My Angels of ...

Five days after leaving Mars orbit, the Holy Mandate began its slow travel towards Holy Terra itself. By the time they had reached the planet, the crew were in shock to find it not as the massive epicenter of civilization but as a blue and green orb, a pre-industrial planet lush with water and plant life. Had it not been for the data to confirm the readings, they would have mistaken it for any other colony world on the fringes of the Imperium.

Staring out into the void of space and watching the debris field pass by, Lieutenant Kolar watched as he recognised the ruined hulks of imperial ships that did not survive the warp jump, drifting out into the abyss towards lower Earth orbit to burn up, while other fragments continued on, most likely to disappear into the endless void. Stoic as ever, the Deathwatch marine lowered his head and raised his hands in the form of the Aquila over his chest, muttering a prayer to those lost. “Sit Imperatoris ad requiem tibi sedes ad mensam convivii: Amen.”

Hearing the footfalls of his second in command, Kolar turned to the Dark Angel, ever wielding his plasma cannon in both hands. His armor a glossy black with the heraldry of the inquisition save for the right shoulder bearing the spread open wings of an angel pierced by a sword, the emblem of his chapter. Along with the burlap and linen cloak of his chapter draped over his shoulders and back. Unlike Kolar, Ignar was aloof, secretive. Always choosing his words carefully, like all Dark Angels. “The Inquisitor, Madam Yennifer has ordered us to meet her in the captain’s lounge, she has words to speak to us.”

“Aye, Madam Yennifer had mentioned she had orders for us to follow now that we are here.” Nodded the Ultra marine, his matching black and silver armor a polished gleam, along with the symbol of his chapter to his right shoulder, the symbol of war, the symbol of Macragge. “She is difficult to trust at times, always keeping secrets; plans within plans that one.”

“Some secrets are worth keeping Lieutenant.” Answered Ignar, his face unreadable.

“Secrets hide shame Ignar, truth hides nothing.” Replied Kolar, getting a reaction from the Dark Angel before the two heard a third voice overhead in the rafters.

“Then it pleases me to know that as your most HONEST soldier, I can hide so much more easily than a secret.” Leaning out of the shadows, on top of a buttress 20 feet overhead, Janus smiled down at his lieutenant. “But Ignar has a point, some truths hurt, some kill.”

“How long have you been roosting up there, Raven Guard?”

“30 minutes before you arrived to watch our fallen brothers and sisters drift by… I wanted to catch the sight, ingrain it to memory.” Leaning back against the buttress, the lightly armored marine sighed. Unlike the others, his armor was almost comparable to that of the imperial guardsman save for the additional servo frame of a scout armor and the thermo-cloak he had bundled behind him. His trusted bolt round sniper rifle folded and slung over his hip. “I find misery likes company.”

“It’s a tragedy is what it is, better they had died in battle than by some freak accident.” Husked Ignar, looking back out the window to where the debris field continued to drift by. The Dark Angel kept MUCH to himself, even his emotions, what few he and the others could still feel.

“Then let us honour them, by fighting the fight they could not, the Emperor protects.”

“The Emperor Protects!” Ignar and Janus repeated, the two joining Kolar as he marched down the hall to the captain’s lounge. As the three walked, the many imperial guardsmen gave the trio a wide berth to let them pass, some bowing to the angels of **** while others averted their eyes out of fear or respect. Days ago they were still in their original heraldry, the need for their presence in the Deathwatch was immediate by the time they had joined the ship’s crew as the Inquisitor’s body guard, now after having enough time to prepare, the Space Marines had their gear properly anointed and repainted, sporting the heraldry of the Inquisition’s military branch. Passing by the reclusium of the ship, Kolar spotted his fourth teammate. Nodding to Ignar and Janus, the two understood and continued while their commander entered the chapel to get their **** expert.

Stepping inside the busy chapel, Kolar found several imperial guardsmen praying before the ivory statue of the Emperor, his form both commanding and humble as he knelt with an outstretched hand before the pulpit. There he found Salazar, the Blood Angel. Knelt before the pulpit with several of the crew around him in prayer, the massive **** marine joining them until he turned his attention to the approaching Ultramarine. Standing to his full height, the black clad warrior wore a pair of chain-swords, sheaved behind his back under his jump pack along with a pair of flame pistols holstered to his hips. Resting a hand to the shoulder of an Imperial officer still in prayer, the woman looked up and nodded, wiping a tear before the massive warrior turned to nod to Kolar.

“Brother, we have been summoned.”

“Yes, I heard, I thought it best to tend to the crew as they found solace.” Answered Salazar, his face handsome with blonde hair cut short. Unlike Kolar who bore the many scars of his long centuries of combat. “Many here have lost loved ones in the re-entry to normal space, I thought it wise to be a guiding angel in their time of need.”

