-VIII-
His senses came back with a shock of pain. He grunted and tried to stand but found himself unable to.
"What the...?" Julius grunted as pain took his entire body.
"Lie down." warned a stern voice.
Julius fell back onto the medical table unable to rise his body. His strength was gone. His entire body was burning with muscle ache and pain. He tried to raise his head and look at himself. He saw his body covered in stitches and bandages. It seemed he went through several operations.
"Cursed warp, that hurts." he grunted through teeth.
"Mind your speech sergeant, you're in my domain." said Chief Apothecary Ioras wiping his bloody hands and putting his tools away.
"Apologies, lord." said Julius.
Apothecary was in a white robe wearing an apron that is now red with blood.
"No harm done." said Apothecary coldly.
"What happened? Where are the others?" asked Julius with pain written all over his face.
"Lay still, I hardly managed to fix you up, thanks the Emperor your Astartes physiology helped me greatly."
He continued as Julius lay on the slab "If you were an ordinary man you would be long dead before I even get to you."
The events and the severity of everything didn't seem to bother Apothecary at all.
He continued with his discussion as business as usual. "Come to think of it, I never grasped how Imperial Guard medics seem to work with their fragile and weak subjects, I mean can you imagine putting those guardsmen back together. Well, they probably never have to considering they all come in pieces..."
"Lord, please." half shouted Julius. "Just tell me what happened. Where are my brothers?"
Apothecary didn't turn towards Julius, his face was like a marble statue, unmoving and emotionless. He did paused for a moment before replying then kept back at his work of tidying up the huge mess.
"Just lie down you damned fool, everything in its own time." he said.
Julius wanted to rise up, he wanted to force the Apothecary to tell him. He had no strength. His muscles burned. His head pounded.
He strained himself to get up.
"Hey! Lay down!" shouted Apothecary as Julius half rose. Then he fell back on the slab fainting.
He heard the Apothecary retort "Oh blessed Emperor, here we go again." as he lost conciousness.
Its been several hours but he woke up again. He knew this from the clock on the med-bay wall.
He expected to be in a holding cell, but he wasn't. The Apothecary was nowhere to be found.
He tried to rise up and managed to sit. His strength was returning.
Julius rose up and walked down the med-bay leading himself to the door.
As the door opened he encountered the Apothecary.
"What are you doing up?" asked Ioras.
"I was, I need to..." he trailed off.
"You need to rest you fool, just sit there." ordered Apothecary Ioras.
He did as he was ordered to.
"Well that's an improvement, you obeying orders." quipped Ioras.
Julius shot an angry glance at Ioras but the Apothecary wasn't fazed.
"Are you going to tell me what happened?" asked Julius.
"Fine, we came to get you at Wallfire bastion. We arrived via Poletemica but you were already overrun. Squad Xiphos assaulted the Orks and routed them with close quarter fighting, they excel at that." explained Ioras.
"You were there." stated Julius, expecting Apothecary to explain more.
"I was, it was a bad situation sergeant, we had to drag you out of there." said Ioras with a stern face.
Julius wanted to ask a million questions, he wanted to shout them to the Apothecary but he regained his sense now and knew that the Apothecary was never going to yield under bad temper. So he asked one at a time.
"Where are my brothers?" Julius asked.
Ioras looked directly at Julius, if it was any other man they would divert their gaze but the Apothecary seen to many as was hard as adamantium. Even amongst the Astartes, Ioras carried the "And they shall know no fear" to a whole new level.
Julius asked another question when he didn't get any answers.
"What happened to the bastion?" he asked.
"It held for a time, Orks were routed but it is evacuated soon after." said Ioras calmly with no judgement.
"So what happens now?" asked Julius as he realised he couldn't force the Apothecary into leaving him alone.
"You will lie down and heal." said Ioras with certainty as if his order was already obeyed.
Julius did as he was told and stayed in the Apothecary's care.
In a few days Julius was back on his feet. No one visited him or explained what happened. He only saw the Apothecary Ioras visiting to check up on him and the servitor who brought his food. He was puzzled with questions. He left the med-bay before the visit of the Apothecary.
He made his way towards the chapel where he knew he could find the Chaplain Galieo in morning prayer.
He came upon other marines who take their guard duty but they simple did not acknowledged him at all. Their helmets unmoving.
He let himself in through the giant doors of the chapel. The doors groaned as he pushed them open.
