A/N: Just something I wrote instead of doing schoolwork. Reviews are appreciated.
Xian Li was a simple kid. He did as he was told, being an obedient son was a command of the God-Emperor after all. He brushed his teeth twice per day, ate all his vegetables, and always made sure to be kind to other kids.
Li was also a loyal man. He loved the Imperium and loved the Emperor. He hated the heretic, hated the mutant, and hated the xeno (not racist, just didn't care for them). As far as he was concerned, the Imperium of Man was the best thing since salt on grox steak. Li was a man of faith, praying multiple times a day, never going without his aquila, the symbol of the Emperor.
He was also a man of dreams.
Each night, before he would go to bed, his mother would sit with him by the window of their hab unit looking into the ocean. As they watched fish swim about and colorful plankton dance she would sing to him of the great heroes of mankind.
The Martyred Lady, Saint Katherine, whose fiery determination and vengeful spirit inspired many during the Wars of Faith before dying a sorrowful death, mourned by all who knew her. The great Lord Commander Solar Macharius, whose crusade brought a thousand worlds beneath the imperial fold before mysteriously disappearing, never to be heard from again. And of Ollanius Pius. A man who stared down the chosen of the Ruinous Powers even as Holy Terra burned below. A man who placed himself in front of the Arch Traitor, sacrificing his life so that the Emperor could know victory.
All those tales and legends, they were never just stories to him. They were adventures calling. He would lie awake at night and dream of war and battle. He would play guardsman vs. heretic with his friends, pretending to have dramatic last stands on the landing platforms exposed to the ever-raining surface of his home planet of Loch. He would stare out the windows of his classroom and pretend that the fish swimming by were the great voidships of the Imperial Navy waging glorious battle against the alien and the heretic.
The day before his 15th birthday, his mother threw a great party for him, bragging to all her co-workers at the library how brave and strong her son was going to be. That was the happiest day of his life.
The second the clock hit 12, his mother walked with him to the recruitment center where he was to be shipped off to basic. The memory of that walk would always stay with him.
It was midnight and the plankton were out in full colors. As the two reached a bend in the tube, a bright flash swept over them. Vibrant red, blues, purples, and yellows flowed with the ocean current in an intricate dance none could replicate. As the two stood admiring the scene his mother turned towards him, her aged face and crinkled eyes showing the decades of hard work sorting and reading books. She hesitated before speaking, clearly caught up with emotions.
"I may never see you again." She said, her voice barely a whisper.
Li did not even turn his head. "Maybe. But you will hear of me in legends. Like the ones you told me about, and that will be enough." he said with firm conviction, his eyes not once leaving the spectacle before him.
"I promise."
She did not say anything back.
They walked to the office in silence. They waited on the landing pad with the rest of the enlisted in silence, the only sound being the ever present patter of rain on metal, still holding each other's hand.
As the transport came into view, his mother opened her mouth and drew a breath. Li listened closely to hear what she was going to say. She closed her mouth and bit her lip, instead opting to squeeze tighter onto his hand before letting it go.
Li thought nothing of it. He walked to the transport, his mind only on the glories that surely awaited him.
He was the last to board, and as he reached the top of the ramp he spared one last look at his mother.
His mother didn't cry. She did not say anything either. Her eyes were focused through wrinkled skin, mouth creased in a determined line. She held her head high.
Li did not say anything either. He did not cry, nor shout any promises or farewells. He would not be her son if he did.
The ramp started to slowly close, the light of the outside slowly being consumed by the dull red lights of the transport and without hesitation he broke away from the entrance and went to find a seat.
Placing his pack on an overhead storage compartment, he sat down in a dull metal seat and strapped in. He turned to his left and right, his eyes taking in the other people next to him. A boy with glasses reading a hymn book. A freckled girl brushing her hair made red in the light. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Soon he dozed off, dreaming of adventure and war.
With a soft jolt, the transport lifted off, and Li's mother started the walk back to her hab alone not once faltering in her step. As the sun peeked through the clouds and the rain continued to fall, Li departed from the land of his home, and stepped into story and legend.
Xian Li was a simple man. He did what he was told, being an obedient soldier was a command of the God-Emperor after all. He cleaned his lasgun at the end of each day, saluted to his commissar, and always prayed when he woke up and before he went to bed.
And as he lay on the dirt, planes and artillery screaming in the air, he felt at peace. All feeling in his body had gone, along with most of his lower torso and his blood. A slight tug caused him to lift his head slightly, catching sight of his commissar.
"Did-did I do well?"
The masked face of the commissar showed nothing.
"Yes you did soldier." he said as he began to strip him of his ammo.
"Will you tell my mother that I died? That I died…a glorious death?"
The commissar paused, his mask flashing with the light of a nearby shell.
"Of course. I will tell her you died a death befitting of a loyal man."
With that, the man stuffed Li's magazines into his vest and left his sight. Xian smiled. No doubt his mother would cry, but at least she would be comforted that he died in service of something greater than himself. As his vision began to fade, one last thought ran through his mind.
He didn't even get my name.
And then he knew no more.