Shadow Keepers

[Shinzaren]

“Sir!” The private practically fell over himself running into the command center. The colonel barely looked up,

 

“Yes? What is it boy?” The Gunthern 334th had been engaged on this death ball for nearly a year, barely holding their own against the Orks they had been sent to combat. Colonel Wile Blakely had nearly lost hope in bloodbath when he had received reports nearly a week ago stating that some Eldar raiders had attacked the Orks on their flanks. The surprise reprieve granted to him by the Xenos battling each other had given him just enough time to regroup and prepare for his counter-attack, which was supposed to be beginning in less than an hour, assuming this private wasn’t bringing news that would alter the plan…

 

“It’s the Eldar sir! They’re being slaughtered, by…by…”

 

“By what boy!? Spit it out!” Wile had no time for this, if the Eldar failed to hold the flanks, the guardsmen spearhead would be over before it began.

 

“By Astartes sir…They came out of nowhere and began slaughtering the Eldar, almost ignoring the Orks…”

 

The colonel’s face drained of color, “What? But…why? If those Eldar fall, the Orks…they’ll…”

 

The private shook his head, “We don’t know sir, we’ve hailed the Marine fleet, but received no answer. Our first thought was they were Traitor filth, but they’re not killing our guardsmen, and they haven’t fired on the fleet in orbit… They transmitted all the correct fleet signals sir. They’re the Emperor’s Own, by they’ve nearly destroyed the Eldar sir, and reports are already coming in that the Orks are regrouping.”

 

“Emperor’s Blood! Those damn marines could cost us this whole damn planet! Get me their commander, NOW!” The private snapped a sharp salute and whipped around, bashing his face on the iron wall that had suddenly appeared in the doorway of the command tent. He grabbed his bloody nose and stared up, realizing for the first time that it was a man he run into, though much larger and more heavily armored than any man he had ever seen. The giant looked down at him behind a dark grey helmet, with glowing red eyes, then looked back at the colonel.

 

“That won’t be necessary commander. We are here.” The giant’s voiced was quiet, barely a whisper, with a slightly mechanical quality, no doubt the product of the vox-caster.

 

The colonel’s pale face was suddenly flushed with color, and he backed up a step, before regaining his composure. “Now listen here! I don’t care if you are Space Marines, you’ve probably killed us all! Those Eldar were holding our flanks! You‘ve killed our allies!” He hadn’t realized he was shouting till he noticed his private cowering on the ground, clutching his nose and staring at him with abject terror.

 

The giant said nothing, simply reached down and upholstered his bolt pistol, bringing it up and shooting the colonel in the face, the super sized round turning his head into a gout of blood and gore. The private, now nearly catatonic with fear, could only stare. The giant looked around at the assembled command staff, all of whom were simply staring in shock. He calmly holstered his bolt pistol, and stood motionless as another giant stepped into the now cramped tent.

 

Though slightly smaller than the first, this second visitor looked even more menacing. Like his brother, he had the same dark grey armor, though his was much lighter, having more in common with the storm trooper armor of the elite guardsmen than with his bulky brother. He had no helmet, and stared out at them with icy grey eyes. Crisscrossed along the small of his back were two knives, though to the guardsmen they could have easily been swords, and slung across his shoulders was what appeared to be a highly modified bolter, with a large silencer and bulky scope. The newcomer looked at the now headless corpse and turned to the rest of the commanders.

 

“I am Captain Irriaz Shezz’ah, of the Shadow Keepers, and this is the fate of all who conspire with the Eldar. Note this well: they are liars, backstabbers, and murderers without honor or loyalty. To court their attention and favor is to embrace the most foul of heresy. I trust this lesson has been well learned?”

 

The commanders said nothing, just nodded vigorously and tried not to meet his cold gaze.

 

“Now, I understand Orks are massing to the East, we will deploy to mee…” He stopped mid sentence, “Yes?” It appeared he was talking to no one. “Understood.” He nodded to his companion, and without another word, they both walked out of the tent. As if released by some spell the remaining commanders suddenly erupted.

