Eight months had passed since the explosion of Planet Ender's starport.
The investigations in the Spire had yielded no results; the entire affair was far too eerie. Communication with the starport had been severed, the main control room blown to bits, and several vessels that had already cleared the port were forcibly ordered to return. A series of explosions then swallowed all survivors. It couldn't have been an accident, but who was the culprit? There were no traces of Chaos, nor any signs of xenos.
Had Imperial forces blown up an Imperial starport? The high-ranking officials of Ender were willing to believe such theories, but the Inquisition was not.
The Adeptus Arbites, the Planetary Governor, the Ecclesiarchy, and the Adepta Sororitas all treated the matter with extreme gravity, yet no matter how much importance they placed on it, the truth remained elusive. Even the participants might not have known everything.
Hermit only knew it was Yuki's plan and suspected it involved his genetic brothers, but he didn't care. He knew that sooner or later, the Dark Angels would return, but as Yuki said, that was a matter for the future. For now, he only needed to concern himself with the present.
"Wait, brother, which squad are you..."
Hermit felt a hand clap his shoulder. The stranger's voice held a hint of relief.
"Communication was lost after the squad went on mission. I presumed the starport explosion caused it, but seeing you here on the surface means..."
The Dark Angel's words cut short. He didn't recognize the man before him, but the man's posture and bearing signaled unmistakably that he was a member of the Dark Angels. However, only one Dark Angel had been left on the planet's surface. That meant this man was...
A Fallen!
Hermit's mind raced. He had long anticipated an encounter with these modern Dark Angels—he had even prepared for it recently—but he hadn't expected to meet like this.
Both men stepped back silently. For ease of movement, neither wore a helmet. Clad in power armor but without heavy weapons, a pure physical confrontation was imminent.
Hermit reacted with extreme speed, drawing his sidearm to fire, but the other was equally fast, landing a punch squarely on Hermit's face.
"Guh!"
At such close quarters for two Astartes, fists were indeed faster than guns.
Without suspense, Hermit slammed a fist into the Dark Angel's temple, while the Dark Angel hoisted him high. Hermit was thrown, but not before the Dark Angel's skull was fractured. For a Space Marine, these were minor wounds.
They collided like two great bulls. In unarmed combat, control was more vital than damage.
"Tell me, whelp of the Dark Angels, how many xenos have you slain? How many enemies of Chaos have you put down!"
Hermit gained the upper hand, pinning the Dark Angel down. Passersby ignored them. A fight in the Underhive was more common than a dead body; there was no need to take it seriously.
"Traitor!"
The Dark Angel surged with strength, seizing Hermit's hand and hurling him away before drawing a bolt pistol and aiming at the fallen Hermit. It was too late.
Hermit saw the muzzle of the Dark Angel's bolt pistol flare with fire.
...
"Logically, this wave of Dark Angels must have some way to contact their Chapter, at least enough to notice a squad has gone missing," Yuki continued his analysis.
"If this starport explosion killed all those Dark Angels, reinforcements will inevitably arrive. Regardless of whether anyone survived, we will face the Dark Angels Chapter in the future. But as long as they arrive late enough, it won't matter."
Yuno propped up her head and yawned. "Understood. That truly is rousing news."
The patronizing tone annoyed Yuki slightly, but he found nothing wrong with his girlfriend acting that way.
"The Underhive is on the right track now. Population is growing. By the time the fleet arrives, the resources harvested will be even more abundant."
Yuki felt as if he were reporting to a boss, but it didn't matter.
"In that case, why not turn them all into Genestealers?" Yuno asked. She held no special sentiment toward these Genestealers, even if they were dying for her deception.
"To be precise, the Genestealers are already doing that. With my assistance, we can harvest a massive amount of resources alongside the conversion."
"Wow. If you weren't my lover, I'd happily appoint you as the Chief Genestealer to find food for me everywhere," Yuno remarked with a robotic sense of wonder, making them both laugh.
"I need to infiltrate the upper echelons to handle the defense systems. Those people interact closely with others; they can't be easily swapped out," Yuki explained. "Currently, the final resort is for me to personally lead teams to seize those locations. Compared to the loss of a Hive Fleet, the loss of Genestealers is more acceptable."
Yuno yawned again. "Darling, you don't have to do all this. I told you, the reward stands regardless of what you turn this planet into. Usually, I don't consider these things; I just spawn the troops and press them onto the front lines."
Yuki was at a loss for words. Logically, that was indeed the most likely scenario. No matter what schemes he prepared or how much he planned, the key to victory ultimately lay in the sheer numbers of the Hive Fleet.
"However, seeing how diligent you are, I'll give you a little reward tonight."
"If you want to play a game, just say so. No need for excuses."
To be honest, Yuno's desires were... a bit too intense. Yuki didn't hate it; he even found it slightly delightful, especially since Yuno could change her form. But his lingering sense of morality told him that indulgence wasn't a wise choice.
"Let's go inside!"
Yuno was already moving her hands when a knock sounded at the door. The scent of blood drifted in. Both of them, having forgotten their surroundings in their banter, turned serious.
"Hermit? And what is that in your hand?"
"Boss, I killed a Dark Angel. That shouldn't be too much of a problem, right?"
When the door opened, Hermit's face was covered in wounds, and his armor bore dozens of dents. He was carrying the corpse of an Astartes. From the pattern of the power armor, it was easily recognizable as one from the First Legion.
"Hermit, leave the body here. Immediately organize men to check every space within our territory. Leave nothing unturned!"
It was no exaggeration to say that wherever a Space Marine appeared, there was a possibility of divine blessing from the Emperor. And if there was a blessing, there was a possibility he could be killed. The world of Warhammer was, after all, a world of the mind and spirit.
Fortunately, this seemed to be a lone Dark Angel. The ones who had gone to the starport remained missing.