Title: Angelus Erroneous: Fabricati Diem
Author: Spike
Chapter: Ten
And so we journeyed on - through the mountain range that Bishop was keen on exploring. We walked in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts but still wary for any type of ambush.
But it wasn't the prospect of an Ork attack that had me worried. Jessie was still walking ahead of Xerxes and myself, still keeping her back to both of us. She hadn't spoken a word since the journey began and she never once broke her vision from what was up ahead. No doubt the bitterness was still seething….
Along with the possibility that she may try to turn against us…..
And behind us still marched the ever present threat of Deacon. The homicidal lunatic with that all-powerful heavy stubber. Still, at least he was more talkative – even though all he said was a mixture of sarcasm, intimidation and threats to kill us.
So far, the morning had proven to be quite unspectacular – we had not been bothered by the Orks at all. Surprising yes, but more so considering the monster Orks I had encountered earlier that morning.
What is also off-putting is the fact that, for the first time in a long time, we were walking out of the jungle and into the open! Considering we were in a position to be easily spotted, it was any wonder why the Orks hadn't spotted us yet.
As we journeyed across the mountain, I kept a wary eye on the jungle that lay at the bottom of the range itself. Chances are, there could be some Orcs lurking there and I certainly don't want to take any….
Wait a minute.
What was that?
I stopped dead in my tracks, my gaze focusing on the jungle below. I could've sworn that I saw something…..
"What's the matter?" Xerxes asked. "Narc? Something wrong?"
"I saw something down there" I muttered.
"What?" the Rogue Trader replied "Is it more Orks?!"
Although I couldn't see his face, I could still sense some urgency about him - evident in his voice and the mistakable click of his lasgun being readied.
"Where?" he inquired.
"Down there" I said, pointing. "In amongst those trees"
Just then I heard a pair of heavy feet approach.
"What's going on here?" growled a voice that could only belong to Deacon.
"Narc claims he's seen something" Xerxes replied.
"What is it?" Deacon rumbled, his voice suspicious.
"I saw something" I mused "something metallic….
"Metallic?" Deacon muttered "Here? That's absurd!"
"Hold on" Xerxes replied, his voice in a reasoning tone and his eyes squinting at the trees. "He could have a point – there could be some Orks lurking nearby"
"If there are then I would more than happy to introduce them to my stubber!!"
I said nothing – my attention being invested fully into my gaze focusing on the jungle below. I swear I saw something….
But concentration doesn't come easy when there's a full range of voices going on at once:
"What are you looking for, old man?" Xerxes inquired.
"You better not be having me on, small fry!" Deacon rumbled.
"What's going on back there?" came a voice that sounded like Laertes "I'm hearing shouting."
"Narc claims to have found something!" the Rogue Trader replied.
"What is it?" said Jessie.
"I'm not sure – he won't tell us!"
"Then why bother?" Jessie replied.
But regardless of what my companions were saying, I paid little attention for I was trying to locate my little discovery.
"Which was right about….. there!"
And with a jab of my finger, I pointed towards the jungle.
There, in amongst the foliage was a small, but still quite visible, glint of silver.
"Where?" Xerxes demanded.
"There!" I exclaimed. "I saw something metallic! In amongst those trees!"
"I can't see a damn thing…." Deacon muttered.
Muttering some sort of curse under his breath, Xerxes reached into belt and pulled a small cylinder-shaped object. With a flick his wrist, the cylinder immediately expanded into the shape of telescope.
When it came to viewing things from a distance, this telescope was the only item we had for such a purpose. It is a primitive object in this day and age (my days in the Imperial Guard taught me the importance of having viewing goggles) but it gets the job done. Emperor only knows why he keeps that thing – he claims it is a prized relic from his days as a Rogue Trader.
But I know better and can deduce easily that he stole it from somewhere.
After all, who would use a telescope in the middle of space, anyway?!
Anyway, Xerxes began looking towards the area with his telescope, his facial expression one of scepticism.
But it didn't take long before he caught sight of something. And his expression softened into one of disbelief.
"I don't believe it" he muttered.
"What is it?" I asked.
"See for yourself" Xerxes murmured, handing the telescope to me.
