The Astartes Family's Notebook

Qiong En was only able to find a job as a short-skilled soldier at the pirate starport because he was being chased to the point of desperation.

But the Astartes, especially the defected Astartes... well, the Astartes who didn't defect were actually quite morally and ethically low.

Therefore, Qiong En never met the War Gang liaison he contacted through the message board.

So much so that Kaz could pick up a technical sergeant while eating a meal.

The case is solved. The readers behind the fourth wall all understand now. A new recruit who couldn't accept the warband culture couldn't get into a proper 985 or 211 university on Mars and was sent to a diploma mill. During that time, he was exposed to "freedom and democracy." After returning to his unit, he was ostracized by the brothers in the gang and thus defected.

There is always something hateful about a pitiful person, and a hateful person will suffer pitiful pain.

The mess that plagued the Silver Skull Chapter had nothing to do with Kaz; all he wanted to know was how to contact Deathwatch.

So after a brief conversation, Katz led Qiongen directly to the foundry.

"The ship picked up some contaminants while traveling in subspace. If telling me your name doesn't work, just attack. Don't die."

"Oh."

Seeing the power backpack and power armor replacement parts he had been longing for, even after Kaz, who had been sleeping in late, finally came looking for them six hours later, Choun was still enthusiastically modifying his power armor in the foundry.

This child...

That's a bit silly.

No way, buddy, we've only known each other for a short time, and you actually dare to take off your power armor to work? This is the Ishimura, you don't want to live anymore!

Especially outside the destroyer, space pirates are organizing high-intensity raids.

The unofficial security team on the Shicun ship, who were known for their reputation and whose reputation was so strong, were happily eating takeout every day and had no desire to provoke Samar, the "Destroyer of the Hall."

So, while working in the foundry, Qiong En didn't encounter a single warp evil spirit.

That's quite bizarre.

"Is it fixed?"

"almost."

Since the gang leader has kept his promise, Qiong En has automatically assumed the role of his underling.

After donning his power armor again, Choon awaited Kaz's orders.

Tell me, boss, where are we going to go and how many to kill?

"There's paint on the ship, why don't you spray it? What is this colorful stuff?"

"Oh."

After spraying the paint on with the same black as Katz's, Choon felt inexplicably happy.

Because the paint scheme for the Silver Skull has always been either silver-gray or iron-gray, unchanged for millennia.

Back in the company, anyone who dared to say they wanted to change the color of their power armor was like Liu Xing saying he wanted to dye his hair green—purely an act that would get them beaten up by their mothers.

Kaz didn't have this kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder; he just felt that in this world, one's identity is self-determined, and painting power armor is a cheap and inexpensive thing to do, so there was no need to mix and match like the poor war gang.

After tidying up the workbench, Qiong En did not have a strong need to sleep.

After all, he was a technical sergeant who had received formal training in an unofficial institution. He could go 30 to 50 hours without sleep as if it were nothing. Kaz asked him if he wanted to go out for a meal together. Qiong En wasn't actually very hungry, but he didn't want to refuse his newly recognized older brother, so he went along.

"Where are the other members of our battle gang?"

???

"They're all dead."

!!!

"died?"

Kaz thought for a moment and took Qiong En to see his collection before leaving.

"Could you help me with this when you have time? My skills aren't great; I only did the most basic anti-corrosion treatment."

Looking at the densely packed tactical helmets and Astartes heads, the poor benefactor felt a little numb.

Is it too late to quit now...?

Honestly, Kars didn't mean to scare the kids. He was just having a blast with the "Destroyer's Blade" and hadn't quite adjusted back to the Astartes Company Commander's thought process yet.

But it's not a big problem. There are no gang members who need Kaz's command right now. Once Deathwatch comes out, we can't be this flamboyant. We can enjoy ourselves for as long as we can. Let's leave it at that for now.

Returning to the ship and even going out for a meal both require stealth skills, which has broadened Qiong En's horizons.

"Boss, why haven't you dealt with those space pirates?"

Why deal with these space pirates?

"They're trying to attack our ship."

"Yeah, let them attack, it's no big deal."

Why bother the volunteers when someone else is taking care of the monsters and freaks on the ship for Katz?

Qiong En found himself completely unable to keep up with Kaz's thought process, but the leader didn't seem to care and just reminded him once and that was enough.

Perhaps this is just the way the Astartes Warband operates.

One is a guild that's never been involved in a war before, and the other never admits to ever being involved in a war guild. Since things have come to this, let's eat first.

Thus, on the black market, Kaz learned that there was a large-scale battle between the Astartes and the Dark Eldar pirate raiders in the starport.

Then, Katz realized something was wrong.

They themselves are completely clean and have nothing to do with the "large-scale" nature of the intelligence information.

Can ten and a half sons and two Astartes be considered large-scale?

That can't be right.

So, besides Choun, are there other Astartes within Starport?!

