The Wayward Son

Avenger of Terra, Medical Bay

The moment he was released from Atia's custody, Seiras made it his first priority to check on Kallius. Even despite the discomfort it brought him to walk among humans without his armour, he did not care right now. The librarian moved with an almost graceful urgency as he practically ran past the majority of his obstacles.

Upon finally reaching the isolated medical chamber for Kallius, he was quickly greeted by one of the Imperial Fist apothecaries. The other Astartes eyed him with curious patience, though Seiras could not discern an expression due to the helmet.

It was very likely that the apothecary was wondering why he wasn't in his power armour. Seiras pushed this concern aside as he immediately spoke his mind, "Has there been any improvements to Sergeant Kallius' condition?"

The apothecary nodded and spoke calmly, "He is stable for now…the delirium he experienced passed shortly after you gave him blood. I found your solution to be unusual, but I suppose it not my place to ask about it. The Blood Angel will live."

"What is his condition? Will he be battle ready within a reasonable time?" Seiras asked hopefully.

The apothecary nodded, "His injuries have healed better than we expected. I suppose it might have something to do with his chapter's gene-seed. He only regained consciousness once during the past week. He specifically asked for you before we put him out again."

Seiras nodded understandingly. He knew exactly why Kallius wanted to see him. Drinking Seiras' blood had very likely affected Kallius' Omophagea implant. He might have seen some of Seiras' recent memories. While the thought was incredibly distasteful and uncomfortable to imagine, Seiras had fully considered this outcome before offering his blood to Kallius.

His cousin Astartes' life was worth more to him than hiding his own shame. Seiras briefly pondered what he was going to say when Kallius asked. While he was in no danger of being reprimanded, the librarian felt greater anxiety at the notion of Kallius looking down on him, than he ever could have from Atia.

"May I see him?" Seiras asked as respectfully as he could.

The Imperial Fist nodded as he guided Seiras back into Kallius' operating table. The sight looked grisly and very concerning. Countless tubes and surgical instruments were still in the Blood Angel's body. The other apothecary was calmly performing some type of surgery on the Blood Angel's left leg.

Seiras wasn't entirely sure what the purpose of it was for, but Kallius looked mostly intact nevertheless. As he approached, the Blood Angel's eyes shot open…almost as if he could sense him.

Kallius' ice blue eyes met with Seiras' teal green. Seiras could see a lot of different emotions within his fellow Astartes' eyes and wasn't sure how to address them.

After a brief silence, Seiras spoke up, "I'm glad to see you're still alive, Kallius."

"Seiras…" was all the Blood Angel managed to say as he attempted to adjust himself.

He briefly looked over at the two apothecaries, whom were both watching with evident curiosity. One of the apothecaries took the hint as Kallius stared at them, and quickly motioned for the other one to follow him out of the room. After they were a considerable distance away, Kallius finally turned his gaze back upon the librarian.

"I'm sure you have many questions Kallius…ask and I will answer them," Seiras decided to break the ice first.

"It wasn't just the Red Thirst, Seiras…it was the Black Rage. I…I saw Sanguinius. I was on the Vengeful Spirit…fighting Horus. I was there. I was him." Kallius exclaimed seriously.

"Black Rage? What is that?" Seiras asked concerned.

Kallius looked at him sadly, "It's a step beyond the Red Thirst. Those that experience it usually fall into madness. If I ever return to my brothers alive, they will put me into the Death Company now. To be honest, I'm amazed I even came back at all."

"Is that the last thing you remember?" the librarian wondered.

The Blood Angel shook his head, "No…my vision ended when I last saw you."

"I gave you my blood to calm you…just as you did to your own brothers. I wasn't sure what else to do. The others were curious, but I kept your secret," the Blood Raven elaborated.

Blinking several times in disbelief, Kallius replied with evident concern, "Yes…I remember seeing you and the others after the vision ended. I've had strange dreams about you ever sense…"

"Memories of mine," Seiras clarified knowingly.

Kallius nodded, "Yes, I saw you with Sororitas. I saw you in the Navigation Chamber. I even saw Eldar…what happened Seiras? How did we escape from Fulgrim? Where is Nogemo? Everything is hazy and incoherent. I can't make sense of how one memory leads to another."

"The battle ended about two standard terran weeks ago. We've been wiping out residual chaos forces during that time. You were injured on the bridge by Omegon and Fulgrim. We ended up retreating while the two fought each other. During our escape, I stayed back with some of the humans and I got separated from the rest of you. A traitor marine took me down with a lascannon, but an Eldar Infiltration team happened to be nearby, and they saved our lives," Seiras explained.

The Blood Angel looked at him confused, "Why?"

"The Eldar are difficult to understand. They believe my life holds future value for their kind. That's a long story I'd rather tell you in a more private location," he sighed.

Kallius shook his head, "That's not what I meant…why did you stay behind to save those humans?"

"What?" the Blood Raven tilted his head.

"Since when have you ever cared about the lives of humans, Seiras?" Kallius wondered.

"I…I was reminded of the first time we met and how I got left behind by my brothers. I couldn't leave them there like that. They would have surely died," Seiras replied.

The Blood Angel looked at him and smiled weakly, "Nemias and Viggo are definitely rubbing off on you. Them and the Inquisitor. You've been acting strange recently…it has me concerned."

"What memories of mine can you specifically remember? Was there anything else you wish for me to clarify?" Seiras asked with calm curiosity.

Kallius looked at him with knowing eyes, "Nothing I feel the need to ask you about right now. The situation with the Eldar and the Inquisitor is something we shouldn't discuss here."

"Are you sure?" Seiras tilted his head with concern.

The Blood Angel nodded, "I'm sure, Seiras. I won't condemn you for what happened. These past few weeks have been an unprecedented experience for us all. Just mind that you don't let these humans weaken your resolve or your focus. We're not made for that. We're not really human."

It was extremely obvious to the librarian that Kallius had seen some of his more embarrassing memories. There was no telling to what extent that entailed, but Seiras was not about to pry. He was truly thankful that the Blood Angel had the respect not to judge him, but nevertheless, a great shame filled his heart.

His shame was apparent in his eyes as he looked away for a moment. Seiras turned back towards Kallius and sighed, "It's difficult to justify-"

"Do not let your thoughts linger on it, Seiras. Your secrets will stay secret. I owe you that much at the very least. You're loyal, trustworthy, and you're my Deathwatch brother…that's all that really matters to me right now. I'm in no position to judge you for a lack of discipline. None of us are perfect," Kallius interrupted with a reassuring tone.

"Your empathy is unexpected, but greatly appreciated brother," Seiras replied slowly as he looked away.

"Sometimes I wonder if you actually are a true brother to me, Seiras? Even though your chapter does not know of its primarch…perhaps you are sons of Sanguinius? You calmed my rage like a Blood Angel would have. What do you think?" Kallius changed the subject.

Seiras looked at Kallius doubtfully, "We do not possess the same gene-seed flaws that your chapter has. As honourable as it would be to call myself a son of Sanguinius...I do not believe it."

"The Lamenters were sons of Sanguinius, and they cured the Red Thirst somehow. It's not entirely impossible that the Blood Ravens are the same. Your chapter's strong corps of psykers is definitely similar to the Blood Angel's librarium," Kallius noted.

Seiras shook his head, "Maybe…but if it were true, then we would have some connection. Our chapters barely know of each other."

"Who do you think is the primarch of the Blood Ravens then? Surely you have your own theories?" Kallius asked interested.

"Some within our librarium always believed it was the Lion. His successor chapters are known for their psykers as well, and like them we were very secretive. I sometimes pondered it was perhaps the Khan, Corvus Corax, or even Lord Guilliman himself…though there's truly no way of knowing for sure. We lack all the traits of those founding chapters, and we have no strong connection to any of them. The Blood Ravens typically don't get along with any other chapters at all…well minus the Ultramarines and Grey Knights I suppose," Seiras sighed.

"I saw some of your conversation with Fulgrim through your memories…do you think it's possible that your primarch is a traitor?" Kallius asked.

Seiras cracked a fist angrily, "No, I refuse to believe that. We've always been loyal to the Emperor…most of us anyway."

"I do not doubt that, Seiras, but maybe your chapter originated during the Heresy. The Blood Ravens almost rival first founding chapters in power like the Black Templars do. The Inquisition also appears to be on good terms with your chapter despite the negative reputation it's obtained. Why might that be?" Kallius asked.

The librarian glared at the Blood Angel with furious contempt, "You truly believe we're the sons of traitors?! Who do you think my primarch is then?!"

