[The little boy Spong gripped the bone and tore at the piece of fragrant, unknown beast meat with an excited expression. Grease shone on his chin, and he chewed with fierce dedication.]
[You subconsciously reminded him not to eat too much, lest his fragile stomach could not bear the sudden richness. It had been years since the boy had eaten anything this substantial.]
["Gary, Gary told me," Spong mumbled, his mouth full, "said... people, mortal stomachs, there is no limit, it's delicious..." The rich grease almost soaked his pale and thin face, a stark contrast to his usual starved look.]
[You quickly finished the hard-to-swallow, nutritious porridge in your bowl. It was necessary sustenance, but utterly tasteless.]
[You asked about Gary's identity in confusion. The boy had spoken of him with reverence.]
[The little boy Spong stuttered to tell you that Gary was his father, who was once a mortal maintenance technician for power armor in the Chapter's service.]
[Just a few hundred ship days ago, his father had died of overwork due to long-term lack of food. Spong's small hands tightened on the meat, the food a bitter reminder of the man who hadn't gotten to share it.]
["Boy, go back and take care of my room," you suddenly grinned, your expression blank, a cold, predatory look in your eyes. "After the battle, I will treat you to meat again!" You revealed a mouthful of sharp teeth, a legacy of the Space Sharks Chapter, and the effect was unsettling.]
[You slowly got up, the Mark V Iron Armor protesting with a grinding metallic groan as you moved, and left the 'Crab Hall'.]
[You found the location of the armory by asking passers-by in the dimly lit, labyrinthine corridors of the ship. The temperature was low, the air stale and thick with recycled moisture.]
[You reported the operation code of the Mortal Auxiliary Army to the logistics quartermaster, a nervous man in patched overalls who looked as malnourished as the boy you had just fed.]
[You received an ancient Raven-type chain saw axe and a Mark III Godwin-type bolter. Both were old, showing the distinct wear and tear of a Chapter that rarely received new supplies.]
[You hung the two weapons on your power armor, the bolter securing with a soft metallic click, the axe humming faintly even when powered down.]
[You stared at the logistics quartermaster, who wanted to turn around and leave, clearly hoping to avoid further conversation.]
[Your eyes narrowed behind the helmet's visor, revealing confusion. "Where is the ammunition? Where are the grenades?" You stretched out your armored hand, a heavy gauntlet, to stop the quartermaster from scurrying away.]
["Ah? According to the unwritten rules of the Chapter, doesn't an ordinary operation only use one round of ammunition?" The confused logistics quartermaster opened his eyes wide, staring up at the hulking form of your Astartes power armor. "Grenade? I haven't seen one in thousands of ship days. We use the lasguns for the mortars, mostly, and that's rationed."]
[You couldn't help but take a deep, internal breath, the action barely visible as a slight rise in your breastplate, and grinned, showing your sharp, unsettling teeth again.]
[You didn't get more ammunition for the bolter; the quartermaster was firm on the one-round rule, a pitiful ration that spoke volumes of the Chapter's desperate state.]
[You could only threaten and intimidate the quartermaster, your massive, armored form looming over him, your voice a low, mechanical growl.]
[Under the other party's resentful, fearful eyes, you forcibly took away two Mark XIX Melta Bomb. The quartermaster flinched away from you, gripping a datapad uselessly.]
[That was a precious "holy object" stored in the regiment for thousands of ship days, a powerful anti-armor weapon they clearly didn't have the stomach to use often.]
[You passed through the complex and tortuous passages, the cold ship plating echoing with your heavy footsteps, and found the Mortal Auxiliary Army staging area, where they were ready to go.]
[This small force of only 500 people, mostly desperate ship crew and PDF survivors, was to carry out a resource exploration and recovery mission. The target was several fallen merchant ships in a meteorite belt, a place no sane person would venture for salvage.]
[The team's commander, Lieutenant Mako, welcomed your joining very much, his face thin but determined.]
[He expressed his appreciation for your noble behavior in volunteering for a mission so far beneath an Astartes. His tone was sincere, bordering on worshipful.]
[You narrowed your dark eyes behind the visor and scanned the mortal warriors, who only had basic, low-powered lasguns and simple breathing devices strapped to their chests. Their armor was thin and mostly cosmetic.]
["Lieutenant Mako," you said, your voice a deep rumble filtered through the vox-grill, "you are the real heroes..."]
[You looked at the other party solemnly, the honesty in your tone surprising even yourself.]
["Thank you for your recognition..." Lieutenant Taika Mako saluted you emotionally, his hand shaking slightly. "For the homeland of the regiment, we are willing to go through fire and water!"]
[When the whole team was ready, the air thick with tension and the smell of fear and cheap metal,]
[You and dozens of mortal auxiliary soldiers, cramped together, boarded a Fist-Class Assault Boat. The hull was scratched and dented, a testament to its long, hard life.]
[The other nine Fist-Class Assault Boat, led by your assault boat, slowly slid out of the hangar bay and into the cold and dark void of the universe.]
[You looked through the narrow porthole, the vast, lightless expanse of space swallowing the sounds of the ship, and saw the huge fleet gradually moving away.]
