A Warrior's Courage
Chapter 1: The Meeting
AS THE docking clamps locked into place on the huge Battle Cruiser, two giants clad in massive suits of power armor stepped from their destroyer's boarding ramp onto the Cruiser's deck. They were the Emperor's finest, the Space Marines. The taller of the two, wearing a Psychic Hood was a Librarian. He was a gifted Space Marine, one who could call upon the power of the warp. He was clad in a green suit of armor bearing the Death Knights chapter symbol. His companion was his friend from childhood and long time battle-brother. He too was a Death Knight.
An entourage of Imperial Guard from the Emperor's most holy Inquisition greeted them both. The men were lined up in two vertical lines, lining the ramp on either side. The troopers saluted as one when a man wearing a suit of armor just like the Space Marine's entered the landing deck. He walked with the authority of the High Lords of Terra. He was huge man, even without the armor. He had close chopped gray hair and a face that was scarred with centuries of battle and weary like a man who has seen too much. He greeted the newcomers with a slight bow and said,
'Welcome Librarian Holt and Brother David to the Emperor's Hand.'
Holt then said, 'We are honored to be here my Lord Inquisitor.'
'Just call me Ario instead Holt,' he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. 'I believe we have some pressing matters to attend to. If you would be so kind as to follow me.'
As they started walking toward the doorway David looked at his old friend's features and saw a baldhead with the physic hood over it. His face was scarred with old cuts. His armor still had a deep cut in it where just months before, a Tyranid Genestealer had ripped through his armor on the planet Cestes III. David reflected back on his own image as well. He had short dark hair that was pulled back. His face wasn't as scarred as the Librarian's. But, David had a long cut from the bottom of his right eye down his cheek to his chin.
While walking down the hallway, the men and women they passed didn't give the party much notice. They finally reached a door and the Inquisitor put his finger in a geno-key hole. This pricked his pointer finger and drew blood to make sure that it was the Inquisitor that wanted to gain entrance. When this was complete, all three men entered the room and Ario walked to the end of the room and picked up a data-slate. While Ario did this, Holt and David took in their surroundings. To their right was a large viewing glass that looked out into the deep reaches of space. To their left was another door. Behind Ario was a picture of the Divine Emperor standing on top of a pile of Chaos corpses. Ario motioned for Holt and David to take a seat in front of his desk.
'Gentlemen, the reason you were summoned here was to complete a serious task. In the Sarus sector, Orks have been rampaging on the planet of Trox. There have been reports of a great Ork leader who has called together thousands of Orks to his cause. We know that he rules those Ork clans under him with an iron fist. If we were to kill him, the Orks would fight amongst themselves to decide who would rule. By then, the Imperial Guard will be there to clean up the mess.'
Holt said, 'Well, we will need to assemble a team of Marines."
'There will be no need for that as I already have a team assembled for you.'
Ario got up and motioned for the Marines to follow him to the door they saw when they first came in. Ario pressed an activation rune, and the door slid open. As the three stepped through the door, they saw ten other Space Marines sitting around a round table made from Nalwood.
The first Marine that they saw was of the Ultramarine Chapter. His close-cropped black hair matched his face in that he was a respectable man. His bolter hung from the belt on his waist. His blue armor was that of the sky on Terra. He rose to his feet and greeted the Inquisitor with a slight bow. He then looked at the two Death Knights Marines in front of him.
'My name is Romus of the Ultramarines. To my right here is Brother Markus of the Imperial Fists.
Markus stood and offered his hand to Holt who took it firmly and shook. Holt looked at Markus' yellow armor and then at the Space Marines' face. His brown eyes and aged face had seen too much death and violence for ten lifetimes. The four studs above his right eye told Holt he had served for four centuries. Markus' brown hair was neat and trim.
'To his right is Brother Stybon, from the Space Wolves.'
Stybon stood and said, 'Aye, it is a pleasure to meet you Brother Librarian.'
Holt swore he caught a hint of sarcasm in the Space Wolves' voice, but was distracted by the man's teeth. Where his canine teeth should have been, there were instead fangs. His beard was a dark brown like the fur of a wolf and his hair was to his shoulders and unkempt.
'Likewise Brother Stybon.'
'Next up, we have Brother Barzano, of the Doom Eagles.'
'Glory to the Emperor! It is indeed always a pleasure to meet another Battle Brother,' said Barzano.
Holt saw the silver armor was shining in the light. He also seemed to remember that the Doom Eagles were famous for most of their troopers wearing Jump Packs. This he noticed the Doom Eagle was not wearing.
