Chapter VI

It has been one standard week since Leviticus and Uwala talked in the corridor. He received a suit of Mark 7 armor and a newer bolt pistol. He took it upon himself to fashion new battle robes to go with the new armor. He took part in drilling with several of the marines that continued to maintain their combat readiness.

Brother Paschar had recovered from his grief, taking to the drills with renewed purpose. Putting down his bolter, he had taken up additional training with the flamer, meltagun, and plasmagun. While the flamer sparked the flame of rage, the plasmagun became the weapon of choice. With accuracy that Leviticus had not seen since the Great Crusade, the marine grew ever more lethal.

Leviticus accelerated his own training to get back into proper fighting form. Monitored closely by Apothecary Assiel, he began to feel the vigor that had been lost since the fall of Caliban. His body quickly recovered itself and was well on its way of recovering itself; he awoke one morning in his chambers to find that the potency of his Betcher’s Gland had returned. In the fit of a dark dream, he had inadvertently triggered the gland in his troubled sleep. The spray of acidic poison had etched itself into the deck plating as well as singing the lower edges of his battle robe.

Several marines continually wanted to spar with Leviticus when it was discovered that his sword fight on the Observation Deck made it through the ranks. Those marine who did not see the fight have continually challenged Leviticus to one on two matches to see if the rumors were true. He continued to best each pairing that stood against him. Leliel was also present on some of the sparing sessions. The look on the lord’s face was a small encouragement to him and he continued to train harder.

It was on the fourth day that he met Sergeant Jehuel, full of arrogance and pride, he laughed when he saw Leviticus on the training deck with a three other marines in hand-to-hand drills. It was later discovered that Jehuel and him had met each other on Caliban during the fall. As Omael withdrew his squad, Jehuel was sent to eradicate the errant Omael and its squad. They were staring at each other down the length of their bolters when the Lion and his Dark Angels crashed into the weakness left by Omael. Jehuel felt cheated for not being able to complete his mission and now looked forward to facing off against Leviticus.

Jehuel watched intently as Leviticus wrestled with another marine. Jehuel had been watching on the Observation Deck and learned that he was lethal behind a sword. Nevertheless, without it, he was not as strong. Jehuel and the four marines accompanying him continually roared with laughter as Leviticus was unceremoniously slammed onto the practice mat.

Leviticus’s current sparing partner, Gurid, was becoming exasperated at becoming a sideshow attraction for the arrogant marines. Gurid had been working alongside him for two hours and Leviticus was not yet back to the proper fighting levels of the Dark Angel Legion. He had spent too many years in hiding. His skills had diminished though they were not entirely lost. Gurid found his opponent’s mind very much strong and agile. Gurid had raw power on his side, but Leviticus has proven repeatedly that raw power does not win battles. A sharp mind does.

He kept his cool and summoned Gurid into another bout. However, this time Gurid left an opening that normally was not there. Sensing an intentional setup, he ignored the opening for a short while to put on a show. Finally, he took the advantage and proceeded to force Gurid into submission. The laughter died out, but Leviticus took no joy in the victory. Jehuel and his fellow marines departed but not before a dark look was sent back to him.

‘Good match Brother Leviticus.’

‘Do not lie. You threw the match, Brother Gurid.’

‘My apologies, but I did not lie. You are correct in that I let you win, but you still fought none the less and you did well.’

‘Wrestling was never my strongest ability.’

‘Perhaps it is because you continually plant yourself.’

‘Well then, let’s practice until I get it right.

+ + +

Deep in their evening prayers, Chaplain Lucifer recited the tales of the Lion to the assembled mass of the Third Company of Dark Angels. As the Chaplain recited each passage, he walked between the assembled men. Inspecting each warrior in turn, as they knelt in supplication before the Company Banner. The recent campaign in the remains of Caliban had been taxing. The company was still not at full strength. The chaplain had inspected each marine before concluding his oratory.  

Dismissing the Company to partake in the evening meal, Chaplain Lucifer turned back to see a figure in a long off-white robe appear out of an antechamber. He pulled back his hood at the chaplain’s approach. The all-concealing robe was only used when the Inner Circle was in a special session. Revealed under the hood was the latest Grand Master of the Third Company, Camael.

