The Emperor’s Angel of Death

After kissing Soshjan's ring, Veleton XIX approached the second-to-last step before Soshjan's throne, then knelt on one knee, his left hand on his chest, right hand raised, chest out and head held high.

Correspondingly, Soshjan, clad in ceremonial armor, sat upon the throne, his hands resting on the armrests, unmoving, only slightly lowering his gaze. Sunlight refracted through the glass prisms overhead illuminated him, granting him an aura of divine quality, like a towering idol. Behind the throne, a massive battle banner hung on the wall, and on either side of the throne stood Dehegahn Terminator guards wielding black spears, along with the Chapter's Captains.

“Before the eternal throne, with every ounce of my strength, every inch of my will, every strand of my soul, I, Veleton-Dauletik-Adluto-Vaka, swear to serve you and the sacred Adeptus Astartes Chapter. All that I am is at your disposal. I vow to maintain steadfast and absolute loyalty. Should I betray this oath, may the darkness claim my soul.”

Having spoken, two attendants, heads bowed and backs bent, raised the objects symbolizing the Governor's authority high above their heads. Such a posture would be difficult for a normal person to maintain while walking, yet their steps were without the slightest disorder, even perfectly synchronized, a testament to decades of training.

After a moment, Soshjan slowly spoke, his voice like a resounding bell.

“Your soul and faith belong to the immortal Emperor, and you shall continue to be His shepherd, watching over His flock. Do not fail in your duty.”

As the attendants turned and returned to Veleton XIX's side, he took up the scepter and seal.

“Praise the immortal Emperor and His all-knowing gaze, celebrate the immortal Emperor and His eternal reign!”

This entire process, though somewhat redundant, clearly established the relationship of subordination. From that moment on, the true ruler of Nayson V was Soshjan and subsequent Chapter Masters of the Star Knights, while the Governor transformed from ruler to administrator.

Of course, their actual power remained unchanged. Soshjan was not so idle as to actually send someone to parachute in and manage a world.

“Chapter Master Soshjan Alexey, please accept the gifts presented to you by all the soldiers and civilians of Nayson V.”

Soon, accompanied by the wheezing of servo-skulls, over twenty massive crates were moved into the main thoroughfare of the reception hall. Setting aside the contents, the crates themselves were already inlaid with gold and silver.

Of course, the contents had been scanned before being brought in.

As one crate after another was opened, various rare relics, religious artifacts, and even master-crafted weapons appeared before everyone's eyes, each one worthy of being called precious.

But Soshjan merely glanced at these items, then nodded.

“I accept these gifts and appreciate the goodwill of the soldiers and civilians of Nayson V.

“Furthermore, all noble families of Nayson V shall offer a boy, hoping to participate in the next Neophyte selection of the Star Knights.”

The blood tithe. This was a condition that every Astartes Chapter's homeworld had to accept. Clearly, the higher-ups of Nayson V understood this very well, and proactively linked the noble bloodline with the Star Knights.

“I accept your support for the Chapter's eternal cause. These boys, after being screened, those who qualify will have the opportunity to become members of the Battle Brothers, and the surviving failures will also serve the Chapter for life. I will remember your dedication.”

Saying this, Soshjan stood up.

“Living in the same star system, Nayson V can be considered half of the Chapter's home. This time, thanks to the High Lords' favor, I also feel a great responsibility. I hereby promise that the Star Knights Chapter will protect the safety and order of Nayson V, just as we protect Nayson IV, and strive to help it become more prosperous. Of course, the primary duty of the Astartes is to fight. The specific implementation still requires you all to do it. After finishing the matters at hand, I will personally inspect Nayson V, but before that, I would like to warn you all that after the abolishment of the tithe, do not exploit and fleece the people again. Know that the people are important and should be loved. Those who have merit will be rewarded by me, and those who have faults will definitely be severely punished. The Astartes enforce the law and will not be as lenient as the Department of Justice. I hope you all will behave yourselves.”

The nobles all lowered their heads.

“Yes.”

“But likewise, I also respect your hereditary rights. Nayson IV and Nayson V will establish a fair trade alliance, jointly accepting the protection of the Chapter and enjoying the trade share with the forge world.”

In the past, Nayson V often had trade disputes with Nayson IV. After all, the two worlds were in the same star system, and because Nayson IV did not need to pay the tithe, they often adopted a low-price dumping approach to impact the local market of Nayson V. It was only because of the Star Knights that there were no more intense conflicts between the two sides. Now that Soshjan came forward and said this, the nobles of Nayson V felt very fortunate.

“Your justice makes the sun dim in comparison——”

“Alright, alright, no need to say those things. If there's nothing else, you may leave.”

After the nobles left, Soshjan simply summoned all the Chapter's high-ranking personnel, including apothecaries, Techmarines, Chaplains, and other functional personnel, to hold the first collective meeting after returning to the homeworld in the reception hall.

The main contents of the meeting were the allocation of new recruits and the assignment of company tasks.

“Before the Chapter's expedition, the force was 657 people, then supplemented by 309 and 112 new recruits respectively, and 132 new recruits were recruited during the expedition (from the nobles of Sagan). A total of 293 Battle Brothers died in the entire expedition, and another 11 entered Dreadnoughts. Upon arrival at Nayson IV, the Chapter's number was 906 people.”

After speaking, Chief Apothecary Nassin Balitaem raised his head. Years of training had made him much calmer and more capable. Because the Chapter had been working hard to increase the number of warriors, he had been stationed in the rear for a long time and did not even participate in the expedition, but this would not affect his achievements in the slightest.

“Chapter Master, including the 11th Company, in principle, we are close to being fully staffed.”

The new recruits reported by Balitaem were all from the first batch recruited from the Brakato star system. The reason why they were divided into two batches was because these new recruits were sent to the front line at different transformation locations. The 309 new recruits were transformed on Nayson IV, while the 112 were recruited locally in the Brakato star system and transformed in the flagship Avista. Due to fluctuations in the warp routes, the fleets that should have arrived at the same time were eventually divided into two batches that arrived two years apart. This is an old and difficult problem that has plagued the Imperium since its establishment.

“Currently, the 1st Company has 105 warriors, the 2nd Company has 110 warriors, the 3rd Company has 107 warriors, the 4th Company has 106 warriors, the 5th Company has 13 warriors, the 6th Company has 98 warriors, the 10th Company has 243 warriors, the 11th Company has 81 warriors, while the Apothecary Association has 19 people, the Armory has 11 people, and the Reclusiam has 13 people.”