Chapter 146: Traditional Arts of the Dark Angels |
Black Templars Gloriana-class Battleship - Eternal Crusader - Bridge
Dracus stood tall beside Romulus, his instincts as a member of the Primarch's Guard prompting him to subconsciously scrutinize his surroundings.
Since the main vanguard had shifted to the Black Templars, the command center naturally became the Eternal Crusader.
The lords always paid close attention to such details.
By assessing the situation beforehand to determine who would lead the assault, and then establishing a command structure centered around that Chapter's battlegroup, they ensured that the Space Marine Chapters under their command felt subconsciously at ease.
However—
Dracus quietly observed his surroundings without changing his expression.
He instinctively felt a slight shift in the ship's atmosphere compared to before. The perception of an elite veteran was extremely sharp, and his staggering wealth of experience immediately allowed him to recall a similar feeling from his past.
This feeling was exactly like when Lord Guilliman had welcomed the Lion on Macragge after the Battle of Calth concluded.
Dark Angels?
Dracus frowned. He quickly recalled that unfamiliar cruiser that had been engaging the Dark Eldar when they first entered the system, which had subsequently joined the Expeditionary Fleet's ranks under Archmagos Cawl's arrangements.
It was an ancient relic as well, but its crew was likely different from them. These veterans had never experienced death.
Dracus was certain of this. After all, they had heard plenty of the four lords' casual jokes about the Primarchs.
Talks of unbridled ambition and unwavering loyalty often pushed their ability to maintain a straight face to unprecedented limits. Yet, these jests also painted a clear picture of the Horus Heresy in its entirety, revealing exactly what had transpired on Caliban.
His expression remained completely normal as he exchanged a glance with Sepastus, the leader of the Crimson Paladins standing a short distance away.
After it was confirmed that Dante could not be relied upon for this matter, Sepastus had been dispatched to accompany Karna.
A total of five Crimson Paladins had been left behind on Baal to assist Dante with administrative and operational duties. The remaining eight had joined Karna on the expedition to evaluate the Progeny of The Angel they encountered along the way, carefully selecting those capable of bearing the mantle of guardianship.
They exchanged brief nods, both silently acknowledging that the other had also sensed something amiss, before gripping their power halberds a fraction tighter in perfect synchronization.
'After ten thousand years, do these Dark Angels possess no discipline or Honor at all?'
"Identity confirmed. Dracus, Master of the Invincible Iron Guard, Deputy Commander of the Ever-Victorious Army."
Evocatus silently watched the conference hall.
Ancient elders, including Rann, had gathered here. The decorations adorning their armor, symbolizing profound Honor, were enough to make countless veterans of the Great Crusade Era seethe with envy.
But that was a bygone era. Now, with ten thousand years having slipped away, the knowledge and history behind those medals of Honor had long been buried. Even members of the First Founding Space Marine Chapters might not recognize their true meanings.
As for them, the Ravenwing—while they excelled at sudden assaults and reconnaissance on the frontal battlefield, they were equally unmatched experts in infiltration operations.
"So they truly are the warriors from ten thousand years ago?"
A colleague asked in confusion, "I thought it was just us."
"The database contains the general history of the various Legions over the past ten millennia. I suggest that while you busy yourself with cracking armor technology, you should devote a bit more energy to your actual duties,"
Evocatus replied. "The members of the Ironwing are handling the technological decryption. The Knight Master admonished us that, since we are separated from the rest of the Lion's Pride, we should rely more heavily on our comrades and practice greater honesty with one another."
Arthur had not altered the internal hierarchy of the Fallen Angels. He simply sought out each individual for a private conversation, assigning them their specific responsibilities during the process.
Every Fallen Angel reported directly to Arthur, though he had repeatedly emphasized during those talks that they needed to communicate more with their comrades.
Setting aside whether these fiercely independent and self-assured warriors would actually listen, Arthur firmly believed it needed to be said. Only by speaking it aloud could his stance be clearly understood.
"I am an Apprentice of the Ironwing's Inner Circle; that is also my proper duty."
The Fallen Angel explained with blunt honesty, quickly putting Arthur's advice into practice.
"..."
Evocatus responded with absolute silence.
In truth, monitoring Dracus and the others had not been ordered by Arthur. Arthur had simply tasked them with handling the Expeditionary Fleet's intelligence operations and maintaining internal security. If any issues arose, they were to report them so he could respond immediately. Beyond that, they were free to operate as they saw fit.
Arthur knew perfectly well that this group didn't need to be spoon-fed instructions. Laying down a strict baseline and giving them free rein was more than enough.
However, from the moment the Ravenwing began their work until now, they had merely arrested a few heretical cultists on the lower decks, ensured the forced loyalty of a handful of naval Military Officers, and quietly disposed of some heretical Tech-Priests. Beyond that, they hadn't accomplished much else.
"There truly is an abundance of Ten-thousand-year Veterans in this Expeditionary Fleet, including that Alpharius fellow,"
another colleague noted with a sigh.
They had immediately noticed when an Alpha Legionnaire infiltrated the fleet. It was likely the unique nature of the Relic Cruiser, the Silent Vow, that had drawn his attention.
The infiltrator's skills had been genuinely impressive. During the cross-examinations in the Outer Circle Roundtable Chamber, he had answered methodically and flawlessly, seemingly knowing far more than the vast majority of the Fallen Angels themselves.
