For 10,000 years, the galaxy-spanning Imperium of Mankind has endured, surviving disasters, heresies and invasions from alien races intent on the extinction of humanity. The largest empire ever known, the Imperium spans the galaxy, boasting a million worlds and billions of soldiers sworn to its cause. From Terra, known as Earth in ancient days, the fate of the Imperiums' numberless subjects decided with every decree. There is no peace however, for the stars are awash with the blood of Mankind. The Imperium is beset on all sides: invaded by voracious aliens eager to consume and annihilate, assailed from within by renegades and threatened by traitors who seek nothing less than the utter enslavement and destruction of humanity.
In the face of such innumerable foes stand the armies of humanity, the courageous soldiers of the Imperial Guard and the super-human Space Marines. The largest organised army in existence, the Imperial Guard are the hammer of the Emperor, a force billions of warriors strong. In contrast the Space Marines are few in number, it is said that there is not even so many as a single Space Marine for each planet in the Imperium and yet they are humanity's greatest champions. Angels of Death, the Space Marines strike fear into the hearts of the Emperor's foes.
You awaken from a stasis tube groggy and barely able to move your body. The alarm is loud and you cover your ears to try to gain your senses. The lights are bright and all is a blur until your eyes regain their perception. As your senses return to you looking around you see 5 other stasis tubes each with their own occupants arising except for one.
You recognize your comrades and your memories start to return...
You were on a planet being over run by Chaos. Your mission was to take down the Daemon Prince and end their small crusade. It was no easy task but your Inquisitor had faith in the Emperor and your abilities to make this happen.
The forces of Chaos were stronger than expected. Your cover was thrown and even with the help of a Grey Knight your group was no match for the overwhelming odds. Your Inquisitor was wounded during combat and your team had to flee. Without a medicae available your placed the Inquisitor in a stasis tube until you could get him someplace to be assisted. As you were escaping something unexpected happened. The planet exploded...
Your ship's navigation and almost all traveling functions were destroyed in the blast but you all were relativity unharmed except for the Inquisitor. Without any way of communication or travel the Grey Knight suggested everyone go into stasis and prayed the emperor guided them someplace safe as you drifted through the void.
How long have you been in stasis? The alarms continue to scream at you as you regain your senses.
Brim rubs his head and falls out of his tube and smashes his head into the ground.
"WHAT THE FRAK!"
He curses up a storm as he makes his way to his feet and tries to look around as blood drips from his nose. The short man only stands about 4'3" and is very wide. He has a crimson red hair and beard and his hair is cut like a mowhawk. He's only wearing the white robes you all put on before going into stasis.
The large man seems to regain his senses faster than the rest and steps out of the tube. He stands about 1 head taller than most humans and is twice as wide. He has muscles upon muscles that probably shouldn't exist on a human but he is no normal human. He is Adeptus Astartes and not just any normal one but a Grey Knight. His short cropped black hair and beard still seems to have the oils in it from when he went to sleep.
He looks down at the squat and ignores him as he makes his way toward the tube that did not open.
Deathstroke pushes his way out of the stasis tube and drops to the floor in complete silence, taking stock of his situation. The first thing he does when he reaches the floor is to check the chrono built into his mask.
The second thing he does is take stock of his weapons and equipment in an orderly, almost mechanical fashion, his movements swift and sure.
Standing to his full height of 6'2", he turns and looks at Brim.
"Can you do something about that alarm, Brim?"
Then he turns to Bother Sariel.
"We've been in stasis for five centuries. Does the Inquisitor yet live?"
Brim holds his nose trying not to bleed all over the place.
"Brim do this, Brim do that! Always the Abhuman doing all the dirty work!"
He heads over to a cogitator to see what's going on.
The Space Marine looks over the bio readings on the stasis tube that holds the Inquisitor and speaks in a very dry voice.
"It states he is still stable. Five centuries is quite some time to sleep."
"Abhuman where are we?"
"DO THIS DO THAT!" WHICH DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FIRST!"
He just mumbles under his breath as he continues to work on the cogitator.
"Alarm first, Brim. Then discover where we are. We could have drifted completely out of the system in 500 years. And we were awakened for a reason."
Deathstroke continued to suit up.
After he has finished suiting up and completed his weapons check, Deathstroke drops to the floor and begins a calisthenic ritual to re-awaken muscle memory. He recites the Sharpshooter's Litany to remove the last vestiges of grogginess from his mind.
