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Another day started with the same routine of stock and supply checks. Of course, there was nothing new, and it also came with the same issue: a shortage of supplies. All active members of the Mollitiam were gathering on the Bridge, listening to the Lord Commander’s debrief, informing that the three of them must go scavenging today.
The ship's navigators and travel control team discovered an unknown and unregistered planet. A small group of mercenaries on board quickly patrolled the planet's surface and reported no life forms. However, they found decayed, inhabited facilities, possibly dating back a century, and abandoned infrastructure resembling some factories. The remaining infrastructure might be useful in providing them with electronic parts, ammunition, and mechanical gadgets for equipment restoration. Therefore, all three permanent Night Lords, including the Lord Commander himself, disembarked and descended on the surface, starting the area's search.
Ursus took another area patrol intensively. He had searched every inch of the perimeter, every room checked, and every empty space secured, and he found nothing alive. This planet was a wasteland – a place that used to be a temporary colony of humans in the past.
“I bet those people were not part of the Imperium.”
Sergiu commented as Ursus regrouped with him and the Lord Commander, Alin. The shortest one strolled around the hollow hall of another collapsed factory, reached a side wall, and made the whole wall fall to the other side with the softest touch of his fingertip. He flinched amusingly and giggled, probably feeling a bit sorry for causing a dusty whirlwind and loud noise that might be heard within ten to twenty miles.
“Have you collected everything essential?”
Alin shook his head slowly, asking Ursus, not Sergiu.
“Yes, sir, I signaled the courier servitor to collect the usable items on board the ship and sent them up. The ship will return for us, and we will leave when you are ready, Lord Alin.”
“Good.” Alin nodded once, satisfied with Ursus’s reply.
“Hey, you two! Come here! Look what I just found.”
Ursus and Lord Alin exchanged glares before rushing to where Sergiu was. They found the playful one standing next to a long, cynical tube of an Astartes size. Its lid was enormous, covered with icy and some rusty stains, while the attached cables were the size of human arms, entangling like a bunch of rope to the other end on the far wall of this abandoned facility. Ursus observed this device intensely, feeling familiar as if he had seen it before. He heard Lord Alin talking to Sergiu, mentioning that this device was the cryo-sleeper used to save time during space travel. However, such devices were not common among their kind, and it was strange to see one on the unknown planet, in the forgotten factorial structure.
“I say leave it be, do not touch it,” murmured Lord Alin.
“I think we should open it and see what is inside. Come on, it should be fun,” argued Sergiu as Ursus already approached on its side.
“Alin,” the playful one still insisted while the contemplative one stood his ground.
“What should we do if there is someone inside? We never know who is in there, ally or foe. We cannot take any risk under our current situation.”
“Come on, we are three against a maximum of one. Considering its external façade and condition, whoever is there must be drowsy and unable to handle three Night Lords.”
The talk got spicier as the two senior members of the Mollitiam initiated their new argument on how to handle this newfound cryo-sleeper. Both exchanged many pros and cons for a minute. No one paid attention to Ursus, so before they noticed, the closed lid had been torn off the pod and oscillated softly on the floor. Lord Alin and Sergiu halted, glaring at Ursus, who looked at them innocently.
“What have you done?” gnawed Lord Alin.
“My apologies, Lord Alin,”
Ursus whispered guiltily. It was obvious that he took sides with Sergiu over the Lord Commander. Before anything got brood, Sergiu stepped in between his long-time comrade and the junior member, mitigating that Ursus did it with no ill intention.
“This is one of yours?” Sensing Sergiu’s support, Ursus asked the Lord Commander. The question drew his attention to the content of the cryo-sleeper as he walked closer and saw the person inside was in the midnight blue with crimson wings and a skull on his left pauldron. This guy was truly a Night Lord.
“He is one of us.” Lord Alin revised and replied to his junior fellow. “He is a Night Lord as much as you, Ursus.”
“What should we do with him?” Ursus asked.
“Let’s take him with us and decide what to do later.”
Ursus glanced at Lord Alin after Sergiu's suggestion. The Lord Commander nodded, noting they needed to bring the cryo-sleeper together.
