The Emperor’s Angel of Death

After listening to the history of the Fire Claws Chapter, Bakhram immediately asked:

“Then how did they end up here?”

“The Inquisitor who was originally monitoring them left for other missions, so they escaped supervision. Plus, they had just fought two tough battles, their equipment was heavily damaged, and their ships were also damaged. So, they went to Yellow Spring VIII hoping to get supplies. After all, they had helped this Forge World before. However, due to the Decree of Repentance Crusade, the Forge World couldn’t directly provide them with any support. They could only secretly repair their ships and give them some equipment that wasn’t on the warehouse registry. Considering the direction of their actions for the next sixty years was up to them, Yellow Spring VIII suggested they come to Victory Scar for help.

Bakhram nodded, suddenly understanding.

“I see, so Yellow Spring VIII introduced them.”

Then he looked at Arash.

“Chapter Master Arash, then I guess they definitely want more than just help.”

“Yes, they want to join the Misery Concord.”

Bakhram crossed his arms and fell silent, his expression becoming complicated. Arash sighed softly.

“Don't laugh at me, Company Commander Bakhram. I haven’t been Chapter Master for very long, and I don’t have much experience in many things, let alone handling such complex diplomatic affairs. To be honest, I admit that if their entanglement with the Inquisition is brought into the alliance, it would indeed be a considerable trouble. And you probably don’t know, Victory Scar now has at least five Inquisitors active most of the time. And that’s just the ones in plain sight. If you count all kinds of spies and undercover agents, I guess there are at least thirty pairs of Inquisition eyes watching this place all the time.”

Hearing Arash say this, Bakhram immediately showed a surprised expression. He had always thought that the Misery Concord was a fairly independent organization.

“Why not stop them?”

Arash sighed softly.

“In what name? The Misery Concord accepted the Empire’s supervision from the beginning, and the strategies of different alliance masters during their tenures are different. Not everyone is so repulsed by the Inquisition. Besides, the Inquisition does have first-hand intelligence data. Whether it’s combat or executing missions, various Chapters need their intelligence. Different factions within the Inquisition also check each other. When I took over as alliance master, I felt it. I spent a whole month receiving representatives from various Inquisition factions. They were fiercely competing for influence over the Misery Concord. After all, in the eyes of the Inquisition, the Astartes are probably not just swords against the enemies of the Emperor, but also swords to eliminate political enemies. If it hadn’t been four Chapters pressuring the Fire Claws Chapter in the beginning, but just one Chapter, the situation probably wouldn’t be like this.”

Bakhram shook his head helplessly.

“The Inquisitors aren’t thinking about how to eliminate the great enemy, but are spending their energy on how to eliminate dissidents. It’s truly pathetic.”

Actually, after saying so much, it wasn’t that Arash and Bakhram were very familiar. In fact, the number of times the two had met was very limited. It was simply because Bakhram was the only “one of his own,” or rather, a company-level cadre, he could discuss with now. Plus, their Star Knights identity gave them a relatively important position in the alliance.

“The Chapter Master often praised you for being quick-witted, decisive, and capable. I just want to hear your opinion.”

Hearing Arash say this, Bakhram put down his arms and quickly said modestly:

“You flatter me, you flatter me. I haven’t been a company commander for long either. Chapter Master Arash, you are my senior. I came here hoping to learn from you.”

After speaking, he pointed to the Inquisition’s judgment document.

“Now, the first thing to determine is whether the Fire Claws, or rather, the Relictors Chapter, are still in contact with those radical Inquisitors.”

Arash shook his head.

“It’s too difficult to determine this. At least, it doesn’t seem like it at the moment, but no one can guarantee that they won’t get involved with other radical Inquisitors again.”

“So, they might relapse.”

“Yes, Chapter Master Mazhar may also have this concern. He is firmly opposed to the Relictors Chapter joining the Misery Concord. Company Commander Bakhram, you may not understand the rules of the alliance. If a new member wants to join, it requires unanimous approval from all alliance members. However, most members don’t actually stay at Victory Scar all the time. So, a series of supplementary rules were formulated later, one of which is the observer system. Before a new member joins the alliance, they can become an alliance observer. Observers can use the facilities of Victory Scar, including the new recruit modification area, and can also receive some replenishment and repairs from the armory and port area. If an observer is attacked by alien or heretical forces, nearby Misery Concord members will launch a rescue, but the alliance will not intervene in proactive wars, and the alliance will not intervene in investigations by internal Imperial law enforcement forces. Of course, observers don’t need to accept the obligations of formal members, but they have a responsibility to assist nearby alliance members in combat. And the qualifications for an observer only require the consent of two alliance members.”

After listening, Bakhram immediately grasped the key point.

“And the alliance members that can be found at Victory Scar now are Chapter Master Arash and Chapter Master Mazhar in Bosullus.”

“Yes.”

Bakhram pondered for a moment, then asked softly:

“Chapter Master Arash, what do you personally think?”

“Well the Relictors Chapter did do some extreme things before, but they haven’t been branded as traitors. They are still a loyal Chapter, and they have indeed encountered some trouble. Although Yellow Spring VIII gave them some replenishment, it was only out of past affection, and there won’t be a second time. Before they left, they also brought some candidates with excellent physical qualities from their home world, in order to prepare for the inability to replenish troops during the upcoming crusade. They modified a batch in the middle, but because the ship facilities were too rudimentary, the success rate was very low, wasting many lives. Chapter Master Altekus decided to let the remaining candidates and healthy, genetically superior women reproduce. Now, this batch of second-generation candidates is approaching the limit of the adaptation age for modification surgery. If they can’t find a suitable modification facility and get some material assistance, the candidates may be wasted. In addition, their equipment lacks maintenance. Yellow Spring VIII mainly gave weapons and ammunition. They didn’t give a single screw for power armor and Terminator components. Many of their protective gear needs parts to be replenished. One of the purposes of the Misery Concord’s establishment is to help Astartes brothers in distress. If we simply reject the Relictors Chapter like this, I’m worried it will create some unfavorable comments for the alliance.”

Actually, there was one more thing he didn’t say, which was that no matter how bad the Relictors Chapter’s reputation was, it wouldn’t be as bad as the Flesh Tearers in the alliance. And since the Misery Concord had accepted even the notoriously infamous Flesh Tearers, there was no reason not to accept the Relictors Chapter.