Forge World Gramm IV

[Sons of Horus]

Well I guess Therion's different :D uhm the forge was destroyed by the charges Rosarch planted earlier.

[Ufthak]

Ah yeah, goddit! ;)

 

Sorry I lost track, but since the updates come only every few days or so, I tend to forget details about past chapters...

 

When's the next up?

[Sons of Horus]

The stormbird was hidden in between two large data blocks that rose to either side of the vessel. Therion shut off the engines in order to lower its thermal signature in case the Mechanicum sent in reinforcements. All the astartes were gathered together in the briefing room since it was one of only two places that could read and display the stolen data contained within the extraction module, the other one - the cockpit- was simply too small to accomodate everyone. A floating holo-image flickered in the darkness of the chamber filled with streams of meaningless codes and images. It would take roughly five more minutes to completely decode the data slate's contents. While waiting for the results to appear, every single astartes was deathly silent. Night Wing had been wiped out. The thought was only beginning to sink in. No one understood exactly what had happened and no one ever would. They were all dead now, after decades of crusading together as brothers, suddenly they'd been killed just like that. Members of the 9th company had been slain in battle countless times before but it hadn't been seventy years since the company lost so many astartes in a single campaign. The first thing to break the silence was the automated voice of the cogitator engine. "Decoding complete."

 

"Let's take a look shall we." said Captain Varin stoicly.

 

The Captain waved his hands through the air above the holographic projetor causing the delicate machine to react. It began cycling through pre-selected priority scraps of digital information. It contained a plethora of images and words. He stopped the cycle at one specific image: a vast starship that clearly belonged to the Mechanicum. In the picture, the vessel appeared as though it was complete but the words under it read 'construction status - 80%'. The file was entitled Project Incarnation - Omnissiah's Wrath. This was what Curze sent them to look for. He wanted it destroyed for some reason, but for what reason exactly, no one was sure. The Captain continued cycling through the data slate's contents in hopes of finding something more. The flagship was located at the central part of the vast shipyards that were suspended over the forge world's toxic atmosphere. The entire production region of the planet relied solely on two cyclopean reactor plants. These powerplants were the key to bringing down the Mechanicum at Gramm IV. One of the reactors was located twelve kilometers to their north while the other was located directly above it in space, amidst the massive iron ring that made up the planet's shipyards. A simultaneous strike to both powerplants was the only battle plan that had a chance to succeed. The remnants of the Night Lords strike force would have to split up.

 

The astartes continued sifting through the collection of data that was layed out before them. Nothing of much importance was still to be found except for a few more facility locations. Astorel suddenly noticed something that no one else had.

 

The file went by the name Decree of the Emperor. He quickly pointed it out before the captain was able to switch over to the next file. Varin opened the folder and spread the contents over the air. It was a thousand-page codex containing the decree of the emperor banning the creation, research, and maintenance of abominable intelligences.

 

"I guess that explains the automatons." said Vince.

 

"So this planet has gone against the emperor's direct orders." said Ozil.

 

"Are you saying the Primarch wanted us to destroy their flagship just because of the presence of abominable intelligences?" asked Anaris.

 

"Well it is possible or maybe he wanted us to destroy the entire planet's capability to function." replied Jacobin.

 

"Why would he entrust such a difficult and crucial objective to a depleted company?" inquired Ozil.

 

"Because we're the best thing he's got." said Astorel.

 

"No, that's not it. Take a look at that file name." came the voice of Therion.

 

It read Warpath. Varin motioned for the cogitator to access the file. It opened and the contents came out like an uncontrollable river.

 

The Warmaster Horus Lupercal has called for allies in the coming storm. We, the Mechanicum at forge world Gramm IV, have sent this message to pledge our alliegance to his majesty's noble cause. All our resources, both human and material, are at the disposal of the forces of the Warmaster. We swear to supply the Sons of Horus and their allies (III, IV, VIII, XII, XIV, XVII, XX) before any other Legion. As proof of our loyalty we shall begin the forbidden prototypes project immediately. All those loyal to the false emperor have been slain or turned into servitors. May the gods guide your path. - Adept Marvius, Archmagos of the forge world Gramm IV.

