A huge subspace rift blooms in the middle of the galaxy, coveting the serenity of the surrounding world like a devouring beast. Sinister radiation and devastating energy fill the starfield.

Since ancient times, it has been known as the Great Maelstrom.

This raging vortex casts a huge shadow in the warp space around it, sending unpredictable swirls and storm-like forces in both real and illusory space, and twisted and hideous chaotic entities even loom within it.

Navigating near its borders is dangerous, and time and space become a twisted horror under its control. Moreover, under its influence, many worlds have suffered from nightmarish effects and disasters beyond human reason to bear.

Across the galaxy, the vast majority of the worlds of death are concentrated around the Maelstrom, which is inherently forbidden to life.

None of the ships of the Imperial Expedition could dive into its depths and return, two things that they uttered in their star whispers of despair.

Call for help.

And...

Don't come to the rescue.

At the cost of their lives, they marked the remaining star fields that could be recovered, and the Gorgotan Star Sector was one of them.

Though surrounded by dying stars and wastelands of filthy worlds, a haven for filthy aliens, tiny non-human empires, and twisted lunatics, its few counts stand out from the rest of the dead worlds that inhabit them.

Prior to this, the fleet of the Great Expedition had chosen to encircle and bypass the stellar wasteland, selectively ignoring the few of them that were "recoverable" of the human world.

Of course, this is only temporary. In the Great Expedition that is about to liberate the entire galaxy, no corner will be overlooked.

However, for the limited power in the early stage of the Great Expedition, and for the other vast, more valuable star fields... The conquest of the Gorgotin zone was a bit insignificant.

After the main force of the Great Expedition had all but completed the conquest of the galaxy, the Gorgotan Sector gradually proved to be a cancerous neighbor, a threat to the nascent empire of the submissive world.

Now, under the Emperor's sight, this is a star field that needs to be recovered urgently.

……

War is no stranger to war hounds, who live and die from it. No one would question the will of the Twelfth Legion, just as no one would question the sweat and blood spilled from the duel pits on their ships, the fiery and bloodthirsty nature of these warriors, who were silent under strict military discipline.

As irresistible as the nature of their human nature, the dogs crave the skulls of their enemies at all times.

"Enemy Attack !!"

A hoarse low Gothic roar burst from the telecommunications device, breaking the silence in the cabin.

However, a warning to a corpse is a pointless thing. Except for the sound of the slow dripping of blood and the slight sound of ice crystals gradually condensing in extreme low temperatures, there was no sound in the entire cabin, and the silence of the dead was once again.

The passage of air pressure and temperature symbolizes that the vacuum is constantly invading the hull, and the most conspicuous part of the ship's string armor in the cabin is a thick collision angle that is incompatible with the inferior metal of the surrounding unknown hull, like a sharp blade, and the most prominent golden double-headed eagle pattern symbolizes the human empire that is carrying out a great expedition across the galaxy.

This is an Astarte's fist assault boat.

"Buzz ——!"

The heavy chainsaw axe spewing promethium fuel was emitting a terrifying roar, and the monomolecular chain blades stained with sticky pale white electrolyte were slowly pulled out of the half-shattered twisted skull, and Karn walked indifferently over the filthy Inhuman's grim corpse in front of him, several heavy, dull magnetic boots echoing through the empty cabin, and several veterans from the Eighth Assault Company were following him.

It is clear that the sharpest blades of these empires are destroying their enemies in an efficient manner.

"This is the last one."

After carefully searching the ship for all the survivors who could still breathe, Karn's muffled voice slowly spoke, and the unusually loud hoarse voice echoed through the loudspeaker's empty cabin.

The heavy chainsaw axe was slowly flowing with viscous plasma and electrolyte, and Karn reconfirmed that the various readings on the orniths were correct. This symbolizes that about 8,000 alien crews composed of various cyborgs have been slaughtered by the Astartes from the Children of the Mountains on the entire destroyer ship from the Inhuman Empire's 'Brotherhood of Destruction'.

“… How can these Inhumans survive in the Maelstrom for fifty years? It's unbelievable. ”

Looking at the entire destroyer on the ornithography that couldn't find a sign of life readings, a red-painted apothecary wondered.

After all, in the Great Expedition, most fleets bypassed this chaotic galaxy.

"The chaos and disorder of the maelstrom has always had its place... This also proves that this small Inhuman realm is vulnerable. ”

Karn's hoarse voice replied to his teammates. Immediately, he turned on the bird chart and uploaded the gang jumping record along with the coordinates of the ruined space ship.

The unremarkable Jumping Gang ended with the blood of thousands of Inhumans drying up, the third month since the 13th Fleet broke through the subspace and arrived in the Gorgotan Sector, and the seventh month since the Wardog was renamed the Children of the Mountains.

Before setting off for an expedition to the Maelstrom, the entire Twelfth Army Corps reorganized its operational structure under the leadership of the Genotype.

Through the vast knowledge and potion skills of the Mother of the Mountains, the Legion Medical Department has gained unimaginable knowledge of high-quality potions, and the miracle of the regeneration of severed limbs has been reproduced by them at a small cost, and even several veterans who have been sealed in the dreadnought mechs have been restored to active duty by the near-miraculous medical skills of the original genome.

Together with the transformation of Astarte within the Legion, Elaine improved the mortality rate to the point where the priests of the Cult of the Mechanicus were jaw-dropping - and even alarmed the emperor from Terra.

Elaine had only been warned by the Lord of Humanity to stop her eagerness to increase the number of surgical procedures she had been able to make, but even so, the medical advances she had brought to the Empire were unimaginable, and the stationary field that the war dogs had used to place badly wounded veterans had been almost emptied.

At the same time, Elaine's Primordial Guard was created, and they were not only the best warriors on the Primordials' side, but also the best apothecaries of the Children of the Mountains. Each of them was taught the knowledge and skills of the pharmacy by the Mother of Genes.

As for the reforms within the corps, alarming reforms also took place. The 88th Company, a medical company composed of all pharmacists, was formed.

In addition, almost every functional Astarte team is equipped with a pharmacist, whose crimson livery and snow-capped silhouette on their shoulder armor are their logos, symbolizing the gift from their genetic mother.

The rest of the Astartes still retain the war hounds' signature white and blue livery, but the pattern on their shoulder armor has been replaced by the plains of red sand, the symbol of Nukeria, which is also a testament to their status as children of the mountains and red sands.

Nowadays, the vast majority of the Children of the Mountains have learned medical techniques almost spontaneously, and each of them is a master of the human body, not only skilled in various medical techniques, but also extremely skilled in dismembering or dissecting enemies. The extraordinary talent from Astarte gives each of them the potential to become a pharmacist. But strangely, their bloodlust and belligerence have not been eliminated, but their aggressiveness has become more vigorous - perhaps because life-threatening injuries have become extremely rare for them, and even the rules of fighting in the duel pit are only one blood and no blood.

In the course of these days, they have been roaming this perilous star sector for a long time before they have found a lost human world that can be transformed.

With the help of the Iron Warriors of the fleet and the Mechanics, the Sons of the Mountains have exterminated the filthy aliens stationed there, the long-enslaved humans have been co-opted, and with the help of the Iron Warriors of the fleet and the Mechanics, roaring factories and transportation pipelines have been built. The sea water has been drained, poisonous gases and radiation are being discharged, and the rudiments of the nest are gradually taking shape, and the children of the mountains have finally established their first supply world in the Gorgotan Star Sector, and they are using it as a base to continue to encroach on the territory and patrol fleet of the Brotherhood of Destruction.

……

……