When Alex found Anatoly, the Captain was kneeling on one knee, softly reciting a eulogy before five dismembered bodies.
Although seven men had been sacrificed, two of them were already unrecoverable.
This was a very significant loss for the Chapter; the death of a single battle-brother was already a loss, but now that the Gene-Seed could not be recovered, it was an unacceptable blow for any Chapter.
This meant that the legacy of a brother was severed, an irretrievable and immense loss for the Chapter.
The power armor's servo system hummed softly, and Captain Anatoly's heavy breathing was clearly audible through the helmet's breathing grille.
"…May your souls return to the embrace of the Emperor, and find eternal rest beneath the Golden Throne." Anatoly's voice was steady and low, as if he were merely performing an ordinary prayer.
He slowly rose and turned to Alex, his faceplate's optical sensors glowing with a calm blue light.
Despite losing seven precious battle-brothers, Anatoly remained exceptionally restrained.
As a veteran who had endured countless brutal battles, he had long since learned to bury his grief deep beneath the iron will forged by Gene-Seed modification.
Only the most astute observer would notice the faint metallic friction sound from his knuckles as he gripped his power gauntlet, and his posture, straighter than usual—these subtle changes betrayed his true emotions.
"Captain Anatoly," Alex said softly, "I am sorry for your losses."
Anatoly nodded slightly, his voice coming through the helmet: "Death is a warrior's destiny. They died in the Emperor's holy war; this is a glorious end."
His tone was so calm it bordered on indifference, but Alex knew that beneath this steel exterior still beat a human heart that grieved for fallen comrades.
The surrounding Space Marines stood in silent formation, their expressions similarly hidden behind cold faceplates.
Anatoly turned to face his warriors, his voice suddenly rising: "Remember their names! Remember their sacrifice! Now, return to your posts!"
At the Captain's command, the Space Marines saluted in unison and quickly dispersed.
Only then did Anatoly turn to Alex, removing his helmet to reveal a scarred but remarkably calm face.
His eyes did indeed carry sorrow, but this emotion was firmly locked behind a warrior's resolve, not a trace of it showing outwardly.
"Alex." Anatoly proactively gave Alex an Aquila salute, his voice coming through the power armor's vox-caster with a metallic quality. "The Heavenly Lion Battle Group may need to temporarily withdraw from the combat roster for a period. Our personnel losses are nearing half, and we require rest and replenishment. Additionally, I must request reinforcements from our Chapter's homeworld."
As he spoke these words, Anatoly's expression remained calm.
But Alex knew that for any Space Marine Captain, voluntarily requesting to withdraw from the combat roster was a difficult decision to articulate.
Many Chapters would rather fight to the last man than voluntarily retreat from the battlefield—that would be seen as a betrayal of the Emperor, an indelible disgrace.
But Anatoly still chose to let his warriors temporarily withdraw from combat for rest and to request aid from Chapter Headquarters.
They were not deserting, but had indeed suffered heavy losses; temporary rest and replenishment were for the sake of continuing to serve the Emperor in the future.
Alex gazed at the scarred Captain before him and slowly nodded: "You may withdraw from the combat roster for rest. In fact, even if you choose to leave the Expeditionary Force now, it would be understandable. The Heavenly Lion Battle Group has already contributed far more than expected to this expedition."
His gaze swept over the Space Marines who were preparing their equipment in the distance.
"I will arrange for other Chapters to take over your mission," Alex said solemnly to Anatoly, his tone friendly but not condescending: "You may temporarily withdraw to Rostov II for rest. As the Planetary Governor, I formally authorize you to conscript new recruits on this planet to replenish your battle losses."
This promise was not exclusive to the Heavenly Lion Battle Group.
In fact, all Space Marine Chapters that withdrew from the front lines due to battle losses received the same preferential treatment.
Although Rostov II did not have a large population base, it was sufficient for replenishing Chapter battle losses.
While some Chapters were not accustomed to recruiting from non-homeworlds or recruitment worlds, for some fleet-based Chapters, this was not unacceptable.
Especially for Chapters with significant losses and an urgent need for new recruits, Alex's promise was like a timely help.
For Alex, this was merely the expenditure of some 'renewable resources,' but for these Chapters, it was a great help in preserving their continued existence.
More critically, Archmagos Cawl also brought his "Primaris upgrade package"—though he did not directly perform Primaris Space Marines conversion surgeries for these Chapters, he provided a large quantity of new model weaponry and equipment as replenishment.
From new model Bolters to new Dreadnoughts, from melta weapons to new anti-gravity vehicles, Cawl's assistance was comprehensive.
In the temporary armory set up on Rostov II, Cawl's servitors were busily assembling new model Bolters, Mark X power armor, and various tactical accessories.
This advanced equipment would be prioritized for the most heavily damaged Chapters, helping them to quickly restore their combat effectiveness.
Of course, Cawl's generosity was not pure charity—the alien technology acquired during the expedition had already greatly benefited him, and the combat test data from these Chapters on the new equipment was invaluable research material.
"You may stay and rest on Rostov II," Alex continued to explain: "During this time, you can not only replenish your forces but also receive equipment support from the Adeptus Mechanicus. I hope that when you return to the front lines, you will be able to engage in combat in full strength."
Anatoly remained silent, but he was clearly deeply moved by Alex's generosity and benevolence.
"Of course, during this time, you can also focus on carefully considering my previous proposal. Take my advice, don't confront the Inquisition head-on. You are merely a Chapter; you don't have the capital to directly challenge the Inquisition." Alex earnestly advised Anatoly.
Although there were Chapters like the Wolf Team, who had even killed an Inquisitor and shown no respect to the Inquisition, the Space Wolves were a First Founding Chapter, and their Gene-Seed Primarch was merely missing, not dead.
Even if the Inquisition wanted to deal with the Wolf Team, they would have to weigh whether they could afford the cost of an all-out war with a First Founding Chapter.
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