The Saint

Brother-Captain Malleus of The Emperor's Confessors. Find solace in His light, or fear in our coming. Imperator misericordia.

[absolutiomortis]

Combat by Way of the Sword and Fist – A Treatise on Close-Quarters Warfare by Brother-Captain Markov

The Emperor's Confessors are, by their nature, primarily effective within an urban environment. This is due in part to the fact that our foremost recruitment planet, Crov, is an incredibly dense hiveworld, requiring intimate knowledge of the most useful styles of personal combat in order to defend oneself from infiltrators, sympathisers, and ultimately, his peers. Our progenitor geneseed is the other side of the coin; as successors to the White Scars, we have an innate specialty for attacking at bewildering speed, cutting down the foe before they have the chance to realise we are there. This is a talent that is core to battle in tight spaces, as these environs brook no lapse in focus nor the briefest slip in ability. Spatial awareness is much simpler when one is fighting on a sprawling field, where an enemy must close the distance to you, whereas narrowness means that there is no distance; combatants are already breathing down each other's necks, and their edges are quick to follow. You must know yourself and you must know your enemy, otherwise you will know death.

The vast majority of the "martial art" utilised by Confessors is comprised of simple strikes directed towards weaker points of a foe, these points depending on who exactly is being faced. For example, in combat against a traitor Marine, the Confessor should prioritise attacks against the joints in the enemy's armour – the legs initially if the enemy wields only a melee weapon, arms if a ranged weapon is being introduced to the combat space – to cripple the enemy before ending them. Whilst I acknowledge that the Confessors' method of combat is ferocious, that does not mean the method should also be foolish; a confrontation should be ended as quickly as possible to enable the fighter to progress to the next target with all due haste. While these strikes are most frequently carried out with naught but the Confessor's hands (and yes, the chainfist does count as one's hands), it is considered prudent to carry at least one additional weapon into battle.

On the subject of weaponry, the Confessors make a selection available to themselves so as to have a wide scope for dealing with any number of situations. This selection ranges from the more common implements, such as chainswords and power fists, to the more exotic, including the lightning claw and thunder hammer. Additionally, a limited amount of ranged weapons also enter into regular usage by the Confessors with dual purpose; to provide a way of initiating combat whilst closing distance, and also as an unconventional tool when combat is joined. It is important to note that while the Confessor fighting system is intended to act as a fleshed-out style unto itself, developments have also occurred in the time since the chapter's inception that reference each of these weapons, acting as branches from the baseline system in order to properly account for the usage of this weaponry in the Confessors' arena of choice.

[absolutiomortis]

tfw you realise your homebrew chapter is essentially just the Executioners in a different pair of pants

[heresygoesblam]

(Open RP) Come out ye Xenos Scum

[absolutiomortis]

heresygoesblam:

Varius nodded at Malleus, then turned to Sila. “My thanks, m’lady. Sisters of Battle should give our assault teams quite a punch.” He waited for Malleus to finish communicating with the ship. “Not to sound insubordinate, my lord, but if your space marines could fill a similar role as the sisters, I’m confident our assaults will be unstoppable.”

Jacobus emerged from the doorway, tau blood on his hands. “Well, I doubt we’re getting much more out of that alien. I did manage to extract the fact that the presence of Space Marines and Sisters of Battle threw a wrench into their plans, they thought they were facing a lightly defended agri-world. We now now more about their composition, as well. They have yet to deploy their Kroot and Vespid auxiliaries, or their broadside battlesuits. What’s more, we’ve learned that there one of their ethereals has command of the coalition, and he remains at their first landing point.”

Varius snapped a salute to the Lord Commissar. “My lord, your original plan has been met with approval. I think it best we stick to the tactic of bringing them into the city. Their broadsides and riflemen will be easily ambushed in the city environment, leaving only the Kroot and the Vespids to threaten our infantry.”

Colbert nodded. “Get Teryan on the vox, I want to know the status of our tanks.” The vox officer worked furiously, and handed his headset to the commissar. “General Teryan, what is your status?” Jacobus heard cheers in the background.

“This is the general, we’ve routed their armor, thanks to the Astartes air support and Sororitas armor. Our tanks have a free hand on Connat now. Where are we needed?”

“I’ll send you coordinates, I’ll tell you when to make your attack, however. Hold position at the forthcoming coordinates and wait for my signal.” He turned to Malleus. “I think we have the perfect role for your armor, my lord. If we time it right, we can send the armor to their main dropping off point while their attack on the city is underway, leaving their ethereal lightly defended. Marines in Rhinos would be perfect for capturing that xenos, and it might just tip the balance in our favor.”

“As you say, Lord Commissar. If I might make a suggestion, my brothers and I would be best placed where we can meet the Tau head-on, provide your men some respite from the more imposing weaponry. Turns out Tau suits stand up poorly to blunt force,” Malleus chuckled. “I’ll have our scouts set up as a mid-point between our lines, lest our shotgunners struggle for effective targets. If push comes to shove, they can fall back to support your people.”

Outside the command center, Vaeger was giving the newly-blooded scouts a rundown on the Black Carapace, the key implant separating them from the fully-fledged Confessors. “... inherently provides some protection on its own, in the rare event that you should be caught outside of your power armour. Without it, you will be completely unable to use the armour; this inability to interface means that many of the suit’s systems simply will not function, so, contrary to what some of you may have heard, it is not the armour that makes the Astartes. Rather, it is the Carapace.” A few of the scouts’ faces shifted in realisation, others in excitement. The Scout Sergeant smirked at history repeating itself.

Meanwhile, Vicon was busy coordinating with The Saint to arrange the movement of vehicles. “And Valor is ready to bring down the Rhinos...? Good, we’ll need them as soon as possible, if not for ourselves, then for the Guardsmen. How are Breaker and Fury looking...? Mm. Mm. Excellent, I’ll let the Chapter Master know, I daresay they’ll be seeing more action before we leave. I’ll let you get back to it, captain. Stay safe.” He entered the command center just in time to catch the tail end of Varius’ briefing. “We’re ready to get underway, Malleus. Valor is on standby, and by the sounds of it, not a moment too soon.”

His leader nodded. “Indeed, brother. I’ll take you through the plans...” The tall warrior turned to Varius and Sila. “... unless there’s anything else we need to go over?”

[heresygoesblam]

(Open RP) Come out ye Xenos Scum

[absolutiomortis]

heresygoesblam:

“Sister Sila?!” Jacobus was caught off guard by the embrace, but returned it joyfully. “By the Throne, when I saw the colors of the Sacred Rose, I thought perhaps I could get news of you, but to see you here!” Jacobus’ face twisted momentarily into a glare at the gawking soldiers, which set them right back to work. His glower returned to a smile as Sila straightened out his uniform. “We’re getting the band back together again!”

He looked to both Malleus and Sila. “As much as I’d like to talk about where you both have been and what you’ve been up to, I’m afraid we still have a xenos infestation to deal with.” He waved a hand in the direction of the city. “Perhaps we could discuss it better at the Guard command center. Oh, and as I’m sure my communications officer relayed to you, the buildings with the yellow X’s are to be avoided, we’ve placed explosive surprises for the xenos in them.”

The three make their way to the command center, passing fortified buildings with lasguns and heavy weapons protruding from windows. As they enter the command center, Sergeant Hiras snapped a salute to Colbert, then widened her eyes at the Space Marine and Sister of Battle. “Lord Malleus! Sister Sila! I’m not sure if you remember me, but I’m glad to see you both again!” She bowed, then turned to Jacobus. “The prisoner is awaiting you, Lord Commissar. We’ve established that he speaks Low Gothic, but that’s about it.” Jacobus nodded in response.

“Varius! Go over our strategy with our old friends. I’m going to make that xenos sing.” The Gunnery Sergeant saluted Jacobus, then bowed to the Sister and Astartes.

“My lord, my lady, welcome to Ceral, largest city on Connat, and home to the planet’s Astropathic Choir. Before you arrived, the plan was a defense-in-depth, with the aim of eventually bringing the xenos into the city, where we could negate their ranged advantage with the terrain. We’ve booby-trapped some buildings, fortified others, hidden some tanks in garages and storage facilities for ambushes, and formed our light infantry into small, mobile assault teams for house-to-house fighting. We’ve blunted their assault at the line, with your help, but the center regiment was devastated. We’re in the process of pulling the remaining line infantry back into the city to hold strongpoints. Any questions or concerns, my lord and lady?”

The Chapter Master smiled to Hiras as the trio passed. “Aye, I remember you, Sergeant. Good to see you’re keeping our Lord Commissar alive.” The command center reminded him of his time as a scout, the dim glow of the lights and the cold stone walls making him almost wistful.

