Chapter 255: A Drink That Carries a Victory Will Surely Taste Sweeter
The Fenris system is a famous death world in the Imperium. It is the home base and primary recruitment ground for the Space Wolves Chapter. It is named after a giant wolf from ancient Terran mythology, and most of its place names are derived from old Scandinavian mythology and the languages of Old Earth. For the four Dawnbreakers, it was a system with a strong sense of déjà vu.
Fenris is located in the southern part of the Segmentum Obscurus, very close to the edge of the warp rift known as the "Eye of Terror." It is one of the key node-worlds that the forces of Chaos must pass through to launch raids and plunder the Segmentum Solar. For this reason, the Fenris system, and the hundred or so worlds surrounding it, are exceptionally vulnerable to attack.
"Only Tzeentch is sacred, be not bound."
"For Russ and the Allfather!"
"All is according to the plan."
"For the Wolftime, for the hour of the Wolf!"
As the Dawnlight Fleet transitioned from the warp back into realspace, before they could even confirm their position and calibrate their instruments, a flood of information from various channels poured into the Dawnlight's information systems.
At this very moment, a Chaos armed force, led by a Tzeentchian warband, was in the process of besieging Midgardia in the Fenris system. This was the only habitable planet in the Fenris system, aside from Fenris itself and its moon, the Wolf Moon. But like Fenris, Midgardia was also a deadly death world.
According to the communications relayed by the Navigators, these sons of Magnus were operating an Ark of Omen, a fleet spearheaded by five cruisers, and over thirty Silver Towers of Tzeentch—a special type of daemon engine that could be powered by the bound sorcerers on board, drawing on the power of the warp. Their small size could unleash firepower and defensive capabilities far exceeding that of a normal frigate, and they could also deploy troops to the surface via sorcerous portals.
Everyone instinctively looked at Alm Iron-oath.
"Those cowardly Thousand Sons again," the Wolf Guard's face was grim as the warship's systems were being calibrated for realspace. But from his eyes, which held not a trace of panic, one could see that the old wolf had long expected this.
The feud between the Thousand Sons and the Space Wolves had a long history. These traitors would never give up an opportunity to cause trouble for the Space Wolves. And the Space Wolves had never followed the Codex Astartes. They were a Chapter in name, but had always maintained a Legion's structure. If not for the limitations of the "Canis Helix," with twelve Great Companies at full strength, the Wolves could have had a force of around a hundred thousand.
However, due to genetic limitations and the losses from constant warfare, the number of Wolves had inevitably decreased. They were now probably on par with the Black Templars. But even in the 40k era, with the Wolves in an unavoidable state of decline, they were still a force of Astartes that far surpassed an ordinary Chapter. And for this reason, the Thousand Sons, who could not defeat the Space Wolves even in the Legion era, would naturally not be so foolish as to go head-to-head with their old rivals.
"...Haaa."
Looking at the Ark of Omen, which was still holding its own under the siege of four battle barges, Alm couldn't help but sigh. At the same time, he bowed to the four Primarchs.
Ever since Bjorn the Fell-Handed had led the first Great Hunt for the Primarch Leman Russ, this tradition had continued for ten thousand years. There had already been twenty-nine. Aided by the prophecies of the Rune Priests, the Space Wolves would, under the leadership of the Great Wolf, gather almost the entire strength of their Chapter to attack the forces of Chaos, in the hope of finding some trace of Leman Russ. At the same time, the Fenris system would be in a relatively vulnerable state.
The most serious incursion had occurred during the second 'Great Hunt' in the 31st millennium. The Daemon Primarch Magnus had attacked the Fang, killing the Rune Priests who were studying the 'Canis Helix,' who were trying to mitigate the side effects of the Wulfen transformation and allow those from off-world who voluntarily participated in the Trial of Morkai to survive the ravages of the wolf-gene. From then on, the Space Wolves' dream of splitting into successor chapters was completely shattered, and the number of warriors in the various Great Companies inevitably entered a state of gradual decline. The Space Wolves had unavoidably fallen into decline.
