Warhammer: In the Name of the Emperor

Felix K. Swark was once asked what the most important talent is for a sergeant major. His answer is that you must first speak loud enough. This goes without saying. Only if you speak loud enough can dozens or hundreds of people under you hear your orders and requests.

He still remembered that a young trainee officer once asked him, "Sergeant Felix, we clearly have a speaker or a servo skull that can be used, why do we have to shout rudely at the top of our lungs?"

Felix remembered his reply, "You can indeed do that, but neither a trumpet nor a private skull can be used to greet the soldiers' maternal relatives and curse their next generation, or to issue orders." Make them understand and obey.”

This is the case now, Felix K. Swark is shouting orders at the top of his voice, using words that are both rude and obscene, "Hurry up! You Tau bastards! Hurry up! You are delayed. It's been long enough! Hurry up! You, Turuk, that's right, pull that Chimei!"

Turuk squatted beside a Chimera and turned around complaining. He was repairing the armored vehicle. It broke down at the wrong time. When the entire army was evacuating, it suddenly broke down and blocked the middle of the passage, forcing the entire armored convoy to stop. Once down, the infantry could only line up from both sides and head to the heavy transport ship ahead.

But it's not his fault. After all, this unlucky Chimera had just gone through a long, three-day battle without sleep. During this period, it only stopped briefly for refueling. The same was true for his crew.

"Sergeant Major, why are we leaving in such a hurry? We just came back from that ghost place whose name I can't pronounce, and we haven't even slept for a while, and we are leaving again?"

"It's already late at night, can't we retreat in the morning? Like at noon?" "Shut up, you bastard from the Eldar Province! What you have to do is obey orders, not question orders! Let your wretched car move ! The entire army must be evacuated before dawn!"

Felix shouted loudly. He grabbed the guard soldier who was yawning and lazy as he walked by, and pushed him roughly into the huge hatch behind him, where many people were boarding the ship. Armored vehicles, tanks drove in the center, and infantry passed on both sides.

Similar scenes are very common here. There are heavy transport ships landing everywhere, packing millions of soldiers, their weapons and equipment, and luggage onto the ships, and then flying into the sky.

"Hurry up! We're leaving at dawn! Hurry up! Don't make me whip you!"

Felix K. Swark does have a good voice. His voice is loud enough to be compared with dozens of microphone servitors. The sound is enough for everyone at the landing site to hear, even Vito above his head. .

He was the instigator of this hasty evacuation. Most of the soldiers were forced to retreat in the middle of the night because of his decision, but it was also unavoidable, because every minute they spent here, they might be One Imperial world perished, including God knows how many of its inhabitants.

Abaddon's bloody crusade is still going on. There is no need for terrifying astrological warnings from all directions, nor is there any need for heralds to add fuel to the fire. You only need to look up at the sky and you will know.

The huge crack still hung high in the sky, emitting a terrifying light all around, as if a big hand was trying to swallow up all the stars around it.

Vito had no time to waste here anymore. More empires were in urgent need of reinforcements, so after clearing the rebellion on the planet, he immediately ordered the entire army to retreat immediately.

And this brings more annoying troubles. The troops who were fighting the remaining rebels across the planet just now need to be urgently transferred back, the transport ships carrying them, the recovery of all weapons and equipment, and the separation Whether each place needs to continue to be stationed and the task of eliminating resistance swept Vito like a strong wind.

Not to mention the preparations for the departure of the entire fleet, where all the warships will go afterward, task distribution, the coordinated deployment of the Astartes Chapter and the Imperial Navy, and the supply work before the huge war is consumed.

Those warships can still continue combat missions, and those need to go to the nearest forging world for repairs, contact with the Mechanicum, how to return to the team after repairs, etc. The busy affairs kept Vito busy for two days and two nights. , not only did the soldiers below not sleep a wink, he didn't either.

He had just dealt with the candidate for the new governor of this planet, and finally selected a suitable successor among the massive candidates. Well, maybe not the most suitable, but Vito didn't have time to find another one, so he just So be it.

From this, he got some time to breathe, and then left the conference room and went to the balcony to breathe in the cold night air and let it enter his lungs. This suddenly improved his tired nerves and numb brain. Our tired marshal leaned on the stone handrail of the balcony and looked around at the night.

"This is the last step. Now we can leave." Olaf said behind him. He came closer and left the boring environment inside the conference room. They had been here for two full days. Even more recently, everything here is no longer surprising, and can even be called disgusting.

"Thank God, I can finally leave this hellish place and join more wars, but that is more desirable than wrangling with these bureaucrats."

Vito made no secret of his irritation and resistance to the quarrels with the bureaucrats and civil servants these days. In fact, what annoyed Vito the most was not their arrogance and contempt, but the endless nonsense, or farts, self-promotion, and mutual exchanges. They mocked each other in front of him to take credit for themselves and strive for power and his favor.