Malleus nodded in consideration of the plan laid before them. While he often preferred to be at the head of strategic efforts, he ceded that the Confessors had moved into action more on impulse than prior knowledge, so Connat itself was something of a mystery to them. “Nothing from me, soldier. The Emperor’s Confessors are here in more of a support role this time. Point us where we’re needed and tell us what needs to be done. If you require additional armour, we have Rhinos and Dreadnoughts available.” There was a chime in his ear. “Pardon me,” he raised a hand to Varius as he stepped away. “Go ahead.”

“Thank the Emperor, I wasn’t sure I was going to get through again,” the Saint’s captain sounded quite relieved. Raised voices were audibly in the background, but the alarms had ceased, so Mal was counting his blessings. “The Tau have drawn back for the moment, Chapter Master, but pursuit wasn’t an option; we’ve sustained damage, not so much as to cripple The Saint, but enough that it requires attention. Some fatalities among the serfs, and a few casualties among the other crew. Fury have returned, undergoing repairs, and The Saint itself is still in orbit.”

“Understood, captain. Make sure to prioritise recovery, no doubt the Xenos will return and we need to dissuade a second attempt at combat. Emperor willing, this incursion will be ended quickly, and we’ll need to be away as soon as we can. Keep Breaker and Fury on standby, along with the Rhinos and the Dreadnoughts, the whole lot might be required for siege breaking and further transport.”

“I hear you, Chapter Master. Stay safe down there.”

[heresygoesblam]

(Open RP) Come out ye Xenos Scum

[absolutiomortis]

sisterofthesacredrose:

“Flamers! Advance! Press our advantage, pick off the stragglers, push them back!” Came Sila’s command over the vox, her flamers came to the fore, the reek of promethium coming with them and they began to wash the battle field with the blessed flames, xenos flesh bubbling from within armour and nech suits. A no so lucky fire warrior found itself isolated from it comrades and face to face with Sila, it’s side arm came up and it managed to get a couple shots off, clipping her thigh and chest armour, Sila ducked and charged the xenos, unable to mag clamp her bolter away in such a short time she used it’s bulky form as blugeon to smash the weapon from the tau’s hands, striking again quickly at it’s chest to send it stumbling backwards so she could unleash a tight burst of shots at it’s center of mass, it’s matter splattering the ground as it’s form crumpled to a heap.

Scanning the field she picked out a commissar leading from the front, their back turned so she couldn’t make out the face, but stance and behaviour seemed familiar, an eyebrow quirked before her gaze was pulled elsewhere, enemy elements were retreating, fighting the whole way, and the guardsmen were chasing them down. But if they over stretched their line would weaken. “Reinforce the guard line, strengthen and push the xenos back, Give No Ground.”

In what seemed like a heartbeat, it was done; the Tau were routed, either dead or dying, and the Confessors took it upon themselves to finish the ones lacking the good sense to die immediately. Vaeger had the scouts do the same, and a wide spread of smiles emerged as they realised that soon they would be scouts no longer. Malleus picked himself up from the shattered remnants of another stealth suit, a couple of devastated plates sliding from the armour as he moved. The Chapter Master breathed heavily through his vox grille, the adrenaline zen slowly dumping from his brain. As he returned to his consciousness, his eyes scanned the ruined, still-burning field for the Lord Commissar, whose voice he could have sworn he recognised.

Locating the peaked cap, he approached at a quick stride and pulled off his helmet as he drew up to the man. “Jacobus? Jacobus Colbert? Is it truly you, Commissar?” The corners of the Marine’s mouth curled into a grin. “It’s been some time, Lord Commissar, glad to see you still fight, and viciously, as ever.” He called over to Vicon. “See that the Guardsmen are aided and reinforced however necessary, brother. They’ve dealt a blow today.”

It was then that he remembered he’d lost sight of Sila in the haze. He’d heard some of the Sisters react to hits, but he was never sure who it was. Thankfully, she made her way to the two as they spoke. His eyes focussed as she reached them, peering down at the scorches on her armour. She seemed well enough, but he wanted to be sure. “Those look rough, are you...?”

[heresygoesblam]

(Open RP) Come out ye Xenos Scum

[absolutiomortis]

heresygoesblam:

General Teryan looked at the sky from the cupola of his Leman Russ. A Sun Shark bomber was bearing down on his convoy now. He turned the pintle-mounted storm bolter towards the oncoming aircraft, firing desperately. Just then, the sound of heavy bolters punctured the air, and the Tau bomber burst into flames, crashing a few yards to the left of the convoy. A Stormhawk interceptor in the colors of the Emperor’s Confessors chapter flew past the convoy, bringing others in its wake as they tore through the offending xenos aircraft. Looking back to the convoy, he saw several armored vehicles in the colors of the Order of the Sacred Rose engaging the enemy tanks. Multi-meltas and heavy flamers turned Hammerhead gunships into burning scrap metal. The General could hear cheers over his com-link. He couldn’t help but smile himself.

“Many thanks for the assist, my lords and ladies. What do you say we turn this retreat into a counter-attack? If we can take out their armored forces, the infantry at Ceral will stand a better chance.”

Meanwhile, at the Imperial lines around Ceral, the guardsmen were ready for the battle to finally come to them. A heavy bolter gunner spotted the Space Marine scouts moving hurridly back to their lines, a wave of Tau infantry and Drones following close behind them. “Get word to the mortars! Tell them to drop some smoke shells behind those scouts!” The mortar officer read out the coordinates, then the teams sent smoke shells flying to hit just behind the Space Marines.

The gunner also noticed a strange sight. The air in a particular spot seemed to shimmer in the daylight. He pointed this out to Corporal Ises, who also was there in preparation or the fighting, and who knew exactly what that shimmer meant!

“STEALTH SUITS!” she cried and opened fire on the nearest anomaly, which crackled with static and fell to the ground, visible as a Tau battlesuit. Other stealth suits appeared and decloaked extremely close to the trench, which lit up with plasma and las fire.

The thunder of armoured warriors broke over the din of gunfire and screams as the Confessors and the Sacred Rose rushed the line, their own roars filtering through vox grilles to somehow sound even more fearsome. Malleus took the head of the attack with Sila close behind, the adrenaline coursing through him as he sighted the enemy. Let them know repentance through death, Malleus told himself as he stamped past the forward-most Guardsmen, emerging wraith-like through the smoke grenades, and threw himself shoulder-first into one of the Tau, sending the pair towards the ground with a whine of grinding metal. The Chapter Master was already a flurry of fists and chainsword teeth before they had even come to rest, the Tau crumpling under his superior weight and reaching a rather undignified end, lacking the wherewithall to defend itself against the sudden attack.

The rest of the joint Confessor-Sacred Rose strike force followed through the smoke, flamers belching great gouts of promethium and various bolt weapons sounding out the quick death of further Tau before the Marines followed their commander’s example, falling upon the Xenos with the ferocity of Land Raiders. “DESTROY THEM!” Malleus howled to his men. “NO RESPITE, NO RETREAT, BRING THEM THE EMPEROR’S MERCY!” The Marines shouted out their assent as the violence continued unabated. The scouts had taken up the role of supporting and defending the Guardsman line, picking off the Tau that attempted to bypass the sudden wave of ceramite and aggression that had appeared in favour of thinning out the front line.

[heresygoesblam]

(Open RP) Come out ye Xenos Scum

[absolutiomortis]

heresygoesblam:

No sooner had Jacobus saluted the scout sergeant than one of the vox-operators frantically tried to get his attention. “Sir! You’re going to want to hear this!” Jacobus rushed to the vox unit and immediately put on a pair of headphones. The color drained from his face as he heard General Teryan’s panicked voice on the other end of the line.

“Teryan here! We’ve been found out! They landed Hammerheads not far from our armored depot and they’re tearing our armor apart. Many of the tank crews couldn’t make it to their tanks in time. We’re making a fighting retreat to Ceral, but they’ve brought Sun Sharks to hit our columns from the air! We need-Feth! Here they come again!” Jacobus heard the unmistakable sound of exploding tanks on the other end of the line. “I don’t know if we’ll make it to the city! We need support! Out.” The line closed. Jacobus tore off the headphones. Another guardsman at a separate vox unit also got Colbert’s attention.

“Sir! We’ve spotted a landing party at the point we designated as the most likely xenos landing zone! They’re offloading infantry and drones, they’ll be on us in less than an hour!”

“Feth.” Jacobus spat. “They must have hidden in the asteroid field on the other side of the planet. Now they’re probably sending Orcas to land troops to attack the capital and hover tanks to attack our reserves. Get the Space Marine commander on the vox! Tell him we are humbly requesting any dogfighting aircraft be sent to the coordinates of our armored regiments retreat path! And you! Get all guardsmen to their fighting positions! We’re in it now, boys and girls!”

