Chapter 52: Fellow Townsman

After the secret meeting concluded, Soshyan departed from the frigate *Glory's Blade* and headed to the already arrived *Spark*, beginning arrangements to transfer personnel from the orbital station to the *Spark*.

Loken and Falzad's squad remained on the *Glory's Blade*. Loken was scheduled to participate in an important meeting later, and the Space Marines would ensure the meeting proceeded smoothly throughout its duration.

As usual, a small squad of servitors huddled in the shadows of the corner of the communications room, operating the runes etched into the curved walls.

To Loken's relief, the mutant navigator had returned to his quarters to rest; the presence of those creatures always left him feeling mentally strained.

He then entered the main briefing room adjacent to the bridge.

The room was extremely quiet, with only the sound of Loken's polite footsteps echoing through the space.

After a while, everyone had arrived. Without any preamble, one communications officer spoke up.

"We have received orders from the Training Fleet Command."

He announced

"The frequency of pirate incidents has been on the rise recently. We must immediately join the 32nd Patrol Escort Squadron."

Loken's heart sank, though he had long anticipated this.

The communications officer looked toward Captain Hodges, uncertain if the Captain was signaling him to continue explaining the situation.

Ultimately, he steeled his resolve and spoke.

"It is believed that the Sector Governor is facing some trouble—things like riots caused by resource shortages due to obstructed shipping lanes."

"Is that so?" Loken asked in surprise. "Hasn't it been peaceful until now?"

"Who knows," the communications officer shrugged. "I thought the same at first. The Governor might just be panicking; this could be his first encounter with large-scale unrest."

"The presence of traitors here suggests that these are likely not mere rumors. The sector is under threat," the First Lieutenant interrupted him.

"We must join the fleet immediately."

"I think it's nothing more than rumors," Loken emphasized again. His words drew dissatisfaction from some officers, but no one spoke up, and the Tech-Priest on board remained silent throughout.

"What are our orders?"

Finally, the First Lieutenant looked to Hodges, as did the others.

"We are leaving this place," Hodges responded indifferently, his hands crossed and his chin resting on them. This caused many to breathe a sigh of relief; after everything that had happened, they had no desire to stay here any longer.

"Sir, what is the timing?"

"Soon—"

At that moment, Hodges' gaze was as deep as the endless void outside the viewport. The First Lieutenant suddenly realized that the aura of despondency his commander once possessed had vanished.

In its place was a coldness and determination as hard as an iceberg.

"Soon, we will set out alongside Chapter Master Soshyan."

"What?"

Everyone was startled. The First Lieutenant even jumped up from his chair. The only one who remained unmoved was the Tech-Priest of the *Glory's Blade*, who sat in his chair like a statue, his breathing barely perceptible.

"Is my speech that difficult to understand?"

"Sir, the orders from Command are—"

"I have received them."

Hodges lowered his hands and looked at the First Lieutenant, answering calmly: "Do you have any other questions?"

"B-but..."

The First Lieutenant took a step back. He understood perfectly well what Hodges intended to do. He then turned his gaze to the other officers; though their faces were filled with unease, they offered no further protest.

Hodges' prestige was quite high, and most of the people here had been promoted by him, with the exception of the First Lieutenant.

The Lieutenant was a graduate of the naval academy and had only followed Hodges for two years. As a nobleman, his future prospects were far greater than Hodges'; in two years, he would be able to independently command a frigate.

"No! Sir! This is mutiny! You cannot do this!"

The First Lieutenant clearly had no desire to join the uncertain expedition of the Space Marines. Hodges sighed.

Just as his shoulders slumped in the motion of a sigh, a mechanical appendage suddenly rose from the robes of the Tech-Priest beside him, and a needle gun emitted a soft *pop*.

This was followed by the dull thud of a heavy object hitting the floor.

Seeing the First Lieutenant collapse, the other officers immediately fell into a state of panic. Hodges raised his hand to calm them.

"Do not panic. I did not kill him; I have merely put him to sleep for a while."

As he spoke, light snoring could be heard from the fallen First Lieutenant. Hearing this, the tense expressions of the other officers relaxed significantly.

Hodges stood up, scanned the crowd, and said

"You all know me, and I know you. Every decision I make is carefully considered. If I were to do anything that wronged you, I would never do it."

The crowd nodded in unison.

"We are all mortals, and we can only be mortals. But if we only wish to live ordinary lives, why did we ever board these drifting warships? Is it not better to live a stable life on terra firma? Some may have been forced into this, but I believe that not a single one of you sitting here is here by force! You are all like me—you have the blood of those who refuse to be ordinary flowing through your veins; you have hearts that yearn for great achievements, a desire to let the Emperor's name shine across the void, and a longing to annihilate great enemies in His name!"

As he spoke, he slammed his cap heavily onto the table.

"Then let us do it! Do not hesitate any longer! Even if we are shattered to pieces in the next moment, at least we shall stand gloriously by the Emperor's side, rather than dying in agony in a sickbed!"

"For the Emperor!!"

The crowd roared in unison.

Loken breathed a sigh of relief and then gave a thumbs-up to Gemini Ford, the Tech-Priest of the *Glory's Blade*.

The other man merely responded with indifference.

After the meeting concluded, Hodges ordered the warship to be sealed, allowing only the hold workers to enter and exit for material transport. The rest of the crew remained completely unaware of the sudden upheaval.

They only knew that a squad of Space Marines had arrived on board, but they did not know what that signified.

At this time, Loken took Gemini Ford from the *Glory's Blade* to the *Spark* to meet Soshyan, report the progress, and introduce a new member.

"Chapter Master."

On the bridge, Loken and Ford met Soshyan, who was examining a data slate.

"Is it finished?"

Hearing the voice, Soshyan put down the data slate and saw Loken approaching with the Tech-Priest of the *Glory's Blade*.

"Yes, it is all settled. Hodges has complete control over the *Glory's Blade*."

"And this is..."

Before Loken could introduce him, the Tech-Priest spoke for himself.

"Gemini Ford."

"He is a fellow countryman of mine. We joined the Cult together, though I studied Mechanics while he studied Biology."

A Biologis Tech-Priest. Soshyan felt a sudden surge of curiosity, as the man was supposed to be a Mechanicus priest of the *Glory's Blade*; how had he suddenly become a biological sage?

Seeing Soshyan's puzzled look, Loken quickly explained

"Like me, he was marginalized by those mediocre fools and tossed onto a frigate to do menial tasks."

"I was implicated by you," Gemini Ford replied coolly.

"That works out well. Our Apothecary needs a capable assistant for the preservation of gene-seed and medical matters."

As he spoke, Soshyan extended his large hand toward Ford.

"Welcome to the fold, Magos Ford."

Gemini Ford hesitated for two seconds, then used one of his hands to grasp Soshyan's index finger, completing the handshake.

"It is an honor to serve you and the Chapter, Chapter Master Soshyan."