Warhammer: In the Name of Ashes

Four hours later, the Black Shield on Extremis Watch has boarded the battleship and completed preparations before departure; the huge Silver Dawn, as the flagship of the fleet, is also busy in communication and dispatching work, picking up the battle barge belonging to Talos. Into the fleet's command system.

Together with Constantine, who returned from the deck, Tabers repeatedly conducted final inspections before departure on the bridge. In the upper space of the Silver Dawn, little Calvin was still preparing to receive command authority in all directions. Busy.

The fleet finally completed its preparations and disappeared into the vast galaxy in the tail flames of the plasma engine.

When the sirens on the battle barge stopped, Talos, who had been staying on the bridge, was finally able to get out and greet the uninvited guest who occupied his officer's quarters.

Lava Blood, a battleship whose name reveals mediocrity.

And this is also true. From the moment he boarded the battleship, Calvin could detect the unconcealed old atmosphere of the battleship from every corner of the corridor he passed.

Note, old, not ancient.

Although the latter also means a long service time, at least it has complete maintenance and repairs. Even those ancient warships, if they are lucky enough, will receive the emperor's blessing due to the importance of certain battles.

But this battleship is obviously not. It can be transformed into a battle barge simply because in a certain war, a battle group with overwhelming industrial capabilities made a compromise when it lacked battleships.

After the war ended, the battleship was abandoned and eventually fell into the hands of the Inquisition.

Despite its many twists and turns and dilapidation, Talos still loved the ship when it was assigned to him.

For no other reason, because although this warship has a shabby appearance and is in a worrying state, due to the special abilities of its original owner, its keel and armor materials and structure have a strength that far exceeds that of warships of the same class.

And for Death Watch, which prefers ground battlefields, it can already meet most usage scenarios.

"Sir." Above the engine room of the battle barge, the deliberate sound of steel boots knocking on the ground and the greeting sounded at the same time. Calvin raised his head from the small cabin and saw the Luna Wolf standing at the door.

"Sorry, my conditions here are limited..." Talos said awkwardly.

This cabin was already the best room in the battleship, but in front of a Primarch, he felt that this cabin was crude and cramped like never before.

"It's not important. Rather than these material comforts, what we care more about is the sword in our hands and the direction of the enemy. Isn't it?"

"As you said." Talos nodded in agreement, and Calvin also turned the topic elsewhere.

"How is the equipment change going? Are your soldiers adapting to the new power armor? I know that there are no major changes in the third and fourth generations of the MK series, but you are the users. If the specific equipment situation affects the tactical level If you have any questions, please communicate with me in time.”

"Thank you for your generosity," Talos replied.

He touched the brand-new armor leaves on his body. He was a little worried about fitting new armor, but more of it was a soldier's love for weapons and armor.

“Around testing is already underway, and soldiers are also experiencing the strength of various parts of the armor and the changes brought about by changes in shape.

The data you included with this batch of power armor is very useful. My brothers are reading the instructions and adapting to the changes in tactical movements brought about by the new power armor. "

"Oh? That's good." A trace of doubt flashed in Calvin's eyes, but then he thought that this was probably Constantine's handiwork.

The MK IV type power armor has long been popular among the Empire's Astartes Chapters, and there is already mature information on the problems that may be encountered when replacing it with the previous generation MK III.

This information is undoubtedly inaccessible to Talos and other people who have broken away from the imperial system, but for the Inquisition and the Order of Omen, this is "small information that can be obtained with a little permission in the database." secret".

With these accurate parameters and experience summary, the supplementary transformation of these power armor accessories is no longer something that only the Mechanicum can do.

In extreme cases, as long as they have basic equipment, even technical sergeants can complete the manufacturing and replenishment of minor accessories.

"Well, the brothers in the infiltration force like it very much." Talos raised his feet and showed Calvin the black edges between the parts of the power armor.

He seemed to have unintentionally expressed some of his speculations through this chat:

"These additional craftsmanship have almost doubled the noise of the power armor during operations. If combined with professional usage skills, this is simply perfect for the tactical needs of infiltration operations!"

"Oh, that's true." Calvin didn't know Talos's little thoughts, but some things were already in his plan.

Since the other party has agreed to his recruitment, the existence of the Krieg Chapter Alliance is naturally not a secret.

When Talos said this, Calvin naturally put forward his arrangement:

"The Reviled Chapter, do you know?"

"I don't know." Talos replied, but from the characteristics of this batch of armor, he could roughly guess where the other party came from.

"A branch of the Raven Guard." Calvin raised his head and looked at Talos. While observing the latter's reaction, he seemed to unintentionally reveal the relationship between them:

"They are fighting for me, and the equipment you are wearing was originally planned to be a supplement to them."

"The descendants of Lord Corax? Which group?" Talos asked with a serious face, but felt relieved in his heart.

In the early days of the Great Crusade, when the original bodies were recovered one by one, the Luna Wolves served as the teaching troops for the creation of some legions, and the Raven Guard happened to be one of them.

But at that time, the Sons of Horus adhered to the idea of ​​absolute suppression of the Grand Legion's deep strikes. Although they were aware of the infiltration characteristics of the Raven Guard, they did not elevate it to the tactical level.

Therefore, the early Raven Guards almost served as decapitation strikes and decoys. Before the return of Corax himself, the tactical status of the Raven Guards, even the White Scars who were split into various legions to serve as reconnaissance troops, were somewhat different. Not as good as.

Although part of this situation is really for tactical reasons, it is undeniable that there is also a reason why Corax himself, the Lord of the Crows, is the last to return.

With the return of the Lord of the Crows, this situation was naturally noticed by the Lord of the Crows who was preparing to assemble the legion.

