Fanfic / Secret War

going clockwise from left to right: Jeurat Garrakson, Marcel Torris, Attelus Kaltos and Elandria. Being badasses.

"I will tell you everything soon. I swear I will, but I will say this. This is reality. This is the era we live in. There is only war, Adelana. There may not have been war on Omnartus, nor most worlds in the Calixis sector. But it is always somewhere. It has found you, I'm sorry to say. As it had found me. As it has found countless upon countless others. Trillions before us and trillions of more to come."

— Attelus Kaltos

Secret War is a completed Warhammer 40,000 fan fiction from the perspective of a young assassin apprentice. The story has drawn inspiration from many sources, but the most prolific being the Ravenor series by Dan Abnett.

After his mercenary organization is hired by a rogue trader to hunt down a highly influential gang leader on the Hive world of Omnartus, Attelus Kaltos is embroiled even deeper into the complex and convoluted world of the hired killer.

Soon, he finds that not all is what it seems and that his enemies and allies are not at all what he believed them to be. That this is the mission which will truly test him mentally and physically and change him, for the better or for the worse, forevermore.

Secret War was followed by a sequel, Upon Blood Sands, which is also complete.Synopsis: Three years after Secret War. Attelus and the other survivors are sent to investigate the war-torn world of Sarkeath. With Attelus' hallowed heroes, the men of the Velrosian 1st, fighting on the surface, it's personal. Especially when their leader, General Tathe, had ordered a successful Exterminatus months before. Is this yet another scheme of their shadowy foe? Or a dead end?

Now it's on to its third main entry: Secret War: The Annihilation Plague.Synopsis: After their horrid, soul-destroying fight on the world of Sarkeath, Attelus and his comrades have earned one lead: a name: Inquisitor Soloston of the Ordo Malleus. Soon, he's tracked to the backwater shrine world of Quoranda. But something froths beneath the surface of the oh-so-puritanical world. Something destined to drown the entire sector in a sea of agony and decay.

---

Secret War includes examples of:

• Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene: Quite a few; the best example would be in Secret War when Attelus manages to prevent what might've been a daemonic incursion almost single-handed and goes through complete hell to do it. Then he's sitting eating food in a cafeteria and finally opening up to his friends, Torris and Garrakson, about his horrible past.
• Action Girl: Elandria, Castella, Estella Erith, Helma, Delathasi, Glaitis Inquisitor Enandra, Adelana, and Scout Sergeant Adreen in Upon Blood Sands and Karmen Kons, in her own way.
• Alliterative Name: Karmen Kons who's also Estella Erith.
• Anguished Declaration of Love: although the word "love" isn't used, Attelus to Elandria:
  Attelus: "Because Elandria. I don't want you to die. It's because I know what you have been through."
  I paused, trying to swallow back the lump in my throat, "and I know that you never had any choice in the matter, no choice to be what you wanted to be, to do what you wanted to do. That-that any real choice in your life was stolen from you when you were so young a-and you didn't deserve that Elandria, no one does, I-I want you to live so you could one day have your own life to escape this crap, to, to."
  My left hand clenched into a tight ball while the right gripped my sword's hilt all the harder, "and that maybe in your new life that I'd be able to be part of it, that I'd like to be by your side to help you through I-I."
• And This Is for...:
  • Attelus delivers a pretty epic one before cutting off Inquisitor Edracian's head.
    Attelus: "This is it!" I bellowed as I drew back my sword. "This is for all the people you've killed! This is for Callague and Jarvus and Olinthre!"
    The lightning continued to consume me, to crackle and weave around the shield, but there was no resistance. I ran without hindrance, and in the last few metres, I lunged into the air.
    Attelus: "This is for all the innocents you've slaughtered and sacrificed! This is for Taryst! This is for Castella! And most of all, this is for Elandria!"
    Roaring like I've never roared before or would ever since with one slash, I severed Edracian's head from his shoulders.
  • Which is then brutally mocked and Lampshaded by by Inquisitor Etuarq a few seconds afterward.
  • The next chapter Garrakson gets one too, just before sacrificing himself to kill Glaitis.
• Anyone Can Die: You know a story where anyone can die when four out of five of the characters first introduced wind up dead (the only one still alive is Attelus whose perspective it's FROM) so far of the main cast and MauveShirts killed off in order are, Taryst, Elandria, Olinthre, Feuilt, Castella, Wesley, The Mimic, Garrakson and Glaitis and that's excluding the deaths relevant to the plot that happened before the story started, Amanda Heartsa, Barhurst and Edracian.
  • In Secret War: Upon Blood Sands many people die as it takes place in a warzone, but among those main characters dead are Scout Sergeant Adreen, then Vark at the hands of Commissar Tathe as a summary execution. Then Helma, Verenth and Jelket all at the hand of Attelus after being taken over by a daemon sword.
