Clear Skies and Clearer Conscience
Clear Skies and Clearer Conscience
The Great Crusade waited for no one. Even with the preparations for the Warhawk's Expedition were underway, the White Scars were still required to answer calls from Terra and Imperial High Command. Loathe as the Khan was to "scurry" about the galaxy from one battlefield to the next, he was at least confident that, unlike his brothers, he could actually reach each compliance within an acceptable timeframe.
Even so, getting to the battle was the easiest part. Jaghatai Khan was cognizant that speed and mobility weren't the solutions to all wars (although most certainly they were some of the most significant contributors) and that each enemy opposition required a delicate and unique touch to defeat. A sound strategy, but not one the Warhawk enjoyed using.
For Orion Jesk, the Knight-Warden and Eternal Warden liaison to the White Scars, he was still learning much about the White Scars nature and doctrine. Surface level observations showed that the White Scars followed similar tactics and strategies employed by all Legions, just with a greater focus on speed, mobility, and maneuver warfare. Yet Orion had long since learned that fighting and pacifying them differed from Legion to Legion.
And the White Scars, naturally, had their own way of doing both. Unfortunately, Orion had learned that the Warhawk and White Scars certainly did not abide by the concept of rebuilding worlds brought into compliance. They readily admitted that they were not administrators or builders, that such work was better suited for the Ultramarines of Emperor's Children. A White Scar brought a nation to heel, made them accept the new order, and ensured they were stable enough when the governors arrived.
Jaghatai Khan once remarked to Orion about the nature of this focus, "Better a bureaucracy tell everyone what to do than a warrior. Less the warrior begins to see all his problems and the people as an enemy." The Primarch had enough self-awareness to realize the limitations of the White Scars. It even explained why the focus on mobility and speed; meant less destruction and death as the enemy was routed faster.
Indeed, the Raven Guard and Alpha Legion would agree with that mentality. Why wage a war that could ruin entire cities, leaving billions dead and an angry population? Even if still quite destructive, a short and victorious war was better in the long run. The people would still try to understand what had happened when the first Imperial Army regiments occupied their cities and established a new government. The Warhawk knew that not ever compliance would go that smoothly, but it had worked well enough for the White Scars these last few decades.
Orion, however, wondered if such a path was the right one. He understood that there was no easy path, especially when bringing less than cooperative elements into the Imperium of Man. Orbán had once remarked that a population was only one missed food shipment away from rioting or one awful scandal to ruin the government's reputation. Yet, in that same breath, Orbán told Orion that most people simply didn't care in the end.
"Throw a few circuses their way, a new enemy or problem, and then tell them they won't have to worry about food, water, or medicine. They won't care that their children or partners are heading off into the great unknown, never to be seen again. It's not that they don't care. Far from it. It's just that they are too tired to fight back anymore."
The Imperium would outlast the local problems of individual worlds or even entire systems. In the end, the population would tire themselves out. As long as the occupation treated them with dignity and ensured that they had enough distractions and needs met…it would simply fade away in time.
For every single world that had the will to fight back, whether it had a chance or was doomed to fail, a hundred others would simply lay down their arms. Perhaps then Orbán was correct in his pessimism. Nevertheless, Orion always feared that truth. If those same planets were to merely roll over for the Imperium, it would not do the same to another empire.
When Orion voiced concerns to the Khan of Khans, Jaghatai laughed. The Imperium doesn't want cravens or cowards to make up the bulk of its empire. A nation should have tenacity and capability when pressed against a superior foe. However, while engaging them with fire and steel can work, we can also win them over with words and treasure. There is no shame in submitting to a stronger warrior or taking his offers of prosperity. As long as we treat them with dignity and allow for a reconciliation of grievances, we shall have won a war without firing a shot, and to me, that is the greatest accomplishment of a leader of warriors. Let it not be said that an offering of peace will not be as compelling as the threat of annihilation."
Wise words, but Orion knew from experience that the Warhawk wasn't also above making examples of those that constantly defied Imperial rule. The Khan was not a cruel man, nor did he take such things lightly, but he came from a harsh land and harsher upbringing. Mercy had its place in all things, yet sometimes a message had to be sent, and it had to be lasting.
Orion understood that it would take to bring some worlds into the fold. A price paid in blood now would save billions, if not trillions, of lives down the line. However, he still believed it possible that an argument for peace could be made when push came to shove.
Indeed, if nothing else, a sane man would find it in his and his nation's best interest to always look towards such a resolution.
Until recently, Orion learned that the White Scars were a Legion who became very excited whenever their Primarch called for a meeting. Jubal explained, "He only does that when it is time for a deployment. Rare is it for him to call all his officers for a meeting otherwise, and I doubt this time will be any different." Jaghatai Khan was the Primarch who enjoyed hearing his war council speak their minds and offer suggestions. He even allowed for debates and arguments, although he had warned that if an Astartes honor was called into question, then he might declare for a Naadaam to settle the dispute.
Orion hadn't seen any arguments in his time, but Jubal warned him that would change once the expedition began and the White Scars had to choose their strategies carefully. Orion hadn't been around the White Scars during the peak of the Ritual War when they were losing so many champions and veterans that such meetings became a grim affair.
"I would walk into each council and see too many empty seats for brothers I had served alongside for years and spoken to only a few months ago. When their replacements arrived, we became divided. Things are calm right now, but give it time to see a few arguments and bitter rivalries start to form."
Thinking about that a little more, Orion soon realized that he'd likely have no allies if he was put into such a situation. He was still an outsider among their ranks. The respect given to him for his service in the Ritual War earned him a place within their war councils, but not their friendship or admiration. Additionally, if Orion was surrounded on all sides, Jubal and the Khan would not come to his aid. It was naive to think otherwise. The White Scars had been more than welcoming Orion into their inner circle, yet he remained a "guest" in their "house."
Even Ramuh warned Orion to be careful. Not only were the Noyan-Khan watching Orion, but so were the Stormseers. The good news was that Orion had enough experience with similar scrutiny back with the Dark Angels. Unfortunately, there was a difference between how the Angels conducted their interactions versus the Scars. Indeed, there weren't as many duals with the Sons of Caliban as there were in the White Scars, although it wasn't like those were common occurrences in either Legion.
Orion might not have stepped into a minefield of Legion politics, but he was most certainly going down a path that could lead to one. He had to be careful, respectful, and aware, but more importantly, he could not back down. Even if the Knight-Warden was to make a mistake, it was in his best interest to stand by it.
Such concerns didn't matter as of yet. So as Orion entered the hosting command chamber, he pushed away those thoughts and took a seat. Around him, he could see hundreds of White Scars along with a few Wardens. Orion nodded to the few of them, but the Knight-Warden did not move to sit next to his brothers. He still felt slightly awkward around them these days. Standing near the holo-projector pulpit was the Warhawk himself. He did not look happy.
It took another hour for everyone to get settled in and ready. One doesn't just summon a group of Astartes like one would like a herd of Grox. It took time for the serfs and servitors to hand out the reports, offer a few drinks, and allow the officers to mingle. It served a point, of course. A time to converse while everyone was in one place. However, they kept an eye on the First Captain and the Primarch. Because once the Warhawk took a seat, that signaled the war-council was about to begin.
There was undoubtedly a hum of excitement in the air. Perhaps the Warhawk would announce when the Grand Naadam would begin, or maybe even the timeline for when the Expedition would start in earnest. A few seasoned veterans thought it more likely a problem had been tossed into the collective laps of the White Scars and their Primarch now had to fix it.
Another ten minutes passed before the Warhawk himself took to the command pulpit. This simple act instantly silenced all conversation, and all eyes and minds were focused entirely on the Primarch.
"Sons and nephews," Jaghatai spoke with the voice that brought hundreds of planets to heel, "We are called once more to aid the Imperial Army." And just like that, the excitement in the air was replaced by mild concern. Orion found it funny to feel an entire collection of Astartes lose the wind in their metaphorical sails. However, Orion was still focused on what situation required the Primarch to personally address his sons? The Knight-Warden looked around and saw a few of the veterans with grim looks on their faces.
That wasn't a good sign for Orion.
The holo-projector lit up, dazzling the room with an image of a planet. It was easy to make out some of the details, especially as the projection was the size of a Warhound titan's head. Within a moment, all of the Astartes could see signs of heavy planetary bombardment. There were craters the size of hives and what looked to be vast storms of dust and ash clouds across most of the northern and southern hemispheres. This wasn't the work of the Imperial Army, for there was no chance they had obliterated a planet that fast. That meant another power had done this. Aliens perhaps? Another group could've done this, but what had a world done to warrant such devastation?
"This is Elegia," The Warhawk announced with little fanfare, "This shall be our next battlefield."
Again, Orion felt a wave of mild concern and grim curiosity. It looked more like a dead world than anything. The Imperial Army couldn't handle this place? This indicated there was a threat on it that required the Astartes to resolve. Orion could already imagine the White Scars making mental observations: Aliens, Psykers, Men of Iron, perhaps a genuinely unique foe, or something akin to an unnatural phenomenon.
The Wardens were, of course, thinking this might be Daemonic related. Orion wasn't about to think otherwise. A Greater Daemon could've easily caused this much destruction given enough time, or Stars forbid an Honored or even an Exalted was on this Elegia.
"Our enemy is, thankfully, a human one." Another wave of relief and disappointment flooded the room. Orion was certainly happy that it wasn't daemonic, at least from a first glance. Many had read similar situations before and quite poorly at that. A single psyker could become possessed and damn an entire world.
"The Imperial Army only recently discovered Elegia about three standard Sol months ago, and naturally, the Army flooded the world with troops and declared it as part of the Imperium. This was deemed necessary as Elegia is surrounded by multiple factions; human, Mechanicum, alien, etc. From what Segmentum command has told me, Elegia is extremely rich in specific minerals, metals, and alloys, including Adamantium. It has been the victim of thousands of years of raids and wildcat mining expeditions."
Thousands of years of exploitation? Orion had undoubtedly heard and seen far worse fates for many worlds. But for an entire people to be subjected to hundreds of generations of invasion, exploitation, and destruction. An extended death, if nothing else. All by the hands of outsiders, no doubt. Which made the arrival of the Imperial Army likely not a force of liberation but another occupation.
"The planetary population is an estimated billion or so individuals. A lack of records hampers attempts to learn about this world. There has been no central government in almost a century. Furthermore, the Elegians live in mostly city-states, fortresses, and underground bunkers. During their brief time, the Imperial Army learned that there is a paramilitary force that operates across the planet."
The projection changed, showing a host of images: Destroyed Olympias and Chimeras, dead Troopers, and what Orion identified as a host of burning mining vehicles. So, Orion was right; the locals did not take too kindly to the arrival of the Imperium. No indication of daemons or psykers, at least.
"Our foe is a group calling itself 'Clear Sky,' They have been declared extremely dangerous after sabotaging several regiments and ambushing several mining expeditions. The Imperial Army commanders on the planet refuse to leave their bases, while Armada commanders are trying to use aerial and orbital reconnaissance to try and locate where this group is hiding." The Warhawk grimaced as the projection changed again to what looked like mining operations.
"Unfortunately, the Imperial Army needs to get mining operations started. Worse yet, there is some growing pushback as attempts by the other powers in the region. Who are pressing their luck and looking to participate in the mineral extraction for a cut of the profits."
A growing murmur arose among the White Scars at hearing that. The gall of these nations and groups, seeking to profit off the compliance when they couldn't take the planet themselves. Now all they had to do was wait for the Imperium to clean up this mess, and then they could slowly integrate themselves while having a better position of power.
"Do not focus on such concerns," The Primarch spoke up over the growing rumble of talk, "I shall be handling those issues, unfortunately." Orion knew that was the last thing the Warhawk wanted to focus on right now. "The Legion's focus will be on eliminating this Clear Sky force by whatever means necessary. They have challenged the Imperium of Man, so the Riders of Chogoris shall answer it."
Just like that, the subsequent compliance was declared. Orion had a sneaking suspicion that the next few months would be chaotic. As his gaze lingered on the images of a ruined world and the destruction wrought by this "Clear Sky" organization, a part of him tried to imagine what awaited him and the White Scars.
And while they hadn't determined it was daemons (yet), Orion understood that the Warhawk would call upon his sons to quickly resolve this compliance. If their own foe was a single paramilitary group, eliminating them would take one solid decapitation strike.
Simple, on paper. Yet Orion's intuition told him that this wasn't going to but.
It took the better part of a month to arrive in the Elegia system. The White Scars found that the system itself was also a battlefield at some point in the distant past. Scans of broken hulks and void stations, long since stripped of anything valuable, acted as a path leading to the world of Elegia itself. A history of war and carnage gently guided the White Scars towards their next destination.
As they arrived in orbit of Elegia, it was difficult to not look down at the ruined world and not wince in sympathy. The images did not do it enough justice. Perhaps when Elegia was hale and alive, it might have had rolling green continents and oceans, with mountains and plains that would've fed the people and their industry with a wealth of resources. Their cities once shining beacons of humanity and progress. One could also see the super-structure of a great hive on its eastern continent, a great bastion, and the center of their entire civilization.
But now, there was only a broken husk to look upon from the void. The White Scar's had learned that Elegia had been the victim of numerous attacks, including biological weapons. The Imperial Army had reported that much of the planetary biosphere and ecosystem was in ruins, likely requiring eons to recover. Ultimately, this made the prospect of living in this world a difficult one, let alone trying to make a flourishing civilization. Perhaps if the Imperium devoted enough resources, it might recover within the next couple thousand years.
Once you got past the environmental catastrophe, you could easily see the outright physical damages done by the centuries of bombardment. Unnatural crevices stretched for hundreds of kilometers, multiple lake networks with telltale signs of being the aftermath of clustered bombardment cannon shots, and vast deserts and plains that seemed devoid of color and life. The dust and ash storms likely made it difficult and dangerous to be outside when they passed through, although they appeared relatively contained.
Then there were the indications of ruined cities. Like with the orbital and system debris, the signs of Elegia infrastructure were now just grim reminders and monuments to a once-thriving people. A single vox transmission played from the surface, warning of approaching dust and ash storms and not much else. There were no lights on the surface whenever night came upon Elegia, save for one in the center of a minor hive called Sempitomus.
Sempitomus was where the Imperial Army found the only working plasma reactor and a void-shield that could keep Sempitomus safe from dust storms or the occasional falling orbital debris. Everything inside their impromptu capital was ruined, for the most part. The tech-priests were hard at work trying to get a few of the facilities back online and working as intended.
More specifically, trying to get the forges inside Sempitomus operational. The Imperial Army hadn't come to Elegia just to bring it back into the fold but to harvest the reportedly vast resources that lay undiscovered. Elegia might never become more than a mining world in the grand scheme of Imperial history, but every source to aid the Great Crusade was necessary.
While the local powers had failed to solidify their claim over Elegia, they hadn't stopped them from trying their luck with getting deals with the Imperial Army. Even more so when the White Scars learned that the regiment commander, a Lord-Militant Helena Regal, had already taken several offers from nearby mining guilds and Mechanicum elements. Perhaps she should've considered how that would've been taken by locals before agreeing to anything.
A wave of violence overtook Elegia in the first few weeks of mining operations starting (or restarting, depending on who you asked), resulting in Clear Sky making their intentions loud and clear. The Imperial Army attempted to fight back, but the White Scars had since learned that the local population was assisting them, and Clear Sky operatives were difficult to pin down or even attack.
The Imperial Army decided that Astartes were needed to remove this threat. The White Scars were perhaps not the best when it came to eliminating special forces units, but their speed and mobility meant that once they caught Clear Sky out in the open, the group wouldn't be able to escape. Furthermore, Orion was a bit more suited to hunting esoteric enemies.
For that reason, Jaghatai gave Orion command over the investigation of Clear Sky inside Hive Sempitomus…
"This feels like a waste of time."
Orion ignored Ramuh's comment as he continued to study the Imperial Army reports on Clear Sky. The Knight-Warden and Stormherald had spent the better part of two days just reading and interviewing Troopers over their close encounters with the group. So far, though, Orion hadn't found anything noteworthy or substantially useful.
His arrival down to the surface of Elegia and towards Camp Rusteye, the former Upper Hive that now housed Lord-Militant Regal, her command staff, and most of the officers, had been an underwhelming affair. The Lord-Militant was displeased that the Warhawk himself hadn't come down to greet her. Additionally, Orion's contingent of 500 marines was not enough to perform an effective sweep of Sempitomus.
Unfortunately for her, Jaghatai was busy dealing with the representatives from the outsider factions while Jubal was preparing the rest of the White Scars for planetary operations. These events required quite a bit of time to plan out and resolve. Thus the Warhawk didn't feel the need to push the timetable forward and instead sent a vanguard element to learn more about the situation on the ground.
Orion had to give the Warhawk credit for this. If anything went wrong down here in Sempitomus, it would be all on the Knight-Warden. However, if Orion made progress or learned something vital, the Primarch would get the credit. This was all just Legion politics, something that Orion had since learned since he was just a recruit for the Wardens. You never allow the Primarch or First Captain to look bad.
Not that was going to be an issue regardless. Orion was taking this mission as seriously as he would with hunting daemons. He did not want to stay on Elegia any longer than they had to, but he also could confirm with his own investigation if there was any daemonic or cult activity. The Knight-Warden could also have Ramuh acts while in the field.
So far, the Stormherald wasn't too keen on this mission.
"Most eye-witness accounts are the type you'd see in after-action reports involving the Raven Guard or the Night Lords," Ramuh remarked, tossing a few reports on the table inside the refurbished office that Lord-Militant Regal gave to Orion. A "generous" gift, as he was told, but the Knight-Warden suspected the Imperial Army just wanted the Astartes out of the picture.
Unless Orion's little task force had something useful for the Imperial Army, they were allowed to do whatever but stay away from the regiments. Ramuh remarked that was likely because they were afraid of Orion…mainly due to his connections to the infamous Skullface. Half a galaxy away, and somehow, he was still working in the shadow of Orbán.
Ramuh finally had enough, "Mayhaps we should go and interrogate the locals for details on this Clear Sky? I doubt they will most likely not be receptive to our questions, but I know a few tricks that can make them speak…" Orion watched as the Stormherald's fingers glowed as warp-electricity danced across his fingers.
As tempting as that sounded, Orion still shook his head. "No." He spoke sternly, "We shall not resort to such tactics unless we have to." The Dark Angels taught Orion that it was better to use guile and cunning while torture and interrogations have their place. Any man that believed himself safe from harm would spill secrets thinking he was free of consequences. So easy was it to make a man talk, given the right incentives.
Ramuh just shrugged as the power faded from his being, "Then are we to just continue reading reports while waiting for something to happen?"
"Nonsense." Orion retorted, "We are not going to be reactionary here. Your idea has more than enough merit, but the execution shall be a bit different." As the Knight-Warden stood up, he gave a slight smirk to Ramuh, "So then, let's go and speak with the Emperor's new subjects, yes?"
Leaving the Upper Hives was enough. If anything, when Orion and Ramuh offered to go with one of the battalions running supplies down to the lower hives, the two Astartes found themselves surrounded by accommodating and friendly officers and foot-soldier alike. No one would turn down the offer of Space Marine help. Their journey to the lower hives took about three hours; during that time, Orion spoke with the Major of the battalion, a reasonably old veteran named Gunther "Gunz" Jorgeson of the 615th Navrick Mechanized.
"The Elegians are xenophobic as hell," Gunther casually to Orion, "They don't like Imperials, don't like outsiders, period. Even when we bring them food and medicine, they don't make any efforts to try and talk to us."
Orion didn't see the issue: "It will take time for them to get used to the new order."
Gunther shook his head, "With respect, Lord Astartes, I don't think they will. I've been through seven post-compliance ops in my time, and never have I've encountered a people like the Elegians that outright refuse to even look us in the eye."
"Are they just not afraid?"
"Far from it," Gunther gave him a grim look, "I think they'd probably run me through if given a chance. They don't want to be our friends; that much is certain. If you want to avoid an incident." Orion made a mental note to not mention issues like slavery or the Black Brigades to these people. That likely wasn't going to go over well if they ever learned about it, but Orion wouldn't be the one to tell them.
When the 615th Navrick finally arrived at their destination, Orion saw that it was a temporary aid station, the type the Imperial Army put up during the initial post-occupation points of compliance. Orion never liked these things, not because he didn't want people to get aid, but because he knew the amount of criminal activity in them. Orbán ruined any positive perceptions that Orion might have held for them after explaining, in gruesome detail, the number of disgusting acts that went behind the scenes.
Intentional mismanagement of resources, under-table selling of medicine and food, forcing people to trade sexual favors for just essential goods, and then there were stories of officers demanding tribute from the locals. Oddly enough, the Mechanicum run aid stations had the cleanest records. All the tech-priests wanted was information or archeotech. The problem with that is if you were a local with knowledge and weren't giving it up.
In which case, well, the Mechanicum had their ways to make you talk.
Thankfully, the 615th Navrick didn't have any signs of corruption among their ranks. Orion watched as they swiftly started handing out supplies to Elegians. This was the first time that Orion got to see one of the natives in person. While they did not look emaciated or ill, he could certainly tell they had seen better days. They refused to keep eye contact with the Navricks and quietly got their supplies before leaving.
However, what intrigued the Elegians was seeing the Knight-Warden and Stormherald standing ominously near one of the transport vehicles. Both were in power armor, with Orion carrying Humility on his back and Ramuh carrying a pair of war hammers. The fact that the two stood taller among the sea of people was probably another indicator. Nothing new for either marine. Most humans tended to stare when gazing upon the transhuman warriors of the Imperium of Man. Whether that was in awe, fear, or disgust depended on the world.
"So," Ramuh rumbled before Orion, "Where do we start our investigation?"
Orion considered that for a brief moment, "Not here." He nodded towards the humans milling about, keeping their eyes averted, "They won't speak if we pressed them. We will need to go exploring on our own."
"On our own?" Ramuh sounded only a tad surprised, "Is that wise?"
"What?" Orion glanced over at Ramuh, "Afraid we'll get jumped by muggers?"
Ramuh laughed, "Afraid that your blasted sword will burn down an entire section!" His laughter rumbled like thunder, and Orion was sure that a few of the Elegians and Navricks moved further away from the Stormherald. "I'd rather just try and traumatize these people."
"Fair enough," Ramuh had a point. For all his Space Wolf-like bluster, the young Scar had enough wisdom to recognize if he was making a mistake. "Then we shall be careful with our words and actions." One wrong could cause a riot. But that was nothing compared to what would happen if the two Astartes had to fight their way out. Orion could only imagine what destruction both of them could bring to this place, given their unique capabilities. To that end, Orion would have to limit all possible damages done.
"Should we consider that our presence won't have gone unnoticed?" Now Ramuh sounded serious, "If we get ambushed by Clear Sky, we might have to destroy quite the lower hive to take them down."
Orion nodded, but at the same time, he looked almost happy at such a prospect, "That is true, but if we can take care of this problem in one fell swoop? A sacrifice has to be made for the good of this world and its people." Better a quick and destructive end than a long and drawn agonizing campaign. There was only so much mercy, compassion, and understanding that could be allowed in such instances.
Ramuh nodded back, "Then we can finally get started with our investigation."
The fact that Major Jorgeson didn't seem that concerned with the two Astartes going off on their own indicated to Orion that either the man trusted their capabilities or it wasn't his problem anymore. The Knight-Warden decided to believe the former rather than the latter.
Moving through the lower hive of Sempitomus wasn't an issue. Even though most of the lifts and roads had long since been destroyed, the Elegians had spent time rebuilding everything from bridges to creating passages for individuals to use. A treacherous journey, but for two Astartes, it might as well have been walking through a park.
Orion couldn't help but note the amount of destruction seemingly leftover from battles centuries ago. Rusted out tanks, armored vehicles, and automobiles were every, and signs of war were everywhere. Although the more Orion examined those wrecks, the less he could begin to identify. The vast difference in war machines that once trodden upon this world Most humans would've missed the subtle instances of this brutal legacy, but for Orion and Ramuh, they saw it all too well.
"Look," The Stormherald pointed to one of the ruined streets, namely a destroyed section, "It's old, but those indentations were made by a Baneblade." That was just one example they had found. Plasma and melta scorches could be seen as well. A formidable army fought against the Elegians or perhaps another occupier in the distant, or not-so-distant, past. Everywhere they looked, a long trail of war and destruction from battles that had long since faded into myth and memory.
Yet these memories lingered in the hearts and minds of the Elegians. Most refused to speak with the pair of Astartes. An Elegian would flat out ignore Orion and Ramuh, a grave offense to any Imperial that knew of the power and authority wielded by the Space Marines of the Imperium.
