Vengeance of Calth

[DogWelder]

+++M31+++

+++Colchis, Orbit+++

 

Guilliman watched as Colchis burned.

 

Bright pinpricks of light, visible even from the bridge of his flagship, dotted the surface of the dusty planet with the telltale signs of the planet-wide destruction that resulted from the wrath of a whole legion being unleashed upon it.

 

It reminded him of Calth in a way. Ironic, he thought. For that had been the start of the events that had led him here. But those memories were of a different age. The Heresy was over now. The traitors had fled from Terra, leaving the Emperor’s loyal sons to taste the bitter victory they had won. The Great Scouring had been raging for decades now. The Ultramarines, being the largest legion, swept out into the galaxy, cleansing holdouts of traitors from the galaxy. One of their first targets was the swathe of worlds that Lorgar and his accursed sons had under their sway. For twenty years, the 13th Legion systematically destroyed every single world they came across, along with any Word Bearer Warbands opposing them. Now they arrived at the final one. The culmination of their vengeance that started at Calth: Colchis, homeworld of the Word Bearers.

 

“The Nemesis Chapter stands ready to deliver our revenge, my Primarch” a voice behind him said and he was snapped out of his reverie. The sounds of the bridge officers around him and the soft whine of the equipment they worked on filtered into his ears as he turned around.

 

Before him was Chapter Master Iasus, helmet in hand, in his black destroyer armor. The blue pauldron on his left was the only indication that he was an Ultramarine. His armor, cracked and dented, had only undergone repairs for the most vital systems. His face which had seemed full of youthful optimism when Guilliman first made him Chapter Master was now permanently twisted into a bitter, cynical scowl that had displayed nothing but contempt for those outside his legion.

 

Scarred and Brutal thought Guilliman. It was an embodiment of the Nemesis. The chapter had become the home of all the destroyer companies in the 13th Legion. In another life, he considered their methods too barbaric, too destructive. He had wanted them to change their ways and tried his best to help them along the way. Then came Calth. There, everything had changed.

 

“If I may speak frankly, my Primarch” said another. He looked to the figure coming into the bridge through the entryway. It was Aeonid Thiel. The primarch let himself have a small smile. By contrast, Thiel never seemed to lose his youthful look of mischief. He was both a talented leader of men and a great warrior in his own right. His words, however, erased the smile from Guilliman’s lips. “The war is won here. The Word Bearers have been hunted down to the last man. We should move on from this planet and leave it to the Imperial Army to occupy.”

 

“Oh? Is it not my place to decide when a campaign has finished, Captain Thiel?” the Primarch said, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Clearly the good Captain seems to have forgotten his place” growled Iasus “He does that often”

 

Thiel ignored Iasus. “Armed resistance on the planet and its moons ended yesterday, sir. The city-states have all signaled surrender and compliance”

 

Iasus gave a bark of wicked laughter. “Surrender? Did the Word Bearers accept such terms on the worlds of Ultramar they crushed? Did they think about drawing the line between civilian and noncombatant on Calth?”

 

“That is irrelevant” snapped Thiel, unable to keep his anger in check at the belligerent Chapter Master. He unclasped his helm, mag-locking it to his thigh. He gave Guilliman a pleading look as he knelt before his gene-sire. “My Lord, I have fought alongside the Nemesis Chapter on worlds that were once part of Lorgar’s domain. The devastation they bring is horrific and merciless to the civilian population of those worlds, many of whom weren’t even aware of Lorgar’s-”

 

“Why do you think I have withdrawn all Chapters besides the 22nd from the surface of Colchis, Thiel?” Guilliman interjected. His voice was cold and sharp. A vast departure from the tone he usually took when speaking with his favored son. The Captain’s eyes widened.

 

“My Primarch” Thiel began, looking up at Guilliman “There are billions of civilians down there. Men, women, children. The elderly and infirm. Should you unleash the Nemesis Chapter, they will gas entire cities, carry out mass executions in every population center...my Lord, they would slaughter infants in their cribs and-”

“And it would be a tenth of what these bastards deserve!” roared Iasus, drawing his gladius and staring daggers at Thiel. The bridge crew listened on in mute silence. Most of them too shocked to speak and the others doing their best to ignore the dispute. “You were not on Calth! You did not see the destruction the whoreson maggots who crawled from this wretched rock inflicted on us. Entire companies annihilated, cities burnt to the ground-”

 

“I fought at Calth like any Ultramarine!” Thiel was on his feet now, his own weapon drawn and his eyes filled with a mixture of pity and anger. Iasus, what happened to you they seemed to say to the Chapter Master.

