Meanwhile, three hundred meters away, hidden deep in the shadows.
Looking through his sniper scope and watching the entire scene unfold, [All According to Plan] looked absolutely sick to his stomach.
"Fuck," he cursed over the [Regional Channel: Wings of Freedom] network.
"Vespasian and Tarvitz didn't go with Fulgrim!"
"They just defected over to the Iron Hands' side!"
The voice comms went dead silent for a second.
Then, [Konnichiwa Slaanesh-chan]'s voice crackled to life, dripping with sheer disbelief.
"Wait, what?! They aren't pushing the bridge?!"
"That's free glory right there! Commendations! Commendations from the Primarch himself!"
"And they're just giving it up??"
[Let the Galaxy Burn] was just as bewildered.
"To help the Iron Hands?"
"Just to help the friendly units we literally crippled with our own friendly fire earlier?"
"They're Astartes! Officers of the Emperor's Children!"
"Isn't honor supposed to be the most important thing to them?"
[Number One Handsome of the Soul Hall]'s voice drifted through the channel, carrying a rare trace of seriousness.
"Heh... You're looking at the legends themselves..."
"The last true light of the Emperor's Children."
[Konnichiwa Slaanesh-chan]: "NGL, even though I'm a Chaos main now, I still think Fulgrim is a piece of shit."
[I Just Love Sleeping In]: "Seconded."
"Out of all the Primarchs, he's the biggest pushover."
[Let the Galaxy Burn]: "I mean, look at Ferrus Manus, and then look at him... yikes."
[Number One Handsome of the Soul Hall]: "Hehehe... The Phoenician? More like the Psychonician."
The channel fell into a brief silence.
[I Just Love Sleeping In] broke the silence first, a rare tone of genuine respect in his voice.
"Honestly? I seriously respect these two."
"Vespasian and Tarvitz."
"When their Primarch is obviously losing his marbles, and every other Captain is blindly following him on a murder-hobo chase..."
"They actually stop and stay behind to protect a battered allied unit..."
"That is what a real fucking Astartes looks like."
"That is real fucking loyalty."
[Let the Galaxy Burn] chimed in.
"Agreed."
"I know we just play this game to mess around and have fun, but seeing NPCs like this... you can't help but say it."
"Badass."
[Konnichiwa Slaanesh-chan]:
"Bros, why am I actually getting kind of emotional right now?"
"I know they're the enemy faction, and I know they're Loyalists, but I just can't help but think..."
"They're so fucking cool."
A wave of "+1"s spammed across the channel.
Listening to the chat, [All According to Plan]'s expression grew uglier by the second.
His original plan was to wait for Fulgrim and the Emperor's Children to push forward, then find an opening to assassinate the two Iron Hands captains, Gabriel Santar and Karon Santos.
As long as they died on this ship, it would inevitably create a massive rift between Ferrus Manus and Fulgrim.
A perfect plan.
But now...
Vespasian and Tarvitz were standing guard over them with a hundred Legionaries. How the hell was he supposed to make a move?
A frontal assault?
That was literal suicide.
Those were true Astartes, not something a bunch of low-level players like them could just casually gank.
Vespasian and Tarvitz.
Those two had single-handedly derailed his entire master plan.
[All According to Plan] took a deep breath, trying his hardest to calm down.
He spoke coldly into the voice comms.
"Alright, shut up, all of you."
"If we can't kill them, we let it go."
"Right now, the most important thing is helping Fulgrim secure the victory."
"Keep up!"
A hint of absolute resolve edged his voice.
"To the bridge! We need to make sure Fulgrim personally executes the Diasporex Alliance ship captain!"
"As long as he claims that honor, our mission is complete!"
Over eight hundred Chaos players moved out on his command.
Keeping to the shadows, their figures darted down the corridor, sprinting toward the bridge.
--
At the Iron Hands staging area.
Vespasian and Tarvitz, trailed by several dozen Emperor's Children Legionaries, slowly walked up to Gabriel Santar.
Gabriel opened his eyes.
Those irises, cold and hard as iron, met Vespasian's gaze.
Vespasian didn't waste time with pointless pleasantries.
He simply slammed his right fist against his breastplate, delivering a flawless Imperial Aquila salute.
"Lord Santar."
His voice was calm and laced with absolute sincerity.
"Focus on your treatment. We will stand guard for you."
Gabriel looked at him, then glanced at Tarvitz and the scores of Emperor's Children warriors standing behind them.
Slowly, the corners of his mouth tugged upward into a faint smile.
It was a subtle gesture, yet it carried an unexpected warmth.
"Thank you," he said softly.
Then, he closed his eyes again, letting the Apothecaries get back to tending his wounds.
Vespasian and Tarvitz exchanged a look before turning around in unison. Putting their backs to the Iron Hands, they faced both ends of the corridor.
The dozens of Emperor's Children warriors fanned out with them, forming an impenetrable, purple defensive perimeter.
They had given up easy glory.
They had abandoned the chance to receive commendations directly from their Primarch.
They had thrown away the opportunity to make a name for themselves in this campaign.
All just to protect a battered allied force.
Just to stand guard over the brothers who had once reached out to help them.
Standing at the very front of the line, Vespasian stared deep into the corridor with his clear eyes.
Unbidden, Gabriel's words floated into his mind.
If things go completely south...
Don't argue too much with your father.
Just protect yourselves.
A slight smile tugged at Vespasian's lips.
He murmured under his breath, his voice so quiet that only he could hear it.
"Lord Santar..."
"We haven't forgotten your warning."
"And now..."
"It's our turn to protect you."