STRIKE FORCE UZZIEL By David Hedges |
BATTLE COMPANY STRIKE FORCES |
These images have been reproduced with the kind permission of David Hedges. |
Interrogator-Chaplain Uzziel & Command Squad Interoggator Chaplain Uzziel stared around him. The room was dark and dank. Thick candles burned slowly. Hooded statues gazed at him, great heroes from ages long forgotten. Uzziel reckognized a few, from long lost stories. The statues looked imposing, as if they were judging him too. The chapter symbol stood in between each statue, the chapter for which he had lost so many comrades. The rock was a dark and forbidding place Uzziel knew, and there were parts of it he has never visited before, nor did he want to. And this was one of these places. |
It was nearly two standard earth years ago. He made his first captured fallen repent. His Brother Chaplains envied him for it. He was so young, foolish perhaps. But he made his first fallen repent. He remembers well how he spoke about the sword. The Lion Sword. The fallen told him that he saw it, on an Eldar Exodite world. He was afraid to pick it up, and for the second time the Fallen Dark Angel had failed the Chapter, The lion, and the Emperor, praise them both Uzziel thought. Was he so different from the Fallen he made repent? Did he not too fail the Chapter, Lion and the Emperor? So many battle Brothers had fallen that day in search for the Sword. Not only that, but he found the sword allright, the sword of Luther, arch heretic of the Chapter. Was it not for his iron will teached to him by the greatest of Interoggator Chaplains, Asmodai, that he had not listened to the sword? The sword whispered to him, to rule the galaxy, to overthrow the Imperium. Only through iron hard will did he look upon the shaft of the sword. Those words engraved on the shaft of the cursed sword still haunted him to this day. He knew he had to bring back the sword to the Chapter. It was part of its history, but he also knew he must someday face the consequences of his actions. Today was that day. The hydraulic hiss of the door signalled human beings entering the room. Candles fluttered in the wind. All were hooded and walked up to an altar, which was standing high above him at the end of the row of statues. Silently, they all knew where to sit and stared intently at him. The last person to sit was Ezekiel, Holder of keys, greatest of the Dark Angels. He looked at Uzziel for a while and then opened a large, ancient book, its pages consisting of human skin the essence the Imperium is made from. |
Uzziel grew tired of the trial. Trained to the maximum of his abillities, he felt this trial was too time consuming. He wanted to see action and guide his brothers in the heat of the battle. He has had no training anymore the librarians wanted to see if the sword had corrupted him in some way. On the 66th day of the trial, they found no sign of corruption whatsoever. Final sentence over him would also be on the 66th day of the trial. Ironic that on the last day of the trial the librarians found no corruption. Uzziel wondered if the trial would be delayed because of these late findings. Uzziel kneeled on the immense chapter symbol adorning the floor. His head bowed, he rehearsed millenia old chapter hymns. He was an imposing figure, an armoured giant in his power armour. He looked at a fairly new statue in the small monastary. He was fond of this monastary, as it brought back memories of long ago. |
The statue represented his former company chaplain Davius. Memories flooded his mind. He had been a scout over 40 years ago in the chapter 10th company. Battle after battle he followed his sergeant into the fray, never hesistating to follow him. He was an eager scout who was well versed in the way of the chapter. Before he knew it, he was a fully fledged space marine in the 3rd company. He fought hundreds of battles, never growing weary of war, and progressing through the ranks. When the Davius died by the hands of a Chaos Warlord, the Inner Circle appointed Uzziel as the company's new chaplain. He had only been a Chaplain for 5 standard earth years before his first fallen repented. The rest is history. It was time. He knew the Inner Circle would be waiting for him at the Trial. Slowly, wearliy, he stood up and walked out of the monastery, through the halls of the rock towards the trial. |
" Brother Chaplain Uzziel, I will be your judge for the duration of this Trial. Let the Lion be my judge, praise his name " The words sounded cold and haunting. " You will tell the assembled of the events which lead you to finding the sword of the greatest heretic of all Luther " |
