Reasons and Gifts

The warehouse gate crashed open.

The crewmen who had been kneeling on the ground and praying to the God-Emperor all looked up at once. The person who had just left had returned.

Lu Jin, carrying a frail Mortal on his back, rushed into the warehouse and carefully lowered him to the ground. Then he shouted to those around him, "Medic!"

A crewman immediately ran over with a medical kit and examined the injured man.

"His spine is broken," the crewman said, looking up at Lu Jin after the examination.

Lu Jin recalled how the crewman had charged at the enemy from behind, only to be flung away... He must have broken his spine when he hit the ground.

He sighed helplessly and sat down to catch his breath.

The others knelt near the bodies and mourned in silence.

Of those who had fought alongside Lu Jin earlier, eight approached him. Four carried weapons and slowly set two heavy weapons down beside him.

No one had retrieved the weapons, so they had brought them over.

Lu Jin looked at the chainaxe and the Power Hammer.

Both were heavy, two-handed weapons issued to Space Marines.

Why did they feel so heavy?

Because he wasn't wearing Power Armor, and had no power pack or mechanical servo-joints to help him.

But he could still use them.

Lu Jin thought back over the battle and then summed up one characteristic of the power he possessed:

The kind of power he gained depended on what he killed and drew power from.

For example, since he had been killing Greenskins all along, the power he gained had focused on improving his physical toughness and brute strength.

"Angel."

As Lu Jin pondered, a boy stepped out of the crowd and gently took his hand, pointing toward the body.

"Could you close my father's eyes?" The boy stood looking up at Lu Jin, who was seated, and pleaded in a childish voice. "Please, Angel!"

The ship's tradition held that if an Angel of the Emperor closed the eyes of the dead, the Angel would guide them to the Golden Throne.

Having an Angel close one's eyes was an honor for the deceased.

The Navigator, Onaas, looked at Lu Jin. She was the only one present who could confirm that he wasn't a Space Marine, because her third eye couldn't see any implanted organs or Gene-seed inside him.

But the others, including Carly, though some knew Lu Jin's enhancement had failed, saw him still up and about—and even stronger. They could only assume the operation had ultimately succeeded, thanks to the all-powerful Emperor's protection.

"All right."

Lu Jin rose and walked over to the dead man.

The crewmen nearby crawled over on their knees, forming a circle. Holding various Ecclesiarchy charms or symbols of faith, they closed their eyes and silently recited the Emperor's holy words.

"Brave soul. May you return to the Golden Throne." As he spoke, Lu Jin reached out and closed the corpse's eyes.

Then he added silently, But all I wish for you is peace.

The people lifted their heads and gazed at the ceiling.

It was as if the dead man's soul had left his body and was being led by the God-Emperor's light into the heaven proclaimed by the Ecclesiarchy.

Only Lu Jin knew what awaited the dead.

His soul would enter the Warp and be torn apart by it, too fragile to survive in another world.

But for a Mortal, that was undoubtedly a good thing... the most complete peace imaginable.

Just then, the gate suddenly opened.

The Mortals instinctively huddled together.

Lu Jin stood and looked toward the entrance.

Surrounded by several Space Marines, Huron entered the warehouse.

As the Space Marines aimed their guns at the Mortals, Huron surveyed the vast warehouse—and the nearly ten thousand crewmen gathered inside, who still didn't make it feel crowded.

"Courage and cunning."

The Maelstrom Lord fixed his gaze on Lu Jin.

"I thought you were a brute, one of those red savages who worship the Blood God."

"Or a fool, too naive and kind for his own good."

"But every choice you made was the best one available to you in that situation: balancing what you wanted with what you needed."

As Huron offered his assessment, his tone was relaxed and mild, as though he were talking to a friend.

Lu Jin remained silent. He didn't care what Huron thought of him.

"Now I want to hear the truth." Huron suddenly sat down and crossed his legs. His modified body let out a low whine as he moved.

The Red Corsairs Space Marines kept their guns trained on the crewmen. More Space Marines entered the warehouse behind them, carrying not weapons but barrels of food.

An Apothecary was among them. He went to the man who had died in the Arena, opened his case, and took out a mechanical spine. Then he began the implantation surgery.

Lu Jin frowned slightly and slowly sat down on the floor.

"You're not a Fierce Angel at all. It's even questionable whether you're an Astartes," Huron said. "Am I right?"

After a moment's thought, Lu Jin nodded.

"You don't even know Ninos's real name. Chances are you don't know anyone else's, either, because your eyes always carry a certain air of distance."

"And if you don't even know their names, why do you want to save them?"

