NFBE Chapter 704: Red Sanctuary and Lord Guilliman
Chapter 704: Red Sanctuary and Lord Guilliman
Chapter 704: Red Sanctuary and Lord Guilliman
Battle Moon, a certain passage.
After leaving the deepest cave of the Battle Moon, Fu Qinghai led the soldiers of the Iron Pagoda Regiment to retreat all the way outward, retreating continuously, along the winding and tortuous underground passages for more than ten kilometers, before stopping and waiting in a cleared orc ammunition processing factory.
Waiting for the news of the gate explosion.
They chose to stop at this ammunition processing factory because the orcs had made many structural reinforcements in order to prevent ammunition explosions during the production process. These reinforcement measures could withstand the gravity disturbances caused by the explosion of the subspace portal, as well as earthquakes and collapses that might be caused by the shock wave.
Fu Qinghai paced back and forth in the factory.
Why hasn’t the imagined shock wave come yet?
Did the Adeptus Mechanicus fail to destroy the gate?
"Is there any picture coming back from the servoskull?"
Fu Qinghai asked his attendant.
"The signal is seriously interfered with, there is no signal for the time being."
Lin Yu glanced at the tactical tablet and replied.
"Establish a communications link with the battleship Supremacy."
Fu Qinghai thought about it and gave an order to the technical sergeant.
"Communication link established, Khan."
The technical sergeant under his command quickly replied.
"Master Buck."
Fu Qinghai directly found the Forge Master who was currently on the boarding deck, looked at the face on the screen that was filled with black metal cables and green electronic eyes, and asked:
"What's the situation with those robot soldiers?"
"The situation is still relatively stable. There is no tendency to attack for the time being. We are considered friendly units in the logical judgment of the intelligent control robot. Your artificial intelligence is trying to crack the control program on the intelligent control cortex. It is estimated to take... half an hour."
Master Buck replied seriously.
The intelligent control robots are not remote-controlled robots but intelligent robots. They have a certain level of primary intelligence - the primary intelligence allowed by the Crimson Protocol. After Qinghun left the intelligent control robots, the robots quickly regained autonomous control. Fu Qinghai guessed that they suddenly moved from the cave space to the battleship deck, and at the same time disconnected from the technical priests accompanying the army. They must feel very "confused" at this moment. What Master Buck needs to do is to appease the machine soul and wait for Qingming to crack the control protocol.
"Okay, as long as they don't get out of control..."
Fu Qinghai was just about to give more instructions.
“Boom—boom boom!”
The sudden vibration interrupted his words, and the communication signal was instantly interrupted. Master Buck's face on the data tablet screen turned into flickering and moving black and white stripes.
Fu Qinghai raised his head and looked around. In the factory, there was a creaking sound as the steel beams twisted, dust and peeling walls, and the ground under his feet had several deep cracks that spread to the surroundings.
The Terminators staggered and could not stand steadily.
Fortunately, this wave of vibration came suddenly and went away quickly. Just when Fu Qinghai was worried that the factory would collapse and bury him, the vibration from deep inside the moon had disappeared.
"Return to the cave!"
Fu Qinghai immediately gave the order.
Many Space Marines hurriedly returned to the passage they had just left. After walking along the passage for a few minutes, they found that the road ahead had been completely buried by collapsed boulders. So they had to change to another fork in the road. As a result, this fork in the road was also collapsed by the shock wave... After going around in circles, they finally returned to the cave.
At this time, the battle is in the deepest cave of the moon.
"hiss……"
Even though they had seen this scene once before, the cruel scene in the cave still made many people gasp. The giant curved corners that formed the green fire gate collapsed on the pile of corpses, including the corpses of Orks, humans, Skitarii, Space Marines... The twisted and damaged wreckage of the Knight Mechs and the Cybernetic Robots were like some jagged metal exposed on the scarlet corpse mountain, and the corpse mountain even rolled up and down like a real hill.
Mars has learned a profound lesson this time.
Fu Qinghai glanced across the cave littered with corpses.
Do you still dare to disobey Qingshan Khan's command?
"Looking for the beast's body."
Fu Qinghai gave the order calmly.
According to the experience of blasting the green fire gate, when this gate is destroyed, it will release random and irregular chaotic gravity shocks. This gravity disorder is not like a nuclear explosion that spreads evenly from the inside to the outside, so whether the creatures in the cave can survive depends on luck. Some fart spirits huddled in the corner and shivered but were unharmed, while some knight mechas were rubbed into a pile of scrap metal.
