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’That cannot be so,’ protested Astelan, trying to sit up but raising his head only a little against the strength of the chains ’I saw nothing of Caliban e approached ’This cannot be our fortress Why do you mock me?’
’There is no mockery,’ Samiel said quietly ’This fortress is all that is left of our homeworld of Caliban’
’Lies!’ Astelan declared, trying to sit up, his ainst the chains This is just a trick!’
’You knoe speak the truth,’ Boreas said, forcing Astelan down again with a hand on his chest His eyes bored into Astelan’s as he spoke his next words: ’This is all that remains of Caliban, our homeworld that your treachery destroyed’
No one spoke for several an to seep into his flesh from the stone slab he lay on Astelan watched his breath coalescing into a faintand falling quickly In all the years he had sought out information of his former masters, he had never heard of such a cata­strophic event taking place Perhaps it was a trick to weaken his resolve? He fast dish, as he considered the evidence he had wit­nessed since his arrival
He was indeed in the catacolorious fortress of the Dark Angels Chapter, now somehow ripped froht that prompted him to speak
’Is this why you attacked me, unprovoked, on Tharsis?’ Astelan asked, ’Was it e for the loss you have suffered, to destroy my new home?’
’Your new home?’ Boreas repeated scornfully ’A world full of soldiers and slaves, all sworn to be loyal to you Can you not admit the heresy of your actions?’
’Has it now become heresy to rule a world in the Eain, as I once did?’ Astelan said, looking first at Boreas, and then quickly at Samiel
’We were created to serveforward and wiping a bead of sweat from Astelan’s broith his thuhed Astelan ’You forget that a million serfs toiled in the fields of our hoes and machine shops to arm us, and on our ships and in the factories’
’A world does not exist to be enslaved to a single Space Marine,’ Boreas said
’We are all slaves of a kind, soly serve the Emperor, and some must be forced to,’ Astelan told him
’And which are you?’ Sa forward ’Was it not you and your kind who refused to serve, taking it upon yourselves to usurp the Lion and betray the Dark Angels?’
’Never!’ spat Astelan, thrashing at his bonds ’It is the rest of ht on Tharsis, and I was appalled My arreat, worthy to be led by the Eht of the Dark Angels that I fought alongside, the battle would have been swiftly lost Now, they have pulled your teeth, scat­tered you across the stars This I have learnt these last two hundred years’
’You are wrong,’ argued Boreas, pacing back and forth, his eyes locked on Astelan’s like a predator ’The Legions were broken up so that no single ain’
’An act done by illed men ere jealous of us, and afraid of ere,’ said Astelan, ht ’I coels Chapter commanders, and whole worlds fell before our wrath I would have taken Tharsis in a single day, but you waged war upon ’
’The power you wielded has corrupted you, as it has corruptedaway ’It was that temptation that could not be allowed to exist’
’Corrupt? You callaround the s out in this dark cell, slinking in the shadows, afraid of the power you possess I remember this place as one of celebration and victory A hundred banners flew froreat festivals lit these roolories I realaxy as the Ereatest, never forget that! We never once knew defeat as we fol­lowed the Eiven Caliban and El’Jonson became our leader, ere still the lords of battle It was that tiain We exist for battle, and I forged an army to continue the Great Crusade’
’The Great Crusade ended ten thousand years ago, when you and others like you turned on the Emperor and tried to destroy all that he had built,’ Sa silently
’I do not accept your accusations,’ replied Astelan Again the cell was silent for a while, until Boreas turned and loomed over the slab, ar the cloth of his robe ’If you are not a traitor, then explain why you coator-Chaplain asked calmly
’You left me little choice,’ Astelan replied bitterly ’I had reports fro froate Your strike vessel opened fire without replying to their hails, destroy­ing one of my ships It is only natural that others in the patrol should attack, when assaulted without provoca­tion You showed nonearly a thousand of my men!’
’And yet, when the battle-brothers landed and you saw that it was the Dark Angels you faced, you did not sur­render, nor order your are,’ Boreas continued
’I told them to resist at all costs!’ spat Astelan
’It was your guilt that co justice for your evil deeds!’
’I did it to preserve what I had created,’ Astelan replied, his voice dropping to a whisper ’Once before, the reat works I would not allow it to happen again’
’What great works?’ sneered Boreas ’A world that laboured for your pride? Ten million souls in chains to fuel your ambition? Indentured workers, conscript sol­diers, all the fettered reed’
’I have learnt that the realm of the Emperor stretches over more than a million worlds,’ explained Astelan, as he pictured the vast factory-cities of Tharsis ’The nu,across star systems, in space ports and on ships Crammed atop each other in the hive cities, scattered beneath the rocks of the ain that we are all slaves to the will of the Emperor’