Opinions

"Our Chapter Master believes that, objectively speaking, your former warband—the Slayers—did us Fierce Angels a favor."

"But the Slayers died in that extermination campaign against the Cunning Hounds, and the Psyker who wiped them out was smashed to pieces along with the planet by that giant axe that appeared out of nowhere for reasons no one knows."

"In any case, the Slayers did us a favor. If we want to repay them somehow, the only one we can repay is you, the last surviving former Slayer."

In the rest area of the Tyrant's Gate arena.

Kao faced the World Eater who had tried to join the Fierce Angels yesterday, only to be turned down by Lu Jin.

Behind Kao were the components of a Terminator Tactical Dreadnought suit of armor.

"My... ngh..." The World Eater's voice was low and weathered, weighed down by pain and restless frustration. "My brothers... and all they got in the end was this suit of armor?"

"One suit of armor clearly isn't enough to make up for the sacrifices your Slayers made. But if there are other terms, we can discuss them," Kao said.

The World Eater stared at Kao for a second, then turned and headed back into the arena.

With no other choice, Kao had to take the Terminator back.

After returning to the Ragefang, Kao went straight to the flagship's Hall of Honor.

The Fierce Angels and the Mortal crew gathered beneath the statue of Guilliman, the Fierce Angels' Gene-Father. Their Chapter Master, Lu Jin, stood beneath the statue, addressing everyone.

"You all know what happened between Aels and me."

"And I attacked Vengar's ships to deal with it."

Lu Jin then recounted what he had done in the Tyrant's Gate a few solar hours earlier, and what he had encountered.

He told them about Huron's attitude at the time and how he had handled the matter.

Lu Jin's account stirred their emotions. They learned that before making it safely to this moment, they had come close to utter destruction many times.

Fortunately, the problem with Aels had been resolved.

There probably wouldn't be another crisis brewing in secret that could kill them all.

"What we need to do next is simple." Lu Jin raised an index finger. "Do everything we can to gather food and drink—enough to last a solar year. Weapons and equipment are secondary by comparison. We have plenty of those; what we lack is enough food to make the journey out."

Kao then saw some of the crew members who were good at business offer Lu Jin advice.

They could trade weapons and equipment for food, but they had to choose their trading partners carefully. Under no circumstances should they do business with Vengar's people.

Lu Jin agreed to each suggestion.

"And after that, Chapter Master?" Someone spoke with a heavy mix of confusion and fear. "Once we leave the Maelstrom, are we going to seek justice from an Imperial Inquisitor? But we've already escaped, and the Imperial Inquisition has a blood feud with us."

"The former Chapter Master said Inquisitor Bena could help us clear our name. But to be honest, I don't believe it. Still, it was the former Chapter Master's last wish, so I have to try—carefully."

"If things go wrong, I'll take you all away."

Lu Jin's voice was firm.

"Ultimately, what we need is to get out of the Maelstrom. The Imperium won't have us, so we can go beyond its borders."

"But staying in the Maelstrom is not an option. You all know why."

That they couldn't stay in the Maelstrom was indeed a consensus.

Lu Jin knew that Black Heart King Huron had once said that compared with Astartes, Mortal were almost certain to have their wills twisted as soon as they entered the Maelstrom. This place, where the Warp met reality, was far too dangerous for their feeble minds.

But the crew of the Ragefang hadn't been corrupted by the Warp.

There were many possible reasons. Perhaps the crew of this ship was close-knit, always helping one another, with each person serving as a pillar of strength for someone else.

Perhaps it was also because of Lu Jin's portraits. They were everywhere now, and they weren't merely a source of psychological comfort—they could reduce supernatural phenomena.

Even so, the Maelstrom still affected Mortal.

As far as Kao knew, twenty couples among the Mortal crew had given birth that week. Every one of the babies had one thing in common: they terrified the people delivering them into numbness.

The Space Marines hadn't dealt with these abominations. The matter hadn't even been reported to them. The Mortal couples had chosen to smash their own monstrous babies to death.

For Mortal, being unable to reproduce was a dreadful and despairing prospect. After the births of these abominations, panic had spread among the crew, and that panic had in turn led to a rise in supernatural phenomena aboard the ship.

In short, the Maelstrom was a hellhole, and they needed to leave as soon as they could.

"Little brother, what do you think?"

Carly came over to Kao and lifted her arm to link it with her younger brother's large hand.

Kao shook his head. "I think the former Chapter Master's plan to clear our name is completely unworkable. The Emperor on the Golden Throne has abandoned us all. And if He hasn't, then He wouldn't have stood by while the Imperial Inquisition slaughtered our Chapter until fewer than a hundred of us remained."

"But if we can't clear our names..." Carly said, "how will we get supplies and replacements in the future?"

Kao fell silent.

A warship couldn't sustain itself. To get replacements and supplies, they had to rely either on the Imperium or on plunder.

Were the Fierce Angels really going to become space pirates? One of those groups that existed only to eat, drink, relieve themselves, and kill—the vile "shit-making machines" condemned in the Fierce Angels' texts?

That was worse than dying.

"But after the Emperor abandoned us, we still have to find a way to survive instead of dying here," Kao said in a low voice. "If we'd realized that sooner, if our other battle-brothers had realized it like I did, we wouldn't have been lured to our deaths by the Inquisitor."