Beasts are not necessarily affected by gravity shock.
If you are affected, you may not die on the spot.
You need to search before you can confirm.
The Iron Pagoda warriors ignored the lingering gasps and groaning of the Crusaders in the pile of corpses, but quickly spread out and began a dragnet search. When they met any green-skinned orcs that were not yet dead, they would give them a final blow and send them to meet their second brother.
The beast was huge and conspicuous. If it was dead, it should be found quickly. However, the Space Marines searched back and forth but could not find any trace. Fu Qinghai frowned and scanned the large and small passages around the cave.
I thought: Could it be that the beast has run away?
It would be troublesome if I ran into other passages...
Fu Qinghai was squinting his eyes and thinking.
"Khan, I found it!"
The voices of his men were heard over the communication channel.
Fu Qinghai immediately raised his head to look, and soon saw a Space Marine standing on a collapsed giant metal corner, holding up a huge green foot with both hands. The foot was connected to part of the ankle, Achilles tendon and leg bone, and the rest was covered with tattered green skin and scarlet tendons, as if it had been violently torn apart by some huge force, resulting in complete separation of flesh and bones.
A rough estimate of the foot is more than two meters long.
Only wild animals have paws this big.
"Were no other body parts found?"
Fu Qinghai asked as he walked over.
"We dug through the pile of bodies and found nothing."
Several Space Marines around answered.
"The beast should have run away."
Lin Yu followed behind and expressed his guess:
"But he escaped through the portal."
Fu Qinghai nodded slightly.
After the Mechanicus began to focus fire on the Green Fire Gate, the beast escaped through the last teleportation before the gate completely collapsed. At that time, the gate may have been unable to function normally and was on the verge of collapse. The chaotic gravity caused the beast to lose a foot. This is a more realistic guess. However, this injury is nothing for an orc, not to mention the orc among orcs, the beast.
"All Space Marines, thoroughly clear the battle moon."
Fu Qinghai tilted his head and said in the public channel:
"The battle is over, we won."
…………
Mars, Pavonis Mons.
A female tech-priest emerged from the subway and through the dusty, dirty windows of the station she saw the facilities near the Tharsis Foundry: low volcanic slopes rising slowly along the horizon, the surface of the mountain covered with an incalculable number of factories, extending upward until it extended out of the Martian atmosphere and into the airless void.
One of the forge temples rises high above the surrounding factories, shrouded in the shadows of the towering Titan legions.
The area looked like any other on Mars, but this part of the Tharsis Foundry was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere, and rumors said that there was a deep secret here. The woman knew that this was not just hearsay, she knew a lot about it.
The Martians hid their intentions well, but not well enough. A new experimental project was built inside the Tharsis Foundry, and a large amount of resources were converging here, but there was nothing unusual on the surface. The foundry was running as usual, repetitive and monotonous, but some clues were still captured by the data thieves hiding in the Martian network.
That's what women come for.
She and the rest of the Red Sanctuary team have been separated, and the Rust Trackers and the Blade Infiltrators are still sniffing around like hounds to find their traces. But Mars is not a monolithic place, and Kubik also has his own opponents who are secretly disobedient, and there are more than one or two. The Grand Master of the Assassin's Court cleverly uses these people to help his agents.
The woman stepped off the platform and made her way out through the throng of people. Machines built into the station pillars, monitoring the bustling Martian population, silently scanned her implant and read her function code. The woman hurried down the steps, cradling her data tablet to her chest in her arms, a perfect imitation of a low-level assistant who was running late.
The woman walked into the honeycomb-like factory complex on the volcanic slope, and quickly switched between different identities in the shadows and gaps with ease. Sometimes she became a forge engineer, sometimes a hunter, blending seamlessly into any place she was, becoming a face that no one would remember in the crowd, going deeper into the foundry along the stairs and pipes until there were fewer and fewer people around her.
Several robed Mechanic Monks and Silu Mechanic Monks walked past her quickly. These sneaky low-level technical priests did not question her identity. There are thousands of branch sects and power structures within the Mechanicus. They are wary of each other and do not inquire about others, nor do they want others to inquire about themselves, which saves women a lot of trouble.
