0111

I watched as my Knight Crusader was fitted a Stormspear rocket pod. The carapace weapon was delicately balanced atop the hunched turtle shell-shaped robot, lobotomized servitors welding it into place. Sparks flew as the metal turned red-hot from the intense jet of flame, the servitors also connecting cables and wires to establish a link to the Throne Mechanicum.

"Looks like we'll be marching out soon," Lieutenant Yamada said beside me, also watching his Knight Warden receive another Stormspear rocket pod. I nodded in agreement. The Adeptus Mechanicus was being magnanimous this time, handing out whatever upgrades and freebies they could. Obviously their generosity wasn't borne out of altruism but a more self-serving motive.

After all, if we died because of the lack of firepower, the Adeptus Mechanicus wouldn't be able to get their hands on the STCs they wanted. It was only logical and more efficient to arm their military escorts with as many weapons as possible.

"Have you seen the newbie yet?"

I shook my head at Yamada's question. Usually Knight household detachments were broken into many small units of three known as Lances. A Lance of Imperial Knights included at least three massive battle-suits while a Daimyo Court had four up to five. In times of crisis, the rarely-seen Exalted Court, featuring the Shogun and his most trusted Daimyos, would march to war, exhibiting their awesome might and unparalleled skill to the universe.

Fortunately, the Draconis system was rarely invaded. The Tyranids targeted the opposite ends of the galaxy, there was nothing here of interest to the forces of Chaos, the Eldar and Necrons largely ignored us and the Orks found much better foes to fight against elsewhere. The Tau was also expanding on the opposite side of us - very close to the space where the Tyranids were attacking, so the two xenos would probably annihilate each other and save us the trouble of fighting them.

It would probably take centuries or so before the Exalted Court would be called to march in defense of our core worlds.

To replace the late Lieutenant Suzuki in our Lance, House Yato had dispatched a young knight fresh out of the academy, a graduated trainee who had yet to step foot on the battlefield. As with all of us, he should have been ferried up to Draconis IV with his new armored suit, all of which were being upgraded and optimized inside this particular manufactorum.

"Is he the one?"

I wondered when I caught sight of an unfamiliar face. The young man was staring up at his Knight Paladin, which was being fitted with twin Icarus autocannons. He had the eager, bloodthirsty look of a newbie soldier, looking forward to killing things but hadn't experienced the grim, harsh reality of the battlefield. Furthermore, his clothes gave him away. He wasn't dressed in the red robes of the Mechanicus adepts but the black and gold uniform of the Draconis armored regiment. The difference between our uniforms and the regular guardsmen was relatively small but obvious. The formation badge pasted on his right shoulder bore the crest of House Yato, with Houses Uesugi and Takeda having their own individual designs.

All three houses were consistent in one thing. Our emblem was a shield with cog teeth surrounding it. The shield was split into half, with one side featuring a golden demi-Aquila against a black background to show our loyalty to the Emperor and the Imperium. The left side featured the black cog and gold skull of the Adeptus Mechanicus against a red background, as fealty to the forge world that manufactured, repaired and maintained our battle-suits.

That was as far as the similarity went. House Yato's emblem featured a black dragon behind the shield, its dark, massive wings spreading out to either side. Cutting the shield in half was the dragon's serpentine neck before it rested its head atop one of the cog's teeth that ringed the shield. House Uesugi featured a white armored warrior instead of a dragon, and the background of its shield was white and blue rather than red and black, with a blue blade separating the Aquila from the cog. House Takeda featured a crimson tiger, and its demi-Aquila and Adeptus Mechanicus skull were red instead of gold.

Our Imperial Knights had eschewed the brilliant heraldry and design that almost all other houses on other worlds sported. The demands and rigors of the battlefield often took their toll on the flashy, exquisitely designed emblems and heralds that knights sported on the tiny shields and crotch-banner (yeah, seriously, our lumbering super-heavy walkers had crotch-banners hanging from their groins), so after a while the knights of Houses Yato, Uesugi and Takeda decided that they had enough and resorted to merely painting a yellow smiley face on the tiny shields and crotch banners.