‘My apologies for not being in attendance Chaplain, we have heard very disturbing news. It appears one of the Fallen has come out of hiding and that others have swept him up before us.’

‘Is that so? Do we have any indication as to where they went?’

‘No, but by the Lion we are already en route to the world they left, Caminus Mundis.’

‘By the Lion, how has one of Luther’s followers ended up on a recruiting world?’

‘I have no idea. We will arrive in a day’s time. During the Trials, I will take a select group of Brothers to get that answer and others. Brother Librarian Ezekiel is very anxious to receive word on which of our brothers these are. You are not to take part in this mission.’

‘Very well Grand Master, my duties will occupy me during the Trials.’

‘It is because of the Trials that you are to be left behind. We must proceed as planned.’

‘Yes Grand Master. I concur.’

‘Now let us join our brothers in the galley for the meal.’

+ + +

Lord Leliel stood at the center of the small group of assembled marines. ‘ Angels! We have with us a newfound brother. His name is Leviticus. He has proven himself in battle both during the Crusade and more recently on the decks of this ship. He has been given the rank of Veteran Sergeant from his predecessor, but has not led a squad nor taken the Rites of Promotion. I then put the decision to you. Is there any amongst you who would be willing to take orders from this man?’

Gurid stepped forward. ‘I will accept the orders of Brother Leviticus and follow them with honor.’

Paschar also stood forward, ‘I will also accept Brother Leviticus to become my Sergeant.’

Two more marines stepped forward to vouch for his promotion to Sergeant. Leviticus stood quietly behind Leliel. He had enough for a combat squad but he needed one more to gain promotion to full Sergeant by the rules Leliel had put forth. His hope rested mainly with a marine in Jehuel’s squad, Vehuiah. The marine was the last of his common sparing partners. Being Jehuel’s Squad Leader did not help much. However, he loved to learn and Leviticus found himself teaching more than learning.

‘Is no one else willing to accept the leadership of Leviticus?’ questioned Leliel.

Vehuiah’s head turned between the two. The war in his mind was fierce. Also fierce was the penetrating look of Jehuel displaying his disgust that his second doubted his leadership. Leviticus also had him in his gaze. While being no less penetrating, his eyes betrayed no emotion whatsoever.

‘Anyone else?’ Leliel asked for a second time.

‘Don’t you dare, Vehuiah! You are not his. You are mine! You demean me by even contemplating this betrayal! You are not worthy of being my Squad Leader!’ Jehuel shouted.

‘Then I will be his, Jehuel. I will go and serve Leviticus.’ replied Vehuiah.

‘So be it. Go to that pitiful marine.’ Jehuel spat out. His voice filled with hatred.

Leliel put up his hand to silence the squabble. ‘It is decided then. Brother Leviticus will undergo the Rites of Promotion under the instruction of Uwala and me. He will become the Sergeant of the Second Squad.’

Leviticus was somewhat relieved. He has been accepted by other Fallen Angels, but it is unheard of for anyone other than a Chaplain and Librarian to perform the Rites. Uwala’s face also betrayed the shock of the news.

Uwala returned to his quarters very distressed with the preparations for Leviticus’s Rites of Promotion. He could not figure out if Leliel was purposely trying to sabotage the Rites or was so self-absorbed that he could not think about what is best for the marine in question instead of what would best serve his own purposes. The two had argued for hours over the tiniest of nuances regarding the Rites. Uwala had already given so many concessions just because of the circumstances. Uwala fought tooth and nail to maintain, as much purity as he could but Leliel would have none of that. His version of the rites had Leviticus swearing undying loyalty to Leliel and following his orders without question and worse, without thought.

The true way was to take the marine through a series of trials that challenged his mind, body, spirit and the men he was to lead intermixed with instruction and meditation. The rights are supposed to take three weeks. Yet, they had only five days before their arrival at the space station.

The strain was also aggravated because the ship was traveling through the Immaterium. As his anger rose, so to did he need to add strength to the reinforcements within his mind. The flare of soul fire would almost certainly bring about a demonic attack were he not able to control his thoughts and maintain his own defenses. Leliel was itching to get into another war, but Uwala was fighting a silent war every moment of everyday.

Reciting meditation chants helped to cool the anger and he tried to think clearly about what to do in the next five days.

