Chapter 113: Your Name
After the Blood Angels agreed to the redevelopment protocol for Baal, the meeting's agenda was drawing to a close.
High Marshal Helbrecht was the first to leave, his movements crisp and efficient, as if he had already anticipated the outcome of the meeting. His purpose on this journey had just been to bring the elders to "make the rounds." Seeing Dante's "why don't you be the Chapter Master of the Blood Angels" expression, he knew the effect had been more than sufficient. As for having the Blood Angels dispatch forces to join the crusade fleet, he was not in a hurry. The Navigators still needed time to plan the next leg of the journey. For now, it was better to help them get things set up on Baal.
After all, they had now seen firsthand the Blood Angels' operational capabilities.
Helbrecht silently exchanged a glance with Romulus, who was walking beside him. They both saw the same conclusion in each other's eyes—
Completely unreliable.
Romulus also let out a sigh of relief. This had been the most exhausting diplomatic encounter he had ever had. It was a good thing that, although Arthur wasn't at his best in these situations, they had a charisma-user on their team who was a natural counter to the Blood Angels. Otherwise, it would have been very difficult.
And the Blood Angels themselves had nothing to say. The Ecclesiarchy was providing the money and the manpower, the elders were providing the holy relics. It seemed all they had to do was nod their heads to get such a huge bargain. After all, never mind what others thought, Dante had been leading this group of problem children for so many years. He had some self-awareness. If the Imperium had really wanted something from Baal, they wouldn't have needed to put on such a grand show. And if Chaos had put on such a grand show, it would have been impossible to hide.
As for whether there was a risk of Chaos corruption in this process... while the Angels were a blank slate when it came to governance, when it came to war and destruction—they had never been afraid.
"...My Lord, do you have any further instructions?"
In the council chamber, the crowd had dispersed, leaving only the Blood Angels.
"These are some minor adjustments Sarpedon intends to make to the Chapter after his return," Karna said, looking left and right. Seeing that both Dante and Sarpedon were looking at him, he awkwardly handed over a data-slate.
Dante took it and looked. His brow furrowed slightly, and then he asked with some embarrassment, "My Lord, are you planning to rebuild the 'Three Spheres'?"
The "Three Spheres." This organizational structure, established after Sanguinius's return to the Blood Angels Legion, had encompassed all the Blood Angels. The outermost sphere was naturally the ordinary members of the various companies. The second sphere was the company commanders and champions. The central sphere represented a part of the Primarch himself. They had to cast aside their old names and take on a new name as a new beginning.
The organizations of the central sphere included the Sanguinary Guard, the Crimson Paladins, the High Host, and the Angel's Tears, serving as the Primarch's personal bodyguards, the guardians of his sanctum, his secret police, and his personal Destroyer host, respectively.
Dante, of course, knew the duties of these units.
After the death of Sanguinius, the first Chapter Master of the Blood Angels, Raldoron, who had brought his body back to Baal, had constantly tried to restore the "Three Spheres," which had been devastated in the Siege of Terra. But soon, Lord Guilliman had brought some "good news." Raldoron, very "fortunately," no longer had to worry about rebuilding the "Three Spheres."
With the promulgation of the Codex Astartes, the Legion was broken. The Black Rage, triggered by the death of the Primarch, had forced the Blood Angels to even reduce the size of the Sanguinary Guard, just to ensure that the holy office left by Sanguinius was not tainted by the Black Rage, let alone the other units.
But what could they do? Their Primarch was dead. The Blood Angels, due to their gene-flaw, had always been rather isolated. They didn't even have anyone to speak for them.
"We know that the current structure of the Blood Angels cannot support the 'Three Spheres'," Karna said. He understood Dante's embarrassment. It was just that the current Blood Angels were too weak, and he was afraid the elders would be disappointed. "But we can try to contact those successor Chapters that still adhere to the teachings of Sanguinius and decentralize this function. If necessary, multiple successor Chapters can be directly consolidated into a single fighting force."
This was a method the Dark Angels had already proven. As long as the parent Chapter was strong enough, it could work.
"...My Lord, why are we doing this?"
Dante had wanted to ask this question for a long time. It had been difficult to say with the other cousins present, but now he finally had the chance.
Karna, or rather, the Dawnwing that they represented, had been obsessed with strengthening the power of the Astartes. They had even, implicitly and explicitly, shown their distaste for the Codex and had hoped that other Chapters would follow their example. To be honest, this kind of challenge to a Primarch's authority was very hard for a modern Astartes to accept.