The angry Corax found Horus at that time and had a fierce quarrel. Then, regardless of the views of Horus, who was the commander-in-chief of the front line at the time, he ordered the withdrawal of all Raven Guards.

The relationship between the two legions in the Great Crusade era left a deep rift between the two due to the contradiction between the original bodies. As the party that used excessive force, the Sons of Horus also naturally had moral problems. I owe something to the Ravens.

All gone, there is no longer the Sixteenth Legion in the Empire today. Horus has disappeared forever with his rebellion against the Emperor. Corax, the Lord of the Ravens, has also disappeared into the depths of the Eye of Terror. at.

As a member of the Legion back then, Talos had to confirm whether he could maintain relatively smooth communication with a group of Raven's Sons affiliated with Calvin.

Talos was lucky because his battle group (battle group) had always been the main force in frontal advancement among the legions that year.

Although the fighting conditions have always been extremely harsh and the enemies he faced were terrifying, as the absolute main force that would only be deployed during the climax of the war, he and his brothers did not owe anything morally to the Dark Crowes." debt".

"It's not a founding group." Calvin glanced at Talos, obviously understanding the other party's focus.

But his answer did not go as Talos expected. The origin of the reviler was not stated in official Imperial documents, but it was no secret to the Inquisition.

"But their early members...were all survivors of the landing site operations."

"The Emperor!" Talos exclaimed. He and his brother had been active on the fringes of the empire. The lack of information made their understanding of the situation in the empire still at the end of the Great Rebellion.

Although he did not personally participate in the massacre that took place on "Istvaan V", as both Astartes warriors had such long lives, Talos would never think that the hatred of the other party would fade over time. Interrupt.

"Hate..." Talos was a little distracted. The betrayal and killing of Istvan No. 5 was a burden that he could not bear no matter what.

He and his brothers separated from the Legion and became a black shield that could not be illuminated by the sun, because they saw too many things that disappointed them;

And the bloodline from the Wolf Shepherd God clearly told him that some things were destined to be responsibilities that he could not escape.

"How do you plan to use us?" Talos asked Calvin.

He and his brothers have lost so much, and now they are just trying to find a place for themselves while fulfilling their obligations as a warrior.

He didn't even object to the Heretic Tribunal's consumption of them, because the characteristic of Death Watch was that it didn't ask where they came from. Although it was still cold here, at least there was a basic recognition.

At least, there is a burial place;

At least, he won't fall into chaos due to being surrounded by darkness.

"Good question." Calvin was obviously prepared. He paused slightly, and then asked Talos a question:

"I want to know what you think of Horus."

"You!" Talos subconsciously wanted to refute the other party's rudeness, but then he realized Calvin's identity.

His waist was tense for a moment, but then relaxed slumped.

"The Wolf Shepherd is dead." Talos replied in a low voice.

"He was already dead just after he was stabbed by the poisonous sword."

"You don't admit his rebellion?" Calvin pressed forward step by step.

"No, that is definitely not the Horus I know. It is just a corpse covered by a demon."

"...Understood." Calvin looked at the depressed Talos and asked again after thinking for a while:

"Then what do you think the meaning of the Legion is?"

"You're asking me? I'm just a soldier!" Talos raised his head and looked at Calvin in surprise, and then realized that the man in front of him was an equally qualified and capable soldier. Demigod of the Stat Legion.

The grief and depression in his brain were quickly defeated by fear. When he realized the true nature of the demigod who had always been close to him, he finally couldn't deceive or paralyze himself in his heart.

A Primarch, a Lord of the Legions, a bloodline of the Emperor, a demigod walking on earth just like his most beloved Wolf God.

And how could a person with so many brilliant titles and powerful power be a true friend to him?

Talos wanted to back down. He even wanted to give up this opportunity and return to Desperate Watch, to become a qualified cannon fodder.

Anyway, he is already like this, can there be a worse situation than this?

But he didn't dare. Just like his previous experience of jumping repeatedly on the edge of Chaos and the Empire, the destination of the brothers who trusted him behind him was the only reason to pull him from the edge of complete collapse countless times.

He can die, but he cannot die.

Dying is easy, but living is difficult...

"What exactly do you want to ask?" Talos asked Calvin in an almost humble tone with trembling lips.

He didn't want to be involved in any more conspiracies. Monsters like the original body shouldn't exist in this world! If possible, he wanted to stay as far away from Calvin as possible!

"What I want to ask..." Calvin was particularly shocked at this moment, or in other words, Talos's reaction was what he had expected.

An Astartes warrior whose ideals and beliefs were shattered by the corruption and schism of his own Primarch.

If Talos hadn't been as enlightened and confused as he was now, it would have been an extremely abnormal thing.

Talos' reaction was normal, and he and his brothers were indeed within Calvin's acceptance range.

According to the principles of the Lord of the Gray Knights, these Astartes warriors who have not truly fallen into Chaos and have not caused damage to the Empire are still a part that can be accepted and fought for.

And if his first meeting with Talos was not in that desolate world, but in an imperial administrative world, then there would be no other possibility for the ending waiting for Talos, but execution from the original body himself.

"What I want to ask is your opinion on the Legion." Calvin thought everything through and opened the topic again.

"What I want to know is, what do you think would have happened to Horus, your genetic father, if he and his legions had not had that rebellion?"

"That's it?" Talos asked with a sneer.

He finally controlled his emotions, or in other words, his emotions had collapsed, and Calvin's problem was what he had been struggling with for countless long nights in the past.

And although this assumption caused him to toss and turn in countless midnight dreams, as time passed and thinking continued, an increasingly clear answer made it impossible for him to deceive himself. Coldness and despair came towards him.

"He...Ruth, no, it's the Wolf Shepherd God." Talos spit out the name with difficulty, and then finally closed his eyes because he couldn't face the bloody fact:

"His rebellion is inevitable!"

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