Baina Robe

On October 27, 501.M42, Atris officially established its Astra Militarum (IG), designating it the Atris First Army, also known as the Human United First Army. Since the Department of Internal Affairs could not respond at present, the designation was issued by the provisional Segmentum Pacificus Second Council. Tristy was appointed its second commander. Huh? Who was the first commander? Evan's statue was sitting right over there, being venerated.

At the same time, the Atris Planetary Defence Force (PDF) was established.

Evan was invited onto the city wall, which was temporarily serving as a VIP viewing platform.

As Tristy envisioned it, this was essentially an upscale celebrity meet-and-greet. Leaders from various sectors spoke with several Astartes. On the neighboring stretch of wall, for instance, the Storm Will Chapter's Fifth Company captain was discussing the possibility of supplying the Astartes in exchange for Imperial tax privileges with an official in charge of ammunition production.

Once everyone got talking, some handed out local specialties while others enjoyed fine food. Although many factories had yet to resume operations, plenty of previously accumulated valuables remained. After all, people had discarded those useless things when fleeing for their lives, and the Orks had no interest in them either. Now waves of scavengers were bringing them back from the wilderness. There was still good stuff to be had.

Below the wall, people celebrated, sang, and danced.

But now Tristy rubbed his temples. Evan's speech and Tristy's advance publicity had simply worked too well.

An endless sea of people had gathered beneath the wall, all spontaneously expressing their affection in humanity's most primitive fashion-I give you my most precious possession.

Under normal circumstances, that would have been perfectly fine. But hardly anyone had brought anything when fleeing for their lives, whether they came from the upper or lower levels. And so all sorts of outrageous gifts appeared.

The guards had already gone down to maintain order, clearing an area and keeping people back. But they could not withstand the enthusiastic populace's "uprising," and agreed to let the people select representatives to organize things and pile the "gifts" beneath the wall.

"My deepest apologies, esteemed Lord Evan. The people's love for you runs incredibly deep, and that often leads them to do things that overstep the bounds. After all, they are only mortals, nowhere near as powerful or rational as you. Please do not hold it against them." Tristy could only draw on his extensive experience fencing verbally with nobles when speaking to Evan. An angry Astartes would be a terrifying thing.

"A soldier should earn the people's love. An army that cannot even win the affection of its own people cannot win battles."

Tristy's adjutant hurriedly took out a little notebook to record it. Work had already begun on Evan's Sayings, with Evan's earlier speech as the main text and his other quotations as supplementary material. Whatever else happened, it would definitely be required memorization in primary and secondary schools for the next hundred years.

Evan jumped straight off the wall, landing in the cleared area.

The guards immediately came close to losing control of the crowd. To be fair, the guards themselves wanted his autograph too.

"Please be patient, everyone. Would the people's representative come over?"

A nearby guard shakily went to summon the gift representative. Inside, however, he was screaming, My idol spoke to me! My idol spoke to me!!!

Before long, a plainly dressed woman hurried over and tried to kneel as soon as she reached him.

"Stand up, ma'am. I just spoke about uniting all humanity. No kind of unity is achieved by making others kneel." Up on the wall, the adjutant's eyes lit up, and his pen raced across his little notebook.

The woman was now so overwhelmed that she could not speak.

"Please return these precious gifts to the people. We will not take their belongings."

"Lord Evan~~~" Well, that one call almost carried the eternally single Evan away.

"These gifts are everyone's heartfelt offerings..."

Evan understood that too. Refusing everything might cause trouble. More importantly, it could leave the unpleasant impression that lofty Astartes like him looked down on ordinary people.

Evan surveyed the enormous pile of gifts. Gold watches and silver jewelry were fairly normal. That white shirt was probably the most respectable thing some mid-hive worker owned. A floral handkerchief... quite pretty, actually. Perhaps it belonged to an Upper Hive lady. Wait, why were there shoelaces too? Some poor soul from the Underhive must have offered the only presentable thing on him.

An idea struck Evan, and he said to the woman, "Come here. I'd like to ask you, as a personal favor, to help me with something..."