“We are angels of **** Salazar, NOT angels of mercy.”

“But angels all the same!” Replied the Blood Angel, a fire in his eyes as he pointed to his heraldry on his right shoulder; the emblem of white angelic wings and a drop of blood at its center, contrasted by the pitch black and silver power armor he wore. “The Emperor of Man tasks us with protecting his Imperium from ALL threats, whether that be his enemies or from despair itself.”

Smiling, Kolar rested a heavy gauntlet on the space marine’s shoulder, nodding in agreement. “Your counsel is always welcomed Salazar, but we are needed, the others are heading to the Captain’s lounge to meet with the inquisitor.”

“What of the wolf?”

Nodding, Kolar placed his armored finger to his vox speaker attached to his helmet, the ‘ping’ of a communication reading as he spoke over the private broadcast. “Wolf, we are called to the Captain’s lounge, you shall answer.”

A pregnant pause filled the few seconds of silence before a thick voice answered, gruff and strained. “Will the Dark Angel be there?”

“He is in our squad; he will be the-.” The communicator cut off on the other end, leaving Kolar to frown and Salazar to smirk back at his commander. “The Wolves and Dark Angels have a long-standing grudge my lord.”

“It would seem so…”

*

Not long after the Deathwatch had met in the private and locked room of the Captain’s personal quarters, now the headquarters of Inquisitor Yennifer as she sat behind the desk and read over reports her private staff brought to her, a fluted glass of wine at her desk she casually sipped at while the five warriors in front of her stood ready and waited. Turning his attention to the wolf, Ignar hid a sneer of contempt at the space marine in pitch black terminator armour, his form hulking and massive in comparison to all present by several feet in all directions. In one hand he gripped the double barreled weapon of a storm bolter, drum fed in front of the trigger, while the other wielded the renowned frost bladed axe of Fenris, the blade appeared as pure blue ice so cold it defied the temperature of the room, giving off a feint mist of cold that willowed out. His right shoulder bore the brown and black heraldry of the space Wolves and his helmet was a carefully crafted visage of a snarling wolf. The terminator turned his head to glare back at Ignar before the Dark Angel returned his attention back to the Inquisitor.

“I have brought you all here to know WHY we are here, and the severity of the need for secrecy.” The woman answered, standing to her feet and walking around the desk to look at the five Space Marines taking up the entire half of the room. “We have gone back in time! To over 38000 years into the far and ancient past, my conclusions show this to be true.”

“By the emperor…”

“Whatever reason we are here, whatever purpose, the most obvious is true, Holy Terra is **** in this century, as is the God Emperor of Mankind.”

“The God Emperor is all.” Growled Kolar, just as mechanically as the rest of the Space marines’ seconds after.

“Yes! The God Emperor is all, which is why it is imperative that we find and protect him in this **** time, lest the Imperium of Man never comes to pass.”

Suddenly a chime called out at the desk as the Inquisitor turned to answer it. “Yes? I was told not to be disturbed.”

“My apologise Inquisitor madam.” Answered the frightened voice on the other end. “But there is a small fleet of shuttles of unknown make approaching us from the surface. We have yet to translate their hails, but they are approaching the forward docking hangers.”

Looking to her Deathwatch and back to the intercom, the Inquisitor gave a response. “Let them in, perhaps we can get a bearing on who we must deal with in this era.”

Turning her attention back to the space Marines, the woman gave Kolar an icy look. “Go there, see to it we greet our wayward ancestors with proper respect.”

“As you command Inquisitor…” the Ultramarine saluted, he and his squad turning to march out of the room.

*

Primary docking bay…

The crew of the Holy Mandate watched on as the three massive vessels flew in after the port entrances were opened, the silver and yellow painted shuttles landing easily on the landing pads that would have been meant for Imperial shuttles landing. Several of the guardsmen looked up in awe at the streamline form of the ships, nothing like the bulky and bolted together vessels they recognised, these vessels looked like they had been poured and moulded like glass than simply put together with spot welders and servo gears. Then suddenly the front of each ship hissed open, platforms folding out to become walkways for whomever was inside.

Looking to each other, the guardsmen waving to the ships, calling out in their native Gothic to those inside. "Signifer, statue Ave de qua vos fratres? Quid est hoc modo vas?"

The answer he received was a bullet to the skull as the three vessels unloaded dozens of armed soldiers in green body armor, firing on any who got in their way and secured the landing bay for their leaders now casually stepping out into the open to appreciate their victory.

“Hail HYDRA!”

“Hail Hydra!!!” repeated the warriors, making Baron Strucker smile, along with Madam Hydra, the two strolling down the landing platform.