Forge World Gramm IV

[Leonaides]

I post you cheezeburgers, you write more??? :D

Very good story here, I'm liking it.

[Sons of Horus]

definitely more :confused:

 

The darkness around the void spear's main drive was doing little to stop Therion's movement. The holding chamber for the device was so massive that he did not know where to destroy the weapon. He would have to locate its power source and fry it from there. The ancient knew that time was no longer a luxury he possessed as the vibrations and warning signals probably meant that Varin had already forced the station's main reactor into a catastrophic meltdown.

 

"Captain, I take it from the alarms that you have completed your objective," said Therion over the vox.

 

Nothing greeted his hail but static.

 

"Captain Varin, are you receiving this?" tried the old warmachine again.

 

Still nothing but static.

 

The ancient continued to search for the void spear's drive in the vast chamber. If the captain was dead he knew he would be responsible for the completion of the rest of the mission. The dreadnought began to pick up his pace until his auspex detected something unusual. There was a massive source of warp energy emanating from about a hundred meters further down the chamber. The only logical source would be a warp drive but such engines were volatile and thus would be stationed on a different deck. He moved cautiously towards the energy source being detected when his transmitter suddenly picked up a signal.

 

"Therion, are you still with me?" came a distorted voice.

 

"Varin, is that you?" asked the dreadnought.

 

"Affirmative. I've successfully destroyed the reactor unit. This entire station will collapse in less than fifteen minutes," said the Captain. "What's your status?"

 

Therion stopped at the foot of the largest warp drive mankind had ever created. It was an amazing engine the size of a miniature starship and it throbbed with an unholy aura. The drive seemed to leak essence from the immaterium itself onto the deck. The cyclopean machine was attached to the void spear through hundreds of thousands of cables, tubes, and other wires. This arcane device was definitely the main energy source behind the power of the void spear.

 

"I think I may have discovered a way to destroy the vessel and its forbidden weaponry," answered Therion.

 

"Good. Now hurry up or this place will take us down with it."

 

Therion stood mesmerized by the magnificent, yet malign nature of the weapon. Was this ship really deadly enough to destroy entire fleets on its own? He didn't know. However, what he did know was that the Mechanicum forces on Gramm IV could not ever be allowed to unleash the void spear's destructive potential. He had to destroy this threat once and for all.

 

He raised his twin-linked cannons when suddenly, a massive force exploded behind him. A normal astartes would have been thrown off his feet but Therion's sarcophagus allowed him to take the punishment. He spun on his axis to determine the threat but it was no longer there. Something was in this chamber and he sensed the danger. He faced the warp drive once more, but before he could unload his shells into it, several hostiles opened fire onto his mechanical form. He spun and caught sight of his aggressors. Roughly twenty faceless automatons accompanied by four large, brutish-looking robots armed with power blades and grenade launchers stood surrounding him.

 

"Is this all?" he asked mockingly.

 

Almost as quickly as the words left his vox speakers, Therion was knocked back by two missiles hitting him squarely in his frontal armour. None of the robots were armed with missiles. 'These are probably those invisible bastards the Captain was talking about' he thought to himself. He raised his cannons and opened fire in one smooth motion taking out four of the faceless robots instantly. The rest charged violently at him, unsheathing powered blades and chainswords as they approached. Therion continued to blast them apart until they finally closed in on him.

 

A violent melee ensued with the venerable ancient facing off against ten of the automatons. They were all smaller than him but they possessed an unusual strength. They fought like real combatants as well, dodging, blocking, and finding openings in his movements. The dreadnought could barely cope with their wild and aggressive attacks.

 

He caught one by the torso and slammed it into the warp drive behind him causing the machine to hiss and spark. More alarms began to sound off and a voice warning turned on.

 

"Warning. Warp drive damage detected. Please clear the area and await further announcements."

 

The robots were taking their toll on his armour's integrity. His internal display now read thirty-four percent damage taken. He continued to fight back as well as he could. One automaton was able to penetrate his frontal armour with a lucky sword stroke leaving a small puncture beneath his sensory helmet. Therion backhanded the faceless abomination crushing it utterly.

 

"Therion, we have to move now!" came the Captain's voice over the vox.

 

The four cybernetic monstrosities suddenly kicked into action emptying their grenades at the venerable warmachine. He shrugged off most of the explosions but one shattered his primary optical lens. He could still see through his backup optics but his preysight and other auto-senses were down.

 

Just as he blasted the last faceless apart, the four larger threats charged at him. He emptied the last of his cannon's shells at his attackers, effectively cutting down one of the cybernetic hulks before it could reach him. The rest closed in like raging animals, swinging their blades at the old warmachine. He caught one blade-arm and pulled it off the hulk's body. He jammed the blade into the warp drive behind him and more verbal warnings turned on.

 

"Warning. Additional drive damage detected. Please leave the immediate area. All maintenance personnel please proceed to the drive chamber."

 

The hulk that lost its arm revealed a previously unseen mechanical drill and renewed its onslaught. Therion managed to lift one of the hulks and throw it at another cybernetic monstrosity sending both robots skidding across the floor of the chamber. He bought just enough time to grab the third hulk and slam it into the warp engine repeatedly. Dozens of warning lights and verbal codes were now flooding the room.

 

The ancient rammed the hulk into the drive so deep it caused a pulse of electricity to travel the length of the entire chamber. The yellow warning lights were now blinking deep red. Therion turned once more to face the remaining two automatons who were charging at him once again. His display now read sixty-eight percent damage taken.

 

"Therion, we only have five minutes to reach the minimum safe distance," came the Captain's voice.

 

"Negative, Varin. You go. I have to finish this."

 

"I can't leave you up here! Now hurry up!"

 

"NO! you will do as I say," came the enraged reply of the ancient. "Take the stormbird and get to the exfiltration point immediately. The rest of the company is depending on you."

 

There was a long silence over the vox that lasted for almost a minute. Therion didn't know what Varin was going to attempt but he trusted the Captain to follow his final command. It felt good to be in combat again, for real. Not just through periodic flashbacks. He wondered why his mind was so focused on the present now. It didn't matter anymore. He knew this was the end.

 

"Very well, old friend. May the Emperor guide you," said Varin.

 

"Don't waste it." replied Therion before cutting off his inter-suit vox link permanently.

