs are less happy about having their food and people snatched and if you want your supplies, you're going to have to put it down. The local leadership just isn’t competent enough to do it themselves in a satisfactory time frame.

“You can’t be too harsh to the populace otherwise there will be no one left for your ships and some disgruntled prick is bound to burn the granaries if you don’t deploy immediately. There’s nothing on the augur so you order a full planetary assault so ensure you get everything you need.

“For a few days, everything is going well, then uncertain readings start showing up on your augur and you realise that there’s a high chance you’ve stumbled upon the annoying stealth vessel that high command has tasked you with chasing down and capturing. I am sure you are all familiar with similar stories. Any questions so far?”

Calligos raises an eyebrow, “I was unaware the Adeptus Mechanicus were fond of bedtime stories.”

Abbisine huffs, “This was all part of a high fidelity simulation, one artfully crafted to be as realistic as possible. Our voidships are never at one hundred percent, one hundred percent of the time. More often they are far from it, scarred by millennia of war, each having been captured and recaptured a dozen times and rebuilt at least twice.”

“Logis, I am familiar with your argument,” says Thalk. “It is an issue I’ve been trying to solve my whole career. I do hope there is a point to all of this.”

“Then I shall proceed with the remainder of my explanation,” says Abbisine. “Open your folders and turn to appendix B, image 1A. This is the vessel you’ve finally caught on pict after sending out a single wing of strike craft to patrol the area with the augur ghosts.

“Only one Fury Interceptor makes it back. You now know for certain that there’s a single vessel of a design you have not seen before and they’re aggressive to Imperial forces. Inspecting the image, from its length you realise that the unknown vessel is a modified Sword-Class frigate. It’s difficult to tell from such a distance, but you can pick up a few notable differences with the standard model.

“The first is the ram, it’s not the long and pointy one you see on Sword-Class, instead it’s much shorter, like that of a Cobra-Class destroyer. You can’t see any torpedo tubes from the pict, but cannot fathom why someone would put a Cobra ram on a vessel and not use its primary feature. You conclude that the ram is there for armour, not raming, and that the vessel likely fights from long range. You need to be alert for stealthy torpedo strikes.

“Next you notice that the ram also flares out slightly and that it has additional bracing, four buttresses that give the front of the vessel’s structure, just behind the ram, a cross shape. Everything points towards protecting an important feature of the vessel, but you can’t see what it is. It also makes the centre of the vessel a bit bulkier than what you are used to seeing. The shorter ram means more usable space beneath the armour too.

“Then you notice that the engines seem smaller than usual, taking up fifteen percent of the vessel, rather than twenty-five percent. You’re not sure what to make of this. Is it archeotech? Is the vessel slow? You don’t know yet, but you expect that it will be: there’s a lot of extra weight on the vessel.

“Last are the armaments. There’s a macro cannon of some kind, mounted on the Cathedral superstructure, rather than midship, giving it a rather flat, brutalist look, as opposed to the steepled elegance of the more traditional Imperial Gothic architecture. You note that the Cathedral is wider than usual, as is the keel castellum as well. You’ve no idea what they’re using that space for, but you’re sure it’s extra important as there’s one final important detail.

“Rather than two las burners mounted on the rear third of the vessel on two wings, there is a single prow mounted lance hanging underneath the ram like a Firestorm-Class frigate, a rare variant of the Sword-Class.

“The mounting wings for the Sword-Class’ keel las burners have been altered into a vertical superstructure that protects the engines, Cathedral, and Castellum from broadsides on the port and starboard sides.

“You don’t want to give up your position in orbit around the feudal world as you need those supplies and more manpower. There’s a long range, over armoured vessel on your augur that is threatening your operations and you’ve been tasked with capturing it. With the information you have at hand, what would you do, Vice-Admiral?

Thalk drums his fingers against the table, “What are the classes of my ships?”

“Ah, apologies. You have a Sword-Class frigate, a Havoc-Class merchant raider, and a Dauntless-Class light cruiser.”

Thalk says, “One robust escort with moderate speed and fire power, another that has superb firepower and is fast enough to outrun anything else in its class, as well as heavier ships, but rather fragile. Finally, a light cruiser that’s as fast and manoeuvrable as most escorts with a moderate armament and good armour.”

“Correct, Vice-Admiral.”

“I would send out my escorts, supported by strike-craft from the Dauntless. The Dauntless would remain behind to complete the operations over the Feudal World.”

Abbisine nods, “How about you, Inquisitor?”

“I would keep all three ships together and send out a proper screen of strike craft to shadow the strange ship and gather more information.”

“Calligos?”

“Hail them.”