But they were wrong, Vito didn't favor them at all, he didn't even bother to be in the same room with them, or rather he would rather have the Space Marines chug them all and throw them out of the window.

"Ah, it's a good thing you and Bell are here, otherwise I would have gone crazy. Where is Ragnar? What is he doing?" "As far as I know, Ragnar is organizing the retreat of the battle group. He is very active and has already "Go back to the track first." "Ha, I think it should be called running away before trouble comes."

He looked down at the bright lights of the evacuating army below. The planet's ground starport had long been unable to handle the evacuation of such a large army. It had become very crowded, with people and vehicles huddled together. Curses and quarrels arose one after another. Political commissars were needed to lead The gendarmerie was whipping and cursing everywhere to maintain order.

So the follow-up troops were evacuated here on the vast plain outside the Vlasov Fortress. The landing ship landed directly here, using spotlights and tall hulls to form a temporary airport, allowing the huge army to land. The ship evacuated.

The light of the army's ranks extends to the end of the earth. The evacuation of the entire army must be completed overnight. The sergeant major and commanders will still be busy tonight. At least before dawn rises, they will definitely not be able to sleep. .

"Where is Ragnar? Is he still angry?" Olaf shrugged slightly, "Still angry, the Alpha Traitor Legion suddenly retreated, leaving him with no chance to fight. Although several traitors were killed, Ragnar was still angry. "Excellent, extremely angry."

"Don't worry, we will find a new vent for him soon. Let's continue organizing the evacuation. We will set off tomorrow." Vito said and looked to the other side. Olaf also looked there and saw The visitor nodded slightly and prepared to leave, but quickly stopped.

"We haven't received any news from Judge Lilith. She hasn't come back." After Olaf said this, Vito fell into silence for a moment. The old wolf could not see any obvious anxiety, worry or anything else on his face. Either he hid his emotions too well, or he really wasn't worried.

He also said this verbally, "Don't worry about her, she has experienced more bad things, not least this time, go ahead." "As you command, my lord."

Olaf left, and he passed by the approaching Inquisitor Horsenst. The latter glanced at the tall Space Marine passing by, and then came to Vito and bowed, "My lord."

"Horsenst, I'm glad you're here. Is everything going well?" "Everything goes well, sir. The rebels have been eliminated."

Hossenst had been absent from the main assault on the fortress before. He was sent to the other end of the planet by Vito to deal with the enemies in the arms warehouse there. That was the most important place on the entire planet. All the ammunition in the fortress world and Weapons are stored there, providing much-needed supplies for any troops passing through.

And if it is not captured, even if the fortress eventually falls, the remaining rebels will be able to obtain weapons and ammunition from there, and carry out guerrilla warfare on the planet's wasteland for decades or even centuries, leaving the planet's The new Governor-General's administration was troubled.

Vito didn't like these governors, and he didn't care about their mood, but he cared about the ammunition and weapons there, what he needed, and he needed to leave here immediately after the battle of Vlasov and go fight elsewhere. , and the contents of the ammunition depot have become the key, which can allow the troops under his command to immediately recover and prepare for new battles.

So Hossenstedt was sent to deal with this matter. He did a good job. Through false surrender, seduction and infiltration, he succeeded in taking the enemy without spending a lot of money when the enemy threatened to blow up the arsenal and kill them all if they attacked. arsenal.

"You did a good job. As I heard, you are a very good judge." "Thank you for your compliment, sir." Eisenhorn acted very modestly. He is not usually like this. As a judge, He was somewhat proud, as were any inquisitors, who rarely showed obedience, or even lowered their heads.

They are the messengers of the Emperor, the secret sword of the Empire. No one can make the Inquisitor bow except the Emperor himself. Except for him, Vito Constantine, from any point of view, he is enough to make the most unruly people bow. The unruly judge lowered his head and listened silently to his orders.

"Where are you going next?" Vito asked. "The order from the Tribunal requires me to go to the planet Calsolm to assist the local governor in finding and annihilating possible Chaos cults. Of course, if you allow me, I will Happy to be with you and continue to serve you. ”

"Very good, cancel the order given to you by the Tribunal. Now there is a new task for you. There is no written order, and no third person will know about this order. Do you understand?"

"Understood, sir, I'm waiting for dispatch."

"Very good. I ask you to find the Lord of Gold. Once you find his whereabouts, report him directly to me. Before that, all orders are cancelled. This is a top-secret mission. Do you understand that it is confidential? Even Guilliman, You have to hide it too."

