On the Inquisition's Black Ship, Titus was getting acquainted with his four new teammates.
Olfa from the Space Wolves and Darius from the Dark Angels were engaged in their two Chapters' sacred tradition, while Brother Beren from the Black Templars devoutly prayed to a miniature shrine of the Emperor he held in his hand.
Only Kyle Stross of the Blood Angels seemed to be struggling to endure something.
Titus knew this was him enduring the instinct called Blood Thirst, a genetic flaw of the Blood Angels.
Just like the Space Wolves' uncontrollable abundant hair and continuously growing canines, these were all Chapter genetic traits originating from the Great Crusade Era, and it was precisely because of these that they were the Space Wolves and the Blood Angels.
However, with five individuals from five different Chapters, Titus, accustomed to the Ultramarines' uniform discipline, found it somewhat unusual.
But for now, both he and his four teammates could only endure.
They were sinners; even after joining the Deathwatch, they still had to undertake a Penitent Crusade to prove their loyalty.
Although Titus considered himself not to be a Fallen, as the Inquisitor who arrested him said, he could not explain why he had not fallen.
Facing the corruption of a Chaos artifact and even breaking it with his bare hands, it would have been perfectly normal for Titus to fall on the spot, not to mention that he had also crushed a Daemon Prince with his bare hands, though it was only a half-formed one that had not successfully ascended.
But based on these records alone, the Inquisitor could completely determine that Titus was suspected of falling.
And most crucially, Titus could not prove his innocence.
Although he still firmly believed in his convictions, considering himself loyal and pure, Titus could not convince an Inquisitor of his innocence based solely on these beliefs.
So, even after being rescued from that cage by other Inquisitors of the Inquisition, he could not return to Macragge, and could only be assigned to the Deathwatch with others, and embark on a Penitent Crusade with his four new teammates to prove his loyalty.
However, as soon as they had changed their shoulder pads and affixed the Deathwatch emblem, they were loaded onto a Black Ship and sent to this unknown star system.
Earlier, when they had just arrived, this Inquisition Black Ship had encountered a space battle.
At that time, Titus and his squad thought their chance had come; they could vent their emotions through battle and simultaneously prove their loyalty.
But the Inquisitor on board at the time did not send them into battle; instead, he strictly ordered them to remain in their cabin, forbidding them from fighting, and even locked their weapons and Power Armor.
This distrust deeply wounded Titus and the others, to the point that for the past two days, Olfa and Darius would almost immediately start fighting after a few words, then argue after fighting, and then come to blows again after arguing a few sentences.
There was nothing they could do; all their weapons and equipment were locked, and besides chatting, talking, arguing, and unarmed combat, they truly had nothing else to do.
And non-lethal unarmed combat between two Space Marines? With the Space Marines' endurance and recovery, they could fight for a month straight without stopping.
So, Olfa and Darius were just passing the time, as the wait here was truly more unbearable than being stuck in the stasis field prison before.
But soon, the Space Marines' enhanced superhuman hearing detected footsteps coming from outside the corridor.
Someone was coming—that was the five men's immediate reaction, so they quickly stopped their respective actions, tidied their robes, and vigilantly looked towards the cabin door.
Although they were told upon arrival that they were going on a Penitent Crusade, in their current state without weapons and Power Armor, who knew how the Inquisition intended to deal with them?
Even Space Marines, without weapons and equipment, could be easily killed by mortals.
Especially since all five of them could not be said to have clean records, the Inquisition had ample reason to dispose of them.
As for the repercussions? They could just report them as fallen to the Deathwatch later.
However, the door soon opened, and Titus and the others found that things did not seem to be unfolding in that manner.
Because what appeared before them were two... no, rather, three Inquisitors.
Two of them were dressed as typical Inquisitors; one was the Inquisitor who had brought them here, and the other was an unfamiliar male Inquisitor.
They both wore the common Inquisitor's overcoat, with a rosette pinned to their person to indicate their identity, and their respective weapons hung at a convenient position on their waists, making it clear at a glance that both were seasoned veterans.
But it was the third Inquisitor accompanying the two who truly gave the five Space Marines a sense of revelation.
For it was a female Tech-Priest who had undergone extensive bionic modifications, yet she wore an Inquisition rosette over her red holy vestments.
This was an Inquisitor from the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Although four of the five Space Marines came from founding Chapters, and the Black Templars were also an old Chapter from the Second Founding, none of them had ever seen such a rarity.
An Inquisitor from the Adeptus Mechanicus? Would these Tech-Priests also choose to join the Inquisition?
Just as these thoughts ran through the five men's minds, the unfamiliar male Inquisitor spoke: "Let me introduce myself. My name is Alex, Lord Inquisitor of the Pacification Order, and the future master of this ship.
You five will temporarily be under my command as a Deathwatch Kill Team. I hope we can cooperate pleasantly in the future."
Alex introduced himself first; he immediately recognized Titus, the fierce man with two golden studs on his head, among the five.
Therefore, his gaze was particularly focused on him. As for the other four, perhaps only Olfa, with his thick red fur, merited more of his attention.
After all, the remaining three were all very normal, muscular, tough-guy types.
Oh, no... the pale-skinned one was a Blood Angel, and he seemed to be experiencing Blood Thirst, having endured it for a long time.
Alex was aware of the Blood Angels' Blood Thirst, but he did not point it out at this moment. He merely glanced at the Blood Angel, confirmed that he had not reached his limit and would not jump up and bite him, and then did not pay him any further attention.
"I am Titus from the Ultramarines, Inquisitor. May I ask what we are to do next? When can we retrieve our weapons and Power Armor?" Titus stepped forward and asked Alex.
Among all the Chapters, only the Ultramarines were most proficient at these matters, so it was naturally his place to speak.
"Your weapons and equipment will be returned to you shortly. As for what to do next..." Alex gazed at the super strong man before him who could tear a Daemon Prince apart with his bare hands, and after a moment of thought, said, "How about a drink first?"
With that, Alex had the Servitors who had accompanied them bring a bottle of red wine and five wine glasses.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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