A Fresh Infusion

The Strike Cruiser Retribution emerged from the Immaterium, warp-lightning flickering over the Geller field as it dissipated. Her colours were somewhat scarred, but the deep crimson was mostly clear, and the Chapter emblem of the Blood Ravens stood proud on the flanks of the vessel. Bow thrusters reoriented the Retribution star-ward, and the main drives pulsed to life, pushing away from the Mandeville Point, towards the mysterious rendezvous in-system. Chief Apothecary Aviram sat in a spartan cell, clad in a simple surplice, and pondered the events that had led him here.

The Chapter Fleet had had a bare minimum of warning before the Great Rift tore open, spilling warp storms throughout the galaxy. The vessels of the Blood Ravens had managed to complete an emergency translation to leave the Immaterium before the storms had overtaken them, but they had ended up scattered across half a sector, with no Astronomicon to guide their way. Cautious, short jumps eventually served to reunite most of the Fleet, though the ships with the Fifth Company had yet to rejoin; communications proved remarkably difficult. The Librarians, Astropaths, and Navigators all probed the currents of the Warp as best they could, but the Noctis Aeterna proved too dark to see very far. Still, cries for salvation did reach the Chapter, so Chapter Master Angelos committed the Fleet to the systems of the Havenesse Spiral to combat the invaders. The upper echelons feared that the campaign would ultimately prove futile, and the Blood Ravens would die with the worlds they defended, yet nevertheless stood fast in defense of Imperial subjects, their duty clear. All seemed lost. However, one day, the Astronomicon's light reached the Spiral again... and the invaders faded away like phantasms in the dawn. Battered, wounded, and exhausted, the Blood Ravens took heart in the fact that they were not alone. The Astronomicon may have flickered like a lighthouse seen across a stormy sea, but Holy Terra and the Imperium still stood.

Chapter Master Angelos sent the ships of the Fleet throughout the systems of the Spiral to appraise the situation, evaluate the defenses, assist with restoring law and order where needed, and to quietly look for new recruits to replenish the Chapter. While this was being coordinated from the Omnis Arcanum, a strange ship translated in-system, and approached the Blood Ravens, broadcasting codes that no-one had ever expected to hear. One of the Adeptus Custodes had arrived with news! He spoke only briefly, touching on the return of the Lord Guilliman and the creation of something new, before giving the Blood Ravens coordinates for a meeting in a few weeks' time, then the Custodian left. Knowing that the Chapter was still needed in the Spiral, Aviram volunteered to go alone, but ended up with an honour guard from the First Company and temporary command of the Retribution.

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After a couple days of sublight travel, Aviram was summoned to the bridge of the Strike Cruiser by a slightly awestruck serf. He glanced at the various vidscreens as he stepped up to the command throne, noting that they approached a massive Ark Mechanicus attended by ships of the Adeptus Astartes. The most prominent Chapter seemed to be the Ultramarines, but there were a few others that he did not recogize. The Retribution's mortal captain, a hard-faced women in her middle years, spoke in clipped Low Gothic, adjusting the ship's course with practiced ease. She turned to Aviram, switching to formal High Gothic, "My lord, the first leg of our journey is complete. The Thunderhawk is being prepared for you to travel to the Ark, and will be ready once we join the orbital stack."

"My thanks for an exceptionally smooth journey, Captain. It's a testament to the skill of you and your crew," Aviram replied, noting the bridge-crew standing a little straighter. He boarded the lift and returned to his chambers, where he donned his armour before he headed down to the Thunderhawk bays.

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An hour later, according to his armour's chronometer, the Chief Apothecary found himself walking the cavernous halls of the Ark, escorted by an Ultramarine battle-brother. Aviram's path crossed something unexpected, and time slowed as he automatically began a threat-assessment: apparent battle-brothers, taller and heavier than expected, warplate of an unfamiliar design that drew on Mark 8 stylings, helmets in a Mark 4 style clipped to waists, stowed boltguns that were longer than standard, his Ultramarine escort greeting the brothers with familiarity... Aviram blinked away the battle-trance, recogizing that he just had a case of heightened nerves after the gruelling campaign. These... Primaris Space Marines... were full battle-brothers of the Ultramarines. His escort turned and said "We've arrived, Chief Apothecary. The Magos awaits within." Nodding his thanks, Aviram stepped inside a laboratory.