We were more practical than show-offs and couldn't stand cleaning and replacing the flashy emblems and heraldry after every mission. It was troublesome, expensive and not worth the time and effort. Fortunately, as we wore the standard Guard uniform that our brothers in the Draconian Armored Defense Force sported, we could still proudly bear our emblem via the formation badge stuck to the Velcro pad on our right shoulder sleeves. As the pilots inside the Throne Mechanicum were virtually untouched by the grim, filth, blood and ash on the battlefield, our formation badges were left untainted as compared to the heraldry hanging from our suits. Plus the flashy, showy and vividly colored heraldry often presented us as huge target markers during a mission, causing us to soak a lot of fire. Nope, we would rather be practical and stay out of sight than catch the eye of our enemies just because of a brilliant and gaudy design.

The Imperial Guard used a different and much simpler badge, that of a single golden Aquila, a emblem that was plain when contrasted against the grandiose heraldry of the knightly houses. As I said earlier, our uniforms were the same, whether guardsman or knight, using the simple military design that was set by the legendary Cadian Shock Troops. A number of worlds copied the uniform used by the regiments of Cadia, and we were no exception. We colored our uniform mostly black with a few splotches of gold (usually dull) because whatever few infantry we had usually hide in the shadows during combat.

There was no need for camouflage as our soldiers were mostly tank crews or mechanized infantry riding inside Chimera Armored Personnel Carriers or the massive Doomhammer super-heavy tank that served as a giant transport that was capable of accommodating a single minimum-sized platoon (a command squad and 2 infantry squads). The troops that lose their vehicles, particularly the more fragile Chimera APCs (when compared to our Leman Russ Tanks), usually take up a position in cover, backing up to the wall and blending in with the shadows so as not to attract the attention of their enemies. This probably is embodied most of all by the Draconis Special Forces Group, more commonly known as the Kamikaze Storm Troopers, an elite military branch that was trained by the Schola Progenium in Draconis III. Their call-sign to other Tempestus Militarum battle regiments was the Draconian Dragons, but their official name, like the Astra Militarum Draconian Armored Defense Force, was the Draconian Special Forces Group.

Or, was we knights and common troopers like to call them, the Kamikaze Troopers. As I said earlier, they were experts in blending into the shadows, sneaking, infiltrating and deep-striking far behind enemy lines to take out high-value targets like artillery, command squads, armored vehicles, or in the case of Tyranids, Hive Tyrants, commanding bio-titans and other monstrous creatures. With the high-powered weapons at their disposal such as plasma guns (well, this is Draconis after all), meltaguns and hot-shot volley guns, they were more than capable of neutralizing whatever gargantuan threats they were sent to deal with. They excelled in their jobs so much that they had gained recognition on par with the renowned Kasrkin of the Cadian Shock Troops and the relentless Grenadiers of the Death Korps of Krieg.

The problem was that...well, they rarely return alive. Yet, every Kamikaze Trooper would happily and fervently throw themselves into such suicide missions, not having the least regard for their lives. To them, there was no greater honor than exterminating the largest foes of the Emperor, even if they had to lose their lives to do so.

Hence, Kamikaze. Yup.

By the way, the Draconian Dragons used Vendetta gunships instead of Valkyrie gunships or Taurox Prime APCs. Apparently they were more comfortable with parachuting from the air like Elysian Drop Troops, and operating in small-enough squads that could fit inside the more aggressive Vendetta. The survivors most likely went through more covert missions than an entire battalion combined.

The young man was visibly bearing the crest of House Yato and as I already knew the other ten Knights who would be participating in the explorator fleet. He turned after a while, and suddenly perked up. It seemed that he had spotted me because he began running in my direction.

"You...you are Captain Tanaka!"

"Um...yes."

I wasn't sure how to deal with the newbie in front of me, faltering at his bright proclamation. He oozed of enthusiasm, which often meant recklessness in the battlefield (particularly the first mission) and led to an early death. If he really was the replacement for Suzuki in my Lance, I had to keep an eye on him. Most probably I had to keep a tight leash on him and ensure he didn't do anything stupid like charge into a lumbering Wraithknight or something.

