Greetings

In the docking bay aboard the Guardian, where small transport ships berthed, crowds of personnel hurried about their work.

Although relatively few ships had managed to evacuate in time from the hundred-thousand-strong Expeditionary Force, almost every vessel was packed with people, most of them wounded.

To treat the wounded promptly, many medical teams performed surgery, blood transfusions, and bandaging right there in the docking bay.

The wounded soldiers' moans, the bustle of medical personnel, and the steady arrival of more ships made the already cramped docking bay even more chaotic and noisy. The sight alone was enough to leave anyone agitated.

Pex was deeply agitated. The Expeditionary Force's first landing had failed, and a single battle had cost it nearly a third of its fighting strength. Even as System Commander, he had suffered an enormous blow to his reputation.

Arriving in the casualty area, Pex personally helped the doctors tend to the wounded soldiers, performing simple nursing tasks such as stopping bleeding and giving injections.

"The Imperium thanks you for your sacrifice, soldier," he said, injecting a dose of painkiller into a soldier's arm.

"Get some rest. Recover soon." Pex patted the wounded soldier's shoulder, and the soldier was already too moved to know what to say.

Winning hearts, expanding the Cult, and consolidating his power-Pex's aim was to accomplish several things at once.

These soldiers who had escaped back to the ship had resented their commanders, but seeing the System Commander himself come to visit the wounded dispelled that resentment.

Even if the commander was only putting on a show, at least it was a show of respect. Respect was precious indeed in this world.

Wiping sweat from his forehead, Pex finished bandaging another wounded soldier. Suddenly, a sense of dread rose within him, as though life and death hung on a single instant.

The Kasrkin soldiers behind him seemed to sense it too. They chambered their Hellguns and readied themselves for battle.

"Humie Boss, Boss Slick sends his greetings." A low, steady voice suddenly spoke in the human common tongue out of thin air.

Under everyone's terrified gaze, five Orks, each at least two meters tall, stepped out of thin air. With the shotguns in their hands, they blasted almost all the Kasrkin soldiers to pieces.

The Kasrkin reacted as well, firing their Hellguns through one Ork's chest and blasting off another's arm.

The two Kasrkin nearest Pex knocked him to the ground, only to be instantly cleaved in half by a scimitar.

The bloodstained scimitar continued its swing unabated, chopping down toward Pex's neck.

At the last possible instant, Pex shifted his neck aside with astonishing reflexes. The blade slammed into the deck, and the sparks from the impact left a shocking scar across his face.

"Hm?" A surprised voice came from thin air.

Pex hastily raised both hands toward the empty space before him. Psychic power compressed in his hands, then struck something unseen with a bang, like a blast from an air cannon.

An Ork Warboss wearing red goggles, with two ammunition belts slung across his back and two enormous-caliber shotguns hanging at his waist, was blasted into view.

Rambo planted his Slayer Sword against the floor and glared viciously at Pex. His headhunting assassination attempt had failed!

The entire exchange had unfolded in the blink of an eye. Only after watching Pex knock Rambo down did the ordinary people realize that Orks had appeared aboard the warship!

The crowd erupted into chaos. Many began searching for weapons, while those who already had weapons nearby aimed them at the Orks.

There was only one chance at assassination. Once it failed, there would be no second opportunity.

Lying on the floor, Rambo whistled and signaled a retreat, then rolled aside to dodge the lasgun fire coming his way.

By the time he finished rolling, Rambo held an oversized shotgun in each hand.

Bang, bang, bang! Three shots rang out. Even if he could not take his head, Rambo still wanted to see whether he could kill Pex.

Unfortunately, the guards had recovered their wits and formed a human shield in front of Pex. Among them was the wounded soldier whose injury Pex had bandaged.

The large-caliber shotguns struck a wide area, felling whole sections of the human wall. Pex was wounded too, but not fatally.

More Expeditionary Force soldiers grabbed weapons and converged on the Ork Kommandos. Though fierce, the Kommandos were outnumbered, and two more were soon killed.

Knowing there was no point in holding out any longer, Rambo unfastened his belt and hurled out all the spheres attached to it.

Thinking they were grenades, the approaching Expeditionary Force soldiers threw themselves down and took cover. Meanwhile, Pex had already left the docking bay under his guards' protection.

The spheres began detonating one after another. Some were real grenades that inflicted considerable casualties, some were flashbangs that caused widespread confusion, and others were smoke grenades that helped the Kommandos conceal themselves.

Under cover of the chaos, Rambo led his two remaining Boys to a corner of the docking bay. A small supply ship happened to be berthed there, its crew still utterly bewildered by what was happening.

"Soldiers inside! Open the hatch, now! There's been a massive explosion up ahead. Lots of casualties. We need help." Rambo reached the supply ship's external communicator and spoke in the accent of an officer he had just learned to imitate.

"Yes, sir!" The people aboard the supply ship failed to notice anything wrong and hurriedly opened the hatch.

Two flashbangs greeted them. After blinding the Humies aboard the supply ship, Rambo charged in first. His two rifles gave him an overwhelming advantage in the cramped confines of a ship, and he slaughtered every Humie inside.

The smoke screening the docking bay had yet to disperse. Rambo and his two subordinates piloted the supply ship straight through its docking supports, smashing them apart as they flew into space.

Of course, simply leaving was not Rambo's style. His mind was filled with memories of the exploits of Rambo that Cheng Mingrui had told him about: storming camps alone, fighting a hundred enemies single-handedly. Every time he recalled them, Rambo's blood boiled, and his whole being surged with Waaagh!

In his stories, Cheng Mingrui had adapted the Rambo movies to the interstellar age, then made a few small changes and exaggerated things a little. For instance, he replaced Rambo's enemies with Space Marines, Aeldari, and Necrons, and finally turned Rambo himself into an Ork.

"I told you, Humie Boss. I'm here to give you Boss Slick's greetings." The corners of Rambo's mouth lifted slightly. He picked up the remote control at his waist and slammed down on the red button.

The bombs planted earlier in the docking bay detonated one after another. Flames and shock waves devoured every living thing around them, turning the entire docking bay into a living hell. Fewer than one in ten of those still inside survived.

At the sight of the enormous pillar of fire rising from the docking bay, Rambo's grin widened. He piloted the supply ship down toward Euronia IV in a plummeting dive.