Endurance.
Now.
.
"This is the private observation room."
Mortarion's voice echoed through the empty space.
A solid slab of reinforced glass was set into the dark gray wall, while starlight slowly spilled in from the far reaches of space.
Several dark green banners bearing the Death Guard's emblem hung slowly beside the walls, while two rows of black sofas were casually arranged in the center of the room.
Mortarion stood by the window, gazing out at the boundless universe.
Hades looked out as well. Countless stars glittered in the deep void, which seemed capable of swallowing everything.
At the very center of the observation window, a planet shrouded in green mist slowly rotated, embraced by a hazy moss-green glow.
A massive Star Ring, gleaming with a mechanical sheen, revolved above it. Ships occasionally flew out from the ring.
Barbarus.
A dim yellow glow fell across Hades's face, and fine dust drifted through the faint light.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Mortarion's hoarse voice sounded.
"But I never expected such a beautiful planet to be so ugly beneath the mist."
"Will the Imperium help improve Barbarus's toxic atmosphere?"
Hades asked in an intentionally casual tone.
In the original plot, the Emperor had used the promise of terraforming Barbarus as bait, hoping Mortarion would join the Imperium. Mortarion had naturally rejected it.
Hades hoped that, now that Mortarion had already killed Nac'Lare, he would not reject the Imperium's offer to improve Barbarus's environment.
As a primarch's homeworld, wouldn't it be better for it to prosper after its tithe was reduced?
"They did make that offer."
"But I was wondering whether Barbarans would become weak after losing their toxic environment."
Hades was speechless.
But Mortarion was not the only one who thought that way. Leman Russ, primarch of the Sixth Legion, believed the same.
Leman Russ's homeworld was Fenris, a Death World blanketed in ice and snow. When the Imperium made Fenris the Sixth Legion's new recruitment world, Leman Russ demanded that the Fenrisians not be told of the Imperium's existence.
He believed that only those who defeated the ice and bitter cold on their own could become warriors of the Sixth Legion.
Hades could not directly deny that viewpoint, but by his straightforward values, if everyone could live better lives, there was no need to deliberately use hardship to temper them.
After all, not everyone wanted to become a war machine like a Space Marine. Some people might simply want to live out their lives peacefully.
Hades thought for a moment before speaking.
"Resilience is an inborn quality of Barbarans. It flows in every Barbaran's blood and will not change simply because the environment changes."
"Besides, I believe that an environment without toxic gas will allow Barbarus's next generation to grow up healthier and stronger."
Mortarion fell silent.
He remembered the children who had inhaled too much toxic gas, whose skin had turned purple, who had died young.
Were they weak? If they had been given the chance to grow up, would they have become good warriors?
He hesitated.
"Perhaps... I should accept the Imperium's offer."
Hades smiled.
"I don't think you'll regret that decision."
"The Barbarans will be grateful to you."
Mortarion shrugged.
"I hope they do not become cowardly because of it."
At the same time, Mortarion reached out and touched the glass. In an instant, an image appeared upon it—
As though, beyond the glass, a massive warship truly floated slowly through space.
Enormous and cold, dark green and gleaming with merciless silver-white metal, its sleek hull was like a dagger. Slender spikes jutted from its prow, piercing into the void.
Its streamlined dark gray metal frame supported a plow-shaped bow, upon which sat an enormous Imperial Aquila. The golden double-headed eagle seemed strangely out of place with the style of the colossal vessel.
Beside the Aquila was an iron-gray skull emblem of equal size—the emblem of the Death Guard.
Around her, the exquisite smaller warships were utterly overshadowed, no more than insignificant ants.
The colossal ship was like Death's scythe, silently cutting through the universe.
Of course Hades knew what it was—the Death Guard's flagship, the Gloriana-class Battleship Endurance!
This was... too beautiful.
Unlike the cathedral-with-engines image Hades had imagined, the understated, cold Endurance was exactly the sort of spaceship anyone dreamed of.
