Chapter 51: Phoenix is about to die
Somewhere in the void of the universe, infinitely far away in terms of physical distance, a fiery red spaceship is sailing.
It was scarred, it was not big enough, and it carried a dying chapter.
The Phoenix Chapter has concluded their long crusade of atonement and has now returned to glory.
The Grand Inquisition of the Eastern Star Region announced this to the world in person on behalf of the Central Empire.
But so what?
"We have won the Hundred Years of Atonement Crusade and achieved the results we most desired, but we are about to be destroyed."
Salas Martins, the Chapter Master of the Phoenix Chapter, always thought sadly like this.
He is the 64th Chapter Master of the Phoenix Chapter. This chapter with countless glorious histories is likely to come to an end in his hands.
What was life like for the Chapter before the Atonement Crusade?
At that time, the Phoenix Regiment was glorious and powerful. They guarded their home planet and received worship from billions of mortal people. They selected the best young people from among billions of people, underwent gene-seed transformation, and turned them into one of them.
The human and material resources of the entire planet are mobilized by them. In addition to being responsible for the defense of their home planet, they will also accept the Emperor's call to go to all parts of the universe to participate in one glorious and great war after another. They either crush the Emperor's enemies into dust, or defend one world after another that is about to be destroyed.
He and his brothers are known as the Angels of the Emperor.
This glory accumulated over thousands of years came to an abrupt end a hundred years ago.
Martins didn't hold a grudge against anyone.
During the Bauhinia Scourge, the Phoenixes were on the wrong side of the enemy. By the grace of the God-Emperor, they were not purged as traitors, but they were still guilty, and the Grand Inquisition sentenced them to a 100-year crusade of atonement.
The so-called atonement expedition is to let the convicted regiments carry out the most difficult and most casualty-inflicting assault missions without supplies, troops, or support. Once the mission is issued, it cannot be refused and must be carried out with all efforts until death.
The vast majority of warbands sentenced to a penance crusade often never survive the punishment period.
But the Phoenix, as its name suggests, was tenacious, and they miraculously survived the Atonement Expedition.
Brutal wars continued for a hundred years. During these days, they still fought for the empire, but there was no honor to speak of. They fought to atone for their sins and to die.
During the hundred years of expedition, the captain of the chapter changed six times, and finally fell into the hands of Martins, a man who thought he had no talent.
A few months ago, in the final battle of the Atonement Crusade, the previous Chapter Master led the last elite of the Chapter and launched a desperate attack. They won, but at the cost of no one surviving except Martins and six others who were left behind.
He would always remember the look in his mentor's eyes when he handed him the medal symbolizing the commander of the chapter before the charge. It was full of expectations and hopes, and the future of the chapter hung heavily on his chest.
He was determined to rebuild his Chapter, but had no idea how.
Their home world had already been assigned to another chapter; their fleet had all crashed, leaving only the Burning Feather, a small ship that was not even a frigate; their power armor, weapons depot, and gene seed library were all lost with the crash of their flagship...
Perhaps no other regiment has ever been in a worse situation than them.
They can only wander aimlessly in the universe, like headless flies.
There were indeed many forces that wanted to "help" them. However, Martins could see through their evil intentions. They just wanted the Phoenix Regiment, which only had seven members left, to serve as their high-level fighters.
There is no glory in that, and even less hope.
What Martins was thinking about was the opportunity to rebuild the chapter, the chance to continue fighting for the chapter's honor.
It’s a pity that when these things were mentioned, the people who tried to help them kept silent.
Some time ago, their spaceship jumped through a spiritual network tunnel and came to the Tianma star region aimlessly. Just like many star regions they passed by in the past few months, there was nothing special.
However, the chapter priest came to him at this time and claimed that he had received a revelation while praying: the hope for the chapter's rebirth lies here.
Hope rose in Martins' heart, like a drowning man grasping at a straw.
Intellectually, he shouldn't believe it.
Is there anything special about the Pegasus sector? It is an unknown sector with no special output, no glorious history, and no other war group has ever been stationed here.
How could the hope for the rebirth of the regiment be here?
However, emotionally, he believed it almost without hesitation.
It was only a few months, which was nothing compared to the long life of the Space Marines after their transformation, but he felt that he had suffered too long. This feeling of emptiness was even more painful than during the Atonement Crusade.
Given an opportunity, he couldn't wait to grab it.
The chapter's chaplain, his most trusted battle-brother, had been retreating to his prayer room for two days without a sound or movement.
Martins's mentality gradually became anxious.
But all the anxiety paid off at this moment.
He heard heavy footsteps. He turned around and saw a warrior wearing the black power armor unique to priests and a skull-shaped helmet. The huge shoulder armor was painted with the chapter's fiery red color and phoenix pattern, symbolizing the chapter's identity.
He is Rizzo, the oldest of the seven still alive, having fought in the Chapter for four hundred years. He was supposed to take part in the final battle, but was forced to stay by the previous Chapter Master. The Chapter needs his experience to assist Martins.
"Pastor Rizzo, you finally came out. Did your prayers pay off?"
"Yes, Chapter Master." Rizzo's voice was tired and a little expectant. "I have received a more accurate revelation. The opportunity for the Phoenix's Nirvana is here!"
The priest pointed his finger at the star map.
There is the Angry Owl Star.
Martins looked a little confused. He searched his memory, but could not remember anything special about this world.
He couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?"
"I'm sure." Rizzo said calmly, "The Divine Emperor revealed that the chance for the Chapter to be reborn is right there, with the Governor of that planet."
Martins paced back and forth, and finally made a decision: "Okay, let's change direction and go to the Angry Owl Star!"
The revelation to Pastor Rizzo was the only opportunity Martins had been looking forward to in the past few months.
Although he had never heard of anything special about the world of Angry Owl Star, since it was a revelation from the God-Emperor, it must be a powerful governor who might be willing to help the regiment complete its reconstruction!
(End of this chapter)
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