These elders seemed to have a strong sense of crisis, a desperate need to strengthen the Astartes to face... something.
"A new challenge is coming. In this new era, the structure of the Chapter is no longer suitable for the new battlefield environment," Karna explained cryptically. According to the linguistic big data model Romulus had recently compiled, the higher-ups in the Warhammer universe more or less preferred answers that allowed for a certain degree of self-interpretation. The reason Arthur could charm those high-ranking officials with a few cool, aloof lines, besides his handsome face, was this very reason.
And the transmigrators did indeed have a very strong sense of crisis. In less than three hundred years, the Great Rift would open, the Necrons would gradually awaken, the Orks would have a new Warboss, and the Tyranids from beyond the galaxy would begin their full-scale invasion.
The transmigrators had to make as many preparations as possible before then. Since the example of the Ultramarines had already proven to be a viable path, then other Chapters could also have their own "Greater Ultramar."
"As for the rest, I will not speak in absolutes. But now, we have returned. And in the future, what other noble being will return to the galaxy?" Karna timely threw out another riddle.
Anyway, Guilliman's return was inevitable. Even if the transmigrators didn't interfere, the Eldar and Cawl would do it themselves.
"My Lord, are you saying—" Sarpedon's expression was one of barely contained excitement.
"It is not a prophecy, not a revelation. Just a guess. No guarantees," Karna said immediately, having finished reciting the riddle from Romulus's script. The transmigrators did have a contingency plan for saving the dead Primarchs, but at present, without being certain of their condition, no one could guarantee that a Primarch like Sanguinius, who had died a bit too thoroughly, could be brought back.
"Yes, yes!" the Angels all nodded repeatedly. It's not real.
Now they had no objections at all to rebuilding the Legion's structure. It was a joke. If their gene-sire returned and found that they had let the Blood Angels Chapter shrink to only a thousand men, and that the other successor Chapters were all estranged, they would have no face to meet him.
Alright, at least their motivation is up.
Karna felt a headache coming on. He then, following Romulus's instructions, took out another document.
"This is the production line for the equipment of the 'Three Spheres' members. It can only be maintained by the Chapter's own Techmarines. Do not let the Adeptus Mechanicus know. We have already installed the STC in the transport. It will be delivered along with the heavy equipment."
"I understand." Dante quickly went through the document. It included production lines for various types of Terminator armor, Destroyer weapons, and armed vehicles. After installation, they could quickly begin production. But the Machine Spirits would require a lot of care from the Techmarines. He cherished this file. Unlike the future depicted by Romulus in the meeting, this gift from the transmigrators was the key to rebuilding their ties with their successor Chapters in a short amount of time.
"And one last thing." Karna took out two long boxes, nearly the height of a man. One was filled to the brim with feather pendants of Sanguinius, and the other with blood pendants, sealed in crystal.
"These are the feathers of Sanguinius, and this is the blood of Sanguinius. Simply processed. You can do your own artistic processing after you get them back. Just don't eat them. They can, to a certain extent, suppress the Black Rage of the Angel's sons."
"No additional conditions are required. Just have one person carry it during a squad operation. No so-called rituals are needed," he repeated.
Karna had complained to Ramesses more than once about whether they could change this to another type of item, but Ramesses had explicitly said that it had to be something that could establish a Warp-connection with the Angel's sons. Karna could indeed add a "valve" to the Black Rage for the Angel's sons through a Warp-connection, but if the Angel himself didn't want to restrain himself, it was useless. They had to use an item that could bear their psychological anchor.
And what could be a better anchor for the thoughts of the Angel's sons than the wings and blood of Sanguinius?
So be it.
"You can call the other successor Chapters to come and get some. As long as they are willing to restrain their fury, they can be free from the threat of this fury forever. And don't be stingy. There's more where that came from."
It wasn't that the transmigrators had no other way. For example, they could have their Chapter Apothecary, Arthur, who had already disassembled tens of thousands of Astartes of various types, install a Sinew Coil for the Blood Angels. This organ itself could effectively suppress the Blood Angels' genetic instincts and the Black Rage. As long as the Angels' mental state was normal, they basically wouldn't fall ill.
