Chapter 87: You Should Always Be Careful About Something
Mars, three years later.
Hades sat with his back to the workbench, casually chatting with Jin.
Behind him, the miniature plasma cutter on his power pack was following a set trajectory, slicing through adamantium with sparks flying everywhere.
Through training, Hades had learned to let the left side of his brain control the pack, allowing it to automatically perform simple tasks like cutting or welding.
This gave him the chance to slack off a bit.
Two years ago, Luna Wolves Sunderland had completed his studies, returned to his Legion with honor, and left Hades and the others to watch enviously as the Luna Wolves laughed heartily on his way out.
The good news was that through discussions with Magos Yordan, Hades learned his progress was relatively fast—he might even finish early and return.
As for Terra, there has been no news since Hades replied to Mortarion that it was up to him and asked Malcador to send more Untouchables.
The carrot dangled in front of the mule hadn't even been set up yet, so Hades wasn't in a hurry.
He focused on struggling through his studies on Mars.
Speaking of which, War Hounds Peres was about to return to his Legion. Hades wondered if he should prepare some food for the occasion.
Or maybe he could say something to Peres?
Last time, when Sunderland left, some White Scars battle brothers had taken the Space Wolves out to hunt for wild game.
Hades still didn't know what kind of meat it was. It might have been some exotic beast that a benevolent Magos had released into the wastelands.
But he had slowly grown savvy and learned to embrace everything.
"Jin, help me get some food again. I'll put in a good word for you with Magos Yordan."
Jin, who was assembling a small engine, flashed a furious icon on his display.
"Hades of the Death Guard from Barbarus, to date, you've praised me to the Magos exactly 3,007 times. Yet here I still am."
The mechadendrites tightening screws on Jin's servitor body moved so fast that they were almost tearing his robe.
"Still here, acting as your assistant!"
Hades scratched his head. Clearly, Jin had been reserved and cooperative at first. When had this change happened?
"Come on, I don't have much else to offer you, except a few kind words to your superiors."
Jin's bionic eye flickered, then filled with more angry symbols.
"Lord Hades, just look at the tech-thralls who worked with the Iron Hands. Now they've become quartermasters liaising directly with the Iron Hands."
The servitor's synthesized voice was unnervingly lifelike.
"And me, Lord Hades? Do you have any idea how hard it is for a tech-thrall to earn a position serving a restructured Legion?!"
Hades hesitated and said cautiously,
"Work hard, and maybe you'll become the Magos liaising with the Death Guard... someday."
Great. Now he was stringing people along with empty promises too.
Hades, oh Hades, when did you become this kind of person?
Jin, however, gritted his teeth and replied,
"I hope so, Lord Hades."
Hades blinked.
"So, about that food—"
Jin hurled a stream of angry corrupted code at him, then shut off his display, choosing to go silent.
Hmm. Looked like that wasn't happening.
Too bad. The flour Jin had brought back from Terra last time had been quite good.
<+>
[Behavioral analysis log complete.]
Today happened to be the day the Ultramarines came to Mars for a large-scale resupply of weapons and equipment. A new batch of their Techmarines was also arriving for training.
This presented a perfect opportunity to skip his studies, so Hades decisively ran off with the Space Wolves Manning to watch the Ultramarines.
He had asked the Imperial Fists and Iron Hands if they wanted to join in, but they declined.
Unfortunately, Manning deliberately kept some distance from Hades. Knowing why, Hades could only silently accept the gesture of goodwill.
The Ultramarines had brought over a dozen Techmarines. Considering that the existing 13 Techmarines hadn't left yet—and that each Legion typically had only 4-5 Techmarines training on Mars at any given time—the Ultramarines were overwhelming the others with sheer numbers.
For the first time, Hades truly understood the Ultramarines' defining feature: strength in numbers.
As Severius of the Ultramarines passed by, he gave Hades a friendly smile.
"Hades, are you here to welcome our new Techmarines?"
