"I was taught to never fear the xeno, I was taught to always fight for mankind, anger was my weapon, contempt was my armor, the fear of my enemies was my tool and determination was my fuel to complete any and all missions."
My way of living has always been this, from the moment I picked the bolter and accepted the trials of the black templars...
Followed by my transformation into an astartes…
…And it would not change at the moment I fell and became a dreadnaught, because even then when I was hopeless and knew that I would never see my primarch or the emperor comeback to guide the imperium…
…I knew that deep inside for every demon and xeno I slayed, I would give hope to someone else, even if all I saved was a meaningless backwater planet with weak citizens, I knew that there was a small chance…
…a small… miniscule chance that someone somewhere I saved could make a bigger change that I ever could, and that was what made me have hope…
…And what made me rise from the death every time they needed my help, no matter how painful it was to me, and how many times I hoped for a bolter to hit my heart, I defended and fought every time I was tasked to do so…
…My name is Zarelion, a proud black templar and a hopeless dreadnaught hoping for something that deep down, I know may not happen, but hope I will…
…for I have yet to lose everything else that I hold dear…
I just now remember fondly a particular memory; I was with a few guardsmen fighting against a horde of orks during my very first century. One of them asked me if I knew what dreadnoughts dreamt off, upon saying that I didn't had such knowledge and didn't wish to bother the dreadnoughts by asking, she and her friends would start to theorize playfully about it, one said they dreamt of eating better than any world governor in massive banquets while another said that they dreamt about having a few sisters of battle to themselves. When I scolded them for such silly machinations, I was asked by the first guardsman if a black templar would prefer a guardswoman over a Sister of Battle. In retrospective I think she was flirting with me instead of asking me who was a more useful companion for purging… but whatever the case I chose to ignore their silly theories, I doubted any of them would survive the next fight and didn't want their likely last hours to be sad ones.
Now I know what I dream off every night: my greatest victories and my most terrible failures pursue me like nightmares that devour my soul like there is no end, I wish I dreamt of meals and of beautiful women (to have anyone to talk with) but what i dream will always end in the night I fell.
It was meant to be another simple mission; it was a fight against some eldars who were attempting to steal an ancient artefact which my memory fails to recall.
I was able to break down the attack by ramming in with my brothers, using my chain sword to crash and slash at any disgusting xeno that I came across with, using the ship as another playground that could be used to test my skills.
But then I came to face her…the leader of those dirty creatures, dressing herself with spikes and what seemed to be a unique leather instead of aeldari armor, her blade crashed with my own in a spectacle of sparks upon every swing.
As I pursued her over and over, destroying the scenery of that ship with each of my brutal attacks, when she attempted to go for my head, I was able to duck under her jumping attack and slash her arm off, attempting to finish her with my next strike, but a barrage of shuriken bullets from her subordinates saved her.
I pulled my storm bolter and in a quick barrage they were reduced to eldar mincemeat.
But my armor was severely compromised and the leader of them did not waste the chance, using her blade on my back and destroying one of my hearts, she did not stop attacking with continual stabbings on my back that no longer felt like the usual elegant of an eldar, but filled with exasperated hatred…
I should have died as I felt my other organs punctured and destroyed, but by the emperor I did not fall… hate would not allow me to die so easily, but the next moment I was awaken, I would no longer be in my armor, I would be in my tomb, I was a dreadnaught now, and with that both my destiny and my new body sealed.
And that is my existence now, I wake up every time they remember that I exist, and I know that they will use me only to step across endless nightmares, I fear more the idea of never rising and staying trapped in my nightmares, my life is misery, but hope has yet to abandon me, hope that I may be a hero once more.
Deep inside me, I knew I lied to myself, I was hopeless.
In the grim darkness of my dark future, there is only death.
Or so I thought…
CHAPTER 1: a calm awakening.
A peaceful morning it was for anyone in the new millennia, the sounds of the birds chirping, the kids playing and the image of the flowers blooming.
It was indeed a most wonderful morning, especially for Shas'la Velra', or Verly like she prefers to be addressed as, she woke up when her nocturian dog Vilran barked at her to serve him food, she raised and shined with her hair being a mess as usual, almost having a frustrating episode with it, but she breathed carefully and patted her dog in the head before getting off from her bed and serving her dog some treats.
Immediately after her hair would get itself wrapped with some plates she had left yesterday on her table, which in turn would make the plates dramatically fall on her hooves which was as enjoyable as it sounds, a pained yelp followed by frustration would follow as she made her hand into a fist and grabbed her hair.
"THAT'S IT YOU STUPID HAIR! I AM KILLING YOU NOW!"
Verly claimed as she rushed into the bathroom and picked a pair of scissors and a razor, fixing her hair for once and all, then washing it away in the shower as Vilran watched her with his usual dumb looking dog grin, however this meaningless peaceful morning was interrupted by the sound of her door ringing.
"Oh shit! UMMM ONE SEC PLEASE ILL BE THERE IN A SEC!"
Verly grabbed her biggest towel and walked into the door, opening it with a casual smile.
"HEY! Sorry and good morning, I was shaving my hai-."
She paralyzed in fear and surprise as she realized who were at the door, metal men of almost 3 meters in height, wearing some of the most obscure and dangerous weapons the galaxy had ever seen, yes these were not mere humans, but astartes…and 10 thousand years ago this would have meant that Verly would be most definitely doomed and quickly killed by a bolter round to the head, but in this millennium…
"Doctor Shas'la Velra', age 24, fire caste, already done with formal militaristic training and graduated from psychology studies, we have come to bring you for a job that requires your sets of skills and studies to help us with, please come with us as inquisitor Vorkan personally requests."
