A New Crisis

It was the fifth day since the Chapter Master underwent the ritual.

Night.

The crew were still staying in the warehouse.

Only Lu Jin and Onaas had left the warehouse, heading for the armory under the supervision of a squad of Red Corsair Space Marines.

"Aels is unlucky."

"He probably never dreamed he'd be so badly wounded by an alien. If you hadn't been there, he'd have been done for."

The Star-Claw Veteran leading the group was the one who had gone to the strike cruiser to pick up Lu Jin after Aels.

He struck up a conversation with Lu Jin.

"If I'd been able to hold him back and get there first, one alien wouldn't have been a problem for someone as thoroughly augmented as I am. He wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Lu Jin said nothing.

Seeing that Lu Jin was a cold sort, the veteran stopped talking. When they reached the armory, he opened the door and motioned for Lu Jin to go inside.

A warrior stood in the armory. His armor was a pattern Lu Jin didn't recognize, and it was exceptionally heavy. He held a Power Hammer in his hand.

"Forge Master." The veteran immediately saluted.

From the title, Lu Jin guessed that the warrior before him was named "Amanius."

He was also the one who had extensively rebuilt Huron into a half-machine.

Amanius gestured for Lu Jin to come over, then introduced the armor in front of him.

"Your own Power Armor, built on the Mark VIII pattern."

"You don't have a Black Carapace, so I could only add powered actuators to the joints, along with a movement-prediction algorithm I wrote myself."

"You should be able to move freely once you put it on."

After finishing his introduction, Amanius looked at Onaas, pointed to a suit of Mortal armor, then turned and left.

Navigators were valuable specialists wherever they went, so she would also receive a suit of armor to protect herself.

Lu Jin saw no weapons. Amanius's meaning was obvious: make do with the weapons you got in the Arena.

Soon afterward, Mortals entered the armory to help Lu Jin put on his armor.

The Star-Claw Veteran waited for a while. "Once you're suited up, take the Navigator back first. I have things to take care of. Don't wander off. There are places outsiders aren't allowed to go."

Lu Jin nodded to the veteran.

After the Space Marines had left and they had put on their gear, Lu Jin and Onaas exchanged a glance at the same time.

"Aels..."

"Shh."

Lu Jin raised a finger to his lips, signaling Onaas not to discuss the Lone Wolf here.

"I've blocked the sound with my psychic powers," Onaas said.

"Clever Onaas." Lu Jin had realized that the Navigator was very smart, if a little timid. But her timidity was because she was young and sheltered, and hadn't been through any disasters.

Just as before, she had known what to do without him needing to tell her, and she'd done it well.

"I disrupted Aels's brain nerves and placed him under a psychic restraint, but I don't think that'll hold them off for long. The doctor in the dark green armor is a Psyker too."

"I used my psychic powers to see and hear everything while you were in the Arena."

"When Huron started doubting your abilities, that doctor said he hadn't detected any psychic reactions from you. Maybe they think that supernatural events or rapid physical recovery must be caused by psychic powers."

Lu Jin and Onaas left the armory.

People passed by from time to time, but to them, Onaas and Lu Jin hadn't said a thing.

"Then you..."

Lu Jin had just started to say something when Onaas grabbed his right hand and gestured for him to go next door to the armory.

They walked over together and found a Medicae.

Behind the glass in the wall lay Aels on an operating table, along with two followers of Nurgle from the "Botulism" warband, both clad in dark green armor.

"I'll see if I can take advantage of the chance..."

Onaas slowly reached out to touch the glass, gradually focusing her attention.

But this was only a test. She didn't recklessly project her psychic powers at Aels, instead letting them seep into the surrounding area first.

The moment she did, the two people inside the Medicae turned to look down the corridor.

"I thought it was something... It's the Navigator. Her psychic power isn't aimed at Aels. Continue the ritual."

"Curiosity killed the cat. If she weren't a Navigator, I'd go out there and punch her, make her get on her knees and promise never to meddle in things that have nothing to do with her again."

"Don't be so vicious."

The two inside spoke to each other.

Lu Jin hurriedly led Onaas away.

"They can detect even a test this weak."

"I'm just too weak."

"When Aels came to our ship, he was going to kill all the Mortals. But what my third eye saw was him coming over and asking us all to leave together."

"Even prophecy, something Navigators are good at, isn't my strength. I'm too weak... especially compared to my mother."

Onaas muttered to herself, tense and anxious.

"You're still young. You're as clever as you are, and given time, you'll definitely become the strongest Navigator," Lu Jin reassured her. "I really mean it. From what I've learned, every Navigator has their specialty. Being able to navigate well is already good enough."

Onaas looked at Lu Jin and forced an extremely strained smile, just like when she'd been crouching behind the obstacle earlier.

Then she grew anxious again.

"They're performing the ritual. Once it succeeds, Aels might wake up. Huron also said you have to wait until he wakes up and finishes the deal before you act. That means we have to stay aboard this ship until it's time, and we're not even allowed to go to the ship he lent us."

