Fractured Opposition

Fractured opposition

My insight into the life of Octavian Lars before his induction into the inquisition

My name is Octavian Griess and I am 16 standard years old. I live on my own in the wilderness of Catachan, my home planet, and the most inhospitable planet in the Emperor damned Imperium. I like it here. The sounds of the forest call to me as I have survived in a land where the slightest hesitation can kill you, I have lived here on my own since my mother was killed when a Catachan Devil decided we were for lunch when I was 9 (standard), but I killed it and wear it’s hide as a trophy. No-one has seen me in several years and in the small villages dotted around the planetscape, I was a misfit, always picked on until my mother and I left into the forest at the age of 7. I have never known my father. My mother told me that my father, Lorenzo Griess, had gone to fight among the stars. As I have no-one to watch over my camp, I am always on the move, going from to place to place with my supplies and tent. While searching franticly for a place to sleep for the night as the sun went down and the creatures of the night began to prowl, I heard an ear-splitting scream coming from my right that sliced the very air in two. I dropped my kit and hurriedly tied some string round the nearest tree so I could find my way back then I sprinted off into the jungle following the scream fearing the worst, with my blade at the ready.

As I neared the source of the scream, I paused and then started crawling towards a tree where a girl of about my age was tied wearing only a loincloth. To have been left there, she had probably upset her lover and as a result was left to die, that or as a sacrifice. I could do with a second person to look after my camp, as well as a companion and friend to alleviate the loneliness that comes from living alone for about seven years. I stood up and scanned the clearing for beasts of the forests that often hunt those tied up as sacrifices to the Immortal Emperor, to whom I pray to keep me safe each day. Fortunately, none had come yet. I put my finger to my lips to encourage her to keep quiet and minimize the risk of creatures showing up. Beetles the size of my fist were scuttling in all directions as if panicked by some creature, I knew I had 30 seconds before a beast that could easily kill me burst into the clearing I raised my knife, a 1 and a half meter blade forged from Phosphor Beta, a rare metal and a gift from my mother who had been told by my father to give it to me when I was old enough. The rope was thick, but the carefully honed edge of the blade made short work of it and I cut the girl down, urged her to go back to the “camp” by following the string while I faced the great beast. I stood in the clearing shouting run to the girl and readying myself for the fight to come. Not as big as a Devil, but big enough to scare of an entire hive of death-beetles, only a marked wolverine fitted the description. This was going to take some killing. It lunged towards me, wicked claws heading for my throat. I jumped sideways, throwing myself flat. I crawled under its belly and thrust my knife deep into its stomach. The trusted blade bit deep and the wolverine let out great a death screech. I rolled out from under its belly as it crashed to the ground. I shouted to the girl and used her replies to guide me back to where she had set up a camp better than any I have ever set in my entire life.

The next day I was preparing to go out hunting, I asked her what her name was. However, she was cunning when need be and replied; “Tell me the name of my saviour please?”

I had no excuse to not reply, “Octavian Griess, at your service. Can you also tell me the name of the girl I saved just last night?”

“Freya Johnson, my brother Karazak would most definitely like you. Tell me, did your father leave before your birth to fight among the stars?”

“Yes, my father was enlisted into the 2^nd Catachan infantry. All he left behind were his wife, child and my knife which was once his.”

“Mine was called to lead the 5^th Catachan armoured. They drive tanks!”

“What are tanks?”

“They are Monstrous behemoths of steel and iron, bristling with guns.”

“What are guns?”

“Your father never showed you one?”

“He left about a month before I was born.”

“Well, guns are in effect big spear throwers with more power, but they are also more complex.”

“I see. What was it like when you were growing up?”

“I have lived in a village my entire life, looking after hearth and home, just like I shall for you, but I can fight as well as any man.

“Well, you might have met your match here!”

“Don’t interrupt! Recently, I got engaged to my lover, mind you, I had no control over it, his father organised it. My brother Karazak tried to stop him, but he was 2 years older than him, and 1 year older than me. Then, just a few days ago, we saw a star fly through the sky, stop and float to the ground. My lover, who I never even knew his name of, decided that prophets of the emperor had come to judge us and that someone should be sacrificed to appease them. That someone was me. Karazak and I tried to fight them, but too many people had sided against me. They knocked Karazak out and my lover tied me to that tree and left me to die. The scream was when he tied me up and punched me in the face and I lost control and tried to call for help.”

“I think this guy had better be taught a lesson”

“I think so too.”

We both tidied up the camp (it was always going to be temporary, just this one was more temporary than expected) and headed on the long trek to Freya’s village.

I took us three nights to get to Freya’s village. On the last night, we camped just out of sight and sound (theirs, that is, we could still observe them). We watched the village for the whole of the next day. Freya pointed out Karazak and her lover to me. From the distance, I thought Karazak looked very strong and tough, but with a cunning mind. On the other hand, from what I could tell, Freya’s lover was just a pig and a bully and only a fraction of Karazak’s power. The aspect of him that gave him the advantage was his great height which intimidated most of his possible enemies, Freya had said. We were starting to run low on food, so I went hunting as evening approached. We then outlined our plan.