There were 3 astartes in her doorstep, all of them wearing a blue armor and the symbol of ultramar in their shoulder.
But these weren't the ultramarines, these were the sons of the heralds, a new chapter that was stablished not so long ago by the standards of other chapters.
Verly had a smile on her face upon hearing that despite the serious tone expected from astartes.
"Umm…say no more! Ill get dressed and go immediately…uhh just once second!"
Verly closed the door and ran to her room, alarming her dog.
Getting a hold of all her important papers such as the anatomy of space marine through the years and her theories about their mentality at the same time she picked her white doctor clothes and got ready to go.
Quickly being escorted with the sons of the heralds into a land speeder, the armored men sat at her side covering her from both angles as the codex astartes had written upon when guarding important objectives.
"So…ummm what brings the sons of the heralds to go at my doorstep? Surely it must be a high priority if it's the astartes instead of some smaller form of security…"
Verly said attempting to show confidence in front of the astartes, in truth she was both scared and admiring the space marines.
She was, to put it softly: obsessed with them and their psychology, since she finished her mandatory fire caste training, she aimed to learn as much as possible of them, which in turn caused her to study to know more about them and make many discoveries in the psychological area of the humans made angels, as the studies of the new marines varied with each chapter and with the decades.
"ShaslaVerla, have you ever heard about dreadnoughts?"
The space marine sitting at the co-pilot seat spoke as he turned his head to observe her, taking off his helmet and showing a pair of slightly pointy ears and a black coat in his eyes, showing that this man heritage wasnt a fully human one.
Verly thought for a second and then replied.
"Dreadnoughts? If my history classes don't fail me, those were astartes that would find themselves trapped in life support vehicles of great destruction who waited to be awaken while in a suspended state, right?"
"Correct, we abandoned this tradition when we managed to copy the technology in commoraght to reconstruct bodies, essentially healing them back instead of forcing them to live a painful existence."
The land vehicle stopped as they reached their objective, a massive hospital in the center of the city, getting out of the vehicle, Verly walked alongside the astartes as the helmetless one kept talking.
"We have been trying for decades to bring dormant dreadnoughts back in form to not keep them in a suspended state, we have made many attempts to achieve this… but ultimately they cannot deal with the changes of the present and either go insane or end up committing suicide."
Verly observed the astartes with growing fear on her eyes, her red eyes quivering a little under the realization.
"Y-You brought me to investigate dead dreadnoughts!?"
It was a little surprising but well as dark as a theme as that was, surely this would not be dangerous for her.
"No don't be silly, we want you to attend a revival of a dreadnaught and investigate the results."
"UH!?"
"Welcome aboard Doctor."
The trio of astartes kept walking alongside her, her dumbfounded reaction causing a little amusing on them.
"Y-you will have the dreadnaught disarmed r-right?"
Verly was no longer as excited as she was a few moments ago which only made the astartes even more amused.
"Don't worry doctor, there are 3 astartes here with you, plus a team of kroots in case the dreadnaught tries anything dumb, that if he somehow manages to escape the revival cell, also his coffin was almost out of energy when we found him so no sudden suicidal explosions, finally most dreadnoughts wake up too disoriented and strained to even fight back."
Verly took a moment to breath upon hearing that she would be safe as long as she stood with them, one of the reasons she changed careers was the feeling of unsafety there is in the battlefield, the mere thought paralyzes her…
2 hours later the astartes would be with Verly taking notes behind a hard glass wall, observing a couple of eldar, tau and human doctors preparing the chamber for revival.
The coffin of the dreadnaught was brought to the revival chamber, it was in an awful state and the only thing you could somewhat read was the engraved name:
ZARELION, THE -- ONE
There were some other words, but the engraved paint had erased with the years, and it could not be read.
Verly grabbed what little information they had in the dossier of the dreadnaught, as the sarcophagus was open, a barely human looking body was in it, pale as the snow of Fenris, with eyes that had a perturbed semi-sleep nightmarish look and the smell... it made the mouth of a kroot smell like welcoming flowers by comparison.
Verly was utterly disgusted by this, she knew the imperium of man was barbaric…but to do this to a venerable veteran, she looked at the helmetless marine who seemed to have a similar reaction albeit much more reserved one.
The doctors readied the reviving machine, bringing the almost-corpse into the vat, they inserted some extra organs into the corpse as the body started to repair itself, suddenly it no longer looked like he was dead with each passing minute.
Zarelion green eyes glowed once more, his hairs turned silver as they grew back, his muscles took form once more, his limbs would regrow, and his organs started to work once more.
"Usually, they wake up in 10 minutes to 2 hours, get ready to take notes Verly."
Verly heard the son of the heralds and prepared herself to take notes, but at that moment there was an eerie silence…
The doctors stood in place scared as if their bodies were unable to move.
Verly gulped as her eyes were unable to close for even a second.
The sons of the heralds prepared themselves and each of them charged their power fist.
Zarelion had suddenly awakened, he realized quickly as he contemplated his almost nude body, he was back…no he was stronger than before.
He saw the xenos and the humans, he didn't know what they wanted but he knew what they were, and he declared it with his first words after being reborn…
"HERETICS!"
CHAPTER 2: Rough awakening
As Zarelion lifted his fist to slam it on the head of the eldar doctor, the helmetless astartes jumped through the hard window and used his psychic powers to push Zarelion back.
"Subdue, don't kill…it's the first time one of them fights."
The other two astartes attempted to grab Zarelion with their power fists but he spat at their faces with liquid acid, an organ that only older astartes had known as the 'betcher's gland' allowed this which Zarelion was one of the few in his entire legion who managed to keep one, Verly heart would be racing as she saw the giant men colliding, but so did her anger.
