Space Marine Chapter Serfs:
While the myriad of Space Marine Chapters fight at the forefront of many of the Imperium's battlefields, their ability to fight in such a manner is in large part due to the numerous serfs working in the background.
These Serfs' backgrounds vary from Chapter to Chapter, some are hereditary families that have served for generations without fail, others are failed aspirants who are not Space Marine material but still have a use to provide the Imperium.
The Serfs fulfill nearly every non-combat role required by a Space Marine Chapter, including manning of the vast fleets of Strike Cruisers and Battle Barges, though how they are treated varies from Chapter to Chapter. In some, they are treated as members of the chapter if lesser than the Space Marines, in others they are treated as failures, barely worthy of the tasks they are allowed to perform.
But given the fate of the truly unworthy is being turned into Servitors or worse, the Serfs know that their lot in the Imperium War Machine is better than most…
The Kallius Incident:
When the worlds of the Kallius Sub-sector rose in rebellion against the Emperor and the Imperium in the middle of the 40th Millenium, initially the Blood Angel successor chapter The Angel Numinous was sent to crush the uprising. Despite initial success, the weakness of Astartes Chapter structure, their restricted numbers and their focus on taking ground in open battle rather than holding it, meant that the Angel Numinous were fighting on too many fronts in too many systems.
To make matters worse, rather than mere rebellious hive workers and degenerate nobles as their main enemies, the ragtag fleets and army forces were being organised and led into battle by Chaos Warbands that seemed to grow in number and size every battle. Thankfully, unlike some of the more prideful descendents of the Primarchs, the Angel Numinous were able to recognise the need to call for reinforcements.
A year after the initial rebellion, three Companies of the Blood Angels Chapter arrived, to reinforce and relieve their successor Chapter, striking at the Sub-Sector Capital of Kallius Landing as their first strike against the now clearly heretical rebels. Smashing the orbital defences and tearing the organisational heart out of the rebellion was a good start, but even 300 additional Astartes weren't enough to be able to finish the sector wide conflict quickly, and the Blood Angels themselves started to get dragged into trench warfare and attrition-type conflicts where the ability of each Astartes to fell a thousand foes of the Emperor started to prove to not be sufficient.
As the conflict stretched onwards into years, the number of Blood Angel casualties began to mount higher and higher, and more and more of the Blood Angels Chapter Companies were drawn into the war. Such was the scale of the conflict, and the cruel and malicious targeting of Blood Angel Command structure, that three years into the conflict four Blood Angel Captains had fallen, and the Chapter had taken nearly 300 losses among their actual Astartes, as well as nearly 80% of their 10th Company Scouts.
As the battered Chapter was eventually relieved from the battle sector, with the intention of a much needed return to Baal for initiation of fresh recruits and to hold the required councils for the election of new Company Captains, the battered Chapter fleet gathered in orbit over the now liberated Kallius Landing to prepare for their departure.
Whether through a heretic spy or the warp sorcery of the foul demons the Chaos Warbands swore themselves to, the gathering of the entire remaining strength of the Blood Angels Chapter in one place too tempting a target, and so a massive Chaos fleet drawn from across the Sub-Sector warped in and began their assault.
After three days of vicious fighting and boarding actions and counter boardings, the Blood Angels stood as the survivors and the main body of the Chaos forces in the Kallius Subsector was broken and cast amongst the destroyed wrecks of their fleet vessels. Though technically a victory for the Imperium, the cost to the Blood Angels was severe. Less than 200 of the Astartes had survived the battle, and only one Captain had survived due to the destruction of their primary battle barge in the opening hour of the conflict.
Captain Dante, Captain of the 8th Company, was raised to the position of Chapter Master on return to Baal. And while none would question his bravery or leadership, the fact he was given the title in such an… unheroic manner has weighed on his mind more than once in the centuries since then.
Jupiter's Judgement Main Hangar, Apocalypse Class Battleship , Reznor System, 999.M41 13 days after 'The Saint's awakening'
Brother Sergeant Cassiel of the Blood Angels, Blood Angel and Deathwatch Veteran
"Only in Death does our duty end, and death in service to the Imperium in His name is no chore or burden but a blessing, bringing honour to our brothers and safety to the wider masses of humanity." Cassiel paused for a moment, taking a moment to assess how his sermon/eulogy was being received as the remaining Astral Knights and their serfs gathered around the Thunderhawk gantry that had been transformed into a temporary platform.
Normally such ceremonies would be performed by one of the Chapter's Chaplain's or Company Commanders, to better fit with the Chapter's traditions and beliefs and to ensure no slight was perceived given to the three fallen Astral Knights whose bodies lay in front of him. But the Astral Knight's Command structure was non-existent other than a single recently promoted Sergeant, the two remaining Apothecaries hard at work to try and keep the number of fallen Astartes this day at three.
Before he could decide what to say next, the Astral Knights called out as one, showing he'd unintentionally used at least some of the right words.
"We serve in His name, and our service is one in which we give our lives gladly!" The cry was given with an almost resigned tone that was concerning to Cassiel and was why he'd finally agreed with the Astral Knight's dreadnought Brother Thade, who had been the one to request he lead the ceremony.