Barzano saw the Librarian's confusion, and said, 'It is too big for me to go around on a starship with that thing on my back. I'd take up most of the hallways.'
'You already do that Brother Barzano,' said the Marine next to him. This drew chuckles from all around the table.
The Marine stood up and hit his breastplate. 'I am Parcheus of the honored Salamander Chapter.'
Holt looked at Parcheus' green armor and his dark skin that almost matched his dark hair.
'I have heard of the feats you and your Chapter did on the world of Armageddon.'
'Thank you Brother Librarian.'
'His Chapter wasn't the only one there Brother Librarian,' said the Marine in pure midnight black armor. 'I am Strider of the Black Templars.'
Holt noticed that this Marine was the only one to have his helmet on. 'Why do you have your helmet on Brother?'
'I was also in the War for Armageddon. I was one of the first Marines to touch the surface. There was significant resistance where we had landed. An Ork shot me in the face at point blank range with one of their crude weapons.'
'I am sorry to hear such a tale about a fellow Space Marine.'
The next Marine stood and spoke, 'I am Crispus of the Dark Angels.'
Holt looked at Crispus and saw dark green armor with a stern face and his blonde hair.
'I am Naman of the Crimson Fists,' said the Marine next to Crispus.
Holt saw that Crispus' armor was a dark blue, with red trimming. He was bald and had many scars on his face. Also, his right arm was Bionic.
'I lost it fighting Eldar on the planet of Lunoria. One of their elite warriors called a Striking Scorpion and I fought for what seemed like a lifetime. When I tried to get inside his guard, his mandiblaster fired and hit me in the chest. I stumbled and he struck my unguarded combatant arm. While my chain sword was falling I caught it in my left hand and did a reverse stroke, cutting him off at the kneecaps. Over his body, I stood and while his life's blood flowed out of him, I saluted a fellow warrior and finished him with a quick downward thrust to its heart. I don't think I will ever enjoy the kind of fight I had with that Xeno.'
'I am sure there will be such a fight waiting for you on Trox.'
'For Sanguinius and the Emperor! I am Brother Isaac.'
Holt looked at the Marine that had spoken and saw that his blonde hair was neat and that his red armor was a deep contrast than that of his face and hair. He carried pride and honor on both shoulders.
Holt looked to the next Marine and his eyes lit up for the first time in years. Standing up in front of him was a long thought lost Brother and friend.
'It is nice to see you again Holt,' the Marine said.
'Zaron, my old friend,' exclaimed Holt, clasping his old friend's wrist in the warrior clasp. Zaron did the same. Zaron was clad in the Death Knight armor.
'I thought you were dead,' said Holt in almost a question.
'As you can see, I'm alive and kicking. Last I saw you, you were only a Battle Brother, but now, you are a Brother Librarian. My, how life can change over fifty years of absence.'
'Yes, life does change after fifty years. As you all know now, my name is Holt and my Battle Brother to my left here is Brother David.'
'Well, now that we all have met, we must get down to business,' explained Ario.
Chapter 2: A Memory: Fifty Years EarlierON THE planet of Nomanus Chaos forces had swept over the planet in a bloodthirsty hunt for death. While there were Imperial Guard garrisoned there, many had joined with the Cult called the Tainted Blood Horde and helped overthrow those units still loyal to the Emperor. The Imperial Guard were beaten back to the Capital City of Primus Cul in a matter of weeks. Too few to mount an effective counter-attack, all the helpless defenders could do was pray that the massage that was sent by Astropath reached friendly ears in time.
A week after the massage was sent; a return message was received saying help was on the way. This only brought a brief respite from the war, as the Tainted Blood Horde were on their final offensive toward the heart of the city. All surviving units made hasty retreats towards the Governor's Palace. It was here in the darkest hour of Normanus that the Death Knights would intervene and push back the blood-crazed army.
'I NEED covering fire,' yelled Sergeant Maul of the Death Knights.
'I'm on it,' exclaimed Holt. He leveled his bolter and started to let off a volley of fire down the street from behind a turned over grav-car. Shurk, who was next to Holt, joined his Battle Brother in giving their Sergeant cover fire as Maul ran from debris pile to debris pile to take out an Autocannon nest at the end of the street. As Holt fired, he said a silent prayer to the Emperor to guide his friend.
Holt heard a yell as Brother Durk's face and chest were riddled with Autocannon rounds. As Durk's corpse hit the ground, an explosion rocked the ground.
'It seems the good Sergeant did his job,' said Shurk as he charged forward to meet up with Maul.