The reason they didn't use this method was simple. They weren't very familiar with each other yet. To just come up and say, 'I have a way to suppress the Black Rage and the Red Thirst, I just need to add an organ to your brain...'—that sounded like a Chaos plot. Even the transmigrators wouldn't accept it if someone said that to them. Even if the Blood Angels were easy to talk to, they wouldn't accept something like that.
"..."
Dante looked at the boxes full of feathers and blood, which probably weighed as much as two men, and then looked up at Karna, his expression flat.
"..."
This gaze made Karna a little scared.
"Sigh~"
Seeing Karna's obvious avoidance, Dante let out a long sigh.
Others might not know, but how could he not? If the remains of Lord Sanguinius really had the effect of suppressing the Black Rage, how could the sons of the Angel, who had been tormented by the Black Rage and the Red Thirst for ten thousand years, who had gone mad to the point of trying to contact dangerous entities, not have tried it?
Daemons or some other things had been constantly trying to use these to lure them into falling. Dante was already quite dissatisfied with the practices of some successor Chapters.
And yet, such a precious thing was presented to them without any additional conditions, without any paper rituals, without any heretical preaching.
Oh, there were conditions.
The Blood Angels needed to make Baal a better place. With the help of the elders and their many friends.
Where in the world could you find such a good deal?
"I will take good care of them, my Lord." Dante nodded solemnly and motioned for the Sanguinary Priests to take the relics. He tacitly did not mention the matter of having Karna join the Blood Angels again. He then thought of the Sanguinary Priest of the Flesh Tearers who had come to visit him. As a successor Chapter that had been split off during the Second Founding, the Flesh Tearers had always been plagued by the Black Rage and were in a perpetual state of being understaffed. Now, their Chapter Master had been killed in action, and the entire Chapter's high command was down to that one Sanguinary Priest.
"My Lord, the Flesh Tearers are also visiting Baal at the moment. Perhaps we can try—"
"You are the Chapter Master. You decide."
The red envelopes had been handed out. Karna couldn't wait to leave.
"I understand. Let Sethan follow you. He will describe to you in detail the changes in the Blood Angels over the past ten thousand years. Please, Elder Sarpedon, come with me. I wish to discuss the matter of restoring the 'Three Spheres' in more detail." Dante called over the priest who was in charge of the archives.
"My thanks for your trouble," Karna said, nodding to Sethan.
History, even the history of another world, he was quite interested in, because it carried the stories of countless people.
"It is my honor, my Lord!" Chaplain Sethan replied excitedly, grateful that he could be given such a duty.
However, this excitement did not last long. It was broken by an uninvited guest.
"My Lord!"
Just as the two were strolling through the golden, magnificent sanctum, a blood-thrall ran up to them in a hurry and delivered an unexpected piece of news.
"The lords are in conflict."
In a remote sanctum, several Flesh Tearers warriors were lying on the ground.
"What do you take a human life for?" Arthur said, holding down a burly Flesh Tearers warrior. The servo-motors in his armor were silent, pinning the warrior firmly in place.
It hadn't really been a conflict. It was just that Arthur, on his daily stroll with his presence lowered, had run into a group of blood-thralls who were serving the Flesh Tearers being attacked. He had saved them, and then he would have just had Karna come over and give these guys a purification, and it would have been over.
Vampirism was a mental illness. The transmigrators had always treated this kind of physiological flaw as a disease, and the sons of the Angel were, naturally, patients. So they could look at their actions more rationally.
But this guy had just come up and said, "We are culling the weak for the servants of the Blood Angels."
"And are you, then, the weak one who should be culled?" the black knight asked coldly, pinning the warrior to the ground.
"And what about you?! Have you been culled?" The son of the Angel's verbal skills seemed to be quite sharp. The Red Thirst and the Black Rage made his consciousness berserk, but also very aggressive. "I clearly remember who this thirst, this fury, comes from. And you? Where do you come from? You—"
Almost the moment this Flesh Tearer opened his mouth, before Arthur could even do anything, the members of the various Chapters around them had all drawn their guns. The Flesh Tearers' own Sanguinary Priest, who had already arrived, had even taken out his chain-flail, ready to execute his comrade who was speaking such blasphemy.
"Stop!" Karna's voice came from a distance. The angel, who never hid his own light, immediately drew everyone's attention. He strode forward, exchanged a glance with his partner, and after confirming that no one had died in this conflict, he asked the warrior who was still on the ground, "Who are you? Did you do this?"
