Chapter 2099 Homecoming Mantis
While Soshiyang was busy preparing for the decisive battle, two mysterious visitors distracted his attention, forcing him to temporarily put down his work.
The two mysterious guests actually appeared at different times. The first one appeared two years ago on a mysterious, scarred cruiser near the pale star on the edge of the maelstrom. , because it carried the identification code of the Imperial Chapter Astartes, the local defenders only sent a signal to it, but the other party did not respond, and Malakin had been transferred to the Badab sector, and there was no one in charge. Under the circumstances, the matter was shelved.
Until recently, the mysterious cruiser suddenly appeared near the Kara system. It was only then that its keel code was captured by the nearby Mechanicus detection array and quickly sent to Soshyan. Because it belongs to——
Mantis Warrior.
Metellus, the second captain and champion of the Mantis Warriors, was also the first person to not regard the Mantis Warriors' genetic curse "Praying Mantis" as a flaw, but to exploit its tactical value. His initiative was to form a team entirely composed of " A special force formed by the "Praying Mantis" was named the Praying Mantis, but it was already the end of the Badab War and the plan ultimately failed to materialize.
Metellus was also the first in the Mantis Warriors command to realize that Huron had completely betrayed the empire. Unfortunately, he was also the only one. After his persuasion failed, he led his ship to suffer. The Soul and the Second Company of the Mantis Warriors tracked Huron alone into the depths of the Maelstrom. He never returned and was never heard from again. Subsequent searches by the Mantis Warriors failed to find their missing Second Company Commander.
Unexpectedly, he actually appeared by himself again!
After learning that it was the cruiser of the Mantis Warriors, Soshyan immediately sent a message to the other party to disarm and dock at the orbital station on the edge of the Kara system. At the same time, he took the Mantis Warriors headquarters to contact the other party.
When he arrived at the orbital station, there was only one soldier with scars all over his body and 23 exhausted veterans with armor patchwork on their bodies like beggars waiting for him.
Soshyan did not rush to talk to the other party directly, but let the Mantis Warrior communicate internally first. Presumably they had a lot to say between them.
This wait lasts all day.
Nearly thirty hours later, Soshyan finally received the message that the other party wanted to meet him.
"Sorry, Supreme Lord Commander Soshyan Alexey, I did not report to you immediately."
In the large reception hall of the Eternal Loyalty, looking at this The company commander changed into a newer power armor, and sat on the throne in ceremonial armor, with a Terminator standing on both sides. Soshiyang smiled and waved his hands.
"It doesn't matter. I know that Captain Metellus has been away from the battle group for a long time, and you must learn a lot of things again."
Captain Metellus is tall, with broad shoulders, and his naturally strong body is The armor made it more prominent. Two slender and slightly curved scimitars were crossed on the iron chain buckle behind his waist. Apart from scars and two golden service nails, his face without a helmet was the most impressive. What was profound was his pair of emerald eyes and his almost statuesque, bleak temperament.
His eyes are very, very special, with rare double pupils. Perhaps because of this, he has some special ability, which can turn the mantis warrior's trance vision into a powerful weapon.
According to other Mantis Warrior commanders, the Maelstrom often held competitions between warbands in the past, and Metellus was the undefeated champion for hundreds of years before Huron launched his rebellion. In other words Among them, he can be said to be one of the strongest people in the Maelstrom Alliance, nicknamed Knife Mantis.
Hearing Soshyan's words, Metellus sighed.
"I didn't expect that things would turn out like this in the end, Neotra. Alas." Neotra was the chapter leader who was sentenced to life imprisonment. Hearing this, Soshiyang asked curiously:
“Speaking of it, it seems that you had a disagreement with Neotra at first, and now you seem to feel sorry for it?”
“Neotra is not a traitor, he is loyal to the empire. There is no doubt about his loyalty to the emperor, he is just too stubborn.”
Soshyan smiled slightly.
"Stubbornness, this seems to be a common problem among most space warriors, but if you are just stubborn, you may not get to this point."
Metellus was silent for a moment, and finally told the inside story.
“After Huron broke with the Empire, Neoterra’s war obsession became more and more serious, which began to affect his judgment and thinking. I have been trying to help him, but the heavy pressure of war made him It’s hard to calm down.”
Soshiyang nodded slightly.
"I see, what happened then? Why did you suddenly go after Huron?"
"It's a long story."
It turns out that he discovered the nature of the Huron rebellion not very early. This outstanding company commander was just before the Starry Phantom finally broke through the defenses around Badab. The problem was discovered and a report was sent to Neoterra.
When the Star Phantom's drop pod crashed into the Thorn Palace, Metellus knew that Huron's black heart had been filled with Chaos filth. At the same time, Neotra was still in his battle barge. He desperately held on to his position and participated in the final battle launched by the Astartes Alliance against the Star Claws. After realizing that Neotra was completely unable to think, Metellus made a decision and rushed out of the phalanx. type, aiming the guns of his cruiser Tormented Soul at the Star Claw ships on the collapsing line of defenses.
Metellus opened fire on his "friendly" forces, joining the Star Phantom's firepower, and then split the Mantis Warriors' formation in two, creating a passage for the Star Phantom's drop pod.
In the fierce battle, Metellus left no explanation, simply saying that he believed Chapter Master Neotra would do the same thing as him.
In the end, when Huron's own cruiser broke out of orbit and penetrated the siege of the Exorcist Chapter, Neoterra still failed to react. Metellus, who realized that the Chapter was likely to be liquidated afterwards, wanted to "make up for it." ", making a decisive decision to pursue the tyrant of the Maelstrom, which was gone. The Tormented Soul kept firing in pursuit, and plunged headlong into the maelstrom.
What happened after that was out of Metellus’s control. They still lost Huron. What’s worse was that the navigator died in an accident. There was only one trainee navigator, but because the other party was unskilled, Using the advanced navigation technology, they were forced to wander in the subspace for a period of time. When they came out, they found that they were already at the edge of the extreme star field.
Afterwards, Metellus heard that the Mantis Warriors were sent to the Redemption Crusade. He thought that Neotra was dead, and was so frustrated that he did not want to return to the battle group. Floating around the whirlpool, he tried to find an opportunity to behead Huron, but he never succeeded. Instead, the battle brothers around him gradually lost their lives due to battles over a long period of time. The original company of 76 people now only has 23 people left.
(End of this chapter)