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[Warhammer: Starting as a Planetary Governor] Chapter 146
🕑 Added 2025-01-06 16:00:09 +0000 UTCThe fleet's colossal firepower rained down on the hive city as their weapons roared to life.
Eden watched the fleet's guns align with the vulnerable hive below. His hands clenched.
Years ago, the relentless Eleventh Tithe and widespread rebellion had shattered the hive city's defenses. Despite his best efforts, many critical defensive systems remained in ruins, as resources were funneled into the restoration of the Dream.
The city's void shields flickered to life, but they were little more than a symbolic deterrent.
Eden muttered in frustration,
"A few rounds, and that shield will be gone…"
The fleet commander aboard the super-heavy cruiser smirked. The hive's defenses were laughable—just a brittle dome separating the city from annihilation.
His voice was sharp with confidence:
"Another two volleys, and this planet will grovel beneath my boots."
Suddenly, streaks of blinding light tore across the sky.
Boom!
Several escort ships exploded into fiery debris, their wreckage crashing into the shield below in spectacular bursts of light.
Eden wiped the sweat from his brow, finally able to breathe again.
The Dream had entered the fray.
The Dream's entry into battle was anything but straightforward.
When the fleet first appeared, Eden had immediately ordered Kaul to halt all restoration work and conceal the ship using its ancient Heaven's Shroud system.
This remarkable device cloaked the ship's energy signature while enabling low-power silent operations, rendering the Dream almost undetectable.
With the battle underway, there was no need to hide any longer.
The fleet commander's expression twisted into fury as alarms blared aboard his flagship.
"Where did that attack come from?"
"From an enemy warship, sir!"
"What warship? There were no detected defenses!"
The commander's voice cracked with disbelief. He stormed to the observation dome, glaring out into the void.
And there it was—a silver-white warship emerging from the shadows, positioned behind his fleet.
The Dream was unlike anything he'd seen before. Smaller than his super-heavy cruiser, it looked incomplete, with construction machinery still attached to its hull.
"Is that… their secret weapon?"
The commander chuckled darkly.
"This cobbled-together junk is what they're betting on?"
The Dream's outdated and patched-up appearance only fueled his contempt.
"They're deluded if they think this is enough to resist us. All ships, attack!"
The fleet unleashed a torrent of firepower, raining down macro shells, lances, and torpedoes in overwhelming waves.
The fleet commander sneered,
"They must have poured centuries of resources into building this. I'll destroy it in minutes."
But his confidence faltered as the Dream shimmered with an ethereal glow.
Ripples of light expanded outward, encircling the ship in radiant layers.
"What in the Emperor's name is that?"
His second-in-command stammered,
"Sir… I believe those are void shields."
"I can see that! But why does it have five layers?"
Void shields were rarely seen in more than a single layer, with the most advanced ships boasting three. A five-layer array was unheard of—especially on a mere eight-kilometer-long vessel.
The fleet's barrage slammed into the Dream's outermost shield.
Instead of shattering, the shield barely rippled.
Successive waves of firepower failed to breach even the first layer.
"Impossible!"
The commander's voice was hoarse. His fleet was throwing everything they had, yet they might as well have been scratching the hull with their fingernails.
"How is this happening?!"
The Dream's shields weren't just strong—they were nearly impenetrable.
Inside the Dream's bridge, Kaul was practically bouncing with excitement.
"Enough testing the shields. Let's see what this baby can really do!"
He darted to the weapons console, shoving aside the crew with his mechanical arms.
"Prepare the Nova Cannon! Full power!"
The Nova Cannon was the Dream's crown jewel—a monstrous weapon capable of obliterating entire fleets.
Its massive barrel glowed as it drew energy from the ship's seemingly inexhaustible reactor.
The cannon roared to life, condensing volatile plasma into a blinding sphere several kilometers in diameter.
On the super-heavy cruiser, the commander's bravado evaporated.
His gaze locked on the growing plasma sphere, terror gripping him.
"Retreat! Full retreat!"
His voice cracked as panic overtook him.
But it was too late.
With a deafening hum, the Nova Cannon released its payload.
The plasma sphere tore through space, a blinding beacon of annihilation.
When it struck the fleet, the explosion was cataclysmic. Entire ships disintegrated instantly, their remains swallowed by the expanding inferno.
The once-proud fleet was reduced to glowing debris in seconds.
As the flames of destruction faded, the Dream stood unscathed, its shields shimmering serenely.
Kaul grinned with satisfaction,
"Now that's what I call a field test."
Eden , watching from the hive below, exhaled deeply.
"This is just the beginning. Let's show the galaxy what Urth is capable of."
The citizens of Urth, having witnessed the Dream's might, erupted into cheers.
For the first time in generations, they felt true hope—a belief that they could not only survive but thrive in a galaxy rife with danger.
Meanwhile
The remnants of the fleeing fleet sent garbled distress signals across the Warp.
The news of Urth's defiance and the emergence of the Dream would soon spread.
In the shadows of the Imperium's vast bureaucracy, whispers began to circulate.
A backwater planet had destroyed a fleet.
The Imperium would not ignore this.
(End of Chapter)
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