Editing Death Consuls Writefaggotry (section)

=First Lieutenant=

A rookie learns about his chapter's history


"You see rookie, it is a long story. The Commander of the First Company is Called First Lieutenant for a reason. Now that you are a fully fledged space marine, I suppose I can tell you that." The grizzled Sergeant looked back at the new replacement in his devastator squad. The boy was hotheaded, and seemed much more at home with a chainsword than with the Heavy bolter the devastators were equipped with.

In time the boy's honed reflexes with the chainsword would earn him a place in the assault marine squadrons of 3rd company. All Hanz Gotz-Hohle had to do was not get himself killed. If only he had the patience of his legendary ancestor.

His time in the scout marines had not taught him the patience that belonged to the hunter. A minor son among the very brightest houses of Siberis, he had brought honor to his ancient line by becoming the newest recruit.

Chaplain Sigvald said that the boy was a peerless swordsman. What he didn't say that he had all the subtlety of an ork nob. Still it would be up to Grimbold to teach the boy patience. There would be plenty more opportunities on the battlefield.

The third company was engaged wholescale in helping the inquisition conduct an investigation of a supposed cult. While the inquisition thundered and drove the cultists away from the hab blocks, the 3rd company would wait in shadow, hunting the uprooted cultists while they shifted their operations. It was a good thing they had stalked out their hideouts before the inquisitor had begun his investigation. Now the cultists would soon fall into a snare from which there was no escape.

"Go on then, tell me." The young man was impatient. Grimbold supposed it was a good thing he wanted to know about the chapter's history. After all, they were all brother hunters now, and such tales were what the chapter aspired to.

"It was during the days before Jurgen The Tiger became chapter master. You see. There are not too many people on Siberius. It was designed to be a place for the worst people in the imperium to become a new person. They say our first chapter master Malus Nighthaunter was from a similar planet. We were given stewardship of such a world because the imperium believed that we could turn the worst that humanity has to offer into model citizens." 

The boy nodded absentmindedly. He had doubtless heard the story in his own home a million times before. How the ancestors of his house had met, and how their line had raised the world into a position of power.

Their targets would be appearing soon. The scouts were on marking them and they seemed to be gathering for some sort of ritual. Soon they would be purged with fire and bolter rounds.

"So, as I was saying...

The chapter was still in it's infancy, and after the horrors of the heresy, life was beginning to settle into a quiet, almost idyllic peace. Chaos was broken, and humanity was the uncontested master of the galaxy. The recruits of the Death's consuls were good humans, and acquitted themselves well against the remaining forces of chaos.

The mere presence of the Death's consuls were enough to cow worlds into submission, and the chapter was stretched thin throughout the imperium. When the Dark eldar struck, The only space marines at hand were those of the First Company and the Planetary Defense forces.

The raiders struck at the periphery of the hive city and outlying hab spires, gruesomely killing civilians and taking them away as slaves. Matters came to a head when the 1st company was deployed directly to counter this threat. The 1st company took them Head On, and came out victorious, but the creatures were too crafty and ran away.

Malus Nighthaunter was true to his name, and often led the 1st company in reprisal raids, rescuing prisoners and killing the wicked xenos. Jurgen had taught us the Tiger's secrets well, and soon the hunter had become the hunted.

The xenos abandoned their slaves and made to escape the planet from their portal. While the PDF was engaged in rescuing the captured civilians, Brother Captain Markus Bloodbane led the entirety of the first company with Chapter master Malus Night haunter to destroy the xeno leaders. 

In retrospect it was perhaps a mistake. The enemy was cunning, and the 1st company was trapped. Malus Nighthaunter was cut down by their darklight weapons, taking down one of their monstrous daises with him, killing the xeno leader. Watching an old friend and trusted commander fall, Bloodbane swore an oath of eternal vengeance against the dark eldar and their kind. His last words as he disappeared through the portal were, "First Lieutenant, take care of my company while I am gone."

His body was never found and so once the chapter was united once more and Jurgen of the Tigers became our second chapter master, the first thing he did was swear Bloodbane's oath - promising to wage eternal war against the Dark Eldar. We have done that ever since then, waging eternal war against the dark eldar, with their craftworld kin fighting alongside us on occasion. They are dangerous hunters young ones, but even they know the fear that comes with being hunted. It is our sacred charge, to teach them what it is like to know fear.

His second command was that that the 1st company would be led forever by Markus Bloodbane. And that is why Brother Sigismund is now First Lieutenant."
Grimbold stopped talking and noticed the marines surrounding him were nodding. It was a tale that reminded them of their oaths, and why they fought the dark eldar with such vigor. At the end of they day, the Death's Consuls were master hunters and they knew how to make their foes know fear.

The chanting from the cultists had reached a crescendo. They were summoning forth a daemon to aid them, in their madness they forgot what fear was. They would be reminded.

Brother captain Karl yelled out the first part of their warcry.
"Death calls-"
And nearly a hundred voices replied
"and the hunt awaits."