Chapter 186: Promotion, Promotion, and More Promotion
A few weeks later.
"Ugo, the new Lantern Bearer of the Death Guard, reporting in, sir."
Ugo, the new leader of the Death Guard's Psyker Division, knocked on the door. After receiving permission, he pushed open the door to Garro's office and saw him sitting seriously behind the desk, with Hades seated in front of it.
As Ugo entered, both of them looked his way.
Hades turned to look at Garro.
He had come here to review the training reports on the Untouchables, so why had Garro summoned a psyker?!
What's more, he still remembered pinning Ugo down and beating him in the dueling cage. Now, seeing Ugo here, Hades silently resisted the twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"I figured the two of you should meet. After all, you finally had a moment to spare."
Garro's calm voice broke the awkward tension between them, clearly unfazed by it.
Ugo looked at Hades.
He once thought this man was just a fresh recruit, yet now, in such a short time, he'd vaulted into a position of authority.
The reality stung a little.
But remembering the advice the late Fernando gave him, as well as the mistakes he himself had made, Ugo took a deep breath, stepped forward, and saluted.
"Ugo, the current leader of the Undertakers."
"You may refer to Hades as Commander or Sir," Garro interjected, filling in the silence after Ugo's hesitation.
Hades whipped his head toward Garro, utterly shocked.
"Wait in the side room for now, Ugo."
Garro pointed casually, and Ugo went to the soundproof waiting lounge next door.
Once Ugo was out of sight, Hades finally opened his mouth.
"What the hell?!"
"What do you think?" Garro replied with a resigned sigh as he pulled out a stack of documents and dropped them in front of Hades.
"This is a direct deployment order from the Primarch. But I couldn't get in touch with you—those guys in the Armoury turned away every attempt Command made to contact you."
Ever since signing the treaty with the Graia Forge World, Garro had simply assumed the Armoury had lost its mind. They used to go a whole standard month without producing a single document. Now, in just one standard day, they could crank out hundreds of them.
Garro didn't understand these people who worked with machines.
Still, since Hades was in charge of the Armoury, and not him, he'd just let their talent-poaching habits slide.
But now that Hades had shown up in person, asking about the Untouchables under the Grave Warden's jurisdiction... Garro wasn't about to let this opportunity go.
Garro stared at Hades.
"So the Primarch didn't talk to you about this personally?"
Hades blinked.
Come to think of it, Mortarion had stopped by his lab once... but after that, things had moved on to the situation with Barbarus and Calas.
They'd gotten distracted talking about other things.
Garro looked at the silent Hades.
"Then I guess the Primarch thought I already told you."
"To keep it short: the Death Guard is establishing a Zero Company. Classified. You're the company commander and legion operations commander. Your units include the Grave Wardens, Undertakers, and the Untouchables."
"But the Grave Wardens are usually scattered among various companies. Only you, me, and the Primarch have the complete list of their identities."
"And the Primarch's intention is that, if you feel your company doesn't have enough members, you can merge the Seventh Company into yours."
"Of course, that's up to you."
Hades fell silent.
"I remember I'm still the one in charge of the Armoury, right?"
Garro nodded, then glanced at the insignia on Hades' shoulder plate.
"You're doing a fine job. But remember to change that badge—only the guys in the Armoury would let you keep managing them while still wearing a trainee Techmarine insignia."
Hades was speechless.
In the Death Guard, titles weren't always formally stated; people usually judged one's role by the pattern on their pauldrons.
He'd been so busy that he'd completely forgotten about it—and Enrique hadn't reminded him either.
What neither of them realized was that the Armoury genuinely didn't care about things like that. In the world of machines, technical skill was king—rank meant little.
"So… now I'm still in charge of the Armoury, and I have to take on a company commander role too?"
"Not just a company commander. Legion Special Operations Commander."
"I thought the Commander position belonged to the former Second Company captain…?"
Garro looked Hades in the eye.
"There's been a change. The Primarch stripped the Second Company of its special designation."
"While you were immersed in the Armoury, the Primarch made some personnel changes based on recent battles. Vorx is now captain of the First Company, Morarg commands the Third, and I've resumed command of the Seventh, while also acting as head of the Grave Wardens."
Hades stared at Garro.
The Grave Wardens were now part of the new Zero Company, while the Seventh could be restructured at Hades' discretion.
"So that means…"
"So that means you're my direct superior now," Garro said flatly.
Hades took a deep breath.