Kallius shrugged as best he could in his current position, "I don't know Seiras. I'm just theorizing on uncomfortable possibilities. Do not take my theories as facts. I just think there's more to what Fulgrim said than everyone believes."

"Are you saying that you believe what Fulgrim told me?" Seiras asked seriously.

The Blood Angel sighed, "The Horus Heresy was a long time ago, Seiras. Who's to say that every legion wholly followed their primarch? I think Fulgrim was telling you the truth. Well…at least somewhat. I definitely believe what he said about the Red Scorpions. They're insufferable as far as Astartes go...obsessed with purity,"

"Why would you believe anything out of that Fulgrim's mouth? He's a daemon!" the librarian said disapprovingly.

"It's something to consider at least. How many chapters in the Imperium don't know the origin of their primarch or their founding? Maybe they 'forgot' for a reason," Kallius trailed off.

"So, you truly believe that Decimus is a son of Angron the Red Angel? You would insult his very soul if you said that to his face," Seiras replied.

"I don't believe that, but whether it's true or not, none of this matters in the Deathwatch. Decimus is my brother and so are you. I will never speak of it again," Kallius deflected.

The librarian glanced away deep in thought, "That would be most appropriate, brother. The last thing our Kill Team needs is more ammunition for Gregorius or the Inquisition to condemn us with."

"Where is the fleet going now?" Kallius changed the subject again.

Seiras was silent for a long moment before answering, "Corun…it's a nearby hive world. I will leave you to heal, brother. Come find me when the apothecaries are done with you."

"This will stay between us, Seiras. Do not let your mind be burdened. I trust you…and just know you can always trust me." the Blood Angel said softly as the librarian finally left.

Upon exiting, Seiras looked over at the apothecaries who were on the other side of the open medical chamber. He jerked his head motioning for them to continue with their duties.

As he made his way for the exit, Seiras briefly glanced over in the direction of Jessenta's room. He thought about checking on her, but decided it was pointless and quickly left.

Avenger of Terra, Mess Hall

After leaving the medical bay, Seiras felt an unusual hunger fill his senses. For reasons unknown, he had a strange craving for normal food again. He hadn't had anything to eat in over two weeks.

Part of him thought about checking on his armour before going to the mess hall, but he didn't feel like waiting. 'Why do I feel so hungry? I never feel this hungry. I have a craving for one of those cookies.'

Deciding on eating, the librarian quickly made his way into the Mess Hall. This was his third time coming in, and much to his astonishment, it looked relatively undamaged. The workers in there seemed to recognize him by his large size but looked very curious at his armourless form.

Seeing a space marine for normal humans was astronomically rare. Seeing an Astartes without armour on was next to unheard of for most mortal humans. His lack of power armour seemed to attract more attention than he would have from actually wearing it.

Seiras got in line behind a group of regular human guardsmen. The soldiers looked at him with awestruck fascination.

"Holy shit…is that one of the space marines?" one of the guardsmen said amazed.

"You don't have to wait in line, my lord. Please pass us," a nearby sergeant offered.

Seiras simply ignored them as he remained in his spot in line. It made things somewhat awkward for the guardsmen, but they eventually got the hint that the Astartes had no interest in interacting with them.

Upon finally getting his extra massive portion of food, Seiras looked around for somewhere to sit. The officer's table he sat at before was actually filled with naval officers. They all turned to look at him, no doubt expecting the librarian to approach them.

Much to everyone's interest, Seiras simply sat down at a regular empty table in the middle of the hall. The librarian had no idea why this table was empty but chose not to concern himself with it as he ate his meal.

He could feel countless eyes watching him from all angles. Something about seeing an Astartes eat must have been the most interesting thing in the galaxy judging by some people's expressions. This experience was hardly new to him, but Seiras had extra attention on him due to the lack of his armour.

The Astartes simply ignored it as he passively ate his meal. Truthfully, he was almost gorging himself in a gluttonous frenzy. Never in his life as an Astartes had food tasted so good to him. He savored a bite of the cookie that came with his meal. Such a simple pastry…and yet he found enjoyment from eating it. Seiras felt a strange sensation as he consumed the cookie. He couldn't quite understand why he enjoyed it so much. Part of him felt like it was heretical to enjoy it as he immediately dismissed the blissful feeling.

'What am I doing? This is not a natural feeling…the food did not taste this good last time. Has something altered my sensations?' Seiras quickly began to realize.

As he finished his meal, several figures started sitting down around him out of nowhere. Seiras looked around briefly and instantly recognized the figures as Tempestus Scions. They weren't just any stormtroopers either. Three of them were the ones he returned with. None of the stormtroopers had helmets on, but they were all armed and armoured.

Some of the regular guardsmen and shipmen sitting further away looked on with shock that the Scions had the courage to boldly sit next to the space marine without asking permission. Although, this was their table by the looks of it. The Scions did not eat with the other crew members. Seiras quickly remembered that fact as a group of more Scions sat down at the table.

These men were undoubtedly some of the most elite unmodified humans in the Imperium, and many looked battle-hardened. The librarian had a decent measure of respect for them as they had proven to be more effective than the standard guardsmen he was used to seeing. They all focused intense stares at Seiras as he looked around. This situation would have been intimidating to a regular human, but as an aloof Astartes, however, he was not affected by their strong stares.

"The Inquisitor finally let you out?" one of the Scions asked. Seiras immediately recognized him as Derrin the Scion officer.

The librarian nodded, "She did."

"Well that's good. I put in a good word for you when I last saw her. Although I probably didn't even need to considering how much she likes you," Derrin replied.

Seiras looked at him stoically, "You have my gratitude for that."

He said nothing else as he contemplated on leaving. Derrin watched him silently for a moment before speaking again, "I've never seen an Astartes without armour on before. You look nothing like I imagined."

"How exactly did you imagine me to look?" Seiras asked him with a calm tone.

The scion shrugged, "I don't know…a bit bulkier I suppose. Your anatomical proportions look a lot more human outside of power armour. Well more or less I suppose. What are those plugs in your body?"

"They're part of the Black Carapace…it's a subdermal implant connected to the nervous system that allows Astartes to interface with power armour and move more easily in it," Seiras explained.

"Seriously? Well that would explain why you guys are able to move so fast in power armour. Where's your armour at anyway?" Derrin asked curiously.

Many of the onlookers had shocked expressions that the stormtrooper was blatantly asking Seiras questions. The librarian's willingness to actually interact with the man was an even bigger surprise to most of the onlookers and eavesdroppers.

"It is being repaired by our techmarine, Nemias. I will be donning it as soon as possible. I do not like being without it for obvious reasons," the librarian replied bluntly.

"That's understandable. I never quite feel comfortable without my gear either. It's almost like our war gear is a part of who we are. I guess that's just a warrior thing," Derrin noted.

Seiras looked at him in approval, "I agree, Lieutenant Derrin Reinhardt."

The nearby scions all stared at Seiras with disbelief that he knew the man's name.

"I'm kind of shocked you remember my name. You looked completely out of it when the Eldar brought us back to the ship," he replied seriously.

"I remember everything and everyone," the Astartes replied with a blunt stoicism.

One of the other stormtroopers finally cut into their conversation and spoke up with awe, "Wait…this is the space marine that saved you guys? I was wondering why he was actually talking to you."

Derrin nodded, "Yeah, he's the one. This is Seiras…he's the leader of that Deathwatch Team."

"I'm not actually the lead-"Seiras responded but was quickly interrupted.

"Seiras? You mean the one from the vox broadcast? The same one that's really tight with the Inquisitor?" another Scion cut in with a shocked voice.

'Great…the whole fleet did hear me,' Seiras realized.

"I heard the space marine, Seiras piloted the ship through the warp after the navigators died. I didn't realize he was the same one." another chimed it seriously.

'That's not classified? Well I suppose Inquisitorial Scions would know about it.' Seiras wondered to himself as they continued to speak up.

"He did? How is that even possible?" another asked dumbfounded.

"I'm a librarian," Seiras answered as if it were simple question.

The unnamed stormtrooper looked at the space marine confused, "What exactly is a librarian?"

"They're Astartes psykers like the Grey Knights. Librarians are extremely rare and powerful from what I understand." one of the recognizable Scions answered. Seiras remembered his name was Markus Trenus.

"They can pilot ships through the warp? I thought only navigators could do that?!" another nameless Scion gawked.