• The Anti-Nihilist: Attelus shows shades of this but the Eldar Autarch Raloth Arlyandor's speech he makes to Attelus' in Upon Blood Sands, and his team shows him as being one to the core.
  Raloth Arlyandor: "But yet, can you blame him? Really? Our races have had a long, chequered history. You hate us, do not trust us, and much of us look down on you, deem you a lesser species. We have used you and manipulated you for our own ends for millennia. So I, for one, think your hatred and mistrust is well founded. "So when you know this, can you blame Attelus here for being scared? For being hesitant in telling you of our alliance? I do not think so. In fact, I know so. I am here. We are here to put that behind us. We are here Because of a common cause. Believe it or not, we are not here to manipulate or use you; we are here on equal footing. As allies. Because it does not matter who is better or who is lesser. In essence, of all things, we are equal. We are nothing but ants in the vast cosmos. Our existences, mere eye blinks in this universe. I think we eldar who stand before you here, believe that we have done things the wrong way. We believe that if our races are to survive in this grim, dark universe, we will do so by cooperating-"
• The Apprentice: Attelus. And Adelana seems to be shaping up to be his.
  • In Upon Blood Sands, Delathasi is this to Darrance, and Hayden Tresch has one, too, but she leaves early on in the story.
    • As an Interrogator former Magistratum detective Arlathan Karkin is this to Inquisitor Jelcine Enandra.
• Armor-Piercing Question: Attelus gives one to Marcel Torris in Upon Blood Sands. It's also a reference to Paarthunax's.
  Attelus: I'm not a good person. So tell me, what means more, Marcel? Someone who's inherently good, doing good? Or someone who's inherently evil doing good despite their ingrained nature?
• Archnemesis Dad: Serghar Kaltos.
• Ascended Meme: an in-universe one after the as yet unnamed captured throne agent refers to himself as "No one of Consequence" Attelus, Karmen Kons and even Darrance refer him so.
  • Also, right from the start, we get the line: "That's the understatement of the century/millennium/millennia", which is used by numerous characters all the way to The Annihilation Plague, most especially by Attelus.
• Author Appeal: There seems to be a lot of effort to detail the faces of each female character.
• Axe-Crazy: it seems that Etuarq's elite spies all are eventually driven insane by the soul magics used to enhance them beyond normal human beings, shown by the unhinged states of both Rodyille and Feuilt.
  • Attelus, too, due to all his trauma, could easily go this way.
• Back-to-Back Badasses: Attelus and Kalakor, a Space Marine of the Raven Guard, do this in Secret War: Upon Blood Sands. But it's more Attelus using Kalakor's Powered Armor as cover than anything else.
• Badass Army: Taryst's mercenary force is vastly skilled, considering both Torris and Garrakson are considered mere soldiers. This is shown (sorta) for how long they manage to hold off the Space Marines attacking Taryst's tower for, sure Karmen Kons was mind-controlling them, but still.
  • Also, Brutis Bones' army of Moody Hammers they manage to fight a DAEMONIC HORDE and SURVIVE (well quite a few anyway) proving they are more than just Mooks.
    • Then there's Inquisitor Enandra's Storm Troopers who also qualify as an Elite Army managing to fight and defeat Torathe's own forces despite being outnumbered, but again it's an Off Screen Moment Of Awesome.
    • THEN there's the Elbyran contingent, especially the Velrosian 1st regiment.
• Badass Crew: the main crew (or at least starting) are able to fight a war against the Moody Hammer for six months sure they suffer casualties (Reduced from ten to four over much of that time, two of whom die in the first paragraph) Fighting ALMOST EVERY DAY! In various skirmishes. If that doesn't make up a Badass Crew, what does?
  • Those under Glaitis more than qualify, too. Darrance and Castella are hugely experienced assassins and blade masters. Castella is very skilled with her Plasma pistol, while Darrance is a very good void craft pilot. Hayden Tresch is an extraordinarily skilled sniper and a supreme Jack of All Trades, being a brilliant hacker, explosives expert, and tech user (although he says he only dabbles). Attelus, who is still considered an apprentice, is also a very skilled (perhaps even the most skilled) Master Swordsman and assassin in his own right, and that's not even going into Glaitis.
    • Now in Secret War: Upon Blood Sands. Attelus leads one made up of the survivors of the destruction of Omnartus, and to a man, they are all incredibly badass.
• Badass Boast:
  • Could be this or Narm, but Attelus says this before the firefight with the as-yet-unnamed man;
    "Well, either way, you're fighting me now, and either way, you are going to pay the consequences!"
  • Also Attelus gets one much later when fighting Feuilt.
    "I still have a purpose, Feuilt, and that's why I won't die. Not here, not now."
