Of all the activities one might find themselves occupied with, Cadmus had always found standing at attention to be the most serene. Nothing quite came close to the tranquility and direct isolation that came from standing motionless, facing forward, for Terra knows how long. No, nothing came close; except for perhaps a productive bolter drill. He always found that instead of being caught up in the rhetoric of the Chaplains, or intently listening the battle speeches of his commanders; he'd instead be inside his mind imagining bolter drills. Such blatant disregard for scripture and Codex would be a condemnation on any Astartes and doubly so for one hailing from the ranks of the Ultramarines, but Cadmus had always been a clever one for eluding scoldings from the Chaplaincy; and his skill with bolter and chainsword had insured him against any further mutterings.
So it had been, that Cadmus Antigonos Varus had served amply and ably for three Terran centuries alongside his battle-brothers in the Ultramarines. However, it was truly hard to tell, so much time had passed since his days as an acolyte in Parmenio. He'd lived a happy life among his brothers in the columned halls of Ultramar's primary training world; days of bloodshed and camaraderie forged underneath the heat of that planet's sun....all fleeting now, like dust. In fact, many of those distant memories from his first few decades of service; let alone any of the life he may have had before Ultramar, and the Astartes was nothing but vapor in the air now. The following centuries were a jumble of horrific terrors and triumphant victories, like any Ultramarine he saw his fair share of xenos, heretic, and mutant. Never far from the front Cadmus found a new kind of serenity in the ordered combat of his battle-brothers. From one collective campaign to the next he became less aloof and more pragmatic; finding more time to understand the value of rhetoric and the precarious nature of morale. Perhaps that was why, standing at attention in a foreign hangar, daubed all in black, he found it hard to not look back on his service in the Ultramarines with pride.
Of course, he knew the rules; so he hide that pride under a veneer of stoicism.
It was dark everywhere, black on nearly everything. The Deathwatch was as mysterious and foreboding as he remembered it, and their pitch black color spoke volumes of the organization. Those same colors would alter a Space Marines' soul....twisting it, breaking it, resetting it; much like one would a broken limb. Each day spent in service to the Emperor while carrying the Oaths of the Watch upon ones back, was another day of titanic accomplishments passed. The trials laid before the Kill Teams were always colossal and with their fair share of real risk. However, should a man survive for a time in the Deathwatch, and emerge truly alive and reforged...then he will never be the same to his Chapter and peers again.
Cadmus had learned this the first time. He had returned to his Chapter a hero, but he never truly felt like one. The shadowy years of his first term within the Deathwatch were a pall of darkness on his memory. He became visibly disturbed and noticeably quiet compared to his younger self. The Chaplaincy found reason to be concerned that a veteran of the Second Company would be so beleaguered and lost. By their suggestion, in an attempt to reconnect him with the Chapter, Cadmus was effectively stripped of his rank as veteran sergeant and abruptly elevated to the Honour Guard. The Captains, Chaplaincy, and Librarium all agreed, that if Cadmus Antigonos Varus were ever to serve honorably like a true Ultramarine again, he would have to experience battle aside the Chapter's finest, for the honour of them all.
"Teklon IV! This is Teklon V! Do read, copy?"
Mykias immediately jutted up in his crash harness, smoke clouding his vision. He fumbled around for the vox-trigger, meekly, finding it wedged in between his seat and sparking data-panel. Clicking the red button on the end of the trigger he heard an audible, "Beep!', and coughing began to speak into the smoke around him.
"Teklon V! This is Teklon IV! Solid copy! Shit, Wendel I think I broke my leg in the crash!", Mykias sputtered the words out as a sharp pain jolted up his thigh.
"I...I...I've got you Myk, don't you die on me down there! A...a... retrieval teams already on their way! C'mon buddy...just think about slush cakes! Yeah, back at Yarda's in the Hive!" Wendel's voice crackled through the vox every word drenched in uneasiness.
"Y'know I hate slush cakes, they taste like garbage; and not the good kind like they feed us in mess. Heh.", Mykias stifled out a chuckle.
"Just keep being a smartass, that'll get you through....I know it.", Wendel paused for quite some time, "Hey..um..buddy....I'm dropping out of vox range, I need to refuel and get help. Stay safe, Emperor Protect You."
"Fly straight Wendel, I'll see you back on base," The static on the receiving line gave Mykias the impression he was alone now.
He dropped the vox-trigger suddenly feeling his fatigue set in; there was no one on the other end anyways. He and Wendel had been assigned to survey a 400km span of forest that had somehow sprouted and matured within the span of a season. The survey was to hopefully uncover the reason behind this, but they hadn't even been over 10km of the mess before Teklon IV got shot down. Flying unmanned Vultures, Wendel had no weapons and no wing-man and instead was forced to flee back to Imperial HQ, on the opposite planet-side. Effectively, Mykias was therefore grounded and staying put for quite some time.