"WHY THE FUCK DO YOU PUT ME IN THE ONE PLACE YOU ARE GONNA BREAK UUHH!?"
Her screaming's would not be listened as Zarelion avoided the attacks of the astartes who fought more like walking tanks rather than humans.
each of their punches could break him apart, but the acid seemed to have blinded their helmets, dodging every hook they threw as he knew none of his fists would work on them due to their armor, and any grappling would leave him too open to be attacked.
But he turned his attention in the helmetless one.
"BASTARDS, STEALING THE GENE-SEEDS OF THE PRIMARCHS!"
The son of the heralds was confused as he charged a lighting attack, but Zarelion ran at him like a flashing blur and threw an overhand punch to the marine's face, taking him down with the sheer force of the attack, running into the destroyed wall.
Zarelion and Verly exchanged looks, Verly breathed slowly as she waited for death, but Zarelion choose to kept running, the poor tau being left with her lungs almost giving up.
The marines ran towards him into the hallways but the less weight of Zarelion plus his new muscles made him faster, soon he would run into the first of the kroot security team and before the kroot could aim his plasma cannon on him, his face would be slammed into a wall by Zarelion.
Zarelion picked the gun and shoots at the astartes, but the plasma pulses did nothing as if they were absorbed by the armor, no matter how experienced he may be, he would not be able to defeat them at any range like this, so he kept running.
Zarelion saw more kroots and he shoot his plasma pulses at them, but they didn't melt like he expected, instead they felt in a shocking electricity.
Was this a different model? Or a non-lethal gun?
Either way it was almost useless if it could not kill the enemies of the emperor in Zarelion eyes.
But then just when the astartes lost him after the gunfight after he took an unexpected route, a group of kroots pulling guns and blades circled him.
"You are surrounded human! Lay down or DIE!"
"All I am surrounded by are dead animals and FEAR."
Zarelion used his gun and slammed into the beak of a kroot, breaking his face and tearing it apart, the gun also broke but he managed to pick a dagger from the now corpse before another kroot attempted to stab him, blocking the blade and the grabbing the kroot's neck, breaking it in once motion and throwing him against another incoming pair of kroots, stabbing them in the back of the neck as they fell.
A barrage of shocking pulses would hit his back, but this did not take Zarelion down, turning around and slashing his dagger around, spilling the blood of the kroots across the white room as if it was painted from the start of the color of their blood.
The last kroot pulled his plasma gun on lethal as he attempted to kill Zarelion, but the astartes ducked below the blast and he grabbed the xenos face, digging his fingers into the eyes, making it crush before the kroot could scream.
The sound of a walking tank came as an astartes appeared, still with some disruption from the acid, Zarelion picked the kroot plasma gun and shot at who he thought was an astartes-eldar hybrid, shooting in the chest, which the armor took no problem, then the knee which slowed the son of the heralds as if he felt the pain.
He kept shooting at the astartes repeatedly in the knee until it felt into kneeling, Zarelion shot at the helmet attempting to execute him, but by a miracle none of the gods could have predicted, the plasma blast only struck the helmet, sending it flying across the room, revealing the almost full human face of the astartes, with one of the eyes blacker like those of an eldar.
Zarelion stood silent and looked in disbelief at the astartes…this was no trickery, why would the xenos pretend now to be humans instead of before…? Zarelion looked at him in the eyes and the son of the herald saw the same in him, there was no fear…only confusion.
Zarelion ran out of the building, running into the outside of the whole building, but as he saw the security forces arriving he took a look at the most nearby sewer entrance and shot a plasma round in it, jumping straight in to avoid any pursuers, his heavy confused hearts definitely did not help with him trying to understand his new situation but then a question would enter his head once adrenaline stopped to guide his actions.
"Why…do I have my body again?"
Zarelion walked with no aim for a few minutes until he saw a small pond, big enough to see his reflection.
Despite being a corpse for thousands of years…it was him who observed him back from the pond...
It was him; this was no dream.
It was him; this was no illusion.
It was his face as he remembers, every single detail, every single hair in place, every single miniscule detail in his skin as well.
This is not what he hoped all those thousands of years trapped in battles and nightmares.
But deep inside, very deep inside in the darkest pit of his fist heart, he was…grateful.
The sensation of his feet touching the ground, feeling the humidity in the air, not having a metal cage around him was weird but also very releasing, as if he was no longer with weights in his shoulders.
Maybe the emperor had guided him into this destination to finally have another taste of life before a final mission or his final demise, but Zarelion did not knew.
He had no idea of how to contact his brothers or the imperium and if he did then he would likely become a heretic for being healed with xeno technology.
Yet he did not feel doomed, for the first time in thousands of years he felt…alive.
Zarelion had pondered for enough time, he was back and that's all that would matter, he had a mission, and he would continue forward.
He found a rag big enough to cover himself nearby a couple of pipes and clothed himself with it and soon moved out of the area, heading towards a random set of directions, eventually being alarmed by the noise of men in the distance.
He saw a couple of handymen working in the pipes, an ogryn between them, Zarelion would stalk them across the entire sewer until they reached the exit.
Zarelion took a moment to think as he saw them climbing out to gather what little info he had.
this place should be the tau empire, but they had the technology to create astartes or at the very least convince them to join them, one of the astartes was seemingly an eldar, but the other looked to be fully human…
Zarelion had to escape and find the real imperium of mankind, why the tau brought him back is a mystery he needed solved, but he had a hunch that he would learn very soon, as he saw the ogryn cleaning close the entrance, Zarelion grabbed into his knife to take him down, but instead…
"Salutations ogryn, want a dagger for your clothes?"
