Chapter 1: Initiation

"I suppose it is always one's hope to never reach the point where burning everything around you is a viable option." He braced himself as the ship took off. "How long have you been part of the squad, brother?" He paused for a moment. "If you don't mind my asking."

Bilus answered first, by pointing at the silver service stud embedded above his eyebrow.
"We are both due for our second stud after this expedition is finished. We'll be centenarians to the squad and chapter after this."
Myrrdoch nodded.
"Our techmarine, Brother Drej, got his second stud a few years after we got our first. They say that it is customary for new initiates to start here ad work their way up, but really, the rookies go wherever they are needed to bolster troops. Aside from the specialists, you really could have wound up under any sergeant."

Uriel felt the warmth of foolishness in not noticing initially.

He nodded faintly. "I count myself lucky to find myself where I am." He flexed the fingers on his new metal hand again basking in the oddness of the sensation.

Uriel looked out down the ramp then back to his new compatriots. "Is there any advice you can give a novice?" He smiled jokingly expecting some sort of jocular comment.

Bilus smiled.
"Count on this: if the mechanicus is sending us to find something, it's probably something that can maim, dismember, or kill. All of the advice was covered in training.
And don't get killed."
Mryydoch nodded. "I like the latter."
A beacon lit in the hold, indicating that the thunderhawk would be docking soon.

Uriel laughed. "Well, I would hate for this to be like a boring trip through the stacks of the catacombs." He smiled looking over to his sidearm and then held up his new hand to flex. "After all, I have to earn these gifts, don't I?"

A quick blurt of machine code blasted from the techmarine. To the experienced, it was recognizable as laughter. To anyone else, it sounded like static.
"You have already earned the augmetic and the title, but they are not gifts. One does not earn a gift, or it is not a gift. What you need to do is earn your survival. The gifts are what will allow you to do this. The flesh is weak. That arm will serve you better than any plate of armor, no matter how holy. For now, my suggestion would be use the arm sparingly, until the graft has healed." Drej explained.

There was a certain logic in Drej's comment. The hand, even now, felt distant and disconnected. It almost felt alien, ready to betray him at its earliest opportunity. "A gift and a curse, no?" He turned to Drej, "just like being a space marine."

Drej was about to reply, when Bilus interrupted.
"There is nothing accursed to being Astartes. It is a gift to serve the Emperor and Omnissiah. The only curse is given upon failure, and we do not fail. We have earned the blessed iron grafted onto us through bloodshed... I believe is what brother Drej was going to say, in a long winded way, no? "

Drej bristled, but nodded. "That is an adequate summation, yes. In duty is honour. "

Uriel nodded as he flexed his alien fingers again. "Duty in honor." He nodded. "I believe I have much to learn, brother." He looked up again. "I hope there will be much honor brought down today."

Myrrdoch raised his eyebrows.
"Lad, we're in for a week or two in the warp. On the bright side, we're about to make it to our ship. Join us in the training halls once we are dismissed. "

Uriel smiled, "of course, I always look forward to training with new partners." He had to admit, though, that much time in the warp was disquieting. He had heard stories as a fledgling about the horror stories of the warp. He hoped that he wouldn't become one of those stories.

The marines were shown to their quarters for the duration of the voyage by servitors, after forming up in parade, being introduced to the captain of the vessel, Jean Gelb, and being dismissed.
They had a week of training, practice, and waiting to get through before they would reach their target system. Technically, Uriel's time was his own for the time being, but he had practiced to meet with Myrrdoch and Bilus for training.

Uriel made it a point to make every training session. He split his time between training sessions and researching other quests to find lost stls and anything that might help him figure out what kind of stl this might be.

The entirety of the chapters onboard presence had been mustered in the embarkation deck. Bilus and Myrrdoch had already dealt with their wargear rites. They sat amongst their fellow warriors in anticipation of the briefing. Each ship was in a similar state of anticipation, awaiting arrival around orbit pending augur scans of the system.
STC missions were always exciting, and there was a buzz of anticipation in the hall.

Uriel found himself drawn, in an odd social way, towards Bilus and Myrrdoch. He could feel an odd buzz in his body he could only attribute to the excitement of being deployed. He tried to make his fall into their orbit seem more coincidental than purposeful.

"Greetings, brothers." He said as he found himself still flexing his artificial fingers as if they were still something alien. "Our deployment is nigh." He said realizing the obviousness of the fact he just stated.

Bilus nodded. "It is. Scuttlebutt says they're deciphering the auspex right now."
Myrrdoch nodded as well. "We are to be briefed in a few minutes. Excited for a first mission, with that shiny new hand? "

He looked at his new hand and flexed it almost anxiously. "Yes..." He smirked a little, "Think we'll run into skulls I can crush with it?"

