Warhammer: Saving Humanity Begins with the Resurrection of Horus

Page 108

But how exactly did that thing develop into an alliance? I did say at the time that each warband could find suitable people to join the contract and expand its reach, but...

Verona noticed Lynch's confusion, cleared his throat, and began to explain what he knew.

"My lord, you are unaware of the fact that the alliance, or rather... the contract, has evolved to a point where it no longer consists solely of individual angels. In the beginning, it was Angostron, a forging world very close to the Claw of the Stars, that publicly announced its joining the alliance, offering preferential trade and assistance in terms of equipment and supplies to the angels of the alliance."

Lin Qi blinked, beginning to sense that something was amiss.

A Guardian Pact of Astartes, and then, a forging world suddenly joined in...

"Not long after, an ancient but somewhat declining merchant ronin family also announced its joining the alliance. The Lapland and Texas sisters from the Frahos family caused quite a stir among us merchant ronin at the time. After all, these sisters were also very famous. Although they were women, they had led their declining family to develop and were showing signs of returning to their peak."

When Lynch heard the names Lapland and Texas, he was momentarily stunned. It had been a long time since he'd heard them, and he felt a surge of emotion.

However, after the initial daze, a feeling of intense tension, difficult to describe, followed.

If several Astartes chapters form alliances and help each other, such things are not uncommon in the Empire's millennia-long history, and are still within the Empire's acceptable range.

However, once the alliance expanded to include more warbands, and even forces such as the Forging World, the Merchant Ronin, and the Knight Families, its nature became completely different from the original alliance.

Horus also emerged from the warp at this moment, floating beside Lynch, and spoke with emotion.

"audacious in the extreme."

"hehe....."

"What a joke! If those Imperial Guards hadn't left the palace at Father's behest and started operating on Terra and even some other planets and warships, what would those ruthless High Lords have done to you?"

Horus spoke bluntly, causing Lynch's lips to twitch.

"It might just give this decaying empire a final burst of energy, unleashing unprecedented efficiency and determination. That could be a good thing; perhaps the empire can use this momentum to recover."

Lynch knew Horus was being sarcastic. After all, from various perspectives, this matter was indeed significant. During his surgery and training, the Emperor had probably been in Terra, cleaning up a lot of messes for him.

I just wanted to find some reliable allies for Star Claw at first, how did it turn out like this?

No, so far it's still barely acceptable, after all, Angostom and the Vlahos family have many connections with me.

However, the scope of an alliance is certainly not so narrow.

Lynch looked at Verona, took a deep breath, and gestured for her to continue.

"After the Flahos family joined, several smaller merchant ronin dynasties gradually joined the alliance. However, they were all small families, the largest being about the same size as my family. At this time, the alliance was actually similar to the beginning. What truly expanded the alliance was a chaotic war that took place in the Misty Starfield, the Calissis Sector, and between the orcs, rebels, and the Dark Eldar and Tyranids."

"At that time, the leader of the Imperial Army was a Death Angels team called Firehawk. Faced with a huge gap in strength and a battlefield where defeat was almost certain, the leader of Firehawk activated the Covenant and sent out Star Language."

At this point, Verona's voice became noticeably excited, as if he had personally experienced that battle.

"It is said that in the first month after that star language was sent, a team of three death angels arrived with their fleet to provide assistance. Then, in the third month, the divine machines belonging to Angostron descended from the sky with boundless rage. The Empire turned the tide in just three months, and the efficiency and power of the support were almost unprecedented."

Having said that, Lin Qi finally understood what was going on.

He felt helpless, but looking at the situation before him, he could only sigh in despair.

"After the war, the generals of the Ascendant Army and the Imperial Navy in the Caslia Sector also joined the covenant. Subsequently, the covenant continued to expand, and in less than a year, the number of participants doubled. The signatories of the covenant are collectively known as the Great Vortex Alliance, and as far as I know, there are many other forces that want to join this alliance."

"Excuse me, Verona, do you know who the leader of the Great Vortex Alliance is?"

"According to sources, at a recent meeting of several key members of the Great Vortex Alliance, the current leader of the Great Vortex Alliance was nominated to be..."

Verona raised his hand and pointed at Lynch.

