Emperor's Bane

Chapter 950 Interlude: Astran

Astram was the first to arrive at the throne room.

He'll always be the first.

Neither Coswayne nor Arachos ever beat him in this respect.

Whenever the lions call, their reaction time is always slower than that of the Terra veterans.

This has been true, at least in recent decades.

Without a doubt, this is an achievement to be proud of.

Although it may sound insignificant, it is still something to be proud of in Astram's eyes.

Koswayne and Arajos, these two dark angels who were not born in Holy Terra, possess abilities and strength no less than any Terra veteran: even the arrogant Astram had to admit that they were formidable rivals, great enemies that could only be defeated by going all out.

Having such a fighting brother and rival is both an honor and a burden.

Therefore, even the smallest victory deserves to be taken seriously and maintained.

Even if it means he has to face things that are not pleasant.

For example: standing before the throne room of Johnsen, waiting for the Primarch's summons like a humble servant.

Just like what he's doing right now.

"Hush...huh..."

Astram took slow, deep breaths, absentmindedly trying to suppress the last trace of humiliation in his heart.

Not far ahead of him, a simple, almost unadorned black iron gate leads to the Johnson Throne Room, the second most important part of the Indomitable Truth after the command deck: the security level surrounding this place is naturally the highest level.

Eight dark angels stood ready, each one a skilled fighter whom Astram could name.

But the Terra veterans knew very well that compared to the Protected One sitting upright on the stone chair inside the throne room, the combat power of these bodyguards was negligible. Their greatest significance was simply to avoid causing trouble for their Primarch during any potential battle, or to buy themselves a mere second or two at the cost of their lives.

This is the full value a veteran who has honed his combat skills to the extreme has to the Primarch.

Undoubtedly, such disparate and unfair treatment would be hard for any proud person to accept willingly: Astram was certainly one of them.

Admittedly, the current Terran veteran has learned to obey the Primarch's orders, and he no longer feels only pure contempt or hostility towards Johnsen. However, this does not mean that he will genuinely respect his Gene Father, nor does he consider standing before Johnsen's throne room awaiting a summons to be as important as obeying orders under the Emperor.

Therefore, he had to spend some time preparing himself mentally before each time he pushed open the door.

Fortunately, the old guards standing watch in front of the throne room are already used to it: the same thing has happened at least hundreds of times in the past fifty years.

Astram would always hesitate for a while, and he was always the first to arrive.

The reason, in fact, is rather comical.

Take this time, for example.

At the lion's request, his three most trusted senior officers relayed his orders, and their roles were clearly defined.

Astram is in charge of Terra veterans.

Coswayne is in charge of the Caliban.

Arachos, who was neither Terran nor Caliban, was in charge of the rest of the legion.

Astland was the first to complete the task.

Thanks to Johnson's meticulous efforts, few Terran veterans remain in the Dark Angels, making up the smallest percentage of the Legion's population. This makes it exceptionally convenient and quick for Astram to send out notifications.

"..."

Whenever Astralis thought of this, any remaining goodwill he felt towards Johnson would melt away like spring snow.

He shook his head, temporarily banishing these irrelevant emotions from his mind, and then nodded to the guard beside him who had been watching him. The guard naturally understood and informed the Primarch of Astram's arrival. A few minutes later, the Terran veteran was given permission, pushed open the door, and entered the lion's private space.

Despite having experienced it many times before, the throne room, which was entirely modeled after Caliban's style, still made Astram feel a biting cold as he stepped in.

Zhuang Sen seems to have never experienced the existence of the sun in his entire life.

Astram silently grumbled to himself, then casually glanced in the direction of the Rock Throne.

Johnson was sitting there deep in thought, seemingly oblivious to the arrival of the Terra veteran. Astram was used to this indifference; he knew Johnson wasn't deliberately ignoring him. When the lion began to think, he would naturally shut out his surroundings, and few would choose to interrupt him at that moment.

Or rather, the only person who could do that had left the legion a long time ago.

This is truly unfortunate.

After bowing slightly to the contemplative Primarch to express the most basic respect, Astran turned and walked to a corner of the spacious room where his desk was located: he had forgotten exactly when the three of them were allowed to move in and work here; many things had already become routine without him even realizing it.