Orion didn't care, though. After seeing everything so far, he was inclined to be sympathetic to the Elegians plight. However, this wasn't helping their investigation. They had no factual information regarding the Elegians themselves, let alone anything involving Clear Sky now. It was starting to look like a waste of time. The two had been at this for almost six hours now and had nothing to show.
However, a break finally came at the start of their seventh hour of investigating. Ramuh and Orion had ventured into what looked to be an old manufacturer block and found only a few "businesses" operating at the time. Most were getting ready to close up for the night, or whatever counted as night for the lower hive.
The pair approached what looked to be a metalworking shop judging by the sheet metal out front for sale. Once again, Orion got ready to strike up a conversation as he and Ramuh entered the establishment. At the counter was an old man with darkened, leathery skin and white hair that relaxed in a chair. He didn't seem perturbed or surprised when the two super-humans entered his shop.
And to their surprise, the man spoke with any preempting, "What can I help you, gentlemen, with?" Ramuh and Orion both blinked before looking at each other with some relief. This was the first Elegian that spoke to them.
"Greetings, sir." Orion spoke while Ramuh crossed his arms and hung back, "I don't suppose you would be willing to aid a pair of newcomers and answer a few questions."
The old man looked only mildly amused, "That depends on the questions and what it's worth for my answers." Neither Ramuh nor Orion had anything that they could part with. Technically, Orion could make a promise for supplies or just make a threat.
"My companion and I don't really have anything valuable that we could part with for you."
"Hmm…" The human considered his answers, "Tell you what, you both look pretty strong; how about you help an old man with his decrepit bones and move some stuff for me." A request for manual labor to an Astartes Captain and a Stormseer. What a truly outrageous thing.
Orion didn't hesitate, "Done."
Now the old man smiled, "Hungry for knowledge, ain'tcha?" He chuckled for a few moments before nodding towards Orion, "Name's Dazlan, but everyone around these parts calls me Old Dazzle."
Orion didn't care, "How novel." He looked expectantly at Dazlan, "I'm Captain Orion Jesk, and this is Ramuh Ognir." Swiftly gesturing towards himself and the Stormseer, "Now then, our questions first, and then we shall move whatever items you require moving."
"Very well," Dazlan nodded, "So, what's on your mind then, Captain Orion Jesk."
The Knight-Warden already had his questions, "We are looking to learn more about your world, Elegia."
Dazlan chuckled, "Well, for starters…this ain't my world, to begin with."
"You…aren't a native?" This was unexpected and answered why Dazland was willing to speak to them, "You immigrated to this world?"
This comment caused Dazlan to snort and shake his head, "No…I came here as a part of an invasion force. My homeworld was the Gannha Republics. We invaded Elegia during the 'height' of the United Coalition…about 60 years ago. I was 18 at the time, part of a mining team sent to retrieve cobalt, titanium, and adamantium."
Now they were getting somewhere. "So your Gannha fought this United Coalition?"
Dazlan shook his head again, "Everyone was fighting the UC. Gannha was only one of the dozens of nations that landed on Elegia to try and pick it clean. The UC was the last real government before it completely collapsed about a decade ago." He paused to grab a small cup of water, "Anyway, I came to Elegia to help with a mining operation, but I became disgusted and horrified by what we were doing."
"Occupation that bad?" Ramuh interjected this time, and this time Dazlan nodded in recollection.
"So many of us were acting either like animals or criminals." Dazlan took a sip of his water, "I could stand it no more. These people didn't deserve to be treated like this, not after their suffering. So when the time came, I let the UC military past my camps defenses, and they slaughtered everyone."
Orion blinked at hearing such a ready admittance to betrayal, "You betrayed your own forces, just like that?"
"There is no loyalty to men that act like animals. Rape, torture, stealing, murder. Even when brotherhood is the cost, certain lines cannot be crossed." Dazlan set the cup down, "I decided to try and help these people, and that's all there is to it. But that act allowed the Elegians to accept me as one of their own."
"That far to be accepted?"
Now Dazlan gave Orion a smirk, "Oh yeah. You've probably noticed by now, right? They don't talk to you if you aren't from this world, don't even want to look at you…although I suppose we don't see many of your types these days." He gestured towards the Warden and Scars emblems, "But you being military, that already makes you the enemy."
"We haven't done anything to warrant hostility." Ramuh interjected, "The Imperium is here to help this world."
Dazlan gave a raspy laugh, "They won't see it that way. Four thousand years of war, paranoia, and xenophobia don't disappear. Elegia has not known peace, not since the era of the Global Defense Alliance or under the Compact." He started laughing more, "Certainly not during the Occupation or the Hundreds Masters centuries!" Dazlan began to cough once more and drank more of his water.
There was a lot to unpack here, so Orion kept pressing for more information, "Where does Clear Sky fit into all of this? Who are they?"
"Our guardians." Dazlan answered bluntly, "You should keep that in mind if you look for them. All of us, and I mean all of us, are on their side."
Ramuh snorted from his position, "You do know that could constitute aiding and abiding, right? Clear Sky had been declared an enemy of the Imperium."
Dazlan gave only a sardonic look to the Stormherald, "There are a hundred sons of bitches that hate Clear Sky. What's one more, eh?"
"This won't end the way you or Clear Sky think it will." Orion remarked fiercely, "The Imperium of Man has called forth its Astartes to stop Clear Sky. Right now, if there is any chance for a diplomatic solution-"
"Clear Sky doesn't want a diplomatic solution." Dazlan interjected, "They ain't looking to be friends with invaders or bow down before them. Clear Sky wants a free Elegia. They carry a spirit born of thousands of years of hatred and humiliation. But more than that, it is their desire to save this world and its people."
Orion could, on some level, understand that, but he also refused to believe there weren't any diplomatic overtures that could be made here. "And are they prepared to bring their people into this war?"
"They wouldn't have to ask," Dazlan remarked, "You don't get it. Everyone here has been helped by Clear Sky. Do you think they are just terrorists or soldiers? They are more than that. They are doctors, scientists, engineers, men and women who you'd call Lexsavants." A Lexsvant was considered a certified prodigy in their particular field. The type that could go on to lead a Mechanicum expeditionary fleet or act as a Sage for a member of Segmentum command.
An entire force of highly trained and motivated Lexsavants, with a grudge toward foreigners no less?
Dazlan took a breath, "You want answers about Elegia and its people? Fine. But I will not answer anything regarding Clear Sky." Orion looked over at Ramuh, who shrugged at the single demand by Dazlan. He was their only source of information. So it was in the Astarte's best interest to lose it.
"Fine." Orion wasn't happy with this development, "What else can you tell us about Elegia, its history, and its people?"
Old Dazzle did his best to explain what he, and by proxy, most of Elegia, knew about its own history. Information has been lost, distorted, and even erased. There were hardly any books written on the matter, anything stored on a data-chit. All of it was passed down by word of mouth and a few lectures.
In the beginning, Elegia was likely a world used by the Ancients as a mining world. Their first Hive, Amaron, was the center of the colony world, and it was there that all good flowed in and out of Elegia. No one knows much else. Like so many planets, their histories were distorted and lost in the chaos following the Age of Strife.
Elegia, however, did survive and dozens of nations grew and thrived. They supposedly traded peacefully with nearby planets, which allowed them to build voidships and powerful engines of industry to mine their bountiful world. Prosperity soon followed, but their neighbors became jealous and supposedly fearful of their might. An alliance of groups and worlds conspired against Elegia. Their names have been forgotten, but as Dazlan pointed out, one of those factions out in the void is likely one of their descendants. Over four thousand years ago, the first war began, and it was here that the Global Defense Alliance was created. Their mission was simple: Protect Elegia and ensure its independence.
Although the Elegian claimed that it took centuries before anyone directly landed on their world. During this time, a war in the void that lasted for generations finally destroyed their last remaining defense outpost. The subsequent ground invasion of Elegia was an on-and-off event that lasted for almost 200 years before the Elegia Alliance kicked off the last of the invaders.
However, their hard-won victory came with a cost. The governments of Elegia had been subverted by GDA leadership. So when the weary and frightened population demanded a return to decentralized government, everything went to hell.
The 21st Supreme Commander of the Alliance declared that enemy agents had subverted Elegia and declared indefinite martial law. He lasted for over a century before his replacement took control and lasted another century. Thus the era of the Hundreds Masters took place and further brought Elegia to the point of no return.
One bad dictator after the other. The GDA was formally collapsed in the fourth century of this chaotic millennium, not that it even functioned anymore. There were also dozens of subsequent raids and invasions by foreign powers. Armies fought and died for cities that had long since been forgotten even by the Elegians. Billions were born and died this time, while the land died under the wave of destruction and orbital bombardment.
As the era of the Hundreds Masters came to a close, a military alliance grew from the remains of the last "God-King" empire, calling themselves Adamantium Compact. They sought to bring order back to Elegia and restore its former glory. Legend has it that the Compact succeeded when they uncovered lost technologies that allowed them to produce soldiers of unparalleled skill and talent. Ultimately, these super-soldiers proved the deciding factor. They restored order to Elegia only after killing a third of the population and placing the rest under their authoritative command.
However, the Compact kept its promise, and Elegia grew strong. So much so that they could even field void-ships once more. New cities were built, the industry returned, and even the construction of smaller hives began once more. In only two hundred years, the Compact almost had undone most of the harm from the Hundreds Masters. A miracle, if nothing else.
Yet once more, the galaxy conspired against Elegia. A new invader arrived, but one more powerful than any force that had attacked in over three thousand years. A group that cloaked themselves in the robes and trappings of the Mechanicum and whose bodies were still vaguely humanoid…but their minds and desires were inhuman.
Calling themselves the "Unfaded Horizons," they sought to find lost secrets on Elegia, claiming Elegia was prophesied to hold a cache of technologies now lost to the galaxy. All those that failed to aid the Unfaded would be destroyed. Their destruction of the Compact was swift and brutal. The return to the glories of old lasted two centuries.
Thus the Occupation began. Four hundred years of the Unfaded forcing tens of billions of Elegians to work as slaves, trying in vain to find this elusive cache. All resistance against the Unfaded ended in failure. The Tech-Priests half-machine soldiers were impossible to resist, but while a conventional war failed, the insurgency learned from whatever scraps they could get their hands on.
But then, one day, the Unfaded simply left. They took as much of their equipment as possible and then vanished. Four hundred years of slavery and death, and Elegia would never know why or if this was simply some cosmic joke. There was no rejoicing, only quiet anger.
Finally, the last attempt was made to restart civilization. By this point, there were likely only a few billion left on Elegia. A few subsequent wars of conquest and survival followed before a group of cities, towns, and mining outposts formed the United Coalition. The Coalition was flawed from the start, and it would last long enough to create a semblance of order before Elegia's neighbors learned that the Unfaded Horizon had left.
Invasions and raids followed, but none were ever like the Occupation. The UC lasted long enough to aid in one last project. A group of scientists, soldiers, and engineers began to work on a project to create a better Elegian. When the United Coalition finally collapsed, this group continued their work.
And when the time came for them to appear and aid their people once more, they promised that a better future awaited them all. A world without war or invaders, with Elegia, returned to normal, and its people were no longer afraid to look up and see a sky clear of horrors from beyond.
The entire explanation took roughly two hours to conclude. Dazlan had a lot to say about it. He might have recognized that Orion and Ramuh were actually trying to learn more about their world rather than some pittance of information so they could make some absurd leap in logic.
If anything, Orion realized that this world went through a second Age of Strife, or perhaps it never left the first one? Elegia had gone through a revolving door of tragedy, one after the other, and no, they thought it would repeat with the Imperium. He actually felt legitimate pity for these people.
Yet maybe this need not end in yet another tragedy? The Imperium could actually do something good for these people. If only he, or perhaps the Warhawk, could find a way to convince them that it was better to pursue cooperation. There was no shame in this pursuit. Certainly not for a people that had become so scarred and brutalized after all these centuries. Dazlan, however, would be of no help in that regard. Even if Orion spoke of peace, Clear Sky wouldn't listen.
So that left Orion and the White Scars to come up with a solution or force Clear Sky to come to the table.
Dazlan asked the two to keep their promise of helping an old man move a few objects with all that was said and done. It took Ramuh and Orion minutes to transfer materials that would've taken a group of men hours. The time sink came from Dazlan, who had particular spots for all these items, and they had to be placed just right.
"I thank you, gentlemen, for helping an old man." Dazlan said gratefully, "And I hope my knowledge helped you two. This is what I heard from others over the years, and I imagine the stories have changed since then. Still, maybe it will provide something insight." That might have been discouraging to some, but for Orion and Ramuh, that wasn't anything new. Trying to accurately recall thousands of years of history in one conversation would not be conclusive.
However, it was a start.
As the two marines left Old Dazzle's shop, the man decided to make one last remark, "You should heed my advice, Captain Jesk. Clear Sky will not seek peace, not unless it means Elegia is safe from invaders forever."
Orion frowned, "I'll keep that in mind…" Dazlan was about to say something when his eyes noticed something off in the distance. Where they were normal humans, they'd have both missed it, but Orion had been enough training from the Dark Angels, and Ramuh was a man that saw things beyond most mortal sights.
Dazlan, to his credit, did not betray much else, "I wish you two well. And be careful getting back to whatever you call home." And with that, Old Dazzle closed his shop's door, leaving the two Astartes to glance at each other before turning around to go back to the Upper Hive. At least from a first glance.
"He saw something," Ramuh remarked quietly under his breath. Orion watched as the Stormherlads eyes glowed with ethereal power. He only turned away once to look in the direction of where Dazlan looked. It lasted no longer than a second, but Ramuh spoke, "We're being followed as his eyes turned back to normal."
Orion barely nodded, "I wondered if someone would try their luck. Our own fault; we've been outside too long now."
As the two began their trek back, Ramuh asked, "So how do we want to do this?"
"I'll be the bait." Orion was faster anyway and could track his target if they tried to escape, "Is it more than one?"
"No, just the one, I think." Ramuh seemed confident enough, "Curious why to think they have a chance at two unknowns."
"Their mistake," The smallest smirks appeared on Orion's face, "So let's now exploit it."
As the pair turned to walk away, Orion couldn't help but ask, "You used the warp to spot them; how exactly?"
Ramuh smirked, "I didn't necessarily use the warp itself, per se." He gestured towards his eyes with one of his fingers, "I just slightly modified them to allow me to see most EM spectrums. A cameleoline cloak gives us a specific glow when viewed with the 'right' eyes."
Orion had never heard of a psyker ability like that before. "Did you come up with that on your own?"
"Aye." The Stormherald sounded proud, "Although, I suspected that such things are tied to my bloodline. Mother always did say the men traded the ability to hear and speak with the dead with their ability to see them." Once more, Orion needed to learn more about the White Scars and their secret ties to the spirits.
But now was the time to focus on getting this stalker of theirs into custody.
An Astartes had to be quick on their feet, but a leader of Astartes had to be both fast and innovative when it came to making a decision. It wasn't enough to just respond at a moment's notice but to develop new strategies and tactical decisions in the span it took a human to decide whether to shoot or duck into cover.
Orion had already come up with a plan. It wasn't optimal, nor without significant risk. He and Ramuh would head towards a section that had already passed through that people in it but was close enough to a series of abandoned manufactorums. Ramuh would stick close by the domiciles while Orion would go off to "check" on those abandoned facilities, luring their target away and allowing Orion a chance to capture this individual. Ramuh, meanwhile, would show up as a backup to assist.
The risk was real. The operative could go after Ramuh instead, but Orion doubted that. There was also the possibility their target was just doing recon. Which could've resulted in them leaving, resulting in no chance of capturing a high-value asset. However, Orion was willing to go against standard norms in this instance. A highly unorthodox procedure to take. Usually, a captain would call in additional Astartes to help ensure that their target couldn't escape, or in the event they were dealing with a high-level threat, respond with force to either eliminate or stall long enough for heavy reinforcements to arrive.
However, Orion and Ramuh were capable of handling entire armies by themselves. A single operative (if it was only the sole operative) should be dispatched with ease. No question that Clear Sky was dangerous, but Orion refused to believe that they had the capabilities or skill to match an Astartes.
It was a rookie mistake to go after two unknowns by oneself, for starters. Additionally, if Clear Sky was interested in preventing civilian deaths, they'd be unable to do anything if Orion and Ramuh stuck close to any inhabited zones. Finally, even the most ignorant ganger or feral worlder would've known to not mess with a man walking around in power armor.
A part of him worried this was random insurgents trying to get revenge or perhaps show off their skill to Clear Sky, but based on all reports from the Imperial Army, none of the civilians were actively engaged in direct confrontation. All acts of violence were carried out exclusively by Clear Sky operatives. So, Orion had to believe the individual stalking them was, in fact, a member of the organization.
An opportunity was knocking at his door, as the old Terran saying went, and Orion planned on capitalizing on this chance. A capture of a Clear Sky operative would provide a wealth of information to help bring an end to this compliance. Ramuh seemed to agree as well. No doubt eager to get more out of this investigation after spending hours asking questions and moving junk around.
Wordlessly, the two Astartes headed towards one of the major thoroughfares that had passed through hours before. The "night" might have started here in the Lower Hives, but there were still plenty of Elegians finishing up their work or simply trying to enjoy themselves. They might have been a bit confused when they saw that the two Astartes were still there. The Imperial Army left hours ago, so they were far from immediate help.
Then again, none of them knew that the White Scars could have a force down here in less than ten minutes. Orion was counting on that because if a fight broke out and they did capture a member of Clear Sky, he was expecting many locals to suddenly find their courage to try and stop the Imperials. Whatever happened, it had to be enacted and resolved just as fast. Worse case, Orion killed the operative and took their body back for examination. Either way, he and Ramuh were coming back to the Khan with something more substantial than just testimonies.
Once the pair reached their destination, the plan began: Orion made a few passing comments about needing to go and check out those abandoned manufactorums while Ramuh would talk to a few more shopkeepers. If one of the Elegians was helping the Clear Operative by monitoring their activities, they'd relay this information to their stalker. Otherwise, the operative would need to decide who to follow and fast.
As Orion began his short trek, he recognized that he was severely handicapped. For starters, he couldn't use the Bastard or Humility. Even though Orion would be far from any human habitation, a bolt round could still travel quite a distance and hit someone. Meanwhile, he could not, under any circumstances, use his sword.
Humility was destruction incarnate. A sufficiently powerful beam had leveled an entire hill and the small army of daemons that attacked him. If the blasted spirit got too riled up, it could potentially hit one of the support structures, causing unimaginable damage and possibly killing hundreds of Elegians.
It would also require a rather lengthy report to be written out.
So, Orion would be left with a combat knife and a bolt pistol. It wasn't much, but an Astartes could kill an entire company of Troopers with just his hands if he had to. A sidearm and knife would be more than enough, barring unforeseen circumstances. Besides, if things did reach the point of no return, then Humility would be brought out, and then Orion would end the fight.
He hoped it wouldn't come to that.
After walking only about five minutes, finding what looked to be an old scrapyard, Orion soon felt the proximity of the operative. His time fighting and hunting daemons gave the Knight-Warden a bit of budding talent for sensing such opponents. True, he might not be the best at it, but against mundane enemies, he had the edge over them.
Like everything else in the lower hive, the scrapyard had battle scars. There were scorch marks and bullet holes everywhere, not just in the vehicle wrecks. A rather grim "totem" had been built out of what looked to be empty and rusted tank shells and made to look almost vaguely human. It reminded him of those decoys that farmers used to scare off birds, made of hay and straw and dressed up like a person.
The name eluded him, but Orion could see the same intention, although probably for the rodent population more than anything. The smell of rust, iron and ammonia was pungent around the edifice. Yet this place looked to not have been visited by any living creature in quite a while. He could even smell the remains of gunpowder. If Orion were a Space Wolf, he could only imagine what other scents lingered in just this place?
This scrapyard was good enough. There was plenty of room and cover, and while it favored the operative, Orion knew he could move quickly to negate their advantage. Now he just had to wait and see what would happen. Perhaps the Knight-Warden would get lucky, and this was Clear Sky attempting a dialogue?
Such thoughts were dashed when Orion heard the sound of something, not someone, rapidly approaching from the north. He needed only a second to recognize the far too familiar sound of a missile heading in his direction.
His reflexes kicked in, and in but a span of a human heartbeat, Orion sprinter into the cover of a destroyed APC. Just in the nick of time, the missile hit where he had been standing only three seconds ago. Whatever munitions were used, the explosive force was strong enough to send the entire scrapyard either tumbling or flying.
Unfortunately for Orion, the rusted hulk he was behind had tipped right over and on top of him, a rather embarrassing change of fortunes. But other than that, there was no harm to him. His power armor quickly protected him, and his Astartes strength allowed Orion to easily lift even a fully functional APC (although only for a limited time.)
Still, he was a bit stuck. So as Orion worked on getting the blasted hulk off his body, he tried to contact Ramuh to give him a heads up. Instead, he got only a burst of static in his ear. The operative was trying to jam any possible outbound transmissions. Clever, but that only worked if they killed or nullified their treat.
"Going to be like that, huh?" Orion muttered to himself as he groaned and finished pushing the vehicle's remains off his body. As he stood, Orion could see the entire scrapyard had been utterly devastated by the missile attack. Whatever had hit the ground probably would've totally obliterated even an Olympia.
Clear Sky evidently decided to try and use what the Army would've called "overkill" to take out the unknown. An indication that they had some experience with power armor. The air around him was full of choking smoke, offuscating everything in front of him, save for a meter or two of visibility. Meanwhile, the heat from the fires was another issue as well. It looked like the missile was also incendiary along with high explosives.
No matter. Orion pulled out his bolt pistol and knife. He couldn't see much, but he didn't need to in this environment. He needed to hone his remaining senses and consider the avenue of attack. Besides, Orion could also use the environment to his advantage as well. Keeping near the burning fires, the Knight-Warden kept low and readied himself.
All that mattered now was to see who would get the first attack off; the operative or Orion.
Like so many times before, the fates favored Orion in his hunt. The Astartes had to only wait twenty seconds before he saw a figure shimmering only a short distance away. Their body was still distorted by their cameleoline, but the smoke also showed the same shimmering, giving the Knight-Warden the opening he needed to pounce.
He could've easily aimed his bolt pistol for the figure's head or body, maybe even a leg if he was lucky enough, but Orion wanted a living and relative unharmed prisoner. Hence the decision to swiftly charge with only the knife.
His target was caught off-guard, likely having made the tactical blunder of assuming that such an attack killed an Astartes. Orion reached the operative in only a second, before bringing the knife in his right hand down and slicing his target. His aim wasn't to even wound or dry blood…but rather hit and damage the cameleoline cloak.
The blade landed only once, but that was what was needed for Orion. The operative reacted with the grace of an Eldar, but it wasn't as fast as one. Their cloak was hit, making the operative look like a half-faded phantom. The Knight-Warden didn't get a good look at the operative or their weapon, but he knew enough to get out of the way.
However, rather than just dodge, Orion instead threw his combat knife toward the operative, causing them to dodge and misalign their rifle at the Astartes. They pulled the trigger, but the few bullets that hit Orion hit only his shoulder armor. Even then, the Knight-Warden felt the force of the attack through the ceramite. The operative wasn't using standard caliber or maybe not even a normal gun. No matter to Orion. This distraction was all Orion needed to close the distance and get into fist fighting range of the operative.
An Astartes knew how to hold back their strength when punching or kicking someone; that was just a common trait among all Legions. A Space Marine had to control their strength, for it marked their self-control and discipline while wielding such incredible power. Even so, as Orion held back most of his strength, most humans would describe getting punched by an Astartes in power armor as akin to getting hit in the stomach with a sledgehammer.
Orion heard the audible gasp of pain as the Knight-Warden's fist noisily hit the operative in the stomach. It made Orion think of a butcher hitting a slab of Grox meat with a tenderizing hammer if the butcher was also an Ogryn. The operative tried to back away but, in doing so, left them open for the Knight-Warden to grab their rifle (one that felt as heavy as a boltgun, Orion found) and tossed it aside.
Lacking their weapon, the operative decided to quick-draw out a similarly dangerous-looking pistol. Firing point-blank at the Astartes, Orion felt a pair of dull "punches" against his chest plate as the bullets tried in vain to penetrate the ceramite. His foe seemed to realize that wasn't working either and then made the mistake of trying to use CQC against him.
While Orion wasn't the greatest martial artist, he had routinely sparred against accomplished fighters among three Astartes legions. By the sheer virtue of practicing among such a diverse group of warriors, mixed with his enhanced physiology and combat experience…this was most certainly not one of the best decisions anyone could've made in that encounter.