The idea that Space Marines were unaffected by the battles and horrific experiences that they survived was a common but misguided belief that was almost universally spread throughout the Imperium. And while it was a good morale boost for those that served alongside the Astartes on the battlefield, it was a dangerous lie that even Astartes started to believe over the Millennia. And after a 1000 years of service, not including the time spent imprisoned by that… Xenos filth, Cassiel knew the darker, more horrific side of what awaited them out in the universe better than nearly anyone else alive.
It was why he had chosen this particular speech, drawn in no small part from the speech given by then Captain Dante during the aftermath of the Kallius Incident, when the Blood Angels Chapter had been in a dark and uncertain place regarding its potential future.
"But it is also our duty to ensure that our lives are not given cheaply, or the lives of our comrades in the Imperial Guard or the Adeptus Sororitas, for such wastefulness is a victory in itself for the innumerable enemies that wish nothing more than to see the Imperium toppled and The Emperor cast from his throne. We are the Emperor's blades, manifestations of his Will, forged and tempered to safeguard humanity from those that lurk in the shadows."
Cassiel had attended thousands of these vigils, both those for Astartes and even the larger ones held en-mass for the Imperial Guard during the longer campaigns he'd been a part of. Fiery Ecclesiarchy Preachers, full of furore and zeal, all the way to the solemn and almost depressive eulogies given by the Death Korps of Krieg. And it was the latter who were what the Astral Knights reminded him of most currently.
The massed serfs, including those that had been rescued from the Dark Eldar that they'd shipped across, were drawn into long regimented lines around the hangar. Their thin frames, and the fact that four of them had collapsed so far during the eulogy, spoke of work loads and a disregard for their own wellbeing that was more self-destructive than stubborn.
Even the Astral Knights themselves looked haggard, armour pitted and scarred with minor combat damage, which any self-respecting Astartes would have had repaired just to avoid the risk of it weakening the armour for future conflicts. This was a dead Space Marine Chapter in waiting, poised for its last members to find their final doom.
"We strike terror into our foes with our mere presence, and we do not know fear, for fear is a sign of doubt in the face of glory!" Cassiel wasn't quite sure how the Astral Knights had made that particular jump, but he didn't let it break his flow, his speech lasting another ten minutes.
He continued to try and shift the focus of his speech from 'death in His service' to 'service in defence of the Imperium', and judging by the looks some of the Astral Knights cast at him it was noted and not particularly appreciated. But given their intended destination, Cassiel needed soldiers, not suicidal penitents.
So as he finished his speech, the majority of the Astral Knights moving to give their own, personal remembrances by the bodies, Cassiel didn't flinch under the angry gaze of Sergeant Ifriqi as he stormed over in his direction. In part, that was due to his approach being somewhat dwarfed by the thundering steps of the Astral Knights dreadnaught as it moved in his direction as well.
Dreadnaughts are not particularly known for their agility, so it was more a case of the serfs and even the Astral Knights rapidly vacating the path in front of it. Though Cassiel couldn't focus on it as he suddenly had to sway backwards to avoid a power-armoured fist aimed directly at his face.
"We invited you to take the lead because you have served in the Deathwatch, and as a Blood Angel all know of the reputation of a Son of Sanginius!" Either rage was clouding Ifriqi's judgement, or perhaps it was his Deathwatch training, but Cassiel caught the second blow with relative ease, using his bulk to knock the Sergeant off balance for a second as the area around them cleared rapidly.
"We did not invite you to mock us and call into question our honour as Sons of Dorn!" Even as Cassiel winced at that particular piece of knowledge, it hadn't been something that had come up when they'd boarded the Battleship, he slipped behind Ifriqi as he recovered, armoured boot burying itself in the back of the Astral Knight's knee.
Imperial Fists, and their Successor Chapters, were focussed on honour and pride to a level that often made them… challenging to deal with. It was why he was resorting to a 'martial response', which is what he'd refer to this as later instead of the one sided beating he was actually administering, so quickly.
Even as Ifriqi collapsed to one knee Cassiel moved towards grabbing him in a restrictive arm lock, as he didn't want to actually hurt the other Astartes, only to pause as the booming voice of Brother Thade thundered through the room.
"Enough. Stand down Brothers, it is not Sergeant Cassiel who is in the wrong…" The dreadnaught was more talkative than most Cassiel had encountered, indeed it was rare for one to be so involved in social situations.
The call seemed to be enough to make the other Astral Knights, some of whom had looked ready to join their sergeant, stand down a little, though Cassiel still felt outnumbered as he stepped back, allowing Ifriqi to push himself up.
"Brother Thade, you cannot stand by and let this… affront to our brothers stand. He, he implied that our brethren died for nothing! That we dishonour the Emperor with our final Crusade and we are like fresh Marines with no comprehension of the state of the galaxy!" Cassiel hadn't meant to imply the former, though he'd be prepared to argue the latter further with both word and fists if required.
"And yet, your reaction… You show your age, young Ifriqi, and I allowed my… weakness at the deaths of my brothers to let that upstart Daegan drive you to this." Every word was dragged from the Dreadnaught as if they were made from its very lifeblood, but it carried through to finish with a small bow of its central body towards him.
