Mankind Protects
Jurgen
I am one who serves. I stand by my master and I fight for the Imperium no matter what it takes. I am Ferik Jurgen and I am adjutant to Commissar Ciaphas Cain, the Hero of the Imperium.
When I awoke after the avalanche, I realized I was no longer with the Commissar. I couldn't see him or the Primaris Space Marines. I still had my Melta-Gun and my laspistol so I was not undefended. I could still fight.
As I pushed my way through the snow, I keyed my vox to signal the Commissar, but got nothing. It may have been damaged in the avalanche. I did my best to avoid any Cultist corpses in case they decided to stop being dead. Years spent with Commissar Cain have taught me to expect the unexpected when it comes to the Ruinous Powers and their servants. Once a Slaaneshi Cultist the Commissar and I killed came back to life as a Daemoness. We killed her again, but that may not take. Suddenly, I remembered something awful. I checked my bag and sure enough I still had the thermos of Caffeine. The Commissar would need this soon in this cold.
Then I saw them below me on the hillside. The Primaris Dark Angels. They were too far for me to call them so I decided to follow. Eventually we would have to meet up with the Commissar. The strange thing was that it seemed they were heading away from the camp. Even in the most dire of situations, the Astartes did not abandon their mission.
Due to the size and power difference, I was never able to catch up to them. But that is the difference between a Mortal and an Angel. As I made my way through the snow, I heard a noise above me. The sound of a Thunderhawk.
It flew over my head, the exhaust from the engines nearly sending me flying in the opposite direction. It landed in front of the Primaris Marines and out stepped two more Space Marines. A Librarian in blue armor and a Chaplain stepped out and signaled to the Primaris Marines. The squad halted and began to converse with the Librarian and Chaplain. The Chaplain pointed to the nearest mountains, possibly indicating the presence of the Traitor Marines. I had to rendezvous with them as soon as possible. Which, at my current rate, would be the day after tomorrow. As I made my way, following the Astartes, I noticed a squad of Imperial Guard making their own way towards the Astartes. That was heartening to see. If they were here, the Commissar would be nearby. "I'll be right with you, Commissar. I must first fulfill my secondary duty to the Imperium."
The sun was setting when I finally made it to the mountain cave. From the inside, I could hear the sounds of bolter and lasfire. As I peered into the cave, I could see a wide open cavern where the Dark Angels and the Guard were exchanging fire with the Cultists and the Traitor Astartes. In the back, I could see a cloaked Astartes in black armor with a plasma pistol firing at the Astartes. I could see that the battle was firmly in the Loyalist's favor. The Dark Angels were more coordinated and better skilled fighters. They had once been the First Legion for a reason.
As the last of the traitors was killed, the Cloaked Astartes raised his hands after removing his helm, revealing a quite handsome face that was very reminiscent of the Lion's. "Enough. I surrender to yours and the Lion's authority. Take me to see our father, Brothers." That was it. Confirmed. There were indeed Fallen members of the Dark Angels among their ranks. The Chaplain, whose name I would later learn was Zaeroph, approached the Fallen with Librarian Dothrael. Zaeroph backhanded the traitor and replied with a tone of pure disgust.
"You will never see our father until you have fully repented for your crimes!"
I could hear a sneer in the Fallen's voice. "And yet you still are allowed to see him? Quite hypocritical if you ask me." His reply earned him another slap that left him unconscious.
The Librarian turned towards the entrance, I ducked out of sight. At the time, I didn't know why I did that, but now that I look back, it probably saved my life.
The Chaplain turned to the assembled squads, Imperial Guards in front and the Dark Angels behind. "Your service to the Imperium and our Primarch is most appreciated, Guardsmen. Your sacrifice will be noted in the annals of our Chapter. But I am afraid you have stumbled upon something that no one outside of our Chapter should ever know. Just know that what has to be done is not personal. It is for the good of all, including yourselves." Then I heard them. The shots. The bolter fire. They didn't sound like Mass Reactive rounds, but all the same... they were bolters.
