Warhammer 40k: Ours Journey

Chapter 42: After-Action Report

With the capture of the raiding fleet's Archon, the victorious outcome was already certain. All that remained were scattered stragglers, making a futile struggle under a gaze that could see right through them. After the Archon's flight and probing attacks had exhausted the stronger individuals, the ordinary Kabalite warriors were no match for the Carcharodons, who now had the advantage of numbers.

The xenos' only remaining struggle was to rally their remnant forces, form a defensive huddle, and try to break through the blockade along the main thoroughfare to return to their cruiser. Unfortunately for them, the moment they gathered, they were pinned down by a relentless crossfire of bolter rounds and las-beams.

Karna listened to the continuous roar of gunfire and chainswords. He watched as one furious Shark after another charged forward, tearing the last of the enemy to shreds. He made no move to steal their glory, simply resting his power lance, its blade now half-missing, on the deck. He looked with some envy at Arthur. During the encirclement of the Archon, Arthur had taken just as many disintegrator shots, yet the paint on his shield wasn't even scratched.

"Want a closer look?" Arthur asked, noticing Karna staring intently at the sword and shield in his hands. He reversed his grip on the sword's hilt.

"Let me see." Karna's eyes lit up. Just looking at this incredibly cool signature weapon was enough to trigger his collector's instincts.

"Then look." Arthur locked the sword and shield together, planted them on the deck, and struck a cool pose.

"...Do you think you're funny?"

"Shouldn't we relax after a battle?"

"Nice joke. Don't tell it again." Karna sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead.

"Er—" Arthur broke his pose and held out the sword's hilt. "Here?" He really didn't mind.

"No, no, it's fine. I was just envious that Old Man Gold enchanted your gear. I'll try to get one for myself when I have the chance," Karna said, waving his hand dismissively. He wouldn't stoop to swiping his friend's equipment. If he really wanted one, he could just replicate it with psycho-materialization; it would just be missing the enchantment. "But it's clear there's no chance for that this time."

"No chance is a good thing," Arthur said with a sincere nod. It was clear he was in high spirits.

"Yeah, no chance is a good thing." Karna looked up.

Around them, the hangar was relatively intact, but hundreds of corpses of various species were piled high, the weight of the heaps squeezing blood out onto the deck. The rest of the bodies couldn't be collected, especially in the corridors that Tyberos and Karna had passed through. They would have to wait for the servitors sent by Archmagos Cawl to clean them up.

The Carcharodons' Apothecary and Librarian were together, cataloging the spoils from the xenos' bodies. Normally, at a time like this, they should be collecting the bodies of their fallen brothers, recovering their gene-seed, and checking on the wounded, not counting their profits like misers. But they could only count their profits.

Because not a single battle-brother had died.

"We won," Tyberos said.

They had won, and won completely. All enemies had been exterminated, and their own record was zero casualties.

"Thank you for your command, Lord Romulus," Tyberos said, his voice filled with admiration after taking a final headcount of his forces. He had never fought such an easy battle. "Your tactical skill, the rich battlefield experience of you and your lords... to fight alongside such warriors, I am... fortunate."

Although such complimentary words had never once formed in his mind since he could remember, Tyberos spoke them with sincerity.

Zero casualties.

Without the help of these ancient warriors, let alone a hundred-plus men, even if his entire Chapter had been thrown into the fray, they could never have achieved such a result. Just over thirty ancient warriors had led one hundred and thirty of his own to such a glorious victory. If there were ten thousand such warriors... no, in that era when the Astartes still fought as Legions, there must have been countless warriors like them.

A look of yearning appeared in Tyberos's eyes. What kind of trans-epochal tidal wave must have washed over that age, when the Emperor still walked among men, to forge such warriors?

Romulus saw that longing, but he didn't respond. He knew his own business. If he, as an RTS player with a maphack, couldn't beat his opponent, he might as well find a hole and bury himself. A poet who can't win even with cheats?

"You are too kind," Romulus replied modestly. "The bravery of the Sharks also left a deep impression on us."

"Compared to you, we are far more green," Tyberos said, his gaze sweeping over the Imperial Fists. Their once-pristine power armor was now covered in scars, some so severe that they had penetration wounds stained with blood.

Meeting their Chapter Master's gaze, the Sharks standing beside them couldn't help but feel a deep sense of shame. This was especially true for the three who had been ambushed while surrounding the Incubus. Looking at the wound on the elder's faceplate, even the joy of victory vanished. They had stepped onto a glorious battlefield with an elder, yet the elder had been wounded protecting them, and had even risked his life in the process. They were warriors tempered by countless wars, yet on the battlefield, they had been like infants in swaddling clothes.

"The Carcharodons reward the worthy and punish the unworthy," Tyberos said coldly.

The Sharks who heard him all nodded grimly. When they returned to the Chapter, they would undergo a new trial to prove they were still worthy of fighting in the company.

Romulus's lips moved, but he didn't know how to de-escalate the situation. He wasn't sure what a Chapter's internal culture meant to them, and making a rash decision could lead to an outcome that would make everyone unhappy. Of course, he had studied the Sharks' culture. For special reasons, they cherished the established combat power within their Chapter. Even Te Kahurangi's brother, who had lost the Void-stone, had been spared after giving a reasonable explanation and sent on a quest to retrieve the Emperor's artifact. So he didn't have to worry about them doing anything too abstract, like a decimation.

At least no one died.

Romulus shook his head, thinking optimistically, and continued with his after-action report. This battle had basically given him a good assessment of his own abilities in a real combat situation. The only fly in the ointment was that he had been using a maphack, so its value as a reference was somewhat lacking. Of course, cheating was also a part of one's strength. The Four Gods all did it, so there was no reason they couldn't. He wasn't so absurd as to hide his trump cards while a group of people were risking their lives with him. That would be a true betrayal of the trust the Sharks had placed in him.

Next was the battlefield data he had recorded.

Romulus integrated the combat data of each participant, packaged it, and uploaded it to the interface he had already modified beyond recognition.

(End of Chapter)