Warhammer 40,000:Knights of Steel
By Alssadar
Chapter 1
Kadotus swore as he gazed upon Lavot se Povleče, no longer able to see the world as the atmosphere was replaced with ash. He was bald, and his face was tight—gathered from decades of snarling and holding glares. His battle-brothers, Ocydo, Masoi, and Dawir, the only remaining members of Kadotus squad, stood behind him in silence, their gaze focused upon the lost world. The sight alone would damn and cripple the mind of a weaker man, but Kadotus and his brothers were not men—they were Space Marines, Adeptus Astartes. Standing two meters tall and bearing heavy armor a normal man could not bear the weight of, they were the most noble and proud warriors of the Imperium, and the devoted sons of the God-Emperor of Mankind—and this day, they had failed. For the planet below them burned with daemonic fire, and the lone sun of the system was dying off, providing the only source of light into the small dark chamber, glinting of the steel and crimson colored armor of the marines.
"We never should have left it." Kadotus snarled, his power-fist tightening in his left hand, activating the weapon and emitting sparks of energy. "We swore our oath to protect it, or die trying!" He turned around to his brothers, who stood and let their sergeant release his anger. "Are we oath breakers, brother? Are we, His blessed Astartes, weak to renounce our word for our lives?" He spat into Ocydo's face, the brother's face betraying no emotion.
Kadotus turned to face Masoi and Dawir, and cornered them. "Well, brothers? What are we, if not traitors and heretics—fools who deny their oath to save their skin, who put themselves before the lives of the Imperium?" The two gave no response, continuing their solid gaze to the burning planet in the view port.
Kadotus walked back to the view port, settling the power fist on the thick glass in front of him. He said nothing, and kneeled down, head bowed in solitude and his fist scraping the thick metal plates of the ship's flooring. In his silent prayer, his brothers joined him, and they all assumed the same prayer.
"O Almighty Emperor, guardian and protector of mankind, holy leader and perfection beyond his subjects. For You, we serve and in Your image we were born, to fight Your enemies and protect Your servants. Upon this day, I take my pledge, to serve Your cause, to serve without rest or laxity, until my quest is done. I shall stay the foe and give my life if it is needed. There shall be no failure or retreat in my path, the only end in victory or death. In Your name, almighty Emperor, I serve and live, and I shall never derive from the path. For the sons of Dorn will never falter and stand as Your strongest sons, and shall rest only upon completion of Your most holy goal. Ave Imperator and glory to Him on Earth."
The oath passed silently, as the prayer no longer held its calming presence over the marines and Kadotus found his anger rising once more. He punched his power fist into the steel girders beneath him, rising up to pull a redundant set of wires from the insides of the ship. Standing up and tossing the wires away, Kadotus sneered and turned back to his brothers.
"My brothers, return to your quarters and meet me in the chapel after bolter training. We must remain true and not resort to anger, lest our judgment be clouded with our fury. I shall meet with the captain to discuss our plans for the future, and relay them to you after our gathering." Kadotus spoke as he walked past his praying brothers, settling a hand on a panel to open the door, allowing a thin filter of translucent light to flow into the chamber, a further glint on the backs of the kneeling brothers. Kadotus nodded as his brothers spared no response, engaged in their prayer, yet the sergeant knew they understood him. He felt his anger ebb as he watched his pure brothers in the act, before finally turning away, his mind preparing for whatever he would encounter in his conversation with the captain.
The captain was garbed in armor similar to Kadotus, only it was more decorated with honors and held less battle damage. A wide cape was hung like a sash around his chest, bearing multiple shining metals of Imperial honors. Contrary to the honorific garb, the captain's face was worn—large scars crossing his brow, and the captain's jaw and mouth were replaced with an augmented rebreather, making the captain's voice a heavy rasp.
Nage and Kadotus stood in the bridge of the Blade of Alacrity, a large, lined platform above lines of dozens of naval servitors, slaves enthralled to their position. They were centered around a command map, its data screen bearing the loss of Lavot se Povleče, information streaming across as the heretic's numbers increased and the Imperial numbers decreased.
"Our company was lost, sergeant, any fool could notice." Captain Nage glared down over his augments.
"We swore our oath, captain." Kadotus returned, stepping towards the captain. "And are we not the sons of Dorn? We fight until we can no longer!"
Nage made a sound the Kadotus knew as a scoff. "We have 4 initiates from the 30 we brought. Only you and Itan remain of our tactical squads, with 6 brothers in total. Our devastators are lost and Kinnar is the only last member of our assault brothers." He looked down at the numbers surrounding the table. "They've reinforcements en route, and we can aid them no further."
"Do the Fists balk at the chance of defeat?" Kadotus questioned, stepping around the table to face the captain.
"We are not the stubborn Imperial Fists, sergeant. And we do not have the strength to make a significant difference." The captain pointed a red studded finger at the map, pointing at the Imperial numbers in the capital city. "At this moment, our entire company would have been dead, with no apothecaries to recover our gene seed, and heretics to burn our corpses. Our lives would have been wasted in vain for a population we couldn't protect—lives that had already sworn themselves to chaos, and waiting for victory to prove it. The Lion Warriors have unfortunately lost their allies, and there is no longer anything we can do to assist them"
Kadotus stopped a curse from leaving his lips. He knew the captain was right, and the tactical decision was sound—the gene seed was recovered from the fallen brothers, which would allow future initiates to become Astartes, allowing the Knights of Steel Chapter to survive and recover its fallen numbers. But, nonetheless, Kadotus and the rest of the company had sworn their oath to protect Lavot se Povleče, to never leave its defense, and see it in victory or death.
"And what of our oath, captain? Are we to banished and renegade in our shame?" Kadotus asked, raising his eyes from the map.
Nage turned his eyes to the view port of the planet slowly fading into the distance. "We shall see when we return to the chapter. I will most likely receive the mark of shame and have many titles removed, my history damaged in the chapter records. I may be removed from my command position for breaking my oath, but the Chapter Master Furisio will know my decision was in the right." A slight metallic sigh was muttered afterwards, the captain under the weight of his decision.
Kadotus could find nothing to challenge, and moved next to his captain and followed his glare into space. He knew the captain was a good man, leading the 2nd company to victory time and time again. There was no need for the moment to poison the brotherhood they shared. "The skeins of fate are forever changeable, captain."
"Aye. On my home planet, we had seers who could foresee the future. As a youth I believed their falsehoods, and never tried to deny their lies." The captain said without looking at the sergeant, a metallic rasp clunky amidst the servitors' typing.
"And what did they lie to you about?" Kadotus asked.
"Everything. They told me I would forever be a disappointment to my parents, that I would die forgotten and my soul would be forever damned in the Emperor's sight." He gazed around him. "But I proved them wrong." If Kadotus could see the captain's mouth, he would have guessed it was turned back into a slight smile.
"And what of the seers' fate?" Kadotus asked, already guessing the result.
A metallic snort came from the captain. "I crushed them beneath my boot." He gazed back out at the space of Lavot se Povleče, and then back at the map. "Return to your brothers and gather in the chapel. We are to pass into warp jump within the hour. I plan on having the Knights return to this world after we bear the news—my fate is still uncertain."
Kadotus nodded. "Yes, my captain." He left the bridge, leaving Nage to his solitude amongst the mind-wiped slaves around him, silently gazing off at the burning planet he left to its fate.