[Among the large and small spaceships, the huge metal bodies of the Tyrant-class cruiser "White Maw" and the battle barge "Nicor" were the most eye-catching, their shadows vast and protective.]
[You slowly retracted your gaze, and your armored palm subconsciously rubbed the Melta Bomb hanging behind your waist, the metal rough beneath your ceramite gauntlet.]
[Time passed, the minutes ticking by slowly, and the ten Fist-Class Assault Boat quickly passed through the cold void, their speed alarming for such an ancient vessel.]
[You gradually approached the meteorite belt. The void became a churning field of rock and debris.]
[The violent, incessant sound of countless tiny cosmic dust and micrometeoroids hitting the outer shell of the assault boat continued, a constant, sharp knocking that vibrated through the metal floor and constantly hammered on the nerves of the mortal auxiliary army, making them jump in their seats.]
[Soon after, the broken metal wreckage of several huge merchant ships gradually appeared in front of the assault boat, massive skeletal shapes drifting silently among the rocks.]
[You put on the heavy metal helmet of your power armor, the visor coming down with a soft hiss, sealing you off. You were about to ask Lieutenant Mako about the specific process of the mission when the void erupted.]
[Accompanied by the collision and knocking sounds of countless broken meteorites, a sound like grinding teeth,]
[A Fist assault boat at the edge of the flight formation was instantly entangled by a terrifying, massive, black tentacle covered with round, sickly white suction cups.]
[Dozens of mortal auxiliary soldiers were easily squeezed out of the fragile cabin, the metal groaning and ripping open like cheap cloth. They were thrown into the cold void, like solid objects in a can, their bodies tumbling away.]
[The sudden, catastrophic change in pressure and the cold temperature that penetrated their bones instantly killed them. Blood froze instantly in the vacuum.]
[The simple breathing device could maintain simple actions inside a damaged ship for a short while, but it could not withstand the lethal environment of facing the void, and their suits were not pressure-sealed.]
["Kraken! It's the Void Kraken! We are dead this time!" Lieutenant Taika Mako just leaned on the porthole and took a look, his face pale with utter terror. His terrified, high-pitched shouting filled the entire assault boat, sparking panic among the auxiliary troops.]
[You quickly stepped forward, the floor plates groaning under your weight, raised your armored palm, and knocked the other party unconscious with a brutal, sharp blow to the head, silencing the hysterical screaming instantly.]
[You took over the command of the remaining nine Fist-Class Assault Boat without hesitation, broadcasting your orders over the vox.]
[You ordered the entire formation to quickly adjust its flight path and prepare to evacuate, not wanting to fight a monster you didn't have the ammunition for.]
[However, a juvenile Void Kraken that was five times larger than the Fist Assault Boat suddenly crashed through several huge meteorites, the immense impact shaking your ship. It carried countless cosmic dust and debris with it, blocking your only retreat route.]
[The nine Fist-Class Assault Boat had to change their flight paths again, narrowly avoiding collision, and circled back to the original place, trapped between the smaller tentacles and the massive body of the creature.]
[You stared at the threatening Void Kraken, the massive creature drifting silently, waiting for its next meal.]
[You asked the driver, a trembling auxiliary soldier, about the assault boat's weapon configuration.]
[When you learned that the assault boat only has heavy melta cannons that fire forward, a long-shot, desperation weapon, you began to formulate a suicidal plan.]
[In a flash of pure, cold desperation, a crazy idea gradually filled your mind.]
["Notify other assault boats," you commanded, your voice steady and unnaturally calm. "Start the heavy melta cannons in advance and rush towards the Void Kraken!" The order was utterly against all tactical doctrine, a gamble on a frontal charge.]
[At the same time, you ordered all mortal auxiliary troops to wear their simple breathing devices and hold on to their comrades or the bulkheads, bracing for impact.]
[After a few dozen seconds, when the nine Fist-Class Assault Boat rotated again and gradually merged into a tight, arrowhead formation, preparing to commit to the charge,]
[A series of hot-melt beams, blinding lances of superheated energy, fired forward like an invisible spear aimed directly at the young Void Kraken, scoring surface damage on its thick hide.]
[At this moment, you activated the magnetic boots and stepped outside, standing firmly on top of a Fist assault boat, the vacuum not bothering your sealed power armor.]
[Countless tiny pieces of cosmic dust kept hitting your power armor, leaving clear and eye-catching marks, tiny impacts that sounded like rain on a metal roof inside your helmet.]
[You slowly took out the two melta bombs hanging behind your waist, their casing warm even in the void, and set a very short detonation time on the simple timer.]
[You held the buzzing Raven Chain Axe in one hand, the teeth spinning with a low, hungry whine, and swung the melta bomb in the other hand, preparing to throw a weapon that could destroy a tank.]
[You stood above the speeding assault boat, a solitary giant in ancient armor, staring at the approaching Void Kraken, which filled your entire field of view.]
[The deep roar of the ship's engines and the melta cannons seemed to penetrate the heavy shielding of the metal helmet and echoed in the cold void that could not transmit any sound, creating a feeling of vast, terrifying silence.]
["Come on! Void Kraken! Let's dance!" The words were a defiant, barbaric roar, muffled by the vox, but filled with the savage spirit of the Space Sharks, echoing in the blackness.]