"Taunted me… Taunted the Astral Knights about upholding our duty… Our honour. But we should think of more than just ourselves, as you say Brother Sergeant. The Lords of Terra may think that our Chapter is finished, but clearly the Emperor has other plans to have sent you and your ships here." Cassiel wished he could disagree with the idea, but with Saint Gerstahl aboard as well as the powers that Lord Commander Potter could use, their presence here was in fact possibly due to the Emperor's Will more than any other lucky event called in his name.
Despite the anger still present in Ifriqi's facial expressions, something the Astartes would need to work on if he wished to be a better Sergeant in future, Cassiel could also see something working its way through his mind as his body relaxed from the almost overbearing stiffness that had dominated his body language from the moment they had met.
"My lords!" The conversation broke off as the cry of several Serfs drew their combined attention, though as Cassiel shifted round Brother Thade's armoured bulk to be able to see what was going on, the ethereal light bathing the hangar was something he had become remarkably familiar with over the preceding weeks.
Two Legion of the Damned Legionnaires were knelt in front of two of the Astral Knights, the ones on either end, the two Astral Knight's corpses covered in the same silvery unnatural flames as the Legion. Even as Cassiel watched, the one to his left stood and strode to the watching Astral Knights, stopping in front of one of them whose left arm was missing below the elbow.
"Brother Raimer." Ifriqi spoke with a quiet awe that seemed to fill the entire hangar, the Astral Knight and Legionnaire staring at each other without any words being uttered.
After several seconds the Legionnaire nodded almost imperceptibly and brought his right hand up across its chest in a clenched fist salute, which the injured marine copied as his breathing became harsher and his body shook under the weight of his emotions. Ifriqi continued speaking as the Legionnaire moved away, heading strangely towards a group of serfs.
"He was with Brother Lemuel when he died, they were part of the same tribe when they were selected. He was trying to drag him back to safety as well as escorting some of the Serfs when the Xenos attacked. Despite his injuries he feels he didn't do enough, and nothing I could say would have changed that." The other Legionnaire had strode off in a different direction, though it had also stopped in front of a group of serfs, the pitifully gaunt figures clearly unsure whether to salute or kneel in the spiritual manifestations of one of their lords.
The Legionnaire looked back and forth for a second, time which Cassiel used to cross the intervening distance between them with Ifriqi and other Astral Knights in tow, before drawing a small dagger from its belt. This wasn't its combat blade, instead the blade seemed to be made of a polished crimson crystal, though it now glowed with its own ethereal light.
"Brother Zachariah's soul shard blade, I'd recognise it anywhere." This comment came from one of the Astral Knights Cassiel hadn't been introduced to yet, voice choking with emotion that most Astartes locked deep within themselves and were conditioned to think of as a weakness.
The Legionnaire turned away from the serfs for a moment, his burning gaze staring across the gathered Astral Knights as if to make sure he had truly got their attention, before dropping to one knee and turning back to present the blade to one of the serfs. The serf was small and young, even compared to the other serfs, though given many serfs were hereditary families as well as drawn from those who failed initiation, the presence of such children wasn't necessarily a surprise.
The child accepted the dagger with both hands, tears pouring down his face as the other Serfs looked both ecstatic and jealous at the same time. The Legionnaire stood, placing one hand gently on the child's shoulder, before disappearing in the swell of fire and sulphur that Cassiel was now intimately familiar with.
"The Blade is given… Our Brother has chosen his successor… And that means new Initiations…" Brother Thade trailed off, but the unsaid point was clear.
New Initiates meant new Astartes, and though the Astral Knights would likely never serve as a full chapter again, Cassiel could see the change in nearly every person present, both serf and Astartes. No longer was their fate to die on some lost world, their deeds and names forgotten in the vastness of the Imperium, and that was a weight from their shoulders they didn't even realise they were carrying.
"Sergeant, a message from The Chariot of Retribution. There are allies aboard the Space Station, but also Tyranid Xenos to be purged! They wish to know whether we will join them in that glorious task?" The call over the comms bead came from Brother Icarus, one of the two young Blood Angels, who had been waiting on their Valkyrie transport.
Given his outburst when they first met with Lord Commander Potter, Cassiel had decided to leave both his brothers on the ship when he had arrived. After the tussle with Sergeant Ifriqi, Cassiel was internally grateful for his caution.
"Notify the Retribution that we will need to resupply first but we are enroute. And I think our fellow Brothers will want to join in purging these Tyranids, experience against new foes is always sought out by serving Chapters." It was perhaps jamming the metaphorical combat blade in too deeply, but as the Astral Knights moved away with renewed purpose it seemed to have done the trick.
Though they still had to find out where all the other Legion of the Damned went, as he watched the second one vanish after giving his blade to one Serf and his actual combat knife to another. They'd disappeared shortly before they actually finished sweeping the Xenos ship, and it had allowed the Xenos pirates to retreat towards the engine rooms.
Lord Potter claimed he could still feel their connections, and that the drain they placed on his psychic powers had actually grown, so Cassiel could only assume they were supporting some other Imperial forces that needed the Emperor's assistance.
