Warhammer: Saving Humanity Begins with the Resurrection of Horus

Page 49

"Come in... Is there something you need that you've come all this way?"

After receiving Lynch's permission, Asford stepped into the office. Although the office wasn't large, it was originally built to serve Astartes, so for Asford, the space wasn't cramped and was within acceptable limits.

"It's nothing, I just heard that you, Lord Lin Qi, are going to form the Honor Guard, so I wanted to come and confirm whether this news is true or not."

Lynch looked at Asford and blinked.

Did this news spread so quickly? He only discussed it with Ryan.

Seemingly sensing the questioning look in Lynch's eyes, Asford stared straight ahead and spoke expressionlessly.

"I heard it from others. They said that the first company of the battle group has been organizing elite training for the company recently, in order to get the most spots in the later selection."

Oh, I heard that from someone else. It sounds so familiar. "I have a friend, right?" But they don't say who the friend is.

Lynch shook his head, and after careful thought, he figured out where the problem probably lay—it must have been when Ryan went to inspect the Terminator power armor inside the chapter and the weapons specifically issued to the Honor Guard.

He didn't choose to carry out this action privately, so he naturally released the information.

Well, since the news has already spread, let's just be straightforward. When the Terra ships arrive, as the current de facto ruler of Badab and Starclaw, I will indeed need a guard.

After all, the Honor Guard was responsible for more than just protecting him; they were also sending a signal to the Empire.

A Star Claw is now willing to accept the signal of the Empire's leadership.

Sending the Honor Guard, originally responsible for the warbands, to protect a mortal, a chosen one of the Empire, is the best way to send this signal.

Lynch then took a deep breath, looked at Asford seriously, and nodded.

"Well, what's wrong? Is there a problem, Asford?"

"No problem, I just wanted to confirm its authenticity... By the way, sir, I'd like to ask, are there any restrictions on participating in this selection? Or rather, how does the selection process work?"

Can I answer that I haven't thought about it yet?

Looking at Asford's calm face, Lynch roughly guessed what the other man wanted to do.

Generally speaking, units like technical sergeants and think tanks are not eligible to be selected as members of the Honor Guard. This is because their numbers are already small; in fact, it could be said that the Honor Guard, besides protecting the chapter commanders, is also responsible for protecting these valuable chapter talents.

Lynch sighed, then looked at Asford's face, remained silent for a long time, and then chose to speak.

"Here's what we'll do. I need a recorder for the meeting later. Asford, would you be willing to take on this role?"

"...It is an honor, my lord."

"Okay, then it's settled."

Lin Qi nodded, summoned a servo skull from the side, and then used it to send a message outward.

"Just to let you know, all the senior members of the warband should now proceed to the temporary meeting room. I have something to discuss with you in an hour."

Chapter 65 Meeting

An hour later, in the temporary conference room of Star Claw.

When Lynch finished processing some of his official documents and arrived at the location with Asford, almost everyone else who was supposed to attend the meeting had already arrived.

Realizing that he was the last to arrive at the venue despite being the organizer, Lin Qi felt a little embarrassed. He blinked quickly, then looked at everyone and spoke calmly.

"Good afternoon everybody."

"Good afternoon, Lord Lynch."

Leo, sitting near the front, was the first to respond to Lynch, and the others followed suit. They all stood up from their seats, took off their helmets, and revealed their faces as they responded to Lynch's greeting.

Lynch took a deep breath. No matter how many times he had gone through this, the thought that his decision would affect the lives and actions of more than three thousand Astartes and even a large number of mortals still made him feel a little nervous.

Asford strode forward, reaching out to pull the only human-sized chair in the meeting room from the long table. He turned slightly to the side, his posture giving the impression of a servant in a noble household in the hive.

He maintained this posture until Lynch sat down in the chair, at which point he reached out and pushed the chair back slightly to ensure the person sitting in it could support their arms on the table. Then he straightened his back, stood to the left of the seat, and took out a pen and a thick notebook.

"Asford is the recorder for this meeting. I apologize for not informing you; it was my personal decision on the spot."

Lynch spoke up, explaining why Asford, as an ordinary soldier, was present at this meeting attended by the squadron leader and the company commander.

No one objected, but they kept glancing at Asford, seemingly without realizing what they were thinking.

"Let's begin the meeting, everyone. Although I initiated this meeting, I hope you will all speak freely. You can raise any questions you have here, and let's uphold the ancient Terra proverb that many hands make light work, and work together to find a solution."

Lin Qi spoke in a relaxed tone, as if he were chatting with someone, showing no trace of the authority and imposing presence that a powerful leader of a 3,000-strong battle group should possess.

Because these things are unnecessary for Lynch, even if his attitude is very easygoing, it will not change the image in the hearts of the Astartes present and the attitude they should give him.

After all, the other party was not only the Chapter's benefactor who successfully pulled the Starclaws back from Huron's wrong course, but also the bearer of their Primarch's will and soul in this spacetime.

Before the Primarch is fully revived, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they are half of their Primarch.

Of course, this is only the internal version of the Star Claws chapter. The official version is that of the Emperor's Chosen. After all, thanks to the subtle propaganda of the initial coup plotters, everyone in the chapter knows that the identity of their Gene Father cannot be completely revealed. It can only be a little secret of the chapter, hidden in everyone's hearts.

Inside the meeting room, Owen, representing the armory and technical sergeants, took a deep breath, then stood up first, looked at the others, nodded, and spoke.

"Since Lord Lynch has said he'd speak freely, then I won't stand on ceremony either. Company commanders, for the sake of the Emperor and the Father of Genetics, please refrain from such strenuous training recently."

Feeling the gazes directed at him, Irving was initially a little nervous.

