Chapter Text
Kai pressed himself into the far corner of his cell and watched in awe and horror as the guards dragged an unconscious giant of a man into the cell next to him. His skin was black and marred by burning scars that covered almost his entire, muscular body. Kai quickly looked away, realising the man was wearing no clothes at all, his perfect form covered only in blood and dirt. Kai clenched his fists as one of the guards opened the door to his cell.
Kai knew his name, Krell. He feared him more than anything in his small world, and the guard took perverse pleasure in his suffering. “Good evening, Sparrow,” Krell smiled and stepped closer. Kai swallowed, knowing what was expected from him.
“Good evening,” he whispered and forced himself to stand on shaky legs. He barely reached Krell’s chest, and his frail form made it no easier to at least try to look brave. “So, how do you feel today, huh? I got you a cellmate, so you don’t get lonely.” Krell placed a hand on Kai’s chest, pressing him against the wall. His grin got even wider when he spotted the tears in the corners of the boy’s eyes.
“I’m fine,” Kai replied, knowing everything he said would be wrong. As expected, Krell raised his brows, clicking his tongue. “Oh, but we don’t want you to get too comfortable, do we?” Kai lowered his gaze, too tired to beg for mercy. Krell took Kai’s arms and raised them above his head, securing them in handcuffs fastened to the low ceiling. The abrupt shift in position left Kai stumbling, a sharp pain searing through his arms.
A few years earlier, he would have kicked Krell, or at least tried to. Now, he just focused on staying on his toes to make the experience last as shortly as possible. Krell looked down on him, a sadistic glint in his eyes. “Better?” he asked, giving Kai a slight shove. Kai closed his eyes to prevent the tears from falling. It could be worse. “Yes.” His voice trembled, just like the rest of his body. The best way to avoid pain was to stop resisting. Krell nodded, seemingly satisfied. He left the cell without another word, but it was clear to Kai that he would stay like this for the night.
Kai dared another glance at the man in the cell next to his, just to distract himself from the growing pain in his arms. He was surprised to see that his skin tone matched his own in intensity and colour. Kai looked down at his dirty feet, barely touching the ground, and tried to endure. The man, if he even was human, would wake up soon enough. He just hoped this new person in his life wouldn’t be another threat.
Krell returned in what felt like an eternity later, carrying a bowl with the usual gruel and a bottle of water. He smiled upon seeing Kai’s pained expression but said nothing before untying him. Kai slumped to the floor, scrambling away from the guard who placed the food and water on the floor. “You know what I expect from you.” Kai flinched at the dangerous tone in Krell’s voice. “Thank you,” he quickly said, watching as the figure his nightmares centred on smiled once more and left. He had been lucky today. Very lucky.
Careful not to spill anything, Kai took the bowl and began to scoop up the slimy food with his fingers. He halted after hearing the giant move. Maybe it would be a good idea to save some of his meal for him when he woke up, so he could make a positive impression. Ignoring his gnawing hunger, he set the bowl aside and curled up against the wall. His goal was to survive, nothing more, he lied to himself. Kindness only ended in betrayal in a place like this. The emptiness inside him grew.
T’han opened his eyes, still feeling dizzy from whatever these bastards had shot him with. It must have been very strong to knock out an Astartes, and the remnants of it still lingered in his body. He immediately noticed the terrible stench in the air, a mix of blood and other bodily fluids. Sluggishly, he sat up, and began assessing his surroundings. A small cell with grey walls and floors, with bars at the front and at the sides, were the first things he noticed. The second was the person sitting in the cell next to his, staring at him with wide, red eyes.
T’han couldn’t make out if they were male or female, but the overwhelming despair and fear in their features were clearly visible. The tattered rags they wore hung loosely on their small frame, barely concealing the scarred, black skin underneath. They curled up tighter, opening their mouth and closing it again, too afraid to speak.
Recognition dawned in T’han, though he couldn’t place where it came from. Pity took hold of his hearts, along with a burning fury, whenever he witnessed injustice like that. Knowing the fear he was able to instill in mortals, he slowly raised his hands to show he was unarmed. An unnecessary gesture, given the bars of the cell separating them, but T’han trusted in its calming effects. “What is your name?” he asked, trying to take the natural harsh tone out of his voice.
To his surprise, the person seemed to calm down in an instant, their eyes widening in an emotion, T’han couldn’t comprehend. “I’m Kai,” they whispered and even smiled slightly. It looked like a pained grimace. T’han smiled back, lowering his hands. “My name is T’han, Sergeant of the Salamander Space Marines.” He saw no recognition in the mortal’s eyes, understandable given the circumstances they were in. Vanis Prima was no part of the Imperium yet. Its people, especially the prisoners, probably didn’t know about the Adeptus Astartes.
The mortal’s small frame shifted, their thin limbs unfolding from their curled position. They were clearly malnourished, and T’han watched in horror as they struggled to their feet. “You should rest.” The words were out before he could stop them. Kai flinched and stopped. “I… I saved some food for you,” they said softly, picking up a small bowl from the floor. T’han shook his head. “No, please eat it yourself.” Kai looked at him, their wide eyes filling with confusion.
“You don’t want it?” they asked, sounding painfully hopeful. T’han forced a smile on his lips to conceal the unease he felt. Somehow, this was even worse than standing on the battlefield and watching the mortal soldiers who fought beside him die. “No. We Astartes are built to withstand even the dourest of times. Don’t worry about me, little one.” Kai immediately retreated into the corner of their cell, as far away from him as possible, and began scooping the contents of the bowl into their mouth as quickly as they could.
