The Black Pearl (Short Story)
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| Author | Chris Pramas[1] |
| Publisher | Black Library |
| Collected in | Into the Maelstrom (Anthology) Let the Galaxy Burn (Anthology) |
The Black Pearl is a short story written by Chris Pramas.
Cover Description[1]
Uzziel, one of the Dark Angels' most effective Interrogator-Chaplains, believes that he has uncovered the whereabouts of the Chapter's most prized relic - the legendary Lion Sword once wielded by the primarch himself. Based on information gleaned from one of the mysterious Fallen, he leads a clandestine strike force to the eldar-held world of Lughnasa, and soon finds that he must vanquish not only the xenos but also the spirits of warriors long dead, if he is to retrieve the blade and restore a portion of the Lion's honour...
Synopsis
Dark Angels Interrogator-Chaplain Uzziel extracts a confession from one of the Fallen that leads him on a quest to recover the Chapter's most sacred missing artefact, the Lion Sword.
According to the Fallen, he found the Sword during a raid on an Eldar colony world. Uzziel leads a strike force there, where they encounter fierce resistance from the Eldar. Uzziel loses several of his brothers, including Codicier Ahiezar. When he reaches the Eldar Temple, he is halted by the ghosts of the Eldar slaughtered by the Fallen's men during their raid. Though momentarily shaken, he breaks through to the inner sanctum, where a Warlock warns him not to take the sword. Uzziel duels and kills the Warlock, before lifting the sword from its case.
The sword is a wondrously beautiful object, and Uzziel is assailed with heady visions of claiming the mastery of the Dark Angels Chaplaincy, then the whole Chapter, then the whole Imperium... but a nagging voice in the back of his mind prompts him to look closer at the blade, and he sees, to his horror, an inscription by Lion El'Jonson to his friend and brother, Luther – the sword he is holding belonged to Luther, not the Lion, and represents nothing but betrayal and the false promises of Chaos.
Uzziel looks out at the battlefield, where the noble Eldar lie dead and many of his brothers along with them. He is tempted to leave the sword behind, but decides that it is still a relic of the Chapter, and must be returned to The Rock. He gives the order to withdraw, but first extracts the Black Pearl from his Rosarius - a badge of honour given to any Interrogator-Chaplain who breaks one of the Fallen - and crushes it to powder beneath his boot.
Setting
- The Rock
- The Martyrs' Tomb on Lughnasa.
Characters
- Dark Angels
- Uzziel - Interrogator-Chaplain
- Ahiezar - Codicier
- Alexius - Assault Marine
- Caleb - Assault Marine
- Eldar
See also
Sources
- 1: Black Library (last accessed 30th September 2023)