Orion didn't even seem to blink as he effortlessly weaved out or blocked the attacks the same way a grandmaster would against a pupil in a practice spar. In any other instance, Orion might have felt embarrassed for the operative. CQC was not their forte, nor did they have a particular fighting style that would've given them an edge. Orion noticed the enhanced human reflexes, speed, and strength, but again, nothing noteworthy.
After blocking the ninth hit, Orion finished the fight by kicking the operative's feet from under them, forcing them to tumble to the ground.
"Are we done here?" Orion loudly asked over the burning din around them, "Or do you wish to continue this farce?"
To their credit, the operative pulled out, seemingly from nowhere, a throwing knife and tossed it towards Orion's exposed face. Even though they were still low on the ground, it was almost impressive. However, they still weren't fast enough, and Orion caught it with his hand and swiftly tossed it aside, not even paying attention as the blade became embedded in a piece of scrap, almost up to its handle.
Orion looked down, somewhat unimpressed, "Going to try a third time now?"
This time, he was almost caught by surprise when he barely heard the sound of a power blade emanating from the operative's right foot. Most certainly, Orion wasn't expecting in that same breath, the operative rapidly contorting their body to perform an almost springloaded attack with the power blade by kicking their right leg upward.
It almost worked. If that attack hit, it would've gone through Orion's face. Yet once more, the Knight-Warden stopped the possible killing blow by grabbing the operatives leg and applying enough pressure to hear a disturbing "crunch" emanate. They didn't show if his foe cared enough to scream or curse in pain. Although they didn't have time as Orion would proceed to toss the operative, with one hand and with their right leg, into one of the wrecks.
Orion used enough force that when the operative hit the wreck, the sounds of crumbling metal could be heard. He saw a dent the size of a gretchin in the same impact, the operative falling down into a heap.
"Third time was evidently not the charm," Orion quipped as he slowly approached, "Although I will give you credit, that last attempt might have done some real damage. You should feel proud that you almost got the drop of an Astartes."
Rather than respond, the operative surprised Orion one final time by hoisting themselves up. He imagined the pain they felt was excruciating. Standing on a broken leg, with many broken ribs, internal bleeding, and a concussion. Their cameleoline cloak was in tatters now, allowing Orion to see the figure in front to identify that it was a woman based on the body type.
The female operative was determined; Orion gave them that much of a compliment in an otherwise poor showing of martial prowesses. So much so that she pulled out a grenade. The Knight-Warden frowned, "Don't be stupid. That won't kill me."
She pulled off her cameleoline mask, allowing Orion to see that she was quite young, with short-golden hair and a pair of blue eyes that shined with the same determination Orion had seen on both humans and Astartes alike during the Ritual War. The scowl directed towards the Knight-Warden indicated that the Clear Sky operative would go down fighting even though she lost.
"Elegia will never surrender to tyrants and murderers!" She yelled over the roaring fires, "Nor will her citizens be taken alive!" Orion watched as the operative prepared to pull the pin.
Whatever caused him to speak out eluded Orion at the time, "Don't be stupid!" He shouted back, "I didn't come here looking for a fight! I wish to speak with Clear Sky!"
"You think we will believe such tricks?!" Although it reached only a few centimeters, she spat blood towards Orion, "Your Imperium wants this world for yourself, just like all those trying to take our home!"
"That doesn't mean a peaceful option can't be pursued!" Orion hoped that Ramuh was close by now, but he needed to keep stalling for time, "This world is dying; its people will not survive another generation. The Imperium can save it!"
When he saw the look of resignation and hatred directed toward him, Orion could only recall the same face he received from men like Skullface. This was her end, and she accepted it. No one was going to take it from her.
Orion then heard her speak, "When you're wounded and left on Elegia's plains," Her hands pulled out the grenade's pin, "And the foreigners come out to cut up what remains, just roll to your rifle and blow out your brains. And go to your ancestors as a soldier!"
'Damn it all,' Orion thought to himself, prepared to sprint the distance. She was less than a meter from his current position, but all she needed to do was tap that grenade against her chest to trigger it. She was likely dead just from the force of the explosion if the point-blank shrapnel didn't get to her.
Yet once more, the fates favored Orion. A clap of thunder broke over the din of fires, and Orion watched as a bolt of lightning struck the operative. There was a brief scream before her entire body went rigid as the attack caused her nervous system to go haywire. The grenade in her hand slowly dropped. Orion had only one chance to pull this off. He dives towards it.
His hand caught the following explosive just as it was about to go off and, using whatever momentum he had left, tossed it in a different direction. A few seconds later, the familiar crack of an explosive went off, albeit harmlessly, some dozen meters away from him and the operative.
As he stood up, Orion looked over to see Ramuh approaching from the east, "I see you had a peaceful encounter with our operative?" He joked, but Orion wasn't in the mood. As he looked down at the unconscious woman, the Knight-Warden couldn't help but feel disgusted, knowing that Clear Sky would use someone so young. She barely looked to be in her twenties.
Which begged a particular question, how was she so dangerous and proficient in combat?
Ramuh kneeled down to check her body and pulled out a strange-looking device after a few seconds, "I figured something on her was jamming your micro-bead. I was trying to raise you after I heard the explosion."
That was good then; it was time for them to get out of here, "That means we can call in an evac unit."
"Best to do it now," Ramuh remarked as he looked in the direction he came, "The locals will be coming to check on things soon enough." Orion nodded before reaching down and picking up the knocked-out woman. She would need medical attention as soon as possible. Along with an interrogation cell prepared.
Four minutes. That was how long it took their exfil gunship to arrive from the Upper Hive section. Orion was impressed. Even the vaunted Iron Warriors took at least five to get one of their birds in the air. The White Scars didn't do anything different, but they simply needed speed and the ability to weave through the most challenging environments.
The exit from the lower hive wasn't met with attacks from the locals or a sudden reprisal from a nearby squad of operatives. Instead, Orion and Ramuh left just as a crowd looked to be forming. No doubt Clear Sky would hear about this soon enough. In any event, Orion had gotten more than he wanted from this initial investigation.
An order went up to head into orbit and return to the Khan's fleet. Their prisoner was still unconscious but also badly mauled and wounded. A broken leg and multiple ribs, internal hemorrhaging, and a concussion. Thanks to Ramuh's force bolt, she also had several burns, having fried a few cybernetics. Surprisingly enough, there didn't seem to be any risk of her dying, and Orion could see what looked to be instant clouting and wound closure.
Once back onboard the Khan's flagship, a team of apothecaries (which had been requested earlier to meet them on arrival) took the two's prisoner. Before Ramuh and Orion could think about what to do next, Jubal arrived to meet with them directly and bring them to the Warhawk for a mission debrief.
Orion expected perhaps some chastisement or praise, maybe even both. He and Ramuh were surprised when upon entering the command bridge, the Warhawk gave them a grim smile before gesturing towards a nearby holo-display. There were requests for Astartes' assistance and reports of Clear Sky raids. What confused the hell out of Orion was that officers were being kidnapped, and even command stations raided.
"They are looking for their lost comrade," The Warhawk announced with amusement, "It's almost touching. Watching an entire organization panic for a lost member. I'm sure a few of my brothers would remark a lack of discipline at such an emotional response…but tell me, Captain Jesk, based on what you've witnessed now, does this reaction fit?"
Briefly recalling how the operative was ready to blow herself up out of some misguided attempt to serve her world, Orion nodded to the Primarch, "Yes. They are extremely dedicated to their cause. To the degree that warrants caution and respect lest we get caught flatfooted."
The Primarch shook his head, "Fanatics then."
"Unfortunately, that appears to be their level of dedication, yes."
Khan turned his head to glance over to the captain, "Do you still wish to try diplomacy with them, Captain?"
Orion nodded without hesitation, "I do."
Khan spared another second to look at the Knight-Warden before turning his attention to the holo-projector, "Then I'll leave you to your interrogation. Send me a report of what you've learned so far after our prisoner speaks to you. I don't like reading messages that are just updates on a previous one's contents." He paused for only a moment, "Meanwhile, I will need to take care of some more fires this event has caused."
"Yes, Lord Primarch." Orion could hear the unheard dismissal in the Warhawk's tone. Orion gestured for Ramuh to follow him. They had work to do now.
Two days passed while the Imperials waited for their prisoner to recover. The situation ground side was, however, quite chaotic. The Imperial Army had no counter or means to stop Clear Sky from raiding their bases. Unfortunately for Clear Sky, their attempts to find details on their missing comrade would ultimately be vain. The Warhawk hadn't told anyone what caused this event, and he wasn't about to let Clear Sky attempt to get off Elegia to raid one of their vessels.
In the meantime, the operative had effectively fully recovered after Ramuh convinced one of the Stormseers that had biomancy training to assist in healing. It worked, but the Clear Sky operative woke up and promptly tried to escape and kill herself. It took two Astartes to restrain her, causing her to fail in both attempts. There were multiple attempts after that. Some were more benign than others, yet it was a battle of wills. One incident almost resulted in the death of a serf after she tried to stab the poor bastard in the eye with a pencil that she somehow obtained. After that, she was put into a cell.
She seemingly became resigned to her fate and stopped trying to escape by that point.
Orion had tried to make attempts to speak with her, yet the Apothecaries warned him that she was still too unpredictable and wild. One likened it to a dangerous and terrified animal, scurrying behind anything and clawing at anything that came their way. It was best to just such a beast tire itself out. Orion didn't necessarily appreciate someone calling her a beast of all things, but he accepted the reality of the situation.
While he waited for her to calm down, he took the time to examine the recovered weapons and gadgets. The rifle was an intricately modified heavy autogun. Integrated magnetic accelerator, targeting cogitator, and even a self-customizable frame. The ammo itself was incredibly dangerous, and some tech-priests discovered that Clear Sky used micro-adamantium flechette rounds. An otherwise hideously expensive process, but she had four magazines carrying such bullets.
Her pistol was also rather dangerous. While it lacked the magnetic accelerator, it instead had what looked to be a strange charge pack that caused the .45 caliber bullet to take on super-heated and unstable properties. A rather stunning application of a lasgun charge pack.
The cameleoline cloak and jamming device were not noteworthy on the surface, but the tech-marines recognized that the quality was only a step below the highest tier of gear given to Legion veteran scouts. Most of Clear Sky's stealth capabilities came directly from skill and talent more than technology.
Finally, the captive body told a story as well. Surface scans, blood samples, and brain analysis determined that this young woman was likely genetically modified and designed before birth. However, the tech-priests were sure she wasn't artificially born or cloned from someone else.
"Too many flaws in her genome, a sign of genetic randomization that could be found only in an organic womb. Her exact, specific gifts weren't predetermined, yet one can easily see that she was designed to utilize them." Another strange indicator of Clear Sky's unknown history.
Everything about them, from their weapons to their blood, was designed to enable these operatives to be extraordinarily dangerous and capable. Unfortunately for Clear Sky, they were not anywhere near the top of the proverbial food chain of enhanced humans. Still, compared to their neighbors…if Elegia had ever tried to produce an entire army of Clear Sky enhanced humans, they'd likely be an actual threat to even Astartes if not taken seriously.
All these signs point toward a society that tried in vain to rebuild. It was tragic, to say the least. Then again, Orion could only imagine what would've happened to the nearby worlds if Elegia rose from the ashes and decided to go on their own crusade…
Finally, Orion decided that it was time to chat with their prisoner. If nothing else than to try and move this situation towards a peaceful resolution. Things on the ground were only going to worsen before they got better, and the Warhawk was expecting results. Orion had gotten the White Scars this far now, and Orion would now need to bring this whole compliance to a conclusion.
A pair of serfs were guarding the door to the operative's cell. They saluted the Knight-Warden before moving aside to let him enter. Orion opted to not wear his power armor or bring a weapon, although the only thing he was carrying was a try of food. Their prisoner had refused to eat in the last two days. Whether out of some misbegotten fear of being drugged or as some form of protest on her part didn't matter to Orion.
However, the medics were saying that if she didn't eat or drink anything, it would adversely affect her ability to give any straight answers. So here Orion was, carrying food in hopes of coming off as friendly to a woman he personally maimed. He idly wondered how much trouble Baldur would've gone through in this instance to get the answers he wanted?
The first thing that Orion noticed was his prisoner huddled in one of the corners, refusing to look towards whoever entered and simply staring at the wall with a look of utter resignation. She certainly looked the part of a resigned captive. Her prisoner's uniform was a dull, drab grey jumpsuit, complete with a metallic ankle bracelet on her right foot. Orion could hear her muttering something, almost like a chant. She looked exhausted as well, which, considering she hadn't slept in the last 24 hours, he expected as much. A far cry from two days ago. All the fight in her seemed to vanish now. Orion hoped to perhaps glean some insight into why she acted this way.
"Hello." As he closed the cell door behind him, Orion called out, "I am Captain Orion Jesk, and I was hoping you could answer some questions." He gestured towards the food tray, "Before that, I was told you haven't eaten anything. So, how about you rectify that and eat something."
Orion waited for a response, but instead, the operative looked at him with eyes of pure disdain and hatred. It was a look that Orion imagined many daemons had seen before they met their end by his hands. There was something pure and beautiful in it. Sadly, it was utterly misdirected towards him.
"I am not your enemy." Orion gently remarked as he placed the food tray down, "Nor is the Imperium of Man. As I mentioned during our brief dual, I wish only to establish a peaceful dialogue between our groups so we can end any conflict before things spiral further out of control."
The Knight-Warden stood up and took a few steps back from the tray as if she wouldn't touch it if he was too close. Unfortunately, the operative continued to only glare at him. He expected that much. As the silence continued for a minute, Orion spoke again.
"Do you truly have nothing to say?"
Another moment passed before the operative spoke, "Go fuck yourself, Imperial."
Rather than get annoyed, Orion smirked as he made a tiny bit of progress, "So she can speak, that's good to know." The Knight-Warden then slowly sat down, leaning against the wall and looking at her. "Well, I have plenty of time to wait here if it means we can chat."
She turned away from him and didn't say another word. Orion, meanwhile, got comfortable as he could inside a cell made for humans. All he had to do was wait for something to happen. Orbán once told Orion that most people, even those of the Solar Auxilla, would ultimately do anything after a period to avoid a long stretch of awkwardness. The operative might have hated Orion, but he hadn't done anything to indicate that he would harm her.
Additionally, Orion recognized that the operative likely needed to decide soon if dying of hunger or thirst was worth not answering a few questions. Interrogations could be a long, drawn-out process, and while an Astartes could take weeks to break…Orion knew that it was possible.
The Dark Angels knew of such things, as did Skullface. People broke all the time. Yet Orion wasn't looking to break this woman's spirit. Right now, he was the only thing keeping her alive, and she would have to come to terms with that very soon.
Orion settled in and mediated. All Wardens knew the practice. Such was the boon of staying on the Golden Path. Contemplation was key. Hours must have passed. Orion didn't notice. His enhanced hearing detected the sounds of the operatives stomach growling, and her body shifted, likely staring at the food. Orion made sure to get items that would still taste good after a couple of hours, but he suspected that this operative probably had eaten in quite some time.
Elegians didn't look like they had a lot of food available. Knowing Clear Sky, they probably ensured their citizens got food in their stomachs before they did. Honorable, but also stupid. An Astartes could afford such impractical gestures, but this woman was still human. That reminded him that sooner or later, other bodily functions would crop up. Orion sincerely hoped he'd have made progress before that became an issue.
Around the start of the sixth hour, Orion could hear the operative starting to quietly swear under her breath. The Knight-Warden spared only a slight glance to see her looking intently at the food tray. She was likely deciding either to eat or toss it in one final act of defiance. If she did the latter, Orion wouldn't be so generous as to bring her another one until the next day.
Orion waited and returned to meditating. He had to only wait perhaps twenty more minutes before he heard the operative shift from her corner and move to grab the food tray. She brought back over to her corner and glared at Orion and the food before she started to eat slowly. The Knight-Warden didn't say or do anything…merely just waiting now for her to make the next move.
She finished eating in less than five minutes before returning to brood in her corner. Another two hours passed. Orion could probably go for a little longer, but he'd need to return to Humility sooner or later. That blasted machine spirit was going to get impatient.
And then finally, she spoke once more…
"I will not answer any questions…" Her tone was still defiant, "You can either kill or torture me. Because if you think one pesky meal will get me to spill my guts, you are sorely mistaken."
Orion lazily opened one of his eyes to look at the operative. Her eyes still had a bit of spirit in them, but he could also see the exhaustion and fear now. She was acting like this was some sort of last meal. Perhaps that would've been more than they could've bargained before getting tortured and killed for most.
Orion made a non-commital noise, "Hmm," he closed his eyes and returned to meditating. He didn't get far until she spoke up.
"Did you not just hear me?!" Now he could hear the frustration in her voice, "I won't tell you anything; you are just wasting your time!"
Truth be told, he was wasting his time. A captain had better and more important things to handle, especially for someone within a liaison position. One of the Stormseers could easily rip out the information from her head. Yet even knowing that Orion was making an effort to try this diplomatically. It was clear to him that the woman before him was human in their desires and duties. That hatred was so pure and human, yet it felt almost transcendent. Were he an Emperor's Children, Orion would've called it "lovely" or even "inspiring." But right now, it was just another hindrance to wait out. Orion knew that the operative couldn't keep this up for too long.
"Hmm…" Orion pretended to consider the situation, "I don't consider this is a waste of time."
The operative stood and looked ready to try her luck attacking the Knight-Warden, "If you think I will fall for such pathetic tricks…"
Orion couldn't help but chuckle, "You're the one getting quite riled up right now."
"Stop toying with me!"
The Knight-Warden couldn't help but stare at her, "I am far from simply toying with you, but you are correct that I am not taking you seriously either." He leaned back into his wall, "So if you desire me to leave, then…answer my questions."
"I don't need to answer anything," She returned to glare at Orion, "I won't reveal anything to you willingly."
Orion's patience started to run a little thin, "I hate to break your illusion of defiance, but I don't need your willingness or cooperation to get the information. A few moments with the Stormseers and your mind will be an open book to them."
Rather than look defiant or fearful, the operative looked confused, "Stormseers…?"
"A psyker." He clarified, "Their ability to take knowledge from a person is quite pronounced. The Warp breaks all those before it."
Again, the response from the operative was caught strange, "You have psykers? Hmm, of course, you do. If your empire is as big as you claim it is, you'd statically have access to thousands, if not millions of them." Orion was taken aback at how she had gone from almost defiant, to confused, to analyzing his statement. More than that, he was sure there was a tinge of genuine curiosity in her tone.
That was when Orion got an idea to make this whole interrogation easier for them. "I see this bit of information has piqued your interest."
"Clear Sky has no records on them and…" She paused, realizing she had just said, "Don't distract me! You are trying to manipulate me into giving you information!" This was almost comical to Orion. His prisoner was perhaps a bit too curious for her own good. And would explain why she decided to try her luck at taking down two unknowns by herself.
He found the gap in her defenses. Now it was time to exploit it.
Orion gave her the best Baldur grin possible, "Evidently, I need not do much to get what I want either way. It seems you are curious, a trait shared by most Lexsavants. Your mind requires that you evaluate and understand any problems and obstacles."
"I'm a genius," She remarked flatly to Orion, "It's an aspect of being one and applies to everything we do."
Too easy, "Judging by how you performed in our little confrontation, that genius doesn't apply to battlefield applications." He couldn't help but enjoy seeing her face turning red at that remark.
"A miscalculation!" She exclaimed, "No, not even a miscalculation! I did everything right! The missile hit was pinpoint accurate, and in any other circumstances, I'd have won! That was battlefield luck more than anything! A statistical anomaly, nothing more!"
Orion shook his head, "Excuses."
"Oh, piss off." She huffed and glared back at Orion, but this time it was devoid of hatred and replaced with annoyance and bruised pride, "You think you could've done that better?"
Time to see if he could lead this one into his trap, "I could've done that better before becoming even a captain within the Wardens."
She paused briefly and considered his statement, "I thought your group was called the White Scars."
"I'm from a different Legion," Orion succinctly answered, "I'm part of a liaison detachment, hailing from the Eternal Wardens, one of the 18 Space Marine Legions."
"So there are more of you." She huffed and then paused, "On top of your standing military, which likely numbers in the trillions, multiple fleets, and the technological capabilities of the Machine God worshipers…" Orion hoped that the reality of this situation would start to sink in now, but he wasn't about to hold his breath.
"The Imperium is a vast empire, made up of many civilizations and nations. Its nascent history is filled with great victories and terrible tragedies, all in the name of the Great Crusade and the Emperor's dream of a united humanity."
She didn't look too thrilled at that, "United under someone else's command. Elegia has no need for foreign masters, just as the Old Municia nation didn't either." Finally, he was starting to get somewhere with new information.
"Old Municia?" Orion took only a moment to realize what this meant, "This world wasn't originally called Elegia?"
His captive realized that she had just answered a question, "Damn it!" She closed her eyes and clenched her fists, "No more talking! I won't be manipulated any further!"
Orion quietly cursed, "Hold on! Just hear me out. I haven't asked you directly for anything involving Clear Sky that could be used against them. All I want is information, some context for why they are willing to go this far even in the face of utter destruction. Maybe we can find a means to prevent a war from breaking out."
Sadly, she didn't appear to be listening now, "I won't tell you anything else!" She spat at him, "You just want to use us; that's all outsiders have ever wanted! They see us as weak, to be exploited, but they've never broken us!" Orion was getting exhausted at hearing such rhetoric directed toward him now.
"Will you just shut up for a second!" Orion spoke with the same tone he used to command Black Brigades to follow his orders. And it worked. His prisoner shirked back just slightly at the controlled fury in his voice and went quiet.
"Let me explain the situation you are in, give you two options, and then you can decide on what you want to do, alright?" Orion started with a frown, "Number one…you help me try to find a peaceful resolution, and the only way to do that is that you provide me insight and answers into everything involving your organization and world. In doing so, we can stop any further bloodshed, I can get you back to your people, and we can see about getting Elegia into the Imperium in a process that benefits everyone. But the only way to do this is that we try to understand each other and work together."
He then quietly approached the woman, causing her to slowly moved backward, "Otherwise, this conversation can either turn into a back and forth. We resolve nothing. A war breaks out between our people, and it will end in your groups' defeat and people's absorption into the Imperium by force. Either way, Clear Sky will be destroyed, and what remains of Elegia will have died for trying to preserve a memory of the past rather than working on making a better future."
Orion face softened for only a moment, "I know this sounds like surrendering or giving up, but believe me when I say that there is still a chance for Elegia to remain completely free and contribute to the Imperium. We just need to understand."
She didn't say anything and now refused to look him in the eyes, "Either do what you have to do…or leave me alone."
How unfortunate. "Fine." Orion backed away from her, "Then I truly hope that we can find some means to resolve this without too much bloodshed." The Knight-Warden turned around to leave the cell. He didn't see it, but Orion thought he heard the woman about to say something, but she hesitated and then fell silent once more.
Upon leaving the cell, Orion ordered serfs to alert him if anything new changed with the prisoner before leaving. Once he was out of sight, Orion paused and then sighed at how that interaction had ended. An abysmal failure, if there ever was one. The Primarch would undoubtedly be displeased at Orion's prisoner's lack of actionable intel.
"So much for being honored of Lord Cyper's faith…" Maybe next time Orion spoke with Baldur, he could get some instruction when dealing with being "friendly" with prisoners. That or get some tips from Orbán.
Yet as he prepared to head back, he heard the sounds of someone running and then a voice calling out, "Lord-Captain!" One of the serfs guarding his prisoner looked relief at finding him, "Oh good, you didn't leave the deck! Lord-Captain, your prisoner requested to speak with you again."
Orion blinked at hearing that, "She did?"
"Yes, my lord. I dare say she sounded quite frantic." The serf had an expected look on his face, "However, if you are done with her, should we tell her that she doesn't get to demand the attention of an Astartes?"
The Knight-Warden breathed a sigh of relief but shook his head, "No. That is quite alright. I will, however, request that you send a message to the tech-marines. All you need to tell them is to carefully monitor the Burning Blade for the rest of the night. Understood?"
The serf bowed to the Knight-Warden, "Yes, my lord, at once!" The serf didn't wait for further instructions and promptly ran off. Humility would be a miserable machine spirit for the rest of the night, but this was important. As Orion slowly took his time to return to the cell, he wondered if what he said reached his prisoner or if she decided that it was better to give him a few bits of information if it meant saving her world.
Either way, Orion lucked out once more.
Upon reentering the cell, Orion saw his prisoner looked uncomfortable. She was sitting on the ground of her cell, looking up at him expectantly before turning to stare at the floor. As he got closer, she started speaking, "I'm not going to tell you any names or locations or anything current about Clear Sky. You got it?"