 

The astartes stood paralyzed by the sudden realization of everything that was taking place. This mission wasn't about the forge world alone. It wasn't about some petty renegades either. This was about WAR. Although this wasn't just any type of war. No, this was the largest civil war the galaxy had ever seen. Half the astartes legions had turned away from the emperor and were now on a warpath towards Terra itself. None of them could speak until Therion broke the silence.

 

"The file said the VIII Legion has turned traitor as well. That's our legion." said the ancient warrior in a low voice.

 

"So the Primarch sent us here to get rid of us?" asked Anaris.

 

"I'm afraid that may be the case, brother." said Sergeant Malikov who hadn't spoken since they stepped into the stormbird.

 

"No, I don't believe it! The Primarch would never do such a thing." spat Vince.

 

"I'm afraid he already has." said Therion.

 

"So what becomes of us now?" inquired Astorel.

 

The entire strike force turned to face Captain Varin Ullanov. They awaited his decision in silence. It took thirty more seconds before the Captain of the 9th company answered his men.

 

"We will continue with the mission." he said coldly. "Even if we try to run now those loyal to the emperor will still hunt us down like dogs. We have no friends now. We are alone."

 

Everyone in the briefing chamber nodded in unison. Together, the astartes of the 9th company slammed their fists to their chests to show their agreement.

 

"Your orders, Captain." said Therion.

 

"Talon will procceed to the reactor on the ground while Therion and I will go to the one in the shipyards. Ozil and Jacobin, you two are in charge of shutting down the power supply while the rest of the squad will protect you. Move stealthily and subtly to avoid direct confrontation. Remember, the stormbird won't be there to back you up in case you get caught by those juggernaught cyborgs. After you shut the plant down, make way for the communications station four kilometers to the west of the reactor. Once there you'll have to hack into the main security system to gain access to the high powered vox transmitter. After you've opened the vox channel, send this code to the Levitas Nox: Astrum zero-four-six-eight. The strike cruiser will then return to pick us up at a predetermined exfiltration point. While you complete your objectives, Therion and I will take out the entire shipyard along with that flagship of theirs. With both main super-reactors shut down, this forge world should grind to a halt within hours. Expect heavy opposition. Does anyone have any questions?"

 

There was a brief moment of silence.

 

"No questions? Then we'll begin the mission now. Good luck to us all." said Varin.

[Ufthak]

Wow, GREAT addition!!! :cuss

Love the way you describe things in a simple, easily understandable language.

 

I really like the idea of the dreadnought piloting the stormbird instead of fighting ;)

 

A small crit I have:

I find it kinda strange that the information they downloaded from the Forge contains a full list of the traitor legions.

Though I really liked the fact you remembered NOT to add the Legio XV (Thousand Sons) :)

 

Also, you might want to explain why Kurze hadn't alerted the Forge World to the company's arrival so it could prepare itself...

 

Looking forward to the next part :( Keep it up!!!

[Sons of Horus]

I needed a way to make them realize that their legion turned traitor so i put in a little list B)

 

Also, you might want to explain why Curze hadn't alerted the Forge World to the company's arrival so it could prepare itself...

--> I have my reasons :P

[Ufthak]

It's not a major crit :P The story is good as it is! Just keep it up, especially now that you're apprently more than half through!

 

Looking forward to next chapter ;)

[Tanhausen]

Neat chapters :P

 

I like very much your idea of a couple tacticals finding out about the Heresy this way!

 

I'm not very convinced about HOW they find out ("oh yeah, we just checked the "Sent" folder e-mails and hey, there is it, with a Customer Service number in case we have any questions" xDDD), but its easy reading and keeping the flow ;)

 

Chapters for the Chapter God!

[Sons of Horus]

The stormbird streamed across the sky like an ancient raptor. The darkness of the planet's atmosphere obscured its smooth and sleek aquiline body. The massive assault craft was several kilometers above the ground as the astartes of Talon prepared to jump from the rear assault ramp. They donned several makeshift grav-chutes which they had fashioned from scrap parts all over the ruins of Marvius' forge.

 

Malikov's thoughts drifted back to their investigation of the ruins. They headed in that direction soon after finishing the data briefing. Upon their arrival, they found nothing but smoldering ruins and a few semi-functioning mechanical parts. They scavenged what they could including several grenades and bolter clips. Nothing was to be found of squad Night Wing except a handful of armour pieces and a single Mk. IV helmet. There was nothing Talon could do about Raychev's squad and so they hurriedly returned to the waiting gunship.