+ + +

Leviticus began his severely truncated Rites the following evening. Uwala dropped the timeline down to three days and Leliel took the new schedule immediately. Leliel had performed the initiation ceremony though he had to be helped by Uwala. Uwala repressed a smile and the embarrassed Lord left as soon as the ceremony was concluded. Uwala pressed the advantage given to him and began to instruct him as quickly as he could. Neither would sleep for the next three days.

The morning dawned with the six marines reporting to him to begin their part of the Rites. They began by going through inspection and basic drills with him leading the entire time. Leliel returned and ordered Jehuel to select four men to fill in temporarily the rest of Leviticus’s squad. Jehuel gladly picked Vehuiah’s squad mates. The sour reunion instantly created discord in the squad.

Leviticus took on the extra burden with barely a noticeable response. Launching at the challenge anew, he continually forced the four troublesome marines into line. By the end of the day, he had exhausted every non-lethal form of punishment known to him. Dismissing the men to their chambers, he began another night of intense instruction. Uwala had been watching closely the entire time and altered his instruction to allow him to engage his Catalepsean Node for a couple hours as he lectured on ceremonies so that he was still able to process the information in a rudimentary sense as he rested.

The second day was not much better. In fact, it was made worse by Jehuel’s continual presence. Every order Leviticus gave the temporary squad members was immediately countermanded by Jehuel. He smacked one marine upside his helmet to remind him that during this exercise the chain of command came through him and not Jehuel.

As part of the Rites, Leviticus had to take his midday meal and give it to his men to reinforce that a Sergeant is nothing unless he takes care of the men under his command. He gained a small victory over Jehuel by giving the four problem marines the bigger portions of his meal. The six other members noticed the gesture, as did Uwala. The four marines did nothing but stare at the additional food. Traditionally, the portion size was determined by the training sergeant to show which marines were giving him the best learning experience. By showing, that he was learning more from the four marines, he disgusted them and shocked Jehuel into storming off for a while.

The rest of the day went better of Leviticus as the four marines switched tactics and became submissive to the orders. They did only what he told them and nothing more. Until, he placed Vehuiah back in charge of them. The squad leader had been watching and learning. The moment his combat squad acted up, Vehuiah was all over them and he returned the vitriol with extra to spare. It brought a thin smile to the tired face of Leviticus.

The third day brought about a different kind of challenge. Leviticus had a part to play in the final Promotion ceremony. He had to march the squad through the ranks of the assembled marines and present them to the Lord for inspection. The quality of the inspection determined the outcome of the ceremony. Were the marines presented not ready for combat, he would be shamed and his promotion denied. However, were the marines able to fight instantly, he would be praised and elevated to the rank of Sergeant.

Leviticus walked out of the chamber Uwala and him had used for their nights of instruction. Before them stood the original six marines, but the four were silently absent. He had them tracked down and the four reported on the deck with filthy suits of armor. They had purposely soiled their armor to the point where they could not be cleaned by the time of the ceremony. The aspiring sergeant  was greatly dismayed until Uwala showed up with four other marines.

‘Leviticus, it is time to muster your entire squad together for the first time. These marines served in the Third Squad but there skills are not in the heavy weapons but in the bolter. They have been transferred to your new squad now. You four! Your presence is no longer required. Report to Jehuel and you might want to clean yourselves up before the ceremonies. You wouldn’t want to disgrace Brother Sergeant Jehuel no would you?’

The dejected four meekly replied, ‘No, Sir.’ They walked out stunned that their little scheme failed. Jehuel had even ordered the rest of the squad help them prepare for the stunt.

After a brief introduction, the now full squad prepared for the evening ceremony. Leviticus could not wait for this to be over so that he can rest properly before the ship docked at an outpost inside two days. Uwala also stepped in from time to time to see that he had thought through everything and was still paying attention to the details. Leliel also stepped in but he did not stay long and never said a word.

