This was it! Today was the day when Brother Aesolis would join the ranks of the Apothicarion. He had passed all of the tests and had the blessings of both his Squad Sergeant and the Master of Apothecaries. Why then was Chaplain Karadak standing there, waiting for him, his posture screaming anger and violence? Karadak's skull-faced mask locked onto Aesolis as soon as he entered the small chamber, deep within the Hammer's fortress. When he spoke, it was with the voice normally reserved for battlefield sermons lambasting the vices and failings of the enemies of Man. "Aesolis, you have one more task to complete before you begin your training as an Apothecary. Follow me, and listen carefully."
No other word was spoken, Karadak simply turned and pushed a button on the wall. The grinding of ancient mechanisms could be heard as a heavy door began to shudder open. Aesolis peered into the revealed darkness but saw nothing. The stale air barely moved, and not a single sound could be heard coming from within that stygian portal. Chaplain Karadak turned to face Aesolis again and motioned for him to follow. Into the void of light and sensation they plunged as the heavy door began closing behind them.
Devoid of sight, Aesolis was forced to trust the heavy thud of Chaplain Karadak's power-armored steps and the constant, subsonic buzzing of it's powered systems. Brother Aesolis was just about speak out when Karadak's steps halted. A faint sound could be heard, overlaying the Chaplain's power armor. It was a higher pitched whine, almost like static electricity on the verge of arcing. "Listen" Karadak's voice startled Brother Aesolis with it's intensity and a hint of sadness. He heard a switch click as the static hum died away. Suddenly a new voice scratched into being in that oppressive and dark space.
"Harken to my words Aspirant and take heed" said the voice in the black. "Two thousand years had the Hammers cared for and protected the Helios system. Theirs was a tale of hard won glory, earned trust and a bright future. Their people prospered, the enemies of Mankind were pushed further and further from their borders and the Hammer's grew in reputation as a stalwart defender of the Imperium. Although the records are not clear, few disputed the Hammer's claim to be progeny of the Salamanders as they shared their pragmatic ways and fierce loyalty to the citizens of the Imperium."
The voice paused and seemed to draw a long slow breath before continuing. "It was during this time that a young Apothecary and a member of the Adeptus Biologis met and befriended each other on Helios II. The Apothecary was a diligent and intelligent healer and the Adept was a fierce if somewhat misunderstood intellect in his own field. They shared interests in the betterment of mankind, especially that of their super human protectors, the Space Marines."
"The young Apothecary had often wondered if there was a way to ensure the continuity of the Hammer's lineage, a way to avoid the constant culling and testing of so many human applicants for such a small number of suitable candidates. The Adept shared this curiosity and furthered this desire by wanting to find ways to address the few lingering flaws in the gene-seed of Humanity's saviors. Their discussions and ideas began to take on the solidity of a possibility as they talked and planned more and more." The voice cracked as it continued "Neither was able to obtain permission for their stated goals and experiments, but pride and a surety in the nobility of their goals would not let them quit. They colluded to set up a small lab, deep in the deserts of Helios and commenced their research. From the Fortress of the Hammer's, the Apothecary brought some of the Hammer's purest gene-seed. The adept stocked this lab with the finest in tools and machinery and brought a host of genetic material and specimens that they could continue their work with."
"Their research seemed to be pre-destined for success. Positive results were quickly shown and it was apparent that they were ready to attempt the next step in their plan to birth a Space Marine instead of laboriously select, implant and create one. The Apothecary sought out one of the desert tribes and, preying upon the long established trust, secured the services of a simple-in-mind but sweet and gentle woman named Pak'ti." The voice seemed on the verge of tears as it continued, seemingly eager to pour out this part of the story in order to be rid of it all the quicker. "The implantation and gestation went without problem although the new embryo seemed to develop at a ferocious pace. Only three months after implantation Pak'ti went into labor." The voice paused for a long time. The sound of a metallic breathing, hitched with silent grief was the only companion they had until finally it continued.