Just like now.
Arthur observed the strategic deployment in the system. Aside from the mobile fleet that was besieging the Thousand Sons, the rest of the Space Wolves' fleet was in a passive defensive state around Fenris's moon, the Wolf Moon, and its orbital defense system.
In Imperial records, the Space Wolves had eight battle barges and over thirty strike cruisers of various models. In fact, this number was a conservative estimate. After all, the battleships and grand cruisers that had served the Space Wolves since the Great Crusade would not have just vanished into thin air. But just as the Ultramarines could only put the Honour of Macragge on display as a holy relic after it had floated back from the warp on its own in the 40k era, the Wolves' fleet was in an awkward position.
No one to crew them.
Especially after the Wolves had refused to accept the Codex Astartes, their position in the Imperium had always been very awkward. Even with the Wolves' legendary hospitality, few would visit the Fenris system. This also led to the sparsely populated Fenris system having difficulty recruiting and training personnel to operate the fleet.
The Fenris system was as fraught with disaster as the people who suffered within it. Whether inside or outside the Imperium, the Space Wolves' troubles had never ceased.
At this moment, Alm was filled with shame. It was supposed to be an invitation, a decision made by the Great Wolf to get closer to the contemporary Primarchs. But it had turned into this mess because of the Thousand Sons' invasion. He looked at the fleet entangled with the Thousand Sons, then at the glorious Dawnlight Fleet. It was as if Fenris had foreseen this attack and had tricked the Primarchs into coming to solve their problems for them.
How shameful!
"Please accept my apologies, my Lords," Alm said apologetically. "We had prepared a warm hearth and good drink, and had no intention of bringing our guests blades and blood. Please allow us to join our brothers' war and present you with a victory." Even though the Dawnlight Fleet was already here, he didn't have the face to ask the Primarchs to intervene in the war.
"What do you think?" the four exchanged a look. Their superhuman minds had assessed the situation on Fenris in an instant.
Fenris was under siege, the Space Wolves were on the defensive, and the Thousand Sons had, from somewhere, gotten their hands on an Ark of Omen and were attacking the surface of Midgardia. Their specific goal was unclear. But regardless of their goal, they had now touched the Dawnbreakers' cake. And the arrival of the Dawnlight Fleet had greatly stimulated the Thousand Sons. They had abandoned their leisurely stalemate and had begun a frenzied attack on the Space Wolves' forces on the surface.
The Dawnbreakers were familiar with Midgardia. It was one of the main sources of a special Fenrisian mineral, Frost-steel, used in the Frost-series weapons. It was also the location of the shard of the C'tan, the Burning One, Nyadra'zatha. This shard's intelligence was well-preserved, probably because it hadn't been mixed with other C'tan shards. But it was incredibly weak. In the texts from the Dawnbreakers' memory, its full-power output had only created a lava lake in the planet's core, and it had even needed to draw energy from the core to recover, otherwise it couldn't even escape the planet's gravity. And not long after, it had been captured by a fleet led by Trazyn.
"It's up to you," Romulus said, raising a hand, indicating he was relinquishing the decision and stepping back. It couldn't be helped. The Space Wolves, like some of the Sons of Dorn and those Dark Angels, were all little haters of the Regent Guilliman. By extension, they didn't have a good opinion of him, who was so closely tied to the Ultramarines, let alone letting him intervene in their war. They'd probably accuse him of 'trying to grasp Fenris's defensive situation,' 'trying to uncover the Space Wolves' secrets to control the Chapter,' or 'using this opportunity to stand on the moral high ground and force the Wolves to submit.' Every time he tried to do something, these people would attribute an ambitious motive to his actions. It was really—
"No matter," Alm said, a look of shame on his face. Arthur's hand rested on his shoulder. "The Dawnbreakers will intervene in this war. We will operate within the boundaries designated by the Space Wolves. But we will also need to participate in the interrogation after capturing the Thousand Sons sorcerers, to learn of the dark gods' plots."