• Because You Were Nice to Me: The big reason Attelus saves Adelana, and by proxy, her workmates from the fires of Omnartus.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: Between Attelus and Elandria, Lampshaded by Darrance and even earlier by Garrakson.
• Berserk Button: don't betray Glaitis, and don't call the Mimic "pet," as Attelus found out the hard way.
  • Which Attelus intends to exploit if given the choice.
• Beyond the Impossible: Karmen Kons manages a few eyewatering achievements in Secret War: Upon Blood Sands, the biggest being holding back a Bloodthirster of Khorne using her telekinesis. She only manages it for a few seconds, but it's still an amazing achievement, as the servants of Khorne are naturally resistant to psychic powers.
• Big Bad: Inquisitor Edracian.
  • He is also an Outside-Context Problem for Attelus and the reader, anyway.
    • Turns out Edracian was just a puppet (a literal one too!) To the Bigger Bad Inquisitor Etuarq.
• Big Damn Heroes: Happens numerous times, but the most obvious would be when Darrance and Castella save Attelus from the two Death Cult assassins.
  • Another, bigger example (literally) is in Upon Blood Sands when Jelket and the Sovrithian regiment hit the Resurrected on the flank as they're about to finally overwhelm the Elbyran Contingent.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Glaitis almost embodies this trope. Taryst tries to, but the likes of Attelus and Garrakson see through easily.
• Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Karmen Kons, Elandria and Adelana Helgen, respectively. But Karmen is a bottle blonde as she's really Estella Erith, Attelus' war buddy and former aristocrat of Varander: their home country. Her hair is originally black.
• Bond One-Liner: After shooting a mook through the head, Attelus says and also as a shout-out to;
  '''Attelus:''' "Shame about the face."
• Break Them by Talking: Etuarq attempts this on Attelus and it's truly horrific and cruel, but it doesn't work.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: the first time Attelus does it is when Taryst's psykers attack the Twilight Bar while Attelus and Elandria are trying to infiltrate it.
  Attelus: I don't know if you had thought I had forgotten about Taryst's little psyker cadre or you had forgotten, but this, this I had actually seen coming, this I knew was coming, yes.
• Broken Pedestal: Glaitis for pretty much everyone even Darrance.
• Card-Carrying Villain: Edracian/Etuarq.
  • But it's heavily implied it's all an act, as Etuarq has shown no sign of such psychotic behaviour during his appearance in the epilogue of Secret War: Upon Blood Sands.
• The Casanova: Olinthre implied by Attelus although he doesn't live long enough to show it.
  • Also Attelus' father, Serghar Kaltos, according to Inquisitor Etuarq.
• Chase Scene: A brief one when Attellus attempts to escape Edracian and his Mooks.
  • Now with a far more intense one with Attelus running over rooftops and through abandoned old buildings in the underhive while daemons are chasing him.
    • Now there's another but with Darrance, Attelus and an Ornithopter!
• Chekhov's Gun: Attelus' krak grenades which he uses to kill a Space Marine! Lucky he took them from Taryst's armoury before they attacked Edracian's mansion-fortress. Ironic, as he initially wondered why he bothered to take them instead of more frag grenades, which would've helped more in the attack of Edracian's fortress.
  • Could also be Chekhov's Skill but Karmen's psychic blocks qualify not once but twice as it allows her to mind control Taryst's mercs on a large scale, allowing the main characters to escape Omnartus.
• Chekhov's Gunman: a few: medicae Feiult, Major Olinthre and perhaps Colonel Barhurst.
  • And Vex Carpompter.
    • No One of Consequence.
• Chekhov's Skill: Attelus' extreme skill of accurately throwing things and Hayden's hacking ability.
• The Chessmaster: Glaitis, Taryst and Brutis Bones.
  • Former Inquisitor Etuarq absolutely blows all of them out of the water. It helps he has god-like powers.
  • Why Edracian, OF COURSE!!
• Chess Motifs: Edracian and the Eldar Farseer seem to love to call Attelus their "pawn".
• Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Castella Lethe is knee-deep in this trope.
• Combat Pragmatist: Attelus cheats like all hell when he can. This has lessened as his Blood Knight tendencies began to shine through. Karmen Kons takes this philosophy to its logical extreme.
• The Conspiracy: Etuarq's influence is hinted to delve deeply into the Calixis sector.
• Cold Sniper: Hayden Tresch, which is even Lampshaded by Attelus.
• Combat Clairvoyance: One of the reasons Attelus is able to dodge las weaponry and bullets after his enhancement.
• Cooldown Hug: Attelus does this to to Karmen as under the influence of the warp, she is tearing her own face apart. He also pins her arms at her sides to stop her from doing it.