I had no idea what happened but Wraithknights somehow got more powerful a few months ago, gaining Destroyer weapons capable of wrecking our Imperial Knights despite costing much less than us. Rumors were abound that they had somehow "evolved" into a Gargantuan Creature and hence sniper rounds and poison no longer wounded them unless the guy was incredibly lucky or fired at least six shots with five of them ineffective. Plus Force Weapons no longer worked because Instant Death had become inapplicable to them. It was so unfair.

I wanted to cry to the Emperor about Eldar being overpowered and beg him to nerf them. Of course, the irony being that I was a pilot in a super-heavy walker with AV13, a close combat Destroyer weapon (well, not my Knight specifically), an ion shield and the ability to shoot my various weapons at different targets. That said, despite costing a lot more, our Imperial Knights still got utterly destroyed by Wraithknights in both close combat and long range. What the hell!?

On second thought, perhaps the God-Emperor wasn't the one responsible for determining the rules of the universe. I should approach our Spiritual Liege (or lieges) instead.

"I'm Warrant Officer Otsuka Eijirou! Nice to meet you!"

"Um, nice to meet you. I'm guessing you're the new guy in my Lance?"

"Yes, that's right! I look forward to fighting under you!"

I knew it. I exchanged a glance with Yamada, who shrugged with a smile and turned away. The bastard wasn't going to help me.

I took a deep breath and considered a list of rules before settling on a couple.

"Okay, I have two rules. One, survive. No matter what. Even if you have to run away from the enemy in combat, just do it if you're going to die. Two, everyone returns home together."

"Eh!? But isn't it a great honor to die in glorious combat?"

I knew it. The instructors had indoctrinated the same bullshit in Otsuka that they did on me during my time in the academy. A few years in the battlefield and near-death experiences had washed away the imperial brainwashing and caused me to wise up, but a lot of my more unfortunate comrades never had the chance to experience the same enlightenment as I did.

They were all dead.

I sighed and hoped my role as the leader would at least instill some obedience in my new subordinate.

"Survival in itself is a form of victory against the Emperor's enemies. There is absolutely no point in dying in combat when your death doesn't help win the war. If you survive, you can regroup, heal, repair and plan before waiting for an opportune time to strike at the enemy and take revenge. Additionally, I need you alive for future missions and battles, so don't die on me because of honor. Survive because of your responsibility. Every death means one less man to fight the foes of the Imperium. Survive and you'll live to fight another day and kill even more enemies in the future. Dying honorably isn't even a short-term gain unless your sacrifice tips the tide of war and I doubt there are few scenarios in which that happens. Think long-term."

"Y...yes, sir."

Otsuka stammered, trying to take it all in. I could see that he didn't believe me. No matter. After his first experience on the battlefield, seeing men get blown apart to bloody pieces, mechanical warriors torn limb from limb by crackling, deformed horrors, tanks vaporized by deadly energies and fortified positions overrun by an endless tide of clawed chitin or the bellowing green tsunami bearing crudely assembled weapons, machines and choppers...only then would he understand what I was talking about. Death wasn't glorious or honorable. It was horrifying, ugly and brutal. Dying in combat was not the way I wanted to go.

I would rather my enemies die instead. If not now, then later, after I escaped and brought back the coordinates for an apocalyptic artillery bombardment.

Otsuka wandered away after what he perceived as a dismissal. I tried to be friendly after my somber speech, smiling and assuring him that I would look out for him, but it was obvious that he was disappointed that I wasn't the commander that he thought I would be. Well, I wasn't obligated to live up to whatever image he selfishly constructed in his mind. Besides, I had more important things to worry about, like Raiji 44-Stroika, who was conversing with a Tech-priest in the opposite end of the factory. After watching Otsuka disappear, I headed to Stroika.

"What's up?" I asked. Stroika looked up, having been inspecting some new, weird-looking weapon that was being produced by the hundreds on a conveyer belt. I picked one up and studied it, recognizing it as a plasma caliver. "Hey, isn't this a plasma caliver?"

