Brother Memnon of the Emperor's Scythes

As I write different bits of background for this character i'll post them here for your comments & critique.

I may even post exploits during our missions, (just to show off n'that), pictures of the model etc, etc

Let me know what you think & more improtantly, get writing your own background & post it here. It'll be good to keep track of our Chrarcters as they progress.

Brother Memnon

Scythes of the Emperor

Ultramarines geneseed.
Memnon displays the level head & stoic nature that characterises many Astartes that share in Gulliman’s geneseed. However, there is a darker, colder side to his character, which at first appears at odds with his taciturn demeanor. Some have gone so far as to label him cut-throat & heartless, although they are careful to voice such feelings far from the Scythe’s person.
Indeed other marines of similar Ultramarines stock have likened him more to a brooding Blood Angel than one that shares Gulliman’s lineage. Delving into Memnon’s bloody past soon sheds light on this side of his personality.
(992.M41)
Only months after his ascension to the rank of full battle brother, Memnon was present during the destruction of Sotha. The home world of the Emperor’s Scythes was consumed as the Tyranid plague, designated Hive Fleet Kraken, spread across the Eastern Fringes.
With devastating losses to the Chapter fleet, the Scythes were driven back to their fortress Monastery on Sotha, which quickly came under siege by the Tyranids. Thousands of Tyranid creatures landed on the planet, and the Scythes, led by Chapter Master Thorcyra, prepared to make their stand at their fortress-monastery in order to give as much time as possible for the population of Sotha to evacuate.

During the many weeks in which the fortress Monastery lay under siege, Memnon’s hatred of the Tyranid menace continued to grow. They say Astartes do not dream & perhaps this is true, however in the short periods of meditation he allows himself, Memnon can still hear the sound of battle against the Tyranid & almost see his once beloved home world consumed in blood & flame.

The situation on Sotha soon became hopeless & as the Tyranids mounted their forces for a final push to wipe out the remaining Scythes, Chapter Master Thorcyra ordered all of the remaining Battle-Brothers to withdraw from the world so as to avoid the complete extinction of the Chapter. A full two hundred battle brothers are said to have made it off world, escaping the doomed planet in Thunderhawk gunships.

Two actions made this desperate escape possible.

The first was that of Chapter Master Thorcyra himself, who with the remains of the Veteran First Company, took up position as the last line of defense within the fortress monastery & sold their lives dearly so that their brothers could survive to fight again.

The second action was no less desperate. A force was formed from volunteers under Commander Cassios (Captain of the 5th Company & right hand of Chapter Master Thorcyra). Their charge was to assault the Tyranid Bioships in orbit around Sotha & distract them long enough for the escaping Thunderhawks to rendezvous with the remaining Scythe battle barge ‘Heart of Sotha’ & make good their escape.

Memnon was amongst the first to answer Cassios’ call to arms & fought valiantly at the hero’s side as they were deployed within one of the massive Tyranid Bioships.

(993.M41)

The remainder of the Scythes Chapter, under their new Chapter Master Thrasius, fought a number of desperate battles during their escape. Most notable of these battles was on the Deathworld of Miral around a rock fortification known as the Giant’s coffin. The survivors of Sotha & Miral were amalgamated to form one company referred to only as the "battle company". As the tragic fame of the Scythes continued to grow throughout the later years of M41, the battle brothers of Thorcyra’s last stand & Cassios’ assault force passed into chapter legend.

(994.M41)

Approximately 100 surviving Space Marines of the Scythes of the Emperor Chapter navigate through space on board their last starship and mobile fortress-monastery, the battle barge The Heart of Sotha. They are a shadow of their former glory, but they are a hard and elite fighting force, and could be found fighting anywhere against the Tyranids within the Ultima Segmentum. Fully two-thirds of the Chapter are Second Tyrannic War veterans (the rest having been recruited following the destruction of Sotha), and the Chapter is also known to have killed more Tyranids per man than any other fighting force in the galaxy, including the Ultramarines.

(995.M41)

Following the wide scale mobilisation of Imperial forces to meet the threat of Hive Fleet Kraken, a report reached Chapter Master Thrasius from a trusted source within the Ordos Xenos. The report detailed a deathwatch engagement aboard a battered Tyranid Bioship designated X-ray 623.