I peered in to see a sight that will be with me for the rest of my life. The squad of Imperial Guards were dead, with bolter wounds in their backs, though a couple had wounds on their chests. The Dark Angels had killed them. The Lieutenant, Xedro, removed his helm and looked down at them as the Librarian and Chaplain restrained the Fallen. He turned to his squad, resignation in his eyes. "Gather their bodies. Respectively. These were servants of the Emperor. They deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, Brothers." The Primaris Marines saluted and went to their task.
Chaplain Zaeroph turned to Xedro as the Primaris saw to the dead. "It was necessary, Brother Xedro. If word of this got out, the Lion would have been in danger. The Imperium would have turned on him. We do these acts to protect our father." Xedro looked like he was about to protest, but Zaeroph cut him off. "Remember where your loyalties lie, Xedro. Remember that."
Dothrael turned towards the cave and I ducked back out of sight and ran for cover, making sure to follow the same path I had before so no indication that someone else had been there. I may have been a Blank, but the Librarian was still an Astartes. He would have been able to see me.
I could not believe what I had seen. They were dead. They had been murdered. Shot in the back like dogs. And it had been our own protectors. Our own Astartes. Dark Angels. One of the most noble of the Space Marines had stooped to murder. I had to tell the Commissar. I had to find him. I had to find him.
It was late night when I saw the Thunderhawk approaching me as I made my way across the snowy fields. I was certain this was it. They had seen me and they were going to kill me. And I still hadn't given the Commissar his Caffeine.
It landed a few meters in front of me and Lieutenant Xedro exited out the front ramp. He signaled to me and my hand closed around my laspistol as I approached. I was surprised by the smile on his face. "You are the Commissar's Aide. Jurgen, right?"
I nodded. "I am, my Lord."
"Xedro. Call me Xedro, Aide Jurgen. Come. We're heading back to camp."
I entered with a nod. On the floor of the Thunderhawk was the squad. Their corpses covered up, their coats and dogtags folded at their feet. "What... what happened to them?"
Xedro looked at them with regret. "They helped us against the Traitor Marines. Unfortunately, they were no match for them. But they gave their lives in service of the Imperium. We will be recommending them for special commendation and honors when we return."
"Thank you. These were good men. They deserved a lot more." More than what you bastards gave them, I thought. I looked at the Chaplain and the Librarian, sitting away from the others. The Librarian glanced at me with a look I couldn't quite read. Suspicion? Indifference? I couldn't tell with Astartes. As I looked at the bodies of the men, I knew I had to tell the Commissar about this. Astartes or not. Dark Angels or not. They would pay for this.
Author's Note: So, if you've read the Space Marine Conquests book, you may have noticed that I have borrowed a few characters from Phil Kelly's War of Secrets. I have liked most of the Space Marine Conquest books with Apocalypse being my favorite. However, I hated War of Secrets. I'm already not too big a fan of Phil Kelly in the first place because he worships the ground the Tau strut on and I hate the Tau as well. Mainly because of how self-righteous they are. I hated the ending of War of Secrets since the Dark Angels are completely unlikable and I couldn't even root for Xedro by the end since what I thought was going to happen didn't. It wasn't even a clever subversion. It was just lame. So basically, not only is this a Cain story, it is a big fuck you to War of Secrets.
That's not to say that I'm gonna make all the Dark Angels the bad guys or anything. I'm mixed on the Dark Angels. Not to the point that the fandom is on the Ultramarines, but I get annoyed when the writers write them less as Anti-Heroes and more as barely concealed villains with good publicity. To me, one of the best portrayals is from CZ Dunn's Pandorax and The Trials of Azrael. The latter especially since it shows Azrael as someone who may be brusque and cold when it comes to staying on the mission and keeping other priorities, like saving innocents, as secondary. But he will still help others out because that is part of his calling. That's part of why I don't like War of Secrets. The Dark Angels were pretty much the villains along with the Tau. I didn't care enough to root for anyone there and the ending just killed my interest. So basically, I hope to have this be something that feels cathartic to me and entertaining to fans.