Final Sanction. Nearly everyone here has heard of and/or played it at some point. It wasn't the best mission the FFG team has ever written, after all it was only the teaser for the actual game. That didn't keep me from falling in love with the characters, setting and story though. After playing through the infamous introductory adventure a week or so ago, I picked up a pen and started writing a backstory for the characters and transcribing the deeds of our Kill-team during the mission.

The first chapter is the backstory of a few of the key characters, written from the perspective of Apothecary Lucien and is by no means finished. That said, I need some serious proofreading and constructive criticism to ensure that the piece maintains the Warhammer 40k feel and flavor.

Final Sanction
Chapter I - Honour the Fallen

Moonlight glittered from the mingled blood of Tau expeditionary forces and noble Space Marines on the forest floor of the ravaged clearing. The distinctive roar of bolter fire vied for dominance against the thrum of Tau pulse rifles and the hellish screams of the Xeno's brutal auxiliaries. Apothecary Lucien kept track of his Kill-team's mission progress by monitoring their vox traffic and biometric readings displayed in his helmet. They were less than 500 meters to the southeast, engaging a secondary target while Lucien and another Battle-Brother held a safe rally point. The point had not been held without contest however. He provided a status report concerning the outcome of the skirmish to his the rest of his team and received a curt reply from squad leader Darius informing him to hold position and await reinforcements. Lucien voxed his affirmation; he had other duties to uphold at the rally point.

The experienced Apothecary knelt beside the still smoking form of Brother Morgan, taking special care to stay behind the fallen tree they had been using as rudimentary cover. He already could tell from the readouts of his armour's biometric sensors that the fiery Storm Warden had already gone to stand at the side of his unknown primarch. His diagnostor helmet callously tore away the fallen marine's power armour and laid bare every instance of tissue damage in a stream of medicae imaging.

Morgan had died valiantly, facing down a formation of Tau Fire Warriors advancing under the cover of heavy gun drone support. His bolter had sang death into the ranks of the technologically inclined Xenos, but not without cost. The blessed sensors imbedded in the helmet revealed multiple non-lethal plasma burns to the torso and arms of Brother Morgan, where the superheated gas had melted straight through his ceramite power armor. However, the killing stroke came from behind.

The Tau swept forward with a hunter's precision, but were no match for the righteous fury of the Storm Warden's skill at arms. Even a single Space Marine embodied the will of the Emperor, and it was a formidable foe indeed who could kill one in a fair fight. The Tau offered few such warriors and instead often resorted to underhanded tactics to claw any advantage they could for their insidious “Greater Good.” The forward attack retreated before Morgan's deadly bolter, but a team of battlesuits hidden with sophisticated stealth systems had already penetrated the Space Marine's kill zone.

The active use of their thrice damned stealth generators had jammed the sensors in Lucien's diagnostor helmet, giving him a moments warning to the enemy ploy. Even as his warning left his lips, Lucien realized that he had spoken to late. The Tau's burst cannons turned the back of Brother Morgan's ancient power armour to slag and vaporized much of his internal organs. The trio of irredeemable Xenos had not anticipated the fury of Lucien's chainsword and bolt pistol, or the speed of his attack. From where he knelt at his fallen Brother's side, he didn't bother spare a glance at the broken bodies and twisted wreckage that remained of the murderers of a Son of the Emperor. They did not even deserve recognition for their crimes.

Lucien removed the revered helmet and looked upon his downed Battle-Brother with his own eyes. The ancient device had served Lucien well in the three decades he had spent in service of the Deathwatch, but the grizzled Apothecary's long experience had also taught him when such artefacts were no longer required. In the place of advanced medicae readouts and forensic evidence, he saw memories of Brother Morgan as he was in life. Though headstrong and even a bit foolish, Morgan somehow seemed to endear the rest of the Kill-team to his presence. He always enjoyed a good debate and was sometimes needlessly competitive. Morgan took a temporary vow of silence for a full forty days at the behest of Brother Sepheran, the Kill-team's surly Devastator Marine. The veteran Blood Angel had meant it as a jest, but was forced to admit defeat when Brother Morgan actually managed to pull it off.

'There are few things that I have not seen in my service to the Emperor,' Sepheran had said with false reverence after he lost the bet, 'a silent Storm Warden certainly trumps them all.'

