Chaos Space Marines of a Chapter

"We need to prepare for the worst."

Ozrax required support, but they did not know how far the Dragon Chaos Warband had advanced beyond Ozrax, whether the fighting had already begun there, or how long the position could hold. Therefore, they had to prepare for the worst.

Then there was the hidden threat of the Chaos Beacon. The beacon had been lit for a long time, and every day, an unimaginable number of Chaos forces were gathering. For the Gamma World, it was a ticking time bomb.

Finally, there was the issue of the Tau Empire's fleet vying for the fortress stars. Once they left the fortress stars, the enemy could seize them again at any moment, rendering all their previous efforts futile.

Enemies on all sides.

This was the status quo of the galaxy and a microcosm of the Imperium.

In this war.

Every second of their development was incredibly precious.

The honor of the Imperium, the future of humanity, the will of The Emperor, and the plans of the Governor would all be reflected on the battlefield.

This was a race against time, a war of attrition against the clock.

This was a war to secure a foothold, and a war that concerned the future.

They needed to resolve the immediate trouble as quickly as possible and then reinforce Ozrax, to reinforce Governor Cisrain.

The war could not be delayed; military action required speed.

Once it dragged on.

They would fall into an endless war of attrition.

The enemy had massive reinforcements: soldiers, weapons, machines, and cannon fodder.

Meanwhile, their own development would stagnate.

What the Gamma World lacked now was a brief period of peace.

Two resource fortress stars, and the technology unleashed from them, would bring forth terrifying advancements: complete Necron Technology, Tau Empire artificial intelligence, Chaos psychic technology, Resurrection Protocol, Soul Protocol, and the Megastructure Colossus Project.

They had to create a period of stable development for Cisrain.

"We only have one choice, brothers."

"Boarding action!"

"Boarding action!"

The Salamanders Chapter and Cyrus spoke almost simultaneously.

Both clearly accepted the feasibility of this tactic.

A boarding action meant forcibly dragging the opponent into their own battlefield, then using their rich combat experience to engage in a life-or-death struggle on the enemy's warship.

There was no retreat, no choice.

Only by carving a bloody path could they reach the end!

Boarding meant massive sacrifice and facing death.

Boarding meant entering the enemy's strategic heartland and facing even more violent counterattacks.

A boarding battle also meant it was the last resort they had.

Although the Governor spoke lightly of the situation.

In reality, the crisis they faced was far greater than what he described.

Once Ozrax was completely breached by the Dragon Chaos Warband, the defensive lines built by the Gamma World would instantly collapse. Chaos Space Marines would ravage the Gamma World, unstoppable. All their efforts and sacrifices would be reduced to ashes along with the collapse of the front line, not to mention any talk of development.

"I will have the Salamanders warriors join you in entering this planet. Before that, we need to properly plan our war preparations and collect all intelligence regarding the alien fleet."

"Yalta, have them prepare the drop pods simultaneously!"

"Yes, Captain."

At this moment, they desperately needed the deployment capabilities of the research ship.

To board, they had to get the research ship close to the enemy, either before the enemy could react or, if the enemy had reacted, force their way in before they could be stopped, thereby compelling the enemy to engage them.

The Imperium had won many seemingly impossible wars relying on such tactics.

The only problem was that the research ship might not withstand the enemy's anti-aircraft fire.

Therefore.

They had to kill the enemy commander and eliminate all the high-ranking officers of the enemy fleet as quickly as possible.

And they had to return to Ozrax within the allotted time.

So, there was no time left.

The gaze of the Salamanders was cold and sharp.

At this moment, the merciful Salamanders wanted to rush back to support Ozrax even more than Cyrus's squad.

A Chapter that once inherited honor had fallen into a corrupted Chaos Warband.

They had desecrated the honor of the Salamanders, tarnished the glory of the Lord of Fire Dragons, betrayed the expectations of The Emperor, and become the lackeys of demons.

They had brought shame upon the entire Salamanders Chapter.

