"Who cares if they're a big catch or not; we follow orders and stand our ground. Not a single orc escapes," Tavis responded to Logan, aiming his bolter toward the tunnel ahead.
"Hah! You're absolutely right!" Logan agreed. "I never planned on letting them leave here alive, so no conflict with the primarch's orders!"
With that, Logan held his bolter in his left hand, drawing his power axe wrapped in a plasma field with his right. Leading five other Space Wolves, he advanced from their advantageous positions to the edge of the tunnel entrance, ready to combine ranged fire with close-quarters combat as the orc horde approached.
Tavis and the other Sons of Horus, along with Maun and the Raven Guard, were accustomed to Logan's direct approach. Once the Space Wolves considered someone a close brother or friend, they showed boundless loyalty, even at their own risk.
This was why Tavis and Maun saw Logan as a brother they could trust in life and death situations, not only due to their shared bloodline. Space Wolves, however, were notoriously impulsive and only heeded advice when their "grandfather," Samuel Young, or their gene-father, Leman Russ, personally disciplined them.
Even Perturabo used rewards and incentives to manage them. Had he taken a strict "I am the primarch, and you must follow my orders completely" approach, the Wolves might have outwardly obeyed but could easily become "accident-prone" behind the scenes.
In fact, the Wolves knew their behavior could be irritating but cultivated that very image, as Russ hinted to them in confidence that they would become the Emperor's "fangs," Astartes specialized in rooting out dissent. They were prepared to execute even bloodline kin if necessary, to secure the Empire's rule. Thus, they maintained a brash, independent façade to "put others at ease." It might seem unkind, but as it was their nature, they felt no guilt.
Now, the six Space Wolves, including Logan, formed a line several meters apart, ready to intercept tens of thousands of orcs.
Meanwhile, Maun and the five Raven Guard activated the stealth mode of their Titan armor, merging seamlessly with the surroundings, waiting to strike at the heart of the orc formation as the battle intensified.
Tavis and the other five Sons of Horus, well-stocked with ammunition, remained at their vantage point to provide overwhelming fire support for their brothers.
Soon, Logan felt the vibrations of the orcs' approach. Within moments, the first orc rounded the tunnel corner into Logan's line of sight, followed by more.
These orcs wore armor of high quality, a cut above the typical crude gear, and carried more advanced weapons.
"Well, we've got ourselves a big catch!" Logan said excitedly, wasting no time and pulling the trigger as more orcs flooded around the corner.
The bolter fire ignited, spewing flashes of light as high-powered rounds tore through the advancing orcs. Despite their quality armor, the orcs died in gruesome explosions, torn apart without so much as a final scream.
After emptying their first magazines, Logan and his team reloaded with snake venom rounds, filling the corridor with a toxic acidic mist that caught the next wave of orcs off guard.
The tunnel echoed with agonizing screams as orcs were dissolved by the corrosive mist.
When the acid cloud finally began to dissipate, the orcs, undeterred by the fierce barrage, charged on recklessly, desperate to break through the Space Wolves' line.
As the orcs came within range, they opened fire, pelting the Space Wolves' older-model Mark I power armor with rounds that pinged off in a metallic clang. But as more orcs poured out of the tunnel into the cave, the real fight began.
Logan set the example. He magnetized his bolter to his thigh, then raised his power axe, cleaving into the orcs. With his left hand, he grabbed sneaky orcs by the throat, snapping necks or crushing heads.
Despite Logan's limited ammo and the fact these orcs were a formidable elite, they could do nothing to stop him.
The five other Space Wolves followed Logan's lead, holding back the orc tide like a dam, blocking the tunnel exit and preventing the orcs from capitalizing on their numbers.
Behind them, Tavis and the Sons of Horus continued providing relentless fire support, unleashing waves of bolter fire and plasma blasts on any orc who made it past the Wolves' line.
Though the orcs numbered in the tens of thousands, the twelve Astartes held them back, their teamwork flawless.
If the orcs had realized six Raven Guard lay hidden, waiting to strike, they might have chosen to flee in another direction. But by then, Perturabo had sent more joint squads to cut off any alternate escape routes.
Unable to retreat, the orcs kept pressing forward, throwing their lives at Squad 014 in a desperate bid for survival.
Encouraged by the orcs' frenzied assault, Logan and the other Wolves fought with even greater vigor, their energy seemingly boundless. Blood mist filled the air as severed limbs flew; they were overpowering the orcs from the very start.
Pushing through the horde, the Wolves began carving a path toward the heart of the orc forces.
Orcs who slipped past the Wolves didn't fare better; they were swiftly dispatched by Tavis and the Sons of Horus, who sniped them from afar.
