Rykhel
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This page contains spoilers for: | Renegades (Short Story) |
Rykhel was a Space Marine of the Avenging Sons Chapter, a member of the Third Company.[1]
History
Rykhel served with the Third when the Company was sentenced to a penance patrol after the actions of their commanding officer, Captain Gessart, earned them censure from the Chapter's high command. During their patrol, the Third were contacted by the Imperial government on the planet Helmabad, who wanted assistance quelling a civil insurrection. Unfortunately for the Avenging Sons, the rebels' strength had been vastly underestimated and by the time they arrived in-system, the "small" uprising had turned into a civil war that had raged for eight years. Nonetheless, the Space Marines engaged the rebel forces.[1]
Over the following seventy days, the Third Company was reduced to less than a third of their initial strength and had virtually run out of supplies. They were also cut off from reinforcements by a shadow in the Warp that had fallen over the Helmabad system. After the Company's Librarian, Zacherys, sensed that the rebels were trying to open a warp rift, Captain Gessart made the decision to abandon Helmabad, ultimately going renegade along with his loyal followers. Rykhel initially did not protest as Gessart killed the Company's Chaplain, Herdain, along with any other Marine who resisted. When the Company returned to their Strike Cruiser, the Vengeful, however, Rykhel escaped the ship by launching a saviour pod just as the renegades were about to translate into the Warp.[1]
Rykhel's pod was on course to return to Helmabad as the warp rift opened and the Vengeful escaped.[1] Gessart believed that Rykhel had almost certainly died on Helmabad, although some of the renegades (in particular Heynke) thought that he may have survived.[2]
Sources