Seiras sighed and decided to explain himself, "It is not something most librarians can do. I was personally trained by my chapter master on how to peer into the warp. It was a skill he possessed and passed on to me. Even still…I would have failed had the Emperor not intervened."

"What?! The Emperor intervened?" Markus asked amazed.

The librarian looked down and spoke slowly, "It's hard to say what happened, but I believe I heard his voice. A light guided me, and I heard an angelic choir when I saw the Astronomican."

"That's amazing…it really makes me believe that the Emperor was watching over us this entire time," Derrin added.

"No shit, right? Who'd have thought we'd have lived through a warpstorm AND fighting traitor space marines?" Markus laughed.

"The Emperor was definitely with us back on the Pride of the Emperor…I thought we were screwed when that hallway collapsed," the third named Stormtrooper spoke up.

Seiras remembered his name was Quintus Rex. The young scion glanced at the space marine with approving eyes, "I'm just glad not all of the Astartes in this fleet are assholes."

"Assholes?" Seiras repeated the word uncertainly.

He knew what it meant but found the term unusual as an insult. Viggo seemed fond of saying it, but he never understood why.

"What he means to say, Lord Seiras, is that you're more understanding of us normal humans from what we've seen. You are more respectful to non-Astartes than the other space marines here," Derrin quickly tried to salvage the conversation. It was clear he was concerned about them offending the librarian.

Seiras shook his head, "What makes you think that I'm any different than the other Astartes?"

Quintus shrugged and spoke sarcastically, "I don't know…maybe because you stayed behind to save us instead of leaving us die like those Imperial Fists did to half of our platoon? That tends to make people like you. Not to mention, I don't know of any other Astartes that would talk to us so casually like you are. No offense to you my lord, but a lot of the other space marines here have sticks up their asses. They won't even acknowledge us."

"Shut up private…you know you could get executed for saying something like that right? Keep your discipline in check." Derrin silenced him with deadly seriousness.

"I see…" Seiras replied slowly as his gaze trailed off. A brief, but somewhat awkward silence followed as everyone looked at him uncertainly.

Derrin quickly decided to change the subject as he spoke again, "Well anyways, it was an honour fighting beside you, Lord Seiras. On behalf of the Tempestus Scions, I just wanted to thank you for what you did. The Guard never forgets. We have your back from here on out."

Seiras did not understand why these stormtroopers were trying so hard to appeal to him, but finally he decided to reciprocate to them, "You fought well on the Pride of the Emperor…better than any Guardsmen I've fought beside. Your lives had value and were worth saving. There is no need to thank me."

"We appreciate it sir. That means a lot coming from an Astartes. None of the Imperial Fists said anything other than commands to us. You really are the nicest space marine out of all the ones here," Quintus said approvingly.

"I'm not nice at all…it was an objective fact. Don't mistake my actions or my words for kindness. It's good you were useful during the mission. Few humans can keep up with Astartes. Also, I would not take offense to the Imperial Fists' attitudes. Most Astartes tend to hold mortals to the same standard as their battle brothers. They don't understand what it's like to be human. You should keep that in mind before insulting them," Seiras explained coldly.

"O-of course, sir," Quintus nodded seriously.

"Are you saying you do understand what it's like to be human?" Derrin asked.

"Not exactly, but I understand what it's like to be left behind," Seiras replied.

Derrin perked up, "Yeah, you never did tell us about that."

"My chapter brothers once left me behind on a space hulk…that's all you really need to know as the rest is classified. It served as important lesson to me. I do not like leaving others to die when I have the ability to extract them. What's the point of me being an Astartes otherwise?" the librarian said distantly.

"You're more human than I thought. You have a lot of empathy. Not even some of our leaders would see things that way." Derrin said conclusively.

Before Seiras could respond, the scion Markus spoke up, "Well I'm not sure if you know this, my lord but the Sororita that was with us is a Palatine. She's their executive officer after the Canoness Commander. You certainly know how to make friends, because she was defending you to the Inquisitor too last I saw her. Don't be surprised if the Sororitas start treating you nicer now."

'Atia already told me that,' Seiras thought to himself as he nodded silently.

The scene was soon interrupted when an armoured figure came into the mess hall. The figure's footsteps were loud and clear announcing the arrival of an Astartes. To Seiras' surprise, it was Gregorius. The Black Templar wasted no time finding his way towards the librarian.

Everyone looked on with confusion and interest as the fully-armoured Black Templar approached.

"I heard you were finally released. That is good, because I need to speak with you," Gregorius spoke as he reached Seiras' table.

The librarian nodded as he stood up, "Very well…I was just finished here."

"Farewell, Lord Seiras. You're always welcome around us," Derrin waved as the librarian followed the Black Templar out of the Mess Hall.

Once they were out of the mess hall and a considerable distance down a few halls, Gregorius turned and looked at him. Though he was helmeted, Seiras knew that the templar was glaring at him, "What were you doing in there? The first thing you chose to do upon your release is get food and waste time with humans?! Have you no sense of urgency, Seiras?!"

"I actually checked on Kallius first. He seems stable now, which is good. I did not intend to be in the Mess Hall for long, but the Tempestus Scions wanted to speak with me," Seiras replied.

"You certainly have a way with snaking your way out of heresy. If I would have been returned to my chapter by Eldar, they would have sentenced me to death for heresy! You get returned to the Ordo Malleus of all things and they just brush it off like it's nothing?! Do you have any idea how suspicious that looks?!" Gregorius spat angrily.

"What's your point? I'm not you or one of your overzealous Black Templar brothers." Seiras shook his head.

The Templar immediately grabbed Seiras by his throat and pinned him against the nearby bulkhead, "You're a damn heretic, Seiras! It's bad enough that you're a filthy psyker, but you're also blatantly heretical and you think you can do whatever you want without consequences! I don't know how you manipulate everything and everyone around you but mark my words…I will not turn a blind eye to your deceptions anymore!"

"Let go…" Seiras said darkly, "before I kill you."

"You're in no position to make threats, Seiras…maybe if you would have donned your power armour sooner, then you wouldn't be in this position right now!" Gregorius hissed.

As Gregorius squeezed tightly, Seiras was immediately filled with anger. Before the templar knew what was happening he felt himself being psychically hurled into the bulkhead across the hall. His fully armoured body slammed hard against the wall leaving a huge dent. Before he could counterattack, Seiras channeled a surge of warp lightning into the Black Templar frying his power armour and forcing his incoming charge back.

The Templar growled in pain as his black armour began to crackle and burn. Nevertheless, Gregorius stubbornly tanked his way through the psychic attack as he drew his sword in to swing. Before he could hit Seiras, the librarian completely froze his body in place. The templar furiously writhed in the psychic stasis unable to move.

"If you thought attacking me without my armour was a good idea, then you're a fool! You think killing me would be that easy, Gregorius?! I tire of your petty accusations against me! IF you truly wish to see just what I'm capable of doing to you, then I'll show you, brother! Maybe then you'll understand why you know nothing!" Seiras ranted as he grabbed the templar by his helmet.

Charging his hands with psychic power, Seiras psychically overpowered Gregorius' mind and filled his body with an agonizing burn.

The Black Templar roared in pain as he willed himself out of the psychic stasis, he made a quick swing with his freed arm, but it stopped a mere hair's length away from Seiras' neck. Seiras psychically threw Gregorius all the way down the hallway a moment later.

"I've had enough of this," Seiras said with a dark hiss as both of his hands lit up with warpfire, "Stand down before I turn you into ash!"

Gregorius swiftly got back up and immediately came in for another charge. He made it several steps before another figure came out of nowhere and knocked him to the ground. It was none other than Viggo. The space wolf quickly restrained Gregorius as he disarmed his sword and put him in a choke hold. Seiras receded his warp powers a moment later as he approached the duo.

"What the hell do ya think you're doing, Gregorius!?" Viggo demanded with wild anger.

Seiras was somewhat relieved to see the space wolf terminator and was truly amazed at how fast he moved in his tactical dreadnought armour. Had he been several seconds slower, Gregorius would be on fire right now.

"Let me go, Viggo!" Gregorius said angrily.

"Not until you calm your crazy ass down, you bloody moron! Seiras was about to kill you!" Viggo shouted back.

It quickly became apparent that Gregorius stood no chance at wrestling free. He finally calmed himself before Viggo released his grip.

"Why are you two fighting?" Viggo finally asked as the librarian approached them.

"Gregorius picked a fight with me and I wanted to show him that if I was actually the heretic he thinks I am, then I could have easily killed him if I wanted," Seiras answered.

