Absolution.
It was a temperate planet on the edge of the Colchis Star System, known for its vast grasslands, gentle hills, and several steadily operating agricultural and mining worlds.
It was neither a religious and political center like Colchis itself nor a Fortress World, but a relatively peaceful "Granary" and "Mine" that sustained the entire Star System.
Sunlight filtered through thin clouds, falling gently upon a newly built Space Marine garrison on the planet's surface, designed for both defense and rest.
The garrison's buildings were plain and solid, built in the style common to the Word Bearers, with solemn reliefs and bands of scripture. But the complex was small, more like a Forward Outpost or Rest Camp.
In the garrison's central square, a statue of the Emperor carved from local white stone stood in silence.
Rather than a battle pose, the statue depicted him in robes, holding a scroll and a sword, gazing down upon all with compassion. It was a common instructional image in the Colchis Star System, emphasizing "the Emperor as humanity's guide and guardian."
Sunlight draped the statue in a pale golden halo, making it seem serene and sacred.
Beneath its pedestal, a Word Bearers Warriors warrior in dark gray chaplain's robes stood solemnly. He wore no Helmet, revealing a weathered but resolute face.
He carried no weapon, only a heavy Scripture bound in metal.
Clear, steady chanting, aided by his power armour's built-in amplifier, echoed across the quiet garrison square, even drowning out the faint hum of a Tech-Priest servicing equipment in the distance:
"Emperor above, we bear the word and carry the light.
Clad in sacred armour, protection is our creed.
For the weak, our shields shall stand.
For mortals in peril, our blades shall rise.
Humanity supreme, above all other life.
Not an inch