Why don't you give it a try...?

Astartes wasn't particularly afraid of being poisoned. Although Kars and Choun both tasted the food and realized there was something wrong with it, the amount that would make a mortal fall asleep was just a seasoning in front of Astartes' massive, steel-like stomach.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Katz even called over the manager, paid the bill, patted him on the shoulder, and remarked that the food was delicious.

Then the supervisor peed, literally.

The Empire has its share of messes, and the Infernal Galaxy has even more. Kaz has been through a lot over the past hundred years and has long since given up hope on the wisdom of mortals.

If you can tolerate it, then tolerate it; if you can't, then take action. Taking your anger out on mortals won't demonstrate the power of Astartes, so there's no need for it.

So he continued to wander around gathering information, but still found nothing and went home to sleep.

Kars's encounter with Jon Snow was full of drama and surprise. Jon Snow was just looking for a place to stay, while Kars was completely out of the loop. The two had only known each other for less than 24 hours, so talking about trust was just too ridiculous.

So Qorn didn't tell Kars that he actually possessed prophetic abilities and was a psionicist, and Kars didn't even bother to make up a pseudonym.

"Boss, what are you looking for?"

"Look for clues."

"Oh."

The two of them were like a couple in love, it was really difficult to even talk to each other.

After returning to the Ishimura, Katz thoughtfully took Choon on a detour to avoid the heartfelt exchanges between the pirate expedition team and the ship's unofficial security force.

Do you need a separate room?

"No need, the conditions in the foundry are quite good."

"Contact me when you want it."

"it is good."

So, after sending Qiong En back to continue tinkering with his power armor, Kaz prepared to go back to his room to sleep.

Then, the captain sent a communication request.

"Sir, there are guests on the bridge who specifically request to see you."

Are there more experts?

Kaz thought about it for a moment, but ultimately still didn't quite trust Qiong En, so he picked up his power sword and bomb gun and went to the bridge.

At first glance, it's like looking in a mirror.

The art style, the atmosphere...

Fallen angel!

The uninvited guest was also taken aback for a moment, and cautiously greeted them using subtle body language.

Dude, which part?

Unfortunately, Kaz didn't understand and stood still.

The other party thought it made sense; as a guest, it was better to be tactful and proactive in someone else's home turf.

"Let me introduce myself, Troys."

Kaz, relying on the tactical helmet to conceal his reaction, couldn't help but click his tongue.

Is that what you call a self-introduction?

"Get to the point."

First impressions are crucial. Although Kaz neither takes the initiative nor refuses to take responsibility, the fact that he wields a power sword makes the self-proclaimed veteran of Troys, who is suspected to be a Dark Angel, feel that they can have a few more words.

"Nothing much, just came to check on things."

Keep your way of speaking simple.

"Okay, if I may ask, are you still hiring?"

That's right.

Kaz waved to Trois, signaling him to follow. The two left the bridge about ten steps apart, leaving the captain, who was sweating profusely, to sigh that he had survived another day.

They chose an empty, spacious cabin and decided to have a fight first.

Words are too pale; it's more practical to communicate with fists.

After realizing he couldn't beat Kaz, Trois promptly bowed down in resignation.

"Boss, if I may ask, where are you from?"

In a place like the Ishimura, how could Katz possibly be a proper Astartes?

"I'm a loyalist."

Oh right, what a coincidence, me too.

Originally, Kaz didn't really want to get involved with the First Legion; there were too many crazy people in the Demon Hall.

However, the fact that Troys was able to sneak up to the bridge of the Ishimura without anyone noticing clearly shows that he has some skill involved.

Katz's victory was not easy. This guy is not the kind of Astartes who can be trained quickly. His basic skills are quite solid, but he lacks talent.

He's most likely not a treacherous angel using entrapment tactics, but a true fallen angel.

Either one would be a big problem for Kaz.

However, with each occurrence of "coincidences" and "chance encounters," Katz began to vaguely sense that something was amiss.

Why allow space pirates to surround the Ishimura, instead of guarding against the Dark Eldar?

Something is clearly wrong, and the best course of action is to avoid making mistakes or make as few mistakes as possible.

Kaz took Choon out for a walk, partly to gather intelligence, and partly to deliberately show his face and lure potential enemies out.

At this moment, Katz had no comrades-in-arms by his side to entrust his back, and every decision he made had to be based on a weighing of the pros and cons of the actual situation.

This is a situation that Astartes often encounters when they turn against their cause.

Trust is so rare and precious in the purgatory galaxy.

So the brotherhood in Astartes is such an expensive luxury.

If the enemy doesn't move, I'll make sudden moves; otherwise, what if the enemy doesn't come?

One poor man is grateful for kindness, and another Trojan is also a case of having too much debt to worry about.

In situations of severe information asymmetry, a dubious ally can indeed be more important than a reliable enemy.