In the dim corridors of the warship, only every so often would a light cast a cold white beam.
Ogedai, pushing his wheelchair, walked side-by-side with Taral on the steel skybridge.
"I want to give that youth a chance for ascension," Ogedai stated directly, looking ahead.
"I can see that," Taral was not surprised by Ogedai's words. "But doing so does not conform to the Legion's rules, nor does it conform to the Departmento Munitorum's laws."
Taral continued, "Not to mention he is not a Chogoris native, coming from a hive world we have never even heard of. According to regulations, before ascension, he must undergo tempering and assessment at the Quanzhou Monastery. He needs to stand out among the numerous candidates to earn the chance to become a neophyte."
"Oh, right," Taral remembered something and added, "Before the surgery, he also has to undergo political scrutiny from the Departmento Munitorum; that is an indispensable step as well."
Taral said with a serious tone, "I'll be blunt, Ogedai, you are an Astartes Captain. This is not your responsibility, nor is it within your purview to manage."
Ogedai slowly shook his head and said, "No, Taral, the situation has changed."
"How long has it been since we lost contact with the homeworld? Have you seen any new recruits join the fleet? Yet our warriors are constantly sacrificing themselves!"
"Taral, my brother, I will tell you directly now: the times have changed. This is not a localized rebellion; this is a war sweeping across the entire galaxy—this is the rebellion of Warmaster Horus!"
"The entire Imperium has descended into chaos. Nobody cares about the damn Departmento Munitorum, nobody cares about our sacrifices, nobody cares how many White Scars are left—except for us!"
At this point, Ogedai's tone had become very agitated, his eyes red as he said:
"If you talk to me about Legion rules, then I tell you, if the Khan were also aboard the Short Sword, he would definitely support my decision."
"Furthermore," Ogedai calmed his agitated tone and said, "Furthermore, the warships of the Sons of Horus have already run off to a remote savage world seeking supplies. You can see that this war has dragged on to the point where the rebels' supplies are also running low. If we do not replenish our own manpower, how can we participate in the upcoming battles in the Sol System?"
Hearing this, Taral remained silent for a long time.
The corridor fell quiet for a moment, leaving only the sound of footsteps, a stark contrast to the gale-like argument just moments before.
Finally, Taral shrugged helplessly and said, "Alright, alright, Ogedai, you know I've been persuaded by you again."
Hearing this, Ogedai's lips curved slightly, and he said:
"Moreover, in that child's eyes, I saw something different. I have a premonition that he will bring us surprises."
…………
The hatch slowly opened, and Ogedai pushed his wheelchair into the rest cabin.
Upon entering, he saw Fu Qinghai sitting on a chair, holding a bolter in his arms, the muzzle pointed directly at him.
!?
Ogedai was stunned.
For a Space Marine, a bolter is a weapon that can sometimes be wielded one-handed, but for Fu Qinghai, it was far too large. He had to hold it with both hands, as if cradling a massive grenade launcher.
"What in the hell are you doing? Be careful not to shoot yourself," Ogedai said, utterly bewildered.
Fu Qinghai gave a cold smile, pointed to a silver coin on the bed, and spoke, "What is this?"
Ogedai looked at the silver coin and slowly frowned. "A silver coin. What about it? Do you know what this thing is?"
"This is a token of the Warrior's Lodge. And you certainly know what role the Warrior's Lodge played in the White Scars' internal strife, Khan?"
The confusion on Ogedai's face deepened. "Why do you know about these things?"
"You don't need to know. There are many other things I know, like why you possess a complete set of fourth-generation power armor, and why you did not escort the Legion fleet."
As Fu Qinghai spoke, he thought: I'll try to trick you first. If you are a traitor, I'll shoot you dead first, then go on a rampage through the starship, killing as many as I can. Once I earn enough Reincarnation Points, I'll kill myself; I have another life anyway.
Setting aside the fact that the Reincarnation World assigned his faction as the Emperor's Faction, Fu Qinghai demanded a high degree of independence for his emotions and thoughts. In his previous life, he deeply despised those useless people addicted to the pleasure of certain drugs. He had a phobia of impure thoughts; being turned into a fanatical believer whose thoughts and emotions were controlled by the Chaos Gods was something he would rather die than experience.
Thinking of the bizarre practices of the Slaanesh Daemons described in novels, Fu Qinghai couldn't help but shudder.
He gripped the handle of his weapon tightly—he would rather die than fall into the embrace of Chaos!
Ogedai raised both hands, signaling Fu Qinghai not to get agitated, and spoke:
"That power armor is spoils of war I captured from the Sons of Horus. I have another set that was damaged on Cheslatan. We did not escort the Legion fleet because we have another mission; the specifics are military secrets, and I regret I cannot tell you. As for that silver coin..."