“Very well. Vice-Admiral. Your escorts chase down the strange vessel. Your vessels circle each other, exchanging fire at long range. You score some good hits on your opponent, but just can’t take down their shields. Your own ships have started to take minor damage, the worn systems, patched armour, and low crew numbers have left your repair and firefighting teams overdrawn. You could keep this up for a day or two, but this would exhaust what remains of your crews. What do you do?”

Thalk says, “I would accelerate and exchange fire at close range while my strike craft attempt to disrupt the enemy augur.”

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“Alright. Well get back to that. Inquisitor Hamiz, the enemy vessel sorties with their own strike craft. You have not seen them before and sustain heavy losses, causing moderate losses yourself. Your strike craft flee. The enemy tows back your strike craft and theirs to their vessel. Your enemy has captured your people and now has information on your own vessels.

“From the number of enemy strike craft, you have deduced that this enemy vessel is likely an escort carrier. They’re hiding a large, double stacked hangar behind that ram of theirs. You note that this design creates a weakness in the superstructure of the vessel, one that, despite the extra bracing, is far easier to hit than the usual, single opening on a standard Imperial vessel. You’ve also discovered that they have at least two classes of strike craft, an interceptor and a missile boat and that double hangar of theirs lets them swiftly cycle a large amount of strike craft. What do you do?”

“Seize all the resources I can and withdraw from the planet within the next twenty-four hours. If the enemy approaches, I will abandon any remaining forces and prepare to engage. I will attempt to surround their vessel and target their hangar with broadsides. Once their ship is split with a well placed shot I will board the vessel with assault crews and capture it, completing my mission.”

Abbisine blinks slowly, “Noted, Inquisitor.”

“Why do I feel like we’re playing a game,” mutters Calligos. “Well, Logis, do these dogs respond to my hails?”

“Yes. They claim you are trespassing and demand compensation for disrupting the order of their fief. You have uncovered no information that backs up these claims. The locals say that they have never heard of the Stellar Fleet and beg you to protect them from the raiders.”

Calligos says, “I invite them for parley.”

“The enemy refuses to meet in person and continues to insist that you pay them to leave you alone. It will take you a week until you have all the supplies and men you need.”

“They’re trying to extort a Rogue Trader?” says Calligos. “Ridiculous. I suppose that’s my turn over, yes?”

“How astute of you,” says Abbisine, her tone perfectly flat and level. “Vice-Admiral, the enemy ship flees from you. You begin a stern chase. Much to your dismay, you find out that the enemy vessel is a little faster than your Sword-Class but is not as quick as the Havoc-Class. Not only that, but the rear plasma macro-cannon can fire sternwards. It’s not too much trouble as without the lance to back it up; it's keeping your shields drained and splashing off your front armour, managing one shot every fifteen minutes, rather than every thirty like you're accustomed to.”

“How tricky,” says Thalk. “I’m getting drawn off, but if I don’t chase them now, I’ll never catch them and they’ll continue to harass me until I lose. I could go all in, retreat, or delay long enough to get the supplies I need to survive my patrol.

“My ships are damaged and the crews are at risk of collapse or mutiny if I push them that hard. My worn systems are potentially unreliable. Do I trust my ship or my crew enough to carry the day?

“Logis, in this simulation of yours, how many days do my officers estimate that my escorts can withstand fire under the current circumstances?”

“So long as nothing vital gets hit and your crews prevail, you have four days until one of your vessels fails,” says Abbisine. “The moment you lose one, the second will be swift to fall. If the enemy reaches the planet, gathering supplies will become significantly more difficult.”

“I delay for two days, then go all in. During this time I keep my two escorts together and cycle my strike craft.”

Abbisine says, “The enemy vessel performs hit and run actions on your escorts, bringing its lance back into play. Your Havoc loses its spine mounted macro-cannon on day one. Day two, your Sword-Class’ shields fail under sustained fire and cannot be repaired without significant down time.

“On day two, you managed to crack the enemy’s shields with a coordinated volley only to have it pop back immediately before you could take advantage of the lapse. You have discovered that the vessel likely has a Castellan Shield Array and Overload Shield Capacitors.”

“Well, that wasn’t worth it!” says Thalk, sounding surprisingly jovial.

Abbisine continues, “Despite fighting for two days, the enemy vessel shows no signs of weakening. You suspect that it has a full crew and by this point you are convinced that they are skilled and disciplined. These are not pirates and must have considerable backing. You suspect a Rogue Trader or a Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator fleet is targeting you and do not know why.

“Still, it is clear that you could destroy them and they haven’t bothered to contact you. Negotiations are likely no longer possible. You go all in, closing in on the enemy vessel when they make their next attack run.

“To your horror, you finally discover that the enemy vessel you’ve been fighting is an escort carrier. They engage you in a close fight, supporting their own strike craft with a laser defence grid and some monstrous strike craft. Your loss is total. The enemy cripples your engines with their strike craft and leaves you floating in the void and your captains surrender.

