Chapter 631 Returnees-
Fertreton sat in the Stormbird's cabin, his breathing sounded unusually clear in his helmet. Although the model of the power armor itself was very old, the feeling of the helmet being held on his skull was still unfamiliar to him.
He glanced and quickly flowed through the data, symbols and various codes in front of the eyepiece, and now several were flashing.
Fortreton thought for a moment, remembering that this was the life monitoring system icon of Power A, and they were reminding him that his heart rate was a little too fast.
It is true that this kind of thinking and reaction speed is a bit bad for a Space Marine, but it is not Fertreton's fault.
After all, just a year ago, he was only one member of the Rox City Defense Forces Reserve Roster, and was not even considered a formal soldier.
After being taken away by the conscription ship, the young man who had never been to space received genetic seed implantation, modification surgery, brainwashing-style knowledge filling in war-related - including how to disassemble and install and maintain various weapons, how to make simple weapons, how to destroy city walls, how to obey orders, etc. - Only about war, other knowledge is judged to be useless for war and omitted.
He was then thrown directly to the battlefield where he fought against the Hruds.
There he survived the first battle of his first battle with a very good luck.
But at that time, when Fortreton discovered that things were not the same as when he looked up at the sky on the ground of Olympia, the imagined "a member of the grand war and glorious legion" seemed to be completely different.
His combat brothers do have tactical qualities, and they are indeed a good legion, but if they want to say "steel inside, steel outside", Fortreton would say that the latter sentence may be fine, but he feels that many of his superiors and predecessors are not as good as steel.
Just like those iron chains of mooring boats that are tightly stretched on the shore, they are usually very strong, but if they hold the boat in a storm that lasts more than expected, they will slowly but unstoppably deform and lengthen until they suddenly break with a "splash".
Fortreton has seen this many times, and then the ships that have lost their chains will float along the waves. Fortunately, although the lake is large, most of the floating ships can always be found along the shore.
But if the battle with Hrud Rats continued, he didn't know if he could hold on—but he suspected that his fighting brothers wouldn't hold on before him.
As the latest recruit to join, his perceptions have not become as cold as his predecessors. In order to survive, he eagerly learns like a sponge of the keenness he has brought to him by the survival instinct of everything he sees in battle. He has noticed all the ominous signs in the company:
Although everyone seems fearless, obeying orders, and cooperating with each other, a kind of "uneasiness" that cannot be called "fear" has indeed been secretly circulating before Fotreton joined them, and this situation is especially true after the newcomer joined.
According to information learned from Keanus Kalefion, the friendly and helpful flamethrower operator in the entire squad, before he joined them to fill the vacancy, the death rate of members of the 7th Tactical Squad of the 165th Company of the 16th Battalion had exceeded 50% of the battle.
Judging from Fertreton's poor tactical knowledge, he believed that they could maintain a complete organization and continue to maintain combat effectiveness when they fought those damn space rats. It was completely possible that the Iron Warriors deserved the Iron Core Prayer.
But the combat brothers who lost half of their familiar comrades in a short period of time obviously did not think so. The reason why Fortreton said Keanus was the kindest one was obviously because others were not very kind. Veterans were taciturn and reluctant to speak, but they were very likely to be suddenly angered. Perhaps a word or action that seemed to others inexplicable would make them jump up and burst out with astonishing murderous intent; the recruits seemed reckless and impulsive, and preferred to use direct violence to solve anything they encountered.
——This is actually contrary to the tactical dogma of the Iron Warriors, but no one will listen to a new recruit like Fotreton. Their company commander Anabashis no longer commands their actions with a nickname or the special code of the squad. He began to call and command them with cold and simple sequences of numbers like their Primarchs before.
When he thought of Baldan - another veteran who would say a few words to him - he once told Fertreton that Anabashis would not have been like this before, Fertreton felt that the fresh neural interface of his body would have a slight pain due to the fact that he had not been fully grown - he had never had such pain before, and he was not sure whether every recruit would have experienced such a long pain or the pharmacist's surgery was too fast that he might have accepted a poorly healing and suturing technique.
