|Vanessa Nur-Kalles – Documentarist Remembrancer|
"Oi, Vanessa!"
I look away from my food and see Niu walking toward me with a grin on her face. I am currently in the cafeteria, where I can see people eating and resting from hard work. I can even see three Astartes eating among the mortals. I watch them from a distance and write down what they are doing.
"Ah, Niu. Take a seat. Do you want some food? It's on me."
"Not at the moment. I came here to inform you about your request."
"Which one?"
I've been sending a few requests to the higher-ranking Astartes in this fleet. Most of them are individual interviews, but I've also requested other things.
"Your request to witness the battle has been approved."
"Truly?!"
I look at her with a grin and stand up. This is the one I wanted the most. I want to witness how they wage war with my own eyes. Will they be the same as the War Hounds? Will they prove me wrong and show me something new and unexpected?
I am eager to learn.
"Aye. The planet we are on is filled with xenos that hunt humans to fuel their bio-machines. They control over eighty-five percent of the planet, and we will help the humans on the planet kill them all."
"I see. What is the name of the planet?"
"Ah, I just remembered. You don't have clearance to enter the upper floors, huh? We are near the planet Deluth, as the humans here call it. We depart in two hours. However, I must ask: are you ready? This is a battlefield. The chance of you dying is lower than ours because you will observe from a distance, but it is still possible."
"Don't worry, Niu. I understand, and I'm more than willing to risk my life to perform my duty."
"Very well. Follow me. I will take you to the upper level."
I nod and follow her to a small vehicle that takes us to a compact room a kilometer away from the cafeteria. This part of the ship is where the military personnel usually perform their duties. Some maintain the ship, some create things, and some clean it.
When the door opens, I can see a familiar symbol on the wall. Is this an elevator? It is rather well-hidden for an elevator.
"I know what you are thinking, Vanessa. It is a rather well-hidden room, and I asked the same question to one of the Astartes. He told me that it is a habit of theirs. They prefer muted colors and keep the same color scheme. The same goes for the design. They prefer simple and functional over decorative."
I see. Such a shame. They have such beautiful faces and voices that they are treasures in themselves. I wonder if they are willing to let me paint one of them. It would be a great honor.
We enter the room, and Niu places her hand on a scanner. After a few seconds, the room begins to move. I can see the number of floors increasing as we approach the 12th floor and stop.
When we step out, I see rows upon rows of weaponry on the other side of the room.
"Is that…"
"That is the hangar. My baby is resting there." She gestures proudly. "Because of the connection between the Void Stalkers and the Mechanicus, we do not have Tech-Priests maintaining our weapons and machines. Luckily for us, the Void Stalkers are better than the Mechanicus."
"Truly? That is high praise. I may not like the Mechanicus much, but I've seen the kind of technology they possess."
"Oh, it is high praise. But the Void Stalkers can back it up. All of this?" She gestures at the machines surrounding us. "They built it. Every weapon, tank, and gunship the Astartes use."
"Oh my."
"Aye. They are not only warriors, you see. They are builders. They are the builders of the future. You will be in awe when you see what they construct after conquering a world."
The more I hear about them, the more eager I become to witness them in battle.
==| Line Break |==
Carnage.
That is the word I use for the sight before me.
I am watching the drone's live feed, and now I understand why they inspire dread among their enemies. For us, it is awe tinged with fear. Fear of such power unleashed, but it is not the same dread I felt watching the War Hounds.
Instead… I feel safe. The fear is still there, but it is not as overwhelming as when I watch the War Hounds let loose.
With them on the front lines, slaughtering the xeno attackers. The Imperial Army supports them from behind with firepower that can destroy a city. They might not have the numbers of other fleets, but their weapons have five times the firepower.
Unlike the War Hounds, who move like feral war dogs, charging and tearing apart anything in their path, the Void Stalkers move like dancers. They move with such grace that I would have thought they were dancing on the battlefield instead of fighting.
A massive shield bearer stands at the front, absorbing the torrents of bullets and missiles fired by the xenos. When they close the distance, the Assault Astartes ignite their jump packs and leap forward. They fire their weapons at the xenos while they are in the air, and when they land on the ground…
Then the dance begins.
They move through the enemy with impossible grace. Each step leaves behind clouds of blood and shattered bodies.
It is beautiful. It is deadly. This is the true Dance of Death.
And the Astartes are its performers.