After the celebration ended, the Shadow Venom Blade Chapter departed first. Their Penitent Crusade had to continue, and they would set off to face the Imperium's next enemy. (Obviously. At its richest, your Chapter had only three Strike Cruisers and two frigates, and both frigates were destroyed. Now you've acquired a Battle Barge-what glory for your forebears! How could you not hurry out to try your new warship? Off for a joyride through the warp!)

The Storm Will Chapter also left after handing over large quantities of promethium to the Green Templars. They needed to head straight to a Forge World to trade. Their Chapter had few ships now, and if the Aeldari came to reclaim their vessel, they might genuinely lose. Cashing it in quickly was the smart move.

As for exactly how much they would get, heh. The Green Templars had been fooling those idiots from the Shadow Blades who had never seen the actual ship. Only he and Deika knew perfectly well that this ancient Aeldari vessel, in almost pristine condition, was worth at least five Battle Barges, with no upper limit.

Why had the Green Templars asked for only one Battle Barge? Their intentions were obvious, as Deika's vigorous promotion of Evan and the Green Templars Chapter made abundantly clear. In exchange for this payment, the Storm Will Chapter would abandon its plans to make Atris its Chapter homeworld. The Green Templars wanted the world for themselves. Not only that, the price they had paid was enough to make the Storm Will Chapter put in a good word for them with the Department of the Interior and help make it happen.

Hmph. Crafty old fox.

And so the task of clearing the remaining Orks from Atris fell to the Green Templars Chapter.

In fact, all three Chapters had their own assignments. The territory guarded by the Storm Will Chapter was far larger than these few colonies, but when the warp storm appeared, they had been trapped here with no way out.

The Shadow Blades had simply fought their way here on their Penitent Crusade. Nobody knew the exact whereabouts of these penitent Chapters.

As successors of the White Scars, the Green Templars had, as always, been dispatched as scouts to places where Imperial intelligence was most lacking.

The Green Templars and Shadow Blades were already accustomed to operating beyond the Emperor's Astronomican. (The Astronomican was a beacon in the warp created by the Emperor. Without it, ships could easily lose their way.) Their Chief Librarians assisted their Navigators during voyages, which meant they rarely entered the battlefield immediately after fighting began.

The Chief Librarian of the Storm Will Chapter, which specialized in defending Imperial cities, was somewhat less capable in this regard. That was also why their Chapter had been the last to reach the battlefield.

The Green Templars continued their cleanup work.

Meanwhile, the rebellious planets deeper in space received communications from this region. They now knew about the arrival of the Orks and Astartes, and would raise a massive coalition army to resist the Astartes' offensive.

Deika now boarded the Steadfast Splendor, the Battle Barge the Storm Will Chapter had given them. It was a premium warship produced by the Mars Forge.

The name "Battle Barge" might sound unimpressive, but it was actually a collective term for this category of warship-or rather, a class of battleship capable of amphibious operations. Yes, that was right: a battleship. However, its specialized modifications meant its firepower still could not match an Imperial Navy battleship, placing it roughly on par with an Imperial cruiser. That was, of course, if one excluded the Astartes and considered only long-range firepower.

What it gained by sacrificing long-range firepower was exceptionally solid defense. These warships, designed to punch straight into planetary orbit and deploy Astartes, were equipped with almost the best defensive systems the Imperium possessed: two Gellar Fields and a modular Void Shield, so that a failure in one area would not bring down the shields elsewhere. Alloys formed under immense volcanic pressure were forged on high-gravity moons into an ultradense alloy keel, making it as tough as the gates of the Imperial Palace.

The Battle Barge Steadfast Splendor had four lances, one pair at the bow and another at the stern. Each flank carried twelve Macro-cannon batteries, and a massive bombardment cannon sat on its dorsal hull. This terrifying gun could rapidly overload an enemy's Void Shield. Usually used for planetary attacks, it was the ideal choice for orbital bombardment and could fire Exterminatus weapons. Naturally, it hit ships hard too. It had two large hangars. Two! Large hangars!!!

But most terrifying of all, a Battle Barge could simultaneously deploy three companies of Space Marines to board enemy warships within minutes.

