Chapter 24: The Monument

Ever since he was rescued, Soshian had remained in a state of isolation from the world.

In the first few days after the battle ended, he was only permitted to stay in the infirmary. Despite his strenuous protests, the medics still stripped him of his power armor—though he never let the armor's power pack leave his sight, nor did he allow anyone to touch it.

During his medical treatments, he learned that the Adeptus Mechanicus fleets had arrived to scavenge the wreckage of the World Engine; they were always obsessed with such xenos technology.

Soshian even heard rumors that a Magos of the Mechanicus had complained to Vinitius about why the World Engine had been smashed to pieces.

Upon the conclusion of his treatments, he was not permitted to leave. Although Vinitius did not state the reason, Soshian understood it perfectly well.

He had been teleported directly from the Warp onto the bridge; the Chapter Chaplain had every reason to suspect he had been tainted by Chaos, so he had to undergo a series of observations and assessments to ensure his purity.

On the other hand, Vinitius had stated bluntly that the losses in this operation were too immense, and he had to report the situation to his superiors with extreme caution. As the sole survivor of the Chapter, Soshian had to remain hidden in the shadows until a final verdict was reached.

Vinitius had his own honor to defend.

To Soshian, such considerations were utterly strange.

Within the Star Knight Chapter, the primary concern of a leader was always justice, never politics.

However, Soshian also understood that as an Ultramarine successor chapter with numerous sub-chapters, the complexities involving the Ultramarines and their warriors were far greater than those of a single sub-chapter. Crucially, the Star Knights were, in principle, a successor of the Imperial Fists.

Given the catastrophic nature of this campaign, the Ultramarines would have to provide a reasonable explanation to the Imperial Fists.

Soshian did not care about them, nor did he care about their high-and-mighty Chapter Master.

He cared only about his own responsibility and the future of his Chapter, which had effectively been destroyed.

This mindset enriched Soshian's life aboard the ship.

He rejected the luxurious quarters offered by Vinitius, choosing instead to seek solitude on the lower decks, making that his own space.

Vinitius visited him once during his recovery period to deliver a set of repair materials for his power armor—by now, everyone on the ship knew that Soshian refused to let anyone touch his armor, even though it was battered and broken.

No one knew the true reason; they all assumed he was mourning his fallen brothers.

Despite a previous heated argument, Soshian accepted the gift with gratitude and soon applied the rudimentary skills he had learned to his armor.

Though Space Marines were soldiers, they also had to learn how to perform basic repairs on their own equipment, including their power armor.

However, Soshian's craftsmanship was mediocre. Most of the time, he simply used crude rivets to fasten the repaired plates onto the broken sections, making his power armor look like an ancient relic from many centuries ago.

"I truly cannot fathom this obsession you hold for that broken armor, Soshian."

Just as he was hunched over, making clanging noises, a familiar voice rang out from the entrance of the compartment.

Part of the room had been converted by Soshian into a crude training ground. His bed was a hard cargo pallet, no better than a surgical table in the infirmary, tucked far away in a corner, while his weapons were placed in front of it.

Hearing Vinitius's voice, Soshian stopped his movements and set down his right gauntlet, which he had been hammering.

"I said I wished to be undisturbed, sir," Soshian said briefly, his tone devoid of emotion.

Vinitius stepped into the flickering light. Inside the room, Soshian had set up several makeshift, burning braziers for illumination.

"Do you really not intend to replace it with a new set?"

"I will say so when I need to, sir."

Vinitius glanced at Soshian's rivet-covered armor.

"It doesn't look particularly sturdy. Perhaps you could leave it to our Tech Sergeant to handle."

Soshian sat back down on the floor and began to execute each repair step with precision and order.

"My Captain often told me that nothing is more reliable than one's own hands, except for your brothers."

"I see."

Vinitius continued to pace around Soshian's compartment. He could see sweat pooling in the deep scars etched into Soshian's face—scars that served as embellishments to his heroic deeds.