A quick Opening of her eyes, a quick survey of her surroundings followed by a pair of blinks to clear her vision, her ears started picking up the alarm sounds as she leaned forward taking a better look of the chamber. this was the pod she went on when the planet exploded damaging the ship, she could already see some of her friends had already woke up and where trying to assets the situation.
out of the pod she went, a slender well shaped figure 5'10" tall, deep engaging brown eyes, and short black hair. water drops forming in her forehead as her body regained its heat in the cold stasis chamber. with a quick wipe of her robes she dries her face as she approaches her friends.
as she nears her friends she quickly greets them and count them. then she ask for the inquisitor.
"is the inquisitor all right, where are we?"
"The Inquisitor is stable, for the moment."
He speaks during repetitions of push-ups.
"Brim is working on figuring out our location as soon as he finishes shutting off the alarm."
He rolls to a standing position.
"In the meantime, I think we should find out why we were awakened after 500 years."
"Does anyone require assistance with their armory? No telling what state the rest of the ship is in. It could be open to the void outside of this room. And 500 years is a long time to go without maintenance."
The Space Marine makes his way to a locked crate and enters a series of keys that opens it and inside he starts to pull out his power armor and nemesis gear.
"You can assist with me donning this armor Vindicare."
Deathstroke assists Brother Sariel in his arming rituals, ensuring that all systems are properly venerated. He carefully examines each piece for signs of failure or malfunction.
Zaddion awakens from his slumber watching his fellow men scurry about and first things first finds himself a mirror.
"500 years you don't say, and I still look ravishing as I did in my 20's"
Zaddion starts to sway back and forth at the sounds of the blairing alarm making slashing motion with his arms as if he were cutting through some unknowning foe peeling their skin from flesh wit his beautiful art called Murder.
"I guess it is time to hunt"
Brim grumbles as he works on the cogitator to disable the alarm and find out what in thrones blazzing hell is going on! After a few minutes of working the controls Brim looks up at everyone with eyes wide open. The alarms went off and he moves away from the cogitator.
"It appears if we do not make a response in a few moments to the vessels outside in the void here we are going to be blown to pieces."
Zaddion gears up placing one sword on each hip and his demon slayer on back.
"Best respond or we will have an eternity of beauty rest"
Zaddion places his mask on to protect his beauty from harm and unworthy onlookers
Zaddion gears up placing one sword on each hip and his demon slayer on back.
"Best respond or we will have an eternity of beauty rest"
Zaddion places his mask on to protect his beauty from harm and unworthy onlookers
The Grey Knight doesn't appear to show any emotion when he hears the news from the Squat and makes his way over to the control panel still not finished putting on all his armour.
"Open a hail Abhuman my work is not finished yet."
Brim grumbles and starts to work again on the controls.
"This is the Emperors Mercy of the Ordo Malleus please do not shoot us!"
Brim continues to look through the logs awaiting a response to figure out where exactly they are.
"It appears we are in the Malfian Sub-Sector of the Calixis Sector which is on the rim of this sector. We surely drifted far in those 500 years.
As to not hinder their comrades efforts Justine, just stand back and let the abhuman and the space marine handle the communication she had faith in them and their success, for now she just prayed at the emperor. that the other vessels would not shoot.
"Their methods are shameful to openly attack a vessel that does not appear any threat. They are mere brutes no style or elegance to their approach. They are indeed ugly and need a good skinning."
Zaddion eyes go from a tranquil peaceful vainity to a blood lust murderous intent
"I must purge them of theirunbeauty and make this sector lovely once more"
Deathstroke's sigh was barely audible as were most of the things that he did. He moved to another cogitator array to attempt to identify the nearby vessels.
"We are an Inqusitorial Vessel that was set adrift due to catastrophic damage to our navigational array. We guard the Inquisitor Jack Drakos, who is in need of immediate medicae attention. Can you assist?"
He awaits a response from the hailing vessels.
Brim begins banging on one of the cogitators with a wrench.
"That should do it!"
On the last swing a hologram image appears before you all and is the face of a Naval Officer with his brim hat on.
**Naval Officer**
"This is Commander Alexander Gauss please provide proof of your claim to be an Inquisitorial Vessel. Your vessel has drifted to close to the Penal World here and our naval forces without clearance."
"I am Deathstroke Clade Vindicare, Imperial Throne Agent. Sending bona fides now. We have been adrift and in stasis for 5 centuries, Commander. Please understand that if the codes seem a bit out of date."
Deathstroke touched several buttons to broadcast their Inquisitorial Codes.
"Is there anything else that you require? Inquisitor Drakos is in dire straits."
There is a long pause for several minutes before a reply is returned. In that time Brim continues to look at the controls of the ship to assess if any more damage was done during your long sleep and Brother Sariel continues to put the rest of his armor on.
The hologram shows the commanders face again and he speaks.