"By Russ, is that what this crap is about? Gregorius, I thought I told ya to get over yourself already. We're a Kill Team…a pack of brothers. We shouldn't be fighting each other like this when there's plenty of enemies out in the galaxy waiting for us. You're acting like a Blood Claw," Viggo shook his head in disapproval.

The Black Templar spoke with contempt, "None of you are my brothers…I hate the Deathwatch. Being sent here was a punishment for me. One made even worse by the likes of your heretical chapters. I have to keep the company of a mutant wolf-man astartes, a manipulative psyker, and a bunch of human-loving fools!"

"Listen ya arrogant whelp! I didn't want to join the Deathwatch either! I'd much rather be with my pack on Fenris than here. I'm sure Seiras probably feels the same too! We don't have that luxury. The Inquisition chose us, and now we're here. We're the best of our chapters, and we were chosen to represent them. So far, all you've done is shown us how stupid and annoying the Black Templars are. I'd have thought after all this time with us, you'd have gotten over your pathetic whining. Get over it and learn some damned respect, pup, or I'll throw you out an airlock!" Viggo ranted.

Seiras took a deep breath and quickly interjected, "Gregorius…we don't have many allies here. To be honest, the only ones I trust in this fleet is our Kill Team. That includes you as well. Put your hatred of us aside and see the bigger picture. We're up to our necks in trouble, and our Kill Team can't afford this type of infighting."

"He's right, Gregorius…you saw how those Grey Knights thought about putting us down didn't you? I know how their kind are. They turn on their allies at the slightest drop of a bolter round. They have it out for us because of Nogemo. The only reason they didn't do anything is because they believe we're united, and because Atia has enough common sense to not let them try and kill us. She knows we're loyal to Seiras, and she knows we as a team could slay those Grey Knights if they tried to do anything," Viggo added.

Gregorius sighed in acceptance, "I know that…"

"You're angry…I understand. We're all angry about what happened. None are as angry about Nogemo as I am…I was a fool to let this all happen. You were right, Gregorius…most of this is my fault. Continuing to press the issue on me isn't going to fix anything. What would you have me do, Gregorius? In your perfect scenario, how does this end for us? With my death? Is that really what you want? Where would you be then?! Not closer to your chapter or out of this Emperor-Forsaken sub-sector!" Seiras said strongly.

The Black Templar was silent for a moment before speaking again, "I want answers, Seiras. Why does the Inquisitor show you so much mercy? It's not normal…I was willing to overlook the Ordo Xenos trusting your xenos studies, but the Ordo Malleus is far less tolerant. It doesn't just let things go like this. At least tell me what's going on," Gregorius asked curiously.

The librarian sighed, "Atia has been merciful because I established a familiarity with her…or rather she did it to me."

"Which one is it?" Gregorius interrupted.

"Definitely the second one," Viggo said under his breath.

"She believes we're friends," Seiras answered slowly.

"I see…so you're befriending these humans like some weak, slimy politician?" Gregorius said distastefully.

"No, you fool! I'm maintaining good relations with the Inquisition and this fleet, so we don't all get executed for harboring a traitor primarch in our company! See the big picture, Gregorius!?" Seiras hissed.

Viggo looked at Seiras curiously, "So what did Inquisitor do to you exactly? Why'd she set you free?"

"Inquisitor Atia and Captain Arius psychically probed my mind and found corruption within it. They forced it out of me, and now believe I am stable," Seiras explained.

"So, you were corrupted then?" Gregorius demanded.

"Yes, I was to a certain extent…" Seiras admitted.

Gregorius was silent for a moment before asking, "And is it all gone?"

"Mostly…but I must remain vigilant at all times. That is the curse of being a psyker after all." Seiras told the truth.

"Cut him some slack, Gregorius. You'd get some corruption too if you spent a week in the Navigation chamber peering into the warp. Seiras isn't a Grey Knight...so it's hardly surprising," Viggo added.

The Black Templar huffed in disapproval, but finally nodded in acceptance, "Very well. At least you had enough honour to tell us the truth. I'll let the matter be, but you had better keep your heresy under control if you value your life."

"Shut up, pup! You're the one who should keep himself under control. You're not going to have your life much longer if you keep spouting all those threats. You wanna go around and accuse everyone of being a heretic, Gregorius, but you're the one attacking his pack here. I've known Seiras a lot longer than you, and I will stand with him if you ever try anything stupid like this again. Just remember…the lone wolf dies but the pack survives. This is the last time we're ever going to have this conversation," Viggo added.

"You've made your point...I'll give you the benefit of the doubt once again. Just don't dishonour my trust brothers. That is all I ask," Gregorius said distantly as he walked away.

Once he was gone, Viggo shook his head, "Next time we're at a watch station, I say we trade him out for a better squad member."

"I agree. I think he'd be much happier…as would I," Seiras replied.

"C'mon, Seiras, I think Nemias finally finished repairing your armour. Let's go," Viggo said enthusiastically as the two Astartes headed for their quarters.

Avenger of Terra, Hanger 5

Upon entering their quarters, Seiras exhaled a breath of relief at the sight of tech priests and servitors busily going about one job or another. At the room's center, he saw Nemias looking over what appeared to be the librarian's power armour.

Seiras eagerly approached his Deathwatch brother alongside Viggo. The Salamander immediately noticed their arrival and spoke up, "I take it you talked your way out of custody? I was beginning to wonder if the Inquisitor was ever going to let you out."

"You and me both. How have you been this past week?" Seiras asked as he looked down at his power armour. It looked completely repaired and repainted.

"I've been fine…just staying busy with all the repairs. Everyone's power armour suffered some serious damage in the battle. The terminator armour was a painstaking repair process, but I made sure to get Decimus and Viggo's done first. Gregorius insisted that I fix his next, but he wouldn't leave me alone the entire time I was working on his. I believe he does not trust me still," Nemias sighed.

"Yeah, Gregorius doesn't seem to trust any of us...me especially," Seiras noted.

Nemias looked at Seiras concerned, "What makes you say that?"

"They got into a little scrap in the corridors a couple of minutes ago. Seiras almost killed him," Viggo explained.

The techmarine shook his head, "Well that's hardly surprising. The lunatic is honestly taking the Nogemo situation better than I thought he would. What's weird though is he didn't start acting like this until Seiras returned to the ship."

"He hates me and is confused about why the Inquisitor isn't punishing us," Seiras replied.

"Why isn't she doing anything? I find it strange that she's been so forgiving with you lately, Seiras," Decimus cut into the conversation as he walked over.

"Even I don't entirely understand. She is under the assumption that we're friends or something like that. I just tried to use it to my advantage," Seiras shrugged.

Seiras could see Viggo making air quote gestures from the corner of his eye when he said friends. This caused Nemias' lip to twitch slightly upward. The Salamander shook his head, "Well whatever works I suppose. I'm amazed you got through to her. A few weeks ago she seemed to hate you."

"She's just grateful for what happened after the navigators died I think. Captain Arius has also been vouching for my integrity as well," Seiras elaborated.

"Befriending Atia is a very tactical decision, Seiras. Though I would advise that you do not wholly put your faith in her. She made it clear that she doesn't like Astartes, and I would not put my life in her hands," Decimus added.

Seiras nodded, "I agree, but for now it's best to just get along and do what we're told. We didn't survive a daemon primarch and a fleet of traitor marines only to die to something foolish now."

"What happened with Gregorius, exactly? Will we able to trust him or should we keep him out of our circle?" Decimus asked.

The librarian sighed, "He's rightfully concerned about the situation, but he foolishly tried to attack me. Viggo and I made it clear that we would kill him if he turned against us ever again. I would trust him over any of the humans on this ship, but he's still a liability to our team cohesion. That is unless we can build some trust with him."

"You got that right. He's a ticking time bomb," Nemias said in agreement.

Decimus nodded, "He's a son of Rogal Dorn. Being blunt and honest with him is the best way to deal with Gregorius. Even if you threaten him or tell him things he'll disapprove of, he'll likely trust you more for it. I am the same way, though a bit less extreme than he is."

"We should keep Gregorius in the loop. I don't want to isolate him over misunderstandings. He just needs some reassurance that he can trust us...especially me," Seiras stated strongly.

"Regardless of everything else, all that's important now is you're back with us. Hopefully, Kallius will be back soon as well," Nemias said as he finished tampering with Seiras' armour.

"I visited him earlier, and he seemed to be fine. The apothecaries were performing some type of surgery on his leg. He should be functional within a few days at the most," Seiras replied.