Lin Qi was stunned, then, unsurprisingly, laughed.

He was already looking forward to returning to Badab and finding out who came up with the idea for this alliance and its leader.

Chapter 135 Ambitious Part

The starry sky is boundless, and the Iron Ring defense system orbits Badab, with its weapons in a state of readiness for every sidereal year, ready to deal with any crisis that may arise at any time.

The Iron Ring defense system has a long history; according to some well-informed sources, it was built during the time of the previous Chapter Master of Starclaw. However, this Chapter Master's motives for building it were not pure; rather, they stemmed from some private desires and ambitions that could not be revealed to outsiders.

To this day, the personal motives and ambitions of the former warband leader remain unknown. All factions, including the Star Claws, remain tight-lipped about it. Everyone tacitly agrees not to mention this past event, as if it were a secret not to be shared with outsiders.

Beneath the Iron Ring, on the main planet of Badab, lies the Thorn Court.

At the top of a tower in the fortress monastery, which had been completed less than six months prior, Leo, then the governor of Star Claw, sat in a chair that fit his size, approving a series of official documents in front of him.

In a battle group, the company commander, as is customary, is the first person in charge of handling internal affairs of the battle group, apart from the battle group commander.

However, during the reign of the previous Chapter Master, Huron, who is now derogatoryly referred to as a "traitor" within the Chapter, this responsibility was transferred to his cronies.

After Huron's death, the Chapter's internal affairs were handled by Lynch and the Guard for a period of time. Later, Lynch was taken away for surgery, and the Guard returned to Terra for a report. According to the meeting before Lynch left, the Chapter's major affairs were handled by an organization called the Azure Wolf Council while he was away.

During normal operation, routine matters are handled by an administrator jointly elected by the members of the Azure Wolf Council.

As a company commander, Leo was actually unwilling to accept the position.

Although the governor does indeed wield considerable power, or rather, when Lynch is not around, he is no different from the warband commander.

but......

As a leader, the things he needs to face and the responsibilities he needs to bear are much more complex and heavier than those of a simple company commander or a simple soldier.

Leo sighed, looked up, and glanced at the other desk and chair in the middle of the room where he was now.

The governor is not the chapter commander, so even if he sits at the top to work, no one will say anything. Leo also requested that an extra set of desk and chair be provided for him, which was placed next to the desk and chair originally prepared for the chapter commander, namely Lynch.

Every time Leo looked up at this set of tables and chairs, he would reminisce about that small, mortal figure. Last time, Owen and those other guys said they could go to Caul to see Lynch, which made many people very envious, including Leo, the battle group leader.

Sigh, I should probably deal with the paperwork first. The next batch is coming in three Terra hours; if I hurry, I might be able to get about a Terra hour of rest...

A series of heavy footsteps sounded, and Leo paused in writing his name on the parchment, then continued writing as if he hadn't heard them.

The footsteps faded away. Leo continued processing documents, seemingly oblivious to everyone around him, not even glancing up. Three minutes later, the person outside the office couldn't hold back any longer. The door was violently pushed open, and Guts, the second company commander of Star Claw, clad in high-tech power armor, strode in, his imposing manner as if demanding an explanation.

"Leo!"

Gus slammed his fist on Leo's desk, the force so great that the items on the desk shook three times.

"You knew perfectly well that the merchant ronin was suspicious! Why did you still let him into the port! Do you know that even with prior preparations, the Third Auxiliary Army responsible for port security still suffered casualties!"

Guss's tone was full of accusatory force, but Leo, facing this force, continued to review official documents without saying a word, leaving Guss feeling powerless, as if he had punched cotton.

"Speak! Look at me!"

“I’ve already explained it to you.” Leo stopped writing, looked up at Gus. “The reason we didn’t let the Iron Ring fire and destroy that ship was because of the astral messages it was sending out. At that time, it still belonged to our alliance. If we had fired at it without solid evidence, it could have damaged the alliance, and that would have been far more serious than losing a portion of the auxiliary troops.”

Gus gritted his teeth, clearly knowing that what Leo said made a lot of sense.

Why not switch sides?

