Chapter 76: The Kree’s Greed

In the cold heart of the Kree warship Hammer of Destiny, High General Yorn-Rogg stood rigid before the glowing star map. Red indicators marked the coordinates of their wounded worlds. His jaw tightened.

The losses were not total devastation. No, the planet itself still existed. The civilians still lived. But the military pride of the Kree, their fleet yards, their orbital defense cannons, their ground forces, everything that made that planet a strategic fortress, had been obliterated. Their battleships had been ripped apart before they could even launch. The proud military garrisons, crushed under the assault of strange human warriors clad in unstoppable armor.

It was an embarrassment worse than simple loss. It was humiliation.

A young officer approached with shaking hands, holding a datapad.
"High General, latest readings confirm that the lesser being's gate technology... it is tied to an Infinity Stone. The Space Stone."

The bridge fell into a heavy silence. Even the veterans paled slightly.

Yorn-Rogg's fist clenched.
"So, the apes tamper with the forces that built the very fabric of this universe." His voice was low, simmering with hatred.

Another officer, Kor-Vel, stepped forward, trying to contain his anger.
"Sir, our world’s shipyards are ashes. Our fleets in that sector are crippled. And now they flaunt the power of the Stone. We cannot allow this insult to stand."

The High General turned to the tactical screen. The Tesseract Gate they had built on the mining world pulsed brightly, broadcasting its existence to every sensor in range. Their arrogance was staggering.

"We strike now," Yorn-Rogg said sharply. "They have wounded the Empire. They have shown their fangs. We will break them before they spread."

The officers nodded eagerly.

Across the bridge, Kree warriors muttered amongst themselves. Words filled with venom and disgust.

"Lesser being's," one spat on the floor. "Mongrel beasts that stumbled onto power they cannot comprehend."

Another sneered.
"They think themselves conquerors? They are vermin. They will be exterminated."

Orders snapped across the flagship. Communications flared to life. The Kree fleets in nearby systems responded instantly. Their pride had been bloodied. Their anger demanded vengeance.

The Kree assembled an armada. Not just to punish, but to seize. They wanted the Stone. Its power could elevate the Kree to a new age of supremacy. And they would not allow savage, primitive humans to hold it.

Meanwhile, in the mining world fortified by the Imperium, the Tesseract Gate gleamed with growing intensity.

The Astartes stood ready in their towering power armor, banners fluttering in the dusty wind. Primarchs moved among them, inspiring awe wherever they passed.

Horus barked commands with a voice of iron, organizing the defenses. His golden armor gleamed under the twin suns.
"Today, we remind the stars why the sons of Terra are feared."

Sanguinius soared above the battlements, his wings casting great shadows. His laughter was light, but his eyes were sharp as blades.
"Let them come. I would see how long their pride holds against us."

Perturabo directed the construction of firing lines and barricades with ruthless efficiency. Ferrus Manus tested the mechanical traps he had ordered buried around the main gate, each one designed to shred armored infantry.

The soldiers of the Imperium worked quickly but calmly. They had intercepted the data torn from the wreckage of Kree ships destroyed in the previous battle. Exact fleet positions. Exact codes. Exact knowledge. The Imperium knew the Kree would not wait long. They were already moving.

The Emperor himself watched from the main command post, arms crossed. His gaze was fixed on the approaching fleet signatures in the distance.

He knew greed would cloud the Kree's judgment. He knew pride would blind them.

And he was ready.


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End of Chapter 76