Orion nodded as he sat down across from her, only a few centimeters apart, "No questions about current activities. Just history, and maybe a little bit about what we expect the future to hold."
She nodded stiffly, "Fine." Now she looked back at him, "Ask your blasted questions…"
The Knight-Warden considered the first and most important question, "I suppose I should start by first trying to understand you. So, how about I get your name?"
"My name is Estrith Teron." Estrith, it sounded rural to Orion. A name given to a farmer or layperson. "My friends and family call me Esty."
Yeah, he wasn't going to call her that, "Understood. How old are you?
"22 Elegian solar years."
"Do you have any surviving family?"
"Clear Sky is my family."
Orion resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "Let me rephrase that; do you have any living blood relatives?"
"No. Mama died when I was six. Papa died only two years ago after helping evac a group of civilians that were being attacked by an Orgai slavery raid. Orgai are aliens, mind you." Orion nodded and made a mental note to have the Imperium mark that race for xenocide. "I was already in Clear Sky, though. They helped my parents get together to make me."
Another piece of the puzzle, "Why?"
Estrith paused and looked away; Orion could see that she didn't want to keep talking. Orion, however, needed answers. "Why did Clear Sky take steps to ensure that you were conceived?"
"I have…" Estrith closed her eyes and slowly spoke, "I'm what Clear Sky calls a 'third-generation Ambrosia enhanced' human. It's what makes every member of Clear Sky into what you call Lexsavants and more."
Orion stared at her. He knew that she was enhanced, but a third-generation, and because of Ambrosia? "I suspected as much. Clear Sky is made up of augmented and genetically enhanced humans."
"Yes and no," Estrith stopped, "You wanted context? For the longest time, our enemies thought the most important resource on the planet was all that Adamantium. But it isn't, not even close. Faded Horizons knew the real treasure. So let me give you the real history of Elegia, of Old Municia. Our blood is what saved us, yet it almost brought upon us extinction as well."
I'm sure you've heard this type of story before, but let me tell you our version of it; Once upon a time, there was a beautiful world known as Municia…
It took the entire night, but Estrith explained the true history of Elegia in vivid detail. It seemed that Clear Sky was the only group on the planet with detailed records of everything before even the first invasions. Elegia, back then known as Municia, was a rich world. More than that, it was deemed strategically vital for this part of the galaxy. So when the Men of Iron began their rebellion, they naturally sought to destroy Municia.
However, they failed to totally destroy this world and its people. The human defenders lasted long enough to shatter the Thinking Machine fleet that attacked but was also incapable of leaving Municia. As if to enact one final act of pettiness to the victorious humans below, the machines unleashed a virus upon the planet. Perhaps the machines hoped to cause the humans below to devolve into savagery and mutation.
The virus worked…and then failed. While it prevented the survivors from producing offspring that would activate their genetic enhancements, those same markers and sequences would still be inherited. Yet it would pass unnoticed in their very DNA for generations to come. Attributed to myth and legend before long. Another tale of a better world that had been lost to the galaxy.
Our people were tired and scared when the war ended. Yet we still had our home and each other. Our world was all that mattered to us. That meant we had to nurture it back to health and protect it.
Nevertheless, Municia survived and was rebuilt. It might not have been able to reconstruct the great forges that allowed it to obtain such wealth and power, but it was enough to make them a target for outsiders. Thus the era of the First Wars and the Global Defense Alliance began.
Generations passed, victory was achieved, and then victory was turned into defeat by their own hands. The Hundreds Masters was just the start of Municia's woes. Estrith mentioned other horrors; the Long Murder, the White Blood Plague, and the so-called "New Humanity Army," which experimented on entire populations. A darkness fell over their home.
There are pictures and recordings of that era. I first saw them when I was six years old. It was only a few weeks after Mama died. Papa showed me them because he wanted me to understand what happens if we fail. "Don't look away, Esty. This is the future if Clear Sky fails. This is what the invaders wanted all along." I don't blame Papa for showing me, but I still have nightmares about it…
Municia became synonymous with pain and misery with all that blood and destruction. In only a generation, the people called their own beautiful world Elegia. A world of grief and remorse. Another group, the Compact, rose to power in this dark period. However, this is where the story starts to get Orion's attention.
While skilled and capable, the Compact only won control over Elegia due to finding lost technologies and learning the secrets of their own blood. The Hundreds Masters was a time of carnage and experimentation, but those same gruesome tests gave rise to knowledge that was once thought lost. This, combined with their considerable military might, ultimately allowed the Compact to gain complete control over Elegia.
Yet they didn't truly understand what they had found. To the Compact, all they saw was the chance to make a better soldier. They wanted revenge against those who had sought to kill us all and take Elegia for themselves. A sentiment all agreed with, but they failed to grasp our people's raw potential. Unfortunately for them, an outside force did.
The Compact super-soldiers were ultimately nothing more than a continuation of the horrors of the Hundred Masters. Mutants that were born and raised in vats and labs. Such creatures were utterly devoid of any humanity. Organic weapons made only to destroy all those who sought to challenge the Compact and their new order for Elegia.
No one remembered the cruelty that came with that order. That vaunted progress and return to greatness came at a terrible cost. All the while, the Compact secretly introduced the groundwork for a new and "better" humanity. But while they would plant such seeds, it was not the Compact that would reap such a harvest.
When the Unfaded Horizon appeared in our system, the Compact made the mistake of thinking that we'd be able to fight back the invaders. Believing them old foes that attacked us during the Dark Eras, the arrogance of the Compact leadership failed to grasp just how powerful the Unfaded were comparatively. They swept aside all that came before, garrisoning the cities and hives, and destroyed the Compact piecemeal. The war against the Unfaded lasted less than seven months, but the resistance continued for the next five centuries. For all the horror unleashed upon Elegia by the Unfaded…we also owe them a small debt. They somehow unlocked our potential.
Estrith described the Unfaded Horizon, or perhaps the Cult of Faded Horizons, as a splinter sect of the Mechanicum. The Faded's occupation of Elegia was, in their own words, a necessary act to fulfill a part of the "Unseen Manifestation." Clear Sky believes it to be a prophecy born of the Faded adherence to Logis-Prophizing, a numerological occult practice. Orion had never heard of such a thing. Then again, perhaps that was one of the many secrets of the Machine Cult.
This Unseen Manifestation directed them towards Elegia, where the Unfaded once more continued the work started by the Hundreds Masters and Compact, but rather than creating soldiers…they instead sought to create an army of Lexsavants. And in doing so, they made the catalyst known as "Ambrosia."
It was at this point in the discussion that Estrith explained, in shockingly vivid detail, the effects and purpose of Ambrosia. She described it as a genetic catalyst, or more aptly, a genetic transistor that connected and reactivated all the dormant gene markers and enhancements from their Dark Age ancestors. That which survived for hundreds of generations could finally return from its genetic slumber.
Ambrosia could even cause those same genes to evolve, to improve, and in each generation after that, a better human was produced.
Imagine it. Each human born was those enhancements considered peak humanity in this galaxy, but during the Dark Age, that was the standard genetic package. The Faded didn't want that, though. So they used the work of all those monsters that came before their arrival and applied it to make Ambrosia. A first-generation Ambrosian was considered a genius, the second a prodigy, and the third, my generation, are considered Lexsavants. But such a process takes time…and the Unfaded was in a hurry. So, they decided to force the issue.
Ambrosia was only the trigger for what followed. For three centuries, the Unfaded prepared for a grand experiment on Elegia. Perhaps their Logis-Prophizing told them it was necessary, or they simply got impatient. Whatever their reasoning, the Unfaded unleashed a custom-tailored retro-virus upon Elegia. This virus didn't kill or maim the Elegians, far from it. Instead, it would cause the Ambrosian within the Elegian's bodies, which the Faded had injected into almost 90% of the Elegian population over a century, to become hyper-reactive.
But just letting it become reactive was only the first step. After that, the Unfaded began a massive breeding program among the population. Like everything else in this plan, the Unfaded forced the issue. The next hundred years were perhaps the closest that the Elegians came close to extinction as a people.
Women gave birth to either stillborns or mutants. Both mother and child were killed for such failures. While the men whose seed produced such inadequate or failed offspring were killed off to prevent a further dilution of the gene pool. All of this was an attempt to create a human that should have taken generations.
The Unfaded reduced almost 75 billion Elegians down to a scant 10 billion by the middle of the fourth century of the Occupation. And at last, they succeeded. Nearly four hundred years, tens of billions dead, and an unfathomable amount of resources, the Unfaded project produced thousands of Lexsavants. Children who were not only enhanced in every physical aspect but whose intelligence and cognitive abilities would allow them to achieve great things. Everything that the Unfaded desired and more. They had gotten what they wanted.
And then suddenly, without warning, they left Elegia…
No one knows why the Unfaded left. My grandfather was born almost a century after they left, and Clear Sky had only a few first-hand accounts from survivors, resistance members, and those children that were left behind. Maybe they decided that they were done here, or they wanted to see what would happen to another batch of their "children" left on their own. It didn't matter, I suppose. They never returned. Our world was in ruins, our people traumatized once more, and we were left with only one question: What had we done to deserve this?
Another century of chaos and destruction on Elegia. Their population and industry had been completely destroyed by the Unfaded. The planet was ruined, perhaps even beyond repair, and it didn't take too long for their neighbors to see their weakened state once more. Those that survived the grand experiment of the Unfaded tried their best to forget. But those born of the experiments, the Ambrosians, went to hiding. The Elegians feared and hated them, for they were a ghastly reminder of what their world had suffered through.
Perhaps it was for the best. Those same children and a few adults that took care of them found old facilities and bases deep in the broken mountains of their world. Though they were young and inexperienced, their enhanced minds and bodies allowed them to carve out a community hidden away from the insanity of the world. They called themselves the Zero Generation, which Estrith claims are her ancestors.
When Elegia returned to some semblance of normalcy, this group of Ambrosians revealed themselves to the United Coalition and offered their aid. Now mature and with their own spring, they believed it best to help save their people and world, even if they had to do so in the shadows.
Thus Clear Sky was born and given its mandate. Sadly, Clear Sky was unable to save the collapse of the United Coalition, nor could they stop the raids and invasions that rained down upon Elegia. They became a resistance group, just as their forefathers had done for thousands of years. Their children and grandchildren evolved, just as the Unfaded believed they would, and with each new child, they became exceedingly better than the last.
We took to become this world's guardians, even as our numbers depleted. It was our duty. The blood that flows through our veins caused this horror to come to our world. What else could we do? But you see now that there are limitations to our abilities. But still, we march on for the sake of our people. We aren't soldiers, you know. However, we have fought well enough. I've learned that there are other ways to make our world better. I like helping my people; that's what I am good at. Not skulking in our ruined streets trying to assassinate foreigners. Papa told me that I had a healers touch, and he was right. That's the thing about us, and why I think the Unfaded left behind so many of their oh-so-precious Lexsavants…we didn't all fit the mold of being all mathematicians and physicists. Some of us grew attached to agriculture, medicine, art, and the like. My grandfather was said to be a fantastic musician, while my grandmother was a virologist that cured several plagues. You see, that's the tragedy of what Clear Sky has been forced to turn into. We were all scientists, engineers, researchers, and humanists that wanted to make a better world without violence…but that's not what Elegia needed or could afford to not have. There's no happy ending to our story.
Yet you think it might be possible, Captain Jesk?
"And by that point, she told me everything. The rest of their history up to our arrival is uneventful." Orion finished the debrief to Primarch and his First Captain. The Knight-Warden had called for an emergency meeting with the Khan in light of this information.
After finding a private meeting room, Orion repeated the story to them. The Warhawk looked to be deep in thought, while Jubal likewise weighed the contents of this story. Even Orion was still processing this development. An entire world of people whose blood held gifts from the Dark Age.
"This explains the discrepancies our Apothecaries found while examining her blood." Jubal frowned towards the Knight-Warden, "They found far too many unknown genetic markers and sequences that defied all known examples in the Imperium's catalog. There was an assumption that it was alien or warp mutations…but if they are human-made as she claims?" He shook his head now, "It shows that the technologies that lifted humanity to unfathomable heights are still challenging for us to understand and grasp."
Orion nodded in agreement, "While certainly not on the level of an Astartes, let alone a Custodies or Primarch, even the most basic genetic enhancements during the Dark Age allowed for their citizens to live on the same level as a heavily modified human now speaks to what we've lost over the thousands of years via genetic drift and mutation. Even more startling is that the Elegians are perhaps the next step in what the Dark Age wanted for genetic sequencing. The Elegians are a living "what-if" of a lost future had the Golden Age never ended…there would have been hundreds of trillions of Lexsavants appearing every decade."
"Perhaps." The Warhawk rumbled out, "Perhaps not. We shall never know. I am more concerned with this Unfaded Horizon. They have this Ambrosia substance, or so Clear Sky claims. We must ensure that it does not fall into worse hands." The unspoken insinuating of Chaos getting their hands on it would be disastrous for the galaxy. Orion knew that three of the four disgusting Archdaemons would love to get their hands on Ambrosia.
The Khan wasn't finished, "However, that will be a problem for later. We have much to consider and decide upon." He paused for only a moment before turning to Jubal and Orion, "Who else knows the whole truth?"
"Ramuh is aware." Orion answered and crossed his arms, "He deserves that much for all his help."
"Our Apothecaries as well." Jubal answered, "Why do you ask, father?"
"I just need to know ahead of time. In any case, Captain Jesk, bring me this Estrith, now." The Knight-Warden was about to remark that she was resting, but the look and tone in the Primarch's eyes made held back that comment.
"Yes, Lord Primarch."
Estrith seemed quite agitated when Orion woke her and took her out of the cell. It took him a moment to explain that the Primarch made a direct request for her and that it would be best to not keep him waiting. She didn't look happy, but Estrith kept silent.
At the very least, Estrith looked relieved to be out of the cell. During their walk to the command center, she quietly commented that it was fascinating to see space when they passed by one of the void windows. "No Elegian has left the planet in centuries now." Her comment caused Orion to frown for some reason. Perhaps because of how innocent she sounded.
When they arrived at the command center, Orion briefly explained certain etiquette when speaking with a Primarch and warned her not to stare. Estrith was confused but nodded along. As soon as they were inside, she instantly spotted the giant of a man. The Warhawk must have appeared massive to her, and Orion knew that Jaghatai was one of the "smaller" Primarchs at only 3.6 meters tall.
Orion was about to introduce her when Estrith spoke up, "By the Seas and Hills, I thought your people were joking about your Primarch being a huge human, but you are massive!" She didn't even wait before looking at the Khan, "Your body's oxygen requirements alone must be enough for five men! Let alone the caloric intake needed to sustain your organs."
The Knight-Warden quickly approached and made sure she didn't get any closer. Even though she was no threat, he wasn't about to take a chance. The Warhawk, meanwhile, only laughed at seeing her response. "And here I thought I would be getting only the silent treatment." He remarked to Jubal.
Estrith must have remembered where she was and took the situation more seriously, "Uhem, yes, well…I suppose Captain Jesk has taken steps to ingratiate that the Imperium of Man is not here to simply eliminate all of those that call Elegia home. Although, I am curious why you wish to speak with me."
Jaghatai nodded, "I wish to speak to you about what you told Captain Jesk and decide the next course of action towards obtaining peace between Elegia and the Imperium. I believe that something can be arranged, but I must likewise understand your world and people."
"If you say so," Estrith knew she couldn't say "no" to the Primarch. As she went to take a seat, Orion did so as well, but the Warhawk stopped him. "I wish to speak to her in private, captain. You may go with Jubal and leave the two of us."
There was a brief moment of hesitation, but Orion's obeyed, "Yes, Lord-Primarch." He spared one last glance towards Estrith before following Jubal out of the room. That was strange. Why would the Khan wish to not have Orion present for this?
Jubal then approached him, "You've done well, Orion. The Khan is most pleased with your diligence and, some would say, enthusiasm in this compliance."
Orion didn't feel like being praised right now, "It is good that the Khan is satisfied with the results so far, but does he also believe that peace can be achieved with Clear Sky?"
"He seems to think so, but this will also depend on what Clear Sky thinks." Jubal didn't look so convinced, though. "Do you believe they are willing to submit to Imperial authority?"
"Personally? I think it all depends. They are extremely dedicated to their cause of keeping their homeworld safe and free, but they have most certainly failed to make it prosperous. Elegia is dying world without our help. But I don't think Clear Sky will see it that way."
Jubal frowned deepened, "Then we shall have to make them." Orion agreed with the sentiment in part. However, using force wasn't the right or most effective answer here. He wasn't about to contradict Jubal, though. Not on this.
Orion had his own concerns about this, "Do you think the Khan will be able to convince her?"
"To most, the Khan comes off as intimidating. Hells, Primarchs have that aura of dread that comes with standing face to face with a creature that is above all but a few in this galaxy, and they use it to their advantage. Yet we both know our gene-sires are quite capable of when it comes to diplomacy, save for a few. In his heart, Khan might be a raider and horselord, but he knows how to convince people just as well as his brothers."
The Knight-Warden agreed with that. But only to a certain extent, "Estrith has fire in her heart that rivals that of some Astartes. She is dedicated and devoted to Clear Sky and Elegia."
Jubal nodded but slowly smiled, "The Khan will work to his advantage. She's also young. Youthful stubbornness goes hand in hand with naivety, even for one that grew up in such a wretched environment as Elegia."
Orion grimaced as a particular phrase came to mind, "What is zealotry if not love?"
"Dare I ask where you heard that?"
He may never have fought Lorgar and his misbegotten sons, but their wretched teachings had survived in limited qualities, "Only from the mouth of traitors and dead men. But I refuse to associate Estrith and her people with such vileness."
There was another brief pause before Jubal returned to frowning, "Yes…about that. The Khan believes that you have done splendid work, but he also voiced some concerns over if you became a bit…lacking in impartiality for this compliance."
An awkward silence lingered for only a few seconds before Orion spoke up, "What?"
The Master of the Hunt held up his hands, "It's just the Khan voicing a small concern, don't take it seriously."
He couldn't believe what he was hearing, "How exactly am I supposed to take that?" Orion was agitated now, "I've done everything within expected parameters."
"No one is saying that you've done anything wrong." Jubal tried a different approach, "What has happened to this world has been eye-opening, to say the least. That you could gain all this information in less than a week is nothing short of a miracle, but the Khan contributes this more to your skills and empathy from your Legion. Jaghatai is worried that such traits could impact your judgment in specific cases."
"You think my judgment is being skewed here? Is that what you or the Khan thinks?"
Jubal looked Orion straight in the eyes, "The Khan believes it not to be a problem, and rather a useful feature. I, however, will offer you a piece of advice, captain. Not everyone can be saved, nor should we make the efforts to do so, not unless we can ensure that it doesn't turn into a bigger problem for the Legion or the Imperium. We want to help the Elegians, but keep in mind the resources we must put into protecting them. Do you know how many enemies we will make because of this? These local powers have their own grievances against the Elegians."
Orion took some offense to that part, "Those same powers attacked and raided the Elegians for thousands of years. Aliens have taken slaves, the Mechanicum elements exploited them for technology, and the nation-states and guilds sought to strip these people of what we thought was their most important resource."
"Many of them claim that five and half thousand years ago, the Elegians launched terror campaigns against multiple worlds." Jubal countered, "They have records of this as well."
"So what?" Orion argued back, "Five and half thousand years ago, most of the galaxy was fighting over scraps of technology and food supply. That also doesn't give them to right to raid Elegia for thousands of years, sending them constantly back to the precipice of destruction."
"It does, however, change the narrative and makes the Imperium's stance on the matter a lot more difficult, and if it wasn't for this new development, I'd have suggested the Khan continue either with the compliance by force." He gave Orion a look, "If Estrith and her people weren't the inheritors of these gifts, would we have made such efforts to aid Clear Sky, so much so to possibly trigger a sub-sector-sized response against Elegia?"
Orion grimaced, unable to answer that. He knew that, truthfully, neither the Wardens nor White Scars had any obligation to provide aid to such a minuscule world. A billion lives were not worth the genuine threat of war breaking out. Even the vast quantities of Adamantium on Elegia weren't worth such a time and resource sink by the White Scars.
"This world and its people got lucky." Jubal remarked, "Saying that might be in poor taste, given their suffering, but the Elegians have made it this far. We shall protect this world, the Khan shall allow Clear Sky to rule this place, and he's expressed interest in letting you help with the reconstruction effort."
That got his attention, "Me? The Primarch wants me to help get this world reorganized for the Imperium."
Jubal nodded, "You did excellent work back on RP-28, so Jaghatai wants to see you work your skills down below. Besides, you can see about making a concentrated effort to help the Elegians further." The First Captain gave him a look, "This is an opportunity for you. He could've easily assigned one of his own sons to handle this, but he chose you for it."
"Not a glamorous task, to be honest." Orion wouldn't disobey if given the order, though.
His superior chuckled, "Think about it this way…there are still plenty of secrets in this world, and you could maybe see about finding them for the Khan. Remember, anything worthwhile you find will not only be a great boon to my brothers and me but gain significant honors and glories to the Primarch."
In more ways than one, another successful instance of world-building for Orion, "I'd need access to resources and personnel. And total freedom to do what is needed without someone trying to tell me otherwise."
"You'd be given free rein to do as you want and request whatever you need for this. Your only limit is that we are leaving within 8-9 months." Jubal gave Orion a look, "Keeping in mind you'd have to balance out the politicking, the management, and the fact that even if Clear Sky works with us…you are still a foreigner trying to tell them what to do."
It couldn't be any worse than trying to start a colony on a daemon world, "I'll make do."
"I hope that confidence sticks around." Jubal relaxed and gave Orion a much friendlier look, "You've exceeded our expectations, Orion. Most of my brothers were ready to just go out and spend the next six months hunting this Clear Sky. Instead, we can use this time to prepare for the expedition and the upcoming Naadam."
Orion raised an eyebrow, "Glad to hear that I am saving everyone time to do what they want."
Jubal smirked at him, "Isn't the military life grand? We do all this work to ensure our superiors are free to do what they want and get all the credit for it. But look at it this way…unlike the humans, the Warhawk remembers those that aided him." He slapped the Knight-Warden on the shoulder, "Use this time and opportunity to do good for these people, Captain. Just don't let it all go to your head, alright?"
"Right…" Orion nodded once again before Jubal remarked needed to go and report this development to the others. The Knight-Warden was soon left alone in the middle of an empty hallway. He rubbed his forehead in frustration. He had succeeded. Although, Orion felt like a neophyte again, getting that he had been chastised by his sergeant. He failed to recognize an obvious mistake he had made.
Had he done the right thing, but for all the wrong reasons? Orion hadn't been trying to act like this world's savior or hero. Yet maybe just this once, and after everything that happened in the Ritual War, helping end the killing, even if it was just on this awful world, felt good. The Elegians deserved better, deserved justice for all these millennia of despair and horror.
Maybe the Khan and Jubal were right, though. Perhaps Orion allowed his heart to guide him instead of his head. However, if it was because he followed his heart that ended this war, did that make it the wrong decision? Was the lingering remains of his humanity influencing him?
As Orion made his way back to the armory, hoping that Humility hadn't caused too many issues, the Angel of Humility felt a moment of clarity reach him. He had no regrets over adhering to his humanity this time. Jubal was right, though. Orion needed to be more careful next time.
"Don't let this victory go to your head…" Orion muttered one more time as he continued on his way to the armory. Now all he had to do was wait for the Warhawk to decide what to do with Clear Sky and Elegia.
Estrith Teron stared across the large table at the so-called Primarch with fear and awe. She awaited the judgment from the man that commanded creatures like these Astartes. All things considered, she was still shocked that she was alive, let alone sitting across from a man that supposedly ruled a chunk of the galaxy.
"We have much to discuss." Jaghatai Khan, Primarch of the White Scars, rumbled towards her, "Most certainly, I wish to see peace between the Imperium and Clear Sky and discuss the future of your world and people. Yet there is something that concerns, more than any of that."
What else could be of concern to him, "I…you might want to speak to the elders about such concerns. I only know so much."
"Oh, that will most certainly come in due time…" The Primarch leaned back into his massive chair and looked at Estrith with a pensive glean, "Tell me what you know about this Unfaded Horizon cult."
She stared at him, asking such a question, "Why do you wish to know about them? They are gone."
The Primarch smiled at her, "If I plan to hunt them down, I'd like to hear more about them now instead of later."
Estrith stared…and then slowly smiled back, "Well, when you put it that way." Maybe Captain Jesk was right, and this alliance with the Imperium would be helpful in her people getting their revenge against one of their many enemies.
—
@Daemon Hunter Okay, finally done with this one. Leaving this open-ended for you.
