Title: Angelus Erroneous: Fabricati Diem
Author: Spike
Chapter: Thirteen
Bishop, Xerxes and Deacon all made their way back to the slope, leaving me back at the crashed Wave Serpent.
With Jessie.
But I didn't head off after my comrades (I use the term lightly) straight away. Instead I paused – my eye on the alien spacecraft and my mind spinning.
Where did that Wave Serpent come from?
Well apart from somewhere out in the universe.....
Intrigued, I went closer for a closer examination.
"Hey!" Jessie exclaimed "Where ya going?"
I didn't pay her any attention. Instead I walked up to within a foot of the wreck and started brushing away some of the moss.
Underneath, I could see plates, of some unfamiliar metal, that were coloured blue.
I had fought the Eldar before when I was in the Imperial Guard and each time, they were clad in armour each bearing a different colour. It didn't take an Enginseer to determine that this represented different factions. But none of those encounters had me fighting Eldar bearing a blur armour.
To be honest, my knowledge of the Eldar was limited – being a grunt in the Imperial Guard, all one needs to know is who the badguys are and how to stop them (or at least make sure the firing end of a lasgun was aimed at them).
Never mind such details as to why they pose a threat or what their agenda is but as always, the high command usually possess such knowledge.
And naturally, they are never quite willing to share that information....
Well, I would have sought the necessary information on the Eldar but such information is kept under wraps by the Ordo Xenos faction of the Inquisition.
And getting information from the Inqusition is like trying to down an Ork Stompa with a boltgun.
As the Inqusitors are always doing their best to ensure the safety and continued existence of the Imperium of Man.
Such as it is.
I wonder how long this Wave Serpent had been here?
And I wonder what, in that time, had happened to the occupants?
And then an alarming thought hit me:
What if they were somehow still around...?
"Whatcha doing?"
Suddenly a voice jolted me back to reality.
I looked up to see Jessie gazing at me in a peculiar fashion.
"What?" I grunted
"What are you doin'?" she said "Yes that's a Wave Serpent. Don't tell me you haven't seen one before!
"And you were in the Imperial Guard..."
I sighed and softly chuckled to myself
"Well it is kinda ruined" she went on "And I doubt it will be going far in that state"
I shook my head.
"I wonder what happened to the occupants of this ship" I mused.
"They probably found out by the Orks and they all got butchered in a bloody mess!" Jessie answered, all whilst bearing an enormous grin.
I sighed. I just had to ask.
"I've fought Eldar before" I started
"Ah, the good ol' days of killing off scum in the name of the God-Emperor!" Jessie interjected, still grinning her disturbing grin (I've forgotten how many times I've seen her distinctive grin but it still freaks me out every time).
"There was nothing good about them" I growled.
"What makes you say that? What's wrong about killing so many guys in the name of the God-Emperor?"
"Don't you mean what's wrong with killing so many guys full stop?"
"Oh yeah that too"
"Anyway" I said with a sigh of exasperation "I have fought the Eldar before. They are tricky no doubt: They move at incredible speeds, they have bizarre weapons and they can kill anyone many times over before they even know what was coming!"
Upon hearing this, Jessie's facial expression changed: her grin grew even wider and her eyes grew sinister.
"Oh I like the sound of that" she said – her voice growing soft and eager - like she was purring.
I blinked.
"If there were any Eldar from that Wave Serpent and they survived, I would sure like to meet one" she added.
"And then I'll rip his throat out!"
My eyes widened
"Yeah!" she beamed, her eyes ever eager "They'll be so much fun to fight, seeing as we've been fighting Orks for so long!
"Sure wish one would show up: I'll make them wished they'd never survived that crash!"
I sighed in exasperation.
But little could prepare me for what happened next.
For it was then and there that I suddenly saw something:
And my blood ran cold.
It was a tiny red dot.
One that was slowly traversing it's way up Jessie's body, drawing closer to her head.
I recognised the signs and immediately I went into action.
"Jessie?" I said urgently.
Immediately her grin fell.
"What?"
"GET DOWN!"
Suddenly I leapt forward arms outstretched. I dived into Jessie, forcing us both to the jungle floor.
"NARC!" she yelled "What the hell are you doing?!?!?"
She got her answer in the form of a hail of gunfire that came screaming over our heads.
But it wasn't the familiar gun fire which we had heard before: We were used to hearing the sounds of Ork weaponry which were notorious of being loud, crude and as blunt as a squadron of Leman Russ Battle Tanks.
What this was, was something completely different. It was silent, fast and came piercing through the air with a strange aura of grace, which was practically unheard of with the weapons of the 41st millennium.