Just like now: he can review and organize some documents at his desk, wait for Koswayne and Arajos to finish their business, and once the three of them are all there, the Primarch will emerge from his reverie to give them new orders or start new discussions.

This has been the case for decades.

This time probably won't be the case either...

"Asterland".

"Come here for a moment."

"..."

The voice from the throne forced him to stop.

……

Damn.

The Terra veteran cursed inwardly.

He hates unexpected situations.

Nevertheless, Astram obediently adjusted his pace and stood before Johnson's throne.

"You called me, sir?"

Faced with the Terra veteran bowing, the Lion of Caliban did not immediately respond. He remained in a state of deep thought, as if he were not the one who had just summoned Astram. It was only when the bowing Terra veteran began to feel anger that Johnson turned his gaze to the sword and banner on the wall.

His voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself.

“For a long time now, Luther has been boasting about your abilities to me in his letters.”

“You made a very deep impression on him during the few times I sent you back to Caliban.”

"Just doing my duty, sir."

The Primarch's tone made Astran unsure of what he was up to.

To be frank and open with each other?

Or is it about winning people's hearts and minds?

This is not something Zhuang Sen would do.

"..."

It's more like Mr. Morgan was giving advice from behind the scenes.

Thinking of this, Astran narrowed his eyes slightly.

Zhuang Sen didn't care about this at all.

He simply continued his thinking and bombarded Astor with questions at an unexpected pace.

"How much do you know about chaos, Astram?"

"...What? My lord?"

The Terra veterans were somewhat taken aback.

"I mean: how much did my father tell you about the Warp or the Chaos Gods?"

"..."

Astram fell silent.

He never imagined that Zhuang Sen would discuss this kind of topic with him.

After hesitating for a while, the Terra veteran decided to tell his genetic father the truth.

The reason is also very simple.

No matter how much he hated Johnson, there was one thing Astram had to admit.

Given Zhuang Sen's personality, it's impossible for him to succumb to chaos.

Therefore, Caliban's lion would naturally be an ally in the fight against the Chaos Gods.

Although it may be very uncomfortable, the emperor's grand ambitions are more important than his personal feelings.

"I've told you part of it, sir."

"Do you know about the Four Chaos Gods?"

"Of course, my lord."

"Um……"

The lion nodded, his gaze sweeping across the Terran veterans beneath the throne.

"Asterland".

The Primarch's voice became more serious.

“My father once told me that you were one of the earliest Astartes he created.”

"In shaping you, he added more reinsurance devices to your brains."

"A psionic barrier: it can protect you from being corrupted by the energy of chaos."

"Just like the Imperial Guard."

Astram's eyes rolled upwards, carefully observing Zhuang Sen's current state.

“I think I am not fully aware of the full extent of the power that the Lord of Mankind has wielded upon us, my lord.”

“I’m not surprised by this.”

Zhuang Sen waved his hand dismissively.

"You know, Astram."

"I have seriously considered how to arrange things for you."

“You are not like Arachios or Coswayne.”

“Akao is completely reliable and can be placed in any position.”

"Arajos lacks the ability to lead an army independently; he is more of a warrior than a general."

"But you are different."

“You are very capable, Astran. In many areas, you are even more capable than Coswayne.”

"But I'm not comfortable letting you take charge on your own."

“I’ve been thinking that rather than sending you back to the Caliban or other fronts, perhaps keeping you within my sights would be a safer option.” Astram’s breathing became slightly heavier.

But he wisely remained silent.

From Johnson's words, the Terra veteran keenly sensed a glimmer of hope: if the Caliban still held onto his original ideas, he wouldn't waste his time talking to Astram.

Sure enough, when Zhuang Sen spoke again, his tone had changed imperceptibly.

That's what I originally thought.

“I was still troubled by this yesterday.”

"But just like I told the three of you."

“When I chose to rest, my Avalon sisters came to my side: she told me the truth.”

"And our obligations."

Zhuang Sen paused.

"Asterland".

"I am here, sir."

The Terra veterans instinctively straightened their backs.

He recognized it when the Primarch called his name again: it was the voice giving a command.

“From Morgan’s account, I have come to understand the current situation in the galaxy and the Emperor’s true intentions.”

