Deliverance Lost

Bra

Noriz pointed at the Raven Guard legionaries.

‘With full production not yet begun on Mars, these are the only suits available. Our companion transport has another fifteen hundred of them, on top of the five hundred we are carrying. In the absence of reliable Legion supply lines, the Mechanicum have designated all non-standard or stop-gap designs as Mark V. Many of the improvisations made by your armourium after the dropsite massacre are being passed on to other Legions in the absence of replacement parts for Mark IV. Your legionaries already have Mark V, commander.’

‘Why us?’ said Bra

‘In recognition of your part in testing the suits, and because you need them most. You have been honoured. The Mark VI is to be known as the Corvus suit.’

Bra

‘Because we’re the Raven Guard and the armour has a beak?’ he said. ‘Some honour!’

‘It is named after your lord, as thanks for the part you have played and the losses you suffered when testing the prototypes,’ said Noriz, addressing his words to all of the Raven Guard. ‘Lord Corax is insistent that the Raven Guard will take the fight to Horus’s forces. Lord Dorn sends these gifts to your Legion as a mark of support and to assist in that endeavour.’

‘You think we don’t deserve them?’ said Bra

‘On the contrary,’ said Noriz. ‘If I were to put desire before duty, I would like just as much as you to strike back at the rebels. As it is, I must deliver this cargo and return to the Legion.’

Silence followed the captain’s remarks. He gestured for the group to return to the conveyor. Bra

‘It must have taken quite a bit of effort to get to Deliverance,’ said Bra

‘Navigation continues to be very difficult, yes,’ said Noriz. ‘In fact, the Seventh Legion fleet which Lord Dorn originally dispatched to–’

‘So it’s going to be a long journey back for you.’

‘It is, commander. I sense you are trying to imply something, but I do not know what it is.’

‘How many legionaries do you have with you?’ asked Bra

‘One hundred and fifty,’ said Noriz. ‘I do not see how that would be relevant to our journey time.’

‘In your assessment, how many of your Legion are defending Terra?’

‘When I left, there were more than forty thousand Imperial Fists stationed at the palace,’ said Noriz. He grunted. ‘I think I understand your meaning, commander. One hundred and fifty legionaries would be a far more significant addition, relatively, to your force of a few thousand.’

‘I would have said that we need you more than Lord Dorn at the moment, but it comes to the same place,’ said Bra

‘I know that you think we Imperial Fists are intractable, commander, but we do not abhor initiative as you suggest.’ Noriz extended his hand. ‘If Lord Corax agrees, I would be honoured to suborn my command to the Raven Guard for the moment.’

Bra

‘Glad you agree, captain,’ said Bra

‘Despite our early issues and personal differences, Commander Bra

‘I am?’ laughed Bra

‘It’ll be Russ,’ said one of Bra

‘Maybe we’ll get to him first,’ said another.

‘Sanguinius,’ said Noriz, silencing the debate. ‘The Sons of Fenris are far away, still likely dealing with the aftermath of Prospero. As much as I admire your enthusiasm, the Raven Guard ca

Bra

‘I took these from the first man I killed during the liberation war,’ said Bra

‘A wager?’ said Noriz.

‘If you like,’ said Bra

Noriz glanced at his legionaries and received nods of encouragement.

‘All right,’ said Noriz. He unhooked a golden shield from the lanyard on his right shoulder plate and held it up to Bra

This was greeted with claps and a cheer from the Raven Guard.

‘I‘ll be watching your back, to make sure that you survive long enough to hand over that shiny medal,’ said Bra

‘And I will be watching yours, commander,’ replied Noriz, slapping his hand against Bra

Returning the keys to their pouch, Bra

THE SLOW DRUMMING of Agapito’s fingers sounded from the metal desk. He stared at the communications log, angered by the single highlighted line of data.

Someone had broken his personal cipher and endangered everything. He wondered who it might be, and narrowed his suspicions to a few individuals, legionaries that had caught his eye by their idiosyncratic behaviour. There was nothing solid on which to base his accusations though, just an uncertainty that nagged at him.

With Bra

A vox-chime interrupted his thoughts. He switched off the display and activated the speaker.

‘Commander Agapito, I have a matter to discuss with you.’ He recognised the voice of Custodian Arcatus. The Custodian Guard had kept to themselves for most of the time since arriving on Deliverance, quartered in the mid-levels of Ravenspire that had once been home to the lost companies. Every now and then they would emerge, conducting inspections of the armourium, the docks and other secure areas. That was another inconvenience, but Corax had been adamant that the Custodians were given free range of Deliverance and Agapito’s protests had been ignored. The one concession the commander had managed to extract meant that the Custodians were not entitled to travel to Ravendelve. That would have been too much for the primarch, who guarded the gene-project and its secrecy the same way he had guarded his followers during the uprising.