Epilogue 3: The Next Legion
The worlds of the Faceless Legion are unlike those of many other regiments. Rather than the massive hive cities, the endless battlements and fortresses, or the sprawling industrial complexes, they maintained much of their natural aspects. Forests and mountains, large oceans, vast living deserts and diverse biomes still in existence and healthy. The world separated into various cities where the populace lived, built with materials brought from off world to use as little as the worlds resources as possible. These cities connected only by narrow bridges that rose over the wilderness outside the mighty walls which surrounded each. A barrier between the wild and the civil, the many houses and estates inside built into massive sprawling complexes that maximized efficient use of space, interconnected in a grand system. The populace within each limited to their surroundings and growth, rarely in too much abundance of people for most were sent off world as Legionaries when they came of age. Those that remained either part of the world's garrison or tended to the various duties and tasks necessary to keep the cities active and productive. Most who weren't part of the Home Guard were dedicated to the production of food with which to maintain their stocks. This was all done on purpose, for the Faceless Legion wished to preserve their world as something worthy of their name, the wilderness outside a perfect place for which to train the many legionnaires that were produced and sent to conflicts elsewhere. The populations of vicious beasts and monsters maintained, the various creatures of the world both the perfect training tools for the young and good sources of meat. The worlds intentionally kept beautiful, so as to remind all that this was the world they fought for, and the one which was promised to their families as long as they held the line and served faithfully.
The cities themselves were divided into districts. A single center district surrounded by twelve smaller ones in a circle. The districts made up of Legionnaire Houses, families that have persisted through generations as members of the Faceless Legion. The Houses differentiated by the honor and status of their members. The more soldiers, commanders, generals and war heroes that any given family had, the higher the families position was within the city. The family with the most honors and respect allowed residence within the center district, while the other major families and the smaller ones allied with them, ruled the surrounding districts. The districts forced to regularly work with each other, the heads of each family considered a single unit of themselves when called upon by upper command, and acted as council of the city. The chief member of the Household at the cities center the highest ruling authority among them. Though this did not fully prevent the animosity between Houses, which eagerly disputed the others on matters of honor and worth as members of the Legion. All houses pined to be the Head of the city, and went to great lengths to ensure they were able to move toward that goal. Thus many children were born and trained by their families in the hopes of honor and fame being brought to their house. Others used for political alliances and to act as agents of the family, usually as servants in another House. Only the most adequate sent to the special institutions which trained the Faceless Legions own brand of Commissariat, a high honor indeed. The politics of the houses a complex and unique one, for while there was not physical violence between the houses, subterfuge and political games were far from uncommon.
Commander Urgo knew all of this of course, as he was the Chief member of a cities center Household on his home world of Honorus IV. A unique name to say in the least, but his home none the less. His house, The Legions Shield, represented by a shield with the face of a beast, was the longest living on world. The first that colonized the planet for the glory of the Legion. It was a prominent house and once he had many family members, but as was inevitable, many died. Unfortunately he was the only one to return home, his brothers and sisters all perishing throughout the years on assignment leaving no heirs, his parents and other older members dying of old age not long after. He was the sole living blood member of his family now. The only others that lived in the center district being the lesser Legionnaire House, The Gryphons who had served under his for hundreds of years. They were always the bulk of the Legionnaires he took with him on all his operations, including the one where they secured the Dark Age ship. But, he was still just one man to represent an entire Legionnaire House, and like the others he too was destined to die.
He focused for so many years solely on his own honor and status that he forgot the base principle of maintaining the family blood line. He brought such honor and glory to his house, but with him as its only member it was a hallow victory. It was to the point that after he died, the houses beneath his would likely fight among each other to take claim as the new center Legionnaire House of the city. Commander Urgo preferred to be swift and heavy handed when dealing with such foolishness as infighting between the lesser houses, but he knew full and well that when he was gone he would be buried with full honors, praised by all, and then swiftly replaced. His house left to fade into the history books. Such was always pushed to the back of his mind however, as he focused all his attention on his assignments as any true commander should. Such was the case when he took on the protection of the Magos during the operation to receive the Dark Age ship. Yet, what originated as merely another mission became a saving grace for his House altogether. When he met Commander Richell and the voidsmen turned guardsmen Ervin, he found a way to settle the political troubles he had here and reestablish his house. They managed to survive within a Hulk without any hope of survival, and contributed to the securement of such a monumental asset. That they were not of any Legionnaire house made it all the easier to bring them into his, so as to not show any favoritism to any of the lesser households. This was his sole motivation originally, but now that they were here, he found himself enjoying the passing of time while he was home. He had to admit that it was nice, having others than the estates servants around. That there were children which carried his family's legacy brought joy to his heart. It reminded him of his younger days training with his brothers and sisters. That Commander Richell brought many of her guardsmen with her was a major asset that truly bolstered his house as well. He had to admit that he was getting old, and he wouldn't be fit to remain within the Veteran Legions much longer. It was time that he passed the torch.
