Alem Mahat
Alem Mahat was a Sergeant of the Tallarn 229th regiment of the Imperial Guard, during its deployment to Adumbria in the 930's M41.
History
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This page contains spoilers for: | The Traitor's Hand (Novel) |
Like the rest of the Tallarns, Mahat did not seem to have much interaction with the troopers of the Valhallan 597th they were deployed with, in part because of the Tallarns' aloof attitude and in part because of their separate assignments: Adumbria was a tidally locked planet with one hemisphere composed of desert and the other of ice, so the two Guard contingents were naturally deployed to these opposing spheres[1a][1b].
During the climactic battle of the campaign, Commissar Ciaphas Cain commandeered a Drop ship which had been ordered to the frontlines, and diverted it to an oceanic dredger, where Slaaneshi cultists were conducting a summoning ritual. The Tallarns' Commissar, Tomas Beije, believing that Cain was fleeing from combat, summoned Mahat's squad to follow him to the dredger, with the intent of arresting Cain[1c].
Mahat's good instincts prevented him from opening fire on his fellow Guardsmen, even when Beije ordered him to gun the Valhallans down. Cain seized the initiative and led his troopers towards the site of the ritual, and Beije impulsively ordered his men to follow[1d].
Despite Beije's denials, the story that Cain had (almost) single-handedly defeated a Chaos Space Marine of the World Eaters with his chainsword had circulated among the Tallarns as much as the Valhallans, and Mahat and his squad regarded Cain with something close to awe[1e]. This only increased when Cain performed the same feat again, managing to defeat a (heavily wounded) World Eater who rushed them[1f].
By the time they reached the dredger's Chapel, the cultists had completed their summoning of the Daemoness, Emeli Duboir. Mahat and his troopers stood their ground, despite their fear, and contributed to the Valhallans' fire that eventually sent Duboir back to the Warp[1g].
During this confrontation, Mahat watched as Cain confronted the Daemon, declined her attempts to seduce him to the side of Chaos, and apparently shrugged off her attacks. This last factor was probably due to the presence of Cain's Blank aide, Ferik Jurgen, but since his abilities were a closely-guarded secret, nobody realized that at the time[1g].
After the Adumbria campaign, the legend of Cain's heroism spread on Tallarn, probably helped by Mahat, who authored The Book of Cain, describing Cain as a prophet[1h].
Quotes
- "Doing the work of the Emperor is its own reward. But this is quite satisfying." - while shooting Slaaneshi cultists[1i].
- "Then the prophet spake: saying 'Frak this, for my faith is a shield proof against your blandishments!'" - from The Book of Cain, Chapter IV, Verse XXI[1h].
Sources
