# Sacrifice - Part 1



## Unknown Soldier (Oct 24, 2008)

Well folks, here we go again. This time I've tried to write a Space Marine story. Normally I shy away from these due to the limited emotional range and the pre-conceived notions that most 40k fans have in their heads about their beloved Chapters. So I have fully prepared by backside to have a new opening ripped in to it.:biggrin:

Nevertheless, here we go -

Sacrifice - Part 1

‘Step away from the altar.’ 

‘Leave me be, allow me to finish my prayers.’

A lone Raven Guard Sergeant is knelt prostrate at a crumbling altar set within an overgrown wooded glade, his hands are clasped and head bowed in prayer. Behind him, standing in a semi-circle, are ten Crimson Fists, their swords and bolters at the ready.

‘This is your final warning Sergeant Ward. Step away from the altar and surrender immediately.’ The command was repeated from the leader of the Crimson Fist squad.

‘Again, I ask you to leave me be.’ Responded Ward calmy.

‘Sergeant Marius Ward, you are charged with crimes against the Imperium. Desertion, dereliction of duty, cowardice and heresy. You will come with us and face Inquisitorial judgement at the Palace of Imperial Justice on Terravin IV.’ The words of warning were punctuated with the sound of armoured bodies taking a menacing step forward.

‘No, I will not.’ Ward replied vehemently.

‘Then you leave us no choice, we will take you there by force.’ Again, the threat was accented with the sound of ten armoured Space Marines taking another step.

Ward raised himself from his kneeling position and slowly turned to face his accusers. 

‘I will not leave this holy place with you, there is too much at stake.’ Ward stared at each of their faces. All but one had his face covered by the steel visor of a helmet. 

The bare faced Crimson Fist Sergeant took another step forward and spoke.

‘You will come with us now.’ His voice carried gravitas and authority and his eyes never left the steady gaze of his Raven Guard opponent.

Ward studied the dark blue armour and weapons of his adversaries carefully. He noted that they were all in excellent condition compared to his aged and battle worn armaments. He did not stand a chance against such men.

‘The Crimson Fists, the Inquisition’s own personal lapdogs, I should have guessed. Leave me to finish my prayers or I will be forced to spill your blood.’ Despite being totally at a disadvantage, Ward taunted the assembled Astartes, daring them to respond.

‘We cannot, our orders are very precise. You will surrender to us immediately.’ Tired of this game, Sergeant Kris Lexington of the Crimson Fists gave the nod to his squad mates to level their guns. Even a venerable Raven Guard Sergeant such as Ward must be able to see sense when threatened by ten loaded Bolter pistols.

But venerable Sergeant Marius Ward of the Raven Guard would not see sense. He moved his body into an attack posture and gripped the hilt of his Chainsword with his mighty right fist.

‘Don’t do it! Take your hand away from the sword!’ Lexington shouted, his concerned voice almost trembling with the consequences of what might happen next.

‘I give my life to you, oh blessed sister.’ Ward whispered into the air.

In the blink of an eye, Ward pulled the Chainsword from it’s scabbard and charged the massed ranks of the Crimson Fist squad. 

‘Fire!’

All ten bolt guns unloaded their magazines into the chest and stomach of the charging Sergeant. The .75 inch rounds shredded the breastplate of Ward’s armour and he immediately fell to his knees. Row upon row of cigar sized holes erased the once proud aquila on his chest and turned the ceramite plates into little more then tattered striplings of scrap iron. As the rounds exited his back, they took with them bloody chunks of flesh and bone which splattered sickeningly onto the wet, leafy ground of the wooded enclave behind him.

Lexington threw down his bolter and sword and ran to the dying Marine. Cradling his comrade in arms, he knew that the Guard’s life was ebbing away. This in not how Lexington wanted this scenario to end. Though he did not know Sergeant Ward personally, he had read his file and knew that the man dying in his arms was one of the most decorated warriors to have ever graced the battlefields of the Imperium.

Three days previous, they had been contacted by the Inquisition’s astropathic communicators and been told to track down a renegade Raven Guard Sergeant who had deserted his post and stolen a ship from the Chapter’s dockyards orbiting Deliverance. The Psykers of the Ordo Hereticus had been able to track his psychic signature to this small shrine world on the edge of the Segmentum Pacificus and with the Crimson Fist’s being the only Chapter within easy warp range at the time, they were tasked with bringing Ward in for questioning.

Ward turned his head towards Lexington and smiled, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth.

‘Why brother? Why didn’t you surrender when you had the chance? There was no way you could have bested us in open combat. Why did you resist and seal your doom?’ demanded Lexington.

‘Verity.’ The venerable Sergeant muttered as he exhaled his final living breath.

Part 2 to follow


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## waltzmelancholy_07 (Sep 30, 2008)

Once again... This is so awesome... Hahaha....


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## juddski (Nov 3, 2008)

again , really good read unknown :wink:.now onto part 2


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## Col. Schafer (Apr 15, 2008)

Arent bolter rounds supposed to explode? as oposed to leaving round holes? (Just playing the devils advocate)


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## Unknown Soldier (Oct 24, 2008)

Hi Col. Schafer,

There are different types of bolter round available to the SM.

I stole this from the Lexicanum -

Standard Pattern - Standard explosive and propulsive charges used, depleted deuterium core and diamantine tip and mass reactive detonators. 
Inferno Bolt - Deuterium core replaced with oxy-phosphor gel (a powerful chemical combination which burns on contact with air). 
Hellfire Round - Explosive core replaced with thousands of needles impregnated with mutagenic acid for use against Tyranids. A Heavy Bolter variant (blast effect) is available. 
Metal Storm Frag Shell - Standard charge and detonator replaced with fragmentation shell and a proximity sensor detonator. 
Stalker Silenced Shell - Propellant and explosive replaced by gas cartridges, detonator cap replaced with solidified mercury slug. 
Kraken Pattern Penetrator Round - Deuterium core replaced by solid adamantine core, heavier propulsive charge. 
Odysseus Bolt - Psychically impregnated solid slug for tracking targets. 

In theory, you would need a round that penetrated armour first before exploding, otherwise most of it's energy would be wasted on the surface. So the rounds would leave a standard size entry wound, such as the cigar sized holes I mentioned and would then explode internally. As SM are pretty tough hombres, with reinforced internal organs and such, it's quite possible for the rounds to explode inside them and not blow them into little tiny bits.

For the sake of fluff, presume that the Crimson Fists were armed with a variant of the Metal Storm Frag Shells in their bolters. After all, they were tasked with bringing in a single renegade Sergeant and not attacking a tank column.

'As the rounds exited his back, they took with them bloody chunks of flesh and bone which splattered sickeningly onto the wet, leafy ground of the wooded enclave behind him.' - so they penetrated his armour, exploded inside him and created huge exit wounds in his back which pretty much emptied out his entire internal structure. It would also explain why he died so quicky.

Besides, I couldn't really carry on the plot if Ward 'sploded into a billion bits of bloody chunkettes and was unable to speak.

I hope that answers your question Colonel. (Unknown Solider rises from computer desk and salutes vigorously).


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## Concrete Hero (Jun 9, 2008)

Another nice start! 

Love the mysterious beginning! Keep up the good work


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## waltzmelancholy_07 (Sep 30, 2008)

Tnx for the info about the bolsters mate... I need them for my own story.... Hehehe...


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