• Corporate Samurai: The main characters, Attelus Kaltos, included, begin as this, and they even report to the big man himself, Taryst, on a daily. Although Attelus and Elandria are outsourced from Glaitis' organisation so, whether they're Taryst's or Glaitis' Corporate Samurai is up for debate.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Attelus gets on the wrong end of two in Secret War at the hands of the Mimic. In Upon Blood Sands, his father, Serghar Kaltos.
• Dead Pan Snarker: Castella Lethe, Glaitis has a few, too.
  • Vex, the Mimic, No One of Consequence, Torris, practically everyone.
    • Darrance seems to be the best snarker by far.
• Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: Attelus.
• Died in Your Arms Tonight: Elandria dies while cradled in Attelus' arms.
• Disappeared Dad: Serghar Kaltos to Attelus.
• Disproportionate Retribution: the ultimate fate of Omnartus. The Exterminatus is ordered by Torathe mainly because of the murder of his Interrogator and daughter, ONE PERSON! Although we never find out the exact contents of the message Etuarq/Edracian had sent him.
• Downer Ending: In Secret War ends with the utter destruction of the hive world of Omnartus, a fate the protagonists fought like hell to prevent but, in the end, utterly failed to prevent and which Attelus Kaltos was inadvertently indirectly responsible for. They do get some measure of justice in the end by managing to kill Inquisitor Torathe, who ordered the Exterminatus, but he was just a pawn for Etuarq, but they have no real leads on how to find him In Secret War: Upon Blood Sands after one of the most pyrrhic victories in 40k as a whole, Attelus is taken over by the daemon sword Kalncerak and slaughters many good comrades that he'd fought alongside including the Omnartisian Survivors: Helma, Jelket, and Verenth against his will. He only overcomes it when he almost kills Adelana due to the Power of Love. But they do manage to find a lead. But only after the deaths of hundreds of skilled, loyal soldiers of the Imperial Guard.
• Entitled Bastard: Serghar Kaltos REALLY seems to believe wholeheartedly that Attelus Kaltos has to work for him on the mere fact that he's Attelus' father. He is genuinely sickened he has to resort to blackmail and threats to force Attelus to, in his words, "cooperate."
• Exposition Intuition: Attelus' savviness tends to come off a lot like this, but it is mostly subverted in that he isn't always right.
• Expy: both Garrakson and Elandria are Expys of Wilkenson and Latashe from an earlier story, and one could say that Attelus is an Expy of Company Master Remiel, the main character from another old fiction about the Dark Angels.
• Eye Scream: Attelus throws a knife into a mercenary's eye during the storming of Edracian's mansion. Then he does it again to a Space Marine! Allowing him an opening to stick a primed grenade into the Marine's open mouth.
  • He does it again to an enemy in Upon Blood Sands, mostly out of spite, as they managed to clip his shoulder with a las round before lunging forward and slicing them in half.
• Fate Worse than Death: apparently, if you betray Glaitis, your fate won't be pretty.
  • An almost fate Attelus comes close to suffering not once but twice in Upon Blood Sands first if he got killed by the Bloodthirster, Kharkarskar, in the sub-dimension, he'd be trapped in it forever as his immortal soul. The 2nd being trapped forever in his body by the daemonic sword of Kalncerak.
• Final Speech: in her last words, Elandria tells Attelus that he did actually save the people in the Twilight Bar. She also calls him out on his idiotic paranoia in not believing Castella earlier.
  • The Leader: Garrakson, although he is more laid back in his leadership style than many. Despite once being a Cadian squad sergeant.
  • The The Lancer: Attelus, being an assassin, his whole philosophy at times puts him at odds with Garrakson on a few occasions and, at times, steps in as the leader.
  • The Chick: Torris can fulfil both these roles, being the voice of reason on a few occasions to the others; he is also the one who most actively tries to help Attelus with his PTSD.
  • The Big Guy: Elandria is a bit of a blunt instrument, usually kept out of undercover operations in a reinforcement role if shit hits the fan. (Although she isn't as blunt as she seems.
• Forceful Kiss: Karmen Kons does this to Attelus, doing it even though he's still in mourning over Elandria's death and is in shock. This doesn't stop her from being surprised when he pulls away, though.
• Foreshadowing: A drinking game could be made for the number of times this trope is used. A lot of what has happened has been foreshadowed before, although it's not hugely obvious.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Both Attelus and Darrance.
  • Until Upon Blood Sands, when Darrance gets a haircut.
• Four-Temperament Ensemble
  • Garrakson is Phlegmatic.
  • Elandria is Choleric (though she really isn't at all a leader)
  • Attelus is Melancholic/Choleric
    • Now Torris has recovered, he seems to be Sanguine.
