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Thanks guys :blush.: :smile.: Real life's been pretty hectic the last week (and looks set to continue that way for a while) so unfortunately progress has been very slow. Have managed to do a bit of writing the last couple of nights though, and I'm just about happy enough with the next section to post it, which I will do shortly. Will add to it when I can.  

 

Brother Excedis: Painting is planned, but it'll still be a little while yet before I post any completed pics. It's been years (literally) since I did any serious painting, so will probably (actually, make that definately :smile.: ) need to practice a bit before I'm confident enough to post anything up for critique.

 

Thanks once again! :smile.:

The Revenants were preparing for battle. At this distance the Shadow was barely noticeable, manifesting only as a slight sense of unease that lingered faintly in his thoughts. This was the first time he had witnessed Second Company deployed en masse, and he was forced to admit that even without the psychic aura, they were still an intimidating sight.

 

A veritable wall of sound rose from the valley, a deafening cacophony of revving engines and shrieking chainblades, the tempo rising and falling in waves as the Revenants tested their weapons and equipment in unison. Although each warrior was clad in the same jet black armour and near identical skull helm, he was able to recognise most of the units in the formation below, either from their heraldry or their armament. Unlike a traditional Battle Company, the Revenants were divided into a wide variety of different squad types, each with their own specialisation and combat role. Almost all were represented in the gathering host.


As usual, the attack squadrons formed the vanguard, their black mounts matching the armour of their riders. Every bike was marked by a banner of burnished steel feathers as a homage to their Ravenwing ancestory, while twin bolters protruded ominously from the characteristic winged fairings. In addition to their personal heraldry, each rider wore the Calvariae Crucem, the skull cross which, along with their curved cavalry sabres, symbolised both their company and calling. Amongst their ranks, he could also make out the distinctive robes of the Maledictus Equites, the Cursed Knights. Heavily armed with plasma weaponry, grenade launchers, war-mauls and eviscerators, the mounted veterans were renowned for both their skill in mobile warfare and their sheer ferocity in battle.


Behind the bikers, the infantry were assembling. Most were equipped as jump troops, their bulky silhouettes displaying an eclectic mixture of single and double thruster packs and even ancient, pre-heresy turbine designs. The remainder lined up in ranks, waiting to embark Thunderhawks and Night Ravens. Each unit was distinguished by their equipment: Execution teams, practically overloaded with ammunition for their customised bolters; Hellrazers clutching heat blackened flamers and meltaguns; heavily armed Murder squads, war helms framed by the tentacle like tubes of their frenzon injectors; pistol wielding Destroyers, festooned with melta charges and grenade belts; Headhunter assassins with their trademark twin gladius blades, the skull trophies of their prey clanking on chains against their armour.

 

At the rear of the formation, the Company's vehicles were receiving their pre-flight checks and being reloaded with ordinance. Grounded gunships, landspeeders and Nephilim fighters were surrounded by black clad tech priests and teams of servitors; the cybernetic work-crews were amongst the few mortals able to function in such close proximity to the Shadow. Even for the Mechanicum, the psychic field was still a potentially dire threat and as he watched, a loading servitor collapsed, blood streaming from it's eyes and mouth. With so many Shadowcasters gathered together, he thought to himself, the effects must be brutally intense.


There had to be almost three hundred warriors deployed in the valley. Not for the first time, he realised that the Revenants were practically a Chapter in their own right. Indeed, their numbers were greater than most Astartes forces could boast when they were initially founded. Nor could he be certain that every member of Second Company was present. With their own ships, recruitment and support infrastructure, the Revenants existed almost completely separately from the rest of the Sword Bearers. It was entirely possible that this was not a full deployment, and that other members of Second Company were still absent, prosecuting the plans of the Council and the wishes of the Emperor elsewhere.

 

Sensing a presence on the hillside behind him, he turned to face the newcomer, his movements still slow and sluggish. Despite the artificers best efforts, including the complete replacement of nearly half the suit's systems, his armour remained only barely functional. The damage it had sustained had been immense, for it to be operational at all in such a short space of time was a testament to the armourer's skill and dedication. Nevertheless, it's ability to endure a combat situation was highly uncertain. He would find out soon enough, he told himself.