 

A plasma bolt and two missiles slammed full force into his sarcophagus destroying his backup sensory nodes and rendering the venerable warmachine blind. He thrashed his fist violently and he felt it contact against both hulks. The internal display now showed eighty-one percent damage taken. Suddenly a violent barrage of explosions hit his frontal armour nearly cracking it open. He felt his cannon-arm blown off. Another barrage destroyed his entire sensory array leaving him helpless. The dreadnoughts legs could no longer function as it stood motionless, right beside the warp drive.

 

Therion could feel the energies of the warp leaking in through the cracks in his sarcophagus. He could hear the voices from the immaterium. They whispered and called out to the ancient offering him power and a new life. All they asked for in return was his eternal servitude.

 

Another wave of missiles blew his entire frontal armour open exposing the frail and weakened body of ancient Therion. There he was, an astartes withered by ages of endless combat attached to several tubes and wires. Then the ancient did the most unexpected thing. He opened his eyes for the first time in decades.

 

"I have fought in the Great Crusade for over a century. I have encountered the deadliest xenos in the galaxy and have not flinched. Now, here I stand in defiance, in the name of mankind! I tell you xenos corruption, I have lived and died in the name of the Emperor once and I shall do so again!"

 

Four more missiles streaked towards Therion's exposed flesh.

 

"THIS DEATH IS MINE! FOR THE EMPEROR!"

 

Before the missiles could explode, Therion overloaded his dreadnought's power plant causing it to detonate with the force of a miniature star.

 

The explosion caused massive damage to the warp drive and forced it to go critical. From the stormbird, all Captain Varin saw was the formation of a large warp spawned black hole.

[Ufthak]

Aw nooooo...you killed off Therion!!! How could you???

 

Nah mate, great heroic ending for the venerable warrior, I guess he deserved no less :cuss

 

Keep it up, I want to know what the rest of the company's gonna do...more please!

[Sons of Horus]

Captain Varin watched in utter silence, as reality began to tear itself apart with the Omnissiah's Wrath at the center. There was no way anyone, not even one as mighty as Therion, could survive such a deadly phenomenon. The rest of the space docks were now crumbling to nothing more than debris as the massive surge of energy rippled through its superstructure. Blackbird was lucky to escape intact although the stormbird sustained some damage to its fuselage. Much of the Iron Ring was being pulled into oblivion through the fracture in reality left behind by the void spear's overloaded warp drive. Some parts of the ruined structure however, were doomed to float in an eternal orbit around the planet. On the other hand, what little drifted too close to Gramm IV's atmosphere was captured by the forge world's gravitational pull causing a steel rain that could seriously damage lightly armoured vehicles and unprotected buildings.

 

Varin slowed Blackbird's descent in order to avoid further damage to the assault vessel in case its outer hull was punctured. He then steered the mighty craft in the direction of the planet's primary communications array station in order to extract squad Talon. The Captain opened the stormbird's vox link.

 

"Sergeant Malikov, I'm approaching the comms array now. Give me Talon's status."

 

It took a few seconds before he received a response.

 

"The information extracted from the data-cores was correct. Ever since we blew the reactor this entire place has gone dark," replied the Sergeant. "We're close to the central vox station and so far we've encountered little resistance."

 

"The Mechanicum is probably protecting its military bases with the scarce emergency energy sources it has left," said Varin. "All remaining power must have already been diverted to the main forge complex."

 

"I'd have to agree to that. We should be finished in around fifteen minutes if everything goes smoothly. Just pick us up at the north entrance."

 

~~

 

The explosions covering the collapsing space-borne edifice known as the Iron Ring looked as though the very sky was going to clash against the earth in a titanic duel. It was almost as if the world was going to shatter in an apocalyptic cataclysm. Fiery ruins that used to be part of the space docks now rained down upon the vulnerable parts of the forge world. It was then that the members of squad Talon ran.

 

"This is like dodging an autocannon." said Anaris while almost laughing.

 

"Are you crazy! This is worse. I'd go up against Vince and his autocannon over this mess any day." said Astorel.

 

"Only because you never get into the thick of things." replied Vince.

 

"I suggest we run faster!" came the voice of Jacobin.

 

Talon sprinted the rest of the way until they came upon the outer gates of the comms main building. Without skipping a heartbeat, they ran straight through the large doors of the complex. They were greeted by nothing but silence and darkness. The only sources of light that could be seen were tiny red and green pin lights that would occasionally blink.

 

"What do you think they're trying to pull off here? They couldn't know we were coming could they?" asked Ozil.

 

"They don't. They just lost two super-reactors so I assume they've diverted all remaining energy to either their main forge complex or to some place we don't know," said Rosarch calmly. "At least that's what I would have done."

 

"Well I don't care if this place is a ghost town. I want everyone on full alert, and be careful. Never underestimate an enemy or you won't live to regret it." said Malikov.

 

The astartes continued to move through the tight corridors of the comms building occasionally crossing paths with several menials, although the menials could not even see the Night Lords. The squad left them alone since they would only serve to slow down the completion of Talon's objectives. Rosarch would not admit it, but he almost felt at ease in the comms station. The darkness somehow reminded him of home. It was almost peaceful. Almost.

 

The next few corridors were empty so the squad moved through them with good speed. Suddenly, a squad of augmented skitarii entered the opposite end of the long passageway. Rosarch could tell they were wearing night-goggles which allowed them to see in pure darkness. However, before he could react, Anaris and Ozil were charging down the corridor with their blades raised above their heads. Astorel fired his suppressed bolter, killing two instantly. The patrol remarkably returned fire and managed to land several solid hits on Ozil causing additional damage to his already battered armour but before they could shoot at anyone else, the remaining skitarii soldiers were cut down by Anaris' powerfist.

 

"The tech-guard are beginning to possess faster reaction times." said Jacobin.

 

"It could be due to their newer augmentations." replied Malikov.

 

"This place reminds me of the Avertine Hulk." said Rosarch.

 

"Please do not mention that ever again in my presence," said Astorel. "I don't have any particularly fond memories of that boarding action."

 

"Neither do I."

 

"Let's get moving. We should be near the central array by now. Jacobin, do whatever it takes to tap into the comms system. We have to recall the Levitas Nox.