"Don't touch that!" The Tech-priest blurted out frantically, a surprise because he was releasing blurts of binary before. Yeah, of course, because without my on-screen translator in my Throne Mechanicum, I wouldn't understand what he was saying. I hastily placed the gleaming weapon back on the belt.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. It's a new model of plasma caliver," Stroika explained, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to the Tech-priest's waving mechadendrites. "The Draconian priesthood is handing out these to the explorator fleet for us to test it out in real combat."

"Really? A new model?"

"It's reserved exclusively for the Skitarii legions," the tech-priest corrected, almost as if he was sniffing, but that was impossible with his re-breather. Aw...poor guardsmen then, they always never got to play with the new toys. "Non-Mechanicus personnel are not allowed to touch them."

"It seems that the Artisans have found a way to combine Tau technology with ours, and they succeeded in manufacturing plasma weaponry that is much more stable and will not blow up despite repeated usage," Stroika explained helpfully. Laymen translation: the Skitarii's plasma weapons are now immune to getting hot. "They have applied it to our plasma calivers and this is the result. I believe the Legio Cybernetica also has received the same type of weapons. The plasma culverins on the heavy battle servitors are being replaced en masse right now."

In other words, the Kataphron Destroyers' weapons are also immune to getting hot.

"The Imperial Guard could really make use of this technology," I lamented, thinking of the mechanized infantry squads and Leman Russ Executioner squadrons that relied heavily on the volatile plasma weapons. The tech-priest snorted.

"Do you think we will be able to produce a similar weapon for the Guard within such a short timeframe? We may be servants of the Omnissiah but we are not miracle workers. It's impossible for us to replace the plasma guns and cannons of the Draconian Armored Defense Force before the explorator fleet leaves."

Wow, this guy was really obnoxious. But at least he was talking to me and not acting as if I didn't exist like the tech-priests of most other forge worlds do. The adepts tended to not think very highly of humans who didn't have augmentations or bionic implants. Well, they tended to have more respect for knight pilots but because of my uniform they couldn't tell me apart from a regular guardsman. The details of formation badges and household heraldry were under them.

Still, the tech-priest continued, albeit in a calmer tone.

"Besides, the Defense Force has the plasma siphon absorber."

"The what?"

"That equipment over there, which is carried around by your regiment's company commanders."

Well, they weren't exactly my company commanders and I was technically outside the chain of command, falling into a completely different military branch known as Knights. As it was pointless to explain that, I looked in the direction the tech-priest pointed and saw a familiar-looking device.

"The Kurov's Aquila?"

"Good Omnissiah! That's not the Kurov's Aquila! Why do every single guardsman, including the commanders call it that!? It's a plasma siphon absorber, for crying out loud. This is why people without cybernetics and the Omnissiah's blessings..."

I ignored the tech-priest's rant and looked closer. Indeed, that was the same thing Colonel Ikeda was carrying when riding in his Doomhammer super-heavy tank, The Emperor's Wrath. The both of us thought it was a Kurov's Aquila because of its shape - it was built to resemble the two-headed avian servitor that bellowed the esteemed General Kurov's treatises. Now that I thought about it, Ikeda never used it the way it was normally used and I never saw the hololithic display of General Kurov folding his arms and bellowing orders.

Right. So it was this thing. I was still going to call it a Kurov's Aquila because of the special rules and benefits it conferred upon Ikeda's unit though.

"How about the honorable House Yato? Are your military preparations complete?"

"Yeah, almost done. They're making the last touches now. I guess the Defense Force is left?"

I turned toward outside and in the far distance I could see rows of Chimera APCs driving into the transport vessels that would take them up to the Mechanicus fleet in orbit. Each Chimera was filled with an infantry squad. Beside the Chimera APCs were columns of Leman Russ Executioner tanks, rolling up the ramps into their own orbital transports not far away from the infantry's.

