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However, the [[Thunderhawk]] that bore Koris, Arkio and the other successful candidates was caught in a massive storm during its ascent, and crashed near Rafen's position. Rushing to their assistance, Rafen helped Koris defend against dangerous native wildlife. Having saved the Marine, Koris noted that due to losses from the crash, there was a spot amongst the candidates for Rafen after all<sup>1</sup>.
Since becoming a Marine, Rafen has earned the rank of Brother-Sergeant and commands his own squad. He played a prominent role in recent events of the [[Blood Angels]], including [[Sanguinius]]' supposed rebirth and the recent assault on the [[Blood Angels]] headquarters on [[Baal]] by [[Fabius Bile]]<sup>2</sup>. With the Blood Angels having won the battle on Baal, Rafen was then assigned a mission by Lord [[Dante]] to recover a phial of the blood of Sanguinius, which was stolen by Bile during an enclave between the Blood Angels and its derivative chapters. Rafen's second mission was to punish Fabius Bile with death for his transgressions against the chapter. Having followed Fabius Bile futilely for some time on board the cruiser ''Tycho'', Rafen receives assistance from his blood-cousin '''Noxx''' of the [[Flesh Tearers]]. Together, the two sergeants combine their squads to hunt down Bile, launching a strike against a powerful and Magos of the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] named Matthun Zellik. Zellik had been having deals with Bile, who had usurped the identity of another tech-priest named Haran Serpens, the same alias used by Bile to infiltrate the Blood Angel's on planet Baal. The battle against Zellik took place on board the Archeohort, an ancient and unusual excavation ship manned by [[servitors]] and members of the [[skitarii]]. By taking advantage of a turncoat within Zellik's ranks however, Rafen, Noxx and their men found their way to Zellik's trophy room, where they smashed and destroyed the relics recovered by the [[Magos]] and forcing his surrender, lest his work be undone. During the battle, Rafen had lost his [[bolter]] to a trap laid by Zellik. However, among the relics and goods in Zellik's collect was a [[plasma pistol]] bearing the name and chapter markings of ''Aryon'', a long dead hero of the Blood Angels, which Rafen took to his new side arm. With the Archeohort, the ''Tycho'' and the ''Gabriel'' (on loan from the Flesh Tearers), Rafen and his men traveled to the planet of Dynikas V, where Zellik had last done dealings with Bile. The planet itself was unusual in that it had suffered a strike by the [[Tyranids]], but the events had left the oceans intact as well as several aquatically mutated Tyranid specimens leaderless on the planet. Sacrificing the Archeohort, Rafen, Noxx and their men descended on Dynikas V using a submersible to approach the suspected base of operations of Primogenitor Fabius Bile. During the approach, Rafen and his allies battled large Tyranid creatures similar in size to mighty krakens. During the underwater battle, Rafen was separated from his allies and floated to the service, where mutated slaves of Bile captured him and took him to Bile's laboratory and fortress. Rafen, disarmed and implanted with a strange maggot that bound him, was taken before Fabius Bile himself. Bile, lost in grandeur, explained to Rafen his plan to clone none other than the [[Emperor]] himself. Though wounded and weakened, Rafen managed to assault the Primogenitor, and kill him by tearing out his neck. However, Bile was not dead. Immediately after the assassination, Rafen was forced into a strange arena where he raced against mutants and other captured Space Marines of other chapters, lest he be killed. There, amongst the audience, Rafen saw Bile alive. During the race, Rafen convinced the morose Tarikus of the [[Doom Eagles]] to side with him in an uprising against Bile. During this time, Noxx and the remaining men under his and formerly Rafen's command made landfall against the fortress. It was then that Ceris, a [[Librarian]] in Rafen's squad, mentally contacted Rafen and bade him to attack a strange warp signature to prevent Bile from escaping. The warp signature turned out to be a captured and harvested [[Zoanthrope]], whom Bile bent to his will to create warp portals and ward away the Tyranids on the planet. Curiously, the Zoanthrope welcomed its death by Rafen's hand. During the ensuing battle, Fabius Bile was killed no less than four times, and the truth was revealed when Rafen and a handful of his allies encountered two copies of Bile at once: They were merely clones of the true Fabius Bile, who was not even on the planet. Still, the last clone of Bile did possess the covet phial of Sanguinius' blood, which Rafen managed to take from Bile and inject into himself to defeat him. By exploiting Bile's last ditch escape attempt, Rafen and his men and the former Space Marine slaves managed to teleport away from Dykinas V while the Tyranids ravaged the the fortress. Rafen's fate as of the completion of his mission is currently unknown. ==Rafen's Men==The following is a list of squad mates who are currently serving under the command of Rafen.:'''Turcio'''- One of the Blood Angels who chose to follow [[Arkio]]. Turcio currently wears a mark of penitence. :'''Puluo'''- A taciturn Devastator who uses a [[Heavy Bolter]].:'''Kayne'''- A hot tempered and fairly young Blood Angel.:'''Ceris'''- A powerful [[psyker]] currently loaned to Rafen's squad by order of [[Mephiston]].:'''Ajir'''- Another Blood Angel under Rafen's command.
==Sources==
*<sup>1</sup>:[[Blood Angels (Novel Series)|Blood Angels Omnibus]] by [[James Swallow]]
*<sup>2</sup>:[[Red Fury (Novel)|Red Fury]] by [[James Swallow]]
*<sup>3</sup>:[[Black Tide (Novel)|Black Tide]] by [[James Swallow]]
[[Category:Characters (Blood Angels)]]
