Character back ground for Techmarine Oram Marius, deathwatch initiate.
The flesh is weak.
By Matthew Bogart
Excerpts from Iron Hands Adeptus Astartes interview -524815. M41.
Subject: tech-specialist Oram Marius, 3rd company Vehiculum Sarcio, land behemoth Weyland, clan Vurgaan.
In attendance: Iron Father Nikolas Soren, Tech-specialist Oram Marius, auto-quill servo skull QSH-235 transcribing.
(Soren) State your name for the Emperor.
(Marius) Iron Hand Oram Marius, tech-specialist, clan Vurgaan.
How long have you been an Iron Hand?
103 years iron Father.
When did you attempt the trials in the land of shadow?
At eighteen sir.
Why not at an earlier age when most attempt the journey? Were you too weak to accomplish the task?
Absolutely not Iron Father. My family prevented me from journeying until my brother was of age.
Where is your brother now?
The Astartes are my brothers.
------Edited confidential---------
You are designate as Techmarine; therefore, you have spent time on Mars with the Mechanicus?
Yes Iron Father, I spent thirty years learning from the Mechanicus. I admire their industriousness and their ability to overcome weakness.
What do you mean by weakness Marius?
The flesh is weak Iron Father. The Mechanicus recognize this as we do; they go to great lengths to remove any weakness, mechanical or of the flesh.
What else did you learn in your time on Mars?
I apprenticed in the ways of fabrication and repair for equipment and vehicles ascribed to the Astartes. I crafted devices such as augmetics for servitors and binary lingual codes for their logic programs. The tech-priests warned of the dangers of heretical Xeno-tech; they taught us how to recognize such contraptions and the proper ways of dismantling or destroying them before they could corrupt an individual or an entire planet.
So your time there was profitable?
Yes Iron Father, they are a proud and strong ally; much can be gained with their knowledge backing our strength.
And after you finished your education on Mars? What was your first assignment?
I was charged with the maintenance and care of our clan’s vehicles.
That is a Noble and worthy duty.
Yes Iron Father. But part of my training urged me towards battle, to prove my strengths in that martial arena to my clan and fellow battle brothers. I had made fast friends with my brothers during our scout training; drawn the blood of many xenos species. But now, after my time on Mars I was set apart from them. They had spent thirty years in the field of battle while I was learning different skills. I knew that I was integral to the function of the Chapter but I wanted to take part in battle with them, not hear the stories afterwards. I had waited years; I felt I was done waiting.
Did you not see that as envy? Was this a sign of weakness?
It was not envy I felt Iron Father, but sadness. It was sadness that I could not do more for the Emperor. My aspirations had me in battle against our enemies and caring for the fleet simultaneously! I still had much to learn.
But you soon saw action; at the Gorgons rift on Enders IV? Against the Greenskins was it not?
Yes.
Tell me about the battle. According to reports you were in a mobile workstation set well behind the front lines?
Yes,
-------Edited content. Confidential-----------
And you believe those actions are what led to your reassignment?
I couldn't be for certain, but I suspected I was being punished for showing weakness.
Why do you say that?
If I had been stronger in mind, my decisions wouldn't have cost so many lives. If I had been stronger in body, I could have fought longer. I was not about to have a repeat of Enders IV; I made the tough choices and I stood by them. My Captain did not seemed pleased; he used the words “overzealous” and "impatient". Shortly thereafter I was reassigned to the Watchtower.
And how long have you been stationed on the Watchtower?
Five years. I received my first service stud at the Watchtower.
What are your duties at the Watchtower?
I monitor sub-warp frequencies, audio transmissions and help maintain the facilities. We have anywhere from five to fifty marines on standby; to respond to any distress calls we get.
Do you get many distress calls at the Watchtower?
More than I would have thought. Usually though, it is something simple like food riots at the new colonies in the Linus systems. It can be more serious like pirates, but it’s nothing that an Iron Hand cannot overcome.
