Chapter 29: New Architecture

As it turned out, the rumors were indeed correct: the Venerables within the Fearless could not remain active for long periods as their physical forms withered.

It took Soshyan an immense amount of effort to move Brother Caed from his slumber out of the secret chamber, and he had the other Battle Brothers carry him to the fortress's armory, where the Tech-Marine was responsible for daily maintenance.

However, Soshyan was now facing a severe shortage of manpower.

Following the battle of the World Engine, the Chapter could be described as virtually annihilated. Not only had all veterans and elites been lost, but the entire technical staff—including Apothecaries, Chaplains, Forge Masters, Librarians, and more—had been wiped out.

It could be said that the Astral Knights Chapter could no longer even maintain its most basic liturgical structure.

Institutions such as the Armory, the Apothecarion, and the Chapter Monastery were all vacant, leaving many matters with no way to proceed.

Left with no choice, Soshyan could only review the existing personnel roster. Upon doing so, he discovered that the personnel left behind by Chapter Master Amurad seemed to hold a certain mysterious significance.

Among these thirty-three neophytes, there happened to be exactly one Tech-Marine candidate, one apprentice Apothecary, and one apprentice Chaplain—the only missing piece being a Librarian.

According to Brother Caed, the Eleventh Legion did not have a Librarian designation in its organization.

Soshyan immediately summoned the Tech-Marine apprentice.

Liko Rogris had officially entered service ten years ago. Due to his sensitivity toward machinery, he had been handpicked by the Chapter's Forge Master to become a Tech-Marine candidate, and he had even been gifted a servo-skull crafted personally by the Forge Master.

"Chapter Master, you summoned me."

In the Chapter Master's private meeting room, Soshyan met with the Tech-Marine candidate.

He was a young man full of vitality and passion. The crimson power armor fit him perfectly. As a Tech-Marine candidate, he naturally carried heavy servo-arms and a vast array of maintenance tools, yet this did not hinder his steady gait.

The evaluation left by the previous Forge Master described him as a young man of immense potential, possessing unique insights into mechanical modification.

"Yes."

Behind the desk, Soshyan picked up a data slate and asked, "How many large-scale machines in the armory are still in working order?"

"Uh... the, the previous Chapter Master took most of the ordnance. Currently, the armory only contains one Land Raider, one Storm Eagle gunship, one Thunderhawk under repair, and two Tactical Motorcycles."

"What about the light weapons reserves?"

"We have one hundred and thirty magazines of bolter shells, nineteen spare bolters, twenty chainswords, ten power swords, one plasma pistol, two meltaguns, two flamers, two heavy bolters, nine armor-piercing rockets, and ten crates of various grenades."

Soshyan rubbed his temples. These numbers looked acceptable on paper, but in reality, they wouldn't support more than a few engagements.

"Why are the light weapon reserves so low?"

"Because it coincides with the equipment replenishment period. If nothing goes wrong, the next batch of supplies should arrive in one standard Terra month..."

One standard Terra month.

Soshyan was not certain he had that much time.

"I understand. Rogris, you should be aware of the Chapter's current situation. For now, the armory relies solely on you. Do you have confidence?"

"I—"

Rogris hesitated for a moment.

"There is still much I have yet to learn. If I operate recklessly, I fear the consequences could be severe."

Soshyan knew this was not mere modesty. To become a qualified Tech-Marine, there was a mandatory process—traveling to Mars to study with the Adeptus Mechanicus for a period of time.

There, they would learn how to properly appease the Machine Spirit and serve the Omnissiah; until then, they were merely outsiders.

Rogris had not yet reached that stage, so his concern was inevitable.

"But currently, there is no extra manpower to take over your duties. We have no choice but to try. If the opportunity arises, I will certainly send you to Mars to study the Way of the Omnissiah. Times are difficult; we must prioritize the future of the Chapter."

The Tech-Marine snapped his legs together and spoke loudly

"While breath remains! The Chapter endures!"

"Very well. First, go attend to Brother Caed's stasis, then conduct a full inventory. Report any issues immediately."

After the Tech-Marine departed, Soshyan summoned the apprentice Apothecary, Nasin Balitaem.

"How much Gene-seed remains in the Chapter's stock?"

Nasin Balitaem was an old acquaintance of Soshyan's; they had served in the same cohort, so Soshyan knew the efficient man well. There were no pleasantries; he went straight to the point.

"After submitting the Tithe, the Chapter's Gene-seed stock stands at 22 seeds. Including the 27 you brought back, Chapter Master, the total is 49."

"If we rely on the existing Gene-seed, how long will it take to return to normal strength?"

The apprentice Apothecary, clad in white armor, sighed softly and replied helplessly, "Chapter Master, to be blunt, relying solely on the current Gene-seed, it would be difficult to return to our former scale even within ten centuries."

Before Soshyan could speak, he added a clarification.

"Furthermore, because I have not yet fully mastered the procedures and steps of the implantation surgery, the success rate will likely only be one-third of what it used to be. This is a very realistic situation, and I felt I must be clear about it."

"I understand. Your task now is to guard those Gene-seeds carefully."

"Understood."

The third person summoned was the new Chapter Chaplain, Yazdan Shahinian.

He had also only been in service for ten years, but this seemingly taciturn man possessed a subtle, perceptible fervor. In their brief interactions, Soshyan had noticed an unshakeable faith within him.

It was precisely this faith that had caught the eye of the previous Chapter Chaplain.

During the meeting, Soshyan noticed that while the previous two men had hidden it well, they both harbored a sense of unease and loss.

Only Yazdan showed no trace of such feelings from beginning to end. The fire within him had not been extinguished; if anything, the Chapter's crisis had driven him to set higher goals and stricter standards for himself.

In the current circumstances, such a man was undoubtedly an excellent ally for Soshyan to stabilize the Chapter.

Soshyan immediately shared his views on the low morale within the Chapter, and Yazdan expressed that he would do his utmost to bolster everyone's spirit.

After concluding the day's meetings, Soshyan sat behind his desk, listening to the ticking of the cogitator. His mind drifted between contemplating the Chapter's future and being pulled back into those eerie, bizarre ancient secrets.

Secrets, sometimes, are not better known. Soshyan realized this profoundly.

Those harrowing secrets were like a torture, tormenting his thoughts.

The Great Crusade.

The Emperor.

The Webway.

The Eleventh Legion.

The Primarchs.

Soshyan had never imagined that such distant things would one day have a direct connection to him. He leaned back wearily, resting the back of his head against his chair.

He decided not to explain their true identities or their stance to the neophytes for the time being, nor the path they would have to walk in the future. He was unsure if telling them now would be beneficial; he could only wait for the right moment, or perhaps first recruit a few core members to form a secret society similar to the one Brother Caed belonged to.

It was foreseeable that, for a long time, they would have to operate under the name of the original Chapter.

Regardless, he could only move forward.