Templars! in an adventure with guard

[my_face]

Templars! in an adventure with guard

 

 

Chapter one

 

The dim red glow of the emergency lighting of the bunker did little to cut through the darkness. Steam rose from pipes all around the command centre, and was creating an unbearable heat that made the outside seem like a glorious cool savanna.

In reality the chances of ever even seeing the outside again was already a distant memory.

The remainder of the Catachans were all engaged in the mad fury in their last hour of existence. Sergeants were at the fray, with their squad mates, trying to delay the inevitable for a chance that the comm teams might yet have a response. The battle for space must be lost supposed a commissar at the entrance to the compound, roaring his defiance at the howling enemies before him, giving all who watched him a false sense of security, even as the frag missile streaked past and hit the back wall of the tunnel killing the whole unit. 

The comms room gently shook as Frak drew his hot shot lasgun and signalled to his team to get ready. the stormtroopers checked their equipment and jogged out, into the tunnels leading to the entrance. More guard were dug in behind barracades, some had heavy weapons but realistically far too few in number thought the squad as they moved up to the front. Frak could hear the screams of some dying men now, before they were cut short and howling laughter followed. 

"Go..now" he miked to the squad "through here" ducking into an old filtration room and crouching behind the open blast screen, the wall's still burning after the impact. They were right next to the regrouping renegades and Frak gave the signal for his team to fire on his order

"Lets burn 'em, torch em when i go Orl" he hissed into his mike, checking his own equipment before putting his fist up.

Orl span around off his cover behind the wall as the veteran sergeants fist came down, he made eye contact with a pair of black, glass like eyeballs below an old hood. The face was rotten around an old vox unit, it snarled and made to defend itself. The creature or whatever it was exploded into flame along with at least six others behind it. Frak and the rest of the squad brought their firepower to bear down the tunnel.

"incoming.." 

Frak dropped and stared at Arla, who had the comm box linked to the last online channel from the command room.

"Throne! what do you mean incoming?"

"FRAK!"

Zel had just seen a traitor space marine squad marching through the smoke. Frak looked over the wall and got his lasgun back into firing position. He saw them, about 100 yards away, their eyes glowing an impossible bright purple. He felt sick as he and his squad opened fire, the smell was worse than the toxic swamps back on catachan. The chaos space marines returned fire, loud cracks echoed down the hall as the renegades emptied their bolters on full auto at the stormtroopers position. But none hit, Frak and the squad had got a couple of shots in before piling out of the room and regrouping in the adjoining tunnel. 

"Not them, we have reinforcements entering system" declared Arla in a stoney voice, as she always did. It seemed that she took pleasure or whatever it was from being as unsupriseable and unflappable as possible. The whole squad did, they were fine soldiers, but even better whe trying to out class each other. Frak stared at her blast visor behind his, raising an eyebrow she didnt see. Come to think of it, it was suprising that his visor even closed, he hadnt shaved in months and it seemed to strain for escape. 

"Frag's! Move!"

before the space marines had turned the corner the stormtroopers had fallen back after cooking off the grenades and chucking them next to the smoking bodies scattered over the floor. The space marines stopped and were blown away a second later, outright killing one and disabling another

"Astartes, that's who"

"Mean trick Arla, we dead an make joke" grunted Zel with his basic grasp of language, barely able to communicate, he was more used to the signals the squad made to each other and had a keen eye for danger. Even if he was the oldest guy in the whole of the imperial guard the squad used to joke. 

"No joke Zel, Frak we have multiple aircraft and drop pod's incoming"

"Clear left! Go Orl get that flamer up!"

The squad broke cover and popped out in front of the back-heeling marine pouring las fire straight to the helm, bringing it down. Orl torched the squads trying to move up and they hoisted themselves up and back into the filtration room through the open blast window.  They primed and threw a grenade each and heard the pops as the burning survivors were finished off.

"Praise the Emperor then, there might be a way out of here" said Frak poking his head over the edge, trying to make sense of the carnage down the tunnel. There were bits of guard armour and helmets, still with limbs inside them oozing crimson blood that was piled up against the wall under his nose. Smoking robes still burned with the bodies of cultists, which made the smoke dark and thick. 

