Sanguinius' Day is the grandest festival in the Empire after the Emperor's Ascension Day. As the commander of the expeditionary force, Soshyan naturally needs to record a holiday message that is circulated throughout the army. However, this actually does not take much time, or even It didn’t require many drafts, and it came easily to him.
The real problem was Velez's invitation - the purpose was also very simple, Mass and blessing.
After all, the State Church is also an important force in this expedition. It is difficult for Soshyan to have any excuse to refuse. Moreover, the nuns suffered a lot of casualties in this battle. Putting aside the identity of the Astartes, as an expeditionary force The commander, he should also pay a visit due to both sentiment and reason.
After much thought, he finally decided to go.
The Sisters were gathered in their ship's chapel, which was decorated for the feast of Sanguinius. The walls were covered with images of the Emperor and his fallen angelic offspring, and censers burned in the wall lamps. , filling the whole church with the smell of spices.
Little angels wrapped in little red robes and little red hats flew around, flapping their mechanical wings, playing harps, and singing hymns with loudspeakers in their throats.
Below the little angel are nuns who took off their armor and put on black robes and white veils. Among them were battle nuns, clerical nuns, and medical nuns.
Velez and her sisters stood together, hands clasped, heads slightly bowed, the hard and cold stone floor beneath their soft-soled shoes.
On the rows of benches in the back, the senior personnel of the accompanying expeditionary force were sitting, while Soshyan stood in an inconspicuous corner, because those chairs were not suitable for Space Marines to sit on, and he did not want to be too conspicuous.
But in fact his presence was conspicuous enough.
The bishop in white robes stood on the podium at the end of the church, with a red sash on his chest and a golden teardrop badge pinned on it, which represented mourning for the sacrifice of Sanguinius.
Then, he raised his hands in the air. Although he did not use a loudspeaker, his voice easily passed through the entire church, allowing everyone to hear clearly.
"...The radiance has shone on the people who live in the dusty land, and her radiance surrounds them. When the earth is dark, a light appears in the sky. Her grace has appeared and enveloped the whole world!"
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The bishop's voice turned deeper and his expression was solemn and focused. Everyone in the audience was frozen in their seats by the unique atmosphere. They followed the bishop in reciting scriptures without daring to make any mistakes. Even their breathing was slightly restrained unconsciously.
Soshyan stood on the far side and watched coldly. The soldiers behind him also said nothing. In addition to the three company commanders, Robin and Bahram followed him this time. None of them wore power armor, but Put on the ceremonial monk's uniform and silver-gray robe.
After the mass, there was singing. The male and female voices of the little angels were mixed with the voices of children. The focus of the singing rose and fell with the cadence of the song, from low to high, and finally sank slowly.
When the hymn entered the second half, the sound of the pipe organ also sounded, and the nuns began to sing along.
The heavenly chorus seemed to spread to the farthest corner of the universe. It was a sacred voice with indescribable beauty and brave will. Soshiyang listened to the singing, and the voice seemed to promise salvation to his soul. It was like looking directly into the Emperor's eyes and being stared at by him with great calmness.
When the singing is over, the bishop says Mass again, which lasts for several hours.
It's tedious, boring, and almost meaningless, but this is religion. No matter how impatient Soshyan is, he has to suppress his temper and wait.
At the end of the ceremony, it ended with a separate hymn by the Battle Sisters, with Velez becoming the lead singer. Even without wearing armor, she showed another side of her in a different way, as an ethereal angel, Kang Gai. And mercy is also an angry angel, tenacious and fierce.
Her light will illuminate the clear heart, and her holy seal will answer the call to her soul.
Please look at this immortal miracle before your eyes, become a devout person in glory, witness for him, and honor her.
O God-Emperor, your might will resound throughout the empire!
Even darkness cannot hide sin and heresy,
Our bullets will carry out your will.
Give anger to cowards and leave peace in your heart.
We will convey your blessings and save mankind from evil——
At the end of the ceremony, the nuns distributed Holy Communion - bread and wine - to everyone.
"I hope I won't neglect you."
Velez personally delivered the Holy Communion to Soshyan. Her beautiful long hair was now braided into a crown. She braided it very tightly so that it would not fall off, but she was much more surprised. Some gentle breath.
Soshyan smiled slightly, stretched out his hand to pick up the bread and wine glass.
"How could that happen?"
But it was not time to end yet. After all, Soshyan came. At the invitation of the State Church, he gave a brief speech, calling on people to be as pure and fearless as Sanguinius.
After that, he visited the injured nuns under the leadership of Velez. Some of them were too seriously injured and could only have their limbs amputated. Fortunately, the state church had strong financial resources and mechanical prostheses were not a problem. Soshyan was impressed by the bravery and fearlessness of these women. In the process, a strange nun attracted Soshyan's attention.
The nun had been following Velez, but she was always observing him intentionally or unintentionally. Her appearance was very beautiful, but that was not the point. The point was that Soshyan always had a vague sense of familiarity, but could not put it in words.
After finishing these things, Soshyan wanted to leave immediately, but just as he feared, Velez stopped him and wanted to "talk to him alone."
He wanted to refuse on the pretext that something had happened, but Velez immediately came up with a trump card - if Soshyan refused, she would invite another person.
As for who the "other person" is, Soshyan naturally knows very well, and he can only agree to avoid causing greater trouble.
Velez's bedroom was not big, so it seemed a bit crowded when Soshyan stood in it, which also forced him to keep a relatively close distance from him.
It has to be said that although the simple close-fitting nun's robe does not have any decoration, it highlights Velez's eye-catching undulating contours. Coupled with the quiet and holy face, it has a unique look under the slightly dim light. Charm, a kind of divine plump beauty that is different from Veronica.
In a sense, Velez is indeed more in line with the aesthetics of human beings as mammal creatures than Veronica. After all, it is one thing to preach about the sanctity of the human body, but it is another to witness it with one's own eyes.
After entering the door, the two stood in silence for two minutes, seeming to listen to each other's breathing.
Finally, the silence was broken by Velez.
She raised her head slightly, stared at Soshyan, crossed her hands in front of her belly, and whispered:
"What is your current relationship with Miss Veronica?"