So you don't feel challenged in your duties?
Honestly sir, I think this is more a job for the neophytes. I should be out punishing the weak, defending Medusa from her enemies, slaying the vile traitor marines that try to undermine every ideal that the emperor has given us!
So the events of last month haven't changed your mind about this position?
Those events... are not pleasing for me to discuss.
Marius! That is why we are here. If I ask a question, I expect an answer. Is that understood?
Yes Iron Father...
Now, tell me everything you remember about the actions taken on Corcarran XII.
We picked up a security breach signal that was uncommon to me at the Watchtower. It originated from a planet in the Corcarran system; it didn't have a proper name, just the astro-number twelve. The planet was designated a dead-world and off-limits by the Biologis-mechanicus. The only noise from that rock was the beacon warning of a "lethal virus" to outside life on its surface left by the Mechanicus.
This was a different signal?
Yes. This signal was triggered as if someone tried to enter the planet’s atmosphere. This type of signal was unknown to me and the other marines. We called Captain Arnec immediately. He took all of one second to hear the signal before marshaling all marines in the Watchtower to the Thunderhawk. All twenty Astartes; two platoons left at once on a direct course to the Corcarran system. When we hit the edge of the system I did sensor sweeps of the area and detected the warp signature of an unknown xenos vessel that had landed on the planet’s surface. My scans picked up a second, stronger broadcast signal coming from the surface that was also of xenos origin. We made attempts to jam the signal but could only suppress its range. Captain Arnec had us target the source of the signal and land near its proximity.
To clarify, you just landed on a potentially lethal virus world declared off-limits by the Biologis-mechanicus? Did you mention this to Captain Arnec?
Arnec was not afraid, so there was no reason for us to concern ourselves. The virus was broadcast lethal to humans; after all; we are Astartes and can best such minor technicalities.
Understood, continue.
One thing was for certain, for a dead world it was teeming with life. The planet was covered in many places by wide forests and dense fauna. The beacon and ships signature were both emanating from the same heavily foliaged region. Arnec had the servitor pilot find a concealed place to land while we readied ourselves with battle prayers and catechisms for the coming conflict. Arnec sent Sergeant Delk and the second platoon to find the alien ship and disable it while we followed him towards the alien beacon. As we cut our way through the thick fauna, brother Yarmin was the first to notice that sections of the ground had a distinct metallic feel under the rich soil. I ran an auspex sweep and to our amazement, we were standing on some kind of buried structure. It was massive in size, around 2 kilometers in diameter. Yarmin dug briefly and uncovered a section of worn bronze plates covered in strange etchings.
Could you make out any meaning to them?
No time, Captain Arnec put us back on the move double time. Sergeant Delk had just encountered the alien ship and was reporting sightings of several unknown Xenos creatures. Delk said a group of xenos was moving along a cut path in the direction towards the beacon’s signal. Arnec ordered Delk to hold position until we reached the beacon. It wasn't much longer and we came to the source of the signal. Set amongst the tallest trees was a large, wide tower structure, made of the same worn looking bronze. It was covered in the same weird etchings as the plates we came across earlier; mostly squiggle lines set about in various groupings in an undecipherable pattern. We stopped on Arnec’s raised fist as we got our first sight of the Xenos; peculiar wormlike things with tendrils that functioned as arms and legs. Their long heads were covered in some sort of wrapping, hanging about them like loose bandages with silver and gold jewelry carved into blasphemous forms. They were carrying some device into the tower on a litter. We let them get fully inside the tower before breathing again. Arnec lowered his Iron fist and started to move us into the tower when there was an audible snap, a flash of light and the crack of what I could only describe as lightning that poured out of the tower. We then got a report from the Thunderhawk servitor pilot that the beacon had stopped broadcasting.
Do you think they purposely destroyed their own beacon?