As the woman was walking, she suddenly took a deep breath, her back muscles spasmed violently, her shoulder joints dislocated with a click, and then she slammed into the narrow gap between the walls on her side. Her whole body disappeared like a piece of gummies in the gap that was less than fifteen centimeters wide and completely impossible for a person to pass through.
Half an hour later, in the dark foundry, a graceful figure covered in black gelatinous skin slid out from the cracks in the wall. The assassin revealed her true face, replacing the original image of a female technical priest.
The black-clad assassin skillfully jumped and flipped between the beams of the foundry, silently and lightly, like an agile ape. Below her, there were densely packed robot servants moving back and forth and moving things, and the assembly line was in motion.
Another great weakness of the Forge Empire of Mars is that its human resource base is composed entirely of mindless half-human machines. This abuse of lobotomy plays into the hands of the assassins, and the agents of the Assassin's Court can move more freely than on other worlds within the Empire. These servitors simply ignore anything that is not programmed, and will not react even if the assassins show up in front of them.
The assassin crouched on top of a steel beam.
Look at the mechanical servants moving continuously below.
The robot servants were carrying a stretcher similar to a wounded soldier's and were marching in a line. On the stretcher was a white plastic bag, which seemed to contain some huge and heavy object. These robot servants seemed to be unsupervised, so the assassin jumped down from the beam, landed on the ground quietly and steadily, and then walked to the side of the robot servant team to check. As she expected, these robot servants ignored her.
The assassin followed the two servitors and displayed the slender green crystal blade on her arm. With a light scratch of the tip of the blade, she opened a sealed bag and bent down to look inside.
Inside was a naked corpse, with a fat pink tongue hanging between its yellow ivory-like curved teeth. Its blood-red eyes were half-open and half-closed, and its face was lifeless and dull. A huge crater had cut off its flesh and blood, and its left arm was gone. The stench of the corpse in the bag was nauseating, and the assassin quickly switched to breathing through his mouth.
It's the damage caused by the bomb.
The assassin stepped back to let the servitors move forward, carrying the orc's body. She did a rough calculation in her head, weighing the size of the warehouse and the number of stretchers needed to transport it, and then took a deep breath.
Over 10,000 bodies.
"What do they want with ten thousand dead orcs?"
The female assassin whispered to herself.
She would inform Wangerich immediately.
Whatever the purpose of the Mechanicus collecting so many Ork corpses, at least one thing is certain: Mars knew about the "Waaagh of Beasts" long before the Battle Moon descended on Terra's orbit, but they said nothing. The Assassin's Court Grand Master's suspicion of the Forge Master was confirmed, and the Holy Covenant had long been a lie. Not only that, Mars was obviously conducting some secret research that could not be revealed.
…………
Terra, Lionsgate Airport.
Countless large warships gathered at the berth.
Two Space Marine Legions have returned victoriously.
Then, these victorious Space Marines all gathered at Lion's Gate Skyport, ready to greet the nominal Supreme Commander of the Human Empire, Lord Guilliman Uddin Macht Uddo - yes, it sounds like the people who come to greet and those who are greeted are reversed, but that is the fact.
The "Guilliman" in Udo's title is an honorary title. The full name of his position is: Lord Guilliman Udo, Supreme Commander of the Imperium, the first person on the Council of High Lords, indicating that he possesses the same power and status as the Regent of the Empire. He has no blood relationship with Roboute Guilliman's adoptive family on Macragge.
However, the welcome ceremony was so grand that it seemed as if Udo was actually the Primarch of the Ultramarines.
The vast and towering boarding deck of the battleship Rectification has been cleared, and the Space Marines are waiting fully armed. Udo's gorgeously decorated shuttle passed through the void shield and landed in the golden ring in the center of the deck specially painted for reception. The shuttle's landing ramp lowered, and fifty Lucifer Black Guards wearing exquisite black carapace armor stepped down.
They jogged along an avenue lined with Space Marines, with representatives from various Chapters and Companies of the Imperial Fists of the White Scars. Together with the 1st Company of the Iron Pagodas serving as the personal guard and honor guard, there were nearly a thousand Space Marines on the entire deck.