The Deathwatch kill team had been all but overwhelmed by defense organisms within the ship, when a number of silent black armoured warriors armed with Blade & Bolter emerged from the darkness to slaughter their assailants. These mysterious marines disappeared back into the gloom of the ship as the kill team with-drew, their mission a failure.

Chapter Master Thrasius immediately ordered the formation of salvation teams to investigate this & similar reports. These Teams normally consisted of a senior battle brother & a number of newly recruited neophytes that spent the following years investigating any such report of possible survivors within the Tyranid Bioships.

The formation of the salvation teams, seen by some within the Chapter as a waste of all too valuable & limited resources, proved their worth when the legendary Commander Cassios was discovered by Brother-Sergeant Tiresias and salvation team 21. The Commander was recovered in a sus-an-membrance induced stasis aboard a dead Tyranid Bioship two years after the "Salvation Teams" were initially formed and dispatched.

Guarding the body of this hero were three battered & weary marines.

Memnon will not speak of the horrors he witnessed during his years of exile aboard the dying Bioship, as it drifted through the Eastern fringe. Or of the means his team used to finally kill the Tyranid vessel. Indeed to even mention the foul Tyranid Xenos in his presence will result in involuntary snarl forming upon Memnon’s battle scared face. To say that he hates the Tyranid simply does not do justice to the depth of ill feeling he holds for the foul Xenos.

Memnon’s aim falls no shorter than the complete annihilation of this Xenos scourge, a trait that brought him quickly to the attention of the Deathwatch & led to his secondment there in.

The Emperor’s Scythe works tirelessly on bolter drill, remembering vividly the desperate struggle that ensued once ammunition ran dry against the Tyranid. To him every round counts, anything less than perfection is like a stain on his honour. Even amongst the ever vigilant Astartes of the Emperor’s Scythes, Memnon’s training exercises border of fanatical as he attempts to recreate, during downtime, the same constant struggle that had marred his life for his long years in exile. The marine still honours the very weapon he held in the defense of Sotha & it is adorned with various trophies of his long struggle.

Upon his return to the Chapter’s battle barge ‘Heart of Sotha’, Memnon took to the forge, reworking his combat blade into a broader, heavier & more devastating vision the Emperor’s vengeance. Some saw this as a slight against holy tradition. Within the Emperor’s Scythes a combat blade is a symbol of a human aspirant’s ascension to become an Astartes neophyte & is given to him to mark that very occasion. To Memnon the re-forged blade is a symbol of his re-birth within the chapter, just as the broader blade is better suited to cleave a Tyranid asunder, so to is the Astartes.

Second post to keep this moving...

Memnon ‘s back story – Armour upgrades –

The engagement was a furious one & took place towards the end of his 3rd year trapped aboard the Tyranid Bioship. Together with five of his battle brother’s, Including the Mighty Hero Commander Cassios the Scythes engaged the Tyranid Tyrant in its layer. As the battle raged Memnon fought towards the Tyrant, Commander Cassios & Bother Priam by his side.

Clearing the last of the Xenos from his brother Captain’s path with a brutal trust of his combat blade, Memnon wrestled a Xenos the ground tearing his blade away from its skull with sickening brutality.

Cassios leapt clear, diving into a roll behind the Tyrant & sweeping his power-scythe in a wide arch as he came up, this blow claimed an arm & sent the beast into a thrashing rage. Brother Priam paid the price for his Captain’s reward, as he followed in the Hero’s wake. The beast dived into him in a frenzy of claw & teeth, tearing the marine’s helmeted head clean from his shoulders.

The Captain pressed his attack again for the ghost’s of Sotha, for brave brother Priam. His speed & finesse matching that of the towering Tyranid. Memnon moved to engage & support his commander, when from the corner of his eye he saw a number Genestealers break combat with his battle brothers in a desperate bid to support their Alien lord. Drawing his bolt pistol, Memnon fired his last remaining rounds into the advancing Xenos. Two were caught in the head & fell with vile screeches, their limbs twitching in nerve spasms. The third was hit between the two arms on its left, the bolt round exploding within it’s chest & sending it spinning into a forth of its kind & knocking it to the ground also.

A fifth Genestealer remained & closed on Cassios’ combat with unbelievable speed as Memnon’s pistol clicked empty. He had kept the rounds for many months for just such a desperate engagement & he cursed loudly as they were not enough to save his commander. Memnon gritted his teeth & started his legs moving to intercept the foul beast, even as he started running he knew he wouldn’t catch it.