In orbit, the Tau fleet emerged from the other side of the planet, some ships making their way to attack the Astartes battle barge.

“Chapter Master, this is The Saint.” A female voice spoke into Malleus’ head. She sounded concerned. “Tau ships detected in Connat’s vicinity.”

The Marine’s eyes widened. “What?! How-”

“Asteroid field, sir.” The blare of sirens punctuated the seriousness of her tone. “All hands are moving to their stations.”

“Bring them down, Captain. Even if they hold us off down here, they will have no escape and no assistance from above, do you hear me?”

“Always, Chapter Master. Vae victis.” The line closed and Malleus opened the one to the forward scouts.

“Vaeger, co-” He was answered by the chunk of bolters and the cracking report of shotguns.

“Already found them, Chapter Master! Caught them off-loading equip- Reegan, watch your left, cut down those damn Xenos! We’re doing damage here, Malleus, but we loaded for reconnaisance, not a full firefight!” Plasma bolts whizzed past Vaeger as he spoke.

“Send us your coordinates and pull back, Vaeger! Second Company will rotate and keep the pressure on them!”

“Aye, Chapter Master, moving now! Keep the fire up and your heads low, the Chapter Master wants us ou-” The vox channel dropped out. Malleus hoped that the loss of communication was only temporary. He turned to Sila.

“Found them. Down here and up in orbit. Bastards were sitting in an asteroid field and the scouts have just located a drop zone, equipment and personnel both.”

It was Vicon’s turn to shout up from across the makeshift yard in the middle of the base. “Malleus, vox from the Guard! They’re requesting air support to cover their armour, as soon as possible!”

The Chapter Master cursed before hearing from yet another voice. “Chapter Master, this is Fury One, the Captain scrambled us as soon as the alarms began. We have Fury Two and Three in formation, where are we needed?” ”Your timing is uncanny, Fury One. Vicon has your area of operations, he’ll give you the details.” Fury One acknowledged and closed the vox, leaving Malleus to rally members of Second Company to mobilise towards the scouts with the intent of leapfrogging them to combat the Tau forward units. He smiled toward Sila in the midst of the activity. “Now or never, little Sister, time to fight!”

[heresygoesblam]

(Open RP) Come out ye Xenos Scum

[absolutiomortis]

heresygoesblam:

Jacobus busied himself overseeing preparations for what he anticipated to be a bloody battle against cunning alien opponents. He had advised the general to deploy the 22nd Varam Line infantry in defensive positions around the capital, Ceral. He chuckled in spite of himself. This city would barely qualify as a neighborhood in the great hives that Jacobus had seen in his career. The other two line infantry regiments, the 63rd Namar and the 9th Cetrati, were to guard the flanks of the Varamites. General Teryan had deployed the two light infantry regiments, the 7th and 80th Marathis, within the city, which had been largely evacuated.

Jacobus’ own inner circle were hard at work as well. Gunnery Sergeant Varius Nerus was seeing to the fortification effort around the city, barking orders and pitching in as needed. Corporal Lysandra Ises was seeing to the heavy weapons deployments within the city, ensuring every street was covered with a heavy bolter or autocannon. Sergeant Araleth Hiras was preparing homes for the fighting that was sure to come, marking the booby-trapped buildings with a yellow painted X. Corporal Silas Korlus, also known as “Ace” was assigned a special role. He was in charge of concealing the tanks of the 54th and 71st Corol Armored regiments. Several garages concealed about two companies’ worth of tanks within the city itself, but the bulk of the armored vehicles were stationed far from the city and the likely landing site of the Tau. General Teryan would personally lead this armored group to strike at the enemy’s rear echelons and landing site to relieve forces that would likely be fighting within the city itself.

Jacobus sighed. He had done what he could. Preparations would likely be finished by the time the Tau landed, but how long could they hold out? Not long, save for intervention by the Emperor himself.

But some Space Marines or Sisters of Battle would be fine if they happened to show up to. Colbert laughed at the thought. “If only, if only.”

The first Thunderhawk roared into the atmosphere with its payload of scouts. The pilot opened a vox channel to the second craft. “Approaching landing zone… no hostiles… no locals, either…” It touched down. “Deploying now.” The scouts disembarked and the Sergeant leading them tapped into the same channel. “Green light, Breaker Two. Are you deploying immediately, or do you want a report first?” Entry at night had certainly ended up being the better choice. Between that and Sila’s amended landing point, the scouts would have little trouble carrying out their duties. There was a collective clack as the group checked their armaments, bolters and shotguns as befitting the chapter’s combat doctrine, along with the odd strap being adjusted on armour.

“Breaker Two here,” the pilot of the second Thunderhawk responded. “Negative, Sergeant, we’ll be right on your heels. Landing in two minutes.” The eagerness was palpable among the passengers aboard Breaker Two, the Thunderhawk carrying the veteran contingent of the Second Company, along with their Chapter Master. Breaker Two was followed by another four Thunderhawks, two carrying an additional force of Confessors, and the other two transporting the Sororitas who had chosen to be part of the action.

Sure enough, two minutes later, the four vessels had set down and their cargo emptied from within. A group of Marines and Sisters got to work setting up the planned forward base, the intent being to first establish contact with any military presence in the area. “Chapter Master, Scout Sergeant Vaeger,” a voice mumured in Malleus’ ear.

“Talk to me, Sergeant. What do you see?”

“About an hour out from our landing zone. We see Imperial uniforms; Guardsmen, from the looks of it. Armour’s intact, looks like we might be boots-on-the-ground before the Xenos.”

Malleus heaved a relieved sigh. It sounded as though they wouldn’t have to be traipsing across the entire planet after all. “Good. Make contact, Sergeant. No doubt they saw us coming in, but we should link up all the same, no reason to make the situation any trickier.”

“As you say, Chapter Master. Let me know when you have planetside communications up, we’ll have the Guardsmen hook in. Vaeger out.” The Scout Sergeant gestured for his men to approach the camp, and the group rose from their cover with their weapons stowed. Vaeger lifted a hand and called out to the soldiers.

[heresygoesblam]

Gunnery Sergeant Varius Nerus was working on shoring up an earthwork when one of his guardsmen pointed out the figures approaching the guardsmen from cover. “Look, sir! Space Marines! We’ve got reinforcements after all!”

Varius Nerus widened his eyes in surprise. He stepped up to a firing platform, and sure enough, several Space Marine scouts were making their way toward the fortification, weapons holstered. “Welcome to Connat, my lords! If it pleases you, I’m sure the Lord Commissar will want to know of your arrival. I’ll show you the way.”

The guardsman lead the scouts toward the bastion command center at the heart of the city. Colbert emerged from the center, and immediately saluted the Astartes. “Good to see the Emperor’s finest here, my lords. Lord Commissar Jacobus Colbert at your service. Corporal!” A guardsman emerged from the bastion. “See to it that these Astartes are hooked into our Vox network. Now, I take it you would like to know what we plan to do to hold this collection of houses.” He proceeded to explain what preparations the guardsmen had enacted, and then addressed the scout sergeant. “I’m more than open to suggestions, of course, my lord.”

[absolutiomortis]

“Well and good, Lord Commi-” The Scout Sergeant was interrupted.

“Communications are live, Scout Sergeant. Status?” The voice was Vicon’s. Vaeger put a finger to his ear.

“The Lord Commissar has taken us through his plan. Seems sound enough. Their man has us linked into their network, so he should be able to go over the strategy with you. Is the forward base operational?”

“Aye. The Chapter Master’s teeth are itching at the thought that this whole thing might be drawn out, but we’re as ready as we need to be.”

“Good. Should we remain with the Guardsmen, or would we be best off continuing on?”

Malleus interjected. “Carry on, Vaeger. While our friends may have a sense of the problem, I’d like to ensure our knowledge is as up-to-date as possible. If the Guardsmen wish to send a squad to liaise in person, mark our position for them. Either way, push on.”

Vaeger’s attention turned to his crew. “You heard the man, new blood. Chapter Master Malleus doesn’t like to be kept waiting. We’re moving on, need as clear a picture of the place as we can achieve.” He took up a spare map from the table and circled a small area of the grid laid upon it. “If need be, Lord Commissar, you can find our forward base here. Our communications are established, so you should be able to link in when you’re ready.” The scouts hefted their weapons back over their shoulders. “Look after yourself, Lord Commissar, and good hunting.” The group started for the undergrowth on the opposite side of the camp from which they’d entered.