Those lethal warriors were the most terrifying weapons aboard.

Deika led the First, Second, and Third Companies back to the Blessed Forest to begin moving.

At last, they would no longer have masses of Astartes crammed together.

The First, Second, Third, Sixth, Seventh, and Scout Companies would move aboard the Steadfast Splendor. That way, once fighting broke out, half the Space Marines could quickly launch boarding attacks against enemy warships, while the two companies and Scout Company remaining aboard could use their own ship's weapons to effectively repel enemy boarding parties.

The Fourth and Fifth Companies would remain aboard the Blessed Forest. The Blessed Forest could deploy one company of Astartes at a time, completing the operation within twenty minutes. In fact, it could carry more, but their fighting style made large hangars essential. That was why deploying the Astartes in the previous battle had still taken quite some time.

I can't help it. I don't want to retrofit large hangars either, but this is our dear old mother ship. (Tears from an impoverished, newly founded Chapter.)

Accounting for their recent combat losses, the Green Templars had around six hundred Astartes and a fleet capable of rapidly deploying four hundred in total. That was pretty good.

What? The Nova-class Frigate? Just a little extra. (Deika put on a haughty face.)

While everyone in space busied themselves moving, the extermination of the Orks on the ground had reached the final region around the south pole.

Evan had it rather worse, with Squad Leader William chasing him everywhere.

William was determined to train a Chapter Champion. Now he wanted to cram every single skill he knew into Evan's head.

The first few days had been fine. Specialized firing stances and advanced swordsmanship were all proper, practical skills.

Now things had grown absurd: emergency Power Armour repairs, improvised ammunition production, and the field cooking he was currently studying.

Astartes actually had no need whatsoever for cooking skills. Thanks to their augmentation surgeries, they could learn information about their enemies by consuming their flesh and blood. For example, if Evan had bitten the Ork warlord during their fight, he could have learned Mistanbol's strength, speed, and what anatomically outrageous movements he could easily perform. Thanks to his powerful digestive system, this would have no adverse effects on him. Orks, Chaos traitors, even Tyranids-he could eat them all raw. The drawback was... it was bloody disgusting.

Besides, to bite someone, you had to take off your helmet.

Only certain Chief Librarians or Space Marines blessed by the Emperor's power fought without helmets. The helmets' warp-shielding effect interfered with the release of their psychic powers or their reception of the Emperor's blessings.

If Evan had not worn his helmet, the Deff Dread beneath the Morkanaut would have cracked his skull open long ago.

Still, it had its uses afterward. For example, if you killed an enemy during a pursuit while the others escaped, you could bite the corpse. The pheromones present in different concentrations in its flesh would give you a rough idea of whether they were truly fleeing or had set an ambush.

And so field cooking was... genuinely appealing.

Evan's ancestral instincts promptly awakened. I have the proud culinary heritage of five thousand years of Chinese civilization... Oh, you've had forty thousand years? Sorry, wrong place...

Actually, the veteran squad leader had simply wanted to teach Evan how to identify minerals. After first determining that a sample contained no lethal toxins, he could use the analytical organs in an Astartes' mouth to determine its basic material composition.

But now things seemed to have gone a little off track...

"Let me taste this. Oh, decent salt content. At a hundred degrees Celsius, 98.4 percent of the substances released are edible salt. The other substances are assessed as nontoxic and will not affect the food's flavor."

Then Evan added the stone to the Ork broth he was making...

That counted as feasting on the enemy's flesh when hungry and laughing as he drank their blood when thirsty, surely.

"This organism is assessed as plantlike and edible. No incompatible substances detected. Suitable for addition." Evan tossed another strange herb he had pulled from who knew where into the pot.

Oh no. The kid's lost it.

"Evan, isn't this a little..."

"Oh, sorry, squad leader! My mistake. I should've chopped it into smaller pieces first."

Forget it. He's beyond saving.

A month and a half passed in a flash. After the Green Templars Chapter finished clearing out the Orks, it was time to continue its journey. Chapter Master Deika had spent the past few days wandering around, hauling back any boy who caught his eye for transformation into a recruit. The Chief Apothecary's metal tanks had barely been moved aboard the Steadfast Splendor before another dozen or so recruit augmentation projects were added.