 

“You fought at Calth, not on it” Iasus shot back. He pointed to the hideous, black scar that encapsulated most of his right face. “You do not have the mark, you sheltered little brat” the Chapter Master hissed. “While you fought a boarding action or two, my men faced the hellfire that the bastards of Lorgar unleashed on us. We fought our way out of five separate encirclements and raced to one of the arcologies when the star went critical. What did you do? Stand at the primarch’s side like an ornament while the real men fought your battles?”

 

“You-” Thiel began but Guilliman silenced them both.

 

“Enough” he said simply, tapping the hilt of his sword. Both warriors knelt before him, sheathing their weapons. “I have made a decision” he said and raised three fingers. Even before he spoke, he saw Thiel’s disappointment and Iasus’ savage joy in their eyes.

“Three days” he said, his voice lacking any emotion. “The Nemesis Chapter has three days to do whatever it wishes with Colchis. All actions undertaken by the Chapter will be erased from all historical records and no punishments will be meted out to the ten-thousand fighting men of this unit. So proclaim I, Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines.”

 

Thiel sagged, almost unable to believe what he was hearing. Iasus had become re-energized. He stood up and gave Guilliman a Maccragian Battle Salute. “My Lord, we shall visit upon their homeworld ten times the pain the Word Bearers inflicted upon Calth” he said, unable to keep the enthusiasm out of his voice. He turned and left, leaving the bridge in dead silence save for the soft whine of the machines.

 

+++Colchis, Surface+++

 

Hierax looked over his black armoured men and a grim smile crept across his face. The first Nemesis Company had made it. The fires of Calth, the Shadow Crusade, the journey to Terra...it had all been worth it. They would soon have their vengeance.

 

They were at the outskirts of one of the major city states of Colchis when they received the order. They had taken up position along its west bank several days ago, capturing its main harbor and putting the city under effective siege. Hordes of militia, conscripts and even throngs of civilians who had been fanatical believers in the Book of Lorgar threw themselves at the Ultramarines. They were utterly crushed of course, their broken bodies piled high before the Astartes.

 

The governor of the city had sent an equerry with an offer of surrender a day ago. Hierax simply shot the man and dumped his corpse into the fire pits. There would be no surrender for these followers of Lorgar. He had faith that his Chapter Master would see to it. Now he was vindicated.

Standing atop a Land Raider, he addressed his men.

 

“Brothers! The order has been given. Complete extermination! No survivors!” he roared and was greeted by a flurry of cheers. “These deluded fools think they are innocent, but they are the farthest from it! Did their women not give birth to Lorgar’s bastards who betrayed us at Calth? Did they not cheer for the 17th as they boarded their ships and set off for the Shadow Crusade? Would their children not have become the next generation of Word Bearers when the time came?”

Deafening roars of anger and frustration resounded from the hundreds of men around him. He knew he could not contain them any longer. “Our great Primarch has allowed us to bring the vengeance of Ultramar down on these heathen bastards! I implore you brothers, do not waste this chance!” He thrust his gladius in the direction of the city. “Charge! Kill them all!” he yelled.

 

The millions of civilians who remained in the city looked on in horror as the black armoured beasts descended on them. The young and able who were left tried desperately to defend their loved ones with whatever weapons they could muster. These were the first to die. The elderly and sick did not even attempt to escape. They uttered words from the Book of Lorgar, tears in their eyes as they accepted their fate. Mothers held their children close, hiding their eyes as the chainswords of the Ultramarines descended upon them.

 

+++Colchis, Orbit+++

 

Thiel had eventually managed to get back on his feet after Iasus left. He put on his helmet, unable to look his Primarch in the eye, at least for now. He turned to leave.

“Thiel” Guilliman said, without emotion again, and fixed Thiel with a stern glare. “Order the telepaths to broadcast images and vox recordings from Colchis to all nearby systems. “If there are Word Bearers honorable enough to defend their home, we shall grant them a swift death”. There was a long pause. Long enough to border on insubordination.

 

“Yes...my Primarch” said Thiel between gritted teeth and left the bridge faster than decorum would allow.

 

Guilliman turned and looked through the viewing port once again.

 

Once more, Colchis burned.

Edited June 16, 2017 by Caius Tadius

[Brother Lunkhead]

Very much on the edge of my comfort zone when it comes to depicting the Ultramarines. What audacity!... What arrogance!... I salute you Keep up the good work 

[Pavement Artist]

This is very well written, though Iasus' comments towards Thiel are somewhat unfounded as he did fight on the surface of Calth, as shown in Censure by Nick Kyme