 

The squad continued to venture through the cramped corridors of the station. Several skitarii patrols appeared occasionally but Talon was ready for all of them. They moved into the central array unit just as a vox hail from Captain Varin connected with the inter-suit channel. Rosarch wondered what would happen after the extraction. He originally thought he would die on this damned forge world but as time passed, the more that became unlikely.

 

"The Captain is approaching the exfil point. We have to hurry up or else we might all end up stranded on this accursed rock!" said Malikov. "Jacobin, use the large transmitter to contact the strike cruiser."

 

"What do I tell it exactly?"

 

Sergeant Malikov smiled beneath his armoured helmet.

 

"Tell them... we're going home."

[Ufthak]

Nice, simple addition. Keep it coming!

[Sons of Horus]

Blackbird flew through the toxic atmosphere like a bullet until it came within sight of the comms array. The stormbird circled around the complex several times before the captain keyed in the approach vectors. The assault craft slowed its flight and began to hover over the exit of the compound like a large raptor. Captain Varin pushed the vessel until it gently touched the earth with a slight hiss. He got up from the pilot's throne and moved to the assault ramp.

 

"Malikov, Blackbird has arrived at the exfil point."

 

"We're coming out, Captain."

 

The large blast doors began to give way as squad Talon stepped out into the chemical storm. The weather on Gramm IV was getting rougher by the second and pretty soon the strike cruiser would not be able to enter the atmosphere. The astartes had their fingers crossed.

 

Captain Varin lowered the forward assault ramp of the massive stormbird to allow the squad into the vessel. They would have to wait just a little longer until the Levitas Nox sent them another transmission. If they made the ascent too early the stormbird would be thrown out of the sky by the titanic forces at work in the upper atmosphere. Only the strike cruiser would be durable enough to take them off the planet.

 

"What in Terra's name is that?" exclaimed Rosarch.

 

"Where?" asked Astorel.

 

Rosarch pointed at the large, purple-red hole that lingered in the sky.

 

"That is a warp rift. The Mechanicum forces on this planet wanted to use it against the forces loyal to the Emperor." said Varin.

 

"It's huge. I've never seen anything like it." said Rosarch. "Is that what you and old Therion were doing while we were gone?"

 

"Yes, but -

 

"Speaking of the ancient, where is he, Captain?" asked Malikov.

 

"He should be at the very center of that warp rift, if he still exists." answered the Captain.

 

The entire Night Lords force remained in stunned silence at the news of the venerable warrior's death. Therion had been serving the VIII Legion since before the Night Haunter was found. He was effectively the oldest member of the 9th company. He was a hard astartes to kill so the fact was difficult to accept. It took everyone by surprise.

 

"He died destroying that, thing." said Varin while pointing up at the hole in reality. "Let's not waste his sacrifice."

 

Several lights suddenly began to flash around the stormbird followed by a few klaxons.

 

"Captain! Blackbird's auspex is picking up something." said Jacobin. His voice sounded alarmed.

 

"What is it?"

 

"They're everywhere! Robots. A lot of them!"

 

Captain Varin made his way to the cockpit immediately. The remaining astartes were armed and on their feet in an instant. Astorel and Vince manned the heavy cannons on the stormbird's hull in preparation for an assault.

 

"We have to go!" said Varin.

 

"But the strike cruiser?" replied Jacobin worriedly. "We'll be destroyed."

 

"We'll be destroyed either way."

 

There was a moment of silence, then Jacobin nodded. Varin took command of the vessel and started Blackbird's turbo-engines. The mechanical whine grew so loud that Rosarch had to cover his ears since he no longer had the benefit of wearing a helmet. The robots were getting very close to the Night Lords.

 

Astorel and Vince opened fire at the automatons that were getting too close. They were larger and tougher than any previously encountered by the strike force. It took about a dozen rounds just to put one down. An ordinary bolter would not even hurt these monstrosities. The two astartes continued to blast away as the incoming tide of robots began to reveal weapons of their own.

 

The entire stormbird shook violently as a rapid firing missile launcher pummeled the vessel's hull. Several lascannons were scoring hits against Blackbird as well. The assault craft would not last much longer. If the hull were to be penetrated they would not be able to reach the lower atmosphere safely.

 

"Come on!" said the Captain through gritted teeth.

 

"What's wrong?" asked Jacobin. "Why can't we get off the ground?"

 

"The machine spirit is refusing to fly because of the left engine." replied Varin.

 

"I'll go buy us some time." said Anaris.

 

"Where are you going?" asked Jacobin.

 

"Outside."

 

~~

 

Anaris jumped from the rear exit of the stormbird so that the robots would not be able to fire inside the vessel's hull. He would have to flank around the automatons to avoid being caught in a cross fire between Blackbird's guns and those of the Mechanicum. He moved silently from cover to cover and stayed out of sight. The robots were still too focused on the stormbird to notice his presence anyway.

 

He rounded a large rock until he was within ten meters of one of the large robots. It was armed with a rapid fire rocket launcher and four heavy bolters. Anaris climbed the rock and lunged at the robot. It turned far too late. The astartes began to smash the automaton with his powerfist repeatedly until it stopped moving. He struck it several times again just for good measure.

 

Anaris resumed his stealthy approach once more and took down two more of the large brutish machines.

 

"Anaris, the engines are back on. Get back to the bird." came the voice of Sergeant Malikov.

 

"It's a bit late for that, sergeant." replied Anaris. "We can't risk any more malfunctions during the take off. I'll hold them."

 

"We can't lose any more brothers either! Get back to the stormbird and that's an order."

 

"It's pointless. Where are you going to go after all this? We have nowhere to go." said Anaris. "Go. I'll hold them."

 

"It's been good to fight by your side, brother."

 

"Same here, sir."

 

~~

 

"I'll check on the other systems." said Jacobin.

 

"Alright. Make sure this flight will work." replied Varin.

 

Blackbird's engines roared even louder than before as the ship began to defy the forces of gravity once more. The craft began to hover higher and higher until it had a clear path into the exfil zone.

 

"Captain Varin, this is the Levitas Nox we are on approach vector three."

 

"Vector three, copy." replied the Captain. "We're beginning ascent now."

 

"Entering high orbit."

 

The stormbird turned to face the direction of the extraction zone when Captain Varin noticed a blinking light on the control console. The rear exit door had been opened again.