 

Malikov attached his own grav-chute and walked towards the rear exit of the craft. He would lead his men into the heart of the conflict by example.

 

"Brothers! We do this for the survival of mankind. It is our sacred duty to protect humanity from ALL threats whether external or internal. Let it be known on this day that we have come not as the angels of death but as the protectors of all men!" shouted the Sergeant without his vox amplifier.

 

It would normally have sounded faint and weak after being muffled by the helmets of his squad but this time everyone heard it with the clarity of a crystal. Such was Malikov's passion and focus to fulfill his sworn duty. All astartes were created to defend humanity, all of humanity. Most other legions began to see themselves above unmodified men and even began to refer to these humans as mere mortals but not the astartes of the Night Lords 9th company. They had remained focused and driven throughout the ninety years of their separation from the main Night Lords fleet. None of Captain Varin's men would ever forget their purpose. They were the defenders of humanity and that was all there was to it.

 

The ramp dropped down lazily and with Sergeant Malikov at their lead, the Talon squad jumped from the gunship with the skill of veterans. Today they were more than astartes. They were heroes of the imperium. Heroes of mankind.

 

The squad waited until they reached one thousand feet before deploying their chutes. They were undetectable due to the nature of the custom grav-chutes. Unlike jetpacks, they emitted no thermal or infrared signature whatsoever since they worked through magnetic dampeners. The only downside was that the chutes were 'one time use' only. If everything would go as planned, they wouldn't need the chutes anymore.

 

Talon silently landed on the upper reaches of the massive generator complex. They were only a few hundred meters from the enormous reactor housing unit. Hopefully, they wouldn't need to fight much.

