Captain, You Can't Insult the Esteemed Navigator
Neratt Gillin's captain of guards glanced at the passage with a puzzled look, but found nothing unusual about the passage his company commander had pointed to.
Filled with doubt, he followed Neratt into the passage.
The "Secrets Suppliant" traveled forward, sensing the subtle changes around him.
The team moved forward, navigating the winding maze for a full standard time, which far exceeded the results of scanning the section of the ship.
"Did we go to the wrong place?"
"No!" Neratt denied without hesitation when he heard the captain of the guard's question.
He could intuitively sense that those adult male warriors of Qiu Or were trying to lure them into a path and launch an ambush.
The Black Emperor told him that the Xenos possessed considerable intelligence.
The path he has chosen will thwart the Xenos' ambush plot.
"Attack at three o'clock!"
From around the corner flew the adult male warriors of Chu-Ol, shrouded in mist, as they collided with the Astartes firing a barrage of projectiles.
The appearance of the Xenos invigorated the Warrior of the XIX Legion, allowing them to set aside their worries about being trapped in the labyrinth during the battle.
The Adamantine Warhead tore through the Xenos's "cardboard" exterior, and the explosive detonated inside the capsule.
Da da da!
The projectiles fired at the Astartes were no longer Air Bullet, but dense physical bullets.
The "Secrets Suppliant" was visible more clearly than the other Astartes, whose outlines were only visible. Weapons were mounted on the bio-mechanical interface at the bottom of the Xenos's abdomen.
The bullets struck the Power Armor, leaving it dented and scarred.
The Astartes launched their attacks using a zigzag route, taking advantage of the passageways on either side as cover.
The adult warrior Qiu Or did not turn his body; he only rotated his chest, which covered 180 degrees, and launched an attack like a rotating machine gun.
With a thud, a member of the guard fell to the ground.
Individuals that have undergone biochemical modifications pose a greater threat than ordinary individuals even if their cysts are shattered.
Realizing this, Neratt immediately activated his Lightning Claw and charged straight into the ranks of the Qiu-Oor people. His claws, enveloped in an energy field, swung and tore a grown male warrior to pieces.
He moved swiftly through the crowd of Chu-Ol, and one male warrior after another fell. His movements were so fast that the foul-smelling slime did not even stain his armor.
The Qiu-Oor people noticed the swift figure rushing between them. The male warriors, now split on either side, abandoned their guards and unleashed a barrage of bullets at Neratt.
The "Secrets Suppliant" let his Spirituality intuition guide him, sometimes sidestepping, sometimes rushing forward, his movements nimbly weaving through the hail of bullets.
Neratt cut through the ranks of the Chu-Oor people. He felt his guards following him, but he didn't stop. He could already see a cabin at the end of the passage ahead.
[What are the elite male warriors of Qiu Or guarding?]
He swung his Lightning Claw, tearing apart the Xenos blocking his path, and arrived at a large gate.
The sound of exploding bombs rang out behind him, but the close-following guards meant he didn't need to worry about what was behind him.
Unlike in the past, Neratt did not directly breach the door or plant Melta Bomb to blast open the entrance.
Now, he possesses the abilities bestowed upon him by the Black Emperor.
The "Secrets Suppliant" stared at the Xenos Rune on the panel.
Runic script is quite different from Gothic script, but it is clearly a hieroglyphic script.
Some have a circle at the top, a vertical line at the bottom, and diagonal lines on both sides, representing humanity...
Astartes' superhuman intelligence allowed Neratt to take in all the runic texts in an instant.
The "Secrets Suppliant" had deep eyes as he analyzed and understood the runic script of the Qiu-Ol people.
When the hissing of the bombs behind him subsided, he tucked the Bolt Pistol back into his waistband and began rapidly typing on the rubber keyboard.
As a cold mist, similar to the mist expelled from the sac, spread out, the door slowly opened.
"They are the Navigator, the Navigator of the Frank family." The captain of the guard walked to his company commander's side. He had no more doubts about Lord Neratt; they were on the right path.
The pale-skinned Navigator looked at the crowd and said weakly:
"Help... help me!"
"What's wrong?" the captain of the guard asked.
"I..." the Navigator said stiffly, "I'm fine."
"Nothing's wrong? But you just asked for help," the captain of the guard asked, puzzled.
Neratt suddenly walked toward the Navigator, Secrets Suppliant pushed him to the ground and then ripped off his clothes.
The captain of the guard was about to stop the company commander, but insulting the noble Navigator appointed by the Imperium would cause them considerable trouble, and Lord Horus would reprimand them for their rudeness.
His gauntlet, which was about to touch the company commander's arm, stopped in mid-air. He saw a worm attached to the base of the Navigator's spine, close to the nervous system.
It was a fat worm, its two tentacles digging deep into the Navigator's pale flesh.
Its mouthparts were clamped tightly onto the spine, and the pale flesh was surrounded by a bluish-purple color.
"The Xenos use it to control the Navigator," the guard captain realized.
"That's right," Neratt recalled the information the Black Emperor had given him, "It's called the Mind-Control Maggot."
"Bottle!"
An Apothecary immediately took a metal can from his waist.
Following the company commander's orders, he prepared fifteen storage tanks in advance.
He pressed on the Runic Rune, and as a cold mist dissipated, a section of the metal can popped out.
Neratt raised his left hand and grabbed the fat maggot.
The Mind-Control Maggot, having lost its host, let out a sharp screech in anger at Neratt.
Neratt placed the Mind-Control Maggot into the bio-pod, Apothecary pressed the Runic Rune again before the fat maggots could swarm out.
With a bang, the Mind-Control Maggot slammed against the metal inner wall.
"Thank you... you all..." the Frank Family Navigator, a survivor of the ordeal, said weakly.
He finally escaped the nightmare.
He no longer wanted to experience the Nightmare constantly fighting against intruders with his willpower and preventing his consciousness from succumbing to its grip.
"Take him back to the ship," Neratt ordered, then looked at the Rock taller than himself and three people wider.
The Rock is covered with the runes of the Qiu-Ol people arranged in a honeycomb pattern.
Deep Space Monolith!
Neratt's eyes lit up; the Mind-Control Maggot and the Deep Space Monolith were both items designated by the Black Emperor.
"Put it back."
Two guards immediately stepped forward and lifted the Deep Space Monolith.
Neratt then led his guards back into the labyrinth.
As he walked through a corridor, he suddenly stopped, pointed at the metal wall, and gave an order.
"Melta Bomb!"
A moment later, a loud explosion caused the guards who had been advancing a short distance to turn around.
They saw countless Xenos writhing and struggling in the sea of fire, and they raised their Bolter, firing at the Chu-Oor people who were struggling to emerge from the flames.
The captain of the guard was not surprised, but still glanced at his company commander with astonishment.
He felt that his company commander was becoming stronger and wiser.
Neratt Gillin led his company in boarding one scattered, fleeing Chu-Oor Chain-ship after another, rescuing captured Navigator and bringing back the spoils.
He only stopped when all the Chain-ship in the void had been captured.
After receiving orders from the Lord of Shadows to rest, the Secrets Suppliant " began to hold repeated prayers and sacrifices in his captain's quarters, offering the Mind Control Worm and the Deep Space Monolith Boulder to the Black Emperor.
During the sacrifice, as he harnessed the power bestowed by the Black Emperor, Alkahas Phall gave the order to launch an orbital drop on Sveik Prime.