The troopship Vanderbuke hung in low orbit over Jornath, the alternating reverberations of the ship's engines cycling to maintain its orbital station could be felt through the deck plating. Codicier Tiziano reached out with his ceramite covered hand and splayed his fingers on a nearby bulkhead, he also reached out with his mind. He drank in the sensations of both, the rumble of engine activity mirrored in the thoughts and actions of the men on board ship. Activity, anxiety, a longing to have the planet below firmly underfoot, despite his super-human nature he could identify with the desire to be planet-side.
"Lord Space Marine."
Tiziano looked to the man who addressed him, a stout man, large to be unaugmented, he had a power-maul clipped to his belt and he wore the uniform of the Ultima Sector. Tiziano took notice of the skull and starburst pin on the man's collar. "Yes Chief Rating?"
"There is a mandatory safety briefing on the dangers of vacuum in fifteen minutes in the primary debarkation bay. I'm sorry but you must attend, all passengers must attend prior to debarkation."
Tiziano allowed himself a small smirk, "I understand. I shall contact my brother and we will both attend. The Emperor protects." The navy-man saluted with the sign of the Aquila before turning with a sharp motion and clicking away on his polished boots. The Codicier could not resist reaching out and observing the Chief's thoughts, fear or more accurately relief, he had not wanted to speak with a Space Marine. Tiziano turned his focus inward, he probed outward and found the only other Astartes on board, it was easy. The minds of normal men were like blurry dots of light, an under-powered lumilamp against the midnight of the universe, some men were special, the shape of their mind more defined, harder edged, he could sense a half dozen such minds on this vessel, likely the officers of the regiment in transit or the command staff of the ship. The mind of an Astartes was like a warning rune in a darkened cargo hold, severe, distinct, its shape concrete and yet its light a strobe of activity. Tiziano brushed the edges of his brother's mind with a simple thought command.
"Brother Codicier, I have asked you to use the vox in order to contact me while on ship."
Tiziano could not keep the amusement from his voice as he replied over the intra-armor vox-net, "My apologies Brother Lieutenant. I meant no disrespect to your orders. I wished only to exercise my abilities so they would not atrophy on this long voyage."
"Aye Brother, I have endeavored to keep my own prowess sharp in this time of lethargy. I am in the training cell provided to us as we speak. Are we required somewhere?"
Tiziano's thought imperative had worked, somewhat at least, for the Lieutenant's mind was still an enigma to the Codicier. "Yes Brother, we are needed in the primary debarkation bay for a safety briefing on the dangers of vacuum."
"Good, I will meet you there Brother Codicier."
Tiziano's footsteps rang against the deck plating, he moved briskly through the corridors of the ship, it seemed that all the activity he could sense was centered near the vessel's cargo and troop bays. They would all be debarking soon, he passed few ship crewmen on his way, they hurriedly moved from his path and saluted, always with a mix of awe and fear. He understood why, he towered over them, clad in armor and accoutered for war, he was a terrifying vision of the Emperor's power made flesh. Finally he approached the main entry to the primary debarkation bay, he filtered in behind the rows of Astra Militarum troops filing into the cavernous space. Landers of all sizes populated the launch-bay.
"Brother Codicier, I am by the main fueling bowser."
"Brother Lieutenant, I shall make my way to you." The Lieutenant stood out over the mortal men around him, he was Primaris after all, the Progenitor had returned and with him he had brought a brotherhood of warriors truly crafted in his divine image, Tiziano knew a fraction of what the normal men around him must feel when he found himself in the presence of any of the Primaris. The Lieutenant stood a head taller than Tiziano and was equally broader, he was like any of his brothers but magnified in almost every way, but there was something he could not identify, it left Tiziano uncomfortable around the Primaris Brothers. The two Space Marines greeted one another with the traditional clasping of arms, "Ave Imperator Brother."
"Ave Imperator. I am eager to join the Mortifactors fighting here on Jornath. I wish more of our Brothers could be here to battle the xenos threat, but Ultramar and the galaxy face many threats at this moment."
Tiziano considered the Lieutenant's words and wondered if the Primaris were among the manyfold threats to the Imperium's stability, he banished the nearly heretical notion as soon as he thought it, still he could not shake his unease. "Aye Brother. I am happy to be out of the cloisters of the Librarium and headed into the field of battle." The vox-hailers of the launch bay screeched for a moment before normalizing into a recording of the Emperor's Prayer. The two Space Marines fell silent as the assembled throng listened intently, in unison the gathering shouted at the prayer's culmination, "THE EMPEROR PROTECTS!"
