Crack.
The sound of shattering rang out. The Lamenters sergeant's Power Armor came apart in pieces. Underneath it was revealed a body covered in wounds so dense and so deep that even the Space Wolves standing nearby flinched at the sight.
The armor itself was clearly finished. It was beyond wearing again.
"You...."
The Blood Angels Dreadnought Ancient froze at the sight. He was not alone in that. Zhou Ye was very nearly in the same state.
"Ai-chan, drop a medicae pod down here. I am going to swap out my shell. Take over this chassis for me. He somehow did not die. If I am reading this correctly, one of his hearts has already given out."
This was always the way of it. The Imperium of Man was rotten and festering to the core, and yet there were always people willing to pour every last drop of themselves into that rot.
He genuinely could not look at this anymore. Some of those wounds were still bleeding. No need to even examine the rest. The remaining Lamenters were in much the same condition.
These injuries were clearly sustained while covering the civilian evacuation. Some of them even carried the trace of Nurgle's corruption eating through the flesh. That would require the Authority of Creation to properly cleanse. He would need some kind of cover for that.
This was too much. Zhou Ye had a private sense that he was often not much of a decent person himself. But even he had his limits, and watching this was pushing past them. Whether he wanted to or not, something had to be done.
So at that moment another object came crashing down from the sky.
Zhou Ye stepped inside. The armor he wore fell away. His body returned to its natural proportions. He snapped his fingers. A figure identical to his previous appearance materialized, and he pressed a Gene-seed into it. Then he dressed in his Adeptus Mechanicus robes once more, adjusting the look while he was at it.
Because he had come to the slightly ridiculous realization that being a Chapter Master was utterly exhausting. Combat was considerably more enjoyable. So he simply had Ai-chan cover for him on that front.
He was definitely getting worse. He had already started treating an A.I. like a draft animal.
His identity now was the Adeptus Mechanicus's foremost Senior Magos Biologis. Even the legendary Fabius Bile, the Primogenitor himself, would fall short of Zhou Ye in this particular craft.
The difference being that Bile relied on actual technique. Zhou Ye relied on "I reckon it should work."
Outside, while Zhou Ye changed, conversations were unfolding between the others. The Dreadnoughts largely operated on their own internal logic and, with a few specific exceptions requiring careful management, were no different from ordinary individuals in their conduct.
"All of you, remove your armor. Apothecary Beta is the finest Biologis I have ever encountered. And get that rubbish you are wearing off of you."
The Blood Angels Dreadnought Ancient spoke with poorly concealed distress. He had only wanted the sergeant to stop trying to be strong. He had not anticipated injuries this severe. The man's Larraman's Organ had failed outright. Or perhaps it was Nurgle's plague that had overwhelmed it. Left alone, this would kill all of them sooner or later.
What he had also not expected was that they had apparently been enduring all of this without making a single sound.
"Truly worthy sons of Sanguinius. Aslot. Your descendants are something else."
At that moment another Dreadnought stepped over from nearby and spoke beside the Blood Angels Ancient.
"Old Rock......"
"Hmm?"
Hearing that, the group of Lamenters blinked. Then they stared at Aslot with expressions of disbelief growing on their faces. Because it appeared they had just understood something. Something about where the Lamenters had come from.
The Lamenters had been created during the Cursed Founding. Their Gene-seed was of the Blood Angels lineage, but it had diverged significantly enough that a simple comparison to standard Blood Angels Gene-seed would show the distance. So...
The Dreadnought Ancient standing before them might be their point of origin. There was no other explanation for it. That particular feeling, the recognition at the genetic and spiritual level, was simply too similar to be coincidence. Nearly identical, in fact.
"Old Rock, do you remember your assignment? Go and organize the construction of the defensive works."
Hearing that, Aslot shook his head and said nothing more. Because at his word, and with the very clear unspoken implication that any refusal would be answered by the Dreadnought doing what Dreadnoughts do best to tin cans, the group of Lamenters reluctantly stripped off their Power Armor.
What was underneath was difficult to look at in its own right.
"They are a noble Chapter. Worthy in every way of Sanguinius's name. A sinner like me...."
On the other side of the courtyard, the Space Wolves Contemptor Dreadnought Ancient who had been in the middle of telling his story to the Wolf pups could not help standing up at the sight. He fell silent.
He was not the only one. Every Space Wolf present came to attention and rendered the fullest honors they knew how to give.
"This is the Apothecary traveling with us. You may call him Apothecary Beta. He is the finest Biologis I have ever seen. If he were ever willing to take a posting at a Forge World, Senior Magos Biologis would suit him without question."
At that point the Gullest chassis now operated by Ai-chan, and Zhou Ye himself stepping out in his new shell as Apothecary Beta, emerged together. He got one proper look at the Lamenters and came to a dead stop.
This was too much...
If he had not intervened, every one of them would have died. Bleeding out to the last drop, then rotting away in plague and corruption.
So...
"Consider this your reward. A full Rubicon Primaris package. Do not ask questions. The answer to everything is the Emperor's divine grace and the Omnissiah's blessing."
Zhou Ye had his plan in place within approximately one second. The Rubicon Primaris carried its complications. But what exactly was he afraid of? If anyone had a problem with it, they could come and fight him personally.
He had already engineered an artificial intelligence, built a cadre of Holy Necrons, and by any honest reading of Imperial law, he was likely eligible for a white-phosphorus execution just as a baseline. Fear was simply not part of his vocabulary at this point.
Besides, Guilliman's revival could not be far off now. When it came to that, none of this would matter in the slightest.
"I am in your hands."
Aslot addressed Apothecary Beta with genuine reverence. That alone made the Wolf pups' ears swivel. They could be certain of at least one thing. These Dreadnought Ancients were all veterans of ten thousand years or more. For a group of ten-thousand-year Ancients to regard this apparently unaugmented Biologis with such deference meant the man was something formidable in his own right. So...
"By Russ, what are these people!!"
For his part, Zhou Ye could not be bothered with any of it. He got every one of the Lamenters, most of whom were already in a state of slow terminal decline, into medicae pods. The hatches sealed. First, a sedative for each of them.
Then the Wither Authority to purge the plague corruption from within their bodies entirely. Then materials laid out, and whether they wanted it or not, the next phase of surgery began.
With the Authority of Creation sustaining them throughout so none of them would die on the table, the procedure was forced to completion.
Magnificat. Sinew Coils. Belisarian Furnace. Implantation complete.
In short order a squad of considerably larger, considerably more imposing warriors emerged. He had put the entire group through the Rubicon Primaris.
"Done. Now I just need to figure out how to arrange a glorious death for the Dreadnought."
Zhou Ye looked at the newly awakened Lamenters, gave a satisfied clap of his hands, and moved on.
---o---