The Astartes Family's Notebook

In the past, there have been instances where well-managed battle groups exceeded their capacity and proactively split into sub-battle groups.

However, it's difficult to define responsibilities in these kinds of situations; they're usually done under the guise of the parent organization.

For example, the Dark Angels, a group of subgroups that are split up but not separated, and their descendants.

We, the Wasteland Wings, should theoretically be a branch of the Ultramarines lineage. Why then did we receive recommendations and guarantees from the three founding groups: White Scars, Dark Angels, and Imperial Fists?

Upon closer examination, this matter is highly suspicious.

And when did our Desolation Wings get involved with Imperial Fist?

Was it that pilgrimage to Terra?

Saladin, you and Company Commander Motor Sich truly are the social butterflies of our Wasteland Wings, you're amazing!

Obtaining the permission to split Holy Terra is not as simple as Holy Terra stamping a seal; it involves going through the formal process, and the corresponding resources must be distributed to the High Lords.

"Kaz, didn't you previously get a considerable favor of honor from the Great Sage Mentusa Batistuta on behalf of the Warband?"

"It was just a small favor, I dare not claim credit for it."

bastard...

Saladin took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

"There was no follow-up because I was working hard on this matter at the time, and I wanted to use my connections and favors wisely."

so......

"So Macurag also replied, agreeing in principle to our plan to split up the Wasteland Wings."

You old scoundrel, why are you talking so heavily?!

The Empire has nine factions. The Raven Guard and the Salamanders are good-natured and wouldn't make things difficult for the Desolate Wings in this matter. With the approval of the four founding factions—White Scars, Dark Angels, Imperial Fist, and Ultramarines—the matter is practically settled.

"The initial plan is that the split sub-group will be a ship-based battle group, which will replace the original space patrol duties of the Wastewings, while the Wastewings will be transformed into a garrison battle group guarding the border trade zone."

"Haven's Five Hundred Worlds?"

"Kaz, why don't you come up and talk?"

The veterans couldn't help but burst out laughing.

This was originally a serious violation of discipline, but the Black Butt Ultra Warriors were a tradition of the Desolate Wings Chapter, and Karz was a veteran company commander. Chapter Leader Saladin wasn't really angry, so everyone just laughed it off.

It was just a minor incident.

But after the laughter subsided, everyone became serious.

Splitting up a warband is no small matter; it's even more troublesome than rebuilding one.

No wonder they called these key members of the battle group over for a short meeting first.

Chapter 493 Sing a Simple Song

You heat an Iron Cross until it's red-hot and stick it on the suspect.

If he screams immediately, it means he is a vampire.

If he waits a while before screaming, it means he's a fake.

If he doesn't feel anything, it means he's a zombie.

If he got pleasure from it, it means he's a follower of Slaanesh.

If he insults you, it means he is a heretic.

If it's not pasted, it means he's a dwarf.

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Within the territory of the human empire, there are many star systems that have no effective means of communication with the outside world except through subspace routes.

Even in star systems like the Pacific Star System, where local logistics are quite developed, this situation still exists.

So don't be surprised or ask too many questions if a highly advanced industrial world suddenly appears on the star map.

On the bright side, it was like a dazzling pearl returning to the embrace of the empire.

Malicious speculation; it's still unknown whether Holy Terra or Hydraf is the one hiding it.

Anyway, the root of the problem is our Emperor, so we dare not say anything or ask anything.

The star map held by the legitimate Astartes was already considered to be of very high precision. Apart from the admirals and commanders of the Imperial Navy's star system fleet, no one had ever seen an Imperial map with higher precision.

Even so, when Kaz received the mission from Chapter Leader Saladin, he was still completely bewildered.

Recovering Warband artifacts?

Weren't we supposed to be splitting up the subgroups? All the other brothers are busy running around, and you're sending me away now... Could it be...?

"They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. If you don't need them, give them to your brothers in the battle group who do."

Saladin could tell from Kaz's darting eyes that this bastard was up to no good, so he started spewing insults.

