NB - Using ChatGPT for translation. Just letting you know.
The Unification Wars were nearing their end. The last unyielding bastion of the Emperor's enemies on Terra was the Kingdom of Urartu. The Emperor wanted to conclude everything with one decisive battle, so he allowed his enemies to gather their strength near Mount Ararat. In this final battle, after which Terra would finally be united, I and my warriors also took part.
Initially, the participation of the Fifth Legion's Space Marines was not planned. The Fifth Legion was too small in number and insufficiently prepared. However, my unit had shown good results during training, so the overseers approved our participation as an opportunity to gain combat experience. Moreover, the risk was minimal since our specialty was heavy fire support.
The main burden of the battle was to be borne by the Thunder Warriors. The rest of the Emperor's forces would only provide fire support and ensure that the enemy could not flank or escape the battlefield. In this final battle, all the Emperor's last enemies were to fall.
My unit was preparing a position not far from the Thunder Warriors' left flank. For maximum effectiveness, I ordered us to climb as high as possible on one of the nearby hills. Most of our heavy bolters were replaced with lascannons and missile launchers.
"Place a quarter of the ammunition next to you. We will inflict maximum damage in the first few minutes before the enemy notices us. Fire at maximum speed until we expend a quarter of our stock. Then, immediate change of position. Those with heavy bolters can serve as spotters and ammo carriers for now," I issued orders to my unit.
"It's a shame we have so few. If we had just five more men, we could speed up reloading the missile launchers and rain fire down on the enemy," Rork, my second-in-command, said as he stood next to me. From the very beginning of our journey to becoming Space Marines, he had accepted my leadership.
"We work with what we have, Rork. I'll be with the missile launchers, and you with the lascannons. Make sure they don't get too carried away hunting the cannon fodder." I hadn't even finished speaking when the distant sound of artillery fire reached us.
Rork ran to the lascannons, and I headed to the missile launchers. We didn't need to discuss our next steps; everything had already been drilled, and each of us knew what to do.
Taking my position, I quickly raised my missile launcher, checked the targeting systems and rangefinder, and loaded a frag missile. The Thunder Warriors were already advancing toward the enemy, who, upon seeing them, opened fire with everything they had.
Thanks to the optics built into my helmet, I quickly identified the positions of heavy stubbers, autocannons, and heavy bolters. I relayed their coordinates through the network and, after confirming readiness, fired the first missile. I quickly lowered the launcher, loaded another frag missile, and waited for the others to be ready. Another synchronized salvo followed. We worked like a machine, aiming to suppress enemy gunners and destroy their weapons.
"Final salvo!" I loaded the last frag missile, fired it, and immediately left the cover.
The others followed me, and we managed to reach our backup positions just in time before the enemy artillery barrage began.
"Damn it. The enemy artillery is still active. Now, everyone is limited to two shots before changing positions," I switched to Rork's comm channel, "Carousel is canceled. I repeat, the carousel is canceled."
I had named our tactic "carousel," a method of alternating fire to prevent the enemy from zeroing in on us. But the enemy artillery made it impossible to continue, which would affect our fire intensity.
Rork acknowledged as we resupplied, but just as we finished, we received an urgent request for fire support. We had to rush back to our previous positions due to the location of the new target.
Ten enemy tanks had pinned down the Thunder Warriors, preventing them from advancing. Even their enhanced physiology and strong armor were no match for large-caliber tank shells.
We quickly switched from frag to anti-armor krak missiles. During this time, the enemy tanks managed to fire a few rounds, killing at least a dozen Thunder Warriors. But their retribution was imminent.
Four missiles either destroyed or severely damaged three tanks. One tank was luckier, losing only its treads when it abruptly changed direction, presenting its side to the missile.
We fired four more missiles, this time taking out four more tanks. The remaining two were overwhelmed by the enraged Thunder Warriors. One tank had its turret hatch ripped off, and a grenade was thrown inside, reducing it to scrap metal. The other tank was hit by a meltagun, causing its ammunition to detonate. Judging by the roar of the Thunder Warriors, they enjoyed the fireworks.
My unit returned to its task of suppressing enemy firing positions. This continued for most of the day. We destroyed enemy gunners and artillery crews, occasionally providing fire support to the advancing Thunder Warriors.