"You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending" - C.S Lewis.
—
—
The Great Crusade waited for no one. Even with the preparations for the Warhawk's Expedition were underway, the White Scars were still required to answer calls from Terra and Imperial High Command. Loathe as the Khan was to "scurry" about the galaxy from one battlefield to the next, he was at least confident that, unlike his brothers, he could actually reach each compliance within an acceptable timeframe.
Even so, getting to the battle was the easiest part. Jaghatai Khan was cognizant that speed and mobility weren't the solutions to all wars (although most certainly they were some of the most significant contributors) and that each enemy opposition required a delicate and unique touch to defeat. A sound strategy, but not one the Warhawk enjoyed using.
For Orion Jesk, the Knight-Warden and Eternal Warden liaison to the White Scars, he was still learning much about the White Scars nature and doctrine. Surface level observations showed that the White Scars followed similar tactics and strategies employed by all Legions, just with a greater focus on speed, mobility, and maneuver warfare. Yet Orion had long since learned that fighting and pacifying them differed from Legion to Legion.
And the White Scars, naturally, had their own way of doing both. Unfortunately, Orion had learned that the Warhawk and White Scars certainly did not abide by the concept of rebuilding worlds brought into compliance. They readily admitted that they were not administrators or builders, that such work was better suited for the Ultramarines of Emperor's Children. A White Scar brought a nation to heel, made them accept the new order, and ensured they were stable enough when the governors arrived.
Jaghatai Khan once remarked to Orion about the nature of this focus, "Better a bureaucracy tell everyone what to do than a warrior. Less the warrior begins to see all his problems and the people as an enemy." The Primarch had enough self-awareness to realize the limitations of the White Scars. It even explained why the focus on mobility and speed; meant less destruction and death as the enemy was routed faster.
Indeed, the Raven Guard and Alpha Legion would agree with that mentality. Why wage a war that could ruin entire cities, leaving billions dead and an angry population? Even if still quite destructive, a short and victorious war was better in the long run. The people would still try to understand what had happened when the first Imperial Army regiments occupied their cities and established a new government. The Warhawk knew that not ever compliance would go that smoothly, but it had worked well enough for the White Scars these last few decades.
Orion, however, wondered if such a path was the right one. He understood that there was no easy path, especially when bringing less than cooperative elements into the Imperium of Man. Orbán had once remarked that a population was only one missed food shipment away from rioting or one awful scandal to ruin the government's reputation. Yet, in that same breath, Orbán told Orion that most people simply didn't care in the end.
"Throw a few circuses their way, a new enemy or problem, and then tell them they won't have to worry about food, water, or medicine. They won't care that their children or partners are heading off into the great unknown, never to be seen again. It's not that they don't care. Far from it. It's just that they are too tired to fight back anymore."
The Imperium would outlast the local problems of individual worlds or even entire systems. In the end, the population would tire themselves out. As long as the occupation treated them with dignity and ensured that they had enough distractions and needs met…it would simply fade away in time.
For every single world that had the will to fight back, whether it had a chance or was doomed to fail, a hundred others would simply lay down their arms. Perhaps then Orbán was correct in his pessimism. Nevertheless, Orion always feared that truth. If those same planets were to merely roll over for the Imperium, it would not do the same to another empire.
When Orion voiced concerns to the Khan of Khans, Jaghatai laughed. The Imperium doesn't want cravens or cowards to make up the bulk of its empire. A nation should have tenacity and capability when pressed against a superior foe. However, while engaging them with fire and steel can work, we can also win them over with words and treasure. There is no shame in submitting to a stronger warrior or taking his offers of prosperity. As long as we treat them with dignity and allow for a reconciliation of grievances, we shall have won a war without firing a shot, and to me, that is the greatest accomplishment of a leader of warriors. Let it not be said that an offering of peace will not be as compelling as the threat of annihilation."
Wise words, but Orion knew from experience that the Warhawk wasn't also above making examples of those that constantly defied Imperial rule. The Khan was not a cruel man, nor did he take such things lightly, but he came from a harsh land and harsher upbringing. Mercy had its place in all things, yet sometimes a message had to be sent, and it had to be lasting.
Orion understood that it would take to bring some worlds into the fold. A price paid in blood now would save billions, if not trillions, of lives down the line. However, he still believed it possible that an argument for peace could be made when push came to shove.
Indeed, if nothing else, a sane man would find it in his and his nation's best interest to always look towards such a resolution.
Until recently, Orion learned that the White Scars were a Legion who became very excited whenever their Primarch called for a meeting. Jubal explained, "He only does that when it is time for a deployment. Rare is it for him to call all his officers for a meeting otherwise, and I doubt this time will be any different." Jaghatai Khan was the Primarch who enjoyed hearing his war council speak their minds and offer suggestions. He even allowed for debates and arguments, although he had warned that if an Astartes honor was called into question, then he might declare for a Naadaam to settle the dispute.
Orion hadn't seen any arguments in his time, but Jubal warned him that would change once the expedition began and the White Scars had to choose their strategies carefully. Orion hadn't been around the White Scars during the peak of the Ritual War when they were losing so many champions and veterans that such meetings became a grim affair.
"I would walk into each council and see too many empty seats for brothers I had served alongside for years and spoken to only a few months ago. When their replacements arrived, we became divided. Things are calm right now, but give it time to see a few arguments and bitter rivalries start to form."
Thinking about that a little more, Orion soon realized that he'd likely have no allies if he was put into such a situation. He was still an outsider among their ranks. The respect given to him for his service in the Ritual War earned him a place within their war councils, but not their friendship or admiration. Additionally, if Orion was surrounded on all sides, Jubal and the Khan would not come to his aid. It was naive to think otherwise. The White Scars had been more than welcoming Orion into their inner circle, yet he remained a "guest" in their "house."
Even Ramuh warned Orion to be careful. Not only were the Noyan-Khan watching Orion, but so were the Stormseers. The good news was that Orion had enough experience with similar scrutiny back with the Dark Angels. Unfortunately, there was a difference between how the Angels conducted their interactions versus the Scars. Indeed, there weren't as many duals with the Sons of Caliban as there were in the White Scars, although it wasn't like those were common occurrences in either Legion.
Orion might not have stepped into a minefield of Legion politics, but he was most certainly going down a path that could lead to one. He had to be careful, respectful, and aware, but more importantly, he could not back down. Even if the Knight-Warden was to make a mistake, it was in his best interest to stand by it.
Such concerns didn't matter as of yet. So as Orion entered the hosting command chamber, he pushed away those thoughts and took a seat. Around him, he could see hundreds of White Scars along with a few Wardens. Orion nodded to the few of them, but the Knight-Warden did not move to sit next to his brothers. He still felt slightly awkward around them these days. Standing near the holo-projector pulpit was the Warhawk himself. He did not look happy.
It took another hour for everyone to get settled in and ready. One doesn't just summon a group of Astartes like one would like a herd of Grox. It took time for the serfs and servitors to hand out the reports, offer a few drinks, and allow the officers to mingle. It served a point, of course. A time to converse while everyone was in one place. However, they kept an eye on the First Captain and the Primarch. Because once the Warhawk took a seat, that signaled the war-council was about to begin.
There was undoubtedly a hum of excitement in the air. Perhaps the Warhawk would announce when the Grand Naadam would begin, or maybe even the timeline for when the Expedition would start in earnest. A few seasoned veterans thought it more likely a problem had been tossed into the collective laps of the White Scars and their Primarch now had to fix it.
Another ten minutes passed before the Warhawk himself took to the command pulpit. This simple act instantly silenced all conversation, and all eyes and minds were focused entirely on the Primarch.
"Sons and nephews," Jaghatai spoke with the voice that brought hundreds of planets to heel, "We are called once more to aid the Imperial Army." And just like that, the excitement in the air was replaced by mild concern. Orion found it funny to feel an entire collection of Astartes lose the wind in their metaphorical sails. However, Orion was still focused on what situation required the Primarch to personally address his sons? The Knight-Warden looked around and saw a few of the veterans with grim looks on their faces.
That wasn't a good sign for Orion.
The holo-projector lit up, dazzling the room with an image of a planet. It was easy to make out some of the details, especially as the projection was the size of a Warhound titan's head. Within a moment, all of the Astartes could see signs of heavy planetary bombardment. There were craters the size of hives and what looked to be vast storms of dust and ash clouds across most of the northern and southern hemispheres. This wasn't the work of the Imperial Army, for there was no chance they had obliterated a planet that fast. That meant another power had done this. Aliens perhaps? Another group could've done this, but what had a world done to warrant such devastation?
"This is Elegia," The Warhawk announced with little fanfare, "This shall be our next battlefield."
Again, Orion felt a wave of mild concern and grim curiosity. It looked more like a dead world than anything. The Imperial Army couldn't handle this place? This indicated there was a threat on it that required the Astartes to resolve. Orion could already imagine the White Scars making mental observations: Aliens, Psykers, Men of Iron, perhaps a genuinely unique foe, or something akin to an unnatural phenomenon.
The Wardens were, of course, thinking this might be Daemonic related. Orion wasn't about to think otherwise. A Greater Daemon could've easily caused this much destruction given enough time, or Stars forbid an Honored or even an Exalted was on this Elegia.
"Our enemy is, thankfully, a human one." Another wave of relief and disappointment flooded the room. Orion was certainly happy that it wasn't daemonic, at least from a first glance. Many had read similar situations before and quite poorly at that. A single psyker could become possessed and damn an entire world.
"The Imperial Army only recently discovered Elegia about three standard Sol months ago, and naturally, the Army flooded the world with troops and declared it as part of the Imperium. This was deemed necessary as Elegia is surrounded by multiple factions; human, Mechanicum, alien, etc. From what Segmentum command has told me, Elegia is extremely rich in specific minerals, metals, and alloys, including Adamantium. It has been the victim of thousands of years of raids and wildcat mining expeditions."
Thousands of years of exploitation? Orion had undoubtedly heard and seen far worse fates for many worlds. But for an entire people to be subjected to hundreds of generations of invasion, exploitation, and destruction. An extended death, if nothing else. All by the hands of outsiders, no doubt. Which made the arrival of the Imperial Army likely not a force of liberation but another occupation.
"The planetary population is an estimated billion or so individuals. A lack of records hampers attempts to learn about this world. There has been no central government in almost a century. Furthermore, the Elegians live in mostly city-states, fortresses, and underground bunkers. During their brief time, the Imperial Army learned that there is a paramilitary force that operates across the planet."
The projection changed, showing a host of images: Destroyed Olympias and Chimeras, dead Troopers, and what Orion identified as a host of burning mining vehicles. So, Orion was right; the locals did not take too kindly to the arrival of the Imperium. No indication of daemons or psykers, at least.
"Our foe is a group calling itself 'Clear Sky,' They have been declared extremely dangerous after sabotaging several regiments and ambushing several mining expeditions. The Imperial Army commanders on the planet refuse to leave their bases, while Armada commanders are trying to use aerial and orbital reconnaissance to try and locate where this group is hiding." The Warhawk grimaced as the projection changed again to what looked like mining operations.
"Unfortunately, the Imperial Army needs to get mining operations started. Worse yet, there is some growing pushback as attempts by the other powers in the region. Who are pressing their luck and looking to participate in the mineral extraction for a cut of the profits."
A growing murmur arose among the White Scars at hearing that. The gall of these nations and groups, seeking to profit off the compliance when they couldn't take the planet themselves. Now all they had to do was wait for the Imperium to clean up this mess, and then they could slowly integrate themselves while having a better position of power.
"Do not focus on such concerns," The Primarch spoke up over the growing rumble of talk, "I shall be handling those issues, unfortunately." Orion knew that was the last thing the Warhawk wanted to focus on right now. "The Legion's focus will be on eliminating this Clear Sky force by whatever means necessary. They have challenged the Imperium of Man, so the Riders of Chogoris shall answer it."
Just like that, the subsequent compliance was declared. Orion had a sneaking suspicion that the next few months would be chaotic. As his gaze lingered on the images of a ruined world and the destruction wrought by this "Clear Sky" organization, a part of him tried to imagine what awaited him and the White Scars.
And while they hadn't determined it was daemons (yet), Orion understood that the Warhawk would call upon his sons to quickly resolve this compliance. If their own foe was a single paramilitary group, eliminating them would take one solid decapitation strike.
Simple, on paper. Yet Orion's intuition told him that this wasn't going to but.
It took the better part of a month to arrive in the Elegia system. The White Scars found that the system itself was also a battlefield at some point in the distant past. Scans of broken hulks and void stations, long since stripped of anything valuable, acted as a path leading to the world of Elegia itself. A history of war and carnage gently guided the White Scars towards their next destination.
As they arrived in orbit of Elegia, it was difficult to not look down at the ruined world and not wince in sympathy. The images did not do it enough justice. Perhaps when Elegia was hale and alive, it might have had rolling green continents and oceans, with mountains and plains that would've fed the people and their industry with a wealth of resources. Their cities once shining beacons of humanity and progress. One could also see the super-structure of a great hive on its eastern continent, a great bastion, and the center of their entire civilization.
But now, there was only a broken husk to look upon from the void. The White Scar's had learned that Elegia had been the victim of numerous attacks, including biological weapons. The Imperial Army had reported that much of the planetary biosphere and ecosystem was in ruins, likely requiring eons to recover. Ultimately, this made the prospect of living in this world a difficult one, let alone trying to make a flourishing civilization. Perhaps if the Imperium devoted enough resources, it might recover within the next couple thousand years.
Once you got past the environmental catastrophe, you could easily see the outright physical damages done by the centuries of bombardment. Unnatural crevices stretched for hundreds of kilometers, multiple lake networks with telltale signs of being the aftermath of clustered bombardment cannon shots, and vast deserts and plains that seemed devoid of color and life. The dust and ash storms likely made it difficult and dangerous to be outside when they passed through, although they appeared relatively contained.
Then there were the indications of ruined cities. Like with the orbital and system debris, the signs of Elegia infrastructure were now just grim reminders and monuments to a once-thriving people. A single vox transmission played from the surface, warning of approaching dust and ash storms and not much else. There were no lights on the surface whenever night came upon Elegia, save for one in the center of a minor hive called Sempitomus.
Sempitomus was where the Imperial Army found the only working plasma reactor and a void-shield that could keep Sempitomus safe from dust storms or the occasional falling orbital debris. Everything inside their impromptu capital was ruined, for the most part. The tech-priests were hard at work trying to get a few of the facilities back online and working as intended.
More specifically, trying to get the forges inside Sempitomus operational. The Imperial Army hadn't come to Elegia just to bring it back into the fold but to harvest the reportedly vast resources that lay undiscovered. Elegia might never become more than a mining world in the grand scheme of Imperial history, but every source to aid the Great Crusade was necessary.
While the local powers had failed to solidify their claim over Elegia, they hadn't stopped them from trying their luck with getting deals with the Imperial Army. Even more so when the White Scars learned that the regiment commander, a Lord-Militant Helena Regal, had already taken several offers from nearby mining guilds and Mechanicum elements. Perhaps she should've considered how that would've been taken by locals before agreeing to anything.
A wave of violence overtook Elegia in the first few weeks of mining operations starting (or restarting, depending on who you asked), resulting in Clear Sky making their intentions loud and clear. The Imperial Army attempted to fight back, but the White Scars had since learned that the local population was assisting them, and Clear Sky operatives were difficult to pin down or even attack.
The Imperial Army decided that Astartes were needed to remove this threat. The White Scars were perhaps not the best when it came to eliminating special forces units, but their speed and mobility meant that once they caught Clear Sky out in the open, the group wouldn't be able to escape. Furthermore, Orion was a bit more suited to hunting esoteric enemies.
For that reason, Jaghatai gave Orion command over the investigation of Clear Sky inside Hive Sempitomus…
"This feels like a waste of time."
Orion ignored Ramuh's comment as he continued to study the Imperial Army reports on Clear Sky. The Knight-Warden and Stormherald had spent the better part of two days just reading and interviewing Troopers over their close encounters with the group. So far, though, Orion hadn't found anything noteworthy or substantially useful.
His arrival down to the surface of Elegia and towards Camp Rusteye, the former Upper Hive that now housed Lord-Militant Regal, her command staff, and most of the officers, had been an underwhelming affair. The Lord-Militant was displeased that the Warhawk himself hadn't come down to greet her. Additionally, Orion's contingent of 500 marines was not enough to perform an effective sweep of Sempitomus.
Unfortunately for her, Jaghatai was busy dealing with the representatives from the outsider factions while Jubal was preparing the rest of the White Scars for planetary operations. These events required quite a bit of time to plan out and resolve. Thus the Warhawk didn't feel the need to push the timetable forward and instead sent a vanguard element to learn more about the situation on the ground.
Orion had to give the Warhawk credit for this. If anything went wrong down here in Sempitomus, it would be all on the Knight-Warden. However, if Orion made progress or learned something vital, the Primarch would get the credit. This was all just Legion politics, something that Orion had since learned since he was just a recruit for the Wardens. You never allow the Primarch or First Captain to look bad.
Not that was going to be an issue regardless. Orion was taking this mission as seriously as he would with hunting daemons. He did not want to stay on Elegia any longer than they had to, but he also could confirm with his own investigation if there was any daemonic or cult activity. The Knight-Warden could also have Ramuh acts while in the field.
So far, the Stormherald wasn't too keen on this mission.
"Most eye-witness accounts are the type you'd see in after-action reports involving the Raven Guard or the Night Lords," Ramuh remarked, tossing a few reports on the table inside the refurbished office that Lord-Militant Regal gave to Orion. A "generous" gift, as he was told, but the Knight-Warden suspected the Imperial Army just wanted the Astartes out of the picture.
Unless Orion's little task force had something useful for the Imperial Army, they were allowed to do whatever but stay away from the regiments. Ramuh remarked that was likely because they were afraid of Orion…mainly due to his connections to the infamous Skullface. Half a galaxy away, and somehow, he was still working in the shadow of Orbán.
Ramuh finally had enough, "Mayhaps we should go and interrogate the locals for details on this Clear Sky? I doubt they will most likely not be receptive to our questions, but I know a few tricks that can make them speak…" Orion watched as the Stormherald's fingers glowed as warp-electricity danced across his fingers.
As tempting as that sounded, Orion still shook his head. "No." He spoke sternly, "We shall not resort to such tactics unless we have to." The Dark Angels taught Orion that it was better to use guile and cunning while torture and interrogations have their place. Any man that believed himself safe from harm would spill secrets thinking he was free of consequences. So easy was it to make a man talk, given the right incentives.
Ramuh just shrugged as the power faded from his being, "Then are we to just continue reading reports while waiting for something to happen?"
"Nonsense." Orion retorted, "We are not going to be reactionary here. Your idea has more than enough merit, but the execution shall be a bit different." As the Knight-Warden stood up, he gave a slight smirk to Ramuh, "So then, let's go and speak with the Emperor's new subjects, yes?"
Leaving the Upper Hives was enough. If anything, when Orion and Ramuh offered to go with one of the battalions running supplies down to the lower hives, the two Astartes found themselves surrounded by accommodating and friendly officers and foot-soldier alike. No one would turn down the offer of Space Marine help. Their journey to the lower hives took about three hours; during that time, Orion spoke with the Major of the battalion, a reasonably old veteran named Gunther "Gunz" Jorgeson of the 615th Navrick Mechanized.
"The Elegians are xenophobic as hell," Gunther casually to Orion, "They don't like Imperials, don't like outsiders, period. Even when we bring them food and medicine, they don't make any efforts to try and talk to us."
Orion didn't see the issue: "It will take time for them to get used to the new order."
Gunther shook his head, "With respect, Lord Astartes, I don't think they will. I've been through seven post-compliance ops in my time, and never have I've encountered a people like the Elegians that outright refuse to even look us in the eye."
"Are they just not afraid?"
"Far from it," Gunther gave him a grim look, "I think they'd probably run me through if given a chance. They don't want to be our friends; that much is certain. If you want to avoid an incident." Orion made a mental note to not mention issues like slavery or the Black Brigades to these people. That likely wasn't going to go over well if they ever learned about it, but Orion wouldn't be the one to tell them.
When the 615th Navrick finally arrived at their destination, Orion saw that it was a temporary aid station, the type the Imperial Army put up during the initial post-occupation points of compliance. Orion never liked these things, not because he didn't want people to get aid, but because he knew the amount of criminal activity in them. Orbán ruined any positive perceptions that Orion might have held for them after explaining, in gruesome detail, the number of disgusting acts that went behind the scenes.
Intentional mismanagement of resources, under-table selling of medicine and food, forcing people to trade sexual favors for just essential goods, and then there were stories of officers demanding tribute from the locals. Oddly enough, the Mechanicum run aid stations had the cleanest records. All the tech-priests wanted was information or archeotech. The problem with that is if you were a local with knowledge and weren't giving it up.
In which case, well, the Mechanicum had their ways to make you talk.
Thankfully, the 615th Navrick didn't have any signs of corruption among their ranks. Orion watched as they swiftly started handing out supplies to Elegians. This was the first time that Orion got to see one of the natives in person. While they did not look emaciated or ill, he could certainly tell they had seen better days. They refused to keep eye contact with the Navricks and quietly got their supplies before leaving.
However, what intrigued the Elegians was seeing the Knight-Warden and Stormherald standing ominously near one of the transport vehicles. Both were in power armor, with Orion carrying Humility on his back and Ramuh carrying a pair of war hammers. The fact that the two stood taller among the sea of people was probably another indicator. Nothing new for either marine. Most humans tended to stare when gazing upon the transhuman warriors of the Imperium of Man. Whether that was in awe, fear, or disgust depended on the world.
"So," Ramuh rumbled before Orion, "Where do we start our investigation?"
Orion considered that for a brief moment, "Not here." He nodded towards the humans milling about, keeping their eyes averted, "They won't speak if we pressed them. We will need to go exploring on our own."
"On our own?" Ramuh sounded only a tad surprised, "Is that wise?"
"What?" Orion glanced over at Ramuh, "Afraid we'll get jumped by muggers?"
Ramuh laughed, "Afraid that your blasted sword will burn down an entire section!" His laughter rumbled like thunder, and Orion was sure that a few of the Elegians and Navricks moved further away from the Stormherald. "I'd rather just try and traumatize these people."
"Fair enough," Ramuh had a point. For all his Space Wolf-like bluster, the young Scar had enough wisdom to recognize if he was making a mistake. "Then we shall be careful with our words and actions." One wrong could cause a riot. But that was nothing compared to what would happen if the two Astartes had to fight their way out. Orion could only imagine what destruction both of them could bring to this place, given their unique capabilities. To that end, Orion would have to limit all possible damages done.
"Should we consider that our presence won't have gone unnoticed?" Now Ramuh sounded serious, "If we get ambushed by Clear Sky, we might have to destroy quite the lower hive to take them down."
Orion nodded, but at the same time, he looked almost happy at such a prospect, "That is true, but if we can take care of this problem in one fell swoop? A sacrifice has to be made for the good of this world and its people." Better a quick and destructive end than a long and drawn agonizing campaign. There was only so much mercy, compassion, and understanding that could be allowed in such instances.
Ramuh nodded back, "Then we can finally get started with our investigation."
The fact that Major Jorgeson didn't seem that concerned with the two Astartes going off on their own indicated to Orion that either the man trusted their capabilities or it wasn't his problem anymore. The Knight-Warden decided to believe the former rather than the latter.
Moving through the lower hive of Sempitomus wasn't an issue. Even though most of the lifts and roads had long since been destroyed, the Elegians had spent time rebuilding everything from bridges to creating passages for individuals to use. A treacherous journey, but for two Astartes, it might as well have been walking through a park.
Orion couldn't help but note the amount of destruction seemingly leftover from battles centuries ago. Rusted out tanks, armored vehicles, and automobiles were every, and signs of war were everywhere. Although the more Orion examined those wrecks, the less he could begin to identify. The vast difference in war machines that once trodden upon this world Most humans would've missed the subtle instances of this brutal legacy, but for Orion and Ramuh, they saw it all too well.
"Look," The Stormherald pointed to one of the ruined streets, namely a destroyed section, "It's old, but those indentations were made by a Baneblade." That was just one example they had found. Plasma and melta scorches could be seen as well. A formidable army fought against the Elegians or perhaps another occupier in the distant, or not-so-distant, past. Everywhere they looked, a long trail of war and destruction from battles that had long since faded into myth and memory.
Yet these memories lingered in the hearts and minds of the Elegians. Most refused to speak with the pair of Astartes. An Elegian would flat out ignore Orion and Ramuh, a grave offense to any Imperial that knew of the power and authority wielded by the Space Marines of the Imperium.