 

~~~

 

The stormbird changed course on the ancient dreadnought Therion's whim. It made a violently sharp climb towards the heavens where the other reactor plant was located. The chemical clouds swept past the knife-like fuselage of the assault boat like the waves of an ocean on the hull of a destroyer. Therion was the best suited pilot in the strike force as his Mind Impulse Unit allowed him to react with deadly speed. His reflexes had saved them countless times before on a myriad of planets throughout the course of the Great Crusade. Varin was hoping the old venerable could deliver them to the shipyards intact.

 

The stormbird's engines screamed as it broke away from the gravitational pull of Gramm IV. It cut through the last clouds and the two men in the cockpit saw the iron ring before them. It was a magnificent structure that defied the very laws of physics. The Mechanicum had created some truly impressive structures but none save the Forge at Olympus Mons could rival the sheer proportions of the iron ring.

 

Varin tore his gaze from the impressive edifice and focused on a single bright cylindrical building. Even from this far away he could already see the gargantuan form of the Reactor.

[Ufthak]

Nice addition, like it that they fashioned themselves some grav-chutes :D

 

Wow, 90 years separated from the rest of the Legion...probably missed a few things...

[Ufthak]

No new additions? :cry:

[Tanhausen]

Internal or external enemy? Do they also have a second amendment regarding the right to carry bolters? xDDDD

 

We

 

Want

 

Fights!

 

:rolleyes:

[Ufthak]

Have you dropped the story? :P

[Sons of Horus]

sorry for the loooong delays >.< I've been busy and my internet has been down for a week.

 

Malikov scanned the area beyond the barricades. It was mostly clear, possibly an open kill zone he thought. Knowing the Mechanicum they'd never leave such a vital area unprotected. A dozen or more skitarii were probably guarding the open ground between the bulkhead doors of the reactor housing and the outer obstacles. Talon had no time to change their plans, they'd have to think quickly on their feet.

 

The flashing alert lights above the heavy double doors threw a rainbow of colours across the red earth. Vince was the first to break cover. He ran at breakneck speeds towards the doors thirty meters before them. The rest of the squad shouted against his sudden movement yet despite their protests he continued to run.

 

To everyone in the squad's surprise, nothing opened fire at the charging astartes. Vince however, had expected it. During the drop he observed the absence of any functional gunports around the entrance to the reactor housing unit. He knew that no one else in Talon saw it because they were all distracted by distant thoughts and memories.

 

"It's safe." came his gentle voice over the vox.

 

"You were lucky this time." answered Malikov half jokingly.

 

"They did say I was lucky, the old squad I mean."

 

Vince wasn't always part of Talon. Decades ago when the company had newly separated itself from the rest of the legion, the 9th numbered over six hundred astartes. Back then he belonged to a different squad. When the great misfortune took place however, the 9th company was forced to absorb its smaller squads into the others. That time was nothing more than a distant memory to them now.

 

Astorel was next to charge across the empty space followed by Ozil who stopped at random intervals to cover the rest of his squad.

 

"So how do we take down the doors?" asked Anaris.

 

"Activa----

 

wwwrrrRRRR

 

Jacobin drew his chainsword even before Malikov had finished issuing the order. The rest of Talon quickly followed suit and in less than a minute seven roaring chainblades tore mercilessly into the reinforced adamantium portal. Malikov used his own powered blade to slice through as well. What greeted the intruding astartes was a screen of bright red lasgun fire.

 

The squad hurriedly drew their bolters while Vince brought his heavy weapon to the fore. The astartes of the VIII legion returned fire relentlessly whilst taking several hits themselves.

 

A warning rune flashed on the upper left corner of Astorel's visor. He blink-clicked it away knowing that their Mk.IV plate could easily take the punishment being thrown at them. He continued to fire his bolter, each shell finding a soft body to land in. Most were headshots.

 

The lasfire slowly began to fade as the skitarii elements were being cut down. The members of squad Talon had received minimal armour damage ranging from fourteen to eighteen percent. It was negligable for the super-humans.

 

They moved towards the central control chamber of the complex with an astartes by the name of Galvin taking point.

 

"They were lucky we had no cover to take advantage of back there." said Anaris.

 

"We'll give them somthing to scream about next time." came Astorel's voice.

 

"Be silent. Concentrate, brothers." demanded Sergeant Malikov.

 

Suddenly and without warning, a loud bang reverberated around the corridor. Brother Galvin slumped to the ground, his body limp and unmoving. His neck armour was breached and the blood flowed out like a river.

 

"Contact!"

 

Talon jumped to life drawing all their blades. In the close confines of the corridors the squad barely had enough room to effectively use their bolters. Once again the enemy was shrouded but this time he had more room to move. Talon could only guess where he was.

 

"Keep moving!" shouted the Sergeant over the vox. "We don't have enough time to waste."

 

