The Astartes Family's Notebook

"Do you Yu-Gi-Oh! players have to take out all those cards from the new booster packs every now and then to memorize their effects?"

"No need to memorize it, the powerful card will take over the environment on its own so you'll remember it."

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Actually, when you think about it carefully, living a communal life in a warband isn't all that enjoyable.

Damn memory filters...

These kids certainly looked pretty cool when they put on their power armor to welcome themselves, but when it came to training, Kars wished he could put on his [Destroyer Blade] armor again and just kill without hesitation!

How can a rookie recruit in his fifties still not be able to locate sounds?

Is the Lyman's Ear on you meant to be used to listen to the sergeant's footsteps during room rounds when you're up late at night secretly playing with your data tablet?

“Reverend Brad, please begin your sophistry…”

Obi-Wan Kenobi, I miss you.

The former company chaplain was too honest; the surveillance cameras in the Astartes living quarters of the Imperial Icon were installed by Katz and Obi-Wan together...

Okay, Obi-Wan did most of the work.

When Obi-Wan was transferred by the Chapter Commander, he only told Brad, the apprentice chaplain who was to replace him. Even Draven, the acting company commander and company adjutant, did not know that there was a secret monitoring room on the ship.

If you didn't tell me, fine, but you better get your job done!

"Company commander, I think we're all brothers in arms, and we shouldn't use this kind of method to invade personal privacy."

???

Katz could hardly believe his ears. What the hell are you talking about? When did the proper noun "Astartes" become associated with personal privacy?!

"You can think about it carefully here first. Think about the duties of the company chaplain. I'll give you half an hour."

After leaving the surveillance room, Katz called Draven over without saying a word. It was the same familiar corner with the window, and he immediately started berating him.

"What's up with this Brad?"

"Hehe, headache, huh?"

"Hey, what's up with this Brad? How can someone with that kind of personality be a company chaplain?"

“Qualities, Katz, qualities, I had the same question back then, but his position as a trainee priest was appointed by Lord Saladin.”

"Oh, there's a saying about it?"

"Yes, he was the best among that batch of new recruits."

Wait, where did I come from? Is this still the Warhammer universe?

"you sure?"

After Kars returned and beat up the entire company, he didn't find anything special about this Bright.

"Kaz, I've discovered that you're really good at being a scoundrel these days."

"Ok?"

"Is it possible that you are too strong, so strong that even the most basic empathy has begun to fade away?"

"I'm too strong? What nonsense are you talking about? I'm just at the level of a normal Astartes."

Draven rolled his eyes at Kaz, thinking, "This guy really has no shame."

“My dear brother Kaz, you have always been talented. Whether it is your fighting will or your fighting instinct, you can be said to be in a class of your own for the past two or three hundred years. Apart from Tyrant and Ingus... no, I think apart from Tyrant, I think no one in the entire warband can match you in close combat.”

"how do you know?"

"When you went missing, the Warband Monastery discussed this topic; it was the Anubis brothers who mentioned it."

"You're so disrespectful! Call Epsilon and the like 'brother,' but elders like Hammurabi and Anubis should be addressed as 'sir'!"

"Oh right, right, it was Lord Anubis who commented, alright?"

"hey-hey."

"I'll return your words to you, you son of a bitch."

"Is that how you talk to your own company commander?"

"I'm not going to argue with you. With Brad's personality and talent, if he were even slightly less gifted, he should have been dealt with."

"Draven, I'm not kidding, I really didn't realize Brad was that talented."

“Kaz, admit it, you’re actually the same type of Astartes as the Tyrant brothers, and Brad has the potential to become the second Ingus.”

"Does that mean he's very versatile?"

What kind of Astartes dares to mess with us?

"If it weren't for his personality, he should have followed your path and been trained directly according to the standards for non-commissioned officers."

In fact, the conversation could have ended here.

Kaz sighed helplessly.

Reason and humanity are far too extravagant for the human empire of today, for Astartes in this tragic era.

If Brad lived in Ancient Terra, Katz would be fortunate to have such a morally upright friend.

However, in this grotesque Warhammer universe, in this infernal galaxy, mercy is almost synonymous with weakness, a vulnerability that is repeatedly attacked by the Chaos Evil.

It's difficult, extremely difficult.

Kaz patted Draven on the shoulder and arranged to meet him in the octagon after dinner. Then he went back to continue his conversation with Brad.

"Did the Obi-Wan brothers talk to you before you came to the Eighth Company?"

"We've talked about it."

Have you discussed your personality issues?

"We've talked about it."

"What did the Obi-Wan brothers say?"

“I convinced Lord Obi-Wan that the priest’s duty is to oversee the faith of his brothers in battle, and this duty should not be interpreted in an extreme way.”

“Recruit Brad, what’s my question?”

"Lord Obi-Wan Kenobi told me to stick to your ideas until the moment you can't stick to them anymore."

It's really unfair of you to be in the Wasteland Wings; you should be sent to the Weeping Legion to experience life there.

Kaz didn't say anything more, but suddenly sprang up, punched Brad unconscious, and carried him away from the surveillance room.

"Qiong En, call a few brothers who are good at chatting to come find me."

It was just a simple and basic course on torture and interrogation.