‘Captain Cassios! New target engaging your 7!’

Instinctively the Captain dodged a high swing from the tyrant & span on his heels, sweeping the power scythe in a wide arc & slicing the incoming Genestealer in two as it lurch towards him.

The Tyrant sensed its opening & lunged at the commander’s exposed back, just as Brother Memnon launch himself into a desperate dive, clearing the kneeling Captain & shouldering into the on coming Tyrant. The creature was rocked by the sheer impact of the Battle brother’s stocky two metre tall, armoured frame & both combatants tumbled away from the raging battle.

Claws locked into place biting deep into Memnon’s Chest & shoulder, a savage bite lifting his battered helm clean off his head & grievously wounding the Scythe. Memnon gritted his teeth against the pain of losing his left eye & drove his bloodied forehead into the creatures face. Before he fell into in unconsciousness, the Astartes was answered by a crack & agonised howl as the creature crumpled before him.

As he came round, the young Scythe was met by a scene of carnage. Tyranid corpses littered the cavernous space of the Tyrant’s layer. As his remaining eye opened, he smiled at the death of so many Xenos. The Tyrant’s decapitated head lay at his feet, Cassios’ Power Scythe was imbedded in the dead creature’s chest further away. Memnon realised that his instinctive reactions had aided the mighty hero in laying the Tyrant low & his heart swelled with pride that he had contributed to such a feat.

Brother Thrax approached & met him with a grim look upon his own battle scarred face. Blood ran freely from three deep claw marks on the Marine’s left temple & cheek, as his Astartes metabolism fought against the vile Xenos toxins to clot the wound

‘Well met Brother’

Memnon smiled weakly. ‘You look like hell, Thrax’

‘You’re no oil painting yourself Brother Memnon.’ In three years, this was the first time Memnon had seen the old Marine break his foul humour. Things must be grave he thought.

Memnon found out later that along with Brother Priam, the Hero Cassios had also fallen during the mighty struggle. He was still alive, but only just. The Captain’s body had shut itself down into an induced coma in order to heal itself from grievous wounds the Captain had sustained while Memnon was unconscious.

Memnon’s armour was reverently repaired by the Scythes Techmarines when he was eventually repatriated with his beloved Chapter, however he requested the talons that were imbedded within his armour to be returned to him & even now he wears these claws with pride.

Brother Captain’s Cassios’ last orders before slipping into darkness were that Memnon be honoured with Brother Priam’s helm, having lost his own in combat with the Tyrant.
The Mk II helmet, is worn by Memnon with great humility & he understands the honour that his Brother Captain had done him with the gift.

nice

Antoine wrote:nice

Cheers mate, I'm trying to keep him quite fluffy.

When will you be posting your background?

Stupid geeks making me read stuff.

very good btw!!!

Yeah, is great stuff mate. Keep it coming if you can think of anything else to write about.

Mission 1 – The Briefing

The Emperor’s Scythe sat in silence as the first of the Deathwatch kill team entered the stratagem chamber. He noticed the narthecium of an Apothecary first & was immediately comforted to know that should he fall in battle, his Geneseed would be harvested & returned to his own under strength chapter. If the Apothecary noticed the obsidian clad warrior sat in the shadowed corner he made no outward sign. The watch Captain offered the brother marine a curt nod, which was returned after the Astartes removed his helm.

Memnon allowed himself an amused snort as he recognised the self righteous glare of a zealot. A Templar, he’d heard much of this revered order. Fanatical to the core, loathing of the witch, tolerant only by their sense of duty to the astropaths & navigators that served their order. To them the great crusade was not to be found in the mists of legend, when god like Primarchs walked the stars, leading the blessed Emperor’s legions to unite the Galaxy under the banner of humanity, it was here, it was now.

'Ah, but is that just the fantasy of a Zealot?' Memnon found himselfmusing silently, thinking on the nature of the Templar. Perhaps he concluded, the Scythe had seen only destruction, the gradual, but constant fall of worlds in the face of Xenos & heretic. In truth he envied the Templar’s for their absolute certainty in all things. Despite himself he found his thoughts returning to beloved Sotha & his mood darkened.