Not a moment later the ogryn replied:
"YES, FINALLY I CAN CUT BIGGER MEAT!"
The exchange was as quick as the offer, the natural stupidity and innocence of the ogryns somewhat calmed Zarelion knowing they had not changed so much.
Zarelion looked at least in place with cloth of his size as he climbed into the city, and his eyes saw the absolute glimmer within the city and for the first time he realized that this…was not the tau empire either.
Zarelion walked into beautifully made cities where he saw humans, taus, eldars and some non-humanoid races walked and interacted together very casually, more casually than normal humans did in the imperium of man, the urge to rampage and kill everything in sight was there, but he knew that he had to survive somehow.
The first thing that dumbfounded him was when he saw a techpriest, wearing red clothes as they usually did, but talking with a normal human and expressing emotions, not emotions like the ones their diplomats usually faked or simulated, but actual laughs, actual smiles that were not hidden under the massive amount of metal.
Zarelion then realized that these were commoners by how they behaved, the numbers of them and how they dressed and yet they looked happy, well-fed, and full of energy unlike the humans of the imperium who could never hope to have a relaxed and peaceful life at times, they still had symbols of the imperial aquila, the omnissiah and some of the primarchs, as if they were welcomed religious totems.
Then he saw something that made him paralyzed as he walked into the scene of a beautiful park.
A pair of sisters of battle having a nice chat, but one of them… was a tau.
The tau looked at him and playfully said:
"Rought night brother?"
Was this…the imperium of mankind?
No…it could not be it…
Zarelion walked out of the way to try to comprehend or at the very least theorize, but then he saw in the distance an electric post sign, showing a necron with a handgun gauss canon in one hand, the imperial aquila in the other and a legend that said:
"Sector Inquisitor Vorkan, for a safer coalition."
Zarelion had a long sweat about it, there was no way the necrons in their infinite pride would consider of joining the other races and never in the life of all the galaxy would they be inquisitors.
This had to be a terrible dream or… and illusion… trickery of some sort, but the next thing he saw was the realization that this is now his painful reality.
"Excuse me sir, are you a space marine off duty? Can I get an autograph?"
Zarelion turned around as he heard a young voice, then he saw the author of this, a human boy and an eldar girl holding hands as they asked, Zarelion took a deep breath and hided his confusion and rage with a serious face as he walked out of them, ignoring their plea.
It took all of Zarelion sheer determination to not kill them there with a swift move.
"Uh…maybe he was feeling off?"
The eldar girl told the boy as they came back to themselves.
Zarelion wanted to purge and mutilate every single soul in that park, these were untold amounts of heresy for him, but he knew that he needed answers.
But he could not give himself to the authorities either as they would likely kill him… instead he kept walking without a precise trajectory until he luckily found what seemed to be a big building that worked as a library.
Zarelion got into the entrance as a drone came to him and requested for his ID.
Zarelion grabbed the drone and threw it out like a rock, so it stopped bothering him.
While most planets in the imperium treat information like a treasure normal citizens can't touch, an astartes should have no issue.
Maybe if he could have some information, he could understand the context of the situation.
Maybe all of them were simple traitors or they used similar clothes and titles, this could not have been the imperium of mankind…this was not the imperium Zarelion hoped for…
Zarelion was confused to see the library was almost fully digital and he was even more confused when it was free for anyone to simply look and read at.
Zarelion found a big digital book as he explored, he preferred papers-based ones, but this worked just fine, the book was named: "A summary of the universe history." It had a compilation of different authors: Orikan the Divine, Tranzyn the infinite, some aeldari and tau names that Zarelion did not knew off like Isha (Whose lack of a surname confused Zarelion), shasO'Shaserra' and… the name of Rouboute Guilliman in it…
Another drop of sweat would swim under the forehead of Zarelion upon him denying his own reality.
Zarelion read the chapters:
The first civilizations…
The war in heaven…
He skipped many pages full of chapters…
The Horus heresy…
The fall of Cadia…
The return of Primarch Roboute Guilliman.
The return of Primarch Lion'el Johnson.
The treaty of the farsight enclaves and the craftworld aeldari.
The Return of Primarch Jaghatai Khan.
The trickery of Erebus and the start of the great maw war.
The return of Primarch Vulkan.
The second treaty of humanity and the ynnary
The return of Isha, Leman Russ, and the redemption of Mortarion.
The combined forces of everyone vs the Great Maw and the end of this one.
The union of the empires.
The formation of the great council.
The search of the star child.
That was the last chapter. Zarelion was in confusion and awe, but he decided to start reading no matter how painfully long the book was, he needed to know where he was and why was he brought back to this life in a new body, because no conclusion made sense to him…
…However, he came to a stop when he saw that during the return of Isha, all black templars had disappeared, with a single spacehulk being found and a dreadnought found alive within, all other black templars dead… this had been recently updated.
Zarelion was the last black templar.
And he was in the successor of the imperium of mankind.
CHAPTER 3: Coffee time
It had been 3 days since the Revival, Verly was in the waiting room of inquisitor Vorkan, she was extremely nervous for many reasons, first one is that she was asked to cooperate and help with the investigation, second one was that Vorkan's secretary was a jokaero that was trashing her own desk and crafting who knows what, third reason was…
Well she ALMOST died 3 days ago, and she was conflicted with Zarelion, the thought about him killing her didn't let her sleep, but he was also extremely majestic, kind of like seeing a living legend coming from the death…she thought to herself: "I need to stop thinking of him like that…but I cannot for some strange reason…he must be so confused and enraged now…I truly pity him…"
Verly stood there for a few minutes until a robotic soulless voice spoke through a speaker.
