My Black Razor.

[Newtype]

Well I've added some paint to my Company Champion. I decided to go with the bone colour with a small amount of accent colour.

Here he is:

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n212/Donnewtype/Space%20Marines/ChampionWIP6.jpg

 

and:

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n212/Donnewtype/Space%20Marines/ChampionWIP5.jpg

 

Also some writing to give some history and life to my small band of plastic men.

 

 

THREATS

“Incoming ship Captain!” Brother Delion yelled out from the Damocles Command Rhino just as the Tau group was halfway to their position. “It’s Xyleon.”

 

"Drokk!” Jorgen swore. “Crag that Tech-Priest!” His voice carried across the open ground.

 

“They heard that.” Brother Champion Orthon said from above and behind; pointing to the group as it broke into a run.

 

“Then we can dispense with formal introductions.”

 

Jorgen had negotiated this meeting to inform the Tau what he intended to do, and had picked this dry lake basin because of sight lines and accessibility. The Damocles along with the Rhino carrying Tagg and three members of his Command Squad arrived early, giving Jorgen time to go over the decision he had made.

 

After six minutes, Brother Delion in the Damocles picked up the Orca dropship as it came into range. With the Rhinos parked back to back and the rear ramps deployed, Tagg and his men had gotten out and stood waiting as the Orca came into land four hundred meters away. The Convoy Commander, Fire Warrior escort and advisor group were half way to the Rhinos when Tagg let his anger get the better of him.

 

The Tau covered the remaining distance quickly; coming to a halt a few meters in front of the four marines. Tagg, Champion Orthon, Veterans Tartel and Dravik watched as the Convoy Commander moved to the front of the advisor group along with her Fire Warrior Captain.

 

They stepped up to Jorgen with the Fire Warrior, Shas’Vre Sa’cea Kais vok, acknowledging the marines with a nod of his helmet.

 

“There was great anger in those words, Honoured Tagg." The Commander pulled her helmet off and slowed her breathing with a couple of deep lungs full of unfiltered air, "What has happened?"

 

"We are going to have unwelcomed company in a moment, so I will be quick.” Tagg watched her face. “Honoured Shas'El Sa’cea Nydras Tal'un, inform your ships that they can leave this system as soon as they are ready. I will not aid the Admech and I will not allow them to seize your ships.”

 

Jorgen guessed at the emotions playing across the features of the Commander; surprise, disbelief, confusion? Tau emotions were difficult to read, but he did recognize one that appeared common to both species, shock.

 

Behind her he could see the Humans and Tau of the advisor group look at each other in surprise. He turned to the Damocles as the driver emerged to man the copula mounted storm bolter.

 

“How long do we have Brother Delion?” he shouted.

 

“One to two minutes for visual range, and approaching from the North West.”

 

Champion Orthon, fully two heads taller than Tagg, turned to search the distant line of foothills. A giant at puberty when recruited, he reacted to the gene seed implantation and genetic restructuring by growing even bigger; becoming larger than anything the Apothecaries had ever seen.

 

Now three meters tall and almost two meters at the shoulders, he was too bulky even for terminator armour. He wore a combination of terminator armour and power armour fabricated by Master of the Forge Hollis himself. Its stark bleached colour contrasting against the black armour of Tagg, Tartel and Dravik.

 

Orthon had earned the position of Company Champion in single combat against a Tyranid Cariflex, and had his armour rendered white to mourn the loss of his brethren and the thousands that died in that long ago battle.

 

Tartel and Dravik wore the white shoulder guard of the Veteran Company on one side and the Crux Terminatrix on the other. Their black power amour was remarkably unadorned given the honours they had each earned. This matched Tagg's decision to remove the overt symbolism of rank and title from his own armour several decades ago.

 

His only adornment was the Crux Terminatrix displayed on his right shoulder guard. The long conflict with the Admech had made him think of that symbol and the Imperial Aquila as the only symbols that should matter. The other icons, titles and names should never take greater prominence than the Imperial Eagle; it leads to thinking one is better than those they were created to defend.

 

“I do not understand. Why are you letting us go Tagg?” Kais vok asked. “Your honour has been proven beyond any doubt. But what you are doing now goes beyond any debt that could ever be repaid.”

 

Jorgen was scanning the North West sky as well as Orthon. “Because I will not kill someone who stood with us, sacrificing their lives as well, so that all of us could see another day.” He looked across the Tau party and caught the gaze of a senior human adviser who stood within the group.

 

“Even if they are traitors and xenos to the rest of the Imperium.”

 

The elderly but still powerfully built human did not turn away from the marine, but instead acknowledged the Captain’s comment with a respectful bow of his head.

 

He looked at the Shas'El. “I am also very tired of killing those we were created to defend and protect. The Emperor did not make us automatons; he gave us minds and souls. Those things have to matter; otherwise we would not be worthy of his grace.”

 

“Your decision has been relayed to my command ship honoured Tagg. But your Admech will never allow us to leave when they learn of you decision. What then?”

 

“We fight our way out."

 

A minute passed before they sighted the Admech ship on the horizon and watched it grow larger as it approached fast and low. A small tactical transport, it came directly towards them and started its deceleration. The sonic boom washed across them as it passed overhead and then sharply banked to circle around their position.