Two minutes of painful shifting allowed Mykias to jostle the cockpit release open. With a pneumatic hiss the Vulture's cockpit hatch popped off and slammed into something solid a few metres away. The smoke began to immediately dissipate and Mykias' eyes flung fully open drinking in the dark green forest light around him. The clearing that sprawled around him was like something from a fairy tale. The trees bent ever so softly in the breeze, waving back and forth on the perimeter of the glade, small ponds and flowers dotted the space, while large beautifully eroded boulders stood silent like sentinels over it all.
In the center of all this beauty sat the crash of the Teklon IV, it's wings smashed to smithereens and it's primary fuel container nowhere to be seen. Mykias gripped the edges of the devastated wreck and with great care lifted himself up and out of the sparking cockpit, and to the semi-stable remains of the wing-plane. He patted around on his Imperial Navy jacket, searching for his emergency transponder; his chrono had one, but it'd been destroyed in the crash.
"Don't activate that beacon Guardsman! We don't need more of your kind blowing our cover." The voice was aggressive and direct, but there was a certain manner to it that made Mykias freeze where he sat with his hand on his jacket.
"I....I...uh...", Mykias moved his hand slowly away from the jacket pocket, darting his eyes around the corners of the clearing, he began to slowly turn.
"...and don't you dare turn around...we don't need-", The aggressive voice was immediately silenced by another.
"That's enough, Avenion. Keep up with the unwelcome chatter and I'll be kicking you back to the Scout Company before you can recite Guilliman's Prayer. Telion will shorten your tongue with a few midnight patrols." This voice was much more commanding, stern even; it cut through the other man's voice like a knife, and froze Mykias where he sat.
"Form a defensive perimeter around the clearing, facing outwards at 45 degree angles. Keep your eyes open for any movement. I'll greet our 'friend', we may as well see if he knows anything..." The voice was coming closer, from directly behind Mykias; it's gravelly pitch getting deeper as the speaker came nearer.
Mykias felt like his heart might leap into his throat as he heard heavy armored boots approach him from behind; and he nearly relieved himself of his lunch when a large mailed fist came down and pulled him up by the shoulder, flinging him like a child onto the figure's back. It all happened so fast that Mykias didn't even catch a single detail of his aggressor, save for the fact that he was immensely large and shaped like a man....or rather, a giant. Instead, he bobbed, helplessly on the giant's back, his vision blocked by a large crimson cape as he was carried away from his wreck and into the twilit under-boughs. There the monstrosity dropped him and for the first time Mykias truly saw them.
Gathered in a tight circle, ever vigilant and nearly hidden from view despite their massive countenance, were at least ten legends, no....myths. Mykias had only heard of such things in stories, and though he knew there was always truth to stories, he was shocked to find Space Marines alive and breathing before him. The man who had grabbed and carried him like a child stood tall before him resplendent in his armor. He looked down on Mykias with deep brown eyes set into a face of granite, his hair was cropped in a traditional military cut, framing his anvil jaw and unflinching stare. His armor was blue-and-gold like his compatriots, save it was far more ornate; the pauldrons and helm emblazoned with ostentatious Aquila and eagle insignia. Hanging from his side was the largest rifle Mykias had ever seen, and clutched in the marine's other hand was a massive bearded axe, just as intricate as the armor, the weapon seemed to hum quietly with some unknown energy.
"My lords.....forgive me I didn't know..." Mykias dropped his head in shame and fear.
"I suppose I should be happy that you didn't spot my brothers, it is a testament to there training. I am Veteran-Brother Cadmus Antigonos Varus, and these are the loyal men of the Ultramarines. The Emperor may have been smiling on you when you crashed so close to us today, Guardsman; for you are deep in enemy territory, and judging by your gear you didn't know that.", Cadmus spoke calmly but with great authority.
"Enemies....my lord? I mean, I figured I had to be shot down by something, but I figured it was a rogue agri-drone flown into my engine or something....It's all a blur, I'm sorry I broke my leg in the crash.", He realized just how stupid and feeble he sounded as the words left his mouth.
The Ultramarine smirked. "Very well, then perhaps it's best if we secure you a-", gunfire erupted suddenly as a marine closest to the pair suddenly fell over motionless, a trailing line of smoke arching from a large hole in his helmet's visor.
"Sniper fire! Xenos! Take cover, and return fire!" Roared Cadmus as he snapped on his helm and rushed to the fallen marine suddenly forgetting about Mykias and his broken leg entirely.
Mykias crawled up into a ball, wincing through the pain as he forced his ruined leg to come closer, in an attempt to become all but invisible. Gunfire barked loudly from the massive firearms the marines carried, lighting up the shadowy realm underneath the trees in a blitz of lights and sound. Beams of dazzling energy of different shades and varieties responded, followed by a withering hail of silvery discs that cut through the trees and stones like cardboard. It was all Mykias could do to stay alive, but in the chaos of it all he saw the giant named Cadmus running back and forth among his men; barking out orders and shooting off salvos one-handed from his rifle.
"Fear not death, brothers! For we are the angels who deliver it!" Cadmus shouted over the din of battle.
