Forever in Service.

[khrone]

This is the first part of a story I am writing about the Chief Librarian of my homebrew chapter who believes he must save the imperium from a threat that no one will believe even exists.

 

Prologue

PAVEL TOOK A deep breath before he entered the drop pod. He never quiet liked the idea of literally being ‘fired’ at the enemy. His squad mates were already in their allocated positions in the capsule, as the squad leader he entered last and ensured that everyone else was safely strapped in and any safety checks that they could perform themselves had been done as best as possible. He sounded off one last confirmation call, nine positive returns; all clear. He pulled the harness down over his shoulders. He took another deep breath as the clamps closed tight around him. They held him firmly in place against the centre of the drop pod, short of a severe malfunction they were not going anywhere until they reached the surface and as the entry ramps closed up in front of him Pavel recited a silent prayer to the Emperor, hoping that in the five minutes until their ‘launch’ nothing drastic would go wrong.

 

Taking a few seconds to observe the life signs of his squad, himself included, on his heads-up-display, he noticed that his heart rate was slightly higher than most of the squad, except for Yuri, ‘Calm yourself brother’ said Pavel in the language of his people, the Novgoro, ‘Spasibo.’ replied Yuri as he took several deep breaths, if anyone liked drop pods less than Pavel it was Yuri. ‘It’s rude to speak in mother tongues Pavel, you should know better.’ Calum announced jokingly. The Astartes, to Pavel’s immediate left, was from Fian stock and carried the squads melta, if the one shot variant bolter counted as a melta. ‘Excuse us brother, had I known you were listening I would have said something more important, like how Yuri has yet to lose to you in the sparring ring.’ countered Pavel, he knew that Calum was as fluent in the Novgorian tongue as any native born, but the jokes were just his way of dealing with stress.

 

‘That may be true but I am still best shot in this little group.’ This was very true indeed, Yuri may be able to put Calum on his back in the rings and although he was also a fine shot, much the same as the rest of the squad, Calum was one of the best shots Pavel had ever seen and he had been the ruin of many a tank or walker with his melta. While they were all excellent shots they would all stand aside when Cyrus approached the ranges. He was the best shot in the entire Chapter, bar the Grandmaster of course, and would be part of the Sternguard, probably head of the section, if it was not for his attitude.

 

No matter how much he hated entering a battlefield via drop pod Pavel had to admit that their mode of transportation did allow them to get in the right position for almost any situation; today should prove no different, and if the briefing was to believed their role in the mission should be a walk in the park.

Pavel and his brothers were part of the element of Inner Circle knights that were accompanying Chief Librarian Kale on his mission. Pavel felt pride swell in his chest at the honour of being selected but also a pang of sadness knowing that others would be fighting under the Grand Master, a true knight and the glories won at his side would truly be great. His squad were members of what was known as the Sternguard, or rather firearm specialists within the Inner Circle. They were the best shots in the chapter and the counterweight to the Vanguard squads, who preferred to literally get to grips with their opponents before tearing them apart. Pavel and his brothers had seen their share of close quarters fighting there was no doubt about that, they would probably see some today, but once the initial melee was over his squad was to hold

their position and use their fire power to hold back the enemy’s counter attacks, if they mounted any, while Kale and his men secured their objective.

 

The men selected to aid Kale in his part of the mission were a mixed group of Stern- and Vanguards, each personally selected by the Librarian. The rest of the strike force was comprised of squads from house Almani but the other houses were represented too, the Inner Circle was itself a combination of the best from each house. Not all the squads abroad the strike cruiser would be making the journey planet side, only Kale with Talon squad, Pavel and his men, designated Shield and an Almani Tactical

squad designated Sword.

 

The timer on Pavel’s visor counted down steadily until the digits all read zero and a huge bang announced their departure from their strike cruiser Unending Vigilance. Their destination was an imperial tomb world, fittingly, called Silence. The forces led by Kale were here to secure something from within the depths of the planet. Kale had been secretive about the whole thing when he had addressed them all the day before, simply asking that they all trust him and have faith that what he did was for the Emperor and the Imperium at large. Pavel wasn’t sure what to make of the shadowy Librarian but he had faith in his Chapter and knew that whatever his masters commanded was surely the best way to serve the Emperor.

 

The drop pod rattled and buckled as it plunged through the atmosphere towards the compound that his brothers and the other squads would secure and hold until retrieval while Kale sought his prize. Pavel counted down the second until finally a heavy thump hit the pod as its retro burners fired to slow their velocity before they smashed to pieces on the ground. Then another thump hit as they landed, jarring Pavel’s helmet against the restraints and shaking his bones. The locks on the ramps opened and the drop pod opened like a flower. Pavel and his squad leapt from the transport and he was shocked by what lay before them...