I then stared down the shaft, wondering what was this object I had discovered and why it freaked out the Rogue Trader.
It didn't take me long to find out what it was.
There, nestled in amongst the foliage and well hidden from normal eyes was a ship.
But not just any ship – it was one made with a distinct metal, a design that betrayed a circular shape and a distinctive manufacture that betrayed neither Ork nor human origin.
"An Eldar ship" I murmured, lowering the telescope and handing it to Deacon "What the hell would a thing like that be doing here?!"
Xerxes however smiled an intrigued smile.
"I must admit you've certainly picked up on an amazing find here old man" he beamed. "In the terms of scavenging I think we've hit upon an absolute gold mine!"
Just then I noticed Laertes, Bishop and Jessie come hurrying over.
"What's going on here?" Our Fearless Leader demanded.
"I believe that our man Narc here, has made the discovery of the century" Xerxes grinned "He's discovered what seems to be an Eldar ship!"
"What?" Jessie exclaimed.
"You can't be serious!" Bishop sneered.
"See for yourself" Deacon rumbled, handing the telescope to Our Fearless Leader.
Bishop took the telescope and peered through it.
"You gotta be kidding" Jessie muttered "What the hell would an Eldar ship doing here in this neglected side of the galaxy?"
"Well you have hand it to him" the Rogue Trader beamed. "He's certainly found something we can salvage! And from the looks of it, it's been there for a while!"
I mentally cursed – Sure I had a strong connection with Xerxes but the way he carries on like this is certainly frustrating on my part. So what if I found the damn thing?! The least he could do was not make such a big thing of it.
"This sounds like utter bullshit to me" Jessie retorted "There can't be such a thing there!"
"Take a look at your bullshit for yourself" Bishop growled, handing her the telescope.
As Jessie looked through the telescope, Our Fearless Leader turned to the rest of us.
"So what are we going to do about that thing then?"
"I say we should salvage it!" Xerxes said. "If it's been there for a while then chances are, the Orks either haven't paid much attention to it or they don't know that it's there! Either way, we have an opportunity here too good to miss!"
"I agree" Deacon said. "I too would like the firepower that may be in that thing"
"Same here' I added. "If there is anything in there, we can always rely on Xerxes' knowledge of the galaxy to identify it. Isn't that right?"
Xerxes laughed – but it was one that was tainted with utter nervousness.
"I don't think we should investigate!" Laertes said suddenly "We should just leave it there! It's an alien spacecraft and all aliens are abominations that pollute the Emperor's galaxy!"
I don't know what type of reaction Laertes was expecting with this speech – but I doubt he was expecting a wall of silence.
"And?" Bishop eventually growled.
The priest's facial expression then grew into one of complete exasperation.
"We are the servants of the Emperor!" he snapped "We must abide to His will and conquer the galaxy that has been granted to all of humanity as our birthright! So what type of servants would dare commit such an act of heresy by touching the creations of an inferior race?!"
"You forget" Bishop replied, somehow managing to keep a cool head regardless of being shouted upon "We aren't the servants the Emperor – we're just a group of outlaws and desperadoes trying to scrape out some kind of survival. And in this game there are no rules"
You had to admire Our Fearless Leader. He really had the presence, and the rate of intimidation, that made one shut up quick smart.
"But…." The priest began
Unfortunately for him, he wasn't given the chance to finish. Convinced that the argument had been won, Bishop turned to rest of us.
"I say we go check this thing out" he said "Who's with me?"
He then started down the slope. Deacon went after him followed by Xerxes.
Understandably irate with the fact that he wasn't being taken seriously, Laertes turned to both myself and Jessie.
"If you go down there and dare abide to the creations of a hated alien race then I shall consider it my duty to purify you!" he scolded
Jessie looked at him with a hardened gaze.
"Then perhaps I shouldn't go down there" Jessie retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm "Don't really want to interfere with your good work for the galaxy"
She then turned and headed down the slope with everyone else.
Laertes then turned an infuriated gaze towards the last person left:
Me.
But before he could open his mouth, I merely shrugged and made my way down the slope.
'You will all go to hell for this!" I heard him yell after me.