There seemed to be no more support and at the entrance flashes could be seen followed shortly by a series of thud's. This was the Astartes Frak supposed and he signalled his squad to move out back through the window, treading down the stack of dead. 

Moving past the downed Chaos space marines, Arla saw their dark red armour, adorned with hideous skulls and faces, bright glowing stones set in glowing armour.

"Nice try, Word bearers none the less though" sighed Arla as she spat on them and the squad allowed themselves a rare chuckle

Frak waved his squad up on either side of the accessway, the battle outside could now be heard clearly as the smoke was pouring past them and out into the dry heat of the mountains. Before them, the entrance to the bunker was situated in the crack of one of the largest mountains of Ferrit 12, the crack led out to a rocky quarry that stretched for miles before the endless sand dunes started. Frak crept into the foyre and opened fire on some renegades trying to set up a heavy weapons station. 

The squad followed up and Frak signalled his orders. Bursting out into the open they dived behind a rockcrete barrier and fired on the autocannon turrets below them in the quarry.

A well thrown frag by Orl blew up an ammo dump next to some kind of massive figure with a huge gun. Another chuckle from the squad was allowed as they all saw it disappear, an explosion of red mist blew across in the wind.

Frak could see where the battle was now raging. Four drop pods had landed in a line dividing the chaos forces as a massive Thunderhawk gunship banked round and fired its main battle cannon at a group of tanks on the high ground of the quarry. It slowed and moved above the battle below as its forward hatch opened and marines rocketed out on jump packs. Two smaller Thunderhawk type crafts were also coming in low taking up covering positions by the larger gunship. By now the black armoured astartes were turning the quarry floor into a bloodbath.

Frak could see white and black shoulder armour and gold chains in the midst of the chaos, moving at a ferocious speed into the laast defenders who were by now turning to run to the sand dunes and flee the slaughter. 

The team made ground to an abandoned lascannon and took up firing positions on a few pockets of defence and blowing up a few tanks that brought the astartes gunships closer, its targetting sensor identifying the squad, before it banked left and dipped a wing in thanks for the help. They watched the gunships leave and took a triumphant stroll down the roadway to meet the space marines. No enemy resistance remained and the stormtroopers laughed together as they walked casually together past the boots of the monster Orl had blown up.

The squad stopped though as they all heard a low thundering noise coming from the quarry floor. They looked down at the astartes standing around in the middle of the bodies.

"You do realise they are the Black Templars?" Arla enquired, struggling to keep her confused voice sincere.

"Noted that five minutes ago Arla, question is what are they doing laughing"

The noise of the black templars laughing through vox casters at full volume as they stepped out onto the battlefield was deafening. The Black templars were striding around at their leisure, either pointing at headless chaos marines or taking pictures of each other in a victorious pose with a dead chaos champion or similar. The stormtroopers walked over to the nearest marines and saluted.

The Templar turned around, not stopping laughing with his brothers who all turned to face Frak and his squad. There black armour plate was already sandy, their old robes breezed in the wind and the gold chains that hung around his armour and around his massive bolter clanked heavily as he moved.

"Stormtroopers!" blared the space marine

"Serg-"

"Nice shooting on that lascannon, our pilot was impressed"

"Getting harder to please that old joyrider!" one of the other Templars roared, to which was met by more deafening laughter

Two marines then put their hands up and hit each others palms in mid air, which sounded like an autogun going off.

"Sergeant Frak 51st catachan ferrit elite guard" Frak raised his voice, trying to be heard and saluting again

"Any superiors left stormtrooper Frak?" the space marine said turning back to face Frak

 

"We have a link here Sir" Frak waved up Arla, with the relay. The other two templars had embroiled themselves with kicking around a chaos marines helmet before one of them suddenly flattened it beneath his massive boot. The helm was then picked up and thrown out over the dunes like a holo-disc which forced one of the marines to his knees in laughter

"Well sergeant Frak i dont want it, go and see one of my sword brethren, over there by that drop pod"

Sergeant Frak made the aquila but the templar had already joined his brothers in a game kicking around chaos helmets.