 

“Wait! What is your plan for the Orks! Astartes! Wait!”

 

Irriaz was already on the ramp of his Thunderhawk when he turned back. “The Eldar have been sighted on the third moon of this planet, and we move to engage them as we speak. The Orks are no concern of mine. You will deal with them as you were ordered.” With that, he turned back around and boarded the extraction ship, leaving the commanders dumbfounded on the flight deck.

 

Sitting in contemplation for the trip back to his strike cruiser, Irriaz ran over the data pad he had been handed. The planet would most likely fall, the guardsmen would be unable to hold off the Orks without reinforcement. Still, Irriaz didn’t hesitate to order his men off world and towards the small moon of Hughes. The Eldar were his concern, and he would not abide their presence. Instead, he had his astropaths send out a message requesting aid for the doomed planet, though it was unlikely they would arrive in time. Clearing the guardsmen from his thoughts, he turned his attention of the information they had on the Eldar. His scouts had reconned what they could. It appeared the Eldar had a small forward base set up, and had constructed links to their damnable web way. Those would need to be destroyed first, lest they be used to summon reinforcements. They would begin their assault in two days, Irriaz having been given command of both his 10th company scouts, as well as several squads from the 4th company. Captain Descio had offered them without complaint when Irriaz had requested them, knowing it would bring much honor on his company to destroy the Eldar.

 

As the Thunderhawk docked with the Shadow Blade, the 10th companies strike cruiser, Irriaz thought of what he would use the two days he had for. He decided upon a training regime for his initiates, enlisting the brothers of the 4th to aid him. An exercise against full brothers was rare, and Irriaz welcomed the opportunity to train his scouts.

 

He exited the gunship and made his way down the corridors, walking silently, despite his size and armor. He came up behind an initiate, barely a year in, not even having been fully conditioned yet, who was walking towards the mess. He noticed with the eyes of experience how clumsy the boy was, though he was clearly trying to be silent. His steps were loud in the quiet hallways, echoing off the durasteel walls, and he wasn’t checking behind him, as all Shadow Keepers were taught to do. Irriaz silently made his way up behind the initiate and cuffed him on the back of the head. Though a light blow for an Astartes, to the unprepared boy, it was a hammer blow to his skull, knocking him forward and off balance. He rolled, and spun, rising into a combat crouch, before he realized who had struck him.

 

“Captain! I did not know it was you. Forgive me.” The boy straightened immediately and bowed his head. He dared not meet the captain’s eyes, lest he receive another hammer blow.

 

“Name, initiate?” Irriaz stood in a relaxed posture, though he still commanded authority.

 

“I am Jull Thoo, of the planet Sinead.”

 

“Sinead? You hail from my people. A shame they have fallen so low as this.”

 

“I…yes Captain.”

 

“Why did I strike you initiate?”

 

“Because you are able to sir. A Keeper must never be caught unaware; for unawareness is death.”

 

Irriaz nodded approvingly. “So you can recite the Book. What did Nikolai the First say about being caught from behind?”

 

The initiate paused for a moment, recalling what he had been taught. “To bear a blow from behind is to show your back to the enemy. Even when retreating, never allow the enemy to see your back, and never allow him to strike you there. Face always the enemies of the Emperor, so that they see the resolve in your eyes.”

 

“Indeed boy, and yet you allowed yourself to be caught, why?” Irriaz was, first and foremost, a teacher to the new blood of the chapter, both in battle and without.

 

“I was clumsy Captain, in both my attention and in my movement. My lapse is inexcusable.”

 

“Indeed it is. Report to the Reclusiam for penance, tell Chaplain Ithus what transpired and let him see to your punishment.”

 

“As you say Captain.” The boy snapped a fast salute and hurried off, this time being sure to cast a constant eye behind him, and to walk slightly more carefully.