Promotion was nice, but having to take charge of so much—wasn't that a bit…
"My take is that I still need to prioritize the Armoury and the work with Graia."
"Understood," Garro nodded.
"Not everyone can handle those Magos well."
"So for now, the Grave Wardens' operations will remain under your purview."
"Alright."
"The Zero Company is of acceptable size at present. I prefer a small, elite management model, so I'll hold off on merging the Seventh Company for now."
"Fine. But if needed—and unless the Primarch gives specific orders—the Seventh will support Zero Company in combat."
Hades fell quiet.
"What's the current situation?"
"In your absence, Vorx and I have been serving as strategic advisors to the Primarch. The Primarch now oversees all company captains directly."
"It's standard military restructuring. The good news is, the Primarch now treats all companies equally. At Galaspar, Branka led the Seventh to earn the Primarch's respect."
Hades blinked.
"Branka's doing alright?"
"He's full of energy—won't die anytime soon. He kept trying to visit you but got driven off by Alberto from the Armoury."
Hades gave an awkward cough. Lately, he really had been buried in production talks with the Armoury and the Magos of Graia. Not just him—everyone in the Armoury had been negotiating with them.
Hades let out a quiet sigh, then straightened his posture and spoke solemnly:
"You've worked hard, Garro. Vorx is still inexperienced—this must've been tough on you."
Garro, who had worn a serious expression earlier, now showed a trace of fatigue.
"You know that when I used to be with the Seventh Company, I'm just a Battle-Captain. Compared to Barasine, I'm not good at this whole management thing."
"But things have gone relatively smoothly. That's thanks to the groundwork Barasine laid before, and the Primarch's changing views on the veterans."
"Thank you, Garro. It hasn't been easy for you… When it comes to our veterans, you're our backbone."
"You are overpraising me," Garro shook his head.
"Even if you've been spending all your time with the Armoury, the Legion has made it this far smoothly thanks in no small part to your efforts too, Hades."
Garro chuckled at himself.
"I know the Armoury's been swamped lately, but once things settle down, you should come visit. Vorx has been under a lot of mental pressure lately—I've already talked with him several times."
"He keeps saying things like, 'I'm just not as good as the veterans. If they were here, I wouldn't even have this position.' He brings you up constantly. What exactly did you do to him back then?"
Hades' brain froze for a moment. He genuinely couldn't recall doing anything special.
"Maybe… we had lunch together in the cafeteria?"
Garro let out a long sigh.
"Shouldn't have asked you."
By now, Garro had come to realize something—first it was Barasine, then Fernando, then Branka, Vorx, Enrique, Leo… and finally himself. Everyone who came into contact with Hades seemed to fall into his gravitational pull.
This kid's charisma must be maxed out, and he doesn't even realize it.
Back when they first met, Branka and the others used to complain about Hades all the time, and look where they are now.
Well, here's hoping he gets along well with the Undertakers too. Let's see if this kid's personality can overcome the natural distrust people feel toward psykers and Untouchables.
Even though it was a bit inappropriate… Garro genuinely wondered how long Ugo would last in Hades presence.
"Now, you also need to talk with the Undertakers. They'll be under your command from here on out."
Returning to the main topic, Garro continued:
"Back then, Barasine and Fernando were also very close."
Hades took a deep breath, clearing out the memory of himself beating Ugo down in the duel cage, then composed himself.
"Alright. Bring Ugo in."
Garro nodded and called Ugo in over the comms. Ugo entered without a word and stood at attention in front of the desk. Garro briefly explained the Primarch's directive to the new Lantern Bearer.
Ugo listened quietly, and only responded with a quiet, "Understood."
"Alright, anything you two need to clarify between you?" Garro asked. "Ugo, if you have any questions, now's the time. Commander Hades is easy to talk to. If you don't ask now, you won't get another chance."
"No questions, sir. The Undertakers will follow Commander Hades' orders."
Garro looked at Hades, subtly gesturing for him to crack open this stubborn new Lantern Bearer.
Hades looked at Ugo. Things were busy, and it wasn't a problem to leave some matters alone—but thinking about it, there was something he needed to ask Ugo.
"Ugo, actually, there is something I want to ask."
"Do you know the details surrounding Fernando's death?"
Ugo's eyes widened.
The sound inside the room seemed to slide off the floor and disappear, leaving only heavy silence.