"The reason we sent Epsilon to Deathwatch was with this in mind. Our chapter's intelligence pool is already scarce, and they're not good at divination, so it's going to be difficult. So sending Epsilon to Deathwatch with clues was also hoping that he could use his position for personal gain and see if there were any reliable psionicists there."

"There really is."

"Yes, I found it."

"What the hell?"

"At least one flag."

Um, ah, um, well...

“Our chapter really did have connections with the Ultramarines. It’s said that the flag was personally certified by the Ultramarines chapter leader at the time.”

I'm not trying to be argumentative, Saladin, but would you like to hear what you're saying?

Breaking down subgroups is not as simple as it seems.

The fact that White Scar, Dark Angel, and even Imperial Fist could write a letter of recommendation for Desolation Wings shows their good manners and the kinship passed down from their ancestors.

Even counting from M37, Desolation Wings is a warband that has survived for four thousand years. As long as such an old warband doesn't end up as a malicious warrior, it's not difficult for them to ask a founding warband for favors.

However, when splitting up subgroups, the most important things are organizational structure and assets.

The positions are easy to obtain. Even without the approval of the Ultramarines, the Wings of the Wasteland can simply follow the path of the Raven Guards and the Salamanders. Getting five votes in favor from the nine major factions is not difficult.

Even more extreme, they could directly associate themselves with the white scar's side, and even have the sweat to talk to as a stepfather.

In the Astartes community, there are just as many people who treat the Astartes Codex as their life motto as those who blindly criticize it.

What does this mean?

This means there's a rebellious son in the Ultra Warrior lineage.

Macragge never refutes, admits, refuses, or agrees with the claims of the Wastewings as a subgroup of Ultramarines.

After all, we can't actually do genetic testing on seeds, because if something bad comes out, it'll be difficult for everyone to handle.

Unfortunately, every time Astartes established an army, Macurag was an unavoidable obstacle.

Because while the Holy Terra has a lot of gene seeds and the technology on Mars is trustworthy, the High Lords aren't fools. Blank squads are useless; a group of newly formed squads with no actual combat experience will soon be wiped out by the treacherous demons and monsters of the Infernal Galaxy.

Therefore, every time the Astartes were established, they had to cooperate with the founding regiments to at least establish the regimental commanders and the basic structure of the companies.

Even the Iron Penitentiary, a private Martian army, initially sought instructors from the Iron Hand.

The lords of Holy Terra are just greedy and evil; they're complete fools who will never reach the position of High Lord.

In fact, it was only after experiencing the pilgrimage to Terra that Saladin realized that the sages of the Warband had oversimplified the issue.

The splitting of the subgroups requires rigorous genetic testing.

Most of the time, the rules and regulations of the Empire are written down, but when it comes to the Holy Terra, the rules are very strict.

After visiting Mars and inquiring about the details from the Oilers faction, which has a long-standing relationship with the Chapter, Saladin discovered that only the banner of Macuragh could withstand the Holy Terra's harassment.

My dad's still in the freezer; does it matter to outsiders like you whether my bloodline is pure?

When used as a combat unit, the Great Primarch can only be classified as Heroic quality, but as equipment, it is Mythic quality.

The Ultramarines have the privilege of ignoring the genetic sequencing of Holy Terra, and Macragge also has enough technical expertise to handle all matters related to the establishment of the Astartes army.

If there are no problems with Desolation Wings, then we can just follow the normal procedures. After all, it's a long-established and loyal faction with a great reputation.

The problem is that our own faction has issues...

Saladin is truly unafraid of political censorship. In the small territory of the Pacific Sector, the Wings of Desolation have never been afraid of political persecution.

But genetic testing...

Forget it, let's just think of a way to appease the Ultra Warriors Investigation Team.

"Commander, your tactical briefing is far too perfunctory."