"SUSAN, LET DOCTOR 'ShaslaVerla' COME IN RIGHT NOW!!!"
The Jokaero heard that and shot from her just finished creation a portal gun from below Verly's chair, dropping her into the office, Verly yelped on the way down and almost had a heart attack from that.
"A charming gal isnt she? Oh, don't tell my wife am cheating with her…oh am JUST JOKIIINNGGG my wife DIED 3 BILLION years ago! JAJAJA-also Susan ONLY like women-may I offer you some coffee?"
The inquisitor-necron said with a very strange sense of humor as he managed to serve some coffee for himself and drink it as if he had a throat to drink it from.
When necrons allowed themselves to work with other races they found ways to somewhat simulate the feeling of consuming food and some basic feelings sensations around their body, this drastically helped them to avoid the destiny of becoming a flayed one and could even heal them from that state.
While they still have no need to drink or eat, they do it to satiate themselves, hence stopping the curse of their gods, this was the greatest advancement they had done for their kind in millions of years.
This does not mean that they have a good sense of humor or that they aren't scary for most people, Vorkan being no exception, he served some coffee for Verly as he flipped his revolver-like gauss hand canon around his index finger.
"So doooooctoooor, hehe… yesterday you told me more or less how the dreadnaught seemed to be different to the other cases, despite the fact that he was still insane according to the records…care to explain?"
Verly took a small sip from her coffee and burned her lips which produced a disgusted grunt from her…I guess necrons don't need to take care of hot or cold drinks…Verly took a moment to gather her words.
"Well, I think it was a natural reaction to seeing a group of different races in one place, especially once I read part of his dossier."
Vorkan drank another coup of coffee in seconds as he heard that.
"Interesting…SUSAN, TAKE NOTES! please continue."
The jokaero made monkey sounds as Verly thought of her next words.
"Well, Zarelion was part of the black templars, a now extinct chapter of space marines whose demise full details are unknown, he was found in a spacehulk with no survivors, all that is know is that this happened shortly after Isha and the primarchs came back. The black Templars were one of the biggest and most effective chapters of space marines, they used the gene-seed of Rogal Dorn, and they were famous for their melee tactics, zealotry and savagery."
Vorkan took the time to serve another full cup of coffee and just as quickly down it.
"Black templars…I do remember the name, they wore black and were insane, but their insanity worked wonders at fear tactics, and I believe there were records of them actually harvesting power from the emperor at times of their fights."
"Yes, but that's not all."
Verly interrupted and brought herself up standing.
"Zarelion joined at a very early state, around the second half of the year 40 thousand, and he managed to serve 3 thousand years, meaning he waited 7 thousand years in suspended animation until we found him."
Verly said as she took a sip of her now less boiling coffee.
"But here is the insane part, dreadnoughts are in perpetual pain and only find peace when they are asleep and resting. Many refused to wake up or if they did, they would do so in a mad state, but Zarelion had a record of always attending the waking calls and always helping with any and every fight. It made more sense when I managed to translate his full title to our current language from ancient high gothic, please look."
Vorkan looked at her energy tablet, her translation of the full name, and it all made sense to him, he took a turn with his chair and then spoke.
"There are few active dreadnoughts doctor, not every space marine was fit for the role of perpetual pain, some still active dreadnoughts are filled with an unnatural determination found in only those who are truly blessed with it, like Bjorn fell hand for example, and they are resting until we can bring them back safely, and yet even the wisest, most mentally prepared can succumb to the madness…regardless of Zarelion pending danger, he is mentally scarred, he is trapped in a world that he does not understand, and he is alone."
Vorkan stood up and stopped playing with his gun for the first time in the whole talk.
"3 thousand years ago I would have shot that space marine with the same coldness I would have done billions of years ago, but I have remembered the pleasurable things of life once more, it's time we find him and stop h-"
Susan would peak her head from the hole and start rambling in monkey sounds.
"HE IS DOING WHAT WITH A WHAT!?"
Vorkan turned on his TV and in the news channel there would be Zarelion at the top of a building looking directly at the vehicle recording him and then entering withing the building, clearly challenging the viewers with his killer eyes.
A moment of silence was with Verly and Vorkan until he broke the silence.
"SUSAN MY BIKE, NOOOOW!"
A green growing bike would break the walls of the office.
"WHAT IS IT WITH YOU GUYS AND BREAKING WALLS!?"
Verly explained surprised and upset.
"Doctor, you are coming with me."
Vorkan said as he offered his hand to a flabbergasted Verly.
"HUH!? WHY!?"
"Because you are the only psychological expert in space marines, d'uh!"
Vorkan grabbed her and then forcefully bring her into his bike as she yelped and cursed her lungs out, the bike broke another wall as the pair drove towards the building.
"He is in the Golden fist building, a building made to honor his primarch, this means he miiiiiiiiight be a little sentimental, I'll have a couple of assassins in other buildings if we can't find a way to immobilize him, but if you can talk him out then that would be ideal, a killteam will be dispatched to secure the area as well."
Vorkan said as he touched his forehead, and suddenly all his information would be transferred into his underlings at the same time Verly was still screaming at the top of her lungs.
After 5 minutes thanks to the speed of Vorkan's bike, the duo managed to arrive at the building, where many arbites trucks took position as the civilians ran away in horror.