Orion didn't care, though. After seeing everything so far, he was inclined to be sympathetic to the Elegians plight. However, this wasn't helping their investigation. They had no factual information regarding the Elegians themselves, let alone anything involving Clear Sky now. It was starting to look like a waste of time. The two had been at this for almost six hours now and had nothing to show.
However, a break finally came at the start of their seventh hour of investigating. Ramuh and Orion had ventured into what looked to be an old manufacturer block and found only a few "businesses" operating at the time. Most were getting ready to close up for the night, or whatever counted as night for the lower hive.
The pair approached what looked to be a metalworking shop judging by the sheet metal out front for sale. Once again, Orion got ready to strike up a conversation as he and Ramuh entered the establishment. At the counter was an old man with darkened, leathery skin and white hair that relaxed in a chair. He didn't seem perturbed or surprised when the two super-humans entered his shop.
And to their surprise, the man spoke with any preempting, "What can I help you, gentlemen, with?" Ramuh and Orion both blinked before looking at each other with some relief. This was the first Elegian that spoke to them.
"Greetings, sir." Orion spoke while Ramuh crossed his arms and hung back, "I don't suppose you would be willing to aid a pair of newcomers and answer a few questions."
The old man looked only mildly amused, "That depends on the questions and what it's worth for my answers." Neither Ramuh nor Orion had anything that they could part with. Technically, Orion could make a promise for supplies or just make a threat.
"My companion and I don't really have anything valuable that we could part with for you."
"Hmm…" The human considered his answers, "Tell you what, you both look pretty strong; how about you help an old man with his decrepit bones and move some stuff for me." A request for manual labor to an Astartes Captain and a Stormseer. What a truly outrageous thing.
Orion didn't hesitate, "Done."
Now the old man smiled, "Hungry for knowledge, ain'tcha?" He chuckled for a few moments before nodding towards Orion, "Name's Dazlan, but everyone around these parts calls me Old Dazzle."
Orion didn't care, "How novel." He looked expectantly at Dazlan, "I'm Captain Orion Jesk, and this is Ramuh Ognir." Swiftly gesturing towards himself and the Stormseer, "Now then, our questions first, and then we shall move whatever items you require moving."
"Very well," Dazlan nodded, "So, what's on your mind then, Captain Orion Jesk."
The Knight-Warden already had his questions, "We are looking to learn more about your world, Elegia."
Dazlan chuckled, "Well, for starters…this ain't my world, to begin with."
"You…aren't a native?" This was unexpected and answered why Dazland was willing to speak to them, "You immigrated to this world?"
This comment caused Dazlan to snort and shake his head, "No…I came here as a part of an invasion force. My homeworld was the Gannha Republics. We invaded Elegia during the 'height' of the United Coalition…about 60 years ago. I was 18 at the time, part of a mining team sent to retrieve cobalt, titanium, and adamantium."
Now they were getting somewhere. "So your Gannha fought this United Coalition?"
Dazlan shook his head again, "Everyone was fighting the UC. Gannha was only one of the dozens of nations that landed on Elegia to try and pick it clean. The UC was the last real government before it completely collapsed about a decade ago." He paused to grab a small cup of water, "Anyway, I came to Elegia to help with a mining operation, but I became disgusted and horrified by what we were doing."
"Occupation that bad?" Ramuh interjected this time, and this time Dazlan nodded in recollection.
"So many of us were acting either like animals or criminals." Dazlan took a sip of his water, "I could stand it no more. These people didn't deserve to be treated like this, not after their suffering. So when the time came, I let the UC military past my camps defenses, and they slaughtered everyone."
Orion blinked at hearing such a ready admittance to betrayal, "You betrayed your own forces, just like that?"
"There is no loyalty to men that act like animals. Rape, torture, stealing, murder. Even when brotherhood is the cost, certain lines cannot be crossed." Dazlan set the cup down, "I decided to try and help these people, and that's all there is to it. But that act allowed the Elegians to accept me as one of their own."
"That far to be accepted?"
Now Dazlan gave Orion a smirk, "Oh yeah. You've probably noticed by now, right? They don't talk to you if you aren't from this world, don't even want to look at you…although I suppose we don't see many of your types these days." He gestured towards the Warden and Scars emblems, "But you being military, that already makes you the enemy."
"We haven't done anything to warrant hostility." Ramuh interjected, "The Imperium is here to help this world."
Dazlan gave a raspy laugh, "They won't see it that way. Four thousand years of war, paranoia, and xenophobia don't disappear. Elegia has not known peace, not since the era of the Global Defense Alliance or under the Compact." He started laughing more, "Certainly not during the Occupation or the Hundreds Masters centuries!" Dazlan began to cough once more and drank more of his water.
There was a lot to unpack here, so Orion kept pressing for more information, "Where does Clear Sky fit into all of this? Who are they?"
"Our guardians." Dazlan answered bluntly, "You should keep that in mind if you look for them. All of us, and I mean all of us, are on their side."
Ramuh snorted from his position, "You do know that could constitute aiding and abiding, right? Clear Sky had been declared an enemy of the Imperium."
Dazlan gave only a sardonic look to the Stormherald, "There are a hundred sons of bitches that hate Clear Sky. What's one more, eh?"
"This won't end the way you or Clear Sky think it will." Orion remarked fiercely, "The Imperium of Man has called forth its Astartes to stop Clear Sky. Right now, if there is any chance for a diplomatic solution-"
"Clear Sky doesn't want a diplomatic solution." Dazlan interjected, "They ain't looking to be friends with invaders or bow down before them. Clear Sky wants a free Elegia. They carry a spirit born of thousands of years of hatred and humiliation. But more than that, it is their desire to save this world and its people."
Orion could, on some level, understand that, but he also refused to believe there weren't any diplomatic overtures that could be made here. "And are they prepared to bring their people into this war?"
"They wouldn't have to ask," Dazlan remarked, "You don't get it. Everyone here has been helped by Clear Sky. Do you think they are just terrorists or soldiers? They are more than that. They are doctors, scientists, engineers, men and women who you'd call Lexsavants." A Lexsvant was considered a certified prodigy in their particular field. The type that could go on to lead a Mechanicum expeditionary fleet or act as a Sage for a member of Segmentum command.
An entire force of highly trained and motivated Lexsavants, with a grudge toward foreigners no less?
Dazlan took a breath, "You want answers about Elegia and its people? Fine. But I will not answer anything regarding Clear Sky." Orion looked over at Ramuh, who shrugged at the single demand by Dazlan. He was their only source of information. So it was in the Astarte's best interest to lose it.
"Fine." Orion wasn't happy with this development, "What else can you tell us about Elegia, its history, and its people?"
Old Dazzle did his best to explain what he, and by proxy, most of Elegia, knew about its own history. Information has been lost, distorted, and even erased. There were hardly any books written on the matter, anything stored on a data-chit. All of it was passed down by word of mouth and a few lectures.
In the beginning, Elegia was likely a world used by the Ancients as a mining world. Their first Hive, Amaron, was the center of the colony world, and it was there that all good flowed in and out of Elegia. No one knows much else. Like so many planets, their histories were distorted and lost in the chaos following the Age of Strife.
Elegia, however, did survive and dozens of nations grew and thrived. They supposedly traded peacefully with nearby planets, which allowed them to build voidships and powerful engines of industry to mine their bountiful world. Prosperity soon followed, but their neighbors became jealous and supposedly fearful of their might. An alliance of groups and worlds conspired against Elegia. Their names have been forgotten, but as Dazlan pointed out, one of those factions out in the void is likely one of their descendants. Over four thousand years ago, the first war began, and it was here that the Global Defense Alliance was created. Their mission was simple: Protect Elegia and ensure its independence.
Although the Elegian claimed that it took centuries before anyone directly landed on their world. During this time, a war in the void that lasted for generations finally destroyed their last remaining defense outpost. The subsequent ground invasion of Elegia was an on-and-off event that lasted for almost 200 years before the Elegia Alliance kicked off the last of the invaders.
However, their hard-won victory came with a cost. The governments of Elegia had been subverted by GDA leadership. So when the weary and frightened population demanded a return to decentralized government, everything went to hell.
The 21st Supreme Commander of the Alliance declared that enemy agents had subverted Elegia and declared indefinite martial law. He lasted for over a century before his replacement took control and lasted another century. Thus the era of the Hundreds Masters took place and further brought Elegia to the point of no return.
One bad dictator after the other. The GDA was formally collapsed in the fourth century of this chaotic millennium, not that it even functioned anymore. There were also dozens of subsequent raids and invasions by foreign powers. Armies fought and died for cities that had long since been forgotten even by the Elegians. Billions were born and died this time, while the land died under the wave of destruction and orbital bombardment.
As the era of the Hundreds Masters came to a close, a military alliance grew from the remains of the last "God-King" empire, calling themselves Adamantium Compact. They sought to bring order back to Elegia and restore its former glory. Legend has it that the Compact succeeded when they uncovered lost technologies that allowed them to produce soldiers of unparalleled skill and talent. Ultimately, these super-soldiers proved the deciding factor. They restored order to Elegia only after killing a third of the population and placing the rest under their authoritative command.
However, the Compact kept its promise, and Elegia grew strong. So much so that they could even field void-ships once more. New cities were built, the industry returned, and even the construction of smaller hives began once more. In only two hundred years, the Compact almost had undone most of the harm from the Hundreds Masters. A miracle, if nothing else.
Yet once more, the galaxy conspired against Elegia. A new invader arrived, but one more powerful than any force that had attacked in over three thousand years. A group that cloaked themselves in the robes and trappings of the Mechanicum and whose bodies were still vaguely humanoid…but their minds and desires were inhuman.
Calling themselves the "Unfaded Horizons," they sought to find lost secrets on Elegia, claiming Elegia was prophesied to hold a cache of technologies now lost to the galaxy. All those that failed to aid the Unfaded would be destroyed. Their destruction of the Compact was swift and brutal. The return to the glories of old lasted two centuries.
Thus the Occupation began. Four hundred years of the Unfaded forcing tens of billions of Elegians to work as slaves, trying in vain to find this elusive cache. All resistance against the Unfaded ended in failure. The Tech-Priests half-machine soldiers were impossible to resist, but while a conventional war failed, the insurgency learned from whatever scraps they could get their hands on.
But then, one day, the Unfaded simply left. They took as much of their equipment as possible and then vanished. Four hundred years of slavery and death, and Elegia would never know why or if this was simply some cosmic joke. There was no rejoicing, only quiet anger.
Finally, the last attempt was made to restart civilization. By this point, there were likely only a few billion left on Elegia. A few subsequent wars of conquest and survival followed before a group of cities, towns, and mining outposts formed the United Coalition. The Coalition was flawed from the start, and it would last long enough to create a semblance of order before Elegia's neighbors learned that the Unfaded Horizon had left.
Invasions and raids followed, but none were ever like the Occupation. The UC lasted long enough to aid in one last project. A group of scientists, soldiers, and engineers began to work on a project to create a better Elegian. When the United Coalition finally collapsed, this group continued their work.
And when the time came for them to appear and aid their people once more, they promised that a better future awaited them all. A world without war or invaders, with Elegia, returned to normal, and its people were no longer afraid to look up and see a sky clear of horrors from beyond.
The entire explanation took roughly two hours to conclude. Dazlan had a lot to say about it. He might have recognized that Orion and Ramuh were actually trying to learn more about their world rather than some pittance of information so they could make some absurd leap in logic.
If anything, Orion realized that this world went through a second Age of Strife, or perhaps it never left the first one? Elegia had gone through a revolving door of tragedy, one after the other, and no, they thought it would repeat with the Imperium. He actually felt legitimate pity for these people.
Yet maybe this need not end in yet another tragedy? The Imperium could actually do something good for these people. If only he, or perhaps the Warhawk, could find a way to convince them that it was better to pursue cooperation. There was no shame in this pursuit. Certainly not for a people that had become so scarred and brutalized after all these centuries. Dazlan, however, would be of no help in that regard. Even if Orion spoke of peace, Clear Sky wouldn't listen.
So that left Orion and the White Scars to come up with a solution or force Clear Sky to come to the table.
Dazlan asked the two to keep their promise of helping an old man move a few objects with all that was said and done. It took Ramuh and Orion minutes to transfer materials that would've taken a group of men hours. The time sink came from Dazlan, who had particular spots for all these items, and they had to be placed just right.
"I thank you, gentlemen, for helping an old man." Dazlan said gratefully, "And I hope my knowledge helped you two. This is what I heard from others over the years, and I imagine the stories have changed since then. Still, maybe it will provide something insight." That might have been discouraging to some, but for Orion and Ramuh, that wasn't anything new. Trying to accurately recall thousands of years of history in one conversation would not be conclusive.
However, it was a start.
As the two marines left Old Dazzle's shop, the man decided to make one last remark, "You should heed my advice, Captain Jesk. Clear Sky will not seek peace, not unless it means Elegia is safe from invaders forever."
Orion frowned, "I'll keep that in mind…" Dazlan was about to say something when his eyes noticed something off in the distance. Where they were normal humans, they'd have both missed it, but Orion had been enough training from the Dark Angels, and Ramuh was a man that saw things beyond most mortal sights.
Dazlan, to his credit, did not betray much else, "I wish you two well. And be careful getting back to whatever you call home." And with that, Old Dazzle closed his shop's door, leaving the two Astartes to glance at each other before turning around to go back to the Upper Hive. At least from a first glance.
"He saw something," Ramuh remarked quietly under his breath. Orion watched as the Stormherlads eyes glowed with ethereal power. He only turned away once to look in the direction of where Dazlan looked. It lasted no longer than a second, but Ramuh spoke, "We're being followed as his eyes turned back to normal."
Orion barely nodded, "I wondered if someone would try their luck. Our own fault; we've been outside too long now."
As the two began their trek back, Ramuh asked, "So how do we want to do this?"
"I'll be the bait." Orion was faster anyway and could track his target if they tried to escape, "Is it more than one?"
"No, just the one, I think." Ramuh seemed confident enough, "Curious why to think they have a chance at two unknowns."
"Their mistake," The smallest smirks appeared on Orion's face, "So let's now exploit it."
As the pair turned to walk away, Orion couldn't help but ask, "You used the warp to spot them; how exactly?"
Ramuh smirked, "I didn't necessarily use the warp itself, per se." He gestured towards his eyes with one of his fingers, "I just slightly modified them to allow me to see most EM spectrums. A cameleoline cloak gives us a specific glow when viewed with the 'right' eyes."
Orion had never heard of a psyker ability like that before. "Did you come up with that on your own?"
"Aye." The Stormherald sounded proud, "Although, I suspected that such things are tied to my bloodline. Mother always did say the men traded the ability to hear and speak with the dead with their ability to see them." Once more, Orion needed to learn more about the White Scars and their secret ties to the spirits.
But now was the time to focus on getting this stalker of theirs into custody.
An Astartes had to be quick on their feet, but a leader of Astartes had to be both fast and innovative when it came to making a decision. It wasn't enough to just respond at a moment's notice but to develop new strategies and tactical decisions in the span it took a human to decide whether to shoot or duck into cover.
Orion had already come up with a plan. It wasn't optimal, nor without significant risk. He and Ramuh would head towards a section that had already passed through that people in it but was close enough to a series of abandoned manufactorums. Ramuh would stick close by the domiciles while Orion would go off to "check" on those abandoned facilities, luring their target away and allowing Orion a chance to capture this individual. Ramuh, meanwhile, would show up as a backup to assist.
The risk was real. The operative could go after Ramuh instead, but Orion doubted that. There was also the possibility their target was just doing recon. Which could've resulted in them leaving, resulting in no chance of capturing a high-value asset. However, Orion was willing to go against standard norms in this instance. A highly unorthodox procedure to take. Usually, a captain would call in additional Astartes to help ensure that their target couldn't escape, or in the event they were dealing with a high-level threat, respond with force to either eliminate or stall long enough for heavy reinforcements to arrive.
However, Orion and Ramuh were capable of handling entire armies by themselves. A single operative (if it was only the sole operative) should be dispatched with ease. No question that Clear Sky was dangerous, but Orion refused to believe that they had the capabilities or skill to match an Astartes.
It was a rookie mistake to go after two unknowns by oneself, for starters. Additionally, if Clear Sky was interested in preventing civilian deaths, they'd be unable to do anything if Orion and Ramuh stuck close to any inhabited zones. Finally, even the most ignorant ganger or feral worlder would've known to not mess with a man walking around in power armor.
A part of him worried this was random insurgents trying to get revenge or perhaps show off their skill to Clear Sky, but based on all reports from the Imperial Army, none of the civilians were actively engaged in direct confrontation. All acts of violence were carried out exclusively by Clear Sky operatives. So, Orion had to believe the individual stalking them was, in fact, a member of the organization.
An opportunity was knocking at his door, as the old Terran saying went, and Orion planned on capitalizing on this chance. A capture of a Clear Sky operative would provide a wealth of information to help bring an end to this compliance. Ramuh seemed to agree as well. No doubt eager to get more out of this investigation after spending hours asking questions and moving junk around.
Wordlessly, the two Astartes headed towards one of the major thoroughfares that had passed through hours before. The "night" might have started here in the Lower Hives, but there were still plenty of Elegians finishing up their work or simply trying to enjoy themselves. They might have been a bit confused when they saw that the two Astartes were still there. The Imperial Army left hours ago, so they were far from immediate help.
Then again, none of them knew that the White Scars could have a force down here in less than ten minutes. Orion was counting on that because if a fight broke out and they did capture a member of Clear Sky, he was expecting many locals to suddenly find their courage to try and stop the Imperials. Whatever happened, it had to be enacted and resolved just as fast. Worse case, Orion killed the operative and took their body back for examination. Either way, he and Ramuh were coming back to the Khan with something more substantial than just testimonies.
Once the pair reached their destination, the plan began: Orion made a few passing comments about needing to go and check out those abandoned manufactorums while Ramuh would talk to a few more shopkeepers. If one of the Elegians was helping the Clear Operative by monitoring their activities, they'd relay this information to their stalker. Otherwise, the operative would need to decide who to follow and fast.
As Orion began his short trek, he recognized that he was severely handicapped. For starters, he couldn't use the Bastard or Humility. Even though Orion would be far from any human habitation, a bolt round could still travel quite a distance and hit someone. Meanwhile, he could not, under any circumstances, use his sword.
Humility was destruction incarnate. A sufficiently powerful beam had leveled an entire hill and the small army of daemons that attacked him. If the blasted spirit got too riled up, it could potentially hit one of the support structures, causing unimaginable damage and possibly killing hundreds of Elegians.
It would also require a rather lengthy report to be written out.
So, Orion would be left with a combat knife and a bolt pistol. It wasn't much, but an Astartes could kill an entire company of Troopers with just his hands if he had to. A sidearm and knife would be more than enough, barring unforeseen circumstances. Besides, if things did reach the point of no return, then Humility would be brought out, and then Orion would end the fight.
He hoped it wouldn't come to that.
After walking only about five minutes, finding what looked to be an old scrapyard, Orion soon felt the proximity of the operative. His time fighting and hunting daemons gave the Knight-Warden a bit of budding talent for sensing such opponents. True, he might not be the best at it, but against mundane enemies, he had the edge over them.
Like everything else in the lower hive, the scrapyard had battle scars. There were scorch marks and bullet holes everywhere, not just in the vehicle wrecks. A rather grim "totem" had been built out of what looked to be empty and rusted tank shells and made to look almost vaguely human. It reminded him of those decoys that farmers used to scare off birds, made of hay and straw and dressed up like a person.
The name eluded him, but Orion could see the same intention, although probably for the rodent population more than anything. The smell of rust, iron and ammonia was pungent around the edifice. Yet this place looked to not have been visited by any living creature in quite a while. He could even smell the remains of gunpowder. If Orion were a Space Wolf, he could only imagine what other scents lingered in just this place?
This scrapyard was good enough. There was plenty of room and cover, and while it favored the operative, Orion knew he could move quickly to negate their advantage. Now he just had to wait and see what would happen. Perhaps the Knight-Warden would get lucky, and this was Clear Sky attempting a dialogue?
Such thoughts were dashed when Orion heard the sound of something, not someone, rapidly approaching from the north. He needed only a second to recognize the far too familiar sound of a missile heading in his direction.
His reflexes kicked in, and in but a span of a human heartbeat, Orion sprinter into the cover of a destroyed APC. Just in the nick of time, the missile hit where he had been standing only three seconds ago. Whatever munitions were used, the explosive force was strong enough to send the entire scrapyard either tumbling or flying.
Unfortunately for Orion, the rusted hulk he was behind had tipped right over and on top of him, a rather embarrassing change of fortunes. But other than that, there was no harm to him. His power armor quickly protected him, and his Astartes strength allowed Orion to easily lift even a fully functional APC (although only for a limited time.)
Still, he was a bit stuck. So as Orion worked on getting the blasted hulk off his body, he tried to contact Ramuh to give him a heads up. Instead, he got only a burst of static in his ear. The operative was trying to jam any possible outbound transmissions. Clever, but that only worked if they killed or nullified their treat.
"Going to be like that, huh?" Orion muttered to himself as he groaned and finished pushing the vehicle's remains off his body. As he stood, Orion could see the entire scrapyard had been utterly devastated by the missile attack. Whatever had hit the ground probably would've totally obliterated even an Olympia.
Clear Sky evidently decided to try and use what the Army would've called "overkill" to take out the unknown. An indication that they had some experience with power armor. The air around him was full of choking smoke, offuscating everything in front of him, save for a meter or two of visibility. Meanwhile, the heat from the fires was another issue as well. It looked like the missile was also incendiary along with high explosives.
No matter. Orion pulled out his bolt pistol and knife. He couldn't see much, but he didn't need to in this environment. He needed to hone his remaining senses and consider the avenue of attack. Besides, Orion could also use the environment to his advantage as well. Keeping near the burning fires, the Knight-Warden kept low and readied himself.
All that mattered now was to see who would get the first attack off; the operative or Orion.
Like so many times before, the fates favored Orion in his hunt. The Astartes had to only wait twenty seconds before he saw a figure shimmering only a short distance away. Their body was still distorted by their cameleoline, but the smoke also showed the same shimmering, giving the Knight-Warden the opening he needed to pounce.
He could've easily aimed his bolt pistol for the figure's head or body, maybe even a leg if he was lucky enough, but Orion wanted a living and relative unharmed prisoner. Hence the decision to swiftly charge with only the knife.
His target was caught off-guard, likely having made the tactical blunder of assuming that such an attack killed an Astartes. Orion reached the operative in only a second, before bringing the knife in his right hand down and slicing his target. His aim wasn't to even wound or dry blood…but rather hit and damage the cameleoline cloak.
The blade landed only once, but that was what was needed for Orion. The operative reacted with the grace of an Eldar, but it wasn't as fast as one. Their cloak was hit, making the operative look like a half-faded phantom. The Knight-Warden didn't get a good look at the operative or their weapon, but he knew enough to get out of the way.
However, rather than just dodge, Orion instead threw his combat knife toward the operative, causing them to dodge and misalign their rifle at the Astartes. They pulled the trigger, but the few bullets that hit Orion hit only his shoulder armor. Even then, the Knight-Warden felt the force of the attack through the ceramite. The operative wasn't using standard caliber or maybe not even a normal gun. No matter to Orion. This distraction was all Orion needed to close the distance and get into fist fighting range of the operative.
An Astartes knew how to hold back their strength when punching or kicking someone; that was just a common trait among all Legions. A Space Marine had to control their strength, for it marked their self-control and discipline while wielding such incredible power. Even so, as Orion held back most of his strength, most humans would describe getting punched by an Astartes in power armor as akin to getting hit in the stomach with a sledgehammer.
Orion heard the audible gasp of pain as the Knight-Warden's fist noisily hit the operative in the stomach. It made Orion think of a butcher hitting a slab of Grox meat with a tenderizing hammer if the butcher was also an Ogryn. The operative tried to back away but, in doing so, left them open for the Knight-Warden to grab their rifle (one that felt as heavy as a boltgun, Orion found) and tossed it aside.
Lacking their weapon, the operative decided to quick-draw out a similarly dangerous-looking pistol. Firing point-blank at the Astartes, Orion felt a pair of dull "punches" against his chest plate as the bullets tried in vain to penetrate the ceramite. His foe seemed to realize that wasn't working either and then made the mistake of trying to use CQC against him.
While Orion wasn't the greatest martial artist, he had routinely sparred against accomplished fighters among three Astartes legions. By the sheer virtue of practicing among such a diverse group of warriors, mixed with his enhanced physiology and combat experience…this was most certainly not one of the best decisions anyone could've made in that encounter.
