A battle in the hives, a BA Novelette

[Tabgoi]

Okay, let me give you a bit of an introduction before I start this off. I used the name of my Chaplain as my tag for this board. He got his name from a gamer tag I started using about six years ago. Anyways I have been playing a bit of Call of Duty Black Ops zombie mode lately, its actually the only part of that game I enjoy. I much prefer Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. Anyways, I have had zombies on the brain and I keep coming back to the idea of marines fighting their way thru a hive that has been corrupted by the forces of chaos and been overrun by zombies. So I had an hour or so free and decided to start putting ideas to the word document so to speak. This is mostly the introduction, some character introduction, and a bit of action at the end. Let me know what you think. So without further adue.

 

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The slide came forward with a snap, signaling the completion of his cleaning rituals. He had no shells with which to load it, they had run out two weeks ago. Still, the maintenance was familiar, relaxing even. It had been four weeks since the outbreak happened. He had been trapped inside the hive with only Brother Sergeant Acestes of the First Squad and Brother Sergeant Polydeuces of the Second Squad. The mission was intended to be a diplomatic one which was why he took only a pair of veterans to serve as an honor guard while their squads were taking some need recouperation time to see to their war gear.

 

When he had received the mission he thought it would have been better suited to a more senior official, or someone who held an official command rank. Not that in his office he had not taken command of strike forces. He had done so on several occasions when the Commander was otherwise engaged, but to handle diplomacy on behalf of the chapter was another matter altogether. The matter was a pretty simple one, this world provided much of the raw materials the techmarines used to craft munitions for the chapter. Lately the quantity and quality of materials they were sending was on a sharp decline. He was sent in order to ascertain the source of the problem and reach a diplomatic solution.

 

The chapter did not have any vessels free that were capable of making the journey so they had received a lift from a passing Imperial Navy patrol. The Strike Cruiser Indomitable Resolve was to collect them as the remainder of the fifth company returned from a mission to purge an agri-world of orks. Six weeks in the warp aboard a Naval Cruiser and they had arrived. They had traveled with the trappings of war as is proper, however since it was a diplomatic mission they had brought no heavy ordinance.

 

The governor had come out to meet them with full fanfare. The mission had looked promising. Within a few hours it had seemed like everything would be perfect. The governor had promised to see all issues made right and then some. Then next day all hell broke loose. Apparently the loss of production was due to the influence of a chaos cult that had taken root in the hive. The arrival of the Emperor’s finest had caused them to accelerate their timetable and they unleashed a dark ritual that began to infect the citizens with a curse from Nurgle that caused them to turn into something approaching zombies.

 

“Brother Chaplain Tabgoi.”

 

“Brother Acestes, I’m sorry, my mind was wondering. What is our status?”

 

“Polydeuces still has the stairwell covered. We estimate eighty nine percent of the hive has fallen to the contagion. There are pockets of resistance on the upper levels where the quarantine procedures were more effective and the automated defenses have kept the bulk of the zombies at bay.”

 

“Do we have any available route to reconnect with allied forces?”

 

“The nearest pocket is thirty levels above and a kilometer to the west. There are approximately ten thousand hostiles between us and the pocket. That however is the good news.”

 

“The bad news?”

 

“The pocket is collapsing. Based on the vox traffic I am intercepting they have perhaps half an hour before they are completely overrun.”

 

“There is no way for us to reach them in that amount of time to relieve them. Alternate options?”

 

“Seventy eight levels above us and a kilometer and a half east is a more stable pocket. Well supplied and with a veteran Imperial Guard Storm Trooper Regiment providing the primary defense. There is an inactive lift shaft two hundred meters to the west that would allow us to ascend to their level and then a few smaller corridors that would allow us to make a link up. I have already contacted them and they would be able to provide us with a full resupply.”

 

“Have you received any reports on the arrival of our reinforcements? The initial reply from the Indomitable Resolve stated they should have arrived a week ago.”

 

“From what I can tell from the sparse communications from the astropath’s guild, whatever ritual these cultists used has throw up serious storms in the warp that would have delayed the company’s arrival significantly. Apparently it is bad enough that they cannot send or receive any communications from outside the planet.”

 

“If the Emperor wills it they shall arrive shortly. Until then we conduct ourselves as if no assistance is arriving. We need to reach that pocket to resupply. Our initial intelligence on the location of the cult leader obviously was faulty. Hopefully they have gathered more accurate intelligence and we can put an end to this before the Captain arrives.”

 

“Brother Sergeant Polydeuces, make ready to move. Brother Acestes will lead the way.”

 

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“I am the Emperor’s wrath, His vengeful striking hand. Feel the roar of the bolter. Behold the power of the chain sword. In His name we smite the enemies of man.”

 

“In His name we shall smite.”

 

Polydeuces thumbed the activator on his chain sword and slide the door open. Acestes was thru the door in the blink of an eye bringing his chain sword up in a brutal swipe that tore two zombie in half. His combat blade in a reversed grip flashed bright as he brought it across to decapitate another. Tabgoi brought his crozius down on a zombie that attempted to advance on Polydeuces flank. He burst apart like an over ripe melon dropped from the battlements. His boot lashed out and crumpled the knee of another before he brought the butt of his weapon down and crushed his skull.

 

“We are the Angels of Death, wrought by His hand to defend humanity from the forces of darkness. The alien, the heretic, the mutant, these are abominations in His sight. Death shall be their only reward.”

 

“Death their only reward.”

 

Polydeuces threw himself forward and crushed a zombie into a wall. He felt bones snap and muscles tear. Whatever fell sorceries once held this poor citizen in a perverse shadow of life gave way and her body slumped to the floor. For a brief moment Polydeuces felt sorry for her. By her uniform she was an arbiter in life. By a trick of pestilence she was taken from the grace of the Emperor and he soul condemned to the abyss of chaos. It was probably not even her fault, but it was too late now.

 

“Sanguinius our father showed us the way. He provided the geneseed that gives us the strength to confront our enemies. He showed us the true path for humanity. He showed us the Emperor’s true plan. In His name we strive for light.”

 

“We strive for light.”

 

Tabgoi could feel the rage swelling within. The lasting scar that was Horus’ legacy to the legion. He channeled it, focused it into a tight ball of fire brighter then the core of a star. He used what others would call a weakness as weapon against those that would see him brought low. He felt power surge thru his limbs as he battered his way thru the zombies before him. He could sense it in the brothers fighting by his side. He could sense their desire to give in to it was as strong as his, but like him they were using it to strengthen themselves.

 

“The arch traitor struck down Sanguinius, the noble angel who shown brightest among the Primarchs. We live with the visions of this treachery. We confront the rage that resides within us. We use the rage as a weapon against those who stand before us. We master our rage that is may not master us.”

 

“We master the rage.”

 

<edit to fix some formatting>

[Taranis]

Very good. Looking forward to more.

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

Zombie fight !!! Awesome stuff bro !

 

:lol:

 

G :lol:

[Tabgoi]

Thank you for the kind comments. I just got home form a test and I have several pages in my head. But my brain works in a non-sequiter way, so I have a couple pages that follow right now and some that are for MUCH farther in. I was just thinking of a friend who I had told I would name a dreadnaught after. He suddenly dropped dead some months back and I was side tracked by other things. But once I am finished redoing my army my first truely new model will be a Furiouso Librarian that will be named the Kroftviticus. I am just working on my green stuff skill right now as I want to make sure it ends up a fitting tribute, you know? But right now some of the fluff I have in mind for him is sitting at the front of my brain, and it plays in this story so I need to get it down. So I should have some further writing posted in a couple hours as I already have another page and a half to post, but it is an unfinished section.

[Tabgoi]

Okay, here we go, round two, this one has a bit more action in it and a few more characters.

 

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Two hundred meters. You never really think of two hundred meter as a particularly long distance. Two hundred meters is a distance that Tabgoi could cover in a matter of seconds if unimpeded. Under normal combat circumstances cutting thru the enemies that would fill this distance would maybe only take two or three minutes. This was taking far longer. He felt like he was forcing his way thru a solid wall of bodies. He wondered how they could even breathe with how tightly packed they were. Then the realization that they did not need to breathe hit him.

 

The next thing that hit him was how rote his combat maneuvers had become in the confines of this hallway. At seventy five he had stopped counting how many of these blighted creatures he had destroyed. Their shambling movements meant that their attacks were easy to predict. No thought behind them in any shape or form. A quick upward thrust of his crozius shattered outreaching arms. A downward arc crashed thru their bodies and cleaved them into piles of dismembered parts.

 

Acestes could feel the burn in his arms. He had given up any hope of skilled combat. He kept in a crouched position to provide himself additional leverage for the push. He would swipe low with his combat blade to sever knees and shins. Then he would follow thru with chain sword in a powerful chop at his shoulder height decapitating the hordes as they fell. Then he would push forward, shoving his shoulder into the collapsing bodies to advance two or maybe three feet before repeating the cycle anew. He hoped when they reached this pocket that they would have a replacement for the power cell in power sword. It had shorted four days ago when some puss from these zombies had somehow gotten in.

 

Polydeuces was finding it difficult to keep his footing and remain in sync with Tabgoi and Acestes. The others could focus simply on moving forward and the advance. He was trying to remain stable on the carpet of gore, slipping on arms and legs. And he was trying to do this all while walking backwards, his back leaned slightly into Chaplain Tabgoi’s so he did not lose tack. He was spinning figure eights with his power axe to keep them from being overrun from their rear. He was reaping a horrible toll amongst these undead abominations. He would start high and decapitate those who came forward first. Then he would swipe low to clear them , as they fell they would clog up those behind them and allow him a moments respite so he could rebalance himself and prepare for the next group.

 

They reached the doors to the lift. Acestes halted his advance, but he was finding it harder to hold his position then to push forward. As he pushed forward he would batter away the slain. Now that he was stationary he was finding the fallen we interfering with movements. As they piled up and the horde surged over their fallen he had to swing higher and higher. If there was a lack of finesse earlier this was pure butchers work. Hacking and slashing as quickly as he could in order to keep them from overwhelming him. He could start to feel the teeth of his chain sword seize ever so slightly under the strain.

 

Polydeuces felt relief as they reached the doors. He could focus simply on the task at hand and not have to worry about trying to keep himself steady. His axe cleaved easily thru the fallen and those new to the fight. The pile before him was growing ever higher and he hoped Chaplain Tabgoi could get the door open quickly.