• Fridge Brilliance
  • One example is when Attelus attempts to storm the Twilight Bar single handily without any real intel besides a brief look at the schematics but once you realize that the psychic influence on everyone in the building allowing him to move almost unopposed (Though this doesn't last very long due to the presence of a blank)
    • Also that Attelus knew of the psyker attack on the Twilight Bar as after the brainwashing of Vex he knew that Taryst was using them in a large capacity
• Gambit Pileup: Everyone has their own agenda, and it is still only the icing on the proverbial cake
• Grey-and-Grey Morality: very much so far.
  • Black-and-Grey Morality: now, there's a properly established villain, but it's not who you'd think.
• Guile Hero: Attelus isn't just dangerous because of his skill as a swordsman and martial artist, but his ability to think on his feet and create simple, practical and creative plans that he's able to pull off on the fly. And nine times out of ten, it works.
• Guns Akimbo: Attelus plays this trope straight when storming the Twilight Bar.
  • Perhaps justified as he uses it only in extremely confined areas, in hand-to-hand combat
• Hero Antagonist: Brutis Bones is looking more and more to be one of these.
• Heroic BSoD: Attelus has an epic one after Elandria dies in his arms.
• Heroic Sacrifice; subverted as Attelus attempts it but is revived.
• He Who Must Not Be Seen: Brutis Bones, and Taryst's psyker cadre
  • Now it's Etuarq. Who hasn't made a physical appearance until the epilogue of Secret War: Upon Blood Sands.
• Hidden Depths: Darrance is one of the strongest characters who embody this as, at first, Attelus and the reader think of him as a merely snobby aristocratic type. But Darrance is quite wise and nine times out of ten correct in his assertions, much to Attelus' chagrin. Oh, and he's an Ace Pilot and an incredible one too, shown especially in Upon Blood Sands.
  • The Space Marine Veteran-Sergeant Kalakor of the Raven Guard takes this to an incredible degree It turns out that he isn't just a sorcerer, but a rogue Alpha Legionnaire who left the Alpha Legion out of disgust and hatred for the Chaos gods, to make his own way in the galaxy and fight for the Emperor's initial vision of the Imperial Truth.
• Hypocrite: Attelus in Upon Bloods Sands, first, despite his cynicism towards "Epic Awe Inspiring Speeches", he uses one and later, despite his contempt of combat drugs, he's forced to use them so they can complete their mission.
• Ironic Echo
• Jerkass: Darrance.
  • After Attelus goes through hell to earn at least some of his respect, he shows himself to be more of a Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
    • Captain Helma the senior-most surviving officer in Taryst's organisation comes off this way when she's first introduced.
    • Colonel Barhurst is not just this but a Dirty Coward, too, according to Attelus' research, as he was wanted by the Commissariat for desertion.
• Jerkass Has a Point: an In-Universe example, Darrance is almost always right, much to Attelus' annoyance. This is even lampshaded by Etuarq. It also shows Darrance's Hidden Depths.
• Kick Them While They Are Down: Done by Serghar Kaltos in Secret War: Upon Blood Sands to Attelus made even worse by the fact that he's kicking Attelus in the gut wound which he had just impaled through Attelus.
• Kill and Replace: The Mimic does this to Taryst, allowing Glaitis to control his organisation through proxy.
• Killed Mid-Sentence: The Honour Before Reason Mook.
  • He was also Too Dumbto Live, also as lampshaded by Attelus
  • and Elandria.
• Killed Off for Real: Elandria, Colonel Barhurst and Taryst.
  • Now it's also Feuilt, Castella Lethe, Wesley, The Mimic, Garrakson and Glaitis, the last four being within one chapter, hell the last three all in one chapter!
    • Averted by Wesley who turns out in the epilogue to actually be a Tzeenchian daemon in disguise.
  • In Upon Blood Sands, we lost Vark, Helma, Verenth and Jelket the latter three killed by Attelus after being taken control of by a a daemon sword Scout-Sergeant Adreen, and too many other red-shirts to count.
• Knight Templar: Inquisitor Torathe is heavily implied to be one of these due to his Sanity Slippage.
• Lampshade Hanging: taken to the point that the protagonists even name the trope.
• Large Ham:
  • Taryst, just Taryst.
  • And now Torris as Lampshaded by Garrakson
    "Yeah, yeah, keep it down, Tor," said Garrakson, "by the Emperor, I swear you and Taryst should have a competition to see which of you can chew more scenery."
  • And now Inquisitor Edracian who is also quite unhinged as well.
• Mama Bear: Castella Lethe is hinted to be this to Attelus that her ruthless beating of No One Of Consequence was in revenge for him setting the Arco Flagellant on Attelus at the Twilight Bar. Of course, when Attelus sees this, he misinterprets it completely.
• The Man Behind the Man: Or Woman behind the woman or The Xenos Behind the Woman as it seems that Glaitis owes allegiance to the Eldar for reasons as yet unknown.