At the end of the deck corridor stood the commanders of each regiment, as well as the captains and priests of each company. Standing at the front of the crowd were Captain Qingshan of the Iron Pagoda, Grand Marshal Bosimonde of the Black Templars, Captain Manduratu of the White Scars, Captain Isaga of the Rebukers, Captain Quesadla of the Crimson Fists, Captain Thorne II of the Paragon Fists, and the last member of the Imperial Fists, Kurland.
The Lucifer Blacks rumbled along the avenue on their shining boots, spreading out to form a man-wide cordon, then turned ninety degrees to face the Space Marines, with a final stomp of their feet echoing across the deck. Although the Lucifer Blacks were serious soldiers, this defensive move was somewhat ridiculous - as if all of them together could stop even ten Space Marines if those present decided to kill Udo.
This move has more political implications.
Kurland thought silently in his heart:
Lord Udoh was flaunting his authority.
A sneer appeared on Fu Qinghai's lips.
Behind him, the senior officers of the regiment either had gloomy faces or were expressionless, and it was obvious that they were not very interested in this so-called welcome ceremony. Fu Qinghai, however, had a relaxed and indifferent expression on his face, without much dissatisfaction or resentment, but more of an indifferent attitude, quietly watching your performance.
"Woo-"
With the sound of the silver horn, Guilliman Uddin Macht Udoh, surrounded by many followers and senior officials from Mars and Terra, slowly walked down the ship's gangway.
Udo was dressed in the most elaborate attire, a rich and stiff uniform, embellished with brocade and gold, with his chest covered with honours and medals. His cape was lifted from the ground by six blind, automated hymn-servants, which moved slowly forward, chanting incessant prayers to the Emperor. Servo-skulls hummed above him and flew off in all directions. Cherubim followed, two infant angels pulling a golden cloth two metres above his head, and two others holding swinging mechanical censers that emitted a scented cloud of indigo.
The parade stopped in front of the Chapter Masters.
Fu Qinghai and Kurland both knelt on one knee facing Udo and lowered their heads. Seeing this, other senior officers of the regiment behind them could only kneel on one knee and lower their heads reluctantly.
Udo clapped his hands and smiled with satisfaction:
"Arise, arise, loyal servants of the Imperium! You, the powerful sons of the Emperor, have returned to your Father's side in his time of greatest need, and you have not let him down."
The Space Marine stood up, and the huge height difference immediately made Lord Guilliman look dwarfed by him. Udo calmly waved his hand to signal a servitor, who came forward with a velvet-covered tray containing several golden medals of honor. A servant followed the servitor and took out the medals from the tray and affixed them to the breastplates of the Chapter Masters one by one.
"In recognition, this medal of honor is named 'Defense of Terra'. All Chapters present will be allowed to display this medal on your armour and banners forever."
Udo announced, raising his chin.
The attendant approached Fu Qinghai cautiously and placed the medal on the lightning eagle wings emblem on his chest with trembling hands. Fu Qinghai looked over the attendant's head and looked behind Udo: four automatic scribes used mechanical feather pens to scribbled down the events on paper scrolls, and there were also servitors with cameras as eyes and speakers as mouths. Several servo skulls hovered in mid-air, and the lenses in their eye sockets were aimed at the Space Marines from different angles, recording this scene of the medal ceremony.
Fu Qinghai guessed in his heart: these images, sounds and video images being recorded now will probably be played repeatedly on the screens outside the palace and on the screens in the squares of countless hive cities on Terra. News broadcasters will praise Lord Guilliman's great leadership, and the priests of the State Church will publicize how the Chapter Masters of the fourteen Astartes Chapters knelt before Udo to express their loyalty to Terra and the Emperor... In order to highlight Udo's supreme power.
"And now, brave defenders of the Empire. We must call a war council. The orcs are not defeated yet."
After completing these ritualistic and performative things, the servo skulls scattered and Udo began to get back to the topic.
……
Battleship Su Zheng, conference room.
The holographic projection of Holy Terra was spinning on the conference table, and a smaller celestial body next to it was the Orc Battle Moon. Through the long window in the corridor next to it, the same scene could be seen in reality, and the Battle Moon was not far from the battleship of the Rectification.
The Chapter Masters sat around a conference table, with Udo sitting at the head of an exceptionally large throne, which allowed him to raise his butt so he could look the Space Marines in the eye without having to look up to speak to these superhuman soldiers in front of him.