A group of 5 individuals would be waiting in the entrance: a pair of space marines, one bringing a pair of power fists and the other walking with a psyker staff. the other individuals were a tau with recon equipment and a plasma rifle, an eldar with a pair of mirrorswords alongside her banshee attire and finally a mechanicus member whose eyes were showing, while most of his body was sluggish and metallic.
"Inquisitor Vorkan…this force is smaller than expected, only 5 of your elite members to take down an individual with dangerous experience…"
The techpriest said with a neutral tone.
"I'll be joining you and so will doctor Verly, she was a fire warrior so she can help as well, we want low numbers to avoid crossfire and him escaping."
The 5 members looked at Vorkan as if they wanted to question that, they did so for a solid second, but then they simply nodded, much to Verly's horror.
"We are 7 then…mmm welp, fists and Recon will go together directly, Banshee and Psyker will take the floor above in case he tries to escape, tech with the doctor and me will stay in the east stairs, acting as reinforcements and guidance with the cameras, hope that's clear, we go now!"
Verly was dumbfounded as to how Vorkan called them by their gimmicks rather than their names, this was most definitely a horrible idea despite them having the advantage in numbers and equipment.
"Inquisitor, why did our objective choose this place? Why hasn't he tried to escape in the ship bays? should he not aim to find the imperium of mankind?"
The techpriest mentioned once more and Vorkan was silent for a second.
"A broken drone identified him next to one of the tech-libraries in the city, he likely knows he is alone, why is he here beats me, doctor? Any theories?"
Verly widened her eyes for a second and then took a second to think…he is alone, a stranger in a stranger world, he isn't escaping this world…he is escaping this reality with…death this is why he picked this place.
"…He came here for a final stand; he plans to die killing."
The group stood silent for a good second.
"Well, we'll have to stop him from achieving that."
Vorkan gave Verly a plasma gun, and together they all marched to stop the ancient one.
Chapter 4: A compelling argument
They were at the floor 27 of 229, Vorkan and Verly had stayed in the east part of the building around the staircase, monitoring the vigilance system with the techpriest.
"Recon, I sense a heat signal from the next floor, I cant see him but be ready for anything, Fists, watch his back."
The techpriest said as the duo of the banshee and the psyker went a floor above, from the east stairs and waited for an ambush.
Recon walked in with his drone, aiming his plasma rifle around hoping to catch Zarelion off guard, making finger signals to Fists as they walked into the next floor.
"My drone senses nothing, Tech…are you sure Zarelion is in here?"
The tau said a little nervous as he kept rechecking over and over.
"Correct, there is a heat signal right in front of you, the only other signals are on our team."
The tau had a shiver down his spine as he spoke to fists once more.
"Brr…it feels chilly…fists, Zarelion must be hiding, I want you to tear down this floor."
"Heh, got you."
The son of the heralds then proceeded to destroy the entire room with his power's fists, but instead of finding Zarelion they would find a knocked-out Eldar, barely alive and moaning in pain.
"ZARELION IS NOT IN THE ROOM! HE BAITED US!"
The tau screamed as the techpriest heard worried…he wondered how he could avoid the heat detection system but then noticed how Verly was quivering…not out of fear…but out of cold!
Recon started breathing rapidly after not hearing a response, aiming his rifle around, suddenly his drone would active its alarm signal, turning around to see Zarelion behind him, who in a quick move he would throw a punch that felt more like a blur, hitting the tau across his face, and breaking his helmet as the body fell on the ground with blood splattering across the floor.
Fists realized this and ran towards Zarelion with his power fists ready, but Zarelion changed the gun into lethal mode and rapid fired a barrage of plasma rounds towards the armored space marine, hitting all the plasma rounds in the power fists of the space marine who defleted the rounnds into the floor, weaking it.
The space marine ran towards Zarelion and threw many mighty hooks attempting to hit the veteran, but Zarelion managed to dodge them all albeit struggling against the fast marine.
Fists would throw right hook after left hook but this obvious pattern was a trap to throw a right hook and then a jab at Zarelion's arm, surprising Zarelion who got directly struck in the arm.
He felt how his muscles almost teared and how his elbow dislocated with that jab, he had underestimated the young marine and paid for it.
The marine would then jump at Zarelion with a bearhug, lifting him and using the power fists to press his bones and muscles with his organs, attempting to choke him out.
"It's over FOSIL, just accept this and we will help you out."
Zarelion would then puke a decent amount of acid on the face of the marine, melting part of the helmet, the marine stepped back and threw Zarelion across the room, taking off his mask.
"Bastard! Are you insane!?"
The marine yelped as Zarelion relocated his elbow, still feeling the damage of the attack, but his healing factor slowly recovering the wounds, Zarelion looked at the marine with disappointment.
"Pfff, you should have taken a mount, then punch me into submission, you herald sons are not very good at fighting other marines…"
The fists of the son of the heralds closed in anger as he ran towards Zarelion with the intention of finishing him off, Zarelion started shooting at the ground below him, weaking it even more.
"KEEP BLABBING OLD MAN!"
Fist threw a right hook but Zarelion threw his plasma gun at his face, smashing the nose of Fists and blinding him for a second before he blurred out of his view and appeared behind him, lifting him from the waist down and performing a german-suplex on him.
Fists screamed as his head contacted the ground, being slammed across floors, breaking the floor, and falling on his back, and if this wasn't enough, Zarelion fell above him.
Zarelion unleashed a barrage of punches across Fists face, the son of the heralds tried to fight back, but Zarelion would pummel to fast and too heavily for him to escape, soon Fist would stop fighting back, his arms were too heavy and he could barely breathe with his face rearranged, Zarelion stood up, picking the combat knife from the marine and a frag grenade.
For the others there were loud stomps, crashed and screams, but then dead silence as Zarelion made his way up.
