Remembrance of Terra

Ermanaric Ansis stood at the viewing port, staring out into the void, surveying Terra. Even from up there, he could make out the Imperial Palace, its location a simple matter of recollection but the experience of seeing it surpassing any memory. He mentally tuned out the armoured footsteps that approached from behind him, choosing to remain focused on the most important world in the Imperium.

“Master Ansis.” The deep voice rumbled behind him. Ermanaric had already worked out who it was by his footsteps, but he still inserted a tone of surprise into his reply.

“Chaplain Alaran. Come to see Terra as well?”

Alaran Walla joined Ermanaric at the port and followed Ermanaric’s gaze to the Palace. Ermanaric could see the fire of youth and fanaticism in his eyes as he thought about the Palace and Holy Terra.

“Glorious, is it not? One of the most glorious sights in the galaxy.”

Ermanaric paused for a moment. “Yes, it is. Though its lustre is slightly… diminished.”

Alaran spun sideways, his eyes beginning to glow dully. “Diminished? Holy Terra remains so, even with the God Emperor’s absence. Terra is the chosen world in the galaxy, the birthplace of the Imperium and where the Emperor began his reign. He shall return and there will be many more glorious times to come.”

“You misunderstand me, brother. You are young, and a Certian. You do not have the same experience of Terra as I do. The walls of the Palace that used to shine with the Emperor’s radiance are cold, the new defences of Lord Niklaas have turned the monument into a mere functional fortress.”

Alaran absorbed Ermanaric’s words, remaining deep in thought as he turned back to look at the Palace anew.

“If the recent events on Keld’abe and Terra have shown us anything, it’s that we live in dangerous times.”

“I am not disparaging Lord Niklaas’ work, it is meticulously and befitting of the Praetorian, but I cannot shake the memories of Terra’s past and find the current times wanting. I remember kneeling inside the walls of the Imperial Palace following my recruitment, waiting anxiously at the Lion Spaceport for the ship to take me to Certus. I fear what could still happen before the Emperor’s return, and what he will return to.”

Alaran kept his eyes fixed on Terra, feeling the sadness in Ermanaric’s words. He chose not to push the issue any further, though Ermanaric could sense from Alaran’s body language that he did not wholly agree with his own view.

The two stood in silence for a while, watching Terra rotating slowly in the blackness of space. With the mayhem of the past few weeks, the chance for a moment’s pause and reflection was a welcome surprise.

Ermanaric finally turned to leave. “I have one more task to attend to, would you care to accompany me?” Alaran, though surprised, nodded his assent, and followed his lead.

The two Red Eyes walked across the cold rocky floor to a door flanked by servitors. At a nod from Ermanaric, the servitors moved to the side and initiated the unlocking mechanisms in the door. It slowly rose and the two entered a large man-made cavern. Inside, a huge statue stood in the centre surrounded by candles, only a few remaining lit by this point. The statue showed a group of human soldiers and an Astarte standing together around an Imperial standard, each one with a hand on the central pole. Alaran was stunned by the beauty of the scene, the statues perfectly capturing the spirit of humanity and the Imperium in his eyes.

“How long has this been here? How have I never heard of this?”

Ermanaric had already begun walking towards the candles on the ground, collecting a number of new candles from a pouch on his armour and kneeling down. The faint firelight danced off his gold armour, further enhancing the atmosphere.

“This has been here since the start of the Great Crusade, when the Emperor himself intercepted this comet and decreed it to be a monument to all those lost in the Unification Wars and the Great Crusade up to that point. It has been a duty within the Red Eyes to maintain this shrine for centuries, a duty reserved only for Terrans. We tend the candles and maintain the statues to honour the memory of the fallen.”

Alaran watched as Ermanaric began relighting some of the candles that had gone out and replacing those that had melted completely away. Alaran stood still, unsure whether he was allowed to aid in such a task, before taking a step forward. Ermanaric held out the handful of candles like pencils in his giant hand, and Alaran gently accepted them.