Warhammer: In the Name of Ashes.

Chapter 115 Quarrel and Recruitment

"You have no right to recruit us!"

Captain Tabers didn't wait for the other party to finish speaking, and simply rejected the madman in front of him.

"No! I have the right! The empire has granted me the ability to recruit all nearby armed forces!"

"It doesn't include the Astartes!"

"Okay! It's true that the Astartes are not included! But the Inquisition I belong to has a complete agreement with you!"

"Then follow the procedure! We must be authorized by the Grand Mentor Council!"

"But time is running out! Forget about the damn process! You guys have to help me!"

"I reject this ridiculous request!"

"No! You have no right to refuse! Open your deck! I'm coming!"

The communication signal was abruptly and unilaterally hung up after the brief but intense quarrel ended.

Everyone on the bridge looked at each other in blank dismay, but they didn't know where to start.

"We have this agreement?" Calvin asked Jules.

"Never, but..." Yule was a little angry, but more helpless.

"But we have been allowing this to happen." Tabers continued what Yule hadn't finished.

He looked at the small landing craft on the holographic screen that was rapidly approaching the Revenant Redeemer from a distance, and said in a complicated tone:
"I order, open the foredeck. In the name of the Emperor, at least give this lunatic a chance to explain."

"Received." As the gate on the front deck was slowly lowered, Calvin could already see the arrival of the landing craft decorated with the logo of the Tribunal while hearing the reply from the crew in front.

"Is that what you said?" Calvin pointed.

"Look more and listen more. Don't jump to conclusions." Yule did not answer Calvin's question directly.

But Tabers didn't have too many worries, or he didn't know the background of the conversation between Jule and Calvin.

The veteran with the three gold nails on his forehead told Calvin his understanding of the situation:
"No matter from which point of view, the current working method of the Tribunal is different from the original expectations of the Emperor and Malcador. In other words, it is our own connivance that makes these things that should have been done honestly. The mortals who follow the papers to carry out administrative and diplomatic work have taken away the dominance of the Order of the Hammer step by step."

"Why?" Calvin was even more incomprehensible.Neither the status of the Gray Knights nor the power they wield holds ground for conceding to these mortals.

But he knew that he had better ask quickly, after all, with the footsteps of the envoy of the court, it would not take too long to get here from the deck.

"Because of you." Tabers looked at Calvin.

"Or, because we don't have you." Tabers sighed and added:

"Because of your delay in showing up, our personnel have always been on a very awkward scale. And this is in no way consistent with the original number of the Inquisition in the presence of the Emperor. The twelve seats of the Supreme Council of the Inquisition In the beginning, we had a full eight seats."

"But life has to go on, and the rule of the empire and the continuation of mankind must be maintained." Yule took up Tabers' words.

"Because of our own incompetence, we have failed the expectations of the Emperor and Prime Minister Malcador. In the entire 1 years of subspace time, we finally only took out 1000 active gray knights to return to the empire." Tabers Said.

"1000 gray knights, what are they enough for? Not enough for anything! It can barely maintain even basic combat functions! As for supplies, intelligence, screening, judgment, and diplomacy, we can only hand them over to the one who first came to join us. Four mortal Inquisitors. And people, especially fragile and short-lived mortals, change."

Jules made a final conclusion to this explanation.

Calvin, who heard this, already understood most of the problem. This is not a story about a struggle for power.If it was true, then facing these weak mortals, the problem would be much easier to solve.

This is a process in which rights are eroded, and it is also a process in which rights are reluctantly given up.

The Gray Knights are destined to be unable to keep their seats, because they are barely maintaining their basic functions, let alone other management functions?

There is no need to fight at all. In order to ensure the fight against demons and protect the lives and interests of citizens of the entire empire, the Gray Knights will naturally give up these rights that are destined to be difficult to take into account in the absence of meetings one after another.

And the power vacuum brought about by retreating again and again must end with the takeover of mortals time and time again.

The original four judges also swore to join the Order of the Hammer under the witness of the Emperor and Malcador. Their purity and selflessness are naturally unquestionable, but what about the rest?
Perhaps the original generation of judges could maintain their purity while the founder was alive, but people are mortal, and Astartes cannot escape the fate of dying in battle, not to mention those who poured out the wealth of the empire , and a mortal who can only maintain a thousand-year lifespan?

1000 years is enough to take away the life of any mortal;

1000 years is enough to make any organization dominated by mortals completely unrecognizable, running counter to its original purpose.

This is not a problem that can be changed by one or two special cases. This is the law of nature. This is the curse and blessing that this species has carried since its birth.

Under the internal and external troubles that the empire has never stopped fighting for thousands of years, the organization of the Inquisition has been preserved very well.

They at least remember their mission, at least they're still fighting for the Empire.

Maybe their original intentions are not as pure as the original founders, who have gone through the baptism and tribulations of the world, and can still emit a pure and heart-shattering light.

But we can't be too picky, can we?
These chosen ones are willing to defend the fate of mankind with their whole lives, knowing that they will inevitably fall into the fate of falling under the gaze of the abyss for a long time.Even if there are some personal desires mixed in, it's forgivable, isn't it?
Gray knights can't complain, gray knights have no right to complain!
This is their duty!
It is their incompetence that makes these mortals have to take their place, and endure all-round torture from body to soul for a long time on the front line of the struggle against chaos!

Looking at the armed and administrative sequence of the entire empire, not to mention the Astral Army with a clear exit path (although the probability is very low, but there is one.), even the Astartes have the honor to fight until Right to die!
They will finally close their eyes in glory after a fierce battle, and put their souls under the throne.

Under the Emperor's protection, they either fell into eternal sleep, or continued to fight honorably for humanity in another way.

But what about the judge?Can there be a good death?No.

In the cold and dark archives of the Imperial Tribunal, in the eight thousand years since its creation, no judge has ever had a good death.

not a single one.

They either died of murder, or of missions.Or be assassinated for fighting local factions, or sacrifice yourself for fighting Chaos.

To be able to die on the frontal battlefield is already a great fortune for these heroes among mortals who know what they can't do.

And those souls who have been entangled with chaos for a long time for decades or even centuries and finally went to degeneration are the real pain of the empire.

Every one is.

Each of them is fighting an invisible war with eternal chaos as a mortal.

In the countless struggles with the latter, it is finally difficult to maintain the existence of the self.

Are they sinful?Perhaps at the end of their lives, they did commit unspeakable crimes.

But does their existence lose their meaning?of course not.

So, when these mortals are either tyrannical, reckless, ignorant, or impatient, they stand in front of these gray knights who have left the mortal world, they feel guilty.

They owe it to these people by nature.

It was their incompetence that brought these people to their current positions.

It was their helplessness that made these outstanding people who should have created value for the empire, the emperor, and the entire human race in other fields have to put on their uniforms and stand in front of them.

Maybe they are wrong, maybe they have their limitations.

But who is the instigator?chaos?To blame Chaos?

If not, then only the Gray Knights are to blame.

Incompetence is the original sin here.

And if one day, the gray knights can truly and completely fulfill their missions and obligations, then there will be no reason for these talents to appear.

And this is exactly the meaning of Calvin's existence.

He needs to correct this mistake, whether it is the possible mistakes of the judge in front of him, or the structural mistakes of the Holy Hammer Order in the future.

This is his fate, he will accept it, and he is honored to be ordered by it.

　Late, but posted anyway.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)