Private Journal of Brother-Apothecary Altair, Aegis VII, 998.M41
The first thought.
I can’t see.
Blackness surrounds my sight. I can hear. Gunfire..mostly. Explosions. A low rumbling noise. A tank, I think.
My left arm refuses to move. I can feel dirt beneath my fingers. An arm hauls me upright. My vision clears. A blackened form swins into view. Arbalan’s plasma gun is smoking gently as he lends his strength to me. My armor squeals in protest as I move.
“Brother Apothecary, we are needed elsewhere.” says Arbalan.
“But…Melenius.” I say weakly, still trying to regain my senses.
“Dead. You were almost lost as well. That blast was of some magnitude.”
I turn, taking in the sight of the war-torn fields of Aegis VII, the newest war in a long tide of wars. Fought in the Emepror’s name, of course.
Melenius’ body makes itself known as a black form against the dull brown of the soil. his armor is cracked open where I had breached it, trying to save him. A shard of metal is lodged in his neck seal, blood drying into a reddish stain on his armor and the ground.
I check my own suit of armor. There are some spots where the black paint has been chipped off, and my left arm hangs limply from my side. Dislocation. I grasp it and pull, popping the joint into place. My narthicium hums as it connects back to my neural interfaces. My left shoulderpad, the one with an Apothercarium symbol on it, has Melenius’ blood staining it. I sadly wipe it away, only succeeding in smearing it.
Arbalan nudges me.
“We have to go, now, Apothecary. Brother-Captain Dacius is making a stand on the far side of the ridge.”
I nod. “Then we go.”
Arbalan shoulders his plasma gun. “You might need this, brother.”
He offers my Bolter. I take it one-handed, and check the ammo levels. Fourteen shells left, plus eight clips on my bandoliers. My Reductor is secured against my belt, and three frag grenades are clipped to my belt loops. A melta bomb is hung from my backpack.
“Of course, Brother Arbalan. Thank you. Now, we go to Captain Dacius?”
Arbalan nods. “Follow me, Brother-Apothecary.”