"The combined forces penetrated deep into the moon's interior and caused significant damage. The exact results have not yet been counted, but we roughly estimate that 230,000 or more orcs were killed. The weapons on the surface of the battle moon have been dismantled, and we also destroyed a device in the core area. This device was later proved to be a long-distance transmission array, a subspace transmission gate. Without it, the orks will not be able to send support continuously - this information is crucial to this war."
Kurland briefed Udo on the situation:
"Description of the Battle Moon..."
"This shows that the Battle Moon is not only a giant attack ship and a war bridgehead, but also a space portal."
Udo interrupted Kurland with contempt:
"This morning, Kubik told me that we have noticed this situation. Terra is currently formulating a new strategy on how to end this war once and for all."
Fu Qinghai couldn't help laughing when he heard this.
Tyra is currently developing a new strategy?
You sound as if everything is under control, and I would have almost believed you if I hadn't seen how you guys behaved when the Orc ambassador arrived on Terra and you were so scared that you almost pissed your pants.
"There is only one way to end the war."
Kurland took over Udo's words and said firmly:
“We have to continue to attack.”
An assistant handed Udo a data sheet. Udo took the document and squinted his eyes to look at it for a while. The captains of the regiments were left aside by him to wait. After reading it, he handed the document back.
"Do not."
Udo shook his head firmly and said:
"Captain Kurland of the Imperial Fists' Sunlight Wall Company, you can't attack anymore, at least not yet."
"If we're not attacking, what are we doing here?"
Bohemund said doubtfully:
"The Final Wall has been assembled, the orcs are still wreaking havoc in other parts of the Empire, and you want us to stop?"
"Marshal Bosimonde."
Kurland raised his hand and gestured:
"Please listen to Lord Guilliman."
"It seems that the Second Captain still has some wisdom."
Udo said with a smile.
Isaga couldn't help but interrupt:
"Kurland is now Chapter Master of the Astartes, Lord Guilliman, and he is like any other Space Marine here."
"I don't need your explanation."
Udo waved his hand mercilessly:
"Kurland is not a Chapter Master. According to the practice of his Chapter, if not nominated directly by the Supreme Commander of the War Zone, the potential successor to the position of Chapter Master of the Imperial Fists must be unanimously agreed upon by the Chapter's Chaplains and Captains, and the nominee is selected by voting. In Kurland's case, neither of these prerequisites was met."
"How is that possible? What bullshit are you talking about? He is the one and only, and the last, Imperial Fist!"
Bosimonde growled and emphasized.
"If he were the last surviving Imperial Fists recruit, would you still have chosen him as Chapter Master?"
Udo asked back.
"He has been recognised as Chapter Master of the Imperial Fists by us, the other Chapter Masters of the Sons of Dorne."
Isaga reminded.
"Of course, of course. Second Captain Kurland leads all the Imperial Fists' successors. He is valuable."
Udo spread his hands, neither admitting nor denying:
"I would never deny the wishes of so many great heroes, and if it proves to be in the best interest of the Empire, then Terra can allow such a choice to occur."
"We can decide Astartes matters ourselves!"
Bosimonde stared at Udo and said coldly.
"Obviously not, Grand Marshal."
Udo said patiently:
"First, you are servants and subjects of the God-Emperor, the Lord of All Mankind. Although your changes may have gone beyond the classification of humans, you are still one of humanity, Grand Marshal. Your chapter often forgets this fact. The size of your fleet is unexplainable. There are rumors that the number of Space Marines you command is too large. Your so-called expeditions have repeatedly stirred up the previously peaceful alien races, causing wars to break out on the borders of the Empire."
The "Endless Expedition" strategy formulated by Sigismund during his lifetime was described by Udo as a warlike invasion of neighboring countries... Fu Qinghai even heard the sound of Poseidon's teeth grinding. The Grand Marshal of the Black Templar was about to explode with anger.
"Calm down, Marshal."
Fu Qinghai raised his hand and pressed it on Bosimondo's shoulder armor.
He was afraid that the Grand Marshal of the Black Templars would draw his sword and kill the Imperial Commander on the spot. Although in his eyes, Udo was already a corpse, he should not die now, nor should he die at the hands of a Space Marine.
And don't die on the battleship Suzheng.
"And of course you, Chapter Captain Qingshan."
