114th Set! The End!

Pluto

"..."

Private 106-7323478-12-Mide of the 7th Platoon, 13th company, Krieg 121st Siege Regiment silently watched the Cult of the Underworld missionary striding toward their squad of infantry.

The missionary, wearing a flamboyant grin, was not here to preach.

On the contrary, they were peddlers who drifted among the various Astra Militarum regiments, more likely to pull erotic reading material from their robes than books of the Cult of the Underworld.

Mide did not want to speak. He and his comrades lay quietly in Pluto's space transfer station, awaiting orders from Terra—

Then Pluto's star gate would open and send them to the next battlefield.

Transfer stations had not usually provided even simple bedding. He would squeeze together with his companions and sleep fitfully.

But this time, the Adeptus Mechanicus had provided them with bedding marked by serial numbers and barcodes. He had heard it was because supply transfers had become more efficient—

Terra was implementing some new system called Reborn. Mide did not understand it, but if it could get bullets and supplies to the battlefield faster, he would gladly accept it.

"Praise the Underking! My dear brothers of the Death Corps, come have a look! I've got the newest ration bars—more filling than ordinary ones. Eat one, and you can go three days without food!"

The missionary finally reached Mide's side. These Cult of the Underworld missionaries sold wares tailored to the traits of each Astra Militarum unit,

and their missionary licenses allowed them to move freely through every regiment.

After all, the Cult of the Underworld was the organization most stringent in guarding against Chaos. The higher-ups were not worried that these rats wandering among the regiments would spread Chaotic ideas—or perhaps the Cult's people had simply greased enough palms.

Merchant fleets and the Adeptus Mechanicus sometimes