++Crusader++

[The_Emperors_Champion]

++Crusader++

 

 

Dancing flames flickering in the darkness forced wicked shadows along the walls of the hallowed chapel to move in an ambiance of silent music. Only the faint hums of far away engines could be heard through the decking of the ship. A lone figure remained knelt in prayer, his lips moving silently with a hushed breath as he spoke only to himself and his god. The immortal Emperor of Mankind. The chapel could easily house another hundred or so gatherers, but it was empty except for one. Standing now, he rose to his full height. Servos and muscle fiber bundles within his powered armor assisted him in the process. Clad in midnight black battle plate, he was a weapon of war, forged from hundreds of years of bloodshed and battle. A sanguine cloak hung from his back and clung over his left pauldron, marking his status amongst the inner circle of his chapter. The Black Templars, warrior knights fulling an ancient crusade set forth by the Emperor himself thousands of years ago. They embodied the true status of the Adeptus Astartes. Forever would they push outwards, taking back what had been once lost to the Imperium.

 

The Astartes did not move as he stood, his eyes remained shut for a moment as he finished his silent prayer. Standing well over eight feet tall, he was far from normal. Advanced changes to his body and growth formed him into a legend of war. Capable of far more than a normal human, the Astarte could fight beyond the pain tolerance of any human and had the strength to crush a skull in the palm of his hand. Yet here he remained, unmoving like a statue cut from ebony. His eyes opened, candle light flickered in the reflection of his emerald globes. In many ways he seemed ageless as his features were full and lively, but his eyes played into his past. A past that only knew war in this dark time. One could not simply guess his age. Stuck forever as if he was in his mid thirties, but truthfully well beyond that. For over three hundred and fifty years he fought in the name of the Emperor. Crusades had been claimed and lives had been lost at his hands. His war plate was far beyond the normal suit of power armor worn by his brothers. Layers of hardened ceramite protected him from even the most powerful weapons that could be bared against him. Countless generations had been bonded into the armor, crafted and fit to suit its user. Forged from the artisan hands of the chapter's tech marines it stands as a relic in its own right. Etched along his right pauldron was a name scribed across a golden banner. The light played a crossed it's surface, revealing the indented letters of his name. Varren Gorgon. Marshal of a crusade fleet which contained well over two hundred and fifty Adeptus Astartes warriors. His knights of the Black Templar.

 

The sound of a door being opened alerted Varren as he turned to face the intruder. Without his helmet his enhanced vision cut through the darkness and spotted the figure entering the chapel. "Brother." Varren said quietly, his words just above a whisper as he bowed his head slightly. A faint smile broke across his stoic features as the figure stood into the candle light.

 

"Marshal, the mistress awaits an audience with you. Forgive me for intruding." The static filled voice of the marine rang out into the chapel, breaking the silence it once held. The marine was clad in the same blackness as Gorgon, except where the Marshal displayed a white field on his shoulders and the stylized cross of the Black Templars, his was black and edged with red. A Sword Brother, member of Varren's inner circle and Marshal's Household.

 

"She will have to forgive my absence a while longer, brother. My prayers had to be spoken." Walking now, Varren Gorgon approached the Sword Brother and regarded him with a salute by crossing his armored forearms over his chest in symbol of their cross. In return, the veteran warrior did the same and proceeded to follow beside his Marshal as the two exited the chapel.

 

Cutting through the void like mirrored glimpses of the blackness around the ships, the battle barge Sword of Redemption and her array of supporting vessels remained in stead fast formation around their flag ship. Anathema and Helios, sister strike cruisers burned hot along each flank of the battle barge, and along them smaller frigates and escort ships probed further out, their sensor arrays relaying any possible threat that could linger in the endless void.

 

She was the navigator, clad in a simple black and white dress which skirted the ground as she paced back and forth along the bridge. She was tall, slender and had she not been claimed to the Templars, they would had seen her beauty. Covering the sacred third eye was a silver circlet which the templar cross was stamped in the very center of it in a light bending ebony with a center stone of ruby. Rarely had anyone outside of the Astartes wore their symbol, a true honor that she carried it.

 

"Navigator Angelyn..." The familiar voice of Varren caught her off guard as she suddenly turned on her heel to face the towering warrior. "You wished to speak with me?" The Marshal's stance was imposing, even if he did not mean to cause such a reaction. Rarely had Gorgon spoke with Angelyn outside of their duties and needs of the crusade. So such an audience with him did raise a brow as to what she could want.