"What if he wakes up and says something?"

"Then it'll all be over. Chapter Master, we..."

Lu Jin interrupted in a low voice. "It's okay."

"You have a plan?" Onaas's eyes lit up.

Lu Jin nodded, bluffing. "Yeah."

Onaas actually believed the childish reassurance.

Then Lu Jin wanted to send Onaas back first, but the Star-Claw Veteran who had left to take care of something was coming toward them.

"Why have you only gotten this far? Where have you been?" The veteran asked with a smile, his helmet in his arms. "Never mind. Hurry back to the warehouse. If you'd actually gone somewhere you weren't allowed, the alarm would've sounded by now."

Midnight.

The crew lay sprawled all over the warehouse. Some tried to sleep, but not long after closing their eyes, they would suddenly jolt awake, screaming that they'd had a nightmare.

This was inside the Maelstrom, within a Warp Rift—the place where supernatural phenomena and Warp influences were at their strongest. It really could affect the mental fortitude of ordinary people.

Someone came up with an idea and took out the portrait of Lu Jin that had been used earlier when the Greenskins ran rampant aboard the strike cruiser. They stuck it on the wall.

When the people gathered around the portrait, they felt reassured and fell into a deep sleep, no longer affected.

Being treated like a guardian deity was amusing, and worth analyzing.

But Lu Jin really wasn't in the mood to analyze anything right now.

The ritual on Aels's side might already be over. Or it might still be underway, with something having gone wrong.

But all he could do was wait.

A moment later, the warehouse hatch opened.

A Space Marine roared into the warehouse. "Are you the ones who are supposed to fight alongside us?! Where's that Fierce Angel?"

Lu Jin stood up and looked at the warriors in black armor, figuring that this must be the warband Huron had said he would lend him.

"I hope you won't slow us down," the warrior said, looking at the crew. "The Black Heart King wants you to take a Transport Aircraft to the Cruiser he lent you and make sure it's operational."

Lu Jin relaxed.

Whatever else happened, getting to the ship first was good. If Aels woke up, they could always make a run for it. As long as they could get away, they could go rescue the others.

Under Carly's direction, the crew formed an orderly line and left for the hangar deck.

The crew lined up to board.

The Cruiser lent to Lu Jin was positioned on the flank of the Red Corsair flagship.

Through the porthole in the deck, Lu Jin could see the Imperial Fists' insignia on the Cruiser—a black fist on a white field.

The Imperial Fists were one of the most powerful and well-known Chapters in the Imperium.

It was now the early stages of the Thirteenth Black Crusade. The forces of Chaos and the Imperium had probably already gone to war, so the ship had likely been captured and eventually ended up in Huron's hands.

As Lu Jin pondered this, he turned to look at the various landing pads on the deck.

The crew were slowly boarding.

An entire solar hour later, a Transport Aircraft landed on the deck.

Onaas looked at all the people who could fit aboard the Transport Aircraft, then looked at Lu Jin and smiled in relief.

The transport's ramp slowly lowered.

Lu Jin headed toward the cabin.

"Wait."

A familiar voice suddenly reached Lu Jin's ears. When he turned, he saw Huron.

"I only told the crew to go familiarize themselves with the Cruiser. I never said you could go too." Huron looked at Onaas. "The Navigator and everyone else can board first."

Lu Jin gestured for Onaas to get on.

The Navigator stood still. Carly hesitated, then pulled Onaas aboard.

"Didn't you hear what I said earlier?" Huron said. "Don't be impatient. Do what you need to do after my deal is finished."

After speaking, Huron fell silent in an eerie way for a second. His gaze sharpened, and an unsettling smile appeared on his face. "What are you in such a hurry for? You're not the sort who can't understand plain speech... You're hiding something."

"When the warband you lent me went to the warehouse to deliver your orders, they never said only the crew could go to the ship," Lu Jin replied calmly. "Besides, what could I do aboard the ship? Do you think I can't wait a little longer, after waiting for days already?"

Huron nodded. "I came to find you. The ritual is over. Come with me to Aels. I want him to thank you in person."

Lu Jin followed Huron without hesitation, but glanced back at the Transport Aircraft.

Onaas was sensing his thoughts: If anything changes, leave without me. Once you're gone, I can handle the trouble on my own.

After walking a few steps, a veteran beside Huron took out a communicator and answered it, then handed it to Huron.

Huron stopped and smiled as he spoke into the communicator. "You..."

His words were cut off, and his smile vanished. His eyes held nothing but anger and displeasure.

Seeing this, Lu Jin looked around.

"Fine. Fine."

Huron tossed the communicator back to his subordinate and fixed his eyes on Lu Jin's face.

His breathing was heavy. His eyes still held the anger and displeasure from the call, along with the ruthlessness born of those two negative emotions.

Then Huron spoke. "Wait here. If you're not here when I come back, the flagship will blast that ship into void debris."