Udo pointed the finger at Fu Qinghai again:
"You and your chapter disappeared for a thousand years. During this period, the entire Marcus King sector was shrouded in a warp storm. According to normal procedures, we should first send inquisitors from the Holy Tribunal to investigate that sector to confirm the purity of the Iron Pagoda Chapter and whether you are still loyal to the throne. Only after everything is confirmed can your chapter return to the sequence of the Empire's military forces."
Does that mean I don't belong to the Human Empire yet?
Fu Qinghai couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. He didn't expect that he would be scolded by Wu Duo just for trying to stop a fight. However, he didn't give any explanation in the face of this question, but just shrugged his shoulders.
Wu Duo obviously did not intend to continue to dwell on this issue. He said this just to warn Fu Qinghai and his Iron Pagoda Regiment, the most powerful sub-group of the White Scars. Wu Duo had a sharp eye in this regard and saw at a glance that Qingshan Khan was in a leading position among the crowd.
Otherwise, why hold a meeting on the Supremacy?
"We serve the Emperor."
Bosimonde suppressed his anger and said:
“Not in the service of bureaucracy.”
"Our mission is sacred. We are the agents of the Emperor's will, honorable Grand Marshal Poseidon."
Udo turned around and refuted:
"This is not a rule that can be casually ignored. Your willfulness gave us pause. Your gathering is neither necessary nor authorized. How are we to understand this with over ten thousand Space Marines in orbit around Throneworld?"
"Because of your incompetence, we came to save Throneworld, and you come to accuse us of betrayal?"
Mandulatu Khan said with disgust.
"You are the largest force of Space Marines ever assembled since the end of the Heresy That Shall Not Be Mentioned."
Udo knocked on the table and reminded:
"We must be clear about who you are loyal to. Your victory is welcome and commendable, but your sudden arrival has caused an uproar in the Imperial Senate."
"If the Imperial Senate had been more efficient in running the country, and more selfless in pursuing the interests of the Imperial Senate, then we wouldn't have to be here at all, and my brother might still be alive."
Kurland said calmly.
Udo deliberately put on a frightened expression:
"You see, it's words like this that arouse my fear. Are you threatening me, Second Captain Kurland?"
"We have no interest in usurping the Senate!"
Kurland suddenly stood up from his seat, and Isaga grabbed his wrist, but Kurland broke free.
"Did you leave us to die in the Adamantua system because you feared us? Did you sacrifice the lives of the Imperium's most staunch defenders in your political calculations?"
Kurland asked excitedly.
“That’s the root of the problem.”
Udo shook his head and sighed, saying:
"Your mind is too simple."
"Space Marines are trained for warfare, and you only think about combat and honor. Too many times have I seen contempt for ordinary people on a Space Marine's face. You think you are smart, and you are, but you often forget that you were born to create and resolve conflicts, and conflicts are always with you. As the Emperor wishes, the delicate affairs of government should be handed over to more suitable people."
Udo said in a flat tone.
"One hundred and thirty-six warriors of my regiment died to save you and your damn bureaucratic government."
Targukin Khan crossed his arms and said in a cold voice:
"And you're still here, belittling us."
"Look, here we go again, another veiled threat."
Udo spread his hands helplessly and said:
"Okay, let's stop complaining. You must listen to me and do as I say, and there will be no problems between us. Tomorrow, we will go to the surface, where you will be welcomed as saviors. Then, in the Imperial Senate, you will renew your oath of allegiance to the Empire. You will be recognized as Chapter Master of the Imperial Fists, Captain Kurland, and the Senate will agree. You and your chapter can return to the Imperial military order, Chapter Master Qingshan, and the Inquisition will allow. Finally, we will make a plan to end this crisis with the support of myself, Lord Commander of the Imperial Guard Williot, Supreme Lord Admiral Lanson, and others."
Udo finished all his arrangements in one breath.
The Chapter Masters looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this.
Lanson? Williot? Did regiments of the Imperial Guard and ships of the Imperial Navy appear even once during the resolution of the battle moon over Terra?
It's so shameless!
"What about the battle moon?"
Fu Qinghai asked calmly.
“Kubik wanted it intact.”
Udo answered without hesitation.
"So now Terra is dancing to the tune of Mars?"
Bosimond said sarcastically.
Udo glared at him fiercely.
Bosimonde glared back immediately.
"We will hold a meeting of the Twelve High Lords."
Wu Duo said slowly with a bad tone:
“Its fate will be decided there.”
