Meros - Bloodlines: Many standard years later, Meros was assigned to take part in a campaign against the Dark Eldar on the world of Nartaba Octus. He had been assigned to a Blood Angels flotilla that was responsible for overseeing the evacuation of the human scientific colony in place on that Imperial world before it was subjected to an Exterminatus. The sadistic xenos had infested the planet, and despite the Blood Angels' best efforts, a horde of Dark Eldar had defied full extermination on the ground. Meros was a part of the rearguard, the last group to evacuate the doomed world.While attending to an injured civilian, the Apothecary was shot in the back by one of the xenos by a deadly Soul-Seeker round. The dart was the war-shot from a Dark Eldar Splinter Gun, the venomous shard poisoned by conventional means, but doubly so by some monstrous form of psychic impregnation. The toxin it exuded would not only destroy flesh, but also disintegrate a man's very soul. Any attempt to dig out the round would shatter it, driving the toxins even deeper into the wounded victim's tissues.Gravely wounded, Meros slipped into the deep torpor of a recovery sleep, his Sus-an Membrane automatically activating. In a desperate attempt to save the mortally injured Apothecary, he was placed by Sergeant Cassiel and Brother Sarga into one of the specially constructed golden sarcophagi of the Blood Angels. These life-giving marvels of arcane technology were master-crafted pieces of machinery, so advanced that even a Techmarine could not fully fathom the intricacies of its workings. These sarcophagi were used in the IX Legion's ritual of transforming an Aspirant from a stunted, radioactive Baal tribesman into a Blood Angel Astartes; their restructured bodies and features taking on a beauty in the course of their metamorphosis that echoed that of their angelic forebear.Meros' Battle-Brothers believed that by placing their comrade in the sarcophagus it would help purge the poisoned blood from his system, replacing it with fresh, clean vitae. During his time spent in the sarcophagus, Meros met Brother Rafen in a maddened psychic fever-dream, a Blood Angel from the far distant future of the late 41st Millennium. They both shared a genetic link through their shared experience in the same sarcophagus, despite being separated by ten standard millennia.Soon, both Blood Angels realised they were not alone as they both encountered in their visions the golden guardian of vengeance known as the Sanguinor. The stories that Rafen had been told was that this being was an avatar of all that was good and noble in the character of his Chapter; an undying force of pure will that would give its blessing to Blood Angels warriors fighting against the most hopeless of odds. The Sanguinor was the golden angel of vengeance who would descend from the skies in the Blood Angels' moment of greatest need.Not trusting his own eyes, Rafen reflexively pulled his Bolter from its holster and trained the weapon on the mysterious entity. Rafen had never truly believed the stories, for he had fought at the speartip of wars that shook the pillars of his Chapter's history, and he had never seen the face of this legend; and to see it now, in this place, brought a sudden fury to the Blood Angel.Meros saw Rafen draw his pistol upon the golden warrior. The figure in gold could only be one thing, one being -- for the strictures of the IXth Legion forbade any but the Primarch himself and the warriors of his personal Sanguinary Guard from donning such armour. It could only be Sanguinius himself; and here before Meros the warrior Rafen was bringing a weapon to bear upon him. Assuming that the Sanguinor could only be their beloved Primarch, Meros attempted to stop Rafen. Brother Rafen informed Meros that Sanguinius had been long dead for over ten thousand Terran years and that the Blood Angels no longer existed as a Legion.Refusing to believe such blasphemies, Meros became enraged and attacked Rafen. But before the two Blood Angels could kill one another, they were soon beset on all sides by phantasms. Putting aside their differences, the two Blood Angels fought side-by-side, managing to vanquish their phantom enemies. Both Blood Angels had found a sense of camaraderie through their shared genetic heritage.Rafen soon realised the dire portents of such a meeting. Before being medically awoken from their parallel, yet separate comas separated by vast distances of time and history, Rafen attempted to communicate with his genetic forebear. With all his might, with every last moment of his strength, Rafen fought to utter a warning. From his mouth came a single, strangled word. A curse. "Horus—." The Sanguinor quickly intervened before Rafen could finish his warning of Horus' betrayal and placed a golden gauntlet over the silent lips of its unmoving mask, indicating to the Blood Angel to be silent. At that particular moment, both Blood Angels were pulled back into their respective timelines.Upon awakening from the sarcophagus, miraculously healed from near-death, Meros was surprised to see the Sanguinary Guard's Commander Azkaellon checking on his progress. Though he had thought the Apothecary would surely die from his grievous wounds, the usually stern Blood Angels honour guard commander was actually impressed by Meros’ resilience. Azkaellon then informed the assembled Blood Angels that were present that they had received new orders from the Warmaster Horus. The entirety of the IXth Legion was to gather for battle and new glory. Such an assemblage of the Sons of Sanguinius was unprecedented. For the Primarch to gather them all for war, the deed would have to be of great import. The Blood Angels Legion's destination was the Signus Cluster.