The regular Draconian Imperial Guard resembled the Armageddon Steel Legion with our mechanized infantry and tanks, but we relied on Vendetta gunships more than they do, and we had a lot more Leman Russ Executioners in proportion to their Leman Russ variants. Plus our plasma gun infantry. Actually, it seems that we only had Leman Russ Executioners, with only Ryza beating us in terms of sheer numbers. Even though Draconis IV manufactured Leman Russ Battle Tanks and Leman Russ Vaquishers, I hardly see them in use by the Draconian Armored Defense Force. Actually, the ADF didn't use Leman Russ Battle Tanks or Leman Russ Vanquishers at all. We used Leman Russ siege tanks instead of the battle tank variants. I only showed Inquisitor Lector Rex the Leman Russ Battle Tanks and Vanquisher munifactorum to impress upon him how vital Draconis IV was to the survival of the Imperium, manufacturing mass numbers of the ubiquitous Leman Russ Battle Tank and the much rarer Leman Russ Vanquisher (especially now, after Gryphonne IV was consumed by the Tyranids), but the truth was, these were distributed to the Imperium immediately after production, without any transported into the garages of the ADF.

The plasma weapons were another issue altogether as we were given first priority to them. As a result, our mechanized infantry were equipped with an unusually high number of plasma weapons that were uncommon among most infantry divisions throughout the Imperium. Only when the Mechanicus was satisfied that the ADF had all the plasma weapons and Leman Russ Executioners that they need then they would be willing to ship the leftovers to the rest of the Imperium.

Most of the guardsmen in an infantry squad packed into those Chimera APCs possessed lasguns, but they had a few specialists that were equipped with flamers and heavy flamers, or plasma guns, or meltguns. Mostly plasma guns, knowing how the Draconian Armored regiment worked, a moderate amount of flamers and very few meltaguns.

Meltaguns were of little use to infantry who obviously couldn't just roll up in front of a tank in their Chimera APC, jump out and shoot it in close range. They would get blown off the field before they reach within a hundred meters of that tank. The anti-tank roles could be adequately fulfilled by us Imperial Knights and our immense firepower, arc rifles-wielding Skitarri Rangers, uncannily accurate Ironstrider Ballistarii with lacannons or lumbering Onager Dunecrawlers equipped with the devastating neutron laser. Even among the Defense Force, the Special Forces Group was better trained to deal with heavy armor, the Kamikaze Troopers either deep-striking behind enemy lines and shooting the tanks in their lightly armored rear or parachuting down from Vendetta gunships to land near the enemy. For that reason they had a few squads kitted out with meltaguns - though still not as many as the squads with plasma guns or hot-shot volley guns.

The ADF relied heavily on siege tanks which included not only the large number of Leman Russ Executioners but also the Leman Russ Demolisher, and much more rarely, the Leman Russ Punisher, which was only given to tank commanders because of the scarcity of its special-issue Draconis IV exclusive Punisher rounds. Unlike most Leman Russ Punishers, the Draconis IV-patterned tanks were issued high-velocity, armor-piercing rounds that were capable of rending and penetrating through even the thick armor of a Space Marine Land Raider or mortally wounding Monstrous Creatures and Gargantuan Creatures alike. I couldn't help but laugh when I once saw a single Leman Russ Punisher rending a Wraithknight to death with its sheer volume of fire. So much for D-weapons, yeah.

Bowing politely to Stroika and the impatient Tech-priest, I took my leave, strolling out of the factory and heading straight for the lumbering behemoth that towered over even the huge Leman Russ tanks. It was crawling rather slowly, the driver being careful not to accidentally crush equipment, other vehicles or the staff on the ground frantically trying to get out of the way. However, I caught sight of a familiar face not far from the super-heavy tank and made my way toward him.

"Colonel Ikeda!" I called out as I approached my friend. He turned away from his moving Doomhammer super-heavy tank and responded with a friendly wave. Jerking my hand at the Emperor's Wrath, I asked. "I take it that the 74th Battalion is moving out?"

"Yeah, we've been assigned to the explorator fleet."

"Heh...that's great! House Yato sent me and my Lance as well."