The most unpleasant moment in the battle came when Urartu played its trump card: a Doomsday Blade, a super-heavy tank that even our lascannons and krak missiles couldn't seriously damage. We had to "bleed" it like a mammoth. After several failed attempts to breach its side armor, we focused our lascannon fire on disabling its weapons and used missiles to target its optics and other sensors.
Our only salvation from being torn apart by its massive gun was our mobility and the tank's limited vertical targeting range. Once, a Destroyer shell exploded near us, but everyone survived, although a few of my men experienced the blast force of a shell designed to breach bunker walls. Their armor was riddled with sharp, razor-like stone fragments.
But we kept firing, slowly wearing it down. The final blow came from one of my frag missiles, which, due to engine problems in the tank, landed right in the barrel of the Destroyer gun. Although it wasn't a krak missile, the explosion inside the barrel shook the tank. Another explosion followed, ripping off a portion of the front armor along with the remains of the integrated gun.
"Great shot, Buri," Rork was the first to congratulate me as he took advantage of the breach in the tank's armor to fire the lascannons.
"I know, Rork. Now it's your turn. Burn it as fast as you can; we've already spent too much time on it." I carried my missile launcher and ran toward the nearest ammo resupply point.
When I returned to the position, I was greeted by the sight of the burning super-heavy tank. But I didn't have much time to enjoy the view as a new request for fire support forced us to move to another sector.
The battle lasted until evening when the Thunder Warriors managed to break through the enemy lines, nearly splitting them in two. Then came the encirclement and the subsequent destruction of all the enemies.
However, some managed to escape the encirclement. My unit was tasked with pursuing one of these groups after resupplying with ammunition and receiving a few assault bikes.
The pursuit and elimination of the fleeing enemies did not take long, but the return was far more time-consuming due to two reasons. First, one of the fleeing soldiers caused a small landslide with a poorly aimed shot, blocking the path we had been traveling. The second reason was the already unstable communication and location systems started to malfunction after we cleared the road.
"What are we going to do, Buri?" Rork turned to me after another failed attempt to contact command.
"We'll find a high enough point on the way back and try to contact the command again. There's no other option. Hmm, Rork, did you hear that? It doesn't sound like the rumbling of rocks," I turned my head in the direction of the battlefield from earlier.
"Hm? Yeah, that doesn't quite sound like the rumbling we heard during the landslide," Rork listened closely as well.
"Uncertainty is the most unpleasant thing that can happen in war. Send one of the assault bikes ahead for reconnaissance. Meanwhile, I'll search for a high enough spot where we can either reestablish contact with HQ or at least see what's causing that strange noise. After all, when we left the battlefield, the remnants of Urartu were being finished off," I pulled out my tablet and began searching through the maps of the area around Mount Ararat.
After finding a suitable spot, I transmitted the coordinates to everyone, and our small group on assault bikes headed toward one of the ridges. Along the way, it became clear that fighting was ongoing, and we prepared for the possibility that something extraordinary had occurred, requiring us to be ready for battle. But as soon as we reached the ridge, we were surrounded by Custodians.
"Identify yourselves," commanded the warrior clad in golden armor, pointing his spear at me.
"Fifth Legion. Heavy fire support detachment. I am Legionnaire Buri, commander of this unit. We have returned after completing the mission to pursue and eliminate the fleeing forces of Urartu," I gave a brief report to the Custodian.
"Why are you here? You were supposed to leave this sector after completing your mission," the Custodian continued his interrogation, still not lowering his weapon.
"During the pursuit, a landslide delayed us, and then communication problems began. We decided to return the same way," I started to explain, but an elderly figure, leaning on a staff topped with an eagle spreading its wings over a small brazier, interrupted me.
"Lower your weapons, Custodians. They pose no threat," the elder said, and only then did I realize that this was none other than Malcador the Sigillite, the Emperor's closest ally.
The Custodians silently obeyed, and the Sigillite motioned for me to follow him. I disarmed myself, got off my bike, and followed him.
"I give you a simple choice, young warrior: to see and forget, or to see and swear an oath to keep this secret until the end of your days," said Malcador as we neared the end of our ascent.
"What about my men, lord?" I asked, bracing myself for the worst.