______________________
After about four or five hours, the revived Night Lord stirred. Ursus, assigned to the watch, was the first to meet his gaze. Their black irises locked in silence for a full minute before the recently awakened figure lifted the corners of his lips into a gentle smile.
“Hello.” Ursus wrinkled a bit but greeted him back.
“Good day, brother. Who are you? Which squad do you belong to? Where am I?” the awakened one asked.
“Who are you?” Ursus returned the question.
“Oh, pardon me, I am Vlad – Vladislav, and you?”
“Belial Ursus, just call me Ursus. I'm with Mollitiam. This ship is also Mollitiam.”
“You have my gratitude, brother Ursus. I am blessed to be with our own kin.”
“You are so formal. No need to be polite with me.”
Ursus said, looking at Vladislav curiously.
“Who is this ship’s Lord Commander?” Vladislav continued. “I must visit him and thank you for his hospitality.”
“Follow me.” Ursus nodded, standing and leading the newest awakened one to the Bridge. Lord Alin instructed him to immediately inform him once Vladislav woke up.
Both traveled through the highest floor to the Bridge, where Ursus led the newcomer inside. The human serfs of the navigation team turned their attention to them, and some looked frightened, seeing who had been summoned in.
“Lord Alin, the subject has awakened. I bring him in as you commanded.” The giant Night Lord stated their presence.
The Lord Commander dismissed the serfs and walked back to Ursus and another Night Lord, signaling them to follow to his private quarters above the commanding deck with his fingers. Ursus stepped after, while Vlad followed him, both headed towards the hidden pathway to the quarter at the peak.
The giant Night Lord kept turning back to check on Vladislav as they continued walking silently until they reached the destination.
Lord Alin told them to wait on the narrow terrace at the front door. He quickly disappeared inside and reappeared before them within a few seconds.
“What is your name, brother?”
Vladislav blinked genuinely as Ursus told his name to the Lord Commander. Lord Alin nodded and began interviewing him. They talked for five minutes, long enough for Sergiu to join them when the conversation was concluded with the decision to transfer the newcomer to the other ship.
“Where would you have him go, Lord Alin?” Ursus asked, having a concerned feeling about this decision.
“Not your former one. It will likely be one of our higher authorities’ ships.” Lord Alin replied.
“What would happen to him after that?” Ursus continued as Sergiu and Vladislav looked at him. Normally, the giant Night Lord would not speak on behalf of others or wonder about the others’ business. This was the first time Ursus reacted sympathetically, if not emphatically.
“It would depend on the higher leaders’ decision and how he behaves towards them. However, we cannot keep him here; we do not have enough resources to feed an extra mouth.”
Lord Alin gave Ursus and Sergiu a serious look because Vladislav had been rescued on the Mollitiam due to their joint actions. He did not want to take him in, but something moral—if there was a little left—had convinced him to.
“The RV is the meteor situated half a light year from our current coordinates.”
Ursus turned to the holistic screen in the middle of the command deck below the terrace, realizing it was one of the main caravan fleet's frequently utilized drop-off and pick-up points.
“You will accompany him and make sure nothing goes wrong during the transfer.” The Lord Commander gave Ursus another direct command. The giant Night Lord nodded unquestionably. “He needs a place to stay for now. You have the largest room; let him share it while we travel to the RV.”
Ursus turned to meet his Lord Commander, seriously looking for the first time. The silent tension instantly formed in the atmosphere between the four of them.
“Is…everything alright?”
Vladislav looked at the Mollitiam, one after another, before asking softly. Ursus said nothing. The Lord Commander was also silenced. Only Sergiu stepped in with a bright smile.
“Yes, of course. Nothing goes wrong, and we are all cool.” The shortest Night Lord spoke gently, leaving to tap on the Lord Commander’s shoulder and cup Ursus’s cheek.
“May I tag along and visit your quarters with this lovely Vlad?”
Then he turned back to the confusing Night Lord. “May I call you ‘Vlad’?”
Vladislav nodded. “Of course, my battle brothers always call me that.”
Ursus broke the stare and bowed to the Lord Commander after Sergiu intercepted the silent argument. He excused himself from the bridge, walking out first while Vladislav asked Sergiu for further instructions.
