Chapter 41: Death Guard

Onboard the *Endurance*.

Now.

In the somewhat sparse personal quarters of an Astartes, Hades sat on the edge of his bed, holding a mirror in one hand and a circular incense burner in the other, lost in thought.

His initial goal had always been to survive on Barbarus long enough to become an Astartes. Although the process differed from what he had imagined, the outcome was the same.

But after becoming an Astartes, his doubts only grew.

After some thought, Hades realized that the only constant in his life might be the Emperor.

He was certain that after the battle on Barbarus, it was the Emperor who saved Mortarion.

Which meant the Emperor must have seen Hades.

Hades couldn't believe that the Emperor wouldn't have noticed something peculiar about his unique constitution.

But why did the Emperor merely heal Hades and then return him to the 14th Legion?

Moreover, touching the smooth metallic sensation on the left side of his head, Hades wondered if the Emperor had a hand in his treatment. If so, was the change in Hades's psychic aura the Emperor's doing? Or was it due to his near-death experience, or perhaps the transformation into an Astartes?

No, the more he thought about it, the less sense it made, and there was no way to verify these hypotheses.

Hades couldn't approach the Emperor for answers, and he doubted Mortarion knew either. If Mortarion had any information about Hades, he would have shared it.

But sometimes, overthinking meant you were being watched by the Warp.

Having barely managed to wrest Mortarion from Nurgle's grasp, Hades didn't want to attract any more attention from the Warp.

No point in overthinking. He'd take things one step at a time.

Hades wanted to further explore the capabilities of his new brain and left eye, but remembering that Mortarion was waiting for him, he didn't want to delay. As he stood up, he realized he had grown taller, now standing at least 8.5 feet!

Not only had he grown taller, but Hades felt a surge of power throughout his body.

His muscles tensed, ready for action, his two hearts beat powerfully, blood coursed rapidly through his veins, his lungs expanded and contracted steadily, and his mind was sharper than ever. He felt an overwhelming urge to jump or sprint. He felt powerful, so very powerful!

Suppressing the urge to punch a hole in the wall, Hades tossed the mirror onto the bed and, holding the incense burner, left his room.

The corridor was dominated by shades of grim green and deep gray. It was wide and long, with the floor in gray, the walls in a dark green, and a touch of off-white where the walls met the floor.

Apart from some essential lighting, the corridor was as dim and foggy as the perpetual gloom of Barbarus.

Doors identical to Hades's lined the corridor.

This must be the Astartes' personal quarters, Hades thought.

The corridor was empty, save for Mortarion, who was leaning against a wall, absentmindedly playing with a circular incense burner.

Seeing Hades approach, Mortarion snapped back to reality, ready to give him a tour of the *Endurance*.

Hades handed the incense burner back to Mortarion.

The air was still a bit acrid, but bearable. Hades didn't want to become a walking canister of poison.

Mortarion looked at him, "You don't want it? I can give it to you."

"No, thanks. If the environment is always going to be like this, I'd better get used to it sooner rather than later," Hades quickly declined. He wanted to add more, but thought better of it.

Respect others' preferences.

"Alright then."

Mortarion casually took the incense burner and hung it back on a bronze chain on his shoulder.

"Come, let me show you around the *Endurance*. This will be our second home."

Hades shrugged. Indeed, after becoming Astartes, most had severed ties with their past.

But Hades would always remember.

Seeing Mortarion start to move, Hades followed.

"This is the Astartes' personal quarters. This floor, and the two above and below, are all for you."

"Normally, rooms would be assigned by squad. And not all troops would be stationed on the *Endurance*. Some squads would be dispersed to other battle barges."

"But the Legion is still in its integration phase, so for now, all squads are stationed on the *Endurance*."

"And the new recruits from Barbarus haven't been assigned to squads yet."

"This Legion... was originally called the Dusk Raiders. But since I took over, I renamed it the Death Guard."

Mortarion smiled, "To honor the warriors of Barbarus."

Indeed, those brave and fearless warriors.

Mortarion paused, then said solemnly, "You are my unbreakable blade. You are the Death Guard."

Hades knew Mortarion had said this when he first met the Dusk Raiders. It was also engraved on the battle barge *Scythe of Death*.

After that, there were no more Dusk Raiders.

Only the 14th Legion, the Death Guard.

The monotonous sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor.

Mortarion continued to introduce Hades to the newly reformed Death Guard.

"I've divided the Death Guard into seven companies. The first, second, and seventh are special."

"The first company is led by the Chief Commander, currently Balasin from Terra."

"The second is led by the Commander, currently Tetsus from Terra."

"And the seventh is led by the Battle Commander, currently Galo from Terra."

Deliberately, with each statement, Mortarion emphasized the word "Terra" in the Barbarus dialect.

Hades knew what Mortarion was getting at.

The 14th Legion was like a toy in Mortarion's hands, and he wanted to get rid of elements he didn't like.

Mortarion wanted fresh blood for the Legion.

In fact, most Legions underwent such a transformation when their Primarch was found. The old glory of the Legion would be overshadowed by the return of the Primarch.

Not all Legions were willing to submit to a newly found Primarch.

Even with a genetic bond, these battle-hardened veterans wouldn't just submit.

This would inevitably lead to conflict.

Hades knew this was bound to happen.

[Author's Note: I couldn't find the English term for "Dusk Raiders". Also, while "Dusk Raiders" can be translated as "Twilight Assaulters", I felt "Dusk Raiders" sounded cooler, so I went with that translation.

After Mortarion restructured them, the Death Guard became a highly disciplined and obedient force. However, I believe there must have been conflicts between the old and new members of the Legion. Other Legions have many such descriptions, and during the Heresy, the portrayal of the loyalists shows that the Legions weren't monolithic. Hence this depiction.