Hass sat up in his chambers bed; both hearts pounding a staccato lub lub dub dub his hands came to his face and he rubbed his hands down his face with a un-space marine groan he cast his eyes round; the low level of the night cycles lights not bothering his genetically enhanced sight. He swung his legs out and stood. He hauled his seven foot frame over to his ablutions annex and splashed water over his face he brought his face up and looked at his own dripping face the marine looking back at him was far from the monster of his recently haunted dreams he let out a relieved sigh.
Just recently, the last three weeks to be exact, Chapter master Hass of the Emperors Purity chapter had been experiencing terrible dreams. Till now he had put it down to his natural psychic ability but now he had to find out why.
He slipped into a pristine white robe, the stylised chapter symbol over his heart in bright green. He walked to the Reclusium; at this time there were few about. He didn't pass a single astartes, guard, Navel Officer... not even a civilian begging him for blessings. He paused at a shuttered port hole and sighed, not even the serenity of space was his succor tonight; they were at warp. turning he entered the cavernous reclusium and took a seat at a pew looking up at the ten foot high stain glass window, back light by the ships plasma drive. A rousing image of himself smiting the nightbringer a powerfist aloft and stormbolter levelled. He let out a slight chuckle, it had been a good few decades since he had elected to use a powerfist in combat, his preference the chapters daemon hammer, the one relic their parent chapter had bestowed upon him at the creation of the chapter.
"Trouble sleeping, Brother-master?" The voice was the course voice of the Chaplin of the VIIth Company, the chapter's assault company. Hass turned his head looking the Chaplin in the eyes
"yes Tythros, that dream again... Am I tainted brother-chaplin?"
Chaplin Tythros placed his hand on the worried master's shoulder
"Hass my brother, the very fact you are here and talking to me would say not" Hass gave a nod but his brow furrowed
"But the taint is insidious, it corrupts from within... slowly, I've seen it happen." The Chaplin let out a long sigh
"What do you want me to say? Yes my lord you have damned us all? No, I offer you this advice, wear the armour of contempt. Will yourself immune to the sway of the warp; become the shining beacon of humanity you were reborn to be." The question shocked Hass and he looked up, but the question had done its job Tythros now had Hass' full attention and his words were well heard. The master's expression hardened.
"Then I will take the dream to be our farther reminding me of the price of failure."
The Chaplin nodded and stood placing a hand on Hass' shoulder
"I'd also advise if you can't sleep, go train." With that he walked off back to the cloister.
Hass nodded and watched the marine leave his side; he decided to take the advice. He swiftly left the reclusium and made his way down to the training deck, an entire level of the battle barge having been given over to training, a countries worth of space. On this deck there was every type of climate simulated in blocks ten square miles square. Desert with the deck covered by dunes of sand and the interior temperature turned way up, Tundra right next to the underside of the hull allowing space to cool it down, a sophisticated air conditioning unit making it produce real snow, jungle not only performing training but the lungs of the ship, taking in the deadly carbon dioxide accumulation and turning it into breathable and vital oxygen. a city, the entire area covered with rockreet roads and artificially collapsed, and intact buildings, this chamber held a massive sprinkler system and tesla coil system to re create rain and storm conditions; but Hass was not interested in these... none of them.
He entered a simple sparing room picking up a gladius training sword and approaching a dummy. He went through combat drill at a dummy, no doubt picturing the tainted version of himself in it's' place. He analysed the dream in his mind the chaos lord in his dream was using space marine tactics, a standard planet strike soften the enemy with orbital fire than drop pod assault. Even the drop pods had been in astartes pattern; now he saw the subtle flaws he chuckled. Just a dream.
"By his grace returning to normal space" The metallic voice rang out over the ship wide vox speakers followed by a slight shudder as the hull reacted to the re-emergence from the warp. War would be on them once more very soon.