Carly didn't know what to say. She could only clasp her younger brother's hand tightly, seeking a sense of safety.

Lu Jin said a few words to rally everyone, but he wasn't much of a speaker and had little talent for giving speeches.

Still, he understood that he needed to speak now. After the Cunning Hounds' attack, he had taken charge and made sure everyone survived. The former Chapter Master had entrusted him with a heavy responsibility before dying. Just hearing his words could reassure everyone.

"He'll find a way forward for us," Kao said, watching Lu Jin. "I trust him."

That afternoon.

Lu Jin joined a training session in the Hall of Honor.

Training was a Chapter tradition, but Lu Jin wasn't there for tradition's sake. He wanted to improve his combat skills.

The former Apothecary was dead, and Jenos was now the best at wielding a Warhammer and Battle Axe.

So Jenos sparred with the new Chapter Master.

"I'm a Chapter Master who has to ask a warrior to teach me how to fight." Lu Jin paced around Jenos, gripping his Warhammer and Battle Axe. "Why did Ninos choose me before he died?"

"Because after all the battle-brothers were captured, you made sure the others survived." Jenos searched Lu Jin for an opening. "Before Ninos became Chapter Master, he was the worst fighter in the Chapter. But his predecessor chose him because he could keep people alive."

Lu Jin fell silent.

Jenos suddenly spotted an opening, stepped forward, and swung his Warhammer.

Lu Jin was slow to react and didn't have much fighting skill, but he was strong enough. He raised his Chainaxe slightly and easily blocked the hammer coming down from above.

"Don't hold your weapon straight across to block. Angle it. Deflect toward the direction of the next attack. The best defense is offense. Don't let yourself get pinned down."

Lu Jin took Jenos's advice to heart, while also thinking about Ninos's last words.

To sum them up, they meant: It would be best if Lu Jin became Chapter Master, but if he didn't want to, then the rest of them should choose one themselves.

The Fierce Angels could still choose a new Chapter Master to carry out that last wish. The problem was that the Fierce Angels now lacked not only a Chapter Master, but even an Apothecary or a combat instructor.

"Brother Jenos, you're like one of those incompetent teachers from my home planet who know nothing but book learning."

Kao had noticed the sparring while training nearby. He walked over, leaning on his Chainsword as he pontificated.

"Although our Chapter Master is inferior to you in both experience and skill, if you were truly enemies fighting for real, you'd still be killed. He has his own strengths."

"You need to use those strengths to teach him. You can't just cram everything you know into his head."

After hearing those words, Lu Jin thought Kao made a good point.

Jenos, however, was displeased. "So why not ask Kao, the best teacher in our Chapter, to be the combat instructor? Is it because you don't want to, or because you've never even touched the shaft of a Battle Axe or Warhammer in your life?"

"Brother Jenos, I was just giving you some advice."

"Brother Kao, I don't need advice from someone who can't even use a Chainsword properly."

"Is that so? You could certainly use some. If you'd listened to me when we were selling that Navigator girl's treasures, you wouldn't have been cheated out of everything but your pants."

"..."

As the two looked ready to fight, Lu Jin recalled that the Chapter's texts contained a rule for resolving disputes between battle-brothers.

The solution was to make the two feuding brothers hold hands and press their chests together for ten seconds. Afterward, they would awkwardly laugh and decide it was better not to cause trouble, lest they receive that humiliating punishment again.

Just as Lu Jin was about to speak, the Hall of Honor's speakers suddenly crackled to life.

"Connecting a call from the command deck."

A holographic communication window appeared beneath the statue of Guilliman in the Hall of Honor. Huron's face appeared on the screen.

"You don't need to come with me to meet those Blood God worshippers. You'll form a warband with them instead."

"Don't rush to object. You do need them, because you'll be going on a mission with Vengar."

A suit of armor appeared in the communication window.

It was a Cataphractii-pattern Terminator suit from the Great Crusade era. From its features, Lu Jin immediately recognized it as the type used by the World Eaters' "Red Butchers" ten thousand years ago.

Strangely, though, the surface of the armor was covered in decorations that the World Eaters would surely consider elaborate and pointless.

For example, a red cape, embroidered with a scene of people kneeling before the armor's wearer.

Countless small skulls were set into the armor. But they weren't simple skulls: they wore crowns and were studded with golden nails and other lavish ornaments.

Going by the rule that the older, the stronger, Lu Jin immediately realized the suit was priceless.

Huron might want to acquire it to curry favor with someone.

"You'll go together to that Imperial world and seize this suit of armor. Then I'll give it to Solax."

"Solax leads a Blood God warband. Take the armor to him and make an alliance."

A star map appeared beside the communication window as Huron spoke.

It pointed to an Imperial world called Manros, beyond the southern edge of the Maelstrom.

"Isn't that where Vengar and I wiped out the Botulism Gang?" Lu Jin asked.

"That's the place." Huron nodded. "If everything goes smoothly, I can grant you any request."

With that, Black Heart King Huron cut off the call.

"He's deliberately rubbing it in!" Jenos growled. "He knows Vengar and we don't get along, and he still insists on—"

Kao interrupted his battle-brother's growl. "He may be trying to use us to deal with Vengar."

Lu Jin, who thought the same, immediately turned to Kao. He couldn't help thinking that Kao had what it took to be a Chapter leader.