The marine was a whirling cavalcade of devastation, pointing at barely visible lithe foes on the horizon with his axe, only to moments later put them down with a single round from his firearm. He would then dart away to assist his brothers where the line began to falter, only to dive headlong into close combat with the foe when they surged forwards. The battle continued in this way for what seemed like hours...until finally there was what seemed like a lull.
The marines, battered and beginning to show signs of actually having fought, regrouped at the tree where Mykias sat huddled and stunned.
"You beat them all off!" Mykias exclaimed, shocked beyond caring about sounding like a child when he said so.
Cadmus nodded in turn, "Yes, but they will be back and in greater number; the xenos scum are convinced this forest and planet is their's.They couldn't be more wrong. However, we can no longer dally here; as we speak they make for a "tunnel-of-sorts" they have hidden deeper in the forest, and we must regroup with the rest of our company. To join our strength to theirs, before we assault it."
"I...I understand....so where does that leave me?" Mykias swallowed as he finished the question, dreading the answer. He avoided the stares of the gathered marines
There was silence among the ranks, as all the remaining Ultramarines looked to each other in question.
"I alone will stay with you until your transport arrives, you are not my brother's burden to carry any longer.", Cadmus spoke and all the Ultramarines listened, save one.
"We cannot risk losing you to some damned extraction mission Brother!" The aggressive one named Avenion stepped forward once more; his eyes ablaze with anger. "We already lost Dethalos protecting this crash site and this speck of human scum!" The marine stepped forward pointing a finger at the corpse of the fallen Marine and his firearm at Mykias threateningly.
"Dethalos died in the heat of battle against an Eldar sniper, protecting this quadrant; which was our mission, not the crash. If you believe anything else Avenion then you are delusional and clearly need time with the Chaplaincy as well as the Scout Company." Cadmus stepped directly in front of the other marine as he said so, putting himself between Mykias and crazed man.
"Very well, brother. I bow to your veterancy in this matter; far be it from me to deny you your suicide mission." Scowled Avenion as he began to form up with the others.
"You may have heard, brother. I'm quite found of them." Replied Cadmus with a smirk, as some of the other marines passed off what could have been chuckles.
Within moments the tactical squad had disappeared into the mist, their fallen Brother carried off with them, leaving the two alone among the alien dead. Flies and other carrion creatures began to gather, as Mykias stay huddled in his tree shelter, the massive marine standing watch just metres away. He passed the time flitting his eyes around the glade, to the destroyed and yet elegant bodies of the xenos, or the gorgeous gems that lay encrusted in their armor, or perhaps the Space Marine, or rather his back; for he never turned around from his vigil. Seconds bleed into minutes and minutes turned to hours, before Mykias knew it he had drifted off to sleep.
A branch breaking snapped him from his slumber. His eyes flew open terrified to find the marine squatting before him.
"Be very quiet Guardsman. I turned on your transponder while you were out....it's time to go, but we need to be quiet as Hive rats." Cadmus was unnaturally quiet for his size as he motioned to a group of lithe figures, similar to xenos they fought earlier moving on the other side of the clearing. With his axe the marine motioned to a trail that beat off in the opposite direction.
"Two kilometres that way is your ticket home. I told them to land away from the crash so as to avoid more casualties. I will hold the xenos at bay." He turned without another word.
"But, wait....", The marine stopped momentarily, "You saved me, when the others thought it wasn't worth the time, or resources, or whatever. How can I repay you?" A strange mix of anxiety and fear began to creep over Mykias as his eyes darted down the trail he was supposed to follow and back to the man before him.
"You'll be fine, just live and I'm sure you'll make it all worthwhile. After all, the Emperor seems to be watching over you,". With that the marine slammed on his helmet and began firing rounds off at the direction of the xenos, charging fearlessly, his axe held high.
Mykias scampered into the forest, tripping and limping for dear life. Every few metres he turned back to see the flashes of light as the marine dashed back and forth among a myriad of figures that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Mykias stood and watched in awe as the Ultramarine, with inhuman speed rushed from tree-to-tree firing off rounds and felling xenos in a single swipe of his axe-blade. The aliens fell before him like so many blades of grass and then they were suddenly in full retreat. The marine turned and looked one last time in Mykias' direction, seemingly seeing him clearly from so far away. Then the man turned a berm chasing after his foes and disappeared from sight. The chaos bled out of the evening suddenly like wildfire, the only reminder in the distant barks of exploding rounds and muffled xenos screams.
Cadmus was pulled from memories of a distant battlefield, near a distant star with the all-encompassing hiss of a hangar door opening to the void. As the portal opened entirely, the marine braced himself as the gravity momentarily shifted; his mag-boots locking in automatically. Through the cavernous threshold glided a jet black Thunderhawk, carrying what Cadmus could only assume would be his remaining battle-brothers for this term. He prepared to remove his helm as soon as the Thunderhawk landed and the hangar re-pressurized and sealed. It was time to meet his brothers in death.
((Still have to cover my cell and some other minor details, but I really didn't want to hit you guys with a massive novel for the first post))