More than 120 pure Luna Wolves gene-seeds, guarded by 500 Astartes. Reasonable. But a rough estimate put the Chaos Astartes involved in this battle at over 1,700. That was abnormal. Definitely abnormal.
Evan started plowing through the place again, and the Chief Apothecary practically wanted to trail right behind him.
"Whoa, don't touch that! Nutrient lines! Leave that one alone-it supplies power to the refrigeration..."
After searching for ages, they finally found a mechanism on a mechanical pod disguised as a Neophyte Transformation chamber. Opening it revealed stairs leading down. Huh. The wonders of Warp vessels.
Next came the Shadow Venom Blade Chapter Techmarine's dance-party moment.
"Omnissiah! Emperor preserve us! My great father Ferrus Manus!"
Great. Another one had lost his mind.
Evan caught the Techmarine in a bear hug.
"Tell us what the hell it is! We can't make sense of these blocks!"
"STC! STC Fragments! Five! Five whole fragments!"
When the awakened Shadow Blades Librarian Grand Master activated his Dreadnought's tactical vision, he saw three Space Marines worshipping a portrait of the venerable Emperor they'd found somewhere.
The Librarian Grand Master remained fairly calm. At least they weren't worshipping a Dark God. They didn't seem corrupted by Chaos yet.
"Where's the Bloodthirster?" The hastily cobbled-together speaker was truly awful, producing nothing but a synthesized electronic voice.
"Dead." The Techmarine transferred the battlefield footage from his tactical helmet to the Dreadnought. Although it didn't show how Evan had defeated Karkarim behind the wall of fire, it did capture the three of them chopping him into mince.
The Librarian Grand Master finally relaxed.
"As agreed, the Dawn Angels Chapter should arrive in about a week. We need to hold out until then."
They had to prepare their defenses. It was unlikely, but the enemy might still send more reconnaissance vessels.
"Grand Master, guess what we found?"
When the Librarian Grand Master learned what they'd captured, he silently walked over to the venerable Emperor's portrait. Time to worship. They really had hit the jackpot.
Previously, bowing to the venerable Emperor's statue had meant asking for his blessing before a campaign. Now the four of them bowed with the air of Langjuxu, like conquering heroes reporting back to their ancestors: your descendants had made something of themselves and achieved unparalleled glory.
Meanwhile, in the Warp, the Baina Robe had spread itself out completely, trembling as it covered the Warp exit.
I don't dare move. Why are there Bloodthirsters wandering around everywhere?
Good heavens, now Greater Daemons of Tzeentch have come too. This is terrifying.
Oh, they're fighting. Where are my sunflower seeds?
Meanwhile, the Storm Will Chapter's Apothecary was frantically busy. So many had died here. So many gene-seeds needed recovering. Damn it, he had run out of room. They were all his brothers; how could he favor some over others? He had to take them all. Brothers, I couldn't bring you off the battlefield alive, so I'll take every last one of your gene-seeds.
"Techmarine!!! Whatever it takes, help me take them with us!"
Conditions really were difficult. The Shadow Blades Techmarine gathered the backpacks of the other fallen Apothecaries, then found some power packs.
He started assembling everything by hand.
For this episode of I Love Great Inventions, we invited the Shadow Venom Blade Chapter's veteran master Techmarine. Please welcome him with a round of applause.
"Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!"
Now, let's ask our inventor to give us a detailed introduction to his latest invention.
"Ahem. This invention is primarily intended for battlefield use. Close your eyes and imagine: you're a Chief Apothecary, tasked with treating allies and recovering your battle-brothers' gene-seed. But one day, you take part in an unprecedentedly brutal battle. You look around, and everyone's fallen. You're the only one left. What should you do?
"Exactly! Recover the gene-seed.
"But all alone, how can you recover the gene-seed of an entire Chapter, or even several allied Chapters?
"Right? An ordinary person couldn't do it.
"So, feast your eyes on... beep-beep, beep, beep-beep! Our latest invention!
"Using the same wheels as a Dreadnought ammunition feed assembly, our mobile platform is sturdy and reliable, with rapid acceleration and braking. We've also combined the storage backpacks of fifteen Apothecaries and Apothecary Aspirants. Enormous capacity, enormous peace of mind.