Orion didn't even seem to blink as he effortlessly weaved out or blocked the attacks the same way a grandmaster would against a pupil in a practice spar. In any other instance, Orion might have felt embarrassed for the operative. CQC was not their forte, nor did they have a particular fighting style that would've given them an edge. Orion noticed the enhanced human reflexes, speed, and strength, but again, nothing noteworthy.
After blocking the ninth hit, Orion finished the fight by kicking the operative's feet from under them, forcing them to tumble to the ground.
"Are we done here?" Orion loudly asked over the burning din around them, "Or do you wish to continue this farce?"
To their credit, the operative pulled out, seemingly from nowhere, a throwing knife and tossed it towards Orion's exposed face. Even though they were still low on the ground, it was almost impressive. However, they still weren't fast enough, and Orion caught it with his hand and swiftly tossed it aside, not even paying attention as the blade became embedded in a piece of scrap, almost up to its handle.
Orion looked down, somewhat unimpressed, "Going to try a third time now?"
This time, he was almost caught by surprise when he barely heard the sound of a power blade emanating from the operative's right foot. Most certainly, Orion wasn't expecting in that same breath, the operative rapidly contorting their body to perform an almost springloaded attack with the power blade by kicking their right leg upward.
It almost worked. If that attack hit, it would've gone through Orion's face. Yet once more, the Knight-Warden stopped the possible killing blow by grabbing the operatives leg and applying enough pressure to hear a disturbing "crunch" emanate. They didn't show if his foe cared enough to scream or curse in pain. Although they didn't have time as Orion would proceed to toss the operative, with one hand and with their right leg, into one of the wrecks.
Orion used enough force that when the operative hit the wreck, the sounds of crumbling metal could be heard. He saw a dent the size of a gretchin in the same impact, the operative falling down into a heap.
"Third time was evidently not the charm," Orion quipped as he slowly approached, "Although I will give you credit, that last attempt might have done some real damage. You should feel proud that you almost got the drop of an Astartes."
Rather than respond, the operative surprised Orion one final time by hoisting themselves up. He imagined the pain they felt was excruciating. Standing on a broken leg, with many broken ribs, internal bleeding, and a concussion. Their cameleoline cloak was in tatters now, allowing Orion to see the figure in front to identify that it was a woman based on the body type.
The female operative was determined; Orion gave them that much of a compliment in an otherwise poor showing of martial prowesses. So much so that she pulled out a grenade. The Knight-Warden frowned, "Don't be stupid. That won't kill me."
She pulled off her cameleoline mask, allowing Orion to see that she was quite young, with short-golden hair and a pair of blue eyes that shined with the same determination Orion had seen on both humans and Astartes alike during the Ritual War. The scowl directed towards the Knight-Warden indicated that the Clear Sky operative would go down fighting even though she lost.
"Elegia will never surrender to tyrants and murderers!" She yelled over the roaring fires, "Nor will her citizens be taken alive!" Orion watched as the operative prepared to pull the pin.
Whatever caused him to speak out eluded Orion at the time, "Don't be stupid!" He shouted back, "I didn't come here looking for a fight! I wish to speak with Clear Sky!"
"You think we will believe such tricks?!" Although it reached only a few centimeters, she spat blood towards Orion, "Your Imperium wants this world for yourself, just like all those trying to take our home!"
"That doesn't mean a peaceful option can't be pursued!" Orion hoped that Ramuh was close by now, but he needed to keep stalling for time, "This world is dying; its people will not survive another generation. The Imperium can save it!"
When he saw the look of resignation and hatred directed toward him, Orion could only recall the same face he received from men like Skullface. This was her end, and she accepted it. No one was going to take it from her.
Orion then heard her speak, "When you're wounded and left on Elegia's plains," Her hands pulled out the grenade's pin, "And the foreigners come out to cut up what remains, just roll to your rifle and blow out your brains. And go to your ancestors as a soldier!"
'Damn it all,' Orion thought to himself, prepared to sprint the distance. She was less than a meter from his current position, but all she needed to do was tap that grenade against her chest to trigger it. She was likely dead just from the force of the explosion if the point-blank shrapnel didn't get to her.
Yet once more, the fates favored Orion. A clap of thunder broke over the din of fires, and Orion watched as a bolt of lightning struck the operative. There was a brief scream before her entire body went rigid as the attack caused her nervous system to go haywire. The grenade in her hand slowly dropped. Orion had only one chance to pull this off. He dives towards it.
His hand caught the following explosive just as it was about to go off and, using whatever momentum he had left, tossed it in a different direction. A few seconds later, the familiar crack of an explosive went off, albeit harmlessly, some dozen meters away from him and the operative.
As he stood up, Orion looked over to see Ramuh approaching from the east, "I see you had a peaceful encounter with our operative?" He joked, but Orion wasn't in the mood. As he looked down at the unconscious woman, the Knight-Warden couldn't help but feel disgusted, knowing that Clear Sky would use someone so young. She barely looked to be in her twenties.
Which begged a particular question, how was she so dangerous and proficient in combat?
Ramuh kneeled down to check her body and pulled out a strange-looking device after a few seconds, "I figured something on her was jamming your micro-bead. I was trying to raise you after I heard the explosion."
That was good then; it was time for them to get out of here, "That means we can call in an evac unit."
"Best to do it now," Ramuh remarked as he looked in the direction he came, "The locals will be coming to check on things soon enough." Orion nodded before reaching down and picking up the knocked-out woman. She would need medical attention as soon as possible. Along with an interrogation cell prepared.
Four minutes. That was how long it took their exfil gunship to arrive from the Upper Hive section. Orion was impressed. Even the vaunted Iron Warriors took at least five to get one of their birds in the air. The White Scars didn't do anything different, but they simply needed speed and the ability to weave through the most challenging environments.
The exit from the lower hive wasn't met with attacks from the locals or a sudden reprisal from a nearby squad of operatives. Instead, Orion and Ramuh left just as a crowd looked to be forming. No doubt Clear Sky would hear about this soon enough. In any event, Orion had gotten more than he wanted from this initial investigation.
An order went up to head into orbit and return to the Khan's fleet. Their prisoner was still unconscious but also badly mauled and wounded. A broken leg and multiple ribs, internal hemorrhaging, and a concussion. Thanks to Ramuh's force bolt, she also had several burns, having fried a few cybernetics. Surprisingly enough, there didn't seem to be any risk of her dying, and Orion could see what looked to be instant clouting and wound closure.
Once back onboard the Khan's flagship, a team of apothecaries (which had been requested earlier to meet them on arrival) took the two's prisoner. Before Ramuh and Orion could think about what to do next, Jubal arrived to meet with them directly and bring them to the Warhawk for a mission debrief.
Orion expected perhaps some chastisement or praise, maybe even both. He and Ramuh were surprised when upon entering the command bridge, the Warhawk gave them a grim smile before gesturing towards a nearby holo-display. There were requests for Astartes' assistance and reports of Clear Sky raids. What confused the hell out of Orion was that officers were being kidnapped, and even command stations raided.
"They are looking for their lost comrade," The Warhawk announced with amusement, "It's almost touching. Watching an entire organization panic for a lost member. I'm sure a few of my brothers would remark a lack of discipline at such an emotional response…but tell me, Captain Jesk, based on what you've witnessed now, does this reaction fit?"
Briefly recalling how the operative was ready to blow herself up out of some misguided attempt to serve her world, Orion nodded to the Primarch, "Yes. They are extremely dedicated to their cause. To the degree that warrants caution and respect lest we get caught flatfooted."
The Primarch shook his head, "Fanatics then."
"Unfortunately, that appears to be their level of dedication, yes."
Khan turned his head to glance over to the captain, "Do you still wish to try diplomacy with them, Captain?"
Orion nodded without hesitation, "I do."
Khan spared another second to look at the Knight-Warden before turning his attention to the holo-projector, "Then I'll leave you to your interrogation. Send me a report of what you've learned so far after our prisoner speaks to you. I don't like reading messages that are just updates on a previous one's contents." He paused for only a moment, "Meanwhile, I will need to take care of some more fires this event has caused."
"Yes, Lord Primarch." Orion could hear the unheard dismissal in the Warhawk's tone. Orion gestured for Ramuh to follow him. They had work to do now.
Two days passed while the Imperials waited for their prisoner to recover. The situation ground side was, however, quite chaotic. The Imperial Army had no counter or means to stop Clear Sky from raiding their bases. Unfortunately for Clear Sky, their attempts to find details on their missing comrade would ultimately be vain. The Warhawk hadn't told anyone what caused this event, and he wasn't about to let Clear Sky attempt to get off Elegia to raid one of their vessels.
In the meantime, the operative had effectively fully recovered after Ramuh convinced one of the Stormseers that had biomancy training to assist in healing. It worked, but the Clear Sky operative woke up and promptly tried to escape and kill herself. It took two Astartes to restrain her, causing her to fail in both attempts. There were multiple attempts after that. Some were more benign than others, yet it was a battle of wills. One incident almost resulted in the death of a serf after she tried to stab the poor bastard in the eye with a pencil that she somehow obtained. After that, she was put into a cell.
She seemingly became resigned to her fate and stopped trying to escape by that point.
Orion had tried to make attempts to speak with her, yet the Apothecaries warned him that she was still too unpredictable and wild. One likened it to a dangerous and terrified animal, scurrying behind anything and clawing at anything that came their way. It was best to just such a beast tire itself out. Orion didn't necessarily appreciate someone calling her a beast of all things, but he accepted the reality of the situation.
While he waited for her to calm down, he took the time to examine the recovered weapons and gadgets. The rifle was an intricately modified heavy autogun. Integrated magnetic accelerator, targeting cogitator, and even a self-customizable frame. The ammo itself was incredibly dangerous, and some tech-priests discovered that Clear Sky used micro-adamantium flechette rounds. An otherwise hideously expensive process, but she had four magazines carrying such bullets.
Her pistol was also rather dangerous. While it lacked the magnetic accelerator, it instead had what looked to be a strange charge pack that caused the .45 caliber bullet to take on super-heated and unstable properties. A rather stunning application of a lasgun charge pack.
The cameleoline cloak and jamming device were not noteworthy on the surface, but the tech-marines recognized that the quality was only a step below the highest tier of gear given to Legion veteran scouts. Most of Clear Sky's stealth capabilities came directly from skill and talent more than technology.
Finally, the captive body told a story as well. Surface scans, blood samples, and brain analysis determined that this young woman was likely genetically modified and designed before birth. However, the tech-priests were sure she wasn't artificially born or cloned from someone else.
"Too many flaws in her genome, a sign of genetic randomization that could be found only in an organic womb. Her exact, specific gifts weren't predetermined, yet one can easily see that she was designed to utilize them." Another strange indicator of Clear Sky's unknown history.
Everything about them, from their weapons to their blood, was designed to enable these operatives to be extraordinarily dangerous and capable. Unfortunately for Clear Sky, they were not anywhere near the top of the proverbial food chain of enhanced humans. Still, compared to their neighbors…if Elegia had ever tried to produce an entire army of Clear Sky enhanced humans, they'd likely be an actual threat to even Astartes if not taken seriously.
All these signs point toward a society that tried in vain to rebuild. It was tragic, to say the least. Then again, Orion could only imagine what would've happened to the nearby worlds if Elegia rose from the ashes and decided to go on their own crusade…
Finally, Orion decided that it was time to chat with their prisoner. If nothing else than to try and move this situation towards a peaceful resolution. Things on the ground were only going to worsen before they got better, and the Warhawk was expecting results. Orion had gotten the White Scars this far now, and Orion would now need to bring this whole compliance to a conclusion.
A pair of serfs were guarding the door to the operative's cell. They saluted the Knight-Warden before moving aside to let him enter. Orion opted to not wear his power armor or bring a weapon, although the only thing he was carrying was a try of food. Their prisoner had refused to eat in the last two days. Whether out of some misbegotten fear of being drugged or as some form of protest on her part didn't matter to Orion.
However, the medics were saying that if she didn't eat or drink anything, it would adversely affect her ability to give any straight answers. So here Orion was, carrying food in hopes of coming off as friendly to a woman he personally maimed. He idly wondered how much trouble Baldur would've gone through in this instance to get the answers he wanted?
The first thing that Orion noticed was his prisoner huddled in one of the corners, refusing to look towards whoever entered and simply staring at the wall with a look of utter resignation. She certainly looked the part of a resigned captive. Her prisoner's uniform was a dull, drab grey jumpsuit, complete with a metallic ankle bracelet on her right foot. Orion could hear her muttering something, almost like a chant. She looked exhausted as well, which, considering she hadn't slept in the last 24 hours, he expected as much. A far cry from two days ago. All the fight in her seemed to vanish now. Orion hoped to perhaps glean some insight into why she acted this way.
"Hello." As he closed the cell door behind him, Orion called out, "I am Captain Orion Jesk, and I was hoping you could answer some questions." He gestured towards the food tray, "Before that, I was told you haven't eaten anything. So, how about you rectify that and eat something."
Orion waited for a response, but instead, the operative looked at him with eyes of pure disdain and hatred. It was a look that Orion imagined many daemons had seen before they met their end by his hands. There was something pure and beautiful in it. Sadly, it was utterly misdirected towards him.
"I am not your enemy." Orion gently remarked as he placed the food tray down, "Nor is the Imperium of Man. As I mentioned during our brief dual, I wish only to establish a peaceful dialogue between our groups so we can end any conflict before things spiral further out of control."
The Knight-Warden stood up and took a few steps back from the tray as if she wouldn't touch it if he was too close. Unfortunately, the operative continued to only glare at him. He expected that much. As the silence continued for a minute, Orion spoke again.
"Do you truly have nothing to say?"
Another moment passed before the operative spoke, "Go fuck yourself, Imperial."
Rather than get annoyed, Orion smirked as he made a tiny bit of progress, "So she can speak, that's good to know." The Knight-Warden then slowly sat down, leaning against the wall and looking at her. "Well, I have plenty of time to wait here if it means we can chat."
She turned away from him and didn't say another word. Orion, meanwhile, got comfortable as he could inside a cell made for humans. All he had to do was wait for something to happen. Orbán once told Orion that most people, even those of the Solar Auxilla, would ultimately do anything after a period to avoid a long stretch of awkwardness. The operative might have hated Orion, but he hadn't done anything to indicate that he would harm her.
Additionally, Orion recognized that the operative likely needed to decide soon if dying of hunger or thirst was worth not answering a few questions. Interrogations could be a long, drawn-out process, and while an Astartes could take weeks to break…Orion knew that it was possible.
The Dark Angels knew of such things, as did Skullface. People broke all the time. Yet Orion wasn't looking to break this woman's spirit. Right now, he was the only thing keeping her alive, and she would have to come to terms with that very soon.
Orion settled in and mediated. All Wardens knew the practice. Such was the boon of staying on the Golden Path. Contemplation was key. Hours must have passed. Orion didn't notice. His enhanced hearing detected the sounds of the operatives stomach growling, and her body shifted, likely staring at the food. Orion made sure to get items that would still taste good after a couple of hours, but he suspected that this operative probably had eaten in quite some time.
Elegians didn't look like they had a lot of food available. Knowing Clear Sky, they probably ensured their citizens got food in their stomachs before they did. Honorable, but also stupid. An Astartes could afford such impractical gestures, but this woman was still human. That reminded him that sooner or later, other bodily functions would crop up. Orion sincerely hoped he'd have made progress before that became an issue.
Around the start of the sixth hour, Orion could hear the operative starting to quietly swear under her breath. The Knight-Warden spared only a slight glance to see her looking intently at the food tray. She was likely deciding either to eat or toss it in one final act of defiance. If she did the latter, Orion wouldn't be so generous as to bring her another one until the next day.
Orion waited and returned to meditating. He had to only wait perhaps twenty more minutes before he heard the operative shift from her corner and move to grab the food tray. She brought back over to her corner and glared at Orion and the food before she started to eat slowly. The Knight-Warden didn't say or do anything…merely just waiting now for her to make the next move.
She finished eating in less than five minutes before returning to brood in her corner. Another two hours passed. Orion could probably go for a little longer, but he'd need to return to Humility sooner or later. That blasted machine spirit was going to get impatient.
And then finally, she spoke once more…
"I will not answer any questions…" Her tone was still defiant, "You can either kill or torture me. Because if you think one pesky meal will get me to spill my guts, you are sorely mistaken."
Orion lazily opened one of his eyes to look at the operative. Her eyes still had a bit of spirit in them, but he could also see the exhaustion and fear now. She was acting like this was some sort of last meal. Perhaps that would've been more than they could've bargained before getting tortured and killed for most.
Orion made a non-commital noise, "Hmm," he closed his eyes and returned to meditating. He didn't get far until she spoke up.
"Did you not just hear me?!" Now he could hear the frustration in her voice, "I won't tell you anything; you are just wasting your time!"
Truth be told, he was wasting his time. A captain had better and more important things to handle, especially for someone within a liaison position. One of the Stormseers could easily rip out the information from her head. Yet even knowing that Orion was making an effort to try this diplomatically. It was clear to him that the woman before him was human in their desires and duties. That hatred was so pure and human, yet it felt almost transcendent. Were he an Emperor's Children, Orion would've called it "lovely" or even "inspiring." But right now, it was just another hindrance to wait out. Orion knew that the operative couldn't keep this up for too long.
"Hmm…" Orion pretended to consider the situation, "I don't consider this is a waste of time."
The operative stood and looked ready to try her luck attacking the Knight-Warden, "If you think I will fall for such pathetic tricks…"
Orion couldn't help but chuckle, "You're the one getting quite riled up right now."
"Stop toying with me!"
The Knight-Warden couldn't help but stare at her, "I am far from simply toying with you, but you are correct that I am not taking you seriously either." He leaned back into his wall, "So if you desire me to leave, then…answer my questions."
"I don't need to answer anything," She returned to glare at Orion, "I won't reveal anything to you willingly."
Orion's patience started to run a little thin, "I hate to break your illusion of defiance, but I don't need your willingness or cooperation to get the information. A few moments with the Stormseers and your mind will be an open book to them."
Rather than look defiant or fearful, the operative looked confused, "Stormseers…?"
"A psyker." He clarified, "Their ability to take knowledge from a person is quite pronounced. The Warp breaks all those before it."
Again, the response from the operative was caught strange, "You have psykers? Hmm, of course, you do. If your empire is as big as you claim it is, you'd statically have access to thousands, if not millions of them." Orion was taken aback at how she had gone from almost defiant, to confused, to analyzing his statement. More than that, he was sure there was a tinge of genuine curiosity in her tone.
That was when Orion got an idea to make this whole interrogation easier for them. "I see this bit of information has piqued your interest."
"Clear Sky has no records on them and…" She paused, realizing she had just said, "Don't distract me! You are trying to manipulate me into giving you information!" This was almost comical to Orion. His prisoner was perhaps a bit too curious for her own good. And would explain why she decided to try her luck at taking down two unknowns by herself.
He found the gap in her defenses. Now it was time to exploit it.
Orion gave her the best Baldur grin possible, "Evidently, I need not do much to get what I want either way. It seems you are curious, a trait shared by most Lexsavants. Your mind requires that you evaluate and understand any problems and obstacles."
"I'm a genius," She remarked flatly to Orion, "It's an aspect of being one and applies to everything we do."
Too easy, "Judging by how you performed in our little confrontation, that genius doesn't apply to battlefield applications." He couldn't help but enjoy seeing her face turning red at that remark.
"A miscalculation!" She exclaimed, "No, not even a miscalculation! I did everything right! The missile hit was pinpoint accurate, and in any other circumstances, I'd have won! That was battlefield luck more than anything! A statistical anomaly, nothing more!"
Orion shook his head, "Excuses."
"Oh, piss off." She huffed and glared back at Orion, but this time it was devoid of hatred and replaced with annoyance and bruised pride, "You think you could've done that better?"
Time to see if he could lead this one into his trap, "I could've done that better before becoming even a captain within the Wardens."
She paused briefly and considered his statement, "I thought your group was called the White Scars."
"I'm from a different Legion," Orion succinctly answered, "I'm part of a liaison detachment, hailing from the Eternal Wardens, one of the 18 Space Marine Legions."
"So there are more of you." She huffed and then paused, "On top of your standing military, which likely numbers in the trillions, multiple fleets, and the technological capabilities of the Machine God worshipers…" Orion hoped that the reality of this situation would start to sink in now, but he wasn't about to hold his breath.
"The Imperium is a vast empire, made up of many civilizations and nations. Its nascent history is filled with great victories and terrible tragedies, all in the name of the Great Crusade and the Emperor's dream of a united humanity."
She didn't look too thrilled at that, "United under someone else's command. Elegia has no need for foreign masters, just as the Old Municia nation didn't either." Finally, he was starting to get somewhere with new information.
"Old Municia?" Orion took only a moment to realize what this meant, "This world wasn't originally called Elegia?"
His captive realized that she had just answered a question, "Damn it!" She closed her eyes and clenched her fists, "No more talking! I won't be manipulated any further!"
Orion quietly cursed, "Hold on! Just hear me out. I haven't asked you directly for anything involving Clear Sky that could be used against them. All I want is information, some context for why they are willing to go this far even in the face of utter destruction. Maybe we can find a means to prevent a war from breaking out."
Sadly, she didn't appear to be listening now, "I won't tell you anything else!" She spat at him, "You just want to use us; that's all outsiders have ever wanted! They see us as weak, to be exploited, but they've never broken us!" Orion was getting exhausted at hearing such rhetoric directed toward him now.
"Will you just shut up for a second!" Orion spoke with the same tone he used to command Black Brigades to follow his orders. And it worked. His prisoner shirked back just slightly at the controlled fury in his voice and went quiet.
"Let me explain the situation you are in, give you two options, and then you can decide on what you want to do, alright?" Orion started with a frown, "Number one…you help me try to find a peaceful resolution, and the only way to do that is that you provide me insight and answers into everything involving your organization and world. In doing so, we can stop any further bloodshed, I can get you back to your people, and we can see about getting Elegia into the Imperium in a process that benefits everyone. But the only way to do this is that we try to understand each other and work together."
He then quietly approached the woman, causing her to slowly moved backward, "Otherwise, this conversation can either turn into a back and forth. We resolve nothing. A war breaks out between our people, and it will end in your groups' defeat and people's absorption into the Imperium by force. Either way, Clear Sky will be destroyed, and what remains of Elegia will have died for trying to preserve a memory of the past rather than working on making a better future."
Orion face softened for only a moment, "I know this sounds like surrendering or giving up, but believe me when I say that there is still a chance for Elegia to remain completely free and contribute to the Imperium. We just need to understand."
She didn't say anything and now refused to look him in the eyes, "Either do what you have to do…or leave me alone."
How unfortunate. "Fine." Orion backed away from her, "Then I truly hope that we can find some means to resolve this without too much bloodshed." The Knight-Warden turned around to leave the cell. He didn't see it, but Orion thought he heard the woman about to say something, but she hesitated and then fell silent once more.
Upon leaving the cell, Orion ordered serfs to alert him if anything new changed with the prisoner before leaving. Once he was out of sight, Orion paused and then sighed at how that interaction had ended. An abysmal failure, if there ever was one. The Primarch would undoubtedly be displeased at Orion's prisoner's lack of actionable intel.
"So much for being honored of Lord Cyper's faith…" Maybe next time Orion spoke with Baldur, he could get some instruction when dealing with being "friendly" with prisoners. That or get some tips from Orbán.
Yet as he prepared to head back, he heard the sounds of someone running and then a voice calling out, "Lord-Captain!" One of the serfs guarding his prisoner looked relief at finding him, "Oh good, you didn't leave the deck! Lord-Captain, your prisoner requested to speak with you again."
Orion blinked at hearing that, "She did?"
"Yes, my lord. I dare say she sounded quite frantic." The serf had an expected look on his face, "However, if you are done with her, should we tell her that she doesn't get to demand the attention of an Astartes?"
The Knight-Warden breathed a sigh of relief but shook his head, "No. That is quite alright. I will, however, request that you send a message to the tech-marines. All you need to tell them is to carefully monitor the Burning Blade for the rest of the night. Understood?"
The serf bowed to the Knight-Warden, "Yes, my lord, at once!" The serf didn't wait for further instructions and promptly ran off. Humility would be a miserable machine spirit for the rest of the night, but this was important. As Orion slowly took his time to return to the cell, he wondered if what he said reached his prisoner or if she decided that it was better to give him a few bits of information if it meant saving her world.
Either way, Orion lucked out once more.
Upon reentering the cell, Orion saw his prisoner looked uncomfortable. She was sitting on the ground of her cell, looking up at him expectantly before turning to stare at the floor. As he got closer, she started speaking, "I'm not going to tell you any names or locations or anything current about Clear Sky. You got it?"