Huron's question reminded Lu Jin of the past. It was just like aboard Inquisitor Bena's ship, where he hadn't known anyone around him except Damian's family.

When he thought he wouldn't be staying long, he didn't form connections with people.

It had been the same among the Fierce Angels.

"I don't know their names. That's a flaw in my character. But they treated me with sincerity. They freed me from slavery, and they called me a battle-brother even before I underwent the enhancement surgery."

Lu Jin spoke slowly.

"They're also worthy of respect. Though they're supposedly the God-Emperor's Angels, they've held fast to their tradition of protecting Mortals."

"Before the Chapter Master lost contact with me, he asked me to promise that I'd keep the others alive. He even put that ahead of clearing the Fierce Angels' name."

"If there's anything I'm unhappy with, it's that they never asked whether I wanted to become a Space Marine. And when I thought they'd fallen to Chaos, they didn't explain anything—they just kept speaking in riddles."

"The Chapter Master thought his Psionic Power could guarantee that I'd complete the enhancement surgery, but it still failed."

Hearing this, Huron thought that the Fierce Angels Chapter Master really did have that kind of personality—always thinking he had everything under control, only for things to...

What Lu Jin was really saying was: I want to save them.

"I repay even the smallest kindness. All the more so after everything they've done for me," Lu Jin said. "If they're alive, I'll rescue them. If they're dead, I'll bury them. The Hound Clan will meet only one end: I'll wipe them out."

Huron listened, looking Lu Jin up and down, then asked, "Where does your power come from?"

"I don't know," Lu Jin said. "But it definitely isn't the influence of Chaos."

Huron nodded again. "If one day you discover your power comes from another world, from some dreadful being, you should kill yourself. That would be your best choice."

Huron recalled the Chaos Space Marines he had encountered back when he still fought for the Imperium.

The playthings of the Chaos Gods.

Huron looked toward his Apothecary.

The spine had been implanted. The dead man slowly opened his eyes, staring blankly at his surroundings.

"Everything that happened earlier was a necessary test. I didn't know where you came from, what had influenced you, or what kind of person you were."

Huron turned his gaze back.

"Ninos... Wait for him to tell you his real name himself."

"Ninos saved my life. If he dies, I'll see this through to the end. I won't let it go."

"As soon as I learned that the Fierce Angels' strike cruiser had been raided, I began preparing to retaliate. The Cunning Hounds Clan is on its way here."

"They made a deal with me earlier. Once I fulfill the terms, I can do whatever I want to them."

At that, Lu Jin immediately stood. "When the time comes, send me to their—"

"I'll lend you a clan," Huron said, raising one finger. Then he raised a second. "And a strike cruiser."

Lu Jin froze, then immediately asked, "What do you want in return?"

"A gift requires nothing in return," Huron said. "But I'm not giving it to you for Ninos's sake. I'm doing it for you."

Lu Jin fell silent.

"My Chapter Master is truly generous!" A Star-Claw Veteran stepped forward and said sharply to Lu Jin, "Kneel and thank the Maelstrom Lord for the mercy of the Black Heart King!"

"No," Huron said, gently shaking his head. "At this point, there's no need for me to offend someone over formalities."

Lu Jin nodded, thinking it over.

Huron was a generous, tolerant man. Even those who still worshipped the Emperor could join the Red Corsairs, and he had even accepted people called "Fallen Angels."

But it was all based on self-interest.

When the Black Heart King showed generosity and benevolence instead of treachery and betrayal, it meant he believed someone could be useful to him.

As for generosity without expecting anything in return, that was just a way to win people over.

"Once Aels wakes up, my deal with the Cunning Hounds will be complete. After that, you can take action."

Huron slowly stood and stared into Lu Jin's eyes, but said nothing more.

Aels was the name of the "Lone Wolf."

The veteran whom Lu Jin and the Navigator had beaten into a vegetative state.

Lu Jin's face showed no emotion, but unease stirred inside him.

"What are you in such a hurry for?" Huron could still read Lu Jin's mood from subtle clues, like his breathing. "The item I need to complete the deal is with Aels. Until I've completed the deal, you can't do anything. I can't let the saying 'The Red Corsairs lure their collaborators into a trap and kill them' spread across the Maelstrom."

"Understood." Lu Jin nodded.

Huron continued to stare at him in silence, as if warning him: Don't make a move until I give you permission.

A few seconds later, he turned and walked away.

But as he went, he spoke without looking back.

"Aels is like you: his enhancement failed. But it wasn't just that he couldn't wear the Black Carapace."

"My Forge Master will forge equipment for you, just as he did for Aels."

"That's another gift from me to you!"