I just continued on my way – Sure he may declare such threats but he has never been able to seem as intimidating. Yes, he may have said that he would fry us in the 'purifying flames' of his flamer but he has never really made much of an effort to fulfil that promise.
Therefore, as far as we're all concerned he's pretty much harmless.
Okay it may be a big ask being so trustworthy will such a lunatic but personally he's no different from the rest of us.
Besides, what difference does it make when you're too busy watching your back from everyone else?Title: Angelus Erroneous: Fabricati Diem
Author: Spike
Chapter: Ten
The Eldar craft was one of the vehicles that the Imperial Guard command identified as a Wave Serpent. According to my knowledge of the Eldar, it was a troop carrier.
What this meant for us was, disappointingly, the fact that it didn't really have enough weapons that we could use against the green-skins. Or at least one's that were in clear view - I had seen Elder Wave Serpents and whilst some of them were known for having a heavy weapon built into them, this one didn't.
But despite the lack of proper weapons, what was particularly striking about this Wave Serpent was it had bore the signs of having been here on this planet for a very long time: It lay half buried in the dirt ground covered with foliage and moss. Its protective armour plating was riddled with rust, bullet holes, enormous dents and several scorch marks.
There was no telling how long it been there but it had obviously been here before any of us humans arrived to this miserable rock. And in that time it had been lying here, it this had then been discovered long ago by the Orks who took to it.
Of course, that may explain where the heavy weapons (if any were on the Wave Serpent) disappeared to….
I looked around – There seemed to be no signs of scorch marks on the mountainside. Looking towards the jungle, there seemed to be no signs of a crash landing: no ruined trees, burnt timber or broken trunks. If the Wave Serpent had to make a crash landing, it would've done so long ago. As such, the jungle would've had plenty of time to regrow since.
I looked at my associates – but if facial expressions were anything to go by, none of them seemed to be investing a single thought into how long the Wave Serpent had been situated there. Instead, Bishop was rubbing his hands with glee, looking extremely keen to find anything salvageable from the craft. The rest of the group, however, was a mixture of emotion: Jessie looked interested, Deacon didn't seem to care a single iota and Xerxes looked around nervously.
It was the sight of the Rogue Trader's unease that caught my attention. In the space of sighting the wreck and arriving at it, his facial expression had disintegrated into a state of eagerness to paranoia. It seems that the excitement of this unexpected discovery had given way for a realisation that he would have to deal with a number of questions regarding identifying anything within the Wave Serpent.
Obviously his mind was working on overtime to come up with a range of witty comments that would save him from the embarrassment of trying to identify any alien object that should come his way.
Meanwhile, Laertes was still at the top of the slope. From this distance, he seemed to have taken up a seated position.
Hey, if he wants to sulk then that's fine by me.
And if he doesn't want a cut of the loot we may find in the Wave Serpent then that's even better.
"You think there may be something still in there?" I asked Our Fearless Leader "It looks like it has been a here a long time"
"Well if there is something in there" Bishop grinned with a crack of his knuckles "Then it needs some people like us to go and retrieve it!
"Don't want it falling into the hands of the Orks now, do we?"
This was perhaps Bishop at his most enthusiastic – he just loves being in a position where he can take command and order us around. And, in his eyes, establishing a position where we are all moving even further ahead of the Orks is very pleasing indeed.
"Is this really necessary to bother with this wreck?" Xerxes inquired "I mean this looks like it has been for nearly forever and it's most likely that has already been plundered by the Orks already."
Judging from the tone in his voice, Xerxes wanted to get out of this – no doubt so he can escape any possibility of trying to identify something he doesn't have a hope in hell of recognising.
"So you think this is bad idea eh?" Our Fearless Leader inquired, his voice growing a distinctive edge – the type of edge that is usually associated with the blade of a knife.
He began moving forward towards Xerxes, fixing the Rogue Trader with an intimidating gaze.
Such was not a good move on Xerxes' part – we all relied on Bishop for leadership and guidance so we never thought of questioning any command or situation he delivered.
Also we had better sense than to do such thing because Our Fearless Leader wasn't the type that one would seriously wasn't to mess with.