 

As Acestes and Polydeuces set up a cordon Tabgoi turned to the work of opening the door. He slung his crozius on his belt and jammed his fingers into the small gap between where the doors came together. He felt the metal give slightly and he threw the his full strength into it. Gears hidden behind the door designed to prevent its opening during quarantine screeched in protest. He knew the position was untenable at this point and he began to have doubts that he could succeed in breaking that which the tech priest had wrought for the safety of the hive. In a last ditch effort he stepped back and brought his crozius down in savage two handed strikes into the areas of the door he had heard the metal protest at. This time they came apart freely.

 

He reached into the shaft and grabbed one of the great metal cables inside. Tabgoi used it to balance himself one the small ledge to the right of the door. “Brothers, we have entry. Acestes enter first, Polydeuces follow him up. I will cover you from here and follow when you are within.” Acestes turned shoulder to shoulder with Polydeuces so he could take control of the door. Once Polydeuces had established himself Acestes quickly holstered his weapons turned and jumped into the shaft grabbing the centermost cable. Acestes dug his fingers into the three inch cable and began to climb one hand over the other. Polydeuces finished a punishing sweep that clear the area three feet in front of him and let his axe fall to its tether on his wrist. He catapulted into the cables and slipped five feet before he could establish a hand hold and begin his ascent.

 

As Polydeuces began his climb the horde began to surge forward. Tabgoi swung his crozius in great up and down motions to crush grasping arms and shatter heads. The torrent of falling parts buffeted Polydeuces’ head and shoulders. The puss and gore slicked the cables and made his progress more difficult. He had to dig his fingers more deeply into the cable just to hold himself aloft. The sound of snapping cables filled the air as weakened strands began to give. All of a sudden the weight of the lift was too much for the damaged cable and the strand Polydeuces and Acestes were holding on to gave way just below Polydeuces. The counter weight, freed from balance, surged downward propelling the marines skyward. Tabgoi had but a fraction of a second to release his hold on his own cable and grab Polydeuces’ leg as he rocketed past.

 

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The three Astartes had been planning a slow gradual ascent that would take them the better part of half an hour. Instead they were covering a dozen levels in a matter of seconds. Tabgoi had served with Polydeuces for two hundred and fifty years before his elevation to Chaplain, twenty-five of them were before his elevation to Veteran Sergeant. With Acestes he had served the same amount of time, but Acestes had been a Veteran Sergeant some sixty years before Tabgoi joined the company. During this time they had developed an intimate report. Each man knew the strengths and weaknesses of the other and how each would react to different situations.

 

When Acestes reached down to grab Polydeuces’ hand, the other Astartes took it readily. Acestes had always had the quicker mind for math and timing. Once Acestes had him firmly he released his other hand and readied his power axe. Acestes had pulled up the schematics for the hive on his helmet’s hud. He quickly calculated the distance they still had to travel and how long it would take. Then he took into account their upward momentum and mentally set a timer for when to release the cable.

 

As the counterweight pass them it buffeted them with a shockwave of air. He readied himself for what was to come, there would be but one chance. They reached the critical moment and he let lose of the cable. Polydeuces activated his power axe and drove it deep into the wall before disengaging its power field, holding them suspended in mid-air. Tabgoi activated his crozius and quickly smashed aside the locking clamps on the door before shoving it open. He pulled hard and swung himself onto the floor before helping the others in.

 

“Brother Chaplain.”

 

“Yes Sergeant Acestes?”

 

“I am receiving new information on that pocket of resistance. Their heavy bolter supporting the flank closest to us has jammed. Without the suppressive fire from it the flank is collapsing. They are calling for assistance but there is no one who is able to give support. The situation is bad.”

 

“We can be there in two and a half minutes. With the enemy forces pushing in we should have a clear path.”

 

They took off at a dead sprint, bounding over debris that was scattered in their path.

 

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Sergeant Jacob Hein had been a veteran of the of the Imperial Guard, serving with the 1263 Storm Trooper Regiment. It was on Cathrax Two that he came to the attention of the Emperor’s Inquisition. There was hard fighting in the trenches as they were trying to storm a rebel strong hold. A female Inquisitor had commandeered his unit to seek out a cult leader within who was suspected of being a psyker fallen to the dark powers. As they clear the final trench the rebels initiated a counter attack in force. Leading the was a traitor marine of the World Eaters legion, a follower of Khorne.

 

The Inquisitor had met the traitor head on, using skill and finesse to counter his brute strength and blood lust. She was holding her own, slowly weakening him a small cut at a time until a freak slip on a loose rock caused her to lose her balance. The traitor had taken advantage and struck her a terrible blow, driving her to the ground. Jacob unloaded his hellgun point blank into the traitor, forcing him away from the wounded Inquisitor. His barrel glowing red hot he thrust his bayonet into the traitor’s knee joint and brought low. A quick thrust sent his bayonet right thru the weak point in his neck armor, severing his spine and ending his cursed life once and for all.

 

When the Inquisitor recovered from her wounds she had him permanently reassigned to her retinue. That was when he entered Versalin’s service. In the twenty years he has server her he has felt the ground tremble as Imperial Titans did battle with Traitor Engines. He has fought demons and put heretics to their just punishment. He had even had occasion to see the greatest of the Adeptus Astartes, the Ultra Marines storm a rebel stronghold and bring swift justice to them.

 

This situation was far worse than any he had seen before. It was not that he was any more likely to die, he had long ago lost his fear of that. What he truly feared was being denied the light of the Emperor upon his death. And these cursed abominations were sure to do just that. When the heavy bolter had jammed they had tried everything they could to bring it back on line, but even using their legs to try and clear the jammed round it remained firm. Now thirty zombies had bypassed their perimeter with more streaming in every second. Not even a full squad of Ultra Marines could turn this battle around, there were simply too many too close, and now his one wish, his just reward for faithful service would be denied him.

 

Determined to make this filth pay dearly for this insult he drew the chain sword he had been gifted by the Inquisitor and forged by the finest weapon smiths in the Imperium. He thumbed the activation switch and set about his bloody work. If he could take enough with him perhaps there was a chance someone could extract the Inquisitor that she may continue her work.

 

He swung his sword in flowing arcs, using the momentum of each impact to carry the blade into his next target with ruthless precision. He tried not to focus on the faces of those he slaughtered as this was not their fault. They had not gone to chaos willingly, their will was taken from them. Suddenly something broke thru the sounds of battle. It sounded like a battle chant.

 

“The Emperor is the light, the greatest man to ever live. He is the shining beacon of humanity, a gem in the darkness. So shall we shine as light to others, that they may see our actions and gain strength. May we be a beacon unto them as the Emperor is a beacon unto us. May our light purge the darkness that besets them.”

 

“May our light purge the darkness!!”

 

Jacob caught a glimpse of red in his field of vision just before one of these thrice damned beasts managed to claw him down. The zombie clambered on top of him and reached for throat. Suddenly a black gauntlet grabbed the zombie by the head and crushed it like an over ripe tomato and tossed the zombie thirty feet thru the air and into the nearest wall. He wiped the gore from his face and saw the same gauntlet reach down to pull him to his feet. The giant in black armor with a skull mask spoke to him. “Come faithful servant of the Emperor, upon your death you may rest beside the light of the Emperor, but this day is not that day. There are those present who have need of the Emperor’s justice.”

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

Really good stuff bro. I am liking the non stop action. Keep it coming.

 

G :P

[Tabgoi]

Another little update, hangovers are bad for painting minis but apparently not bad for writing.

 

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The three Angels fell into a wedge formation, the thuds of their boots announcing their approach. As they drew within two hundred meters they could see the extent of the damage. The center of the barricade was shoved aside. There was a heavy bolter position on the left slumped, abandoned. He could see they had made the enemy pay for the ground they had taken, hundreds of corpses lined the corridor they traveled, but it looked as if hundreds more were streaming thru the opening.

 

Acestes looked ahead and smiled a little inside. He gave Tabgoi a slight tap to let him know what would happen. Acestes stepped a half a step to the left and put his heel into the edge of a sewer lid flipping it over his head and into Tabgoi’s waiting hand. When he was growing up on Baal he had loved the disc throwing competitions, he would practice every day. The weight of the sewer lid was not ideal, but it would work. He threw himself into a spin and launched the sewer lid in a flat trajectory about five feet above the ground right thru the opening in the barricade clearing a way in with an avalanche of corpses.

 

“The Emperor is the light, the greatest man to ever live. He is the shining beacon of humanity, a gem in the darkness. So shall we shine as light to others, that they may see our actions and gain strength. May we be a beacon unto them as the Emperor is a beacon unto us. May our light purge the darkness that besets them.”

 

“May our light purge the darkness!!”

 

Tabgoi brought his crozius around in a powerful arc crushing the skull of the nearest zombie and kicked aside those that blocked his path. Polydeuces was a step behind and to Tabgoi’s right forcing the pocket farther open. Acestes was on Tabgoi’s left, and without a working pistol it was largely unprotected. He fended off grasping hand and rusty blades being thrust at the chaplain.

 

When they reached the gap in the barricade Polydeuces turned around and swung his axe in great circular movements. Under normal circumstances, against opponents who had a sense of self preservation, it would just create some breathing space. The undead, cursed by Nurgle, had no sense of self preservation and blindly advanced into the blender.

 

Acestes turned immediately left his chain sword and combat blade flashing out at any creature that may impede his movement to his current objective. He put his hand on the barrier and thrust himself on top. The heavy bolter’s mounting bracket was no match for a determined marine, Acestes cleared the jammed round with a casual charge of the bolt and aimed down the corridor. A hail of rounds thundered down the hallway like the laughter of an angry god.

 

Tabgoi continued his advance thru the horde to the beleaguered pocket of resistance. He saw what appeared to be the local command drug down by a walking corpse he probably could not see due to the mounds at his feet. He reached out and crushed the zombie’s head and tossed to back over the barricade. He drug the downed man to his feet, “Come faithful servant of the Emperor, upon your death you may rest beside the light of the Emperor, but this day is not that day. There are those present who have need of the Emperor’s justice.”

 

“I am Chaplain Tabgoi of the Blood Angels and listen well. The forces of chaos have taken much from us these past weeks. The hive is in ruins, the rule of man disturbed, the will of the Emperor is defied. Today, they take NO MORE!!! Today we hold this ground, today we shall take a victory for the Emperor! Let not one of these accursed beasts see another day. For the Emperor!”

