Grace

 The hulking beast crouched through the door, stepping into the slightly burning home. The Tyranid exoskeletons cracked under his boots, painting their blood on the green ceramite armor of the Salamander. His head moved over the room like a turret as his hand reached for his flamer, pulling the massive weapon to his ready. His fingers rested on the weapon naturally like shaking an old friend's hand. He would have pulled the trigger and begun to purge the cursed house but a sound caught his ear and caused him to pull his finger off the trigger and rest against the gun. He listened closely to the sound and how it echoed through the air, it wasn't the skittering of Tyranids nor the labored breathing of a genestealer cultist. No. It was a child. He rested the gun back into its holster and made his way to the source of the sound, drawing his knife just in the case of Xeno trickery. He found himself in front of a door, fused shut it seemed. It had taken quite the beating, being scarred all over from vicious attacks from Xeno underlings however it stayed sturdy and standing. The green gauntlet grabbed at the holes in the door and ripped it from the wall with all the force the marine could offer. He let out a hefty sigh of relief as he saw just as he wished; a small child sat in the room cramped into the small corner. The poor child was quite fair in both skin and hair color and visibly famished and shaking with fear as her blue eyes stared up to the emerald super-soldier. The marine stared back for an awkward second before reaching out his hand to the little lady who, after a second of hesitance, took it. He gently guided her out of the room with calm reassurances.

"Hello, citizen. Everything will be ok, the emperor has given us the blessing to appear just in time. You're very brave, I've seen fellow Astartes give to Xenos," the marine laughed heartily with a hidden smile. He hadn't the issue of slandering his brothers to hear the small child chuckle even the slightest bit as he carried her over the body of Tyranid scum. He set the girl on her feet as they traversed the empty streets. She held onto his hand as tight as she could, holding the Astartes close in fear.

"Where is your mother, little one?" The marine said as he looked down at the frightened child. She bowed her head nervously as she thought, "Mommy said she was going to help fight the bad things. She had her scary hat on," she said with a quivering voice. The marine touched his chin as he reflected on the words. What citizen would fight with the guard? Big scary hat? It clicked. Commissar Bachmeyer lived around here. "Ah. Then she will be at the camp. I can guarantee to you that she is fine. Let's be with haste so you may reunite with her" the marine said which left a smile on the girl's face.

There was a half-hour or so of the marine telling the little lass of all his adventures as an Astartes, all the planets he had saved, the Ork warboss he impressed in battle, the tau crisis suit he took down with a hand grenade. She very much enjoyed the tales, being lost in his adventures and the glory of being an Astartes. Finally, however, they managed to the city center where all the survivors were tended to by Salamanders, Adeptus Soroitus, and the guard medics. The lass ran off and into her loving mother's embrace which caught the eyes of the whole camp, it was rare to see any emotion from a Commissar however the watching eyes were all extinguished by a glare from the commissar; usually a death sentence. The mother raised to her feet and saluted the Salamander who bowed in turn before looking down to the little child once more. He knelt and reached to his chest, plucking a purity seal from the Ceramite armor and pinning it on the girl's dress, a stupid smile painted on his face.