The Longest Short Bus. Chapter 26 (Patreon)

The next while consisted of our group holding down the Leman-Russ Tank factory until we got news that native guardsmen and enforcers were here to take over.

But while we waited for them to get here we took care of other issues like burying our dead with Adelith giving prayers for them to arrive safely within the the arms of the Emperor for their service. And of course, collect all the war gear from the fallen as I certainly wasn't going to leave my sets of Power Armor behind for the asshole Mechanicus agents who were going to throw it into a smelter for being tech heresy.

"Alright, the tank factory is dealt with. Now we will return back to Alpha base to resupply." I spoke to Adelith and Barghest as I sent emails to the squad leaders to get everyone to move into formation to march through the Underhive.

-

We quickly made our way back to our main base in the Geothermal Plant due to the simple fact that we had now cleared path to and from the Leman Russ factory twice. And the native guard and the Inquisitor's forces also used that path to get there and dealt with any stragglers.

Once we got to our main base of operations the soldiers split off to take care of their gear, get medical care if they needed it, or likewise deal with any other issues they had while I went off with my little entourage in my section that housed the 3D Glimmer printers.

"Alright... So the power armor works well for the most part, but it doesn't hold up well to corrupted flamers and plasma weapons." I muttered as I went over the battle field data for the unaugmented soldiers that died while wearing their Fallout 4 power armor and then came to a realization that could help with that.

'A sanctified holy energy shield from the Covenant could work? As their shields are built to withstand energy weapons better than conventional weapons.' I thought as I put a dozen 3D printers to work making the Halo energy shields that although not to powerful they would give my soldiers a great deal more survivability.

However as I was working Barghest patted my shoulder and said with a clear pout. "Boss, when you going to get that smelly book out of my bomb case." 

My lips twitched at her reminder about the Nurgle Sorcerer's prayer book and I nodded but then paused as I looked at Adelith. "Adelith, when will your sisters be joining us?" I asked as a thought came to me.

She gave me an odd look but quickly said. "They will be here in but an hour or two as the Canoness from the Ordos Hospitalier is dutifully doling out the Emperor's mercy to those afflicted with the ruinous powers gaze."

I held in a twitch as I translated her words to 'The new Canoness is slaughtering everyone she finds even remotely tainted.' 

But with that confirmation, I looked back to Barghest and said. "Then you just gotta wait a few hours Barghest. Actually, you go play football with the rest of the augmented Ogryns using the metal footballs, you all need to continue your training in responding to getting into formations and dealing with other Nurgle-enhanced abominations."

I had come up with the idea of training the physically and most importantly mentally enhanced Ogryns with American Football as it as a sport taught teamwork and with the Ogryns taking the place as Linemen that allowed other super soldiers to take other roles in the team while keeping them busy and having fun in one of the emptied out storage areas that was even larger than a football field anyway.

Also as a sport, it was fucking perfect for teaching people how to move fast, hard, and aggressively in a fight while wearing power armor.

So while Barghest went to put her fellow Ogryn's into the metal floor while playing football I got to work drawing up the mental schematics of the Thorn knowing all to well that I was kinda threading a fine line of Heresy if I wanted to use the thing. But I had the perfect catalyst and reagent in a book of Nurgle that could be used to make it.

Either way, while I waited for Adelith's fellow Sisters of Battle I continued my work and added some slight modifications and more nanites to my Crysis Suit so that it could improve upon the slight deficiencies it picked up from the battles I was in.

"Golden One, I have a favor to ask you." I spoke as I stood up with my Crysis Suit covering my form in a rushing liquid sound before it hardened over my body.

The Custodes looked over at me with a head tilt obviously waiting for my request and while under my helmet I gave a wry smile. "Can you give me a good punch and stab me in a non-lethal spot with your Guardian Spear? I need to test my armor's new locking ability." 

With the new update to my armor I had given myself the semi-armor lock setting that would make the armor far harder to move in, but its hardness and density were insane. Like beyond diamond itself so I was curious as to how it would deal with the forces of a Custodian giving me a good wallop. 

The Custodian gave me a long look and then said bluntly. "If I do not do this... You are going to do something stupid like have a rocket launcher set up to shoot your self aren't you?" 

I blinked at that and after a moment of thought... I nodded and taking a knee to the ground while my armor locked up like I was in Halo with a rocket blowing up uselessly upon on my form? That would be so awesome!

The Custodian without even seeing my expression visibly sagged as he spoke through his Vox channel with annoyance. "Besides people we protected who begged to be killed after doing their duty upon an abandoned Chaos World, you are the only one to purposefully ask to be hurt by their Shield Host guardian."

In response, I just opened my arms up as to say. 'Come at me bro.' And in a blur of motion, the Custodian flashed forward and the suit's light speed sensors picked up the motion... Screamed in fear at the acceleration of the coming force, locked my body down tight and I felt the Custodian's armored palm slam into my chest with and got thrown through a storage crate.

Not into a storage crate. No, I got yeeted so hard by that palm strike that the metal of the storage container screamed as it was ended open and my flailing form went got sent through the other side before losing enough momentum for me to just slide across the ground while I just stared at the ceiling above me as I processed the fact that nothing was hurting.

"Jake you alright!?" Adelith asked in obvious distress and as I looked up... I almost let out a tear as I saw that she had a hand on her plasma rifle as she looked between me and the Custodian.

So not wanting her to do something out of her natural zealotry I held up a hand and said cheerfully. "Not a scratch on me! Or my armor actually haha." I joked as already as I laid on the ground for a couple moments the nanites in my armor repaired and moved any damaged parts of the armor that got scrapped during my experiment.