 

The sight and confidence of one of the Angels of Death brought new hope to the failing lines. “For the Emperor!” was the cry heard throughout the room. Hellguns roared and piece by piece these seemingly unstoppable hoard within the wire was dismantled.

 

As Tabgoi scanned the defenses looking for any other point of failure while the horde was mopped up he noticed the far side was being covered by just two people. One was lithe, with a skin tight body glove with now empty sheaths for blades in at least two dozen places. She had two blades in her hands still. One was a wicked serrated blade she was using to take limbs and sever heads. The other was a stiletto that was flicking out almost faster than even his acute senses could track puncturing the skulls of any target that was not taken by the other dagger. Of the other woman he could only catch glimpses of her attire between the flapping of her cloak. An energy field would flash intermittently to deflect the occasional zombie strikes that we bypassing her defenses. She had an intricately wrought sword in her right hand that was blazing with power that she was using to great effect against those who defied her. From her left hand would occasionally come blasts of plasma or lasbolts that would scythe thru the horde before her.

 

He noticed there had been an attempt to seal the corridor they were defending, but the truck they had tried using had broken an axle. “Polydeuces, on me.” The two marines lifted the back end of the truck and began to shove it forward. The two women began to pull back to allow the Astartes to ram the truck into place. The sound of bones breaking could just barely be heard over the screeching metal.

 

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[Tabgoi]

Another update, not much action, but some other things that need to be taken care of. Character development, who is in charge when two organizations both used to others defering to them come head to head, things like that. Before its mentioned, there is a name drop at the end. I'm not actually bringing him into the story exactly, but it is there to add a sense of urgency, a reason for them to want to settle buisness as quickly as possible before someone far worse, and a less forgiving reputation showed up. Anyways.

 

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Tabgoi and Polydeuces went around and sealed the north, south, and east entrances to what appeared to be a barracks, in one case using a melta bomb to collapse the ceiling. With only the west entrance open they were able to reposition heavy weapons to cover the west entrance more effectively. The guard’s sergeants were actually able to start regular sleep cycles for their troops and perform some maintenance on the weapons. Brother Acestes kindly remounted the heavy bolter by crimping the mount back onto the heavy bolter with a quick flex of the wrist.

 

“Chaplain Tabgoi, I am commandeering you and your men for my purposes by the authority the Ordo Herectus of the Emperor’s Inquisition.”

 

“First things first, it is generally considered polite to introduce oneself when first meeting a new person Inquisitor.”

 

“I am not concerned by”

 

“SECOND! I am a chaplain of the Blood Angels Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, the glorious inheritor of the Blood Angel’s Legion , tasked by the Emperor himself with the destruction his enemies and the protection of his realm. I answer to Lord Commander Dante and the Emperor of mankind. You hold no authority over myself and my brethren. We are here to resupply, tend to our war gear, and check for hopefully more accurate information on the location of the cult leaders that started this mess.”

 

“I have the authority to commandeer what ever resources I deem necessary for my purposes.”

 

“You have the authority granted to you by the High Lords of Terra. Our charter comes from the Emperor Himself, and only He can grant anyone else further authority over us. As this has not happened you have no authority, unless you hold the belief that someone other than the man on the Golden Throne rules humanity. If this is the case, this conversation is about to take a completely direction. Think well of your next words and you may come to me after I have completed the rituals of maintenance on my war gear and have resupplied.”

 

“Are you threatening me?”

 

“I am an Astartes, I do not make threats. I promise you that should you make any statement that could be deemed as subversive to the authority of the Emperor we WILL have a very different conversation.”

 

With that Tabgoi turned on to tend to his men. He was stopped half way by the man he took for the commander of these men.

 

“I am sorry to disturb you Chaplain Tabgoi, may I speak with you?”

 

“I had meant to seek you out and make your introduction, are you the commander of these men?”

 

“I am. Sergeant Jacob Hein late of the 1263 Storm Trooper Regiment, now the Commander of Inquisitor Versalin’s household guard.”

 

“You may speak freely with me Captain, though I apologize for any intemperance I that I may show as I have not truly slept in 242 standard hours.”

 

“I was under the impression that the Astartes did not need sleep.”

 

“That is not an uncommon belief. The Catalepsean Node allows us to forego sleep when the need arises however we are able to bypass normal sleep rhythms, however there are … drawbacks to extended use.”

 

“I am sorry if this question is out of place, as you are an Astartes, but have you ever lost a fight?”

 

“Many times. In my defense however I believe that even should the great Angel himself should return to us tomorrow in all his glory he would have a difficult time winning an argument with our Chief Librarian. But before the enemies of the Emperor, when it is a clear matter of right and wrong and not a matter of grey areas, I have never failed in my duty.”

 

“See, that is the point I was trying to get to. Since I have been in her I have never seen her fail in her duty. We came here to investigate a suspected infiltration of the hive by cultists in worship of Nurgle. She would never admit it to anyone, but I know she feels like the current situation is a result of her failure to isolate and destroy the cult in time. This is as foreign a concept to her as it is to you. She has not let herself rest more than an hour at time when exhaustion takes her and she has no choice in the matter.”

 

“I think I understand what you are saying. I will take it under advisement. I have to see to my war gear and my men, I would advise you to do the same now that there is time. You look like you are also in need of rest, we cannot perform our duty to the best of our ability when we neglect our physical bodies.”

 

“Certainly, the Emperor Protects.”

 

“The Emperor Protects.”

 

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Acestes and Polydeuces had already removed their armor and were seeing to the damage that had been inflicted upon it and removing the gore that had become a constant coating. Both tall and raven haired, made in the image of their Primarch. Both kept their hair cut short and business like so it would not interfere with operations when they on occasion removed their helmets in combat. Tabgoi removed his own helm and let his long black hair fall down onto his shoulders. Looking at his helmet he could only hope the rest of the armor was not as covered.

 

“Brother Chaplain, I had been meaning to ask you, was that sewer lid trick really necessary? It did not really serve any military purpose.”

 

“Did it not? The defenders of this pocket were over run. They were looking death directly in the eyes, their hope extinguished. They needed to have their faith in the Emperor renewed. They needed the titans that can spit in the face of gods and prove that there is nothing they cannot do. And if that means we do something out of the videos they watch to inspire them then so be it. Does the rekindling of their morale not server a military purpose brother Polydeuces?”

 

“Of course you are correct Brother Chaplain. Do you need assistance with removing your armor?”

 

“Please. I would not question the brilliance of the Tech Priests of Mars, however I would have appreciated it very much if they had designed our armor to be able to be removed by its wearer unaided.”

 

“On another topic, the commander of these men seems more confident. You told him a joke didn’t you? To show him we are still human and approachable.”

 

“Are my ways becoming that obvious to you? I shall either have to learn new ways to inspire men, or recommend you for the chaplaincy.”

 

“Please do not joke about that. You have known me a long time brother, you know the chaplaincy is not for me. I lead marines, train them, prepare them for the rigors of combat, I cannot look into the hearts of others and see what secrets that drive them. I shall remain a sergeant until such time as the Emperor calls me to his side. If I am truly lucky I may one day gain admittance into the first company but for me there is no more.”

 

“You do not give yourself enough credit. You would be a shoe in for the first company if you did not have qualities they lack. While I would never disparage the brother of the first company, they are warriors without peer. They are not masters of training marines. Their sergeants have no need to train those under their command because ever last person under their command has proved themselves in battle over hundreds of years of combating the enemies of man. You however can see where they have gaps in their training, you know where they need improvement in their techniques, how to improve their aim, and where they need to learn. It not a skill that every man possesses.”

 

“And I am content with it. Why the focus on me? I am I in so much more need then Acestes?”

 

“No, but Acestes is a miserable bastard on whom my words are lost. Look at him there, he is probably not even paying attention to us. I doubt he has heard a single sermon I have given in the last decade.”

 

“I hear everything you say brother, but often there is nothing I need to say. Though I may need to ask, am I derelict in my ability to train and lead my men? With such glowing praise of Polydeuces surely I must be a dull candle lost by the brightness of his roaring flame.”

 

“Did he just admit I am better than him? You heard this did you not Chaplain? I am going to have to commit this date and time to memory.”

 

“Am I leading Astartes or children?”

 

“I believe it is quite clear, Polydeuces has the mind of a child. I thought you Chaplains were supposed to weed that out before they were inducted and here he has lasted several hundred years and you are just now noticing. I fear for the future of our Chapter, I truly do.”

 

Tabgoi laughed heartily, to much surprised looks from the guardsmen around them. “Let us set to task cleaning our gear and saying the rituals of appeasement to their war spirits. Then four hours of rest, no arguments on this. And do not think to try and find paints or things to carve, I mean sleep.”

 

Acestes, “Will you be doing the same then? Apothecaries are often the worse at following their own advice.”

 

“Yes brother I will be sleeping as well, but not just yet. There is something else I must see to first.”

 

*************************************************************************************

 

Back in his full armor freshly cleans and consecrated he walked up to the Inquisitor. With fresh eyes he could see the toll the past days had taken on her. Despite the bravado she had been showing she was looking beaten. This would require some delicacy, or what passes for it.

 

“Inquisitor, I would have words with you away from those under your command.”

 

“Is this so that you may threaten me again.”

 

“I will have words with you one way or the other, but it would be best to do so away from your people. I give you my word that no harm will come to you while we speak.”

 

“Then speak your mind, I am sure there is no way to stop you from doing anything you have put your mind to.”

 

“You feel like you have failed here. You will have to deal with the fact that you did. You are human, humans have faults. Now you wear yourself thin trying to atone. I tell you this, the only way to atone is to continue to perform your duty to the best of your ability. Denying yourself sleep and pushing your body past its limits is no way to do this. Here you are holed up, just trying to survive. You are a member of one of the most feared organizations in the galaxy. You root out the seed of chaos before it becomes a matter for us to deal with, and sometimes you just do not get there with enough time to stop it before it becomes an issue for the Astartes. You will sleep for at least ten hours. You will eat a full meal before and after you sleep. You will then resume your duty and find the location of the leaders of this cult so that my brethren and I may deal with this situation before more of my brothers arrive. In addition to the fifth company whose arrival is imminent we received word just before the storm that Commander Dante sent two further companies under the leadership of our Chief Librarian. In three days the Lord of Death will arrive at this hive, and I seriously doubt a warp storm will slow his progress in the least. It would be best if we deal with this before he arrives.”

