The siege of the Hades Hive is over. Although there are still a large number of greenskins remaining inside the hive, it is only a matter of time before they are eliminated and dispersed without their leader.
Immediately after the war, he will face something that every commander least wants to face.
Count the casualties.
Originally, this matter was done by the political commissar Yarik, but the two years of siege had completely exhausted his energy. When Soshyan saw him again, he could no longer recognize the white-haired old man. The high-spirited political commissar of the past.
Yarrick's body was almost completely collapsed. Even if the green skins didn't attack him, after a while, his body functions would completely decline and he would die.
Even after he was sent to the medical bay, he did not wake up until a week later.
As a last resort, Soshyan took his place.
In fact, it is impossible to count the specific casualties in a short period of time, because the losses are too heavy. According to rough statistics, the surviving soldiers and civilians of Hades' nest city are only 100 million, and the nest city originally had a population of more than 3 billion.
As for the Space Marines, the Astral Knights had good luck. No recruits were lost, only a few were injured, and they were minor injuries.
But the Blood Angels suffered considerable losses. Four of the ten warriors who came to support were spilled on the battlefield, and the whereabouts of the team leader's think tank were unknown, and there was a high probability that the situation was in danger.
This made Soshyan feel very guilty. It was precisely because of his strategy that the Hades Hive suffered such a huge loss, and that Yaric struggled to sustain it for so long.
Although the hive capital was defended, he did not feel the slightest joy of victory.
While he was busy dealing with the aftermath, an unexpected person suddenly found him——
At that time, Soshyan was conducting official business in the governor's residence, and the recruit Bahram suddenly asked to see him. Although it was a bit strange, Soshyan still dispersed.
Hearing heavy footsteps stopping outside the door, Soshyan put down the data tablet and whispered:
"come in."
The door opened, Bahram saluted, then walked to the red carpet of the house, and then, under Soshyan's surprised gaze, knelt down on one knee in front of him.
The light from the candle swayed on the resolute lines of the recruit's face and gave his black hair a deeper golden glow.
"What's wrong?"
Soshyan's surprised words passed through the room like an executioner's blade across a whetstone.
Bahram was silent for a moment before answering. He lowered his head, as if he was thinking about how to express his meaning in the most concise sentence.
"I killed a battle-brother."
He said slowly, his voice low but still calm.
Soshyan did not respond.
The recruit then raised his head and met his fiery gaze with the Chapter Master's calm gaze.
"I killed Callistarius, the Librarian of the Blood Angels Chapter."
Soshyan did not show any surprise, because he already knew from Armin that it was Bahram who last saw the think tank.
"Recruit, can you tell me what happened?"
Bahram nodded and recounted everything that happened that day word for word.
Half an hour later——
There was silence in the hall, and Bahram bent his head as he recounted what he had experienced.
After finishing speaking, he raised his head and looked directly into Soshiyang's eyes.
After listening to everything, Soshyan was silent for a moment, then sighed softly and said:
"You already know what Black Rage is, right?"
"Yes, the company commander told me afterwards."
Soshyan stared at the recruit's face, and then realized that the other person's face had the same firm lines as his own, and also had black eyes and black hair - their similarities were not limited to those from the original body. Genetically, they are from the same world.
"What do you think of this curse that plagues the Blood Angels?"
"That... is unfortunate."
"But what you don't know is that every original body has its own special power, and Sanguinius's power is precognition. He already knew that he would fight Horus, and he also knew that he would be here... He died in battle, but he chose to do it anyway.”
"Can..."
"This is the choice of the Sons of Sanguinius. The moment they became Space Marines, they ran towards death at a speed far exceeding that of others. This was foreseeable...even though they had so many Flaw, but they did not regard this flaw as a shame, for it was the only remaining link between them and their dead Primarch."
"But without what I said..."
Before Bahram finished speaking, Soshyan raised his hand to interrupt him.
"I have only one question for you. If you and the Callistarius brothers reversed roles, what choice would you have made?"
Bahram was speechless.
"Your silence is the answer."
Soshyan said with a smile:
"You have no crime worth confessing. I believe that Brother Callistarius made the final decision not because of the stimulation of your words. Your behavior is an achievement that you should look back on with pride. You saved countless lives." Thousands of civilians, saved from death and terror."
"But that's a think tank. If my language were not so strong, maybe-"
Bahram shook his head and said:
"The empire needs warriors, even more so now. The loss of even an ordinary battle monk is an extremely serious failure, and I should be solely responsible for it."
"No, you are wrong. The empire needs humanity."
Soshyan corrected him seriously:
"This is a very important reason for our existence, to protect all human beings, no matter how humble their status and identity are.... Another point, you are right, a battle monk is precious, so those The civilians who were saved will never forget that their lives were exchanged for one of the Emperor's warriors. Those children, in their future lives, will grow up to be strong and upright people, and remember those who threaten the Empire. dangerous, knowing that you always need to be on guard."
Bahram thought about the Chapter Master's words but said nothing.
"As long as we continue to devote ourselves to victory, the future of the empire will be safe. If some of us die because of this - even you and me, there is no need to mourn. This is our mission. You should not blame yourself for this. We All must endure the inevitable, we are the Emperor's Angels of Death, we stand side by side with death."
Bahram remained silent;
"This is a difficult lesson, a lesson that you must review all the time. Those who may be sacrificed in the future are the comrades who accompany you day and night."
After Soshiyan finished speaking, he stretched out his armor-covered hand.
Bahram froze for a moment, then grabbed it and pressed their palms together—more like a brother's handshake than a warrior's handshake.
"We are the torch that illuminates humanity's darkest hour, and this dark hour is now. May you and I burn brightly and never waver, but we will use this to commemorate the sacrifices of those warriors and the lives we save in the future."
"Chapter Commander, I understand."
The confusion on Bahram's face disappeared, leaving only determination. He nodded and stood up.
"However, you still need to provide the place where Brother Callistarius died. Although the gene seeds cannot be recovered, at least we can return his relics to Captain Dante."
"I have reported it to the company commander as soon as possible. He will take people to-"
Just as he was talking, the emergency communicator in the hall suddenly rang.
Soshyan walked over and pressed the button, and Armin's nervous voice came out.
"Chapter Master, emergency."
"What's up?"
"We found no body of Brother Callistarius!"
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