Marshaling Majesty - 2
Writer’s Note: Hey all, don’t forget to check the rest of the series out on fanfiction.com for an easier read!
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8915981/2/Marshaling-Majesty
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As Troy led Jorval Corvis to the city gates, and then on to the city, those who stood watch during the landing of the space marines could barely conceal their awe as they beheld the hulking figure walking behind their captain. Yet, standing at nine feet and conditioned with the physique of a tank – not to mention that he looked the part in all his armor – the Emperor's Wrath Chaplain certainly did make for an intimidating sight. Still, Troy did spot same faces in the crowd who appeared quite a bit concerned.
No doubt they realized that something was off the moment their militiamen returned crestfallenly. While many were overtaken with marvelous wonder at the Chaplain's presence in on their planet, those few were quick to recognize that the winds of change had started to blow, and for better or worse they did not know.
Troy didn't look behind him, for he knew the space marines of the empire to be a disciplined force and did not wish to risk being reprimanded for his curiosity, but he guessed that Jorval was glaring coldly at those he laid eyes on. Once they were actually at the gate those standing around shrunk back with a look of shock, but they were still no less astonished to see the marine up close. While Troy worried that such a fearful response would only vex the marines he gave thanks for it nonetheless, for it opened the path large enough for Jorval's massive frame to enter unimpeded.
The captain and marine walked at a brisk pace, and, instead of guiding him, Troy felt that it was Jorval who commanded where they went. Any slowing of his own steps would have resulted in the marine barreling right over him.
The Space marines of the Imperial Empire were often advocated to be righteous defenders of mankind, and, in truth, many of them truly did exemplify that very notion. It was by the thousand Chapters of the Emperor's marines that many of the dark forces which rampaged through the galaxy were kept in check. However, due to the conditioning candidates for the space marines faced, Troy also knew of the suggestion that a great many of the recruits could become emotionless killing machines, which often made them less compassionate toward those they deemed weak of the human race. Based on his immediate takeover of the situation, the dismantling of the planetary militia, and his outwardly cold demeanor, the marshal worried that Jorval Corvis was one such man.
Still, Troy continued to hold out hope, at least for those people counting on him, that the chaplain's rigid nature was merely due to his considerably harsher duties.
As they made their way toward the barracks through the winding roads of the city of metal, many of the structures worn from desert storms, those who were out stopped whatever they were doing to stare while the pair marched by. Troy felt some sense of humiliation as he realized that it was as if he were being driven through the streets for his people to see, but kept his composure.
Aside from the occasionally deep grumble that Jorval would make, which sounded as though the chaplain disapproved of something that he'd seen, the marine said nothing, nor acted out before the citizens. Fortunately, at the quick walk that Jorval kept them going at, it wasn't long before they reached the barracks and proceeded to Troy's office.
(-****-)
"If you'd give me a moment sir, I'll have my seating area cleared away and you may have it if you wish." Troy said as he walked around his desk.
"I'll continue to stand, thank you. Besides, I have no doubt that the furnishings in here would be too weak to support me." Jorval replied curtly. "But don't let me stop you from making use of it yourself. Though your desk does look magnificently flourished, a stark difference to the rest of this place."
Troy was thrown off by the remark. "Thank you for saying so, it's an antique passed down for generations – retouched overtime of course. Anyway, I think I will stand as well," said the captain while he pulled his chair back to put it against the wall before returning over to the desk. "Besides, this will make it easier to go over whatever details you'd wish me of me."
"Very well, I see that the map is lying on your desk already and it appears that you've marked it up a great deal. Are these the movements of the Orks on here?"
"Yes, Chaplain, in order to keep my people up-to-date on where the Orks are I've been keeping a record of their movements, places they've been known to gather, and places that looked like they could have been battle sites." Troy rubbed the stubble on his square jaw thoughtfully. "I don't know how they can amass such numbers so quickly. Until almost a year ago they were all but unaccounted for, and now they roam through the desert at their leisure going at ours, and even each other's throats."
"Yes, such is the way of this particular Xenos' filth." Jorval growled harshly. "Being an asexual species, the Orks are capable of rapid reproduction, and each one born carries the same vile love for violence as its predecessor. If not for us being dispatched to your planet they would have surely overrun you in the coming years.'