"Refreshing chill, frozen storage! Once again, we guarantee one hundred years-one hundred years of frozen gene-seed preservation without mutation. For one hundred years, your gene-seed will remain viable. Safe and reliable: choose my craftsmanship.
"Fifteen Nuclear Power Packs connected in series provide abundant power and exceptional endurance, safeguarding your gene-seed with all the energy it needs.
"The overall design follows the Retro Terra 3K shopping trolley aesthetic. Fifteen trolleys, fifteen styles, with bespoke customization available. Express yourself! Go beyond your limits!
"What? You're calling it a little push-along train?
"Wonderful! What an intelligent audience member! To ensure your precious gene-seed never goes missing, I drew inspiration from Terra's multi-section, independently powered combined train design, passed down since the 2K era. All gene-seed storage units, power packs, and protective devices are linked together, with added sheet-metal guards. Never lose your vital supplies again.
"Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Only one in the entire universe! Just one!"
There was no helping it. The Storm Will Chief Apothecary was simply too stubborn. The gene-seed recovered from three Chapters, plus the newly discovered Luna Wolves stock, totaled over seven hundred. He insisted on carrying all of it himself and never leaving it for even a moment.
Stubborn. A stubborn mule.
And you have the nerve to criticize him, Comrade Shadow Blades Techmarine? Fine, you built him a little train, but what the hell did you make for yourself? A tank? Planning to launch it into space? How many layers of sheet metal did you wrap around those five STC Fragments? Hey, hey! Still grinning stupidly at the metal? Snap out of it. We need a meeting.
Uh, Grand Master, you can go to sleep. Without a cryogenic chamber to enter or enemies to kill, the Shadow Blades' chief Librarian suffered every moment. It was understandable that he didn't want to talk.
What? That's not the problem? Huh? The Dreadnought's too ugly? Stop complaining. Getting that smashed pile of scrap assembled around you was an achievement already. At least we saved your life. We can improve it later, all right?
Look how nice the Green Templars' white shoulder plate is! And that yellow power arm from the Storm Will Chapter-pretty handsome, isn't it? Now look at this backside salvaged from the Shadow Blades Dreadnought... uh, let's skip that for now. Look at the feet! One belonged to Kargas Bel, and the other came off a suit of Cataphractii-pattern Tactical Dreadnought Armour. Hey, hey, stop waaaaaaghing! Calm down! Stay rational...
Once they finally soothed him, the four sat in the small ring formed by linking the little train and the big tank.
Post-battle analysis had been Evan's first lesson at the Green Templars Recruit Training Camp. He wouldn't forget it even in death.
"Overall, this battle cost us fourteen hundred Astartes casualties. Enemy kills... including those killed by the Rebel Alliance fleet, a conservative estimate puts the total at perhaps seventeen hundred Chaos Astartes. More than thirteen hundred may have been World Eaters, possibly even more, with around four to five hundred Luna Wolves."
"We also sent a Bloodthirster back to the Warp. Let's not bother counting the enemy mortals."
"Let's cover the important points first. Any enemies arriving now might be the Rebel Alliance's relief fleet, people from Taste III, reconnaissance ships belonging to Khorne or the Black Legion, or others who learned about the gene-seed or STC Fragments here and came to seize them."
"Against those forces, I suggest primarily guerrilla warfare. The Techmarine and Chief Apothecary should protect their cargo. Evan will lure the enemy out, and the chief Librarian will destroy them."
"The Dawn Angels will be here soon. Evan, have you cleared the route? Good. Just keep one route to open space unobstructed."
"Yes, exactly. We definitely can't tell the Dawn Angels about this stuff. Just say it's our own gene-seed. As for this big iron box... call it a Chapter relic. Don't let them look inside, even if it kills you. Their transport fee? With this many wrecked warships, they'll make a fortune hauling them to a Forge World. They want a fee? They should be paying us!"
"Right. Blow up the original storage sites later. No evidence left behind."
"Gentlemen, whether you acknowledge it or not, we're in this together now. We must remain united. No infighting."
"So let's discuss and resolve any disagreements right here."
Evan's expression turned solemn. "I oppose the Codex Astartes."
The other three exchanged looks. Forget it. Calling this man who chased Greater Daemons around with a blade a traitor was less plausible than claiming they themselves were under the Warp's influence.