The remaining seven squad members broke into a run. Another bang rang out but this time no one fell. Malikov had anticipated the attack wonderfully and so he was able to deflect the weapon's discharge. The Sergeant was gripping the invisible foe by some unseen body part.

 

"You know, when you send invisible men to get rid of us, at least make sure they aren't predictable." blurted the vox caster from the Sergeant's skull shaped face plate.

 

Malikov twisted and snapped something before dropping the dead soldier to the floor with a heavy thud.

 

Talon continued to move towards their objective until an enormous plasteel and ceramite door stood between them and their goal. The reactor's main control room was just beyond those doors. Anaris could already feel the cold sting of the plasma bleeding from the bypass ducts above. For something so hot the aura it emitted was so cold.

 

Vince, the largest in the squad, charged full force into the safety doors smashing them apart. The seven astartes filed neatly into the chamber, bolters raised to eye level. The sight that greeted them was the most shocking they had ever seen throughout the entire length of the campaign.

 

Kneeling at the other end of the control room was another astartes planting several melta charges. The midnight warrior stood up, bolter aimed at Malikov's head. It took less than half a second for all eight astartes warriors to lower their weapons in recognition.

 

Malikov was the first to speak his name...

 

"Rosarch?"

[Ufthak]

HAHA, I knew Rosarch had made it out :P He really is the MacGyver of the Company...and he really seems to like planting explosives!

I really liked how Malikov broke the neck of the invisible trooper ;)

 

Very nice addition, hope your internet will stay active long enough for you to post the next part soon! :) Keep it up!

[Sons of Horus]

Therion pointed Blackbird in the direction of an open space platform. The warmachine focused his thoughts into slowing the gunship down enough to make a landing on the empty runway. Varin assumed this part of the vast shipyards had been abandoned long ago by the tech-adepts of the Mechanicum. By the looks of things, the Captain was probably right with his guess. The stormbird froze into a hovering state above the platform before the Ancient lowered it slowly. The touch down was smooth by all means and Captain Varin knew that no one would find the assault boat here.

 

The dreadnought was the first to exit the craft followed by a wary 9th Captain. Either by stroke of luck or by fate, the Omnissiah's Wrath and the massive generator were located close together. Varin would shut down the power plant while Therion took on the flagship.

 

"So you know what to do?" asked Varin.

 

"Overload the Void Spear. The resulting vortex should engulf the entire capital ship." replied the old warrior.

 

"You do have a more elaborate plan don't you?"

 

"Plans? They never make it into contact with the enemy, Captain."

 

"If you say so. Just be sure to get out in time. Don't make me wait for you old man." said the Captain in a joking manner.

 

"I'm barely any older than yourself." replied the machine. "Oh and I will leave you up here if you take too long."

 

"I was thinking the same thing. Good luck, Therion."

 

The dreadnought stomped away into the darkness to the platform's left side. Varin unsheathed his powered chainsword and drew his ancient bolter. His blade had the word Thunderheart ornately inscribed into its length while his bolter bore the Nostraman runes for Blackdagger along its right side. He had possessed the blade ever since his promotion to 9th Company Captain while the bolter on the other hand, was with him since his induction into the VIII Legion.

 

The darkness lasted only for a short time before he entered the functional parts of the shipyard once more. Surprisingly, nothing was able to spot him as he navigated through the close confines of the corridors. The Mechanicum did not expect to find any hostiles within the shipyard and so the security measures were relaxed.

 

The Captain traversed the labyrinthine hallways of the vast space-borne complex with ease. As he turned to run down a long passageway, he heard a Skitarii cohort heading in his direction. He crouched down in between several pipes and a thick jungle of cables and uttered a single word: preysight.

 

His entire world shifted into a new form. Several different shades of a number of colours marked out his perceived threats. The most deadly were shaded red while the least were dark blue.

 

Six lightly armed Skitarii soldiers passed his position without noticing him at all. He could have slaughtered them easily but that would leave evidence of his presence. He waited for them to be out of range before moving down the corridor once more.

 

He ascended a flight of stairs that led to an overhead gangway suspended over fifty meters in the air. It crossed over a docking bay that contained several Mechanicum bulk lifters and cargo haulers. At the other end was a door that led into the generator unit's outer casing.

 

Varin traversed the gap slowly and cautiously without making a single sound. He hoped no one would bother looking up and no one would exit the power plant. After thirty seconds, he finally reached the relative relief offered by the door.

 

Using the mighty assistance of his armour's back pack and fiber-bundles, he tore open the threshold and stepped inside smoothly and silently. Several menials looked up in shock and terror as a monster from the depths of their own nightmares entered their workplace. Varin picked out a dozen in light blue and two bright green Skitarii guards. He ended them all with controlled shots from Blackdagger in less than three seconds. Every one of their bodies were ruptured by the extreme forces of the mass-reactive warheads painting the chamber with a grisly red finish.

 