Unless, of course, it was an Eldar weapon......
Suddenly I realised something.
I was staring into the most brilliant blue eyes I had ever seen.
In a split second I realised what was going on: In my effort to save Jessie I had actually landed.....
…..right on top of her.
Immediately time froze still. All surrounding aspects vanished leaving me, and the prostrate Jessie.
I was finally experiencing a moment I previously dreamt about.
And you know something. It wasn't like what I imagined.
It was in fact better.
Of course, I would've rather had her clothes off but you can't have everything...
Being within such close proximity with Jessie, it wasn't hard to avoid the expression on her face as it slowly grew with bewilderment (No doubt due to her arriving at the same conclusion).
And for an instant everything was forgotten: The Wave Serpent, the recent raid, our comrades, the Orks, and the potential intruder.
The silence was deafening....
What was mattered was I was here with a woman underneath me.
And a damn fine looking woman too
Even if she was completely nuts.
The silence was deafening....
This moment may have so far taken a handful of micro-seconds but for me it seemed to last a full hour.
Damn, it has certainly been a long time since I was in this kind of situation.
But it wasn't long before Jessie's eyes grew with fury.
"What the hell are you doing?" she snapped.
My muscles tensed. Oh this can't be good.
I got my answer soon enough as I felt a knee go to my crotch.
This set off a burst of pain that was unbearable. So much so I instinctively rolled off Jessie and onto the forest floor.
I breathed heavily as Jessie got to her feet. In spite of my pain, I looked over and saw her return my gaze with a gaze of contempt.
Oh well I guess it was good while it lasted....
"You couldn't help yourself couldn't you?" she growled.
"And a kick in the balls is the thanks I get for saving your life?" I retorted.
"From what?"
"That's exactly what I would like to know" I said, getting to my feet.
"What?" Jessie said, her eyes hardening "Are we under attack? From who? Orks?"
At the mere mention of the green-skins, her mouth forming into her distinctive twisted smile
"I wouldn't be too sure about that" I muttered.
Upon hearing this, Jessie's facial expression collapsed with disappointment.
Regardless I continued:
"This may sound bizarre but I think there may have been survivors from the Wave Serpent..."
And in an instant, Jessie's face returned to one of absolute enthusiasm.
"Eldar eh?" she grinned "You think so?"
"It's possible" I said
"What makes you say that?"
"Well for as start they, unlike the Orks, are in hiding. If they were Orks they would've burst out and killed us as messily as bluntly and as bloody as possible.
"But what we have here is someone who would rather shoot at us"
"A sniper eh?" Jessie inquired.
"Seems that way"
"Pah!" she spat "Coward"
I blinked.
"Do you really think there's an Eldar survivor taking pot-shots at us?" Jessie then asked.
I nodded.
"I believe you" she said slowly "That idea doesn't sound bizarre at all
"So where is this bastard?" she then demanded
"What?"
"Assuming that this sniper was just shooting at us, did you see which direction where those shots came from?"
I blinked.
"Now where are this sniper?" she demanded, a psychotic grin across her face "I would sure like to teach him a lesson about being being a coward and hiding in the bushes! He should come out and face me in real combat! And I'd like to see if all Eldar can fight like those Howling Banshees I've heard so much about!!
"Man, I'm sure looking forward to fighting some Eldar! It will sure make a change form fighting the Orks! Hell, if this sniper has been surviving for so long than I'll be more than happy to put them out of their misery!!!
"You know something Narc?" she added "I like your theories. They lead to more foes to be fought!
"You should have more theories more often...."
I sighed.
Suddenly something intervened.
The good news was it wasn't a sniper bullet.
The bad news was it was Deacon.
The big man came towards us a nasty scowl written across his face.
"What have you two been up to?" he growled.
Without waiting for an answer, he went on.
"The Boss Man, Bishop, noticed you'd fallen out of step and out of sight
"So I came to get ya"
I mentally cursed, I would've rathered a sniper's bullet.....
"So what have ya been doing?"
I looked at Jessie. Her enthusiasm had been completely drained – no doubt brought upon by Deacon's sudden arrival. Now she silent and sullen.
And no doubt unwilling to talk.
Which left me pretty much on my own.
"You know something Deacon?" I said "I think we're being followed"
"Really?" The big man sneered "I guess we would be when we're trapped on an Ork World. And you've only just realised this now?"
"No it's not like that!" I retorted "We just got shot at by a sniper!!"
"A sniper" Deacon echoed, his voice unconvinced "What, someone fired on you and you think it wasn't an Ork?"
I said nothing.
