Seizing a Titan by Force

Around fifty Astartes had reached Inquisitor Thraxol's flagship to take refuge, intending to stay out of the war.

The Astartes were not ordinary soldiers. They were tactical daggers honed to the toughest, sharpest edge.

When a battlefield had not yet spun completely out of control, the Astartes could use their overwhelming combat prowess to kill enemy leaders and throw their forces into chaos.

But in the current situation, sending those fifty Astartes to the front line against the Greenskins would change nothing. One volley of 300-millimeter shells from a Stompa, and they would die just like the Astra Militarum!

Reluctant as he was, once Captain Dolong judged the planet lost, he decided to preserve his forces. He abandoned the people below and took refuge aboard Inquisitor Thraxol's flagship.

Now Captain Dolong stood beside a viewport, gazing through the thick bulletproof glass at the dusty yellow planet below. He could not help closing his eyes.

Their Gene-Primarch had taught them to love the people and protect the Imperium's citizens from Xenos.

They were to love not only humanity as a whole, but individual human beings as well.

Thanks to those teachings, the Black Uncles had far higher moral standards than their other transhuman cousins.

But faced with a Greenskin Ork infestation on this scale, Captain Dolong could do nothing.

He could not send half his company to die for nothing. They were precious daggers, and they had to fight where they could do more good.

Beside Captain Dolong, Inquisitor Thraxol stood with his hands behind his back, also looking down at the planet. He said:

"God-Emperor above. Unless something changes, an Exterminatus will fall upon this planet within a month!"

Captain Dolong fell silent. He stared at the dusty yellow world below, his eyes filled with sorrow beyond words.

After a