Commander Urgo sat on his rocking chair as he looked down at the estate courtyard below. He allowed all of the cadets within the center district to be trained here, under his watchful eye to inspect the future. Richell was the one who trained the new recruits, including her son Erin. She was a fierce commander who would not take insubordination lightly, and that made her a perfect fit for training the young. That she continued her duty even while pregnant with her second child was a mark of that. Her husband, Lieutenant Ervin observing the older cadets on the other side of the courtyard. He had become an excellent guardsman, and he took the time to learn all the tactics and traditions he could from the library in Urgo's estate. Ervin's knowledge of how to use a vox was very useful in special training for those that would become vox carriers. Ervin and Richell were also very close with one another, and they were a force to be reckoned with. The other houses had little choice but to accept them and couldn't dispute them taking on Urgo's family name and title. Though there certainly was talk in the shadows and animosity over it. Urgo knew that this was the best option for his house however, and disregarded such trivialities as the lesser houses discomfort. Richell and Ervin were essentially the children he didn't have, recognized by the Supreme Commander himself as Urgos own, a mark of recognition no Legionnaire House would do well to disregard.
Urgo held a hand onto the stone railing of the balcony and stood up. He might as well spur on the cadets while he was here.
"Be sure to train well cadets, for the honor of this house will be in your hands!"
Richell looked up to Commander Urgo. She gave him a smirk and a salute.
"They'll be ready perhaps in several years if they survive."
The cadets all breathed heavily as they continued to run from one barricade to the next, timed on their swiftness. All of them ten to twelve years old. Another group of Cadets of the same age group on the other side with lasguns turned to a mercifully low setting, as they fired at those that ran. Richell's son was one of them and he was an excellent shot. This exercise was one Richell had to go through when she first became a guardsman, though the ones that failed exceptionally in her case were sent to the front lines as shields. The exercise was to get the cadets used to the idea of death being commonplace, and that despite your best efforts it was not always possible to avoid. When such was accepted, then they could divert their attention to doing what they could to survive and finish the mission. This is what Richell hoped for them to learn and did her best to drill. If one was destined to die, then they should die meaningfully.
The cadets on the firing line trained their marksmanship and used the experience to get used to the idea of live targets. As they grew older, it would be beasts from outside of the city that charged at them during training, and they would have to be precise to survive. Of course at this stage, the exercise was done in shifts to get all the cadets a chance to be on both ends. The Faceless Legion had a special emphasis on comradery as well and so Richell made sure to always influence such things when she saw it, putting down any discord with no mercy. Above all, the will to live was what she hoped for all of them to take grasp of. They were still children, but they would grow up to become Guardsmen, and she would prepare them for that reality.
"Come on guardsmen! Don't give up! Push on and make it to the firing line! Death is not an option, you hear me?"
The cadets who ran the gauntlet between barricades did their best to respond enthusiastically.
"Yes Commander!"
Erin, Richells son, grew a smile as he reared the lasgun in his hands. Though he was only ten years old, he had given everything to be as good a guardsman as he could. He trained on his own with his mom to learn how to fight and his with father to overcome ones inherent weakness. He was proud of himself and he would be sure to make his family proud. After all, uncle Urgo had high hopes for him. He fired his lasgun in quick succession knocking down several of the cadets that ran towards them. He silently praised himself, hoping to break his previous score. That made eight already! The other cadets had mixed opinions of Erin because he excelled, and that he was the son of a prominent figure didn't help. Not that they voiced this, nor did Erin care. Something that could come to bite him in the future, but he didn't think of that now. He simply did his best to excel, leaving the others behind him if it so required.
On the other side Ervin looked at the row of older cadets who saluted him. He had taken to the training position well, and though he wasn't as experienced as Richell he did his best to present to them the lesson he learned during his experience on the Hulk.
"Listen up cadets. How many of you are ready to die in the face of combat?"
The cadets looked at one another confused. Ervin always asked them questions after they ran, and they knew that a wrong answer meant they continued to run. Still, not saying anything was worse over all. He would sometimes even run with them, his bionic legs allowing him to completely outrun all of them and stay ahead while he asked again. The worst was when he tempted them to outpace him so they could stop, something that was very difficult to do. So, slowly one by one they all raised their hand in reply to indicate that yes, they were. Ervin only shook his head at this response.
"Then I suppose you all deserve a run to think about that. The moment you willingly accept death as an option you are already dead! Strive to survive, and to keep the guardsmen beside you alive for each one of you who is alive makes your chances much higher. You fight to live and to succeed. If you do not fight hoping to live than you are as good as a shield ready to be pushed ahead for those who do behind you. Death comes for all, understand that, but don't just let it take you. Fight to live! Now hurry on! Ten laps around the estate courtyard and when you are done I expect a different answer!"
The cadets only obeyed the order, even as exhausted as they already were.
"Yes sir!"
Many family members of the cadets all watched from the sidelines just away from them. It was almost time for the older cadets to be given the Carapace armor all new legionnaires were given, something that they would hopefully return to their families upon coming home from a successful campaign. The most elite of them to hopefully be inducted into the veteran legions. Such costly and precious armor necessary to give them the largest chance of returning home and bringing honor to the family. It was an important ceremony that was held before the young cadets were formally inducted into a regiment within the Legion that would be assigned their first operation. A smaller subset of the cadets would be picked for Home Guard, those that remain on world as its guardians and garrison. Both were incredibly important and respected positions, but all the cadets knew that there was more glory in being assigned off world. That the home guard were essentially family security to ensure the bloodline wouldn't die off did also sour the position for them, if only slightly.