Chaplain Galieo was praying in front of the altar and didn't break his prayer to see whose came in.
Julius made the sign of the aquila towards the later and stood waiting for Galieo to finish his prayers.
A minute later Galieo rose and looked towards Julius, with no helmet Chaplain looked more menacing that with it.
His face was scarred beyond recognition, years of fighting made the Chaplain into a living statue.
"You're up, sergeant." Galieo broke the silence.
"Yes, lord." said Julius and jumped to the point in a hurry "I came for answers." he said.
"Answers are hard to find these days." said Chaplain grimly.
"Where are my brothers?" asked Julius.
"I would expect an apology first" stated Galieo.
Julius bowed before the Chaplain "Apologies my lord, I broke orders."
"Your squad sustained heavy casualties, Julius" declared Galieo in a voice heavy with burden.
Julius stood silent and bowed his head in defeat.
"I thought...I was doing the right thing, I have failed." he said.
"No sergeant, I did." said Galieo.
"But lord, If only I obeyed."
Galieo cut in."Do you know what is to lead on a grander scale sergeant?" asked Galieo.
"No lord." answered unsure where the question is leading to.
"Of course you don't. You are just a sergeant." stated Galieo.
He continued when Julius stayed silent. "It is to lead men to their deaths, sergeant. It is to be responsible for everyone's faults. No sergeant you haven't failed. I have."
Julius opened his mouth but Galieo cut in. "And because of my failure, Astartes died today. I can only imagine what is to lead more man and resources than our own poorly requisitioned chapter. It would be a great responsibility to hold position as a Chapter Master of great Chapters like Ultramarines or Blood Angels. To lead man in their hundreds."
Julius couldn't answer because of his own guilt. "Lord, I'm sorry." he could only say.
He continued "I am ready for any punishment you deem necessary."
Galieo looked him with pity in his eyes.
"I will certainly punish you, but right now we need every marine we got. Your punishment is postponed at a date I deem proper." declared Galieo.
"But , I have failed, my brothers died because of me. I don't deserve anything." said Julius.
"They died in combat, marine. We are Space Marines, our duty is to fight for the Emperor and it only ends in death." stated Galieo.
Galieo didn't let Julius reply. "Don't spoil their deaths by protesting, sergeant. They're heroes to the Imperium and you will repent in combat."
"Yes, lord" replied Julius bowing his head.
Julius had to hunt down his brothers in med-bay to get to them for no one seemed to answer to him. He felt exiled.
He had to barge his way in through the marines to get to Achagon.
Achagon was lying bandaged and he raised himself when Julius entered the med-bay.
"Hello, sergeant" he said neutral as always.
"Brother" he said coming to his side.
"Sergeant, they didn't let me see you. I tried to but Apothecary Ioras kept me away. I feared that Chaplain executed you." said Achagon.
"No brother, I wish he did. I am ashamed of my failure, no one still told me about others."
Achagon tensed and grieved. "Sergeant, we lost many."
"Tell me."
"We lost Decimus when the Orks first charged. There was just too many Orks to win. I saw them overwhelm him in great numbers. He died fighting."
"No." Julius dropped his head in shame and grief.
"We lost others as well." said Achagon but Apothecary Ioras charged into the room and smacked Julius in the face.
Julius fell to the floor. Achagon tried to rise but one glance from Ioras kept him in his place.
"You sneak from my med-bay against my orders to visit the Chaplain? You've become a stray Julius." said Ioras angry but even in anger his voice cut like a knife.
"Apologies, lord" said Julius rising.
"Now get back to the med-bay." ordered Ioras.
"No." replied Julius.
"What?" Ioras moved towards Julius.
"First I need to learn what happened to my squad. Then I will go peacefully. But I will not move until you tell me the entire thing." said Julius solemnly.
Ioras judged Julius' words for a moment then ordered. "Sit and listen."
Julius did as he was told and listened to the grim story of Achagon with Ioras.
The squad was overrun by the Orks before the Thunderhawk could aid help. They lost Decimus, Duros, Herkon, Hekeran, Rufus and Taarus in the fight.
In the end Assault squad Xiphos was able to intervene along with Apothecary Ioras and save the remaining marines from certain death but they were too late for the others.
Julius listened silently the whole time, his face a mask of passive acceptance.
Squad Tempes was no more.