"As for how they got here," the chaplain continued, "there are several possibilities. Some of the spores they're known to develop from could have carried through the solar system, likely from some passing transport, and taken refuge on your planet. Another likelihood is that they were some raiding force flying recklessly through space, and they just happened to crash land here; it's not as if such an occurrence would have been the first from the senseless heathens. Still, such things are of little concern now that they are here. All that matters is cleansing this planet of the alien infestation before it grows too severe, and the Emperor's Wrath can swear that we will accomplish just that!"
From his first word to his last, chaplain, Jorval Corvis, spoke with such a fiery conviction that he surprised the captain. Until this point Jorval had appeared cold and detached to having been on the planet, but now, at the prospect of destroying the enemy, he seemed a new person. There was passion in his voice and eyes, and even his body seemed to exude an intense energy.
In that moment, Troy started to wonder if his worries were all for naught.
"Captain, you mentioned that you'd been recording their movements. How far back do these observations go?"
"Well let's see…" Troy said pensively. "The Orks had been around for about a month when we realized things weren't getting better, and that's when I started taking notes on all of their encounters. So about seven months ago."
"Let me see them." Jorval leaned forward and stared hard at the map of all the settlements and the land between them. His eyes darted around to the various notes, lines, and drawings, reading each little detail he could before rising from the desk. "Impressively thorough, Captain Malverick; knowledge is key to winning any battle, and your notes will tell us plenty. But tell me, right here," the chaplain placed a finger on the map. "Your notes say this was their most recent attack, a destroyed settlement, yet that they have also been routed."
"Yes sir, that's how things appear to seem."
"And when was this information gathered?" The Jorval asked.
"When Moonshine was sacked earlier last week my scouts reported that the Orks looked to be bunkering down. So two days ago I sent out another pair to update me on the situation. There was no sign of the Orks, unlike the previous week, and the walls appeared to be in even worse shape, so they moved to investigate. However, they only got close enough to see a pile of burning corpses and, as you were three days away already, I decided it best to await your forces, Chaplain, until checking things for ourselves." Troy stopped speaking, then, as an afterthought, he added. "We've taken to thinking that the Orks there were raided by another party."
Jorval grumbled while he thought. "Since your own people weren't responsible for clearing them out then that seems like the most likely possibility. Still, things will have to be checked more closely before we can say for sure."
"So will you be sending out scouts?"
"No, I will lead an escort of my men to these quadrants and investigate this matter personally. We have only just arrived and there is much to do, so we cannot waste any time. You, Captain, will travel with me and men."
"I'm sorry, Chaplain, but I thought you didn't wish for the militia's aid, so why is my presence required?"
"The Emperor's Wrath does not need the assistance of any planetary defense force as a collective group. Such a rabble's intervention would lead to more problems for my men, such as placing the strain of safeguarding the weak over fighting the enemy. However, as you are responsible for marshaling this planet's defenses long enough to survive the Ork excursion, I trust that you know the territory of this world quite well, and that knowledge will be of use until my men and I learn the land as well." Jorval spoke with a matter of fact tone, one that was purely calculating. "Now come along."
The chaplain turned and proceeded to return to his men. At the same time he spoke into a small device and announced for Squad 1 to meet him at the docking station, while Squad 2 set to scouting the city and Squad 3 began work on breaking down the wall and guarding the vehicles.
Not about to turn down an order from a chaplain of the Emperor's Wrath, Troy followed after the black-armored marine.
(-****-)
Considering how large each of the marines were – with each man or woman standing between seven and eight feet, as well as one hulking figure dubbed Brick standing at a whole eleven feet, the captain wondered how all fourteen of them were possibly going to reach the settlement together. However, within the docking station there were transport vehicles capable of transforming six, plus two drivers, and Squad 1 split up to drive both.
Jorval Corvis took the wheel of one vehicle while Troy took the cockpit with him, then, with the captain providing directions, Jorval drove off with the other vehicle following close behind. It was nearly twenty miles from The Hold to Moonshine, but the marine's vehicles easily drove over the desert sands at a fast speed. Even while slowing for steep dunes, Squad 1, Jorval, and Troy reached the ruins of the devastated settlement.
Now that some days had passed the place by no smoke rose from among the rubble, and the place looked very much like a ghost town as the group of fourteen looked down on the broken walls and ravaged buildings. Even the pile of bodies reported by the scouts could be seen, though the corpses were so charred it was impossible to tell it was such from their position.
