The number of Orks gradually dwindled, and even the Ork Warboss was eventually surrounded and mercilessly torn apart by Roaches and Hydralisks.
The battle concluded on the thirteenth day. The planet was now fully occupied by the Zerg Swarm; not a single living Tyranid or Ork remained. Zerglings tore at the carcasses of the fallen, breaking them down to make it easier for the Creep to decompose the organic matter.
Biomass was rapidly channeled into Digestive Pools through the wriggling, vein-like conduits of the Creep. More biomass meant more larvae, which in turn meant more troops.
The Zerg Swarm now held two planets within the Tiamet system. It was only a matter of time before the rest fell.
† Continue. †
On the third planet, the Zerg fleet once again engaged the Tiamet Hive Fleet in orbit, pinning them down and preventing them from supporting their ground forces. This left the Tyranid surface elements to be overwhelmed by the Greenskin tide.
In a typical scenario where the Hive Mind is dominant, it might choose to abandon the planet's surface to focus its entire navy on crushing the Zerg in a decisive battle. However, the Tiamet Hive Fleet was reluctant to abandon its established holdings. By dividing its forces to defend multiple worlds, its naval power remained insufficient to pose a fatal threat to the Leviathans.
The only true threat to a Leviathan was the colossal Tyranid bio-ships—behemoths the Imperium called "Ancient Ones." These things were monstrously large, ranging from a dozen to several dozen kilometers in length. Against such scale, even a Leviathan's size offered little advantage.
Fortunately, even within the Tiamet Hive Fleet, such massive bio-ships were extremely rare, numbering only three.
The Overmind carefully maneuvered to avoid these titans, preventing the Leviathans from taking heavy damage. These Ancient Ones were equipped with massive organic rams; a direct collision could instantly kill a Leviathan. Despite their size, they weren't slow, capable of short bursts of extreme acceleration.
A ramming horn was a literal thorn in the side of the Zerg fleet. When something several kilometers long slams into you like a living kinetic projectile, nothing survives.
† I need to find a way to evolve even larger Leviathans to counter the super-capitals of these other factions. Fortunately, a Leviathan's size isn't fixed. With enough resources and incubation time, I can produce a specimen over ten kilometers long. †
† Overmind. † The Queen of Blades suddenly spoke.
"What is it, my daughter?"
† The Tyranid swarm on the neighboring planet has completely retreated, ceding the entire world to the Orks. What are they planning? †
† Hmm? †
They withdrew? Something was definitely wrong. The Overmind turned his gaze toward the planet. It was now crawling with Orks, who were raising their crude weapons and cheering, celebrating the "defeat" of the bug-boys.
The Tiamet Hive Fleet was nearby, but instead of dropping reinforcements, they moved their forces to a world still firmly under Tyranid control.
The Overmind's massive form trembled slightly as he realized the truth.
† These gits have gotten smarter again. †
On the planet abandoned by the Tyranids, the Orks saw the biological ships in the void and immediately decided they wanted their own. They set to work instantly, felling entire forests to feed massive forging furnaces. The Snotlings and Boyz even located mineral veins and began mining frantically. Ore was hauled to the forges by Squiggoths and processed into sheets of scrap steel.
The Orks worked with a manic enthusiasm. If the scene had background music, it would be a heavy-metal, super-sized version of the Uruk-hai forging weapons at Isengard. The furnaces became the cores of the ships, resulting in "Ancient Junk" spaceships shaped like gargantuan Ork heads. A "WAAAGH!" was clearly beginning to coalesce.
Looking at the star map, the Overmind understood Tiamet's intention.
† Good grief, they're using the Orks as a meat-shield barrier! †
By abandoning the middle planet to the Orks, the Tyranids had created a buffer zone between themselves and the Zerg. Once the Ork fleet took to the skies, it would form a "sandwich" distribution of power. As long as the Orks didn't focus entirely on the Tyranids, the Hive Mind would have the breathing room to deal with both the Greenskins at the Webway Gates and the Zerg in space.
Meanwhile, the Zerg were unable to bypass the Orks to launch a direct assault on the Tyranid core. While the Leviathans could theoretically circle around, they would be cut off from their supply lines on the conquered planets, leaving them vulnerable to being pinched between the Tyranids and the Orks.
The Zerg had been winning naval battles partly because their occupied planets provided a continuous stream of fresh flyers. A Leviathan's internal production alone couldn't keep pace with the attrition of a full-scale space war.
† That's a dirty trick. †
Actually, the Overmind's own tactics were even dirtier, having forced the Tyranids into sacrificing their pawns to save their rooks. The fact that the Zerg had pushed the Great Devourer to this point was a testament to how "disgusting" the Overmind's plan had been.
† You want to use the Orks as a barrier? Fine. I'll make sure the Orks visit you first. †
A month later, the Zerg Swarm finished conquering the third planet and halted all major military operations. Meanwhile, the Ork fleet had taken shape, using hollowed-out asteroids to create numerous "Rokk" war-meteorites.
One of these Rokks hitting an Imperial ship could overload a Void Shield instantly; against the chitinous hull of a bio-ship, the damage would be catastrophic. But an Ork fleet always needs a target to keep from fighting itself.
The Zerg Swarm was clever enough to remain hidden, masking their fleet on the dark side of their planets. The Tyranids tried to hide as well, but there was one thing in the Tiamet system that could not be concealed: the massive psionic structure on the largest jungle planet.
The psionic light emanating from that flesh-and-blood beacon shone as brightly as the Astronomican in the eyes of the Ork Weirdboyz. Unsurprisingly, the Ork fleet was drawn to it like moths to a flame. The Tiamet Hive Fleet was forced out of hiding to intercept them.
† Confused? I knew from the day I arrived in this galaxy: never install a lighthouse in your own home! †
The Tyranids had been lured across the galaxy by the "Starlight" of the Pharos; now, the Orks were being lured by the Tyranids' own psychic beacon. What goes around comes around.
The Ork fleet was no smaller than the Tiamet Hive Fleet, and they possessed far more low-level cannon fodder. The Tyranids had to intercept them before they reached the jungle world.
The battle was triggered as the Ork fleet passed through an asteroid belt. The Tiamet Hive Fleet, which had been lying in wait among the floating rocks, launched its ambush the moment the Orks drew near.