 

~~

 

Anaris' right arm lay on the ground several meters from the rest of him. His face was a bloody mess and his chest had been broken. A skitarii officer stood over his broken form with a look of pitty. The astartes could barely move.

 

"Why did you choose death? My cogitator cannot comprehend your actions. There is no logic in them." said the skitarii.

 

Anaris opened his mouth but it was not words that came out. A clump of acid struck the officer in the face. He could smell the skitarii's burning flesh and he smiled.

 

"You will die for this!"

 

The tech-guard officer leveled the barrel of his weapon with Anaris' head but before he could pull the trigger, the gun was snatched from his grip and he felt his body rise off the ground.

 

"Not yet." said Jacobin.

 

The astartes screamed so loud that the officer's ears and eyes bled. He tossed the cyborg's corpse aside and helped Anaris stand up again.

 

"I thought I was a dead man." said Anaris.

 

"Well, you still are. But you're not alone."

[Ufthak]

Ah, yes!!! Very heroic :) And I do so much love power fists...

I like how you portrayed the skitarii not comprehending irrational actions :)

 

Keep it coming, I want to know the fate of the remnants of the company!

[Sons of Horus]

The sleek fuselage of Blackbird sliced through the thick clouds of pollutants, engines screaming at full power. Captain Varin was pushing the gunship's main thrusters to maximum output in order to reach the rendezvous point as fast as possible. Static from the chemical storm was building against the ceramite and adamantium skin of the ship causing lines of electricity to dance across its hull in a morbid parody of the Night Lords own armour. Blackbird was painted in a similar fashion to that of the Legion which it was aligned, making the lightning all the more eerie. The unstable weather caused by the titanic forces at play around the forge world's atmosphere was only getting worse making the ascent much more difficult. The Captain was forced to rely purely on instrumentation instead of his own physical senses due to the nature of the atmosphere.

 

Rosarch wondered how the strike cruiser would make the rendezvous in this kind of harsh weather. The ship was an astartes vessel making it far more durable than any Imperial warship of similar size, however, it was not designed to make excessively dangerous tactical maneuvers inside a planetary atmosphere. In the void, the Levitas Nox could easily pull off any stunt, but here in this storm, Rosarch began to wonder. He stared through one of the gunship's view ports watching as the electrical discharge of the roiling chemical clouds played across the stormbird's outer hull. It reminded him of his own reflection, the one being shown to him by the thick armour-glass of the window. He focused his gaze upon the symbol etched into his collar. It was an arrow pointing skyward. He wished he could re-live those glorious days. He had earned it in the fighting against a rebel Imperial world previously conquered by the Luna Wolves. The XVI Legion was too far away to revisit the planet so the 9th company of the VIII Legion took up the call in their stead. The battle was vicious but soon the local defence forces lost the will to continue the fight. The terror tactics of the Night Lords had broken their resolve in less than a week. That planet never rebelled again in fear of the return of the sons of Curze.

 

A bright flash of lightning broke Rosarch's reflection momentarily, returning the warrior's thoughts to the present. He turned to see the rest of squad Talon fixing their damaged weapons. Another astartes approached him slowly, he was still holding onto a bolter.

 

"Brother, what thoughts bother you at a time like this?" came the calm voice of Ozil.

 

Rosarch was not used to such a calm tone coming from someone as choleric as Ozil. "I was merely recalling a previous campaign," he replied.

 

"I see. It would be best if you stayed alert and did not allow your thoughts to stray from our current one. Too many times have I seen brothers killed due to carelessness." said Ozil, still in an unnervingly calm manner.

 

Carelessness? Maybe he meant overconfidence or something else. They were astartes, they could never be careless. "I understand your concern, brother. I will not allow my thoughts to interfere again," he said anyway. Ozil was never someone Rosarch felt close to even though they've been fighting together for over half a century. Maybe the two just didn't get along easily.

 

Ozil nodded once, then walked back towards the table he had been using to field-strip his bolter. Rosarch could tell that it was mainly meant to be used by an apothecary in treating the wounded, although 9th company had not possessed a dedicated apothecary in over two decades. Each member however, was at least knowledgeable in field medicine and in astartes physiology.

 

The stormbird began to shake violently as the Captain's voice came in over the vox. "Brace yourselves. The extraction is going to get very rough."

 

Just as he said the words, the shaking grew in intensity. The astartes were forced to hold onto railings and other fixtures that were bolted down into the metal decking of the stormbird just to keep themselves from tumbling over. Rosarch grabbed onto an overhead rail. It took all his strength to remain on his feet as the gunship shuddered like it was going to fall apart. The last time that happened, he nearly lost his arm, and that was already lucky. He had no wish to repeat that unfortunate event.

 

The shaking grew not only in violence but also in volume. It was loud. Most of the astartes had the benefit of helmet filters but Rosarch had lost his helmet in the fight against the magos earlier in the campaign. The noise was almost unbearable, even for an astartes. He gritted his teeth as he forced himself to focus. It was there, above the noise, albeit barely. It sounded like a mechanical predator's low growl. It was Ozil speaking through his helmet's vox amplifiers. Rosarch turned to face his brother who met his gaze through red-tinted eye lenses. The warrior's helmet was of an older Mk. II Crusade pattern. It was midnight blue with a single lightning bolt bisecting its face-plate. The growl formed again, but louder this time. Loud enough not only to cut through the noise but also loud enough to make sense.

 

"I told you we weren't out yet," said the warrior. Rosarch could almost see his brother smiling behind his face-plate. Something he wished he could see for it did not happen often. "I apologize, I forgot that you had no vox channel without your helmet."

 

Rosarch had to shout in order to be heard without any amplifiers. "It's fine. You were right, brother. I should not ha--

 

He was cut off before he could finish his sentence by a massive explosion that seemed to come from outside the gunship. Whatever it was, it came from the direction in which they were heading.

 

~~

 

"Captain Varin, we will be passing the extraction point in thirty seconds."

 

"Good, I've adjusted speed in order for our courses to coincide."

 

Varin was working hard at the controls of Blackbird. Keeping the gunship steady in this atmospheric ascent was no simple task. It felt like trying to steer a small boat in a raging storm without the ability to see where you were steering it. He was sweating and his armour's internal systems were compensating by pumping out coolants and electrolytes. He would only have a window of one, possibly one and a half, seconds to see if he would be able to safely guide the stormbird into the hangar of the strike cruiser or if he would break the gunship and all its passengers against the vessel's flank. The burden rested upon his shoulders keeping his muscles tense and unable to relax. He looked at the chronometer again. It read twelve seconds and counting. This would be 9th company's victory.

