Remus Venatus, future captain of the fourth company of the Ultramarines first chapter and future 'Savior of Calth', stood next to Ajax. With no clear sign of how he had so silently arrived at Ajax's sides, Remus Venatus continued what he had been saying when he realized Ajax was too gobsmacked to respond, "Grandmaster Thrane I mean. His swordsmanship is truly stunning. It's like watching a grandmaster regicide player at work. Every move has unseen layers of depth to it that only are revealed when you unwittingly spring his trap."
Recovering from his shock, Ajax nodded wearily before replying, "Even trying to understand the minutiae of his footwork are almost enough to drive a mortal man mad. I feel like a madman half the time I am here trying to mimic his movements. And what I am attempting barely scratches the surface. It's like trying to understand High Imperial Poetry with only a rudimentary understanding of Low-Gothic and a cookbook for reference."
That earned a hearty chuckle from Venatus. "Yet, I still see you here every day. Every day the battle brothers of the First always look at you like a prancing fool, but you have yet to give up. Yet, you haven't slackened at all in training your 10th company and yourself in the CQC facilities. And you have been consistently at study in the Archivum daily. The effort is impressive",said Venatus.
Ajax had a rueful smile as he said, "You mean impressive for a baseline human, a non-Astartes?" Venatus shook his head before replying, "No, my evaluation is not so shallow. Unless you have spontaneously grown the Catalepsian node that we Astartes are implanted with, You require far more rest and recuperation than a Legionary. A man should be judged by the distance traveled from their starting point, not their peak divorced from circumstance."
Ajax was taken aback, but he realized he was dealing with an Ultramarine. Ultramarines were known to be among the most respectful legions toward baseline humans, only the Salamanders, the XVIIIth Legion, were known to be more kind hearted to baseline humans. Ajax looked up at Venatus and said, "I apologize for making an assumption about your stance towards baseline humans."
Venatus made eye contact and smiled at Ajax before saying, "No offence was taken. It is an understandable assumption based on how some other Legions, including the First, act." Ajax was frustrated a little with his lack of control over his logokine abilities, if he had been more focused he should have been able to read Venatus's intentions. Venatus and Ajax lapsed into silence as they watched the swordplay in the arena.
Breaking from the reverie after some time, Ajax turned to Venatus and stated, "Actually, I had intended to seek you. I had an important matter to discuss with you, if you would hear me out." Venatus turned and surveyed Ajax's body language, seeing that Ajax's mannerisms clearly communicated that the training hall was not a secure enough place for the discussion.
"Follow me, we can speak in my arming chamber," said Venatus as he turned and strode away. Ajax had to jog to keep up with Venatus' long stride. Venatus was tall for a Marine. He stood well over seven feet tall, and his strides seemed to eat up distance like a starving man eats his first meal in weeks. The pair moved in silence and left the training hall.
After crossing through multiple halls and ascending multiple deck levels, Venatus and Ajax arrived at a nondescript door, clearly sized for a transhuman Space Marine. Identical doors stretched off into the distance up and down the hallway. Venatus pressed his palm into a depression next to the door and after a few moments the door slid up and away.
Entering the room, the lights were off, but Venatus reached next to the door panel and activated a switch causing dim yellow lumen globes to activate in the ceiling. Cast in a gauzy light, Venatus sat at a low bench parallel to the door, which had closed behind the pair of them. Behind Venatus hung a set of Mark III "Iron" Pattern Power armor in a recessed alcove. To his left, his Phobos Pattern bolter hung in a matching recessed alcove. Below the bolter hung a matched Phobos pattern bolt pistol. In the alcove to Venatus' right, a brilliant power sword from the forges of the Terrawatt Clans hung on display.
It looked like a classic hand-and-a-half sword, which was also known as a bastard sword. The sword had a longer grip that allowed for both one-handed and two handed use. Though to Ajax, the sword would have classed as a monstrous two handed weapon, much like swords he had often seen in the anime he watched in his first life.
Venatus gestured to the bench in front of the power sword for Ajax to sit upon. Sitting down, Ajax realized the low bench would barely allow his feet to touch the ground. The proportions of Space Marines were truly ridiculous.
Venatus eyed Ajax as he sat down on the bench. Venatus' eyes contained a myriad of questions. Ajax sat and gathered his mind before starting, "Lord Venatus-". Venatus interrupted him, "Please call me Remus when we are in private." Ajax was wrongfooted for a second. 'Is that genuine or a shrewd way to off balance me? My logokine senses tell me it's a bit of both.' Ajax started again, "Then please call me Drogant, Remus. The reason I have asked to speak in private is because I have been having some feelings that run counter to the Imperial Truth. In that, I have a dread feeling that something very bad will happen after our arrival at Xana, and that I have had dreams to that effect. I know the Imperial Truth decries the supernatural, so that is why I have sought you out. I am seeking a reasoned mind to settle my concerns." Ajax was using every ounce of his logokine powers to make himself seem like a lost soul in search of reassurance.
In this time period, the dogmatic belief in the Imperial Truth had set into the minds of the Imperium. The Imperial Truth denied the existence of the supernatural. As a result, Ajax was forced to go through great efforts to inoculate himself against accusations of lacking ideological purity. In point of fact, Ajax wasn't a believer of the Imperial Truth because he knew the full story, unlike the Imperials of this age.
Remus smiled like a soothing patriarch listening to concerns of a young clan member. "It's no great surprise that you have doubts about. You and I were born in the late days of the Unification Wars. I was brought to the Legions and shown the truth at an early age. You lived in Caucus wastes and only were able to join the Excertus Imperialis when you had already marinated in the chaos that was pre-Unification Terra. It is not unreasonable to be plagued with doubts even when faced with the light of the Truth. What is bothering you specifically?" asked Remus.
'Damn, it's like listening to a trained iterator. I can almost imagine Kyril Sinderman is here himself to 'enlighten' me to the Imperial Truth. It is a little creepy to realize how much digging Remus has done into me. He knows my training habits, my study habits, and my biography. If he wasn't so damn charming, I might feel afraid.'
Ajax cleared his throat and said, "Well the thing is, I have been having dreams, nightmares really. Yet, they seem so realistic and specific that they unsettle me. I wanted to tell someone about these dreams, so that once battle comes to pass and the dreams fail in their predictions my mind won't be able to misconstrue events to fit the dreams."
Remus seemed to take that into stride and smiled widely at the notion before saying, "I like that idea. Testing a hypothesis. The hypothesis in question being: Are your dreams prophetic? Then testing them by rigorously applying reality to them. Even in your doubt of the Imperial Truth, Drogant, you seem to hold to it's principles quite firmly. So tell me about your dreams, and, after the impending battle, we can reconvene to prove their prophecy false."