This is the bonus chapter for reaching 200 Powerstones.
--
The Garden of Dawn, Dawn Tower.
After an entire day of detailed discussions among Crimson Dawn's core members, the faction's plans had finally taken shape.
Hundreds of new assignments were issued.
Every Chapter and every player received their objectives for the coming campaigns.
Some would march toward Isstvan III.
Others would accompany the expeditionary fleets into unexplored regions of space.
The preparations for war had officially begun.
By the time the last assignments were distributed, the sun was already sinking toward the horizon.
Golden evening light spread across the Garden of Dawn, casting a warm glow over the sprawling residential districts and their elegant silver-white villas.
A Chimera armored personnel carrier rolled steadily along one of the broad roads.
Behind the wheel, [Selling Cola Outside the Imperial Palace on Terra] kept his eyes on the road, though he couldn't quite suppress the grin on his face.
"Flatbread, you lucky bastard."
His voice carried a familiar note of teasing.
"You actually managed to get assigned to Isstvan III!"
"Meanwhile, Fried Rice hasn't seen real combat in so long that even after undergoing enhancements again, he still got assigned to the system-expansion campaigns."
[Selling Flatbread Outside the Imperial Palace on Terra] leaned back in the passenger seat, watching the villas sweep past outside the window.
He smiled faintly.
"You don't know shit."
"With my experience and mechanical skill, sending me on an exploration mission would be a complete waste."
"Fighting ordinary humans? Killing random xenos?"
"Come on. That's beneath me."
His expression sharpened.
"No, Isstvan III is exactly where I belong."
"A giant meat grinder where Space Marines slaughter each other."
"That's the kind of battlefield where my experience actually matters."
"And it's the most efficient way to spend our Imperial Coins."
He glanced toward Cola.
"Think about it. If we send a bunch of rookie Astartes players into that mess, how many times can they afford to respawn before our hard-earned Imperial Coins are gone?"
Cola chuckled.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Flatbread."
"But didn't you decide to switch over to the Crimson Drake Starflame?"
"How's all that Iron Hands experience going to help you then?"
Flatbread turned and glared at him.
"Why do you care so much?"
"Just drive the damn car."
As if on cue, the Chimera began slowing down.
A moment later, it came to a stop.
Cola grinned.
"Here we are, Flatbread."
Flatbread opened the passenger door and stepped out.
He took a few steps toward the villa, then suddenly stopped.
Turning around, he walked back to the driver's window and gave it a couple of knocks.
Cola leaned his head out, looking puzzled.
"What's up?"
Flatbread flashed him a grin.
"Come have dinner at my place."
He said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Cola blinked.
"Uh..."
"Wouldn't that be a little awkward?"
Flatbread reached over and pulled open the driver's door.
"What the hell is there to be awkward about?"
"Come on, get out!"
"After tonight, you might not get another meal this good for ten years."
Cola looked at his friend's unusually serious expression.
For two seconds, he said nothing.
Then he smiled.
There was something complicated about that smile.
"All right."
He started the engine again and turned the Chimera into Flatbread's driveway.
--
The front door of Villa A-779 had barely opened when two small figures came rushing outside.
"DADDY!"
"DADDY'S HOME!"
Flatbread crouched and spread his arms.
Both children threw themselves into his embrace.
Sunny wore a little pink dress. She tilted her head back, staring up at him with enormous blue eyes.
"Daddy! Mommy made so much yummy food!"
Charlie stood just behind his older sister, his little face full of anticipation.
"Dada..."
"Meat..."
"Wanna eat meat..."
Flatbread laughed and scooped both children into his arms, one on either side.
He kissed each of their cheeks.
"All right, let's go eat!"
With that, he carried them into the house.
Cola followed, unable to keep himself from smiling at the sight.
Warm lighting filled every corner of the villa.
In the dining room, an enormous table was covered with beautifully prepared dishes.
A whole roasted lamb, cooked to a perfect golden brown, filled the air with a mouthwatering aroma.
Sizzling steaks were piled high, surrounded by all kinds of meat dishes Cola couldn't even name.
During their exploration and redevelopment of Planet Dal, the players had discovered that the world was exceptionally well suited for livestock farming.
As a result, meat was considerably cheaper here than on Aurelian IV.
Fruit and vegetables, on the other hand, were relatively expensive because of the planet's climate.
Even so, several plates of fresh produce had been arranged among the dishes.
Aria had made a special trip into the city to buy them.
Aria Elnor stood beside the table.
Her long brown hair fell casually over her shoulders, and there were still a few grease stains on her apron.
When she saw Cola enter, a warm smile spread across her face.
"Cola, you're here!"
"Come on, have a seat."
"I made plenty of food tonight, so make sure you eat as much as you want."
Cola nodded and sat down, looking a little self-conscious.
