Legends of the Smoke Jaguars Chapter 49
"Make a hole!" Sedaxus roared as he flew down Blackstone passages, hurtling past milling serfs who pressed themselves into the walls. It was best that they do so, else he would have smashed them aside with his bulk. There was no time to be concerned over mortal lives, for imminent danger lay ahead. Despite what Xavaar thought Sedaxus was well aware of the festering resentment lingering between squads, the old hurts and grudges that had never been settled. He had expected a common threat would override such rancour but it seemed he had underestimated how bitter the feud was, now he had to act fast before this erupted into full-scale war.
Engar and Xavaar charged in his wake but Sedaxus didn't wait for them. He raced around a corner and down a long passage, pushing his frame for all it was worth. Familiar turns came and went, the Black Ziggurat thankfully playing no tricks today, and charged into a ground-level cavern with fresh daylight pouring through a wide opening on one wall. The newborn Chapter had turned this place into a loading dock and stacks of crates lined every wall. Blank-faced Servitors trudged to and fro, their hands metal clamps that gripped boxes and their iron feet stomping on the perfect stone but eerily producing no echoes. As always the walls reflected everything but life, every box perfectly presented but no sentient beings. The Servitors seemed to be causing a problem with that effect, the walls uncertain whether servitors counted as sentient and settling on reflecting watery smears of motion where they walked.
Sedaxus had no time to ponder these mysteries for the centre of the loading dock was filled with Astartes. In two broad circles stood mobs of shouting Space Marines, half with grey gauntlets, the other half with the feline-skull icon on their pauldrons, former Night Lords and Raven Guard yelling invectives at each other. Anger tinged their faces and hands lingered over bolt pistols and Obsidian Blades, fingers twitching to draw weapons and spill blood. They didn't though, for Cantus' squad was standing between them, the few survivors of his claw shouting at the two crowds to stand down and making their point clear with loaded bolters. In the middle of that defiant line lay a body, face down with a knife driven into his back.
Sedaxus screeched to a halt as he yelled, "What's going on here?!"
Resentful silence fell but Cantus turned to him and called, "Took your sodding time, tell this lot to back off!"
"Tell them to back off!" Juru shouted from the crowd, "Murderous backstabbers!"
"You speak of yourselves!" shouted Sergeant Ibel, "You gutter-trash!"
Harren bellowed, "Say that again and I'll rip your tongue out!"
"Shut up!" Sedaxus shouted but was drowned out by the thrown barbs.
It was Xavaar who raised his staff high and let loose a rolling wave of thunder as he roared, "Silence!"
The shouting died down and Sedaxus nodded in gratitude as he said, "Start at the beginning, what happened here."
Cantus replied, "We were unpacking supplies for a recon patrol when a few squads started arguing over equipment. It escalated quick, fists flew and knives were drawn. By the time I got my squad to break it up, someone was dead. The noise drew a lot of attention and the rest of these gawpers turned up before you did."
"Supplies, you drew blood over who got first pick of grenades!" Sedaxus spat, "Who was involved?!"
Sullen silence fell as mouths were clamped shut, but then Juru stepped forward and declared, "I am not ashamed of my acts. We were attacked and defended ourselves, it was Kiulat of my claw who died and I demand blood vengeance!"
"That's for me to decide," Sedaxus growled, "Who else, speak up dammit!"
Silence returned as angry glares formed a wall of defiance, but Engar uttered, "What is this?! Sons of Nostramo speak true when Deliverance-born will not. Shame upon you all, where is your honour, where is your pride?! Warriors speak honestly and own their deeds, not sulk like scholam-children."
Shame crept over a few faces and then Gorth stepped forward and said, "I was fighting."
"As was I," Ibel confessed.
Sedaxus glared at them and hissed, "What possessed you to act so?"
"Things got heated," Gorth lamented with his eyes betraying shame, "We reacted on instinct."
"Do your instincts rule your hearts?" Xavaar hissed.
"It was a breakdown of discipline," Gorth stated, "We should not have acted so."
"Who threw the first punch?" Sedaxus growled.
"I don't know," Ibel said.
"Liar!" called Herran from the crowd.
"He should know a lie when he hears one," Juru snorted, "He's had a lot of practice."
Gorth lifted his chin and said, "I take full responsibility for starting the fight."
"That's not the same as saying you did it," Sedaxus growled.
"I stand by what I said," Gorth uttered.
"Give me the name," Sedaxus growled.
Gorth however replied, "I am the senior veteran here, I should have stepped in earlier. If there is blame to be placed, it falls on me. If there is punishment coming, I will take it all."
Sedaxus' reply was his fist slamming into Gorth's face, sending him reeling. The sergeant staggered, only to be doubled over by a follow-up blow to the gut. Gorth doubled over only to have Sedaxus grab the back of his neck and heave him upright, then smash his fist into Gorth's face again, and again. The Sergeant fell to his knees, only to be sent to the floor by a backhanded blow that sprayed blood across the perfect stone.
The two crowds looked on, one with resentment the other with interest. Sedaxus however left Gorth to bleed upon the floor and turned to them snarling, "You know the law of the Smoke Jaguars: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Don't think this display spares any of you, I shall uncover each and every punch and count it back in kind. You all broke my trust, but only Gorth had the balls to admit it, your beatings shall be twice as hard."
"Before you start handing out beatings, you can start with my Brother's death!" Juru snapped.
Sedaxus' eyes fell to the floor, where a corpse in power armour lay, an Obsidian Blade driven into the spine. A Son of Nostramo, killed by a knife to the back, six months ago he would have found that appropriate, but no longer. A life had been taken, which meant a life was due. Sedaxus knew it was harsh but he had no choice, he'd laid down the laws and couldn't be seen to break them. Someone had to die this day.
