Last Words

[Eetion]

My name is Lieutenant Bran Gerrex.. I am the senior Auger Officer of the Dauntless Light Cruiser Guardian.. And this is probably the last thing I shall ever write.

They took us… Even now I write this from the bowels of their ship… The Captain, Commissar and First officer… all dismembered before us… A warning…. It was just a warning for us, against disobedience. What remains of our crew, barely 2000 and we are being held within the bilge pumps, under lash and constant surveillance, by degenerate wretches. They searched us for weapons, but left me my stylus and a scrap of parchment I carried. So if you are reading this, then this is my account of the ‘Guardians’ Patrol into the Perrix system leading to the eventual destruction of the ship and our incarceration. It is my hope that with my account, the mystery surrounding our disappearance will eventually be solved.

We had been assigned the task of patrolling the Perrix system, in an effort to identify the base of operations of the pirates plaguing the shipping lanes there. It didn’t take us long for us to identify our targets, a trio of infidel raiders lurking on the outer reaches of the system, no doubt attacking incoming transports dropping out of warp near the translation point. Upon seeing us the cowards fled, Captain Vas immediately ordered a pursuit course in an effort to either eliminate the vessels, or identify their base of operations. We were a fast ship, but so are the Raiders and they kept just outside of weapons range.

I kept up a steady auger contact, they were burning their drives pretty heavily in an effort to lose us. It was a bit strange as they circumnavigated the Perrix Nebulae, its ionised gasses and poor sensor penetration would have made it ideal to escape our augers, and break our pursuit. Captain Vas and Commissar Kren theorised that they were heading straight to their base of operations, in order to gather support. We were informed that we were to continue pursuit, and if superior forces were encountered that we would withdraw and contain the Pirates until Battlefleet Epsylon could deploy reinforcements.

Our pursuit continued as our quarry headed for Perrix IV, a Gas Giant. Our auger readings suddenly became sketchy as they grazed the ionosphere, as the gasses hindered an effective auger lock. We lost contact as they passed the far side of the world, as we commenced our orbit. The Captain ordered an increase in speed in order to gain an auger lock and re-establish contact with the renegades. As we orbited, we suffered numerous technical problems to the augers and communications due to the planetary gasses.
As we completed our orbit, contact was established once again with the Raiders, they had come about on the far side of the planet and had formed up in an attack run, no doubt hoping to ambush us during the auger blackout. We brought about and readied weapons batteries, but it was not the Raiders who struck us first. A trio of lance strikes smashed into our underside.

We worked franticly trying to identify the new contact… The next few minutes were hectic, Captain Vas belted out orders, vector changes, reverse thrusters and firing solutions, all the while our void shields took a battering as the infidels commenced their strafing runs, but we were still sustaining massive damage.

I was the first to know what we were dealing with, I had obtained an Auger Lock. It was a Desolator Class Battleship, codified ‘Heart of Heresy’ cogitators place it as previously the ‘Star of Vandire’ commissioned in M36 during the Apostasy, The ‘Star of Vandire’ orchestrated massed genocide of multiple worlds at the whim of the Ecclesiarch, It was eventually driven into the Maelstrom after two centuries of pursuit by supporters of Sebastian Thor.

They had held position in low orbit, the Ionised Gasses and Heavy Metals obstructing any previous auger contact. It was only with the Desolator leaving the planetary Gasses that had enabled us to obtain a lock. We had been baited, that’s why the raiders had ignored the Nebulae. We had been led here… and walked right into their ambush.

A lance strike had shattered our drives, we were adrift, and unable to escape the gravity well of Perrex IV, as the ship began its doomed descent. Captain Vas had given the order to Abandon ship, as those of us who could evacuated to the saviour pods and life boats. I was fortunate, I got aboard one of the port side lifeboats, those on the starboard doomed themselves, launching straight into the Gas Giant. Perhaps they were the lucky ones.

I saw the Guardian being pulled down into Perrex IV, a burning hulk, to be crushed by the immense pressure… along with 5000 menials on the Engine decks, and bowels of the ships. I can see from the view port, the Chaos scum are gathering the pods…

They were coming…

Resistance was useless... I was aware that lifeboat Rho36 Alpha resisted, being that it was filled with Dozens of Naval Armsmen, that boat being assigned nearest the armoury. After 45 mins an infidel simply just obliterated it with a turret burst.

Dozens died on my own boat in a feeble attempt to resist. A Melta Charge detonated on the exterior as we were boarded, 6 with the Melta charge, a further 15 before the Captain surrendered his sword.

We were led in chains and transported, we we were beaten. Those who resisted shackles, were crippled, I saw Ensign Faerik scowl at one of them, and for his trouble he had a knife shoved in his left eye... And his tongue cut out... The convulsions stopped after 4 minutes after he finally lost conciousness, death came shortly after that.

They call him the Void Reaver, the Commander of this fleet, I know not his real name, simply he is now my master and the Emperor is now a blasphemy to the true Pantheon of Chaos. To utter his name or whisper for his protection is to die.

We were whipped bloody, and I have been assigned to the Gun decks, hoisting shells into position. Shells that will be fired on men in the Imperial Navy. Men like me. It will be back breaking, I know, I saw the conditions on the Guardian, and iv no doubt the conditions here will be much much worse.

So here it is. Barely 2000 of us survived the Disaster. May the Emperor watch over our souls.

Forgive me.