[heresygoesblam]

(Open RP) Come out ye Xenos Scum

[absolutiomortis]

heresygoesblam:

Jacobus busied himself overseeing preparations for what he anticipated to be a bloody battle against cunning alien opponents. He had advised the general to deploy the 22nd Varam Line infantry in defensive positions around the capital, Ceral. He chuckled in spite of himself. This city would barely qualify as a neighborhood in the great hives that Jacobus had seen in his career. The other two line infantry regiments, the 63rd Namar and the 9th Cetrati, were to guard the flanks of the Varamites. General Teryan had deployed the two light infantry regiments, the 7th and 80th Marathis, within the city, which had been largely evacuated.

Jacobus’ own inner circle were hard at work as well. Gunnery Sergeant Varius Nerus was seeing to the fortification effort around the city, barking orders and pitching in as needed. Corporal Lysandra Ises was seeing to the heavy weapons deployments within the city, ensuring every street was covered with a heavy bolter or autocannon. Sergeant Araleth Hiras was preparing homes for the fighting that was sure to come, marking the booby-trapped buildings with a yellow painted X. Corporal Silas Korlus, also known as “Ace” was assigned a special role. He was in charge of concealing the tanks of the 54th and 71st Corol Armored regiments. Several garages concealed about two companies’ worth of tanks within the city itself, but the bulk of the armored vehicles were stationed far from the city and the likely landing site of the Tau. General Teryan would personally lead this armored group to strike at the enemy’s rear echelons and landing site to relieve forces that would likely be fighting within the city itself.

Jacobus sighed. He had done what he could. Preparations would likely be finished by the time the Tau landed, but how long could they hold out? Not long, save for intervention by the Emperor himself.

But some Space Marines or Sisters of Battle would be fine if they happened to show up to. Colbert laughed at the thought. “If only, if only.”

The first Thunderhawk roared into the atmosphere with its payload of scouts. The pilot opened a vox channel to the second craft. “Approaching landing zone... no hostiles... no locals, either...” It touched down. “Deploying now.” The scouts disembarked and the Sergeant leading them tapped into the same channel. “Green light, Breaker Two. Are you deploying immediately, or do you want a report first?” Entry at night had certainly ended up being the better choice. Between that and Sila’s amended landing point, the scouts would have little trouble carrying out their duties. There was a collective clack as the group checked their armaments, bolters and shotguns as befitting the chapter’s combat doctrine, along with the odd strap being adjusted on armour.

“Breaker Two here,” the pilot of the second Thunderhawk responded. “Negative, Sergeant, we’ll be right on your heels. Landing in two minutes.” The eagerness was palpable among the passengers aboard Breaker Two, the Thunderhawk carrying the veteran contingent of the Second Company, along with their Chapter Master. Breaker Two was followed by another four Thunderhawks, two carrying an additional force of Confessors, and the other two transporting the Sororitas who had chosen to be part of the action.

Sure enough, two minutes later, the four vessels had set down and their cargo emptied from within. A group of Marines and Sisters got to work setting up the planned forward base, the intent being to first establish contact with any military presence in the area. “Chapter Master, Scout Sergeant Vaeger,” a voice mumured in Malleus’ ear.

“Talk to me, Sergeant. What do you see?”

“About an hour out from our landing zone. We see Imperial uniforms; Guardsmen, from the looks of it. Armour’s intact, looks like we might be boots-on-the-ground before the Xenos.”

Malleus heaved a relieved sigh. It sounded as though they wouldn’t have to be traipsing across the entire planet after all. “Good. Make contact, Sergeant. No doubt they saw us coming in, but we should link up all the same, no reason to make the situation any trickier.”

“As you say, Chapter Master. Let me know when you have planetside communications up, we’ll have the Guardsmen hook in. Vaeger out.” The Scout Sergeant gestured for his men to approach the camp, and the group rose from their cover with their weapons stowed. Vaeger lifted a hand and called out to the soldiers.

[heresygoesblam]

(Open RP) Come out ye Xenos Scum

Lord Commissar Jacobus Colbert was feeling nervous, to say the least. The Astra Militarum had landed on the world of Agri-World of Connat in preparation for an incoming Tau offensive. Colbert knew that the troops assigned to the planet would be ill-equipped to handle anything larger than a Tau Commune. He had passionately argued for more regiments, but he was promised only 7 full strength regiments, only two of which were armored, the rest being line and light infantry. God-Emperor help them if the Tau arrived with a Coalition.

He had studied the terrain of the world. With it’s gentle rolling hills and relatively small population centers, the place would have been perfect for armored combat. With the relatively small number of tanks the battlegroup had, the commanding officer, General Teryan, would have to keep them in reserve, lest they be destroyed too quickly. Jacobus trusted Teryan to act competently, as the man was a veteran officer, but the commissar knew that competency could only go so far against what was coming.

Jacobus walked into the bastion command center, carrying a datapad with ominous information. The guardsmen guarding the tent snapped a salute to the Lord Commissar, then returned to their posts. Teryan’s weathered face looked up from a map of the largest continent on Connat and smiled at Jacobus. “What news, commissar?”

Jacobus, a tense expression on his face, simply handed the general the datapad. As Teryan read over the document, his expression darkened. “Damnation. These reports have been confirmed?”

“Yes, General, I fear we are facing a full strength Tau Coalition. If the prognosticators are correct, it’s a matter of days before they invade this planet. I requested additional regiments from sector command, but they won’t get here in time.”

“Then what do you propose we do? Command thought they were headed for Varam. If they take this planet they can starve the system.” Teryan looked despondent.

“If I may, General, I have drawn up some plans to give them one hell of a welcome….”

[sisterofthesacredrose]

Canoness Sila Aurelius raised her head from the dataslates she was pouring over when the knock came at her door. “Enter.” She called without rising from her seat at the large desk that was both hers and Mal’s, his heavy reinforced chair was empty at the moment. A young woman dressed in neophyte robes with short cropped hair that marked her as a sororitas in training slipped over the threshold as the doors hissed open. “Your presence is required at the bridge ma'am, the fleets long range scouting cruisers have detected enemy entities within imperial territory, and the astropath has picked up on an imperial broadcast.” Sila raised an eyebrow and flicked the dataslates off, finally rising from her chair and pulling on the fur trimmed cloak that was hung from its back. “Alright, find Malleus and alert him of this news as well if it has not been done either.” “He’s the one that sent for you ma'am, he seems rather eager about the whole thing.” The woman shifted uneasily at the memory of an astartes being excited. “Huh, that’s not a common occurance. Go back to your duties now.” She dismissed the neophyte and rolled out the crink in her neck, and following her out.

The bridge was buzzing with activity, the captain as always on her control throne, a look of permanent concern and concentration etched onto her face, below her in the encloves that housed the crew runners were relaying reports and orders with an almost calm intensity that Sila had only seen before a fierce combat, she watched for a moment before seeking out the hulling form that was Malleus, spotting him almost instantly at the holotable that currently displayed a section of space that the fleet was presently travelling through.

Weaving through the decks to him she listened to the conversation that was going on around her, catching snippets here and there. “….tau fleet..” “Xenos… this far into imperial..” “Guardsman..” “Understrength.” She reached Mal and noted the near permanent smirk on his lips, he really was eager for this engagement. “So.. fill me in.”

[absolutiomortis]

Malleus’ smile rose to meet Sila. “Tau incursion.” He gestured to the holographic form of one of the planets in the system. “Connat. Agri-world, not sure what kind of defensive presence they have, but we may as well have some input, being in the area.” He ran his knuckles down the right side of his jaw. “Second Company are being sent in as a preliminary group. Could be a significant force to contend with, but we have some scouts who are probably ready to cut their teeth. If so, Third Company will replace them.” The Marine turned briefly to Lerrin. “Make sure the Thunderhawks are ready to go. If this planet has a bare Guardsman profile, we’ll be needed down there quickly.” Lerrin slammed a fist against his chest and turned to make his way to the hangar.

Malleus tapped a button on the control panel of the holotable, causing the wireframe shape of Connat to increase in size as it continued to turn. “The first Thunderhawk will carry the scouts to the Xenos’ projected landing point here.” Another button caused a red pulse to emit from an area of the planet’s surface. “Second Company will touch down here to establish a forward base,” another pulse demonstrated. “A third Thunderhawk will be laid on for any of your Sisters that would like to join us, Sila. I would ask that they be quick to equip themselves, though. As I say, we will need to hit the planet’s surface with all due haste.” He cast his eyes around the table at the rest of the veterans gathered. “Any questions?” Heads shook in response as they departed to prepare, leaving Mal’s eyes to rest on Sila’s.