"The birth was horrific. The newborn gene-child veritably tore it's way out of Pak'ti's body, the natural means of birth far too slow, archaic and small to enable such a developed child to be born. There were many small warnings up until this point but the horror of seeing one of their charges torn open in a bloody mess should have been enough to convince the Apothecary that this was a grave mistake. It was not. The Apothecary and the Adept celebrated the live birth as a vindication of all their struggle and beliefs. The body of the girl was removed to the waste dump, forgotten to their glorious dreams of perfect Marines in endless supply." The voice had to try three times before it could form the next words. "Not all forgot Pak'ti though. Her father found her body, torn and sundered in the waste pile. He carried her through the desert to a holy place and burned her body as is custom. He then smeared some of her ashes on his forehead and went on his own pilgrimage telling of this treachery on the part of Helios's former protectors, the Hammers."
"The new child showed all the promise the two conspirators had hoped for. Gone was the need to ensure compatibility between the aspirants and the implanted organs. Most of these had been programmed at a molecular level to develop naturally within the child. The few that needed to be implanted were accepted most willingly by the boy's body. Within five years, the boy was on the verge of manhood and had picked up all the training the Apothecary and the Adept could give at a staggering pace. The conspirators decided it was time to reveal their victory to the Chapter." The voice stopped for a moment, as if it wanted to say something else, but slowly, quietly it picked up it's story once again. "Reactions were mixed at first with calls for censure and extermination quickly drown out by wonder and hope. The Hammers had been fighting a costly campaign against the forces of the eternal enemy and this seemed to be divine providence from the Emperor. Timely and endless reinforcements in their campaign to prosecute the enemies of Mankind."
"The young man was allowed to begin training with the Hammers as an aspirant, his origin kept a closely guarded secret, known only to the Masters of the various orders and the conspirators themselves." A small sigh escaped the voice as it paused before continuing. "His rise was meteoric. He seemed to take to every task as if bred for it. His grasp of tactics and strategy was almost preternatural and the Librarians tested him on three separate occasions to see if he had the gift of foresight as they were sure he was somehow getting forewarning of possible outcomes. The young man was a penultimate marksman, a quickly developing leader and without a doubt, one of the most gifted raw talents when it came to close combat. The day the young man become a full battle brother and set aside the aspirant-scout's armor, the Chapter Master himself commended the young Marine. All of the leaders of the Orders, Mechanicus, Apothecary, Librarians and Chaplains all looked upon this bright star with hope that he would eventually choose to join one of them."
"It was not long before the young Marine took over leadership of his own squad, bringing honors and glory to his company in actions around the galaxy. In just under one hundred years he had gone from aspirant to a serious possibility as the Captain of his company." Again, the voice sighed, but this time it held sorrow. "There are far too many parables speaking of great rises leading to great falls so I will not belabor you with any of those. Suffice to say that the young Marine, now the young Captain had flaws. It was upon his return to Helios II that the fall began. For the last one hundred years, the population of Helios had been growing resentful and less trusting of the Hammers. No one could find a single reason but it seemed every slight, every moment where trust could have been earned, it was instead lost. The Chapter Master sought to re-establish some good will. He declared that the returning company, lead by the young Captain would lead a parade through Helios Prime to show all what their efforts had accomplished. Victory garlands were strung and Armor was polished until it gleamed like molten gold. Pride swelled."
"The Young Captain was resplendent leading his victorious company through the streets. The population seemed to want to dislike him and the Hammers but were unable to resist the lure of such a glorious figure. Tales of their victories were trumpeted out from vox casters as the thud of power armored feet marched in perfect time through their streets. The conspirators themselves stood on one of the Command Podiums, beaming with a sense of fatherly pride at their creation's success. It was all too much. No one knows how the young girl got onto the Parade route or exactly what she shouted to the young Captain. His countenance turned from happiness and pride to anger and resentment and he savagely rode her down while astride his war bike. All sound seemed to be sucked into one, horrified gasp. The vox casters went silent, the tromping feet stopped and the people looked on as the Young Captain looked up to his creators with something between a smile and a sneer."
