Chapter 45: Dark Currents

*Endurance*, Astartes' personal quarters.

Now.

In the dim room, a faint red light flickers. The clock on the door reads "3:48".

Hades lies in bed, sleep eluding him, his mind replaying recent events.

The scythe brought by the Custodian Guard and the Silent Sisters... Hades is certain that it's related to the "Untouchables."

His own psychic null field was effortlessly absorbed by that scythe. Could it be a weapon specifically designed for Untouchables?

The massive and heavy scythe, even for Hades, who is considered a giant among the Astartes, is cumbersome to wield.

And for the Silent Sisters? Even though they are formidable warriors, this oversized scythe is clearly not meant for average-sized individuals.

His recent encounter with the Silent Sisters left Hades puzzled. His psychic null field didn't seem to be a product of their "Silent Field."

But if not an Untouchable, how could he explain his unique nature? However, the Emperor has already bestowed upon Hades a scythe clearly tailored to his unique abilities, indicating the Emperor's understanding of his nature.

He must be a variant of the Untouchables!

Yes, that's it! Unable to find a logical explanation, Hades tries to console himself.

If he can't understand it, he shouldn't dwell on it. The Emperor-given scythe reassures him that he isn't a threat and hasn't been tainted by Chaos.

He can use his psychic null field without fearing it's a scheme of Chaos.

Regarding the scythe, Hades realizes that although his psychic null field can't extend beyond his body, with the scythe, he can expand it, suppressing psykers or affecting the warp.

When he first realized his psychic null field couldn't extend beyond his body, he imagined grappling with enemy psykers, suppressing their psychic abilities.

Too bizarre. The thought gives Hades goosebumps.

It's 4 o'clock. The room lights up naturally. Setting aside his thoughts, Hades gets dressed in his daily combat gear, ready to start the day's training.

Despite not sleeping, his enhanced body feels no fatigue, only invigoration.

As Hades steps out, a figure in MK2 power armor stands at his door.

The white-green armor, with ceramic patches integrated into it, occasionally gleams differently from the armor's overall hue.

The veteran in front of Hades is taller than most passing by in the corridor but still slightly shorter than Hades.

"Follow me. I'll take you to receive your armor," the veteran's voice, deep and resonant, emerges from the helmet. Hades pauses, realizing the helmet's built-in translator is converting the words into Barbarus dialect.

Without another word, the veteran leads Hades, merging with the flow of people.

*Sigh. He didn't even tell me his name.*

Hades follows closely, noticing that this floor seems to be filled with veterans in similar power armor.

Is he the only recruit on this level?

What's going on?

Hades ponders silently.

*Endurance*, Astartes' armory.

Now.

The usually bright armory is now dim, lit only by servitors lighting candles, illuminating a hazy room.

The servitors bustle around, placing candles around a circular platform in the center.

Soon, the new recruit will come to receive his armor.

In the room's darkest corner, Captain Gallo of the Seventh Company stands still in his power armor, hoping the recruit he selected won't disappoint.

Before the Horus Heresy, the Death Guard's numbers were around 95,000, making them one of the smaller legions. This was due to their frequent involvement in attrition warfare.

During the later stages of the Great Crusade, legions that hadn't found their Primarchs were intentionally reduced in numbers while preserving their gene-seed.

By my estimation, the current number of veteran Death Guard is around 70,000. With the addition of new recruits, the ratio is roughly two veterans for every recruit.

However, considering specialized roles like the Dreadnoughts, Captains, Techmarines, Apothecaries, and Librarians, who can't train new recruits, each recruit is actually shared among more than two veterans.

In the original lore, each legion's number of Barbarus-born recruits varied. Before the Heresy, the First Company of the Death Guard had the most Barbarus-born, while the Second, Fifth, and Seventh had the fewest.

The Seventh, in particular, had almost no Barbarus-born. The combat company was filled with the fiercest Terran veterans, known for their exclusivity.

The Death Guard's structure was: Legion - Company - Battalion - Squad - Fireteam.

Other legions followed the structure: Legion - Chapter - Battalion - Company - Platoon - Squad.

Mortarion simplified the structure, setting the full strength of a company at 70,000, a number never achieved.

I apologize for the liberties taken regarding the exact numbers of the Death Guard. My math might not be perfect, but I hope it provides an enjoyable read.

The Death Guard's numbers have always been relatively low. For comparison, during the same period, the Ultramarines and Word Bearers had over 200,000 each, while the Death Guard had only 95,000.

This was due to their frequent attrition warfare and less productive recruitment worlds.

I'll be introducing original characters to the Death Guard legion. I apologize for any deviations and hope you enjoy the read.