He approached a control console and keyed in a series of commands he had taken from the data-cores. A second reinforced door, heavier than the first, slid open and he rushed through instantly.

 

He met heavier resistance this time. Two groups of four dark green Skitarii-elite opened fire. He felt a dozen and more lasbolts strike his armour in different places. A couple of solid slug rounds made contact with his ceramite skin as well. The Captain took cover behind a crudely built engine of sorts, its purpose unknown to him, and returned fire. Three snap-shots collided with Skitarii heads while a fourth left one of the soldiers laying on the floor, his intestines blown to a pulp.

His armour read twenty-six percent damage taken but he blink-clicked it away immediately. Varin sprung from the engine and landed in the midst of the elite tech-guard decapitating one with an arcing swing. The rest drew their close combat weapons but were to slow to match the ferocity of the Night Lord.

 

Without breaking stride from his last kill, he ran straight through the final door and into the reactor control center. His sudden intrusion caused the lone figure in the chamber to face him. It was a face he recognized. The face of a dead man.

 

"Raychev? What is the meaning of this?"

 

"Ah, Captain, I thought you were never going to show up." said the Sergeant of squad Nightwing calmly. "I was beginning to get worried."

 

"How did you get up here?" Varin said. The Captain was obviously puzzled.

 

"I've come to offer you something."

 

"You didn't answer my question, Sergeant. I am still your superior!"

 

"Hear me out first, brother. You will understand everything soon enough."

 

"Then speak. We have to destroy this damned place." said Varin urgently.

 

"Oh, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Captain. And by the end of this, you probably won't want to destroy any more of this either. I'm aware that you have learned of the great turn of events taking place within our 'beloved' Imperium." said Raychev, the sarcasm evident in his voice. "The Warmaster has called for allies and our own father has joined him."

 

"No, Raychev, don't do this! You know its treachery!"

 

"Treachery?!" spat the Sergeant. "It's the just thing to do! The emperor has abandoned us after we sacrificed everything to keep the Imperium in check! We gave up our humanity in his name and he fed us to his dogs!"

 

"We fight for humanity, Raychev, no one and nothing else. Have you forgotten that? To join the Warmaster is to destroy everything our brothers have died for. Will you allow them to have died in vain?"

 

"The emperor is leading us to extinction in exchange for godhood. He wasted us for his own selfish gain! Don't you see?"

 

"No. To join Horus is to sunder mankind and plunge the human race into an age of endless blood and death. I.WILL.NOT.ALLOW.THAT."

 

"Brother, do not be so blind. We have the power to save humanity. It's not too late. Our allies can grant you the strength to protect the Imperium from the false emperor. Join us, join your father, and it will be yours."

 

Captain Varin lunged at Raychev with Thunderheart held high. His blade met the Sergeant's power halberd in a clash of blue sparks that illuminated the dimly lit room. Raychev was unnaturally fast, and strong too. The two blades bit into each other dozens of times per minute.

 

"Don't you dare speak of Curze like that!"

 

"I know him too, brother. You were not his only chosen in the company."

 

"You are not my brother!"

 

The two continued to duel, the sound of steel crashing against steel echoed throughout the entire reactor. Varin could see the enormous control rods jammed into place behind a tempered glass pane. He knew the only way to defeat Raychev in his heightened state was through that window.

 

Raychev found an opening and cut deep into Varin's thigh forcing him to stagger backwards. The Captain was cornered against a panel of digital keys and cogitators. Without a second thought, he rammed his fist into the panel causing the rods to move up and down. The reactor was starting to go unstable and flashing alert runes lit up all over the shipyard.

 

"Raychev instinctively turned towards the glass pane giving Varin his opportunity to seize victory. The Captain locked the haft of Raychev's halberd against Thunderheart immobilizing him temporarily. With all his will and all his might, Varin lifted Raychev and ran across the room smashing the Sergeant into the protective window. The force of two astartes in full power armour shattered the glass and Raychev fell face-first into the reactor room. The former Sergeant tried to get up but two rods impaled him before he could move.

 

A bright red rune lit up on his visor in Nostraman. It was the rune for "evacuate immediately". As Captain Varin ran back towards Blackbird, the last sound he heard was the screaming voice of Sergeant Raychev.

[Ufthak]

Great addition, would never have thought Raychev had made it out too... but does that mean Rosarch is also a traitor?

 

In any case, I liked the fact that things got a little more "Night-Lord-y" - Varin uses stealth to infiltrate and then suddenly looms up like someone's worst nightmare :P THAT'S how I expect them to fight :D

 

Really like where the story is going, curious as to the end...have never before heard of loyal Night Lords, I'd really like to know what'll become of them...

 