“Just follow him. Ursus is a fast walker.”
So, the three walked together to the South Wing of the ship. The walk took about five minutes to reach the designated quarters in the deepest corner at the end of the corridor. The air around the corner felt different, fused with an unfamiliar scent that Vladislav had never smelled for ages. It smelled like flesh, soft and lively skin of a fertile body. It must be a woman.
Sergiu lightly elbowed him, gossiping to his ear that Ursus had a lover.
“A lover?” This was new to the recently awakened Night Lord as he blinked rapidly. “Do you mean…?”
The shorter Night Lord nodded, confirming his meaning with hand gestures indicating intimacy between a man and a woman. With that, Vladislav’s eyes widened with high interest.
“Sergiu.”
Suddenly, Ursus’s voice pierced through the emptiness behind them. They were talking and lost focus on Ursus’s position, causing him to slip through and return to be at their backs.
“I speak the truth, do I not, Ursus?”
Sergiu blinked at his bigger comrade, smiling.
“You do not have to.”
Ursus exhaled and vanished behind the sliding door.
“Bear!” A melodic shout flew to greet them, followed by the rushing steps to the door, but the little one stopped instantly when she saw who was accompanying her lord.
Vladislav sneaked out from behind Ursus’s back, looking and waving at the petite girl.
She froze, fixing herself at the same spot and only returned him a swift head bow.
“Who is Bear?” Vladislav posed another question.
The girl and Sergiu pointed at Ursus.
“Oh…” was Vladislav’s response.
“Good day, Lord Sergiu.”
“Good day, Sarai.”
So, the girl named Sarai must be the lover Sergiu mentioned earlier. Vladislav whispered to himself.
“This is Vladislav, a guy I have been watching for half a day. We met him during the latest mission.”
Ursus explained to her. Sarai nodded. She exchanged a look with the giant Night Lord before coming near Vladislav and properly greeting him again. Vladislav returned the polite gesture and waited, glancing around Ursus’s personal space – this place was surely not like the other Night Lords’ quarters he had seen in the past.
“Lord Alin wants us to take care of him in the meantime; will this be alright?”
“Of course. Lord Alin said so; I will obey.” Sarai agreed.
With that, Sarai welcomed the other Night Lords as her guests. She invited them to sit on the floor mat and served two water bowls. Although offering them more luxurious drinks would have been better, she unfortunately did not have any.
Sarai sat down next to Ursus, between him and Vladislav. The room was quiet – too quiet until it started to worry her. Usually, no other Night Lords would visit here, even Sergiu came only two times during the first six months after she and Ursus moved in. So, now was an unexpected experience.
“Do you need more water, Lord Vladislav?”
Sarai did not know what to do, so she turned to the guest. The new Night Lord blinked, paused, and shook his head with a small, sincere smile. She thought he genuinely smiled if she did not see it as wrong. It was a refreshing reaction from any Night Lord she had met so far, apart from Ursus.
“No. Thank you. You may call me Vlad.”
“Noted, Lord Vlad.” Sarai obeyed.
“Mm, may I…ask you something, my lord?”
“What is it?”
“What happened to you?” The girl started.
“You mean this?” Vladislav pointed at the long scar on the left side of his face. “Or in general?”
“Both, my lord, if you would answer kindly.”
Sarai encouraged him and waited for Vladislav’s replies, but unfortunately, he could not give her what she expected.
“I cannot tell you now. My memory is…faded and empty. It must be a side effect from a long sleep in the cryo-sleeper.” He elaborated.
“This is tough. Take your time, then. Please let me know if you need anything, or let him know. He will help you.”
She said. Vladislav nodded again.
“You can rest, Sarai. I will stay with them.” Ursus spoke softly when Sarai was done chit-chatting. The girl excused herself from the circle, retreating to the far end of the room and onto the mattress, where she must have been doing something.
It took a few moments for the announcement to echo throughout the ship, informing all personnel on board, especially the mortal serfs, to be in the gathering hall and to all Astartes to be back at their positions. Sergiu left to return to the command deck, but he confirmed that Ursus and Vladislav would stay with Sarai. They would be summoned again when the Warp travel was complete.