 

“I take your meaning, and I will take it under consideration.”

 

“You can take it into consideration after you have eaten, rested, and eaten. This is not a suggestion. Viewing it as such may lead to us leaning new and interesting things, like how hard I have to strike an Inquisitor in the head to knock some sense into them so they will sleep for twelve hours.”

 

“You said ten hours just a moment before.”

 

“And now it is twelve, are we going for fourteen next?”

 

“No, I will eat something and then sleep.”

 

*************************************************************************************

[Judaz]

Awesome, keep going!

 

Edit: is Mephy so terrible that even a mighty chaplain is afraid of him? ^_^

[Tabgoi]

Thanks Judaz, and to answer your question basically yep. Aside from Mephiston being the Chief Librarian putting him higher up the command structure then a relatively recent inductee to the Chaplaincy. Plus I got my start in 3rd edition, and to qoute just a line from Mephy's profile back then:

 

"Mephiston's eyes are blazing pits of despair, able to pierce the soul of those who meet his gaze."

 

There were no comments on him being quite or introspective, just that he was the Lord of Death and Lord help you if he got angry. Back then some people were pretty sure Dante was scared of him. Death would not be a concern for a chaplain here because realistically its not his fault he failed, but it does remain that he did fail. Now if he can fix the problem and restore order on his own with the resources available to him, then he can at least keep his honor in tact and possibly if he does it well enough gain additional honor. If someone else has to clean up the problem him, then he would lose honor. Honor and their service to the Emperor is pretty much all space marines have, the loss of honor is worse than death. So this is probably the one thing an Astartes would truely fear.

 

Anyways, I have a busy day, so I will probably not have another update until tonight or maybe tomorrow morning.

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

More great writing! I'm thoroughly enjoy this story. Keep it up!

 

:)

 

G :)

[Tabgoi]

Okay, another update. I think I have taken care of most of the developement for right now to lead the way for some more action, though I am almost regretting choosing a chaplain as a primary character. I mean I did it because that is how my armies have always been run, but chaplains lead their brethren in battle prayers as they smite their enemies. And its not like there is a list of the litanies of hate, and trying to devise battle prayers is slowing me down a lot. I used to have a great pocket booklet of Chatholic prayers for war that my priest in Iraq had given me, but somewhere in a move I lost it or it would have been a great source of inspiration for this. I am also not sure about the speech he gives to inspire the guardsmen before setting out again, and it will probably get changed at some point when my brain wanders down those paths again. This does get the story to advance closer to the next stage where the enemies are not all faceless shambling monsters who require no skill to defeat, and have no concept of fear. Anyways, the update:

 

*************************************************************************************

 

His sleep had been some of the most restful he ever had, deep and dreamless. Perhaps some of the best four hours anyone has ever received. He noticed Polydeuces and Acestes had already awakened, probably twelve minutes prior at exactly the four hour mark. He activated his internal communicator so no one else would hear his conversation.

 

“Brothers, I want silence for now, however there is much we need to do. Polydeuces, we are going to need a babysitting element. Normally I would expect maybe two, but this is an Inquisitor’s household guard, perhaps the Emperor will be with us and we will find three or four.”

 

“I am on it brother.”

 

“Acestes, you are on demolitions detail. We do not know where we are going or what we may have to deal with and I want to be able to blow a hole in the side of a starship if the need arises.”

 

“This location is extremely well supplied, we should have no issues. That case over there has a double combat load of ammunition for you. In addition I managed to find us some additional armament. Bolters for myself and Polydeuces, but for you I found something even better. I hope you enjoy it.”

 

“Where would I be without you?”

 

“Probably in the dirt midway thru your first engagement as a full brother. That Eldar had your number.”

 

“Hey, if we are bringing up saving lives I can think of at least thirty four occasions where I saved yours.”

 

“So you are only down by four now if my count is accurate, and we both know it is."

 

"I think I am letting you get far too familiar. You do realize the position of Chaplain is one that is supposed to be respected and feared.”

 

“And you remember we have known you since you were first elevated to a full scout and assigned to the support of the fifth company.”

 

“Enough levity, to work.”

 

*********************************************************************************

 

Eight hours later.

 

“Sergeant Hein I have something I must speak with you about.”

 

“I noticed your words had a great effect upon the Inquisitor. I thank you for that.”

 

“You are welcome. What I have to say is related to her, and you. Very shortly the Inquisitor is going to emerge from her room with a renewed vigor and will wish to accompany my men and I on our next excursion. We will be occupied and unable to guarantee her safety. We have selected three who will provide her personal security. There will be no engagement beyond what is necessary to protect the Inquisitor.”

 

“I request to be one of the men, the Inquisitor is my responsibility.”

 

“You were the first we chose.”

 

“Also, we are more than capable of holding our own in combat. We can do more than just protect the Inquisitor, we are an elite infantry asset that you would be foolish to overlook.”

 

“I will assume you have put an end to more of these creatures then any of the rest of your men as you strike me as a man who leads from the front.”

 

“I have.”

 

“And how many have you dispatched since this event began?”

 

“Two, maybe three hundred.”

 

“I have dispatched exactly 5,694 of these abominations since the start of hostilities. Acestes has 5,432. Polydeuces 5,478. We are not men, we are the Emperor’s wrath made manifest. I am not being cruel, but you have to understand that you would simply slow us down. Your men are trained to a commendable standard, but men they remain. See to the Inquisitor and allow us to do what we were created for.”

 

“I believe I understand, thank you for your honesty.”

 

“It is only what you deserve. Stand to, the Inquisitor approaches.”

 

*************************************************************************************

 

“Chaplain Tabgoi, I see that you have seen to your armor.”

 

“I have. I see that you have rested.”

 

“I have. I took some time to review previously gathered intelligence and I believe I have a lead.”

 

“I expected that.”

 

“There were reports of suspicious activity near the power generation level. The odd thing is, when the plague broke out the area was very lightly hit. The surrounding areas though were some of the first to be totally lost. I should have caught it earlier, but I missed it. I would like you to assist me in the assault.”

 

“I expected that as well. Brother Polydeuces has selected three of your men who will serve as a personal retinue for you. He is briefing them now on what will be expected of them.”

 

“Very well, I suppose I should tell you, you and your men have full access to my armory and may equip yourself as you see fit. I have several weapons that are fit for Astartes.”

 

“I expected that as well, we can be ready to move out in five minutes. My men are ready however I have not had the opportunity to refit myself. Brother Acestes has already set aside what I require.”

 

“Are you certain you are not sensitive to the warp?”

 

“The testing every Astartes undergoes to check for warp sensitivity is plentiful and thorough. If I was it wound have been noticed and reported so that appropriate measures could be taken.”

 

“Does the genetic alterations you undergo eliminate your sense of humor?”

 

“It does.”

 

*************************************************************************************

 

Tabgoi Looked around at his assembled strike force. He was certain he had gone into worse situations before, but right now he just could not think of one off the top of his head. Two Veteran brother of the Blood Angels on whom he had complete trust and confidence, three veteran guardsmen who despite their experience and training we still just men, a failed Inquisitor who hopefully would not cave under pressure, and her personal body guard who despite being a skilled fight was an unknown element. With this force he was about to assault into the stronghold of a cult of Nurgle that has the power to infect a hive with a virulent plague that has almost completely over run a hive despite the quarantine procedures. If they have plague marines and demons this could go south in very short order. If the Emperor wills it they will succeed, and with honor at stake, failure is not an option.

 

“Inquisitor, are you ready?”

 

“I am, you may do the honors.”

 

“Today I am going to ask a great deal of you. We are going to challenge the gods of chaos in one of their seats of power. You may be tempted to question yourself. To question your fail in the Emperor. To question the chances of this mission’s success. You may feel fear. I will share with you something. These gods who would have you believe they are unstoppable, they have a weakness. You see, there is a story that dates back, from before the time of the Emperor, before humanity even took to the stars. A time when people believed in gods for trees and mountains and wars and everything else. But there were other creatures in this world. Beings so awesome and terrible that they struck fear into the gods. Beings known as titans. I tell you this, we are the titans the gods of chaos fear, and today you join us in battle. Today we go to strike fear into the gods of chaos. For the Adeptus Astartes the battle field is our alter, the death of our enemies our prayers. We invite you to join us in prayer, and make it a loud one. There is much space it needs to travel to reach Earth. Let us pray!!!”

 

With that Tabgoi activated a handful of micro grenades and threw them over the barrier. The walls of the corridor we repainted with blood and puss. He unslung the little gem Acestes had found, a storm bolter forged and consecrated on Mars. , and leapt over the barrier. As the horde recovered they were met with a whole new world of destruction as mass reactive rounds tore thru their ranks. Acestes and Polydeuces quickly followed over the barrier and added their bolter fire to Tabgoi’s storm bolter. Rounds punched thru four to five of the unarmored bodies before detonating and sending shrapnel flying shredding the ranks behind. The Inquisitor and her retinue came stumbling over the barrier after the Astartes.

 

“Keep tight, we advance!!! The Emperor is strength and my salvation. He guides my aim that I may not miss. He strengthens my arm that I may not tire. He steels my resolve that I may not falter. He guards my soul that I may not be corrupted. The Emperor Protects!”

 

“The Emperor Protects!”

 

And avalanche of automatic fire poured down the corridor, the moment the last round from a magazine was fed into the feed a new magazine was slammed into position. The three Astartes had alternated their starting times with their fire so no more than one was reloading at a time. Tabgoi could feel the rage building within him. If it was just his brethren around him he would have let it loose upon his enemies. But he had to worry about the Inquisitor and her retinue. He could not risk their safety if one should get past him.

 

“Approaching corridor on the left, be ready. I am the judgment of the righteous. I am the wrath of the Emperor. I am the destruction of the fallen. I am a true servant of the Emperor. I am a Son of Sanguinius, and none shall bar my path!”

 

“None shall bar my path!”

[robertlee]

Good read but always remember.......Danger Zone

[Scumgrief]

Good work, I'm loving this so far =)

[Tabgoi]

Thanks again for the positive comments. I am having a little bit of an issue with this transition because I don't want to gloss over it, but I also REALLY don't want things to get too repatative in terms of the combat. I guess that is why people who write about zombies focus on the horror instead of the fighting, because lets face it, they do not have elite fighting moves. I have a bit more fleshing out of the Inquisitor which will actually happen once I move over to the power generators, well towards the end of that, another transition, big epic battle, then the closing of this short story and the start of one of the others in my head that is screaming write me. But that is a few weeks away, and I guess I should clean this up for the Librarium before I start another. I should have a decent update Friday or Saturday until there is this.