"Get an auspex and scan that blade for identifiers," Sedaxus ordered.
"No need," came a sharp response, "It's mine, I did it."
Sedaxus turned to see who spoke and growled, "Meske, I should have known."
The scarred youth stepped from the crowd and glared at Sedaxus, "Yes I did it and I'm proud to have done so."
"Stabbing a comrade in the back, how low you have sunk," Engar growled.
"You understand what this means," Sedaxus snarled, "What were you thinking?!"
Meske retorted, "I was thinking that I'm doing what you should have done three months ago! You seem to forget they are Traitors, they have killed loyal servants of the Throne and laughed as they did so. We should be killing them, not playing nice!"
A disturbing number of agreements arose from the Deliverance-born but Sedaxus snapped, "Our differences are irrelevant! We face a common threat, we will die if we do not unite. We have to put the past behind us, or we are done for."
Yet Meske sneered, "That was true when a Waaagh was bearing down on us. But the Orks are broken and we have not forgotten the crimes of these curs. How many of them were at Istvaan V, culling our Brothers as they revelled in slaughter?!"
"You weren't at Istvaan V," Engar snapped, "You weren't even a recruit, but we were there."
"He's right though," Ibel countered.
"Enough," Sedaxus growled, "This isn't up for debate. I am not going to listen to your justifications, only dish out your punishment."
"No!" came the slurred response of Gorth as he picked his bleeding form up from the floor, "I can't let you kill him."
Sedaxus blinked in shock and said, "You can't agree with him. Arkqas died to save you, you've seen firsthand what our Brotherhood can become. Are you willing to throw that away for this cur?"
Gorth's eyes were grim as he said, "Whether I agree with his deeds or not is irrelevant, he's my Brother, my last Brother. If a son of Curze draws a single drop of his blood I will kill them, even if it's you Sedaxus."
Angry growls of agreement arose as hands strayed to bolter grips but Juru snarled, "It is our blood that has been shed. We demand his head, we demand justice!"
Herran added, "You didn't hesitate to blow off my arm when I spoke out of turn, where is your strength of will now it's that lot breaking your rules? So it turns out there's one law for us and another for them. If that wretch doesn't die, then we are done with this Smoke Jaguar nonsense!"
Sedaxus' hearts hardened at the proclamation and he knew what had to be done. The laws he had laid down had been broken and it fell to him to enact the punishment. Call it justice, call it vengeance, either way Meske had to die. If he faltered now his word would be meaningless and the Chapter would die this day. Deliverance-born and sons of Nostramo at each other's throats, until none remained to fight.
Resolutely Sedaxus extended his claws but before he could step forward Engar got in the way, hand pressed firmly to his chest with a hissed, "You can't do this."
"You defend him?!" Sedaxus spluttered in surprise.
"I defend nothing, but I know if he dies by your hand this Chapter is done. The Deliverance-born will never forgive you for this."
"If I don't then the Chapter dies anyway," Sedaxus spat, "My word is the only thing holding us together. I gave an absolute command and my judgement must be just as unyielding. Meske must die, I can't let you stop me."
Engar nodded as he said, "You misunderstand me, I don't mean to stop you, I mean to do it for you."
Suddenly Engar spun about, his hand reached into the small of his back. Giant's Roar slipped free and the Transonic blade awoke with a thunderous din. He swept it about in a lightning-fast move, taking all by surprise with the swiftness of his strike. Meske didn't have time to react as the axe cleaved the head from his shoulders, sending his head tumbling away. Engar killed the boy with one blow, then brought Damolos' axe up, ready to strike again, should anyone try to avenge him.
Gorth however gaped in shock, "You… you killed him… but Engar… you're one of us."
"I am but I'm also a Smoke Jaguar. Our Shade-lord has laid down our laws, Meske knew them, he knew the consequences and broke them anyway. We all know the punishment and I stand ready to enact it at a moment's notice. If any of you, Deliverance-born or son of Nostramo, thinks to disobey then know I will visit the same sentence upon you. Those who break the law of the Smoke Jaguars shall face the Headsman and Giant's Roar will be the last thing they hear."
Gorth lowered his head and whispered, "I understand, I defended Meske as my blood-kin, but not his deeds. He was wrong. I shall not seek vengeance for a just punishment."
Sedaxus accepted this then glance across the way and asked, "You can live with this?"
Juru looked annoyed but spat, "The wretch is dead, it will do, for now."
"Good," Sedaxus said then raised his voice to yell, "All you of you back to your billets, now! I will visit each of you in turn and explain matters in time. For now all of you should meditate upon your misdeeds and consider the depths of your shame."
The crowds dispersed as the Astartes trooped out, leaving the leaders of their Chapter and two dead bodies in the loading dock. Sedaxus shook his head and sighed, "Summon an Apothecary, no sense wasting Gene-seed."
Engar however pointed out, "This isn't over, we held back the conflict for a few days but they won't forget this. We can keep a lid on isolated incidents, but when the squads start talking to each other they'll realise we are but three and they number scores. We can't stop them once one side or the other decides to act as a group."
"What do you suggest then, Lord Headsman?" Xavaar prompted.
"I don't know, that's for our honoured Shade-Lord to decide," Engar sniffed.
Sedaxus rubbed his brow and lamented, "I don't know, nothing I read in Arkqas' manifesto or the Codex Astartes has any guidance for this situation. I thought the threat of the Orks would be enough to keep them focused, but I didn't reckon on how deep their hatreds run. I don't know how to keep them from killing each other."
"Well I suggest you figure something out," Engar said, "Else this Chapter won't last a month."