[absolutiomortis]

The Confessors never thought the day would come; the Sororitas were departing the Saint. As Malleus was still technically in his role as "diplomat" on the Confessors' behalf, he felt almost compelled to make the rounds and find out how his brothers felt now that the Sisters were leaving. The majority were simply happy to have their own quarters back, which made Malleus smile. His peers were dry, if nothing else. It was less than an hour later that the fleet entered the orbit of Larem, and the Sisters were seen off by the Chapter Master and Malleus, both clad in their armour in order to provide some semblance of ceremony to the event. Some of the other Confessors, primarily those who had been in the vicinity of the hangar at the time, chose to loiter around the perimeter. Not all had taken complete umbrage with the Sisters' presence aboard the barges, and so felt that being present for their departure would be... wise? Kind? Whatever their feelings, they remained at the periphery so as to avoid potentially souring what friendliness there was between the two parties. As the Chapter Master and the Cannoness shared a few words regarding the Sisters' stay with the chapter and exchanged wishes of good luck in future endeavours, Sila had apparently chosen to simply offer Malleus a respectful nod, which he returned, before the women of the Sacred Rose climbed aboard the Thunderhawks that had been laid on as a final gesture of goodwill. As the last vessel roared from the hangar, Malleus and his superior turned away and made their way to the bridge. "So, Malleus, now that you are free from your responsibilities as peacemaker; how did you find the experience?"

"A reminder of why we are not bred for diplomacy," he admitted. And a shocking test of my resolve, he continued internally.

The Chapter Master chuckled. "Indeed. As the sons of the Emperor, we are constantly tested. Something worth remembering. And the past weeks have been quite a test indeed. I know there has been a great strain on our brothers to maintain peace in the face of what I have heard to be ferocious remarks on our loyalty and even our very being. In spite of these things, we have evaded any kind of incident with the Sororitas, and I am proud of the chapter for their restraint; you, perhaps, most of all."

Malleus quirked an eyebrow and looked at him. "Why so?"

His confusion was met with near-surprise. "The duties asked of you were manifold and placed upon your shoulders with great haste, Malleus. I know all of my men well, and I appreciate that you are not fond of making pleasantries and having to bend to the requirements of those who do not wear the skull. However, you performed above and beyond my expectations, and I daresay your willingness to facilitate our guests' needs, rather than simply providing the barest necessities, resulted in some considerably thawed Sororitas." Vicon once again smiled his knowing smile.

The First Captain took a moment to think. "Well, it was necessary to uphold the reputation of the chapter. And... I suppose the Sisters' conviction is worthy of respect. Their fervour is admirable; close to our own, some might say. That certainly made a good case for compromise, despite their bluntness."

He was answered with a stoic nod as the two drew up to the bridge entrance. "In any case, they have disembarked from the Saint and we are free to continue on without having to worry for any unexpected tenants. Come, we should go over our plans again to ensure that we are progressing properly."

The ships comprising the fleet of the Emperor's Confessors remained in orbit for a few days as efforts were made to resupply with the utmost speed. The day after the Sisters had made their way to the moon of Scargill's Landing, the Confessors had received word that the world of Trist was to be their destination. They were told that the planet was facing dire threat from the forces of Chaos and that they were to make their way there as quickly as possible. The Astartes were stirred to action, and the anticipation was palpable aboard the barges; it felt as though they had been out of the fight for months, and so were eager to carry out their calling.

Malleus sat once more at his desk, going through the motions of maintaining his favoured bolt pistol, when his terminal chirruped at him. He set down the pistol's internals and wiped off his hands before opening the message.

"+++ Captain Malleus

We are in need of your aid once again. We are unable to secure passage to our intended destination, the system of Carpathia. This is a matter of urgency, please respond as soon as possible.

Celestian Sila Aurelius"

Why did "Carpathia" sound so familiar? Malleus stared at the name, rendered in green against black, and wracked his brain. It hit him a moment later and his body was out of the chair before his brain could order it. He made great strides towards the bridge and slammed the button to open the door. It seemed he'd made more of a racket than expected as he entered, Chapter Master Vicon turning to face him from the Saint's control throne. "Malleus, what is it?"

"I've just had word from Sila, Chapter Master. The Sisters are bound for Trist, but they have found no transport. She requests our help."

"Hrm... then it appears we shall have company for a little longer." The Chapter Master pressed a finger to his right ear and took his eyes from Malleus, upward to the silver star chart above. "Lerrin... are the Thunderhawks still prepped for movement...? Good. Have them return to Scargill's Landing as quickly as they can manage, the Sisters are to be moved back to the Saint." His hand returned to its resting spot atop the helmet secured to his waist as he came back to Malleus. "Inform the Celestian that transport is on its way. I will let the crew know."

Malleus nodded and spun on his heel, returning to his quarters as quickly as he came. He dropped back into his seat and immediately began to hammer out an answer.

"+++ Thunderhawks are inbound. Ensure your Sisters are prepared to move as soon as they touch down, we have precious little time to reach Trist, even if the Warp favours us.

Malleus"

The message sent, he felt it prudent to make his way down to the hangar. Once an envoy, always an envoy.

That familiar wave of black and white emerged from the Thunderhawks as quickly as they could land in the hangar. The Cannoness and her chosen ambassador, Sila Aurelius, exited the foremost craft, once more face-to-face with Malleus and the Chapter Master. Sila's gauntleted hands made the sign of the Aquila as she looked up at Vicon. "Thank you for your timely assistance once again, Chapter Master. It appears we are indebted twice over now. You are also directed toward Trist, then?"

"Indeed. We were informed two days ago that the Carpathian system was in grave danger, and so we have been restocking as best we can and preparing to depart. Provisions have been made to accomodate you again, though given the situation, you'll have to forgive us if we cannot put on a little more ceremony." Malleus and Sila both smirked at his remark.

"Of course, time is hardly on our side. When do you intend to depart?" Sila's bionic eye whirred in what could have been mistaken for curiosity.

"Immediately. Resupply is as complete as it can be, given current circumstances, so there will be no more delay. Final preparations are being made as we speak, we will cast off as soon as possible." The Chapter Master's determination showed in the simplicity of his explanation and the steely glint in his eye, a look Malleus knew well. "In the meantime, Celestian, our servitors will aid your peers in returning their equipment to the vacant quarters. Have you any questions?"

Sila shook her head, the red locks framing her face shifting lightly. "None, Chapter Master. Thank you again."

The larger Astartes nodded. "Then welcome back to the Saint. Hopefully this stay will be a little more comfortable. Cannoness, will you accompany me to the bridge? It might be prudent for us to consider what our options might be once we enter the system." The Cannoness stepped up to follow him. He offered a salute to Sila and turned to leave the hangar.

The Celestian then directed her attention to Malleus. "Thank you as well, First Captain. I appreciate you moving as quickly as you did to have us returned to the Saint, even if we spent our initial stay on unfriendly terms." The phrase seemed to make her a touch pensive, though Malleus wasn't sure if it was only because the Sisters had been forced to come back to the barge. "Not at all. We're all working toward the same goal, at the end of the day, and let's face it; denying you a path to Trist would have been... callous, I suppose." The First Captain angled his head toward the hangar exit, and Sila followed. "I have to ask, though. What stopped you from getting there after you ended up on Scargill's Landing?" "Ugh." Sila rolled her eyes, organic and non-organic, and Malleus thought he'd done something. "The one bloody Navy vessel we were expecting to be moving to Trist turned out to be heading in the opposite direction. 'Recalled as reinforcement,' he said." He could almost feel the heat emanating from the small Sororitas. "Ah. Must be dire if people are being pulled away..." Malleus ran his knuckles down his jaw as he thought for a moment. "In any case, you have passage, and a little more prestigious than a Navy ship, too," he smirked. Sila seemed less amused. "I shall have to leave you to it for the moment, though, I have duties to see to before we enter the Warp." He stopped at an intersection in the corridors for a moment. "Let me know if you need anything, Sila." The redhead nodded. "Of course. Thank you again, Malleus."

And so it was that the Sisters of the Sacred Rose were once more dispersed among the sleeping areas of the Saint, a little less chilly of temperament but still apparently maintaining their best impressions of ceramite walls when outside their quarters. It was, however, widely noted among the Confessors that they were a touch easier to engage with this time around, which Malleus appreciated. While he was happy enough to make concessions for them, he still needed them to meet him half way if the voyage to Trist was to be harmonious. The Sisters had entered back into their regular worship almost immediately, and the Confessors made sure to keep well clear of the chapel when it was occurring. The incense made their noses burn and the act of veneration still made them uncomfortable. It made more sense to them to be honing themselves in the combat rooms or studying tactical thought, but when these arguments were made to the Sisters, they were met with incredulous stares and derisive snorts. For the time being, at least, it would seem that the two factions remained at a theological stalemate.