Now Morgan lay in forced silence on the forest floor of Baraban, never to speak again. This was the fate of all Space Marines; glorious death in the service of the Emperor and primarch, bolter in hand and sword in fist. Lucien stored away Morgan's service in his memories, allowing him limited immortality in the form of legend and glory. The Storm Warden was just one of many remembered this way. Lucien acted as the team's memory, and could recount the tales of all who had fell in his presence. It was well known that he prayed for each by name every evening. Lucien also knew he was forbidden to speak of the accomplishments of his Battle-Brothers outside of the fraternity of the Deathwatch, but to those who had taken its binding oaths, the fallen would live on through their remembrance.

What came next would grant Brother Morgan true immortality. Lucien reverently placed his diagnostor helmet aside; he had performed so many similar surgeries that he no longer needed it. He closed his eyes in prayer and swiftly intoned the catechism of the fallen, taking special care to give thanks to the unknown primarch of the Storm Wardens Chapter for the contribution of Morgan to the Emperor's service. He activated his wrist mounted reductor, a short adamantine toothed saw that extended from his forearm, and cut away the ruined power armour from Morgan's chest and neck. He then turned the blade on the deceased brothers flesh. After penetrating the dense bone and muscle of the chest and neck, he deactivated the saw and extended the diamantine tipped extractor drill into the chest cavity.

The drill carved a precise hole revealing the Apothecaries quarry; the Progenoid glands. Contained inside this small limp of tissue was the entire genetic framework to recreate and implant the nineteen organs that transformed a ordinary man into an instrument of the Emperor's will. Lucien carefully removed the mature gland and placed it into a specially prepared stasis vial. If properly maintained, the vial could preserve the gene-seed indefinitely. He repeated this process with the neck gland and place both vials into the Narthecium cavity on his wrist. When the mission was over, it would be his duty to return Brother Morgan's gene-seed to his Chapter, along with his regards.

Apothecary Lucien replaced his white diagnostor helmet and stood from his bloody handiwork. He continued to stare at the ruined corpse of Brother Morgan until the sound of armoured forms traveling through dense undergrowth announced the arrival of the Kill-team.

'Apothecary?' the question came from Brother Darius.

'It is done.' Lucien replied without turning around.

No more needed to be said, their objectives were clear. With the secondary targets down, there was only a two kilometer hike directly to the heart of the enemies military command on this continent and there was no time to lose.

I hope you continue this thread. The thoughts about Lucien's brother marines and the despicable enemy were nicely done.

(Chapter 1 continued)

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The Deathwatch Kill-team continued inexorably through the dense foliage toward their primary target with deadly purpose. The group of Battle-Brothers had not spoken a word since their departure from the clearing where Brother Morgan had fallen. In part, this was because of the stealth protocols laid down by squad leader Darius at the beginning of the mission. The main cause of the silence was due to the vacuum created by the death of Morgan. Much to Darius' ire, the gregarious Storm Warden had had a penchant for breaking certain stealth protocols.

The train of jet black armoured space marines snaked through the forest following the path cut by Darius's combat knife. Lucien held vigil at the end of the line, the last of the five Space Marines that remained. From his place, he could easily make out the armoured forms of his Battle-Brothers as well as monitor their vital signs through his helmet's vox link. Lucien's long career had also granted him a measure of foresight into his Brother's emotions and state of mind. His empathy was not only a helpful gift, but a sworn duty to uphold the health of every member of the Kill-team. He could not afford to relax his constant surveillance, especially now that they were so close to their primary objective.

Lucien's greatest concern was for Brother Elyas, a vitriolic Assault Marine and newest addition to the Kill-team. Even without his power armour's ident scanning, he could easily make out the bulky shape of Elyas' jump pack in the gloom. The Assault Marine held the second foremost position in the formation, directly behind Brother Darius. Moonlight glinted off of the ornate silver shoulder plate and arm guard that they all shared. His right shoulder still bore a golden winged sword set on a background of deep green, betraying his lineage as one of the secretive and stoic Dark Angel Chapter. He had holstered his trusted bolt pistol, but the energy arching from the menacing powerfist that covered his right hand showed that his attention had not slipped.

Still, Lucien knew it was Elyas who had felt the loss of Morgan the keenest. The two had been bitter rivals since Elyas had been assigned to the Kill-team. The competitive nature of the Storm Warden had exacerbated Elyas' own aggressive tendencies leading to more than a few heated arguments between the two. Now that Morgan was gone, the signature swagger and confident movements that Lucien had associated with the bullish Dark Angel had disappeared. In an odd way, the two had supported each other with their competition, each striving to be the best that he could be to out pace the other. As Lucien saw it, Elyas had been wrestling with Morgan for glory ever since he arrived. Now he must have felt as if he no longer had any resistance to push against, and had to adjust to his own strength. It would take time, but Lucien knew that Elyas would regain his bold stance eventually. If he survived the mission, that was.

