Chapter 33: Echoes of the Past
POV: Jacobs
Two hours had passed since I issued the order to scavenge for valuable supplies. That should be enough time. It was time to call the men back.
Bringing a gloved hand to my ear, I activated my vox-link, my voice echoing through the squad's channels.
"All units, secure your findings and return immediately. We move out as soon as everyone has regrouped."
Affirmative responses crackled through the vox, and I exhaled a weary sigh. This place had nothing left to offer but fire and ruin, and that suited me just fine. We would leave no remnants of the Gun Rats' filth behind.
Turning, I strode towards one of the carts where Leon lay motionless, his form partially concealed beneath a tattered cloak. As I walked, I issued another order to the sentries assigned to the captives—the women taken from this wretched den, their bodies heavy with child.
"Load the carts. The moment the others arrive, we move."
The response was immediate. "Yes, Sir."
I reached Leon's cart and let my gaze linger upon him. The boy—no, the man—who now lay before me had changed in ways I could scarcely comprehend. I remembered him standing at 5'8", barely reaching my own height. Now, inexplicably, he had grown to an imposing 6'3", his physique honed beyond anything I had trained him for.
I rapped my knuckles against his arm. A dull, metallic resonance met my ears.
'What happened to you, Leon? What… changed you?'
I exhaled slowly, pushing the questions aside. Whatever had altered him, I had sworn an oath to his father—to guide him, to protect him, even at the cost of my own life. No mystery, no transformation would sway me from that duty.
A sudden, unnatural glow caught my attention. My breath hitched as I turned sharply, hand instinctively dropping to the laspistol holstered at my waist. Leon's weapon—his chainsword—was pulsating with a golden radiance, its energy thrumming like a heartbeat in the void. A presence… familiar yet unfathomable, stirred within it.
I stepped back, my grip tightening around my sidearm. Before I could react further, a hand clamped onto my shoulder from behind. My body moved on instinct—I spun, weapon raised, finger tightening over the trigger.
"Whoa, boss! Easy! No need to shoot!"
Recognition struck, and I lowered my laspistol with a scoff. "Damn it, Zack."
Standing before me, his usual insufferable grin plastered across his face, was Zack—the rogue scholar, the insubordinate bastard, and somehow, my closest confidant. His eternally shut eyes and slicked-back hair gave him a peculiar, almost monk-like appearance, though his attire told a different story. Draped in nothing but a night robe, he looked as if he had spent the entire operation lounging about like a nobleman's pet psyker.
I clicked my tongue. "Sleeping while the others work, huh? Typical."
Zack scratched the back of his head, feigning an air of innocence. "Come now, boss. You know I'm not built for manual labor."
I scoffed. "You're built well enough to lend a hand with the captives. You've got a mind sharper than most; use it to help those women recover."
His expression darkened slightly at the mention of the captives. "Boss… you know I'm not good with women."
I smirked. "Then consider it your penance for slacking off."
Before he could protest, I shoved him off the cart with a well-placed boot, ignoring his yelp as he hit the ground. With that annoyance dealt with, I turned my attention back to the chainsword.
The glow had intensified.
A strange heat radiated from it—not the scorching bite of fire, but something warm, comforting, almost… familiar. As if compelled by forces beyond my understanding, I stepped forward, reaching out. My fingers brushed the hilt—
And the world around me shattered.
Memories surged through my mind like a tidal wave. My childhood, the grueling days of my service as a soldier, and then… the moment my life had been saved. The day I met Leon's father.
My breath caught. My vision blurred.
A voice—soothing, resonant, eternal—whispered into the depths of my soul.
"It's nice to meet you again, Mr Jacobs."
A single tear slipped from my eye as the darkness claimed me.