The Smart Ones

Tyrant's Gate Fortress.

Vengar walked into the med-bay and leaned against the wall, legs crossed, looking casually at Aels amidst the bewildered gazes of mortal nurses.

"How much of your memory has returned?"

The renegade asked.

Aels glared at Vengar. "After you fought your way through the arena and got what you wanted, I saw contempt and defiance flash in your eyes for a moment—it's returned to that point."

"Then you've recovered well, congratulations." Vengar nodded. "And now, I, the bastard named Vengar, have a question for you."

Aels remained silent, not speaking, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

He knew Vengar was a significant lackey under his Chapter Master. Since the Chapter Master himself tolerated Vengar, it wouldn't be good for him to sour their relationship too much.

"Lu Jin, do you remember this person?" the renegade asked.

"I went to pick him up, and then faced Xenos with him. I was almost killed, and he saved me," Aels said.

Aels still felt this part of his memory was blank.

He said he recalled the time Vengar came to the Red Corsairs, which was purely to insult Vengar. In reality, he recalled being ordered by the Chapter Master to receive the Fierce Angels.

However, regarding Lu Jin, it was all hearsay.

"Mm, that's the version I heard too."

The renegade lowered his head and fell into thought.

While thinking, he also voiced his confusion.

"I spent some time with you, I know your temperament."

"When I received the command from the Lord of the Maelstrom to annihilate the Botulism Gang with Lu Jin, I inquired about Lu Jin and you from others."

"Of course, there were other things too."

Through these matters, Vengar deduced Lu Jin's temperament.

From his protection of mortal crew members and his one-against-three fight in the arena, it was clear that Lu Jin particularly valued mortal lives.

The Fierce Angels were the same.

But then he considered Aels's temperament—he always did things his own way, rarely following Huron's orders unless necessary, and he hated mortals.

In short, before arriving, Vengar had imagined: if the stories he heard were true and he had been present at the time, what would Aels have done after discovering the Ragefang was nearly sunk and the entire Chapter's Space Marines were captured alive?

And this scenario Vengar had envisioned was the reason for his visit.

"I don't think he would have saved you," Vengar continued. "Try to recall properly."

Aels fell silent, truly beginning to think.

Because what Vengar said resonated with him—after hearing more details, he believed he would have ordered only Lu Jin and the Navigator to be picked up at that time.

"So you hadn't even considered these things before?"

"If I were Lu Jin, I would have gutted you, you bastard!"

"Someone like you, you would help him fight the Ork Xenos leader? You don't even think about what you are, do you really think you're something special, lying around in this hellhole like a dead man all day, not even checking in with Huron."

"Idiot of idiots!"

Seeing Aels struggling to remember, Vengar calmly used words to pressure him.

"Watch your language!" Aels immediately became agitated. "You have no right..."

"Shut up, listen, and then think for me! Huron would do something to me if you were killed, right?"

Vengar "fired" like a rapid-fire burst.

"Even if I killed you right now, what could he do to me?"

"Ultimately, you're just someone who can't even execute orders properly. You're still alive and doing alright simply because you're one of Huron's veterans."

"You, a waste who couldn't even complete your augmentation surgery, are alive simply because Huron shares a foolish commonality with Lu Jin."

"Someone like you, I would have found a place to kill you and claimed you were killed by the enemy before I even left the Chapter, just because I couldn't stand the sight of you."

"..."

Aels was rendered speechless, rising in extreme anger and searching the med-bay for a weapon, but found nothing.

Seeing that he still intended to resist, Vengar walked over and struck Aels down with a slap.

The mortal nurses panicked and fled the med-bay.

Aels lay on the ground, about to resist again, when he suddenly remembered something.

Seeing his momentary pause, Vengar immediately grabbed Aels by the neck and lifted him. "Did you remember?"

"Let go of me! I need to see the Chapter Master!" Aels roared.

Only then did Vengar release him, following behind Aels as they moved through the corridors.

An old soldier from the Star Claws era was called to the med-bay by a nurse. Just as he was about to repair Vengar, he found the med-bay empty.

Vengar and Aels moved through the corridors. After entering a straight passage, the two suddenly stopped.

In the dim light, about ten meters ahead, stood a warrior clad in Terminator armor.