Finally, the ceremony began and all those not required to maintain the ship in the warp were sent to the flight deck for the ceremony. Under the presence of three Thunderhawk Gunships, Leviticus marched his marines up to the front of the formation and presented them for inspection. Thankfully, he had donned on his helmet as there was a noticeable distance surrounding Jehuel’s squad. The four soiled marines had their armor quickly cleaned but the stench was still strong enough to repel everyone nearby. Leliel, Uwala, and Xaphan proceeded through the rank inspecting each marine. Finally, they came up to him. Leliel closely scrutinized the aspiring Sergeant. Grunting, Leliel turned and left back to the raised platform that was set up in front of the formation. Uwala stopped quickly gave a small nod, flashed a smile, and then moved on to take up his position next to Leliel. Xaphan made a very thorough inspection of the entire squad but was even more thorough with him. The Techmarine knew what to look for and the rest of the squad had briefed him before the ceremony. That show of squad unity brought a small measure of satisfaction.

Leliel waited for the Techmarine to take his spot before addressing the formation. ‘Leviticus! Front and Center! Marines, today is a rare day. One where a member of our little group takes it upon themselves to be more than they were back in the days of the Crusade. Today, we recognize Brother-Marine Leviticus as Brother-Sergeant Leviticus. Over the past three days, he has been challenged to take a group of nine marines and made them into a squad ready to fight. He has been challenged greatly physically and mentally. He has faced each challenge and has overcome each obstacle. This tenacity to overcome will be needed as he leads his new squad into the upcoming battle. Kneel Marine Leviticus and arise Sergeant Leviticus!’ The formation broke into mixed cheers and silence. Leliel leaned close to his ear, ‘after this formation, report to the briefing room to get your first orders. Fall back into your squad.’

His mind whirred at the thought that instead of getting some much-needed rest he had to go to a briefing. Leliel dismissed the formation and the squad headed back to their quarters. Vehuiah hung back long enough to catch a quick word with Leviticus. ‘Any word on what the discussion was about?’

‘Our first orders.’

‘It will probably have something to do with the outpost were heading toward. I knew Jehuel was discussing it prior to my defection from his squad. From what I gather, the outpost is a haven for the dregs of the Imperium. No need to worry too much about being discovered.’

‘You never know where the Dark Angels have their informants. They could be anywhere.’

‘Perhaps you are right.’

‘Well, time for me to discover what our orders are.’

Leviticus and Vehuiah parted company and Leviticus made his way to the Briefing Room. Leliel awaited him there.

‘Welcome Sergeant, since you were undergoing the Rites I’ll bring you up to speed on our plans the next few days. As you know we are in a Defiant-class Light Cruiser, however a vessel of this type requires support craft for protection. Our contact will arrange to bring us in with his craft. Once aboard, I will leave with my personal squad to go to the meeting. Jehuel’s and your squads will be roaming through the space station. Jehuel has several Tech Adepts in his bunch and they will be responsible for getting additional supplies. Your new bunch will provide security and to be on called upon to assist us in loading additional supplies. After I complete the meeting with our contact, you will be recalled to the ship for immediate departure. Your squad is not to wear armor while on the station. You can use your robes, but otherwise you are to blend into the crowd. The Dark Angels had to have discovered by now that you came out of hiding and will be casting a wide net to track you down. Understand?’

‘Understood, what shall our armament entail?’

‘Assault load out only. Everyone there is armed but I would like to keep the place in one piece. They are one of the few places we can go without too many questions asked. In addition, no heroics of any kind, these are not what you would call ideal citizens. They are criminals just as we are. Do not go Angel of Death on us and try to bring judgment on the station. You will be dead before you take three steps. Nothing pulls criminals together like a lawman.’

‘Understood, infiltrate but do not initiate.’

+ + +

Leviticus returned toward the room he used for his quarters. Squad Leader Vehuiah stood outside the portal.

‘ Brother Vehuiah, what are you doing here?’

‘These are no longer your quarters. I had the squad relocated together in another wing of the ship. I’ll take you there.’ The two marines made their way down the corridor but it was not long before Vehuiah spoke again, ‘How was the briefing?’

‘I would have rather been out of it. We will be pulling security on the station during the Lord’s meeting with whomever. Assault weapons only, no armor and discretionary show of force.’

‘Ah, the scraper mission. That is what we get for being the newest squad. One that is also not favored now. Ah, here we are. My quarters are across the hall and we have the next four down each side. Now settle in and I will prep the men. I wish we had more of those suits of Scout Armor that is used these days. It would be better to have something instead of nothing.’

‘Yes it would, now have the men ready to go before we dock.’

Vehuiah dropped into a warrior’s bow, ‘Understood.’