Brad was indeed very clever. He didn't believe that Kaz had sided with Chaos at all, and his heart never wavered from beginning to end. His eyes were so clear that Kaz wanted to dig them out.

"I suddenly understand the battle leader a bit better now. You really are a promising talent."

Katz failed to intimidate the trainee priest Brad, but instead shocked these veterans who had been through many battles.

Holy crap, no wonder the Eye of Fear launched twelve Black Crusades and still couldn't take down the Empire. The Loyalist faction's style is even more extreme than our Chaos Warband.

"We, Astartes, are the angels of the Emperor, the embodiment of glory, and the first and last line of defense against the great enemy of Chaos."

"Whether you're just guessing or you're just putting on a brave face, use your clever little brain. If I really were corrupted by chaos, what would happen to the Eighth Company?"

"If even you, Company Commander..."

"Shut up!"

Katz suddenly had an emotional outburst.

"Him, him, him, and him—do you know who they are? They're all professional talents I poached from the Chaos War Gang. Do you understand what I'm saying? I recruited people from the Chaos War Gang to bolster the war group. Do you understand what that means?"

“Lord Kaz, I cannot ignore your words, even if it may be part of a test for me.”

Suddenly, Katz laughed again.

I think I can see my past self in this [beep] kid.

"I have to beat you up before I'll see anything worthwhile. After talking to you for so long, this is the only thing that fits your identity as a trainee pastor."

"Keep an eye on me, keep a close watch on me, and don't let your guard down for a second, or you'll suffer a terrible fate."

Qiongen was somewhat bewildered by the current situation. Torture was something every Astartes recruit had experienced during training, but this conversation...

After a long silence, Brad nodded solemnly.

"I will."

"Qiong En, release the restraints, everyone else, disperse."

The attackers that Katz summoned were quite prudent; they didn't injure Brad's bones, but it wasn't something that could be healed in a short time by Astartes' healing abilities.

It's impossible for a trainee priest to put on power armor on his own.

Qiong En glanced at Kaz and, seeing that his brother Samar didn't respond, didn't press the matter, letting Brad put on his underwear and go to the company pharmacist for treatment.

Brad's excessive empathy is both a good thing and a bad thing.

While Katz was torturing him, he was also torturing himself.

"Sir, do you need us to deal with this troublemaker for you?"

“You’ve followed me all this way, you have to give me an explanation. Don’t dirty your hands, and don’t try to guess what I’m thinking.”

"As ordered."

Suddenly, Kaz felt a chill run down his spine.

He realized that even if he, as the company commander, actually dealt with Brad, it seemed like there wouldn't be any problems.

Saladin, you old scoundrel, is this unfortunate kid a test you gave me?

How despicable...

Astartes has a lot of idol-like image in the outside world. Anyway, anyone can put on power armor, a tactical helmet, and pretend to be an expert without saying a word.

Only company commanders and other high-ranking officers in the battle group know what kind of mess their combat brothers are like on a daily basis.

In particular, both Kars and Draven were troublemakers trained by the Fourth Company, and when they took command of the Eighth Company, they completely replicated the flat command system of the Fourth Company.

If the most crucial internal link—the company chaplain—is not tightened under such relaxed external conditions, it could lead to serious trouble.

Questioning Guilliman, understanding Guilliman: Katz once scoffed at the Astartes, but now he analyzes and ponders the toilet paper word by word.

How should other loyalist factions without a historical legacy manage their internal ideology?

One word: busy.

They study and train intensively for 20 to 22 hours every day, flooding the barren minds of each gang member with a massive amount of knowledge and instilling and imprisoning their thoughts with tedious dogmas. In essence, they are no different from the mecha pilots of the Knight Family.

When fighting becomes a rare pastime, life and death don't matter! Fight!

It seems reasonable at first glance, but the Astartes trained in this way rely too much on talent, resulting in a wide range of combat abilities.

After all, it's essentially rote learning.

Warbands with a real history and tradition wouldn't do it this way.

At least after recruits complete their basic training, their individual talents will be identified and they will receive targeted training.

Originally, as a reserve company, the Eighth Company only needed to select the best candidates to send to the main combat companies. These things did not need to be considered by Kaz, the company commander of the reserve company.

But what kind of person is our brother Samar? How could he tolerate this?

Kids, the best is yet to come!

Katz's training was incredibly intense, but there were some sycophants among the company's soldiers.

Troys is truly skilled at recruit training; the recruits he trained are perfectly suited to Kaz's advanced training methods, and Draven unexpectedly got caught in the crossfire.

The local recruits in the Eighth Company began to have doubts. They wondered if the company's adjutant, Draven, had been hiding something from them. Otherwise, how could the recruits who came back with Company Commander Kaz be so "strong"?

"Draven, do you think it's possible that our textbooks were actually written by the Dark Angels back then?"

"I don't think it's possible, it's definitely possible. Besides messing with our mentality, what can a trainee pharmacist like Sephiroth do?"

In other words, the Black Knight and the eight instructors of the Oathkeepers couldn't stand Sephiroth's reckless actions and went easy on him.

Otherwise, the formal Dark Angels recruit training would be much more rigorous than what Kars and the others underwent.