I write those words down for later use and continue watching.
Another chapter of the Legion arrives. These Astartes carry mace-like weapons, their heads crowned with golden stars that glow as they raise them.
I nearly gasp.
The Legion, I believed, had no psykers unleashing psychic power.
They intercept incoming energy attacks, dispersing them into harmless light. Then they release blue flames that melt the xenos' armored vehicles into molten slag before hurling the burning wreckage back at the enemy.
I blink when I hear the Captain roar, the others echoing his cry.
"For our Father! For Theodore!"
Father?
I know Astartes inherit traits from their gene-sire. It seems the name of their Father, the Lord of the Void Stalkers, is Theodore.
Ah…
I want to meet him.
I want to meet the Lord of the Void Stalkers. I wonder what kind of man he is. I wonder if they would tell me stories about him. Have they met their Father? There are a lot of questions I want to ask them.
I shake my head and focus on the battlefield again.
The Void Stalkers and the Imperial Army march forward, destroying anything in their path. The two armies move as if they are one functioning body. They move flawlessly. Each command does not need to be repeated. They move as if they know the others will complete their commands.
It is beautiful.
It does not take long before the xenos army is destroyed, and we are ready to march once again.
Our forces advance and reach the xenos fortress. However, instead of facing resistance, we discover that another chapter of the Void Stalkers has already captured it. I can see the flag of the Void Stalkers, a Golden Star, fluttering in the air.
The fortress has been completely cleansed.
It looks like the Void Stalkers perform a two-pronged assault. We fought the main army while the other chapters captured the fortress.
However, it is time to face the difficult part.
During my time with the 13th Fleet, it took months before the planet's humans accepted the rule of the War Hounds. Many even had to be slaughtered because they refused to submit to the butchers who ruled them.
Some planets even rebelled immediately when they thought that the War Hounds would leave the planet. Sadly for them, it was not the case, and another river of blood flowed across the planet.
I wonder what the Void Stalkers will do.
==| Line Break |==
Two days.
That is all it takes. It takes them two days to calm the humans whom the xenos in this fortress had enslaved, and even the humans living in the area—two days for nearby human tribes to approach the fortress and willingly pledge their loyalty.
And now I understand why.
I watch as a towering Astartes kneels before a crying mother clutching her injured son.
The giant gently comforts her and places his massive hand over the child. His palm could easily cover the infant's entire body, easily crush him if he wished.
But instead, a soft orange flame spreads from his hand. If not for the countless similar events happening, I would have thought he would burn the baby.
Instead, the baby laughs.
The wounds on his head vanish. His frail body fills with life. His laughter sounds like the cry of a bird soaring through the sky.
I never get bored seeing that miracle happen. Where I came from, we had good medical technology, but it wasn't as advanced as what I was seeing in front of me.
I walk through the fortress and see the same miracle repeated everywhere.
People approach the Void Stalkers for healing. The Astartes heal them with a smile and, in doing so, earn their loyalty. Their undying loyalty.
But healing is not the only miracle.
Nearby, a group of Astartes directs swarms of drones. The machines assemble structures seemingly from nothing, dismantling ruined walls and rebuilding them stronger than before.
They construct food generators. Factories that create more drones. They even construct a new fortress wall, thicker and taller than the original. The drones they carry turn the previous wall into nothing and immediately construct a new wall. It is as if this world is nothing but a playground to them.
The Void Stalkers do not merely conquer. They rebuild. They ensure the people of this world can stand on their own.
They are… liberators.
Their methods make planetary integration effortless. Now I understand why their Expedition Fleet has such a remarkable record.
Other fleets attempt the same, but they lack the technology. They need time because they use regular humans to move their builders, and it takes a long time to build. There is also the fact that it will cost lives, as construction jobs have among the highest rates of casualties.
The Void Stalkers are different. They do not need humans to construct their machines and walls. In mere days, the Void Stalkers rebuild an entire fortress and strengthen it beyond its original design. They only need to control the drones, and everything appears in mere hours.
I hum softly as I continue writing, taking a bite of the ration given to me. It tastes surprisingly good. I release a content sigh and look to the sky.
I think… I will remain with the Void Stalkers. I want to watch them grow. I want to watch them conquer more worlds. I want to witness the Imperium they are building. I want to stay until the day I draw my final breath. I want to see that bright future I know they will create.
I believe I have found my home.
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