Today, the Green Templars would formally hold their departure ceremony at the Arctic Military Base. Normally, all this should have taken place on the space station, but there was no helping it now. The station had been smashed beyond use.

"Chapter Master Deika, on behalf of all humanity on Atris, I, Tristy, once again thank your Chapter for its support. Atris will never forget your kindness."

"There is no need for thanks, Mr. Tristy. Punishing the Emperor's enemies is the purpose of our existence. And now, we sincerely welcome the Atris System into the Imperium."

"Please let me in! This is a task Lord Evan gave me. Really, I'm not lying..." An argument broke out over by the guards. The "gift" representative was clutching a large bundle and arguing with them.

The guard did not believe her either. "I've seen eighteen people in three days using that excuse to see Lord Evan. What's that you're carrying? A sack of rags? Couldn't you bring a better gift and at least make it look convincing?"

The "gift" representative was on the verge of tears. But this was exactly what Lord Evan had requested...

"Let her through," Chapter Master Deika said. Tristy waved a hand, and the guard pursed his lips and let her pass, still muttering, "Lucky for you there are important people here today..."

Deika did not know whether to laugh or cry at what the woman was holding. What on earth was that great heap of rags patched and stitched together?

"That thing you're carrying..."

"My lord, this really is what Lord Evan requested."

"Oh, you're here." Evan strolled down from the neighboring wall, where he had just been chatting with Zhanke, the Fourth Company captain.

"My lord, this is what you asked for." The woman approached with the bundle and was just about to kneel.

"Hmm~~" The woman forcibly stopped her knees from bending, raised both hands above her head, and presented the bundle with a deep bow.

Evan took the bundle and opened it. Inside was an over-robe, though with his armour on, he could only use it as a cloak.

Just then, Gajie popped up beside him.

"Hey, Evan, which Underhive rat did you steal that bedsheet from?"

The woman remained bowed deeply. Nobody could see her expression.

Tristy's adjutant had already pulled out his little notebook. He had discovered a pattern: however outrageous Evan's conversations with other Astartes became, whenever humans were nearby or involved, his words always belonged in a textbook.

"What do you mean, a ragged bedsheet? Two months ago, the brave people of Atris fought the Orks to the death wearing these very rags. Now they have generously given me their last scraps of dignity as gifts. What does that symbolize? It symbolizes that we are an army supported by the people. It symbolizes their love and trust in us."

Evan unfolded the robe/cloak and draped it over himself.

All sorts of clothing-white shirts, handkerchiefs, cut-open suit sleeves, hats-had been sewn together with assorted shoelaces and strips cut from belts serving as thread.

"Clad in this Baina Robe of the people's will, we shall fight for the people, fight together for all humanity, and fight to liberate the entire galaxy. The people's will is the direction in which we march. If one day my body dies and my soul fades, wrap my corpse in this Baina Robe. Long live the people!"

On December 14, 502.M42, the Green Templars Chapter left Atris.

On December 26, Evan's Sayings was published and quickly became a sensation worldwide. Within the roiling warp, powerful red energy gathered into a mass, taking the shape of the Baina Robe.

On July 9, 503.M42, an enormous statue of Evan descending like a god was erected on the mountain of the North Pole Fortress where he had previously fought.

On December 10, a spiral museum was completed within the crater left by the final battle. Its spiral staircase led all the way to the bottom, surrounded by Ork relics, remains, and recordings of Space Marines and mortals fighting bravely. At the bottom stood a massive monument. Its lowest pedestal was a statue of the Ork warlord Mistanbol prostrating himself on all fours.

The two sides of the monument bore the names of the Astartes who had fallen in the war and the designations of the mortal units annihilated during it.

The back of the monument bore the names of every surviving Astartes who had participated in the war and the designations of the mortal units.

The main inscription on the front read:

"May the warriors of Atris who fell in the war against the Orks live forever in memory.

May the Astartes and Imperialis Militia who fell supporting Atris in the war live forever in memory.

May all the people who gave their blood and sweat for Atris in the war live forever in memory."