Way of the Warrior

The two men strode across the verdant garden at a brisk pace, and despite the beauty of their surroundings, neither of them paused to admire the view. Elegantly pruned trees stood in what appeared to be a randomly staggered formation, pink Sakura blossoms drifting on the slight breeze. Water poured along a long bamboo pipe, trickling into a foutain in the garden.

General Jakren Stein eyed the smooth, white stones scattered across the garden. At first, his military eye had discerned a pattern to them, drawing parallels with the utililarian designs of the Kasrs in his home world. While the city-fortresses had all been destroyed when Abaddon the Despoiler invaded Cadia during the Thirteen Black Crusade, Stein's memories of serving in Kasr Kraf remained as vivid as ever. However, he realized there was no defensive pattern to the stones, no formidable formation. They were placed randomly, almost resembling serene rocks in a river.

His eyes were once again drawn to the bamboo pipe. Water sloshed into one end of the pipe, and it eventually sank under the weight of the water collected within the bamboo contusion, spilling its contents into the small fountain. With a loud thunk, the heavier end of the bamboo struck the rock, but it didn't rest upon the rough surface for long. A few seconds later, the bamboo pipe sprang upward once the water within it had been emptied, to drink the trickle of water pouring from above.

Stein shook his head, not sure what to make of the device. His companion, dressed in a fur coat that served as the uniform of the Valhallan Ice Warriors, chuckled. Mistaking the Cadian General's confusion, he offered an assurance.

"Don't worry. The warriors of House Yato aren't as...uptight as most other Knight Houses. You should have seen the ceremonies of House Terryn or House Cadmus. Their rituals last for days! There was one time where my officers and I were forced to listen to his majesty the High King ramble on about the gloried histories of his House for hours..."

"I understand, Colonel Ivanov." Stein sighed, raising a hand to cut off his companion's rambling. He brushed a hand over his green vest, which seemed thin when compared to the Valhallan's thick fur coat. Even though it wasn't very hot, he had no idea how Tolk Ivanov could stand being dressed like that. "Honestly, I was expecting a great feast, in line with House Cadmus's traditions, but it appears that House Yato prefers something...simpler."

That said, Stein had no idea what to expect. He had rumors of this tea ceremony, and honestly, he viewed all these formalities as a complete waste of time. However, the nobles of Knight Houses were powerful allies, and if he had to put up with such nonsense in order to borrow their formidable strength, he wouldn't mind sacrificing an hour or two of his time. At least he wouldn't have to spend an entire day, or worse...a week.

"What can you tell me about House Yato?" He asked instead. "Your Valhallan regiments have fought beside them before, have they not?"

"Ah...plenty of times." Ivanov nodded. The Valhallan colonel rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. "They are formidable warriors, as you'd expect of a Knight House. Codes of chivalry and honor, and all that. But House Yato calls it...what was it, bushido, if I'm not mistaken. The way of the warrior, in Gothic. Sounds different, but all the same, really."

"I meant to ask about their command structure and military tactics, actually."

"Oh, well...they are pretty flexible and courageous. Like all Knights, they prefer close combat - view it as honorable. As for command structure...you know House Terryn, right? His majesty High King Tybalt?"

Stein nodded, and Ivanov continued.

"Here in Draconis III, House Yato's version of the High King is the Shogun. Don't address him as his majesty or accidentally call him the High King, they don't like that."

"Shogun. I assume he's the overall commander of the Knight Houses in Draconis III?"

"That's right. The ruler, so to speak, who reigns on behalf of the God-Emperor of Mankind. The Draconians believe the God-Emperor specifically selects him as His representative in Draconis III." Ivanov shrugged with a non-commital grin. "And the lords under the Shogun are the Daimyo. Basically, House Yato's equivalent of the Barons."

"So the Shogun rules over the Daimyos...who command Knightly retainers." Stein had read up on the information in his dataslate beforehand, but he appreciated hearing from an officer from a regiment who had firsthand experience with the Knight House. When Ivanov nodded, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Got it."

"We're here, by the way." Ivanov sounded cheerful, a jarring contradiction of the usually grim and stoic Valhallans who Stein usually encountered. The two men stopped before a wooden sliding door, and before Stein could knock, a strong voice spoke up from within.

"Please come in."

Stein glanced at Ivanov, who gestured for the general to enter first. He took a deep breath and pushed the sliding door to the side. Before he could step onto the tatami mat, the voice spoke up again.

"I would appreciate it if you take off your footwear."

