“I’d only seen Lord Ritten in his dark ceremonial robes on various occasion in the Reclusiam and have never before even seen him in his battle armor until this mission. While the services he’s led have been inspiring, it was nothing compared to the radiant black of his war dress and battle oratory. I have seen the Emperor’s light in the hearts of my brothers...

...+++ +++...

... after securing the objective, I turned just in time to see Lord Ritten stream aloft, eclipsing the adjacent sun and landing gracefully on the upper gangway. The lenses in my helm briefly dilated, compensating to resolve the contrast of the black armor backlit by the brilliant star.

He was pointing. Down, to one of the lower maintenance branches of the station. There stood a vile traitor lord, his spiked helm rocked back in battle-cry, noiseless across the void. Sickly purple-blue exhaust streamed from his jump pack as he flew to the upper platform.

‘Incoming from lower maintenance,’ clicked Knight-Sergeant Attel over the vox as the rest of the squad turned to watch the traitor’s flight.

Rising high away from the station, he quickly kick-turned with a cloud burst of purple vapor, and bore down upon the Reclusiarch.

‘Incoming!’, warned Attel again, taking a step forward as the knife-like traitor flew sword-first toward Ritten.

Lord Ritten was still. His plasma pistol holstered and Crozius held respectively with both hands in front of his chest, he began the hymn Ilustris Levant over the vox.

Demonic flames curling off the sword, traitor streaming like a comet towards the honored Reclusiarch I figured there was no way he wouldn’t be run through or, at least, thrown clear off the station. I was frozen.

The chaos betrayer struck and a thunder rolled through the metallic body of the station. I reeled and engaged my mag soles so as not to be bounced free of my footing.

The attack merely shifted Ritten back into a wider stance. I could see his left hand cradling the Rosarius at his chest as he brought the Crozius back with his right. Back and up, as the hymn reached its apex, so did the Crozius, framed for a moment in a halo of the adjacent star.

Ritten brought the staff down in a righteous blow, cracking the armored torso of the traitor lord, knocking him to the ground as the station resonated through my boots like a dozen Reclusiam bells struck simultaneously.

The spiked lord fought vigorously from the ground with kicks and sword, but his blows were useless against the radiant black form of the Reclusiarch. With a great two-handed blow Ritten cleaved the spiky form, smiting the traitor with the might of the Emperor’s.

The two halves lifelessly spiraled away from the station as Attel led out a cheer.

‘Fire of the Emperor’s Might!’

...+++...“

Squire-Brother Taris
4th Company, 6th Assault Squad “The Void Hunters”
Debriefing of the encounter at Voidspan Point Station