As the Wolves' relentless countercharge forced the orcs into a suicidal defense, nearly a thousand more orcs, better equipped and armed, began emerging from the tunnel, putting additional pressure on the six Wolves.
Logan swung his plasma-wrapped power axe, splitting an elite orc in two, then cursed aloud, "Damn it! These pests are insane!"
He dodged another attack, stomping his foot down and crushing an elite orc in a splatter of blood and gore across his Titan armor, adding to his fierce, blood-soaked look.
Then, Logan caught sight of something unusual: the orc elites appeared to be shielding a… human?
A female figure, clad in tight dark-red armor with a spiked helmet, clearly human in shape.
Her position, at the center of the elite orcs, confirmed it—she must be the orc queen mentioned by intelligence, Mira.
"Whoa! No way!" Logan shouted excitedly, realizing the significance of their "catch." He roared, "Brothers! That smaller one up front is the orc queen! Can you believe it? Glory awaits us! Kill them all!"
As he shouted, Logan marked Mira's position on his teammates' screens.
"The orc queen?!"
"Are we that lucky?!"
"Let's go! For glory!"
Seeing the red triangle on their HUDs marking the target, the Space Wolves roared with renewed strength, plunging through the elite orcs toward their queen.
The orcs noticed the Wolves' intent and threw more troops to protect Mira, trying to buy her time to escape.
Unbeknownst to them, Maun and the Raven Guard had slipped through the opening created by the Wolves, infiltrating the orc core.
Even Mira was oblivious to the silent approach of the Raven Guard captain directly ahead of her.
Just as she moved forward, eyes wary, Maun lunged from the shadows.
"Urk!"
A massive, invisible hand clamped down on Mira's throat, cutting off any sound. She couldn't even breathe.
The orcs guarding her froze, then howled in realization—their leader, their queen, was captured.
They roared, frantically trying to free her.
But Maun wasn't alone.
As the elite orcs turned to face him, five more Raven Guard deactivated their Titan armor's cloaking, surrounding Maun and aiming their bolter rifles at the orc elites.
Blazing gunfire erupted as the Raven Guard fired upon the stunned orcs, tearing them apart. Two of the Raven Guard bore small-caliber plasma shoulder cannons, which automatically targeted and fired at any orc within sight.
Caught off guard and under attack from all sides, the orc forces fell into chaos. They couldn't defeat the Astartes nor rescue their queen.
Seeing the scene unfold, Tavis immediately opened a channel to Perturabo, reporting: "Commander! This is Squad 014! We encountered an orc elite force in our sector, and we've captured a high-value target, likely the orc queen! Awaiting orders."
Perturabo's voice crackled over the comm: "Excellent work, Squad 014. Ensure the queen's survival and personally deliver her to the bio division at the forward base. Hold your position; Squads 034, 037, 077, and 152 are en route to reinforce you. Once they arrive, eliminate all orcs in your vicinity. You've contributed greatly to the consolidation of this universe, and for that, I thank you."
"Understood, Commander!"
Receiving Perturabo's acknowledgment, even Tavis, typically reserved, couldn't hide his excitement.
This mission would go down in their records as a great achievement. Once they completed their transformation surgery and officially joined the legion, they might even start as Lieutenants—a highly esteemed position, just beneath the primarch.
Rumors even suggested that successful lieutenants might be granted governance over a colony planet or even a star system, enabling them to select suitable gene-seed candidates, recruit auxiliary forces, and manage their own resources.
Now reinvigorated, Tavis reloaded his weapon and continued laying down precise fire against the demoralized orc elites.
As the reinforcement squads arrived, the tide turned decisively. Squad 014 then escorted the captured orc queen Mira back to the front-line base, preparing to transport her in an armored vehicle.
As they secured their captive, events played out exactly as Perturabo had predicted: with the capture of the orc queen, the consolidation of the War Machine universe approached its final phase.
The combined forces of the young Astartes and the deployed ground units swept through the remaining orc forces with relentless efficiency, leaving little resistance in their wake.
For Perturabo, this was a victory not just of brute force but of carefully orchestrated strategy—a lesson ingrained in every Astartes under his command.
And so, with the orc queen Mira in captivity and her forces scattered and leaderless, the campaign moved closer to its inevitable conclusion.
This moment marked not only the end of the war but also a new beginning for the Astartes under Perturabo's leadership, laying the groundwork for the empire that would rise from their efforts.
With the orc threat effectively neutralized, all eyes turned to the future as the young warriors anticipated their next challenge—and the honor of serving the empire in the ever-expanding reaches of the cosmos.
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