They could worry about it later though, Cassiel mused as he grabbed his helmet from his belt and placed it back over his head, for now they had Xenos to kill…
Unknown Space Station, Reznor System, 999.M41 13 days after 'The Saint's awakening'
Letty Cudan, Kasrkin Lieutenant and Weapons Specialist, 1st Company, 129th Cadian Regiment
"Another wave defeated Kasrkin, press forward and make sure the little bastards don't have time to recover!" Levelling her plasma pistol over the top of the temporary barricade the rest of her force were fighting behind, Letty caught one of the smaller melee type Xenos high in the chest as it paused as if unsure to keep charging towards them or retreat.
The rolling battle against the Tyranids had been more… more challenging for her and her Kasrkin than she wanted to admit, the Kasrkin tactics for clearing a fortified enemy position quickly proved to be highly unsuitable for dealing with an enemy like the Tyranids, even with Lord Potter again taking to the front lines and carving a slow but steady advance up the centre of their extended battlefield.
Such was the scale of the space station, it was more akin to street to street fighting in a Hive City than a boarding action. The bastards could travel in the ventilation ducts and underfoot utility tunnels at a speed that was impossible for any Guardsman to counter. And these were no wild animals or unorganised mobs throwing themselves against the biggest threats presenting themselves to them which was Lord Potter, the Astartes and then the station's occupants in that order.
Instead they were trying flanking attacks, ambushes and massed assaults from multiple vectors and only by killing the larger creatures that lurked further back in the horde did they receive any semblance of tactical respite.
She'd lost three squads, overwhelmed by monstrous talons, teeth and chitin, before she was forced to admit that 'Not One Step Back' was not the right approach and that her counterpart with the Praefects had been correct from the start. Thankfully, Lieutenant Velex didn't take the opportunity to gloat over the Imperium's elite coming for tactical assistance, though that probably was because she and her Praefects were holding the far left flank of the battlefield, where the swiftest and most cunning of the Xenos seemed to be attacking.
"Forward to the first barricade only! Remnants, restock and resupply!" The call over her vox, not exactly countermanding her order but definitely changing it, came from the 'aid' that had arrived shortly after her call for assistance.
That aid came from Sergeant Poranix and 20 Praefects, as well as nearly four hundred members of the Urthwart refugees she hadn't even realised had been brought onto the ship.
These 'Remnants' were under the command of Commissar Hawthorne, and though they weren't taking part in the direct combat and instead fulfilling a logistical and support role, they moved and carried themselves in a manner that spoke more of Imperial Guardsmen than civilians. They were the ones setting up the barricades for them to fall back to, clearing the corpses of the Xenos to the sides of the passageways so that they could fall back quickly and efficiently, and most importantly they were bringing up fresh weapons and ammunition by the chimera load.
"Remember your training Remnants, move the smaller corpses to the side only after making sure they are dead! These Xenos are cunning and tenacious, but we will not allow them to take the lives of the faithful so easily!" Letty was of the opinion the Commissar had missed his calling in life, he certainly seemed more at home as an inspirational field officer rather than that of a feared and hated disciplinarian.
Something she needed to start evoking more, as her Kasrkin started to create three wedges through the Tyranid corpses, lasbolts and bayonets having to suffice for the task of making sure the filthy Xenos were actually dead. Nobody was foolish enough to start using flame weapons aboard a ship, even if more than half of them were wearing void suits.
"Sergeant Poranix, take the centre, we will advance in line with you. Sergeant Nesin you have the left flank, see if you can get in visual contact with the Astartes so we know the pace of the advance. Borx, get me a sitrep!" As her orders were transmitted through the short range communicators each of them had in their helmets, Letty moved over to the right most wedge, which was moving forward about three metres from the wall of the large vehicle passageway they were fighting in.
It was the highest risk section, as they were literally the outermost part of the expeditionary force's battle line. Unlike in the other two segments, the Remnants were leading, while three full squads of Kasrkin had their weapons trained on every vent or utility shaft with the paranoia that came from painful experience.
"One second Lieutenant." Borx wasn't the original vox-operator for her unit, but he'd been the closest when the original owner of the equipment had caught one of those living ammunition things to the chest.
And though the carapace and void suit combination had stopped the thing from burrowing straight through his chest, he would be lucky if the medics could keep him alive long enough for Lord Potter or the Saint to get to him. It was brutal and terrifying, like nearly everything in the Xenos' arsenal.
Pausing her advance to allow Borx to catch up, the 'well-built' Kasrkin clearly struggling to step between the Tyranids corpses and work on the vox at the same time, Letty could hear the rapid exchanges from at least three other operators on the channels they were using to communicate the assault. A couple of seconds later and Borx looked up a little triumphantly before giving his report.
"Lord Potter has reached the hangar entrance that contains the Stalwart Sorrow and is readying a full assault into the hangar. Magos Nihlus and the Astartes are moving to support the attack. The general order is for all Guard forces to hold their positions and repel any last attacks from the Xenos as they attempt to flank the assault forces."
The sound of skittering talons on metal, a melee type that had hidden in a venting shaft going from stationary to a sprinting leap in the time it took for Letty to comprehend what the sound was coming from. Thankfully, her soldiers were much faster in response, lasbolts vaporising the head and torso of the leaper even as it careened out of the shaft.