 

A day later, Irriaz entered the training hall of his great vessel, preparing to engage some of his brothers from the 4th in hand to hand combat, hoping to test Descio’s company. When he entered, he saw Astartes scattered among the equipment and sparring rooms, all dressed in the same shadowy grey formfitting robes, and all engaging in some form of combat training. He noticed the boy, Jull, training in weapons combat with other initiates, hacking and slashing with the plasteel chainsword. Deciding to set aside his bout with the 4th for a moment, Irriaz instead headed towards the initiates, who were being watched over by Veteran Sergeant Kogun.

 

“Kogun, how fare this latest group of initiates?”

 

Kogun gave a quick salute before turning back to this trainees. He spoke deliberately loudly, “Pathetic milord. Each Choosing is more useless than the last. I doubt we have even a single true Astartes here.” As expected the young trainees all grew tight lipped and angry, and each launched ever more daring and vicious attacks on his partner, intending to prove their worth before their Sergeant and their Captain.

 

Irriaz watched the time tested method unfold, seeing each boy and noting which ones held promise. Despite his misgiving Jull, was performing admirably, twisting his opponent, throwing him off balance while he swept his blade low and took out the knee, before following with a sharp chop to the throat, leaving the other trainee gasping for breath and clutching his throat. Kogun nodded in approval, and turned to Irriaz,

 

“Initiate Thoo shows most promise of this new group, though his skill outside the ring are slow to advance. It is nearly time for me to step in and demonstrate how a true Astartes fights, lest his head swells too much. “ He whispered this, never letting on to the trainees that he thought they had any potential.

 

Irriaz nodded, “if I might take your place in this sergeant? Sometimes I think my blade arms grow dull.”

 

Kogun could only nod, “As you wish Captain.” He then turned back to his charges. “Trainees, clear the mat. The Captain himself will be training you today.”

 

Irriaz stepped forward, and looked at the assembled initiates. “You have all been trained by the best, Kogun himself, whom I once trained. It is obvious your skills with blade and bolter are all very fine, but how would you fare against a non-Astartes, an Eldar Striking Scorpion perhaps?”

 

The initiates glanced at each for a moment, before Jull spoke up, “We would destroy them, as we destroy all the enemies of Man.”

 

Irriaz laughed mirthlessly, “Indeed, step forward then boy. What weapon does the Scorpion use?”

 

“The chainsword and the shuriken pistol. With devious coward's weapons attached to his helmet.” Jull answered quickly, reciting the passages he had been taught.

 

“And what weaknesses does the Scorpion have?”

 

“The same weaknesses as all Eldar, they are cowards, who fight head on as a last resort. They are frail creatures, unable to stand our Emperor gifted strength, and their helmets rely on focused psychic power, unable to fire should their concentration be suitably disrupted.”

 

“Straight from the lessons themselves. Come then, I have battled Scorpions for nearly 300 years, and I will fight as they fight.” Irriaz took up a mock shuriken pistol, and a chainsword, while Jull grabbed a chainsword of his own. They each headed towards the center of the square, and when Kogun gave the signal, attacked. Jull launched out immediately, slicing sideways with his chainsword, while punching forward with his off hand. Irriaz bent back, slipping under the blow, while striking down hard with his own blade, slamming it into his opponent’s calf hard enough to break even the reinforced femur. He let the blow pull him into a spin, twirling the blade around for a second strike to Jull’s now open right arm; again breaking the bone with the force. His motion finally stopped with his pistol pointed directly at the now sprawled out trainee.

 

Jull’s face was a grimace of pain, but he said nothing, staring up at the commander. Irriaz looked down at the fallen initiate, before pulling back to a relaxed position. “This must be your truest lesson. The Eldar are vile, traitorous, hateful beings who seek nothing less than the domination of mankind. They are cowardly and weak, incapable of destroying us on their own.” He paused for a moment, before looking around the training hall, noting that all the eyes were now upon him. He continued, “however, they are skilled and technically advanced opponents, who devote themselves to their way of war with a single minded determination that would befit an Astartes. Never underestimate them, or instead of broken bones, you will have missing limbs.”

