Heart of Iron Pt4

[Commander Skaav]

HEART OF IRON PART 1 - http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.p...c=169940&hl=

HEART OF IRON PART 2 - http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.p...c=202331&hl=

HEART OF IRON PART 3 - http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.p...howtopic=202335

 

HEART OF IRON

PART 4: PROPHECIES AND MADMEN

BY: COMMANDER SKAAV

The Commissar leant back in his field chair, the two visitors eyed him up, as if measuring his every worth, and it was he who chose to break the uneasy silence that had fallen "So tell me gentlemen, what news of Gebolrah?" The Inquisitor gave him a disbelieving glance, the man must be Psyker, yet he gave off no sign of such power.

 

"Gebolrah has faced a minor defeat at the hands of the Iron Warriors" he explained, hardly moving his gaze from the commissar, Vrekt lit a cigar, took a long drag from it "I don't suppose they will need a relief column at any time? "The Inquisitor shook his head "The Sons of Drachus are supporting the surviving forces; it appeared to be nothing more than a mere hit and run."

 

"A pity, so I am to guess that you're here for information, am I right? Well, I may have something to grab your attention! " Vrekt leant forward, towards a small table, he pointed to a small scrap of paper. "Read this" he exclaimed, his voice cold and emotionless. The scrap of paper was worn, brown and dirty. The text was barely eligible but it could be just about read, it appeared to be a prophecy which read, 'HE WHO IS OF THE MACHINE SHALL RISE AND OBLITERATE ALL IN HIS PATH, THIS IS THE PROPHECY OF THE HEART'. the Commissar once more leant back, almost as if knowing what the artefact spoke of.

 

"You know what the writer speaks of don't you Inquisitor?" he queried "Well you seem to know, Commissar! But humour me, what do you know?" The Guard officer rose to his feet and paced around the room, his grey-green trench coat brushing upon the reed mats lain on the floor to offer some form of comfort over the mud strewn warzone.

 

"It is obvious to me that the Daemon Primarch by the name of Perturabo is about to return, after all he is a potent machine creature" The second figure now entered into the conversation "If Perturabo is returning then the Grey Knights shall be there to stop him! " The Inquisitor shook his head "Perturabo is dangerous, but I don't think he is the main threat. The Iron Warriors are siege masters, and though they do not appear to be at first glance, I know from experience how subtle they can be in their planning, the slightest misalignment of allies, and their campaign falls apart, get it right, and you have an onslaught with no end! "

 

The Commissar sighed, he had hoped that this moment in his life would lead him back to glory, but now it felt as if it had begun to slip through his fingers. If only an opportunity would arise to give him the victory he so desperately needed. The Emperor may be his lord and master, but sometime he could play a cruel game of cat and mouse.

 

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Tolkar's power sword swung through the neck of the traitor guardsmen like a knife through meat, it would be the last time that particular servant could ever fail him. Skaav stood their unemotional in every sense of the word; he'd seen this all before, his lord, master and friend could go from being a noble and great leader, to a deranged, bloodthirsty killer.

 

The Berserkers present in the room roared their approval; yet again Tolkar had given the Blood God another skull for his throne. He could not care less, the guardsmen who had witnessed the act now cowered in fear and terror as he brushed passed them, his cloak bellowing out behind him.

 

The cool stillness of the air as he moved towards his chamber, almost cleansed his mind of all the concerns brought to him over the last few days. Gebolrah had only been the beginning, the Iron Warriors had been successful in their mission to retrieve the heart of iron from the enemy ship, and they had the control codes for it as well.

 

In fact it seemed all too perfect, as if some greater power had been manipulating his every move, perhaps the answer would lie in his thoughts, and perhaps deep contemplation would aid his troubled mind. He turned sharply into a darkened chamber, in the centre stood a small pedestal, a blue crystal sat on top. He sat upon one of the chairs set in a circle around the centre, and closed his eyes.

 

Suddenly, he was there, he could see the Warp surrounding him, creatures of Chaos rushed by screaming, chuckling, babbling, always moving, a man of reason would have probably gone insane from this vision, but there was little reason left in Tolkar. The ever changing colour of the warp, the ever changing shape seemed to transport him across the void, as if moving him towards a goal.

 

Suddenly he jerked to a halt. In the distance, he could see a figure, yet their back was turned towards him. As he moved ever slowly to wards it, he began to realise that the figure towered over him. Upon the creatures back were a pair of huge feathered wings, with out warning It spun round, it's bird like head bobbed up and down for a few seconds.

