Wow, three reviews already! I was not expecting this and I appreciate the support!

mr I hate znt nobles kill em - I'm aware aliens in Star Wars are regarded as equal citizens (In the Republic at least.), but the summary was written from a 40K perspective, so I had to use words such as "heresy" and "xenos". I apologize for the confusion.


Xerxes was beneath the Thunderhawk when Daerid appeared, requesting the Thunderhawk for operation.

The Techmarine frowned as he finished his modifications, and placing the plate back onto its original position, thanking the machine spirit for its cooperation. He stood up from his work, servo arms whirring as he did so, turning to face Daerid. "Are we in a hostile system?" he questioned.

"No, Brother Marine. At least, as far as I know. The Captain wants it for reconnaissance. We appear to have come across an unknown system, by Imperium standards."

"Most curious," Xerxes muttered, his servo-arms swaying about as he considered this. "I wasn't entirely aware we had left the battle."

"Involved in your work?"

"The machine-spirit must be tended with utmost care. They are important in every regard," Xerxes stated. His battle-brothers never seemed to truly understand the importance of the machine spirit as he did. They had not been a part of the Mechanicus as he had, communed with the machine-spirits, or learned of the Omnissiah.

"I meant no offense, brother," Daerid held both of his hands up in an innocent gesture, which was hard to do with his Power Claws. "Where may I find Erasmus?"

"Brother Erasmus is in the cockpit, as per usual 94.392% of the time."

"I probably should have guessed," Daerid shook his head as he made his way towards the cockpit. He stopped suddenly and turned about, glancing at Xerxes. "Wait, you actually count and do math about how long Erasmus lurks in the cockpit?"

"That is correct," Xerxes replied. "My mind is hard-wired for specific calculation, after all. Besides, it's not like there's much else to spend my time doing."

Daerid simply shook his head in exasperation once more as he turned away. Xerxes' auditory senses picked up the sound of hissing steam as the forward ramp descended onto the floor.

"Brother!" exclaimed a voice that could only be Erasmus. Despite his name, which Imperial historians had found belonged to several famous figures with a serious demeanor, Erasmus was the exact opposite. He took his duties seriously enough, but compared to the Astartes, he was very optimistic and light-hearted. He cherished his Thunderhawk above all other material things, except the Emperor.

"…Erasmus," Daerid coolly replied. There was no animosity between the two of them, but Xerxes was aware that his battle-brothers thought Erasmus would eventually get himself killed. "Brother-Captain Aedrus needs the Thunderhawk operational for a scouting mission."

"You're in luck, brother. The Thunderhawk is in peak condition. You can get the rest of our battle-brothers here while I power it on."

At Erasmus' words, Xerxes wisely shuffled away from the engines. When Erasmus got behind the controls of any vehicle, it was never a good idea to stand behind it. He heard the sound of the front ramp closing, and Xerxes sighed in relief.


"Welcome to Air Erasmus, take a load off while we prepare for takeoff," Erasmus' voice boomed over the Vox as the various Astartes took their seats. Talius promptly planted his head into his palm, shaking it, as he despaired of his fellow Astartes' humor. He sometimes wondered if he was the only one who tried to take things seriously. His better judgment, however, informed him that the rest of the squad had plenty of sanity, and Erasmus was just lightening the mood. The physical tremors of the engines humming to life were felt, as the Thunderhawk lifted from the ground and, from Talius' guess, exited the Righteous Flame into the emptiness of space.

Aedrus glanced at each of his fellow Astartes as he began to speak. "Brothers, as I'm sure you all know, we have been deposited into an unknown system. We have no idea what we are up against. Heretics, Eldar, Orks, it makes no matter. If we manage to defeat any hostiles or manage to withdraw, then we will have learned something. If not, then we die as the sons of the Emperor. Be wary, brothers. The Emperor prot-"

Aedrus was rudely interrupted as a tremor wracked through the ship. "What in the Emperor?" Daerid exclaimed as they were jostled about in their seats.

Erasmus' voice came on through the Vox. "We're being shot at. These ships just appeared out of nowhere and began to shoot at us! I'm trying evasive maneuvers."

Talius heard the distant sounds of gunfire that could only be the heavy bolters mounted on the Thunderhawk, pelting away at whatever foe dared get in the crossfire.

"By the Emperor, I've never seen ships like this. Sleek in design, firing some sort of repeating lance weaponry. Their turrets aren't even at port or starboard, they seem to be dotted everywhere, most pointing at the front, but some on the ships, that seem to rotate after us."

Talius could hear Xerxes mutter something in binary, though not knowing the language; he could not understand his brother.

"Can you land us on the planet, brother?" Aedrus asked.

"The planet? If I can get past this blockade, I'm assuming it's a blockade at least, yes. I'm surprised we did not see this from the Righteous Flame."

"The Warp works in mysterious ways," Ferias murmured, whilst Daerid brought up the possibility of stealth technology.

"Do your best, brother." Aedrus commanded, as more sounds of conflict echoed in the din of the Thunderhawk.

"I'll try. I make no guarant- God Emperor!" Erasmus swore over the Vox as the Thunderhawk twisted in a complete 360 degree turn, whilst still weaving towards the planet. "Sorry about that. It's such a mess here I need every part of my concentration. Lots of attack craft, and cruisers, by the look of it. Some escorts, maybe even a capital ship or two."

"Are we in the middle of a warzone?" Aedrus questioned. "Is it the Eldar and the Dark Eldar?"

"Even xenos like the Eldar don't have automatic lances. And we've seen their shuriken weaponry at work." Erasmus informed over the Vox, as the Thunderhawk made more twists and turns. Eventually, after some time, and several curses from Erasmus over the Vox, the ride became less hectic as Erasmus announced their success at breaking through the blockade or battle. "Thank you for flying with Air Erasmus. We hope you enjoyed your flight, and will tip the pilot with several drinks."

The Astartes of the Iron Knights made a cacophony of laughter at the comment.


Hehe, I think I'll like writing Erasmus' character. He's quite amusing to work with, as is Daerid. All the Astartes, really, have been fun to write so far. The Emperor protects, brothers, and may the Force be with you!