 

*************************************************************************************

The closest lift was not an option for their descent. The Astartes would have no problem free climbing a hundred levels down into the hive’s sublevels. The Inquisitor and her retinue however would not be capable of such a feat. The next closest lift was another half kilometer away. Since his face was hidden by the skull mask, he allowed himself a smile. It would be a day full of prayers, the Emperor certainly must be pleased.

 

“Sanguinius, our Father, our Lord, we offer a prayer to you this day. A prayer of death, destruction and life. Death to those who defy the will of the Emperor, your Father and greatest man to ever live. Destruction up everything they hold sacred and dear. Life for the subjects of humanity that they may see the greater tomorrow you saw for them. To the greater tomorrow!”

 

“To the greater tomorrow.”

 

They had not even reached the lift to descend to the under hive and he had burned thru an entire combat load of ammunition for the storm bolter. “We need to conserve ammunition.” He let the storm bolter fall, the strap halted its fall and it hit with a bang on his hip. In one deft movement he drew his bolt pistol and crozius arcanum and started snapping shots off into the heads of the zombie horde. As soon as he finished his transition Acestes and Polydeuces followed suit.

 

There was no hiding the delight Acestes felt at having his power weapon repaired. The blade was a relic within the company, handed down to each new sergeant of the first squad. The name of each bearer ritually inscribed from the hilt up, Acestes’ name was the fifteenth. To him it was as if each bearer before him helped guide the blade to its target with unerring accuracy. Unlike the short brutal strikes he had used with the chain sword, designed strictly for combat efficiency, with the blade of his forbearers in his hand he adopted the stance of a duelist. He thrust the blade forward thru the wailing mouth of a zombie severing it spinal cord. He swiped it down and to the left and right thru the collar bone and torso of the zombie next to it. He took the momentum and stepped thru with a turn to cut a carving arc thru three of their companions, reversed the grip and put it thru the chest of one that had flanked him.

 

Polydeuces had switched styles as well, instead of the flowing circle eights he had used to hold off their rear he began using long powerful cleaves that brought down five zombies at a time. He would bring he axe down in a brutal curve and then up and around his head to build momentum for the next strike. To Tabgoi it looked like engravings he had seen in the chapter achieves of some people from a place called Germania. He could almost imagine him arrayed in armor made of hide unleashing his rage against whomever the Germanians fought.

 

Seeing the Astartes move to close combat weapons the guardsmen began to open fire on anything that managed to bypass the forward element. The Inquisitor had her ornate sword out and was lashing out at the few zombies that got past even the guard’s fire. The one Tabgoi learned was called Bitterblade was staying ten feet behind the Inquisitor and the guardsmen forming a lethal wall preventing any zombies from overrunning them from the rear. Tabgoi was really starting to wonder where the Inquisitor found her and where she was trained.

 

“Brother Chaplain. Coded transmission for on the secured link, I believe you will want to take this immediately.”

 

“Thank you Brother Acestes.” He switched from the internal squad communication to the secured channel. What he heard elated him but made him realize just how short of time he had.

 

*************************************************************************************

[Tabgoi]

Okay, little update, only about three pages in word. I was a bit surprised when I noticed I was at 22 pages already. This is turning out to be a lot longer then I was originally planning.

 

*************************************************************************************

 

The push thru to the elevator was a big drawn out slugfest. Rusted blades and bone against power weapons and hellguns. On paper Tabgoi had to admit that it looked like a completely one sided fight. Of course on paper a lion would destroy a pack of hyenas, but in sufficient numbers hyenas will bring the great cat down. The biggest problem he was running into was balance. Emperor alone knows what these zombies were filled with other than blood, but by the blood it was slippery. Throw in severed limbs, fallen weapons, torsos, and debris and just walking was difficult. Despite the clumsy attacks the zombies actually used, merely walking was not enough.

 

Sergeant Hein could swear the Blood Angels had killed half the population of the hive. No doubt the chaplain could tell him exactly how many they had killed and would correct him on such absurd exaggerations. Still, he hoped they reached the lift in short order, his hellgun was getting hot enough he could see smoke coming off the barrel. He snapped another two shots into the head of a zombie that came from a door Polydeuces had just passed. As he came level with the door he sent another ten rounds thru in short succession to stem the tide for the Inquisitor to move safely past before he turned to follow the advance again. The last salvo was reminding him just how tired his arms were getting. The lasgun has almost no recoil, how do those Astartes manage the recoil of their massive bolters running on fully automatic fire?

 

“100 meters.”

 

“What Chaplain?”

 

“100 meters to the lift Madam Inquisitor, I figured you would like an update as you do not have the ability to view hive schematics while fighting.”

 

“Thank you, but do not distract yourself on my account.”

 

The doors loomed large in front of them. They were almost large enough to fit two land raiders in at once. Suddenly the amount of zombies that could enter the elevator was something Tabgoi was seriously thinking he should have put more thought into. The formed a protective circle around the Inquisitor while she used her Inquisitorial Authority to override the quarantine procedures. He could hear the elevator climbing the hive to reach their position. The Astartes set up in a triangular formation. Acestes was hugging a wall his left shoulder with the bolt pistol almost touching it, popping shots at any creatures that came directly at him and using his power sword to protect Polydeuces’ flank. Polydeuces stood at the apex since he had the widest range with his axe. He had given up using his bolt pistol and focused only on the five feet in all directions immediately surrounding him. Tabgoi took the most awkward position, the arc of his crozius severely limited by the proximity of the wall. Before the elevator arrived he had his arm pulled down by the hordes five times, forcing him to clear them off with his crozius. Each time a guardsman had sent shots to assist him, unfortunately they had hit his elbow twice. The armor absorbed the brunt of the damage, but he noticed his efficiency was falling quickly in that arm. He had also taken a rusted blade thru the weak joint in his right knee when a lucky strike got thru as he cleared his arm.

 

“I don’t suppose you can close the doors before they fully open Madam Inquisitor?”

 

“With any luck the machine spirit will be willing Chaplain.”

 

Deciding it was time to throw on some additional force Tabgoi quickly switched back to the storm bolter and threw a hail of fire in the direction of the door to clear the path as they pushed to the middle. He heard a scream as they moved and he hoped it was not the Inquisitor. The area in front of the elevator was the widest area in which they had to fight. He had no time to check to ensure the Inquisitor’s safety because of the sheer numbers. He was trying to send rounds on a flat trajectory to maximize damage, but he could not keep track of how many were killed. His armor’s machine spirit was feeling the stain trying to keep track of the amount of enemies but even its blessed spirit was failing in this department.

 

The lift arrived with a dull thud as it stabilized on their level. The doors began to slowly open with the groan of hydraulics. Tabgoi shoved back hard forcing the Inquisitor and her retinue into the elevator with his back side. As the door swung farther and farther open the Astartes spread out to cover as much as they could.

 

“Inquisitor, any time now would be most welcome.”

 

“I am trying, the machine spirit is running slow because of the quarantine procedure. I am doing my best.”

 

Soon the door was too wide for the Astartes to cover and Bitterblade gave him a push to move him aside so they could cover more ground. The fighting was too rapid for him to consider reloading his weapon so he dropped it to the sling again and drew a combat blade from a sheath at his hip in order to keep pace. It had been many years since the last time he had used the weapon, but constant maintenance had ensured it had lost none of its edge. Normally he would prefer to strike clean into the throat to sever the spine, but desperate times called for desperate measures and he brought it across horizontal to the ground in order to down as many enemies as possible in as short a time as possible. Some how Bitterblade was still able to throw precision strike out lightning fast. He could see out of the corner of his eye that she had no more concern here then most Astartes had in a training cage.

 

The doors slowly began to close allow the four holding the door to close ranks. The doors began to catch on the fallen bodies and weapons but Sergeant Hein and one of his men started shoving them out of the way. Tabgoi made sure he was the last one holding the door, popping shots off with his pistol until the last possible second. Still, when the doors slammed home and the locks engage two severed arms fell to the floor.

 

*************************************************************************************

 

“Chaplain, are you aware there is a knife in your knee?”

 

“I had thought that had come out when I severed the arm of the creature holding it. Men, helmets.”

 

Tabgoi reached down and pulled the knife out of his knee. It had severed a number of muscles and now that the adrenaline was fading he could begin to feel the pain. His armor reacted by feeding anesthetic to the site and increasing power to the servos to make up for the lost strength. He removed his helmet and realized just how much he had exerted himself by the sudden loss of the reek of his own sweat. He looked deep into the eyes of Acestes and Polydeuces looking for any sign that the rage had taken hold. He could see it there lurking behind their eyes, but still in check Their pupils were returning to normal, the effects of the combat fading away. He felt the jolt of the lift beginning its descent.

 

“Is this some form of Astartes post battle ritual?”

 

“Yes Inquisitor, it is something like that. Sergeant Hein, can you give m a status update?”

 

“We lost Ramirez when we began moving from the console to the doors. We are at one third of our starting ammunition supply but we have a full supply of grenades still. Otherwise were are still combat capable.”

 

“I am sorry about your lost man, know that he is with the Emperor now and rejoice for him. What was his full name?”

 

“John Ramirez.”

 

“He will be remembered. Take rest while you can, it will be ten minutes until we reach our destination.”

 

Acestes came close and whispered so no one else could hear.

 

“Brother Chaplain, how bad is the wound, are you fit to continue?”

 

“It is fine Brother, I have had worse and done more then will be required. Worry not, I will not hinder the mission.”

 

“If at some point you do?”

 

“Then leave me behind. The mission is more important, but it will not come to that. My leg is repairing as we speak. When we enter the power generation complex I want you on the scaffolding above covering our approach. Do not engage unless necessary, we will move with silence as long as possible to gain the maximum benefit.”

 

“I understand.”

 

He rose his voice so he could be heard clearly, “Inquisitor, when we enter the next level I do not expect to encounter the mindless minions we have fought so far. These will be the ones directly behind the plague and I would see us approach as close as possible to their sanctuary before the element of surprise is lost. Then we shall show these traitors the rewards that come to those who defy the Emperor.”

