After visiting the burgeoning colony, Yuki and Yuno returned to their temporary planetary stronghold under the escort of Osh's squad.
"To be honest, this kind of escort is entirely redundant," Yuno whispered to Yuki via their psychic link, her serpentine tail gracefully curving around a protruding rock.
"But they need this feeling," Yuki replied, one of his four hands idly playing with an exotic leaf. "Letting them believe they are protecting us makes them feel at ease."
Just as they were about to reach the stronghold, the transport's sensors suddenly blared an alarm. A Fire Caste warrior stationed at the bridge immediately reported, "Abnormal signal detected! Identification... a Hive Fleet!"
Osh tensed up instantly. However, after confirming the scale of the Hive Fleet, he visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's just a small-scale fleet," he informed the squad over the comms channel. "Judging by the signal characteristics, it should be a remnant of the old Hive Fleet Gorgon."
Hearing this, a glint of interest flashed in Yuki's eyes. "Hive Fleet Gorgon? Did any of you participate in that war?" he asked as if making casual conversation.
Osh instinctively looked toward Fal.
The experienced warrior took up the topic naturally. "That was nearly fifty years ago," Fal's voice came through the battlesuit's speakers, carrying the weight of memory. "I was just a recruit back then. The Tyranids... they consume everything in their path. They are a threat to the entire galaxy." He paused. "At that time, the Imperium of Man collaborated with us, though they were extremely reluctant."
"Wait, those creatures can actually cooperate with us?" Osh asked in surprise; he was clearly hearing this for the first time.
"Osh, do not harbor such fantasies about them," Fal's tone turned solemn. "The differences between individual humans are vast. Those warriors clad in black armor will cut us down without hesitation. Those in red armor are slightly more capable of communication, but their 'communication' usually just means letting us understand their prayers as we die."
This description sent Yuki into deep thought. The "black-armored warriors" obviously referred to the Black Templars—those fanatical Imperial zealots were indeed like that. But "red-armored warriors"... Blood Angels? He felt the description didn't quite fit the typical image of those warriors.
"No more idle chatter," Fal interrupted Yuki's thoughts. "This Hive Fleet remnant must be dealt with."
The ensuing battle could almost be described as dull. The Tau fleet launched the first strike from orbit, with pulse cannons and ion beams tearing through the carapaces of the Tyranid bio-ships. Several smaller hive ships burst in the void, releasing massive clouds of spores.
However, just as the battle seemed to be concluding, an anomaly occurred. A hive ship that was thought to be destroyed suddenly launched a wave of boarding organisms. They skillfully bypassed the Tau's defensive network and lunged directly at several escorts.
"Watch out! These creatures are still resisting!" Osh shouted over the comms.
Although the Tau ultimately destroyed this remnant of the Hive Fleet, they paid a heavy price in the final cleanup stage. Two escorts were breached by the boarding organisms; one was completely destroyed with all hands lost, and the other was severely damaged, requiring extensive time for repairs.
As the last Tyranid organism ceased activity in space, Osh looked at the floating wreckage through the observation window and whispered, "They never stop, do they?"
Yuki and Yuno felt no emotional stirrings. This remnant fleet was small; even its destruction didn't bother them. If anything, such an attack helped prevent the Tau from associating Yuki's group with the Tyranids—it was actually a good thing.
After the brief combat interlude, the journey continued. Yuki and Yuno's planet was not far off, and the transport sailed smoothly through the void. However, an abrupt communication silence broke the surface calm.
The Fire Caste warriors seemed to receive an emergency message simultaneously. Their internal encrypted comms channel became instantly active, with low, processed tones exchanged rapidly inside their armored helmets. Osh and Fal walked away in unison, deliberately distancing themselves from Yuki and Yuno.
This intentional avoidance naturally caught Yuki's attention. His keen perception captured the tense atmosphere. Flicking his tail, he gracefully glided over to Osh, who appeared somewhat restless.
"What's wrong, friend Osh?" Yuki's voice remained gentle, carrying just the right amount of concern. "Is there an issue with the route ahead?"
Osh's body stiffened visibly. He quickly closed his external communication interface, his eyepieces skillfully avoiding direct eye contact. "It's nothing, Lord Yuki."
"It doesn't look like 'nothing.'"
"Internal affairs!" Osh's tone took on a trace of unperceivable haste; he almost instinctively turned his side away. "It involves... internal deployment procedures for the Fire Caste. As you know, our regulations—" He tried to use bureaucratic excuses to brush it off.
Standing a bit further away, Fal noticed the conversation and immediately walked over to intervene. "Lord Yuki, please do not worry. It is merely a routine battle brief from rear command. The content is trivial and not worth your time."
Yuki's gaze swept across Osh's flustered posture and Fal's steady but firm mask. He knew full well that this report was anything but ordinary. But he didn't press further, only nodding meaningfully as his tail lightly tapped the deck.
"I see. Since it's internal business, I won't ask more." He smiled and stepped back, returning to Yuno's side.
However, Yuki had his own ways. He used his psychic power to invade the ship's systems. Why could psychic power hack high technology? It wasn't actually that surprising; after all, "electronic demons" truly existed within the Warp.
He obtained the report easily. The report stated that Tyranid activity within the Tau Empire had suddenly become highly active. The splinter fleets that had remained after the destruction of Hive Fleet Gorgon had been struggling to survive and hide themselves. Now, they had all entered an active state.
Judging by the current situation, the trajectory of these Hive Fleets was headed exactly toward the regions where the Tau Empire and the Imperium of Man were in conflict. The Tau speculated that the Tyranids wanted to gain more biomass from the battle, but it was incredibly strange that they showed no interest in the planets along the way.
Seeing the Tau getting a headache over the sudden Tyranid activity, the smile on Yuki's face grew more intense.
"Interesting, very interesting."