A hooded warrior stepped through the door next, pulling the Scythe from his deliberations. Clad again in the black & silver of the Deathwatch, his right shoulder was a Dark Green with White sigil. The new Astartes held his helmet in the crook of his arm & met the gaze of the Templar saying nothing as he turned to stand opposite the Watch-Captain. Memnon allowed his Astartes mind to run free, weighing up the marines as they assembled. The Dark Angel was stocky & grim, the mark on his right knee denoted him as a Devastator.

Excellent, some fire power, this was a good addition to the team. Memnon surmised that a fine base of fire could be established between himself & the Dark Angel. The codex dedicated several chapters to the use of heavy support fire in small scale squad actions. Why else would the make-up of a tactical squad be complemented by the inclusion of a heavy weapon’s specialist?

The next addition to the kill team made the Scythe frown as he entered the room. Not for any ill feeling he held towards its kind, though like most he found himself distrusting of them, but because of the reactive snarl that played on the Templar’s face. This was going to cause problems Memnon could tell. Already the tension in the room began to rise. To his credit the Librarian ignored the distasteful look on the other marines face, indeed Memnon noticed a smirk momentarily cross the psyker’s own features.

This is going to be interesting.

Memnon could not place the marine’s chapter markings, but was certain he was of Blood Angels descent. Good warriors, though prone to some curse of their geneseed that left then vulnerable to blood lust & visions of the Angel Sanguinious’ demise.

Yes, I’ll have to keep a close eye on this one. He thought.

The Librarian looked directly at him in that instance. The Scythe shivered inwardly, unhappy that his thoughts may have been read by the Blood Angel. Despite his discomfort at the thought, Memnon held his stare unmoving.

Eventually the Librarian broke contact smirking to himself again as the door opened on its whining hydraulics. In came two figures, the taller of whom had his arm around the shoulder of the second. His jovial booming voice filling the silent room & drawing looks from all in attendance. A Spacewolf, even without the trophies displayed about his person & his feral characteristics, unkempt hair & canine teeth, Memnon would have known him as a son of Russ. Warfare was a great game of honour & valour to them. The broad smile etched on his face showed he was eager to get started. He patted the other marine on the back laughing at his own joke & sending the man slightly off balance.

The other marine did not react. His face, that which was still flesh, remained firm & unmoving. His expression was that of a servitor, emotionless, except for his remaining human eye, which was full of knowledge & intelligence. The Techmarine, displayed a blue shield & lightning bolt as his chapter symbol. Memnon was not familiar with his chapter, but was again happy that the diversity of the Kill-team would be complimented by the inclusion of one in commune with the Machine God.

A second Techmarine followed the pair into the Stratagem. Unlike the others, the new arrival kept his helmet on, its design that of some unknown blueprint, possibly only known to the priests of Mars. The Techmarine ignored all present except for the Templar who came forward & saluted his battle brother. As the Templar stepped back into position Memnon could make out that they shared the same chapter markings.

Two zealots, so it would seem. The implications were clearly not lost on the Librarian who folded his arms & stared at the two Templars. The action betrayed the Librarian’s discomfort at being outnumbered by two such outwardly hostile Marines. A lift-time of being an outcast had set his resolve, but the enmity was barely being contained. Memnon could almost taste the tension as he rose & approached the holo-desk. The others turned to watch his approach; they did not expect a Marine to emerge from the shadows of the room. Only the Librarian ignored him as he advanced, having already noted the presence of the Emperors Scythes marine.

The Watch-Captain allowed the new Deathwatch kill-team a few more moments to weigh up their battle brothers, before finally breaking the silence.

‘Brother’s’

The word hung for a time, it’s symbolic meaning was not lost on Memnon. The Watch Captain wanted to forge the team behind the fact that they were all the Emperor’s children.

‘I am Watch Captain Helikaon of the Ordos Xenos Deathwatch...’ Memnon noted the Minotaur’s chapter badge displayed on the Captain’s right shoulder & took note that Helikaon introduced himself as a captain of the Deathwatch rather than of his own Chapter.

‘Each of you, has earned the honour of serving the Imperium of man, as Deathwatch Marines. Even for men of our select calling, this is a rare opportunity. To even be here, means that you’ve all shown talents that have set you apart from the battle brothers of your respective Chapters.

You have excelled in theatres of war, far & wide across the Imperium of man. All that has gone before has been the prelude to what will come here after. I’ve brought you here, because it is here that the Emperor requires your gifts of destruction.