 

***

PHILLIP GAZED UP at the bright sky over Silence. He was taking a momentary break from patrolling the compound. It was a beautiful day and Phillip thanked the Emperor once more that he had been stationed here, as a custodian of the dead, rather than on some death world somewhere fighting for his life against blood crazed Orks or demented heretics or who knows what other brutal enemy. Not that he was afraid to face the Emperor’s enemies, as he had many times before and had the scars to prove it, he was simply happy to live out the rest of his days here on Silence. He had seen enough fighting in his fifty five years and after all someone had to watch over the dead here, his brothers in arms, killed fending off incursions into Imperial Space and spreading the Emperor’s light as much as possible, inch by blood soaked inch.

 

He started to patrol his section of the fence again; others were doing the same in other areas of the compound all along the fence and watchmen in the towers would provide as much firepower as would be needed should anything attack from the air. The compound was all that remained of the once expansive Guard presence here but after new planets had been reclaimed and the frontier stretched further and further out Silence had become a tomb world. The dead from countless battles sent here to rest quietly, to be honoured by their comrades and the few pilgrims who make it this far out into the north eastern frontiers.

 

The most notable visitors Phillip had ever seen visit the compound were an ecclesiastical group who came to honour the dead of one of the companies buried here but that had been nearly a year ago and their shuttle had left as soon after the ceremony as possible, he had seen it take off and soar into the sky himself.

He and his comrades were here to guard this facility and ensure no one came to plunder whatever treasures the dead had buried with them, which in truth were very few and far between, but every now and again some rouge trader or pirate would appear and attempt to pick up some treasure. Usually there was very little trouble once they realised that someone still guarded the graves but the guards had been forced to react forcibly on more than one occasion.

 

Phillip had also seen a few stranger groups arrive, usually in small numbers five or six at the most, there was never a great deal done to honour these new guests, orders were generally just to ignore them and not get in the way. Phillip had no idea who they were but he didn’t care as long as they kept out of trouble and considering they were some of the few people to ever go below ground he figured it was best not to ask many questions as he and his comrades had been ordered to keep above ground at all times.

 

Phillip was about half way through his next lap of the area when he gazed up into the sky. Between a break in the clouds he could barely make out a distant shape, dark against the blue sky but so impossibly far away. If he wasn’t looking directly at it he would have missed it then he saw what looked like a small collection of comets falling through the clouds towards Silence. He stopped dead in his tracks, just about dropping his weapon in shock, watching the falling balls of flame and came to the rather shocking realisation, they were falling right towards the compound. Then remembered he had seen something like this before, when he first joined the guard so many years ago, Astartes drop pods. ‘Command, Command! This is Crixo. We have incoming! I count three contacts approaching fast...’ Phillip fell to the ground as the impact of one of the drop pods hitting the earth, a dozen meters from him, rocked the ground he stood upon and knocked him off balance. He gazed in horror as the ramps of the pods fell from the sides of it and warriors, unimaginably tall and clad in gleaming white armour with gold ornamentation and blood coloured firearms, poured out of the machine.

 

He saw the sirens all over the compound begin to light up and their wailing just about made it through his shocked hearing. The doors to the subterranean levels of the compound began to grind together. He counted three drop pods scattered across the courtyard. They were tall and red with trimming the colour of bone. He saw one of the warriors of the nearest pod stride forward and level an adapted bolter and he recognised the white hot gout of energy of a melta weapon as the doors were boiled down to almost nothing. After their destruction a group of marines ran into the smoking hole, firing at the men on the other side, they moved with a definite purpose, they were looking for something.

 

Phillip looked up and met the gaze of a warrior from the nearest drop pod; his bolter was half raised as if he was second thinking firing the weapon for a fraction of a second. The last sight Phillip Crixo saw was the warrior in front of him levelling his bolter and sending him to meet the comrades he had watched over for so long.

 

***

 

SOMETHING WAS WRONG here. Pavel was expecting to be landing among the enemies of the Emperor, thinking maybe the world had been taken over by heretical forces or turned renegade, not Imperial guardsmen, who were as shocked to see him as he was to see them, if not more so. Pavel froze for a split second before he heard Calum let loose with his melta, which brought an end to the heavy set door guarding the lower levels of the facility. Pavel looked at the old guardsman lying on the ground a short distance from him. He could see the shock in his eyes, the grey in his hair and the confusion on his face. Was he an enemy? What was going on here? But a battlefield is no place to question yourself and the noise of firearms and sirens was growing by the second the battle was in full swing as other guardsmen emerged from their barracks and some tried to hold the ruined door. Pavel raised his bolter and ended the old man’s life.