Deacon know what I was thinking and his face grew angry.
"You expect me to believe that shit?" he snarled "If I didn't know any better I'd think you two were conspiring something.
"You two aren't planning on stabbing Bishop in the back now are ya?"
"That's absurd" I snapped back "And what would that achieve anyway?"
"I'd figure you want to usurp him and assume control of this group"
"Good idea" I grinned "One thing wrong with it though: I let him become leader"
Deacon paused but then shrugged.
"But the thought of you leading us? That seems hard to believe"
"No, it seems what you're thinking of is you following me" I countered.
"Like I said: Hard to believe"
I immediately fell silent taken aback by this rather blunt statement.
"So tell me" the big man went on "Where is this sniper you so claim?"
"How should I know?" I retorted "You're not supposed to see a sniper"
"Really" Deacon growled "And I suppose you're going to tell me that this sniper was a survivor from the Wave Serpent?"
I didn't reply. Regardless, Deacon continued:
'And I suppose this sniper is watching us from the depths of the jungle, waiting for the appropriate moment to pick us off?"
I still said nothing. Too remained silent.
Suddenly, Deacon snapped.
"Oh get moving!" he thundered "We should've already been out of here. And if you both fall behind, I'll leave you for this sniper for target practice!!"
Exchanging glances, Jessie and myself both commenced marching.
As we went past Deacon, I heard him mutter under his breath:
"And the next time you bullshit me, you won't live long enough to regret it"
Never once did I break stride.
Deacon then took up march behind myself and jessie and three us made our way back up the slope, leaving the ruined Wave Serpent behind.
And so we three made our way from the jungle and back out into the open to rejoin the other three.
Don't know why we were moving out of cover. It seemed more like an easy target for anyone looking for us.
Whether it be green-skins or hidden snipers
Still, I hoped that sniper, if there really was one, chanced upon the idea of taking aim at the back of Deacon's head.
His threat didn't bother me that much: After all, I knew what had happened back there and it was certainly not an Ork: It was someone with a weapon entirely indigenous to this planet and someone with a damn good shooting eye
I sure wished we had someone of that caliber on our side.
Not that would do much good.
Still the presence of a potential third faction was interesting: As if the green-skins and the comrades fate gave me weren't enough.
But still, I don;t see what difference it would make seeing that this is the 41st Millennium, where survival is far from easy.
We hadn't gone far before I turned my head and noticed Jessie.
Her head was lowered and her facial expression was one of despair. There was nothing for her to fight so she had fallen into her more mellow moods.
"You all right there?" I asked
She looked up at me and softly nodded.
"So tell me" I said conversationally "You have any faith in our Our Fearless Leader?"
"Not really" she mumbled.
I quickly cast a gaze over my shoulder. Deacon was keeping an eye on us but his facial expression was blank: Just the sign that I ndeed, to indicate his lack of interest in our conversation.
"You shouldn't be too bothered by Bishop" I said "He's just trying to scare us all into following him"
She looked at me with a quizzical gaze.
Personally, I've never been that good with reassurance but saying something, anything, was better than saying nothing at all.
"Do you think so?" she asked.
"Hey, he's just like every other CO I encountered when I was in the Imperial Guard" I said "Only just as ugly"
Her gaze hardened but she said nothing in reply.
In order to continue a reassuring disposition I smiled – but it came out terribly awkward (now, what did I say about not being too good with all matter relating to reassurance?!).
"You're used to taking orders then?" she asked.
I blinked – this single statement was indeed most unexpected. Nevertheless, I shrugged.
"Yes, I suppose you could say that" I said in a causal manner.
But there was nothing casual about Jessie's reaction. She instead locked me with a malevolent gaze.
I felt my blood run cold – this was the type of gaze I recognised as one of fearlessness, independence and no sign of remorse whatsoever. It was the gaze of a ruthless, merciless killer – someone who isn't just of homicidal indent but one who absolutely revels in it.
"I don't follow orders" she growled "I walk my own path. I do what I choose and I find the idea of conforming to the rules downright offensive."
Already I could feel a cold shiver run down my spine. Jessie was growing more talkative than usual – Which was certainly reason enough for me to shut up.
Now that Jessie had switched from her mellow mood I didn't feel safe any more. And now her erratic moods were presenting something that grew increasingly sinister with each passing second – which gave me all the more reason to back off.
All in all, this wasn't the Jessie I had come to known (well, the one I liked at least). What confronted me instead was a side of the woman that she kept concealed from the rest of us.
And well hidden at that for, from the look of it, good reason.
