The communications room of the Knight's Sword Battle Barge was suddenly lit up by a notification: communication connected.
As the data streamed in, the projection device automatically rendered the appearance of the person on the other end of the line.
Lothar stared at the projection and actually rubbed his eyes. For a moment, he suspected that fighting in the Warp for too long had caused him to start seeing things.
The figure was over three meters tall and possessed a pair of sweeping white angelic wings. Is this the resurrection of the Blood Angels' Primarch?
The thought flashed through his mind—he almost reached out to make a psychic call to Baal, the Blood Angels' homeworld, just to ask if their Primarch was safe and sound in his mausoleum!
Of course, that approach would likely ruffle a few feathers and might result in the Blood Angels' entire fleet showing up via the Warp to deliver a beatdown to the Astral Knights.
"Check the timeline! Are we back in M30?" Lothar demanded of the Magos beside him.
"Based on calculations involving universal background and spacetime signatures, that is absolutely impossible," the Magos replied in a monotone, mechanical voice.
Lothar swallowed his confusion and pressed the communication button. "Hello. This is the Knight's Sword Battle Barge. I am Captain Lothar of the First Company of the Astral Knights. I extend my sincere greetings."
"I am the messenger of the God-Emperor, the spokesperson for His supreme will, the savior of the great Imperium, and the guide of human civilization. You may call me the Guide or the Saint." Daniel's voice was full of authority and confidence.
"The God-Emperor's messenger? A Saint?" Lothar was instantly on high alert. How could he know if this was truly a divine messenger or just another Dark Gods' conspiracy?
"Yes." Daniel activated the skill Emperor's Light, bathing his figure in a sacred glow.
"Praise the God-Emperor."
A skinny Navigator, Arak, walked into the communications room with the aid of a Servitor.
"Arak?" Lothar looked at his Navigator with surprise.
"This is the Saint who should guide us out of the storm," Arak stated firmly. He walked up to the projection and rendered the Imperial Salute to Daniel's image.
Daniel returned a brief nod.
Lothar remained skeptical about the whole 'Saint' business, but Arak's guarantee was enough to put him at ease—at least the person wasn't an immediate enemy.
"Respected Saint," Lothar said, "Our ship is severely damaged, and we are in dire straits. We hope to receive your aid."
"The Lycard Orbital Space Station can provide you with maintenance services."
After this brief exchange, the call was disconnected.
Lothar immediately found Chapter Master Thade, who was currently in the process of repairing his damaged body. The recent journey through the Warp had been too close for comfort and nearly resulted in the Astral Knights' annihilation.
As a fearless veteran, Thade had been fighting tooth and nail at high intensity, and his armored body was covered in the deep claw marks of Daemons.
Lothar gave him the whole rundown.
"A Living Saint?" Thade's voice was hoarse but steady. "That kind of thing certainly warrants close attention.
We'll take the Thunderhawk and check out the situation first. Once we're sure the coast is clear, we can send the Knight's Sword over for repairs and replenishment."
"Understood," Lothar nodded.
Meanwhile, aboard the Imperial Glory, Daniel didn't leave the console. He first contacted Magos Theresa to inform her of the Astral Knights' arrival, making sure to clear up any potential misunderstandings.
Afterwards, Daniel headed to the boarding deck, planning to greet the visitors personally at the Lycard Space Station.
The Thunderhawk gunship slowly settled onto the space station's landing port. Players who were working on nearby tasks did a double-take, their expressions a mix of surprise and excitement.
"Holy cow, is that a Thunderhawk?"
"Look at the chapter icon on the gunship—it looks like the Astral Knights."
"The Astral Knights? Aren't they forbidden?"
"Look, logically, this has to be a new expansion. Atomal's been retaken, so the new map can't be far behind. My guess is we're here to help the Astral Knights get their revenge."
"Revenge on who? The World Engine's owner, the Bohis Dynasty, is history."
"We can help the Astral Knights attack Terra! Ask the High Lords why they banned the Chapter! As the saying goes, 'a common man's anger demands justice.'"