No, I think they purposely destroyed someone else's beacon, but it wasn't placed there by the Astartes or the Mechanicus. We moved into the tower ready for action; lights were out so we switched to night vision. Quickly we came across a section of wall that had severe scorching and blast patterns. I found pieces of alien-tech scattered on the floor, but strangely the tech was of a different style. Upon closer inspection it had the distinct qualities of Eldar manufacture. I am certain that the Eldar had breached the warnings of the Mechanicus and planted this beacon. As to why I don’t know, but they don’t think on a rational level like the Astartes nor do they have the Emperor’s dreams in their hearts. I told Arnec this and he gave Sergeant Delk the order to attack the alien ship; to destroy it!
What happened next?
We hurried ourselves down the corridor’s looking for the worms we had seen earlier. Our platoon stumbled upon several in what I took as some sort of control room. The creatures were tearing it apart like scavengers! One of them looked up at me as we unleashed our bolters into the room. I could see his eyes under the wrappings, even with the night vision. They were like cold jade halo’s trying to pierce my armor. I could feel one of my hearts start to beat faster to the point of bursting! As my bolter shells struck his form the sensation stopped and I resumed normal heart-beat patterns. The battle had begun and Brother Mason was the first to fall to the alien weaponry; a lightning strike arced down the hall and ripped his left arm and torso from the rest of his body. I saw one worm leap onto Brother Voorman and pulled his head form his shoulders before my bolter could cease his existence. Another tried to leap at me but I caught him by the neck with my servo-arm, crushing whatever weak substance they had for bones until he stopped writhing about; hanging still and limp.
In short order the battle had finished; three brothers: Mason, Voorman, and Getz had fallen against the fourteen of this new species. Captain Arnec was getting vox-signals from Sergeant Delk that they were having trouble aboard the alien vessel. They were pinned down in an area they thought was near the ship’s engine room. The Captain ordered Yarmin, Marroth, and myself to rendezvous back at the worm’s ship and help the sergeant destroy it. Then Arnec took the remaining marines and went further into the structure to look for more worms.
We made our way out of the tower and then got the news; several more alien vessel’s had been detected breaking atmosphere with the planet.
Was it more of these Worm creatures?
No, definitely not. The next thing we heard was the low hum from a large beam weapon. The ground began to immediately shake and tremble as the beam struck; followed by a series of bombs clearing the forest. A large greenish black fireball rose into the sky from the position of Sergeant Delk’s transponder. At that point I couldn’t reach Delk on the vox. I tried to reconnect with Captain Arnec but his signal was suddenly very weak; as if it was being jammed or he was too close to a larger energy source. When we finally got through he told us to get back to the Watchtower and report what happened. He told us to find you Iron Father; and to repeat these words, “ille vermis habere exsuscitare”.
And why did he say why me?
I don’t know. I told him that we would not fail him and he didn’t respond. The three of us ran straight for our ship. We just ran; ignoring the exploding bombs, the tremor wrought ground and the vile worm-things scurrying about. We were getting close to the Thunderhawk when everything went black in my mind.
What happened?
I’m not sure. I can remember another deep humming sound but if I’m not mistaken it was coming from the surface. Maybe the worm creatures had setup an anti-ship weapon to repel these new attackers. After the hum there was an explosion directly behind me; I must have been thrown by the concussive force and knocked unconscious. I am not proud of this and will work to not let this happen again Iron Father.
That will be noted in my report Marius. Now how did you get off the planet then?
When I awoke Brother Yarmin was dragging me into the Thunderhawk. He was ordering the servitor to take off while he laid me next to Marroth’s body; he must’ve been killed in the blast. I shook myself off and we both strapped ourselves in for leaving orbit. As we rose above the ground I looked out to assess the battle. I was stunned to see no aliens; nor any alien ships. I asked Yarmin what happened but he said that he too was unconscious for some time. The only kind of evidence of any action left was a large crater about 2 kilometers wide.
-----End Transcription-------