The Stormbird began to close the hatch door and activate the engine, and the movement of the sirens and the alarm lights made the recruits take their minds back from their memories.
Ah, but now this is not the most important thing.
He looked around the people around him: Keanus Kalefion was right next to him, turning his head to Baldan, sitting on the other side. Judging from their posture, Fortreton guessed that they were communicating on private channels; Gasero Zankato, the big man with the nickname "Boxer", was muttering himself with his arms and dissatisfaction, unable to tell whether he was reciting the Steel Prayer; their team leader Vodan Zarsk was talking to the Danteforlo brothers, and the remaining few were either still or closed their eyes to rest, they were all members of the other teams, but the bloodlines of these members of the Seventh Tactic Squad came from the same area.
Except for the group of players who were part of another region who returned first, the others who joined the Seventh Tactic Squad were here, because their respective hometown areas now use the same transit port to continue to divert back to the next level of towns, they were assigned to the same Stormbird, which traveled to and from Olympia and the fleet.
And now, the storm bird has begun to fly towards the earth of Olympia.
Fortreton could feel the subtle feeling of the planet's gravity applied to everyone, the emotions of each steel warrior, like a chain tightened in the storm, began to fade significantly. Although they were still nervous, it was another thing, he couldn't say, but when the storm bird slammed the ground and the rear hatch opened, the long-lost slightly cold mountain mist, the smell of mist in the valley, and the light golden sunlight of Olympia shone on each of them from outside the hatch.
Fortreton felt his eyes sore.
In order to prove that Astart would not shed tears, he quickly recited the Steel Prayer loudly since he became a legion soldier.
Everything is different now.
It's like dreaming.
He thought in an instant.
Just before Company Commander Anabashis planned to order five squads, including the Seventh Squad, to jointly launch a general attack on a major settlement of the Hruds, the Iron Warriors suddenly received an order to retreat.
Then they were told to return to the ship in turn, stay away from the galaxy, and a week after witnessing the irresistible wonder of destruction on astronomical scales at a safe distance, they all left the marsh mud pit-like edge abyss that kept devouring their fellow comrades' lives and began to return to Olympia.
He still remembers the shock of hearing the iron man like Company Commander Anabashis suddenly choked up during the entire company's radio broadcast, and the incredible and shameful ecstasy after hearing the more shocking retreat orders that followed.
Their father, their gene primordial, announced that he would take all the punishment from the emperor for them, but he said he would let his tired descendants leave the meaningless sacrifice and go home first!
Fortreton sincerely thanked the kind Lord of Steel again in his heart, and felt guilty for some of his speculations about him.
After hearing that the Primarch's descendants were destined to retreat to a safe distance, but he personally brought his flagship to block a wave of time shock waves caused by the sublime Iron and her commander, the depression, doubts and tense emotions that had previously spread in the 124th and 125th Expeditionary Fleets were immediately relieved by most of the concerns about the safety of the Primarch.
After receiving the obscure news released by the Pharmacy Department, some people even thought that the Supreme Steel was too ignorant, so how could they accept the Lord of Steel blocking the impact for them? They should die first and not implicate the original body.
After hearing the Primarch's speech at that time, Fertreton thought that they were a little harsh on Company Commander Uldek and others, but he must admit that when he heard their Primarch personally announce that "as my son, I don't have to feel ashamed or punished," even he felt a warmth that had never been flowing through the depths of his soul in great shame. So after that, they had no objection to any actions or orders of the Lord of Steel. Although Gasero Zankato, the silly man, muttered from time to time that he would want him to farm and would rather send him back to the front line to kill all the aliens, the others quickly joined forces to suppress his complaints, which allowed the Seventh Tactics Team to pass the assessment and get a good evaluation, and was able to take the Stormbirds of this flight back to their hometown first.
