Chapter 10: A Small Misunderstanding
Planet: Agri-World of Fonral
Location: Somewhere along the Belah yi Arios
996.M41
Thus, neither man nor eldar withstood their cause. The Inquisition, Warlocks and even Chaos spawns failed to deter the two's persistence and tenacity. Now, their child walks among us, a living proof of what can be.
- Final verse of the Forbidden Scriptures LCB
Rodemman's lamp showered the pair with a faint glow of red as they camped inside a cave that overlooked the dirt road. He ate his ration while he guarded the opening of the cave. On the other hand, Uelesh slept nearby wrapped with his old blanket. His eyes constantly scanned the surroundings but often enough he would find himself gaze into the unconscious form of his companion. He marveled at the innocent face of the eldar. It was far from what he had initially expected from a howling banshee, or at least, a former banshee. Earlier, he had learned that she was once of the feared warriors but after a few short years of fighting, she opted to become an artisan. It was mainly because of that she was tired of all the violence that coursed through the battlefield. Rodemman understood and envied her freedom to choose, somehow he regretted signing a fifteen year contract when he joined the Imperial Guard.
With their recent discovery of their circumstances, they conversed more openly than before though there were still times when he felt the distance between the two of them. He dismissed it as he understood the reason for it.
He had also learned that a government that ruled both human and eldar was present in the planet called the Republic of Fonral. It ruled the whole planet and was consisted of both eldars and humans. He was surprised with the thought of the existence of such government and society. The eldars were generally feared because of their secrecy and prowess in the battlefield. It was recorded in various texts that they would, at times, aid human forces and at times attack them. It was also quite known that they were a very proud and arrogant race. They would often refer humans to nothing more but crude beasts much like the orks. It was quite the surprise when he heard of the unusual government, though it did reinforce his thoughts of the two races would be able to coexist.
The topics then branched out to their culture, to the military and to their personal lives. He found it somewhat curious that the eldars consider Fonral as an exodite world while the humans regard it as an agri-world. Still, no apparent conflict seemed to have stemmed from the difference in perspective which was a good thing. The last thing he wanted to know was a full out war due to some stupid reason. Another thing that made him intrigued was that if the craftworlds has their guardians, Fonral has their light warriors or me'a ohtars in the eldar tongue. It took him a full two hours just to pronounce it correctly. Now he knew the level of complexity that their language has.
He sat there as he shivered. He had known the extreme temperature change from day to the night cycle but with only his basic equipment, he has to endure the cold.
Though the heat of the sun wasn't that bad. He thought.
He yawned. His eyes were heavy from the day. Ever since he crashed on the planet, he had barely slept. Though he had longed for a good one but as he was surrounded by foreign territory and his companion fast asleep and injured, he wasn't entitled to such luxury. The night grew older, clouds started to block the little light that was provided by the stars and the two moons. Soon only the faint glow of the lamp remained. He rubbed his eyes in a futile attempt to stay awake.
Rodemman's head started to nod when he felt warmth enveloped him. He looked to see Uelesh as she settled beside him, her leg stretched to reveal her tattered pants. Normally, the blanket was barely big enough for him but because of her small figure, it was enough for the two of them.
"You should rest." Her soft voice almost made him do just that.
If it weren't only for his willpower, he could've already snored away on the spot.
"I can't. I need to keep watch." He rubbed his eyes again and pulled his side of the blanket closer to him.
He heard Uelesh chuckle beside him followed by the weight of her head on his shoulder.
"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" He asked as he gently rested his head on hers.
The foreign yet sweet scent of her hair further lulled him to the realms of conscious dreams.
By the Emperor I could get used to this. He silently told himself, a comfortable smile on his face.
"I have plenty of rest. You should get some now." As she pressed on, Rodemman felt his mind waver.
They fell into warm silence. Rodemman gratefully accepted the warmth of another. His eyes were about to fall when he felt Uelesh stir beside him along with her gentle touch to his helmetless head. She stroked his black hair much like his mother would when he was a child.
"You should get some rest."
"But I sti- "
"I'll keep watch."
"And besides, a warrior is naught without proper rest." She added.
They both lifted their heads, much to his dismay. The two stared at each other before Rodemman gave a sigh of defeat.
"Fine. But take this." He gave his lasgun and its power packs to her.
"You do know how to use it right?"
"Yes. During my training, we were trained with a variety of weapons, both eldar and human use." He nodded, satisfied with her answer.
She was a howling banshee after all.
He retreated inside though he made sure that he was close enough to be able to aid her if ever a threat comes. After he leaned on a boulder, he quickly drifted to sleep. But he silently wished for the familiar warmth that he had just experienced.