"You are correct; I did participate in the Warrior's Lodge. Although I don't know how you found out, the Warrior's Lodge indeed played a very disgraceful role in that unrest. But not everyone who participated in the Warrior's Lodge chose to betray the Khan, isn't that right?"
Ogedai looked into Fu Qinghai's eyes and retorted, "Based only on these things, how can you judge that I belong to the Traitor Legion?"
"Or perhaps, you still hold a grudge against me for eating human flesh?"
Indeed, based only on these things, he still couldn't confirm it. He wanted to trick Ogedai to see if he would show panic or embarrassed anger upon being exposed, but Ogedai was so calm... Fu Qinghai pondered for a moment and spoke:
"Then shout 'Horus is a huge idiot!' and 'Chaos is all a huge idiot!' three times loudly!"
Ogedai was almost laughing in anger, speechless. "Why would I do something so childish?"
"Click!" The sound of the bolter being cocked.
"Horus is a huge idiot!" "Horus is a huge idiot!" "Horus is a huge idiot!"
…………
"Stop hitting me... I was wrong, I was wrong, please really stop hitting me..."
"Damn it, and here I was thinking of giving you a chance for ascension. You little brat, I really misjudged you..." Ogedai lifted Fu Qinghai up with one hand, cursing and slapping him repeatedly.
"You dare threaten someone with a bolter over such a small thing? If I hadn't stopped you, the recoil from pulling the trigger would have torn your arm off!"
The strength of a Space Marine was immense; even holding back, two or three slaps left Fu Qinghai bruised and swollen.
The Warrior's Lodge was a common organizational structure, a phenomenon present in many Space Marine Legions.
It was a form where Space Marines used secret tokens to meet privately, exchange information, and foster camaraderie across military ranks, companies, and even Legions—this form was the Warrior's Lodge.
Viewed positively, the Expeditionary Fleet was a relatively closed environment. When Space Marines participated in the Warrior's Lodge semi-anonymously (masked but not voice-disguised), it helped enhance brotherly affection among comrades, allowing them to occasionally vent complaints and say things unsuitable for formal settings, thus relieving the pressure of prolonged combat. In the Warrior's Lodge, there was no distinction between neophytes and officers; everyone communicated as equals, which helped new warriors integrate quickly into the Legion, and so on.
Once any army grows large, such private organizations operating outside the rank structure and chain of command are likely to emerge internally. Analogous to the CC faction's Central Club in the Kuomintang on Earth in a past life...
The Emperor himself and the Departmento Munitorum strictly forbade the existence of Warrior's Lodges among Space Marines. Some Primarchs adopted a tacit attitude toward them, while others firmly opposed their existence.
However, in the early stages of the Horus Heresy, the Warrior's Lodge organizational form played a very negative role. Among the Sons of Horus and the White Scars, Space Marines harboring rebellious thoughts used the Warrior's Lodge to secretly collude, spread rumors, voice opinions completely contrary to the Imperium's official stance, and plan treason.
The silver coin in Ogedai's private small box was a very typical token of a Warrior's Lodge.
Finally, Ogedai put down the bruised and swollen Fu Qinghai and said irritably:
"Clean up your face and come with me to meet someone."
……
Fu Qinghai followed Ogedai deep into the warship.
Compared to the brightly lit and splendid bridge, the light here was dim. Apart from a simple white lamp overhead, the surroundings were shrouded in darkness, with only a few crimson warning lights on the walls indicating that this area was off-limits to ordinary crew members.
At the end of the corridor was a heavy, gray steel gate, with yellow and black striped warning signs around its edges.
They had arrived at their destination.
Fu Qinghai noticed that the guards at the gate were not crew members wearing White Scars uniforms, but two tall, sturdy robots.
These two bipedal robots were painted deep red, with thick limbs ending in massive three-fingered Power Fists. A shoulder cannon extended from the left shoulder section. The robots were as tall as two Ogedais combined.
The guards were not crew members but Castellan robots... Fu Qinghai immediately started thinking; there must be a high-ranking official from the Adeptus Mechanicus inside.
The robots' short, thick heads, like pot lids, turned toward Fu Qinghai and Ogedai. Their cold visors scanned the two of them once before turning back.
"Hiss—" The steel sluice gate slowly opened.
As they passed the two behemoths, Fu Qinghai couldn't help but glance back. On the robots' deep red shoulders was a white painted symbol—a circular gear with a skull in the center of the gear.
From Mars, the home base of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
…………
PS: The Central Club of the two Chen brothers has little similarity to the Warrior's Lodge; this is just a small nod.