As such, Jessie, Deacon and I all recognised the signs and all sensed what was heading this way.
Bishop stopped within a foot from the Rogue Trader and proceeded to lean in until his face was inches away from Xerxes' nose.
"Are you trying to tell me that you don't want to do this?"
Beads of perspiration broke out across Xerxes' forehead. And his lips formed into a nervous grin. Such was him being intimidated by Bishop that the Rogue Trader couldn't find the words to speak.
"Let me put it this way" Bishop continued "Being the only humans on this planet, we have to stick together and combine our forces to deal with this hostile environment
"Therefore, you are either with us or you're not. And if you're not, you are no better than the green-skins"
And then, in one swift motion, Our Fearless Leader drew out a long, silver knife – one that had the insignia of the Imperial skull flanked by a pair of wings.
I grew uneasy with what was happening. I looked at Xerxes – now that he had seen the knife being drawn, his expression had disintegrated into one of absolute terror. His grin had vanished entirely and his eyes had grown into a state of absolute panic. His pupils were dating between Bishop and the rest of us- both containing a sense of imploring, wanting someone to stop Our Fearless Leader from doing something horrendous.
I knew I had to intervene but my body refused to heed into any actions delivered from my brain. I looked around – Laertes was still sulking at the top of the slope, and both Jessie and Deacon were watching the conflict unfolding with some sort of interest.
All three of us were thinking the same thing – Bishop was the boss and we were so reliant upon him that none of us felt the need to argue
But in this case - his employing such techniques of intimidation against one of his charges - none of us dared to speak out against him.
However, even if Xerxes' facial expression spoke volumes of absolute fear, I knew him well enough to say that he wasn't the type to let himself be pushed around.
"That's preposterous!" he blurted out "What makes you think I would suddenly turn against you just like?!"
I cast a quick look at Deacon - who returned my gaze with an evil grin.
"So let me get this straight" Bishop snarled "You're now saying that you are with us even when you just told us that you don't want to look into this crashed spaceship because you would rather leave it in the hands of the enemy?"
"I never said anything like that!" the Rogue Trader spluttered.
I could feel myself begin to grow apprehensive – I wasn't liking the sounds of where this was heading.
Something inside me screamed at me, ordering me to intervene and stop this exchange before it collapses into something brutal and bloody.
But neither my legs nor my mind responded to this demand. And neither Deacon nor Jessie dared to make a move, favouring instead to watch this drama unfold.
What we were witnessing at the moment was Bishop at his most angry. And even though we all relied on Bishop for his leadership, we were also willing to follow him out of fear of arguing with him.
As this scene demonstrated perfectly.
With a whirl of mechanics from his bionic arm Bishop, in one swift movement, grabbed the Rogue Trader by the front of his shirt. Our Fearless Leader than proceeded to lift Xerxes a foot off the ground.
Xerxes squirmed free but to no avail. His facial expression had now degenerated into absolute terror of Bishop and an eagerness to escape this situation that spelled out an inescapable doom and the causing of potentially fatal harm.
Neither of which sounded particularly appealing.
"It seems to me" Bishop snarled "That you need a good hard reminder of why we are fighting this war on this planet"
I raised an eyebrow at these words – these words didn't sound like the Bishop I was familiar with.
Nor the words of a charismatic leader that one could rely upon for continuos guidance through a consistently hostile territory.
With his other hand, that was still clutching the knife, Bishop reached up to bring the silver blade to the Rogue Trader's cheek.
Naturally, Xerxes kept his eye on the blade, his expression growing more and more terrified as it grew nearer and nearer.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?" Xerxes screamed, understandably unappreciative of the blade this close to his flesh.
My expression grew increasingly apprehensive with each passing second of this absurd drama unfolding before me. But even as much as I wanted this insanity to end, my fear for Our Fearless Leader, particularly when he is like this, kept such thoughts in check.
I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. I could only watch
Bishop didn't reply. Instead he, with the slowest of movements, drew his blade into the Rogue Trader's flesh.
The scream of pain from Xerxes suggested the knife had bypassed the flesh.
The sight of crimson blood creeping out above the blade confirmed this fact.