 

*************************************************************************************

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

Really good action sequences and a great storyline as well. :)

 

G

[Tabgoi]

Sorry I have not updated in a bit, life has been getting in the way. But I just sat down with an Italian Beef and a beef and figured I would do an update of some of what I have been typing the past few days. This was intended to be a short story, but I just found out I passed that up 6,000 words ago, so this is actually a Novelette that is in danger of becoming a Novella. I am hoping to finish this in the next two to three weeks.

 

@Black Orange, thanks for the encouragement. I really enjoy your fiction as well so it is very much appreciated.

 

*************************************************************************************

 

The Astartes all drew combat blade as the light and sounds of power weapons would drew too much attention at this stage. All Blood Angels master the art of stealth during their time in the tenth company, however it is not an ability they often use once they are inducted into the Battle Companies. Astartes prefer to act openly, the better to terror into the hearts of the enemies of the Emperor. Unfortunately with the small number of Brothers at his disposal Tabgoi would need every advantage he could get.

 

As the lift neared the target level the three Blood Angels spread out to deal with any waiting sentries. As the doors opened with the hiss of hydraulics, seven figures were waiting for the small party. Tabgoi quickly grabbed the throat of the man in front of him and slid his combat blade thru the head of another. As he crushed the first one’s throat he turned to the third only to see a dagger already sunk to the hilt in his eye. Tabgoi removed the blade from the man’s eye, cleaned it, and tossed it to Bitterblade with a nod of approval. She walked past giving an ever so slight nod, the only true communication he had seen from her. Bitterblade tapped a series of buttons on her belt and virtually disappeared from sight.

 

Tabgoi moved forward and extended his hands. Acestes ran forward and with Tabgoi’s help leapt up to the gantry with a silence that an individual that large and in that much armor should not be capable of. He removed the magazine of standard rounds from his bolter and slid in one he found in the Inquisitor’s arsenal that was a bit more special. A clip filled with Vengeance rounds, within the chapter they were reserved for exclusive use by the First Company. The rounds could punch thru Astartes Powered Armor with ease; they would be a most welcome addition to his ability to lay down covering fire.

 

Tabgoi and Polydeuces set off at a slight jog down the corridor that would lead them to the primary control room of the power generation plant. They were careful to roll their feet as they went to mask the sound of their approach. The Inquisitor and her men followed closely behind while Acestes kept pace on the gantry above. Tabgoi had been expecting stiff resistance for this being the enemy stronghold, however all they found were slit throats and severed spinal columns. He would really have loved to know where the Inquisitor found this one. They found Bitterblade waiting outside the main door to the generator control room keeping watch. Acestes found a smaller access door on the gantries that would allow him to keep an over watch position. Polydeuces rigged a breaching charge on the main door while Acestes did the same at the top.

 

*************************************************************************************

 

The cult leaders had thought themselves untouchable. They controlled nearly the entire hive. Their best people had been bestowed with blessings from Father Nurgle and were arranged outside the main control room. Had he not gifted six of their members with the ability to bestow the Great Father’s blessings upon the hive? In their supreme arrogance they believed they could not be touched. That belief changed in an instant. The doors blew open disrupting their ceremonies. A massive figure in black armor flanked by one in red burst into the room with weapons raised.

 

“You have turned your backs on your race. You have cavorted with the false prophets of the warp. You have turned your eyes from the light of the Emperor. In the name of Sanguinius and the Emperor I declare you traitor, come forth and lay claim to your reward!”

 

*************************************************************************************

 

Tabgoi opened up, laying down heavy covering fire with his storm bolter while snapping head shots off with his pistol. Polydeuces opened up on fully automatic at the men on the far wall neutralizing much of their fire support. The lack of discrimination in their target selection allowed them to reap a heavy toll in a short period of time. Acestes however had the time and clarity of position to pick individual targets that would represent the biggest threat. His armor’s machine spirit was assisting him in identifying enemies with power weapons and power fists. Every second a carefully planned trigger squeeze would send a Vengeance round thru armored carapace, exploding heart, severed spinal column, and back thru armored carapace in an explosion of splinters and gore.

 

“Humanity spread throughout the stars, like seeds spread by a great farmer. The Emperor like a good farmer collected and tended to humanity, embracing it with all the love he could muster. Chaos sprang forth, attempting to feed off humanity as weeds feed and starve crops of the fields. As he retired to his throne on great Terra he left the care of humanity to the hands of the Adeptus Astartes. Like the humble farmers caring for their fields we shall reap the weeds that would parasites on humanity.”

 

“We shall reap!”

 

The hammer struck empty on both his weapons, so Tabgoi dropped the storm bolter to his side, slammed a fresh magazine in his bolt pistol, and drew forth his crozius arcanum. As he brought forth his weapon he brought it up and wide to almost casually knock a cultist into the wall ten feet away. Polydeuces likewise struck on empty and let his bolter fall to its sling as he drew his massive power axe and bolt pistol. As he brought the axe out from his back he brought it around one handed at full extension ending five cultists in the blink of an eye. Behind him the Inquisitor and her retinue entered the room and began laying down covering fire for the advancing Blood Angels. Hellguns spat death left and right of the Astartes while the Inquisitor let plasma fire speak for her.

 

The cultists were a well organized force, intelligent, experienced, and able to adapt. These were not the mindless drones caught by the plague, the men and women in this room were the leaders of hive gangs, ranking officers of the Planetary Defense Force, and local gladiators. They knew the art of death and had taken no small amount of lives. In terms of killing potential there were few men on the planet that were on the same playing field. They had sworn oaths of fealty to the dark powers of the warp and committed themselves fully to their current course of action. Unfortunately that was also their problem, they were but mere men and women. Within a handful of seconds over thirty of their number already lay dead or dying around them. These men and women were used to being the personification of dread. Unfortunately the Emperor’s Angels of Death were among them to demonstrate what true fear is.

 

Tabgoi brought his pistol down into the head of a cultist, crushing him to the ground. As he collapsed Tabgoi used what resistance the body provided to steady a shot into the woman behind him. The Chaplain lowered his should and drove down those before him, crushing the fallen with his armored boots. His target was the five individuals in ceremonial robes at the center of the room. There was a tension in the back of his mind, another battle being raged in the world behind worlds. He was not equipped for that kind of battle, but he could certainly remove the enemy’s pieces from this field.

 

Polydeuces swung his axe around by the base in great sweeping circles knocking aside feeble attempts by swords and shields to block his attacks. He kept himself constantly moving forward in precise circles that allowed him to engage anyone who tried to encircle him. If someone got too close before his axe would be able to intercept them he would snap off a shot with his bolt pistol and send them sprawling. These so called men of iron resolve who made their pact with the powers of the warp were trying to flee before him, but he allowed no retreat.

 

“The enemies of the Emperor hide in their holes speaking of great deeds. They pretend they have great courage and make their little plans. They attack the weak and pretend they are strong but when they are confronted by true strength they cower in fear. They fear the strength that being a true servant of the Emperor brings. They fear the wrath of his righteous servants who can stride forth into the storm of battle secure in His protection. They fear the wrath of the Space Marines!”

 

“They fear our wrath!”

 

Versalin stepped out from the protective cordon the guardsmen were providing, it would no due for an Inquisitor to be seen hiding before the leaders of a cult. A nimbus of blue energy played around her head and sword. She undid the clasp on her cloak and let it fall to the ground unveiling a form fitted cuirass with intricate wire patterns woven into it. In the tiny areas between the wires, prayers of defense and protection against the warp. Spread throughout the cuirass, greaves, and bracers were emitters that would allow he to channel her inner power thru them.

 

The cultists had thought the power generation control room was an ideal position to defend as there was only two points of entrance. The large door on the main floor and a small one on the second. What they failed to take into consideration was that there were only two points of exit as well. Brother Acestes controlled the small gantry where no more than one individual could approach him at a time. The only way to flee in mass was the main door on the first floor and like a wave striking a breaker the enemy were surging around the charging forms of Tabgoi and Polydeuces. The ones who managed to get past ran straight into the Inquisitor and her people.

 

A man came at Versalin swinging a chain axe at her left side. She side stepped right and with a flash of energy brought her left forearm down on the side of his head collapsing him in an instant. She threw her right leg back bringing her under a sword aimed at her throat and sent her own weapon like an arrow thru the assailant’s midsection. She rolled backward, drawing her leg under her to regain a standing position and sent a blast of plasma at a group to her left. The miniature star struck between the three of them and reduced them to naught but ash.

 

“The Emperor is the Lord of humanity, master of a million worlds by force of arms and strength of will. He sets the example of sacrifice for the glory of our race that others are to follow. He is the essence of what it is to be human, to turn your back on the Emperor is to turn your back upon yourself. To become traitor is to deny the best part of yourself, to leave behind only the cancer of corruption. This day we will excise this cancer from you thru the only means possible, its total destruction. In the name of the Sanguinius prepare for oblivion!”

 

“In his name we kill!”

 

Acestes had three Vengeance rounds left and used them on three of the cult leaders in the center of the room. As their heads burst open the psychic pressure in the room dropped dramatically. He reloaded the bolter and let it drop to his side. He thumbed out a hand full of micro grenades and tossed them into the horde below clearing a drop point. Then he set a melta bomb on a three second delay so no one would be able to use the gantries to escape. Acestes leapt over the railing drawing his power sword and bolt pistol, snapping shots as he fell. The Blood Angel landed in a crouch and then lunged forward using long sweeping strikes of his power sword to clear the way for him. Five steps in the melta bomb exploded, the falling gantry crushed the cultist behind him who were still recovering from the shock of the grenade attack.

 

Tabgoi saw a woman pulling the pin of a grenade next to him and quickly grabbed her hand with his left to prevent the spoon from arming the grenade. The Chaplain swung her around over his head knocking other cultist to the ground while gaining momentum. As the momentum crested again he let go sending her and the grenade flying towards the back of the room. He felt the impact of a laspistol finding a weak spot on his right leg armor and winced as the servos collapsed and sent him to one knee. The grenade exploded sending shrapnel thru the room, but thankfully he was below the line of cultists and was unaffected. The cultist who had previously attempted only to defend themselves while trying to flee sensed for the first time weakness in their opponents and shifted priorities. Tabgoi fought to keep weapons at bay but with reduced mobility and the inability to bring his full strength to bear he could feel weapons striking hard against his armor. He could easily make out the sound of a chain sword on his back armor but he could not turn to deal with the problem as he had four more in front of him. He knew they could not have more than twenty people left, but they still may manage to drag him down.