Brother Sepharen also acknowledged the loss, Lucien observed, but in an entirely different manner. The veteran Devastator Marine hoisted his hallowed heavy bolter and swiveled his head to and fro searching for enemies. A ornate gold chalice, pouring the sacred blood of Sanguinius with the assistance of an angelic taloned wing on a blood red background confirmed his parent chapter as the Blood Angels. Though he possessed the noble features and aesthetic principles of the Blood Angels, he seemed to have avoided the prolific battle rage that the rest of his Chapter utilized to devestating effect on the battlefield. In its place, a cold serenity took root in Brother Sepharen. In battle, he calculated enemy movements and positions without emotion. When not on a mission, he sequestered himself in his chambers and callously refused any activity that did not provide a practical benefit to his occupation as a Devastator Marine.

This was most likely how Sepharen marked Morgan's passing, as a cold statistic that weakened the Kill-team's battlefield capability. Perhaps to the unfeeling Blood Angel, Morgan had only represented a strategic asset who's loss detracted from the group's firepower and manoeuvrability. However, Lucien did not think that was the case. Through his diagnostor helmet the Apothecary had observed muscular contractions in the face and jaw inconclusive with the Blood Angels wary surveillance of the surrounding forest. Lucien concluded that Sepharen was actually... talking... with the vox channel cut. Perhaps he was reciting a personal prayer or mantra. The stunned Apothecary soon realized that this, in part, was the key to Sepharen's seemingly inexhaustible self control and his first line of defense against the anger that burned in the blood of his Chapter. Lucien looked away from the hidden troubles of the Devastator out of respect to his privacy.

His gaze fell on the active form of Brother Darius leading the group with his hefty combat knife in his fist. Darius took the role of squad leader very seriously and insisted on maintaining the foremost position of any combat manoeuvre. The stylized black cross emblazoned on the white background his right shoulder pad helped to somewhat explain his methods. Space Marines of the Black Templar Chapter were not known for their tolerance or subtlety. Still, Darius was a shining example of everything the Deathwatch stood for and a gifted tactician on top of it all. He had successfully accomplished many missions while maintaining a minimum of Imperium casualties. Lucien was proud to be serving under his leadership. He was prouder still that their leader felt the sting of a lost Brother. Lucien had seen to many Marines die as “acceptable losses” under the leadership of an ill prepared commander.

Darius' quickened heartbeat and increased levels of glanded bio-stimms revealed that he not only felt Brother Morgan's absence, but that it infuriated him. Brother Darius hacked at the foliage before him with a fury born of sorrow. Lucien knew from long discussion that Darius had always admired Morgan's martial prowess and leadership potential, but was forced to remain firmly in control whenever Morgan boldly and frequently stepped out of line. He knew that Darius would question his decisions in his frequent quiet hours of prayer and supplication, before scourging them with self inflicted pain and devotion to his primarch. Lucien only hoped that that was enough.

The last member of the Kill-team maintained the inner most position of the group. Lexicanum Dontellos stepped with preternatural grace around the roots and debris that littered the Kill-team's path. The second Blood Angel in the group, both he and Brother Sepharen maintained a bond that the other various Space Marines couldn't quite master. Despite this, the intrinsic trust between the two strengthened the group immensely. Dontellos was not sparing with his power and had used his strength in the warp to save each Brother's life a handful of times. There was one who always refused his help, however.

The Black Templar's hatred for any manner of mutation was legendary, especially the ability to harness the dark and limitless power of the Immaterium. This served them well in their Eternal Crusade, but also kept their minds closed to certain tactical advantages. Lucien was still at a loss as to how the Watch Captain had managed to force Brother Darius to accept Dontellos' presence. Still, the two did not speak. Darius would not reply to anything but the most direct of questions from the Librarian and never intentionally addressed his orders to Dontellos, instead speaking them aloud in a vague manner and expecting Dontellos to interpret them in some form of action. So far this had only met with limited success, but still managed to be effective enough to continue including the Librarian in the Kill-team.

Lucien was unsure of the effect that the passing of Brother Morgan had on the mysterious Librarian, if any. He had never noticed a particular affinity between the two, but looks could be deceiving, especially where the warp was involved. He idly wondered if the Lexicanum could sense his unasked questions and was not surprised to see Dontellos' icy blue eyes glance in his direction. A curt nod was all the answer the Librarian gave as he turned his eyes back to the front, but it alone spoke volumes. Suddenly the time for thought came to an end as Brother Elyas broke the silence.