"Seikara?" Vengar called out the name engraved on the armor's surface.

But he then noticed that the white amulet embedded on the armor's chest was gone—that was Seikara's own item, said to ward off psionic attacks or something...

Vengar's expression changed drastically.

"You will see Seikara soon."

The Terminator removed his warhammer from his back and began to advance, very slowly.

Inside the armor was Lu Jin.

He had no black carapace, relying solely on brute force to operate this Terminator suit.

The amulet embedded in the armor had been given to Onaas.

The explosion of the psyker's head had deeply shaken and terrified Onaas. She had locked herself in the Navigator's sanctuary and refused to see anyone. After Lu Jin returned from Vengar's ship, he went to find Onaas, but ultimately didn't meet her. He merely tossed the amulet to her through the door crack.

Lu Jin advanced slowly.

Just as Vengar and Aels were about to rush out of the corridor, they saw a Fierce Angel standing on a hexagram array closing the blast door. Before the door completely shut, the Fierce Angel vanished.

"You defeated me! You beat me into a vegetative state!"

Aels stood before the door, roaring at Lu Jin.

He couldn't see who was inside the Terminator armor, but he could tell from Lu Jin's awkward High Gothic accent—it was this guy who beat me half to death, punch by punch!

"It was me." Lu Jin's hands, holding the warhammer, hung naturally as he approached step by step.

Then Aels remembered the crewman he had killed with a bolter on the command deck of the Ragefang.

Lu Jin also remembered that person.

He also remembered promising the timid crewman he brought out that he would be safer by his side than in a sanctuary.

He remembered this crewman fighting greenskins all the way with him, all the way to the Navigators.

He remembered this crewman being killed by Aels.

"You're still alive because I figured out a way to save more people back then," Lu Jin said.

"Just for one mortal! Are you insane?!" Aels roared.

"Yes, just for one mortal." Lu Jin strode forward, glancing at Vengar, who had drawn his chainsword. "In my eyes, you're no more significant than the crewman who guided me."

As Aels was about to shout again, Vengar slapped him and handed him a combat knife.

"What's the point of you saying all this to him?!"

"His way of thinking is different from ours! He kills whoever he thinks deserves to die! It's better for you to charge forward and die for me than to waste your breath!"

Aels took the knife but lacked the courage to charge.

Vengar, meanwhile, raised his chainsword high.

This wasn't to duel, but to deflect the warhammer Lu Jin might throw, preventing him from killing them with it.

Vengar was also a powerful warrior. He was confident that, like the person in his Chapter who had stopped him from leaving, he could deflect heavy weapons like chainaxes or power hammers with skill and strength.

Lu Jin continued to approach slowly... but this was the fastest he could move.

Even someone with a black carapace wouldn't be much faster inside it.

When the two sides closed to within ten meters.

When Lu Jin raised his warhammer, and Vengar and Aels prepared for a desperate fight.

The blast door suddenly opened.

"Just as I told that Black Legion envoy in the meeting just now, if Abaddon needs the Red Corsairs' fleet to secure Cadia, then he shouldn't be launching this expedition."

"Why are you siding with the Black Legion, thinking we should..."

Huron and Amanius had just walked through the blast door.

The former, before finishing his sentence, saw his old soldier, Vengar, and Lu Jin.

"Chapter Master!" Aels rushed towards Huron, hiding behind Amanius. "Lu Jin... he's going to kill me!"

"He also wants to frame me for this," Vengar said as he walked towards Huron. "My Lord, you must pass judgment!"

Huron instantly understood everything.

Amanius, meanwhile, looked down at the miniature computer on his arm and thought: No wonder that blast door went haywire, I had to hack it myself.

"..."

Huron remained silent.

He had just come from the meeting room, having received the Black Legion envoy, and was still wearing his armor and carrying his weapons.

With Amanius, who never took off his armor, killing Lu Jin wouldn't be difficult.

"He previously..."

"I'm not stupid, child. I can guess what happened."

Aels was about to reveal his true encounter when Huron interrupted him.

Huron stared at Lu Jin, his gaze growing more ferocious.

Amanius raised his arm, the cannon attached to it aiming at Lu Jin.

It automatically adjusted to plasma mode, and upon firing, would unleash a plasma blast capable of melting Lu Jin's armor and body.

