The Lion, Lion El'Jonson, had not conquered a world alone in too long. This time, he had no Space Marine by his side, only the scattered yet resilient resistance fighters of Calmas.
Though this planet was perilous, compared to the dense forests of his birth-world Caliban, it lacked some of the deeply hidden malice and conspiracy. There were no monstrous beasts here, but it was filled with the evil of Chaos Cultists.
The Chaos Cultists had destroyed Calmas's defense systems, but the spark of resistance still flickered. When Lion El'Jonson, the Emperor's Children, descended, everything changed.
In front of the Starport control room in Huamei City, the Chaos traitors stood ready, but underestimated Lion El'Jonson's power. He swung his iron fist, blasting open the iron door, and quickly burst in. The power sword, loyalty, was invincible in his hand. A few seconds later, all enemies lay on the ground.
"It's over," Lion El'Jonson said, sheathing his sword, to his followers outside the door. They filed in, these resistance fighters from all over the planet, and unlike the Chaos Cultists, their eyes gleamed with hope.
Initially, they were filled with fear towards Lion El'Jonson, but he told them their past failures were inevitable, and his arrival was to ensure their next battle would be a triumph.
While the resistance fighters cleared the control room, Lion El'Jonson opened a communication channel and began to speak with the militiamen.
"Harlin, report on the situation."
"The remaining traitors have been driven back to the industrial zone," Harlin reported. "The First and Second Armored Divisions are clearing the enemy. The entire city is yours, Lord Lion El'Jonson."
Lion El'Jonson smiled slightly: "This is a victory for the people of Calmas."
At this moment, Zahariel looked at Lion El'Jonson's smile and couldn't help but exclaim internally: "Father! You are so gentle!"
He turned to the Mechanical Sage Valdax and asked, "What is the status of the Starport equipment?"
"The system is still operational, but the machine spirit is not in a very good state," Valdax replied.
The old man didn't understand the Oil Man's convoluted explanation: "So, can it be used or not?"
The Sage emitted a sharp, double-layered noise, which The Lion interpreted as a rejection and uncertainty, like two mechanical dendrites intertwining.
"It depends on your definition of 'usable,' Lord Lion El'Jonson. The machine spirit here is still present, but it has lost its luster. We theoretically have the ability for long-distance augury and communication, as well as the computational power necessary to guide spacecraft for takeoff and landing, but I cannot offer you any promises regarding accuracy or reliability."
"Are you saying that if a spaceship tries to land from orbit, these machine spirits might deliberately cause a crash?" The Lion inquired. Valdax emitted a loud beep in agreement.
"Precisely. You can think of it as a double-edged sword that might also cut yourself. I will upload the data purification program designed by me and my comrades to try and cleanse the system of corruption so that it can be used by us again."
The Lion sighed, "I understand." With that, he opened his communicator again, "Zabriel, how's your luck over there?"
"I was just about to report to you, Your Highness," Zabriel's tone was somewhat heavy, "It's the same as everywhere else. The Astropaths have been slaughtered, perhaps since the traitors first seized control of the planet."
He ordered the militiamen to check the resources on the tarmac, hoping to find usable shuttles. Even with limited resources, he could not give up hope.
Three days later, Lion El'Jonson stood on the tarmac, with Zabriel, the Oil Man, and the militiamen beside him. The Oil Man had found an Aquila Lander and confirmed it had no serious damage.
"Very good," Lion El'Jonson nodded.
Nevertheless, retaking the planet was a remarkable feat. Lion El'Jonson opened his mouth to give an order but stopped, turning instead to look towards the northwest.
"Sir?" Zabriel asked, "Is something wrong?"
"I... I'm not sure," Lion El'Jonson admitted frankly. He saw nothing, smelled nothing, and heard no unusual sounds.
But... "Do you want us to send a scout team over?" the militia captain suggested, but The Lion shook his head.
"No, I'm not even sure if it's a threat. I will go personally."
"We will go with you, Sir," Miss Mikiya, the female captain of the new Lion Guard, said, saluting.
The Lion let out an amused snort. He wanted to refuse, but seeing the "young loli" in front of him, barely twenty years old, Lion El'Jonson didn't know how to refuse.
"Is this a suggestion," Lion El'Jonson asked the "loli" in front of him, "or an announcement?"
Mikiya bit her lip but did not back down, "With all due respect, Sir. If you venture into the jungle alone, what is the purpose of your Guard's existence?"
Lion El'Jonson looked at Zabriel, seeking some help.
But the former Weapons Master of the Dark Angels was meticulously checking the magazine of his bolter pistol, grateful for the much-needed ammunition replenished from the recaptured Calmas Central Armory.
"Hah! This Bolter is truly unique! Look! It even has a barrel!"
But now, he seemed to be deliberately avoiding his old father's gaze... "Very well," Lion El'Jonson said helplessly, "Zabriel, you come with us. Militiamen and Sage, please continue to proceed as planned."
...A truck traveled across the planet's surface. Lion El'Jonson sat in the back of the truck, hugging his plump self. Opposite him sat Miss Mikiya.
Miss Mikiya was holding her lasgun. She had served in the planet's Planetary Defence Force. Even so, she was the most militarily proficient among Lion El'Jonson's militiamen.
Lion El'Jonson had initially opposed creating a personal guard force for himself, as he was the one least in need of protection on all of Calmas.
But Zabriel pointed out that this would be a great honor and show of respect for the people of Calmas, and refusing such a proposal would only humiliate them.
Thus, Miss Mikiya, as one of the few former military personnel, became the captain of the Lion Guard. And Lion El'Jonson, seeing the people of Calmas assign a "young loli" to protect him... helplessly accepted it.
However, Lion El'Jonson seemed very bad at getting along with this young loli. The first time, in order not to let these militiamen die in vain, he was ready to go alone with his sword.
Lion El'Jonson quickly cleared a Chaos stronghold by himself and then returned to the camp. Seeing Lion El'Jonson covered in blood, having completed the mission alone, Miss Mikiya instead directly lectured him... "Sir, why didn't you take us with you! What if you got hurt? Do you not trust us to protect you?"
At that time, Zahariel was already prepared to collect the girl's corpse... However!
Lion El'Jonson was like an old man who had made a mistake, just sitting silently in his chair with his head down, not saying a word. At this moment, Mikiya saw the blood on Lion El'Jonson's face, pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket, and walked in front of Lion El'Jonson... Just as the handkerchief touched Lion El'Jonson, he quickly but gently grabbed Mikiya's slender arm, looking at the girl who wanted to wipe his face with a look of surprise, but seeing Mikiya's persistent gaze.
"Sigh..." Lion El'Jonson sighed helplessly, released Mikiya's arm, and let the girl's pink and white handkerchief wipe the blood from his face.
Zahariel's worldview instantly collapsed! WTF? Is this The Lion El'Jonson who once slapped his son's head off for talking back? Where did you hide my gene-father?
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