In contrast to his own, battered plate, the newcomers artificer armour seemed as pristine and gleaming as ever. Neither of them were helmed, their heads covered by dark hoods that shaded their eyes from the desert glare.


"An impressive sight, are they not Sergeant?" Even without his vox bead, the Third Captain's voice carried effortlessly over the tumultuous roar of the Revenant's preparations.

"Aye my Lord. That they are." Balian tried to answer as cordially as possible.


Unfortunately, his last mission alongside both Orbec and Second Company was still far too fresh in his memory.


***


The maintenance tunnel stretched into the distance, a seemingly endless steel tube as far as genetically enhanced eyes could see. Even in Scout armour, he was forced to move on all fours, the crawl space barely large enough for a human, let alone an Astartes physique.

 

There was almost no light, but his visor, combined with his own, augmented vision, enabled him to see well enough. This section of the tunnel was almost oppressively warm, and he suspected he was travelling above some of the primary heat exchangers. Large sections of the Necropolis were heavily refrigerated, keeping the corpses within in a state of almost cryogenic suspension. The heat which was drawn from these chambers was then pumped out of the city, adding to the perpetual heat haze that surrounded it's towering walls.


The most surprising aspect of his journey had been the noise. As it was essentially a massive, mountain sized morgue, he had assumed that the Necropolis would be practically silent. Instead there was a loud and constant background hum, a vibration which passed through the tunnel walls and pounded at his ear drums. At first he had assumed the sound was mechanical, the by-product of generators and other systems. As he listened closer though, and his hearing became accustomed to the din, he realised he was wrong.

The sound was actually voices. Millions of voices, constantly and collectively chanting.

For a city of the dead, Aldous thought to himself, there appeared to be no shortage of life within it's walls.

Edited by spacedhulk

Do you actually write published works? Because personally this work is to good to be just a hobby. I have only encountered writing this good in books that have been published and sold in places like what used to be Borders, or Books a Million.

Sadly not mate :smile.: Just an enthusiastic amateur at this point. Always been an ambition to have something published though, and possibly even to write for a living as well. Hopefully one day I might have a go at writing a proper book.

 

Appreciate the compliment though mate:thanks:

Sadly not mate :smile.: Just an enthusiastic amateur at this point. Always been an ambition to have something published though, and possibly even to write for a living as well. Hopefully one day I might have a go at writing a proper book.

 

Appreciate the compliment though mate:thanks:

Well if you keep up the Sword Bearers fluff you'll have a book in no time! :biggrin.:

The Pathfinder emerged in a large, well lit, circular chamber. It was a junction room, where over twenty maintenance tunnels all converged together. The chamber itself was simply the bottom of an immense vertical shaft that rose, higher and higher, into the uppermost levels of the Necropolis.

 

For the first time since he had entered the city, he encountered resistance.

 

There were three sentries. Each was shrouded in a long, black, hooded robe, similar to those worn by his own Chapter, but it was not enough to disguise either their enhancements or identity. Although still significantly smaller than an Astartes, each of them boasted a bulky, over-muscled physique. These were the Necropeans, the gene-enhanced elite of the Secessionist armies. While their physical modifications were primitive by Space Marine standards, their sheer brute strength and relentless tenacity had quickly become infamous amongst the Imperial forces that had faced them in battle. Aldous knew that beneath the robes, the steroid bloated warriors wore suits of finest Adeptus Arbite carapace armour. Each suit had been stripped from the corpse of an Imperial Arbitrator during the initial uprisings in the Iris Sector, then adapted to fit the lumbering forms of the regime's new enforcers.

 

Of course, Aldous thought to himself, while the hardened steel carapace gave them a considerable degree of protection, the Necropean warriors still lacked the durability and benefits provided by power armour.

 

Unfortunately, at this point in time, so did he.