Stein frowned, but he didn't object. He unlaced his boots and placed them by the side of what seemed like straw sandals. There were more regular shoes and boots beside the straw sandals, which was why he knew where to place his boots. Ivanov followed his lead, kicking off his boots before placing them neatly by the side.

"You can keep on your socks, sir," he said, unable to hide his amusement. Stein scowled and raised his hands from his feet before stepping onto the tatami mats.

Inside, a bald man knelt behind a low, wooden table, pouring tea into cups. His skin was a little tanned, resembling that of an unarmored White Scars warrior, with a black stubble of a mustache and beard covering his lean jaw. His figure was unimposing, but Stein could sense strength within that lithe silhouette, as if coiled to strike whenever a threat showed up. However, the bald man looked up, his dark eyes crinkling mildly.

"General Stein. I apologize for making you come all the way out here, even though you are so busy."

"Not at all, your excellency." Stein recognized the man as the Shogun. Yato Yoshimoto looked just as unassuming as he was in hololiths and dataslates, but in person, he exuded incredible strength and personality. Even though he didn't raise his voice, his words were projected across the room.

Yato wasn't alone. A tech-priest of the Adeptus Mechanicus was nearby, kneeling by another table. However, far from the eerie countenances of hybrid cyborgs that he had come to expect from the mysterious servants of the Martian priesthood, this particular one was mostly humanoid. While dressed largely in the red robes that were their typical attire, he largely bore a human face of flesh, and whatever augmetics he might have were concealed beneath the rust-colored fabric.

A few more nobles of the Knight House were also present, kneeling in what seemed like uncomfortable postures without complaint. All of them had the same black hair and slightly yellowed skin. They bowed politely when Stein took his seat aat Yato's gesture.

"Have some tea." At the Shogun's nod, a lady in a kimono approached the two Astra Militarum officers and served them cups of tea, along with sweets. Stein inclined his head as thanks while Ivanov chugged the tea down heartily.

Yato smiled. "I hope the tea is to your liking, Colonel Ivanov. It is not tanna, but the taste shouldn't be too weak."

"Not at all, not at all!" Ivanov laughed. "I like green tea as much as tanna. Developed a liking for it."

"If you'd like, I'll order some of these tea leaves sent to your regiment as a gift."

"That would be much appreciated."

Stein sipped the tea as he listened to the polite exchange. Inwardly, he was impatient to get to the heart of the matter, but he was aware that this decorum was often part of the formal rituals that Knight Houses conducted. It would not do to offend an invaluable ally. He suppressed the desire to jump straight to the topic at hand.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long. Perhaps Yato sensed his unease. Or maybe the Shogun was just as aware of the urgency of the crisis, for he raised his head to look at the tech-priest from the Adeptus Mechanicus.

"Now that we have all gathered here, I suppose we should begin. Magos Dominus Dominic here has petitioned for military aid, which is why I have gathered you all here, including our esteemed guests from the Astra Militarum."

Yato nodded toward Stein and Ivanov. The Draconian nobles spared the two officcers a glance, but none of them stared directly for too long. Apparently, such a gesture was considered impolite in Draconian culture.

"For those of you who do not know, this is Jakren Stein, in command of the 1,651st, 1,652nd and 1,653rd Cadian armored regiments." Yato nodded at Stein. "And Colonel Tolk Ivanov, of the 598th Valhallan regiment."

"Nice to meet you," Ivanov said, bowing his head a fraction. Stein followed his example, despite feeling uncomfortable. Again, Draconian culture appeared to place emphasis on deference.

"Takeda Taisa, you will be liasing with them." At the Shogun's words, Stein realized that at least one of the nobles present was dressed in full military uniform. Unlike the green and khaki uniforms that the Cadians favored, or the grey furred coats of the Valhallan Ice Warriors, the Draconian Defenders wore pristine uniforms of black and gold. The middle-aged man bowed, his black hair cropped close to his scalp.

"It is an honor."

"Ah, Taisa is their equivalent of colonel," Ivanov whispered to Stein. "They use a similar ranking system, but with different names..."

"My apologies." Yato cleared his throat. "Sometimes we slip into...non-Gothic nomenclature. But yes, Colonel Takeda is the commanding officer of the 724th Draconian Armored Defenders. They will be accompanying the task force to Kryptos VIII."

At that, he glanced at Dominic, who was sipping tea, much to Stein's surprise. He had thought the Mechanicus priest would no longer bother with conventional food and beverages.

"We will also have a macroclade of Skitarii and Cybernetica automata, as well as a fleet of the Basilikon Astra."

Stein nodded. He had read the briefings and had expected as much. Instead, he was more interested in something else.