 

He glanced at the chrono again and it was still counting down. Suddenly, when the device read five seconds, an apocalyptic explosion illuminated the dense clouds in front of the gunship. The bright light was followed by an earth-shattering bang that echoed and reverberated all over the stormbird's hull. Before he could recover, two more discharges occurred in rapid succession, each one identical to the first. Reacting as fast as he could, the Captain turned Blackbird around in an attempt to avoid the epic explosion. The gunship was caught in the pressure ridge formed by the explosion and began to descend rapidly. Varin pulled hard on the controls to gain altitude. Just when the stormbird was about to rise again, every engine on the gunship died leaving an eerie silence within the cockpit. The lights on the control panel flickered and died just like the engines. The Captain lost all control as the once mighty stormbird, Blackbird, died an ignoble death. The gunship plunged into the earth along with every astartes on board.

 

~~

 

From the ground, Anaris and Jacobin stared in stunned silence as the mighty form of the Levitas Nox fell from the heavens like a meteor. The immense hulk of the strike cruiser fell in two halves, each one a smoking ruin that slammed into the ground with titanic force. The surface of the forge world splintered in the places where the astartes vessel struck throwing up building sized rocks and cyclopean chunks of metal. The wreck was truly impossible to behold.

 

The dust took several minutes to settle as the broken form of Anaris noticed something glinting in the sky. He broke the silence first. "Jacobin, I think that's the stormbird," he said pointing at the falling point of light.

[Ufthak]

Huh? Did I miss something, or is the cause fo the destruction of the Levitas Nox yet to be revealed? Traitor Astartes reinforcements? B)

 

in any case, good, solid addition :P Keep up the good work...if just to reveal the final fate of the loyalist Night Lords!!! (My guess is everyone dies, but I'm still curious) ;)

[Sons of Horus]

And it will be revealed :)

 

Rosarch could barely hear the muffled groans of another astartes somewhere nearby. His own body felt heavy, like there was a great weight pushing down on him. He tried to open his eyes but to no avail. He could taste the sharp, metallic tang of astartes blood in his mouth. This wasn't good. Is this what it feels like to die, he thought to himself. His thoughts were a mess as he tried to recall what had just happened earlier. He was on board a stormbird. That's right, Blackbird. Then... Then what? He couldn't remember what happened. He continued to think, harder this time, when he felt part of the weight that was pressing against him lift away from his armoured body. He could barely make out some of the words being spoken to... someone else, not him. There were at least two people talking to each other.

 

"...Get the others..." "Massive... discharge" "...strike cruiser down..." "...stormbird..." "what... lightning...Ordinatus?"

 

Ordinatus? Did someone just mention an Ordinatus? Throne of Terra! That couldn't possibly be correct. Such machines were incredibly rare and it would take decades just to manufacture one. It couldn't be. Not here on this forsaken rock! Rosarch tried to recall the events once more. He was aboard Blackbird when...come on, there was, there was an explosion. That was it! There was an explosion in front of the gunship. Strike cruiser down. That was what whoever was talking meant. The Levitas Nox was shot down. But even an Ordinatus would not normally be able to shoot down an astartes strike cruiser. It didn't make sense, but then again, nothing on this forge world did.

 

Rosarch felt the rest of the weight leave him before he felt a tugging motion on his left shoulder. Someone was trying to get him up. He tried to open his eyes again but was only able to do so momentarily. He heard their voices speaking.

 

"Brother, he's alive"

 

"Good. What about the Captain?"

 

"He's alive too, as well as Sergeant Malikov and Astorel. They're... not conscious."

 

"Then Let's wake them up."

 

In that instant Rosarch was finally able to open his eyes. He saw the two figures who were talking, neither one was a stranger to him. The one who had been pulling at him was Jacobin while the other astartes was Anaris. He thought his two brothers would not survive being left on the surface for long. He was evidently mistaken. Rosarch forced himself to stand but could only come up on all fours. He felt dizzy and wanted to purge his stomach of its most recent contents but his superhuman physiology compensated for his discomfort. He looked up to get a good sense of his surroundings. The gunship was a smoldering wreck of severed cables that spewed sparks and jagged pieces of ceramite and adamantium that lay twisted like the branches of dead trees. Several meters to his right, he saw the armoured form of Captain Varin slowly standing back up.

 

He turned his head back to his brothers and noticed the stump of what used to be Anaris' arm. The astartes was badly wounded, yet he continued to move like he felt nothing. The surface fighting must have been vicious, he thought to himself. Jacobin was scanning the corpse of Ozil who lay slumped over the apothecary table, which miraculously remained undamaged. He frowned at the irony of Ozil's death. There was a single broken rod that punctured his right eye lens and emerged from the back of his helmet. It was a morbid sight to see his dead brother weeping tears of blood from his fractured eye piece. Rosarch turned away only to see another casualty. Everything below Vince's waist was crushed flat by some metallic slab that had already been removed by Anaris. His brother was still conscious although it would not be long before he would succumb to his injury. As Vince removed his helmet with a hiss of venting pressure, Rosarch approached his dying brother.

 

"You should take this," said the dying astartes through blood slicked teeth. He held out his helmet to Rosarch like a gift.

 

Rosarch didn't want it. He didn't want to take anything from any of his dying brothers. It just felt wrong for him, but he took it out of respect for Vince. "My thanks, brother," was all he managed to say in return.

 

He assessed the helmet, turning it over in his ceramite gauntlets. It was the newer Mk.IV Maximus pattern just like the one he had lost. The face-plate was painted to resemble a human skull with crimson tears streaking down from the ruby eye lenses. A single spike, about the length of a mortal index finger, jutted out from the helmet's top. He clamped his new helmet onto his belt and walked away.

 

Jacobin was talking to Captain Varin now. What the Night Lords aboard the gunship had not seen, Anaris and Jacobin saw in its entirety. Several apocalyptic lightning strikes originated from the largest remaining manufactorum complex on the planet's surface and lanced out, striking the astartes vessel. The first bolt downed the shields while the successive bolts made short work of the vessel's hull. Within a matter of seconds the Levitas Nox was nothing more than a fiery ruin of mangled steel.

