Seraphs of the Emperor’s Judgment

Chapter 26: Brother Zayd

Upon receiving Captain Lysander's warning, Soshyan's immediate decision was to return to the Chapter's homeworld, the Obsidian Fortress on Obstelia.

The other Chapters supported his decision and told Soshyan that after his departure, each Chapter would select twelve warriors to serve as guards for the monument. This ceremony would continue until their Chapters had no more guards to send.

Soshyan expressed his gratitude for their actions. Subsequently, as the new Chapter Master, he received the power armor and gene-seed recovered from the battlefield by the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Although he only received one hundred fully assembled suits of power armor, twenty-seven viable gene-seeds, and a few incomplete suits of Terminator armor, at this moment, he could only console himself that something was better than nothing.

Because the Chapter's warships had been entirely wiped out during the assault, Soshyan chose to travel aboard the Shield of Courage to return to the homeworld.

This was not a particularly long journey, and the voyage through the Warp was smooth. The thing Soshyan did the most on the ship was to seek advice and learn from Lysander.

He was still too young and had not received any cultivation or training on being a Chapter Master. He knew almost nothing about how to manage and organize a Chapter.

As the longest-serving First Captain of the Imperial Fists since the Great Rebellion, Lysander possessed extremely rich experience in both combat and leadership.

Facing Soshyan's confusion, he tirelessly instilled in him the duties and tasks of a commander. The Imperial Fists were a legion that heavily emphasized obedience and execution, and they also had an extremely stubborn side when it came to leadership.

Soshyan absorbed the knowledge and concepts Lysander taught him as much as possible, but he always felt that some concepts were quite incompatible with his own thoughts. Although he tried his best to make himself accept them, questions or doubts would continually arise.Generally speaking, he always felt somewhat out of place with the Imperial Fists. This was a very strange feeling.

After navigating the Warp for a week, the Shield of Courage jumped back into realspace and arrived in orbit around the homeworld of the Astral Knights Chapter.

One could imagine the expressions of astonishment on the guards and recruits inside when Soshyan appeared alone before the gates of the Monastery-Fortress.

The Chapter had marshaled its entire strength for this operation. The Monastery-Fortress was left with only thirty-three recruits who had just completed their augmentations, along with Lothar, the Chapter veteran responsible for managing these recruits.

Because the Chapter had just recently paid its tithe and had not yet recruited new blood, these were the only people there.

When Soshyan entered the fortress and informed everyone of the outcome of that brutal campaign, everyone was first shocked, then doubtful. Some even thought Soshyan was a lying deserter. Only when Lysander appeared did everyone realize that what Soshyan said was completely true.

The Astral Knights Chapter was virtually extinct.

The recruits' emotions immediately turned from shock to sorrow, then to confusion, and even despair. Everything they had once been familiar with had been shattered.

By the time Soshyan hinted to the crowd that the Monastery-Fortress might be taken over by other Chapters, they did not even have despair—despair itself being a manifestation of hope.

As the new Chapter Master, Soshyan immediately gave a brief speech to the recruits present.

"I personally participated in that war. Perhaps some of you think I am a coward, a deserter, that I should have died in battle alongside the other battle-brothers. Yes, I did indeed think so."

Soshyan pointed to the deep scar on his forehead.

"Dying is not difficult, but isn't that just another form of escape? Chapter Master Amulad handed the Chapter over to me, so as long as one breath remains in me, I will not let the Chapter perish. This is the oath I have sworn."

Lysander watched Soshyan. He observed that these young men possessed a very unique temperament. Truthfully, he was not optimistic about the rebuilding of the Astral Knights Chapter, because their numbers were simply far too few.

Barring no surprises, this Chapter would completely vanish within a century.

However, Soshyan's appearance gave him a glimmer of hope. This man... might actually be able to do it.

"Yes, we will very likely have nothing next, but we will not bury our heads in past failures! If staying here only makes us drown in sorrow, I would rather leave! The Astral Knights were born in the void and will return to the void. Although we are all recruits, we are absolutely not flowers in a greenhouse! We too can forge the great cause of our martyrs! While one breath remains, the Chapter lives!"

"While one breath remains! The Chapter lives!"

"Excellent! This is what the sons of Dorn should be!"

Lysander clapped his hands forcefully, then said loudly,

"To support your rebuilding, I will present your Chapter with two Land Speeders and a batch of weapons and ammunition in the name of the Chapter Master."

"Thank you very much!"

Soshyan shook Lysander's hand tightly and said sincerely from the bottom of his heart,

"No matter what predicament we fall into, we will engrave our oath of loyalty in our hearts. If there is a need, we will respond to the call."

"I will remember your oath. I still have missions, so I will see you off here. If fate allows in the future, we will meet again, Chapter Master Soshyan."

"Until we meet again, Captain Lysander. By the Primarch, for his glory and the Lord of Terra's!"

"By the Primarch, for his glory and the Lord of Terra's!"

