A slightly smaller Mess

Hera: "I'm still not sure on that, yknow. Making peace with xenos."

Raeven: "The wolves have their own traditions of initiation. That they have the blood will not make them accepted, as your skin does not."

There is a knock on Chard's door. Five taps, thud thud thu-thud thud.

the door slides open. Chard's cleaning his armour.

Mac stand silhouetted in the doorframe, leaning on a crutch under his left arm, a flask of recaff in his left hand. "Mornin."

he doesn't look up
"Something you need?"

"Was wondering after that Kreiger i sent you."

"Sent him to the armoury, to check n double check his gear. Kill some time."

"Hmn. Any ideas how we can use the man. Kreigers don't work well with... pretty much anyone actually."

Chard: what makes you say that?

"The suicidal temper?"

"I wouldnt call it 'temper'. You tried talking to him? Properly?"

"Not since he blew my door off"

"I said talk to, not chew out"

Mac raises his eyebrow a little "Then no."

"Try it. See what happens"

"What can i honestly get from someone who things recaff is an unforgivable waste of resources?"

"Man's a human being like you n me. Gotta be something in there."

"With kreigers there usually isnt..." Mac shrugs a little "But if you reckon it'll do some good."

"Dont some of your lot say the same about my 'toy soldiers'?"

Mac grins "You mean lucy?"

"Point being, there's gotta be somethin under that rebreather"

"Hmn... To be fair, i did think Hakken was just a loon when first we came across him."

"Exactly"

"But, that was because he was huffing paint thinner, to be fair."

Chard laughs at that

Mac sighs, rolls his eyes, and turns to leave. "I guess i'll go talk to the guy."

"Cheers"

He shrugs as he limps off down the hall towards the armoury, letting the door close behind him.

When he gets there he finds the krieger, silently counting las charge packs

"I see Chard's put you to some use."

"This is my rifle. There are many like it but this one is mine. My rifle is my friend. It is my life. Without me it is useless. Without it I am useless."

"... I've not heard that one in a while."

"I repeat it every time"

"Model soldiers, you kreigers." There's an edge of sad sarcasm in his voice.

"... you seem insincere"

"Generals like you. You're very willing to die."

"Our duty?" *Wipes his gun*

"Killing the enemy is your duty. There's lots of better ways to do it than bayonet charges over open ground."

"You've been assigned the wrong officers"
E

"Plenty of times. There's a lot of bad officers around."

He goes back to his rifle
"On Orpheus, when I was still a rifleman, I served under Marshal Karis Venner. Infamous where I'm from. Survived in his rank for an unprecedented eleven years. Last we saw him, he was personally leading my men and I in a charge against a necron monolith. By the time it fell, there was no sign of the Marshal, or his remains"

"Charging necrons ain't valour. It's just stupid."

"We won"

"And you lost more men than you needed to. I've done bayonet charges lad. I know that they work. But there's better ways to use men."

"We are born to die for our sins"

"Yeah. Right. how many guardsmen've got to die before your sins are paid for?"

"That is not for us to decide"

"Who gets to decide?"

"The Emperor"

"He's not on a talking mood, you'll be waiting a while."

"I know."