The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Standard Terra Calendar 41

Sol System, Solar Sector, Gate of Elysium

As the fleet approached that artifact from the Dark Age, various welcoming messages were continuously transmitted to the bridge, and the crowded lanes cleared a path for this Astartes fleet.

Sorshyan didn't like this intrusive way of doing things, but there was nothing he could do, so he could only select important messages for simple replies and occasionally glance at the sea-blue, ice-covered planet.

Like Neptune, Uranus's native surface, composed of ice and methane, was not suitable for habitation, so the vast majority of the population lived on its satellites.

As early as the Dark Age of Technology, humanity had established a stable warp route on Uranus—that is, the giant construct almost identical to the Hyssonic Gate, called the Gate of Elysium. The Gate of Elysium allowed fleets within the system to make rapid and simple warp jumps, and therefore it was the main gateway from the Solar System to the outside world.

To protect this important construct, the Imperium built a defense system called the Eye of the Old Gods during the Great Crusade, a huge network system consisting of orbital defense stations and turrets, guarding the entrance to the Gate of Elysium, but it was almost destroyed during the Great Betrayal and rebuilt over thousands of years.

During the Horus Heresy, Uranus and the Gate of Elysium became the center of the Imperium's second line of defense around the Solar System, commanded by Fists Imperial Captain Helbrecht—also the name of the Black Templars Marshal, the coincidence of their names like a twist of fate.

After losing Neptune, Rogal Dorn was determined to hold the area. Uranus and the surrounding space subsequently saw multiple large-scale battles. The Iron Warriors, led by their Primarch, eventually launched a raid to seize the Gate of Elysium, destroying most of the Eye of the Old Gods and successfully occupying Uranus.

But after the Siege of Terra, the Imperium reclaimed Uranus and its satellites during the Great Scouring.

Originally, Uranus had a large number of satellites, a total of 27, some of the smaller satellites were completely fortified after the Horus Heresy and completely destroyed in the subsequent fierce war. Only 14 of Uranus's satellites remain, and 6 planets including Ariel cannot be transformed into large residential areas due to war damage and other reasons, so they exist as resource extraction points. Only 8 satellites are actually inhabited, the largest of which is Titan, said to house 30 billion people.

Although there are no exact figures, Sorshyan guessed that the population of the entire planet and its satellites was probably more than Neptune.

Like Neptune, Uranus also had an orbital station called Kadom.

As before, Sorshyan couldn't avoid a brief meeting with a group of Imperial high-ranking officials there. Although he was very impatient with this kind of activity, his reason told him that such behavior was very beneficial to expanding the chapter's influence, and although influence was invisible and intangible, it could play a role at critical times, which he had deeply experienced in the crusade. →

After leaving Uranus, Sorshyan immediately prepared to set off for the outpost of Terra, Jupiter—

“Why not go to Saturn?”

In a small training ground on the Eternal Fidelity, Jacob asked this question, wiping the fine beads of sweat from his face with a towel. All the warriors of the Tenth Company around him were engaged in weapons and combat training. When there was no battle, training was the majority of the Space Marines’ daily life—except for the administrators.

“Why ask so much?”

Bahram, wearing training clothes, walked over and threw a sword at Jacob, who caught the hilt smoothly and turned his wrist.

“Just curious.”

“If you have so much curiosity, it means your training intensity is not enough.”

After saying that, Bahram's transition from stillness to movement took less than half a second, and the sword in his hand slashed towards Jacob's neck.

In response, Jacob's entire body and nerves responded instantly, combat instinct erupted, and he raised his hand seemingly unconsciously to deal with the attack in front of him.

The two men's weapons collided heavily, and Bahram unleashed three consecutive slashes, both fierce and swift, knocking Jacob back several steps.

Then Jacob decided not to retreat any further. He tried to use a feint to trick Bahram's sword away, and then use a series of stabs to force the opponent back, and then reorganize the offensive.

However, before he could take any action, Bahram seemed to see through his intentions, and the blade suddenly turned and swept to the left. Jacob frantically tried to resist, deflecting it before it stabbed his ribs.

Even though he used all his strength, the sword was almost pulled from his hand.

“The current Saturn and its satellites are the home of the Ordo Malleus, and possibly the Grey Knights. In short, this world and its satellites are subject to strict traffic restrictions. Without a special navigation permit issued by the Ordo Malleus, no ships are allowed to approach its orbit, regardless of their identity. Any unidentified ships that criminally approach Saturn will be immediately destroyed by its complex orbital defense system.”

Bahram suddenly opened his mouth, and once again swung his sword. This time, Jacob was distracted by the other party's words, and failed to block the attack aside. Although he reacted at the critical moment and blocked the blow with his sword, the two weapons were already locked together.

“And unlike the other planets in the Solar System, Saturn does not have orbital colonies and has not been heavily developed, which shows that this ban is being enforced very well, so the Uranus route goes directly to Jupiter.”

Suddenly, Bahram blurted out another sentence, and Jacob gasped and asked:

“Then——”

Before he could say the next word, Bahram shook him off and launched a series of stabs with his sword, switching the tactics from overwhelming power to deadly speed.

The already distracted Jacob couldn't keep up with Bahram's speed, and the other party then stabbed him in the shoulder. The strong electric current released from the training sword violently stimulated Jacob's nerves, causing him to freeze in place. Then Bahram grabbed his collar, twisted it hard, and Jacob was directly knocked to the ground.

“So, do you understand?”

Bahram looked down at Jacob, his sword against the other's forehead, and said in a serious tone:

“On the battlefield, your curiosity can kill you. Don’t think it’s harmless, it’s a gap in your fighting will.”

Jacob shook his head helplessly and stood up without even picking up his sword.

“Only demons whisper in battle.”

Bahram laughed and slapped the other party's butt hard with the blade of his sword.

“Then how can you be sure that I am not a demon in disguise? What if you encounter an opponent exactly like me on the battlefield, will you also relax your vigilance?”

“Demons aren’t as scary as you, Sergeant.”

“Hey, you guy——”