Warhammer 40k: Shattered Steel Soul

Chapter 69 Treasured Things 2.0

A few days ago, Perturabo began to think secretly about what kind of punishment his legion could accept.

If the punishment is too light, Perturabo doubts that these loyal warriors will feel even more guilty.

Should the person who made the mistake be pushed to the front line?

This punishment was effective in Olympia itself, but it seemed difficult to call it a punishment for the extremely brave and fearless Astartes in front of him.

Order the person who made the mistake to go to the rear and take charge of logistics?

That would interfere with the normal operation of the logistics support system.

And now he had new inspiration from Morse—even though he would have preferred that the terrible trigger for inspiration never occurred in this world.

"You think it was your mistake to ask for help when you first met me. This is your persistence, so I will not bluntly emphasize that you are innocent."

"At the same time, I have looked through your battle records over the years. Even the most tolerant commander here cannot praise your battle decisions for being flawless and error-free."

"So I decided to let you remember the mistakes you made."

Perturabo's breathing slowed, and the sea of ​​steel fell into a demoralizing silence with him. His fingers tapped lightly on the platform of the lectern, as if he was mastering the breathing rhythm of the legion.

"I hope that in each independent team there will be a warrior who can clearly remember the mistakes he made in the battle - one is enough! It doesn't require all members to step forward.

All the members of the Iron Legion collectively moved forward in a silent tacit understanding, and gradually some of the iron shells that had just been painted with new yellow and black paint reluctantly stepped back at the request of the original body.

Despite this, ten seconds later, the number of Iron Warriors standing in the front row still accounted for more than 30%.

Perturabo simply calculated in his mind the space he had reserved when designing the city, and whether his hands would hurt when he went back later. He had to give a clear indicator: "Just one out of ten people will stand up, and the remaining Return everything you choose! Don’t let me choose it myself.”

After the next ten seconds, the number of people willing to accept punishment finally dropped to a level that Perturabo could accept.

He picked up the heavy notepad that had been placed on the podium, held it in his palm and walked off the stage, came to the side of his heirs, and looked down at this group of flesh and blood bodies in steel.

"What's your name?" he asked calmly. "What mistakes have you made?"

The Iron Warrior reported loudly: "Bonan Gaines, the third battalion of the fifth battalion, once misjudged the body structure of the alien during the battle against the alien, causing the opponent to survive after being hit, and injuring ten combat brothers. "

Perturabo nodded, wrote down the name and corresponding situation on the paper, and ordered: "You take one step forward."

Then he came to the next Astartes.

"The 1st Battalion of the 7th Battalion, Ribeiro Evans, wasted explosives and ran out of ammunition late in a battle. He had to use the gun itself as a cold weapon to attack."

"You return to the team."

"Eric Anderson, from the Ninth Battalion of the Second Battalion, miscalculated the hardness of building materials, causing his body to get stuck in the middle of the building materials and missed the opportunity to fight.

"Why is it stuck?"

"Half on one side...half on the other side."

"You also move forward. In addition, the formal part of this collective meeting has ended, and the remaining statistics will take a longer extra time. Other warriors can leave on their own in advance."

No one moved even the length of a sage leaf, and Perturabo didn't care.

Rather than leaving the Grand Theater and going back to rest according to reason, these heirs wished to be in the same space with him forever. This was my first official meeting with them, so I wanted to satisfy their unspoken wishes for the time being.

By the time all personnel were counted, the time had changed from early morning to evening. There were less than a thousand soldiers who had not returned, standing still in the evening wind.

【

】

Perturabo's notebook was also full. He exhaled, his warm breath floating in the cool air.

Perturabo returned to the stage and looked at his legions. He no longer pretended to be harsh. On the contrary, his tone softened a little.

"I will announce the specific punishment next, my warriors. You have been waiting for this for a long time."

"The warriors who just returned to the team under my order listened to my order. I have left an open space in the core area of ​​Lokos Capital City. Before we leave Olympia and sail to Terra, I hope to build a grand enough Iron Warriors Memorial there. ”

"It's up to you to design the building. It must be stable and solid, easy to maintain and repair, and allow large numbers of space warriors to visit."

"If there is any damage caused by loopholes left during construction within a hundred years, I hope you will all be alive to accept my new round of investigation."

"And the soldiers who stayed in the front row will come back here tomorrow to get your sculpture designs. Likewise, before we set sail, I hope to see each of your statues with your names engraved on the base. , displayed in the memorial hall, the object of the carving and the author must be the same person.

"Whether it's a moment of misjudgment or a moment of unnecessary attack, I hope that the scenes where you made mistakes can be permanently preserved in physical form, and serve as a warning to yourself and your descendants. At least for a hundred years. "I hope these first sculptures are still intact."

He saw his sea of ​​steel collectively falling into the stillness after the cement solidified, and a trace of relaxed and simple joy involuntarily rose in his heart.

This may be the mood Morse felt when he left a record of his growth.

"Each of you values ​​honor and shame, so I will help you remember all this further. Considering that you today have not yet studied the art of art, I personally designed statues for you - in addition, I am very grateful to Eric Anderson The shape described interests me so much that I will carve his one myself.”

Anderson's whole body shook.

"The same will apply from now on. After the stage battle or the conclusion of a large-scale battle, I will select a warrior from each independent team who has performed particularly outstandingly and performed particularly poorly, and record their most glorious or worst moments as The form of the stone sculpture is preserved forever.”

"Normally, you will carve your own statue, and I will approve your finished product and leave an evaluation. You need to engrave my evaluation on the base of your statue."

"For some situations that interest me, I will carve them with my own hands in my free time. For example, in this battle, in addition to Anderson's statue, I will also personally carve a group portrait of you shooting the enemies I threw. Later, I will participate in the shooting If you come here to report, I will leave your name on the base.”

"The location of the memorial is not limited to Olympia. Terra, the Sol System, and all the places we have conquered and allowed us to station troops, including my future flagship, will have room for the Iron Warriors Memorial."

"From now on, we will open the memorial hall for large-scale events such as recruitment of new soldiers, internal celebrations, legion exchanges, and the emperor's visit, and welcome any new battle brothers and other people who fight for humanity to visit the museum."

"This is my unique punishment and reward. I don't mind having it written into military regulations."

"We will remember our glory and shame, and cherish our history and time through the unchanging iron stone until the end of everything in the world."

——

"Do you regret it?" Morse leisurely looked through the hundreds of drawings that Perturabo had drawn all night, and then glanced at Perturabo who was drawing with both hands at the same time. "I still have some imagination." Is it enough? Does your hand hurt?”

"No." Perturabo replied quickly and continued drawing. He had to hand over everyone's statue designs before dawn. Anyway, it was just such a special situation, and they would be left to design it themselves in the future.

"Well... ok." Morse shrugged, "Then come on. After you finish painting, we will discuss the fact that I need to leave temporarily and help your father do some work."