 

The sentries spotted Aldous at almost exactly the same time as he saw them, but his reactions, born of Astartes training, genetics and centuries of experience, were infinitely quicker. The customised shotgun he wielded, the twin to the one strapped to his back, was known as Tacita Venator, or the Silent Hunter. Long ago he had personally etched the name into the blackened steel of it's barrel, a mark of appreciation for the weapon's capabilities. He raised it now one handed, firing it like a pistol at the shrouded face of the nearest sentry, then quickly chambered and fired a second round, point blank, into the massive chest of another. Tacita Venator was well named, both shots were almost completely silent, the only sounds had been a dull, subdued popping noise as the first sentry's head exploded into bloody fragments, and a muted crash as the second warrior was thrown six feet back into the wall of the chamber.

 

All this happened in less than three seconds, before any of the rebel warriors had even unslung their weapons.

 

The third Necropean had just managed to raise his hellgun when Aldous reached him. The pathfinder swung his armoured gauntlet in a long, diagonal strike, triggering the blade mechanism and the power field at the same time. The energised sword sliced straight through both the sentry's rifle and his left elbow. For a moment, the hooded warrior seemed to stare, disbelievingly, at the cauterised stump of his arm, before Aldous struck again with his back swing, decapitating the hulking rebel where he stood.

 

Even as the headless corpse collapsed to the ground, Aldous was sprinting across the chamber to where the second Necropean was reaching for his fallen autogun. Smoke was rising from the warrior's robes where the shotgun blast had detonated against his armour. Before he could grasp the weapon, the Pathfinder rammed his power blade straight through the rebel's torso, impaling him against the chamber wall. As the warrior convulsed, Aldous glanced at the display built into his left vambrace. The Scout armour was equipped with powerful, short range jamming equipment, capable of disrupting any vox within a nearby radius. Satisfied that the jammer was working correctly and that none of the sentries had managed to send a distress signal, Aldous retracted the sword back into the gauntlet, letting the now motionless body slide to the ground.

 

An anti-grav platform was built into the floor at the centre of the chamber. Kicking aside the dismembered arm of the second sentry, Aldous stepped onto the lift pad and pressed the ignition switch. Instantly the platform began to rise, gaining momentum as it ascended into the upper levels of the city.

 

Aldous glanced down again at his vambrace display, this time at the built in chronometer.

 

He was running out of time.

Edited by spacedhulk

Cheers mate! :smile.: And big thank you to all you guys for your kind words and support. Have always tended to be very critical of my own writing, so the comments and encouragment really are appreciated.

 

Unfortunately work has been manic the last week so progress has been very slow. The next chapter is under way though (about half done I think) so will hopefully be updating again soon.

 

Thanks again brothers. :smile.:

Edited by spacedhulk

The remnants of Third Company had gathered on the hillside. Below full strength even before their deployment, the bitter fighting to secure both the landing zone and the outer defences of the Necropolis had taken it's toll on Orbec's warriors. Out of over a hundred marines, now only fifty seven remained fit for action.

 

In other Chapters, including the majority of their Unforgiven brothers, such losses would have been replenished from the Reserve Companies. Fresh warriors, or even entire squads, would have been transferred, replacing casualties and reinforcing the main battle line wherever necessary. This was not the case amongst the Sword Bearers. The isolation of the extreme edge of the Eastern Fringe, combined with the sheer number of systems under their protection, meant that they had long since abandoned the concept of reserves. With the notable exceptions of the First and Tenth, the entire Chapter, including the Revenants, were designated as Battle Companies: primary combat units expected to operate completely autonomously and without support.

 

As he watched the depleted squads form up around him, Balian wondered once again whether his Chapter's divergence from the Codex, so many millennia before, had been a prudent decision. Although the additional Battle Companies enabled them to spread their forces over a far greater area, the lack of Reserves meant that losses could only be replaced directly from the training cadre, as and when Neophytes were deemed worthy of advancement. Inevitably, this led to fierce competition for any new Initiates that became available, and it was rare for any Company to operate consistently at full strength.