Keep it up man, I've got a feeling the story is nearing the great climax and its end :P

[Sons of Horus]

definitely nearing the climax and ending :) A lot more surprises to go though :o

[Sons of Horus]

It felt strange being unable to find suitable cover for his bulk. Therion stomped through the shipyard towards the Mechanicum's flagship relentlessly. Several skitarii cohorts had foolishly attempted to stop his rampage without the aid of heavy weapons teams. Unsurprisingly, their torn bodies now lay scattered through out the space-bourne complex. His mind however was already shifting between the past and the present. Nevertheless, he carried on like an unstoppable force.

 

The warmachine came across an open loading bay, the largest one in the whole shipyard. Dozens of cranes soared high above even his great height, each one surrounded by vast containers filled with all sorts of materiel. Gangways criss-crossed the space above the deck and several guard stations were spread out all over the bay. The place was huge, definitely designed with the capital ship in mind. It was crowded too, with serfs, menials, rattings, and skitarii. If there was one thing he treasured though, it was the look of surprise followed by that of horror that played across all their faces with equal lucidity.

 

He opened fire with his twin-cannons and instantly...

 

A volley of bolt shells tore into the uncomplient populace of the planet's defence forces. They were merely humans, unmodified and weak. The world's government had spat on the 9th Company's offer of peaceful assimilation into the Imperium and had retaliated brutally. Therion led his men as Captain, as the astartes named Varin Ullanov was only a tactical marine. They fought a one-sided war but the sheer volume of enemy infantry and armour was bogging them down greatly.

 

Therion burst from his cover behind the ruins of an ancient temple and charged, power axe humming in one hand, bolter blazing in the other. He felt the light impacts from half a dozen poorly aimed shots from some slug weapon of archaic design. Warning runes flashed but he ignored the trifling threats. Every bolt shell took away an enemy head as he sprinted towards their faltering lines. As he was within twenty meters of the enemy, nearly half of them broke formation and ran like cowards, abandoning their allies in a desperate attempt to save their own lives. He picked them off first with instinctively yet incredibly well aimed shots.

 

Within three seconds, he descended upon the remaining men with his...

 

Massive power fist breaking their bodies like pots of clay filled with a viscous red liquid. He continued to fire at the skitarii-elite hiding behind a few supply containers, each mass-reactive shell capable of taking out a rhino APC on its own. The ancient spun around on its axis sending the four tech-guard who had dared approach him flying away, armour ruptured and bodied destroyed.

 

He opened his external vox link and...

 

Screamed at the top of his three lungs. The enemy soldiers fell to the earth, ears bleeding and eyes closed. He maximized the use of his genetically enhanced diaphragm forming a sound wave that reverberated for several hundred meters. A hundred hundred soldiers lay stunned, shaken, and some even incapacitated by the terrible force of the scream.

 

The sound of an astartes battle cry was enough to crush the morale of any opposing army but to hear one scream was to be held within the icy grip of fear. It was at this moment that every single one of the planet's defending force realized his or her mistake. They had gambled and gone toe-to-toe with the gods of terror themselves.

 

He quickly mopped up the remaining...

 

Skitarii-elite as they either lay helplessly on the ground or tried to flee. Hundreds, or possibly thousands, of slaves and workers had unfortunately been caught in the cross fire. Their unrecognizable forms lay smeared across the deck. Therion felt no pity, no remorse, but he felt no hate either. These humans, and cyborgs, had wronged and it was simply his duty to cull those who had wronged. He knew he had no other choice.

 

The dreadnought lumbered further into the complex until he reached the engine block. The only way he could get inside the massive starship was if he entered through the rear thrust outlets. The vessel was obviously nearing completion but he couldn't allow that to happen. He shot the two faceless automatons guarding the ship's aft to pieces and strode into the darkness of the Omnissiah's Wrath.

 

It was a strange vessel almost unrecognizably Imperial by design. Nevertheless, he navigated its winding, labyrinthine corridors farely capably using his advanced prototype version of the auspex scanner. Therion knew he couldn't afford to make mistakes, he sent a single thought racing through his mind impulse unit. If he could still speak normally the thought would've emerged from his mouth in the form of speech. The word would've been preysight.

 

The heightened auto-senses available turned his vision into some crude form of automatic priority targetting. He trudged through the bowels of the ship until he reached the main ordnance deck. Superior astartes memory reminded him of the void spear drive's location, it was in a massive chamber running the entire length of the ship just beneath the ordnance center. A heavily reinforced floor separated the two floors and Therion had to find another way to the void spear.

 

