Gadriel, full name Gadriel Valorem, was born into a noble family on the planet Talasa. At the age of ten, the young Gadriel left home and ventured alone to the Ultramarines fortress in the wilderness. There, he passed the trials and earned the opportunity to participate in the Ultramarines selection.
After the Astartes reconstructive surgery, he was admitted into the Ultramarines Sixth Company due to the excellent abilities he displayed during his recruit period. Over the following decades, his outstanding combat performance and deep understanding of the Codex Astartes caught the attention of Captain Acheran of the Second Company. Finally, at Acheran's invitation, he joined the glorious Ultramarines Second Company and quickly rose to the rank of Sergeant.
For a young Astartes who had only served for a few decades, this was a great honor. But at the same time, a shorter service period also meant a lack of experience. For example, in the past few decades, Gadriel had never engaged with Chaos forces. Furthermore, Gadriel, born into a noble family and well-educated, was also accustomed to seeking the truth, which is not a good trait in the Warhammer Universe. This point was quite similar to Leandros, Sergeant Titus's former teammate and current Chaplain of the Ultramarines Second Company.
However, Titus, who was born on the agricultural world of Talantus, was completely opposite to Gadriel. With hundreds of years of service experience, Titus had faced a series of enemies including the Eldar, Orks, Chaos, Tyranid, and Necrons. The experiences and encounters from his long service career made Titus understand that sometimes, some things must be kept secret, even from close battle-brothers. This was the source of the conflict between Gadriel and Titus.
Gadriel was very curious about Sergeant Titus, the newly assigned Second Company Sergeant, wanting to understand his past, and maintaining a slight wariness towards him. Titus, on the other hand, believed that what he had done on Graia had disgraced the Chapter, and so he was determined not to reveal his past to his teammates.
Looking at the two who had once again fallen into an argument, Lieutenant Marcus Aurelius sighed inwardly. Although he had somewhat integrated into Titus's squad at this point, it was still not appropriate for him to meddle in such matters. Titus was also not the kind of person who would easily take advice and reveal his past. And Lieutenant Marcus Aurelius obviously could not expose his knowledge of Titus's past, otherwise, it would inevitably arouse suspicion from certain individuals.
Anyway, the original game ended with a 'happy ending' plot, so Lieutenant Marcus had no intention of interfering much in the conflict between the two.
A few minutes later, the elevator arrived at the bridge.
"Display city tactical overlay…"
At this moment, inside the bridge, Acheran was issuing various commands through a holographic map.
Stepping out of the bridge, Titus walked angrily up to Acheran. "Captain, the Adeptus Mechanicus must stop!"
Acheran waved for another Astartes nearby to step back, then looked at Titus. "What?"
"If the Adeptus Mechanicus activates the Aurora facility, the consequences could be catastrophic."
Acheran's eyes narrowed: "How did you suddenly become an expert on Adeptus Mechanicus research?"
Titus, at this point, no longer cared about concealing his past experiences and immediately said: "They are using an artifact to power weapons. I've seen that artifact. On a planet called Graia, a traitor named Nemeros called it a fragment of the Dark Gods' power, and it almost destroyed the entire planet at the time."
"Graia?"
Acheran leaned closer to Titus: "Titus, my Sergeant, the Adeptus Mechanicus's actions have been authorized by the gene-seed primarch. This is an unquestionable order. Why are you bringing up Graia at this particular moment?"
As the Second Company Captain, Acheran actually knew some of Titus's past, and what had happened on Graia. Titus disregarded the consequences of contradicting his superior and said urgently: "Damn it, Captain, if Chaos really is here, if they get to the artifact…"
"Enough!" Acheran immediately interrupted Titus. "I don't want to hear about this topic anymore."
Lieutenant Marcus Aurelius, Chairon, and Gadriel, who were behind the two, exchanged glances, feeling rather awkward. Just now, Gadriel had similarly contradicted his Sergeant, and now, Titus was contradicting his Captain in the same way.
"Then, have you found Leuze's location?" Acheran looked at Titus.
Gadriel, standing nearby, answered for Titus: "Yes, sir."
"Then hurry down and find him."
"Yes, sir!" Lieutenant Marcus Aurelius, Chairon, and Gadriel responded in unison.
Acheran then noticed Lieutenant Marcus Aurelius nearby, and also noticed the wargear Lieutenant Marcus Aurelius was wearing. Acheran immediately recognized that Lieutenant Marcus Aurelius's equipment came from the Adeptus Mechanicus. After silently cursing the Adeptus Mechanicus for their covert actions under his nose, Acheran didn't say much more.
Anyway, according to the reports submitted by Titus and his two companions, Lieutenant Marcus Aurelius had indeed contributed greatly in the previous operation, slaughtering many Tyranid, and even killing an Exocrine. This was an achievement that many Astartes found difficult to accomplish.
Acheran knew that the battlefield of Avarax had entered a heated phase, and it was a time when every bit of strength was needed, so he had to properly utilize every resource at hand.
"Lieutenant Marcus Aurelius, I have read the report submitted by Sergeant Titus. You have done very well. Continue to dedicate your all to the Emperor, and may the Emperor protect you."
For a subordinate like Lieutenant Marcus Aurelius, who could slaughter the enemies of mankind and was also hassle-free, Acheran naturally wouldn't be stingy with a few words of praise.
"It is my honor, sir!" Lieutenant Marcus Aurelius saluted in return.
Then, Acheran briefly explained the current situation of Central Hive on Avarax to everyone. Currently, the Tyranid were fiercely battling the Central Hive's defenders. Both sides were fighting for every street, every building, and even every room in the Hive City.
Relying on a large number of defenders drawn from other hive cities on Avarax, plus most of the Ultramarines of the Second Company, the middle and upper levels of the Central Hive were currently still under Imperial control. And the Sassen Temple, where everyone was heading, was a temple located in the upper levels of the Hive City, dedicated to the Emperor and the Lord of the Ninth Legion—Saint Giles.
"Go and bring Morias Leuze back. This mission cannot fail." Acheran looked sternly at everyone present.
"Sir yes, sir!"
After receiving the mission, Lieutenant Marcus Aurelius and his group left the bridge and once again took the elevator to the Severian's hangar.