Suddenly the heat signal of Zarelion would appear again, Tech trying to understand how he had managed to avoid it, and reaching the conclusion that Zarelion had manipulated the heat system of the building and lowered it until it was extremely cold, Tech called the other duo.
"FISTS AND RECON ARE OUT, BE READY FOR ANYTHING!"
The banshee and the psyker looked at each other, preparing their spells and swords, Zarelion would shoot towards them froom the darkness of the west staircase, shooting with his new plasma rifle, aiming to take down the Banshee, but she managed to dodge from cover to cover with her agility and swift moves.
The psyker space marine used his psyquic power to generate a shield to block the incoming plasma blasts. Just what Zarelion planned as he threw in the recon drone with a stickied grenade in it, generating a blast that would damage the energy shield and send the eldar flying, generating a concussion on her, and knocking her out while creating a mountain of dust.
The psyker marine created a fireball from his hands to shoot at Zarelion, but he would shoot at the concentrated fireball which caused the space marine to be sent flying towards the stairs, Zarelion ran at him with the combat knife out, stabbing the wrist of the psyker marine as he formed another fireball, there was a loud scream as the psyker used his psychic might to push Zarelion back.
Zarelion grabbed his plasma rifle again, shooting another quick barrage, the psyker created another shield, blocking the strikes as he grabbed his bolter gun, shooting at Zarelion regardless of him needed him alive.
Zarelion dodged as the Banshee woke up and went after him with her blades, she saw an opening to decapitate him but knowing she needed him alive; she instead would do a double 'X' cut on his back, Zarelion grunted as he rolled out of them but receiving the shooking psyker attack directly that the psyker had readied, the duo looking down on him as they gripped their weapons tightly.
"Zarelion, just give up, we only want to help you."
The banshee said with a very compassionate voice at the now panting heavily breathing Veteran.
"How? You can't even help yourselves."
Zarelion said with a spiteful look in his eyes as he rushed towards the eldar and she would jump at him planning to pierce him with her blades, But he rolled below her and threw his final frag grenade, the psyker marine was about to summon another shield but Zarelion would also throw his combat knife at the throat of the marine, causing the faster knife to strike and stop him from defending against the explosion that pushed him into the stairs as he fell down.
The marine used all his energy to request a teleportation and escape a sure death.
The eldar ran at him and attempted to stab him with her blades by using a plunging attack, Zarelion saw that as a meaningless attack as he thought that would be meaningless due to his dreadnaught armor, but he no longer wore it, a reflex that he had developed in his last life, instead he got stabbed on both shoulders, the blood would flow down his arms as the banshee stepped back, slashing back at him.
Zarelion blocked with his arms, but she aimed to harm his already bloodied left arm, feeling how every move she made was nauseating to him, the blood loss and constant attacks were slowly taking a tool on him, he took a knee from the sheer pain she was putting him on.
She saw an opening to stab him and finish him off once more, but it had to be none lethal and that small window she took to think was all that Zarelion needed, he ran at her with a tackle, slamming her into the ground and grabbing her left arm, bending it with both his right arm and his mangled left one, the arm of the eldar broke as she stabbed his thigh two times.
But Zarelion grabbed her next arm and broke it in the same manner, next he did the same to her legs to make sure she would not fight back as she begged for mercy, but the only Mercy Zarelion would grant her was death, and she reminded him too much of she who left him in a dreadnaught for him to forgive and grant mercy, he would leave her as the final victim.
While happened, the other trio would see the falling marine and run upwards with their guns out, except for Verly who ran upwards and slower as she was still filled with dread and fear.
The techpriest would aim his bolter gun only to receive a flying twinblade on his chest, followed by 3 plasma pulse rounds hitting his legs, moaning in pain before his bolter could even shoot, Vorkan managed to dodge the other flying Twinblade as his Gauss handcanon would shoot several times to take the legs or arms off Zarelion, but the marine was too fast and he was able to dodge and finding cover from the attacks of the inquisitor.
Vorkan ran at Zarelion to shot at close quarters, but Zarelion jumped over his cover and kicked his gun off his hands, Vorkan would punch Zarelions face, but he would grab him by the chest and lift him up, Vorkan used his necrodermis claws to attempt to wound and stop Zarelion's grab by harming the marine's nerves, but Zarelion slammed him into the ground.
Zarelion grabbed Vorkans arms and pulled them out by using all his might, leaving the necron in the ground as he stomped his feet on the necron chest and got into a mount, punching him repeatedly until he stopped moving, the sound of his mouth panting would follow, he had defeated them, technology, skills, teamwork, and strategy could not beat his experience of more than 3 thousand years.
A single breathing of liberation would follow, he was alive once more, he was still capable of fighting, he stood up and looked at the ceiling then at the city from the mirrors.
Zarelion grabbed the blades and grabbed the eldar by her mask, taking it off, ready to stab her and end her.
A cracking sound would follow as Zarelion was about to kill the Banshee.
"Stop this madness at once Zarelion!"
Verly spoke out, sweating buckets and panting upon looking at the massive marine, this man who just teared apart a whole kill team, Zarelion looked at her with amusement, for the first time in thousands of years he cracked a smile and for the first time in his lifetime as a marine he had a short laugh.
"Madness? I wake up in a new body thousands of years in the future, nothing of the imperium is the same, now humans and xenos walk around as friends as if they hadn't fought for thousands or even millions of years, yet almost all the loyal primarchs and even a traitor are back and they allowed this to happen, my chapter is gone and you expect me to not do the one thing I was made to do…"
Zarelion walked towards her as his smile dropped, her heartbeats raised.