Orion nodded as he sat down across from her, only a few centimeters apart, "No questions about current activities. Just history, and maybe a little bit about what we expect the future to hold."
She nodded stiffly, "Fine." Now she looked back at him, "Ask your blasted questions…"
The Knight-Warden considered the first and most important question, "I suppose I should start by first trying to understand you. So, how about I get your name?"
"My name is Estrith Teron." Estrith, it sounded rural to Orion. A name given to a farmer or layperson. "My friends and family call me Esty."
Yeah, he wasn't going to call her that, "Understood. How old are you?
"22 Elegian solar years."
"Do you have any surviving family?"
"Clear Sky is my family."
Orion resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "Let me rephrase that; do you have any living blood relatives?"
"No. Mama died when I was six. Papa died only two years ago after helping evac a group of civilians that were being attacked by an Orgai slavery raid. Orgai are aliens, mind you." Orion nodded and made a mental note to have the Imperium mark that race for xenocide. "I was already in Clear Sky, though. They helped my parents get together to make me."
Another piece of the puzzle, "Why?"
Estrith paused and looked away; Orion could see that she didn't want to keep talking. Orion, however, needed answers. "Why did Clear Sky take steps to ensure that you were conceived?"
"I have…" Estrith closed her eyes and slowly spoke, "I'm what Clear Sky calls a 'third-generation Ambrosia enhanced' human. It's what makes every member of Clear Sky into what you call Lexsavants and more."
Orion stared at her. He knew that she was enhanced, but a third-generation, and because of Ambrosia? "I suspected as much. Clear Sky is made up of augmented and genetically enhanced humans."
"Yes and no," Estrith stopped, "You wanted context? For the longest time, our enemies thought the most important resource on the planet was all that Adamantium. But it isn't, not even close. Faded Horizons knew the real treasure. So let me give you the real history of Elegia, of Old Municia. Our blood is what saved us, yet it almost brought upon us extinction as well."
I'm sure you've heard this type of story before, but let me tell you our version of it; Once upon a time, there was a beautiful world known as Municia…
It took the entire night, but Estrith explained the true history of Elegia in vivid detail. It seemed that Clear Sky was the only group on the planet with detailed records of everything before even the first invasions. Elegia, back then known as Municia, was a rich world. More than that, it was deemed strategically vital for this part of the galaxy. So when the Men of Iron began their rebellion, they naturally sought to destroy Municia.
However, they failed to totally destroy this world and its people. The human defenders lasted long enough to shatter the Thinking Machine fleet that attacked but was also incapable of leaving Municia. As if to enact one final act of pettiness to the victorious humans below, the machines unleashed a virus upon the planet. Perhaps the machines hoped to cause the humans below to devolve into savagery and mutation.
The virus worked…and then failed. While it prevented the survivors from producing offspring that would activate their genetic enhancements, those same markers and sequences would still be inherited. Yet it would pass unnoticed in their very DNA for generations to come. Attributed to myth and legend before long. Another tale of a better world that had been lost to the galaxy.
Our people were tired and scared when the war ended. Yet we still had our home and each other. Our world was all that mattered to us. That meant we had to nurture it back to health and protect it.
Nevertheless, Municia survived and was rebuilt. It might not have been able to reconstruct the great forges that allowed it to obtain such wealth and power, but it was enough to make them a target for outsiders. Thus the era of the First Wars and the Global Defense Alliance began.
Generations passed, victory was achieved, and then victory was turned into defeat by their own hands. The Hundreds Masters was just the start of Municia's woes. Estrith mentioned other horrors; the Long Murder, the White Blood Plague, and the so-called "New Humanity Army," which experimented on entire populations. A darkness fell over their home.
There are pictures and recordings of that era. I first saw them when I was six years old. It was only a few weeks after Mama died. Papa showed me them because he wanted me to understand what happens if we fail. "Don't look away, Esty. This is the future if Clear Sky fails. This is what the invaders wanted all along." I don't blame Papa for showing me, but I still have nightmares about it…
Municia became synonymous with pain and misery with all that blood and destruction. In only a generation, the people called their own beautiful world Elegia. A world of grief and remorse. Another group, the Compact, rose to power in this dark period. However, this is where the story starts to get Orion's attention.
While skilled and capable, the Compact only won control over Elegia due to finding lost technologies and learning the secrets of their own blood. The Hundreds Masters was a time of carnage and experimentation, but those same gruesome tests gave rise to knowledge that was once thought lost. This, combined with their considerable military might, ultimately allowed the Compact to gain complete control over Elegia.
Yet they didn't truly understand what they had found. To the Compact, all they saw was the chance to make a better soldier. They wanted revenge against those who had sought to kill us all and take Elegia for themselves. A sentiment all agreed with, but they failed to grasp our people's raw potential. Unfortunately for them, an outside force did.
The Compact super-soldiers were ultimately nothing more than a continuation of the horrors of the Hundred Masters. Mutants that were born and raised in vats and labs. Such creatures were utterly devoid of any humanity. Organic weapons made only to destroy all those who sought to challenge the Compact and their new order for Elegia.
No one remembered the cruelty that came with that order. That vaunted progress and return to greatness came at a terrible cost. All the while, the Compact secretly introduced the groundwork for a new and "better" humanity. But while they would plant such seeds, it was not the Compact that would reap such a harvest.
When the Unfaded Horizon appeared in our system, the Compact made the mistake of thinking that we'd be able to fight back the invaders. Believing them old foes that attacked us during the Dark Eras, the arrogance of the Compact leadership failed to grasp just how powerful the Unfaded were comparatively. They swept aside all that came before, garrisoning the cities and hives, and destroyed the Compact piecemeal. The war against the Unfaded lasted less than seven months, but the resistance continued for the next five centuries. For all the horror unleashed upon Elegia by the Unfaded…we also owe them a small debt. They somehow unlocked our potential.
Estrith described the Unfaded Horizon, or perhaps the Cult of Faded Horizons, as a splinter sect of the Mechanicum. The Faded's occupation of Elegia was, in their own words, a necessary act to fulfill a part of the "Unseen Manifestation." Clear Sky believes it to be a prophecy born of the Faded adherence to Logis-Prophizing, a numerological occult practice. Orion had never heard of such a thing. Then again, perhaps that was one of the many secrets of the Machine Cult.
This Unseen Manifestation directed them towards Elegia, where the Unfaded once more continued the work started by the Hundreds Masters and Compact, but rather than creating soldiers…they instead sought to create an army of Lexsavants. And in doing so, they made the catalyst known as "Ambrosia."
It was at this point in the discussion that Estrith explained, in shockingly vivid detail, the effects and purpose of Ambrosia. She described it as a genetic catalyst, or more aptly, a genetic transistor that connected and reactivated all the dormant gene markers and enhancements from their Dark Age ancestors. That which survived for hundreds of generations could finally return from its genetic slumber.
Ambrosia could even cause those same genes to evolve, to improve, and in each generation after that, a better human was produced.
Imagine it. Each human born was those enhancements considered peak humanity in this galaxy, but during the Dark Age, that was the standard genetic package. The Faded didn't want that, though. So they used the work of all those monsters that came before their arrival and applied it to make Ambrosia. A first-generation Ambrosian was considered a genius, the second a prodigy, and the third, my generation, are considered Lexsavants. But such a process takes time…and the Unfaded was in a hurry. So, they decided to force the issue.
Ambrosia was only the trigger for what followed. For three centuries, the Unfaded prepared for a grand experiment on Elegia. Perhaps their Logis-Prophizing told them it was necessary, or they simply got impatient. Whatever their reasoning, the Unfaded unleashed a custom-tailored retro-virus upon Elegia. This virus didn't kill or maim the Elegians, far from it. Instead, it would cause the Ambrosian within the Elegian's bodies, which the Faded had injected into almost 90% of the Elegian population over a century, to become hyper-reactive.
But just letting it become reactive was only the first step. After that, the Unfaded began a massive breeding program among the population. Like everything else in this plan, the Unfaded forced the issue. The next hundred years were perhaps the closest that the Elegians came close to extinction as a people.
Women gave birth to either stillborns or mutants. Both mother and child were killed for such failures. While the men whose seed produced such inadequate or failed offspring were killed off to prevent a further dilution of the gene pool. All of this was an attempt to create a human that should have taken generations.
The Unfaded reduced almost 75 billion Elegians down to a scant 10 billion by the middle of the fourth century of the Occupation. And at last, they succeeded. Nearly four hundred years, tens of billions dead, and an unfathomable amount of resources, the Unfaded project produced thousands of Lexsavants. Children who were not only enhanced in every physical aspect but whose intelligence and cognitive abilities would allow them to achieve great things. Everything that the Unfaded desired and more. They had gotten what they wanted.
And then suddenly, without warning, they left Elegia…
No one knows why the Unfaded left. My grandfather was born almost a century after they left, and Clear Sky had only a few first-hand accounts from survivors, resistance members, and those children that were left behind. Maybe they decided that they were done here, or they wanted to see what would happen to another batch of their "children" left on their own. It didn't matter, I suppose. They never returned. Our world was in ruins, our people traumatized once more, and we were left with only one question: What had we done to deserve this?
Another century of chaos and destruction on Elegia. Their population and industry had been completely destroyed by the Unfaded. The planet was ruined, perhaps even beyond repair, and it didn't take too long for their neighbors to see their weakened state once more. Those that survived the grand experiment of the Unfaded tried their best to forget. But those born of the experiments, the Ambrosians, went to hiding. The Elegians feared and hated them, for they were a ghastly reminder of what their world had suffered through.
Perhaps it was for the best. Those same children and a few adults that took care of them found old facilities and bases deep in the broken mountains of their world. Though they were young and inexperienced, their enhanced minds and bodies allowed them to carve out a community hidden away from the insanity of the world. They called themselves the Zero Generation, which Estrith claims are her ancestors.
When Elegia returned to some semblance of normalcy, this group of Ambrosians revealed themselves to the United Coalition and offered their aid. Now mature and with their own spring, they believed it best to help save their people and world, even if they had to do so in the shadows.
Thus Clear Sky was born and given its mandate. Sadly, Clear Sky was unable to save the collapse of the United Coalition, nor could they stop the raids and invasions that rained down upon Elegia. They became a resistance group, just as their forefathers had done for thousands of years. Their children and grandchildren evolved, just as the Unfaded believed they would, and with each new child, they became exceedingly better than the last.
We took to become this world's guardians, even as our numbers depleted. It was our duty. The blood that flows through our veins caused this horror to come to our world. What else could we do? But you see now that there are limitations to our abilities. But still, we march on for the sake of our people. We aren't soldiers, you know. However, we have fought well enough. I've learned that there are other ways to make our world better. I like helping my people; that's what I am good at. Not skulking in our ruined streets trying to assassinate foreigners. Papa told me that I had a healers touch, and he was right. That's the thing about us, and why I think the Unfaded left behind so many of their oh-so-precious Lexsavants…we didn't all fit the mold of being all mathematicians and physicists. Some of us grew attached to agriculture, medicine, art, and the like. My grandfather was said to be a fantastic musician, while my grandmother was a virologist that cured several plagues. You see, that's the tragedy of what Clear Sky has been forced to turn into. We were all scientists, engineers, researchers, and humanists that wanted to make a better world without violence…but that's not what Elegia needed or could afford to not have. There's no happy ending to our story.
Yet you think it might be possible, Captain Jesk?
"And by that point, she told me everything. The rest of their history up to our arrival is uneventful." Orion finished the debrief to Primarch and his First Captain. The Knight-Warden had called for an emergency meeting with the Khan in light of this information.
After finding a private meeting room, Orion repeated the story to them. The Warhawk looked to be deep in thought, while Jubal likewise weighed the contents of this story. Even Orion was still processing this development. An entire world of people whose blood held gifts from the Dark Age.
"This explains the discrepancies our Apothecaries found while examining her blood." Jubal frowned towards the Knight-Warden, "They found far too many unknown genetic markers and sequences that defied all known examples in the Imperium's catalog. There was an assumption that it was alien or warp mutations…but if they are human-made as she claims?" He shook his head now, "It shows that the technologies that lifted humanity to unfathomable heights are still challenging for us to understand and grasp."
Orion nodded in agreement, "While certainly not on the level of an Astartes, let alone a Custodies or Primarch, even the most basic genetic enhancements during the Dark Age allowed for their citizens to live on the same level as a heavily modified human now speaks to what we've lost over the thousands of years via genetic drift and mutation. Even more startling is that the Elegians are perhaps the next step in what the Dark Age wanted for genetic sequencing. The Elegians are a living "what-if" of a lost future had the Golden Age never ended…there would have been hundreds of trillions of Lexsavants appearing every decade."
"Perhaps." The Warhawk rumbled out, "Perhaps not. We shall never know. I am more concerned with this Unfaded Horizon. They have this Ambrosia substance, or so Clear Sky claims. We must ensure that it does not fall into worse hands." The unspoken insinuating of Chaos getting their hands on it would be disastrous for the galaxy. Orion knew that three of the four disgusting Archdaemons would love to get their hands on Ambrosia.
The Khan wasn't finished, "However, that will be a problem for later. We have much to consider and decide upon." He paused for only a moment before turning to Jubal and Orion, "Who else knows the whole truth?"
"Ramuh is aware." Orion answered and crossed his arms, "He deserves that much for all his help."
"Our Apothecaries as well." Jubal answered, "Why do you ask, father?"
"I just need to know ahead of time. In any case, Captain Jesk, bring me this Estrith, now." The Knight-Warden was about to remark that she was resting, but the look and tone in the Primarch's eyes made held back that comment.
"Yes, Lord Primarch."
Estrith seemed quite agitated when Orion woke her and took her out of the cell. It took him a moment to explain that the Primarch made a direct request for her and that it would be best to not keep him waiting. She didn't look happy, but Estrith kept silent.
At the very least, Estrith looked relieved to be out of the cell. During their walk to the command center, she quietly commented that it was fascinating to see space when they passed by one of the void windows. "No Elegian has left the planet in centuries now." Her comment caused Orion to frown for some reason. Perhaps because of how innocent she sounded.
When they arrived at the command center, Orion briefly explained certain etiquette when speaking with a Primarch and warned her not to stare. Estrith was confused but nodded along. As soon as they were inside, she instantly spotted the giant of a man. The Warhawk must have appeared massive to her, and Orion knew that Jaghatai was one of the "smaller" Primarchs at only 3.6 meters tall.
Orion was about to introduce her when Estrith spoke up, "By the Seas and Hills, I thought your people were joking about your Primarch being a huge human, but you are massive!" She didn't even wait before looking at the Khan, "Your body's oxygen requirements alone must be enough for five men! Let alone the caloric intake needed to sustain your organs."
The Knight-Warden quickly approached and made sure she didn't get any closer. Even though she was no threat, he wasn't about to take a chance. The Warhawk, meanwhile, only laughed at seeing her response. "And here I thought I would be getting only the silent treatment." He remarked to Jubal.
Estrith must have remembered where she was and took the situation more seriously, "Uhem, yes, well…I suppose Captain Jesk has taken steps to ingratiate that the Imperium of Man is not here to simply eliminate all of those that call Elegia home. Although, I am curious why you wish to speak with me."
Jaghatai nodded, "I wish to speak to you about what you told Captain Jesk and decide the next course of action towards obtaining peace between Elegia and the Imperium. I believe that something can be arranged, but I must likewise understand your world and people."
"If you say so," Estrith knew she couldn't say "no" to the Primarch. As she went to take a seat, Orion did so as well, but the Warhawk stopped him. "I wish to speak to her in private, captain. You may go with Jubal and leave the two of us."
There was a brief moment of hesitation, but Orion's obeyed, "Yes, Lord-Primarch." He spared one last glance towards Estrith before following Jubal out of the room. That was strange. Why would the Khan wish to not have Orion present for this?
Jubal then approached him, "You've done well, Orion. The Khan is most pleased with your diligence and, some would say, enthusiasm in this compliance."
Orion didn't feel like being praised right now, "It is good that the Khan is satisfied with the results so far, but does he also believe that peace can be achieved with Clear Sky?"
"He seems to think so, but this will also depend on what Clear Sky thinks." Jubal didn't look so convinced, though. "Do you believe they are willing to submit to Imperial authority?"
"Personally? I think it all depends. They are extremely dedicated to their cause of keeping their homeworld safe and free, but they have most certainly failed to make it prosperous. Elegia is dying world without our help. But I don't think Clear Sky will see it that way."
Jubal frowned deepened, "Then we shall have to make them." Orion agreed with the sentiment in part. However, using force wasn't the right or most effective answer here. He wasn't about to contradict Jubal, though. Not on this.
Orion had his own concerns about this, "Do you think the Khan will be able to convince her?"
"To most, the Khan comes off as intimidating. Hells, Primarchs have that aura of dread that comes with standing face to face with a creature that is above all but a few in this galaxy, and they use it to their advantage. Yet we both know our gene-sires are quite capable of when it comes to diplomacy, save for a few. In his heart, Khan might be a raider and horselord, but he knows how to convince people just as well as his brothers."
The Knight-Warden agreed with that. But only to a certain extent, "Estrith has fire in her heart that rivals that of some Astartes. She is dedicated and devoted to Clear Sky and Elegia."
Jubal nodded but slowly smiled, "The Khan will work to his advantage. She's also young. Youthful stubbornness goes hand in hand with naivety, even for one that grew up in such a wretched environment as Elegia."
Orion grimaced as a particular phrase came to mind, "What is zealotry if not love?"
"Dare I ask where you heard that?"
He may never have fought Lorgar and his misbegotten sons, but their wretched teachings had survived in limited qualities, "Only from the mouth of traitors and dead men. But I refuse to associate Estrith and her people with such vileness."
There was another brief pause before Jubal returned to frowning, "Yes…about that. The Khan believes that you have done splendid work, but he also voiced some concerns over if you became a bit…lacking in impartiality for this compliance."
An awkward silence lingered for only a few seconds before Orion spoke up, "What?"
The Master of the Hunt held up his hands, "It's just the Khan voicing a small concern, don't take it seriously."
He couldn't believe what he was hearing, "How exactly am I supposed to take that?" Orion was agitated now, "I've done everything within expected parameters."
"No one is saying that you've done anything wrong." Jubal tried a different approach, "What has happened to this world has been eye-opening, to say the least. That you could gain all this information in less than a week is nothing short of a miracle, but the Khan contributes this more to your skills and empathy from your Legion. Jaghatai is worried that such traits could impact your judgment in specific cases."
"You think my judgment is being skewed here? Is that what you or the Khan thinks?"
Jubal looked Orion straight in the eyes, "The Khan believes it not to be a problem, and rather a useful feature. I, however, will offer you a piece of advice, captain. Not everyone can be saved, nor should we make the efforts to do so, not unless we can ensure that it doesn't turn into a bigger problem for the Legion or the Imperium. We want to help the Elegians, but keep in mind the resources we must put into protecting them. Do you know how many enemies we will make because of this? These local powers have their own grievances against the Elegians."
Orion took some offense to that part, "Those same powers attacked and raided the Elegians for thousands of years. Aliens have taken slaves, the Mechanicum elements exploited them for technology, and the nation-states and guilds sought to strip these people of what we thought was their most important resource."
"Many of them claim that five and half thousand years ago, the Elegians launched terror campaigns against multiple worlds." Jubal countered, "They have records of this as well."
"So what?" Orion argued back, "Five and half thousand years ago, most of the galaxy was fighting over scraps of technology and food supply. That also doesn't give them to right to raid Elegia for thousands of years, sending them constantly back to the precipice of destruction."
"It does, however, change the narrative and makes the Imperium's stance on the matter a lot more difficult, and if it wasn't for this new development, I'd have suggested the Khan continue either with the compliance by force." He gave Orion a look, "If Estrith and her people weren't the inheritors of these gifts, would we have made such efforts to aid Clear Sky, so much so to possibly trigger a sub-sector-sized response against Elegia?"
Orion grimaced, unable to answer that. He knew that, truthfully, neither the Wardens nor White Scars had any obligation to provide aid to such a minuscule world. A billion lives were not worth the genuine threat of war breaking out. Even the vast quantities of Adamantium on Elegia weren't worth such a time and resource sink by the White Scars.
"This world and its people got lucky." Jubal remarked, "Saying that might be in poor taste, given their suffering, but the Elegians have made it this far. We shall protect this world, the Khan shall allow Clear Sky to rule this place, and he's expressed interest in letting you help with the reconstruction effort."
That got his attention, "Me? The Primarch wants me to help get this world reorganized for the Imperium."
Jubal nodded, "You did excellent work back on RP-28, so Jaghatai wants to see you work your skills down below. Besides, you can see about making a concentrated effort to help the Elegians further." The First Captain gave him a look, "This is an opportunity for you. He could've easily assigned one of his own sons to handle this, but he chose you for it."
"Not a glamorous task, to be honest." Orion wouldn't disobey if given the order, though.
His superior chuckled, "Think about it this way…there are still plenty of secrets in this world, and you could maybe see about finding them for the Khan. Remember, anything worthwhile you find will not only be a great boon to my brothers and me but gain significant honors and glories to the Primarch."
In more ways than one, another successful instance of world-building for Orion, "I'd need access to resources and personnel. And total freedom to do what is needed without someone trying to tell me otherwise."
"You'd be given free rein to do as you want and request whatever you need for this. Your only limit is that we are leaving within 8-9 months." Jubal gave Orion a look, "Keeping in mind you'd have to balance out the politicking, the management, and the fact that even if Clear Sky works with us…you are still a foreigner trying to tell them what to do."
It couldn't be any worse than trying to start a colony on a daemon world, "I'll make do."
"I hope that confidence sticks around." Jubal relaxed and gave Orion a much friendlier look, "You've exceeded our expectations, Orion. Most of my brothers were ready to just go out and spend the next six months hunting this Clear Sky. Instead, we can use this time to prepare for the expedition and the upcoming Naadam."
Orion raised an eyebrow, "Glad to hear that I am saving everyone time to do what they want."
Jubal smirked at him, "Isn't the military life grand? We do all this work to ensure our superiors are free to do what they want and get all the credit for it. But look at it this way…unlike the humans, the Warhawk remembers those that aided him." He slapped the Knight-Warden on the shoulder, "Use this time and opportunity to do good for these people, Captain. Just don't let it all go to your head, alright?"
"Right…" Orion nodded once again before Jubal remarked needed to go and report this development to the others. The Knight-Warden was soon left alone in the middle of an empty hallway. He rubbed his forehead in frustration. He had succeeded. Although, Orion felt like a neophyte again, getting that he had been chastised by his sergeant. He failed to recognize an obvious mistake he had made.
Had he done the right thing, but for all the wrong reasons? Orion hadn't been trying to act like this world's savior or hero. Yet maybe just this once, and after everything that happened in the Ritual War, helping end the killing, even if it was just on this awful world, felt good. The Elegians deserved better, deserved justice for all these millennia of despair and horror.
Maybe the Khan and Jubal were right, though. Perhaps Orion allowed his heart to guide him instead of his head. However, if it was because he followed his heart that ended this war, did that make it the wrong decision? Was the lingering remains of his humanity influencing him?
As Orion made his way back to the armory, hoping that Humility hadn't caused too many issues, the Angel of Humility felt a moment of clarity reach him. He had no regrets over adhering to his humanity this time. Jubal was right, though. Orion needed to be more careful next time.
"Don't let this victory go to your head…" Orion muttered one more time as he continued on his way to the armory. Now all he had to do was wait for the Warhawk to decide what to do with Clear Sky and Elegia.
Estrith Teron stared across the large table at the so-called Primarch with fear and awe. She awaited the judgment from the man that commanded creatures like these Astartes. All things considered, she was still shocked that she was alive, let alone sitting across from a man that supposedly ruled a chunk of the galaxy.
"We have much to discuss." Jaghatai Khan, Primarch of the White Scars, rumbled towards her, "Most certainly, I wish to see peace between the Imperium and Clear Sky and discuss the future of your world and people. Yet there is something that concerns, more than any of that."
What else could be of concern to him, "I…you might want to speak to the elders about such concerns. I only know so much."
"Oh, that will most certainly come in due time…" The Primarch leaned back into his massive chair and looked at Estrith with a pensive glean, "Tell me what you know about this Unfaded Horizon cult."
She stared at him, asking such a question, "Why do you wish to know about them? They are gone."
The Primarch smiled at her, "If I plan to hunt them down, I'd like to hear more about them now instead of later."
Estrith stared…and then slowly smiled back, "Well, when you put it that way." Maybe Captain Jesk was right, and this alliance with the Imperium would be helpful in her people getting their revenge against one of their many enemies.
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@Daemon Hunter Okay, finally done with this one. Leaving this open-ended for you.