A glance was shared between Ervin and Richell as they looked across the field at one another. A happy smile between them, for they had become neigh inseparable over the years. Both of them letting go of the pasts which haunted them and embracing their current lives. Though they both still thought of the people they left behind. For Richell she was content knowing that Viola managed to find a way of life that suited her, even if they were destined to be apart and that she would never know about their shared lineage. Ervin had to let go of ever finding his brother, letting that past fade away to be replaced with his future.
In another district of the same city, someone else looked on to her future. Erina sat at the windowsill of her snug little, five story house, with servants at her call and a whole family of people who adored her. A respected member of the Legionnaire house represented by a Winged Saint, The Legions Heart. She was readily accepted into Michael's family with open arms, and that she was pregnant when she first met them made the fawn over her. Michael too was a good man, who took to being a loving husband well. He was forced to take a more political role in his family rather than getting his chance to enter the Veteran legions, but with time he came to accept it. Erina was glad too, for he was a good father to their children and h did all he could to keep her comfortable and happy. She too helped out with the politics of the city, using her gifts to great effect. In her own secret ways, she managed to pull strings and make things quite beneficial for her new family. Her gift thankfully skipped over her son, though her daughter seemed to possess the same ability. As such she was careful to teach her how to use it and to never tell anyone, her daughter a lovable and sweet child who was easy to nurture. The one she still grew in her stomach uncertain whether they would inherit the gift as well. Already on her third child… she had to admit, she derived a lot of pleasure from having children, and she wondered how many more she would be able to have. Oh, and how the servants of the house tended to her with such care…
She was a good mother, doting on her children as she was never given the chance. A better one than her mother ever was, curse her soul. That this was the world of an Imperial Guardsmen regiment, she had to accept that her son at least would be a guardsmen and likely die in combat. Something she dreaded, but that she accepted none the less. Her daughter allowed to forgo the Legion and be accepted as a political member of the house as she got older, allowed to live a more civilian life as a high member of the family. In that vein she did all she could to educate the both of them on everything that came to mind, acquiring all the resources and help she could for her new, wonderful family.
The head of the family was a proud man named Stanton, Michael's father. He was a rather stern individual who was one for tradition. He was easy to play around, since she knew all about him through his thoughts, as numerous as they were. He was just as fascinating as Michael was, though Stanton served nearly twenty years as a Guardsmen. Something very rare that brought much honor to the House. Honor the most important thing to that man. His wife, Lady Mira, a former commissar of the Faceless Legion. She was surprisingly much more joyous and excitable than Erina had anticipated, being very giddy of her and her children. As for Michael's brothers and sisters, almost all of them were still away on military operations elsewhere. When they returned was uncertain, and it was apparent that Mira didn't think they would return. Such a sad thing. Perhaps that is why Mira so eagerly talked with her, even if she treated her so naively.
Michael's eldest sister, Michela, was the only sibling of Michael's who remained on world. She was the commander in charge of training the families' cadets. She didn't have a husband or any children of her own, but she was a decorated veteran of several years. Her father and mother constantly pressuring her to settle down while she was in her prime so as to give more blood to the next generation, a discomfort that Michela often shared with her. A close friend she was, who took the time to come and visit. Her son Riley, spending a good portion of the day with her and the other children of the family, preparing for life as a Guardsmen, a legionnaire. It amused her to watch them, the children so small acting like soldiers.
She usually watched them from the window, as she did now, while they trained. Today they attempted to fire at humanlike targets on the other side of a field, which fired back if they didn't take the chance or if they missed. Sometimes it would just fire back regardless. Her son struggled to hold the Lasgun in his hands, as it was a full sized version, and missed the target only to be nearly shot in return with a non-lethal charge. The poor dear, he was woefully behind the others in skill. He stumbled to the side, nearly falling, and caught by Michela who gave him an earful as she pointed him back to try again. It was a good life, and she didn't give much thought to her master's plan for the future. But it would come to pass, she was certain. She would simply do as he asked and just live her life, knowing she was a part of something greater.
I want to apologize. The previous upload of this epilogue was admittedly rushed, and not nearly as clean as I have written before. Simply for the sake of getting it out on time. Thanks for being honest and calling me out on that, and hopefully this rendition is much better and polished. I took the time to re-edit and clean this epilogue today, so no epilogue tonight. In that vein, there will be one more epilogue uploaded and then this fic will be complete. Perhaps in the future I will add some other short snippets of the characters, but I would rather focus on writing the sequel. The final epilogue may or may not come out tomorrow, as there are a few things I want to iron out about it, but it will come out soon. The epilogues something I decided to add after uploading the last chapter, and I still have to finish writing the final one.
Anyhow, thank you for reading this far, and until next time, I hope you have a good day or night or whatever time it is for you.