"If they board the ship, they will most likely detonate the nuclear bombs on the spaceship. Only by getting close to the port can I get the think tanks ready to directly shut down their overloaded subspace engines and prevent them from detonating nuclear bombs, thus reducing casualties to the theoretical minimum."

"...Leo, you feel a little unfamiliar to me now."

"That's how politics is. You have to understand that since this alliance was established, many things were completely beyond our control before Lord Lynch returned."

Leo sighed and shook his head slightly.

"Looking back now, I really hate that casting director in Angostum. She was a real bastard, but also a seasoned politician. Her methods were so sophisticated that by the time we realized what was happening, it was too late to change anything."

Guss remained silent, and finally sighed helplessly.

"I understand, but I still... never mind, for those who sacrificed their lives..."

"Don't worry, I have provided the best compensation to all the casualties. Their families will be settled in Upper Nest in the hive, and their offspring can also make their own choices about the future, whether to join the auxiliary army or the hive government, we have the corresponding arrangements."

Leo saw that Guts' emotions had stabilized, which relieved him. Since the original contract had expanded to become the alliance it is today, similar incidents had happened many times before.

For example, if a ship belonging to a faction within the Alliance encounters a problem and happens to be heading towards Badab, and each time, Star Claws can always obtain intelligence about these problematic ships in advance.

Leo could sense something unusual about these things. He often thought of the forging director of Angostron; the fact that the contract had become the alliance it was today was entirely due to her and the forging world she represented.

According to the alliance's agreement, if one side faces an insurmountable crisis, the others must do their utmost to help that side.

In the past three years, Angostron has been arguably the most proactive force in fulfilling this clause. These previously stingy and selfish individuals have suddenly become very generous, not only with their own Guardians of the Faith but also with the Titan Legion, frequently mobilizing to help other forces resolve crises.

Not to mention the trade terms in the contract, the preferential prices for weapons and supplies, which attracted the attention of many people in the empire.

It can be said that many of the forces that later joined the contract did so out of respect for Angostum.

Is this a good thing?

Perhaps the Claws of the Stars did indeed benefit from this process. As the initiator of the contract and alliance, its chapter leader was even elected as the leader of the alliance.

Is this a bad thing?

Unbeknownst to many, as the Alliance continues to expand, Star Claw is gradually being exposed to the eyes of various forces. For some forces, its current actions are undoubtedly those of heretics and traitors.

If it weren't for another force protecting the alliance's development, the alliance would probably have vanished in an instant.

"Oh, right." After a moment of internal reflection, Leo spoke up, calling out to Guts. "We're about to conduct the first recruitment since the Traitor Era. How are things? Are you all ready?"

“It’s done.” Gus nodded. “You forgot? I gave this to Asford. That kid has improved by leaps and bounds in the past few years. I think his strength is about to catch up with mine. Moreover, his squad members highly approve of his leadership. If it weren’t for his identity as a member of the Honor Guard, I would have liked to promote him to the Second Company as my adjutant, and have him take over my position later.”

Leo understood. In Star Claw, everyone was now very familiar with Asford. In fact, the name Asford was well-known throughout Badab and even the Great Vortex Alliance.

The reason is simple: today, when the orcs and elves are wreaking havoc on the trade routes for some unknown reason, Asford, with his pair of power claws, has torn apart the bodies of elf warriors and orc leaders one by one.

War is the best way for a person to enhance their reputation.

Leo can rest assured that he has entrusted this recruitment selection to the other party.

"Remember to find him after you leave and have him come see me. I need to discuss the details of the new recruit selection with him in detail."

"it is good."

Gus responded to Leo, then turned and left the office.

Leo bent down and continued reviewing the documents. A Terra hour passed quickly. Just when he had finished most of his work and was about to take a short break, the servo skull next to Leo suddenly emitted a piercing electronic noise. Then, Guts' voice came from behind him.

"Leo."

Gus's voice carried a hint of urgency, clearly indicating that something unexpected had happened.

"what happened?"

Leo frowned slightly. Gus was in the Thorn Royal Court, which was arguably the safest place in the entire Badab system.

What kind of unexpected events could happen in a place like this?

"It's Asford."

Gus began to speak.

"He, no, not just him, but also the think tanks. According to sources, they all left their posts not long ago, and they even left me a message."