In the command center, high within the spire of the Central Hive City on Avarax, Alexia gazed out a window. A continuous stream of drop pods descended from the sky, delivering the mechanized forces of the ICA.
"With these reinforcements, Ms. Alexia, we can consider pushing our front lines," a Commander suggested.
Alexia nodded. Though these ICA soldiers lacked combat experience, they were well-suited for defensive roles. "What's the progress of the Spore Eradication Operation?" she then inquired, shifting focus to the critical operation targeting the Orc Junkyard City.
"The Spore Eradication Unit has advanced to within thirty kilometers of the Orc Junkyard City, allowing for extreme-range bombardment."
"Fully support the Spore Eradication Unit's actions. Failure is not an option," Alexia stated calmly.
"Madam, we've received an encrypted signal from the Ishimura."
"Connect it."
Marcus's face appeared on the screen before Alexia. "How's the ground battle progressing?" he asked.
"It's still a stalemate, but with this latest batch of reinforcements, we're already planning to expand our front lines," Alexia replied, echoing the Commander's earlier suggestion.
Marcus nodded, a smile gracing his lips. "Excellent news. Our space forces have overwhelmed the Green Skin fleet, and we can now assist with orbital bombardment of the Orc Junkyard City."
Alexia's eyes lit up. If orbital bombardment were truly feasible, the Spore Eradication Unit wouldn't need to expend human lives and valuable time in a drawn-out, brutal conflict. "Is there already a plan?"
"Yes, some ICA warships are equipped with Anti-matter Bombs. Your ground forces will be responsible for drawing the Orc Junkyard City's attention, and we will attempt to deploy Anti-matter Bombs from orbit," Marcus explained the concise plan. More detailed implementation strategies would require joint discussions among various command units before official finalization.
A few minutes later, through the Ishimura's connection, most command-level units joined a unified channel. The majority approved the plan to air-drop Anti-matter Bombs onto the Orc Junkyard City. Only a small fraction expressed doubts about the ICA's Anti-matter Bombs' power, given that the seemingly dilapidated Orc Junkyard City was far more resilient than it appeared, thanks to the Waaagh! field's enhancement.
"This is a video of our previous Anti-matter Bomb power test," an ICA fleet Commander, temporarily appointed by the ICA Board and now under Universal Union command, cleared his throat and uploaded a video.
The video showed an ICA warship dropping an Anti-matter Bomb onto a barren planet. Instantly, matter and anti-matter violently annihilated each other, emitting a light even more dazzling than a nuclear explosion. After the light dissipated, the barren planet's surface bore a crater visible even from space.
"This is our standard Anti-matter Bomb, containing one kilogram of anti-matter and matter. Its explosive power is equivalent to forty-three million tons of TNT with blast radius of 24.5 km^2 " the ICA fleet Commander briefly introduced the types of Anti-matter Bombs they possessed. "In addition to this standard bomb, we also have a special bunker-buster variant, with a larger payload of ten kilograms of anti-matter, generally used to drill underground to cause large-scale seismic collapse and damage."
"For the Orc Junkyard City, the standard bomb should suffice. The key issue now is how we can successfully deploy the Anti-matter Bomb over it. The orks' anti-air firepower is too intense," someone raised the most crucial question.
"Let the ground forces focus on disabling the Orc Junkyard City's anti-air capabilities. Besides, we don't have only one Anti-matter Bomb. If worst comes to worst, we can have the Tyrants, Pursuers, and Hunters carry Anti-matter Bombs for suicide attacks," a participant suggested.
After further discussion, the command level finalized the specific plan. The ground forces would concentrate on neutralizing the Orc Junkyard City's anti-air defenses and dispatch kill squads of Tyrants, Pursuers, and Hunters, laden with Anti-matter Bombs, to infiltrate the city. Simultaneously, some ICA warships in orbit would initiate conventional orbital bombardment to provide cover for the ground forces. Once the ork anti-air weapons were largely destroyed, three standard Anti-matter Bombs and one large-yield bunker-buster Anti-matter Bomb would be deployed. The entire Orc Junkyard City would be obliterated and buried beneath the Avarax desert in one decisive strike.
With the plan finalized, everyone, apart from the ICA fleet and ground force representatives, looked to Marcus at the edge of the screen. They knew only Marcus possessed the authority to approve the plan's official implementation.
"Alright, let's begin," Marcus, who had remained silent until now, said casually, signifying his agreement to the combat plan. Several ICA representatives in the conference channel immediately noted Marcus's appearance, preparing to report to the Board of Directors after the battle. Since the ICA had previously only communicated with Alex, they were unaware of Marcus's true identity.
On the surface of Avarax, in the desert approximately thirty kilometers from the bustling Orc Junkyard City, the large Spore Eradication Unit had established a temporary camp and begun constructing defensive positions. This location was deemed the optimal effective range for the unit's artillery.
"Hey, Chris, have you heard? The higher-ups plan to use some Anti-matter Bombs to directly destroy the entire Orc Junkyard City," Squad Leader Finn said, finding Chris inspecting his weapon.
"Where did you hear that?"
"I heard it from others, but it's most likely true. Otherwise, why would we stop so far away?" Finn shrugged.
Chris nodded, looking at the dog tags of his fallen squad mates. "At least fewer people will die," he said in a deep voice. During forty-plus hours of advancement, the Spore Eradication Unit had suffered considerable casualties. Chris's squad, originally eleven strong, now comprised only Chris himself, Squad Leader Finn, and two other members. The rest had perished at the hands of a Gorkamorka that had breached the defensive line formed by the Tyrants and Pursuers.
Chris unconsciously tightened his grip on the dog tags. Seeing this, Squad Leader Finn sighed and spoke in the tone of a seasoned veteran. "This is war. At first, you'll look forward to your heroic appearance on the battlefield. Then, you'll meet a group of comrades who are like brothers in life and death. Finally, you'll often be the only one left alive."