The traitors had to be cleansed with their own corpses and blood, washed away by the Melta Guns forged from the fury of the Salamanders Chapter, and their sins burned away by the eternal fire, offering their loyalty to The Emperor and the returning Lord of Fire Dragons.

These were not just enemies of the Imperium, but enemies the Salamanders had to eradicate.

They were a stubborn disease that had stained their honor and had to be purged.

The Salamanders Chapter walked through the research lab.

They looked through the transparent window into the ICU.

Precision and complex instruments were constantly stitching the Captain's body. Combined with the powerful regenerative genes inherited from the Lord of Fire Dragons, the fist-sized wounds on the Captain were healing at an incomprehensible speed.

Unknown, mysterious instruments continuously scanned Vulkan's body. The recorded data could hardly be matched with any known technology; it could only continuously stimulate rapid cell growth and repair.

The complex and mysterious organs modified by the Imperium were working within him.

While the members of the Salamanders Chapter waited.

Captain Vulkan awoke.

Vulkan looked at the dense array of tubes inserted into his body.

He pulled them out directly. Some alloy needles were half a meter long, deep into his skin, while others were inserted into his nerves to stimulate nerve cell synthesis and certain modified organs.

Vulkan saw the Salamanders standing outside. During his coma, he admitted he had seen scenes he should not have seen.

He saw the Dragon Chaos Warband!

He saw the traitors of the Salamanders!

He saw the former Salamanders actually capturing young boys and girls from various worlds.

He saw them imprisoned in the demonic instruments of Chaos mechanical servitors, injecting stolen gene-seeds into the girls' bodies, using evil, corrupted arts that had extinguished their conscience and completely lost all mercy to torture the boys, only for them to be ruthlessly sliced open at the abdomen with cold blades.

This scene, even for the cold and ruthless Third Company, was likely impossible to accept.

"Captain, Captain!"

"You're awake!"

"Where are the Chaos Warband guys now?"

Vulkan's fury surged once again.

This time, it was rage against the traitors, rage against those who desecrated their honor.

He needed to wash all of this away.

Even if it cost him his life.

The other Salamanders did not know how the Captain knew, but it was a good thing he was awake. Seeing that the Captain seemed completely fine, they assumed it was a blessing from the might of The Emperor.

The Emperor protects.

"Captain, the Chaos Warband is currently at Ozrax."

"However, before going to Ozrax, we need to execute a mission."

In the void.

Pale blue plasma scorched the vacuum.

Ripples of void energy spread out.

"Chapter Master, another probe has been discovered."

"Ignore it, it's just a place for farming."

He reached out his hand.

Before the deck of the warship, a sun was in its prime, wanting to cast more light outward.

But, in this vast universe, light was always enveloped by a more majestic, eternal darkness.

Just as if it were being pinched in his hand.

"I was once incredibly loyal, but now I am tired of the betrayals, one after another."

"The hypocritical Imperium builds its own honor upon walls and fences forged of flesh and pain. I am tired of it all."

"The Corpse Emperor and the False Emperor are destined to fail, and the Imperium of Man is destined to fail. When the storm of Chaos blows again, the False Emperor and his hypocritical lackeys will realize their mistakes once more."

Wishing all [Astra Militarum Solar Marshals, Space Marine Chapter Masters, Adepta Sororitas Canonesses, Space Wolves Great Wolves, Black Templars High Marshals, Custodian Shield-Captains, Grey Knights Grand Masters, Tech-Priests, Imperial Knight High Kings, Emperor's Chosen, Warmasters, Aeldari Corsairs, Regent's Consorts, Tyranid Hive Mind Node Creatures, Chaos Knights, Chaos Champions, Daemon Princes, Warband Lords, Votann League Kindred Leaders, Tau Empire High Councilors, Ork Warbosses, Necron Overlords, Deathmarks, Old Ones, C'tan] a Happy New Year, may all your wishes come true, may 2025 be smooth sailing, may you make a fortune, do great things, and achieve great success.