novelraw Chapter 50: Harvest Day
Chapter 50: Harvest Day
"Chapter Master."
By the time they walked out of Warehouse One, the orbital station's workers and servitors had already begun moving the supplies from Warehouse Three. The Space Marines had also arrived near the warehouse to ensure nothing was lost or left behind.
Loken watched the bustling scene, then suddenly tapped Soshyan's arm lightly with a mechadendrite.
The Space Marine looked down at him.
"I... have a suggestion. W-well, not exactly a suggestion, but an idea."
Loken led Soshyan to a spot away from the crowd and whispered:
"There are five warehouses here. Aside from One, Three, and Five, the other two warehouses are also full. They contain custom wargear intended for various Astra Militarum regiments across the Segmentum Pacificus."
Soshyan looked at Loken, fully understanding what the man was getting at.
But he didn't speak, nor did he point it out, merely waiting to hear exactly what Loken was going to say in the end.
"I figure, given the difficult situation the Chapter is currently in, relying solely on a single strike cruiser probably won't be enough. Um... although the 'Glorious Saber' is only a Sword-class frigate, its construction time was relatively short, and its specifications are quite good.""You have quite a lot of nerve, Adept Loken."
Hearing Soshyan's words, Loken's shoulders trembled, but the Chapter Master's next sentence allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.
"What justification could we use?"
"The justification is simple!"
Loken clapped his hands and said:
"We just say that although the traitors were mostly annihilated, a remnant faction managed to hijack the 'Glorious Saber'. As for us, we pursued them right on their tail, and plunged into the Warp together... Let those bastards on the surface wait. Let them wait for a few centuries."
"And what about the Imperial Navy crew aboard the ship?"
Soshyan remembered clearly that this frigate belonged to the Imperial Navy's sector patrol fleet, and had nothing to do with the local Adeptus Mechanicus. Making a move on them could carry fairly severe consequences.
However, Loken was brimming with confidence.
"Rest assured, my Lord, I'll take care of this. I know the Captain of the 'Glorious Saber'. He is a highly frustrated and marginalized fellow, but his command skills and character make him absolutely the finest Captain I have ever seen. We are quite alike; deep down, he doesn't really want to return to the Navy's chain of command."
Soshyan nodded, effectively agreeing to the proposal.
His gaze then swept over the busy servitors and workers, as well as the orbital guardsmen who were still shaken by the recent events.
"Since we've decided to reap a bountiful harvest, then we also need to replenish our manpower."
Upon hearing this, Loken's eyes immediately went wide. He suddenly realized that what his mentor used to say—that once the Space Marines let go of their self-restraint, they would become incomparably terrifying—seemed to be entirely true.
However, Soshyan's next words eased Loken's worries slightly.
"Gather the commanders of those guard forces here and explain the situation to them. I hope to incorporate them into our ranks through relatively peaceful means."
Soshyan's approach of offering courtesy before resorting to force settled Loken's suspended heart a little. He immediately went to assemble the guard commanders.
Because the vast majority of the senior commanders had been turned into pools of mush in the central control room, the current commanders of the orbital defense forces were mostly former low-ranking and mid-level officers. Their status was only slightly higher than regular soldiers, and far inferior to those upper-level officers of noble birth.
After Loken made their stance clear, at least half of the officers were willing to join the Astral Knights' crusade. They too had had enough of being ordered around by those useless nobles.
The remaining half were hesitant at first. But under Loken's intimidation—primarily emphasizing the inevitable trials and severe accountability that awaited them—they quickly changed their tune and decided to join the Astral Knights Chapter as members of the crusade.
Just like that, the orbital station's military forces were completely brought under control. As for the remaining workers and servitors, they had absolutely no right to choose and were forced to become foundational cornerstones for the crusade.
Soshyan was not merciful enough to care for every single group. Such was the current state of the Imperium, and he was simply playing by its rules.
Upon learning that they would be leaving their homeland and heading into the unknown void, many workers secretly shed tears, some even weeping openly.
The Astartes merely stood in the distance. From behind their black visors, chilling gazes constantly swept over every individual. They were filtering them, deciding who was fit for the mid-decks and who would be condemned to the sunless slave decks below...
While the workers and servitors sweated profusely loading the supplies, Soshyan, accompanied by Loken and Farzad's squad, boarded the bridge of the 'Glorious Saber'.
Due to the prior invasion alarms, the engines of the 'Glorious Saber' had already started, attempting to undock from the starport. However, because the Astral Knights Chapter's arrival had quelled the invasion, the 'Glorious Saber' halted its risky maneuver.
When Soshyan requested to board the ship and meet the Captain, the latter agreed immediately without a second thought. After all, the Chapter Master of a Space Marine Chapter was an incredibly exalted figure. Even the commander of the patrol fleet had probably only seen one a handful of times.
For the Captain of the 'Glorious Saber', securing an audience with Soshyan was an incredibly supreme honor.
In fact, to ensure he wouldn't lose face, he hurriedly pulled a few crewmen who knew how to play instruments to form a makeshift military band.
As Soshyan stepped onto the bridge of the 'Glorious Saber', a messy cacophony of music drifted over. Its sheer crudeness caused Soshyan to cast a sidelong glance, only to find a group of sailors sweating profusely from sheer nervousness.
Loken simply covered his ears.
"An embarrassment, a complete embarrassment! Grier Hodges, have you no shame?!"
The name Loken shouted belonged to the Captain of this frigate.
On the main walkway leading to the command throne on the bridge, a middle-aged man with a brown beard and a crisp Navy uniform stood on a red carpet, leading the ship's senior officers.
Upon seeing the towering figure of the Space Marine, Hodges immediately puffed out his chest, stood tall, and delivered a textbook Navy salute.
"Grier Hodges, along with the entire crew of the 'Glorious Saber', pays respects to the honored Chapter Master Soshyan!"
At the exact same moment, the military band ceased their playing, and all personnel on the bridge saluted Soshyan in perfect unison.
This was a highly disciplined team. Soshyan silently noted this within his heart.
"Captain Hodges."
Soshyan stepped before him, lowered his head slightly, and praised:
"During this invasion, your handling of the situation was very swift."
"My Lord praises me far too highly!"
Hodges kept his face taut and spoke in an exceedingly loud voice, as if only by doing so could he muster the courage to stand before an Astartes.
Then, he angled his body and gestured with his hand toward his rear right, where another officer stood. He appeared to be in his thirties and was equally nervous.
"This is my Vice-Captain, Danilo Rimer."
"Greetings, my Lord!"
"This is my First Mate."
"The Emperor protects. It is a profound honor to meet you, my Lord."
"And this is our ship's Tech-Priest."
Standing five meters behind Hodges was an Adeptus Mechanicus priest. He appeared to be around the same age as Loken, but he clearly sported far more mechanical augments, including a right eye that had been replaced by a cybernetic optic.
Upon seeing Soshyan, he gave a slight nod and spoke in a highly rigid voice:
"A profound honor."
However, when his gaze subsequently fell upon Loken, he lowered his eyes.