Hades contemplated. On the surface, Fernando's death seemed like a normal wartime loss. But the timing was too suspicious—it happened right when Garro and Vorx were both overwhelmed with duties. The moment Fernando died, most of the surveillance on Calas was suddenly gone.
Hades suspected it had been the work of the defector apothecary, Laton, but there was no solid evidence yet.
He looked at Ugo, who now wore a visibly sorrowful expression.
"I was close to Fernando. I was deeply saddened to hear about his passing. He once told me he had high hopes for you."
"But sometimes… you let your emotions get the better of you."
Ugo stayed silent, seemingly unwilling to accept Hades' words.
"After Fernando's death, you inherited his responsibilities. That means you were directly in charge of managing the Undertakers' Apothecaries, correct?"
"Then why did you allow one of them to accompany a Barbarus-born soldier back to Barbarus?"
As the words landed, Ugo seemed to stop breathing entirely.
Hades continued at a slow, steady pace. He stared at the table, idly tracing circles on its surface with his finger as if nothing were out of the ordinary.
"Previously, I had entrusted the monitoring of Calas to Garro, Barasine, Vorx, and Fernando."
"Then came the battle of Galaspar. Barasine was entombed in a Dreadnought, Fernando died, and Garro and Vorx were both tied up with the aftermath of Galaspar."
The situation is too convenient. Far too convenient. Not one of the people he had entrusted was able to keep an eye on Calas.
"On top of that, Calas had previously been watched over by an Undertaker's Apothecary."
"Was it because Fernando's death was too sudden, and that he left no instructions?"
"No."
The word slipped out of Ugo's clenched teeth.
"Then why?"
"The former Apothecary, Laton, was close to my teacher, Fernando. So in this matter, I mainly took his advice."
"What did he suggest?"
"He said he wanted to go to Barbarus to seek potential psyker recruits for the Undertakers."
"Then a command came directly from the Primarch, assigning Laton to accompany Calas Typhon on a recruitment mission to Barbarus."
"How could Laton appear in a direct order from the Primarch? Did that never strike you as odd?"
Ugo paused. After a long silence, he finally said:
"That was my oversight."
Hades looked at Ugo seriously, stopping the motion of his hand.
"I understand. Fernando had just fallen, and this was your first time stepping into the role. Some oversights are to be expected."
Still, that oversight had led him to conduct a sweeping re-evaluation of the entire Death Guard and dig deep into Laton's records.
Hades hesitated, then asked,
"And did you conduct any follow-up checks on the Undertakers' Apothecaries afterward?"
"You and Commander Garro already did the screening, so I—"
Ugo fell silent, and so did Hades.
"I hope you'll strengthen your oversight of the Undertakers. I don't think Fernando would have wanted to see this kind of outcome."
Ugo nodded, this time responding seriously,
"Yes, sir."
Hades let out a soft sigh.
"That's all. Keep up the good work. The Primarch may not have much faith in your kind, but I understand how important a psyker unit is to a Legion. You'll still need a lot of sharpening."
"Oh, right. Swing by the Armoury later and find Magos Korklan. He's made some weapons for your team—you should see if there's anything useful."
Ugo looked surprised but nodded. Hades turned his head to look at Garro.
"Is there anything else?"
Garro shook his head.
"Then you're dismissed. Don't let us delay the Undertakers' training. And remember to pick up your gear."
The door closed behind Ugo with a soft thud. Hades turned back, looking exhausted, only to see Garro's expression had turned unreadable.
"It was me who first assigned Calas to Fernando. And yes, after the battle, due to personal matters, I did neglect your original instructions."
Hades opened his mouth, realizing he had forgotten Garro had been listening this whole time.
"No, I didn't mean—"
But Hades was cut off by Garro standing up.
"You were very serious when you entrusted me with that task. But I truly failed to uphold it."
"I accept my responsibility for this tragedy."
Hades was screaming internally—No! Please don't!
"Sit, sit, sit! That's not what I meant!"
"I know you were busy at the time. I completely understand. I was just trying to scare Ugo a little—not actually assign blame."
Garro looked at Hades, but didn't sit down.
"You still owe me those Untouchable files. You're making it impossible for me to do my job."
"This whole matter is behind us. No need to dwell on it—we've got enough on our plates already."
Garro stared deeply at Hades, and was just about to sit when a transmission came in over the comms, cutting their conversation short.
It was from the Primarch, Mortarion.
[Hades, Vorx, Garro—prepare for war. Terra has sent orders. The Death Guard's main fleet would depart in three days.]
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