Warhammer 40: My Fiancée Fulgrim.

Chapter 219 A Small Gathering at the Casgar Vortex
Dabus, the leader of the Red Hook Pirates, is nothing.

But he is a visionary and intelligent man.

Regardless of whether the person before him was the hero Kasgar he spoke of, his formidable strength remained unchanged.

At this moment, the human empire and the army of the tyrant of Badab, namely Ruft Huron, are locked in a standoff. Whether they fight or make peace, it will be the fuse that drastically changes the future situation.

If negotiations break down and the Star Claws Chapter is deemed a rebel and annihilated by the Empire of Man, then after Huron, who was behind the Darkfire Pirates, falls from power, they will need a stronger and more powerful backer.

—Clearly, this being who can be regarded as a father by the proud Spirit Clan is certainly qualified.

"it is good!"

"Since the three of you are all willing to believe in me, Casgar Sherlock, why should we continue standing here chatting?"

"Everyone, come back to the Great Whirlpool with me."

Casca nodded to the three pirate crew members.

These three pirate captains each had their own agendas, but fortunately, they were currently aligned on the same goal.

As long as their goals are aligned, he doesn't need to worry that the three pirate captains will sabotage him during the battle.

"If things go well, I will also be able to notify other Tiger Claw Chapter Space Marines who have become pirates."

"Tiger Claw is willing to give anything to help Chapter Commander Huron."

"Dvorz Cole said, and the Space Marines behind him nodded in agreement."

"The legend of Lord Yrel is that the true incarnation of Asuyan has returned to the world once again. I must let all my Eldar brethren in the Great Vortex know this news."

"If you can remove the mark of the Lady of Thirst from us, the entire Eldar pirate fleet in the Great Vortex will be at your command."

"Void Dreamer Waldra said."

Eldar pirates do not need to practice asceticism and asceticism like the old-fashioned prophets of the Ark Eldar, nor do they need to search the entire universe for slaves like their fallen cousins ​​in the Comoros in order to prevent their souls from being torn apart by the Lady of Thirst.

Very free and unrestrained—except for having to face Slaanesh himself.

This is the situation that all Eldar pirates fear most.

As long as Kasga can help the Eldar pirates in the Maelstrom resolve the issue of the Lady of Thirst's mark, even if he is a mere mortal, many Eldar pirates will revere him as the reincarnation of Asuyan.

"It's my turn again?"

Dabus looked around again.

"Then I'll have to ask my brothers if they're willing to lend me a hand."

The Sad Galaxy.

A negotiation that will determine the course of the Badakhshan War is about to begin here.

In order to prevent the negotiations from being hijacked by either side, neither side deployed more troops to the area, except for the flagships of the Mantis Warriors and Red Scorpions.

Even the final meeting place was chosen in this old, seemingly neglected transit station.

Apart from the two battle group commanders and their adjutants, only a few machine servants and ordinary historians who were there to record the proceedings attended the entire meeting.

"The time has come, Saltak."

“I don’t know if Huron will cooperate with our investigation, but I hope that in this negotiation you can truly demonstrate the honor of being a proud guardian of Badab.”

The voice of Otis, the Red Scorpion Chapter Leader, echoed through the Mantis Warriors Chapter's escort ships.

To arrange this meeting, he overruled objections during the Empire's discussions on the matter, firmly insisting that since neither side had insurmountable conflicts or problems, and both were willing to contribute to the Empire's efforts to quell the chaos in the Great Vortex—

If that's the case, why resort to violence?
“Sir, this meeting is of great importance,” said a Space Marine of company commander rank aboard a Red Scorpion Chapter escort ship. To reduce tension between the two sides, the flagships of both chapters were only escort ships.

"If you ask me, this meeting is very likely an ambush by Huron, a trap set to cripple our manpower."

Both sides only had frigates.

If the battle barges were to be deployed, and one side were to fire large-caliber cannons and light spears at this abandoned transit station, the only outcome they would face would be the death of the chapter commander and the complete breakdown of negotiations.

As for security, both Huron and the Human Empire have temporarily withdrawn their armed forces from the Sorrowful Starfield.