The next morning as the sun rose, we crept towards the village with my bow on my back and knife at the ready. As we approached the village gate Freya and I walked out into the open and I called “we are two weary travellers, but we wish to see a man by the name of Karazak Johnson.” The man who stood sentinel replied, “I will go and get him, I should be no more than three minutes.” We waited, but as we did, I listened closely to the sounds of the village. All seemed quiet apart from a great racket coming from the centre of the village. I used my knife to open the sturdy gate with a few well placed slashes from my knife and kicked it inwards while using my momentum to carry me forward into the village to see what the matter was. I sprinted through the cleared streets of the village and came to a great crowd at the centre, in my time living in villages like this, crowds often gathered around arguments between two of the villagers that ended up as a solo brawl in the village centre. I pushed through the unfamiliar crowd in unfamiliar clothing. Freya and I wore only a loincloth while most of the villagers wore a neck to knees robe. Out of the villagers only the two brawlers were clad in loincloths like me. I knew the reason and was ready for it; they wear less to allow greater body movement during a fight. They obviously were ready to move this disagreement up a level. I recognised the shorter of them as Karazak from my earlier observations. He was well muscled and well built. His opponent was; I presumed Freya’s lover who consigned her to sacrifice. Just as they were readying themselves for a real fight, I tried to push past the inner ring of the crowd, but the villagers attempted to stop me. It was a simple matter to get past, but one that cost me valuable seconds. Freya and I burst out of the crowd and I leaped between Karazak and Freya’s lover. Freya’s lover was shocked by my appearance and shouted “Who is this to interrupt a conflict of villagers!”

“Freya Johnson’s new lover, after you left her to die!” I replied. Karazak also added his voice to the argument.

“This is my argument, outsider you have the look of the leader about you. You have also saved my beloved sister and you have my gratitude. Do you have anything else to add before I fight with Ryan?”

Remembering my conversations with Freya on the customs of the village I added: “Yes, I now challenge Ryan to an unarmed duel for Freya’s hand. What say you?”

“It appears you know our customs, so yes, I will fight. For Freya’s hand and to the death!”

Freya came over to me and wished me good luck then she and Karazak retreated into the ring of people. The fight began with us circling each other round the ring. I examined Ryan and could see that he commanded power from his great size and bulk, but this was something I could use to my advantage against his ponderous form.

To gain a distraction, I reached for my knife which was tucked into the belt of my loincloth and threw it to one side while commenting: “Oh, I forgot this was unarmed, wasn’t it!” as it hit the floor.

The moment the hilt hit the soil I rushed towards him lashing out with my right fist and I felt a reassuring crack as it broke one of his ribs. Before he could retaliate, I had darted out of reach. From what I could see, He was about eighteen, and in his prime for a Catachan, If Karazak had gone up against him, he wouldn’t have lasted more than five minutes, but the wilderness had kept me sharp as my knife. The fight continued for some time, with me striking and ducking out the way of retaliation as I gradually wore him down. Once, I let my guard slip and took a punch to the chest and I was badly hurt, besides, this was a fight to the death so he would stop at nothing to kill me, even when I was winded. I launched myself at him and delivered a hard kick to the groin to stun him then retaliated with an uppercut to the chin to knock him out.

The crowd around me were shouting and complaining, evidently he had never been beaten before. In the situation I would normally snap his neck, but he had attempted to sacrifice Freya, who loved me as much as I loved her. As a mirror to how he attempted to murder Freya, I would tie him up in the jungle to die and it would still be abiding with the duelling laws of the village. As I left the village and headed out into the jungle, approximately half the village followed me including Freya and Karazak. I tied him up in the clearing where, several days ago, he had tied Freya. Ironic in my opinion, the one who leaves a sacrifice for the emperor is in turn sacrificed. On my way back to the village, I was walking along with Freya and Karazak, alert, but discussing the events of the past few days when some off-worlders appeared in front of us. One wore a red cloak and hat as well as some sort of thick robe of some sort. He was surrounded by an air of authority and was clearly a loyal servant of the emperor. His companions were of probably Catachan birth originally, but had been tempered by many different worlds. The one who appeared to lead the group stepped towards me and asked: “Are you Octavian Griess.”

“Yes, but why are you searching for me?”

“I am incredibly distressed to report to you that your father had sadly, after being raised to command his regiment, the 2^nd Catachan, he was killed in an ork bombing raid.”

“How does this affect me though, I have never met him?”

“He had orders placed when he reached higher ranks in his regiment that you were to be taken to a schola progenium if he was killed and use your considerable talents you were sure to have for the benefit of the Imperium. In truth, he never forgot about you and always looked to the day you would be old enough to be enlisted in the regiment. Alas, it was not to be. I see you have some close friends with you, if you wish, they may accompany you. But there is one more thing I must know, do you have the Phosphor Beta knife your father left you?”

“Not with me, I have just won an unarmed duel and left the knife in the village.”

“Then get it and show it to me. I need it as proof of your identity.”

“Very well, but you will have to wait outside the village until morning.”