Warp travel. How Gorhull hated warp travel. The heretic's dimension tugged on his soul from afar, feeling as if it was trying to burn the edges of his mind. He sat with his fellow 1st company chaplains in the back room of a chapel located within the Eternal Blade, the flagship of the Stalwart Paladins. They were quietly preparing the pre-deployment gathering as usual, planning the prayers to be broadcast over the ship's speakers, while servants in deep blue robes trimmed with gold wrote on parchment with blood red ink.
"We will be leaving the warp soon," Gorhull ascertained. He could always tell by the pressure on his mind easing as they approached their destination.
"Are the canticles in order, brother Kern?" Gorhull questioned
"Aye, brother" replied a nearby chaplain through his skull faced helm
"Begin the broadcast then,"
Kern and another chaplain nodded at each other, before turning to a highly industrial looking machine with a duo of comatose servitors plugged into it. The chaplains pressed a set of twin buttons on one of the machine's few smooth surfaces, jolting awake the foul cyborgs attached to it. Serfs carried prayer-covered parchment to tubes in the machine, which transported them to an unseen chamber.
"I will address the troops," Gorhull said plainly, quietly, as if not to disturb the holy peace of this chamber, before turning and leaving through a wooden door lined with gold and decorated with the Imperial Aquila. The chapel was almost full of his battle-brothers awaiting in reverent silence for the prayers to ease their spirits. Even the chapter's dreadnoughts had been roused for this occasion, their sarcophagi looking down from a balcony opposite the room. Battle brothers that normally would be absent, consumed with the ship's more delicate tasks, he could pick out in the crowd of red and blue ceramite. It was time for him to begin the ceremony.
"Brothers," He began
"Before we begin I'd like to thank you all for coming this day. We are gathered here in ceremony of the coming battle among our gene-brothers, the Blood Angels. We will open with the canticle of the recovered angel, followed by the Paladin's creed,". High Gothic prayers and a mournful pipe organ now began to broadcast across the entire ship through its servitor speakers. Gorhull usually took this time to take stock of who he could recognise in the crowd, even through their helmets, but he found his thoughts wandering to his brethren in the lower decks, consumed by their gene-seed's affliction, the Black Rage. He hoped that the canticles and music of the chapel would bring ease to their wounded souls, that the suffering in their hearts may be stilled, if even for a moment.
He noted the absence of the chapter master, who was no doubt at the bridge with the servant pilots, and the chief librarian, who likely was just outside of psychic view in the room. The piece was coming to a close, and he readied himself for the gathering's next matter of business. He raised his head as the sounds of the pipe organs and speakers finished fading out, and addressed the chapter.
"We will now recite the Paladins' oaths" He said plainly. Each marine that could stand did so.
"Should the blade of duty break..." He began
"So shall we re-forge it!" the great crowd answered
"Should the flames of faith die out..."
"So shall we reignite them!"
"Should the horns of war call..." He was getting louder
"So shall we answer!"
"Should the Emperor's enemies breath!" Gorhull continued passionately
"SO SHALL WE SLAY THEM!" the crowd yelled
"SHOULD THE EMPEROR WILL OUR DEATHS!"
A thunderous roar of astarte voices rocked the very ship
"SO SHALL WE DIE IN HIS HOLY NAME!"
Just as quickly as the thunder of voices began, it ceased, leaving the chamber in holy silence once more.
"Thus concludes this gathering, brothers," Gorhull felt his sense of duty and faith flower within that moment "Thank you again for attending. You may now prepare for departure from the Blade. For the Emperor and Sanguineous!"
"For the Emperor and Sanguineous!" His battle-brothers repeated. They began to funnel out of the chapel to their various work stations and personal quarters. Through their helmets, Gorhull could detect the excitement and fervour in them that he had not seen prior to the gathering.
An announcement was called over the blade's speaker systems. A monotone servitor voice echoed in the ears of the Paladins
"--Entering the Rubicund system----Rubicund III in sights----Prepare for drop pod assault--"
The ship's bridge was alive with vox-chatter and nervous whispering. The chapter master and brother Geratos stood perfectly motionless in front of a screen displaying lines of text in cascading red font, taking in every piece of information they could process with their enhanced minds. Without a word Lerodis waved the screen away and looked down upon the planet they were to soon make war on. He turned to one of the pilot servants
"Quen, what can you tell me about Rubicund III?" He already knew all he needed to, but he needed something to analyse other than his own crowded thoughts
"Of course, sire," The serf began
"Rubicund III, as you know, is a hive planet crossed with a forge world, a highly unusual combination. The hive gives many civilians to the tech-priests in return for highly advanced technology. Until now, the hive was known to its populace as The Boil, for its intense heat and unsanitary conditions. Now they call it the Liar's Grave,"
The chapter master breathed deeply before speaking again
"Quen, could you please replay the Blood Angels' distress call into my personal comm?"
"Of course, my lord," The serf began sending the recording to Lerodis.
His battle brothers, save Geratos, never understood why he took the time to learn the names of the Blade's serfs and servants, nor why he addressed them so courteously. They were tools, after all, to be spent for the good of the chapter. Of course, many marines had a human they felt close to, but not as many as Lerodis did.
After what seemed like hours, but was merely minutes, brother Geratos spoke up
"Forgive me, Chapter master, but it is time we depart for planetfall"
"So it is" replied Lerodis
"So it is"
YOU ARE READING
Oathbreakers: The first vein
Science Fiction(First story pls don't be mean) The space marines of the Stalwart Paladins chapter pick up a distress signal coming from their battle brothers on the world of Rubicund III. On the planet's surface, however, a threat and fate worse than they could h...