 

Pavel searched for more targets and spotted a tower a few dozen meters down the fence, its occupant hastily turning the mounted stubber to target the enemy within the compound. Pavel dropped to one knee and sighted the target. The kick of the bolter felt reassuring as it spat a bolt that would drop the gunner. Suddenly a squad of soldiers appeared from around a group of outhouses he sighted them down his scope and fired on semi-auto, one bolt for each guardsman, six in all. The kick of the recoil and the bark of his bolter eased the confusion in his mind, he would not have been ordered to do this if was not in service of the Emperor.

 

He turned in time to see Kale and his men, Talon squad, engage the defenders on the inside of the gateway. A number of explosions and loud screams assured Pavel that a few grenades had been needed to dislodge the defenders. He noticed that Kale had stopped outside the gateway once the screams had died, his squad had charged through to finish off the survivors, and the Librarian was looking directly at him. ‘Good job Pavel the area is secured. I will take Talon squad and complete our mission. Retrieval boat should be here in thirty minutes, you’re in command until I return and if we are not back by the time the boat gets here get off this rock...then destroy any evidence we were here.’

‘Understood sir.’ replied Pavel in masked disbelief, what was going on here? He thought.

‘Have no doubts brother what we do here is for the good of the Imperium.’ It took Pavel a moment to realise that the Librarian’s last comment hadn’t come from across the comm. it had come from inside his head. Pavel turned to ensure all the remaining marines from Sword and Shield were in place before finally allowing a shiver of cold dread flow down his spine.

 

***

TALON SQUAD HAD made short work of the defenders on the inside of the door by the time Kale strode through the wreckage. He had to reassure Pavel, the sergeant of Shield squad, before he entered. Kale knew the sergeant could be trusted to do his duty but he would need an explanation once this was over, if Kale made it back that was. Thirty minutes was not a long time but any longer than that and the game would be up. Kale drew his sword and looked at the members of Talon squad, a healthy mix of close combat and ranged specialists, Kale wasn’t sure what to expect as they delved deeper into the heart of Silence and figured that a mix of abilities would solve any problems they encountered.

 

‘Sergeant we don’t have much time. I want to get down to the control room and back here in twenty minutes. Let’s move.’ Kale ordered as he saw the veterans of his chapter slot into perfect synchronicity as they double timed it down into the heart of the planet. ‘Have no fear sir we won’t let you down.’ the sergeant’s reply was enforced as the vanguard elements in the squad activated their weapons, an assortment of ancient and powerful weapons; two, Jan and Jurgen, were armed with lightning claws. Kale knew them all by name as he had handpicked them for this mission. Another marine was armed with a power sword and shield, Mikeal, the fourth, Eoadhean, with a longer, double handed power sword. The final close combat armed Astartes, Bryan, bore a thunder hammer strapped across his back and held two bolt pistols in front of him, scanning for targets as they advanced.

 

The bolter armed members of the squad brought up the rear, ready to protect from any attacks from behind and ready to lay down covering fire as their comrades moved forward. Kale led from the front of the squad. He reached out with his mind; his prize was in the lowest levels of the structure, in the command centre and would be well guarded, something was blocking him though he put it down to standard wards placed on all imperial positions to prevent prying minds.

The first checkpoint was coming up, the scanners on the strike cruiser had allowed them to plan their route with a great deal of accuracy, and Kale triggered his timer. Fifteen minutes until a message would get out and his gamble would have failed.

 

‘First room dead ahead’ announced Mikeal as they rounded the corner. This room would be the first obstacle on the route down. The plan was to strike fast, not stopping and after each room, five in total, one of the bolter armed marines would stay behind to hold until the next room was cleared, then they would leap frog rearguard duty.

Talon squad burst through the door with a hail of fire and blood soon stained the walls and screams emanated from the dying guardsmen. The weapons of the leading marines tore into the bodies of the closest soldiers as they sprinted past, Bryan’s bolt pistols spat death wherever they aimed while Jan and Jurgen tore the terrified guardsmen to shreds before moving on allowing the bolters of the rear guard to finish off any survivors. Kale didn’t stop to slay any of the guardsmen he continued running, Mikeal was alongside him, closely followed by the rest of Talon squad. ‘Room clear, Talon 7 holding position’ one of the rearguard announced, Kale recognised his voice, it was Henning, two minutes had passed and they were past the first room, Kale just hopped they were quick enough.

 

The next three rooms fell just as quickly the defenders barely getting a shot off before being torn apart or shot down, the speed of the Astartes was unmatched and their momentum nigh unstoppable, but Kale felt something ahead in the last room, something was different. They had been below ground for 15 minutes at this stage, while the defences were not stopping them they were slowing them down and that could not be allowed to happen. Kale rounded the corner into the fifth and final room before their objective. He was met by a hail of lasfire that scoured lines in his armour. With a bellow of rage he roared and raised his empty hand. He reached out with his inner power and created a wall that blocked the incoming fire long enough for Talon squad to bound over the barricade and slaughter the defenders, allowing Kale to pass unopposed.