"…Kill. your. Kind... so, enlighten me Xeno, how is anything that I have done more insane than that?"
Verly thought for a second and then with her heart in her throat spoke as sweat went down her forehead.
"…No, you are right, at least in the sense that this was to be expected of you, a man born to kill and hate in a Galaxy that likely won't ever use that, I guess it's obvious you would do the one thing you learned to do."
Zarelion looked at her curious, for him xenos were less than animals, and for the first time in his life, one of them seemed to make sense.
"I am sorry for not being more careful Zarelion of the black templars, I was too coward to speak out during your revival and suggest to find a slower introduction, if I had done so, then maybe your return to this life would have been smoother…you have my pity for th-"
A loud punch would strike right at the side of Verly, it was faster than any blur and she could not feel the strike coming or dodge it, even when she was a trained fire warrior, she could not hope to react, even if she found an opening to shot him with her gun, he would likely end her life there in a fast backhand before she could reach the trigger.
"Pity? I killed thousands of xenos, me and my brothers all did, we killed tau and eldars, humans we condemned as heretics regardless of if they had contact with xenos or daemons and if those were real accusations or not, and you DARE to pity me? You dare to think LESS of me? I was killing entire civilizations before your bloodline was even a concept, don't you dare think that I deserve pity for my actions, I enjoyed every single one of them."
Verly took another deep breath, the marine was no longer amused, one wrong move and she would be dead, with the mark of his fist in her face.
"No…you are right, you are despicable, and your actions are disgusting but…I pity not your actions, I pity your lack of choices."
Zarelion raised an eyebrow seemingly interested in her silly theory.
"You didnt get to choose your beliefs, your career, or your destiny, you were forced to learn a single way of living life from oppressive dictators who feed you the ideals that death and destruction would bring glory to your kind!
Verly raised her tone, her voice cracking ever so slightly but her determination shined this very moment.
"silence" Zalerion said, but Verly kept talking.
"Instead, you were killed and forcefully used as a dreadnaught!"
Verly took a step forward, dropping her gun as she did so.
"I said it was ENOUGH!" Zalerion said once more, this time upset and more menacingly, but Verly did not stop.
"You were forced to harm innocent humans alongside your brothers, despite your primordial responsibility being to protect mankind, for 3 thousand years you harmed when you wanted to help!"
Zalerion slammed his fist on the wall cracking it under his might but Verly barely flinched, still talking with the same determination.
"And now those skills meant to destroy have made you a loner, what path are you left with now Zalerion?"
Zalerion thought about a moment, his face looking down in frustration but before he could reply Verly spoke once more.
"You can redeem yourself, let me help you please! the other paths are madness and isolation and…none of those will help you Zalerion."
Verly said with emotion following her determination, the young tau truly wanted to save Zalerion despite what he had done, Zalerion looked towards the window, the Tau was right, there was no place for a man of hate and violence in this world, and he feared…for the first time he feared that no one would remember him, that no honor awaited him, he had always had hoped to be a hero of the imperium…now he was a victim of it.
There were no black templars anymore, the new citizens of the imperium had happiness and peace finally after so long…
He walked towards the window and shoots a single round from the plasma gun.
"I can still…join my brothers…this is not the future I had hoped for…but it seems to be the one mankind needed, and I am no longer needed."
Zalerion walked towards the window ready to join the sons of Dorn in the afterlife, hoping gravity would solve the issue of bringing him there, but Verly grabbed his hand and stopped him.
"Rogal Dorn would be disappointed to see one of his last sons giving up his responsibilities…you swore an oath to protect mankind and until you kill all its enemies…or protect all of the humans and their allies, then you cannot die Zalerion! make honor to the legend you were entombed within, be… Zalerion the hopeful one!"
Zalerion stood there, sensing her determination, for the first time, he admired a xeno for her determination and will, he smiled once more and walked towards her, allowing her to let go.
"You make a compelling argument… for now I will agree with you Tau".
A single talk would not make him change all his thought he had been forced to follow for so many years, but they cracked because of her.
There was a silence of mutual respect as Verly almost fell to her knees, she had used all her energy and somehow, she had managed to convince the space marine on something almost impossible.
"I KNEW YOU HAD IT IN YOU VERLY!"
Vorkan screamed at the top of his not existential lungs from facing down the floor, Verly yelped from the sudden noise and Zalerion picked him from the ground wondering how he was still active, the necron laughed in his metallic voice as he slowly came back to his senses, luckily, he would be able to protect Zalerion and allow Verly to work with his recovery.
In the grim darkness of the future there was only war and thirsting gods, but in the grim brightness of the distant future, there is hope for Zalerion the hopeful one once more…
Afternote from the author:
"Hey there! This is the first part of many I have planned for this fanfic, I am a bit of a rookie writer but I really hope you liked this!"
The idea came to me a long while ago when I was really into warhammer roleplaying (honestly I still am) and I had this conversation with other roleplayers about what would be a way for each faction to win, I had the idea that maybe if they all joined forces against the tyranids and chaos then they could have a chance, at the time however nobody really cared.
The idea lived rent free in my head for a long while until I decided to make a meme in the r/grimdank subreddit about it to translate my idea into memes, but the post did so well I said to myself: "might as well write about it!"
SO here we are, I really hope people like this story, I know it is silly and a little in conflict with the canon of 40k and I heavily doubt any of this will ever happen, but I don't give a damn and I can make up whatever I want for the fun of it anyways!
Sidenote: I plan on drawing the characters in my account of reddit eventually, for any case here is the meme I mentioned before: https//r/Grimdank/s/xSzw7e4ejF