"Hmm, well that's good news. I haven't had time to go by and see him. Still though...I wonder about that strange delirium he was in. Will he be mentally stable?" Nemias asked.

"He's fine," Seiras replied assuredly.

Nemias was silent for a moment before replying, "Well it's good that he's fine now. Perhaps I'll ask Kallius about his delirium when I see him again," Nemias noted.

"By the way, I appreciate your repairs, Nemias. How damaged was my armour? Did you encounter any trouble? I know artificer armour can be difficult to work with." Seiras changed the subject.

The techmarine shrugged, "Well, considering you're the only one with Mark IV power armour, I'd say it was a fascinating but difficult repair. I had a bit of difficulty fixing your psychic hood as well, but it should be fully functional again. Put it back on and tell me if everything is up to your standards."

A moment later, several servitors came over as they began to adorn the Astartes in his armour. After several minutes, they were finished with their duty. Nemias then held up Seiras' helmet and handed it to him, "By the way, Seiras…I've always meant to ask you this, but never really thought to bring it up until now. How did you acquire Mark IV power armour?" Nemias asked.

"My chapter found some of it on Kronus…along with a bunch of other artefacts," Seiras replied.

"He found it…" Viggo chuckled.

The Salamander eyed him curiously, "The same Kronus that was attacked by the Word Bearers?"

"It didn't belong to Chaos Marines if that's what you're implying…but we did find an ancient Blood Raven armoury full of Mark IV armour. Captain Thule and I were both there. A lot of our Kronus Veterans were awarded with it. It was one of the reasons our chapter master sent us to secure the planet in the first place." Seiras answered.

"Did you know that it is Achean pattern Mark IV? It's ridiculously rare. Your power armour is more valuable than terminator armour," Nemias said slowly.

Seiras eyed him uncertainly, "I didn't know that. Our techmarines never mentioned that to us. I wasn't aware it was a unique sub pattern. We believed it was ancient artificer mark IV."

Nemias shook his head, "I did too until I took it apart a few days ago. I always knew your helmet was unique for a Mark IV pattern, but I had no idea it was an Achean pattern helmet. These were specifically designed to attach psychic hoods to the back. Yours has built it attachments with no modifications. It was made for a librarian."

"I've never heard of Achean Pattern Mark IV. What can you tell us about it Nemias?" Decimus spoke up with interest.

Nemias looked away, "Not much, unfortunately. I just know the pattern based on the records I was allowed to see during my time on Mars. A lot of it was classified for obvious reasons. There were many variations of Mark IV during the Great Crusade, so I doubt it would narrow down which founding legion this armour actually belonged too."

"You have no idea which legion used Achean Pattern Mark IV? Why would something like that be classified?" Viggo asked the techmarine.

Nemias looked at Seiras for a moment before answering Viggo, "Most Mark IV power armour is from the Horus Heresy. A lot of things from that time are classified. Though this is a great clue as to who Seiras' founding legion was. They were undoubtedly favorable to the Librarius judging by the way these helmets are made."

"What do you think, Seiras?" Viggo asked the librarian curiously.

The Blood Raven shook his head, "None of it means anything to me. There's no records or proof of the Blood Raven's primarch and founding legion. I would rather not dwell on it without more facts. Otherwise, all we're doing is speculating."

"Well regardless, Mark IV Achean armour definitely explains why you were able to take so much damage and not die from two lascannon shots. Mark IV was specifically designed with stronger ceramite protection around the torso at the cost of lower mobility. It's an ideal Mark for siege warfare and fighting other Astartes," Nemias concluded.

'Davian…what was in those records?' Seiras thought to himself as his mind briefly recalled the memory of finding the ancient vault.

Before any of them could say another word, an announcement sounded over the ship, "Attention, all personnel. We are closing in on Hive World Corun. Attempts to hail the governor have not been answered. All ship personnel deploy to your sections immediately. All available Astartes, please report to the bridge."

The Astartes all perked up with a bit of excitement. Viggo's eyes widened, "Atia's calling us to the bridge? Do you think the Chaos fleet dug in here on Corun?"

"Hard to say, but we shouldn't waste time. Brothers gather up your gear. I have a feeling we're going to need it," Seiras responded.

Avenger of Terra, The Bridge

Upon arriving to the bridge, Kill Team Calamity was fully armoured, and helmeted. They were missing Kallius and Gregorius however. None of them were surprised to see the Grey Knights at Atia's side.

Shortly after their arrival, Seiras heard several more Astartes approaching. He noticed Gregorius along with several of the Imperial Fists including Chaplain Evaldus. Part of him wondered why they hadn't returned to their strike cruiser yet, but he would probably find out later.

Despite their arrival, Atia appeared more concerned with a conversation she was having over a vox.

"This is Inquisitor Atia Castilla of the Ordo Malleus. If you do not reply to my vox hails within the next minute, I'll assume your planet has fallen to heresy and have no choice but exterminatus," she threatened.

'Do we even have the fleet capability to perform an exterminatus right now?' Seiras' thoughts drifted for a moment.

As if on cue, someone finally answered her vox hails, "Inquisitor Atia, please don't! This is administrator Minucius Varus!"

Atia feistily growled into the vox, "You had better have a good reason for ignoring my fleet for the past two days, administrator! Where is the governor?!"

"I…I apologize my lady, but Governor Velina Selik was taken hostage two days ago. We haven't been able to recover her. Our long range communications have also been taken out," the nervous man replied.

"Taken hostage?! By who?! Don't you have a PDF or a Guard Regiment here?! Who took her hostage?!" Atia demanded angrily.

The frightened administrator shakily responded, "T-t-terrorists my lady. A local army of hive gangs and turncoat PDF forces are responsible."

Atia visibly deadpanned as she looked at some of the fleet officers. All of them looked appalled by the notion of hive thugs taking a planetary governor captive. It was even more astonishing because Corun was a hive world which likely would have had a good PDF army and countless Arbites.

"You've got to be kidding me. How incompetent are you?!" Atia shouted.

"Y-you don't understand, Inquisitor! T-they're too entrenched in the underhive. We've already lost tens of millions to this incident!" he pleaded.

"Do you have the docking and forge authority codes for the hive? My fleet needs to be repaired and resupplied. We need access to your forges and shipyards," Atia sighed.

"N-no…all of those authorities belong with the governor. When things started going crazy, she locked everyone out and kept the codes to herself. That's why the terrorists kidnapped her! We don't have access to the forge without her," he replied fearfully.

"And of course, you don't have any failsafes…Do you at LEAST know where their base is?" Atia hissed.

"Y-yes. Beneath the capital spire of Hive Asha. I believe they're fortified within one of the main forges near the underhive," he explained.

"I'm deploying a force to take care of your little terrorist problem, but I expect one hundred percent compliance and obedience as soon as we extract her. This planet is officially under my authority now," she said distastefully.

The administrator sounded both happy and confused, "Thank the Emperor, but what kind of force are you sending Inquisitor? Our men were getting gunned down trying to fight through the underhive. The enemy has tanks and military grade fortifications at multiple chokepoints. It's a slaughtering ground trying to squeeze through. We have the numbers, but we just can't make a breach. I've already sent millions to die trying to recover the governor."

"I'm sending my space marines…they'll take care of it." Atia said slowly before cutting off the vox broadcast.

As she turned around, Atia shook her head, "I seriously hope there's more to this than just terrorists. I have never heard of something this ridiculous. PDF are even more incompetent than I originally assumed."

"There doesn't appear to be any sign of them being affected by Fulgrim's fleet. I wonder if they were even aware of it? It doesn't seem that they received your vox broadcast when we first encountered his fleet. Though with their long range communications being knocked out, that would make sense." Admiral Hightower noted.

"Communications may very well have been blocked out by the warpstorm as well. We were on the edge of the system a week ago after all," the fleet commissar added.

Atia shook her head, "I don't know what's going on, but we need the governor back immediately. Kill Team Calamity…I'm sending you five to go rescue this dumb bitch governor. Take Chaplain Evaldus and a squad of his Imperial Fists with you too. You're in charge of the mission, Seiras. If the governor is dead, make sure you recover her access codes in any way you can. The planet is likely under anarchy right now, so don't hesitate to make examples of these so-called terrorists."

"Yes, Inquisitor," the librarian nodded.

"We should deploy by drop pod…nothing like a little shock and awe to scatter the bugs," Viggo chuckled.

Evaldus glanced at Seiras and quickly addressed him, "Librarian, I request Captain Krias accompany us. A dreadnought will prove useful in an underhive, and he is well experienced in it."