The radiant angel came to the warrior's side. Even in the night, his sun-like figure made the surrounding lights dim.
"It was me. That—" the warrior said loudly, seemingly not at all convinced, and not intending to get up. He just looked up at the newcomer.
In that instant, a great sorrow, like a flood that had suddenly broken a dam, gushed out, poured down, and filled Gabriel Seth's heart. He clearly didn't know this lord, but when he saw the pained look in Karna's eyes, an expression of loss for the mortals, a sorrow as if he had lost something, made it difficult for him to suppress his own emotions.
"My Lord..." he stammered, then pushed himself up and retreated, like a worm in a dark corner, avoiding the sunlight.
"Your name," Karna said, squatting down and taking the warrior's hand, stopping him from retreating.
"Gabriel." The tall warrior began to sob, tears streaming down his face. He wanted to summon his anger, to continue to be a porcupine and prick anyone who dared to approach and question him, but he found that the anger that had always troubled him in the past was gone.
"Gabriel Seth—I'm sorry," he sobbed intermittently. "I'm sorry, my Lord."
"It is not me you should be sorry to." Karna's gaze shifted, noticing the injured blood-thralls. The thralls, looking at Karna's gaze, although they didn't understand the situation, still puffed out their chests.
"Please, come to my side," Karna said, beckoning for the few thralls to come to him.
"Apologize to them."
"I apologize." The Angel of the Emperor bowed to the insignificant servants. This left the servants stunned, not even knowing what they should do. They were the food of the Emperor's Angels. It was only right that the Angels should need them at any time.
"..."
The transmigrators looked at this scene, their expressions unreadable.
If it has always been this way, does that make it right?
They still had a lot to change.
Karna and Arthur exchanged a glance, and both shook their heads with a sense of helplessness. On one side were the loyal warriors of the Imperium, who had forgotten what they should be fighting for. On the other were the citizens of the Imperium, who had dedicated everything, but had forgotten to live for themselves.
Damn it, is there no such thing as balance in this world? Why is it all just an abstract combination of such extreme cases?
A nameless fire flowed into a black fury. Karna gripped Seth's hand, making the Sanguinary Priest who had rushed over feel a twinge of jealousy.
"You are guilty," he said.
"Yes, I am guilty," Seth choked out. He didn't actually know what his crime was, but that face, that heartfelt pain for the current situation, all told him that he was wrong.
"Your crime is in forgetting where you came from, in forgetting what you are protecting. You need to atone."
"Yes, I will atone."
This charisma was too terrifying. Karna thought to himself, but he had to admit, it was very convenient for his attempt to change the sons of the Angel.
He then asked softly, "Do you want to overcome this fury? Do you want to become your true self?"
"I do, my Lord. I do." The reply was firm.
"Can you restrain this fury, and once again pick up a respect for life?"
"I can, my Lord. I can." The reply was sincere.
"..."
At some point, the Blood Angels who had received the news and rushed over had arrived at Karna's side. They were all silent, listening to his words.
"Then, I will walk with you," Karna said gently. "I will witness your change. I can grant you a high wall against the fury. I will use myself to guide you."
"So, I hope that every son of the Angel can pick up the soul that belongs to humanity, can change for the better. Such a path will be fraught with peril. The thirst will still be with us."
He looked up at the Angels around him, and at the cowering thralls, meeting their gazes. They didn't not want to become better. It was that they had no way, that no one had taught them, that this universe had not given them a chance.
In this moment, he finally truly felt the sense of mission that Arthur had. A person, placing all his expectations and hopes on you, hoping you can achieve something.
"I will walk with you."
Yes, the transmigrators could definitely do it.
"High Marshal." On a viewing platform not far away, Pedro Kantor of the Crimson Fists had come up. He looked at Karna, who was surrounded by the other Angels, a look of envy in his eyes. Although their own ranks had been joined by the elders one after another, it was clear that among the four adults who were like the last gifts left by the Primarchs, there was no Imperial Fist.
Oh, and no Carcharodon either. But those guys seemed to have a different kind of bond with the elders. Anyone with eyes could see that the elders showed a special preference for that maverick Chapter.
"I'm a little envious of the Blood Angels," Pedro said with a light sigh.
"As am I, Pedro," Helbrecht replied softly.
"As am I."
(End of Chapter)