 

"Tolkar!" it exclaimed "My master has been expecting you!" The Chaos Lord suddenly realised what the creature was, a Lord of Change "And pray tell what does the great and powerful Tzeentch want with a mere Iron Warrior, surely the Thousand Sons are his servants." The creature laughed "The Thousand Sons are mere automatons, empty shells where men once resided. They are not suited to the mission in hand" Tolkar gave the creature a doubtful look "Was it your lord and master whom allowed my men to retrieve the Heart of Iron so easily? Did your master allow us to attack Gebolrah in such a manner that brought us victory?"

 

The creature threw its head back and roared with a birdlike laughter "We have no interest in your precious artefact, my lord and master had no hand in your recent victories. I know not who it was that allowed you to succeed." "Then tell me this, why has you're master suddenly taken an interest in my case at this point in time?"

 

"My master has taken an interest, because he sees a great future for all who serve chaos, the end of the Imperium of Man has begun, the False Emperor shall fall, and the remainder of the Legions who remained loyal to him, shall see the truth and join the Despoiler on his Black Crusade!"

 

Tolkar felt a twinge of hatred with the uttered name of the Black Legion's greatest hero. The creature continued his speech "Tolkar, there is one thing you must remember; it shall remain with you always for eternity. You must always remember this for he who is of the machine shall rise and obliterate all in his path, this is the prophecy of the heart! "

 

Tolkar awoke, the glow of the crystal now dying down, the room returning to darkness, in the doorway stood Commander Skaav "Did you find your answer?" he queried "I don't think so Veridius, I believe I may have only found more questions!"

 

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The planet of Gebolrah had started to rebuild it's losses, what little support for the enemy had risen up had now been crushed by the PDF regiments. Acting Governor Petrovic paced the floor of his office, whilst a Space Marine observed him doing so. "What news of your commanders?" he asked impatiently "Commander Daedalus shall be arriving at any time in the next few days, I have received word that they left some time ago. "

 

The Governor slumped into his chair, he was not an old man, perhaps about fifty years of age, his face scarred in battle, his eyes though gave the impression he was older than his face would permit him to be. He had led the Planetary Defence Force now for almost five years, and never in his life had he face such a battle.

 

"Tell me, have you ever seen an army such as that?" he asked the sergeant "In all the years I have fought for the Sons of Drachus, I have never witnessed a battle using Khorne Berserkers in such number. It almost felt as if the enemy had been attempting to distract us from something else!"

 

Petrovic nodded in agreement, he had a lot of respect for the Astartes, and he'd fought alongside Space Marines before, during his tenure with the Valhallan forces. The enemy had indeed been far larger in number that he could recall. He'd fought against Berserkers before, but like the Sergeant said, it had never been in that shear number.

 

They both glanced out of the window from the Governors office, beneath them was a sprawling city, narrow streets, market places, taverns, schools, hospitals, barracks and much more. It would be these and their occupants that the PDF and the Space Marines would need to protect. Perhaps the Iron Warriors would make another stand, perhaps they would attack again and with far greater force, perhaps even a full on siege of the grand citadel in the city centre, where the two men at this very moment stood.

 

A knock at the door made them turn from the direction of the window. The governor beckoned the visitor to enter. It was a young conscript guardsmen who informed them a visitor had passed him a scroll with strictest of instructions to take it to the current Governor, and to no one else, not even the Astartes.

 

He handed the scroll over, saluted and left. Petrovic unravelled the scroll and read it. "It has to be a joke of some form, a twisted and perverted joke!" He handed the scroll to the Space Marine "Go ahead and read it, I think you will agree it's a foul ploy to scare me from my position of power." The Sergeant opened the scroll, and read it out loud. "He who is of the machine shall rise and obliterate all in his path, this is the Prophecy of the Heart"

 

The governor nodded "Tell me this, what heart, what prophecy?" "I cannot say Governor. All I will say is that if this so-called prophecy comes true, I would not like to think what the consequences might be. I only hope Commander Daedalus and the others aren't too late!"

 

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The Sons of Drachus battle barge slipped silently through the warp upon its journey to the war torn planet of Gebolrah. Aboard were the chapters high command, Commander Daedalus, Helios, the Master Chaplain and Icarus, the Chief Librarian. The three had been in conference for several days, yet warp travel made it seem longer.

 

"I still think we should have waited for the Inquisitor to arrive" roared Icarus, "At least he would have been able to advise us on the situation!" Helios sat silently on his side of the table, his mind contemplating their ever move, Icarus had been correct of course, they should have waited. It was Daedalus who chose to bring the Chapter House meeting forward.

 

He broke the deadlock between the two men, "It is in my opinion Commander, that though I am in agreement with Icarus, I feel that it is necessary we assist with the restoration of Gebolrah." The Commander nodded, Helios had always been an advocate for him, protecting his interests, and giving out some of the best advice he had ever received.