The newfound Night Lord glanced around, observing the room. Ursus’s external façade, Sarai’s appearance, and the fact that these two were living together in this room as a couple surprised and puzzled him.
“Ursus,” after spotting the racks on the wall, the handmade mat, the shelf of collecting miscellaneous things, the mattress, the long nightstand, and the artistic blooming flower in the shining glass lid, Vladislav decided to call Ursus.
“Yes?”
The giant Night Lord turned to the remaining guest.
“You two have been together for how many years?”
“A thousand, one hundred, and seventy-three Terran days, so around three and a half years. Why did you ask?” Ursus did not sound annoying, but genuinely curious.
“…It is a rare image to be seen. I cannot recall seeing our kin living in the same space with the baseline, especially the female mortal serf.”
“Me either,” Ursus responded. “I see only me sharing my living space with a mortal, with Sarai.”
“May I ask how you two met?”
“He rescued me from my homeworld.” Sarai intercepted the conversation from the mattress. Vladislav looked at her before turning back to Ursus. “Did you?”
“I found her on a planet we raided, an Imperium world where the Central government couldn't respond in time. She was fleeing from my former team member. I admired and was impressed by her bravery; at least that's how Sergiu described my feelings.”
Vladislav listened intensely. Something in Ursus’s voice touched somewhere deep inside his heart.
“You are not like any of us. You are different from our brothers that I have known until…I re-awake.”
Ursus nodded with a small, soft smile. It was truly a rare sight for Vladislav to witness. A genuine smile and the Night Lords were not each other’s good companions.
This Viper-class ship, called ‘Mollitiam’, and her crew were bizarrely outstanding, as if they had come out of nowhere or a different timeline from where he was. Or perhaps time had passed too quickly for him to handle and comprehend.
But Vladislav did not have a chance to ask further when the next announcement pierced the hall's silence, informing them of the arrival at the expected coordinate.
“It is time. Come.”
Ursus raised and Sarai as well. She rushed to his side when Vladislav was on his feet.
“Lord Alin ordered me to escort him on the transfer. He will be delivered to another ship.” Ursus told his girl. Sarai swiftly turned to Vladislav, meeting his eyes – the puppy eyes, as if she was a bit shocked to hear this information.
“You will not stay with us, Lord Vlad?” she asked.
“I am afraid I cannot. Your Lord Commander has already decided. This decision was fixed.” Vladislav said.
“Thank you for having me, even for a short time.”
“Travel safe, my lord. Farewell.”
Sarai was a peculiar mortal, Vladislav thought. She was likely the first mortal serf to share privacy with the Night Lord and meet the eyes of another Night Lord, even wishing him a safe journey for his long travels. However, he kept every thought to himself and followed Ursus out of the room, heading to the transportation dock.
______________________
Their transport ship arrived at the contact point on the meteor's surface. Ursus and Vladislav sat next to each other in the cockpit, staring out of the front glass window at the celestial objects outside.
“Do you have any idea about those who will pick me up?” Vladislav asked after sitting in silence for a long while.
“No,” Ursus replied. “I have no idea. Never met them.”
“Where were you before joining the Mollitiam?”
“Trauma,” Ursus said, his voice barely audible.
“What? Have you been traumatized?”
“No. The ship was called Trauma, so those with them were named after her. I…was one of the Trauma.”
A gut feeling told Vladislav something had happened with the Trauma. “What happened to them?”
“Bloodshed, bodies, and torn pieces everywhere. That was the last thing I remember before leaving with Sarai.”
Ursus answered and turned to him.
“What is it about you? Have you recalled something?”
Vladislav paused and shook his head once more.
“I still have not remembered my past or my former battle brothers. But there are a few things I can tell you now. First, the galaxy has changed drastically. Second, you and the Mollitiam are not the typical Night Lord. Third, you are…more to a human than an Astartes.”
“Why?” Ursus asked, hearing Vladislav sharply exhaled.
“I sense no war. Since you found me, we have remained without the others – Imperium or not. This is unusual. It is too quiet. Too calm. Too much silence makes my inner scream likely louder. Do you hear the scream, Ursus?”
