By the third pass, I ran out of atomic warheads and the Orks ran out of intact Kroozers and Roks.
They still had nurical superiority, if only by a single ship.
But then, the local Ork Captains panicked as their Waagh field disintegrated with the deaths of all their larger leaders.
By clans and tribes, they began turning the ships around, to escape.
"All escorts, pick a target and follow it." I commanded as the Canticle turned about and sped towards the Space Hulk, using our amazing speed to arrive behind it...or the place with more engines anyway.
"And now we teleport, onto the space hulk?" Rafen deduced genially. Well, he was Sanguinius today, so he would receive divine inspiration.
"In an hour or so. First we make sure the hulk doesn't leave with my brave guards on board. Lord Dante will be upset if I lose you in the Warp." I explained politely while my lances began lting one hulk engine after another.
anwhile, the Canticle was scanning and analyzing the hulk for fissures and other weak points like flaws and unstable lds.
The schematic of the hulk began to assemble on the holoscreen, and each of those flaws soon received a torpedo to enlarge the gap.
By the next hour, I had managed to extinguish about 100 engines and split off about 30 mangled ships and other hulls from the hulk.
The corvettes already successful in their antifungal task joined the Canticle and began burning the separated fragnts with their lances and plasma guns, since I didn't need Genestealers or feral Orks to remain hidden in the wrecks.
The tal was valuable, everything else much less.
A couple of black-painted Ork destroyers did reach the Warp limit and escaped, but as their hulls would be exposed to the Warp due to nurous holes and punctures, that was likely a worse fate for them. Who knows, perhaps the Orks inside would enjoy a 'gud fight' with unending hordes of demons or enslavers.
All I cared about was dislodging the nice battleship before the hulk transitioned into the Warp.
A dozen torpedoes later, the large fragnt containing the Apocalypse-class derelict finally dislodged from the space hulk. There was still a lot of tal on the hulk, but I was out of torpedoes too.
"Blood Angels! By squads, report to the teleportarium and cleanse that battleship of invaders. Secure the reactor first, and then a hangar for reinforcents." I ordered, pointing at Ludvaius.
"By your order, Captain! A battleship would be a glorious prize." Ludvaius exclaid bravely and started stomping towards the door.
"Take ten tis more ammo. Make that twenty!" I yelled after him.
Rafen pouted as he had to stay and guard my life. "Next ti is my turn to conquer a battleship. Damn my luck..." he complained like a huge child.
Orders for boarding parties made of servitors, tech-priests, . It took three Sentinels and a Blood Angel dreadnought to bring it down.
Still, by the third month the battleship was declared clean, and I began sending most of the tech-priests and enginseers available to begin repairs.
Under ard escort, of course.
The genestealers were rather smart, and many could still hide in a vault or pipe or other hidden place.
With so effort the Apocalypse was pushed and dragged in orbit above Retribution, and the Cult chanicus began build scaffolds and docks around it.
My Blood Angels rested for a few days, then continued liberating the crippled Ork Kroozers, although the job was much easier without the terrible speed and fierceness of the Tyranids bioforms.
The Catachans aided as much as they could, taking the second line and providing cover and rest for the power armored marines.
I used the Canticle to sear away all life on the damaged Ork Roks, and also deployed my armored units on the surface of Retribution.
Slowly, the invasion was pushed back and forced away from the main spires of the chanicus, where we could use orbital support more liberally.
Superheavy tanks like Baneblades, Fellblades and Doomhamrs proved too well ard and armored for these Orks, and my ships would imdiately target any sign of a Warboss erging in the wasteland.
The other vehicles aided with patrols and lighter fighting forces, and by next year we declared Retribution saved.
The Orks would sadly always return, either from the ground sprouting like mushrooms, or invading again with space ships or hulks. Just like in the Imperium of Man, Forge Worlds made extrely tempting targets for invasion, due to the amazing technology and weapons that could be plundered.
And thus, I t with my Fabricator and unloaded all my templates on him, for cheap but nurous war machines that would safeguard our security.
"These are real antiques, Lord Pef! Sure, they are easy to make, but would have little combat value." the Fabricator complained, rather logically.
"I understand, Magos. We need a few millions of each, and then you may build nicer and stronger machines. But first, basic needs have to be t. Then, system-only corvettes for orbital superiority. Also a million of them." I explained in a careless voice.
A wave of furious tal tentacles filled the room. "Outrageous! So many work-hours and holy litanies wasted on worthless drones and fighters? And those Corvettes are shafully weak!" he explained and sputtered a dozen curses in binharic, and High Gothic.
I shrugged and poured myself so wine. The tech-priest was right, obviously. They would be weak and fragile, compared to the nicer fighters of the Imperium. But I wanted air power, and I will have it.
"Also, we need to find compatible females for my dog. I want every recon squad to have their own wolves." I explained sternly, and petted Canis who wled in pity.
The Fabricator sighed in defeat and began collecting gene samples from my quadruped companion, who was clever enough not to raise trouble in front a deadly tech-priest. He had possibly seen the Juggler as a puppy and was correctly terrified of what a tentacled cyborg with tal limbs could do.
"Your space wolf is an admirable specin, Lord Pef. I don't understand how you managed to receive one." the Magos said in praise and petted the ek Canis with admiration.
I thought how to answer, then told the truth. "I told a Space Wolf not to bite . He was very impressed."
The Magos waved a tentacle in frustration. "Go away, for now. I'll need to call Antax for help, and request more tech-priests. And I'll have to share these relic templates for it!" he said in a tallic growl.
I smiled and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, my friend. I have a score more, hidden sowhere. And you get this nice battleship to work on. Who else has a relic battleship to investigate and repair, eh? Imagine what could be found inside the gnostic vaults and the sealed cogitators!"
He starred at the ceiling for a second then nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps you are right, Rogue Trader. There is no higher honor than discovering the work of the ancients. Including old machines from the Blue Terra."
I waved a hand and left his armored quarters, and hit my face into Rafen's ceramite chest plate.
"Ouch! What was this for?" I muttered and rubbed my bulging nose.
"Oh, I was listening through the door. tal conducts sound very well" he explained patiently.
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