Loyalty and Death

[shrike2214]

The start of a story based upon the Knights of Redemption (the fluff of which can be found in the + LIBER ASTARTES +)

 

Ranef Sturmhammer looked on at his pups training good bunch this lot he silently contemplated fast learners to boot, he grinned his now iron fangs glinting in the low light of the training hall, he paced the metallic floor drinking in every angle of his training pups barking orders about stance and poise as he watched one of his initiates was not responding to his orders as Ranef would have liked, ‘Bloody Falcor’ he growled under his breath. ‘Falcor!’ he bellowed loud enough to make the training halls plasteel walls rattle ‘Do you have a problem following my instruction?’

‘no my lord I was merely experimenting with a new stance’ The young initiate replied with a smirk Ranef felt his blood rise at the cheek of this young pup he stared at Falcor’s smirking face and he felt his anger grow further, he walked over to the training weapons, hardened wood batons he picked one and threw it to Falcor who plucked it from the air the self satisfied smirk growing Ranef took another baton

‘Ok whelp you think your techniques are better than mine?’

‘No, I didn’t mean..’

‘Silence! You obviously think you are my better so I shall give you the opportunity to show it!’ Ranef roared sending drops of spittle everywhere

Ranef lunged for the young initiate fully intending to strike him to the floor in one blow, these initiates has gone through some of the transition into a Space Marine the hardened bones, larger muscles and some of the rudimentary implants but still not full Space Marines, he swung the baton hard enough that it would stun and perhaps break the pups skull but not to kill, just before the baton connected with his skull it stopped dead Falcor was stood there with the baton stopping Ranef's training weapon cold, standing in his stance holding Ranef at bay, Ranef let his anger get the better of him and swung his baton catching Falcor on the knee cap, clever he may be fast he was not at least as fast as a Space Marine veteran, Falcor collapsed to the floor clutching his injured leg'

‘Right boy that is what you get for insolence’ he scolded and then remembered the boy’s stance had done its job ‘But well done I like new ideas as long as they are not used in place of my training’

Ranef offered his hand to Falcor to help him up the young pup took Ranef’s hand nodding his thanks

‘Don’t thank me just yet boy’ he snarled ‘one hundred laps of the training hall’. Falcor looked annoyed but didn’t want to do anything more to upset his lord and set off running as fast as his injured leg would let him.

‘The rest of you continue’ Ranef ordered as he walked away he caught the glint of his own metallic face in the mirrored walls, not for the first time he considered his now entirely bionic features it had only been ten years since he had lost his face, himself and his helm taking a glancing hit from a necron gauss rifle, but still he had fought on blinded and bleeding. Ranef had lost half of his face nose, eyes and even his lower jaw, taken totally out of existence all due to the necrons arcane technology and all replaced with some parts from the dull unknown metal of that same necrons evil skull shaped face, that had taken his thanks to the techmarines some people would call it heretical for him to have the face of an alien but to Ranef having the face of a necron would be the least of his worries were the inquisition to catch up with him, in truth it wasn’t the face he missed the most it was his fangs the same fangs that had grown during his time with his previous chapter they were replaced by iron indeed far more effective but the just didn’t feel like his even after ten years. Almost as bad as the teeth were the fact that he was missing his own eyes replaced with just two red optic sensors glowing in the socket where his, or rather the Necron’s eyes should be. After that battle he had been deemed unfit to return to combat and that insult still stung, but now he had accepted his place as a trainer of the initiates Old Ranef’s cubs he thought for a second, thats what they call the Space Marines trained by him and he liked it, well the Ranef’s Cubs part atlest. He was broken from his own thoughts by the chiming of the training bell signalling the end of this training session too bloody short these days he mentally grumbled.

 

They say that watching Astartes mobilize for war was one of two things for one it was awe inspiraing but also terryfying and Falcor could at this moment see both perspectives for on the one hand it struck a certan horror deep inside of him that such a force should ever need to exist to keep the relm safe but it was an awsome sight to behold the perfection of the ranks the orderd files of willing and utterly peerless warriors who would bring about death upon any foe that had a gall to stand before them they stood perfectly still like statues of gunmetal ceremite as Falcor looked on from the behind the glass sheilding of the observation platform he could hardly contain himself just with the prospect that he may one day become one of these demi-gods of battle. He and his fellow astartas to be or 'Ranefs Cubs' had rushed from the training halls to see this event take place there was a war due to be waged on the planet bellow some rumours he had heard said tyranids but this deep in the halo stars he doubted it, as and initiate he wasnt privy to the breifings so Falcor could only speculate. He turned to look at one of the pups 'What do you think five years time and that will be us?'

Skarl glanced at him sidelong

'Pff, for you try ten if you keep messing around with training like you do' He grumbeld paying more attention to what was going on on the embarkation deck than anything else

'Well yes and i would say twenty for you if you keep getting your arse kicked by Ruben' Falcor retorted 'The kids the damn youngest and smallest of the crop and he still manages to hand you your backside on a golden platter'

'I'll do the same to you if you dont shut the gak up!' came the higher than the norm voice of ruben

'Lets hope the genetic modification will help your balls drop!' Falcor called back

'Well...gak you...you gaking gak head!'

'Hum eloquent fellow' Skarl grumbeld

Sparring like this was common amongst the pups Falcor even belived that it helped them bond he knew that they would talk to eachother like this up untill the day that they were inducted into companys and even beyond that just as he knew in battle he would be able to count on all of them, or so he had been tought. Falcor was about to continue with the verbal barrage against eachother he opend his mouth just let lose an insult that he had been brewing for weeks when suddnely something stopped him dead in his tracks a rhythmical thud thud of steel meeting steel the whine of the blast doors openeing this couldnt be right all of the companys were assembald and ready to embark he leaned forward expectantly as if somehow by getting closer to the glass he would be able to magicly see around the corner of the blast door the thudding continued to grow in volume untill he saw them, there black armour as unreflectave as the nights sky seeming to drink the light adorned with gold and chains of pennance and parchments of past quests and deeds these were the FIrst, not just the first company but the first of the Kinghts the original founders of this secreteve chapter its secrets know onlto the First, Thirty warriors in black halted on the embarkation deck at the head of there gunmetal brethrin they snapped in attention pounding there fists on there breastplate in the sulute of untiy and the three hundred gatherd astartas followed suit, this could be intresting thought Falcor and his breath cought in his throat as a living legend stroad throught the blast doors his black terminator armor looking perectly crafted and adorned with just the right amount of ornimentation but for the way he carryed himself he would look like just one of the rank and file termintaors that were his huscarls, this was the hero of this particular crusade force this was Titus.

[Nacho Wolf]

Very nice, just one thing though, maybe you should put more commers and full stops in so it seems a bit more spread out.

Other than that though its really good, looking forward to more

[shrike2214]

Cheers mate, Yeah i think i end up getting into some sort of flow and unfortunatly my writing represents this in the fact that it is devoid of most if not all punctuation, I often have to ask a friend to proof read it for me haha

[Nacho Wolf]

Haha, my teacher just proof reads my stuff without asking... she acts as though its her job or something.