  • A much bigger one is former Inquisitor Etuarq, who's the man behind the man of not just Inquisitor Edracian but Inquisitor Torathe, too.
• Mangst: major Olinthre over the horrific end implied to his and Garrakson's Imperial Guard regiment.
• Manipulative Bitch: Glaitis, just Glaitis.
  • and Attelus is becoming a Manipulative Bastard, as Lampshaded by the Mimic.
• Manly Tears: Attelus sheds tears before attempting to sacrifice himself to save the club-goers from a rampaging Arco Flagellant in the Twilight Bar and afterwards due to being Mind Raped during his recovery.
  • And when when he confesses his love for Elandria and at her death mere seconds afterwards.
• Mauve Shirt: poor, poor Olinthre...
  • Actually, most of the supporting cast could be interpreted as being Mauve Shirts.
    • A better example is Verenth and Selg, two of Brutis' senior Hammers. Verenth, in particular, gets his own sub-storyline.
• The Mole Feuilt is Taryst's medicae, Glaitis' spy and also Edracian's agent, epic triple agent
• Mood Whiplash: One example from one moment Attelus is lamenting how much of a Crapsack universe it is and, in the next second, making not too subtle joking Innocent Innuendo with Elandria.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Attelus taking the pict of the dead Interrogator is heavily implied to follow this trope.
  • Yes, it does, and it's frigging taken up to eleven when it's revealed that pict led directly to the complete destruction of Omnartus, a Hive world that has billions upon billions of people living on it.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Attelus gets beaten very brutally by the Mimic, so much so that even he is surprised he didn't come out of it worse.
• Obvious Trap: subverted (maybe) Glaitis thinks that that Edracian letting Attelus live with the information he knows was so they would ally with Brutis Bones in desperation to hunt down the Inquisitor, so it would lead both groups together into a trap, she thinks this is obvious. But no one else ever even began to think of it.
• Offhand Backhand: Attelus does this to one of Edracian's Mooks.
• Offstage Villainy: Glaitis, Taryst and Brutis Bones seem to get this treatment, though who is really the villain isn't quite clear yet and maybe justified as it is always in first person perspective and all of them being Chessmasters who seem to work exclusively through subordinates.
• Oh, Crap!: Attelus when Garrakson sees through his Batman Gambit.
• Paranoia Fuel: Now Attelus knows that Farseer Faleaseen is able to mimic Karmen's thoughts in his mind, what's stopping her from mimicking his? All his thoughts could actually be hers. Which would just be a completely and utterly terrifying realization.
• Playful Hacker: Vex Carpompter and, due to Garrakson's training, becoming a Badass Bookworm.
• Powers Do the Fighting: The fight against Inquisitor Edracian in a nutshell.
• The Power of Love: A more subtle example, but it's heavily implied this was what allowed Attelus to take control of his body after being taken over by the daemon of the Sword of Kalncerak when he was about to kill Adelana.
• Posthumous Character: Attelus' mother in a dream.
• Professional Killer
• Properly Paranoid: Taryst, which ironically is his downfall, having all his Mooks minds easily readable to Karmen Kons but not his top officers Major Olinthre and Colonel Barhurst was what allowed the Mimic to get close and ultimately assassinate him and having Attelus and Elandria's minds read during the briefing for the Twilight Bar incident was what led him to fall for Glaitis' incredibly elaborate Justified Gambit Roulette.
  • It was more of a Batman Gambit as Glaitis' plan hinged on Taryst sending in his psyker to the Twilight bar.
  • Attelus, too.
• Punctuated! For! Emphasis!:
  Attelus: "Do. You. Have. Any idea the crap. I have been through to find you!"
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Despite being an Inquisitor Jelcine Enandra seems like this, she's one of the few who truly sympathises with Attelus and his uhh many, many mistakes knows the names of all the many men under her command. Leads the boarding action against Torathe's forces from the front and helps Adelana through the trauma of the destruction of her world. But this might be subverted.
  • Also Inquisitor Brutis "Bones" Tybalt.
• "Reason You Suck" Speech: Darrance of all people gives a pretty good one to Glaitis.
  • Attelus himself has been on the receiving end of a few, one pretty brutal one from Brutis Bones and a nearly severely traumatizing one from Inquisitor Etuarq.
• Red Herring: and you thought Taryst would be the Big Bad, didn't you?
• Redemption Rejection: played straight by Leonard Rodyille.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Elandria is the Red Oni, though while not exactly being straight on the archetype Attelus is most certainly her Blue, though it is an example of the Red Oni being more villainous.
• Roaring Rampageof Revenge: Averted (so far) Attelus intended to do this to Glaitis to get revenge on Elandria's death, but Karmen Kons has convinced him not to. She knows they need Glaitis alive still, and she knows that it's exactly what Glaitis wants.
