Kroff Tezla
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This page contains spoilers for: | Space Marine (Novel) |
Kroff Tezla is a Blood Drinkers Lieutenant, who played a key part[1b] in the Imperium's victory during the Karkason Crusade.[1c]
Biography
Before the Crusade had begun, though, Tezla was among a ten member Blood Drinkers squadron stationed aboard an exploration ship. The ship was later heavily damaged by a Xenos attack, and their Navigator was mortally wounded. The ship was able to emerge near the Mining World Karkason and the squadron asked its Planetary Governor, Fulgor Sagramoso, for aid. The Blood Drinkers were unaware, however, that Fulgor had seceded from the Imperium and had no interest in helping them. Instead, the Governor, lured the squadron into an arena within Karkason's capital, Sagramoso City, and sent a Battle Titan to attack them. The Blood Drinkers were no match for the enounours war machine and it killed 9 members of the squadron, before it grabbed Tezla. It did not kill him, though, and instead presented the Lieutenant to Fulgor. The traitorous Planetary Governor, then ordered his soldiers to to cut off all of Tezla's limbs, remove his three service studs and ensure he could no longer urinate. When they were done with their butchery, Tezla was placed in a cauldron and moved to a vault. Once there, the Lieutenant's mouth was sewn shut and his were wired opened, so that Tezla would always look upon a giant bust of Fulgor's face. Rather than stay awake, Tezla activated his Sus-an Membrane and entered a coma. He late awoke during[1b] the Karkason Crusade's invasion of the Mining World[1a], when the Lieutenant sensed blood nearby. Tezla's body began to move the cauldron, which led the Imperial Fists Scout Sergeant Zed Juron and his Wolverine Squad to find him.[1b]
Tezla relayed his story to them, and when he mentioned that 7 of these Battle Titans were on Karkason, the Scouts were shocked. The squad realized this would be disastrous, as none of the Crusade's forces knew about the Battle Titans. With their only communicator was destroyed in the fighting, Wolverine Squad decided to launch a desperate attack on the Battle Titans and hoped to learn how to operate one by eating the crew's brains. Before they left, however, Scout Sergeant Juron asked if asked Tezla if he wanted to be killed, in case the Lieutenant was found by Fulgor's soldiers. After thinking about it, Tezla declined the offer. The Lieutenant hoped, that when the Crusade was victorious, he could return to the Blood Drinkers and be of some use to his Chapter[1b]. Thanks to the information Tezla provided, the squad used an Emperor Titan they captured to aid the Imperial Fists in destroying the other Battle Titans. Fulgor was soon defeated and Karkason was reclaimed for the Imperium. He was brought aboard the Imperial Fists Phalanx as a guest of honor and the Blood Drinkers were informed of his survival. While Tezla waited to be reunited with his Chapter, the Imperial Fists did what they could to help him. Unfortunately, their Chirurgeons deemed Tezla's scapular and hip scars too thoroughly cauterized to allow Augmetics to be used. So instead, the Lieutenant was installed into a moveable cup-shaped cart, which was adorned with valor tassels and therapeutic seals. Two Servitors also attended him, with one ingesting his waste and cleansing him. The other Servitor nourished him with its own enriched blood and shifted Tezla's cart from window to window aboard the Phalanx. The Lieutenant opted for seclusion in the Fortress Monastery's Solitorium, but would gaze out windows praying to see a ship sent by the Blood Drinkers.[1c]
Ten years would pass, though[1d], before Tezla was finally reunited with his Chapter and returned to his Homeworld San Guisaga. This occurred just before the Lacrima Dolorosa Crusade began, which both the Blood Drinkers and Imperial Fists took part in.[1e]
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