"Bring him then. Let's get to the hanger," Seiras announced. Without wasting another moment, he motioned for the others to follow him out of the bridge.

As they departed, Atia looked over at Admiral Hightower, "Bring us in orbit over hive Asha."

The Astartes all quickly made their way to one of the hangers and wasted no time getting equipped with gear before heading to the drop pods.

Kill Team Calamity minus Kallius was all present as well as Evaldus and three Imperial Fists. The venerable dreadnought, Captain Krias wasted no time arriving as well. In total there was going to be 10 of them. One dreadnought and three terminators would be more than enough to wipe out anything in an underhive. One of the Imperial Fists was also an apothecary fortunately enough.

"We need a ranged loadout for this mission but bring extra weapons in case we're dealing with more than humans," Seiras commanded.

One by one, all of the Astartes got fitted with appropriate equipment for their mission. Viggo kept his lightning claws but had an additional storm bolter added on each arm as well. Decimus kept his storm shield and traded out his power spear for an assault cannon. The minotaur also had a cyclone missile launcher attached to his armour. Nemias kept the same gear as their last mission but had one of his servo arms equipped with a plasma gun.

Gregorius and Evaldus kept the same loadout as the last mission. Two of the Imperial Fists were devastators with heavy bolters, and one was an apothecary with a narthecium, a plasma pistol, and a chain sword. The venerable dreadnought, Krias, had an assault cannon and a standard claw. Finally, Seiras himself simply brought his force sword and a storm bolter strapped onto his arm. They all offered their silent prayers to the weapons before finally getting into the drop pods.

Much to Seiras' disbelief, Viggo handed him the Nemesis Force Halberd that he had looted previously, "Oi, you forgot this, Seiras."

The librarian shook his head, "I can't deploy with a Grey Knight's weapon."

"Well you certainly had no qualms about picking it up before. Besides, if there's actually chaos on this planet, then you'll need it," Viggo chuckled.

Reluctantly, Seiras accepted the weapon as he strapped his force sword behind him. He held the Nemesis Force Halberd as his primary weapon now.

Gregorius eyed him a bit confused, "When did you get that?"

"I took it from one of the dead Grey Knights when we were escaping the Pride of the Emperor," Seiras answered honestly.

The Black Templar actually seemed to approve as he responded slowly, "Well, it's better off in our hands. We'll need someone equipped to deal with daemons if we encounter any."

"This mission is going to be a piece of cake after the last battle," Viggo said enthusiastically as the hatches closed on the drop pods.

"This might be a Chaos uprising. I wouldn't treat this with any less importance than the last mission," Seiras replied to the Space Wolf.

Nemias sighed, "I'd hate to say it, but I honestly hope there's more to this than a simple rebellion. Killing normal humans is extremely distasteful…even if they are rebels. I feel there's more going on here than that administrator told us. Why would the PDF have traitors allying with hive gangs?"

"It's a hive world…this kind of thing happens all the time," Gregorius noted.

"Do you sense anything strange about this mission, Seiras?" Decimus asked the librarian.

Seiras nodded slowly, "I do…there's a darkness in the warp over this planet. I can't tell if it's just the warpstorms, but something is seriously wrong with this world."

"Well I suppose we'll find out soon enough," Nemias concluded.

Once all of the Astartes were clipped in, a voice came over their vox, "We're flying over the hive now. I got the coordinates from the administrator for the entrance to the enemy stronghold. I'm relaying the location to your drop pods' navigation systems as we speak. There's apparently a blockade or standoff between the local PDF and these rebel terrorists at the entrance to the hive forge. Expect a lot of tanks and entrenched enemies. According to the administrator, they're keeping the governor captive in place called the Underspire. Kill everything that gets in your way. Don't even bother trying to be discreet with this mission. These fools have tested the Emperor's wrath and we need to send a message to the population in order to quell this anarchy. If you encounter variables, relay it to us and I'll send the Imperial Guard to help you. In fact, I'll probably just send them to secure Hive Asha anyway."

"Understood Inquisitor," Seiras acknowledged as their drop pods immediately deployed a moment later.

Corun, Lower Hive Asha

A terrifying high velocity screech filled the skies as two drop pods shot towards the surface of hive world Corun. They landed with tremendous force causing many buildings to shatter and the terrain to crack.

The drop pods landed dead center between two entrenched sides of a firefight. Tanks were littered across the battlefield of both sides, and countless bodies could be seen. All fighting stopped upon the arrival of the drop pods causing an eerie silence to fill the battlefield.

From a considerable distance away, the local PDF officers were at a front bunker staring with widespread eyes.

A group of civilians were with them that appeared to be some type of news crew.

"Sir, what are those?!" A nearby colonel asked the PDF commander as he looked through the battlefield display screen.

"Drop Pods…" the older man said disbelievingly.

"Get out there and start recording!" one of the civilians yelled at the rest of the news crew.

Without warning, the hatches opened, and Kill Team Calamity's drop pod began firing towards the enemy from mounted bolters at the top.

As usual, Decimus was the first one out. The Minotaur immediately opened fire with his assault cannon blowing apart an entire column of rebel defenses. Entire buildings collapsed from the incredible weapon's firepower as it tore through a number of nearby tanks and enemies.

He charged forward, holding his storm shield up to block incoming tank fire. The rest of the team quickly fell behind him with Viggo moving to the front as well. The Space Wolf wildly fired his storm bolters into the enemy force blowing apart everything with incredible accuracy and savagery. He then easily ripped through a tank with his lightning claws that was unfortunate enough to be in his way.

A barrage of missiles fired out of Decimus' Cyclone missile launcher blasting away even more enemy ranks and vehicles as the other Astartes filed into a tight formation. As the two juggernaut terminators pressed forward, the other Astartes all fell in line behind them methodically annihilating everything in sight.

Several tanks made suicidal drives for the team but were easily stopped by Krias. The Dreadnought unleashed terrifying firepower in conjunction with the Imperial Fist devastators which quickly destroyed everything within range of them.

"SPACE MARINES!? RUN!" Seiras heard a nearby man cry as he attempted to flee the superhumans' advancing onslaught.

The Astartes killed everything without hesitation and wasted no time breaking through the enemy fortifications. Men and women died by the thousands as the space marines effortlessly and tirelessly advanced. Despite their martial superiority in killing their way through, the real success in this advance came from the demoralization of the enemy. The rebels that lived long enough to see that space marines were attacking them all tried to flee or give up.

Seiras felt some remorse in slaughtering them as many people were actually holding their hands up to surrender. Even they were murdered by the Astartes, which only seemed to demoralize the enemy even more. This continued for several hours as they progressed further into the hive.

Eventually, the team reached the entrance to the Underspire. It was heavily fortified with two baneblades in front.

Seiras was surprised that they had access to tanks of that caliber, and immediately voiced his concern, "Hold!"

The two massive tanks had their barrels pointed towards the opening where the Astartes were approaching.

"We need a plan to take out those baneblades. They're waiting for us," Seiras said seriously as the group stopped.

Evaldus looked at him curiously, "You don't think we have the firepower to take out two baneblades?"

"We do, but I wouldn't recommend walking into that ambush they have waiting for us. I have experience fighting the Imperial Guard, and I know what those tanks are capable of. There's a better way to handle this without wasting all of our heavy munitions or risking an error. Everyone remain here for now. I'm going in alone for this," Seiras announced.

As the librarian advanced alone, the others all voice their concerns.

"What are you doing, Seiras?" Gregorius half-demanded.

The librarian spoke over their vox calmly, "I can handle this. Just watch, and be ready to move in after I take care of the tanks."

"He's lost his mind…" Gregorius said shaking his head.

"I know what he's going to do…I've seen him do this before," Decimus stated calmly.

The Astartes squad all watched with anticipation as their librarian walked into the clearing and got closer to the baneblades. They all seemed a bit surprised that the tanks hadn't fired on him yet.

"Why aren't they shooting him?!" Gregorius said disbelievingly as Seiras walked into their line of fire.

"It's an illusion…he's filling their minds with false images," Decimus explained.

A moment later, one of the baneblades turned its weapons towards a heavily entrenched bunker full of enemies. It immediately blew it apart before turning towards another one and doing the same. Shortly afterward, the two baneblades turned their weapons towards each other and opened fire. Both tanks unloaded heavy firepower into each other for a full minute. Eventually, one managed to destroy the other with a few lucky shots.

The nearby surviving rebels that were bunkered down all around the perimeter immediately started opening fire on Seiras once they realized he was there causing it. This broke the librarian's focus as he moved to take cover behind the ruined Baneblade.

