<strong>Battle Brother Telemachus, Boarding Torpedo Gamma</strong><br/><br/>They are quiet. Giants of men, ten foot tall and clad in armour thicker than tank cladding, their bulk fills the torpedo. Beyond, in the gulf of space, bright bursts of cannon-fire from the Ork ship burn through the darkness; Navy interceptors swoop, locked in combat with their greenskin counterparts; shields flicker under the impact of munitions. Within their chamber, there is only silence.<br/><br/>Stillness.<br/><br/>Armour locking them to the admantium floor, the Terminators stand tall and erect, scarcely moving as their fragile vessel swerves past the gunfire of the Ork defence turrets. Their breathing is slow and even, barely audible even to the advanced auditory senses of Astartes. Lesser men would be nervous before impact, scared of dying in the coming melee or else nostalgic for the pleasures of peace. Weaker souls might tremble at the thought of boarding an Ork Kill Kroozer at close quarters; greener warriors might question the necessity of splitting their forces upon landing.<br/><br/>These men know no such doubts, no such regrets. This is what they were born for; for these, peace is simply the time between one battle and the next, a period for training and prayer and preparation. They will all die - they know this. No man lives forever, save the Emperor, and one day they will finally succumb to the blows of His enemies. Perhaps that day is come; perhaps not. They do not care. Death holds no fear for them, life being merely the preparation for it.<br/><br/>"Impact in I-10, stand by."<br/><br/>The voice of the pilot, a chapter serf, is sharp and nervous over the tannoy. Behind the helmet of his Cyclone Suit, Telemachus' scarred face twists into a momentary smile. The inevtiable cannot be stopped, and to fret over what one cannot prevent is a needless waste of the time bought for man by the Emperor's Sacrifice. He has long since stopped wondering - or remembering - why his smaller brethren fear extinction so, and, as in the past, so now, instead reminds himself that, whilst death may be inevitable, so too is the Emperor's Judgement at his hands.<br/><br/>"Impact in I-9."<br/><br/>Ordinary men might tremble at the thought of their final end; but these are Astartes, Terminators, the Angels of Death, and why should lords fear the coming of their servant?<br/><br/>The Marines stand silent as the Torpedo draws closer to its target.