Aels turned to face Lu Jin, his expression a mix of ferocity and triumph.

Squelch—

The sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh echoed.

Lu Jin hadn't charged at them and killed someone, nor had they killed Lu Jin.

Aels looked down in utter shock, seeing five claws emerge from between his waist and chest.

These were the weapons of the Lord of the Maelstrom, a claw-type weapon called the Tyrant's Claw.

"Cha... Chapter Master..." Aels struggled to look up.

He was confused.

He realized Huron had avoided all his vital points, and besides the pain, he didn't even feel his life force draining... but why had the Chapter Master stabbed him instead of the enemy?

Huron looked down, meeting Aels's gaze. "Do not alter my orders. Do not execute them with reservations. From the time of the Astral Claws, to when you went out to retrieve the Fierce Angels a while ago... how many times have I told you?"

The intense pain rendered Aels speechless, only tears flowed.

The Tyrant's Claw was withdrawn.

Aels collapsed at his Chapter Master's feet, curled up.

"My Lord..." Vengar spoke with difficulty. "He intends to frame us..."

Huron looked at Vengar.

The latter lowered his head, remaining silent.

Huron glared at Lu Jin, his expression dark and venomous.

He said nothing, and with each passing second, his breathing grew more rapid and heavy.

One could imagine the fury contained within that half-flesh, half-machine body.

Meanwhile, Amanius crouched down after a brief wait to tend to his battle-brother's wounds.

"Hahaha!"

Huron's expression shifted instantly. He let out a few dry laughs, a smile not reaching his eyes, then shook his head. "Don't worry, this won't have any repercussions. Ultimately, it was Aels who made the mistake."

"You used the wrong person," Lu Jin said. "Aels would have..."

"No, that's not right. We were short-handed at the time," Huron shook his head. "Your warriors, aside from you, were captured alive by the Hound Clan. That was an accident. If not for that accident, Aels would never have executed my orders with reservations... because he thought you were useless then."

Vengar suddenly spoke, "Ignite the fire": "Aels killed one of Lu Jin's crew members at the time."

"Aels is alive, likely because you devised a way to save more people then. It's the same now," Huron said without even looking at Vengar. "Either your conflict with Aels ends here, or I will kill all your crew. You choose."

Lu Jin remained silent.

But he had undoubtedly made his choice.

"Aels, is this matter settled?" Huron looked down at his warrior.

Aels nodded with difficulty.

Huron looked up again and said, "You owe me compensation. Tomorrow, a warband will visit. A warband that worships the Blood God. They are coming because of your deeds and will only stay with the Red Corsairs because of you. You must attend the banquet to receive them with me."

Before Lu Jin could finish speaking, Huron looked at Vengar. "Do you have any objections?"

"My Lord, this is a frame-up, and this matter will spread quickly. By then..."

Before Vengar could finish, Huron looked at Amanius. "Bombard Vengar's ship, kill some of their men, and pin everything that happened here on them."

After issuing the order, Huron said to Vengar, "As compensation, you will receive a cruiser. The one we captured from the Imperial Fists."

"Praise my Lord's generosity!"

Vengar knelt on one knee.

He had suddenly thought of the matter between Lu Jin and Aels, found it suspicious, and perhaps could use this incident to strike at Lu Jin, which was why he came to Aels.

After all this effort, some of his men would die, and his ship would be bombarded... but he received a strike cruiser. A small profit, no loss.

After Vengar stood up, Amanius, who was tending to Aels's wounds, noticed the injuries on Aels's face.

Amanius glanced back at Lu Jin, thinking that Lu Jin definitely didn't cause the injuries on Aels's face. So, who did it was obvious.

He stood up, walked in front of Vengar.

The latter looked bewildered, and in his bewilderment, Amanius removed his helmet. Still bewildered, he saw Amanius raise his hand, and then his heavily armored fist landed a fierce slap across his face.

Aels, unable to speak due to the pain, saw Vengar receive righteous punishment from his battle-brother. A slight smile appeared on his contorted face.

Lu Jin turned and left. Vengar bowed and also departed.

Huron looked at Amanius, who asked, "You didn't expect anything to happen between Lu Jin and Aels?"

"I didn't expect him to dare do what he did today. If not for Vengar, this would have been an opportunity for me to win him over."