'Contact,' came a clipped vox from the Dark Angel, his focus allowing him a better view of the forest ahead, 'primary threats ahead 60 meters.'

'Tau,' Lexicanum Dontellos confirmed, 'two patrol companies supported by their primitive auxiliaries'

'Brother Elyas what is the composition of enemy forces?' Darius asked intentionally ignoring the Librarian's response.

Elyas had served in the Kill-team long enough to know how to handle this situation. 'Tau patrol Brother, two companies with Kroot support.'

Darius considered this for a moment before speaking again. 'Attack pattern Ignus Beta, Sepharen to the fore, Lucien in support. Elyas, strike from the sky Brother,' he paused a moment more before saying to nobody in particular, 'Let us pray that the vile Xenos have been lax in the supplication of their machine spirits. Perhaps their beloved pulse rifles will not heed their commands this day.' A nod from the Lexicanum revealed that he had caught the suggestion in their intolerant commander's words.

Lucien drew his bolt pistol and chainsword as Sepharen moved to the front of the group and then away from the other Battle-Brothers in his search fro a good firing position. He followed the Devastator through the forest undergrowth, careful to be as silent as his bulky black and white power armour allowed. They came to a stop 30 meters from the road the Tau were patrolling. No doubt the alien had heard what had happened to their listening posts by now and had increased security aroung their cadre headquarters. Only the sound of the primal forest, the tramp of marching Tau and the loud snuffling of bestial Kroot could be heard as the two Space Marines prepared for the attack.

'Engage.' the vox blurt carried Brother Darius' quiet order as effectively as a bolt shell.

All sound was drowned by the holy roar of Brother Sepharen's ancient and vengeful weapon.

* * * * *

(Chapter 1 Continued)

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Apothecary Lucien stood amongst the ruptured remains of an untold multitude of Tau Fire Warriors. He swept his trusted bolt pistol from side to side as he scanned the cadre encampment for more threats. His chainsword growled at his side, it's white casing and whirring blade covered in the bluish-purple ichor that sustained Tau physiology. Finding none, he gestured with his chainsword to signal to Brother Sepharen to move forward into a better firing position.

It had been a little over an hour ago that Kill-team had found and neutralized the Tau patrol they encountered upon the road. From there it was a simple task to shadow the forest path back to their main objective, the cadre headquarters. Twenty minutes ago, the Kill-team had surveyed the encampment from a nearby ridge, knowing that they would not have long before the advanced sensors of the hated Xenos were able to locate them. The base had been informed of their lost patrols and listening posts and had prepared their defenses for an assault. Teams of Fire Warriors had taken cover in well made firing trenches. Kroot warpacks gathered in hooting slavering groups and ran patrols around the base, stopping every few meters to sniff the air for signs of the Battle-Brothers. Even a few of the strange Tau hover vehicles had come online and moved to support primary hard points along the headquarters perimeter.

Now the base lay in shambles. Carnage from the Kill-teams brutal assault lay everywhere. Fires from burning fortifications lit up large swathes of the Tau camp against the night. Broken Fire Warriors slumped over the edges of their trenches or spread in a gory carpet of mutilated limbs wherever they were unfortunate enough to be caught in the open. The Kroot had died like they lived; fast, brutal and messy. Smoking hulks of grav tanks bore multiple scorched holes from the Battle-Brother's krak grenades. Some of the Xenos vehicles had strange melted breaches from where Brother Elyas had used his powerfist to pull off armour plating in an attempt to reach the machinery or operators. The Tau simply had not been expecting the fury of a Deathwatch Kill-team mourning a lost Battle-Brother.

The plan to assault the Tau headquarters was as simple as it was effective. The Kill-team struck from the east side as a squad, but soon split into smaller groups to deliver maximum damage to a variety of tertiary targets and the encampment as a whole. Darius had ordered Lucien and Sepharen to hold position near the main Tau barracks, covering and demolishing the soldier population of the camp. Darius himself took Brother Elyas and went in search of the leader of the Kroot pack. He left no orders for Lexicanum Dontellos, but Lucien had no doubt that the potent and wise Librarian had sought out an equally important objective.