"They will forget and never recall what happened after the chase. So, what is your choice? Sometimes ignorance is a blessing that saves one from many disappointments," a light sadness flashed in Malcador's eyes, the kind seen in one who has witnessed much and endured even more.
"I am ready to bear this burden of secrecy for the rest of my days," I said. Malcador only smiled and stepped aside, allowing me to witness something incredible.
Thunder Warriors were fighting against Custodians and Space Marines of the First Legion. They were outnumbered but continued to fight with the fury of a cornered beast. I saw how a pair of Thunder Warriors tore apart several Space Marines, only to be killed moments later by a Custodian who, with a swing of his axe, beheaded them both. In another place, five Space Marines overwhelmed a single Thunder Warrior, but at the cost of their own lives.
It was not a battle—it was a slaughter. Neither side showed any mercy. Blood, corpses, and cries of rage.
"The Imperium is born in blood and pain. Unfortunately, that is the price of future greatness and the chance for humanity's survival," said Malcador, leaning wearily on his staff.
"It's brutal. It's ruthless. But it is necessary," I said, surprising Malcador.
"Hmm. You do know how to surprise. How did you come to such a conclusion?" Malcador asked in the tone of a teacher wanting to hear a student's thoughts.
"If the Thunder Warriors were not flawed, there would have been no need to create us, the Space Marines. I hail from Ursh, and my father often spoke of how the Thunder Warriors were not warriors but mad beasts. They are strong, durable, and fearless, but they are always one step away from plunging into the abyss of madness. The brighter the flame burns, the faster it dies," I replied. Malcador smirked at that.
"Go on. I'm surprised you remember so much of your past," the Sigillite said, his eyes searching mine as if looking for something hidden.
"During my transformation into a Space Marine, I heard talk that we would not age like regular people and could live for a very long time. But when I asked if we were long-lived, then the Thunder Warriors should practically be eternal, the response was silence. Over time, I noticed that there were no Thunder Warriors older than 50; few even reached 40. It seems the price for power is high," I said, and Malcador nodded. "As for my memories, I must be an anomaly."
"Not bad. Interesting. Now I want to ask you another question. I'm curious to know your thoughts. Are you not afraid? Do you not fear that soon you may share the fate of the Thunder Warriors?" Malcador's eyes flashed with steel.
"No. I started to realize that my chances of dying in my bed were low when I understood what world, planet, and family I was born into. Becoming an Astartes didn't exactly improve my already slim chances of a peaceful death from old age. And the fate of the Thunder Warriors likely doesn't await me. There are too many enemies standing in the way of humanity's unification. Even if I live to see the day when the Imperium no longer needs Astartes, I would ask only one thing: to be granted a worthy death, with a sword in hand, and by the sword," I said, making the Sigillite smile, the steel in his eyes replaced by the warmth of understanding.
"Good words, young warrior. The willingness to take a hard road and follow it to the end despite all the trials. Intelligence and bravery. Duty and willfulness. This isn't the first time you've surprised me during our conversation, and that is something few have managed in many years. You are worthy of a reward. Speak your desire, Buri," said the Sigillite, and flames erupted from the brazier on his staff.
"You already know it, Lord Malcador. With a sword in hand, and by the sword," I said, kneeling and removing my helmet.
"Ha. You truly are willful. Very well, Buri. I have heard you. But before you fall in a worthy death, you will serve the Emperor and the Imperium of Mankind just as worthily," this time, the fire from the brazier was so bright and powerful that it illuminated everything around us and the mountain of Ararat itself.
"Thank you, Lord Sigillite," I said, putting my helmet back on and standing. We then silently watched the final battle of the Unification Wars.
POV Sigillite.
Some time after the battle ended, and the memories of all but one witness were erased, the Sigillite headed to the Tower of Hegemon, the main command center of the Custodians.
"Summon Ra Endymion. There is a task for him," one of the servants inside the Tower of Hegemon bowed and went to carry out Malcador's will.
"Lord Malcador, I have come at your call," Ra Endymion said upon arrival, bowing his head—a rare gesture for a Custodian.
"Ra Endymion, you will be given an unusual mission. You must train a warrior in the art of the blade and make him a fighter who will not falter even before a Custodian. The Imperium needs worthy warriors, and you will do whatever is necessary for that. The Great Crusade will soon begin."