 

It was larger than the Tau Orca and had the unsophisticated appearance of a brick as it circled. The hull plating was crimson and maintained to standards that the Black Razor had been unable to keep for a long time. Across the hull were equipment trenches, sensor clusters, weapon ports and other systems.

 

“Cragged Cog heads.”

 

“Silence Brother Dravik” chided Champion Orthon. “We are still friends at this moment."

 

Its horizontal velocity dropped to zero as it came around a third time and then initiated the landing sequence. Lunes of dirt, grass and fine stone formed; revealing the intersecting spherical boundaries of repulsor and power fields that cushioned the landing of the ship as it touched down three hundred meters from the Rhinos and directly opposite to the Orca.

 

With the landing thrusters winding down, Tagg saw boarding ramps unlock and freefall to the ground. Moments later he picked up the drumming of heavy armoured boots running down those ramps as four squads of Skitarii fanned out from the ship. At a full run they advanced directly towards his group and halted twenty meters from where they stood.

 

Tagg heard Tal'un give the order to have all weapons and drone systems armed and ready to deploy. He tapped the vox gem to the monitored unit frequency. "Dellion, monitor everything you can. Brother Cron, be ready to screen us if things turn ugly."

 

The Fire Warriors formed up tighter around the Tau Commander and the advisor group, guns held at the ready.

 

“The Emperor will be with us Captain.”

 

“I hope so Orthon. Otherwise we die here.”

 

A slight breeze blew dust across the open ground as Xyleon and a personal guard approached. The Skitarii parted to allow their High Priest through.

 

'At least one part of him is still organic.' Tagg thought as he picked out a partial face and one human eye under the cowl that surrounded the head of the Tech-Priest. He ‘walked’ right up to Tagg; though it was not human limbs that propelled the Tech-Priest from the way the long crimson robes rippled.

 

Three close combat servitors stood behind their master and focused on Tagg as Xyleon looked the Marine Captain up and down and then screamed at him through a synthetic vox unit that hissed with anger.

 

"You have failed to follow a lawful and codified order of the Machine God Astartes! You are bound by oaths to carry out the will of the Omnisiah when requested to do so! If you do not immediately follow…”

 

“Shut your drokk hole Xyleon!" He did not hold his anger back now. "You do not order me to do anything! If I do not give them a chance to choose their own destiny, I will be insulting the honour of those who fought and died here. They earned it and you will not do anything to prevent that.”

 

“Do not tell the Omnisiah what to do Astartes! The noose that is around your Chapter’s neck is tightening even now. I give you one chance Marine!”

 

Tagg stared into that one real eye and saw the same mad gleam that he had seen in the eyes of Chaos Marines, but there was something else. He could sense it, almost see it behind the red lenses of the optical cluster that formed the other half of the Tech-Priests face.

 

Staring back at him was a presence. A presence that viewed him as though he was nothing more than an insect; a dark, cold and merciless presence that viewed everything as...

 

“Chaos take you and your Omnisiah!” Tagg snarled back at Xyleon; he had had enough of this, “If you move against the Tau Convoy, I will order my men to open fire on every Admech ship that is within weapons range. And if the Emperor wills it, I will make sure that you are the last one killed.” Then without taking his eyes off Xyleon, he addressed the Tau behind him.

 

"Shas'El Sa’cea Nydras Tal'un, I gave you my word that you would have the chance to go home. Do not waste it!”

 

‘This is it’ he thought, no longer hiding his anger and contempt towards the Tech-Priest and his Machine God.

 

“For the greater good.” Kais vok said as everyone tensed, preparing to kill and be killed. Xyleon took one step towards Tagg then froze.

 

A high pitch screech broadcast itself from within the cowl of the Priest. Made up of multiple tones and pulses that cascaded up and down in intensity and frequency, there were stops and pauses that made it resemble a recorded conversation played back at very high speed.

 

Tagg recognized that. It was the same speech the Tech Marines used in interrogating the machine spirits of Astartes equipment. ‘What just happened?’ He thought.

 

“Have you confirmed it? I will return.” Xyleon vocalized in high gothic.

 

He drew himself up to his full height, which took him above Tagg’s head. The physical posturing failed to impress or intimidate Jorgen. In fact all it did was confirm that his decision was right.

 

"You will pay for those treasonous words Astartes! You will answer to the Machine God!” He pivoted and returned to his ship. In less than fifteen minutes, vegetation, dirt and stones were blowing past the Marines and Tau as the Admech ship lifted at full power.

 

“What just happened?” Brother Dravik asked, uncertainty giving his question an ominous tone.

 

“Something bad I think Captain.” Orthon said with equal weight.

 

“Yes, you may be right my old friend. Brother Delion!”

 

“Yes Captain?” Delion had taken up a defensive position at the rear corner of the Damocles when the Admech approached. He moved to join his Captain.

 

“Contact every ship you are able to. But for the Emperor’s Grace, we should be dead and I need to know why we are not. Instruct all Captains to be on alert and monitor all Admech activity. Shas’El; if you are to see another day then get your convoy moving.”