The Confessor battle barges – Saint, Castigator, and Nemesis – had begun Warp travel a week and three days ago, and it disappointed the Saint's captain to note that her initial prediction of two weeks had been altered by the tides. She believed it would now take the chapter an additional week to emerge in the Carpathia system, and the news made the Astartes even more restless. The training rooms were often at their busiest during Warp travel, particularly when the Confessors were being pointed toward traitor forces. The anger had to be burnt off somehow, and even the most aggressive practice drills did little to calm the blood. It had occurred to Malleus that the Sisters who had been present in the practice rooms when his brothers were working out their energy had observed the phenomenon primarily with discomfort, secondarily with surprise; Space Marines were widely thought of as warrior-ascetics, calm and collected, but the Confessor combat method barely seemed to fit. It seemed as though the enemy were not there to be fought, but simply to be fallen upon and rent asunder, though the savagery was paired with little in the way of howling and screaming, so perhaps the Confessors were closer to the ideal Astartes image than they thought.

Malleus used the back of his hand to sweep the sweat from his face as he backed away from the dummy. His chest rose and fell with great breaths as he allowed himself a moment of respite, his knuckles red from his blows and his pupils shrunk from the shot of adrenaline coursing through him. "Impressive," a voice rolled into his ears from his left-hand side, snapping him back to reality. He turned his head to find Sila stood watching, clad in what he assumed to be her practice apparel; a simple vest and a pair of pants ending just below the knee. The Astartes found himself without a witty remark to make, still coming out of the tunnel vision he entered during combat. "Malleus?"

"Mm..." He came to, blinking. "Ah, sorry... I..." Two fingers tapped against the side of his head, just behind his eye, in some vague effort to explain. "I have a habit of focussing... quite hard when I'm... when I'm met with a foe."

"So I see." She pointed to the dummy, her arms folded. "Some of the techniques there... is that the sort of thing that can be taught?"

"Perhaps. I'm not the best teacher, but I can try. I'd ask if that's why you're here, but..." It was his turn to point at her, running the pointing finger up and down a few times. "Well, you came prepared, so that answers the question." He straightened up. "Alright. Take a stance." She did so; it seemed to be the standard combat posture for the Sororitas, and it made Malleus wonder if this was going to work. "Something simple; did you notice last time how the dummy had more weight in some areas than others?" She nodded. "These are designed to emulate an opponent wearing power armour. Try to push it over." Sila moved up to the stationary enemy and made her best attempt to put it down. A minute filled with grunting and huffing passed before she gave up, her shining face turning back to him. "Exactly. Truth be told, we make it a little more difficult than necessary. Putting on the armour before practice would quickly get tiresome, and time-consuming, so they're designed like this to really test us. Now, look roughly at where the knees would be on someone my size. Hook a leg around that point and push on where the chest... no, the stomach would be." It slipped from his mind that he had a good few feet on her, and so he decided to adjust the instruction to compensate. She carried out the motion, and the dummy swung back a few degrees, moreso than when she had been striking it a few weeks prior. He smiled, she looked to him once again and wore a look of surprise. "Congratulations, Sister, now you might be able to fell a traitor without your bolter."

Malleus nodded toward the dummy. "Again."

[absolutiomortis]

It was Malleus' turn in the practice rooms. He'd decided to return to the combat chamber, thinking it the only way he would be able to really stretch himself out during the voyage, which made him hope that the Chapter Master had been sent some kind of assignment from Terra. Downtime was well and good, but it was in the Confessors' blood to fight and to kill, and practice dummies didn't quite scratch the itch.

As he took up position in front of his standard immobile foe, murmuring something about "old friend," he got straight into it. Confessor combat was a graceless, savage affair; modus operandi was to fall upon an opponent and deliver such vicious strikes as to render them helpless, if not dead outright. The weight given to a Space Marine by their power armour was a great aid in this, as it meant that an enemy who was either too weak to sufficiently shift the Astartes, or was simply caught unawares, had already lost half of the fight. In a standard melee, it was savage throws of the fist and wild kicks that made up the majority of a Confessor's arsenal. The use of firearms, chiefly bolt pistols and shotguns, had also been woven into the "style" they used, unarmed attacks followed up by single shots from the weapons to disorient at worst, and kill at best. These applications are why the Confessors had always favoured Kraken rounds in anything that wasn't a standard bolter, as such close engagements meant that the warhead within a typical round would do little to aid the user. Whenever Malleus took himself off to the practice rooms to pass the time, it was these thoughts and memories that helped him to attain his almost zen-like state during his drills. The dummy swung wildly as his attacks came crashing down upon it, before he was brought out of his reverie by a voice. "You seem bored, First Captain."

Malleus turned his head and came out of his stance. "Long space travel never did agree with me, Chapter Master," he smirked. "Did you need me?"

"As it happens, I did. Nothing dire, I simply wanted to see how you were coping with your new tasks." An odd question, given that he had been working closely with Malleus to ensure there were no issues, but the Chapter Master was a smart man, no doubt he had other meanings behind his inquiry. "Have you had any complaints from our new friends?"

Malleus' mouth jerked a little to the right in a show of uncertainty. "Nothing that doesn't make its way to me through Sister Aurelius. But my work seems to be going well enough, I've yet to suffer any blows, so I fear the Sisters may be warming up to the Saint, if only a touch. I do still worry that the tension will linger as long as we have to cohabit, but I suppose that's the best we can ask for."

The Chapter Master nodded understandingly. "Indeed, and I would imagine the conflict of beliefs lies at the core of it all, but with either side being as resolute as the other, there is little to be done, as you say. Blame does not lie solely at the feet of the Sisters, however, we would be wise to remember that." He paused and cast his eyes about the room. "Where is Bronn? Sicarian told me that he was in here, and I had a mind to speak with him."

Malleus turned the other way to search for Bronn, but there was nothing. He frowned. "He was, only a minute ago... I'd heard him talking about how unhappy he was that we'd had to 'overembellish' the chapel to suit the Sisters."

The Chapter Master was the next to furrow his brow. "Seems we should look there next. Walk with me, Malleus."

The two made their way out of the practice room and towards the chapel. Malleus opened the door and, usefully, there stood Bronn beside the altar. With one of the Sisters? As Bronn turned to face the door, the smaller figure slunk around to the opposite side of the altar and lowered. Malleus' face turned to thunder. "Brother? This had better not be how it looks."

Bronn's grim expression remained unchanged. “Chapter Master, First Captain. I was only reminding the Sister of her place.”

“As our guest, I would hope, but I see she has moved quickly from you. Which does not bode well.”  Even at a level tone, the Chapter Master's voiced boomed like the engine of a Land Raider. He, too, was apparently unhappy at the scene.

“Why must we bend knee to these sorts? Are we not the Emperor's chosen?” Bronn pointed an accusing finger behind him as he growled the question.

“You would do well to mind your tongue in this place. Such words betray me and the agreement struck with our guests. Do not think me forgiving in such circumstances when you place the chapter's honour on the line.” The Chapter Master's voice dripped was sheer ice, laced with steel and promethium. “Leave and await me outside my chambers. We are not through.” Bronn cast one finally burning glare at Sila and prowled out of the chapel. “Sister, are you alright?”

“Fine, just a little shaken, but not by your brother's actions. I expected a confrontation like this to happen sooner.” She sounded more weary than anything else.

“I trust Bronn did not place his hands on you?”

“No. Though I would prefer to resume my solitude for the moment and speak of these events come day shift.” The Sister straightened a little, apparently regaining some of her resolve.

The Chapter Master nodded his acceptance. “Of course. Might I leave Brother Malleus with you, however?”

“I suppose.” She sounded, understandably, less than thrilled with the idea.

“Good. I will speak with Bronn and see these sentiments quashed. Good evening, Sister.” The Chapter Master nodded once again and departed, closing the chapel doors as he went.

Sila sunk into one of the pews and eyed the approaching Malleus, who was content enough to seat himself at the base of the altar.

“You know, you don’t seem alright," he offered.

“And you seem to know much about human emotions despite being so removed from them yourself.” Sila snapped back, venom in her words.

“Some of us are not so far removed to forget where we come from. We may not know fear anymore, but that doesn’t mean we forget everything else. We simply become... ill-practiced at recognising them.” Malleus chose his words carefully. Now was not the time for a slanging match.

The Sister sighed and lowered her gaze to the floor. “Apologies, I spoke irrationally. It’s been a long evening.”

Malleus gave her a small smile. “Quite alright. Do you want to share, or...?”

Sila shook her head and returned to the cloth coccoon she had made for herself. “I’d rather not, at this point, at least. I would prefer quiet company instead.”

“Alright then.” It was there that Malleus left it, giving the Sororitas her time and her peace.

[sisterofsteam]

*internally squeeing over the cute* My bebes Malleus and Sila being all adorable and shit. Mals face is like perfection I love it!  Massive thank you to @kaisermakes for drawing this for me.  @mightytrustkrusher it’s MAL!

