Farsight has Mercy on Ultramarines
‘Parley, I think you call it,’ said the xenos, his Low Gothic strangely lilting but accurate.
Sicarius spat a gobbet of acidic saliva towards the xenos leader. It landed a hand’s breath from his three-toed foot, hissing as it burnt into the scorched roof.
‘You have inflicted much damage upon Dal’yth,’ said the alien warlord. ‘Scarred it deeply as you fought to conquer it for your Emperor. Though I should not say this, I respect you for the skill and strength you have shown here.’
‘You are faithless bastards all,’ said Sicarius, ‘and one day you will be put to death, in the name of the Emperor.’
‘Faith is a powerful force indeed, it is true,’ said Farsight. ‘We have our own faith – not in one of our number raised to godhood, but in a mutual destiny that cannot be denied.’
‘What would you know of honour,’ snarled Sicarius.
‘I know that if it is broken, it cannot easily be repaired. We too have a warrior code.’
‘For instance,’ said the alien, ‘I would consider it dishonourable to give my cadres the order to hunt down and kill every one of your white-armoured medics, ensuring their ritual death flasks are ground beneath our boots. That would be a stain upon my soul I could not erase.’
‘It would be a great shame if matters came to that,’ continued the xenos warlord. ‘Enough lives have been lost, on both sides, for us to learn from this. But my advisors have recently told me your masters have ordered an evacuation, so perhaps such extreme measures are not needed after all.’
‘Our civilisations will cross paths again,’ Sicarius said, his face etched with contempt and anger. ‘That I promise you, alien. And on that day, there will be blood.’
‘I am sure of it,’ said the xenos warlord sadly, turning and walking slowly into the craft as it drifted towards the stars.
From ‘Blades of Damocles’