The Coming Slaughter

[Noctus Cornix]

The strategium’s hololithic display jumped to life, bathing the pitch black room in a dull green . The first few minutes were consumed by a veritable sea of mechanical chatter and inexhaustible static, the inner mechanisms of the data banks clicking in rotation to adjust the frequency. It was barely noticeable at first, but soon voices began to bleed through the white noise, their crackling nonsense becoming ever clearer as the communications array strained to relay the message. “ Ma...y… M...ayd… thi…….Capta…..go…” The visual feed was disrupted by a thick miasma of corrupted binary chatter, the audio however was fortunate enough to make it through.

 

The voice faded in and out of the flood of static, the distinctive boom of explosives suddenly bursting through the speakers. “I repea…. May…. Mayday.. Th… is C…tain… Margo, plea.. Respond…” The voice was thick with a heavy accent, however this could not hide the fear that oozed from his tone “Oh please… Any on… Pleas.. Respond…. By th…. throne ….. ..an anybody hear me?! “ There was a voice in the distance of the recording, but its words were muffled by static and background noises. There was another explosion, this time more profound and followed by the definite crackle of shattered glass.

 

“…amnit, Jasper, seal …hose doors!.. …………I don’t car… if …heir still back ……… close the ………….. doors!!” There was a rattle of gunfire, screams of men and women blending in with the static and howling gunfire into one seemless orchestra of bone chilling ambience. “This is Captain Margo……… anyone h…..? The ‘Light of the Emperor’ ha… attack…” The captain paused momentarily, gasping for air in quick rattling breaths. “Plea…. Is anyone out there?..... My crew ..... dying in here! ……hunting ..em …….Power’s gone……. ..e…floati… in space.. Something……. Something came out…. The storm…………... Blood…… so much………..blood……“

 

There was more gunfire and explosions, this time sounding closer and closer. “Oh go…….coming for us…… … ave to ge….out……. an’t get ou……. I don’t wa….o die….. ………………… no…. o…….NO!.....” The captain screamed into the intercom, his voice screeching in agony and pure terror as there was gunshots and the sound of meat being being torn to shreds. The gunfire quickly subsided but the screaming remained, agonizingly blaring into the speakers for nearly five minutes longer, something prolonging this pitiful man’s horror until finally that too was once again claimed by the fog of white noise.

 

After a few moments longer, the jamming systems of the ancient battle ship powered down and a new voice spoke into the com, this time no longer scrambled and muffled by the constant binary chatter. “My Lord…” The voice spoke in the low rasping growl of a long dead language. “The bridge has been taken…. The ship is ours….”

 

“Excellent…” the monster replied, seated upon its massive throne in the centre of the strategium. “See to it that the cattle do not try and leave the patrol ship, we wouldn’t want this nuisance to run off and ruin all my plans, now do we?.... “. A forked tongue slithered across the beast’s lipless maw, its four eyes burning with a dim ethereal flame.

 

“Draenor….”

 

It spoke in a voice of a thousand screams, cocking its head slightly to one side. A giant in midnight armor stepped foreward the dull lights of the holo screen rendering him a spectre in the shadows. He clashed a gauntleted fist across his breast plate, bowing his head slightly in respect.

“My Lord?”

 

“Take the young ones for a little hunt… Let them have their fun with their play things then round up the survivors once they’ve sated their thirst… “

 

The ancient astartes nodded silently in confirmation, departing from the strategium . The monster then to its feet, its hunched form towering over the gathered astartes veterans of dark blue, skeletal bone and blood stained bronze. “My kin…” It began, its monstrous misshapen claw addressing the warriors. “Tonight, we begin anew. Tonight, we sow the seeds of fear into the heart of the Gregorian sector and shall reap from its ruin our vengeance. Tonight, shall prepare for the coming slaughter and fast in preparation for the feast of blood and ashes.”

 

The astartes roared out in approval, beating their chests and shouting prayers of murder. The daemon allowed another low growling chuckle to escape its parched maw, staving off the urge to join its kin.

 

“Let them cower in fear behind closed doors!” Vulpus barked to his men, the monster’s terminator lieutenant stepping forward from beside it. His voice exuded from the snarling maw of a vox grill, the tusked helm’s glowing red eye slits surveying over each and every astartes present. “Let them wither in terror with the knowledge that we will hunt them to the ends of the stars! Let them die knowing that we have come for them and that we will tear there world asunder, for we are Night Lords!”

 

Once more, the space marines howled out their joy, chain sword revving to life like the growl of feral animal, small sparks of lighting cascading across their ancient suits of midnight blue armor.

 

The monster smiled at the display of vigor its warband showed, allowing them to remain ignorant of the true reason why they had come to this pathetic mortal sector. What sport would be had in that? It turned from them, seating itself once more upon its macabre throne. “Prepare the fleet. We have come for the Gregorian Sector.”

 

 

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So folks, this is like a prolouge or prelude to some fluff/short stories Im gonna do for

 

Dhar-Aqshyahs, my daemon prince and the Night Lords 16th Company.

 

Let me know what you guys think.

 

Thoughts and opinions would be loved.

 

Cheers.

[lord gunthar]

Not really contructive but... Cool

[Supreme Overlord]

Very cool...I'm now waiting for your next installments.

 

I especially like that first paragraph. Lots of words that sound nice and add to the description at the same time.