Tancred's Lament

by Brother Claudius

Tancred wished they would execute him and be done with it. The Dark Angel scout had been wounded in a skirmish with advance squads from the loathsome Night Lords legion. There was no way of determining the strength of the chaotic forces on the planetary surface; all augury satellites had been destroyed in the initial assault. Tied to a large stake, Tancred was in no position to do much but squirm, and that merely resulted in re-opening the wound in his abdomen.

* * *

Lord Krueger, Commander of the Night Lords expeditionary force, shifted uncomfortably inside his ancient tactical dreadnought armor. "I don't like this at all, priest," he muttered, "We don't know if those simpering scouts transmitted our location to their betters, or if we caught them before they were able. We should be preparing to crush these weaklings rather than starting some ceremony."

Akbar the Crimson, oracle of the Dark Gods and Sorcerer of the Word Bearer legion, smiled congenially behind his baroque faceplate. "My kindest friend and companion, please understand that the Dark Ones must have their due. This creature is small and weak, but he is all that survived the encounter with your fierce men."

Krueger's pale face hardened. "The scouts would not have found us if you had not insisted on building this ridiculous place!" Gesturing around the domed temple, Krueger found himself more disgusted with the place every time he looked at it. "We lost precious days putting this thing together, and all in the name of idiotic religion!"

Akbar stiffened. His voice lost its patronizing softness and began to take on a cold tone. "Yes, religion. You unwashed apes deny the very powers which sustain you, and you will never be more than simple foot soldiers of the gods because of that. We will give thanks for our victories and our lofty place in the plans of the Dark Ones, and we will not take part in your ridiculous schemes until we have finished with our worship!"

"Don't toy with me, buffoon!" raged Krueger, pointing a lightning claw directly at the Sorcerer's throat. "I took you with us for two reasons. First to navigate the warp for us. Second because your troops are cheap to hire. I am here to fight, not prance around a temple like some religious fanatic!"

"Fanatic!?! You... you miserly, unwashed, atheistic dolt!" The crystal set in Akbar's staff flared a brilliant blue. "It is only for the sake of my men that I do not strike you down where you stand!"

Krueger sneered, "What do they have to do with it? When I'm done plundering this world I'm leaving them behind!"

With that, the fight began in earnest. Krueger's attacks were easily turned aside by an invisible psychic shield, whilst each of Akbar's attacks was knocked aside by sweeps of the Night Lord's lightning claw. Before long, Night Lords and Word Bearers were fighting everywhere. So intense was the fighting that the chaos marines took no notice as Tancred wormed his way out of his bonds, which he had been loosening as the argument had intensified, and quietly crawled out of the blasphemous temple.

* * *

"Tancred will have to be mind scrubbed, of course," commented Sabbathius, "but I can sense no permanent damage or taint, Master"

"Very well, Epistolary," concluded Michael, "And now that we know the location of the traitors, we can cleanse the area of their foul taint. Dismissed."