“The enemy returns to stealth protocols and sneaks in close to your light cruiser. They’re unusually good at it and you now suspect that they have an Empyrean Mantle. It’s too late to do anything about that though; you can’t locate the enemy vessel as you’ve lost all your strike craft and your augur is functioning at eighty-percent effectiveness thanks to previous battle damage. You do, at least detect incoming strike craft, though not until they are far too close. Turns out they have stealth fields built into them as well.

“You have good turret coverage and more armour than your escorts, so although you are concerned about the damage you will take, you are sure you can fight them off.

“To your dismay, you finally find out where the torpedoes are. The five largest strike craft launch twenty torpedoes at you at close range, and you finally realise you’ve been played.

“The enemy screen their torpedoes from your defensive fire with their interceptors and missile boats. You destroy eight torpedoes and the enemy strike craft take advantage of your focused fire to destroy thirty percent of your turrets.

“Twelve melta torpedoes strike your ancient vessel, hitting the engines, shields, and bridge. Fire rages through its corridors. Your ship is still in one piece, but is no longer operational. You have died and your crew are swift to follow.”

“That’s grox shit!” says Thalk. “Who fires twenty torpedoes in a single engagement! The whole of Battlefleet Koronus doesn’t even launch a hundred of them in a decade of fighting. How could they possibly sustain that level of firepower?”

Abbisine clears her throat again, “I could talk through Inquisitor Hamiz and Trader Winterscale’s scenarios, but they all end in the same way. Hit and run tactics backed up by an unreasonable amount of torpedoes at the worst possible moment. It’s a surprise that only works once, but so long as they get you, and you don’t have previous intelligence on the vessel, their trick is effective. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novel{f}ire.net

“In both Trader Winterscale and Inquisitor Hamiz’s scenario, the Adder-Class takes up position on the other side of the planet and use their strike craft to destroy most of the fleet’s shuttles. Once those are out of the way, it continues to use the planet as cover and is free to launch torpedoes at the fleet.

“With the Imperial vessels covering each other, the Adder-Class loses a moderate amount of strike craft, though none of their torpedo bombers. Each run takes out an Imperial vessel, depleting the Adder’s inventory of sixty torpedoes. With the vessels captured, it scraps the most damaged vessel, the Havoc, and turns them into new torpedoes, replenishing its entire stock in three months and rebuilding its lost strike craft as well. The supplies you worked so hard to gather are looted. New crew are grown and educated by Machine-Spirits from the nutrient slurry of dead crew, enemy and ally alike.”

Calligos says, “That’s quite the tale.”

“Thank you for your evaluation,” says Lyre, pursing his lips and narrowing his eyes. “This is worse than I thought.”

“It is my duty, Inquisitor, and my pleasure, to uncover the lost arts of the Omnissiah. To conclude, this is why the Adder-Class is so dangerous. It doesn’t have to wait a decade for new supplies and can use its resources however it likes. Those constructors the Magos gave away? Now that I’ve seen them, I am convinced that they are genuine Standard Template Constructors, fabricator’s that can build anything when supplied with a manufacturing grade, Standard Template Construct, sufficient power, and materials. I was right when I thought them lost archeotech. I did not expect them to be new.

“The Adder-Class’s smaller engines mean that it can dedicate ten percent of its internal volume to manufacturing without impacting the volume required for other components, though I believe the actual use to be closer to fifteen percent. The thicker central structure and some of the other additions are likely storage for material reserves.

“A tour of any of the Stellar Fleet’s vessels will reveal extensive hydroponics. They don’t need to make risky supply runs. The larger Cathedral and Castellum hold a combined promenade and voidsmen quarters, more akin to the upper levels of a hive with a high standard of living. Everyone, even penal workers, receive universal income.

“The architecture has a strong focus on communal spaces with areas for hospitality, leisure, and learning. Heavy labour is completed by advanced Servitors or penal crews. This is important because the Magos has created a space where his people actually want to live. When Stellar Fleet crews are fighting, they are fighting to defend their homes.

“Their morale is incredibly high and every single mature Human is combat capable and educated to the level of a Tech-Apprentice at minimum. From my sleuthing, I have also discovered that all Stellar Fleet designs use the Colony Redundancy Protocols, a style of ship design typically reserved for crusade era grand cruisers, Ark Mechanicus, and Gloriana-Class vessels. Not destroyers, strike craft, and lasguns.

“Coupled with the Constructors, educated crews, and automated labour, this means that their systems are about as close to one hundred percent effective, one hundred percent of the time. ‘Magos’ Issengrund is like a man lost to time, returning with technology last seen almost ten thousand years ago.

“Do any of you have any idea quite how absurd, and absurdly dangerous this is on both a local and macro scale?”