MTLNOVEL Chapter 11: chapter 11
Chapter 11: Targeting the Flagship
Chaos garbage code was spreading through Bucky's thinking space.
It was no longer just an obstacle—it had become an uncontrollable infestation. This highly corrupting data was relentlessly eroding and consuming normal information flows, cutting off the sentinel's control over orbital space.
This loss of control was unfamiliar to Hurst and many high-level technicians.
The processing cores they had added were overheating in an incomprehensible data war.
"How many warships can we still communicate with? What about the weapon platforms?"
"Probably 40% or less. The interference from orbital platforms and weapon arrays is intense. We need time."
Senior technician Tao Lun checked the warships that could still receive the sentry tower's data flow but found that the Ultramarines' flagship, Macragge's Glory, was not among them.
"Alright, then. Have the warships that can receive signals start their engines. They must leave the dock."
Hurst was using every ounce of his knowledge to turn weapons against the chaos junk code. The first step in countering this unprecedented enemy was to create new attack methods.
"Understood."
Information surged through Bucky's thinking space, and the war orders from the planet's surface were activated. Within moments, airships transporting supplies in low-Earth orbit and docked warships connected to the station via brackets received orders to cease all operations.
Alarms blared inside the battleships. Red warning lights flashed continuously.
Many officers and technicians aboard the ships were confused but quickly followed protocol, executing standard responses as per their training.
Reactors and engines—previously shut down or running at low efficiency—were reactivated, deck protection measures engaged, and the warships' weapon arrays were put on high alert.
Suddenly, every officer and crew member on board was scrambling to regain control of their massive war machines.
But getting these colossal vessels operational wasn't as simple as issuing a single command. To prepare for the inter-legion assembly, the Ultramarines' warships had been undergoing extensive resupply and maintenance. They needed enormous amounts of weapons and fuel, and the ships themselves required thorough overhauls.
Now, under direct orders from the surface, all of this was forcibly interrupted.
Imperial warships, even with their Thinker systems, required vast numbers of technicians and mortal servants to function. Issuing commands and mobilizing personnel took time.
Hurst felt the ever-growing threat of the chaos garbage code and had a grim realization: time was not on their side.
"No… Something's wrong. These junk codes aren't just attacking other data streams—they're forming a data shock. They're trying to—"
He barely had time to process the horrifying truth before it was too late.
Every technician and Thinker system in the sentry tower was directly linked to Bucky's thinking space to process the overwhelming influx of data as efficiently as possible.
But because of this, when the chaotic junk code unleashed its data shock, the minds of dozens of data technicians were instantly overloaded, their brains either exploding or burning out from the sheer impact.
Whether flesh or mechanical implants, all parts of them collapsed and ignited.
Electronic systems short-circuited under the data overload. Flesh and blood boiled from the inside out.
Hurst was stronger than the others—his cybernetic enhancements allowed him to endure more than most. He braced himself against the tsunami of corrupted data, fighting through the collapse of Bucky's thinking space.
His body trembled uncontrollably. His internal organs and prosthetics began to fail. His very soul felt like it was burning from the inside out. His death was inevitable.
But before the end came, Hurst completed the weapon he had been crafting. With his final act, he transmitted a binary signal to the orbital weapon arrays.
[Attack Macragge's Glory with the laser array.]
They couldn't send data directly to the Ultramarines' flagship, but that didn't mean they couldn't send a message through other means.
As death closed in, Hurst felt a brief moment of relief. He had warned the Primarch.
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Macragge's Glory
The Ultramarines' Primarch, Roboute Guilliman, stood on the bridge, observing a holographic projection. The command stations rose like the tiers of an ancient Roman amphitheater.
The force field bent and distorted the light, creating lifelike illusions.
Even millions of kilometers apart, Guilliman was able to hold a virtual meeting with his brother, Lorgar Aurelian.
Thanks to the advanced technology, the Primarchs appeared as if they were truly present—armor, flesh, and expressions rendered with perfect accuracy.
"My dear brother, it has been many years. I apologize for not having time to change into ceremonial attire," Lorgar said with sincerity and regret.
Guilliman responded with a warm smile.
"No need for formalities. We'll see each other soon, on Calth." He then looked toward the Word Bearers commanders standing beside Lorgar. "And your sons. It's been too long since I last saw them."
"I've prepared a surprise for you, my dear brother Roboute." Lorgar smiled mysteriously.
"Then I'll look forward to it."
The two continued their seemingly friendly conversation for a while before Guilliman ended the meeting. Virtual projections lacked the gravity of real presence, and he planned to speak with his brother in person soon.
On Calth's surface, the planetary weapon array activated, drawing an immense amount of energy from its reactors.
The servitors aimed at the largest vessel in orbit.
Engines roared to life, cables surged with power, and light and heat erupted from the weapon ports.
There was no mistake.
A single beam of light tore through the darkness of space, striking Macragge's Glory in an instant.
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Emergency on the Flagship
"Emergency, my lord!"
The senior technician on Macragge's Glory rushed to report to the Primarch, words spilling out in panic.
"My lord, Calth's weapon array has fired on us! A laser array—it penetrated part of the flagship's external armor!"
Without the void shields active, the battleship had relied solely on its hull's reinforced armor and massive bulk to withstand the attack.
The impacted area reached temperatures rivaling those of a star, instantly melting the ship's outer plating. The molten metal was blasted into space, cooling rapidly into jagged fragments.
Mortal servants and technicians stationed in the affected sector were vaporized instantly, along with sections of the hull.
Emergency bulkheads slammed shut to contain the damage and prevent further depressurization.
"Captain Zelikov, report to me immediately," Guilliman ordered, maintaining his composure.
The weapon arrays on Calth were designed with strict safeguards—shaped and calibrated by the Mechanicus of Mars and Ultramar's Five Hundred Worlds. Every firing sequence required thorough review and authorization.
"Analysis reports are in progress, my lord," Captain Zelikov barked at his officers.
"I suspect this is related to the chaos waste code we detected earlier, along with those unusual disturbances," the senior technician suggested.
Guilliman recalled the anomalies in the data he had seen earlier, previously attributed to solar storms.
The flagship's senior tech-priests and Mechanicus adepts had noticed similar issues but were still struggling to devise countermeasures.
"But technically speaking… this should be impossible." The Mechanicus tech-priest hesitated, unwilling to admit the flaw. If the garbage code had infiltrated and overridden Calth's powerful orbital defense network, it would mean the Mechanicus' technology was not infallible.
"But it should have been a warning sign."
The moment Macragge's Glory was struck by the laser array, a second data shockwave erupted from Calth, striking the flagship.
For a moment, the ship's Thinker systems overloaded, and the well-lit bridge was plunged into darkness. The only light came from the flashing red emergency indicators.
"Bucky's thinking space has also been severed."
"Oh, Messiah… Where is this data shock coming from?"
Screams echoed throughout the starship.
Mecha-servants collapsed, their bodies twitching, heads releasing plumes of superheated steam as their processors burned out.
Tech-priests convulsed, struggling to withstand the onslaught.
The data shock had obliterated Bucky's mind.
And Macragge's Glory had only suffered the aftershocks.
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(End of Chapter)