“I do. Sometimes.”
Vladislav observed Ursus’s expression as the giant responded. His answer contained truth and uncertainty in equal measure. After a couple of hours of conversation, he realized that Ursus was young—too young to comprehend the depth of his words, the nature of the galaxy, and the true weight of being a Night Lord.
“How did you become one of us?” He continued.
“I was taken and turned into one of yours. And you?”
“I was recruited. Fresh from Nostramo. Lord Curze had accepted me.”
Ursus blinked at him. His look was almost blank.
“I heard that name before. Sergiu once or twice mentioned him. Is he important to you?”
“He was and always would be,” Vladislav confirmed.
“You have never met him, I assume?”
“No. I only heard about him after joining the Mollitiam. But only Sergiu slips his name out. He mentions Nostramo too, saying it was his long-lost homeworld. The planetary destruction blew it away.”
Vladislav was silent for another long moment after hearing what Ursus just said.
“My homeworld, where I used to live, was raided and wiped out too.” Ursus broke the silence to ease his companion’s mind. Vladislav tugged his right lip corner up, creating a faint smile. Next, he turned to Ursus, his eyes looked brighter than a few seconds ago. “Thanks.”
Ursus firmly nodded at the same moment of their expected arrival. Both men took a closer look at the screen, noticing the beeping dot as it was approaching their ship.
The arriving ship was at least three times bigger than theirs and painted pitch black. When it certainly landed, the side door was opened by someone inside as three men in full armor exited. Those men wore the Night Lords’ midnight blue and red attire with skulls, skeleton hands, and human leather as the decorative options on each suit. The one whose external façade seemed the oldest stepped ahead, calling for Ursus’s presence.
“You wait here.” Hearing the call, Ursus left the transportation ship, but Vladislav followed right behind as they showed themselves before those people.
“Hand us the retrieved subject,” the speaker said. He wore an asymmetrical helmet with half a human skull and another half of an unknown species.
“Is this the one you found?” The double-skulled mask furthered, but Ursus remained silent, observing.
“Are you deaf, you filthy animal?!” another Night Lord in the back shouted, drawing everyone’s attention to himself.
“Silence!” The double-skulled mask was truly the group leader as he sealed another man’s mouth with one command.
“Belial Ursus, is it not?” he turned back to Ursus and stepped forward until the rim of their chest plates almost touched. “I have heard about you, the survivor of the Trauma Massacre. So, I assume you are a handyman and a valuable asset to the Mollitiam. It will be a waste if those little mice lose you now.”
“He is not a subject. He is a man. One of your kind.”
Eventually, Ursus spoke up for Vladislav and probably for himself. His words made this guy laugh dryly, sarcastically.
“Ah, this reflects what I heard: a problematic, isolated giant who should not have been raised among us,” he mocked, not showing any fright before the giant Night Lord. “It took thirty lives to enlighten a fool. Many warned him long ago that he should not have been raised you as the new Astartes of the Chapter; yet that fool never listened.”
Vladislav listened to the unexpected conversation, retrieving and putting the information together. The more he listened, the more he felt unease because something seemed wrong with what he was familiar with. Ursus survived the Trauma by killing his former team members, at least three squads, on his own. This was a shocking truth. Of course, killing the others was not new among the Astartes of the VIIIth legion, but he never saw it as a common practice.
“But this is not the time for recalling the sweet memory. Hand him over.”
The double-skulled mask pressed harder, but Ursus’s position remained unmoving and firm. The giant did not trust this man and his two fellows.
“Your job is to deliver the package to us, not questioning or interrogating our approach.”
The double-skulled mask pressed while Ursus took one step, hitting his chest plate with the other’s as a mute challenge.
“If you dare to lay your hands on me, there will certainly be serious consequences. We will take the exact number you have from the Mollitiam for those thirty lives you already took. Do you want to make an exchange?”
He was not afraid of Ursus’s scarier image.
“Fine.” After another stare, Ursus stepped back.
“I will board your ship with him to conclude this delivering mission. Will that be a problem?”
“No.”