The remaining baneblade was heavily damaged now, but it was still functional. It immediately fired a massive barrage in Seiras' direction preventing him from doing anything other than take cover.

The librarian saw a host of rebels running towards him from an opposing direction. Some started firing rocket launchers. He held up a psychic barrier to negate the blasts and followed up with a maelstrom of psychic lightning which brutally murdered a chunk of the enemies.

Seiras dove away a second later as the surviving baneblade circled around attempting to blast him again. As he circled around and came back into its line of sight, Seiras focused on the driver and gunners of the tank. He released a powerful psychic scream in their minds causing the baneblade's guns to jerk in random directions, narrowly missing him as they fired again.

With his psychic might, he easily destroyed the minds of the men within the baneblade causing it to skid to a halt and stop moving.

Gregorius and the others took this time to advance, and quickly assisted in wiping out any remaining forces nearby.

Once the fighting was over, the Black Templar ran over to Seiras, "For the record, my xenophase blade could have torn through these tanks. We also have a dreadnought with us in case you forgot. Still...good work."

Seiras was a bit surprised that Gregorius was being halfway civil, but said nothing in response as the Astartes all moved towards the entrance to the Underspire.

"Let's keep on moving. This looks like the place. Nemias send in servo skulls to map the area and try to hack into their network so we can lock this spire down," Seiras replied as the Astartes all regrouped.

The Salamander nodded as he walked over to a nearby terminal and began to work on it.

"That was an interesting tactic librarian," Evaldus said as he glanced at Seiras.

"I've learned my lesson fighting those things. The tanks are formidable, but the men inside are not," the librarian replied.

"Take your team in from here, librarian. We'll hold the entrance and prepare the extraction," Evaldus stated calmly.

Seiras nodded at the chaplain, "Very well. We shouldn't be long."

"I found them, Uploading the coordinates now," Nemias spoke up urgently.

"Let's go!" Viggo howled enthusiastically as he charged forward taking point.

Corun Underhive, Underspire Forge

"Governor Velina, I'm getting tired of this…give me access to the forge now!" a hive gang leader shouted angrily at the captive governor.

To his sides stood multiple gang lieutenants and PDF traitors. The governor grimaced in pain as the gang boss backhanded her as hard as possible, "I'm not playing with you anymore you bitch! Give me access or I'll murder your entire family!"

"You won't get away with this. The Imperium will send an Imperial Guard Regiment to kill you all if you don't surrender now!" The governor threatened.

The gang boss grabbed her by her cheeks in one hand and glared hatefully at the woman, "Maybe until they find out why we're rebelling in the first place! You'll never get away with what you've done you selfish cunt! Not even the Emperor could save you!"

Kalen, we have a problem boss. I've been getting some disturbing feedback through our checkpoints for the past few minutes," one of the hive gang lieutenants interrupted the man fearfully.

"What is it, Ice?!" the man asked his female lieutenant.

"Listen to the vox," she said fearfully as she turned it on.

"ARRRRGHHHH!" a scream came over the vox along with the sound of a devastating explosion. It was quickly followed by the sound of bolter fire.

The gang boss looked disturbed by the sounds as a nearby PDF rebel found the video footage of where the vox was broadcasting from.

"Here, sir...this is the video footage of that checkpoint," the PDF rebel officer stated urgently.

Everyone in the room stared with absolute terror when they saw Space Marines charging through an entrenched area. Men and women were being blown in half by single shots from bolter rounds, and the tanks and heavy weapons present seemed to do little against the power armour of the Terminators in the front. The hive boss, Kalen, gulped when he saw the video footage pan over to the entrance of the underspire forge.

"S-s-sir…th-they're o-outside!" one of the rebel PDF men shrieked in disbelief.

"A-are those space marines?!" another person asked for confirmation.

"Bullshit! Space Marines aren't real! They're imperial propaganda!" Kalen said angrily.

"Well they made it past all of our defenses...somehow. This is impossible! Are those actually Astartes?!" a PDF traitor said disbelievingly.

"I didn't sign up to fight space marines Kalen! We're in over our heads! We gotta get out of here before they show up!" another gang lieutenant said fearfully as he tried to make his way towards an exit.

As he tried to open a door, he soon got an error message over the screens of a nearby monitor. "The doors are all locked down. How did they get access to our security system?!"

"We're fucked!" Ice, the female lieutenant said with a horrified expression.

"Why are we only now hearing about this shit!? How did they get through the checkpoints without us knowing about it?!" Kalen said fearfully.

"This is Kalen, someone fucking report what's going on?!" the hive gang leader shouted into his vox.

A response came a few moments later, "Kalen, get out of there! Drop pods landed outside! Space marines showed up and just started killing everything! We couldn't stop them!"

"Someone get that fucking door open! We have to get out of here!" Kalen said urgently as his lieutenants worked to break out of the room.

The governor formed a smug look on her face, "Too late for you, Kalen...The Emperor has come to save me after all."

It didn't take long for the sound of heavy clanking footsteps to come within their hearing range. Doing the only thing he could think of, Kalen grabbed the governor and pointed a gun towards her head as he backed into a corner.

Moments later glowing lightning claws pierced through the doors of their bunkered headquarters, which was quickly followed by five Astartes charging in.

Kill Team Calamity were all present but were without the Imperial Fist escort.

Upon seeing the space marines, the hive gang leader immediately addressed them, "Stay the fuck back! One step closer and I'll blow her damn head off!"

"So what," Gregorius said heartlessly as he took a step forward.

"I mean it! Come any closer and she's dead!" Kalen shouted as he positioned himself directly behind Governor Velina for protection.

"Kalen, just stop..." Ice said terrified.

"Fuck that! This bitch doesn't get to walk away after what she's done!" Kalen said emotionally with hateful eyes.

Everyone else in the room, minus Kalen immediately held their hands up to surrender.

"It's over, Kalen...you lost. If you kill me, then you'll doom the entire planet!" Velina exclaimed.

"The Governor is a fucking cunt and is the only person with access to the forge! They're not on her person…they're in her head. If I kill her, then nobody has access to the forge or the orbital shipyard! You're going to let us go, or I'm going to blow her brains out!" Kalen threatened as he glared at the Astartes.

Seiras motioned for the others to back away for a moment as he remained there. Kalen looked terrified as the librarian's psychic powers began to radiate off his own body. The gang leader felt his arm twist upward and snap a moment later. The man's pistol was easily ripped from his grip as he was forced against a wall. He let out a horrific screech as his arm was now broken.

The governor immediately ran to Seiras for protection as the librarian telekinetically squeezed the man as hard as possible. "P-please! NO! She's guilty! This isn't right!"

The force from being psychically squeezed against a wall eventually caused the man's entire body to start hemorrhaging as a nasty pop filled the room. Afterward, the man's corpse exploded fell over in a bloody mess.

Seiras turned around and then cut the rest of the rebels into pieces with his Nemesis Force Halberd. The only person still alive from his attack was the gang lieutenant, Ice. She had been wise enough to dive to the ground before his attack.

"Thank the Emperor, his mighty angels of death have come to rescue me from this nightmare!" Governor Velina exclaimed with relief as she clutched onto the librarian tightly again.

"Governor Velina Selik?" Seiras asked confirming her identity.

The woman nodded eagerly, "Yes, yes! Did the others send help for Corun? Thank the Emperor you've arrived. This rebellion has been going on for months! I wasn't sure we'd be able to get help with the warp storms coming and going for the past year. These horrible thugs kidnapped me two days ago with the help of traitor PDF rebels. Our long range communications were knocked out as well. I was beginning to lose hope until you arrived."

"Why were you taken captive? What did these rebels hope to achieve?" Nemias asked as he walked over.

"These…these animals started a rebellion against the hive nobility and took me captive in the hopes they could supply a full-scale army from the forge! Thank the Emperor you arrived when you did, I don't know if I could have held out much longer," she said in an overdramatic and posh way. She appeared to be injured as well as she nearly fell over from Seiras turning to walk away.

The governor fell onto him as he moved and let out a pathetic moan, "Ughh…I'm sorry, my leg was badly hurt from these fiends. I-I don't know if I can walk."

Seiras ignored the governor's damsel antics as he glanced down at the silent, surviving gang member.

"Don't listen to her! That woman is a liar! She's been selling-" Ice never got to finish her sentence as Gregorius blew her head off.

"I don't care why this is happening. Let's get out of here, Seiras! I'm not interested in investigating some pointless rebellion!" the Black Templar hissed impatiently.