"What are you still standing there?" Someone patted him. Fortreton looked up and saw that it was Keanus Kalefion. The temperament of the heavy weapon hand now looked tired but very comforting. "It's time to... go home, kid... brother."
The recruit nodded, raised his foot and followed the person ahead down the metal slope formed by the stormbird's rear hatch.
Tens of thousands of light years away, the alien dust followed the return steel warriors' boots on the ground in Olympia.
After they all came down, they walked to the open space next to the apron and habitually stood in a team according to the formation of the tactical team.
The wind blew across their old-fashioned power ar surface.
Therefore, under the sun, it is like a stranger.
Suddenly, there was a voice, an almost screaming voice, that broke the sad silence that had been here a moment ago.
Fertreton immediately subconsciously pulled out his bomb gun and quickly lowered his body, starting to look around to avoid the caution of the Hrudes' time weapons. Others also grabbed their own weapons. Various data and icons on his tactical eyepiece immediately became active, and began to search for nearby targets that needed to be killed for users.
"Futt-Leitton-!Frey! Is it you?! Is it you?! Child! Is it you!"
A woman suddenly rushed out of the crowd of pick-ups standing on the edge of the apron, who was struggling with these black muzzles. She screamed Fortreton's name and rushed towards the wounded and murderous steel giants.
The newest ⊥Xiao⊥Speak⊥Send⊥Six⊥9⊥Book⊥⊥⊥⊥Back⊥⊥⊥⊥!
She ran so fast, the turban scattered from her long, dark brown curly hair, and one of her shoes ran away, but she was still stumbled towards them.
They saw her face full of tears as she looked at their team.
Fortreton suddenly realized that he should have known her when he went over.
He must have known her.
He had known this woman 100%.
He used to be extremely familiar with her, extremely, extremely familiar.
A year ago, he was picking on the cheese cakes she made before leaving for the recruitment office and it was not delicious...
She is...
"...Mom?"
At this time, the crazy woman had rushed to them with incredible speed and accurately selected him among the people wearing helmets.
Her hands were raised high, and her palms plunged onto his breastplate—he was much taller and stronger than her, she was so short, haggard and thin, but tears of joy leaped in her eyes as she looked at him.
The tactical eyepiece was overwhelmed by Fertreton, who was in the spot, pointed out dozens of fatal points on her body that could be shot.
"Baby! Frey! I know it's you! Is it you?!"
The steel warriors stood there, looking at her silently, just as there were only ruthless war statues made of steel.
She quickly panicked, wiping tears with one hand, but still holding his arm with the other.
"...Boy, take off your helmet." Danteforlo's voice came from the squad channel. With this reminder, he untied a hex wrench from his waist and handed it to the recruit.
As if he suddenly realized, Fortreton was rushing to remove the bolts that fixed the helmet with a wrench and quickly stuck the helmet on the magnetic lock at his waist.
As soon as he had time to complete the action, the woman looked at his face and screamed even louder at the crowd behind her.
"Look! Look! It's him! It's him! I know it's him! I can recognize him by just watching walking! This is my Frey! Peturabo - the King of Steel fulfilled his promise! He returned my child to me! He returned our child to us!"
Then the tide of old, weak, women and children rushed over and began to find their relatives on more landing flights.
In an environment that gradually became noisy and cried, Fortreton saw the woman he once called her mother with her thin, calloused fingers touching his pottery steel armor that was not painted except for the shoulder armor and tactical signs, full of scratches, acid corrosion and other traces.
These flesh-and-blooded fingers were extremely fragile, but he felt the touch of his heart trembling.
"Oh my God, look at these terrible traces... how much hardship you suffered during the war! Although he took you away, I still have to thank the Lord of Steel sincerely now. Thank the Emperor, and thank all the gods of Olympia." He heard her say, "It's good as long as you come back. Frey."
"Where is inside, steel is outside." He heard his answer, with a little nasal sound, "I'm back, mom."
(This chapter ends)