The Astartes Family's Notebook

Saladin's long-held, tender feelings for Katz have almost completely shattered; that bastard is truly despicable.

To reiterate, the Desolate Wings are not a Holy Order, at least not a proper Holy Order at heart, although they often use the Astartes Codex when making public statements.

What's wrong with that?

This is a big problem.

When the warband suffered disaster, the indifference of Holy Terra deeply hurt the hearts of the sect's elders.

Warlords should act like warlords, and regional military governors should behave like regional military governors.

The Wings of Desolation were able to recover thanks to two things: the protection of the Divine Emperor and a pragmatic approach.

The fact that Katz was able to return with the wealth he had accumulated while working away from home meant that Saladin was already convinced of his loyalty.

Chaos corruption is indeed difficult to prevent, but no matter how corrupted chaos becomes, it's impossible for it to use over a hundred gene seeds as bait to create a nest.

Especially before Karz's voyage through the warp, Saladin and several elders of the sect had already discussed the matter of splitting up the sub-group.

That's interesting.

So, the matter of redeeming angels is indeed difficult, but it's not impossible either; there are ways to do it.

This is the Frankish III.

What does it mean?

Even those with white scars know this, so how could the Dark Angel not know?

If the Dark Angel knows, how could the Black Knight and the Oathkeeper not know?

Saladin personally spoke with the Black Knights commander who had arrived about Kaz's situation.

Although everyone knows that the First Legion is being split up but not divided, people still need to be mindful of appearances.

"The genetic seed was brought back?"

"Yes, it's intact."

After listening to Saladin's account, the Black Knights did not rush to give a reply. Instead, they waited two days before summoning the Oath Guardians to "interrogate" Kaz together.

Is it like taking off your pants to fart?

This is called procedural justice.

"Shouldn't the power sword in your hand be returned to the Angel of Redemption?"

"I'm sorry, this is a comrade's last possession, a gift from him, and I cannot return it."

Since that's the case, let me see what you're capable of.

The Black Knights were skeptical of Kars's claim that he and the Angel of Redemption had been invaded by Chaos and fought to the last moment.

It's true that you, Kars, fought in the Black Cup back then, but all ten Redemption Angel veterans died, and you're the only one who survived. That's highly suspicious.

Kaz didn't tolerate the Black Knight either. He could let it go if the instructor showed some leniency, but you're the company commander, and so am I? You think you can bluff your way out of this? I'm not afraid of you.

The classic martial arts approach to building friendships is evident in Kars's story. He doesn't know exactly how long he spent in the Eye of Terror, but since time flows in the warp, he has never given up on improving his combat skills in the real universe.

In a one-on-one duel, the Eighth Company Commander of the Desolate Wings only regretted that Tyrant was still on expeditions; he truly wanted to crush the previous generation of the warbands.

What makes the Inner Ring Superman so terrifying is that each and every one of them is incredibly powerful.

Imagine the Dark Angels unleashing three to five hundred Astartes, enough to form a company champion in any other warband, to ram you in the face. Who could withstand that?

However, there are differences between the company champions. At least the Black Knight's company commander only lasted five moves against Kaz before being brought to his neck by that dark angel-style power sword.

"You are very familiar with Caliban swordsmanship."

"You teach well."

The Black Knights were relieved to realize that Kaz was a genuine Frankish No. 3 trainee, and that they had indeed taught him well.

Now that it has been proven that Kars indeed possessed the individual strength to survive to the end, and given his act of returning the gene seed, the Black Knight decided not to pursue the matter further.

The Black Knight really knows how to step in and negotiate a reconciliation with the Angel of Redemption on behalf of the Wings of Desolation.

"Please, esteemed guild, intervene. I shouldn't be getting involved, but the reputation of the Angels of Redemption..."

Just before the dust was about to settle, Saladin suddenly spoke.

Don't forget, the Wasteland Wings also have two main companies on an expedition with the Black Knights in the Halo Zone. If it weren't for this relationship, how could the Black Knights have immediately transferred a company commander to Frankis III based on a mere message?

If someone else had said that, the proud First Legion would have turned on them.

However, Saladin's concerns made it impossible for the Black Knight to refuse.

Within the First Legion, many of the inner circle's fanatics felt that the Redemption Angels Chapter's level of obsession was excessive.

"What the Grand Master Saladin means is..."

"Let's leave the gene seed on Frankis III and have it kept by the Mechanicus. Once your chapter has made arrangements, the Angels of Redemption can retrieve it themselves."

Saladin's meaning was clear: I, the Wings of Desolation, trust you Black Knights and Oathkeepers, but I do not trust the Angels of Redemption.

The Black Knights' company commander and the Oathkeeper politely left to discuss for a moment before returning to the meeting room, where they nodded in agreement with Saladin's proposal.

The gene seed has already undergone a chaotic corruption test by the machine oil guy.

There is no problem with the goods.

Out of caution, the Black Knight conducted another test.

The genetic seed is indeed pure.

Since that's the case, the Black Knight didn't waste any more words and left the Frankish No. 3 directly.

What's the point of going through all this trouble and going through all this formality?

They were taking full advantage of the open secret that the various factions of the Dark Angels were all in cahoots.

The gene seed is real, the concerns of the Wings of Desolation are real, and even the Inner Circle Supermen know that the Angels of Redemption have the ambition of the Legion Masamune.

Therefore, everyone in this sub-group enjoys the financial subsidies from Dark Angels, and Dark Angels can do whatever they want with things that other factions can't easily do.

Take these ten gene seeds, for example.

