Cyrus: I Want to Help Him Claim the Throne, Too

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Cyrus killed another Stinger Bee, then smashed the Drone that served as an aerial gun platform.

He saw the dropship in the distance shudder and begin to rise.

He knew the enemy was retreating.

"The enemy is pulling out."

Countless Drones and Stinger Bees, along with the Fire Warriors, were retreating in an orderly fashion.

Even though they had been routed,

the enemy remained composed and disciplined. Some of these Xenos had even fought to the death for their faith, covering the retreat of most of their forces.

They were worthy opponents.

Bang!

Cyrus planted a foot on a Stinger Bee's abdomen and blew its head off with a shot.

Respect was one thing, but the filthy Xenos scum still had to die.

There was some good news, though.

The Drones on the ground and the scattered battlesuits couldn't be taken away.

Once scientists from Gamma World recovered them,

they might yield some new surprises.

Back on the Necron Tomb World, those scientists had already proven their capabilities. Their research skills were in no way inferior to those of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Even a completely damaged Gauss Weapon had taken them only half a month to reverse-engineer, repair, and adapt for their own use.

When it came to keeping technology to themselves, they were far worse than the Adeptus Mechanicus on Mars.

The Blood Raven Chapter dealt with the Adeptus Mechanicus often. They knew them all too well.

Whenever they handed over technology to the Mechanicus and later asked about it, there was never any follow-up. They knew the Mechanicus had powerful technologies, but they never shared them. They would sooner be buried underground with those secrets than hand them over to the Imperium. In a sense, every weapon used throughout the Imperium was something the Mechanicus had already discarded.

Thinking of the Adeptus Mechanicus and the High Lords system,

a wild thought even flashed through Cyrus's mind.

If they could help Cisrain become a High Lord and gain control of the High Lords Council,

then use those tech-priests to put the oil-guzzlers in their place—

could the Imperium of Man change?

But he quickly suppressed the thought.

Cisrain was powerful, but as for becoming a High Lord—

he was a pureblood human, and even he couldn't get in.

The power struggles involved were so tangled that even a Primarch's return would be powerless to change them.

It felt disloyal to say so, but the Imperium was so decayed and vast that it drove any Primarch or enemy to despair.

They would just have to take it one step at a time.

If Cisrain really had ambitions, he would probably unite the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar.

With the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar behind him, he might have a chance to seize control of the entire Imperium.

Cisrain was one of the most far-sighted humans he had ever met.

At least among the many Planetary Governors he had encountered, he was the only man with an air that made people willingly submit to him. His charisma lay in his actions and his habit of keeping his word, in his resolve and the unity he inspired, in his will—the Civilization Will—and in his capacity for change.

He also possessed a power that was hard to comprehend.

"..."

He left that place.

He hadn't expected to find himself missing that man.

"Captain."

Only when Cyrus heard someone calling did he remember that the Salamanders Chapter was still there.

"Captain Cyrus."

Vulkan's Power Armor had been shattered, and he was covered in wounds. A Tau Empire Fire Warrior's Plasma Shell had torn open his scalp, leaving a fist-sized hole in his skull. The Iron Halo on his back was half destroyed, too.

Despite his condition, he had fought his way deep into enemy territory, carving a path through the entire company of Stinger Bees, Drones, and Fire Warriors.

"Yalta, contact the research vessel and ask them to send people over. We have wounded here who need treatment."

"Yes, Captain."

It would be quite a boon to those Xenos scum if a company captain fell at their hands.

But for an Astartes company captain, a merely lethal wound like this—

was no big deal.

Some Salamanders gathered around their captain, while two others thanked Cyrus and his men.

"Thank you so much, brother."

"Without your help, we couldn't have driven off those Xenos. We're from the Salamanders Chapter's Fifth Company. Our captain is Vulkan. We've been fighting the Xenos here for a month, but they keep appearing as if they're growing out of the ground, and they're persuading more and more humans to rebel against us. Good thing you came to help."

Cyrus caught the key detail. "You've been here for a month? Did you also arrive in this region about a month ago?"

"What do you mean, 'also'?"

Yalta came up behind him. "Captain, I've informed the research vessel. They say the warship that was docked in orbit is leaving Tangle Planet. Looks like they're leaving the system. The research vessel should be here soon."

"Brother, the captain's in pretty bad shape. He needs treatment."

"Don't worry. Our people are already on their way, and the medics are coming too."

The Salamander nodded his thanks to Yalta as he approached.

"Thank you, brother."

Then he returned to the earlier question. "By the way, what did you mean when you said you also arrived in this region about a month ago?"

Cyrus didn't keep anything from them. After all, the Chapter had "no" secrets.

So he openly told them what had happened when the Salamander asked.

They had originally been returning to their flagship, but while traveling through the Warp, they had suddenly been expelled from it. Thinking back, something must have cast them out of the Warp, sending them crashing onto Ozrax.

"Sounds like we had similar experiences. A month ago, we received orders from the Adeptus Mechanicus on Mars to send six companies to reinforce Cadia. The Third Company and the Astra Militarum were assigned to transport an Xenos artifact. On the way, Warp energy forced us out."

"Another Chapter was expelled with us, but we lost track of where they landed. They must have come down somewhere in the surrounding region."

"Which Chapter?"

"The Blood Angels."

"..."

Those guys.

Some of them were considered lunatics by the Blood Ravens, too.

The Blood Angels could be affected by the Red Thirst and the Black Rage, causing them to lose control.

Most Chapters didn't want to deal with them.

But the Salamanders had sent six companies to reinforce Cadia. What had happened there?

Cyrus told them everything about Governor Cisrain.

"So you think we've been caught up in a secret operation?"

"Maybe. But right now, none of us can get back to our Chapters, and we've been separated from our companies."

Cyrus explained their current situation. Both sides' expressions immediately turned grave.

They understood the predicament they were in.

The Imperium had sent six Salamanders companies, which meant a major battle might be brewing. And the situation here was bad, too.

Eleven Chaos Beacons!

Who knew how many servants of Chaos had already been gathered?

And taking this planet had also made an enemy of the Tau Empire.

They could face retaliation at any time.

"Not only that. If you came from Ozrax, you might run into a Chaos attack."

The Salamander spoke gravely. "A month ago, we encountered Chaos, too. A Chaos Warband had sent forces here. On nearby worlds, they were breeding populations on a group of life-bearing planets to supply soldiers and Chaos servants for the Gene-seed they had stolen."

"We defeated them and learned about the traitors. From what we gathered, they had a full Chapter of Chaos Space Marines."