Somewhere in deep space, a fleet of ships roamed, speeding to a far enough distance away from the giant rock known as Skipario. They would be entering the Immaterium soon enough. In the barracks allocated for surviving Skipean loyalists, a small squad of men sat in a circle silently. They wore heavier armor than the regimental flak jackets, marking them as special. These were Skipean Commandos and they were led by Major Opelnox. "We…" one started but trailed off. "We condemned thousands to die."
"Oh yes," Major Opelnox responded.
"Do you think we could have saved them? I mean, the horde was quite far behind," another one prompted.
"It would be too close," a lieutenant responded. "Going down to collect them, even if they retreated. The risk was too high."
"Then what if we just never left them down there? They weren't that close yet and the transports had more room. They could have evacuated with the rest of us."
"As you said," Opelnox muttered. "We condemned them to death. But maybe, maybe they did save our asses. Who knows what those fucking cultists and Chaos Spawn had up their sleeves? Damned fiends might have destroyed the whole fleet."
Silence continued. "They'll get medals then," the same private said.
Major Opelnox stared at him, incredulous. "Really? Medals?"
"Yes, sir, I mean, they did an incredible service, what they did."
Opelnox scoffed before breaking out into laughter. The other men were startled and stared at him with mild concern. "Medals? There'll be no medals here, son. We've only fought with them these few months, but you should have gotten a grasp on their character already. You've heard the stories. Medals? Medals mean nothing to them. It would be a waste of metal."
"But- but they went and did something honorable!"
"Honorable!" Opelnox barked. "Stonson, they know nothing of honor. Nothing of courage. Nothing of bravery. Nothing."
Stonson stared back. The others looked away, remembering the sights they saw. "How- how can you say that? They were gruesome but they fought and died en masse for the Imperium and the Emperor for Throne's sake!"
"Oh, Stonson. I'm not denying their loyalty or their strength. No. They know nothing of honor because they use any means necessary. They know nothing of courage because they know nothing of fear. They know nothing of bravery because there is naught but sacrifice. There is only righteousness in the name of He who sits on Holy Terra. These… men… have been dead from the moment they were born. So you see, Stonson, there are no medals in the Death Korps. A medal would imply one did something special.
A medal would imply that he did more than he needed to. But why should simply doing what you're told, simply doing your duty, be rewarded by means of recognition? A medal doesn't protect against lasfire. A medal doesn't safeguard against bolts. They didn't choose their name. The name of 'Death Korps' was given to them, you know. I… wonder if they're men sometimes at all…"
Major Opelnox sighed, staring at the ground. The silence dragged longer before he noticed the intense silence and a shadow behind him. Opelnox whirled around and bolted upright. "Lord Commissar! I didn't see you there."
"At ease, Major," Tempestus Bane said. "I heard your… tirade of my Regiments."
The major inhaled. Behind the gas mask, the Commissar looked so similar to the rest of them. "No, Lord Commissar. Not a tirade. An observation."
"An astute one. My Death Korps are born without honor… because they are born with sin. They are masters at what they do. As warriors, they are amongst the best the Imperium has. But of course, as humans… they are lacking. And yet it is this… lacking… that makes them all the better as soldiers. Major, when I first arrived here, I had the honor of speaking with a regimental colonel. He had survived for long enough and talked with enough outsiders that he can some modicum of social skills necessary to say more than two words at a time. What he said stayed with me, and I remember every word exactly.
He asked me, 'Do you pity us, Commissar?' Pity. I suppose I did. He continued: 'All the Commissars that have served with the Death Korps have only ever had two feelings about us. Pity or abhorrence. Then they either accept what we have come to accept or transfer to a more... relatable unit in the Militarum. Some die before either could come to pass. You do not seem to have the same abhorrence as your predecessor. No, not abhorrence, so I can only assume that your uncomfortable feelings come from your pity for us.
Do not pity us, Commissar.' he told me. 'We are all servants in the name of the Emperor. Born as such, we will die as such. Pity... brings shame. More shame than we already carry. Death is salvation, Commissar. We are numbers for you. So do not pity us for we do not pity ourselves... That would be heretical.'
I pitied them. At the start. After that, I pitied them no more… In fact, sometimes, Major, I can't help but wonder… if the Imperium would be better off indeed… if we were all like them. Have a good day, Major."
Bane turned and walked away to greet the rest of the Skipean survivors before heading back to the bridge. Opelnox faced his group. "You think," a corporal began, "maybe we'd get medals then?"
The others smiled and jokingly punched at him, but Major Opelnox didn't smile. "For what? Burning our home to the ground?"
The others turned to stare at him with varying degrees of emotion. Some even had anger on their faces. Some of them thought, perhaps, he was harboring heretical thoughts of sympathy towards the enemy. "But say we get them. Who are we wearing it for? Because… we're all that's left, aren't we?"
The major sat down on his bed and closed his eyes. He remembered how the sergeant he talked to months earlier, before the raid on the wall, that he foresaw his own demise. Guess he was right. The ship lurched into another realm.
This was supposed to be a supplement to Chapter 2, hence 2.5. However, given that it has been a substantial amount of time since the release of Chapter 1, I have decided to post this 'short' beforehand to give my loyal readers something to enjoy while they wait. I apologize. My writing partner has backed down temporarily due to personal reasons, though this was after a long vacation to Europe. All of that was compounded with my attempt at writing an audio drama and preparing for school. The audio drama dream is over.
Regardless, I do want to create something of my own. I'm proud of this work and others, but they are built off the hard work of others and are not truly mine. Hence the fragile legality of my patr#on asking, among other things. If you have any ideas about that, or just comments and criticisms of my writing, leave a review. Until then, I will keep brainstorming.
Chapter 2 is incoming.
Chapter 2 sneaks and DMT's Felicia Hardy, available on PA:treon.
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