Furthermore, this star system has been cleared out, and there cannot be any Space Marine chapters other than the Mantis Warriors and Red Scorpions that were not involved in the Sorrow system.

Apart from that, the only thing that could be done was the ambush that Huron had set up in the vortex that allowed him to launch a surprise attack during the talks.

“No, Karab Cullen. Huron is a smart man.”

Chapter Master Otis answered him

"He would never do that."

With only three Space Marine chapters, Badab could not possibly withstand the full-scale attack from the Imperium of Man.

As can be seen from their previous small-scale battles, Huron does not want to escalate the current tensions.

"But Huron has been accused of treason by the inquisitors, and it's even rumored that he illegally recruited Space Marines from the Tiger Claw Chapter!"

"The Star Claws Legion has been expanded to approximately 3500 members!"

This is no ordinary act of rebellion; we must take decisive action!
The Red Scorpion Chapter has always valued its own purity and honor, a trait inherited from their parent chapter, Sons of the Emperor.

Because they always execute every order from their superiors with utmost care, their execution of the Astartes Codex is also the most rigorous.

Huron's violation of the Astartes Codex was seen by many within the Red Scorpion Chapter as a disgrace to all Astartes monks, and his ambition was driven by his dream of becoming the tyrant of Badab.
"Ruft Huron is indeed not a pure Space Marine, but I believe that with his abilities and intelligence, if he were free from the constraints of the High Lords, he might become an important rising star in the future of our human Empire."

“You must remember that as Astartes, our primary task is not to prove our loyalty and purity, but to fight for the well-being and future of all mankind.”

"The sacred texts are not the end, but the means."

As he spoke, the old regimental commander, Otis, gently patted the company commander's terracotta shoulder guard.

"Kullen, all will be well if I return safely."

"If I am unable to serve the Empire again, the Red Scorpion Chapter will be under your command."

".good."

Soon, the shuttles flew from their respective flagships, which were on high alert, toward the abandoned transfer station that had undergone some rough repairs.

"Saltak, long time no see."

The Sorrow Galaxy, a world abandoned due to resource depletion, and its transit station, are struggling on the verge of complete collapse.

In the center of the only hall that had undergone preliminary cleaning and repairs, in a conference center crowded with typewriter servants and historians, the two battle commanders finally sat down at the negotiating table from the main bridge of the warship.

“Otis, you know why we have come.”

"The Imperial Inquisitor was aggressive, and based on his baseless accusations, the leader of Badab would be indefinitely removed from his post."

"For something that is not a big deal, they would rather let the beasts of Chaos slaughter my people than offer us even a single request for assistance from a Space Marine Chapter," said Saltak, the chapter leader of the Mantis Warriors, in a calm tone.

“Honestly, Otis. If you had fought alongside us as our comrade, Huron would have wiped this vortex out long ago, leaving no trace of pirates and alien scum.”

His words were persuasive and persuasive. He didn't start by discussing conditions or the war, but instead tried to move the other party by appealing to their emotions.

"That's right, that's right."

Otis replied with a smile, "But if you really succeed in conquering this vortex one day and take control of everything, what will the new power Huron establish be called, the 'Iron Empire' or the 'Red Sand Republic'?"

"Ancient records prove our division—"

Just as Otis was about to explain why the Imperial high command insisted on not allowing Huron to truly control the Great Vortex, a strong psionic energy fluctuation suddenly erupted in the dark night sky outside the transit station.

"My machine servant! My machine servant has stopped working!"

"What's going on? What happened?"

"A subspace rift has opened! Notify headquarters immediately, we are under attack!"

The entire transfer station hall was thrown into chaos in an instant.

"quiet!"

"The meeting negotiations are suspended! Notify the Star Speakers to relay the signal that we have been attacked by an unknown force!"

Otis raised his explosive gun and fired a shot into the air; his expression was extremely grave.

Beyond their transit point, beyond the suddenly appearing subspace rift, lay a mysterious human fleet, its paintwork completely erased.

It seems that preparations for this attack had been made well in advance.

The size of that mysterious fleet far exceeded that of any single warband, and it was even comparable to the entire fleet of the three warbands of Badab.

Moreover, the entire fleet was painted in absolute black, leaving no distinctive features on its surface whatsoever.