[absolutiomortis]

Malleus was always impressed by his brothers' ability to move when the situation required it. After he had spoken with the chapter master regarding the Sisters' need for improved accommodations, it had taken a mere two days to set a plan in motion; a contingent of Confessors aboard The Saint would be transferred to The Castigator. The primary reason was the chapter master's desire to be able to nip any potential incidents in the bud as soon as possible, but also to ensure that Malleus and Sila would be able to carry out their ambassadorial duties without the potential for distraction or friction caused by dividing the Sisters across two or more Confessor ships. What spare iconography the Saint held was placed in the quarters vacated for the new arrivals in the hope that it would go some way to soothing the soreness caused by the Confessors' differing views. The plan appeared to have worked; the atmosphere within the corridors of the Saint was thawing, slowly but tangibly.

The Sisters had even begun to use the ship's practice rooms, which made Malleus wonder if the training setup for a Sororitas convent was any different to that of an Astartes vessel. A number of the Sororitas seemed to take to the arrangements well enough, and many of the Confessors had, in their downtime, taken to joining the Sisters in the practice rooms to see what constituted a training drill for the Ecclesiarchy's fighting force. Exhausted from his meeting with the chapter master, Malleus made his way to the practice rooms to unwind and centre himself again. It was there that he found Sila striking one of the training dummies, her blows accompanied by the occasional yell. The display made Malleus curious, surely not all Sororitas fought with the same recklessness this Celestian possessed? He moved to stand beside her little sparring bubble, his hands clasped at his front.

"Remind me, Sister, which order is it that you and your fellows belong to?" That seemed as good an icebreaker as any.

Sila's eyes flickered to him briefly, and upon recognising the Marine, looked as though they had become bored with the sight. Her attention returned to the dummy, fists raised. "We are the Sacred Rose, Brother Malleus."

He nodded. "And do you all fight with such... vigour?" He gestured to the dummy with a slight smirk. She did not seem amused.

"Of course. When we fight the Emperor's enemies, we give nothing less than our all. Anything else would be a disservice to ourselves, our sisters, and the God-Emperor himself." She threw a vicious kick at her inanimate foe, which shook about on its base and creaked under the force.

Malleus sniffed at the term "God-Emperor," but thought it best not to remark on it. "True enough, but you are something different, Sister Sila. You fight almost like a cornered animal, it seems... unorthodox for one of your creed."

Sila launched an elbow and followed up with the opposite hand. "It may not be pretty, but combat isn't meant to be. Function before form." As if to illustrate the point, she rained down a few more savage blows on the poor practice dummy.

Malleus smiled and nodded again. "Indeed. Does the Ecc-" He was cut off by a shout from across the room. Sila stopped her drill and the pair simultaneously threw their gaze towards the sound. One of the Sisters appeared to have lost her temper with one of the Confessors.

"I am exhausted with your staring! It's bad enough that we are confined to this accursed vessel, I'll not be scrutinised and inspected by a brute such as you!" Malleus strode over with Sila hot on his heels.

"By the Throne, Valera, what is going on here?" Sila was first to act. The Marine on the receiving end had barely shifted.

"This... fool will not take his eyes elsewhere! It is driving me to distraction, Sila, and I am sick of it!" Valera's nostrils flared and her eyes were aflame. If she her voice rose any higher, Malleus feared the chapter master and her Canoness both would be drawn to the practice room. Sila looked at the Astartes, then to Malleus, a frown forming once again.

The First Captain turned to his brother. "Krieger?"

The scarred warrior held his thick hands up. "I have no idea what the Sister's grievance is, Malleus. I'm not the only one here with an interest in how they train themselves, as you can see. I was only observing, but if it bothers the Sister so much, I will take my leave." Krieger rose from his seat, but Malleus placed a hand on his shoulder half-way, shaking his head.

"I know that you're still uncomfortable, Valera, we all are, but we are stuck here, so we might as well make the best of it," Sila offered in her most level tone. "This is not all bad, these Astartes are still the Emperor's warriors, so it might be good for us to learn from each other as best we can. We might not see eye-to-eye on all things, but they are being gracious enough hosts, so perhaps we should respond in kind, hm?"

Valera rubbed the back of her hand against her forehead and sighed. "I suppose." She took a step around Sila and looked Krieger in the eye. "I apologise, um...?"

"Krieger." He tilted his head in greeting.

"... Krieger. That was unbecoming, and I'm sure you can understand that myself and my Sisters are still... tense. The change in atmosphere was something of a shock to our collective system."

Krieger's expression remained unchanged, but he nodded lightly. "I know." He paused for a moment, during which Malleus and Sila once again glanced at each other nervously. "You have an impressive swing," he continued.

Valera leaned back a little before the edges of her mouth curled upward a touch. "Thank you. My brother, he... he taught me how to fight with my hands. Said it was the most important thing to know when you live in a hive."

"Smart boy. Is he...?"

"No. He died sometime after I joined the convent." There was no unhappiness on Valera's face. The quiet hung between the group.

"I'll leave you to your practice, then, Valera." Krieger made to stand up once again, and the Sister's eyes widened.

"No no, stay, please. You shouldn't be forced to tread on eggshells aboard your own ship. And perhaps Sila is right, there may be some learning to do whilst we are here."

Krieger shrugged and sat himself back down, gesturing for Valera to continue. She turned back to her own training dummy and resumed her drill, looking much calmer than she had a minute ago. Sila and Malleus stepped away. "Well handled."

Sila heaved a relieved breath. "Thank you. Even with the concessions you were able to get for us, it's still a struggle to be at ease." She stepped back up to her target, took up a stance, and began her circuit again.

"Indeed." He watched her for a few moments longer. "A good start, Sister, but let me know if you'd like to learn how Astartes fight. A few tips to give you the upper hand against greater foes." Malleus smiled his confident half-smile and turned to leave. Sila rolled her eye and continued her assault on the dummy.

[absolutiomortis]

"... and they dislike our Saint, Malleus, I imagine that's obvious to everyone in the chapter." Lotho wrinkled his nose. He held a particular pride in the Confessors' conscious decision to avoid deifying the Emperor. They'd seen what had come of it in the past, and it seemed to him that such veneration would make the Emperor nauseous. "The scant iconography, the words we use, it all makes their teeth itch."

"True enough, but what would they have us do? It's not as though we store great gilt statues of him, and I fear our stock of tapestries is thin."

Lotho shrugged. "Nothing, is what they would have us do. I've seen the way half of them look at us as we pass in the halls; sometimes derision, sometimes anger, it is the rare Sister that I have seen without so much as a scowl on our ship. They are content to be upset with us, and as far as they seem to think, the sooner they are off this ship, the better."

Malleus rubbed his knuckles down his jaw. "Perhaps... appreciate your time, as ever, Lotho." With that, he rose from his seat in the infirmary. "Go well, brother." The apothecary nodded sagely in response.

Malleus returned to his room to find the redhead again, walking a small loop outside his door. "You'll wear away the floor at the rate you're going." He barely smirked and the Sister pouted, her eyes drilling holes into his skull. "However, you look like you have something to say, so by all means..." The Astartes passed her and opened the door to his quarters, the click of the Sister's boots mere inches behind him.

“My Cannoness is finding our quarters to be restrictive and issues are arising. We are asking that slight accommodations be made so that we may access training facilities and perhaps the armoury so we may occupy our time aboard more productively.” Malleus took this to be her official tone.

"Sounds like a fair request to me. I'll see what can be done." As he answered her, Malleus gathered up his cleaning kit for his bolter, setting the cloth and the various implements upon a low surface, before lifting a bolter from the rack next to his desk, and returning to the surface. He sat cross-legged in front of it, and gestured for Sila to take a seat on a stool opposite. He watched as she made a plodding circuit of the room, staring warily at the weapons, for the moment, and then sitting herself carefully upon the stool. Malleus had already set to work disassembling the bolter, placing the pieces on the edges of the cloth, before reaching the guts of the weapon. He took up a large brush, the barrel in his other hand, and began to scrub the inside.

"I sense a 'but' coming," the Sister deadpanned.

Malleus nodded slightly. "The most efficient way to properly house your people would be to distribute your squads around spare quarters on our other ships." The brush left the barrel for a moment as he held it up to make her pause. "That said, I know that neither yourself nor your superior will find this acceptable, so I will have to arrange an alternative. Give me a day or so."

He could feel her eyes upon him, scanning, considering, and then the sound of her shifting upon her seat. He set the barrel down and his hand rose again. "You have other questions, I don't need to look at you to know it. Out with them." Malleus wasn't used to being observed as he cleaned his weapons, so he found himself conversing with the Sister almost tersely. The sound of movement once again, the rustle of cloth and the squeak of leather, before silence came to rest again.

"So, why no armour? I thou- assumed that Marines wore it at all times."

