Chapter 406, Renegade Space Marines
On the Wrathful Owl Star, inside the Chapter Monastery.
Martins sat upright and read the battle report quietly.
During this time, Xingyu had not hung up the call. Gu Hang on the other side was also waiting patiently - or doing something else while maintaining the communication.
Martins came to his senses and said, "Sorry, Governor, I kept you waiting."
"It doesn't matter. What are you going to do next?"
"I will lead the team immediately and solve this problem personally. Thank you for your concern." Martins was still very polite to Gu Hang.
"Okay, I'll leave it to you. I'll let the navy cooperate with you, whether it's the Alliance Fleet or the Pegasus Fleet."
"Thanks you."
After the call ended, Martins turned back and took out a thick book from a password cabinet behind him and placed it on the table.
He turned the pages of the book, and on them were recorded names one after another.
That is the list of all the members of the Phoenix Corps from its founding to the present.
He turned to one of the pages and there was his own name on it. And just two lines above it, it said 'Sidney Blevins.'
He could still remember that Blevins entered the Phoenix at the same time as him. They trained together, encouraged each other, completed the implantation surgery together, and fought side by side.
In the 79th year of Phoenix's Atonement Crusade, Phoenix deployed 50 soldiers in a counterinsurgency mission. The battle went smoothly at first, but in the later stages, the front suddenly collapsed, and the planetary defense forces of the friendly forces were defeated. He and his comrades were trapped in the siege and forced to defend a bunker.
Fifty Phoenixes fought fiercely against countless enemy troops with heavy firepower. They killed a large number of enemies and frightened the rebels so much that they dared not attack again and could only bypass their defenses.
In the end, when they ran out of ammunition and food, the Phoenixes could no longer hold on. With no reinforcements coming, they had no choice but to break out. They broke through the minefield, endured bullets and artillery fire, and endured the attacks of the air force, and finally broke out of the siege.
But during this process, they also encountered many crises and the team was broken up. When they reunited in the rear, there were only more than 20 people left in the whole team.
Among the casualties, some died in the bunker defense battle, and some went missing in the breakout and never came back. His good friend, Sidney Blevins, was among the latter.
He angrily shot the commander of the planetary defense force who ordered a retreat without notifying Phoenix in advance, decisively took over the command, and finally won the war.
But there was no reward, only pain and rebuke from the empire.
There was no reward because they were on a penance expedition and had no honor to speak of. They were reprimanded because as sinners, they actually shot the commander on the battlefield and seized the command.
However, Martins did not regret it, and the regiment did not punish him.
That incompetent and stupid commander directly killed more than twenty of their brothers in just an ordinary counterinsurgency war. This is unforgivable.
Especially among those killed, there were also his good friends.
At this moment, Martins recalled the scenes of the past and the time he spent with Sidney Blevins.
The figure in my memory keeps appearing before my eyes and becomes more and more real.
He stared at the blurry, fleeting photo for a long time.
…
Juedushu is a desert world located in the Kenma star area, connected to the Red Arrow Star on the star map.
It is a bit like a super-enlarged version of the Western Desert on the Angry Owl Star. The entire planet is covered by desert, the ocean area is relatively small, and the environment is very harsh.
But despite this, there are still about 200 million people living here.
Most people follow the water and grass. The precipitation on Saturn is very little, and it shows obvious seasonality and regionality. The people on Saturn have also mastered the ability to follow the rainy season and developed nomadic groups all over the planet.
In addition, in a small number of river valleys and oases, stable residential areas and even cities are formed relying on groundwater sources to support another part of the population.
The main output of this planet is food, meat products, fur and leather products. The annual tax amount of 20 million can be collected roughly. Occasionally, if the harvest is not good or there is some unrest on the planet, some human taxes can be used to make up for it.
The planet's governor is just a tailor and doesn't live a very good life.
Since life is hard, we have to think of other ways.
After a group of interstellar pirates visited Juetu and carried out a looting, Juetu's governor Azimuba came up with an idea.