 

"And what could have done such a thing? No weapon in the Imperial arsenal creates electrical discharge powerful enough to shoot down warships in low orbit," said Captain Varin.

 

"I'm guessing it's a new type of Ordinatus. One that is unique to this world. Possibly even one commissioned by the Warmaster himself," replied Jacobin. "This planet does seem to be a center of forbidden technology and experimentation. The AIs we've encountered, the Void Spear weapon. I wouldn't be surprised if they had more things hidden on this world."

 

The Captain nodded. "Sergeant Malikov, gather the rest of 9th company."

 

~~

 

"Brothers, we have just lost our only means of transport off this forge world. We have no Legion, no home, to return to. The Imperium we serve will hunt us down like animals," said Varin to the remains of 9th company.

 

"So what are we supposed to do now?" asked Rosarch.

 

"We will finish what we started," replied the Captain with a grin.

[Ufthak]

Good addition, which sheds some light :P Good job!

 

I only have two small qualms:

1) After accepting Vince's helmet, I would expect Rosarch to stay at his dying brother's side until he exhales his last. Seems a little heartless to just take the helmet and then shuffle off and leave the battle-brother to die alone. But then, they're Astartes, and as such emotionally unstable and inhuman.

2) Losing a limb can be quite traumatising, even for an Astartes. Think of Garro, who loses his leg in the Istvaan system and almost dies as a result. While I'm sure Anaris would survive losing his arm, he probably wouldn't be standing around as if it was a "just a flesh wound" (to quote Monty Python), let alone lift heavy bits of debris.

 

These are only minor things - overall, very good job, looking forward to the next part! Keep it up! :)

[Sons of Horus]

good point :P I'll keep those in mind for the future chapters although Cyrion in Soul Hunter wasn't that badly hurt by losing his arm and Nero Vipus even chopped his own arm off with a chainsword and continued fighting. Maybe less strenuous activities for Anaris then haha

[Ufthak]

True, Nero does cut his own arm off...hm, I guess Anaris can continue fighting then :D

[Sons of Horus]

Rosarch glanced at the shattered remains of his company. Less than ten astartes remained after decades of campaigning across the segmentum obscurus and away from the Legion. They had lost almost everything in the recent years. The smoke from the wreckage of their downed strike cruiser had not yet dissipated. Massive fires still burned bright and hot while dust motes and chunks of debris still floated in the air around them. Surprisingly, the Levitas Nox was not entirely destroyed. Rosarch could see that the ship had been split in half before both parts slammed hard into the surface of the forge world, however, the rear end of the mighty astartes vessel was still partially intact. It was a testament to the ability of the Mechanicum to construct such durable machines. Even in destruction, the great ship still managed to impress Rosarch.

 

"Jacobin, Malikov, and I will infiltrate the manufactorum complex and do whatever we can to damage their data systems. Hopefully we'll even be able to take down some of their warmachines and production lines in the process." said Captain Varin.

 

The Captain seemed unnerved by the events that would have been considered great misfortunes by the more superstitious people. Rosarch could sense the slight difference in his tone. It sounded as though he was tired. Like he did not want to prosecute this war any longer and was merely being forced into doing so.

 

"Astorel, Rosarch, and Anaris," he gestured to the three remaining astartes. "You will provide a distraction for us. The compound could be heavily guarded and we'll need the three of you to buy us enough time to get inside unnoticed. Is that understood?"

 

Every astartes present banged his right fist to his chest as a sign of acknowledgment. One way or another, this war would see them all dead.

 

~~

 

Rosarch crouched in a ditch beside Astorel, the sniper was scanning the complex before them. Anaris was located in a similar ditch dug roughly two hundred and fifty meters to their right. Where the Captain and his two other brothers were now, he didn't know. The three astartes waiting outside would have to grab the traitor Mechanicum's attention quickly or risk their brothers being trapped and gunned down. They would have to draw out the fire.

 

"You see anything yet?" asked Anaris over the vox.

 

There was silence for a few seconds before Astorel spoke up. "Yes. A skitarii patrol is approaching your position. Be ready."

 

Without turning away from his telescopic gun sight, Astorel whispered to Rosarch. "Take this. You might be able to help out." he extended a single lens telescope and handed it to Rosarch.

 

Rosarch peered through the short optical enhancer and saw exactly what Astorel was talking about. A large patrol, twenty strong, was approaching Anaris. They would have to help him by drawing some attention to themselves.

 

"Astorel, I could use some assistance." snapped Anaris, obviously losing his temper. "I'm a little... short handed here."

 

The sniper did not answer though he continued to follow their line of travel with his long weapon.

 

"Astorel!"

 

Just as the patrol got within twenty meters of Anaris' position, Astorel fired a single round that cut through the tracks of their transport stopping it dead in its tracks. The troops poured from within the relative safety of their vehicle to inspect what had happened leaving them all vulnerable to bolter fire. Anaris jumped from his concealed ditch and charged the stunned tech guard. His bolter barked angrily as it spat death. He holstered the weapon as he closed in with the skitarii and smashed them aside with his power fist. Bones shattered and flesh vaporized as the mighty gauntlet's power field came into contact with living bodies. One of the cyborgs was running away now. He let it run. It would bring news of their presence and hopefully get the traitor's attention.

 

Just as the last surviving tech guard cleared fifty meters, its head exploded in a shower of brain matter. The shot was as clean as any other. Anaris looked towards Astorel's position. "Brother, what are you doing? We need them to know we are here."

 

"If that's all you want then you've already got it. They know we're here."

 

Just as Astorel said the words, the gates of the manufactorum opened up to reveal dozens of battle tanks and skitarii elite accompanied by several robots cohorts of both familiar and unfamiliar designs. The sight was amazing to behold. Such a grand display of force to crush only a few astartes. Rosarch wondered why they did not use this much power to crush the 9th company earlier in the campaign. It would forever remain a mystery. One thing was certain though, they would need something bigger to stop this advance.

 

"Astorel, we're going to need more firepower." said Rosarch.

 

The sniper still did not move. It was almost like talking to a statue. "Our mission is only to keep the traitors distracted. I does not matter if we survive or not."