 

"Helios, I too am in agreement with Daedalus, but I still think we should have waited for the Inquisitor to arrive!" The room fell silent, as the ship juddered and shook. The three men rose to their feet, grabbing their power weapons as they did so. Merely by looking through the portholes, they could observe they were still within the confines of the warp.

 

Daedalus radioed up to the command deck "Report" the vox crackled and buzzed, at first it felt to him that there was no life upon the bridge, but just as he was about to give up hope, a voice came over "My lord, minor damage to portside engine, we are still able to reach Gebolrah, but we may have to limp there should the damage increase".

 

The ship juddered again, as it did; a strange eerie glow began to surround the outside. The sound of laughter rang out through the ship, not a friendly laughter either, this was a cold, evil, dark tone of voice, the Space Marines made their way into the corridor from the grand chamber, there before them stood another of their kind.

 

"Commander Daedalus, you know me do you not?" the figure spoke "Yes. But you are dead to me Aurelius, dead and gone!" The Chaplain made the mark of the Emperor; this warp spirit gave off an uneasy sensation. Icarus spoke in a hushed tone "Daedalus, how do we know it isn't a warp daemon, my abilities have been blocked, I can't sense its true nature!" the commander nodded in agreement.

 

"How do I know I can trust you? You may be a servant of the Chaos powers in disguise!" The spirit moved towards the three men, they raised their power weapons ready to defend themselves should they have need to. "Daedalus, I cannot expect you to trust me, simply to heed my warning." The commander fell to the ground, clutching his head in pain.

 

The creature continued its rhetoric. "I bring a vision for your master, worry not, he shall recover. What he has witnessed shall remain with him until the day he joins the Emperor in eternal rest, but remember this one prophecy that I grant unto you, for he who is of the machine shall rise and obliterate all in his path, this is the prophecy of the heart"

 

The entity disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, Daedalus rose to his feet, shaking, bitter and angry, how could a creature of the warp be of this manner, what had he seen, the future to come, a possibility of the future, or had it simply been mere trickery? He started to walk down the corridor towards his private quarters, Icarus and Helios went to follow him.

 

"Leave me; I must contemplate what I have seen." Icarus now very concerned for his leader responded "But what was it you did see my lord?" "The future is what I saw, Icarus or what I perceived to be the future, and if it is correct, not only the Imperium is doomed, but the entire existence of life as we know it, and not even the most elite forces of the Emperor can save it!"

 

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Upon a distant world, a mad man rants and raves to his people, he cries out in his sleep, some say he is a prophet of the Emperor, others say he is driven mad by the Warp, others simply believe him to be mad.

 

But all know that there is one thing he cannot do, for he cannot lie, every thing he has said so far has come true for them, everything they have ever known or witnessed.

 

"My people, this day, the Children of the Dragon return from their exile, they rise up once more to bring their reign of terror upon us, the leader has lain dormant for centuries, but even now he begins to stir. My friends, the time has come for us to rise up against the threat ourselves, the Astartes will not be able to stop it on their own, and we must fight with our beliefs and our souls. I have seen a great and vast Machine Empire, ruled by the one with a heart of iron, this empire will fall at the hands of the Children of the Dragon, but they too shall then rule with a tyrannical bent, so I say unto you my people, the time has come to not only bring an end to the terror of Chaos, but we must also bring an end to the pretenders, for they use a false name to disguise their true loyalty, so to this end, we must bring an end to the SONS OF DRACHUS! "

 

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WARHAMMER 40,000

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[Ufthak]

Hey Skaav!

 

Now, I read through number 1 part of your story, and generally found it really good But I have one big crit: splitting up the story into four different threads, all posted at once, is a little off-putting (at least for me). While I really appreciate people getting on with it and keeping the chapters flowing, this is a bit too much in one go. But then, that's just me...

[Commander Skaav]

Hey Skaav!

 

Now, I read through number 1 part of your story, and generally found it really good :) But I have one big crit: splitting up the story into four different threads, all posted at once, is a little off-putting (at least for me). While I really appreciate people getting on with it and keeping the chapters flowing, this is a bit too much in one go. But then, that's just me...

 

Glad you liked part 1 :D.

 

I understand your concern, though the way I've done it here is the way I have done it on another webgroup, it would also appear that due to an mechanical or technical error the 3rd part of the story was posted three times.

 

I have requested that the two "rogue" versions of part 3 are found and placed under Exterminatus, as they should never have been posted, there is one genuine part 3 that I have replied to a comment on.

 

The main reason I have not posted them via a single thread is that it would take too long to read the whole thing as it stands, I like to keep it short and punchy, thus hopefully drawing the reader into the plotline and making them want more as it wer