 

The Revenants were the exception, of course. As with so many aspects of the Celerem Mortem, Second Company's recruitment was shrouded in myth and secrecy, even to their own brothers. Like the rest of the Chapter, their recruits were drawn exclusively from Mire, reputedly from one of the largest and most successful highland tribes in the planet's Southern hemisphere. However, unlike the other Potentials, the young tribal warriors selected by the Grave Wardens, the Revenant's infamous Apothecary-Chaplains, were not inducted into the Fenspire's training cadre. Instead they were separated from their fellow Neophytes and transported to the ebon ships waiting in orbit, not to be seen again until they were ready to wear the blackened war plate and skull mask of their Company.

 

Amongst the rest of the Chapter, there were many rumours concerning the nature of the Celerem Mortem training programme. Dark tales about forbidden technology and mind altering surgeries, of extreme psychic indoctrination techniques and entire ships where the sound of screaming never ceased. Balian did not know just how much truth, if any, lay in such stories, for the Revenants were never short of detractors ready and willing to besmirch their name, but two facts were indisputable. Firstly, whatever did befall Second Company's Neophytes during their initiation, it not only created warriors as lethally effective as any amongst the Adeptus Astartes, it also rendered them seemingly immune to the debilitating effects of the Shadow that would be their constant companion.


Secondly, and perhaps even more frustratingly, the Revenants were obviously far more successful than the rest of the Sword Bearers when it came to recruitment. Balian sighed as he compared his own beleaguered Company to the massive, black armoured war host assembling in the valley below them.

 

Yes, he thought sadly to himself, there was no doubting that fact at all.


***
 

The access shaft led directly into the central gallery, the main thoroughfare that snaked it's way through the labyrinthine halls of the Necropolis. Unlike the maintenance network, which barring the trio of ill-fated sentries and the occasional servitor had been completely empty, the gallery was teeming with the city's inhabitants, both alive and dead. The next stage of the operation was about to begin. Aldous checked his weapons, activated his armour's false-hood, and stepped out of the shadows and into the mob.

 

As a Pathfinder, he had inherited two particularly revered relics from his Legion's past. The first was an original copy of the Book of Judgement, an ancient treatise detailing the events of the Fall of Caliban, including a list of every Dark Angel known to have been involved in the betrayal. The book itself, as with all such tomes, was permanently stored within the most secure and heavily protected vault of the Reclusiam. Such information was far too sensitive to be left unguarded, although his rank and position granted him access to the book at any time.

 

The second artefact, no less treasured even if it's secrecy wasn't as crucial, had been permitted to stay in his possession. Attempts to understand the science involved had long since been abandoned, and the Chapter's Techmarines had reluctantly contented themselves with adapting the relic for practical use. Utilising arcane technology believed to pre-date the Great Crusade, the gossamer thin false-hood was embedded into every surface of his scout armour, including the cowl and boots. Running a small electrical charge through the material activated it's unique, photon repelling properties, bending light around it's wearer and rendering him undetectable to the naked eye.

 

With the false-hood engaged, Aldous was effectively invisible. His life, and the success of his mission, now depended on it.

 

***
 

At the hill's summit, the surviving squad leaders formed a circle around their Captain. Around them, the warriors of Third Company were preparing for combat, mirroring the actions of the Revenants below. A barrage of sound continued to radiate from the valley, the raucous noise seemingly amplified by the local topography and distractingly loud even at this distance.

 

Our mission is simple but essential.” Orbec's commanding voice easily carried over the din. “Whilst Second Company's target is the main reactor, we are to destroy the secondary generators, situated here, approximately two miles further east. Although these two sites are not the city's only source of energy, removing them should irrevocably weaken the power grid, bringing down the void shields and other critical systems.”

 

Although located only about fifteen miles away from their position, the Necropolis was currently out of sight, it's massive form obscured by heat haze and a pall of smoke from the ruined outer districts. Even so, you could almost sense it's towering presence, Balian thought to himself. The size of an Alpha grade hive city, it dwarfed even Fenspire, the Sword Bearer's mountain fortress home.

