"It predates the darkage of technology. One of humanites first power armors." They said excitedly as the blanket was pulled aside.
Inside was a heavily eroded helmet, metal panels either missing or semi melted. but the distinguishing freature was the visor. it was the entire face and all the way back, the some surface cracked and missing some shards but... what was there has a skull carved into it, one that stared back at its enemies. It didn't resemble an Astartes helm. "It was dated to M2550. This is the single oldest artifact recovered from humanities past that didn't reside on Terra!" the woman cheered. "It' almost 40,000 years old!"
There was a hiss as a helmet was removed. "Emile... I'm..."
Nobel Six had returned to Reach in the Far future.
CHAPTER 3
Stranded
Nobel Six sat on the cliffside, her helmet off next to her as she sat and stared at the ancient spartan helmet. The carved skull looking back at her as though it the soldier who once wore it could still see her. "How... how could forty thousand years pass in a instant..."
"Its rare but I have heard of individuals being sent through time, it's a result of the warp twisting the laws of the universe. It left you stranded in a time not your own." Sargeant Hadur said. "Your actions may have saved Humanity and sadly it was lost to time."
"Nobel team sacrficed everything, Reach was the birthplace of the Spartan Program... but... Humanity still exists... we won the war because of this world. Because Nobel team fought to hold it." she stood up turning to the Space Marine. "Humanity deserves to know, Nobel Team deserves to be remembered." she picked up her helmet as the tech priest and archeologist approached. She removed a data chip from her data pan on her forearm. "This has all the information I have on the Human Covenant War up till the fall of Reach. Let the prople of this time know what happened. Of the heroes, and the alien zelots that sought our destruction."
"Of course. Your story will be a boon to Imperial records. It'll let us find more atrifacts, and recover more records of the humans that predate the dark age of technology." The archeologist said taking the chip and Emile's helmet.
Hadur spoke as they left. "What of you? There is nowhere for you to go. I can offer you a place in our camp for now but I sadly am unable to get you to a more populated world for now. We Salamanders agreed to escort this archeological dig but afterwards my Brothers and I must return to the larger chapter."
"I understand I'll have get adjusted before any decisions." Nobel six responded. The sargeant nodded and turned to leave.
The rest of the day Nobel Six walked around the camp. By night fall she hadn't eaten anything as she sat on the cliff side outside the camp. The heavy clanking of ceremite boots alerted her to her company. "Sargeant told me to make sure you had supper." Regulas said as he handed her a ration meal. It had a some vegetables she had never seen before and a strange alien meat.
"Grox. Not sure if you have them in your time. It good." Regulas said as he sat next to her. "It's not the greatest... but its something. When on campaign we often get a nutrition bar or paste with no flavor so we savor what we can get..." He took a bite.
"No, we didn't." She said taking a small bite.
"So your Team. What were they like?" Regulas asked.
"Nobel one, Carter, He was brave and fearless, he inspired loyalty and courage in all of us. Sacrificing his life in the cause he believed in. Nobel 2 Kat was the smartest of us, great with machines, getting us intel. Nobel 3 was Jun. He was the only one to escape the planet, escorting a important person off world. Noble four was Emile, a head hunter who took great pride in close quaters combat. Nobel Five..." She pulled a set if dog tags from under the neck of her skin tight under suit. "Jeorge... he was a massive spartan, from the previous generation of Spartan augmentations. Reach was his home. That leave me. Nobel Six... the Last spartan." She finished.
"They all sound like powerful warriors... you never did say what your name is."
"I'm Spartan B-312, and thats all I am." she said putting away the dog tags."My name was erased long ago." She finished her meal and got up to leave. Regulas stood as well watching her head back to the camp.
The following week consisted of Nobel six answering any questions in term of any artifacts recovered from the dig site and physical training. Keeping her skills a razors edge. Once the week was over the Salamanders pack up camp and awaited the transport ship.
The craft landed in the clearing and the large bay door opened. "Sargeant its good to see your alright, We'll need you and our battle brothers soon. We've been ordered to take the fight to the enemies of the Imperium." The space marine clad in green armor clapped his brother on the back. "And we received your message of your new friend. A Inquistor requests to speak with her. They await on the battle barge."
Soon all equipment and artifacts were aborad the vessal and Nobel six sat against the wall, her helmet off. Regulas stood next to her cleaning his Flammer. "Whats a Inquistor?"
"A member of the Inquisition, they hold absolute authority when it come to dealing with threats to the Imperium of Mankind. Targeting the Traitor, mutant, corrupted, xeno and Heretical threats to the Empire. They are broken up into a number or Ordos, the big three being the Ordos Hereticus, Ordos Mallius, and the Ordos Xenos Then each Inquistor is determined to be either a Puritan or Radical based on how they deal with their respective threats. Such as a Puritan using purely Imperial mean to counter the threat or a Inquistor weilding a powerful Xenos weapon to get an advantage."
"I see. And the faith of the empire revolves around the Emperor of Mankind. So a heretic would be someone who doesn't worship them?" Nobel Six asked. "But the tech priest worships The Omnissiah and The Machine god?"
"The Adeptus Mechanicus see the Emperor of Mankind as the Omnissaih and the Avatar of the Machine god." Regulas explained.
"I see." Nobel Six said.
As soon as the transport landed in the loading and and the door open there were soldiers waiting. Weapons leveled at the Spartan. Their Black paited armor and uniforms didn't denote any regeiment in the Astra Militarum. A deathly pale man with a scarred face and slicked back hair stood behind them, a uniform marked with the letter I and a skull proudly displayed on his chest. "What is the meaning of this Inquistor?" Sargeant Hadur stepped in front frurious at the aggressive display.
"What you have aboard your ship is an abomination of primitive augmentations. A mockery of Humanity. The data you sent to be distributed to the people of the Imperium has been deemed dangerous and harmful to the Imperium of Mankind. It's armor is an affront to the technology of the Imperium, blatent tech Heresy. And the taint of the warp will have had an affect on the creature. So stand aside so I may purge the Filth." The Inquistor demanded as another man came up behind them. He wore something akin to pirates garb, blue stained pants tucked into brown leather boots , a lose draw string shirt under a red coat and tri point hat with the same symbol pinned to it, a bolter pistol in his hand as grinded his teeth.
"Klaust! This isn't what we agreed on!" Two shots rang out and the Inquistor soldiers fell to the ground as the man leveled his pistol at Inquistor Klaust. "That 'abomination' is a hero of the first Human Xeno war. I won't let you execute her."
"Inquistor Drogan Hawk. I should have had you executed the moment I stepped on the ship, you radical Heretic!"
"Puritan genocidal monster!"
"Men enough! there will be no more blood shed aboard the Salamanders ship!" Hadur shouted stepping between the two as Regulas stood next to Nobel Six.
What do you think of this chapter?