Saladin was unsure of the outcome; the great chapter master was not a mentor of humanity after all, he had merely given a push in the direction of possibility.

Then, the Oath Keeper actually did it.

By the time the Black Knight contacts the Angel of Redemption to retrieve the gene seed, it will be too late.

We'll use these for our Oath Guardians first, and when the main group distributes rations, we'll deduct them directly from their quota.

The entire plan was almost entirely automated; Saladin did almost nothing more than arrange for Kaz to participate in the on-site defense.

The only flaw, or rather the potential oversight, lies in the fact that a comprehensive and detailed genetic mapping analysis might reveal that the ten gene seeds provided by Katz are from the sublarynx glands rather than the thoracic glands.

However, this is Frankish III. Most of the apothecaries sent by the three warbands are prospective interns who are here for further training. To put it bluntly, they are treating new recruit training as an internship opportunity. The nineteen gene surgeries of Astartes, and even the cultivation of gene seeds, are all done by the Mechanicus.

Meanwhile, Katz and the Great Sage who oversaw the construction had just completed a series of backroom deals.

There's no need to go to great lengths to ask your friend to cover something up; just subtly tell him to mind his own business.

Although the effect is the same, the cost is completely different.

As expected, one learns until death. Saladin's ability to become a chapter commander was not due to Lord Arahut's senility back then; he truly had considerable skill.

Kaz watched the entire battle plan unfold and couldn't help but sigh, "The old rogues are still the most cunning."

After all, in the eyes of the Frankish III crew, the Oathkeepers had misappropriated the gene seed of the Redemption Angels Chapter. Although everyone knew that the Dark Angels were one family, it was not appropriate for outsiders to get involved.

Wings of Desolation is right, just turn a blind eye and pretend you know nothing.

Once the Oath Guardians have cultivated the gene seed into a superhuman organ, the whole thing will be over.

The worst third of the mess Katz made has been resolved.

As long as the angels of salvation don't pursue the matter, things won't escalate to an unmanageable level.

Before the First and Fourth Company concluded their expeditions, the Black Knight had no reason to refuse the Wasteland Wings' reasonable request for assistance.

So the remaining ones are Hydrafar's side and the Astartes that Katz brought back.

At first, Katz thought that the reformed Astartes who had previously been involved in the War Gang would be troublesome.

However, he underestimated Saladin's courage and the Fourth Company's traditions.

"What do you mean, Commander? I don't understand."

"Go and escort Epsilon back to me."

"Who?"

"Epsilon".

"Is this the Epsilon I understand?"

"Yes, your former company commander."

It's the old company commander. In my heart, there is only one old company commander, and that is Lord Mad Sich!

Saladin, please don't be angry! You are the sun, the sun!

"Has Lord Epsilon gotten into trouble again?"

"The warband is in dire need of manpower, so I contacted the Lord of the Watchtower to request his return, but that bastard said he thinks being a Deathwatcher is great and doesn't want to come back."

???

"Can the execution be carried out on the spot?"

"No, Epsilon has done a great service to the Warband, not just any ordinary Deathwatch."

With that, Saladin gestured for Kaz to follow him, and the two of them went together to the armory of the Shining Blade.

"Over the years, the Warband has acquired a lot of sophisticated equipment from Deathwatch through Epsilon. This supply line cannot be broken."

!!!

Chapter Master, Saladin, is that something I should listen to? You're not trying to use me to fill in for Epsilon, are you? I don't want to be Deathwatch.

However, Saladin had no such intention.

"It's a really frustrating fact that our Astartes equipment is now strictly regulated by the Imperial government. The size of the chapter is what it is, only a thousand people. It's unrealistic to force the Forge World to open a production line. Apart from founding chapters like the Dark Angels, other chapters simply cannot be self-sufficient."

This is true. Kaz was also a victim of this situation. Back when the Blood Duck Legion was at its peak, with more than 300 members, they didn't know where to steal power armor. They could only rely on the mechanics to make it by hand. As for the Land series armored vehicles, that was even more out of the question.

"Therefore, Deathwatch, as a legion that is not a legion, and due to the exemption of alien technology, has actually become a high-quality customer of various forging worlds."

That's right, Deathwatch doesn't need to be self-sufficient; these alien killers are fed by Imperial fiscal transfers.

"So over the years, an unwritten rule has been that brothers in the Deathwatch chapter who have served for a sufficient number of years can take their personal weapons and equipment with them."

"Including armored vehicles?"

"That depends on how well you get along with the Lord of Watchtower."

That really includes it!

“I had Epsilon come back because I have something important to discuss.”

Ah, right, right, that's what I said when I asked you, the commander, to come over.

"But this guy..."

Saladin sighed, took a precision-engineered bomb gun, and tossed it to Kaz.

"Here you go, take it with you. Epsilon will understand everything at a glance."

Got it, this gun is stolen.

“Tell him I can not recall him to the battle group, but he must come to see me at Frankish III immediately, that is an order.”

I understand. You can't let your breath stop, but you can break your legs.

The half-company of Astartes that Kaz brought back was actually easier to settle down, as the veterans who had been in the Warband were easy to put down. Those who could withstand the long purification process could simply be thrown into the fortress monastery on Haven Star.

For example, Taliman was willing.

This old Caliban medic had come to terms with it; aside from those obsessed with the Dark Angels, he figured retiring in the Chapter's monastery was actually quite nice.

But Qiong En was somewhat unhappy.

He came here because of Tusamar's brother. He finally escaped his original family in Silverskull, so why did he have to come to Desolace, a warband he had never even heard of, to make a living?

He's a delinquent with a criminal record; he'll probably get bullied.