The Grape and The Lance

“One of these days you’ll have a plan that doesn’t involve us getting reprimanded by the Primarchs.” Dulanic said with a small sigh as he followed Iyp around the corner while adjusting the missile launcher on his shoulder. He looked back as the two proceeded onto a cliff side that was a tight fit for the two Astartes and their gear.

“Don’t act like you’d be totally innocent if we got caught,” Iyp quipped back with a smile on his face as he readjusted the container of missiles maglocked to his backpack. “You’re the one who suggested we use heavy duty explosives instead of timed charges.”

“If I’m going to be disciplined by our fathers later I’m going to have some fun while doing it. Besides, knowing our luck I’ll end up alive with an embarrassing nickname like you instead of having the common decency to die in battles.”

“It isn’t that bad,” Iyp responded as he looked down the path to check for any sort of obstacle.

“You got it after infuriating Khnum so much that he decided to skip a punishment and go straight for social chastisement. Yet, you somehow managed to make people take you seriously enough that they call you the Nephtian word for Grape without them knowing. I don’t even want to start on the gauntlet you have to wear now.”

“Oh right, like you don’t mouth off to Artellion enough as is.” Iyp replied as he peeked around the corner of the cliff face.

“Who me? Never.” Dulanic said as one hand kept a firm grip on the cliff facing. “How dare you slander me like this?”

“So it was a different First Captain who told him his singing was off pitch this morning?”

“Must have been,”

“You’re lucky, if father hadn’t been standing between you two he might have taken your head off right there. Either that or stuck you on permanent trench digging duty. The latter might be more of a punishment since the Fifteenth was never known for enjoying the close confines of a trench like the Fourth does.”

“Either way, I never was caught casually lounging in my Primarch’s chambers with a bowl of grapes.”

“I was already in trouble to be fair,”

“So that meant boots up on the good furniture with a snack?” Dulanic snarked as his grin grew steadily wider.

“You act like you wouldn’t do the same, and it hurts me when you lie.”

The two came to a small chasm. Iyp looked down to see swirling mists that covered how far the bottom lie. For a normal human this would have been a trial to cross. Fortunately, Iyp and Dulanic were something beyond human. As they leapt from one side of the chasm to other they felt the cliff rock as they landed.

“Ah, I see Crikon has finally made planetfall.” Iyp said as he began to quicken his pace towards their objective.

“You think that excessive force was his secret way of having a laugh?” Dulanic asked as they neared the end of the cliff path.

“Considering the Legion Crikon is from? No.” Iyp told him as he made a mental checklist of their gear once again. “They have the subtlety of blunt force trauma.”

“Fair, the man has an obnoxiously direct and dry wit to him.”

“You wouldn’t think it would you?”

“Not at all, especially with that face of his. Then again, not every Astartes can be as beautiful as me.”

“We both know I’m the brains and the face out of the two of us Dulanic.” Iyp said as their trek was swiftly coming to an end. “Still remember the time he stole someone’s shoes just to tell me, ‘I have walked a mile in them, and I have a new pair of shoes.’”

“Wait really?”

“He knows no one would believe me. The beautiful provocateur had me dead to rights there.”

Turning one final, craggy corner they came across an opening that led to a base camped out on a great plain. The enemy base laid unsuspecting for them to come forth to reap discord and confusion.

“You sure about this?” Dulanic asked as his hand gripped the missile launcher tightly.

Iyp turned to give him a small smirk. “Of course, what’s the worst that can happen?”

———————

The last known vocal recording before the forces of the First, Fourth, and Fifteenth Legions’ attack rendered the planet of Eurachen and its neighboring planets inhospitable for any form of human life.