 

Angelyn's eyes remained locked on the steel globes that belonged to Gorgon which bore down on her for just a moment longer before her attention was pulled away to look out into the blackness of space. Faint glittering stars could be seen thousands of light years away, a sight that bore the fact they were very far from any star system. Musing this her hand lifted up and pressed against the cold window. Vibrations from the ship's engines could be felt, a tingling sense that was comforting yet...in its own way reminded her that she would remain aboard this ship for her lifetime of service.

 

Gorgon followed her attention to the window, though his focus did not go past it's faint mirrored surface as he saw the reflection of the two standing near each other. "You did well bringing us here. The Astropaths confirmed this is where the cry came from. Yet...there is no world." Gorgon broke the silence first, knowing the topic that was musing within Angelyn's thoughts.

 

"I don't believe it was a world...Or if it was, the warp had taken it. I put us exactly where the cry came from." She turned her back against the window and placed her weight against it. The vibrations from the ship sent a cold chill down her spine as she looked up at him. She pondered the question as to why Astartes were so tall, her neck could only look up for so long. "I have a gut feeling we are not looking for a planet.."

 

"But a ship? Perhaps...I have thought about it as well." Gorgon replied as he glanced down at her. "It came from somewhere. The distress of the message urged me here, I doubted it legitimacy but our Astropath assured me the correct code channels were used in its sending. They were old, but confirmed as secure. Is this why you asked me here? Some foreboding thoughts dwelling in your mind?"

 

"Marshal, our long range sensors have picked up a faint reading, its far but we can cross check its source." A familiar voice caught Gorgon's attention as he nodded to Angelyn and turned to face Captain Lanus. While the rank was not often used within the Black Templars, Lanus wore is as a title rather. For he commanded the Sword of Redemption in the moments when Marshal Gorgon conducted his combat operations planet side or even in ship to ship boarding actions. Captain Lanus was well versed in the art of void warfare, taking many of his lessons learned from the High Marshal himself.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=

 

Captain Lanus had relayed the findings to Varren as he readied his knights. Standing in a half circle before their Marshal, two dozen warriors clad in armor as black as the void and nearly as deadly awaited their orders. Vows had been said, oaths and prayers to the God-Emperor had been bestowed upon them by Chaplain Theolous, who was remaining aboard the Sword of Redemption. A stern and cold faced warrior priest, Chaplain Theolous stood beside Gorgon with his bone faced helm, it's grizzly skull face staring down the assembled warriors.

 

"The vessel is not known, but from out long range scanners and visual reports from scout craft have confirmed it was once a ship of the Imperium. What it is now, I cannot say other than we must secure it and scuttle the vessel before anything can be found that will hinder local forces." Varren Gorgon stood stoic as he held his crusader helm in the crook of his arm and with his other hand he held out a small disk that displayed a rotating image of the ship. "It appears to be the remains of a victory class battleship. Any identification it once had seems to be stripped and warped. Techmarine Hector will join us aboard the vessel to confirm this. My first idea was the scuttle the ship from the void, but he has persuaded me to do otherwise." Varren stepped back to allow the crimson armored warrior to enter the middle of the gathering. His multiple limbs remained secured and locked in place on his back.

 

"Thank you Marshal." He nodded to Gorgon and presented him with a salute of crossing vambraces over his black tabbard. His voice, severely augmented with a metallic tang due to reconstruction from a blast that had nearly claimed his life only added to his more metal than flesh presence. "Brothers, the reason of his boarding is to determine there is nothing or worth aboard before we decide to destroy it. Its life as a void born vessel has been long taken. But what may lay within its holds has yet to be determined." Hector took his place behind the Chaplain and Marshal Gorgon once his words had been spoken.

 

Varren lifted his helm up and secured it over his head. With a snap and hiss, his armor was now sealed off from the hangar bay. The recycled oxygen began to flow in a stale, cold waft. Opening his eyes, the data display erupted to life in a hue of green. Targeting recitals focused and locked onto multiple targets with an idle glance. Spinning squares remained green over his brothers and their names appearing over it. "Vox link established." Varren said to his suit systems in a faint whispering voice. "Captain Lanus."

 

"Report." The crackling voice of Lanus sounded in reply. "Status Marshal Gorgon?"

 

"We are at the ready. God-Emperor looks upon us with favor my brother."

 

"May you carry his light into the darkness."