"It seems to be getting heavier, does it not?"

Hearing this nonsensical remark, Soshian paused, trying to discern what the Ultramarine meant, but he immediately realized the man was referring to something else.

He turned toward Vinitius.

"You didn't come here to discuss repair techniques, did you, Captain of the Seventh?"

"I am surprised you haven't asked about the aftermath of the battle."

"The xenos and their filthy tombs have been destroyed. We paid a heavy price. What else is there to say?"

Vinitius frowned.

"Have you considered why Amulad wanted to save only you?"

"That is a matter for our Chapter."

The Ultramarine narrowed his eyes.

"When my Apothecary told me that Amulad requested the rescue of a single Neophyte, I almost thought he had gone mad again."

Soshian's expression immediately turned grim. If Vinitius continued to speak insolently, he would surely step forward to discipline him—even if he was currently on the other man's ship.

"But after seeing you, I think I understand why he did it. You are an exceptional warrior. Even within our Chapter, few possess such qualities. Perhaps the Second Captain..."

As he spoke, Vinitius's gaze drifted from Soshian's stern face to a point behind him.

"Ah..."

Following Vinitius's gaze, Soshian turned his head and finally realized the man was looking at his iron halo.

"A memento?"

"Mementos are for the dead. This represents a responsibility. Before this, I took a vow—that I will rebuild the Chapter."

Soshian turned back to face Vinitius, swallowing the rest of his reminiscences.

"Say what you came to say."

A spark of fury flickered in the embers of his eyes.

"During this time, we have been recovering the bodies from space. Because the explosion was so violent, we only found 584 bodies, most of them in fragments. This includes... Amulad."

Though the interior of the warship was as warm as spring, the compartment suddenly felt as cold as the void.

"You saw his body?"

"Yes. I am deeply grieved as well. He... he was a great warrior. Two billion lives were redeemed by your sacrifice."

Vinitius took a step forward, intending to place a hand on Soshian's shoulder in consolation, but Soshian stepped back in refusal.

"Do not try to comfort me, sir," Soshian said icily. "Blood is splashed upon your power armor as well! You will gain no honor from this war, only shame."

"Soshian."

Soshian raised a hand to silence him.

"I have always been taught to be master of my own emotions. Therefore, we will not lose composure due to such provocations, but that does not mean I have forgiven you."

"But there is something you should see."

Vinitius's words made Soshian suspicious, but he followed the man out of the compartment and onto a Thunderhawk.

A few minutes later, the moment the Thunderhawk's doors opened, Soshian froze.

"This—"

It was a platform floating in the void. Warriors from various Chapters stood lined up on both sides of a path. At the end of the main road, paved with black bricks, stood a towering monument.

With a single glance, Soshian recognized that the material was the shattered fragments of the World Engine, decorated with a vast amount of Necron wreckage. At the center of the monument were only three silver-plated digits: 771.

As if in a trance, Soshian walked toward the monument step by step. With every step, the name of a battle brother surfaced in his mind.

Their figures seemed to be reflected on the other side of the monument, watching him in silence.

Axess, Nad, Okam, Fix...

When he reached the monument, he saw that amidst a circle of burning candles, a damaged silver-grey helmet sat quietly upon the pedestal, with two crossed battle axes before it.

"We are holding a memorial here."

Vinitius came to Soshian's side, gazing up at the towering monument.

"The world will forever remember this campaign and the heroes who sacrificed themselves. As the new Chapter Master, their names will be spoken by you... In the ancient days of the Great Crusade, every one of our ships would record the names of those who fell in battle. Now, we shall restore that ancient custom here."

Under the gaze of all the Space Marines, Soshian remained silent for a long time before finally breaking the stillness.

His voice was as heavy as the monument itself.

"Ato Amulad, gene-seed unrecovered. Masayak, gene-seed unrecovered. Helarchi, gene-seed unrecovered. Salax, gene-seed unrecovered..."