Jorval gave the order for everyone to go forward, and they all brandished their battle bolter rifles, even Troy held aloft his own bolt pistol. Though the place appeared to be quiet, no one put it past the Orks to lie quiet while waiting for someone to investigate; none save the captain who knew that he could count on the Eldar Jester's thoroughness. They proceeded with the utmost caution until reaching the pile of burned bodies, which was within sight of a large hole that had been blown out of the barracks. Jorval gave orders for Squad 1 to split up in their usual pairs and scour the town, while he remained behind to rifle through the charred corpses.
As the chaplain sifted through the blackened heap before him, which reeked of burnt flesh and rotted meat after being left exposed to the elements for so long, he came across those of both humans and Orks. Troy marveled that the man didn't gag while he worked, especially as he was almost submersed in the pile of bodies. Then he realized that the mask over his companion's face was designed to purify the oxygen he was breathing, and that he couldn't smell the foul odor.
After Jorval turned aside several corpses, and even pulled some out to the side, he finally said something. "Something here isn't right…"
"What is it sir?" Troy asked, curious as to what the chaplain had discovered.
"Some of the wounds on these bodies don't line up with Ork weaponry. Look here," Jorval then walked over to the set of bodies that he pulled out from the pile and pointed at them: two human and two Ork. "Look at the bullet wounds on the body of this man; they've practically blown him wide open and shattered his bones. Now look at the bullet wounds on this Ork here, on his chest and head. The bullet was more piercing, travelling completely through the body and even bone. Now look here at these two bodies…"
Troy had a grim frown on his face as he looked over the wounds on the bodies, and already spotted the comparison Jorval was about to make, while realizing what the chaplain was onto.
"The wound along this woman's waist which cut her in two is jagged and torn, as though she were sawed, which matches with the axes Orks are known to favor. However, over here," and he then moved over to the Ork's corpse," the cuts are much more clean. Whatever cut this one's arm off did so perfectly, and even the toothless weapons of the Orks aren't capable of inflicting such a clean injury. However, it is known that the Eldar carry weaponry of such precise power…" Jorval Corvis rose from his knee to stand at his full height as he looked down on Troy. "Captain Malverick, has there been any reported sightings of the Eldar, as well as the Orks?"
Troy wasn't sure how he should answer. He'd gone with Jester's ruse and told the chaplain that the Orks had turned on themselves, but he didn't think that the Eldar was counting on the marines sent to be so thorough. He didn't want to betray the alien after he had helped stave off the rampaging Orks for so long, but now he was pressed into a corner.
"Sorry sir, but did you say an Eldar?"
"Yes Captain, have there been any reports of sightings made by the inhabitants of this planet that you know of?"
"No Chaplain, there are no such reports which ring any bells." Troy spoke the truth. Most people on his planet didn't even know what an Eldar is if they saw one, for they were such a rare sort of alien that information on them was often disregarded. All reports of the sightings that he knew to be of Jester and his troupe claimed them to be mysterious figures, which could have accounted for just about anyone acting suspicious.
"You're certain of this?" Jorval asked, getting an affirmative nod from the captain. "This is quite troubling. If there are Eldar here as well as Orks then they may be fighting over something and this planet just became their next battleground. The Eldar hate the vile Orks as much as us, and, if they're trying to wipe out their enemies, then it's possible they may have called for reinforcements.'
"No doubt they would be within range of the Ork engagements, that way they would be some place close to watch over their foes. However, until we have some sort of proof I will hold off on calling for reinforcements. If we're fortunate my platoon will be enough to handle whatever is out here though."
At that moment a pair of marines approached Troy and Jorval, and, despite wearing helmets, it was obvious that they both cast a look at the captain as they stood to attention.
"Chaplain Corvis, we've found a most disturbing item within the ruins of the church building. No one has seen fit to touch it, and we deemed it of the utmost importance that news of its discovery was brought straight to you."
Jorval looked down at the bodies one last time, and his hardened eyes spoke volumes of his dissatisfaction with how things were beginning to look, but then he slowly nodded. "Very well, take me to where it is this item has been located."
As the Jorval started to follow his troops, Troy knew, despite lack of command, that he would be expected to follow as well. As the only native to the planet he would need to be around the chaplain to provide whatever information he believed to be relevant.