And the Emperor had simply given such a beautiful flagship to Mortarion for free.
Hades admitted that, for one brief moment, he had truly felt jealous.
Mortarion smiled.
"This is the Endurance, the ship we are currently aboard."
"It's so beautiful."
"I decorated her. This girl was not this beautiful before."
Indeed, the gray-green main color scheme was Mortarion's work. Before that, the Dusk Raiders had used dark red.
"Too many decorations will always conceal her own beauty."
"In the future, I plan to carve every battle the Death Guard has fought onto her prow."
Rarely, Mortarion's smile carried a trace of pride.
You bastard, you're just showing off!
Hades felt his teeth itch.
.
Afterward, Mortarion told Hades that starting tomorrow, he only needed to train with a company. These next few standard Terran months would happen to be a small training period.
For now, Hades needed to follow the company and familiarize himself with how a Space Marine fought.
Although Mortarion greatly wished to place Barbarans into the company's administrative positions as soon as possible, the Barbaran warriors had only just undergone their enhancement surgeries and had trained for an average of less than six standard Terran months. They were still incapable of taking on any duties.
They had not even reached the standard of becoming qualified Space Marines yet.
If Mortarion wanted to place Barbarans in administrative positions, he would have to wait until the experienced veterans above them were short-handed and the new generation of Barbarans had earned military merit before beginning to work on it.
Therefore, all Legion affairs were still currently handled by veteran Terrans.
Mortarion could not openly provide Hades with assistance either. As a primarch, he needed to establish his authority within the Legion as well. Promoting a "recruit" in the eyes of the Terrans immediately after taking office would obviously be a rash move.
.
Following Mortarion, Hades had basically toured all the places aboard the Endurance that he might frequently visit in the future. Along the way, he had also seen places with good views, as well as high-tech sights dazzling enough to be worth admiring.
They began making their way back. Mortarion and Hades took an elevator inside the Endurance, slowly ascending toward the Space Marines' rest area.
Staring at the densely packed floor numbers in the elevator, Hades suddenly remembered something during the long ride.
Wait, had Mortarion come looking for him alone?
The Death Guard had another highly distinctive unit: Mortarion's primarch bodyguard—the Deathshroud.
Those warriors, clad in heavy Terminator Power Armor, would silently follow forty-nine paces behind Primarch Mortarion, protecting his safety.
Warriors who became Deathshroud would be marked as "dead" within their own company.
Maybe Mortarion had not established the Deathshroud yet because they were still in the adjustment period, Hades thought.
But that still was not right.
During that country-bumpkin-style tour just now, aside from a few mortal crewmen and servants, Hades had not seen any other Death Guard.
Hades glanced cautiously at Mortarion.
"Mortarion, you're the commander of the Death Guard now, right?"
"Mm."
Mortarion hummed happily.
"...Then aren't you very busy right now?"
As if realizing what Hades was trying to probe for, Mortarion spoke in his usual calm voice.
"It is rest time now."
Hades silently glanced at the elevator wall, where the time floated.
[Standard Terran Time 21:36]
Given that every Space Marine was a beast who slept only four hours a day, it was still far too early for rest time.
Hades looked at Mortarion again.
Mortarion fell silent.
Silence was Cambridge tonight.
At last, Mortarion could not take it anymore.
"I had Barasyn, captain of the First Company, temporarily oversee the Legion's training."
.
So, big brother, you skipped work and ran off?!
(;Д｀)Holy shit, a reader on QQ Reading has been sending me recommendation votes one at a time. He sent more than two hundred last night and spent an hour or two doing it. Brother, who are you? You really don't need to do this (;Д｀) You're making me feel like someone is trying to mess with me (;Д｀)
Also, friends on QQ Reading, I might not necessarily be able to see your comments and such here. I'm very sorry about that.
(;Д｀)
Happy reading. (òó)
Before you continue