Bilus shook his head.
"Unless you absolutely need to, I'd avoid it. That graft is still reasonably fresh. Too much abuse will damage it more than necessary. Stick to your apothecary's orders, or he'll be looking to attach a prosthetic head."

A hush fell over the crowd as the imposing form of Chapter Master Gahn Drell found its way to the pulpit stationed along the anterior wall of the room.
At his shoulder to one side stood the lorekeeper, Greeg Mandel. At his other, Chief Apothecary Garess Idrin.

"Brothers. We are here for STC. We shall retrieve it. Auspex shows this to be an uninhabited system, save for some small colonies of loyal imperial citizens. Board, and move out. "

Uriel looked at his hand again and nodded with a laugh. "That might make for a definite improvement."

When the time came he turned his head to the pulpit. With a heavy sigh he almost regreted that there was a very distinct possibility that this would be an easy mission.

The Thunderhawks made landfall a few kilometers from the expected site of the STC. This was a moon colonized by Terra, and recently brought back into the imperium. There was no need for a show of force, and indeed, that would be counter productive.
The marines had been briefed during transit.
They were to land, and then proceed on foot for the few short kilometers, and report what they find when they arrive at the objective. They set out on foot, in a staggered line of squads. Hand Auspex read unusual energy readings from the direction of the objective, and the signal increased as they approached.

Squad vox lines were open as they marched. Brother Trachell was heard speculating, "How have the locals not found this signal?"
Sergeant Eloi Klove responded first. "Should be obvious. Run it through, brother. Early stages of colonization, brother Drej? "
The tech marine clicked his vox active, "initially, the colonists must dismantle their initial conveyance to repurpose it inllings and required colony infrastructure. Long range auspex is considered to be superfluous. "

Sergeant Klove could be seen nodding. "And, brother Uriel, please hazard a guess as to why. "

The Thunderhawks made landfall a few kilometers from the expected site of the STC. This was a moon colonized by Terra, and recently brought back into the imperium. There was no need for a show of force, and indeed, that would be counter productive.
The marines had been briefed during transit.
They were to land, and then proceed on foot for the few short kilometers, and report what they find when they arrive at the objective. They set out on foot, in a staggered line of squads. Hand Auspex read unusual energy readings from the direction of the objective, and the signal increased as they approached.

Squad vox lines were open as they marched. Brother Trachell was heard speculating, "How have the locals not found this signal?"
Sergeant Eloi Klove responded first. "Should be obvious. Run it through, brother. Early stages of colonization, brother Drej? "
The tech marine clicked his vox active, "initially, the colonists must dismantle their initial conveyance to repurpose it inllings and required colony infrastructure. Long range auspex is considered to be superfluous. "

Sergeant Klove could be seen nodding. "And, brother Uriel, please hazard a guess as to why. "

Uriel looked over at Sergeant Klove somewhat perplexed by the question. He couldn't see the point in blinding oneself unnecessarily. "Would it be because scans of the area would be unnecessary because they would have been conducted before the colonists conducted landfall?"

Klove nodded.
"It was expected that orbitals would be set up once the settlement grew enough to maintain them. Those would serve for long range augur purposes. Never happened."

The ground underneath was mossy, and there were few things one could call trees.
The marines formed up around their Sergeant, and Uriel heard his vox bead click, with Bilus talking at him over the line.
"Brother, get ready for a nice, dull march".

The Sergeant addressed the squad.
"The plan is that each squad is to converge on the site of the STC. We keep our eyes open for danger as always, and keep our eyes open for anything suspicious. "
He motioned forward in battle sign, signaling that the mission was officially on.

Uriel tapped the ground with the toe of his power-booted foot almost curiously. He laughed at Bilus' comment and clicked on his own mic. "After such a long journey, I feel like I could use the exercise."

He nodded his head at the Sergeant's command and formed up with the rest of the team, keeping adequate distance from his mates in the event of the unlikely (but the unlikeliness of it often made it even more likely) ambush with his bolter at the ready.

Bilus laughed.
"Did we not give you enough exercise in the training cages? We shall have to remember that after this mission!"
Over the open channel, squads began to sound off their regular check ins. Klove sounded for his squad, and the March continued.
The march continued like this for a few more kilometres.

Squad Nonus failed to report back as anything but static.

"Alright, Octavius. As per standard procedure, we split. Myrrdoch, Bilus, you take Uriel and check out why their vox is out. Report back as soon as you find why they are silent."

"Aye, brother sergeant" clicked from Myrrdochs link. He signed to follow, and led towards squad nines last position.