"They arent like those ultramarines"Orl said to Frak

"They fought pretty damn well" Frak still couldnt work it out. He shook off the marines behavior and carried on with his objectives.

They jogged to the drop pods in the middle of the quarry floor, past some Templars still voxing laughter, while others groups were silent, yet throwing their weight around and making hand gestures to each other. Frak guessed they obviuosly had a private channel like theirs. Most waved at the stormtroopers so they waved back which made a templar fist clap another. Zel tried it with Darus and they laughed to each other and decided to call it a high five.

Out in the bodies a few marines were walking around, rooting out the dying and living. Just a casual jump onto a living cultist made the squad of marines point and laugh.

At the base of the nearest drop pod a group of five marines stood around, either on a computer built into the drop pd or examining their weapons. Long cloaks and swinging lanterns hung from their black armour. Where the massive pod had landed it had set itself diagonally into the stone floor taking a few bodies with it.

The stormtroopers stood in rank before the serious looking marines towering before them.

"Sergeant Frak 51st catachan ferrit elite guard" Frak made the aquila on his chest

"As you were sergeant" 

The space marine who had spoken jumped off the rocky mound making the ground shake as he strided over to the squad. He had golden chainsword, chained to a heavy shackle locked to his gauntlet. His other hand carried a storm shield that was easily as tall as the sergeant, it must have weighed a ton. 

Frak waved uo Arla with the comm unit. She handed the cable to the marine next to the drop pod who was working silently on a computer.

'Its a good job there are still guard on this planet Hannibal' one of the other Templars shouted as he took his place next to the giant human. He too wore old robes, with many red seals fixed with golden stamps to his belt and boots. Frak could see where his armour had taken battle damage as a boltgun had been unloaded into him. The templar saw Frak looking at it and laughed.

'It was even better when i smacked it in the face with  his own gun"

'Yeah i saw that, it flew like a missile' Hannibal roared "You could have hit one of the aircraft you lunatic!'

This had the marines in stitches, two of them doubled over having to steady themselves on each other

'Yeah and then i grabbed his buddy and kicked him in the balls!'

'Righteous fury that was, Murdoch'

"zee-ul zee-ul zee-ul' the marines stood around chanting childishly 

'And then i gutted another and was all like judgement of righteous you know what i mean!' The templars all clapped loudly as Murdoch span round and demonstrated how he had destroyed five renegade marines in about seven seconds, swinging his chainsword around with a heavy thud as his boots cracked the stone floor

'Dorn's name that was some killing!'

At that moment the whole quarry boomed with the Templars shouting in unison

'For Dorn, For the Emperor, For Sigismund'

'For the Emperor!' the stormtroopers shouted as they all made an aquila across their chests.

Hannibal turned his attention back to Frak as the sword brethren resumed their pushing and shoving between each other, only this time speaking through their vox units openly. They made jokes about the battle or boasted outrageous claims of looted treasure.

'Sergeant Frak'

'Sir yes sir!'

'Lets go see your command group then' Hannibal signaled his team to regroup and they bought themselves forward, leaning over the stormtroopers who turned to lead the way back up to the mountain road.

 

'Here Frak where are you going? We are taking the Land raider!' Hannibal laughed as Frak turned and saw the tank thundering down to them, driving straight through an old building and carving a path through the corpses littering the quarry floor.

Frak saw this land raider had a row of bolters on sponsons hanging off the sides, a twin linked assault cannon sat between two rows of studded charges that covered the front treads.

The tank barreled in at full speed, only to lock the left tread at the last moment, bringing it round and hurtling towards them sideways.

'What are you waiting for, get out of the way!' Hannibal was running with his squad to get into cover, the stormtroopers were stood watching the land raider incoming. They scrambled in behind the marines as the tank ground to a halt where the squad had been been gathered and killed its engines.

'Throne that was close' Orl wheezed where Frak had dived on him. The marines were laughing again and jeering the tanks driver on such an epic entrance. The top hatch noisily clunked open and the front ramps quickly whined down. A head appeared from the hatch to sarcastic wolf whistles from the templars. The tank was hissing and clicking from cooling down, its treads had sand stuck to red gore that caked the tracks and armour. The bolter sponsons were tracking the non astartes and the red lenses whirred and clicked as they focused on Frak and his squad.