"Therefore, I have made my decision."

"I have decided to formally divide the Dark Angels Legion fleet into two parts. As I said yesterday, you and Coswayne will lead the main force of the legion, 250,000 men, back to Caliban via the Land of Wolves. You will be responsible for assisting Luther and supporting Terra in future wars, fighting together against enemies in the real universe and the warp."

"Support Terra?"

Astland astutely grasped the essence of that word.

"Will Horus be our enemy?"

"The emperor feared that he might be corrupted by chaos."

"But he decided to handle this personally, so your primary task before his return is to maintain neutrality between Terra and Horus and prepare for a large-scale war in the future."

“Luther and Cosway will handle this.”

“I’m going to put Luther in charge of Caliban.”

"Kouswayne will lead the Dark Angels Legion to support Terra when necessary."

"As for you..."

Zhuang Sen looked at his most disobedient son.

"The Emperor assured me of your purity."

“Morgan assured me of your abilities.”

"And I witnessed both of these things with my own eyes."

"Therefore, your task is the most important."

"I have decided to hand over full command of the defenses of the Eye of Fear line to you, Astram."

"In the future, our enemies in the subspace are very likely to launch a full-scale attack from this direction."

"You are responsible for blocking their corruption and offensive."

“I will issue orders that you will receive ample support from Luther and Coswayne; but I also do not expect you and your troops to retreat even a single step.”

"Kadia cannot afford to fall: the banner of the Dark Angels must never be lowered on this land."

"This is your duty."

"..."

It took Astram about a minute to process what the Primarch had said.

"So, my only duty in this war is to guard a fortress beside the Eye of Fear?"

"indeed so."

Zhuang Sen gave a disdainful laugh.

He could certainly hear the resentment in Astram's heart.

Defend a fortress?
Even the most important fortress in the entire galaxy does not meet Astram's ambitions.

So, the lion said a few more words, which was quite unusual for him.

“Listen, Astram.”

“I know how you’ve treated me all this time.”

“I know you don’t trust my commands.”

"And now, I'm just allowing you and me to compete on the same platform."

This statement caused the Terra veteran's previously well-maintained facade to loosen slightly.

opportunity.

All along, what he craved, and what he complained about, wasn't it just an opportunity?

Why would Zhuang Sen give it to him?
It's really... incredible.

Astram looked at his Primarch.

But Zhuang Sen did not look at him.

His gaze wandered as he reminisced about his early years in front of the Terra veterans.

"Back when the Emperor found me."

He only gave me three things.

"The army, the goal, and freedom."

"He gave me a large army, gave me the objectives I needed to carry out, and all the freedom to do so along the way."

"And once I achieved this goal, he was indifferent to what I wanted to do next."

"Now, I'm the same."

"I give you an army, goals, and freedom."

"You will have complete command, and you will have a very clear objective."

"Similarly, you will also have corresponding freedom."

"I don't care what you do for your goals."

"I don't care where you take your legion after you've accomplished your objective."

"As long as the Eye of Fear can hold, as long as the armies in the warp do not threaten the galaxy."

"As long as you can ensure these two points."

"So after that, if you want to lead your army to support Terra and stand at the very center of the galaxy: you can."

"You want to take them on a voyage to embark on the real expedition you've been dreaming of: you can."

"As long as you don't side with Horus, but with Chaos."

"I don't care what you do."

"All I need is for you to achieve the goals I've given you."

"And after that."

"You can enjoy your ambition and your dreams."

"I won't stop you."

"You no longer need to submit to your resentment."

"There are greater things for us to worry about."

"..."

This time, Astram's silence was exceptionally long.

When he raised his head again and met the gaze of the Father of Genetics without fear, a smile that was almost provocative curled at the corner of the Terra veteran's mouth.

"Even if I wanted to lead them and prove to the galaxy that I am a better commander than you, the one more deserving of the position of Lord of the Dark Angels: is that alright?"

"If you can do that."

The lion returned the smile.

“I will gladly accept your challenge, son.”

"Go."

"Go prove you're qualified."

"When we meet the Milky Way again."

"let me see."

"Is the blood of traitors flowing beneath your sword more than mine?"

……

"I will."

"I will carry out your orders."

"I will defend the Emperor's empire."