“There’s nothing we can do. Half a company of brothers went on a secret mission and disappeared without a trace, dead or alive. Several relics were also lost along with them. This is all the information Epsilon has brought back. Do you want to do it or not? If not, I’ll find someone else.”

Kaz chuckled, unable to hold back. This old rascal, the Warband Leader, was actually using the tactic of feigning indifference to provoke him. Did he think he could fall for that?

"I quite enjoy mentoring new recruits."

Saladin wasn't annoyed; he simply nodded calmly.

“This mission is a covert operation and cannot be carried out in a high-profile manner. If you don’t go, I will have to send Mengsk instead. You will take his place.”

"I go!"

Kaz immediately gave in.

Big D is currently juggling between Haven and Frankish III, with a workload comparable to that of the future Regent. It's not a question of whether Kaz can handle the job; it's that he really doesn't want to take it on.

"By the way, when you take the Eighth Company back to Haven, also take a trip to Afulenssa. There's a strike cruiser that should be almost ready for conversion. The Imperial Icon is too conspicuous and not good for concealment. You take the new ship there."

"Oh."

Once again, Kars was outmaneuvered by the warband leader, and he had no temper at all.

What can you do? Old thieves are always slippery.

The biggest reason why the Desolation Wings were able to crawl back from the brink of annihilation was that the chapter's forefathers realized a truth—damn it, the high-ranking Imperial demigods, the Astartes, couldn't escape politics and human relationships, and all the chapters that focused all their energy on military affairs were wiped out.

It's dead!

The Empire's official records show that only the founding group ever split up a sub-group, and only the founding group ever did it, hence the term "mother group".

However, in reality, even the mother group may not have enough gene seeds to support the splitting up each time Astartes builds an army. In essence, it is still a matter of mutual benefit between Astartes and Holy Terra.

Take Space Wolf for example. It almost ignores Holy Terra, but when the High Lords of Astartes establish their army, do they dare to leave Space Wolf out of their share?

We should give less, give more gradually, and give sustainably, but we cannot give nothing at all. This is a matter of principle. Even if something like the "Month of Shame" happens, we should still give.

After all, this empire nominally belongs to the Emperor, while the Astartes are the children of God.

Splitting up a subgroup under the name of Ultra Warrior is not as simple as just lending your name to someone. If you really want to lend your name, White Scars can handle it.

After all, the Khans of Chogoris were not far from a moral vacuum.

The real problem lies in the resources that the Holy Terra, or the Martian Mechanicus, cannot provide.

For example, the Battle Group Think Tank.

Dark Angels and White Scars would never share their think tank with Desolation Wings; this is also a matter of principle.

After all, in addition to their regular duties such as psionic warfare and tactical analysis, the members of Astartes' think tank also bear the important responsibility of preserving historical archives, protecting secret knowledge, and passing on the core spirit and confidential secrets of the chapter.

As is well known, the First Legion has no secrets, so its think tank members are not to be lent out. The think tank members with white scars are known as Storm Prophets, and their training and development are inseparable from the special environment of their home planet, Chogoris.

The Wrath of the Wastes has been impoverished for too long. Taking advantage of this opportunity to build up the army and split up the sub-groups, Saladin is determined to solve this problem properly.

It was only after the meeting that Kaz realized he had misunderstood.

In theory, half of the empire's sects are either of Guilliman's lineage or claim to be Guilliman's lineage. Can Macrag really tell the difference?

Hard to say.

Saladin wanted to affiliate with the Ultramarines and split off a sub-band, but the newly appointed Chapter Master, Kargar, was completely indifferent. If the Wastewing were truly pushed too far, and a friendly chapter claiming to be of Guilliman blood was forced into becoming the adopted son of the Chagatai Khan, what good would that do the Ultramarines?

Right? They're all loyal guys, it can't be that bad.

What truly put Karga in a difficult position, requiring Saladin to spend a fortune on "bribes," was the psionic support that Desolation Wings offered to Mackrag.

For Robert Guilliman's sake, I'll give my brother a hand. I won't take it for nothing, I won't take it for nothing.