Chief Apothecary Primo

Primo is the Chief Apothecary of the Salamanders legion. A seasoned veteran of the chapter and a master of his craft.

## History

I remember it like today, although sometimes I'd rather forget it. I was then a scout of the Malachite Cohort, the successor chapter of the Ultramarines, and we were sent north of Segmentum Ultima to repel the orcs attacking our planet, Mantor. The orcs organized a great Waaagh aimed at our home, so there was no other option than to face them. It was unfortunate that we were then the only chapter within a short distance from the planet. After the landing, we started the fortifications of the capital, Amarint, because that was where the most orcs were heading, but unfortunately we miscalculated. The orcs surprised us with their presence, but we entered the fight without hesitation. It was not a fair fight. As a scout, I was delegated to the rear ranks so that I, together with the others, could fire as long as possible. Meanwhile, a message was sent asking for support to any chapters in the area ... no response.

The strength of the entire chapter turned out to be enough to repel the orc's attacks for 3 weeks, but each of them cost us more and more people. The orcs did not seem to be waning, on the contrary. After a month of fighting, there was something wrong in the air, like a coming storm. We sent another message calling for help, because we wouldn't hold out much longer. Then there was a scream in the distance to the north, and a cloud of smoke appeared on the horizon. So it begins. Having said our prayers, we prepared ourselves to fight to the last man. As soon as the orcs entered the bolter's range of fire, their screams were joined by the roar of gunfire and shell explosions. The air quickly filled with blood and the orcs fell one after the other, and quite quickly, and surprisingly, the orcs' momentum was stunted. This, it seemed, success filled us with momentary happiness ... momentary because we learned brutally why we were doing so well. It turned out that the orcs split into 3 smaller but still powerful groups and attacked us from the east and west while we were busy with those from the north. What happened next can be described in one word ... slaughter. Taken into the crossfire, we were unable to support ourselves and the orcs pushed us deeper and deeper.

My scout squad was ordered to retreat to a nearby hill to hold there how long we could and kill as many orcs as possible. 10 of us went to the designated place and, constantly shooting, we watched as sergeants, captains and many brothers were dying. Soon the orcs attacked us, although they were badly worn, still able to easily crush us to a bloody pulp. The bolter ammunition has run out, and we only have knives and faith. About 30 orcs approached us and the fight ensued was fierce, but we had little hope of survival. I saw the corpses of my colleagues falling on the ground, I was not able to count how many were left. One of them managed to detonate a grenade, taking many greenskins with him. The explosion unfortunately knocked me to the ground and stunned what, I think, 5 green motherfuckers wanted to use. Thanks to the Emperor, I managed to get to my feet and quickly kill 3 with a grenade. The fourth tried to hit me on the head, but I blocked  the blow with my left arm, while dealing a blow with a knife in my right hand. Then I saw some falling objects in the air with the corner of my eye. Unfortunately, this distraction gave the orc a moment he took advantage of. Taking a swing, he hit me in the chest with the gun, which knocked me to the ground. Then I heard a hard blow and felt the ground shake, then another and another close to me. The blows were followed by screams of orcs, but not screams of "joy". The symphony was joined by bolter blasts, chain swords, the roar of burning promethium, and exorbitantly powerful hammer blows.

"We did it! Someone came to help us!" - I thought. The orc above me was shattered by a hammer, which allowed me to get back on my feet. What I saw was wonderful, but also terrible. The Astartes slaughtered all the orcs in the area, thus smashing the waaaagh orcs. Unfortunately, it was not a sweet victory. An Astartes was standing in front of me, holding a powerful thunderhammer with a white drake on his shoulder. He introduced himself to me as Ish'Val, Chapter Master of Salamanders. Kneeling in front of him, I introduced myself and thanked him for saving our chapter from annihilation, but then he told me bad news. He said they had found no other alive member of the Malachite Cohort other than me. This news broke me. I was left with nothing, nowhere to go and  what to do with myself. Then Master Ish'Val offered me to join the ranks of Salamanders, continue serving the Emperor, and a new purpose in life. Without thinking much, I proudly accepted this offer and went with the Master towards the designated landing site to go to their ship and then to their fortress.

This is how I got here, to my new home Nocturne and my new brothers.