'Yes, indeed he has,' replied Holt. 'Come on Zaron, Curus, Hal, Romus, Servus, and Barous. We too have a job to do.'
Together, as one the eight Marines charged forward. Las fire was sweeping at them from the rooftops. Hal and Servus both turned their bolters up and quickly cleared away any Chaos Cultists away from the edges of the roofs with short bursts. As the squad was clearing the last few feet to what was left of the Autocannon nest, Curus' head exploded in a shower of blood and tissue.
'Snipers,' yelled Romus as he dove for cover in the gunpit that had till recently housed the Autocannon and its crew. As the marines dropped into the pit, they saw the remains of the two cultists who had manned the Autocannon. All that was left were the burned bodies of them.
'Nice to see you so soon Sergeant,' Zaron said as he jumped into the nest. He and the Sergeant didn't get along too well, and Zaron thought himself the better leader, even though he was younger than the Sergeant.
Maul simply grunted. This youth always tried to outmatch him in everything, like he was trying to prove a point or something. Maul ripped his mind from those thoughts to the present. Sniper's rounds were pounding their cover. Hal peeked out from the gunpit to spot a figure in the second story of the building to their right. It was too big to be a human.
'I think we found a worthy foe in this dump for a Capital.' Hal grinned at the thought of finally getting the chance to fight a Chaos Space Marine since that day on Belaeno. He remembered his brother Sayi and how he saw first hand, a Khorne Berzerker ripping him apart. His blood boiled inside him. That day, he vowed to find his brother's killer.
'What did you see,' asked Barous.
'A Chaos Marine Barous, a Chaos Marine,' Hal trailed off.
'Alright, we'll move into that building and take up positions, that will help our fields of fire,' Maul said, pointing to the building on their left.
'I believe if we moved into that building, we could take down the marine and also take up good positions. Take out two birds with one stone' argued Zaron. Hal looked at the Sergeant with a grin. Servus and Romus both nodded in agreement. Maul looked to Holt and Barous for support, and only Holt was in support of him.
'Fine,' spat Maul, 'we will go into the building with the Chaos scum in it.' Once again, this upstart is trying to run the show he thought.
They broke cover at a sprint. The snipers had seemed to stop shooting at them. Why had they stopped, pondered Maul? As they ran to the building's entrance, they heard screams that could only come from a human being. Two figures in red robes came running out with fear in their faces. That fear turned to desperation as the two cultists realized whom they were running into. They brought up their autoguns and fired at the incoming marines who shook off the bullets. Zaron who was in the lead took down both with shots to the face each.
As the marines reached the entrance to the building, they could smell blood. Also, mixed in was the smell of oil, like that of a chainsword. They entered with Zaron in the lead covered by Holt who in turn was covered by Maul while Hal, Barous, and Romus guarded the door. Zaron walked down the hallway, weary of anything hostile and also of the holes in the floor. As he was walking, he saw blasphemous signs and runes upon the walls, all dedicated to the worship of Khrone, written and smeared with blood. Up along the hallway, a gigantic figure charged from out of a doorway, plowing Zaron over, and tackling Maul through a wall and into a room.
Zaron fell down through a hole and landed hard on the next floor. Great, now I have to get back up there somehow. As he scanned the room, he guessed that this was an office of some kind. All he could see were the tables overturned and a main desk that had the chair turned around behind it. He cautiously stalked toward it. When he had gotten close enough, a wave of nausea hit him and he reeled back from it. He regrouped and turned the chair around only to see a man or what was left of him. It was as if something had come out of him, like a butterfly in a cocoon. Then he noticed the huge mark of Khrone above the chair on the wall. It was cut into the wall, and filled with blood. Zaron thought it had to been cut at least three inches in. He tried to think, but the stench was strong, and he had to back away.
He tapped his comm-link, 'Holt,' no answer, 'Maul,' again no answer. There must be interference from the concrete he thought. He then set off to find some stairs so he could get out of this place.
Maul and the giant wrestled on the ground for a good minute before he got the thing off himself. Maul jumped up, noticing that his bolter wasn't in sight. He did the next thing a Sergeant would do in this situation, he grabbed his chainsword and turned it on. It hummed in his gauntlets and he enjoyed it, for it was not often he got to use it. He took in his opponent, seeing black power armor and red shoulder pads, with the mark of Khrone. The red eyes of helmet were staring into the blue eyes of his helmet. The Khrone Berzerker discarded his own bolt pistol and brought out a chainsword like that of Maul's, but the Berzerker's was decorated with unholy marks. The Berzerker made the first charge, and swung at the Sergeant's midriff. Maul blocked this easily, but noticed too late the Berzerker's free hand. The fist smashed into Maul's head and cracked his helmet. He was launched back and landed hard in the corner of the room. The Berzerker was on top of him swinging madly, but thanks to Maul's enhanced reflexes, he was able to block the attacks. He steadily got back up to his feet while deflecting the Berzerker's swings.