 

Suddenly the grinding stopped and a strong hand was lifting him to his feet. Tabgoi switched his crozius to his left hand as Acestes threw Tabgoi’s arm over his shoulder. Even with the loss of mobility the remaining cultists were no match for the two Astartes. As the last of the cultists fell Tabgoi surveyed the scene. Perhaps 80 dead including five cult leaders. The Inquisitor and her surviving personnel appeared tired but uninjured. He heard the Inquisitor calling for a vox from her people and Polydeuces was approaching him with pipework from the fallen gantry. With Acestes’ help Polydeuces was able to affix a pipe to either side of Tabgoi’s leg with pipes wrapped around the top and bottom to hold them in place. He would not be running any time soon, but at least he was mobile. It appeared that Polydeuces had taken his fair share of blows, but he did not see any that would prove life threatening.

 

*************************************************************************************

 

“Inquisitor, have you managed to contact the remaining Imperial Forces?”

 

“I have, the news is not good. The, well for lack of a better term, zombies, they have not died as they should have.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“This was not all of them, in fact I would wager these were just batteries fueling a more powerful mind that actually completed the ritual. Unless we can find the originator the plague will not be stopped. Unfortunately this was our best lead and you killed anyone we might have questioned for further information. We are at a dead end once again!”

 

“Perhaps, perhaps not. Brother Acestes, I see and individual by a communications console by the far wall. Was he attempting to use it when you shot him?”

 

“He was Brother Chaplain.”

 

“But Acestes shot clean thru him and into the terminal, we have no way of finding out who he was communicating with.”

 

“That is no necessarily true Inquisitor. Of the many gifts the Emperor bestowed upon us, one in particular may be of great use to us right now. It is called the omophagea organ. It allows us to gain information from the blood of our fallen enemies, strengths and weaknesses. If we sample an organism’s brain we can even gain knowledge of some of their memories and training. It is entirely possible that a thought as urgent as whom to warn of this attack would still be there. Brother Acestes, would you mind?”

 

Acestes walked over to the corpse by the communication terminal and drew his combat blade. With practiced precision he opened the cultists skull and made a quick series of incisions he removed part of the man’s brain that contained short term memory. Acestes removed his helmet and placed the piece of grey matter in his mouth and swallowed. He swayed for a second as potent plagues that had been coursing thru the man’s system attacked him from within, but within seconds his enhanced physiology neutralized them. Then the omophagea organ went to work dissecting the man’s memories.

 

“The Lieutenant Governor.”

 

“Say again?”

 

“The Lieutenant Governor is the man we seek Inquisitor. He introduced these traitors to a man by the name of Guillius Precentum. It was Precentum who taught them how to contact the powers of the warp and lead them to summoning this plague. He is the one who bought corruption to this world. This dead cultist was attempting to warn Lieutenant Governor Talius so Precentum could make his escape.”

 

“We do not have much time Inquisitor, we must reach the Governor’s suite as quickly as possible.”

 

“Chaplain, we are already out of time. Likely the Governor is already dead and Precentum making good his escape. “

 

“But we can still bring the Lieutenant Governor to Imperial justice, but we have only thirty minutes to do so.”

 

“And how did you come up with thirty minutes?”

 

“Earlier I receive a communication from the edge of the system. The Fifth Company has arrived in system and will begin their combat drop in fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes after the Fifth Company begins its drop the Fourth and Sixth Companies will begin theirs with Chief Librarian Mephiston at their head. If we are to salvage any honor from this fight we must do it before the Lord of Death descends on the hive.”

 

“It will take at least twelve minutes to reach the summit of the hive even using the rapid lifts on this floor. We will be cutting it close, so let’s move.”

 

*************************************************************************************

[Tabgoi]

Sorry for the long break between updates. Commitments have eaten up a large portion of my time, and I finally got my copy of the Book of Blood in, so that ate up around nine hours of time that I otherwise would have spent writing or painting. Anyways, this is going to be the second to last update and it covers a bit of ground.

 

*************************************************************************************

 

The small band of warriors tried to make the most of their time in the lift. Weapons were reloaded, munitions dispersed, and demolition charges primed. They had tried to contact the Governor to warn him of the danger but there was no response. In all likely hood he was already dead, in which case they would need to fight their way thru the most fortified compound in the hive. Tabgoi spent much of the time updating Captain Sendini on the current situation and the disposition of enemy forces. The Fifth Company would begin their assault at the landing pad on the top of the main hive spire and would work their way down relieving Imperial forces one level at a time. Storm Ravens will deliver the initial assault element consisting of two assault squads and three Tactical Squads along with all five Deadnaughts that were aboard the Strike Cruiser. They would stay in the airspace while Thuderhawk Gunships delivered the remaining Battle Brothers and began bringing the Company’s armored might to bear. The lone Thunderhawk Transporter would be delivering Land Raiders as rapidly as possible to provide mobile firebases for the advance. There would not even be enough time for the fifth company to complete deployment before the Forces under Mephiston began their own drop at which point the outcome becomes inevitable.

 

The outcome of this fight however is far from inevitable. Once the doors open they would be in the middle of a shooting gallery. Two servitor with heavy bolters are positioned to lay massed fire into the elevator. There are also four bunkers in which soldiers can lay heavy fire from virtual safety. Once they are neutralized there is still the reinforced door to get thru, which is designed to hold off an army for a week. Assuming they make it thru that door there is a two hundred meter killing ground of a hall way filled with automated turrets and pill boxes hidden in the recesses. There is one further door and then they can gain entry into the governor’s personal chambers, for which they unfortunately had no maps and no clue as to the defenses. It was true that they could wait, in twenty minutes dreadnaughts would be able to burst thru these defenses as if they were paper killing all inside. This however would not allow themselves to satisfy honor, and since when did duty wait for you to take the easy path?

 

Less than a minute to go, it was time to make final preparations. Each of the Astartes clamped a melta bomb to their greave, they would be used for the bunkers. Acestes handed out mortar rounds to each of them for the initial entry. Sgt. Hein pulled out a little treat he had been holding on to in case of an emergency, and it ever there was a time this was likely to be it. Hein double checked the fuel load and sparked the pilot light on the hand flamer giving it a little gout to ensure it was in proper working order. Once the doors open there would be zero cover so the guardsmen and Bitterblade lined up behind the Astartes for what cover they could get from them. Versalin put herself in the middle with as many projectors as she could manage forward. She had occasion to attempt withstanding direct fire with her psychic might before, but there is a big difference between sliding a melee strike off course and attempting to halt a bolter round.

 

*************************************************************************************

 

As soon as the doors had gotten four inches open the heavy bolter turrets began hammering rounds thru the gap keeping only two inches from the edge of the doors as they expanded. Rounds rocketed against the Marine’s armor rocking them to the core. A round caught Hein’s last guardsman in the knee sending him to the ground. His screams we short though as four more rounds impacted his chest before he even hit the floor. Polydeuces caught a bolter round in the knee throwing off his balance. He forced himself to remain mostly upright so he only came down to a knee, to do otherwise would have meant Bitterblade’s death. Tabgoi and Polydeuces threw their mortars into the turrets blowing them clean off the walls. Acestes side armed his spinning it like a disc thru the opening of one of the bunkers. The explosion sent a wave of blood jetting from the gap signaling the death of all inside.

 

“Sanguinius, grant that our armor may hold, shield us from the fire of our enemies. Grant that we may bring death to them in your name and the name of the Emperor. Let us show them the errors of their ways and banish them to the abyss of the warp.”

 

“In the Emperor’s name!”

 

Lasgun and heavy stubber fire lanced out from the bunkers. It was to the defender’s credit that they had the strength of will to return fire when confronted with the implacable advance of the Adeptus Astartes. The rounds impacted armor already weakened by the heavy bolter fire sending lances of pain into the three Blood Angels. Acestes advanced methodically towards the bunker the farthest to his right shielding Hein form fire as he advanced. When he got within five meters he thumbed out a handful of micro grenades and threw them into the bunker slaughtering everyone inside. Hein rolled left keeping low. He shimmied up to the next bunker and sent a long blast of the flamer thru the opening. He kept the trigger depressed until he started to hear the rounds in the stubber cook off.

 

Tabgoi limped his way forward towards the only remaining bunker. The rounds were finding weaknesses in his armor and he could feel the stings of stubber rounds impacting on his flesh. He kept pouring storm bolter fire into the bunker. A fusillade of stubber rounds hit his right leg and kicked it out from underneath him. The Chaplain hit the ground hard and immediately started rolling towards the bunker. The men inside could not angle their weapons low enough to hit the Chaplain because the walls of the bunker were too thick. Tabgoi hit the base of the bunker hard and carefully got his legs under him. He shoved himself up quickly and sprayed the inside of the bunker with fully automatic storm bolter fire. The final threat here silenced he checked the status of his leg, it seemed the make shift brace would still hold. The more pressing issue was the twelve breaches in his armor that had allowed various rounds to impact his body. Thanks to his enhanced physiology the blood loss was minimal, but he would not be able to take much more punishment, even the Emperor’s finest have their limits.

 

He turned to check on his brothers. Acestes looked like he had been sent thru a giant wood chipper. His armor was rent in fifteen places according to the readout in Tabgoi’s helmet. Much of the red pain so iconic to the Blood Angels had been stripped from his armor. The eagle on his chest was virtually destroyed by heavy stubber fire. Tabgoi estimated his combat efficiency would be at maybe sixty percent. Polydeuces was another matter. The round that hit him in the knee had gone straight thru, but unlike Tabgoi it had shattered his knee cap. The joint would be useless without major surgery. That had left him an easy target for the shooters in the bunker and he had taken much fire. He was still conscious but clearly no longer anything approaching combat ready, if he was at ten percent Tabgoi would be surprised.

 

“Brother Polydeuces, how fare you?”

 

“They are but nicks and scratches Brother Chaplain, I am still capable of carrying on the fight. Just prop me up and I will send another hundred of these filth to the warp.”

 

“I am sorry Brother, but your fight ends here for now. We will move you to the corner so you can cover our backs, but we cannot bring you with. Contact the relief forces and inform them of your need of an Apothecary. They should be able to get one here in time that you will be able to fight again in the name of the Emperor.”