I made no movement whatsoever. I didn't heed the instructions coming from my brain urging me to look away. Nor did I listen to the demands residing within my head insisting that I intervene before it's too late. I merely stood, transfixed by this scene.
"Can you see the blood?" Bishop snapped at Xerxes.
"What the…."
"Answer the question! Can you see the blood?"
"Yes! Yes, I can!"
Naturally Xerxes was utterly frightened. It wasn't so much that he was chewed out by someone who he regarded as a paragon of guidance through an eternal war-zone of a planet – but the paragon in question was spilling the Rogue Trader's blood for reason for reasons seemingly known only to itself.
"What colour is blood?" Bishop snarled.
"What the…?"
"Cease the consistent procrastination and just answer the fucking question!"
"RED!" Xerxes shrieked "The colour of the blood is red!"
"And who in this universe has blood the colour of red huh? Do the Orks have it?"
"No"
"Do the Eldar have it?"
"No"
"Do the Tau have it?"
"No!"
"And do the fucking Tyranids have it?!"
"NO!"
Now this got me thinking – being creatures who consume everything they come across and who are continually evolving, what colour was the Tyranid's blood?
"Who has the red blood in this galaxy?"
"We do!" Xerxes screamed, his voice tainted with both absolute terror and the urgency to escape this ghastly situation
"Repeat that!"
"WE DO!!!"
And with that, Bishop lowered his blade, loosened his grip on the Rogue Trader and stepped back. This immediately sent Xerxes, who now surely must be terrified to the point of entering catatonia, down on his knees.
Pale and shaking Xerxes slowly lifted his hand to brush his recently created wound. The expression on his face seemed to anticipate the prospect of a permanent scar.
But Bishop saw nothing of this, for he turned to address the rest of us.
"Now, does anyone else question the reason as to why we are salvaging this vehicle?"
When no one responded (save the sound of Xerxes' heavy breathing) he continued on regardless.
"Does anyone need reminding why we are using alien technology? Why we are using unfamiliar equipment?
"Because we're on a planet where none of the inhabitants knows that we are here. And considering that were in a jungle environment against a foe that is simple and brutish, this gives us a complete advantage. Furthermore, as this is a constant battle for survival for us we need every advantage we can lay our hands on.
"Does anyone question the use of alien technology now?"
No one answered.
"Good to see I have your complete and unabridged cooperation" Bishop growled "Now here's another question: Considering that we are using every advantage we can find to keep on staying one step ahead of the Orks, does anyone know why we must stay alive?
"We are doing this because we are humans" he continued "And history will always dictate that we humans are always better than any other alien race that dares challenge our existence – wether they match the sophisticated technology of the Eldar or the pure savageness of the Orks"
My gaze went to Xerxes who, if his facial expression was anything to go by, was packing death. I then looked at Jessie, who was trying hard to surpass a chuckle (obviously delighted that it wasn't her getting chewed out), and then Deacon who seemed aloof to the proceedings.
I frowned.
Like me Bishop used to serve within the Imperial Guard. But unlike me, he served as an officer – a Lieutenant. That means he is used to giving orders and a more than suitable candidate to lead this rag-tag group of desperadoes. He has great ideas to use combat situations, he can indeed pack a wallop with that bionic arm of his and he certainly can retain a cool head even when everything is descending into uncontrollable chaos.
But there are times when I wonder about his commanding style. If this instance was anything to go by, he seems quite forceful in getting his point across – even to the point of inflicting pain amongst the people he
However, it made me wonder what type of commander he was when he was in his glory days as an Imperial Guard Lieutenant.
Yet, if anything, it is highly possible that he still believes he's commanding a platoon of soldiers.
And the more I think about this idea, the more it seems disturbingly possible. Further evidence of this comes in his readiness to fight the Orks, his refusal to take any other solution the rest of us may offer (if we're marooned on this miserable rock wouldn't that mean we are in a position to try anything that comes to mind?) and doing whatever it takes to stay one step in front of the green-skins.
All because we were the soldiers of the Emperor and we had to protect it from whatever alien threat that had the balls to take us on.
The environment and the faces may have changed but it would seem that he may see us no better then the grunts he used to bellow at…..