'Nice of you to arrive swiftly brother' Hannibal called out

The marine inside the tank lifted his bulk out of the hatch with a big grin on his face. Frak noticed he had not one, but a whole mouth of gold teeth, which caught the bright sun with the effectiveness of a mirror.

'Welcome aboard Severus Vindicta brothers' He called out. The tank began its ignition sequence and the enormous engine howled into life, the machine juddered violently and began to purr down to a steady grumble. The two squads embarked and the storm troopers found themselves squeezed to the back, not wanting to get trodden on as the marines closed the ramp, plunging them all into a dim red glow.

'A ride in an astartes land raider!' Arla giggled, struggling to contain herself. She realised her mistake as she caught the squad staring at her. She looked forward and saw the templars had also turned round and were staring. She tried to recover

'I jus-' The Tank thundered into life and the rising whine of the turbo's cranking up drowned out her protests. The treads snapped into drive and with a huge wheelspin it burst forwards, tearing two long gouges into the rock below.

 

 

 

Chapter 2

 

 

Sibragtus paced around in his quarters, he was still in his armour and had his arcanum resting on his shoulder. His powerfist crackled with a blue spark as he activated it with a thought of his mind then switched it off and on again. He had been like this for the last three hours since arriving back onboard Sigismund's Dread from the thunderhawk. After informing Thiudoriek about their cleansing of the chaos assaulting the planet below he had skulked back to gather his thoughts and prepare for the evening gathering.

'How am i supposed to lie to them all' 

The words as he spoke them made him stop and raise his fist. He curled his fingers and turned his head to look at the hymn book resting on the plinth at the far end of the dark room. Great banners from crusades past hung from the walls and the incense burning filled the room with a light haze.

Sibragtus breathed heavily and closed his eyes. The crackle from the powerfist as it burst into life filled him with power, then the cool room waved over him again as he deactivated it.

'Why fight it? We can offer you so much..the power..the riches..'

His eyes lazily opened. His brothers still on the surface of the planet should now be preparing the humans for travel up to the ship. Their was nothing of any value down there anyway, the guard posted there were most likely forgotten. It would serve the imperium better if they fought for the crusade.

He reached for the injector lying on the stone table and screwed it into his wrist. 

The power he felt as he strode out and into the walkways was pleasing, he brought his crozius down and activated both his fist and the ancient power weapon. The walkway glowed and Sibragtus grinned and turned his grizzly face to bathe in the dim light.

'Reclusiarch'

 

'Aye brother, what do you require'

Luthor stood in his robes behind the chaplain, his hood up and his arms crossed. Sibragtus turned, his arms lowered but the weapons still active. Luthor raised his head to meet his brothers eyes.

'I had visions, not the ones i would like to have again'

Sibragtus laughed 'Why? do you seek an audience with me for comfort..or prayer?

Luthor bowed his head. His recent ascent from a neophyte had been well known throughout Thiudorieks crusade as his actions on Gheyter 7 had won him much adoration.

'Sibragtus..i have seen something darker in the images something...more powerful'

Sibragtus cut the power with a thought and the two were hidden as the gloom overtook them. His grin disappeared and his face took on a look that could have brought a grown man to his knees.

'We shall root out this menace Luthor, the Emperor protects, you may have just brought me a missing piece of the puzzle'

'I will pray for us all at sermon tonight reclusiarch'

Sibragtus was scared, his brow was growing hotter and his palms were dry. Luthor has noticed, for sure He thought to himself, but his brother bowed his head and turned back down the corridor, before he was swallowed by the dark. The power weapons sparked into life again, the power,the riches. The words cycled through his mind like a broken holo disc, Sibragtus was growing madder, and more furious with each passing second. Soon he would snap and... Ha! He laughed to himself and raised his fist and the crozius arcanum up to his face again, emitting a glow that would blind a normal man at this proximity.

 

'The power...'

'I already have enough power witch' he grumbled in a booming echo down the corridor 

'You will see that soon enough'