"I'm only accompanying you all because I don't really have much a choice. But make it known that no one can tame me and no one shouldn't even think of trying. I don't take any sort of such of nonsense from anyone. Not you, not Laertes and definitely not Bishop."
I was at a complete loss as to what to do – as far as I knew I was sharing company with a homicidal maniac. Anything I say or do could result in giving this lunatic reason enough to kill me.
But then again, since when did I start hanging around people not of violent intent? Nowhere near my arrival on this miserable rock that's for sure.
Still, I had every intention of staying alive (or least killing all the Orks on this planet before they kill me).
Besides, constantly watching my back against any possible attempts on my life from Deacon alone was more than enough for me.
"Don't trust anyone else eh?" I muttered "Wise move"
Jessie raised an eyebrow.
"I follow your meaning" I continued "Just because we're the only humans on this planet means we have to work together"
"You certainly got that right" she purred.
"To be honest" I then said "I don't trust Xerxes, Deacon, Laertes and especially not Bishop any more than you do"
Her expression didn't change - obviously not having her name mentioned in my name-dropping may inspire the question as to why she had been excluded. Will she take it as a sign that I trust her? Or a way for me trying to escape having myself torn to pieces?
"So why do you continue to hang around them?" she inquired, her voice adopting a rather sharp edge about it.
I blinked. Her homicidal intent was still present – thus prompting a careful selection of words.
"Because no matter how detestable those bozos are, they are human company. And I favour human company over being on my own on planet inhabited entirely by green-skins"
This argument must have been convincing enough because it immediately sent Jessie silent. Not only that, it resulted in her homicidal gaze disintegrating completely, thus making way for the return of her familiar expression of moroseness.
My gaze hardened.
She didn't utter a single reply, nor did her expression change. Instead she immediately started moving closer towards me.
I could feel my muscles tensing – but as her hands were now hanging limply by her side, they both weren't anywhere near her weaponry.
Jessie continued walking closer towards me.
I grit my teeth, as every sense in me screamed a confrontation was only mere seconds away.
A confrontation and an imminent end of my wretched life.
Jessie continued walking towards me.
An end to my wretched life? It was an intriguing possibility but I wasn't afraid.
Jessie continued walking towards me.
If I was truly to die within such inescapable circumstances, then it shall be a welcome relief after the hell I've been through.
Jessie continued walking towards me.
Of course, there was the possibility of avoiding such a potentially deadly confrontation but I squashed such thoughts out of my brain.
Jessie continued walking towards me.
Besides even if Bishop, Deacon and Laertes would gladly blow me away then there's no way I'm going to give them that opportunity. Thus, if I was really destined to die on this miserable rock then at least I would rather die by Jessie's hand.
Sure it may a betrayal of the position I see her as the only reliable person in this group of renegades but at least she's far better looking than the other life-forms on this rock.
With her head down low to avoid confronting my gaze Jessie walked past, after everyone else.
As she made her way past, I kept a wary eye on her, ready to take action should she decided to strike back at me. To be honest, I wasn't at all prepared to take any chances with her current mood.
But no such move came. She just went past without any sudden movement or anything that resembled a quick strike.
She didn't utter a word or even acknowledge my presence at all.
I blinked in astonishment – I guess this is yet anther example of her moods driving her onward into the most unpredictable of directions
"Hey wait!" I exclaimed
But she didn't utter a single reply. Instead she merely continued walking, acting as if I wasn't there at all.
I raised my eyebrow in a curious manner.
It seems by mentioning the ideal of human company, I must've struck something hard within Jessie.
I'll say this much: Out of the idiots that I have to accompany upon the surface of this miserable rock (as fate has dictated – ain't that always a bitch?), the only one's I know the least about are both Jessie and Deacon. All I know is that they are like the rest of us in that they're both on the run from Imperial Law due to something nasty that happened to them. I have no idea as to where both Jessie and Deacon came from and what they did before the arrival.
Both Jessie and Deacon arrived here at the same time: It was through the wreckage of a prison ship that crash landed on this planet.
It was uncertain as to where the wreck had come from but if the appearance was anything to go by, it seemed was part of a much larger ship that was attacked by raiders of some kind – the ship was attacked and this part of it may have been separated in the mayhem that followed.
The wreck itself wasn't that special in the terms of salvaging: Being a portion of much larger ship, there wasn't much on offer. Nearly all the computers on the shop had been ruined in the crash and the rest weren't that much use. However the ship did contain an excellent range of firearms stored on board – Ya gotta love that prison security.
Being a prison ship, all the occupants were all locked in their own cells. However such was the impact of the crash that the cells were ruined, thus allowing the prisoners (or at least those who didn't die on the impact of the crash landing) a chance to escape. Thus, in amongst the wreckage, there were three survivors: Jessie, Deacon and Laertes.