Maul pivoted his left foot and swung low with all his might, catching the Berzerker low in leg, just below the knee. The Berzerker's leg buckled under his own weight and he fell to the ground. While falling, he brought down his chainsword on the Sergeant's extended left leg, cleaving it off at the thigh. Maul reeled back, stunned to see his leg on the floor, and not on him. He stumbled back and fell, dropping his chainsword to the ground and out of reach. The Berzerker was pulling himself up and Maul had scant seconds before he would die. A bolter round sang out as it was fired, and the Berzerker's head exploded, covering the wounded Sergeant with its blood. Maul looked to the door and saw Hal in the doorway, his bolter still smoking from the shell it just fired.
'You have been avenged Sayi,' was all Hal said as the Berzerker fell to the ground, its life's blood flowing out of it.
AFTER much searching, the marines came up short on their search for Zaron. They too found the office where something inhuman had broke out of a human vessel. There wasn't a place in the building they didn't search. After thirty minutes, they abandoned the search so they could continue to eradicate the city of the Chaos forces. Before leaving, Holt said a prayer to the Emperor for his friend. Unbeknownst to them, Zaron was there, just not in the same reality.
After seeing off the Sergeant to the medicals, Holt was appointed active Sergeant in place of Maul. Maul shook Holt's hand in the warrior's clasp before he was rushed into the surgical tent and said in a voice only a father can give, 'Holt, you are a good friend and strong man, lead these boys as I would. I know there will be tough times ahead, and you must be ever vigilant. Oh, and make sure that Hal doesn't let that kill go to his head.'
'Yes sir,' replied Holt.
With that, the orderlies carried off the wounded Sergeant into the tent. Holt turned on his heels and made for where his squad was waiting. His squad, the words echoed back into his head. This was his first chance of command, and he would do everything not to mess it up. He was brought back to the world when his comm crackled into life, with reports of cultists and Berzerkers breaking through the eastern palace walls.
'Holt to squad, form up on me. We make for the eastern side of the palace.' Acknowledgments from Hal, Barous, Servus, and Romus came in.
'HOLD them boys,' yelled Commissar Pol. The cultists were swarming the eastern wall and gate. Every now and then, they saw a Berzerker in the crowd of bodies. 'Bring justice to these scum,' he continued. He thought his boys had done well these past few days. Of course there had been those who had weak faith.
A scream sounded from the wall, and Pol saw a trooper fall backwards off the line and die, a hole through his chest. Damn, Pol thought, it seems the enemy has finally run out of cannon fodder. It has finally come down to their traitor Guard. Only those men would know where the armories were. Men, was not a word for the scum who betrayed the Emperor.
'Kill them, kill them all,' was the chant heard from beyond the wall. This will be one hell of a fight was all Commissar Pol could think.
TROOPER David wasn't scared anymore. All he felt was anger, anger at those who betrayed him and his fellow Guard, anger at the Chaos forces for disturbing his life and family. He remembered his friend Realk and how he had become crazy and tried to kill him. He remembered how he himself had killed Realk. The lasgun he held now was as light as it had been then. His father, now dead in the street somewhere had grabbed his old lasgun from his Guard days and with his old buddies set to work to prepare for a fight. The tactics they used were good against the cultists, but the Berzerkers weren't as stupid as the cannon fodder. He remembered the fear on his own face as his father died, ripped apart and mutilated. All of his dad's friends were dead. Every family in the city was practically wiped except those would had royal connections.
'Here they come again,' shouted a panicked trooper. 'Ready yourselves lads.' Captain Tugh was next to David, readying his bolt pistol. David always admired the soft-spoken Captain. For all they had been through these last days, the Captain had been calm and open-minded.
The traitor Guard ran from their rubble positions in the hundreds to overwhelm the eastern wall. A rocket flew out from the traitor cover and exploded along the wall, atomizing two men along the line. Their screams lost in the explosion. Bolter rounds were peppering the wall along the entire front. Three more troopers were hit and killed. One fell off the wall and into the street, only to be torn apart by the frenzied Guard. Lasguns on full auto rained death into the enemy. David saw faces he had known since childhood die in the enemy.