Hades replied smoothly,
"Of course. Watching you greet your new comrades makes me wonder when the Death Guard will send new recruits. Then I'll get to be busy for once."
"Help us check on our new brothers first."
Severius laughed heartily, then went off to greet the newcomers.
Hades sat on the observation deck, gazing at the massive blue structure in the distance as it slowly loaded and unloaded cargo. The enormous white, inverted "U" symbol was clearly visible.
As he stared blankly at the small blue dots in the distance, footsteps approached.
A Magos walked toward him. Unlike Magos Yordan, who often carried a stooped posture, this one was a tall woman, retaining a figure that hinted at her original femininity. Her face was half-metal, half-flesh, with cold, gray-blue eyes and an expressionless demeanor.
She walked over and sat directly across from Hades.
Hades sighed inwardly. Now what's this about?
Judging from her manner, it didn't seem to concern the Death Guard. Aside from the strange hostility Mars seemed to harbor toward him, Hades couldn't think of any other reason for this interaction.
"Be careful," she said.
Thanks for the cryptic warning. Care to elaborate?
"Thanks for the reminder," Hades replied. "But could you be a bit more specific?"
The Magos blinked, surprised. Then, as if summoning a great deal of courage, she spoke again.
"I serve under Malcador the Sigillite and oversee affairs on Mars under his command."
"Before your arrival, a faction of dissidents on Mars began engaging in peculiar activities. They've approached Techmarine training facilities and intercepted some of Magos Yordan's data streams."
"Based on the timing and content of their actions, my calculations show an 87.6% probability that their focus is on you."
Hades exhaled deeply. "So why are you only telling me this now?"
Her remaining organic half froze, visibly flustered as if caught in a lie.
"Recently, I received orders from Malcador to prepare for his upcoming visit to Mars," she said hesitantly.
"And what does that have to do with me?"
Hades pressed further, already suspecting the truth: Malcador likely mentioned him, prompting the Magos to come rushing over with this warning.
Otherwise, she would probably have continued to watch indifferently. If she'd truly wanted to warn him, she could've done so long ago—before three years of events unfolded.
Instead, she showed up now with a vague, half-hearted warning.
Compared to her, Hades felt even the straightforward—and sometimes belligerent—approach of the Mechanicus veterans was preferable.
After his pointed question, the Magos fell completely silent.
Finally, she spoke again, slowly:
"Be careful. Not everyone on Mars is loyal to the Emperor."
"And they are targeting you."
"They seem to be drawn to your unique... condition."
Then she stood up abruptly, turned, and walked away without looking back.
Hades blinked. Based on his years of dealing with the Mechanicus, he guessed she'd just swapped to a generic speech module to deflect further questioning.
Still, the information was useful. So it was his Untouchable nature attracting them?
The realization sent a chill down his spine. He could only hope to leave Mars in one piece—and not as the subject of some Biologis Magos's research paper.
Severius approached with a group of new Ultramarine Techmarines, faintly audible as they praised one particularly formidable warrior among them.
Pushing aside his thoughts, Hades stood to greet them, jokingly congratulating Severius on his "promotion."
While most Ultramarines were adept at navigating social niceties, Hades's playful jabs often left them at a loss.
Severius introduced the new recruits with a smile, subtly implying he hoped Hades would look after them.
Hades sighed inwardly. He had only been on Mars for three years, and now he was being treated like a senior figure.
What Hades didn't realize was that his rapid learning progress, combined with his impressive dueling record and knack for socializing with diverse Techmarine groups, had earned him significant admiration. The Ultramarines had even quietly listed him as a role model.
Juggling his thoughts about the Magos's warning and the new arrivals' conversations, Hades looked up. In the distance, he saw a massive materials container being loaded onto an Ultramarine transport vessel.
"Does Mars supply materials other than weapons and ammunition?" Hades blurted out.
One of the new recruits beside Severius chuckled.
"That's a type of material with high psyker compatibility. A brother building a new world specifically requested it."
Oh, infrastructure work. Classic Ultramarine tradition.
Hades didn't dwell on it further.
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