"What is the situation at Kryptos VIII? I had my regimental astropaths just barely decipher the astrotelepathic cry for help before we were summoned here, but..."

Yato hesitated for a moment. "We are unsure...but from what we could decipher, a combined force of Iron Warriors and Word Bearers struck the mining world of Kryptos VIII about three months ago. They seized several hive cities and the Iron Warriors apparently built a massive fortress on the central continent. We aren't sure about this, but one of our astropaths claimed that he saw visions...visions of the Word Bearers enacting some kind of ritual within that fortress. We don't know what ritual that is, except that it will most likely have dire consequences if the Heretic Astartes succeed."

"I concur." Stein nodded. "We must stop the Traitors and reclaim Kryptos VIII, if nothing else."

"There is more." This time, everyone turned to Dominic, whose voice sounded curiously organic. The tech-priest placed his cup of tea down on the table with an unaugmented hand, though Stein swore he could see a mechadendrite trailing out of its sleeve. "A Mechanicus outpost in orbit of one of the outer worlds of the Kryptos system picked out an approaching Ork Waaagh!. By our calculations, there is a 97.3% likelihood that the Orks have already reached Krpytos VIII and are launching a full invasion."

"That's all we know for now, but we will find out more when we reach the system," Yato said grimly. "To answer the call for aid, I will be dispatching several Knight Lances along with Takeda Taisa's 724th regiment and five other regiments, including two battalions of Kamikaze Troopers. And I was wondering if you would like the honor of leading the Astra Militarum forces, General Stein?"

"I would definitely be honored to do so," Stein replied immediately, bowing his head. He recognized this as a courtesy from his host. "You have given my regiments purpose again."

"Not at all." Yato smiled and shook his head. "Your Cadians have honored us with your presence, and I am aware that you are enthusiastic to wage war once more. The blood of a warrior runs strongly in your veins, as much as ours, I suspect."

Stein simply nodded. It was only by the Emperor's will that his three regiments ended up in the Draconis Sector, adrift and cut off from Cadia when the Great Rift sundered the galaxy in half, rendering half of the Imperium beyond reach. The Astronomican had only just returned recently, and the Daconis Sector had received news that Lord Commander Roboute Guilliman had returned to Terra and was launching the Indomitus Crusade.

For his part, Stein was grateful to the Draconians for accepting the lost Cadian regiments, adopting them as their own.

"The sons and daughters of Cadia will always be welcomed in Draconis III," Yato said, as if reading his thoughts.

"So ten Astra Militarum regiments, several lances of Knights and a single Mechanicus macroclade?" Everyone turned to Ivanov, and he shrugged. "I'm assuming my Valhallans get to go too?"

"Of course." Yato chuckled. "We will not deny you and your 598th regiment that honor, Ivanov-san."

"Thanks, I guess?" Ivanov offered a lopsided grin. He rubbed his hands gleefully. "My men and women will relish shooting some Orks."

"Indeed. I hear that the Valhallans are renowned Ork slayers. But it won't just be us." Yato sipped some of his tea. "I heard that the Black Templars will be accompanying us. Their fleet from the Aligherian Crusade has stopped by Draconis IV for repairs and resupply, and I believe their Marshal Mowbray intends to recapture Kryptos VIII as well."

The Shogun lowered his voice. "The Black Templars wish to settle their grudge with the traitors of the Iron Warriors, it seems."

"That will be a great comfort." Stein and his Cadians had fought alongside the transuman warriors of the Adeptus Astartes, and he could think of no allies more reliable and formidable - apart from the noble Knights, of course.

"There is one last thing." This time, Yato directed his words not at the Astra Militarum officers or the Tech-priest, but toward the Knight pilots kneeling by their tables. His eyes narrowed, and for a second, Stein felt a chill run down his spine. "We couldn't confirm this through the astropathic messages. but apparently the traitor Knights of House Malinax are present as well, having allied themselves to the Iron Warriors and Word Bearers."

There was a sharp intake of breath across the room, and the Knight pilots of Draconis III tensed. Stein wasn't sure what had just happened, but he could guess that the Knights of House Yato held a grudge against the fallen scions of House Malinax.

That must be why the Shogun was sending several Knight Lances in addition to six Astra Militarum regiments from his world.

"You understand what this means, don't you?" Yato asked softly, yet every single man in the room heard him clearly. "If you encounter the traitors of House Malinax, destroy them. Allow them to suffer the full extent of our wrath. Do not let a single one of them escape."

There was a brief silence, and then the Daimyos of House Yato answered as one.

"Yes, our lord Shogun."