But the thought that it was because of these people's recent training that he had to speak at the meeting to convey the issues ignited a nameless anger within him, driving him to finish his sentence.

"I know you've all been planning something important lately. But! According to my statistics, the damage rate of training servitors has increased by 86% in the last four days. We technical sergeants are already stretched thin; please don't add to their workload!"

Among the group present, several company commanders immediately averted their gazes after hearing Owen's words. They made subtle movements, but Lynch and Horus still noticed their slightly embarrassed state of mind.

"Perhaps Kyrie Irving can understand my current situation very well."

"No, it's because you understand me. After all, I actually handled most of your administrative affairs. Your task was just copying, like a servant."

Horus calmly refuted Lynch's words, causing Lynch's lips to twitch slightly.

Horus had fully recovered from his weakened state yesterday. Lin Qi originally wanted to strike while the iron was hot and use his abilities to help him break off another piece of his soul, but he was refused.

As for the reason...

If he were to suddenly fall into a coma due to the manipulation of his soul, although Gawain's presence would prevent major problems in the general situation, it would certainly still have an impact.

Having finally brought the situation to a state of prosperity, Horus and Lynch were unwilling to see any mishaps. However, they had decided that once the decree of Terra was officially issued, they would find a substitute (crossed out)... a capable heir, and train him to be the governor to maintain the Starclaws' work during the soul restoration period.

Lynch felt that Asford, who seemed to have a strong connection with him, was a good candidate, while Horus said he would take a closer look and believed that he would prefer to choose from the current company commanders rather than a newcomer from within the chapter.

"Let's take a look at our upcoming Honor Guard selection. This kind of all-army competition can discover a lot of talent within the battle group."

"That's mainly in terms of combat. As a consul, personal combat ability is secondary; what's important is his political ability... I really envy Guilliman. Putting aside everything else, every one of his descendants is a master of political management."

Horus uttered a remark, which made Lynch burst into a smile.

Yes, here we go again.

Badab, the Claw of the Stars, a loyal son of Horus.

It doesn't feel as good as the Macurag.

The meeting room gradually became lively. In addition to Irving, who represented the technical sergeant in launching a protest against the others, the pharmacist also spoke out, complaining and questioning the recent surge in casualties.

The pharmacist representative was Cafu, who was not wearing a helmet at the moment, allowing Lynch to clearly see his face, which at first glance gave a strong sense of determination, but whose amber eyes revealed both gentleness and firmness.

"Most of the warband's original stockpile of gene seeds has been destroyed, and everyone knows why they can no longer be used. Therefore, our warband will be unable to recruit new members for the foreseeable future."

Oh, right, the gene seed.

Lynch suddenly remembered this matter; he thought of the large sum of gene seed tax that Huron had previously owed. If nothing unexpected happened, they would have to pay it back once the Empire arrived.

Even if not all of it needs to be paid, some of it still needs to be paid. Otherwise, it would set a very bad precedent, affecting the normal operation of subsequent tax revenue in surrounding star systems and even within the empire.

However, judging from the current situation...

The Warband's stockpile of gene seeds is probably insufficient to cover the tax payments.

Fortunately, Lin Qi had another way to help the pharmacist quickly cultivate a batch of gene seeds. It just so happened that the technical soldiers were going to stay after this meeting anyway, so he could just add a pharmacist along with them.

Thinking this, Lynch refocused his attention on the meeting itself. After a series of heated discussions, the company commanders were successfully rendered speechless by the technical sergeant and the pharmacist, while Eric, who had replaced the injured Bell at the meeting, leisurely watched everything, seemingly unaffected.

"Cough cough."

As soon as Lin Qi spoke, everyone present turned their attention to him.

Okay, now that you've all finished speaking, it's my turn to speak.

"I just heard what the technical sergeants and pharmacists were saying. Company commanders, this is indeed your problem. The battle group is in dire need of rebuilding, and your actions will only increase your workload. As for training, we need to pay attention to... well, to the teachings of the God Emperor, not just brute force."

The company commanders nodded in agreement, while Asford quickly jotted down notes in his notebook.

Lord Lynch said that training must follow the teachings of the God Emperor.

"Also, I have a general understanding of the reasons for your training during this period... I can tell you now that this is not a rumor. Yes, I plan to select a group of elite personnel from the battle groups, a total of ninety people, to form a brand new Honor Guard."

"Then, in accordance with his will, I will provide these guards with the best equipment and a brand new name."

Lynch took a deep breath, then his gaze shifted slightly to Horus, who had somehow drifted to his side.

"They will be called the Moon Wolf Guardians, and they will be honored to become the strongest shield and the sharpest claws of the Star Claws from now on."

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Chapter 66 Selection Methods, Gene Seeds, and Equipment

Honor Guard.

The words caused everyone present to breathe a little heavier. Although they had been mentally prepared, they still felt a surge of emotion when they actually heard the news.

After all, those were warriors who could follow Lin Qi, and in the current Star Claw, this was undoubtedly a great honor.

Not to mention that the chosen individuals will be personally equipped by Lynch and given a brand new name—Moon Wolf Guardians—which will undoubtedly make this honor even more dazzling and resonate in the hearts of every Star Claw Astartes warrior.

"Lord Lynch, how shall we proceed with the selection process?"

The one who asked the question was Leo. As the company commander, he was also one of the first to receive the news and had been preparing for it for a long time. Although he, as the company commander, could not participate in the event, it was an honor for his soldiers to be selected.

"How did the previous Honor Guard conduct its selection process?"

“Selection is made from veterans in each company, with each company commander making recommendations. Then, the regimental commander assesses these recommendations and selects those deemed suitable to serve as guards.”

"...And what about the chapter champion?"

"The strongest member of the Honor Guard will be awarded honor and become the Warband Champion through an internal tournament."

"Is that so..."