"Really?" Colonel Ikeda widened his eyes, but his grin grew. "I look forward to working with you again."

I could tell that he wasn't merely being polite, but it wasn't because of any affection for me either. As we had worked together before, in the Genova system where we fought the Tau Empire, we knew each other's tactics, working methods and strengths. We also knew how to compensate for each other's weaknesses. If Colonel Ikeda needed me to escort a few squadrons of Leman Russ tanks and an artillery tank battery, I would gladly do it.

"We're getting the new Wyvern Suppression Tanks," Colonel Ikeda informed me.

"Wyvern?"

I blinked in surprise, not having heard of the name. In the past, artillery batteries consisted of Griffon Heavy Mortar Carriers, Colossus Bombards and Medusa Siege Guns. The ADF was never blessed with these ancient, antiquated artillery vehicles, however, with them being phased out of production by the time our forge world came into being.

We had the opportunity to build Basilisk Artilleries, but the Tech-priests scorned them, thinking that the Leman Russ Battle Tanks did a much better job, were more armored and had higher survivability while being more mobile. Ironically, the ADF wasn't issued Leman Russ Battle Tanks, but we didn't need them. They were rendered obsolete by the Knight Paladin and Knight Crusader suits fielded by the three great houses. Each Knight suit could fire twice as much ordnance as a single Leman Russ Battle Tank and take over its role, so we distributed them to other Imperial Guard regiments instead.

We more suited for charging into the enemy with an armored fist, anyway, sending Leman Russ Demolishers at the tip of the spear with a Tank Commander in a Leman Russ Punisher in the center giving orders and him flanked by large numbers of Leman Russ Executioners spewing hot plasma death. I wondered what this new Wyvern could do.

Fortunately, Ikeda had an answer on hand.

"That's the Wyverns," he pointed at a bunch of moving mortar vehicles. "They're equipped with twin-linked stormshards mortars. They specialize in close-ranged saturation bombardment, firing a storm of shrapnel to cut enemy infantry apart. They are designed to penetrate even cover, perforating walls and barricades alike. Their role is anti-infantry support for our tanks."

"Heh," I mused, impressed. Indeed, our Leman Russ tanks needed support against infantry squads firing anti-vehicle weapons at us. "That's really useful."

"Yeah. I can't wait to see these babies in combat! This will be the first time the 74th Battalion, no, the ADF is using them in field."

Certainly, that would be a sight to see.

I watched the batteries of Wyverns roll up the ramp and into the space transport that would ferry them to the fleet. The rows of tanks vanished into the huge cargo hall that housed them. The ramp rose mechanically, slamming shut and the shuttle's thrusters began to flare violently as it began takeoff procedures.

The row of Leman Russ Executioner tanks and columns of Chimera APCs had already taken up positions in their respective space crafts, which were preparing to launch. Beside them, the last of the Leman Russ Demolisher tanks were slowly lumbering into a smaller transport ship, numbering half of their Executioner counterparts.

And soon it would be our turn.

"Sir! The 74th Battalion has successfully boarded the transport ships. It's just us left."

A Leman Russ Punisher, one out of a pitiful few when compared to the other Leman Russ variants' vast numbers, rolled to a stop beside the giant Doomhammer super-heavy tank. A grizzled man in his thirties stuck his gruff face out of the tank's hatch to call out to the still disembarked Colonel Ikeda.

"Oh, Kouhei. Thanks. I'll be joining soon." Colonel Ikeda then turned to me. "Tanaka, this is Lieutenant-colonel Hasekura Kouhei. He's my second-in-command and the highest-ranking Tank Commander in the battalion. For some reason he doesn't want a Doomhammer of his own."

"I don't need a Doomhammer. A Leman Russ is good enough for me."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Anyway, please hurry up or the transport will leave without you."

"Ah! All right!" Colonel Ikeda turned back to me with a scowl even as Hasekura's Leman Russ Punisher gunned the engine and darted into the transport where the other tank commanders in Punishers were waiting. "I'll see you on the battlefield, Tanaka. I hope we can rely on you for super-heavy support again."