"Welcome! I am Genetor Magos Biologis Eskarina 8 Theta!" A large cowled figure gestured from a desk covered in glassware and arcane devices. "Please state your name and Chapter affiliation."

"I am Chief Apothecary Aviram, of the Blood Ravens." He could only see one human eye, peeking out from the cowl and esoteric augmetics. Aviram couldn't guess how the Magos had originally appeared, before they had begun making adjustments to them-self.

"One moment, Chief Apothecary, whilst I sort through my records... Ah, here we are. May I take a sample to confirm that you are a member of the Blood Ravens?"

"Of course, Magos." Aviram stripped off a gauntlet and offered his hand to the waiting mechadendrite; with a quick flick, it stabbed into the ball of his thumb, sampling his blood. The blood in the puncture wound began to clot as soon as the needle withdrew; soon he would have a fresh scar. Aviram tugged his gauntlet back on, as the machine tested the sample. Soon it emitted a steady tone, and blinked green.

"Excellent, 98.976% compatible! Accounting for acceptable levels of genetic drift between the sample and the Blood Ravens gene-seed tithe, you are most certainly a Blood Raven. Now; to business. I regret that I do not have full battle-brothers prepared for your Chapter, Chief Apothecary; there are two reasons for this. Reason Primus: the Lord Guilliman wanted to begin with the Chapters that had provided gene-seed tithes since the beginning, the Ultramarines, the Imperial Fists, the Dark Angels, et cetera, et cetera, before moving on to Chapters from later Foundings. Reason Secundus: There are... irregularities... in the Martian records about the Blood Ravens." The Magos paused, weighing how best to explain them-self. "The records speak of a Chapter that is laudable, but all of the cross references link to datastacks that are damaged, or data crystals that are missing. Even the main record file only goes back to circa 700M41 - everything prior to that is sealed by the Fabricator General... and the Inquisition."

"That is consistent with our experiences," the Chief Apothecary admitted, suppressing his disappointment at the revelations. "But we still seek to find what knowledge we can..."

A brief buzz of binharic was emitted by the Magos, before they switched back to High Gothic. "Apologies, Chief Apothecary, but in my excitement, I forgot that you were not a tech-adept, since you captured the essence of the Quest for Knowledge so succinctly! In any case, rest assured that the Blood Ravens are held in good standing by the Adeptus Mechanicus. I have ten sets of gene-seed cultures prepared and stored in a stasis-vault. Further, I can authorize you to draw up to ten sets of Mark X power armour, and the accompanying bolt rifles." Eskarina handed Aviram a dataslate. "Here are the updated guidelines for implantation, along with suggested martial training routines, and technical specifications on the new Marks of arms and armour." The Magos' remaining eye took on a reverent light. "Handed down by the Lord Guilliman himself!"

No matter how many times he heard it, the Lord Guilliman hardly seemed real. "Thank you, Magos, I shall guard this with my life. None shall find the Blood Ravens wanting."

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Aviram sat in the hold of the Thunderhawk; an odd location for warp travel, perhaps, but he was unwilling to let the stasis-vault out of his sight for very long. He flicked through the documents on the dataslate, noting how the new organs interacted with the existing ones, and carefully reading about adverse affects to avoid. This Belisarius Cawl was an unorthodox fellow, that much was certain, but he had found a way to augment the superhuman Adeptus Astartes. How would these new battle-brothers change the Chapter? Would they help reveal anything about the Blood Ravens' past? Ultimately, these were questions for wiser heads than his. The Chief Apothecary had ten aspirants to find first.