It is here…’

The Minotaur’s Captain flicked a rune on the holograph terminal & an image of the Typhon system came into view, bathing the assembled warriors in green light. The image shifted, rotating the system clock wise & zooming in on the fourth planet.


‘upon the Hive world of Typhon, that you will be blooded as Astartes of the Deathwatch.’

Memnon listened closely as the Helikaon gave a summation of the ongoing struggle taking place upon Typhon. A planet caught in the path of Wagggh Gorbad as it wreaked devastation across several Imperial Systems. He noticed the Templars in particular straighten themselves with pride as the Watch Captain gave details of the valiant stand being made by a company of the Imperial Fists Chapter, currently surrounded & cut off within Hive Primus.

The Watch-Captain moved onto the particulars of the mission. An Aquilla transport carrying, a cargo of geneseed from the front, to the vessels in orbit around Typhon had been shot down while attempting to run the gauntlet of the Ork blockage.

With the click of another rune, the Holo-projector shifted again to show the wreaked vehicle surrounded by the rubble of ruined buildings. Hulking heat signatures, that could only be Orks, could be made out clearly moving towards the downed aircraft.

‘Time is short, brothers.’ the Captain added ‘You have ten minutes to assess the situation, requisition any additional supplies & deploy to retrieve that gene-seed. Memnon, you will command. Any questions?’

awsome mate, best yet imo, cant wait for some more!

z4carlo wrote:awsome mate, best yet imo, cant wait for some more!

Ah cheers mate, I was going to add a bit about Memnon's thoughts about being gven command, but not sure his squad should know everything that gors on in their leade's head.

Glad you liked this one though as I wasn't sure about posting it.

Ok, here's the next part.

I've taken the liberty of fleshing this out, by making some assumptions on your characters personalities. These have been made on the way you've come across in the gameplay & in any background you've posted.

Please, if you're unhappy with how I've portrayed your dude, then let me know & i'll look to address it.

Mission 1: Secure Imperial Fist Geneseed form Aqullia crash site

World: Typhon
Designation: Imperial Hive World
Location: Approximately 124km South-South-West of Hive Primus. 34’22’31

Objectives
Primary: Secure and Retrieve Imperial Fist Geneseed
Secondary: Execute local Ork Commander. Designated: Xenos 1

Situation: Hostile.
Opposition: Greenskins, Warboss Gorbad Wagggh
Conditions: Concentration of Greenskins detected moving to secure crash site. Shoot on site approved….Memnon blink clicked the mission statement & filed it away. He knew the rest of the details to the letter, he was ready.

The Kill Team had deployed into three teams, Alpha, Bravo & Gamma.

Alpha consisting of Himself & Brother Aslan the Dark Angel would be deployed via Thunderhawk to the west of the crash site, proceed on foot towards it & provide a base of fire for Bravo team to extract the gene seed.

Bravo Team consisted of Crusader Luther, the Apothecary, best suited to secure the precious geneseed, Tech Marine Brother Nathaniel & the Librarian Errata.
Team Bravo would deploy via the same Thunderhawk as team Alpha & approach the site from the South to retrieve the geneseed.

Gamma Team completed the role call & included Brother Haakon, Assault marine of the Space Wolves Chapter & Brother Novus, Techmarine of the Storm Wardens Chapter. Gamma team would be deployed separately from the others, approaching from the North East in a Rhino APC. Their primary aim was to provide distraction by any means possible & draw the concentration of Orks away from the Crash site allowing Team Bravo the opportunity for extraction.

As the Thunderhawk entered the upper orbit of Typhon Brother Memnon was confident of success.

Mission Time - 01:23:02

The Thunderhawk shook violently from another near miss, yet the occupants bathed in red lighting seemed not to notice. Memnon ignored the rocking sensation as he drew the wet-stone down the length of his long blade. This was a familiar ritual, that helped clear his mind before an engagement & focused him on the mission at hand.

Opposite, the Devastator Marine ran through some final checks on his bolt-pistol in silence, his heavy bolter locked in place beside his harness. The Dark Angel hadn’t spoken since the briefing, preferring his own council to that of his battle brothers. The Emperor’s scythe could sense a legacy of death in the black-clad warrior. At least he had common ground with at least one of his brothers.

Further down the cabin sat the two Black Templars & the Blood Angel. The Watch Captain had already cautioned Memnon about including two such hostile factions in the same team.

