Sometimes, Al dreamed of his mother.
Her face was beautiful, her gaze tender and merciful, and her arms enveloped him in a warmth he had never truly felt. If he could remember what his mother looked like, she surely would have looked like this.
He snapped back to reality and continued prying at the tractor's fuel tank cap. Recently, his mind wandered more often, and a sense of inexplicable panic frequently gnawed at his heart. Was it because war was approaching once again?
During the last war, he was still young. The farm where he worked grew cotton, and he spent every day picking it in the fields. Now that they had switched to wheat and could use agricultural machinery, it felt like a form of progress.
"Al! The Requisition Station wants you over there!"
The Requisition Station was a small city nearest to the farm, built around a massive central spaceport. The city and its crude port existed for a single purpose: tax collection. Standard orders didn't usually require the station to send for Al personally. He dared not delay, immediately starting the heavy crop-duster plane to report for duty.
Several other farm managers arrived at the same time. Their landholdings varied greatly in size, but together they totaled over two hundred thousand square kilometers. Calling them all here meant something significant was happening.
With a palpable sense of unease, the station administrator appeared. "Everyone, something extremely important has happened today." The administrator was dead serious; his hands were even trembling. "The Emperor's Angels have come to us. However, this is a secret deployment. Everyone must maintain absolute secrecy. If any trace of heresy is discovered, it must be reported immediately."
A muffled cough echoed, and the administrator knew the Emperor's Angel of Death was about to speak. "Then... let our Lord Angel say a few words."
An Astartes clad in brownish power armor stepped forward. Unknown scripts were inscribed upon his plating. "Do not be afraid. This is a necessary procedure. Our arrival will pacify the chaos in this region and destroy the enemies of the God-Emperor. I trust you are all devout believers."
He wasn't wearing a helmet. His sharp gaze swept over the crowd, calm and intelligent. "However, if any suspicious circumstances arise, do not hide them. Report them at once."
Al hesitated. Yuki and his partner were certainly "suspicious" in the way the Astartes described, yet they seemed perfectly normal! Moreover, without them—without Yuki's ability to manage thousands of square kilometers of land in a single day—Al would definitely... wait. Could a normal person really process that much land in a day?
Al felt as if he were waking from a dream. He spoke up tremulously, "My lord, some people fled to our farm a few days ago. They..."
"Are they refugees?"
"They appear to be."
"Any abnormal behavior?"
"They are... very efficient."
"That is indeed worth looking into." The Astartes nodded, praising Al. "You have done well. I will have my brothers follow you to investigate." He turned back to the group. "Additionally, to preserve human wisdom, we are collecting various records. If you possess ancient texts or codices, you may donate them to us. We will apply for tax reductions accordingly."
With that, he waved Al over.
That night, three Astartes warriors arrived at Al's farm. Al pointed out Yuki's dwelling. To avoid collateral damage should a fight break out, the Astartes ordered Al to leave the area first.
"Enos, you know what kind of noise we make when we fight, right?"
The leading sergeant didn't reply. He simply checked that his bolter was chambered. "Observe first. Do not startle the prey. This planet is too clean; it must mean the evil forces are hiding deep. We must follow the vine to find the melon, pull them out by the roots, and cut the grass to kill the seeds!"
"Stop with the cryptic sayings. Do you just spend all day with a High Gothic dictionary doing this?"
The squad approached silently. Before reaching the wall, Enos halted his team with a hand signal. "Wait. Movement!"
The warriors entered a state of high alert, their movements slowing as they prepared for a sudden enemy appearance. The sounds became clearer—it was the heavy breathing of a woman.
"Don't move. It's my turn."
...
The Space Marines looked at each other.
"Enos, what is this?"
"I am not certain, but it appears they are copulating."
"Is there a risk of corruption?"
Enos was clearly unsure. "Theoretically, yes. But theoretically, everything carries a risk of corruption... Our duty does not permit us to kill innocents. Move closer. If there is true corruption, our relics will react."
Amidst the sounds within, the three drew closer. Just as they felt they were at risk of being compromised by the sensory input, their Purity Seals remained inert.
Enos's curiosity was piqued. He commanded, "I will go in to test them. Support me immediately if anything happens."
Enos stepped forward and knocked on the cabin door. A panicked voice came from inside: "Who is it?"
"A nameless traveler seeking aid."
"Traveling on an Agri-World this late? Who are you kidding?"
"Believe me, it is for your own good."
After the sound of clothes being hurriedly put on, the door opened. The man's face showed obvious surprise, and the woman covered her face with her hands, peeking at Enos through the gaps between her fingers.
"You are?"
"I am Enos. I am here to confirm there is no Chaos taint. Please cooperate."
"Why would you..."
"Do you have no sense of the noise you were just making?"
A flash of embarrassment crossed the man's face, but he then politely invited Enos inside.
Three hours later, Enos had found nothing. He could only offer Yuki an apology, instruct him not to speak of this encounter, and depart.
Watching him leave, Yuno continued communicating with Yuki through the Hive Mind. You were too focused just now; you didn't even notice someone approaching.
You were being so cute. After searching for food in the void for so long, can't I enjoy myself a little?
Yuki didn't continue the argument. This wasn't a chance encounter. They were looking specifically for us.
Did Al tip them off?
To be honest, I'm surprised it took him this long.
They didn't seem that terrifying.
Yuki nodded. Astartes Chapters each had their own style—some were brutal, others were surprisingly gentle, often for different reasons. The man just now was clearly acting out of a sense of honor toward mortals. Calm, honorable, and with that specific paint scheme... Yuki was already certain which Chapter they belonged to.
The Exorcists. They're likely here to deal with Huron.