Vladislav saw these two parts before leading him onto the awaiting ship. More people, mostly the mercenaries' armed forces, lurked inside this vessel. This group of hired soldiers looked fierce and almost fearless; they barely blinked when Ursus and he passed through. In the inner area, more Astartes awaited. Their burning red eyes aligned with Vladislav’s steps as he moved forward.
“Here it is. This is the reception hall of our ship, newly rediscovered, Brother. Make yourself at home. You will be secured with us.” The double-skulled mask said to Vladislav, who swiftly nodded.
“Your task is completed, Belial. Now, leave.”
Ursus scanned the hall, witnessing no familiar faces among the onboard officers. He quietly exhaled and turned back as a sudden blow struck from the side. Instinctively, he parried, blocking the attack with his gauntlet and sparring with the revealing attacker.
Vladislav avoided a reflective response, remaining as the others opted for the same strategy. These Astartes seemed unsurprised by the actions of their peers, even though this was something he would not do to the guest on board.
“Why do you attack me?” asked Ursus as the other tried to contest the strength with him.
“You killed my friend.” The attacker replied, resembling the consequences of the tragedy on the Trauma. “You will not walk away freely. Not today that you have come to me yourself.”
Ursus blinked inside his helmet, feeling heavier in his chest and allowing this smaller man to win the strength fight. The man seized his opportunity, stabbing him with his long, customized combat knife. The sharp blade pierced through his chest plate, deepening into the flesh and muscles beneath when the red blood rinsed from the wound. The giant Night Lord did not flinch. He stood still, accepting the blow with courage, pride, or perhaps stupidity that Vladislav was unsure of; whatever this of Ursus was, it concerned him.
However, the next thing worried him more when the attacker tried to draw his knife back but failed. On the contrary, Ursus slapped another hand onto this man’s wrist, breaking it with the knife, and stuck the broken blade into the narrow space between the bottom rim of his helmet and the top collar of his black under-armor suit.
The blade penetrated the right common carotid artery, cutting off oxygenated blood flow to the brain and causing the man to be paralyzed for a split second. This brief moment was enough for Ursus to drag the blade along the curve of his neck, tearing open the flesh before the body fell to its knees. The man choked, clutching his bleeding and torn throat before collapsing silently at Ursus’s feet.
Everyone else was silenced, only staring at the giant Night Lord as he slowly turned to meet each pair of eyes.
“Anyone else?” was an honest question, but Vladislav knew no one would charge at Ursus now. The one asked seemed to draw the same conclusion and nodded firmly.
“I will take my leave.”
“Do you think you can walk away with this?”
“He started first,” Ursus replied.
“He faced the consequences of his choice. I suppose the rest of you do not agree with his decision.”
“Smart, for the merely slave like you.” The double-skulled mask said.
“I only wish to do my job, and it is done. But if you want violence, I will give it to you.” The giant Night Lord assured.
“Brothers,” Vladislav said, stepping in the middle. He sensed another tension building among them and wanted to prevent his brothers' further wasteful deaths.
“Let him go.” He requested and waited, preparing to intervene further if the other Night Lords wanted to ambush Ursus.
“You stay away from this animal. He will not bring you any luck. Only death awaits him and those around him.”
Vladislav grasped when Ursus sharply exhaled. No other words were exchanged as the giant started to walk back on the same path he had taken a moment earlier.
“Ursus!”
The sealed side door reopened to the vast space; nothing was there, only the celestial particles and the shape of the landed transportation ship on the meteor at the furthest distance.
“Stay safe, Vladislav.”
That was the last word from Belial Ursus as he dropped from the open door into the emptiness outside. Vladislav rushed to the closing lid, looking down at the floating giant as his jet pack activated. An enormous body was reduced to a smaller and smaller figure and disappeared when the door was lifted up and completely closed.
At least Ursus would not be dead; his wound was serious but not deadly. He made the swiftest dodge just a microsecond before the blade stabbed, avoiding the tremendous damage that would have been inflicted on any major internal organs and arteries.
Vladislav kept staring at the same spot for another moment before returning to the crew, leaving the image of the ‘Worthless Bear’ behind.
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Belial Ursus means worthless bear, at least that was how I googled and crafted his name.