 

He raised his voice so everyone could hear him. “Never forget the shame we endured, millennia ago, when the Biel Tan nearly destroyed us. Pursued for nearly a decade, we hid like cowards, doing anything we could to survive. Chased like rats across the sector, we learned to ambush and destroy. But we gave up honor, and our pride. Never again can we call on Dorn to witness our great deeds, for we turned from his eyes. Never again can we attend the Feast of Blades, for we have dishonored ourselves. Only in the complete destruction of the Eldar race can we be redeemed, and only by drowning them in the blood of the Xenos can our shames be cleansed. The Eldar are our sworn enemy, and just our ancestors destroyed the hated Craftworld of Ya’Jalden and earned the hatred of their entire race, so we shall cleanse them from the moon tomorrow. Prepare yourselves, for a little more of our blood debt shall indeed be paid in this battle.”

 

The assembled marines all nodded, and slowly trickled out of the hall, leaving Kogun, Irriaz, and the trainees alone. Jull had been taken to the Infirmary, where the apothecaries would ensure his bones healed properly. Irriaz nodded at the initiates, and then left, leaving Kogun to finish the lessons he had begun.

 

The next day, after completing a rigorous training regime that pitted the 4th against the 10th in a mock battle, Irriaz was evaluating the performance of his Scouts. Squad Hicus had performed with extreme precision, and Irriaz determined that following this battle, he would promote them to full battle brothers and find a company for them, hopefully with the 4th, with whom they had developed a good relationship. The 4th themselves had given a superb accounting, decimating the larger scout forces, with Keepers trademarked tactics of stealth, subterfuge, and ambush. Irriaz had been especially impressed by Squad Therrian, whose sergeant lead them on a daring raid behind enemy lines to eliminate the scout commander, Kogun. Irriaz was impressed enough that he put in a request for transfer, asking Descio to allow him to make the Sergeant a trainer. He was finalizing the last of his notes when his vox system crackled to life,

 

“Captain, we have arrived in orbit around the moon, and are ready to begin. There is also a message for you on the bridge sir, it’s urgent.” Irriaz didn’t replay, just donned his armor and weapons and made his way to the bridge. He moved to the Astropath and listened to the message.

 

“Shadow Keepers. This is Captain Dorgian of the Angels of Fire. We arrived on Locasa and found it overrun with Orks, with no sign of the guardsmen surviving. We found only a broken vox caster constantly repeating a message calling for deaths of the Shadow Keepers, and have passed it on to the Inquisition for analysis. We have begun cleansing the planet, and send this message to inform you that your distress call was heard and acknowledged; and to warn you of the message. Emperor protect.”

 

Irriaz acknowledged the message with a scoff, before turning to the battle at hand. He had already covered the plan with his men, and as he moved towards the launch bays, he tried to remember if there was anything he had forgotten. Not thinking of anything, he joined his command squad, and boarded the Drop Pod, where he waited for the Strike Cruiser to launch him into battle. As his brothers intoned prayer of hatred against the Xenos, they fired into the thing atmosphere of moon.

 

With the scream of drop pods and the road of Thunderhawks, the assault begun. In a shower of light and death, the Shadow Keepers descended upon Hughes, and battle with the Eldar was joined. Instead the heavily buffeted pod, Irriaz and his men checked their weapons, and as the Pod came to a roaring, slamming stop, they blew their harnesses and charged out into the thick of battle. With a roar of bolters the Shadow Keepers began their attack…

 

 

 

Like the title says, Iron Gauntlet 5th Challenge Story. Decided to not show any battles with this one, figuring everyone has seen enough of marines killing everyone.

[Lysimachus]

Really nice, Shinzaren. Different from the usual stuff, which is always good, and shows off the character of your Chapter in a clear but concise way. Overall, very clever!

 

Might be worth checking for typos, though. Think there were 1 or 2 bits - e.g. very last paragraph: I'm guessing it should be 'Inside the heavily...' not 'Instead...'?

[Shinzaren]

Yeah haha, I'll edit it when i get a chance. I knocked this out during some between homework downtime and the end was quite rushed. Apologies, I am usually fairly good about those. This last semester of college is gonna be a pain though haha....