Suhr Tarikus
Suhr Tarikus[4] is a Veteran Sergeant of the Doom Eagles Space Marine Chapter.
History
Merron
Tarikus's squad was part of Captain Consultus's 3rd Company when it was transferred to the garrison on Merron, an important Mining World, relieving a company of the Flesh Tearers under Captain Gorn.[1]
Tarikus discovered signs of recent violence, and clues that pointed to something stalking the local civilians. Several members of Tarikus's squad immediately suspected the Flesh Tearers, but Tarikus refused to jump to conclusions. Investigating the sewer tunnels underneath Merron's primary city, Tarikus was forced to divest himself of his power armour in order to fit through. Cut off from the rest of his squad, he was confronted by a Rogue Psyker who had been preying on the local humans. Even without his armour, Tarikus was just able to defeat the psyker. Tarikus received Captain Consultus's acclaim, but was troubled by the presence of other corpses found in the city's ruins, which had been killed in a different way than the psyker's victims. Tarikus was told to let the matter lie, but he was unable to shake his suspicions of the departing Flesh Tearers.[1]
Prisoner
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This page contains spoilers for: | Black Tide (Novel) |
While traveling on a routine mission, Tarikus's ship was ambushed by the Red Corsairs, who captured him and eventually sold him to Fabius Bile.[3]
Tarikus spent years as Bile's prisoner on Dynikas V, where Bile was conducting horrific experiments with geneseed harvested from Imperial Space Marines. Like all Doom Eagles, Tarikus was grim and fatalistic, and eventually gave up all hope of escape and accepted that his life was over.[2a] Likewise, he was declared officially dead by the chapter.[3]
Little changed until the capture of Sergeant Rafen of the Blood Angels. For Bile's amusement, the two loyalist Marines were matched in a game that ended with them aiming bolt pistols at each other. Tarikus begged Rafen to fire and end his life, but Rafen refused, saying Bile had manipulated him, and the other prisoners, into losing hope. The two broke out of Bile's trap together and freed the other prisoners, managing to overwhelm Bile's security forces en masse. Tarikus survived the battle, having fought bravely, and thanked Rafen for saving him, before being given transport back to his chapter.[2b]
The Return
Tarikus's return was greeted with instant suspicion. Once declared dead, it is virtually unheard of for a Doom Eagle to be revived from that status, and most of the chapter was convinced that he could not have emerged untainted from his long exposure to Bile's experiments.[3]
On the orders of Commander Hearon, Tarikus was put through a series of grueling ordeals, but survived each one, and continued to insist that he was still pure in mind, body, and soul. His final ordeal was a searching mind probe by Librarian Secundus Thryn, who discovered one shameful secret that Tarikus had been hiding: that while inside his prison, he had wondered, just for an instant, if he would break and turn traitor against the Emperor. But he did not, and Tarikus was pronounced free of taint.[3]
Re-joining his old squad, Tarikus was surprised, and honoured, when its Sergeant, Zurus, volunteered to step down. Knowing that his men would not have accepted Zurus unless he was a leader of quality, Tarikus accepted the offer, but insisted that Zurus remain with the squad as his second. Declaring that he had already lost too much time, he informed his squad that it was time to return to battle.[3]
Sources
- 1: Crimson Night (Short Story)
- 2: Black Tide (Novel)
- 3: The Returned (Short Story)
- 4: Vigil (Short Story)