"His entire company followed him into space and eventually into full blown treachery. Rebellion seemed to erupt in every quarter, on every planet under the Hammer's control, as if the little girl's death was the lit fuse which touched off the powder keg of rage and resentment. Repeated calls to return and face judgment went unanswered as the Hammers tried to subdue their own people, those they had loved and protected for two millennia. Just as some semblance of peace returned to the Helios system, he returned. Broadcast across every frequency and screeching through the ether sending many of the psychically gifted, gibbering to their own demise, was the much changed countenance of the young Captain. He was swathed in the colors and ensemble of the eternal enemy and vile mutations could be seen all over him. He had slipped from any semblance of humanity and was now fully a creature of Chaos."
"His words heralded three thousand years of strife, war and suffering. With him came the red sky, the warp storm that surrounded and cut off the Helios system for so long. He spoke, and all trembled. His words were as such: 'Fathers, see now what your pride has wrought, join me and know the rewards of such a noble enterprise. Brothers, I have fought alongside you for a century now and I know your pain. In the small moments of the night, you ask yourself why do we not rule? We who have been proven to be so far above the mortal cattle? Join me and rule as you should! People of Helios, cattle all. Bow down before your masters and worship them for they are your saviors and judges. Look to them in fear, awe and subservience.'" The sound of a long slow exhalation was the their only company for an indeterminate period of time until the voice in the darkness continued.
"Cut off and beset by foes on all sides, including an enraged and untrusting populace, the Hammer's did the only thing they could do. They hid, and fought a guerrilla campaign for almost a thousand years. Far gone was the nobility they had presented in battles of the past. Gone was the glory of shining brass armor and prideful, boastful battle cries. The simple mechanics of kill or be killed ruled and the most tenuous of links to faith and the rightness of the Imperium's cause was all that remained. It was only through this belief, through penance and mercy on the part of the Hammers that the populace came to trust them once again. Almost a millennia after they had set themselves against the Hammers, the people of Helios rejoined them in the fight against the invaders from the Warp. It is a relationship that has stood the fires of adversity and yet there are still some lingering effects of such mighty treachery. Have you noticed, young aspirant, that when you approach the desert tribes, they look behind you, as if for some whispering conspirator? Have you noticed that the women of the desert tribes, conceal themselves in long black robes and scurry away whenever a Hammer comes to their camps, hiding in tents and peeking from between the tent flaps, hoping you leave? Still do the echoes of this treachery linger even to this day."
Brother Aesolis could not fathom what he had heard. This was not taught in any of the mimetic history implants or sermons from Chaplains and yet it had the ring of truth. Aesolis thought back to his many patrols and forays in the desert of his home world, Helios II. There was an undercurrent of distrust or caution in the people when they dealt with the Hammers. As strong as their bond was after the time of troubles and the reconnection to the Imperium, there was still a small touch, just a hint that every Man, Woman and Child knew that their protectors were not quite Human and as such, couldn't be fully trusted. As Aesolis attempted to process all this, the voice cracked into being once again, shame dripping from it's words.
"The traitor's Adept father joined him in darkness and they prey upon the weak and unsuspecting to this day, known as the Demon Pridehammer. It is the duty of every Hammer, from the newest aspirant to the Chapter Master to battle this demon and send him back to the hell that is the warp. It is our duty and our shame. Forever will the Hammers of Helios seek to destroy this traitor, this blight from existence until every sun goes cold and the Universe ends."
Even quieter now, the voice continued, it's revelations more and more shocking. "The Apothecary that helped give birth to this monstrosity had a name…I had a name long ago. But I no longer can remember it and the Chapter gave me a new name, fitting to what I am. I am Shame. I tell you of this so you may know my folly, so you may know the downfalls of pride and so you may never repeat my mistakes. Know that I am forever to be held as a cautionary tale and a dirty secret that the Hammers will forever bear until they can expunge their shame and mine." The voice went silent. Chaplain Karadak could be heard moving and a switch clicked again as the stasis field was powered on. Brother Aesolis did not need to be told to turn around and retrace his steps as the heavy door began opening again letting in the light upon a very thoughtful and changed aspiring Apothecary.