 

A holographic representation of the Necropolis was being projected into the circle, rotating slowly to allow all of Third Company's officers to see the task that awaited them. Even at that scale, the construction was ominously forbidding: a mountain sized pyramid surrounded by an equally colossal curtain wall, a continuous chain of fortifications and gun emplacements that ringed the entire city. Both the power stations were located at the base of the pyramid's southern facing, one either side of a massive gateway cut into the defensive wall.


A preliminary assault has already weakened the defences around the South Gate. This time, Second Company will lead the attack." For a split second, the Third Captain caught Balian's gaze. The moment passed and Orbec continued, using the haft of his power axe to indicate positions on the holo-map. “Once they have breached the gateway, we will follow them into the inner wards and then split off eastwards, heading immediately towards the secondary generators.”

 

Of course, some resistance is quite probable.” Orbec grinned at his own understatement, and there was grim laughter amongst the circle . “We are also likely to encounter a number of obstructions to our progress. All units are to carry melta charges, and I want squads Durand, Balian and Hain deployed as Devastators. Firestorm pattern if possible.”

 

Balian and the other two sergeants nodded. Unlike either Codex Chapters or the Revenants, where each unit was designated a particular battlefield speciality, amongst the Sword Bearers every squad, and indeed every brother, was required to be completely tactically flexible. Squads were assigned their role depending on the demands of their particular mission. Thus, in one operation, a squad might deploy as a close assault unit; in the next, they might exchange their chainswords and combat shields for the heavy weapons of a fire support team.

 

Any questions?” The Third Captain scanned the circle of scarred faces surrounding him.

 

Once the generators are destroyed, what then?” It was Tormod who spoke, the new sergeant of Fourth squad. Viktor's successor.

 

Then we regroup with Second Company and enter the city, here...” As usual, the prospect of fighting alongside the Revenants did not provoke a positive response. Orbec ignored the aggrieved reactions and indicated an entrance at the base of the pyramid. “The defences around this gateway are negligible. Once inside, we are to disperse and execute our primary orders.”

 

Which are?” Balian asked quietly, his voice still strained after his earlier injuries and barely audible against the tumultuous background noise.

 

Extermination. We leave no soul alive.” There was no amusement in Orbec's tone now, only a sense of grim resolve. “The city is to become a morgue once again.”

 

Suddenly, the cacophony of sound emanating from below stopped. Every roaring engine and screaming chainblade that had added to the uproar was instantly silenced. As one, Third Company turned to watch their black armoured brethren. Every Celerem Mortem warrior in the valley had ceased their activity and fallen to one knee, their head's bowed in supplication.

 

The Lord of the Revenants had arrived.

Edited by spacedhulk

Needless to be said but I will say it anyway. Great again Brother, mooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooo. Please :thanks:

 

Cheers mate! :smile.:

 

It sounds like some don't like the 2nd getting the cream of the crop.So are the Sword Bearers attrition fighters? As always brother a great read.:thumbsup:

 

Thanks brother. They're attrition fighters in the same way that all Dark Angels are, eg: sometimes too stubborn for their own good. I also see them as quite a knightly chapter, so honour and glory sometimes outweigh their common sense. This is supposed to be a particularly brutal campaign though.

 

The Lord of the Revenants had arrived.

 

Why, when I read that line, did I get an image of Darth Vader arriving on the Death Star in my mind? :wink:

 

:biggrin.: Well, the Revenants are the 'dark side' of the Chapter (obviously I'm now going to have to include some sort of Star Wars reference in a future post! :wink:).

Edited by spacedhulk

The teleport flare lit up the valley like a lightning strike. For a split second, every Revenant was silhouetted against the harsh white glare, the shadows cast by their massive armoured forms stretching out behind them like dark, grasping tendrils. Then the light faded, leaving a circle of black ceramite and silver adamantium in it's place.