The librarian nodded, "Yeah, let's go."

"Ughh," the governor grimaced as she stumbled again.

'This woman is pathetic,' Seiras thought distastefully.

"I don't want to be presumptuous but can one of you assist me?" the governor asked pleadingly.

Viggo and Nemias exchanged looked with one another before staring at Seiras. The librarian reluctantly accepted he was going to have to do it.

'I wonder what that hive gangster was talking about? Ah whatever…this isn't our problem. I don't care about the politics of some planet I'll never see again. The sooner we're out of this sub-sector, the better.' Seiras mentally sighed as he picked the governor up and placed her on his back. She sat somewhat uncomfortably behind his psychic hood and over his power pack.

"I'm so amazed the Emperor's angels came to rescue me," the governor said in her damsel tone.

The Astartes all ignored her much to the woman's disapproval during the swift descent towards the entrance.

As they exited the Underspire, Velina looked even more amazed to see additional space marines there and quickly spoke up with confusion, "Lord Space Marine, who sent you to rescue me from here? I honestly wasn't expecting this kind of a response. I would have been relieved with an Imperial Guard Regiment…but Astartes?! The Emperor himself was truly looking out for me. I am so blessed to be protected by you holy angels."

"Inquisitor Atia Castilla of the Ordo Malleus sent us. We're part of her task force that recently battled an enemy fleet in this system," Seiras finally answered her.

"An enemy fleet? Was it aliens?!" she gasped anxiously.

Seiras was quick to notice her tone about aliens. 'She's acting very suspicious. Why would she assume xenos as the first option? I doubt she knows we're Deathwatch.'

"The Ordo Malleus does not specialize in hunting aliens, so no it wasn't. That falls under the Ordo Xenos. We're technically a part of the Ordo Xenos, but we're currently under the command of Inquisitor Atia," Nemias elaborated for the governor.

"I see, well you have my eternal gratitude nonetheless. Please take me from this forsaken place," Velina exclaimed.

The group wasted no time backtracking through the hive towards an extraction point. One of the Imperial Fists had already called in some thunderhawks to pick up their drop pods and the Astartes. Most of the return trip was spent in absolute silence.

The Astartes would occasionally speak to one another through personal vox exchanges, but nothing that the Governor could hear. She would sometimes ask them questions, but they all ignored her for the most part.

They encountered very little resistance on the return, but easily wiped out a few remaining enemies that tried to kill the governor. Seiras was particularly aware of the fact that they had all been aiming for her, and not the Astartes.

'She must have really done something terrible to warrant this kind of a rebellion. These people are sacrificing their lives for a chance to kill her,' Seiras thought as he shot a group of suicidal charging enemies.

As they exited the hive, and returned to their original landing location, the Astartes saw their thunderhawks waiting. That wasn't the only thing they saw waiting unfortunately. To his utter disbelief, Seiras saw an enormous gathering of people lining the streets as dozens of servo skulls flew over his head.

"They saved the governor! The Emperor's angels saved the governor!" Seiras heard a very loud broadcast go over the local area. More servo skulls flew over and began to record the Astartes as they continued.

Seiras soon felt a strange sense of dread when he looked over the edge of the nearby buldings and spotted a massive screen. It was recording them live. Seiras immediately began to start walking faster. The others quickly followed suit as well when they became aware of it.

"Looks like we've got reporters coming over here," Nemias said calmly in their personal vox channel as dozens of individuals ran over to the Astartes. They began to swarm around Seiras in particular who had the governor on his back still.

"Governor Velina! Do you have anything you want to say to the press about this incredible rescue?!" a rabid and excited reporter asked the woman.

"All I can say, is the Emperor truly cares about each and every one of us. In my darkest hour of need, his angels came to save me. Stay faithful, citizens of Corun! The Emperor has not forsaken us!" Velina exclaimed.

"Governor, word has it that an Inquisitor is orbiting the planet. Will you be meeting with her today?" the news reporter asked.

"Of course, I intend to be accommodating. However, I must ensure my injuries are attended to first," the governor said again in her damsel tone.

"Many people are wondering if the rebel leader was killed during your rescue? How much longer can we expect this rebellion to last now that an Inquisitor is here?" another reporter chimed in as the mob followed the disinterested Astartes.

"I will of course address the public on that matter within the next day. For now, I encourage everyone to return to your homes and remain calm. For the record though, the rebel leader was punished for his insolence by the Emperor's angels. Let it be known that all traitors of Corun will suffer the same fate unless they surrender immediately," the governor said haughtily.

One of the reporters seemed to be acting bold as she tried to ask Seiras a question now, "Lord Space Marine! Many are in awe of your holy presence here! Do you have anything you would like to say to the humble and grateful people of Corun?"

"No," Seiras answered bluntly as he almost knocked the reporter over during his advance.

The Servo skulls were starting to stress the librarian out now as they all got close to his head. They were focusing on the governor who made a smile from his back towards the cameras. She must have been posing, because he could feel her shuffling around.

'Almost to the thunderhawk…' Seiras thought relieved as they reached the gunships. All of the Astartes quickly got onboard before the gunships took off.

"Inquisitor Atia, we have the governor. She's alive," Seiras spoke into a vox channel.

"Oh, I know…the global news hasn't stopped talking about it since you guys walked outside," Atia responded.

'Global news? Ughh…this reminds me of Meridian,' Seiras mentally sighed.

"Where are we bringing the governor? Back to the ship or her palace?" the librarian asked.

"Bring her to the palace, I've already made myself comfortable here," Atia replied with amusement.

Seiras felt dread as their thunderhawks turned towards the central spire of Hive Asha. It didn't take long for their thunderhawks to arrive. Upon arrival, they noticed a lot of the Tempestus Scions had taken up guard over the palace, and that a number of Astartes were also present including some of the White Templars and Imperial Fists.

Seiras finally put the Governor down, as a number of medical personnel ran over to assist her. She waved them away when she saw Atia approach with Arius and Regulus at her sides. Both Grey Knights had their gazes focused on Seiras and the Nemesis Force Halberd in his hand.

As she approached, the Inquisitor eyed the governor up and down and crossed her arms, "You better have a good reason for the sorry state of this planet, Governor Selik."

"I-I do, Inquisitor. May I request a formal introduction my lady?" she asked.

"Inquisitor Atia Castilla of the Ordo Malleus," Atia introduced herself without unfolding her arms.

The governor nodded, "Well, my lady…you have my eternal gratitude for rescuing me. My planet is at your disposal. Whatever you need, just let me know and it's yours. It would be my honour to help the Inquisition in any way I can."

"Why is there a rebellion on this planet?" Atia asked suspiciously.

The governor frowned as she answered, "The local hive gangs all united and tried to overthrow the government here on Corun. I don't know how, but they convinced many PDF men and women to join them. It's all so horrible, but I think it might have something to do with xenos. There have supposedly been sightings in the lower hives. They might have poisoned the minds of those people with insidious ideas."

"What's that sound like to you, Seiras?" Atia asked the librarian who was standing directly behind Velina.

The governor turned and looked directly at the librarian as he spoke, "Eldar. I saw a similar situation on Meridian once. The Aeldari are known for spreading discord in large human populations like this."

"Interesting…there were indeed Eldar in this system not too long ago." Atia said as she glanced back at the governor.

"Please, allow me to host a grand ball in your honour, my lady. I will gather all the planetary leaders and we can discuss appropriate action once you've formally met the nobility," Velina suggested anxiously.

Atia seemed amused as she smiled, "A grand ball, you say? Well I suppose I could indulge in one. Send word, and we'll have it tomorrow night."

"At once, my lady! Please forgive my departure, but I must see to my injuries," Velina said as she walked away with her medical assistance.

Once she was gone, Atia looked at Kill Team Calamity, "You guys are experts on Xenos. I'm counting on you primarily for figuring this mystery out. For now, remain at the palace. Also…you're all attending that ball with me."

"She's hosting a grand ball? What does that mean?" Viggo asked Nemias uncertainly.

The techmarine shook his head, "It's some type of ceremony I assume. I doubt she was referring to an actual spherical ball, Viggo."

"A ball is a formal dance party where a bunch of rich nobles dress up lavishly, talk about politics, and kiss each other's asses. I don't expect any of you to dress up or dance. I just want you all there since you're xenos experts and you can easily figure out what these pompous idiots know. I'll probably have the Sororitas there too. I have no doubt that there are many traitors here still. The bolter bitches have a way with finding heretics," Atia explained before walking away.