Not only did he not report the robbery to the empire, he even provided the pirate group with more food supplies and reached a long-term cooperation agreement with the pirate group named "Red Eye".
Juedus provided some supplies and even some goods to the pirate group, which they sold on the pirate black market. The price obtained in this way was higher than the normal price of paying imperial taxes and normal trade. The materials obtained were used to purchase some goods that were difficult to sell on the black market, and then they were exchanged for other materials in the normal imperial trade system.
In addition, they can also provide identity cover for the pirate groups. In this way, whenever some official naval forces are clearing out the pirate groups, they can hide in Jeshu Star and disguise themselves as Jeshu people.
After a long time, the pirate group even started to recruit people on the planet Saturn.
However, before that, Governor Azimuba and the Red Eye Pirates at least understood the principle of a rabbit not eating grass near its nest. In addition, in the area near Juesus, the interstellar trade in the Kenma Star Region is not well developed, while the interstellar trade in the neighboring Tianma Star Region is much better, but there is also a Tianma fleet stationed there for a long time.
It is also for this reason that the Red Eye Pirates have never been active in these two star regions.
They used Jue Saturn as a secret base, retreat route, supply station, and place for importing goods. The place where they actually carried out the looting activities would be far away.
Until recently, this strategy has changed.
The neighbors next door are doing better, and shipping and trade are developing, which is really enviable. The key is that there are still many civilian merchant ships that lack protection and are wandering around.
The main force of the Pegasus Fleet also left because of the Iron Tooth War. Isn't this a good time to make a fortune?
Of course, if that were all, they would still hesitate.
But at this time, they met eight warriors during an operation in other distant star regions.
Their main ship was captured, but the eight warriors did not kill them. Instead, they joined them and undoubtedly gained the right to rule. The leader of the Red Eye Pirates became a tall man named "Nides".
Anyone who has heard the legend of the Space Marines will undoubtedly be able to identify them from their stature and their power armor.
And if we look at the way they act and the symbols that have been painted over on their armor, we can guess a lot more.
But no one dared to say it.
Anyway, having a new boss is not a bad thing. After all, the new boss is really powerful.
Then, under the command of the new boss, they abandoned their past strategies and began to attack the Tianma star region.
At first, they succeeded a few times and made a fortune, which made the pirate group excited.
But then things got a little rough and losses occurred. This is normal, as pirates are not the only ones who can make a fortune without getting beaten.
However, at this point, that's about it.
Azimuba thought so too.
There are already quite a few Jue Saturnians in the pirate group, and many of them are his confidants.
How could Gu Hang from the Tianma Star Region be so easy to mess with? The more news Azimuba heard about this person from official channels, the more frightened he became.
So far, calling it quits is the best option.
Everyone got rich, but some brothers died. Now they stop and go back to sell the robbed ships, people and supplies. Everyone who is still alive will get a large sum of money, and Saturn will be more comfortable as they won't have to pay human tax next time for the empire.
He has raised this point to Needles repeatedly in recent months.
However, each time was rejected.
When he tried to contact Needles again, he found that he could not get through.
The Star Language Tower on Jue Saturn was not advanced, and the psychic who operated it was a self-taught person who had accidentally awakened locally, and his ability was not that great. But it should not be difficult to just connect to the neighboring galaxy.
After many unsuccessful attempts to contact him, Azimuba began to feel that something was wrong.
But he still had some hope in his heart.
Maybe the Red Eye Pirates just ran away?
Even if they were really destroyed by the so-called alliance, it is possible that all the people on the ship died, and the alliance may not know the relationship between Jue Saturn and this group of pirates.
That was all he could think of.
What else can I do?
The Alliance was right next door, and he could reach here in one interstellar shuttle from Red Arrow Star. Compared with Governor Gu, whether in terms of force or political influence, he and his planet were as small as a small village, with no resistance.