"Yes, these do not register anywhere. We are sending a boarding vessel over to transport you to the space station orbiting the planet where we will do further investigation about what you say."
"SPACE DOGS! That's all naval officers are! Never liked em!"
"Calm yourself Abhuman before I am forced to calm you permanently."
"If one of them touches me I will peel their flesh from their bones while they breathe."Zaddion eyes glow with delight as images of tourmenting his prey flash through his mind.
"Shall make it extremely painful, and look onto te beautiful expression of agony on their faces as it registers in their minds the horror they will feel."
Zaddion shakes his head to releave these pleasureable images of pure carnage
"we should secure the inquisitor. his rosette can me good for our identification and we should prepare his body for medical evac. for now we should get ready for the boarding party" she goes to the inquisitor and gives him a last check, then she headed towards her equipment grabbed it and went to a room, she donned her armour as fast as she could but without leaving the details. there was a meeting soon and she had to be ready.
"Please insure that your transport is appointed for Astartes. One will be accompanying us."
Deathstroke waits for the hubbub that is about to ensue.
Everyone gathers all their gear including the Squat and after about 30 minutes the terminal lock is disengaged as a smaller vessel boards. Brother Sariel suggested we leave Brim with the Inquisitor while the rest of the team meets with the boarding team and no one would disagree with that as the Abhuman is in rare form and doesn't want to upset the naval officers.
As you await them to disembark in the hangar about 10 troopers pour out from the vessel followed by an officer. It's not the same man you saw on the hologram. The troopers have the look of awe in their eyes as they see the Astartes standing there waiting. It's very rare that humans get to see these legendary beings, no less a grey knight (which barely any humans even know exist).
The officer takes in the situation looking between the Death Cultist, Vindicare, Battle Sister and Astartes. Definetly a group not to be trifled with and approaches slowly.
"Who is in command here while your Inquisitor is in stasis? I presume you have his rosette for identification?"
Deathstroke holds up the Imperial Rosette as he had been the one tending to the Inquisitor.
"Did you bring a medicae as requested for the Inquisitor?"
Zaddion stands there silent as death. Looking at those he would like to dice into little pieces
The Naval Officer nods and a crew of 5 come out of the vessel.
"Lead these men to the Inquisitor and they will ensure he makes it safely to the star port where medical treatment can be taken care of."
Brother Sariel stands as rigid as a statue until he finally speaks.
"Our vessel is incapable of going anywhere we request you assist us with repairs and allow us to stay at the port until the Inquisitor is well and the vessel is space ready."
"Brother Sariel is quite correct. You men, follow me. I will take you to the Inquisitor."
Deathstroke leads the men to the Inquisitor's stasis pod, but he never lowers his guard for an instant. 500 years is a long time to not know what is going on.
The medicai follow Deathstroke to the Inquisitor and carefully pull him out of stasis and on board the vessel. They seem to be very skilled.
Brim does not look happy with them taking the Inquisitor away. He has been with him the longest of the group and has grown attached to his master.
Once the Inquisitor is on board safely the commanding officer gestures toward the vessel for everyone to get on board.
Brother Sariel and Brim go on without thinking twice.
Deathstroke grabs his duffel of equipment and boards the vessel, sitting next to Brim for the trip to the station.
"He'll be okay, Brim. We'll make sure he gets the best care possible."
Zaddion suppresses his urge to purge these men
"If 500 years have passed what is the state of the war where we were set adrift? How has mankind's beauty flourished over the years? Zaddion rage kicks in full throttle
"Is there something for me to kill" Zaddion draws his swords off his hips and twirls around in a elegant dance displaying his sword play which looks like a masterful piece of death
Deathstroke stares at Zaddion.
"Put those things away. These men are on edge as it is. Are you trying to get Inquisitor Drakos killed?"
The Space Marine stares at Zaddion as well.
"I know you crave the good death cultist but now is not the time. We must assess the situation and ensure the Inquisitor is taken care of."
Brim stands up, but is so short it's hard to tell at times.
"YEAH what the big guy said! Put your toothpicks away and relax already! I don't want to be getting killed as soon as I woke up!"
Zaddion scoffs at the lot of them shedding a slight smile.
"Jealous of my foot work are we? it's ok to admire my art form it truly is a sight to behold" Zaddion places the left sword back in the sheath and rubs the right blade feeling the coolness of the metal across his bare skin of his left forearm. And sheathed the right blade
"So what of the war ? Please update us on the late 500 years."
Deathstroke slowly shakes his head.
"Jealous? No. Cautious, and far from stupid. This situation is rife with the possibility of overreaction and misunderstanding. Don't add to it."
Zaddion completely fades into nothingness. He is still there but so still and silent it's almost like he is not present.