Minutes earlier aboard the Imperial Fist Battle Barge Agamemnon, Helikaon had stopped the Emperor’s Scythe & motioned him away from the Kill team as it moved towards the embarkation deck. The Minotaur’s face betrayed no emotion as he spoke

‘Two Black Templars & a Librarian… together?’ the Watch Captain said ‘do you consider that wise brother Memnon?’

The Squad leader met the Watch Captain’s gaze with his remaining eye, he did not respond.

‘Speak candidly Memnon, I would know your mind on this matter’

‘Very well sir, & with respect, I need to know the limits of these men should I be the one to lead them. I need to know them & I need to know them sooner rather then later. If the factions between the zealous Templars & the Psyker are going to escalate I intend to find-out now, before we are in a situation, cut off & with no support. I need to know that we can rely on each other, when each other is all that we have. I need to know all this before it’s too late.’

‘You play with fire Memnon, is the geneseed of the Fists the price you are willing to pay should their difference bring them to blows.’

The scythe considered his commander’s words.

‘On my word, I will retrieve the geneseed. Should the Templars or the Librarian threaten that objective I will address that matter myself.’

Helikaon did not respond at first, taking a deep & considered breadth in though his broken nose.

‘Very well. It is clear that you have decided upon your course brother Memnon. I will say nothing more on the subject.’

Memnon was relieved that the Captain had relented & allowed him decide the matter.

‘May the Emperor guide you’ Helikaon said finally with a salute.



01:23:50

Another blast rocked the Thunderhawk, this one was closer than the others & was answered by a spray of sparks from behind Brother Nathaniel.

The Techmarine remained unconcerned.

‘Pretty accurate for Greenskins’ suggested brother Errata, mock surprise in his voice.

The apothecary sat opposite him did not respond, his fierce eyes remained locked with those of the Blood Angel. The Librarian smirked knowing that in reality, he was unlikely to draw a response from the Templar.

Memnon’s vox clicked, the pilots rune flashing into view.

‘Master Astartes, LZ Bravo in 10 seconds…’

‘Acknowledged’

The Scythe switched to Squad frequency.

‘Brothers prepare, Team Bravo will deploy in ten seconds. Team Alpha will be on the ground less than thirty seconds later.’

Memnon blink clicked the confirmation rune on a pre-designated fire mission around the crash site, as he spoke.

‘Your objectives are clear, you have your orders. You are Astartes, the Emperor’s chosen. Together, we will deny the foul Xenos that which they wish to desecrate. Let the Throne guide you!’

The hatch light turned from red to green as the distant impacts of several lance-strikes could be heard. A secondary explosion marked a direct hit. The Thunderhawk touched down in the next moment. As one Team Bravo disengaged the magnetic clamps on their harnesses & made ready as the hatch opened.

‘For the Emperor!’ Memnon called into his vox as team bravo disappeared out of the portal.

The two remaining Marines were airborne once again in moments as the Thunderhawk sped away towards the secondary LZ.

‘Fine rhetoric brother’ said the Dark Angel, the first words he had spoken since the briefing, Memnon nodded in response.

‘Did you practice?’ he asked dead pan.

Memnon smiled within his helmet, he had.

This just proves to me that i need a desk job! Brilliantly done mate, im genuinely enjoying it

Character Development,

Why is Memnon always spoiling for a fight?

*******

With his head bowed in quiet meditation Memnon fought to free himself from the images that assailed him. Images of foul xenos, of battle, of suffering & of death. Memories of the fallen so vivid & real. Every time he opened his eye he half expected to see the bio resin of the Tyranid ship at his feet. The foul smell of organic decomposition remained, forever at the edge of his senses, tormenting him. Unnatural screeches & the constant dull throb of the living ship still plagued his hearing.

Since his return from the darkness of his Xenos exile Memnon had found himself labelled by the Battle company as one of ‘Cassios’ Heroic Survivors’. Reverent stares greeted him at every turn, respectful bows of the head, hushed voices that quietened when he entered the room.

It sickened him.

They look to him like he’s a miracle worker & it grates on his warrior spirit to see men of Iron label him as such. He avoids their contact more & more each day, but solitude does not bring him rest in the way a tormented man would wish.

Images of the Tyranid wait for him there.

