After instructing Abathur on the swarm's evolution once more, Alexei left the Hive. He planned to head first to the industrial zone of the Underhive, and then to the front lines to hold an operational meeting with Colton. This was because a few days prior, he had suddenly discovered a function of the Factory that did not exist in the game.
It all started when he wanted to scrap some damaged Leman Russ Battle Tanks. He suddenly recalled the independent workshops within the Factory and wondered if these bays could repair the Leman Russ tanks just as they repaired damaged Siege Tanks.
When he pulled a Leman Russ into the workshop, he was shocked to find that the central console panel displayed not only a "Repair" button but also a new "Scan" function.
Once Alexei pressed the scan button, he discovered to his amazement that the blueprints for the Leman Russ Battle Tank had appeared in the Factory's database.
This meant he could produce brand-new Leman Russ tanks through the Factory. Not only that, he discovered a "Refit" button. After some experimentation, he found he could freely customize and swap components between the Leman Russ and the Crucio Siege Tank.
This implied that the ceiling for the Terrans was far higher than what was shown in the game or lore. After all, if vehicles could be cross-modified, could the parts of Thors and Knights, or even the Void Shields of Titans, be interchanged as well?
And what about Battlecruisers and Imperial Cruisers, or even Battleships? Perhaps... of course, he didn't need the cathedrals on top of them. The more Alexei thought about it, the more excited he became, though the hardest part of realizing these ideas was how to actually acquire a Knight suit or a Titan...
However, while he lacked Knights and Titans for now, he still possessed the Empire's powerful heavy tank: the Baneblade.
Weighing nearly 300 tons and possessing frontal armor far superior to that of a Siege Tank, it was a formidable pillar for the pitched battlefield. Its role was entirely different from that of the Siege Tank; they currently used the Crucio Siege Tanks more as mobile heavy artillery rather than heavy fortresses meant to lead frontal infantry charges.
Just moments ago, he had ordered the damaged Baneblades to be towed into the Factory's workshops. He was now going to personally test how to refit these tanks to play to their respective strengths—the Baneblade's defense and the Crucio's firepower.
Before long, Alexei arrived at a Factory in the Underhive. A heavily damaged Baneblade was being hauled into a smart workshop by SCVs. He walked straight to the central console and began operating it, his hands gesturing across the screen.
Finally, when he pressed the "Complete" button, the smart workshop's alloy gates slid shut. Listening to the mechanical noises echoing from within, Alexei's face betrayed an expression of anticipation.
Roughly four hours later, Alexei returned to the Factory. The alloy gates had long since opened, and a new type of tank—fusing the advantages of the Baneblade and the Crucio Siege Tank—stood before everyone.
Its grey steel armor silently boasted its immense frontal protection under the lights. The massive cannon from the Crucio Siege Tank had been mounted directly onto the heavy chassis.
The nearly 300-ton weight provided immense stability, allowing Alexei to mount the 180mm Shock Cannon on top. Unlike the standard Siege Tank, it did not need to deploy into a fixed position to fire. Its primary role was now a heavily armed mobile fortress covering infantry advances.
Furthermore, with the assistance of the Factory, this tank retained the control scheme of the Crucio Siege Tank. It did not require a large crew to operate, and the familiarity of the controls would significantly reduce training time for the crews.
"Perfect, isn't it?" Alexei circled the new vehicle, though he noted that its production time and required materials were quite extensive.
He immediately had a veteran crew from a Siege Tank attempt to operate it. As the engine roared to life, the new tank slowly crawled out of the Factory and onto a testing range.
With a deafening blast, a large target in the distance was instantly blown through with a massive hole by an armor-piercing shell.
Good, good, good. Alexei was extremely satisfied. He had already come up with a name for this new machine: the Devastator Heavy Tank.
After the crew familiarized themselves with the tank, Alexei instructed them to train other rookie crews. He then turned to leave, heading for another open area to construct a new Terran building.
Unlike in the game where any Terran vehicle could be produced in a single Factory, Alexei had discovered that his current Factories could only produce vehicles of a certain size. The ultimate ground power of the Terrans—the Thor—required a new, massive Heavy Factory.
Standing nearly 15 meters tall, the Thor was one of the few ultimate weapons they currently possessed. While a Thor might not compare to the Titan Legions of the Adeptus Titanicus, its status was roughly equivalent to the various Knight suits of the Knightly Houses.
Its powerful and comprehensive long-range firepower made Alexei plan to use it as his trump card for the upcoming encirclement. After all, the Tyranids would surely hatch gargantuan units to counter-attack; the Thor's quad-linked heavy cannons would bring destruction to all foes.
Soon, under Alexei's command, a large number of SCVs began constructing the new massive Heavy Factory. He eagerly anticipated the day the Thors would walk the earth.
Now, Alexei needed to go to the frontline command post at the Cinder Plains. He needed to meet Colton in person to finalize the new offensive plan. They needed to discuss how to wrap the Tyranids up into a "giant dumpling."
"What is the current situation, Marshal Colton?" Alexei asked, sitting in the primary seat of the command post.
"The second bunker line on the Cinder Plains is heavily damaged, and the swarms from other plains are gradually converging toward us. It seems they are also planning a general offensive."
"However, with the heavy fire support of the Siege Tank groups and the constant repairs by the SCVs, our second line is barely holding on," Colton explained, pointing to the tactical holotable.
"Meanwhile, the defensive pressure on the other three plains has decreased due to the reduction in Tyranid numbers. This allows us to shift our defensive focus toward the Cinder Plains."
"Good. Our new heavy vehicles have entered the production line, and a large number of rookie crews are joining after training. Previously, due to time constraints, our tank output was low," Alexei comforted the group. "But now, as time goes on, our production of heavy vehicles is steadily rising. We will surely succeed in this war."
With that, Alexei began explaining his "dumpling-wrapping" plan to Colton. The humans needed to coordinate with the Zerg Swarm to pin down the Tyranid main force from the front.
Only by doing so could the Zerg units tasked with the flanking maneuver inflict the maximum possible damage on the Tyranids' long-range units.
Amidst the discussions of the officers, the new offensive plan began to take its final shape.