Then Kale noticed something that deeply troubled him, the uniforms of the dead guardsmen did not bear the same insignia as the other ones they had faced. These were different, they bore Inquisitorial markings. ‘Talon squad disengage. Return to the surface I will finish this alone, we are not alone in our search.’ Kale ordered as he reached the final door and felt a psychic wave ripple from behind it.

‘Sir are you sure about that, surely whatever is behind that door will be heavily defended, more so than the other rooms.’ the sergeant asked as he racked another clip into his bolter.

‘I am sure, but before you go, Bryan could you help me with the door.’

 

***

BRYAN BROUGHT HIS hammer down on the heavy door of the command centre and the door flew inwards in a hail of sparks and a crack of thunder. ‘Thank you. Now go. Get out of here.’ Kale order as he strode into the dark room. Screens lined the walls and a holo-table occupied the centre of the spacious room. An empty stasis tank

stood opposite the door. ‘It seems you have beaten me, to the prize at least.’ Kale said to the darkness.

 

‘You will not succeed in your schemes, heretic. Your crimes here will be punished and your soul will be damned for eternity.’ A voice replied from the darkness. Kale walked into the centre of the room and looked at the holo-table, he could see markers moving towards the surface and he assumed these were Talon squad.

‘I assure you I am no heretic. I am going to save the Imperium and my soul will be clear when I stand before the Emperor, now please give me my prize before I take it from you.’ Kale took off his helmet and placed it on the table before closing his eyes and turning to face a silhouette to his left.

 

He took a deep breath and raised his hand up. He heard a soft gurgle as the shape was brought forward into the dim light. It was a small, elderly man clad in heavy robes and carrying a short spear in his right hand, the head of the weapon seemed to gleam with internal power and faint waves seemed to spill across its surface. He must be an inquisitor, thought Kale, judging by the guards and the fact he was even in the room. He was old and his body was frail, Kale could sense he had some power of his own but not a match for his own, too much time spent locked up down her trying to unlock the artefact’s secrets.

‘You will never make it back in time. I have triggered the complex’s reactor to overheat; you will be buried beneath this planet as well as the weight of your sins.’ The Inquisitor said as he hung limp in the air before Kale, his feet dangled a few feet from the floor as Kale held him at eye level.

‘You underestimate me’ Kale replied jokingly, ‘Now, I will have my prize, my focus.’ He added and his voice seemed to change slightly as he pronounced the last word. He sheathed his sword and took the spear for himself, he felt power course through his veins and knew he had taken the first step along his journey. He opened his eyes and an internal light shone from within.

 

‘Emperor damn you Kale, Emperor damn you and your kind.’ The inquisitor tried to squirm in Kale’s psychic grip but to no avail.

‘You know my name? Hmm...you must have known I was coming then. Well you didn’t do much of a job in getting ready did you? Besides you wouldn’t understand my actions even if I drew you a picture you weak minded fool!’ Kale’s voice was harsher than normal and he knew he had to leave now or the fool would be right and he would not make it out in time. ‘Now, be gone from my sight!’ shouted Kale as he threw the old man hard against the wall and with a sickening crack he slumped down dead.

 

Kale checked his chronometer, one minute until dust off. He retrieved his helmet and fastened it on once more before he knelt down in the doorway, clutching the spear in one hand and placing the other on the floor. The room filled with frost and with a blast of lightning and an echoing whisper Kale appeared on the surface in the centre of the compound. It had been a long jump and risky but it was the only way back to the surface in time, if his focus had dropped for a second he would have found himself melding with the rock of the planet. He looked up in time to see the last members of Talon squad board the awaiting Thunder hawk and the lifters that would bare the drop pods back to the ship already far into the sky. He rose and ran to join them on the ramp. ‘Pilot, bring us back to the ship and tell the captain to make ready to leave. We are going home.’

 

Kale took a seat near the rear of the hold and fastened himself in. He looked around at the other marines in their places most looked straight ahead or chatted to their neighbours but one or two looked at him, turning away once he caught their eyes. They no doubt were wondering if his new weapon was what they had come for. One didn’t avert his gaze though. It was Pavel. Kale would need to do something to ease the sergeant’s troubles or find another solution; he could not afford more trouble on his quest. ‘Forever in service...’ Kale projected into Pavel’s mind ‘...Never in Doubt.’ He replied before looking out the window across from him and watched as the ground he had stood on not minutes before blossom with bright light as the entire facility exploded.