Evan continued, "Limiting each Chapter to a thousand warriors was precisely why we lacked the strength to handle this incident. I've decided that if we establish a Chapter around ourselves, it absolutely won't remain a thousand strong. We'll start at tens of thousands."
"Then how do you intend to obtain Guilliman's approval? After all..."
"Why do we need his approval? I'm a son of Jaghatai Khan. You're sons of Rogal Dorn and Ferrus Manus. Why should we obey Guilliman? Our loyalty belongs either to our own Primarchs or to the Emperor."
Ow, this thought-stamp really hurts. If I shouted 'Corpse Emperor,' would my head explode on the spot? Ow, ow, it hurts.
"Besides, does everyone actually follow it? The Dark Angels Chapter claims complete compliance with the Codex Astartes. Do you believe them? The Blood Angels never admit they have a Death Company. Haven't you seen it when fighting alongside them? Your parent Chapter, the Iron Hands, along with your Shadow Blades and the other successors, all use a clan system, don't they? Isn't that right, Brother Techmarine Annos? The Black Templars are from your line, aren't they, Apothecary Situval? Tell us how many warriors they have."
Silence. A long silence.
"The Emperor said he wasn't a god. He told us to believe in the Imperial Truth and in science. Has the Imperium's Ecclesiarchy obeyed? Has the Adeptus Mechanicus?"
That much was common ground for all sons of the White Scars. They never believed the Emperor was a god. They believed that one day their Primarch and the Emperor would return and lead them in bringing death to the Emperor's enemies once more.
"But adopting completely new technological innovations-what if it's a plot by Tzeentch..."
"Convincing all humanity that innovation is harmful, making everyone cling to existing technology while human technological standards steadily regress-that is Tzeentch's greatest plot." Mudslinging, huh? If you can do it, Tzeentch, why can't I sling it back at you?
"The Emperor's Ecclesiarchy exists because the people need faith to strengthen their resolve against Chaos's evil temptations..."
"Situval, Chief Apothecary of the Storm Will, ask yourself honestly. On one side, desperate prayers go unanswered. On the other, worshipping a Dark God brings gifts before your very eyes. Whatever those gifts are, they prove that god exists. Which side do you think ordinary people will find easier to favor?"
"But if we don't regard the Emperor as a god, won't resisting Chaos corruption become even harder?"
"Think back to when the Emperor was still an ordinary man on Terra. In that dark age, what ideals drew so many people to serve him? Don't tell me it was because he was the Emperor. People aren't fools. They don't commit themselves for nothing."
"Exactly. It was because the Emperor made a grand pledge. He would unite humanity across the entire galaxy. The whole galaxy, all humanity, governed by one immense Imperium of Man. It was a grand pledge to make humanity great again."
"So why can't we follow that grand pledge? Why can't our people follow it? I'd rather see people charging to their deaths crying out for the liberation of the galaxy than see them massacred while praying in churches."
"How can you assert that this would improve people's resistance to the Warp?" Good. They've stopped fixating on whether I'm loyal to Guilliman and the Imperium of Man.
Fundamentally, resistance to the Warp largely depended on the firmness of one's faith. Anything worked, provided one didn't worship the Dark Gods. The problem was, how could one know one's object of faith wasn't a disguised Dark God? That made the Emperor the best choice.
"Because I intend to end aristocratic rule, change the current system, and give the people at the bottom a path upward. Let capable people work where their talents serve best. Give the weak opportunities to become strong. Introduce compulsory education so everyone can choose the future they want. Humanity's leaders must be people tempered by hardship, who earn their positions through competition, not rotten nobles replaced by their heirs when they die. Everyone must receive a thorough education. The people will see Warp fiends as merely another kind of xenos, not something invincible."
"We aren't telling them not to believe in the Emperor. We're telling them not to consider him a god, but a great man, a pioneer guiding humanity forward. When corruption threatens you, there's no fundamental difference between crying 'Divine Emperor, save me!' and 'The great Emperor's grand pledge guides us.'"
"But wouldn't that betray the Imperium of Man?"
"I'm loyal only to the Emperor. What does the Imperium of Man have to do with me? Or rather, the current Imperium betrayed the Emperor long ago. To find out whether this works, why not liberate a few rebel planets and keep the Ecclesiarchy out?"