Despite their initial success, their primary objective was far from complete. Pulse rifle and plasma fire from security gun drones still sounded from the large structure at the center of the encampment. When the Xenos realized that their vaunted technology and savage auxiliaries could not stand before the might of the Emperor's chosen, they had retreated to what seemed to be the cadre's tactical headquarters. Darius had voxed to confirm a similar trend from where he and Elyas had assaulted the main group of Kroot on the other side of the facility. Lucien knew that the purpose for their mission lay within that complex. Darius came to the same conclusion within moments.

'All Marines, advance to the central structure. The time has come to end this thing.' He said over the vox.

Lucien and Sepharen shared a glance to confirm that the other had heard and understood the order before the Apothecary sent a collective reply.
'Affirmative Brother, Lucien and Sepharen moving to support.'

On the way, Lucien spotted Lexicanum Dontellos in a nearby camp building. It seemed that the Librarian hadn't wasted his breath on a vox affirmation; Lucien suspected he knew that Darius would simply ignore him anyways. The Xeno-formed bunker had fared little better than the rest of the camp and was missing huge chunks of its fortified exterior. It was also covered in a hoary coating of frost. Suddenly Lucien knew why Dontellos hadn't voxed his compliance; he was far too occupied with his own tasks. Lucien continued unfazed until he was wrenched to a stop by a strong pull his shoulderplate. He looked back to see Brother Sepharen holding him back as he shook his head in a silent warning. The Apothecary nodded his understanding and Sepharen released his iron grip. Lucien decided stand by and observe.

From his vantage point ten meters away, Lucien could clearly see the scene unfolding inside the Xenos bunker. The Librarian stood in the center of the ruined structure with one hand outstretched in a loose grip, as if he were trying to hold air in his fist. Before him a badly injured Tau warrior was suspended in mid-air, presumably in Dontellos' psychic clutches. Light from the nearby fires reflected off the mirror-like coating of ice that had accumulated around Lexicanum. Dontellos' face was set in a mask of barely controlled anger, causing Lucien to realize why the other Blood Angel had stopped him from continuing. He had rarely seen the quiet Librarian so furious.

The Librarian spat something at the warrior that Lucien didn't comprehend. The feeble Xenos warrior must have understood, as it wheezed an answer in a similar cant. It didn't take long for Lucien to determine that the two were speaking the Tau's native language. It only took a quick glance at the bluish-purple smear on Dontellos' chin for the experienced Apothecary to see that he had utilized his omophagea, the organ that allowed a Space Marine to learn about an enemy simply by consuming a portion of its flesh or blood. The Blood Angels and their successor Chapters were notorious for such actions.

Dontellos seemed to give up talking and dropped the battered Tau onto the frozen floor. He took a step forward and violently grabbed the Xenos' head in his huge fist as he raised it once again from the ground. The once proud Tau Fire Warrior put up weak resistance but could not free itself from the enraged Librarian's grip. A look of supreme concentration passed over Dontellos' face as the temperature in the area plummeted. Fresh frost began to form on the ground and surfaces of the destroyed building. Dontellos began moaning with effort that quickly escalated to a muted scream. The Tau matched Dontellos' pitch and writhed in a violent attempt to separate contact with the Librarian. With a resounding crack the Tau's neck snapped and he hung slack in Dontellos' grip. Lexicanum Dontellos threw the now dead body of the Fire Warrior aside like a rag doll and fixed his Battle-Brothers with a troubled stare.

A voice over the vox link interrupted Dontellos' piercing look. 'Apothecary Lucien,' came the strained voice of Brother Darius. The report of Pulse weapons could easily be heard over the link, 'dalliance will not be tolerated, even for one as capable and respected as you.'

'Apologies Brother, we were... delayed. Brother Sepharen and I have linked up with Lexicanum Dontellos and are now en route.'

Even through the vox Lucien could feel Darius' distaste for the Psyker. 'So be it,' came his reply after a long pause.

Lucien finished his vox and focussed on the two Battle-Brothers before him. He began to report Darius' orders but was interrupted by the still troubled Librarian. 'We are out of time, Brother,' Dontellos said quietly, 'the Xenos are not simply selling their lives.'

He swept his hand around to indicate the cooling corpse of the Tau Fire Warrior. 'This one tried very hard to keep his secrets from me. Their misplaced faith in their so-called “greater good” is astounding. However, they are not unintelligent. They have been drawing us in for the “Killing Blow”. Our primary objective signaled for reinforcements as soon as we began our assault. Four full hunter cadres are en route to this location. I estimate we have less than five minutes before their arrival.'

'Holy Terra!' Lucien exclaimed as he turned to run towards the main Tau structure. He activated his vox link, 'Brother Darius, prepare for enemy attack, we've stepped into a trap!”

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