Sunny, Charlie, and their youngest sibling, Nora, were settled into their seats around the table.
The three little ones immediately grabbed their utensils, although their eyes remained fixed on the mountain of meat before them.
Flatbread sat down and served a piece of meat to Sunny and Charlie.
Then he prepared a bowl of porridge for Nora.
Once everyone had been taken care of, he raised his wineglass toward Cola.
"Come on. Cheers."
Cola lifted his own glass.
The two glasses met with a clear, delicate clink.
Dinner began in a warm, cheerful atmosphere.
Sunny excitedly told everyone about her day at kindergarten, explaining how her teacher had shown them how to draw the sun and stars.
Charlie concentrated on eating his meat, occasionally lifting his round little face to glance at his father and Uncle Cola.
Nora, still too young to understand much of what was happening, soon fell asleep in her child seat.
Aria kept serving the children more food and refilling Flatbread's and Cola's glasses.
The entire scene felt almost impossibly peaceful.
It hardly resembled something that could exist in the Warhammer universe.
It was more like an ordinary family dinner in some distant, peaceful reality.
Cola watched everything unfold, an unfamiliar mixture of emotions stirring in his chest.
Flatbread was right.
For the next ten years or more, we might not get to enjoy a meal like this again.
The thought lingered as the evening continued.
--
After dinner, Cola stayed a little longer to chat before finally getting to his feet.
"All right, Flatbread. I'm heading out."
He stood at the doorway and waved with a smile.
Flatbread nodded, holding a sleepy Sunny in his arms.
"Drive safe."
The door slowly closed behind Cola.
He stood on the front steps for a moment, looking up at the night sky.
A silver moon was gradually rising, casting its gentle light across a world that had once been ruled by xenos.
For some reason, the conversation he'd had with Flatbread that morning suddenly returned to him.
You know, I think Neve Theodore from the Garden of Dawn's General Administration Secretariat has a thing for you.
Long platinum-blonde hair, blue eyes, always wearing that black administrative secretary's uniform...
She's practically the picture-perfect Imperial noblewoman.
And her father's General Roger Theodore of the Dawn Defense Force.
If you manage to win her over, half the new Crimson Dawn players are going to be jealous as hell.
Cola walked toward the roadside and pulled a cigarette from his pocket.
He lit it.
Thin trails of smoke curled upward into the moonlight.
His thoughts returned to his upcoming assignment.
Isstvan III.
A battlefield that would become a meat grinder.
A bloody hell where more than a hundred thousand Astartes would slaughter one another.
And that would only be the beginning.
Countless battles awaited them in the years ahead, culminating in the Siege of Terra itself.
The coming war would last at least a decade.
The cigarette slowly burned down until only a short stub remained.
Cola extinguished it and tossed the butt into a nearby trash can.
He drew a deep breath.
Then he turned toward the Chimera parked beside the road.
He opened the door, climbed into the driver's seat, and started the engine.
But instead of heading toward his own home in the Garden of Dawn, he drove toward the ordinary residential and administrative district near its center.
--
On the villa's balcony, Flatbread stood with one arm wrapped around Aria.
He watched the distant Chimera slowly disappear into the darkness.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
There was relief in that smile.
And quiet satisfaction.
"Aria."
His voice was soft.
She tilted her head to look at him.
Moonlight illuminated her face, making her eyes seem especially gentle.
"I might have to leave the children in your care for a while."
"Please... make sure they grow up well."
Aria placed her hand over his.
Her fingers were warm.
Then she turned and embraced him.
"Lincoln."
She spoke his name softly, but her voice was firm.
"I understand."
"You're members of Crimson Dawn."
"You're Angels of Dawn."
"You have a duty to fulfill."
She paused, her eyes shining beneath the moonlight.
"You're the ones who changed our lives."
"You gave us dignity."
"You transformed Aurelian IV and Planet Dal into the worlds they are today."
She lifted her head and looked directly into his eyes.
"I'm proud to have married an Angel of Dawn who's strong, righteous, honest, and kind."
"I'll raise our children well."
"And I'll make sure they know how wonderful their father is."
Her eyes grew slightly red, but her voice never wavered.
"So go."
"Fight without worrying about us."
Flatbread looked at her.
At the woman who had willingly built a family with him.
The woman who wanted to grow old beside him in this dark and merciless universe.
He said nothing.
Instead, he pulled her tightly into his arms.
Moonlight washed over them, casting their long shadows across the balcony.
Aria rose onto her tiptoes and gently kissed him.
Flatbread tightened his embrace and returned the kiss.
For that brief moment, everything else seemed to disappear.
The coming war.
The countless battles waiting beyond the stars.
The terrible future they knew was approaching.
None of it mattered.
There was only the two of them, standing together beneath the silver moon.
--
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