• Sadist: Serghar Kaltos is just yet another embodiment of this in Upon Blood Sands after he utterly defeats Attelus in their first encounter by stabbing Attelus through the guts Attelus manages to stab him in the face with a throwing knife Serghar then proceeds to pull out the sword then kicks Attelus in the open wound again and again, smiling the whole time. When Adelana Helgen begs him to stop, saying he'll kill him. Serghar just does it more enraged by Adelana telling him what to do.
• Secret Test of Character: Attelus, being an apprentice Assassin, is always being tested, but usually he is savvy enough to know it but his nightmares and Mind Rape during his recovery are now revealed to follow this trope.
• Self-Deprecation: Feuilt's What the Hell, Hero? speech could also be taken as a Take That! to the author and the plot of Secret War as a whole.
• Shout-Out: a few.
  • When in a particularly devious mood, Attelus uses the Verbal Tic, Yesss.
  • another along with the Take That! to Twilight.
    Attelus: Pretentious, I can almost smell the pretentiousness in the air.
  • One conversation between Elandria and Attelus goes like this.
    Attelus: No, it means what it means "some semblance," I'll think of something, I'm… adaptable.
    Elandria: Adaptable? Is that what you are calling it now?
  • "Some semblance" is also a line used a lot by the Spoony one.
  • In the latest part, Attelus is ambushed by a group of well-dressed axe-wielding Mooks sound familiar?
  • and this exchange of dialogue earlier
    Attelus: "Well that's anti climactic, who the hell are you anyway?"
    Man With No Name: "No one of consequence."
    Attelus: "I must know."
    Man With No Name: "Get used to disappointment."
    Attelus: "Hmm, okay."
  • and Attelus says right after Elandria's death "The Bitch is dead."
  • Inquisitor Edracian seems to be a Shout-Out machine; he looks over his shoulder at the captured Attelus shouting "Of Course!" and also is fond of saying "Inconceivable!
  • Attelus uses the quote, "there are no miracles, there is only men,"
  • The way Attelus defeats Feuilt in the church is almost a beat for beat remake of how Dinobot defeats Megatron in the Beast Wars episode "Code of Hero".
  • And No One of Consequence's real name just had to turn out to be: Wesley
• Shirtless Scene: Attelus gets quite a few; near the end of the story, when he's training his blade work, he's 'stripped to the waist' and is is very uhh appreciated by Adelana.
• Shower of Angst.
• The Sixth Ranger: a subversion as that Torris was originally in the team he was badly injured, confined to a hospital bed during most of the story so far, but now he is up and about when it's Attelus' turn to be bedridden
• Smug Snake: The Mimic, is this to an extreme, although he/she/it is more effective than the average Smug Snake, shown after the utter beating it dealt to Attelus
• Stealth Insult: a backhanded compliment to Attelus from Olinthre goes like this;
  Olinthre: "Tathe was his name, and he actually had a son working inside the regiment as a commissar; apparently, his father forced him into the scholar progenium when he was young. Delan Tathe was his name he was an arrogant little punk, but very skilled with a blade, you kind of remind me of him actually."
  • Subverted, as Attelus quickly realises that it's this trope, and Olinthre doesn't seem to do it on purpose.
• The Sociopath: It's obvious now that Serghar Kaltos is completely and utterly irredeemably this and That Etuarq had told the truth about him in his speech.
• Sorting Algorithm of Evil: Zigzagged, the first enemies fought are the relatively unskilled Moody Hammers under Brutis Bones and their leader, No One of Consequence (who's a throne agent). Then it ups the anti extremely by bringing in daemons. Then drops considerably when it's mercenaries and Throne Agents, including Death Cult assassins. Right after that is Adeptus Arbites and an Ornithopter. Then it's increased again with Space Marines (who are established to be not as strong as the earlier daemons; they were only defeated because their conduit was destroyed by Attelus, so subverted even further). Then it goes back to being Inquisitorial Stormtroopers and the enhanced Leonard Rodyille as a definite threat. This is almost lampshaded as Attelus takes on both Death Cult assassins two-on-one as he claims he's already fought daemons. They would be a far lesser threat.
  • Played a bit more straight in Secret War: Upon Blood Sands first first it's the Ressurected made up of Imperial Guard and Chaos Cultists. Then Attelus has to contend with Etuarq's elite agents after sparring with a frigging Space Marine, though. Then, the remaining loyalist Imperial Guard having to battle through the streets through hordes of The Resurrected before having to contend with lesser daemons of Khorne Bloodletters, before a GREATER DAEMON, a Bloodthirster. Then it's lessened when they enter the tower where they battle a mid-level Tzeentch Daemon and the lesser daemons of Tzeentch, Pink Horrors.