A door appeared on his visual display and he unhesitantly tore it open revealing the passageway he was looking for. It was unusually dark for a ship that did not belong to the VIII Legion but the lack of lighting did not slow him down. The Ancient stepped into the void spear drive when the unexpected happened: An alert warning coming from every vox caster on the shipyard blurted out the words "evacuate the starfort immediately. Primary reactor breached. All secondary reactors overloaded. Expect a cataclysmic explosion senario."

 

Therion opened a quick vox link to the Captain...

[Sons of Horus]

no feed back? oh well, trying to find time to make a new update but it probably won't happen in the next few days.

[Nacho Wolf]

Just read all three pages then, and I'v gotta say that this is great, normaly I dont like pre-heresy all that much but I like how you've made them still loyal even though there legion went traitor

[Sons of Horus]

THANK YOU! :drool: i thought this story was gonna die :woot: well now i guess i'll be able to continue it after all. Next chapter when i have some free time.

[Ufthak]

Sorry I took ages to answer, I was without web access for the last two weeks or so. Now I'm back ;)

 

WONDERFUL addition, love the way Therion swerves between past and present :P

 

Don't give up, you're so near the end and it's BRILLIANT!!! Keep it up!

[Ufthak]

No continuation? :) Would really like to hear the end!!!

[Sons of Horus]

Sorry :) I've been so busy. I'll try to post within the week if I can.

[Sons of Horus]

After such a long time I have decided to continue the story of the 9th Company...

 

The members of squad Talon and the lone astartes of Night Wing all stared at each other in the darkness of the room, bolters aimed at the floor. Every warrior of the VIII Legion stood frozen as though they had been petrified. There was a mix of confusion and shock amidst the hulking super soldiers. No one had survived the explosion at Marvius' forge. No one could have survived. And yet Rosarch stood before their very eyes. Alive.

 

"How?" was all sergeant Malikov managed to say.

 

"I cut it pretty close. Sergeant Raychev told me to leave him since he assumed that he had no way of making it out alive anyway. I tried to drag him but a collapsing floor separated us," said Rosarch. "I was the only survivor."

 

"Then what are you doing in here?" asked Astorel with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

 

"I figured the Magos had some forbidden research going on and since I had no idea where to find you I took the mission into my own hands. I would've hailed the Captain over the vox but I lost my helmet in the explosion," said Rosarch. "Am I to understand that since you are here, you know about the treachery that is taking place within the Imperium?"

 

"Yes, we uncovered the facts at the data-cores." said Jacobin. "Now we need to destroy this facility."

 

"Well, as you can see, I am already ahead of you on that," said Rosarch with a grin as he pointed to the main charges lining the control consoles. "I've already planted all the explosives at key points throughout the entire reactor. Now all we have to do is get out of here and click this button."

 

He held out a control switch half the size of a frag grenade and offered it to sergeant Malikov who took it without hesitation.

 

"Alright lets get moving. Exercise caution as we exit. We might still encounter something on our way out," said Malikov

 

~~

 

The explosion of the main reactor unit was even brighter and more dazzling than that of Archmagos Marvius' forge complex. The plume of smoke and fire rose several kilometers into the atmosphere and began to spread out. The shock wave had thrown half the squad off their feet even at over three kilometers away, however no one was injured by the massive blast. Almost as quickly as they had fled the reactor, the astartes began to move at full speed towards the forge world's main communications grid. They still had no contact with Captain Varin or Therion.

 

"Where are we going now?" asked Rosarch.

 

"We need to gain access into the vox station's main communications grid in order to recall the Levitas Nox." replied Malikov.

 

"And where is the Captain? And old Therion?"

 

"They're currently up there," said Vince, pointing up at the massive space docks that formed a ring around Gramm IV.

 

The Iron Ring was so vast that even though it was located in high orbit it could still be seen with the naked eye from the surface of the forge world.

 

"Are we supposed to link up with them anytime soon?"

 

"Yes, they're overloading the reactor at the docks and should be on their way to pick us up once they finish."

 

There was a long silence as the squad continued to move towards the vox transmitter. They were somehow gaining speed in the rough chemical weather of Gramm IV. Ever since they had left the reactor, no hostile forces had challenged their presence on the forge world. Aside from the raging storm of toxic gases, the entire planet had fallen deathly silent.

 

"So where do we go next? I mean once all of this is done," questioned Rosarch. "The legion has sided with Horus so we can't return to them while the forces Imperium will burn us if we even try to contact them."

 

Everyone knew the cold truth. They were doomed to die alone and most of them even wished for death on this forsaken world. It was the easiest way out for them. They had nowhere to go anymore.

 

"To be honest, Rosarch, I really don----

 

sergeant Malikov's voice was suddenly cut off by a massive explosion. The astartes all turned in unison to see the source of such a loud sound. What they saw was a shocking sight even to veterans of the Crusade such as themselves.

 

The Iron Ring surrounding the entire forge world was now crashing down from the heavens.