"Whoa, hold your horses. Are you talking about rebellion?"
"How can player actions be called rebellion? This is called 'purging the Emperor's Court', understand? The stars and moon can vouch for my loyalty to the Emperor."
A sudden hiss of high-pressure gas announced the slow opening of the heavy hatch. Lothar and three of his companions emerged. The surrounding players, buzzing with curiosity, edged closer for a better look.
"Based on the shoulder armor, they're definitely Astral Knights," one player murmured. "And they're all from the same company."
"I'd bet they can only field one company now."
"That's a hell of a joke."
"Show some respect to our guests," Daniel's voice cut through the chatter, instructing the players to keep their distance.
He walked straight up to Lothar and his squad. "Welcome to Atomal."
Lothar's companions were chatting over their closed communications channel.
"This guy is seriously tall."
"Is he really a Living Saint?"
"I don't know, but he sure looks the part."
"Feels like a mutant to me."
"Knock it off," Lothar warned his companions to keep a lid on it.
He then reached up, unlocked his helmet, and removed it to display his face as a gesture of goodwill. "We apologize for the intrusion. Our Barge suffered significant damage from the Warp storm and we're in desperate need of a helping hand."
"Atomal will assist anyone loyal to the Emperor," Daniel replied. "Lycard Station will provide the manpower to repair your ship, but there's no such thing as a free lunch. In exchange, you must also provide us with some assistance."
"What do you want?" Lothar asked cautiously.
"My Saints are green as grass when it comes to combat. Perhaps you could help me whip them into shape." Daniel's true desire—to absorb the entire Chapter—was the kind of thing you only kept to yourself. If he had voiced it, the Astral Knights would have likely drawn their guns for a duel of honor on the spot.
When the Sable Swords took over the Astral Knights' legacy, they had extended an olive branch, but these veterans preferred a one-way suicide expedition to joining. Daniel had to admit, all the sons of Dorn were cut from the same cloth—stubborn as a mule.
Lothar gave it some thought, deemed the deal fair enough, and nodded. "Consider it done."
"Then I wish us happy collaboration."
"Before we officially start, we'd like to look around the space station," Lothar requested.
Daniel understood that the Astartes were wary and checking their six. Since the space station held no shameful secrets, he nodded again. "By all means, but if you see any of the Saints behaving strangely, please just turn a blind eye."
"I don't quite understand this 'Saint' business," Lothar admitted.
"They are people blessed by the Emperor, and they are the Emperor's warriors," Daniel explained. "They were created in the God-Emperor's Holy Domain and have only recently come into contact with the real world.
They have a fierce curiosity about everything. They sometimes behave in ways that are hard to wrap your head around, but they mean no harm. Just ignore them and go about your business."
After giving Lothar the heads-up, Daniel instructed Magos Theresa to input the Astartes' data into the network and grant them access.
Lothar and his team moved quickly. They split up and toured the Lycard Station, gathering information from the ordinary citizens about how Daniel and the others had defeated the rebels and retaken Atomal. They also learned the planet had recently repelled an invasion by a Nurgle daemon army.
With no traces of Chaos contamination or xenos detected, Lothar and his men finally dropped their guard and allowed the Knight's Sword Battle Barge to enter the port for maintenance. As promised, they began providing combat training to the Saints.
Daniel handed a data board to Lothar and Thade, the old Dreadnought. "When a Saint seeks your guidance, you will charge them Contribution Points according to the price list."
"Shouldn't this kind of guidance be on the house?" Lothar was confused by the transaction.
"No. Everything has a price tag," Daniel said. "Of course, if you take a shining to someone, you can teach them for free. But I don't recommend you go down that road."
"Very well. I'll play by your rules," Lothar conceded, still unable to figure out Daniel's angle. But since the Saint had made his intentions clear, he would simply follow the instructions.
Having successfully persuaded Lothar, Daniel began to think about how to craft the announcement. The Astral Knights Chapter was a famous name, and the moment the announcement dropped, those little players would be lining up to be the first in line!