Momentum was still a thing though, the leaper's corpse slamming into one of the Kasrkin behind Letty, its death rattle joined by the Kasrkin's pained shout as its talons pierced armour into flesh. The fact he was able to vocalise his pain was a good sign though, not that he wouldn't think that, but it meant the razor sharp talons hadn't hit something vital.
"Medics! Get him back to the supply line. Remnants, move the clearing line three steps further in." It wasn't much, but would hopefully be the difference in the case of further ambushes.
Step by step, the muffled noise of boots on metal flooring or alien corpses only broken by the occasional discharge of a lasgun from one of the other columns that made nearly everyone jump, they approached the first of the erected barricades. This had been their main defensive point for the battle, and given their new orders Letty had no plans to try and earn glory or other such nonsense by advancing further.
"Clear it by sections, Remnants to clear the gap and fill in the damaged barricades. Squad 2, Squad 4, overwatch positions!" The Kasrkin moved forward as she ordered, most drawing their entrenching tools to begin hacking and dismembering the Tyranid Corpses that in many places swamped the barricades in both height and depth.
It wouldn't be quick work, and given the cover afforded by the Tyranid corpses that littered the passageway in front of them they would be at a constant risk of Tyranid attack. But that was fine, Letty hadn't become a Kasrkin because she wanted an easy life after all…
Unnamed Mechanicus Cradle class Space Station, Reznor System, 999.M41 13 days after 'The Saint's awakening'
Harry Potter, Master of Death
"The cleansing of the last few surviving Tyranids is progressing as well as can be expected, Lord Potter, though both Magos Nihlus and Sergeant Cassiel admit that it is highly unlikely they will account for every Xenos. Some will have retreated far into the utility tunnels, and we do not have the numbers or equipment to root them out quickly." Harry nodded as he half-listened to Lieutenant Martanis' report, though most of his attention currently was on the scorched and somewhat charred laspack he was looking over in his hands.
It was one of the first prototypes he had created in an attempt to mimic what Martanis had recalled about Saint Gerstahl's power, using runic wards to draw infinitesimally small amounts of magic from the surroundings to recharge and then boost the pack's ability to charge a lasgun. It, and the corresponding runes on the lasgun his 'honour guard' had been outfitted with, had worked remarkably well for the first couple of hours of the running battle with the Tyranids, and it had only been when they'd stormed the hangar and encountered the collective horde that awaited them that it had failed somewhat catastrophically.
Mattis should be fine, Harry had treated him for the worst of the wounds caused by the molten shrapnel before leaving him to be taken with the other wounded to Saint Gerstahl, but it was still a sign that his and Hermione's understanding of this Universe and its magic was dangerously incomplete.
"And this lack of numbers has nothing to do with Octus and his men carrying on the 'deconstruction' of the Stalwart Sorrow? Both for materials and technology? Not to mention the tech-priests who are data-mining the Cradle even now?" It had been almost amusing to deal with Nihlus when his party had caught up with Harry and the others, if the man still had a mouth and saliva glands Harry would have thought him caught between frothing at the mouth in anger and drooling at the possibilities before him.
During the dark Age of Technology and the rise of the Mechanicum on Mars prior to the rise of the Emperor, Mechanicum Cradles were the equivalent of colony ships that the Mechanicum sent out to find and colonise the former strongholds of humanity. But more than that, in the rise of the Imperium and its bloodied expansion throughout the stars, the Cradle served as the front-line refit and repair stations for the advancing Legions. For one like this, as well as the numerous warships from the same era that surrounded Reznor in their tens of thousands…
The potential for lost technologies, or even information to better understand and use the technology that the Imperium forces used based on the now infamous 'this is how it's always been done', made the station a true treasure trove for a technophile like Octus.
"That does have an impact my Lord, but given the Tyranid threat originated aboard the Stalwart Sorrow, there is a logic behind his actions." Such logic was an excuse at best, Octus hadn't even waited for the battle to finish before his men had started their excavations.
No-one had really cared enough to get in his way, Sergeant Pulin offering a good portion of the freshly reinforced Morwenian forces to assist in both securing the area and the scavenging works alongside the slowly growing Remnant forces. Harry's only order, before jumping into the Chimera he was currently in, had been that all work had to be carried out safely with no deaths or avoidable injuries.
That had been aimed at Commissar Hawthorne and Captain Gratis rather than Octus, as he wasn't entirely sure the man was able to focus on anything but the Cradle, but there had been enough death today without zealotry leading to more.
"Okay, we have time while I meet this Circle, so I won't ruin it for him right now. Have we got a casualty report yet?" Another reason for his dark mood, though Harry had fought in battles against Voldemort and the Death Eaters, he was still unable to mentally deal with the sheer scale and general disregard for the manpower cost these so called 'minor skirmishes' could have.
"Kasrkin, 24 dead, another 12 that won't fight again without prosthetics, 27 badly wounded and 30 walking wounded. Praefects, 4 dead, 18 wounded, 12 walking wounded. Remnant casualties are still being compiled, but early estimates are 60 dead and twice that wounded. Magos Nihlus hasn't reported any casualties amongst his forces, and I do not have any information regarding the Astartes."