However, in amongst the wreckage, the only thing that was of any use was the data slats located in the ship records. I took them with me, both in the interests of laughing at the poor sods incarcerated and the sentences they racked up as well as destroying anything that would lead to our own arrest (you can never be too careful).
I have since managed to find the time to look through them all (what else can you do?!) but out of all the data slats I found there, I somehow kept putting off reading Jessie's.
I'm not sure why: There was something about her gleefully homicidal intent that held me back. It was as if there something was in there that was best left unknown. If something happened to her that altered her way of thinking then that would mean I would be dealing something bigger than a Imperator Titan.
I had learned of Deacon's past as mercenary through reading his data slat but even that didn't explain enough.
That being said, it made me wonder if Jessie's secrets were best left that way.
After all, I like to have someone watching my back out in battle and finding out a secret that didn't want to be found creates a potentially fatal threat to that sacred bond of trust.
I had the data slat true and thus I had every opportunity of learning something about their background.
Because there was no way in Hell they were going to tell me themselves!
I have wondered on the possibility of Jessie knowing about me keeping a hold of her data slat.
Not to mention the prospect of her taking action to keep her secrets safe.
It makes me wonder just what she's hiding from the rest of us.....
My mind pondered on all of this as I watched Jessie continue on her way.
Although she had her back to me I could tell she was currently in what the rest of us would call Her Mellow Mood. I could tell in the way she walked and her posture.
This Mellow Mood was pretty much typical of her at the moment – this is what she behaved like, day in, day out. Whilst she was able to interact with the rest of us, to the extent of answering questions, expressing her thoughts and offering suggestions, she wasn't exactly talkative. Being mellow, conversations usually didn't last longer than five minutes.
As well as making conversation difficult, Jessie's mellow mood also made her practically a vegetable: Apart from walking with the rest of us, she didn't make much in the way of movement. And when we weren't walking, she would usually resort to sitting down somewhere and paying little attention to the rest of us.
On the bright side however, Her Mellow Mood was enough to put my mind at ease: When she was in the middle of this mood Jessie, unlike Bishop, Deacon or Laertes, wasn't likely to try and make an attempt on my life me (there was Xerxes yes but who in their right mind would want to spend time in his company?).
But once a combat situation reared its ugly head, Jessie would immediately launch into action, charging into action and using quick movements to drive her sword in all directions.
It made me wonder if her mellow moods were the real deal as opposed to the (increasingly likely) possibility that she was faking it…….
And this possibility was becoming all the more feasible with the new theory that she may be hiding something.
Just what is being hidden on her data slat?
Eventually however I shrugged
"I'll take that as a no then"
I followed her on the way out of the jungle and up the slope
I hadn't gone far when suddenly my ears detected the sound of approaching feet.
Accompanied by the ranting of an all too familiar voice:
"You are all heretics I tell you!"
I groaned. The time apart from the rest of us didn't really do Laertes the good it should have.
Indeed, it was times like these that made we wish he just shoot him. After all, a bolt shell would do a lot more to a difficult associate then solitude.
And I personally speak from experience.
The priest strode along the ridge and into the middle of us all. He barged right up to Bishop and fixed him with an accusing glare.
"I am ashamed of you!" he snarled "Our glorious commander, resorting to the use of alien technology in order to triumph over the Orks! What kind of servant of the Beloved God-Emperor would resort to such blasphemous acts?!"
Amazingly, Bishop didn't bat an eyelid when being confronted with such a rage. What was even more astonishing was the fact that he didn't make any kind of physical contact with the priest: No strike with the fist, no kick with the boot, not even blowing Laertes' head off with the lasgun (which, in retrospect, is what he should've done anyway) or breaking the priest's neck within the vice-like grip of his bionic arm (even better).
"We decided not to use what we found in that Wave Serpent" Bishop said firmly. "Whatever those objects were, the only we can use properly is the lasgun. The rest we'll use as explosives"
Laertes blinked at this and his rage subsided.
"Well I guess that doesn't seem so bad" he said. "I suppose I can live with alien objects being blown up. After all, that's all they are good for anyway…"
Author Note: Well I came back from an extended hiatus to concentrate on this oft-neglected story. Thanks to everyone who have read this and waited patiently for future additions.
You know, I've had enough of gas-bagging about these characters so I do declare it high time that I actually introduced a PLOT. How will this effect future developments? Well for starters, the next chapter will feature some interesting developments AND whole new material! Stay tuned....
In the meantime, please post a Review!