"The four Dark Gods of the Warp draw their power from the dark side of intelligent beings. If humanity's darkness diminishes, wouldn't that indirectly weaken them? With less power, wouldn't they be easier to defeat? Once we defeat them, wouldn't positive energy become easier to accumulate? It's a virtuous cycle."
"If we really did that, the Officio Assassinorum..."
"With enough strength, we can negotiate with Guilliman. After all, he's good at negotiation, unlike the Lion, who rules by his own decree. With a thousand warriors, they'll think about killing you. With ten thousand, they'll meticulously plan how to kill you. With a hundred thousand Astartes, they'll have to negotiate. With a million Astartes, you're the Emperor's most loyal warrior."
"Try talking first. If that fails, fight a war. If it really comes to that, find a way to trap him, then take down the Imperium of Man."
They had all gone numb. What they were discussing would warrant three days and nights of firing squads.
"This is blatant..."
"Are you stupid? First we replenish our numbers to a thousand, then apply to establish another Chapter. They say recruits who haven't put on Power Armour and Apothecaries don't count toward combat strength, right? Then we'll organize Astartes into unarmored mess units or battlefield Apothecary companies. Failing that, appoint them as commanders in mortal fleets and armies. Put the armour on when a battle starts, take it off afterward. Who'll know how many we have?"
"Then, citing the need to maintain loyalty after retaking rebel planets, we'll station recruits there. In the name of safeguarding the faith, we'll eliminate every noble, open or hidden, and give ourselves the fine title of the Loyalty Maintenance Force."
"By the time the Imperium notices, who knows how many Astartes we'll have?"
Then we'll have a thousand regulars, plus cooking units, medical units, reconnaissance units, county battalions, district squads-ten thousand or so men fighting a properly well-supplied battle. Ah, no, hive-city battalions and farm squads... Nearly wandered into the Battle of Plangeller there.
You call this a spur-of-the-moment idea? You've clearly been plotting this for ages. You're planning a rebellion!
"I agree." Surprisingly, the Shadow Blades Librarian Grand Master spoke first.
"After the Emperor stopped governing, the Imperium became what it is today. Let's try. We're in a corner of a remote sector anyway. If we retake a rebel planet here, it'll take the Imperium a hundred years or so to react."
The other two were still wrestling with their thoughts, especially the stubborn mule from the Storm Will.
Evan and Librarian Grand Master Mororis began murmuring into Chief Apothecary Situval's ears like they were chanting spells.
Damn, this was more terrifying than whispers from the Warp.
"What's so great about Guilliman? You're not his descendant. We're loyal to the Emperor. So what if the Imperial Fists follow the Codex? Doesn't your Storm Will Chapter have its own little schemes? Think about your Black Templars-they're nearly ten thousand strong already. There's always some room for differences. We're not asking you to go to war with the Imperium right now. We'll keep our heads down first. Look, we've only got three Astartes left. Who knows how long it'll take to get back to a thousand, right..."
What a pain. If he were a Dark Angels kid, we'd already be discussing the implementation details. He might even be more enthusiastic than me.
Chief Apothecary Situval agonized, hauling his little train around and around until he nearly wore tracks into the floor.
Evan's theory sounds workable. No, that's betraying the Imperium. No, the Imperium betrayed the Emperor. No-aaaaah, my head hurts.
Aaaaaah, you're disloyal! No, you're exceptionally loyal. My head hurts.
Evan's approach resembled that of the First Legion's Primarch, Lion El'Jonson: first unify the ranks and ensure nobody would stab him in the back, then launch a vast Great Crusade just as the Emperor had.
White light swept through the Warp. The battle between the Bloodthirsters and Tzeentch's Greater Daemons ended at once, and everyone hurried away. The Baina Robe had been comfortably enjoying the show when suddenly everyone left. Even it found that strange.
The white light shone upon it.
I'm not leaving. I won't leave. Nobody gets through except our own other Astartes fleets.
The Baina Robe spread its body, if that could be called a body, and fiercely guarded the junction.
The white light gradually faded, and the surroundings finally emptied completely. The whole Warp fell silent, with only the faint signs of a fleet approaching in the distance.
Evan and the three senior figures concluded their meeting. Situval, the Storm Will's Chief Apothecary, finally agreed to the plan-though only as far as finding a few planets to try it out.
Before you continue