The attacker immediately swiveled his weapon toward Yuno and fired without hesitation. However, the bolt shell stopped dead in mid-air, suspended before her by an invisible barrier.
Realizing he was facing a psyker, the man turned to flee, but Yuki, still sprawled on the ground, clamped a hand around his ankle. Ordinarily, if a regular human dared to grab him like this, the man's sheer strength would have snapped their wrist or torn their arm clean off. Yet Yuki's grip remained as immovable as plasteel.
The gunshot wound on Yuki's head was already knitting shut. This level of regenerative ability far surpassed that of a standard Space Marine.
"Dammit, I was careless. It seems I can't let you leave here alive now," Yuki muttered, pushing himself up. The man frowned; those words should have been his to say.
Who are these two? he wondered. No, they shouldn't even count as human. Are they daemons? But he felt none of the foul, corrupting aura typical of warp-spawn. Xenos imitating humans?
"Wait, perhaps we can talk," the man said.
"Then let's talk," Yuno replied. She had already used her psychic power to seal every exit. Yuki, meanwhile, pulled a bone blade from his own flesh.
The man pulled back his hood, revealing a weathered, battle-scarred face. Between his appearance and the visible signs of heavy biological and mechanical augmentation, Yuki recognized what he was.
"An Astartes?"
God dammit, Yuki thought. The Underhive junkyard really is a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons.
But why was a Space Marine hiding in the dregs of a Hive? Was he a deserter? In the lore of Warhammer, if there was a Space Marine who had turned from the Imperium without falling to Chaos, the most famous group would be... Shit, please don't let it be one of those.
"You actually know what I am. Then I cannot hide it," the man said. "I am Hermit, formerly of the First Legion, the Dark Angels."
He looked at Yuno with intense caution, bracing himself in case she tried to read his memories.
Fantastic. He really is a Fallen.
Yuki felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He could almost imagine half a dozen Inner Circle supermen from the Dark Angels appearing behind him to run him through. In terms of sheer obsession, the Dark Angels Chapter was top-tier, especially regarding the "traitors" of their legion—the Fallen. They would do anything to capture and interrogate them. Moreover, meeting a Fallen in this universe was practically a law of causality; where there was a Fallen, the Inner Circle was never far behind.
"What are you?" Hermit asked.
Yuki didn't actually want anything to do with Hermit, but he couldn't just leave the man here either.
"I'm the boss of an Underhive gang. I have some connections with the Battle Sisters and the Ecclesiarchy. They discovered you, but they don't know your true identity yet."
Hermit seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "I thought my legion brothers had arrived. I thought you were their auxiliary forces."
Yuki wanted to find an excuse to ditch this guy immediately, but Yuno suddenly took an interest.
"Yuki, what if we keep him?" she asked via their psychic link.
"Are you insane? I don't want to make an enemy of the entire Dark Angels Chapter this early."
"It's going to happen sooner or later anyway. Your combat techniques are currently painful to watch. This man is likely a veteran; he's perfect for training you."
Yuki was speechless, but on second thought, it made sense. If he passed up this Fallen, the next Space Marines he encountered probably wouldn't be this "approachable."
Their conversation took place via psychic link, so Hermit heard nothing, though he understood that the two before him were dangerous.
What kind of xenos are they? Hermit wondered. During the Great Crusade, he had fought in countless battles and slain thousands of xenos. Even after his gene-father banished them back to Caliban, he had never shirked his duty to purge the alien. But he had never heard of a xenos capable of imitating humanity so flawlessly.
"Hermit, your tracks are already exposed," Yuki said aloud. "The Mechanicus and the Battle Sisters will find you eventually. Why not come work for me?"
"You're willing to risk making an enemy of an entire Astartes Chapter?"
"It's only a matter of time."
"You aren't of Chaos, are you?"
"I'm more of a xenos. Do you, as a Fallen, still harbor such a strong hatred for Chaos?"
A look of firm resolve appeared in Hermit's eyes. "Caliban was destroyed because our gene-father betrayed us. My sword is always swung for the sake of humanity."
Yuki wanted to laugh. He was willing to believe that rhetoric, but what about the Inner Circle? He hoped Hermit could convince the Dark Angels with that speech while on a torture rack in Asmodai's dungeon.
"Fine. Come back with me for now. I want to improve the way this planet is run anyway. The current governance of the Imperium is pathetic."
"Let me tell you, the Imperium ten thousand years ago wasn't like this."
"I know, I know."
...
Steff's team had found nothing. According to their scans, the creature with the proportions of an Astartes had left no trace whatsoever.
"Were we really just played for fools by those red-robes?"
Frustrated, the group returned to the Yuki Gang's territory. Yuki greeted them warmly, but their stay didn't last long. Two weeks later, Steff and her squad returned to their void-ship monastery.
Upon their return, the Canoness and the Seraphim squad were already waiting at the entrance. The atmosphere did not suggest a welcome home for a returning mission team. Steff felt a knot in her stomach.
"Seraphim Squad, Steff, report to the small chapel immediately. An Angel of the Emperor has questions for you."
An Angel of the Emperor?
At those words, even the Seraphim who usually took immense pride in their strength and status showed looks of panic. An Astartes—a guardian of the Imperium, an Angel of the Emperor, a bringer of death and bolts who delivered the Emperor's wrath unto his enemies.
Was my faith not firm enough? Is an Angel here to judge me?
No, everyone knew they weren't that important. With trembling hearts, the scouting team entered the small chapel.
Three Astartes stood there in silence. Two on the flanks were kneeling on one rewarded, heads bowed in prayer before a statue of the God-小鎮. The Astartes in the center wore an Iron Halo. Sensing the arrival of the Battle Sisters, he turned slowly.
"Daughters of the Emperor, do not be afraid. If your faith is firm, you have nothing to fear from our questioning."
"P-pardon us. It is our first time seeing an Angel of the Emperor in person."
"We heard you pursued a mysterious creature. Were there any results?" The Astartes toyed with a combat knife. The skull motif on his helmet was particularly striking.
"P-pardon us, but we found nothing."
"Truly?"
"It is true. we discovered nothing at all."
"Hmm."
For some reason, Steff heard a hint of relief in the Angel's voice.
"Very well. Then let it be. This failure of yours is of no consequence. Forget it and continue to serve the Emperor. Brothers, let us move."
The two kneeling Astartes stood and followed the Chaplain. From the dark corners, several more Astartes emerged. Twelve Astartes in total followed the Chaplain out of the chapel.
Only after they had left did Steff realize she was still breathing. "I'm... I'm still alive."