‘What ails you, brother Memnon’

The troubled marine opens his eye to see the mosaic tiles of the ships chapel floor before him & he exhales briefly in thanks. The armoured warrior slowly lifts his bare head to fix the Scythe Chaplain Ormeleon with a forlorn look. His pupil contacts slowly drawing back from the darkness of his meditation.

‘Brother Chaplain’ He nods in greeting.

The silence returns as Memnon looks towards the great stain glass window that stands to dominate the end of the chapel. The relief shows images of Sotha, the fortress monastery as it once stood. Tattered company banners of the once great Chapter, frame the image lending meaning & weight to the scene. They (the companies) exist now only as a memory of everything the Emperor’s Scythes had lost.

‘You were thinking of Sotha?’ asked the Chaplain reverently, coming to the conclusion by reading the dour marines body language.

Memnon shook his head ‘I wish I could remember…. All I see is death.’

The marine did not elaborate further, but continued to stare at the window.

‘Go on Brother’ pressed the Chaplain, keeping his distance, careful not to invade the veteran’s personal space during the rare moment of converse. In the three months since his return, these were the most words anyone had shared with Memnon, outside of what was required by duty on the field of battle.
Just as he thought, the marine would not respond, Memnon spoke once more, his powerful voice coming in hushed tones.

‘I can’t remember our home as it was. My memory of blessed Sotha has been forever sullied by the taint of xenos. When I try to picture the Fortress monastery, all I can picture are the flames as it was consumed. Astartes blood splattered across the marbled walls, running in rivers along the tiled floors… so many fallen brother’s… their lifeless eyes staring up at me in accusation.’

‘You blame yourself for surviving?’

Memnon nodded turning to face the Chaplain.

‘Better, stronger men then I perished in the final moments of our planet. Many more sold themselves afterwards on Miral & other worlds as they fought to keep our chapter alive.’

‘You play down your own role Brother Memnon, you were one of Cassios’s Her…’

‘Don’t!’ Memnon raised his voice, then regretted the harshness of his tone. He fixed the holy man with a solomn look, but stopped himself from speaking further on the subject. In reality, he had volunteered for Cassios’ suicide mission, because it was just that. The mission was a one way ticket to oblivion. The weight & responsibility of being a survivor was too much for him to bare & so he had chosen a death that would aid those strong enough to rebuild.

Yet the fates had conspired against him & here he was… revered by those he was too weak to have stood beside.

Memnon looked back to the Priest.

‘Please excuse me Brother Chaplain, the Salvation team awaits.’

‘Ah, the signal from Praxis IIV. Do you believe the Tyranid left anything alive on that planet?’

‘I survived... Perhaps others have also found a way’

Memnon bowed once before the alter & statue of the god emperor, before placing his MK III helm over his head & locking it into place. There was a hiss of gas as the air was cycled though the ancient helm. Memnon blink clicked through a number of initialisation processes as the display ran through its pre-programmed diagnostics.

He turned & left the Chapel with out another word.

Chaplain Ormeleon watched Memnon depart, concerned by the grim words they had shared. His vox clicked as the marine strode away through the ornate doorway of the Chapel.

‘Well brother Chaplain, is he ready for the task at hand?’ it was Captain Romonos, the commander of the Scythe’s Battle Company.

‘It is clear that our brother Memnon still carries much guilt at his own survival. I have no doubt he still has much he can teach the Neophyte’s he is to lead, but I have concerns over whether a salvage team is the right assignment for him at the moment.’

‘Even though he volunteered for this mission?’

‘Sir, if I can speak candidly?’

‘Of course’

‘Upon our ascension unto the mantel of Astartes, each of us knows that one fate awaits us; a death, a painful & desperate sacrifice for the good of the Imperium. We all accept this & strive to make that end worthy of our name & status… However, I fear Brother Memnon’s over riding aim is not only to embrace this end, but to actively seek it out.’

‘Hence his desire to return to the belly of the beast?’ Concluded the Captain

‘Exactly.’ Confirmed the Priest.

‘I see’ Romonos digested this information before adding ‘Thank you for your thoughts brother chaplain.’

With that, the vox went dead & the Chaplain was left alone with his thoughts. Looking up towards the mosaic glass depiction of Sotha.

There he saw only fames & death.

Dude's got issues. How many Tyranids must he kill before he has atoned for his mistakes? Will he ever?

In all seriousness though, good stuff mate. Proper Grimdark.