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’Area is secure, follow me,’ he stated and his helm trans­unship
As he strode down the ramp, Boreas was followed by the other members of his small command The first was Hephaestus, his Techmarine and pilot of the Thunderhawk His armour was alht with the design of a two-headed eagle ings spread, a cog clasped in its claws, the severe green broken only by the red of his left shoulder pad to indicate his special rank Next came the two bat-de-brothers, Thumiel and Zaul, whotheir boltguns casually, but the constantalertness Last of the group was Nestor, the Apothecary and guardian of their physical well-being His white ared with fitted equip needles and half-concealed phials, and cables that swung heavily froers stepped forward and bowed on one knee, followed by the rest of the tribe He was thin and wiry, but despite his advanced years, his race He wore a short sarong of thick anie of leaves His body was covered in blue tattoos across his chest and arms, and over his bald head Each was e nebula swirls, and oddly drawn diagrams of orbital syste cloak woven from thin vines, studded with tiny barbs that worried at his flesh, leaving his shoulders and back raw and bleeding
After a long pause of deference, he stood again, his head reaching only as far as Boreas’s chest Gazing up into the severe, stylised skull face, the chieftain s deeper
’We are honoured that you visit us again,’ he said with a short nod of satisfaction It took a moment for Boreas to understand the barbarians’ dialect of I for a short while his mind translated the more archaic and parochial terms used ’Twice now in my life the warriors of the stars have visited my peo­ple, and twice now they have taken the best of our sons to fight with them’
’External address,’ Boreas sub-vocalised, his hel his voice so that it reached across the whole village Reaching into his memory, Boreas recalled the name of the leader of this particular tribe ’Yes, Hebris, the sons of your people now honour us with their skills and dedication And noe have coain to choose nearriors for the Emperor beyond the cloud I trust that you are prepared?’
’As ever, lords,’ Hebris said sole years we have awaited your return, and our best hunters and war­riors have looked to the skies for a sign of your coest have passed while your eyes were elsewhere, but the next worthy ascendants are ready to prove theood,’ Boreas said, head tilted to look down at the tattooed scalp of the elder ’We are ready for the trial to begin’
’We are always ready, it is a good omen that you visit us today, the twentieth year since iven the cloak of thorns,’ Hebris said ’This night shall be reenerations to coroup of warriors parted to form a path for their visitors They were tall and lean, dressed in armour made froles It was crudely shaped in iiant Space Marines who took their bravest young war­riors every so often - bulging chestplates, rounded shoulder pads, flared greaves around their legs Each held a spear tipped with sharpened bone and hung with tufts of fur, feathers and claws taken from their prey
Their bodies, like their chiefs, were heavily tattooed with stars and suns, sy-tailed cos for thou­sands of years; the night sky was a featureless sheet of cloud to thee of their existence had been passed down from their ancestors who had first settled this world more than twenty thousand years before, tenof the Ey
For hundreds of centuries, Piscina V had been plun­dered for its rich mineral deposits, the sky polluted aste, the rivers sucked dry When the Age of Strife had swept across the ancient galactic empire of mankind, Piscina V had been isolated for thousands of years and over this time the planet reclaiy stations that had once leeched energy from the planet’s core had fallen into disrepair and malfunctioned The planet had been wracked by hty cities, killed the population by the e of barbarism
Now Piscina V was do fu of a hundred thousand factories
Hebris led Boreas and the other Space Marines between the ts of his personal hunters and war­riors, while the other villagers crowded close in behind theood look at their otherworldly visitors They followed the old chieftain as he led thee of the crater until it reached a flat platforround level of the caldera
At the back of the platfore, flanked by two guards dressed in a siuard, with the addition of helmets fashioned from animal skulls Inside was a shrine, lit by hundreds of lale creatures these people hunted for survival On ornately carved tables, sacred artefacts from the prehistory of the tribesmen were kept on display, to be revered by those ould never understand their true origins or workings They were almost as incomprehensible to Boreas as they were to the chieftain and his people, but he knew enough to recog­nise thenisable under the thick lay­ers of rust that had gathered despite the best efforts of Hebris’s priests to keep them clean The acidic, humid air of Piscina V was the bane of all nised, crafted frootten materials resistant to the planet’s harsh environears and wheels, circuitry draith intricate crystal layers, ceralanced back to see Hephaestus bending over a particular object that looked like a mechanical spider with coils of wire sheath splayed fro,’ warned Boreas as the Techmarine reached out a hand towards the device He stopped instantly, his helator-Chaplain
’The Adeptus Mechanicus would be very pleased for these artefacts,’ Hephaestus said over the inter-squad co with them’
’And you have no personal interest at all, of course,’ joked Zaul from behind Hephaestus
’I am a Space Marine first and foremost, a techpriest only after that,’ Hephaestus replied in a disgruntled voice
’We are here to attend other matters, conduct yourselves with decoru to Hebris and his people, do not dishonour our Chapter and yourself by treating them with disrespect’
’I understand, Brother-Chaplain, I apologise forup
’I too am sorry for any misdeed,’ added Zaul with a nod to Boreas
’Then all is well,’ Boreas told theiant warriors, his face a picture of wide-eyed awe He was, of course, oblivious to the exchange going on between the Space Marines, but Boreas realised that their body language and gestures betrayed their co the sacred relics of your people,’ Boreas re away froles seven surin as he pointed at a particular ence does you and your peo­ple credit,’ Hephaestus said laying a auntleted hand on Hebris’s shoulder The old ht and the Techmarine quickly removed his hand and crossed his arms over his chest
’I thank you for your kind words,’ Hebris replied ’But, enough of this! Bring out the bench for our lords’
The elder clapped his hands and four ed with a runting under the weight, they manhandled it to the front of the platform outside the cave, where they set it down Boreas and the others took their places and sat, the bench creaking under their co up under the strain
’You in,’ said Boreas with a nod towards Hebris The chieftain scaathered in a sehters,’ Hebris cried out, his face bea braves shall fight in the trials before the eyes of the sky-warriors who serve the Eo into the stars, there to fight for glory, and great honour and fortune shall they bring to our people Let the willing ascendants come forth!’
Out of a cave at the foot of the cliff filed a group of twenty youths, in their early teenage years They were naked except for splashes of purple and red war paint daubed in handprints over their chests and faces In their hands, they each carried a skull or large bone, trophies from the hunts they had participated in
They soleers and stood in a line facing the Space Marines Raising their prizes above their heads they shouted out in unison
’Great lords of the Emperor,’ they cried ’We shall shed our blood today to prove our worth to you!’
The furthest to the left stepped forward, bowed to one knee and reverentially laid a viciously-fanged skull the size of his torso in front of hi, he looked up at the Space Marines