After what seemed to be mere moments for him, Rodemman's instincts forced him back to the waking world. His eyes snapped open with a start as he heard the heavy machines that he had thought to have escaped from. He shouldered his pack and went out to the opening where he saw Uelesh as she peeked over two boulders. He noted how she expertly held his lasgun.
"Orks?" Rodemman inquired as he propped himself beside her.
"Yes. It looks like they're heading towards our destination."
He could hear the anger from her voice, her hand tensed on the grip of the lasgun. He took a peek and estimated them to be around twenty, the lack of proper lighting hampered his view. A few good moments passed as the envoy of death marched in front of them. He felt the eldar beside him stirred as Uelesh tried to stand up as she leveled the lasgun into view but Rodemman pushed her down. It seemed that she was no longer content to hide behind the boulder. He had anticipated this as he had once felt how it was to know that a great danger threatened everything that he had known and loved. Her eyes widened as she looked at him, confused and enraged, her eyes begged for an answer as he held her down.
"You can't. You're injured and they outnumber us ten to one." He reasoned with her.
He had seen what anger and recklessness could do and he has every bit of intention to not let that happen to her. Her gaze relaxed, her grip softened as she sat. Rodemman took his lasgun and the spare power packs.
"Forgive me." She simply said, crestfallen.
Rodemman nodded.
"Wait here. I'll try to pluck some heads."
He took his blanket that ley beside them and wrapped it on her. Without any other words, he took off into the night, his boots sounded as he jumped and dashed from stone to stone until he reached the ground. His scarf flew wildly as he ran for cover behind a tree. His actions were muffled by the engines of a battlewagon much to his relief. He heard his lasgun whir to life as he switched the power pack for a new one, he placed the used pack on his webbing. With only a faint light that pierced the clouds, he could barely see the hulking silhouettes of the orks.
He noted the presence of large horns on their heads, some were curved while others shoot straight up to the sky. These orks, though similar in skin color and race, differ to the ones that he had encountered in the settlement. The orks marched silently in groups of eight with only the engine of the wagon to announce their presence. He could also see the small figures of what he assumed to be what they called as gretchins.
Well this is quite unusual.
He aimed for the ork that led the group. He steadied his aim as he prepared the shot. Just as he was about to snatch the trigger, the silhouette exploded in a fountain of gore and blood. The group, confused with the sudden death of the lead ork, seemed to start bark out orders in an attempt to organize their forces. Bewildered by what happened, crouching behind the tree as a whirring sound followed by another fountain of gore courtesy of the ork that drove the battlewagon. A figure then emerged from out of nowhere followed by two four legged creatures.
The figure danced through the ork ranks as it decapitated them one by one. The orks frantically tried to shoot the assailant but were either killed by the attacker's weapons or the claws of the two creatures that appeared out of nowhere. Rodemman watched in darkness as the slaughter happened, awed by the precision and accuracy of the unknown being and its retinue. As he stared, he felt something as it whizzed just past his head. He turned to see an injured ork, blood flowed from its chest, long claw marks were visible on its scavenged amor and its left arm dangled as it raised its bolter with its right.
Rodemman quickly dodged as another shot grazed his cheek. As if frustrated with his inaccuracy with the bolter, the crimson ork threw it on the ground and charged at him. It lowered its head and pointed the twisted horns towards the guardsman. With no time to spare he pointed his lasgun and squeezed the trigger. Bright red lances at full auto flew towards the beast as it charged. Most ricocheted and burned the surrounding trees as it hit its thick horns. Only few were able to make contact with the ork's body. The ork slowed, enough for Rodemma to dodge the otherwise fatal blow.
His left shoulder collided with a wall of clustered rocks, he heard the distinct crack of bones as it shattered against the hard surface. Pain radiated from his left as he stood. He ignored it, he had more urgent matters to face. In front of him, he faced an equally battered ork. It's left arm was completely gone, smoke rose from where it once dangled. Blood dripped from the top of its head, its armor burnt and smoked as it cooked the flesh that it protected. The scent of burnt flesh filled Rodemman.
His right arm trembled under the full weight of his lasgun as the ork prepared for another charge. The massive boots started to pound the ground once more, red lances flew harmlessly towards the crazed beast as Rodemman struggled under the lasgun's weight. A shot landed straight on the ork's skull, both out of pure chance and skill. He heard the flesh as it expanded into oblivion. The corpse fell halfway into its charge. The injured guardsman merely side stepped to avoid the corpse as it slid on the ground.
Rodemman breathed heavily, his broken shoulder started to throb as his adrenaline faded. He sat down next to the lifeless body as it smoked. He instinctively reached behind him but realized that he had left his pack and his canteen back at the cave.
"Son of Horus." He cursed as his throat demanded for water.
