The Unforgiven: Beyond Duty and Honour

Hi folks,

I have been a fan of the Dark Angels for a long time now, but I have only recently figured out what it is that I actually like about their mythos. This has been on my mind for a while, primarily because Games Workshop has been doubling down on the shadier aspects of their character. I have to admit; I have had concerns that GW was writing the Dark Angels out of my ability to care for them at all.

Still, there is something. A little glimmer that threads its way down through the ages, through every Dark Angels story that I have read. That is what I would like to explore in this post. A few important caveats: I haven't read every Dark Angels story (I am missing about 20 Horus Heresy books... they just keep getting printed...).  If you have read something that you think would expand my horizons, so to speak, let me know in the comments. Also, if you haven't read much but plan to, this post will contain spoilers.

So... let's start at the beginning...

Deathwing

The first Dark Angels story I ever read was Deathwing, by Bryan Ansell and William King. Most of you will know the story, as it is repeated in summary in every Dark Angels Codex. Without having a codex in front of me to repeat it ad verbatim, the armour of the 1st Company used to be black, until a single squad saved its homeworld from a genestealer infestation. The armour was repainted white in honour of their sacrifice. What this doesn't say is that the Terminators in question actually repainted their own armour, with ash, as they accepted that they were stepping out beyond the mandate of the Dark Angels, marching to their deaths to avenge their slain and subjugated tribe members.

This isn't why I love Dark Angels, but we are getting close. The crux of the issue lies in the war council that they hold the night before.

One-by-one the Terminators tell stories around the campfire, making arguments for and against assaulting the genestealers personally. The general consensus is that their duty is to nuke the site from orbit; exterminatus. This is what they are expected to do as Dark Angels of the Imperium. Some want to charge in anyway, as they feel honour-bound to personally avenge the death of their tribe. This would be treason, leaving behind a hidden threat to the Imperium should they fail and be annihilated. Satisfying either their duty or their honour, at the expense of the other, seems to be the wrong choice. The thing that I love is that they choose something else. They choose what is right at a deeper level, beyond both duty and honour. They change the colour of their armour to acknowledge their decision and the entire Chapter eventually follows suit (no pun intended... probably).

There is a prologue at the start of the story that immediately puts its literal veracity into question, i.e. "who can truly know the truth of such matters?". Later codexes have also suggested that it is just allegory, a way of teaching neophytes the central themes that relate to the Fallen. If so, the underlying lesson is this: when it comes to the crunch, there will be a Dark Angel (or Fallen...) willing to make the right decision. It may not be loyal, or honourable, from various points of view. But it will be the right decision.

Lion El-Jonson on Caliban

When Lion El-Jonson is found in the forest of Caliban, the knights of The Order immediately try to kill him. It is their duty to do so. Luther, however, stays their hand, taking a huge risk to do what is right. Knowing that he will become the leader of the Fallen, it does paint them in a different light (at least some of them...).

The Betrayal

When Lion El-Jonson fights Luther in their final battle, he has the opportunity to kill him. In other battles that recount the Lion in combat during the Horus Heresy, he is not portrayed as one to hesitate. In particular, he runs Conrad Curze through pretty callously. With Luther, though, he hesitates. It is his duty to slay this heretic, he is honour-bound to expunge this stain on the Legion, but he can't do it. Think what you like about how cold-hearted and seemingly treacherous the Dark Angels can act, this is their Primarch showing that he is unwilling to strike down his friend, despite suffering the deepest betrayal at his behest. Luther then knocks Lion down, goes for the killing blow and... can't do it either. They both make the right decision, beyond all notions of duty and honour.

 

The Arrival of Guilleman

When Guilliman gate-crashed a meeting of the Unforgiven, the assembled commanders argued that the Ultramarines fleet should be fired upon, believing either that having a living Primarch around was a bad idea, or that the betrayal of the Fallen had been discovered and they were about to be punished. Destroying the fleet entirely would be treacherous, but maintain the honour of the Unforgiven by keeping their secret safe. Azrael had the opportunity to launch a pre-emptive attack, but chose not to. Like the terminators in Deathwing, he accepts that this course of action will lead to death, but makes the right choice anyway. Thankfully, Guilliman just dumped a load of Primaris on them!

The War of Secrets

More recently I looked for this ongoing theme of choosing right, beyond notions of duty and honour, when I read The War of Secrets by Phil Kelly. The Dark Angels were generally portrayed as being complete jerks, treating their Primaris as cannon fodder unworthy of even remembering their conquests. I hated that aspect of the story, as there was literally nothing to like about the classic marines. It is the Primaris themselves that take an incredible course of action that continues the tradition. Arguably, their duty would be to grin and bear the terrible treatment metered out to them. In terms of honour, they probably should just blow a hole in the whole thing, reporting the actions of the Dark Angels to the Inquisition. Instead, they each pierce one of their own hearts to render themselves immune to being mind-wiped, thus retaining their knowledge of the secrets they are unraveling. For me, it was the best possible thing GW could have done to sell me Primaris models. There was my Dark Angel-shaped diamond in the rough, as the Primaris marines reflect the same spirit of Deathwing revealed in the first story I ever read, so many years ago. Some Dark Angels fiction in a recent White Dwarf cemented it for me, with the first Primaris being inducted into Deathwing, again suggesting that they are worthy of playing a role in the Unforgiven, and that the leadership of the Dark Angels can make the right decision when it comes down to it.

This has, by no means, been an exhaustive argument in defense of the Dark Angels; I can think of plenty of times when they have shown themselves to be really crooked. But I hope it has provided an alternative narrative to the usual "ends justify the means" malarkey. I also will not enter into the imperial loyalty debate ("who are the true Dark Angels?"), as I feel it is most interesting when left ambiguous. Instead, I hope that I have shown that both the Dark Angels and perhaps the Fallen have elements that are loyal in a different way. Not loyal to the Emperor, perhaps, or their brothers, or their Legion, or Chapter, or Allies, but loyal to some deeper sense of what is right. A more meaningful code that transcends any notion of pax imperialis (which only pretends to be good sometimes, anyway). We are talking about a unique, Dark Angels specific, brand of chivalry.

Noun: Chivalry

- the combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight, namely courage, honour, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help the weak.

As long as this special brand of chivalry keeps threading its way through the Dark Angels' narrative, I'll keep painting my marines green...

And white...

And black...

With some red and blue sometimes...

See you across the table,

Marc