"You have the Knights of House Yato at your disposal," I promised, and then quickly rectified myself. "Or at least my Lance. I don't know about the other Knight leaders, but I'll offer the assistance of my Lance."

I hoped Otsuka didn't do anything stupid in the meantime and end up getting himself killed while leading a column of tanks in an armored charge straight into the enemy. That would be disastrous. We needed him to provide long-range support with his rapid-fire battle cannon, not run headlong into our foes like the notorious Kamikaze Troopers.

Hey, even those Kamikaze Troopers didn't stupidly run straight at their targets. They sneakily deep-strike behind them.

Nodding, I made the sign of the cog and then the sign of the Aquila to signify our dual allegiances, and Colonel Ikeda responded with only the Aquila. While the Imperial Guard received invaluable support, material, equipment, vehicles and resources from the Adeptus Mechanicus, their loyalty was ultimately to the Emperor and only the Emperor.

I watched as Colonel Ikeda climbed aboard the massive Doomhammer and then direct the super-heavy command tank into the commander's transport lifter that was reserved exclusively for him and his commanders. The behemoth drove into the center, flanked by the Leman Russ Punishers that were in turn occupied by commanders.

It wasn't long before the barge took off and I found myself watching the spectacle of flame, smoke and enormous transports blasting off and fading into the heavens above. As countless shuttles took off, APCs and tanks in their bellies, they blotted out the light red sky with their sheer numbers. I admired the scenery, losing track of time as my mind somehow fell into a peaceful trance.

"Sir Taihei, it is time."

"Oh? Kazu?" I recognized the voice as someone stalked up beside me. It was none other than my personal Sacristan or koushou, Watanabe Kazuki. He stood upright, as formal as ever despite me frequently telling him to relax. "I assume you have finished the upgrades and welding?"

Kazu nodded, a smile coming over his weary face. "It is done," he confirmed.

Being the supervisor and the chief of the crew that maintained and repaired my knight, Kazu worked tirelessly for long hours to make sure my suit was in tip-top shape and optimized for battle. There was no flaw he overlooked, no gear he left out of place and no damage he missed patching up. I could trust the condition of my suit to him. Knowing that he was the one in charge of maintaining my knight, I could confidently marched into the battlefield without worrying about glitches or little niggles that would otherwise mean the difference between life and death.

"How about the others?"

"The other Sacristans also say that their work is done, sir. We can move out anytime now. I believe Sir Kurosawa is leading his Lance to the Mechanicus's transport barges now."

"I understand. Tell the crew to pack up and get ready. I'll round up my Lance and we'll board our designated transport barge once everyone is ready."

"Right away, sir!"

Despite himself, the usually formal Kazu was visibly excited. No doubt he looked forward to experimenting with new carapace weapons and the like while repairing my suit and upgrading its performance and operating system with each vicious battle. As for me, I wasn't looking forward into getting into any fights. I prayed hard to the Emperor that we wouldn't get into any bloody scrap like we did back in the Genova system.

The appearance of daemons was unnerving. Emperor willing, I never wanted to meet them again.

It took less than an hour for the crews, led by Kazu and the respective koushous of Yamada and Otsuka, to get ready and board the colossal transport barge that was to ferry our knights. I was pleased to see that we were second, behind Kurosawa's Lance. Otsuka, while less enthusiastic than before, was still quick to follow orders and Yamada was being Yamada. As usual.

As the three of us got into our Knights and began booting up the systems running our Throne Mechanicum, I did one last check to make sure nothing was out of place.

Excellent. Everything was good to go. Yamada and Otsuka too voxed me to display their readiness to launch.

I nodded in satisfaction and thumbed my vox, leaning back and sensing the presence of other people. The generations of knights who had piloted Ryuujin before me, their ghosts whispering intelligibly but their intentions clear. They were spoiling for a fight and their aggressiveness almost threw me off. I immediately clamped down on the feelings, but I couldn't suppress the excitement welling up inside me. Pressing the button, I voxed Yamada and Otsuka.

"Knights of the Imperium," I shouted. "We march!"