Velex reported this in a way that was clearly meant to be neutral; she had experienced his reaction when she'd reported the 'miraculously' light losses after storming the Dark Eldar ship, but Harry could tell she wasn't upset or overly concerned by the losses they'd taken so far. And… given nearly every 'tale of heroism' that were told almost as sermons during the daily training sessions often ended with barely a few left alive from thousands, framed obviously as heroic rather than traumatised survivors, Harry could see why their battles so far had gone better than anyone who grew up in the Imperium could have expected.
Before he could respond, primarily with the aim of a 'how can we lose less people next time?' type questions, Sergeant Pulin raised his hand to his ear and obviously received some kind of message as he turned in Harry's direction before saluting.
"Permission to speak My Lord." The fact that the Chimera was already starting to decelerate told Harry what was probably happening, but he gestured for the Sergeant to continue so as not to appear rude.
"We have reached the governing chamber, the Circle awaits you inside." The Chimera rolled rather noisily to a stop at this point, the back opening in a now rather familiar grinding sound, though as Harry, Velex and Letty moved to dismount the tank he noticed the Morwenian Sergeant not joining them.
"Not coming with us Sergeant? I would have thought the Circle would want you there for your account of our arrival at least…" There was a pained look that crossed Pulin's face as he shook his head, before he moved to salute at someone behind Harry.
"No My Lord, it would not be fitting. Colonel Tuten will…" Harry shook his head even as he turned to find three officers in what he assumed was their version of dress uniform, all three of them saluting him as behind them he saw several squads of fresh Morwenians move up nearby as Gallant, Lady Veilwalker and Lelith Hesperax disembarked from the Second Chimera that had been following them.
Given the heavier armour on the body-suits and the way that the Morwenians who had been escorted maintained a respectful and almost slightly fearful distance as these new Guardsmen moved by them, these were clearly an elite force inside the Conscripts organisation.
"No offence Colonel, but I've fought alongside the Sergeant and his men, they gave a good account of themselves against the Tyranid Xenos and have provided good intelligence about the situation aboard the station. While the additional… honour guard is appreciated as a sign of respect, they would be better served assisting in hunting down and eliminating the remaining Xenos enemies to ensure this station is fully secured. As you can see, I have my own bodyguards."
It wasn't an order as such, Harry didn't think that such a level of arrogance wouldn't work in his favour here, even if he was the type to act as such. But judging by the slight smile on the Colonel's face even as he finished saluting, it seemed the man didn't seem opposed to the idea.
"Agreed Lord Inquisitor, The Circle wanted to have the 1st Company serve as your honour guard while you were aboard, but the 4th Company can serve that task just as well, and it would be good for the 1st Company to see some real action for a change. Captain Del Luc, take your men and move to support the Lord Inquisitor's men." The man to the Colonel's left clearly looked like he wanted to object to the agreement, making it clear who the 'Ministry Toad' as Harry named them was in this situation.
"At once Colonel, My Lords!" The man to the Colonel's right, clearly the aforementioned Del Luc, had no such reservations, pulling another salute before moving off to talk to the heavily armoured Conscripts.
"I will accompany him, Lord Potter, it will be best if there is someone who can directly coordinate between the two forces." Harry considered countering Velex's offer, he wanted as many people on 'his' side in the coming room as possible.
But Velex wasn't the most diplomatic of representatives, and given the presence of Gallant and the two Aeldari she wouldn't make that much of a difference if it did come down to a confrontation, so he nodded and saluted back to her as she pulled a quick jump to attention before moving off in the direction of Captain Del Luc.
"Get your men in order Sergeant, we better not keep the Circle waiting longer than we need to. I will accompany Lord Potter and his companions directly." Colonel Tuten didn't wait for the Sergeant to leave before he focussed back on Harry.
"If you wish it, my Lord, I can provide answers to any questions that you have as we walk to the Circle's meeting room, which is about five minutes walk from here." Stepping out of the Chimera, Harry found himself looking up to look the Colonel in the eye despite his power armour.
The Colonel, like all of the humans they had encountered aboard the Cradle, were what Velex had told him were called Void born, the results of generations of life amongst the stars and aboard the multitude of space faring vessels at the Imperium's disposal. Taller than average humans, with pallid, drawn skin and an almost ethereal facial structure.
"Thank you Colonel, Sergeant Pulin could only provide me with the basics related to your external security and information on your Tyranid issue. There was more focus on that and making sure there wasn't another area they had spread to. Why did we have to stop so far from the meeting area? Such a greeting is quite different from what I would normally expect." That wasn't true of course, Harry was already starting to suspect the reason, but he was prepared to give the Colonel the chance to prove him wrong.
"Apologies my Lord, given the suddenness of your arrival we couldn't prepare a proper welcome. We didn't want to expose you to a security risk on your arrival, so it was easier to clear this path and cover all access points to the Hall of Judgement." Harry did his best to make sure he didn't react physically to the name drop that confirmed his suspicions.
With his experiences of Ministry 'scheming', both during his Hogwarts years and after, Harry was painfully familiar with bureaucracy and political power plays that such 'civilised society' could come up with. It was all he could do, even as he watched the Colonel clearly see something in his expression that he approved of, not to turn back to his Chimera and leave the station right now.
"Very well, Gallant will follow me directly, and my two allies will of course be accompanying us. Please tell me more about the Circle and how they run this station." It was only the fact that Pulin and his men had been relatively open with him, and the fact that Octus may just try and kill him if he tried that made him decide to stay… for now.