 

"Fine, if you're so ready to die." mumbled Rosarch. "I'm going to get some firepower. You can stay here if you want."

 

Astorel gave no reply, no acknowledgment rune, nothing. typical. Rosarch moved carefully from the ditch. He hoped no one would see his plan, yet.

 

Astorel turned to see where the idiot had gone this time. He never liked Rosarch, not even during the earlier years of the Crusade. He always found a way to get into deeper trouble. It got on his nerves quite often. Where Rosarch once crouched was now empty, as though no one was ever there. The raptor was entirely out of sight. If there was one thing Astorel admired him for it was his talent with stealth. He hated it now. He, like Anaris, was alone, and they would both die that way.

[Ufthak]

Nice addition, I like Astorel :confused:

 

So, only 6 left? Curious whether anyone'll survive...

 

I only have one small crit:

Anaris just had his arm blown off, yet charges the Skitarii firing his bolter AND using his power fist. I somehow can't see him holding the bolter (let alone pressing the trigger finger) with a power fist.

But should you correct that, let him keep the power fist B) I love power fists!

[Sons of Horus]

hmm, I guess that makes sense. Alright, Anaris will lose his bolter :lol:

[maddai666]

just found this story and i LOVE it :geek:

it's great to see loyalist marines from traitor legions doing what they were made for......

keep up the good work i cant wait for the next chapter

[Taranis]

just found this story and i LOVE it :D

it's great to see loyalist marines from traitor legions doing what they were made for......

keep up the good work i cant wait for the next chapter

 

I totally agree. I'm developing plans for starting a Night Lords army because of this story. Great stuff!

Would love to see them touring the galaxy doing their stuff.

[Ufthak]

@Taranis:

Unfortunately, right now these here all seem about to be killed. But I guess there must be more Night Lord loyalists out there...

[The Raku]

Funky read, Keep going! Ironic how you writing pre-heressy night lords. XD I started writing one about their post heressy XD

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.p...howtopic=229272

[Sons of Horus]

Yes! more feedback :D. New short chapter up.

 

The broken stern of the Levitas Nox continued to shift and groan as Rosarch approached. He was not a specialist in damage control but he could tell that the insides of the vast strike cruiser would be in terrible condition. Most of the areas would probably be entirely inaccessible due to debris and fire, while others might not even exist anymore. Hopefully some emergency power would still remain or else he would be risking his life for nothing. Rosarch approached the shattered hull of the space vessel and entered through an open duct, his massive form barely making its way through the mouth of the pipe. It was something new to him for he had never needed to traverse the labyrinthine workings of the ship before, however, he no longer had any other options. There were few other ways to get into the strike cruiser's carcass and none of them were safer than this. He drew his melta gun and held it out before him just as a precaution. Rosarch didn't expect any resistance to be met since the crew would most likely be dead to a man. Still, it made him feel a little safer to hold on to his weapon.

 

"Anaris, do you see the ones nearing your position?" asked Astorel.

 

"Affirmative. I can't take them head on. I'll be gunned down before I'd even be able to smack one of them." replied Anaris. "Can you deal with it?"

 

"No. They'll spot the muzzle flash."

 

"Fine, so we'll just wait until we die huh?"

 

"As long as the Captain gets inside the manufactorum in time. Our lives don't matter right now." said Astorel.

 

"Sometimes, brother, I really hate you." replied Anaris. He could barely comprehend the calm behind Astorel's words. The sniper somehow managed to stay aloof even in the thickest situations. Maybe it was because he'd never needed to take on an enemy with his bare hands. Distance always made one feel safe, and Astorel was no different. "I hope that tank squadron gets you first."

 

The sniper gave no reply. Anaris zoomed in with his helmet's advanced sensorium seeing the ditch in which his brother was hiding. Astorel was laying flat on his belly, unmoving. He was obviously focused on the advancing horde of mechanized troops that was about to kill all three of them. He looked around and noticed something.

 

"Astorel, where is Rosarch?"

 

"I don't know."

 

Damn it, he thought to himself. Now they were pinned down and only two of them would be able to fight, and he didn't trust Astorel to watch his back either. Anaris was as good as alone this time. "Brother, the first tank squadron is getting closer to your position."

 

Three standard Leman Russ tanks rumbled across the open field in Astorel's direction. Their turrets pivoted occasionally as though they were scanning for possible targets. Anaris knew that even an astartes in full battle plate would not stand a chance against enemy armour of the sort. All it would take was one battle cannon shell to kill or severely injure the sniper. There was no way to survive against three. "Astorel, move out of there!" called Anaris.

 

The tanks were now within two hundred meters of Astorel and very well within range. The sniper moved for the first time since they cleared their ditches. He crouched away from the lip of the bowl shaped depression in which he took cover as though anticipating something. There he remained in a curled up position for a few more seconds.

 

"What are you doing? At least try to run and fight!" shouted Anaris.

 

Only one word passed through the vox link in response. "Duck!"

 

Without warning, an ear-splitting sound erupted from behind the two astartes warriors. It was a sound so loud that it shook the very earth upon which they stood. The filters within Anaris' helmet did little to reduce the volume of the discharge. It was deafening to say the least.

 

The stunned astartes looked to see what had just happened. A huge shell impacted a fair distance behind the tank squadron but the explosion was large enough to catch all three vehicles anyway. Several other Mechanicum squadrons and cohorts vanished in the blink of an eye. It took a couple of minutes for things to die down a little before the enemy forces began to move faster this time.

 

"What in Terra's name was that?" asked Anaris.

 

"That? That was Rosarch's plan I guess."

 

Anaris saw something strange in the movement of the Mechanicum's forces. They weren't heading for him or for Astorel. They were attacking the Levitas Nox.

[maddai666]

Haha love it Rosarch is the MAN :) ..... keep it up i'm loving this story

[Ufthak]

:) Using ship weaponry in direct-fire ground attack...now THAT'S overkill...

[Sons of Horus]

The discharge of the macro cannon shook the ruined remains of the strike cruiser violently causing even more damage to the already unstable wreckage. New tears opened up across the battered hull and vast chunks of adamantium fell in the cavernous chamber known as the ordnance deck. The automated servos that had loaded and fired the house-sized shell were now immobile due to the shock wave caused by the weapon. Rosarch stood at the control console of the only cannon of the vessel that remained intact. He worked frantically to force the servos into loading another shell before the Mechanicum forces reached the ship. They would not obey. He slammed a fist against the console which broke a portion of the machine permanently. Damn it, he thought.

