"This was said by Narath Kirin, the first Chapter Master of the Ashen Claws, and commander of the Raven Guard's Eighteenth Chapter."
"Alright, alright, I wasn't very good at human history. What does that mean?"
"Though I also dislike the cold-blooded ruthlessness displayed by Imperial soldiers, I must admit that Corax handled the Terran-born soldiers rather inappropriately. Perhaps the many warships he left the Ashen Claws came from guilt in his heart. But it was still rather ridiculous..."
"Ridiculous?"
Looking at Yilafren's face, Jaghatai raised a hand slightly. One look was enough for Yilafren to know that Jaghatai was about to do something strange to her again. She tried to leap from his lap and use her cloak to blink away, but she failed. Jaghatai's hand had already reached the back of her neck; with a gentle tap, Yilafren went limp, collapsed across his legs, and fell into a deep sleep.
"It is ridiculous... but someone with such an unguarded mouth shouldn't be hearing it..."
Jaghatai closed the book and considered the differences between the Ashen Claws and the Carcharodons.
The Ashen Claws had once been exiled after Corax judged them to be bloody butchers. Yet now, these warriors, who neither worshipped Chaos nor held any interest in the Imperium of Man, had truly found a life of their own.
Space Marines living amicably alongside mortals—what tremendous progress! If Corax could see how greatly the Ashen Claws had changed, he too would feel sorry for what he had done.
What, exactly, had made these brutal warriors become so approachable and carefree?
Jaghatai Khan's thoughts drifted. Accompanied by Yilafren's snores, his memories returned to when he had first arrived in the Ghoul Stars.
He and Yilafren had searched the Ghoul Stars for traces of Fulgrim, but the Khan knew that in