An explosion threw David off the rampart and onto the courtyard. When he regained consciousness, he saw a huge gaping hole in the wall where he, Captain Tugh, and ten others had been. It seemed only he had survived the blast. The next thing he saw, he wished he hadn't. A tall thing, its skin was red and it had horns coming out of its head. It carried a long sword, and it was then that David noticed it wasn't alone. Other of these things appeared out of nowhere. David scrambled up, and looked for his lasgun, only to come up empty. He pulled out his knife, a weapon that had been handed down to him by his own father. He wished with all his might that his father could see him now, ready to face the foe with his blade in his hands. Driven by love and anger, he launched himself at the Bloodletters, tears running down his face. He ran for what seemed a lifetime. He was met by one of the creatures, the first one he saw. It swung in a downward arc, and David rolled aside. He then plunged the blade into the creature's neck. Ichor spit from the wound, and David pulled out the knife, only to plunge it into the thing's face. The thing fell back and convulsed, then the next was upon him. It swung for his head, and just barely missed, but followed up with its leg, sending David to the ground. Captain Tugh was there in an instant, bloodied and ready to defend David. He launched himself at the Bloodletter with his power sword. The Bloodletter was ready and blocked attack after attack. David grabbed up his fallen knife and was back in the fray.
Captain Tugh and David were together single handily taking on the entire Bloodletter squad. Tugh cleaved an arm here and a head there. David slit a demon's throat and drove his blade into the Bloodletter's chest.
While the two Guardsmen were fighting, other Imperial troops took up their courage and with renewed vigor, started to fight like true soldiers of the Imperium. As one, the Imperials started to sing the 'Litany of Faith'. They continued to sing, even as some died. Traitor Guard had finally broke through the gap and joined the melee. Imperial Guardsmen jumped from the ramparts onto the traitors. All around, death was there. Blood, guts, tissue, bone, and flashing steel, all mixed into a meat grinder. Men screamed as they died and yelled as they killed. David was in the middle, fighting off the last of the Bloodletters. He last saw Tugh's head cleaved off by the last beast. He ran at the Bloodletter with a prayer on his lips. At the top of his lungs, he yelled, 'For the Emperor!'
HOLT and his squad were clearing the last few yards to the eastern wall, when he heard a yell. This yell was one that he had never heard before. It was one for the Emperor, for family, for life. How did he know that? He couldn't tell. He saw the Guardsman who had yelled, and saw what he was running at. The Bloodletter was at least a foot taller than the man, but his man wasn't frightened. Holt noticed that the area the man was running from was filled with dead Bloodletters and traitors. This man was truly a warrior. 'Forward my brothers!'
DAVID leaped the last few feet on his charge. His leap had taken him to a foot above the Bloodletter. The Bloodletter looked up just in time to see a blade eight inches long and covered in blood with a man just as bloodied drive the knife through its skull. The Bloodletter dropped on the spot and died. He left the blade in the damn thing's head. He picked up Tugh's fallen power sword and thumbed the activation rune. He would make these traitors pay. Bolter rounds whizzed past his head and cut down several enemies in one barrage. David turned to see what could have done this and saw five Space Marines running toward the fight. The lead marine was pulling out a chainsword as they closed the gap between themselves and the melee. The others pulled out combat knives. They hit the traitors with a force like that of the ocean upon the rocks. The Traitor Guard were taken aback by this new development. They turned to flee, but the Imperial Guard were ready with lasguns, bolters and other small arms. Having disposed of the enemy, David collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. All of the Guardsmen cheered, except for one. David lie where he had collapsed, blood running from a wound that should have killed him at the beginning of the fight.
TWO months after all Chaos forces had been cleared from Nomanus, David woke up from his coma. He was lying in a bed; his head ached as he sat up. He looked around and saw many other Guardsmen in beds just like his.
'Easy does it, Brother David,' came a voice to his right. David turned to the voice and saw the same Space Marine he had seen leading the charge against the Traitor Guard. David was about to ask a question when the man spoke again. 'My name is Holt. Yes, you are alive. I got to you just in time to take you to the medics. You were then put aboard this ship to be transported back to our Chapter Fortress. You fought with courage back there brother. I was impressed, as was my Company Captain. He said we need men to replace losses we had suffered, and you were one who was chosen.'
David's head reeled. One minute he was fighting Chaos on his home world, the next he was going through space to join the ranks of the Space Marines. He was going to become one of the Emperor's finest. 'Frag,' was all he could manage out, besides a chuckle. He laid back down and started to dream with a grin on his face.
Chapter 3: Disputes