The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Bahram looked at Arash, and he roughly understood the mindset of this battle-brother. Being newly appointed, he was both somewhat hesitant and eager to make a mark. If he could successfully recruit a new member to the League of the Lost, then at least he, as the leader, wouldn't be just a 'nobody'.

So, Arash supported the Relictors Chapter becoming observers.

In fact, Bahram had a rough idea of Arash's position from the amount he had revealed about his conversations with the Relictors' Chapter Master. It was just more explicit now.

As for Bahram himself, he leaned towards the 'avoid trouble' option.

"Chapter Master Arash, I think Lord Mazhar's concerns are valid. Regardless of whether the Relictors Chapter still has contact with radical Inquisitors, the key point is whether they still pursue Chaos artifacts. This is the most crucial thing. Their past behavior was definitely not normal. Although the Inquisition ultimately pardoned them, it can't simply be attributed to a factional dispute."

As he spoke, he moved closer to Arash and whispered:

"Without grey matter, even Astartes are extremely vulnerable to the temptations of Chaos."

Then, he pointed to the Relictors Chapter's structure and partial personnel composition listed beside the judgment document.

"And frankly, I feel their structure is abnormal. Their number of Librarians is significantly higher than that of a typical Chapter. A Chapter with less than eight hundred warriors has twenty-seven Librarians. And that's just on the surface."

"Perhaps it's because they are stationed near the Eye of Terror for a long time, and they need more to deal with enemies appearing in the Warp."

"Let's assume that's the case, but I just remembered a radical faction of the Inquisition called the Zanthusites. This is the most radical faction in the Inquisition, advocating the use of all Warp weapons, such as demon-possessed swords, demon hosts, and believing that the power of Chaos can be used to fight Chaos. This faction believes that Chaos is invincible because Chaos is just a feedback of humanity itself. They believe that the energy and power generated by Chaos can be transformed for the benefit of humanity, rather than becoming an enemy. This is a completely heretical faction. The Fire Claws got on this pirate ship from the beginning, and whether they have really come down from the ship must be questioned."

"But since the Inquisition hasn't continued to pursue the matter, it wouldn't be convincing if we refused them based on their past experiences. Moreover, they were introduced by Forge World Eight. Chapter Master Bahram, you may not know, the League has had close ties with various Forge Worlds since its establishment. Even without requesting assistance, these Forge Worlds periodically send equipment and supplies to the Victory Scars. Forge World Eight sent more than a dozen sets of power armor and a company's worth of bolters and ammunition to the Victory Scars' armory six years ago. Considering the bits and pieces they've donated over the decades, I'm worried if we reject them like this..."

As a mutual aid Astartes alliance, the equipment of the League of the Lost's public armory comes from both spoils of war during League operations and donations from various Forge Worlds. Of course, the League members are aware that accepting favors comes with strings attached, but after all, the channels for the Astartes to obtain equipment and materials are very limited, and even Sotha allowed it by default.

The continuous intervention of the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Inquisition has made the internal situation of the League of the Lost increasingly complex. This may be an unavoidable problem for any Imperial organization, including the Astartes. In fact, these situations are fully reflected in the Deathwatch – due to the continuous struggle of various factions within the Ordo Xenos for influence over the Deathwatch, some Deathwatch kill-teams have been serving a single Inquisitor for a long time.

"Yes, it would be hard to justify if we just refused."

In fact, Bahram was also a little apprehensive. He was just a new company captain, yet he was dragged into this matter that should be decided by the Chapter Master. If something happened, the Chapter Master would definitely ask him.

He should have come a few days later, but there was no way to avoid it now that it was here.

Arash seemed determined to drag Bahram into the water as well, and said directly:

"How about this, Chapter Master Artekus mentioned the Astral Knights when he spoke with me. I'll invite him to meet you, and you can see what kind of person he is."

Bahram sighed inwardly, thinking that his opinion wouldn't affect the situation at all. The key point was that Mazhar didn't agree. What use would it be if he really approved?

But then he thought that it would be good to meet him, at least he would have a bottom line in his heart, and he would have something to say when the Chapter Master asked.

So he nodded.

"Alright."

Of course, since he was meeting a Chapter Master, Bahram also made some preparations, slightly 'dressing up' himself.

First, he retrieved a set of Terminator armor from the ship. This was a set of Cataphractii Terminator armor that Talos had gifted him in the name of the 11th Company after he took office as the 10th Company Captain. Then, he took the Hearthguard plasma sword 'Broken Horned Star' granted by Sotha. At the same time, he also assembled a command squad of 10 people, with Jacob temporarily serving as the company banner bearer.

After simple preparations, Bahram went to a meeting room in Victory Scars.

As soon as he entered the hall, he saw Arash talking to a tall warrior wearing Indomitus pattern Terminator armor. The White Templars guard stood on one side, and on the other side were ten Indomitus pattern Terminators, painted in grey-black, with a white skull symbol on their shoulder pads, and one of them held the Chapter's banner.

Noticing Bahram walking over, Arash turned to the side and raised his hand.

"Chapter Master Artekus, this is the 10th Company Captain of the Astral Knights Chapter, Bahram."

The Chapter Master then turned around. He had a slightly gloomy face, a bald head with several obvious scars. As Bahram walked towards him, he also stepped forward, his movements smooth and fast, which was extremely disproportionate to his fully armed body. His eyes flashed with scrutiny.

Soon, the two met and reached out to shake hands.

"Hello, it's a great honor to meet you, Chapter Master Artekus Bardan."

"Likewise, the name of the Astral Knights has long been like thunder in my ears. Chapter Master Sotha is the most decorated hero and hero of the Imperium in the 41st millennium. I must visit him another day."

Then he noticed the Terminator armor on Bahram, thinking it was Tartaros pattern, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

After all, the 10th Company is a rookie company in most chapters, not to mention Tartaros pattern, Indomitus pattern is rarely equipped by the captain of the rookie company, which is the highest level armor that elite veterans are qualified to use.

The strength of the Astral Knights can be seen.