T’han sighed internally. He needed to find out more about the environment as long as he was here, which wouldn’t be long, of course. His brothers must have already gotten the coordinates of his armour and were heading to save him and his squad. Vulkan had a great interest in ending this war quickly to minimize civilian victims.
And then, just as he was thinking about his Primarch, the possible realisation hit him. But that would be too good to be true. He quickly dismissed the thought, not allowing himself to hope. Vulkan’s Conveniens was probably dead. Even if he was alive, the chance of meeting him in this prison…
“Kai,” he called out softly, making the mortal flinch nonetheless. It would be a long day.
Kai lifted his head when he heard the giant speak. The Astartes. It was a strange name, yet familiar somehow. T’han looked at him, and Kai flinched. He had made him wait for an answer. That was one of the worst things he could have done. Krell sometimes let other captives hurt Kai, in exchange for freedom or other commodities. He had to be polite and friendly, or they might take pleasure in it. “Yes?” he hoped the man had heard him.
“Can you tell me something about the guards here?” T’han asked, moving closer to the bars sounding almost friendly. His deep voice made Kai feel safe. It shouldn’t. Kai averted his gaze, not wanting to seem impolite by looking at a nude person. He was asked this question almost every time a new prisoner arrived and was always ready to warn them.
“You should just do what they want from you,” he began, voice trembling. “And watch out for Krell. He likes to see other people suffer.” T’han’s expression shifted to anger, and Kai quickly recoiled against the wall. He had messed up again. Of course. “I am sorry,” he said, not really knowing what he was apologizing for. T’han lifted his hands up again.
“You have done nothing wrong. I will never hurt you, please don’t apologize.” Kai didn’t believe his words; they had been said too often. Still, he nodded. Before T’han could say anything else, footsteps approached the two cells. Kai quickly wiped the tears from his eyes and used the wall to push himself up, setting the bowl aside. T’han turned his head towards Krell, who was looking at him with a disdainful look, then turned his attention towards Kai.
“Good morning,” Kai whispered before Krell could say anything. The man smirked. “Have you two gotten to know each other, Sparrow?” he asked, gesturing towards T’han. The Astartes stood up, seemingly unconcerned about his exposed body, and spat on the floor. Kai flinched and pressed his hands against his mouth.
“You are a coward!” T’han rumbled, glaring at Krell, who seemed to be troubled despite the bars separating him from the giant warrior. Kai could feel the anger radiating from the Astartes, like the heat of the hot irons Krell used sometimes. He should have been afraid, but he knew the anger wasn’t directed at him. T’han opened his mouth to speak again, but Krell lifted his hand, slowly regaining his composure.
“I think you are forgetting who is in charge here,” he said, dangerously calm. “It’s time to teach you a lesson in humility.” A cruel smile returned to his lips. Kai felt Krell's cold gaze on him and ducked his head. “Do you care about little Sparrow?” Krell pointed towards Kai, and he felt his blood run cold. “No, please…” he whispered, backing up against the wall. T’han glanced at him, his face unreadable.
“I will hurt him,” Krell continued, clearly enjoying Kai’s fear, “unless you beg me to spare him.” Kai hunched his shoulders, his face burning with shame. It had always been this way, Krell pitting the other prisoners against him. T’han clenched his fists, his muscles tensing. Kai’s thoughts were racing, hope battling against the crushing weight of his reality. It wasn’t a bad condition; maybe he would do what Krell asked of him. But these were dreams. He had seen people do the cruellest things, just to preserve their dignity.
“Please,” Kai’s eyes widened in surprise as T’han spoke the first word in his deep, rumbling voice, and he looked up to find the Astartes watching him. “Please don’t hurt him.” Krell chuckled. “I remember what I was told about you, a terrifying figure on the battlefield. And now look at you.” Kai didn’t understand. T’han stepped closer to the bars of his cell, no shame evident in his eyes. “You have no honour,” he stated, his tone matter-of-fact. “And you will face justice. If not today, tomorrow.” Krell shook his head before leaving, his amused expression etched into Kai’s mind. He slumped on the floor again, his legs too weak to support his weight any longer. He didn’t look at T’han but felt the weight of the Astartes’ gaze on his back. The emptiness rose within him.
T’han watched the small mortal take their place on the floor again, not even glancing in his direction. Their small hands were fumbling with the sleeves of the torn shirt they were wearing, and their eyes were lifeless and dull. “Thank you,” they suddenly said, and T’han saw the glint of tears in their eyes.
T’han took a deep breath. He had to confirm his suspicions now, regardless of the mortal’s emotional state. “I would have done it for anyone.” The truth. “Now, can you please look at me, little one? Only for a short moment.” T’han could practically see the cogs in Kai’s head turning, as their hands stopped fumbling. Again, they seemed to calm down when T’han was speaking, raising their head after a short moment of hesitation.
The similarity was striking, now that T’han considered it. The red eyes, the black skin. Kai’s features were clearly more feminine than the Primarch’s, but T’han could recognize his genefather in them. He quickly recalled everything he knew about Conveniens, searching frantically for confirmation. Kai was very small for a human of his age and shared aspects of Vulkan’s looks. But T’han couldn’t compare any personality traits he knew of, with those of the traumatized mortal. A DNA test was the only option to really find out if Kai was a Conveniens. T’han felt hope rise in his chest.