Although, if you looked past the savage and ferocious filter, these warriors were actually not difficult to get along with, even the fervent and untamed Space Wolves had their own dark and heavy secrets. For example, the Thirteenth Great Company. There are no wolves on Fenris.
Having dealt with the Dark Angels for a long time, Arthur knew what it meant to have a sense of proportion. And this approach, while providing a great deal of comfort, also left Alm at a loss for how to respond. This...
The Space Wolves present were all stunned. The Wolves, who had always responded to kindness, not force, suddenly didn't know what to do. To refuse would be to disrespect a Primarch, which was a great shame. To agree would be to ask a guest to help with the cockroaches in your house, which was also a great shame.
"I agree," a steady, somewhat old voice came from the vox-system, startling the still-dazed Alm. At the same time, the projection of a silver-haired figure, clad in Terminator armour, who could be considered old even among the Astartes, appeared before them.
"Old Wolf," Alm and his Space Wolves hammered their chests in salute.
Everyone recognized his identity from his appearance and the Wolves' reaction. "Fenris thanks you for your arrival, my Lords. And thank you for your support," Logan Grimnar, the Chapter Master of the Space Wolves, saluted the Primarchs. This made Alm unconsciously purse his lips. He didn't understand why the Great Wolf would choose to let the Primarchs handle this mess.
"I apologize. We were not able to clean a room in time to welcome our honored guests to Fenris with Mjod and food."
"No matter," Arthur shook his head again. "Time, place, what do you need us to do?" he asked.
"Now. The Midgardia defense line. Coordinates 55°10′. We need surface armed forces support," the Old Wolf replied immediately.
"Understood," Arthur immediately agreed.
BOOM!
The sky caught fire. Daemons poured out from the ground in a disorganized manner, mixing with the Chaos mortal armies. The artillery in the sky immediately locked on, and shells rained down.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Dismembered limbs and shredded flesh flew into the air. The artillery could no longer stop these mad monsters. They charged into the burning fortresses and mines, tearing at the steel with their mutated limbs and the great power of the warp. And the besieged defenders, seeing this, began to fight back. It was like a great wave rising from the sea, throwing the Wolves' formation into slight disarray.
But the Wolves were not alarmed, but overjoyed. The weak opponent had finally abandoned their damned sorcery attacks. As long as they could withstand this final blow, the war would be over. The slaughter was pushed to its climax. A Space Wolf's eyes widened. He nervously followed a sacred Ironclad Dreadnought that had charged into the enemy's ranks, tearing at one enemy after another with his own weapon.
"Wait for the signal. Coordinate with the soulless units. Find a weak point and launch a concentrated assault. Ignore the scattered resistance. Prioritize dealing with the Chaos sorcerers." A black and red iron tide flowed into the ice-blue defense line, and then, like a claw extending from beneath a furry paw, it stabbed deep into the enemy's formation.
"No need for shame, no need for complaints. Let us embrace victory in the proper way," a sharp voice awakened the Wolves. When they couldn't help but turn their heads and look at the tall figure in the blizzard, he said, "Let us drink heartily under the aurora of Fenris, in the ashes of our enemies. A drink that carries a victory—"
The cold wind of Midgardia wrapped around his cloak. Arthur was the first to draw his blade. "—will surely taste sweeter."
"Repent! For today is the day you die!"
"For Russ and the Allfather!" Alm laughed heartily, charging forward with the Wolves. He had never thought that a Primarch from another family would be so much to their liking.
His peripheral vision then caught a glimpse of the black knights who were advancing with the Primarch. They have a Primarch who can pay attention to every detail, a Primarch who is willing to respect everyone, a Primarch who is never arrogant, who can put down his pride and quickly reach a consensus with his comrades.
These Dark Angels—
A look of envy flashed in Alm's eyes.
How lucky.
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