Just as he rose to his feet, he heard something snarl behind him. He turned to see two creatures, almost similar the great cats of ancient Terra. Its slick oil body shined under the light of the moons, its face was somewhat covered with armor excluding its eyes. He could see rows of teeth as it threatened him, its tail that sported a club like structure motioned as if ready to strike.
"Zar i'cas." A female voice pierced through the threats of the two creatures.
A figure formed from the shadows, the very figure that had slaughtered the retinue of the orks. She wore red armor etched with symbols and patterns unknown to him in bronze, the armor seemed to be connected to a gown of sort that slid just a few inches above ground. Black hair flowed as she walked gracefully into the tensioned atmosphere. Her face had spots of red, most likely from her earlier kills. Two eldar pistols similar to what he had seen during his confrontations against them, dangled by her hips. A blade foreign to Rodemman was sheathed behind her form. He took note how her face was less angular than Uelesh as well as her ears were less pointed. She was roughly his height and Rodemman estimated that he stood only a few inches above her.
She held an eldar helmet on her left hand as she spoke.
"Lavais mon'keigh."
Rodemman remained silent, unable to understand their musical language. The eldar cleared her throat.
"Forgive me, let me start again. Greetings mon'keigh."
"Gre-greetings to you as well young maiden." He stuttered as he was caught off guard as she spoke in low gothic.
Does every eldar in this world know how to speak low gothic?
She laughed. "I believe that I am quite older than you would expect me to be."
She eyed him from his helmet to his boots.
"I am surprised guardsman. You are the first one who didn't try to run or shoot me on sight." She motioned to my shoulder. "Then again perhaps circumstances have prevented you from doing so."
"I no longer wish to shed unnecessary blood, may be eldar or human." Rodemman said as he shouldered his lasgun using his good arm. The slight impact of the metal to his back was enough to make him grit his teeth as pain exploded from his injured shoulder.
"And yet another rare occurrence. For me to hear such words from your kind…or rather from someone of the Imperium." She nodded to the two cat-like creatures beside her.
"Who are you and how did you get here?" before Rodemman could reply he was interrupted by her palm. "And don't even try to lie or give half baked truths, my friends know whether or not you are spouting such trickery."
The two creatures snarled once more as if to emphasize her point.
"Corporal Rodemmam Luludilius. I was part of the 27th Kallidian sent here in the light cruiser Senatus under the mission to investigate this lost world. That is until she was sunk by ork ships while in orbit." He leaned on the cluster of rocks that broke his shoulder just moments ago for support.
"One thing led to another and here I am."
He swung his good arm to emphasize his point, though the gesture was supposed to be done with both hands. She raised an eyebrow in return.
"Are there more of you."
He shook his head. "No. I'm the only survivor. Or at least, none that I know of survived."
She tapped her foot as she stared at him.
"Well, seeing that you are still in one piece and that my friends here-"She motioned towards the two creatures. "has yet to rip you to shreds, I will take your words as the truth."
He felt his good hand instinctively rub the back of his head. Just as he thought that he was in the green, she drew closer and unsheathed the unusual blade behind her. Unable to move, thoughts of death ran across his mind as the eldar stabbed the wall of rock behind him. The blade shimmered as night light touched it, he could almost feel it's sharpness as it threatened him. With only a few small inches between his neck and the blade, he braced himself for the worst.
"Now-"Her face close to his, the moonlight revealed her black eyes. "tell me. By any chance have you seen this particular eldar?"
She produced what might be the equivalent of a photograph that showed a very familiar face.
Uelesh.
Uncertain whether or not she meant harm to his companion he shook his head in denial. He heard the two creatures behind her snarl followed by the sound of the blade as it scraped the rocks behind him.
"I will pretend that that didn't happen. Now answer my question and be wise with your words."
Rodemman remained silent, intent to protect Uelesh's whereabouts against the unknown individual.
"So it has come to this. Very well but don't say that I didn't warn you."
She retreated beside her small retinue and sheathed her blade. Just as Rodemman was about to open his mouth to protest, pain erupted from his head. He fell on his knees, his good hand grasped his head in an effort to stop the pain. He felt as if someone repeatedly stabbed him with a power sword. As his strength wavered, he managed to take one last look at the one he thought would kill him. What he saw was not a face of satisfaction or of triumph, but a face that showed regret at what she has done. Then everything went dark. Rodemman's unconscious form slumped into the ground with a thud.
As the assailant examined his memories, she finally understood the reason behind his stubbornness. She sighed at her mistake.
"Seriously. You should've told me instead of playing hero, lover boy." She whispered as she shouldered the guardsman back to safety of the cave where her former subordinate waited.
"He won't suffer memory loss right?" She looked at her two companions.
They understood her and simply gave a whimper to show their uncertainty.
She sighed "You're right, let's just hope for the best." She contemplated as she struggled under the weight of Rodemman and his gear followed by her two silent companions.
Damn this guy is heavy.