Colonel Tuten used the time as they progressed through the series of administrative buildings to give an overview of the Cradle and its organisation, and Harry got the feeling this was as close to a democracy as he was going to find in this universe.
Magi were elected to the Circle every seven years, with Census carried out the year before to determine the changes in the number of delegates. Magi represented 14,641 of the beings aboard the cradle, a number conjured up by a 'favoured' number to the power of another favoured number squared, something that Harry was sure Octus would love.
Given the dangers aboard a vessel like the cradle, as well as the fact the multigenerational nature of the crew, the number of representatives could drop significantly over the course of a single cycle, with Colonel Tuten talking of a time about 150 years ago where the number had dropped by 127 to 412 over a seven year cycle. Partial groups were amalgamated, with the older groups disassembled first to ensure there weren't small groups of the lucky or the too stubborn to die that had more delegate power than the newly formed groups.
It wasn't a proper democracy, such a thing didn't exist in Harry's original world let alone here. All candidates were screened and interrogated for Anti-Imperial or heretical leanings, and even when elected there had been cases of representatives being arrested or even executed during meetings for straying over that invisible and constantly shifting line.
The risk of heresy seemed to be focussed on chaos or tech heresy Harry noticed, the only anti-Xenos issue had arisen when the Kastelans were first brought online and the blood testing was enforced with the arrival of Lord Fargus more than a century before, and given the looks that Colonel Tuten and his lackey cast at Lelith and Lady Veilwalker during their explanations, the information black hole was intentional.
While he had been tempted to bull through the evasiveness and determine whether this was going to be an issue, Harry decided that he had a more pertinent question as they arrived into the first populated building that was clearly their destination.
"You never explained why this 'Hall of Judgement' was chosen specifically as our meeting point Colonel. The name implies a less… receptive meeting than would have otherwise been expected." To Colonel Tuten's credit, his poker face in response to Harry's semi-blunt accusation was impeccable, but such a measured lack of reaction was in itself a tell if the right person was looking.
"Apologies My Lord, given your unexpected arrival, there wasn't time to prepare a more formal location and the Hall of Judgement is large enough for all of the Magi to attend in the required time frame." Harry resisted the urge to sigh, though given he had fought in three battles in the last 24 hours meant the weariness he felt all the way to his bones might have been the reason for his apathy.
"I suppose the urgency meant we couldn't delay this meeting. Just give me a moment to prepare for my entrance, don't want to give the wrong initial impression after all." But just because he was exhausted didn't mean Harry was going to let these idiots get away with inconveniencing him.
The scale of this universe's problems, and the fact he was probably stuck here until he could work out how to modify the ritual so he didn't end up right back here, meant he didn't have time for such petty games…
!"£$%^&*()_+
Sanctuary of Truth Mechanicus Cradle class Space Station, Reznor System, Year 377 after the Founding
Fariah Denlaeth, Magos of Census Collective 37 and head of the Progression Forum
This was a bad, no terrible, idea. There wasn't in her opinion a suitable Gothic word for how stupid and illogical this farce was, something she and the other members of the Progression Forum had proclaimed within minutes of the arrival of an Imperium Inquisitor being reported in by the Interception and Testing Patrols.
Magos Rankahesh and his group of Mechanicus leaning sycophants had heard that the Inquisitor had a small group of bodyguards and used that information to sway enough of the independent or non-affiliated Magos to the insanity that they could intimidate their 'guest' using the largest of the halls that had once been used as a teaching space in the millenia before their arrival.
The arrival of the Inquisitor's main forces aboard, fed back using the conscript's intermittent reports of their formation and the utter destruction of the Tyranids that had plagued them for almost 5 years showed the stupidity of their plan.
But man's pride, as well as the somewhat underhanded methods he had used to secure some of the independent votes, meant that Rankahesh wouldn't… couldn't change the plan now without risking his position in the Circle entirely, let alone in the factions of the Circle itself. So rather than falling on his sword, the man was instead forcing them all off the metaphorical cliff with him.
"Order, Order! Impatience and disorder are below this assembly, especially when the arrival of our potential saviour is the cause." Speaker Wrench was the only unelected member of the Circle's power structure, instead he was a senior member of the station's security team.
The Speaker position was rotated through the different members of the security team, initially designed as such to avoid any potential bribery or bias issues.
"Piss off Speaker, why do you look in our direction when clearly it was…" The rest of the heckler's protest was lost as members on all sides of the large multi-leveled room reacted to his not even completed accusation, proving once again that the rumours around the station about the view of the Speaker role were accurate.
The role was now viewed as a punishment detail, normal crimes and incidents elsewhere around the station considered a welcome respite to the frequent fights and brawls that could erupt during even the most 'civilised' of discussions. Fariah and her followers were rarely involved in the instigation of these types of incidents, though there were only 12 Representatives in her faction so that might be part of the reason.
Unfortunately there were more than a small proportion of the station's inhabitants that saw the aggressive and combative approach of some factions in the Circle as a positive thing, with words like 'pacifist' or 'cowardly' used in reference to her kind. Though the few times they had been attacked directly, they'd defended themselves well enough that such comments were only mentioned when the Progression forum Representatives weren't physically present.