"I strongly urge you to destroy the Battle Moon."
Kurland leaned forward and pleaded.
"I will consider your suggestion. Whether to destroy the battle moon is a matter for Terra to decide. You will maintain the blockade until the navy gathers enough troops to replace you. Other than that, you have nothing to do here."
Udo said calmly:
"You have pulled the teeth of the orks, now it is time for the governing bodies to decide on the best course of action. Remember, my Lords, your combined fleets can no longer remain intact, and each Chapter will receive separate orders. With this force, we can eliminate the beast threat once and for all. This... fascinating display of unity of purpose will no longer be necessary."
Finally the warriors on the wall shifted uneasily.
"Yes...sir."
Kuran hesitantly agreed to disband the Legion.
Fu Qinghai folded his hands and said nothing.
He had anticipated this situation.
The White Scars will not disband the Legion.
"There's one last thing I must tell you."
Udo continued his plan:
"We must not let the news of the destruction of the Imperial Fists become public. Your return, Kurland, will prove that the Astartes of House Dorn are indestructible. You will be resurrected in great fanfare, and the Orks will never be able to defeat you... Wait, I have a more suitable story. You are only one person, which is obviously a problem. To avoid this situation, each of your Imperial Fists sub-regiments must draw some men out to help form a new Imperial Fists chapter."
"We are not the Imperial Fists."
Chapter Master Quessadra of the Crimson Fists said:
"It wasn't like that a thousand years ago."
"They will wear the armor of the Imperial Fists."
Udo waved his hand indifferently and said:
“The public won’t know any different.”
"Our fighters will never give up their flag!"
Isaga waved his hands in dissatisfaction and shouted.
"What do you mean? No honor at all? No mention of my brother's sacrifice? We all died in vain?"
Kurland's face turned pale when he heard this:
"This is an outrage! This is blasphemy!"
"This is politics, Chapter Master Kurland."
Udo raised his voice and said:
"The Battle Moon has just appeared, and word that the Imperial Fists are extinct would send a wave of terror across the Imperium. Even worse would be rumors, which are harder to deal with than the shock of an announcement. So not a word of this catastrophe can be made public. I sympathize with your loss, Captain, but there are practicalities to consider.
Udo stood up from his seat.
Put your hands up to stop dissent from happening.
"You must forgive me, Kurland. I have to return to the surface now. I have a lot of things to arrange."
With that, Udo bowed, leaving the Space Marines staring at his back as his followers followed him out.
The entire conference room became very quiet.
"We will not disband the Legion."
Bosimonde suddenly spoke.
"We can't disobey him."
Quesadella said with a bitter look on his face.
"Of course we can."
Thorne looked at everyone and asked:
"How will Udo implement this order?"
"If we say no, there's nothing he can do. He will be forced to make concessions and spin some story to his advantage. More politics, more lies, that's all."
Bosimonde sneered disdainfully.
"I cannot condone this behavior."
Kurland held his head and struggled in pain:
"He caused my brother's death to be in vain."
"If we still want to save the Empire."
Isaga looked at everyone and said:
"Then we have no choice."
"Someone said something similar a thousand years ago."
Thorne curled his lips and said:
"I don't want to mention that person's name."
Maximus Thorn was not only the Second Captain of the Exemplar Fists, he was also a thousand-year veteran who had participated in the Siege of Terra. He was referring to the traitors, including Horus and Abaddon, who justified their betrayal by saying that they had no choice but to save the Empire.
"Watch your thoughts, brother."
Isaga warned immediately.
……
Unlike the endless debate on the Imperial Fists side, the White Scars Space Marines on the other side of the long conference table were unusually quiet. They were informed of this situation by Fu Qinghai in advance, and had already reached a consensus on whether to disband the legion. And unlike the Imperial Fists, a model legion in charge of Terra, the White Scars have always been known for their eccentricity and non-compliance with the rules. These two legions with very different styles have also passed on this way of thinking to each sub-legion to a certain extent.
"What's next, Qingshan?"
Mandulatu asked in a deep voice.
"You had anticipated this, hadn't you?"
Chief Storm Prophet Bao Shulige said.
"Let's just go along with his political game."
Fu Qinghai held his chin and said softly:
"I have seen the bullet hole between Lord Udo's eyebrows... Don't worry, let the bullet fly for a while."
…………
(End of this chapter)