It seems that the fleet was indeed assembled specifically for disguise and assassination.

Just as the Red Scorpion Commander agreed to the other party's request and arrived at the transit station to participate in negotiations with only a small number of troops.

The assassin appeared at just the right moment.

"Otis, believe me! I also knew nothing about this attack, and this is definitely not our fleet!"

The Mantis Warriors' leader was somewhat incoherent.

He had never anticipated this attack, nor did he believe that Huron would disregard brotherhood and use him as bait in order to kill the leader of the Red Scorpion Chapter.

"Of course I understand what you mean. Huron has no reason to break ties with the higher-ups of the Human Empire, nor does he have any reason to ambush a relatively incompetent chapter commander like myself."

No matter how powerful Wang Xiulun is, he still doesn't have the guts to challenge the entire human empire.

What good would it do to fight head-on against so many Space Marine chapters, Titan Orders, Apostolic Guardians, and Astral Army members of the Imperium of Man?

The so-called tax resistance and conflict with the Firehawk Chapter were merely Huron's way of covering up his takeover of the Tiger Claw Chapter, thus amplifying a minor issue to mask his real problems.

At the same time, it fuels their ambitions, or rather, their ambitious whirlpool conquest, in order to acquire more resources.

At least use this as leverage to bury the fact that he took in the Tiger Claw fighting brothers.

If both sides compromise, with one side making up the tax payment and the other not pursuing the matter further, then the matter is considered closed.

Only a complete idiot would choose to break ties with the human empire and fight it out to the death.

What is the picture?

Was the Tu Empire's anger not strong enough because of the death of the Red Scorpion Captain? Or did Tu betray his good brother, the Mantis Warrior Captain, just to kill the opposing peace faction?
The leader of the Red Scorpion Battle Group naturally understood this principle.

"This is certainly not one of our fleets; to be precise, it's coming for us."

Otis answered.

Even Huron couldn't possibly be hiding such a terrifying fleet now. If he did, he wouldn't be sending the Mantis Warriors to negotiate peace with the Red Scorpion Chapter in this half-submissive manner.

Clearly, this is a third-party force trying to use this to incite an inevitable hot war between the human empire and the Badab sector!
There is a hidden hand behind the scenes that wants to repeat the civil war that was once a great rebellion!
—Although it will be far smaller than it was in the past.

"Notify all Red Scorpion warships to prepare for a breakout. We have been attacked by an unknown force, and the negotiation center is currently under protection."

Perhaps some smaller ships on the outskirts can evacuate.

But it was clear that as the target of that sudden intruder, he, as the leader of the warband, was absolutely destined to be caught.

But Otis showed no fear whatsoever.

Walking against the flow of the panicked fleeing crowd, Otis, the leader of the Red Scorpion Chapter, drew his power sword from his waist.

Let him see how many enemies of humanity he can slay in this final moment!
"Then count me in too."

Seeing this, the Mantis Warriors' leader sighed and drew his own power sword from his waist.

Countless jet fighters painted in jet black filled the entire sky like flies.

Those who landed at the transit station aboard Stormbirds from warships and went on a killing spree were Space Marines painted entirely in black.

No one knew which chapter these Space Marines belonged to, but they clearly didn't want to leave even one survivor here.

"Traitors! They're all Space Marine traitors! Ah!!!"

"help me!!"

"do not want!"

Shouts echoed throughout every corner of the transfer station hall.

The shouts of battle from the outside world were deafening, the defensive equipment at the transit station was completely destroyed, and the escort ships, under the command of the battle group leader, sought to break through.

At this point, the two battle commanders could only rely on themselves.

and also--

"Are you all ready, children?"

The moment the rift in the subspace appeared, Kasgar, who was meditating alone in the pirate fleet, opened his eyes.

"All is well, Captain!"

"Alright, let's get ready to go!"

Kasgar looked at the Void Dreamers eager to fight ahead of the fleet and raised an arm, shouting.

"The Sagan Galaxy, where the Vortex Mantis Warriors are stationed."

“I remember this was one of your recruitment sites after the destruction of Colchis ten thousand years ago.”

"It was also the place you fled immediately after your defeat in Koss."

Am I right?

"Lorga?"

(End of this chapter)