• Storming the Castle: The taking of of Edracian's fortress-mansion by Taryst's mercs, Arlathan's Magistratum Marshalls and Brutis Bones' Hammers.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Darrance and Attelus just don't get along but are forced to fight together on a few occasions.
  • The factions of Taryst's mercenaries, Brutis' Bones Moody Hammers and Arlathan Karkin's Magistratum.
    • Torris and Attelus in Upon Blood Sands. Torris still bears a grudge against Attelus for his supposed manipulation of Garrakson, leading to his death in Secret War. And he knows how much of a monster Attelus could become. Hell! Almost everyone, in one way or another, is with Attelus! Vark for his Puritan ways. Verenth because Attelus had killed his brother, and it's turning out Hayden is becoming more and more frustrated with Attelus' leadership and believes (and quite rightfully) that he should've been put in charge of the team instead.
• There Are No Therapists: played straight and averted, Glaitis seemed to have no intention to help Attelus through his epic PTSD, instead using it to manipulate him, but his friends, Garrakson, Torris and Castella Lethe, seem to be acting as his much-needed therapists now.
• Took a Level in Badass: Everyone has taken one, two or five during the Time Skip. Attelus is now able to fight off three of Etuarq's elite, enhanced agents at once, all of them wielding power swords without a weapon! Although they were trying to take him alive. But the most badass levelling up would be Adelana who went from being a normal Magistratum trainee to becoming an incredible shot with her bolter and being able to hold her own in a sword fight against a Khornate cultist!
• Token Religious Teammate: Castella Lethe for Glaitis' group, while she's very much Cloud Cuckoo Lander. She's also the Token Good Team Mate, being one of the most unambiguously nice people on the team. This is even Lampshaded by Darranace during her impromptu funeral.
  Darrance: She was the best of us.
• Torture Always Works: averted with No One of Consequence
• Those Two Guys: Once Torris recovers, Garrakson and Torris, Roldar and Jelket, Verenth and Selg. Garrakson, Rolar and Selg allwind up dead.
• Trauma Conga Line: The line started back when Attelus was but a child and it just seems to keep going and going for the poor bastard.
• Unexplained Recovery: After Attelus gets almost every bone in his body shattered he manages to survive, but this is also invoked by a case of; A psyker did it
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: poor Attelus dances to Etuarq's tune very, very well.
• Unnecessary Combat Roll: Exploited to hell and back and lampshaded by Attelus in both Secret War and Upon Blood Sands. Firstly, in Secret War, during the escape from Taryst's tower, he throws a krak grenade while a Space Marine is in the midst of a combat roll, making it impossible to dodge. He does the exact same thing three years later in Upon Blood Sands against the Khorn-blessed rogue general Tathe. Forcing them both into a roll by throwing a krak first. Then lampshaded when Attelus says in a Bond One-Liner...
  Attelus Kaltos: 'I-i-ifff there's o-o-one thing I've learnt o-ov-over the y-years is that-that honour i-i-is o-overrated and-and that co-combat rolls are-are s-stupid...Except, f-f-for when th-th-they're a-absolutely n-n-n-necessary.'
• Villainous Breakdown: Glaitis has an epic one which ends in the deaths of the Mimic, Wesley, Garrakson and herself.
• Wham Episode: There are a few chapters that could be this, but the biggest would be The Epilogue, which reveals that Wesley was actually a daemon of Tzeench, that it was all part of a Tzeenchian plan and of a prophecy that involves the deaths of billions more by someone with the initials A.X.K. (which at first seems Attelus Xanthis Kaltos) BUT then it's revealed that Arlathan also has the same initials and that Inquisitor Enandra is considering him to be her next Interrogator Dun! Dun! DUUUNNN!
• Wham Line:
  Arlathan: "I am detective Arlathan Xathrian Karkin of the Omnartus Magistratum, and I'm on your side! I'm on your side!"
• What the Hell, Hero?: Attelus gets a harsh one from Medicae Feuilt after his highly selfish and paranoid reaction to Elandria's death.
  • Also how most people react this way after his treatment of Vex.
    • He gets yet another from Adelana because of his mostly selfish reason why he saved her.
• You Have Out Lived Your Usefulness: Edracian and Feuilt say this to Attelus on numerous occasions. Then the already dead Edracian and his ENTIRE organisation to Inquisitor Etuarq. In fact, it was all part of Etuarq's plan right from the beginning, to not only destroy Omnartus but Edracian along with it and anyone who knew too much.
  • He does the same to Leonard Rodyille and Torathe's organisation.
    • Subverted as it's heavily hinted that Leonard Rodyille and Feuilt are Back from the Dead, somehow, as the masked agents under Serghar Kaltos in Upon Blood Sands. Although, it seems they aren't actual perpetuals.

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