However, his charade fell apart in the Inner Circle Roundtable Chamber.
The operative couldn't locate the specific position his supposed comrades had prepared for him based on his fabricated service record. Instead, he simply reverse-engineered the deliberate misdirection they had planted, ultimately claiming a newly contrived, yet still incorrect, position.
Fortunately for him, extensive verification proved that he hadn't fallen to Chaos. After being secretly interrogated and thoroughly drained of all his secrets by a psychic mentor from the Pentagrammatic Order, the Dark Angels released him under Arthur's strict orders.
They currently had four battle-brothers stringing him along in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, just to see if he might prove useful in the future.
And then there were these Adeptus Astartes, warriors who by all rights should be dead.
Evocatus rarely interacted with other Legions. In his early years, much like Astelan, he had harbored deep dissatisfaction with The Lion's vision for their Legion. Consequently, he had been banished to Caliban, meaning his knowledge of these famous figures from the Great Crusade Era existed solely within historical documents.
Having absolutely nothing better to do, they had taken it upon themselves to monitor this particular group.
Lord Arthur had made his terms clear: no killing, no getting caught, and be ready to respond immediately to any given orders. Beyond those rules, they could do as they pleased.
"Rameses mentioned that their resurrection was achieved through some specific Warp sorcery, executed with the direct cooperation of The Emperor. The underlying principle makes theoretical sense, but I simply cannot fathom how he managed to evade the prying eyes of the foul entities of Chaos,"
a member of the Pentagrammatic Order explained.
Although the Host of the Pentagram had been formally disbanded, the Librarian brothers had by no means been wiped out. Their Supreme Grand Masters still lived, maintaining their respective Orders in absolute secrecy and conducting ongoing research into the Warp with The Lion's tacit approval.
Back then, it was these very individuals who had utilized their psychic powers to steer The Lion clear of mortal peril during treacherous Warp Travel. He himself had been among the Psykers whom that Priest—the one subsequently beheaded by The Lion—had so fiercely demanded be executed.
Currently, this Grand Master of the Pentagrammatic Order had undergone some rudimentary training on Warp theory courtesy of Rameses, granting him a decent understanding of the Thunderforged Warriors.
He firmly believed that everyone involved, from Arthur to these Veterans, harbored far greater secrets. Even Zabriel and Gareth—their two public representatives—had returned from several high-level meetings acting noticeably out of sorts.
Those two had been attending internal meetings behind their comrades' backs, yet adamantly refused to disclose a single word of what had been discussed.
No one dared to question the unwavering loyalty of these ancient warriors, but whether these Ten-thousand-year Veterans were keeping massive secrets to themselves was entirely open to debate.
They couldn't exactly march up and forcefully rip the memories from their minds, could they?
—Well, it wasn't entirely impossible, but Lord Arthur strictly forbade it.
He and his fellow Order members hadn't exactly refrained from trying, but aside from the single incident with the Alpha Legionnaire, every other attempt had ended with them being promptly arrested by Arthur.
Arthur's absolute baseline was no loss of life and zero interference with the ongoing mission. Outside of those strict parameters, he practically welcomed the provocations of the Lion's Pride.
And through this bizarre cycle—where they would attempt to push the boundaries like a cat batting at a water cup, only for Arthur to arrest them just before they knocked it over and deliver a sound thrashing—the mutual understanding between both parties grew at an astronomical rate.
In just a few short days, the Lion's Pride's respect and acknowledgment for this Knight Master skyrocketed.
He was incredibly powerful, capable of instantly apprehending any Fallen Angel who dared to provoke him.
He was impeccably disciplined, managing the entire command structure flawlessly. If any internal Order faced difficulties, they could immediately seek Arthur's assistance and receive it without delay.
He kept his promises. Even as they constantly pushed their luck and reached where they shouldn't, not a single drop of blood had been spilled in lethal punishment; everything was handled strictly according to the bylaws of each Order's Inner Circle.
The most severe punishment had fallen on that fool, Kai. His reckless challenge had interrupted Lord Arthur's teaching session, resulting in Kai being beaten black and blue and strung up by the entrance of the Inner Circle's assembly hall for an entire night—earning him the collective mockery of the Order of the Broken Crown.
"Don't go too far. Although Romulus effectively usurped the Knight Master's authority, we all operate under the exact same command structure now. Sabotaging our internal unity is entirely inadvisable,"
Evocatus sternly warned him.
Lord Arthur had stated in no uncertain terms that there were to be absolutely no internal bloodshed or conflicts. The tasks assigned to the four of them had been logically distributed based on their individual capabilities, and they were forbidden from making wildly baseless assumptions.
They had no choice but to obey; after all, for the time being at least, those words rang with absolute truth.
"I know. Otherwise, I wouldn't be standing here right now,"
the Pentagrammatic Order mentor replied. He personally felt that the Knight Master was far better suited to lead the Expeditionary Fleet, but he wasn't so fanatical that he would resort to attacking friendly forces over a simple distribution of power.
Lord Arthur had already proven through his actions that his words and conduct were completely trustworthy.
Even though the Fallen Angels themselves routinely discarded rules and trampled over baselines during times of crisis.
However, having a boss like him still managed to put everyone genuinely at ease.