The flagship of the Lamenters Chapter, the Chapter fortress-monastery vessel Mater Lachrymarum, translated out of the Warp and returned to realspace.
Not far from them, in the void, the Cobra-class destroyer looked as if an enormous asteroid had been plastered against its port side like a stubborn patch.
These Ork pirates did not appear particularly wealthy.
Most of their vessel was assembled from asteroid rubble and Ork scrap metal.
At this moment, on the asteroid clinging to the human warship, Ork Mekboyz were joyfully dismantling whatever they could get their hands on, while also painting Greenskin symbols across the destroyer.
Clearly, they had set their sights on this vessel.
“My lord, by the Emperor’s grace, we have successfully broken free of the Warp storm.
However, the Chapter currently has only one hundred and seventy brethren remaining.
Ammunition reserves are critically low.
Most serious of all, only fifty-two sets of power armor remain usable, and we are severely lacking Adeptus Mechanicus personnel aboard the ship…
At present, we are unable to conduct proper repairs.”
Within the warship, Chapter Master Malakim Phoros of the Lamenters listened to his subordinate report the Chapter’s current condition.
His spirit seemed somewhat weary, but after receiving the distress signal, he still drew in a deep breath and entered battle readiness.
Looking at the holographic tactical display before him, Malakim calculated the threat level while glancing at the scarred and battered battle-brothers around him.
For them, the Lamenters Chapter had only just endured the defense of Corillia.
Yet due to their allies’ distrust and unauthorized withdrawal, they had suffered catastrophic losses.
By the time the White Scars’ reinforcements arrived, fewer than two hundred brethren remained in the entire Chapter.
But that had only been the beginning of their tragedy.
Even though they were born of the Cursed Founding, as sons of Sanguinius, they still believed they owed the White Scars a debt.
Yet before they ever had the chance to repay it, their Chapter fortress-monastery ship was swept into a Warp storm.
They lost contact with the Imperium for a hundred years and had already been judged annihilated by the authorities above.
This time, they had finally translated out of the Warp storm.
The Chapter Librarians believed this was the Emperor’s divine power.
The most direct evidence was that realspace in this region was extraordinarily stable, and the core of that stability was the warship in the distance.
According to their original projections, the Chapter should have needed at least another hundred years before it could break free of the Warp storm’s influence.
Yet just now, they had been pulled back into realspace as if in a single instant.
And after they returned to realspace, a lone Cobra-class destroyer was being attacked by Greenskin pirates in the distance, broadcasting a distress signal into the void.
Although all of this seemed far too coincidental, the Lamenters were sons of Sanguinius who had built deep bonds of friendship with mortals.
They would never stand by and allow the Imperium’s subjects to suffer beneath the threat of xenos. Get faster updates on g.com.
At the first moment, they attempted to establish communications with the other vessel and had already ordered their ship to close in while preparing shuttles for boarding support.
After the vox-channel was established, what surprised them was that even though they had been missing for a hundred years, the mortals aboard that ship still seemed to know their identity.
“Honored sons of Sanguinius!
Thank you for answering our call for aid!
Due to Warp interference, we suddenly translated out of the Immaterium and arrived in this region, only to be besieged by Orks.
There is also a lord of the Dark Angels of the First Legion aboard the ship, currently fighting the Greenskins!”
Only one Dark Angel aboard?
Malakim was slightly surprised when he heard this, but in his eyes, the loyal First Legion had always acted in mysterious ways.
This Dark Angel may have been hidden aboard this ship while carrying out some form of mission.
Every Legion had secrets from the others, so he would not pry too deeply into this son of the Lion.
What drew his attention was the first half of the message: this Cobra-class destroyer had also suddenly translated back into realspace because of a Warp disturbance.
That was very similar to what they themselves had experienced.
If their early escape from the Warp storm was the Emperor’s manifestation, then this Cobra-class destroyer must surely be an instruction granted to them by the Emperor.
To save the Emperor’s suffering subjects, they would not hesitate.
However, one thought briefly echoed through Malakim’s mind: could the Dark Angel aboard the ship have something to do with their unusual escape from the Warp?
The Chapter Librarians had said that this region of realspace was extraordinarily stable.
Perhaps it was the influence of some sacred relic?
But that thought appeared for only an instant.
As Lancelot’s voice signal entered their vox-channel, the Dark Angel’s first words made them all pause.
“Thank you for coming, noble sons of Sanguinius.
Warriors of the Lamenters Chapter, I have heard of your deeds.
I am Lancelot.
The Dark Angels will not forget this kindness.
I look forward to fighting alongside you on the battlefield.”
Lancelot had no intention of saying too much over the vox-channel.
This was the style of the Dark Angels, and Chapter Master Malakim of the Lamenters was not surprised by the brevity of this Dark Angel’s words.
What surprised him was this: Lancelot, a Dark Angel of the First Legion, still offered goodwill and respect to his Lamenters Chapter even while knowing their identity.
His voice echoed through the vox-array, and in a single instant, it truly stirred the morale of every warrior present.
They had never been called that before.
Ever since the Cursed Founding, they had never been welcomed by any Chapter.
During the defense of Corillia, they had even been abandoned on the field of battle by their allies from the Mortifactors Chapter.
Because of this, as remnants of the Cursed Founding, as warriors born bearing an innate stain, they had not even dared to openly proclaim themselves sons of Sanguinius.
Though the Lamenters inwardly prayed for the gaze of their gene-father Sanguinius and the gaze of the Emperor, when facing the loyal and glorious Dark Angels of the First Legion, Chapter Master Malakim could only feel a sense of shame.
And now, by a twist of fate, they had originally intended to rescue a mortal vessel, only to unexpectedly meet a Dark Angel of the First Legion and earn his recognition.
This was truly something that lifted their spirits.
“Worthy of the blood of Sanguinius!”
Malakim immediately organized the twenty surviving Astartes of the Second Company to board shuttles and prepare for a boarding action.
At the same time, he ordered the lance batteries to begin warming up, preparing to surgically cut away the Greenskin void-firepower from the outside.
At that moment, every warrior stood ready.
They would cut away the threat of those Greenskin pirates with the precision of a scalpel, then link up with the Dark Angel who had shown them respect.
Meanwhile, after completing that brief exchange with the Lamenters Chapter, Lancelot once again swung his sword and slew the Ork Boy before him.
Behind him, the soldiers of the Death Korps of Krieg immediately raised their flamers and thoroughly purified the Greenskin corpse.
By now, the situation aboard the ship was mostly clear.
Those Greenskins could not get their WAAAGH!
going in front of him because of the influence of his untouchable psychic field, so they had turned their attention toward the Genestealers instead.
With these two forces turning on each other like dogs fighting dogs, Lancelot’s advance had become much easier.
Next, he only needed to slaughter his way directly to the Orks’ main base and cut down the Ork Warlord leading this pirate band.
Once that was done, the Ork crisis would essentially resolve itself.
As for the remaining Genestealers, after being depleted by the Greenskins, and with the battle-brothers of the Lamenters Chapter arriving soon…
clearing them out would be very simple.
The only slightly delicate issue was…
he was actually a Fallen Angel disguised as a Dark Angel.
If this secret were exposed, then although the reward from the Oath of the Second Imperium would remain unchanged, his combat points would be reduced.
In effect, his fighting strength would be weakened.
And…
if this matter were exposed and the Lamenters learned of it, who knew whether those obsessed maniacs among the Dark Angels would immediately take the weeping men’s heads as offerings for their blades?