The question amused him. Why was she so fixated on the armour? "No need. We're not out on the field, we haven't been called to hunt, so what point is there in walking around in all that ceramite?" He stopped a moment as he wiped down the outer side of the barrel. His index finger rose from the component to point to Sila. "Why the sour faces?"

There was silence again. He wondered if he'd caught her off-guard. "I am uncomfortable."

The answer came as no great surprise. Lotho's remarks briefly came to mind. "Because of me?"

"Of you, because of who and what you are, what you represent. You are human, but... not, at the same time. You're a part of the Imperium but separate... exiled, almost. Our faith asks us to purge the mutant, yet one if in front of me and I am having a chat with him." Malleus was surprised how easily the words came to her. The barrel clean, he took up another part of the bolter's workings and turned it over in his hands, checking to see if that, too, needed a once-over.

"But we are not mutants, it was no accident that made us this way. We were created with purpose and the gifts of the Emperor passed down with each founding. We are his sword and shield against the Imperium's enemies... but I acknowledge your discomfort. Is there a way to lessen it?" His eyes remained focussed on his work.

"I... I'm not sure. Perhaps it will take some getting used to. My sisters are suspicious by nature, as am I. We have our faith, and it is what guides us." He heard her heave a sigh and attempt to settle in her seat. "To see the faith so lacking in a place like this where it should be vibrant, or at least acknowledged, I know saddens and frustrates a number of my sisters."

Malleus allowed the quiet to linger as he put the bolter back together and wiped the oil from his hands. His head rose as he deposited the rag beside the weapon, and a look of realisation swept across the Sister's face. His gambit appeared to have worked.

"I shall endeavour to have some adjustments made so as to make the rest of our journey as comfortable as possible for all involved." He stood up with the bolter in hand, returned it to the weapons rack, and went back to Sila to offer a hand up from her seat. She stared at his palm for a second before giving a light shake of her head, lifting her self off the stool and running her hands down the front of her robe.

"Thank you. I… look forward to our next meeting. The Emperor protects." She turned on her heel and linked her hands behind back as she departed.

As the door closed, Malleus found himself a touch off-kilter. The thought that Astartes might be considered mutants had never once crossed his mind. For all the common man's talk of how Space Marines were the Emperor's "angels of death" and his chosen sons, he felt like he should be less surprised that there was someone out there who thought otherwise. He placed himself at his desk, ring finger tapping upon its surface, as he took some time to ruminate on his conversation with Sila.

[absolutiomortis]

[@sisterofsteam​‘s drabble from the PoV of Malleus]

Malleus' brow furrowed and he cursed under his breath as he stared at his hand of cards. His eyes would flick across the face of each, then up to his opponent's face, then back down to the cards, then to the table, then back to the cards, and so on. Eventually, he closed up the fan and set the hand down on the table. "You're too good at this, Conrack. Do you not have enough to do in the armoury?"

Conrack snickered as his brother caved. "Not at all, Malleus, it's just a skill I possess. Another hand?"

"Throne no," Malleus sounded almost incredulous as he pushed himself away from the table. "I've barely any dignity left, brother. Think I'll go for a walk, I've been restless since we left Erekor."

The quartermaster shrugged as he swept the cards back into an orderly pile. "Suit yourself. Mind how you go with those Sisters. The way I hear it, they had a rough time planetside. Might do you well to take off your bull head and don something with a little more empathy." Malleus responded with an obscene hand gesture as he headed through the door, coaxing a great laugh from Conrack.

Confessors milled to and fro throughout the corridors of the Saint, their casual talk mixing with the ambient hum of the ship, which invariably helped to settle Malleus whenever he heard it. He passed the odd Sister as he ambled, all of them seemed to be wearing, at the least, a very subtle scowl, and the Astartes wasn't sure if that was just the Sororitas resting face, or if the Saint had somehow offended them. Something to ask the chapter master, everything seemed to make its way to his ears one way or another. His musing was quickly ended as he stopped himself from colliding with one of the irate Sisters. "You know your quarters are in the opposite direction?" he rumbled, attempting to draw her out of her own distracting reverie. The little warrior stared promethium at him and attempted to move around him, determination painted all over her features. He swung his arm out to catch her. Her murderous gaze returned to him.

"Remove your hand before I remove it for you." The words were less spoken and more forced through her clenched jaw. It took Malleus aback.

"Mind your words, the section of the ship you walk toward is restricted to authorised personnel only, and I do not remember you being given such authority.” Malleus removed his bull head and put on his Administorum hat.

The red-headed woman heaved an exasperated sigh and fished into the pocket of her robe for a parchment, upon which rested the dense wax seal of their Cannoness.

"I have been given orders from my superior that have been cleared with your chapter master. Escort me if you must, but I must attend the bridge. This is my duty, not snooping aboard a ship I do not wish to spend anymore time on than I have to. Satisfied?" Her eyebrow arched in a way that reminded Malleus of a viper coiling to strike. He conceded the point and lowered his arm.

"Very well. I shall escort you, not because I am suspicious, but because I have also been summoned." A half-truth, the chapter master had asked Malleus for a report on Erekor, but had apparently been in no great rush to receive it. If he had more pressing concerns, he had not made Malleus privy to them.

He stifled a smirk as the Sister rolled an eye and led the pair to the bridge. Every so often, they would pass one of Malleus' brothers, who would slip nimbly out of the way and offer a nod to him.

"So, why no armour? I though you lived in it," the testy Sister snarked, not even giving him the courtesy of looking over her shoulder.

"I could ask you the same," he fired back. There was silence for the rest of the trip.

Malleus had always enjoyed the bridge. The wood that sat upon the ceiling was an interesting contrast to the rest of the ship, and the silver of the star map reminded him of the wonder he felt during his training. He sighed quietly out of nostalgia, and then realised there was a woman seated upon the control throne of the Saint, the chapter master stood behind it, looking down into the decks below, observing the crew at work. It was Malleus' turn to quirk an eyebrow.

The imposing figure that was the chapter master bent slightly to speak with the throne's current occupant before making his way down the steps to Malleus and his escortee. His hand went to the armoured plate upon his chest and lowered his head a touch, a gesture which Malleus returned, the Sister responding with the Aquila and her Cannoness' parchment.

The corner of the chapter master's mouth curved upward as his hand came to rest upon the helmet held fast against his belt. "I don’t need to see that; it was for your sake, not mine. I see you have already been acquainted with my First Captain."

"Ah, I s- what?" The Sister blanched.

The chapter master nodded towards Malleus behind her. "Brother Malleus escorted you to the bridge, no? Or have you not exchanged names yet?"

"Ah... no."

"Perhaps you should do that now, then, as the two of you will be acting as emissary for your parties for the duration of this voyage, as both myself and your Cannoness have our own duties to attend to and personnel to manage. I trust this is satisfactory?" His intonation was not one of curiosity. He made to leave the bridge, nodding once again to Malleus, as the Sister turned to face her new colleague.

"Sister Celestian Sila Aurelius, pleasure to meet you." Her tone implied that the pleasure was, in fact, not hers at all, and she nodded crisply at Malleus. "Had I known-"

"Had you known who I was, I would have no idea who you really are. But since we are to work together, we may as well get acquainted. Brother Malleus, First Captain." He smiled. Sincerely.

[absolutiomortis]

Combat by Way of the Sword and Fist – A Treatise on Close-Quarters Warfare by Brother-Captain Markov

The Emperor's Confessors are, by their nature, primarily effective within an urban environment. This is due in part to the fact that our foremost recruitment planet, Crov, is an incredibly dense hiveworld, requiring intimate knowledge of the most useful styles of personal combat in order to defend oneself from infiltrators, sympathisers, and ultimately, his peers. Our progenitor geneseed is the other side of the coin; as successors to the White Scars, we have an innate specialty for attacking at bewildering speed, cutting down the foe before they have the chance to realise we are there. This is a talent that is core to battle in tight spaces, as these environs brook no lapse in focus nor the briefest slip in ability. Spatial awareness is much simpler when one is fighting on a sprawling field, where an enemy must close the distance to you, whereas narrowness means that there is no distance; combatants are already breathing down each other's necks, and their edges are quick to follow. You must know yourself and you must know your enemy, otherwise you will know death.

One of the first syllabi taught to a Confessor is the specifications of every pattern of power armour ever utilised by the Imperium, whether Astartes, Sororitas, or Inquisition. We learn the thickness of the ceramite, the age of the design, and the location of the components. It is through this knowledge that we afford ourselves one of the most important advantages against an opponent who is likely to have only the slightest awareness of the equipment that place upon themselves. This information is a key part of our arsenal, encased within perfected flesh, protected by dense plating, which also happens to be a useful tool when fighting within enclosed quarters.