Captain Valicar Hane

Led by the Blackrock, the four ships sailed through the Warp, and after the chaotic passage of time within that dimension, they arrived at their destination.

They did not enter the Warp from the Eye of Terror but directly from the Maelstrom, navigating the Sea of Souls to reach the rendezvous point for this Black Crusade.

Malem was a fortress world, one of the many worlds held by the Black Legion within the Eye of Terror. It boasted extreme defensive firepower, planetary shields, and a massive garrison of military personnel. Setting aside its firepower and shields, even landing on the surface would be a disaster, facing countless artillery pieces and fortifications.

Fortunately, Peter and his group didn't need to do that. They were here to pay respects to Abaddon, seeking only to be accepted into the Black Legion's operational order for this expedition.

At that moment, the planet's starport was a bustling and chaotic market. A colossal space elevator extended from the planet's surface into space, like the tentacles of a steel beast, firmly grasping countless ships.

More ships floated in orbit around the planet, like abandoned metal islands, slowly rotating in the void, waiting for docking clearance. Perhaps they would wait forever, as starport berths were reserved for the Black Legion's inner circle and major war bands. Thousands of ships encircling the planet—such a spectacular sight was rarely seen.

When the ship was still far from the planet, Peter ordered the Lord of Fleets to send a communication request to confirm their identity and avoid being attacked. The starport staff quickly assigned them a parking spot in orbit—a remote and small one, but fortunately, their fleet wasn't large.

The Forged Steel Brethren war band fleet consisted of only five ships:

The Shortsword-class Frigate Blackrock

One Armed Freighter

One Rogue-class Freighter

Two Tarrasque-class Merchant Ships

The last two Tarrasque-class Merchant Ships were even leased from Daedalus. If the Rogue-class Freighter could be called a live target, then the Tarrasque-class Merchant Ships were thin-skinned and generously filled.

After entering orbit came a long wait. During this time, Peter didn't even dare to shut down the Gellar Field generator. After all, Space Marines had a relatively high resistance to spatial energy corrosion, but ordinary people were a different story.

After several days of waiting, Izekarion Valicar Hane of the Black Legion decided to receive him. The so-called "Izekarions" were a group of influential figures within the Black Legion, Abaddon's senior advisory council and his best brothers, permitted to address the Warmaster by his first name.

This wasn't surprising. They were just a small war band of half a company, naturally unqualified for an audience with the Great Reaver himself.

As the Storm Eagle Gunship flew into the starport's landing pad, Peter stepped off the gunship. He was still wearing his Iron-pattern Power Armour, polished to a shine that made the silver-grey armor gleam even brighter. His helmet hung at his waist, with an Ion Pistol and a Power Axe strapped to his left and right thighs. Flanking him were the Voidsmith Filon and the bodyguard Anthony.

Their clean armor clashed starkly with the surrounding environment. The starport floor was covered in black paint, with some areas worn down to bare metal from friction. The walls were scrawled with blasphemous symbols and summoning rituals. Inside the hangar, mortal slaves responsible for maintenance scurried about, and in a corner, over a dozen Hell Drakes spewing fire from their mouths were restrained by chains and mysterious psychic rituals.

A relatively decent-looking male cultist hurried over and bowed to Peter and his two companions.

"Lord Peter, please follow me."

Peter and his group merely nodded and followed him.

Peter noticed autocannons everywhere along the way, and some starport equipment had even fused with daemons, becoming daemon engines.

As they walked through the starport interior, the trio saw many other Space Marines. Some had their power armor fused with twisted flesh, making one wonder if their armor could ever be removed. Others had hideous faces, completely losing their human appearance.

Some had swollen, cracked power armor, with a dozen flies the size of a mortal's fist buzzing around them as they stood in a circle, chatting and laughing, holding cups drinking some suspicious substance. One cup had a fat maggot crawling out from its rim.

As they passed, Filon couldn't help but complain to his boss:

"Fucking stinks! Look, that guy's guts are hanging out, and that one's crotch armor is split open. Is this what they call 'exhibitionism'?"

Peter replied helplessly:

"I know you like reading those Old Terran texts, but do some filtering and read something normal."

Soon, the slave led them to the door of the big shot. Two Black Legion Space Marines at the entrance signaled them to leave their weapons behind. The trio had no choice but to comply.

After that, they entered the big shot's room, and the door closed behind them. Peter found himself in a main hall, with a figure seated on a high throne, forcing visitors to look up at him.

The throne was constructed from countless mechanical parts and war debris, symbolizing the victories and glory he had won for the Black Legion in countless battles.

Seated on it was a Space Marine, also wearing a complete set of Iron-pattern Power Armour—the most widely issued armor among the Iron Warriors, almost a hallmark of the Fourth Legion.

His armor no longer bore the deep metallic tones and black-yellow stripes of the Iron Warriors, nor was it the polished silver-grey of Peter's group. Instead, it was painted in the gold and black colors of the Black Legion.

Valicar did not wear his helmet, leaving his face fully exposed, revealing a firm and ruthless expression. His eyes were sharp, as if they could pierce an enemy's soul, while his face bore the marks of time and battle, testaments to his countless acts of bravery and resilience on the battlefield. His skin was rough and darkened from prolonged combat and exposure to harsh environments.

Valicar's posture was relaxed and confident, one hand resting on the throne's armrest, the other likely gripping a massive Thunder Hammer. His demeanor conveyed an unshakable authority, making it impossible to underestimate his strength and resolve even at rest.

Valicar Hane, former Battalion Commander of the Iron Warriors and now Grand Admiral of the Fleet of the Black Legion, spoke with authority:

"Adjutant Peter, I'm glad to see you haven't been twisted by Chaos Power."

Despite his words, there was not a trace of joy in his tone.

Peter looked up at his former battalion commander:

"Long time no see, Battalion Commander Valicar."

Valicar Hane continued to stare at his former subordinate, a small company adjutant, and said:

"If Company Commander Crassus were still alive, seeing you like this would surely make him happy."

Peter clenched his fists secretly, his anger having no outlet, as this matter had nothing to do with the battalion commander. So he chose to get straight to the point:

"We've come to join the Black Crusade. Where are the equipment you promised?"

Valicar Hane changed his sitting position, propping his chin on one hand as he looked at Peter and said:

"Peter, do you know? Countless war bands have come here lately, claiming to join the Black Crusade. But most of them are nothing but a pack of lying, cowardly mongrels, hesitant and fearful."

Valicar tapped the armrest lightly and continued:

"So none of them were qualified to see me. But you're different, Peter. You served under me for a long time. I know you have the ability and the guts to fight."

Valicar finally showed a mocking expression:

"More importantly, I know that aside from the battlefield, you never lie. So I specially summoned you to start this conversation. I believe it will be very interesting."