Varclan First Imperial Guard Regiment

Commissar Fransaca Brunata strode slowly across the rain sodden field towards Colonel Kathai Irlana. His dark eyes slid over the gathered troops faces as he made his slow trail along the line, inspecting them. He vaugely wondered why he had been chosen to deliver this speech, but was not unused to such a thing. One fact of this had however suprised the Commissar. His hawk like eyes had caught sight of the Dreadnought Davidos Crisetta standing amongst the white clad troops, his blood red armour making his several hundred year old form stick out more. The Commissar nodded respectfully towards the unmoving dreadnought, attention turning to the troops. As he span to a stop, the holstered pistol by his side slapped eagerly at his side, silently offering him the opertunity to blow each of their brains out. For a moment, the Commissar let the image flood him and his hand drifted slightly towards it before he closed his eyes and muttered a gentle prayer to marshall his thoughts. The threat of the Blood 'God' was a constant worry to the older Commissars and Brunata was amongst the oldest still on field duty. Soon, he mused, he would have been invited to the Schola Progenium and lived out the rest of his days teaching Commissar Cadets all he knew to keep the Imperium ticking over. He had very little idea why he had agreed to side with Hunsadia. It was outside his usual way of acting and the fact he had been manipulated fuzzed slightly at the Commissar's mood. Hunsadia's way of speaking had probably swayed him. Maybe a part of him had wanted to be swayed.
Shaking his head firmly, the Commissar turned his eyes back onto the troops. "You are all gathered here to put several rumours spreading like wild fire. These particular rumours are in reference to our brothers and sisters on the home planet of the Draconian Templars. It is my sad duty to inform you that the Imperium, for unknown reasons, attacked the Third Company of their Space Marine chapter who, it goes without saying, fought bravely to the last. Not content with that, the Imperium moved on to destroy Draconis herself."
He paused at that moment, allowing them a few gasps of shock then sighed to himself as the field errupted in discussion. Raising a hand after allowing it for a few moment, the commissar continued, "in light of this, The lord Josana Hunsadia has decided, after much doubt and discussion, to abandon Varclan and attempt to find a new world, safe from the Imperium's grasp. Fear not. It is my firm belief that we will find a way to resume life. As we speak, world wide evacuation plans are being made. You yourselves will be allowed a day to travel to gather your families who will be permitted to travel with you. Rarely, you will be given a chance to disobey an order without risk of punishment. Lord Hunsadia offers that those who do not have faith in him and wish to remain, you may go home and will not be thought of as a coward and may remain on the planet. I would ask that those who wish for this please fall out and assemble behind me."
The Commissar fell silent again as he watched the troopers straghten to stand at attention. He proudly noted not one of the assembled men or women moved a muscle towards falling out. It was excactly as Hunsadia had predicteded although Brunata had seen the shadow of doubt in his old friends eyes.
"Very well. Time for another pointless tradition." He stepped aside so that Colonel Irlana could draw a dagger from her belt and point the hilt towards the assembled officers. Taking cue, the 12 officers came forwards. First was Major Rana Flepia, with her tall dark hair and thin frame. She reached out and touched the hilt once, lowering her eyes to the hilt then drawing the hand away. She moved aside as Rubaca Walsa, shorter than her fellow major but the power of her presence made up for it. She touched the hilt swiftly, then stepped to her fellow officers side. Next strode Captain Samanfa Shallews with her small frame strode forwards next, blue-greened eyes glittering amusement as she touched the hilt then stepped back towards her company. Captain Chestafar Melar was next. Slightly taller than Shallews, and more athletic in appearance. He touched the weapon with a sigh of bordom then stood by his company. As he drew back, the tallest member of the Varclan Imperial Guard Regiment, and, coincidently one of the two liveliest captains, Joesh Marhar bounded forwards with a small green ribbon flapping from his right shoulder, grabbing the hilt and saying in a cocky tone as he dragged his hand back,
"Well this is fun, isn't it?" He returned to his similarly iconed company, watching Captain Denata Demba, stumpier than Joesh but just as insane, "Not really," he remarked with a cackle, humouring the colonel by tapping the hilt once "I'm bored."
Captain Marata Raissi was seconds behind Denata, strolling slowly towards it, a perminant happy expression on her face. She touched it, muttering under her breath, "like it'd be any different." She glanced back at Anrada Fanack, who was already pushing her hand aside to get to the hilt, "back off," he said in a faux agressive tone, hitting the hilt and stepping back to his bemused company. Last up was the newest captain, Laua Pagla with his curly hair and friendly face. He touched the blade uncertainly, clearly not understand the ritual. He moved back swiftly, looking unsettled.

With the ceremony complete, Colonel Irlanda cleared her suddenly dry throat, eyes on the gathered guardsmen. "With that complete," she recited, the test of loyalty is passed, as it was in the ages of the past. By touching the hilt and issuring no challenge, you agree to listen to your fellow officers, and myself." She rose the dagger into the sky, pointing at the distant sun, then lowered it slowly towards the ground. "And thus the campaign begins." Irlanda lowered her eyes a moment in thought. The previous colonel had never performed this, spitting upon traditions set down when Varclan was still made up of various small clans that would compete for scraps of land barely worth the massive amounts of bloodshed.
Stepping forwards, Commissar Brunata nodded approvingly. Personally, the commissar found this whole thing a waste of time and possibly a good officer. The only reason he allowed it was because it also may get rid of a bad officer. As the Colonel dismissed the troopers to gather their wives and children, or set up for a swift withdrawal if they had none, the Commissar approached the waiting Dreadnought swiftly, his face displaying a cautious smile that would disarm most people, but have a tiny effect on a Dreadnought.
"Greetings, Davidos Crisetta," he said in a confident voice that completely believed his thoughts which had turned suspicious. He watched Davidos Crisetta regard him silently for a while, then glanced up as he heard the Dreadnought's deep gravely voice cast through his vox casters, distorting his voice further with a grainy feedback after each sentence.
"Brunata." He rumbled, "I would have us speak. I will be honest with you. I find myself deeply worried by the current situation and presume you are also. This whole situation stinks of Chaos. It will surely lead us from the Emperor's light."
The Commissar allowed a thin smile to flick briefly over his pale lips. "Loyal forces of the Emperor have been wronged. Such a thing should not be allowed to ensure and will not while I draw breath. I am duty, and honour bound, to ensure that it does not continue. To not do so would be causing Varclan to betray their geneseed brothers. To prevent this being known would be heresy and I will not tollerate that.
We must help them find this Inquisitor. There must have been misinformation thrown into a light that should not have been there in the first place. I must open his eyes and help him see that it is amended. If that requires a momentary departure from the Imperium to ensure the God-Emperor's truth is still known, so be it. It doesn't sit well, but I trust Lord Hunsadia, and will trust this decision."
For a while, the dreadnought was silent. His weight sank to the left as it had when the mine controlling it had been just controlling a human body before taking a would and being honoured with his encasement in the mighty Dreadnought he was now in. After a silence that seemed to last for hours, the Dreadnought replied in the same tone, but with an edge of relief. "I see it with your view now, and it has helped. I had considered remaining on this planet, but I view it appropriate to accompany you, if for naught else but to ensure this does not end badly."
With a thunderous whir of cogs, Crisetta spun and made to stride off. "I have misgivings about this though. I forsee this ending in death, or worse."
Brunata sighed gently, nodding to himself as the Dreadnought strode away. "I share them. I just pray that the Emperor will guide us back. Trust in Lord Hunsadia. He is as loyal to the Emperor as any man I know." As soon as he stopped, he bit his lip then added in a tone of worry, "it is the Draconian Templars I fear for."