 

As usual, the Grave Guard formed the perimeter, the steel wings of their flight packs outstretched and locked together, creating a physical barrier around their commanders. The elite guardians were garbed in tattered black robes, but Balian knew that beneath the funeral shrouds, each warrior wore finely crafted artificer plate, advanced suits of Errant armour with bolt and plasma weaponry built into the vambraces, leaving their hands free to wield elegant, two handed broadswords.

 

In perfect unison, the circle of bodyguards parted, blades lowering, gleaming metallic wings folding back to reveal the warriors they protected. As with all members of the Celerem Mortem, their faces were hidden from all outside their company, but by their wargear alone, Balian recognised both of the sinister leaders of the Revenants.

 

There were always two. The Lord and his Champion. The Master and his Successor.

 

The first warrior's identity was infamous throughout the entire Chapter. Letholdus, the Black Rider, Knight Captain of the Mounted Host and Second Company's chosen Champion. As always, full length black robes covered his ebon armour and the ancient chain falchion, Shadow's Teeth, was sheathed at his side. Balian had witnessed duels between Letholdus and the other Company Champions several times in the training arenas, and knew that even without the advantage of the psychic aura, the Knight Captain was a superlative swordsman. Believed by many to have minor psychic powers, Letholdus was mind linked to a familiar, a psyber raven that accompanied the warrior at all times. Next in line to command the entire Celerem Mortem, the Black Rider was renowned for personally leading the attack squadrons into battle.

 

Behind him stood the Lord Revenant himself.

 

His true name was long forgotten, just another casualty of his centuries of service. Instead he was addressed formally by either his rank or one of his many titles. Shadowmaster, the Grave King, or Knightmare were the most widely used in recent times. He had led Second Company for over six hundred years, and outlived three of the Champions he had chosen to succeed him.

 

Even compared to the elite warriors surrounding him, he was an imposing sight. Unlike his bodyguards, the Lord Revenant did not hide his war plate beneath monastic robes. A symbol of his office, the Armour of the Dead had been passed to each successive Shadowmaster in turn. The suit was covered in skeletal remains, adamantium coated bones welded to almost every ceramite plate, the entire corpse of a fallen enemy worn as a macabre trophy. A testament, it was said, to past deeds better left unspoken.

 

Digital meltaguns, the products of Jokaero ingenuity, were built into each armoured gauntlet. Gauntlets that tightly gripped the warrior's signature weapon, the massive, curved power glaive known as the Angelus Falcem. A gift from the Master of another Astartes Chapter, the Scythe of Angels had been presented to the Sword Bearers two millennia before, during a great but ultimately futile campaign to cleanse the Ghoul Stars of the galactic north east. Since that time, the glaive had been carried exclusively by the Lords of the Revenants, becoming as synonymous with the Second Company Master as his morbid armour and the notorious Grave Helm.

 

The first and greatest of the Revenant death masks, those worn by the rest of the Company were pale imitations compared to the Grave Helm itself. Constructed from the same, psychically reactive materials as a Librarian's force weapon, the Helm amplified the effects of the Shadow to an unbearable degree. To stare into the fathomless sockets of the ancient skull mask was to experience the most complete and abject despair, to feel the slim thread of your own mortality and to know the inevitability of death and decay. Even the Penitents and the most senior members of the Chapter were known to avoid eye contact with the Shadowmaster, especially during combat operations, where the Helm's paralysing influence could be potentially disastrous.

 

For a few minutes, the Lord Revenant stood impassively before his assembled, kneeling warriors, presumably addressing them over their own, private vox network. Then, as abruptly as the teleport flare which had delivered their commanders to them, the entire company rose to their feet. Attack squadrons mounted their bikes and landspeeders; infantry embarked gunships and transports; jump troops activated their flight packs and, squad by squad, launched themselves into the dark, troubled skies.

 

The final siege of the Necropolis was about to begin.

Edited by spacedhulk

Thanks brother, glad you liked the Ghoul Stars reference :smile.: Some progress on the model side (not as prolific or as impressive as yours though mate :smile.:), but I have finished converting the rest of Balian's assault team from the first part of the story. Will try to post some photos later today.

Edited by spacedhulk

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