Eisenhorn was a little puzzled by Vito's words, and maybe he was also wary. He also needed to keep it a secret from Robert Guilliman? Is this some kind of political confrontation, power play or something like that?

Eisenhorn raised his head and happened to look at Vito. Those golden eyes made him look away uncomfortably. After a moment of silence, Eisenhorn plucked up the courage to speak, "Can I know why? grown ups."

"Why?" "As the executor of the task, I need to know the purpose of the task so that I can adapt correctly when the situation suddenly changes."

He explained this way, but the reason was so weak. Eisenhorn began to regret it after he said it. How could he expect to use such a weak reason to prevaricate him? Vito Constantine, Inquisition and Assassins Where is the founder of the family?

Not to mention the rudeness and transgression in this, the curiosity he exposed, and even the behavior that might be interpreted as ambition, any of them were enough to kill him in the first place. In fact, Eisenhorn began to feel the pain on the back of his neck. He got chills, knowing what kind of chess game he had just gotten involved in.

But Vito didn't do that. He just stood there in silence for a while, neither drawing his sword nor crushing his head. "Your reason is not sufficient, but, okay, I will tell you."

This surprised Eisenhorn. He was happy and terrified at first, but soon he realized that he was happy too early. If Vito told him the secret hidden behind the mission, he would have become a pawn on the chessboard. He was picked up and killed by the big shots without any possibility of quitting.

Eisenhorn began to seriously consider whether to withdraw his request and not listen to the purpose of the dangerous mission, but his curiosity finally defeated his fear, and he listened attentively.

"You found the name of the King in Yellow, right? Do you still remember his name?" "Of course, my lord, Constantine Waldo." "Then, do you know whose name this is?" "My lord, ?”

Eisenhorn raised his head alertly. Of course he knew it, but he didn't dare to say it. It was an absolute heresy and would bring death to himself, but Vito finally helped him say it.

"The Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard, the Emperor's Attendant, and you have also found out what he is looking for. Now do you understand why you have to keep it a secret?" Vito said coldly, with a cold warning in his voice. Eisenhorn understood. Now, he knew why even Guilliman had to deceive and conceal.

The Emperor's Custodians will defend the safety of the Emperor and stop any threat to him at all costs, but their leader, the Commander-in-Chief, is looking for a way to defeat, or even kill. If this news spreads like wildfire, it will be exposed to the outside world. What a terrible political effect it will bring.

That would be a major earthquake that would affect the entire empire. The most loyal guards turned into traitors, and with their support Vito purged the Council of High Lords. Then all these actions would completely change, from loyalty to betrayal. The question is whether the decree to dissolve the Council of High Lords really came from the Emperor, or was it fabricated by the Custodes.

So, what will happen to Vito supported by them? Just thinking about this, Eisenhorn didn't dare to think about it anymore.

Eisenhorn's face was pale and bloodless. He stopped at the edge of further thinking in fear, as if taking another step would lead to molten lava, an abyss, and eternal catastrophe. Vito in front of him was cold. looked at him.

"Now, do you understand?" Vito asked coldly. Eisenhorn nodded and buried his head, "Understood, sir, I swear I will keep it secret." "Very good, now go find him. , if you have any news come directly to me in person, otherwise you know what to do.”

"Yes, sir, everything is understood. Can I leave?" Eisenhorn only had one thought now, which was to leave here quickly. He now knew how much of a political whirlpool his curiosity had led him into. , but his curiosity was still taking effect. He cursed his curiosity, and a terrible thought came to his mind.

He began to think that Vito and Valdo had such a close relationship. Not only did they both have Constantine in their names, but also because they were friends, close friends, and even brothers. Navito asked himself to find Waldo on his own. What could it be? Could it be for what he has control over?

Eisenhorn instantly felt a chill rush through his body. He raised his eyes slightly and saw Vito's gaze. The cold gaze instantly made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave. Did he realize what he was thinking?

Eisenhorn couldn't help but tremble all over. He seemed to feel that death was approaching. The back of his neck felt cold, and his heart beat faster and faster, like a war drum being beaten violently by a drummer during a battle.

Vito looked at him coldly, turned away after the suffocation lasted for a while, and walked to the balcony, "Go down, do what you should do, do what you think is right."

"As you command, my lord, I will leave for now." The suffocation that seemed to be pinched in Eisenhorn's throat dissipated like a disappearing whirlwind. He took a few steps back, turned around and left quickly. They didn't dare to stay any longer.

But after taking a few steps, the feeling of suffocation still lingered in his heart and never dissipated. His soul was also marked with fear.

On the balcony behind him, Vito looked down at the army below. He glanced at the golden statue of the emperor perched on the high wall of the fortress beside the balcony, then raised his head speechlessly and looked up at the dark night sky. Among the stars, some thoughts flashed in his eyes.