Moreover, this matter undoubtedly violated the imperial law. Supporting looting, raising pirates, colluding with rebellious space marines... Any of these crimes would be enough to get him killed several times, and he would have to take away a whole household registration book.
The key is that he is not a pirate, and the planet will not move. Pirates can run away, but he can't.
After being worried for a while, what is coming will eventually come.
The person in charge of the observatory told him that a spaceship with the Alliance logo had arrived in the orbit of Saturn.
He thought it was his neighbor who came to call him to accuse him of something, so he quickly called his boss, the head of the Kenma star zone, and told him the situation, hiding some information. At the same time, he was also prepared to welcome him.
But who knew that the person coming down was not from the alliance, but Needles.
However, the entire pirate fleet that went to the Pegasus region with Needles, as well as many Saturnians, never returned.
"Chief Nides...where are my people?" Azimuba's voice trembled as he asked.
“I can’t come back.”
"So what did you bring back?"
"We only brought back our lives."
Azimuba was choked.
After hesitating for a moment, he asked again: "What about the alliance? Does the alliance know..."
Nides interrupted him: "I don't know what the Alliance has, but I don't plan to stay here any longer. Prepare fuel, food supplies, and some slaves. We will leave soon."
Azimuba was anxious: "What shall we do if you leave?"
"What does it have to do with me?"
"No! You must stay and fight alongside us..." Azimuba wanted to say 'fight side by side', but he couldn't say it.
Fighting side by side for what?
Going against the alliance?
What good would it do to have eight more traitors?
In small-scale battles, these eight traitors are simply invincible; but in large-scale battles, under the wrath of the Alliance, let alone eight, even eighty of them are useless.
It is said that the Alliance also received help from a Space Marine Chapter, and that is a serious chapter!
But Azimuba still couldn't let these defectors go.
If they didn't leave, he could still find a way to hand them over. As for what to say after handing them over, he could say that he was possessed by a ghost or was forced, or think of a way to atone for his sins. Even if the chance was small, he had to find a way to leave. If they ran away, he would be really finished.
At this point, no one knows how many Saturnians have fallen into the hands of the Alliance. No matter how much hope they have, they know that they can no longer hide.
However, he couldn't tell Needles so directly.
We have to think of a way.
Azimuba said: "I understand. I will try my best to meet your request."
"Don't play tricks. I'll only give you three hours."
"I will certainly satisfy all your needs within three hours."
After leaving Nides, Azimuba left the planetary capital under the pretext of secretly preparing supplies and slave labor.
If I don't leave, I'm afraid of being torn to pieces.
This is one of the few places on Saturn that can barely be considered a city, located in a river valley with lush grass and water.
Riding in a vehicle and driving into the desert, Azimuba directed his subordinates remotely, pretending to prepare things, but he was still procrastinating.
After three hours, of course, nothing was ready.
Azimuba asked someone to apologize, saying that he had been doing his best to prepare, but because he had to act in secret, he did not want to be exposed, and because there were many things needed, it was difficult to prepare them at the moment... In short, he made various excuses and said that everything would be ready soon.
To put it bluntly, I just want to delay time.
Moreover, at this moment he was just praying in his heart that the alliance would come quickly.
However, Nides decisively did not give him more chances. He did not believe any of the lies, and started killing people as soon as the three hours were up.
Azimuba's cronies were killed, and then the guards who were guarding these traitors were quickly defeated. The planetary defense forces guarding the capital city were confused, but also acted according to Azimuba's orders.
The order they received was that pirates were coming. The warriors of the Planetary Defense Force were to destroy the pirates' landing ships when they came down from the sky, put the entire city under martial law, and block the actions of all suspicious people.
Even though there were only eight traitors, and even though there were at least 50,000 planetary defense forces stationed in the capital, Azimuba had no idea what to do.
He rode in a vehicle, wandering aimlessly in the desert, and with the help of the vehicle, he maintained contact with the city, remotely controlling the troops loyal to him to stop Nides' actions.
(End of this chapter)
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