Blood Seekers – The Scholar
Jophiel, scholar, learned citizen, sculptor, slaughterer of the enemies of mankind; 800 standard years old, master of one of the oldest and greatest chapters of space marines this Imperium has ever seen; the Blood Seekers.
'I'd rather be in my study,' acerbically thought, working on transcribing the words of old, for all Seekers labour on the great work, it is merely a matter of what you have access to that alters the work you do. Bullets continue to sprang off of my armour, ruining the account of the liberation of the Peleus Asteroid belt, a glorious series of battles in near zero gravity whose restored government sends us amounts of a precious stone that can be moulded with the fingers but once heat treated becomes as tough as steel.
Curse my wandering mind!
I surge forward half a dozen metres into a fresh crater, the ricochets ease off, and I am afforded a better view of a squad of my terminator brethren as they charge a line of tanks. Madness for any save them to be sure, I vox to devastator squad patience and task them with overwatch of their veteran kin. Unnecessary as it turns out captain Ariel may be unsubtle, but he is without a doubt a consummate warrior.
The strategy I am employing is one borrowed from our twin. The Adeptus Sororitas, sisters of battle, who occupy the satellite Soul, twinned in the celestial firmament with Body. Several of my advisors argued against this strategy citing that although the Sisters are worthy warriors and stalwart companions, they are not space marines and their stratagems should not be employed for they are not suitable.
They are as right as they are wrong, not space marines to be sure, but in the battle where this method was originally employed, they were massively outnumbered, attacking a defensive position, with a small core of elite warriors, to act as breachers and tip of the spear assaulters. Our situation is a single company plus a demi-company of veterans attacking a whole city that has been preparing for just such an attack for the better part of a year. Entirely dissimilar, obviously.
They were right in that the strategy did need some adjustment, the bellicose nature of my first captain needed to be accounted for, as did the fact that it is a mere 132 warriors assaulting this city, not an entire commandery of Sisters, 500 strong with Astartes assistance. But the core tenets are the same. Draw their attention, make them fear the coming wrath, then without realising it the danger is already amongst them, the scouts execute the council responsible for drawing this city from the Emperors light.
My brother captain was incensed at the notion that he, and by extension all of us, would be a 'mere distraction'. I told him to use that fury on the enemy, if you are fast enough maybe you can get to the council chambers before scout sergeant Ramiel. If I am not mistaken he is making his protest known as he tears the forward tank apart with his hands, bellowing violence and blood to all who would stand in the way of the scions of Sanguinius.
"Sabbat"
The company vox pings once, with that one word, Ramiel has signalled that he has accomplished his mission. His orders did not include an exfil route, instead he was tasked with discretionary authority to disrupt, disable and kill any pockets of resistance he believes he can kill. I know he will survive because he has already survived nearly a millennium of service, he even trained me when I was a novitiate.
The company notices the sudden confusion in the enemy, with the loss of their hierarchy and takes full advantage. Ariels bellows lose all coherence as he realises he has lost the chance to teach the Emperors lesson in person, and the enemy flees from him in droves.
My advance with a tactical squad was more measured; only while under the aegis of another tactical squad or devastator squad did we advance, and then returned the favour for the next group of brothers.
Clipped, precise, methodical: no shot wasted, no cover ignored, no enemy left standing. Blood Seekers at their purest, an unstoppable tide sweeping up the enemy of this lost rebellion. But unlike more belligerent chapters, we will leave behind some of our number to bring feckless rebellions such as these, back into the Emperor's light. The hope is this will prevent them happening again in the future. Sometimes it's a contingent of Astartes, sometimes we ask for a detachment of Sisters, sometimes it's a contingent of our chapter serfs are left behind. Diplomats and individuals trained in governmental workings, along with a selection of serf soldiers to ensure the rest can do their job.
Leaving Blood Seekers behind maybe dichotomous, needlessly complicated and a waste of energy, as phrased by the good captain. Essential, vital and the entire purpose behind Sanguinius' vision of the Great Crusade, not simply to bind all humanity under one rule, but to enlighten them and bring them into civilisation.
After all if the Emperor and Sanguinius did not wish us to be light bringers as well as liberators, why did they bother to transcend our brains and our bodies upon ascension?