After seeing the Imperial Fists off, Soshyan had the Chapter Serfs quickly pack up their belongings, including the items in the warehouse. Whatever could be packed, was packed. At the same time, he also had the thirty-three recruits each pick their own power armor—prior to this, they were supposed to join the Scout Company in principle, but under the severe shortage of manpower, they could only be forced to step up prematurely.

After making simple arrangements, Soshyan had Lothar awaken Brother Zayd, the Dreadnought mentor stationed in the fortress. However, the other informed him that Brother Zayd had already awakened on his own a few days ago and had been staying in the underground chamber that only the Chapter Master could enter.

After sending Lothar away, Soshyan walked down a long corridor that stretched downwards, deeper beneath the Monastery-Fortress.

There were no battle-brothers standing guard along the way, because only the Chapter Master could enter here. As he walked, Soshyan noticed that the corridor's walls, ceiling, and marble floor were entirely covered in prayers.

It was as if this were a tomb passageway.

But the Monastery's graveyard was not located here.

When Soshyan reached the end, a tightly shut double door lay before him. When he removed his Iron Halo and pressed it into the indentation on the door, the long-sealed door slowly opened.

Upon entering, Soshyan found that this circular room was like an archive, with a massive block of granite in the center, though its shape did not look like an altar or anything comparable.

It was pitch black. Without wearing a helmet, Soshyan could only vaguely make out that the remaining sections of the walls surrounding the room were composed of rows of shrines stretching all the way up to the roof over ten meters high. Inside the shrines were numerous parchment scrolls.

It suddenly occurred to him that this might be the Chapter's archives, housing the long history of the Chapter.

At this thought, he walked towards one side of the wall, wanting to take out a parchment roll to have a closer look.

"Who!?"

Just as he reached out his hand, a harsh screeching noise of something scraping against the marble floor suddenly came from the pitch-black space. Following a loud thud, the door slammed shut.

Soshyan instantly spun around, drawing his bolt pistol and aiming it at the dark nothingness.

"Come out."

Before his voice could fade, came the heavy sound of mechanical transmission. When a gust of air hit Soshyan's face, he finally realized a behemoth was approaching him.

Stout legs, angular torso, a pair of giant iron fists on the mechanical arms on both sides—the venerable Dreadnought, Brother Zayd, appeared in sight with heavy steps. Prior to this, Soshyan hadn't even felt his presence.

When a Space Marine suffered irreversible injuries, he had two choices: either accept death with equanimity, or continue to serve the Emperor in another form.

A Dreadnought was the second choice.

Inside the massive metallic shell was a physically crippled warrior with atrophied muscles. He could only survive within the amniotic sac of the iron coffin, but with the aid of powerful mechanical drives, he remained a lethal killer on the battlefield.

Generally speaking, Dreadnoughts were the longest-serving veterans in the Chapter. Therefore, apart from participating in battles at crucial moments, their other mission was to use their experience to guide the Chapter's juniors and recount the Chapter's history to them.

Brother Zayd was the most respected mentor in the Astral Knights Chapter. It was said that he was part of the first batch of Astral Knights to serve, and his age exceeded three thousand years.

During his recruit phase, Soshyan had received much guidance from him. The two were not strangers.

"Brother Zayd?"

Soshyan gasped in surprise, holstering his weapon.

"Why didn't you say a word? I thought—"

"I know everything already."

Brother Zayd's words made Soshyan lower his head in shame.

"Everyone has—"

"Amulad still managed to accomplish it."

Brother Zayd walked up to Soshyan and extended an arm.

"He found that thing, didn't he."

Soshyan froze for a few seconds, then reached behind him, pulling the xenos artifact called the Red Talisman out of his backpack and placing it into Brother Zayd's hand.

"Just as I thought..."

The Dreadnought's body trembled momentarily before handing the Red Talisman back to Soshyan.

"With this, the most crucial step has been achieved."

"What most crucial step? Why did the Chapter Master risk his life for this thing, and—"

Soshyan, who was already full of questions, rattled off more than a dozen inquiries consecutively. But Brother Zayd did not answer him immediately; rather, he walked to the granite block in the middle, inserted one arm into it, and turned it in a full circle.

"Your arrival is destiny dictated by heaven."

Brother Zayd's raspy voice came through the external speakers.

"Embrace your fate!"

The granite split open like a blooming flower. Next, the braziers around them lit up one after another. Something could be seen slowly rising from the center of the rock.

Gazing at that thing, Soshyan's expression first flashed with confusion, then shock, and finally terror.

Pale-faced and mouth slightly agape, he took several steps back consecutively, even knocking over a burning brazier. Fuel spilled onto the ground, immediately illuminating the entire secret chamber in a bright red glow.

Illuminated by this firelight, a dark cyan banner stood tall before Soshyan. A dazzling ancient Terran numeral, appearing as if branded upon the banner by the firelight, shone brilliantly—

[XI]