 

An incoming vox transmission lit up a rune on his visor display. He placed his melta gun across one of the levers and clicked the vox channel to live. "I can't get the machines to reload the gun," he said forcing himself to remain calm. "The blast from the first shot must have destroyed the circuitry or something."

 

"That shouldn't be your main priority right now, brother. Watch yourself, they're coming for you through some of the hull breaches."

 

That wasn't good. He wouldn't last long against so many robots without help. There had to be something else he could still do. "Where are they coming in?" he asked.

 

Astorel did not reply for several seconds. "Most are entering through the enginarium, however..."

 

Rosarch was not in the mood to wait. He had to survive. "However what? I don't have time!"

 

"However some may have also entered through the launch bays."

 

At least he'd have time to set something up in case they made it to the ordnance decks. Rosarch blink-clicked the channel off and said the single special command of his legion, "preysight."

 

The ship was still undergoing extremely violent spasms like those of a dying animal. Rosarch was nearly thrown off his feet by the sudden turning of the hull though he quickly regained his footing. The steel grating he stood on was now nearing a sixty degree angle. He balanced himself but before he could turn around, he was lifted into the air by some unseen foe. His legs dangled beneath him as he sought support that wasn't there. The thing holding him up turned him in its grasp so that he could see it. Rosarch expected something more frightening like some of those warp xenos he had fought against on distant worlds. What met his gaze however, was a large robot with many limbs and mechadendrites. Its body was unnaturally smooth as though it had not been crafted by the Mechanicum, but by some unknown alien civilization. Its powerful limbs had many joints so that it could move almost like fluid. The automaton's head had a single yellow lens that must have served as an eye, among other things.

 

Rosarch tried to reach for his sword, which was sheathed across his back, but couldn't reach it. Every time he tried, the robot shifted him slightly so that he couldn't draw the deadly blade. How did something like this sneak up on me? It's huge, almost as big as a dreadnought, he thought. Through his preysight, Rosarch saw where the machine's body was thinnest. He was about to strike when it did something even more surprising. It spoke.

 

"Don't you remember me?" it said in a monotonous voice that sounded like a knife scratching against glass. "I thought you would, after all, you have killed me twice."

 

It didn't have a face but Rosarch could tell it was somehow smiling. "What in Terra's name are you?" he asked, though not expecting an answer.

 

"Why, it's me. Adept Marvius, Magos of Forge World Gramm IV."

 

What was going on? Was this a joke? Psychological warfare maybe? It sent chills down Rosarch's spine. Killed him twice? What did he mean by that? So many questions were running through his mind. They all stopped as soon as the robot revealed a thin arm that ended in a melta weapon. He had to buy some time.

 

"Wait, what do you mean I killed you twice?"

 

"Oh, you don't remember what happened at my small forge? The invisible man and the giant robot that killed off your entire squad? Those were some of my bodies. That's all." It aimed the melta at Rosarch's face.

 

"I don't remember," he was lying. "But I do remember stealing something interesting from that forge of yours." This had to work or else he'd be dead before his body hit the steel decking.

 

The automaton hesitated. yes!, he thought. "And what did you steal from me little man?"

 

Rosarch smiled behind his helmet and raised his left hand in a fist aimed at the robot's weakest point. "Digital weapons." A bright flash of light speared into the robot's chest causing it to drop Rosarch and fire the melta wide. He was on his feet in a moment. He drew his archaic power sword and struck at the automaton it blindingly fast strokes however, the Night Lord was surprised at how quickly the machine was able to parry his attacks. The two exchanged blows until Rosarch nearly fell due to another one of the ship's spasms. He dodged a low strike aimed at his legs and countered with a solid punch to the robot's yellow eye. It staggered back giving Rosarch the chance to finish it off. The warrior approached to deliver the deathblow but was thrown off his feet by the turning of the strike cruiser's hull. The decking was now at nearly ninety degrees vertical causing Rosarch to slide towards the high drop to the bottom of the ordnance deck.

 

Before he could fall, the astartes managed to grab onto the railing of the steel deck. He could see the robot just a few meters away from him. Its many fluid limbs managed to keep it upright even at such a steep angle. He realized he'd need his melta gun which was hanging by its leather strap on one of the console's levers. Rosarch climbed the grating slowly, in an attempt to reach his gun but the robot was faster. If he continued, he would surely get hit by the machine's weapon.

 

Just as it fired a blast of searing heat, the astartes let go allowing himself to drop several meters. He grabbed onto a steel beam and cut it simultaneously causing it to swing away. The momentum carried him all the way to an exit deck that was still walkable. Rosarch ran as fast as he could towards a service elevator. He wasn't sure if it would even work but it was his only chance. He could hear the automaton making its way towards him at an unnervingly fast pace. The warrior opened up another vox channel to Astorel.

 

"Brother, get Anaris and run as far as possible. There's been a slight change of plans." he said and shut the channel off immediately. He didn't have time to argue.

 

Rosarch could see the shaft and pushed himself to run even faster. He was using his full armoured bulk to clear a path for himself. Anything in his way was simply thrown aside in his wake. Just as he made it into the service lift, the robot appeared down the corridor he has just come through. He pushed the button that would take him to the upper decks near the bridge. The reinforced doors began to close but it seemed as though they were moving in slow motion compared to the automaton that was charging like a juggernaut towards him. He pushed the button again and again as if it would make the doors move faster. Come on! The great doors finally met and he let himself relax for a while.

 

Without warning, the doors began to dent. The machine was pounding them with the force of a siege hammer. Rosarch brought his sword up in a defensive position but the relentless pounding halted as the lift finally began to move up into the darkness. He let out a quick sigh of relief.

[Ufthak]

Hm, the machine-Marvius reminds me A LOT of the Kaban machine from Mechanicum and the short story in the Collected visions. Were they the inspiration?

 

Very good addition, really great! Liked how the machine spoke to Rosarch :cuss

 

My only minor qualm is that the machine-Marvius would likely have used the melta to blast the elevator doors open, wouldn't it?

Perhaps the doors are resistant to melta attacks, or perhaps the melta is damaged...