"If you want order Speaker, then you would be best determining where our esteemed guest is and get him here! This type of disrespec…" Magos Rankahesh paused in his viritrolic comment as suddenly the massive doors that served as the guest entrance to the Chamber were smashed open.
Dark grey smoke billowed into the room, following the advance of a silver armoured Space Marine armed with the barbarically effective bolter that the Ex-human strongmen were so fond of. The lights flickered and some failed before the enveloping smoke even reached them, casting the once well lit hall in an intimidating twilight as the Space Marine came to a stop at the central dias, clearly unconcerned by the weapons of the Station Security Team pointed in his direction.
"You don't mind if I borrow these seats? Less crowded back here than near the front and I don't want to miss this…" The voice, distorted as it was by the primitive armour speakers that were transmitting it, wasn't one that Fariah recognised. She could hear the shocked reactions of her fellow Representatives, but before she could turn and see this new arrival the Space Marine on the Dias spoke, his voice carrying around the hall like that of an angry God.
"WHO HERE IS REQUIRING JUDGEMENT?" The question was barely able to reverberate around the halls in a manner similar to an angry god, before the Space Marine continued in a more normal tone that somehow still echoed around the auditorium.
"I am the Emperor's judgement, the physical manifestation of his will to defend the Imperium from enemies without and traitors within. To be called to such a location, without a formal introduction or greeting, can only mean that there is an urgent matter of the gravest important for us to address." It was not subtle, even as Fariah turned to see three more people sitting on the seats near to her, but that was probably why it was so effective in turning this farce on its head.
Though it seemed like Rakanash was not the only one to be surprised as the man in light Power Armour, who she assumed was the Inquisitor they had been expecting, was as important in this moment to Fariah as the Mon-keigh who occasionally attempted to loot the station. The masked figure who lounged onto the man's shoulder in a manner that seemed both overly familiar and crossing several metaphorical lines at the same time, cast a lazy glance in her direction as she spoke.
"Cén chaoi a bhfuil tú, siúr altranais (1)…" Fariah had heard the reports of an Eldar in the Inquisitor's entourage, but the reports had given no indication that there were two of them and that one of them was one of the legendary Harlequins of legend.
Nor that the other was one of the figures used as a figure of terror and caution to the children of Malan'tai (2) as to why they hadn't tried to reach out to previous Druuchi raiders that had visited Reznor…
A/N: So, I've rewritten this chapter probably 7 times, hence the long gap in posting. I really wanted to move forward and finish Reznor, because I want to move to Cadia, but at the same time as you have seen here, there is a lot to unpack and a LOT of Worldbuilding that I wanted to make sure wasn't just glossed over. So apologies if the pacing is off, but if I carried on going back and rewriting things I don't think I would ever have published.
So, we have some more backstory on the Astral Knights and the Blood Angels, as well as the rites and rituals associated with Space Marines that I often feel is glossed over on both at personal levels and even when concerning the Chapters themselves.
I've deliberately not elaborated on what they found yet of course, that will still come, but it's not as magnificent as a Gloriana class ship as previously mentioned. The main focus at the moment will be on the Mechanicus Space Station/Colony ship that they are currently aboard. It's not an official class ship, but in my head it both fits the requirements for the Dark Age of Technology colonisations that Mars carried out, as well as the kind of portable shipyard that would have been required during the Imperium's Great Crusade as they expanded from Terra.
Now Harry and his ragtag band can't hope to crew it so that it could be battle ready, even if you assume the level of automation tech in the ship is significantly better than what is present in the 41st Millenium, but there are significant uses for it that they can use before they move on.
Moving onto the last section of the chapter, I deliberately kept the two highlighted sections from being at the top of the chapter as I would normally do, as I didn't want to give away the surprise. Still, I gave several hints towards the presence of the Aeldari aboard in this chapter and the last one, so hopefully I won't get too many reviews calling for my head.
Cén chaoi a bhfuil tú, siúr altranais - Aeldari for 'Greetings Sister, How are you?' taken from Gaellic as obviously there isn't a full dictionary translation for Aeldari. A formal greeting between Aeldari of different Craftworlds to show a lack of aggressive intent and to assess the situation.
Malan'tai - Aeldari Minor Craftworld that was attacked and overwhelmed by the Tyranids around 800 M41. There seems to be some kind of requirement that Eldar stand and die on their Craftworlds, ignoring the possibility of withdrawing things like their World Shrines, Spirit Stones and especially their Children/Non-combatants… you know as they are a dying race and all. The battle on Malan'tai raged for weeks if not longer, so in my story there were survivors that evacuated as the threat of the 'Doom of Malan'tai' became clear. Mainly consisting of Children, non-combatants and of course the valuable artefacts of the Craftworld, the Survivors of Malan'tai encountered the mysterious Lord Fargus before he reached the Reznor sector, and given the chances of finding another Craftworld in the vicinity of the Eye of Terror before they were attacked by Chaos or other forces, the survivors fled with him into hiding.
Anyway, so yes, more Aeldari and Imperium cooperation, though in this case carried out due to Inquisition interference and multi-generational isolation.
There is plot logic behind my madness, I promise!
Anyway, hope you enjoy it, Read & Review as always!
Defias Out!