 

“Brother I cannot let you”

 

“That is an order. Guard our rear. Ensure that they can get no reinforcements thru. We will see you when this is thru.”

 

*************************************************************************************

 

The door was sound, designed to hold for an extended amount of time while reinforcements arrived. There was a flaw however, one that even detailed scans would not show. In the event that the Governor was found derelict in his duty to the Emperor they left an insurance policy. Four points that if proper force was applied would bring the whole door down. Tabgoi and Acestes planted melta bombs on the four points and wired them for simultaneous detonation. They then scavenged two functional heavy bolters from the ruined turrets. It took them only a few minutes to improvise new triggers for them and to pull out as much intact ammo as they could find.

 

“Chaplain Tabgoi, it is said the Adeptus Astartes are the will of the Emperor made manifest.”

 

“This is true Inquisitor. Created by his own hand to protect humanity from its multitude of enemies and to see it brought to a glorious future.”

 

“I certainly hope it is true, for we will need his protection now more than ever before.”

 

“Indeed.”

 

Tabgoi triggered his internal vox and set off the charges. Power surged thru the bombs before being directed into the door burrowing thru in the blink of an eye. The door teetered slowly, back and forth, building momentum until it finally fell over. The Chaplain quickly took stock of the situation, and it was not what he was expecting. Apparently this was where the Lieutenant Governor’s charade came undone and battle had broken out. The automated defenses were all destroyed, several looked as if they had been ripped out of the wall. The hidden bunkers along each wall were al laid open to the air, the sights inside beyond even the mess Astartes leave in their wakes. The sickly sweet stench of rot almost overwhelmed them, and everywhere decay was present.

“You seem confused servants of the corpse emperor. Was this not what you were expecting? No desperate charge thru fortified corridors. No heroic stand before the final gates before greeting your adversary. No litanies seeking protection, no hymns of aiming. Just an empty hallway and the scent of the world you will soon join.”

 

“Lieutenant Governor Talius.”

 

“Once, but no longer. I am so much more now. Grandfather Nurgle has been most generous. The gift of this hive was seen as the great devotional act it was, and when I give him the deaths of three Astartes it will cement my position of favor in his eyes. And an Inquisitor of this psychic potential, a truly sweet gift indeed. Come forth, if your broken bodies can manage it.”

 

“In the name of the Ordo Hereticus, I Versalin Metuant declare you traitor. Denied to you is the light of the Emperor for ever more. His mercy, a most precious gift that would be wasted on you. With the aid of his most honored servants of the Blood Angels First Founding Chapter I will see you driven from this hive, to the hells of the warp to which you now claim allegiance!”

 

“Brother Acestes, who are we?”

 

“Fifth Company Brother Chaplain, Demon Banes!”

 

“Let us live up to our namesake this day.”

 

“For the Emperor!”

 

The five charged thru the corridor, keeping their eyes fixed on the doorway ahead. The doors themselves had been caved inward by some great force. As they passed thru the door they were in for another shock. Instead of the tall lanky Lieutenant Governor they were expecting to find, they were met with a sight conjured by the twisted entities of the warp. It stood over ten feet tall, its stomach bloated and distended to the floor. The stench of decay rolled off its body in waves. Pus filled boils popped and sprayed thick yellow substances over the floor. A myriad of smaller creatures climbed over and around the Greater Demon slavering in their warp curse tongue, Tabgoi recalled from his hypnotherapy that these were Nurglings. Beyond them were Plague Bearers standing witness to the desecration of the human form and the laws of this universe.

 

Tabgoi and Acestes activated their ad hoc triggers on the salvaged heavy bolters. There was no fire control here, once depressed they would fire until they jammed or ran out of ammo. A hail of fire broke across the circumference of the room blowing great holes in the hordes of demons. The bolt rounds buried themselves deep into the unprotected flesh of the warp spawn and exploded sending great gouts of flesh soaring thru the air. Tabgoi got but three seconds of fire before a bolt jammed in the feed mechanism, Acestes put his full sixty rounds into the air. The fusillade would have devastated any mortal army, but here it had almost no noticeable effect.

 

“Was that the best you are capable of little mortals?”

 

The rage had been building up within Tabgoi, and now he decided to loosen the leash on it just a hair. His armor reacted to the change and began feeding combat stimulants in greater amounts. The pain from his wounds fell off him. The Chaplain discarded the heavy bolter and drew his crozius arcanum and bolt pistol. His charge plowed thru the ranks of lesser demons with just one target in mind. The crozius flashed up and down sending warp spawn back to their master with every swipe. “For Sanguinius!” was the cry upon his lips. Acestes was only a few seconds behind him drawing his power sword in a two handed grip hacking his way back to his Chaplain’s side. The tide of the enemy however would not allow him the movement he sought. Every second that passed the gap between him and Tabgoi increased, it seemed like no matter how many he killed it would not be enough.

 

Versalin channeled her might thru the intricately woven matrix of emitters along the length of her sword. She carved a brutal arc thru the horde before her bring down three of the Plague Bearers. With a flick of her mind into the emitters on her left arm she landed a brutal backhanded blow on another Plague Bearer knocking it aside as if it were a rag doll. Sgt. Hein brought his chain blade around severing the arm of a demon on the Inquisitor’s right and Versalin slid into the space he created. Bitterblade sent flurries of strikes into each demon that dared to threaten the Inquisitor’s flank. In the blink of an eye six or seven blows that would spell near instant death to any mortal opponent would land. Unfortunately these were no mere mortal opponents and often it would take ten to twenty blows to see each monstrosity drop.

 

The sea of demons suddenly parted before Tabgoi, to make room for their master to claim his prize. The Greater demon swung a massive fist at the Chaplain which Tabgoi deflected with a full magazine of his bolt pistol into the thing’s arm. Tabgoi followed thru driving his crozius deep into the stomach of the spawn of Nurgle collapsing it in a burst of gore. Undaunted the beast side swiped him sending him careening into the wall. His battered armor cracked under the impact. He could feel his black carapace break, at least one piece of which went thru his secondary heart and a lung. The power supply had a major rupture and began shutdown procedures. He could feel the weight of his armor settle over him as it no longer responded to his will.

 

Acestes saw the Chaplain fly across the room and the indicator on his heads up display indicate critical system failure. He called out and tried to batter his way to the fallen Astartes but there were too many Plague Bearers between them. He felt a rusted blade pierce his shoulder and resorted to swinging wildly with one hand. The Inquisitor and her retinue tried to move forward to intercept the demon but they were likewise held in place. As his HUD went dead Tabgoi saw the Greater Demon approach him.

 

“This is how you end Astartes, this is your death. Where is your precious emperor now? Where is your primarch Sanguinius when you most need him? All of your bravado and faith leads you to this point in time. Do you have any last words before I dedicate your soul to Grandfather Nurgle?”

 

The Chaplain reach up painfully and removed his helm. With a cough of blood he manage to spit out a single sentence, “Beware the fury of the fallen.”

 

“Ohh, but I believe I have very little to fear from you, a broken body soon to be separated from a misguided mind.”

 

A spasm took the Chaplain that the demon mistook for further coughing. It was only as the Chaplain uttered, “not me…” that a look of confusion came over the demon.

 

<Edit: I realized I mentioned ribs breaking and piercing organs as if he was a human. I got into the flow and forgot that all of the ribs are fused together to for the black carapace, so in effect you could think of it as Space Marines either having no ribs, or just one REALLY big one. It has been corrected.>

[Judaz]

Damnit! Don't leave us hanging like this!

[ReachOnyx2552]

One thing i thought of was putting the names of whos talking some where in the dialog. its hard to tell whos talking. Other than that awesome story. :)

[Sanguinarian]

DAGUMMIT, TABGOI!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Scuttle everything else! Crank it up and bring it home!!!!!!!! :drool: :drool: :drool:

[Tabgoi]

One thing i thought of was putting the names of whos talking some where in the dialog. its hard to tell whos talking. Other than that awesome story. :cuss

 

I had actually looked at doing something along the lines of this for dialog:

 

Versain, “Is this some form of Astartes post battle ritual?”

 

Tabgoi, “Yes Inquisitor, it is something like that. Sergeant Hein, can you give m a status update?”

 

Hein, “We lost Ramirez when we began moving from the console to the doors. We are at one third of our starting ammunition supply but we have a full supply of grenades still. Otherwise were are still combat capable.”

 

Tabgoi, “I am sorry about your lost man, know that he is with the Emperor now and rejoice for him. What was his full name?”

 

Hein, “John Ramirez.”

 

Tabgoi, “He will be remembered. Take rest while you can, it will be ten minutes until we reach our destination.”

 

The problem is in the high dialog areas it looked to me to drag down the story and give it a much rougher look. When I go back thru the story to clean it up I will have to look at the dialog and figure out a way to make it clearer without dragging everything down. Which in a way leads me to why I stopped where I did on the story so far. Normally I post the rough stuff with the plan on going back once I have finished and cleaning it up (such as needing to name the system and hive, other things I glossed over early on). I had previously written the next section, but I lost it some where in the mess of files on my computer. So I rewrote it and went all the way to the finish of this story with the groundwork laid for the next (as a little idea of what I am planning, it is going to include some chases thru the streets of a hive by marines on bikes). The problem is that what I just wrote is really missing something and comes off kind of hollow. Its not the actual ending/transition, its the area between here and there. So unlike normal, I have to go over and refine it prior to posting, which unfortunately is going to take some time. I'll try and get it fit for posting here shortly. I know I hate it when shows do a cliff hanger just to build up suspense, so I will do what I can to get the update in soon. It seems better to put something up that is a satisfying end instead of one that lets you down.

[ReachOnyx2552]

Awesome. Cant wait to read more of the story :ph34r:

[Judaz]

Don't bother with names in front of the quotes. It's better to do something like this when it's a lot of lines in a row:

 

“Is this some form of Astartes post battle ritual?”

 

“Yes Inquisitor, it is something like that. Sergeant Hein, can you give m a status update?” Tabgoi said and looked down at the Sergeant.

 

“We lost Ramirez when we began moving from the console to the doors. We are at one third of our starting ammunition supply but we have a full supply of grenades still. Otherwise were are still combat capable.”

 

“I am sorry about your lost man, know that he is with the Emperor now and rejoice for him. What was his full name?”

 

“John Ramirez.” the sergeant looked down at the dog tags of the fallen comrade.

 

“He will be remembered. Take rest while you can, it will be ten minutes until we reach our destination.”