"Retreat to the drop pods!" screamed the Librarian to the Space Marines. The readings on his helmet display were going haywire. A bullet from behind tore through one of the Marines, spraying blood all over the Librarian's armor. He whirled round and, using his psychic powers, hurled a bolt of lightning energy from his fingertips at the oncoming attackers.
The lightning hit the Grey Knight, sending the bulky, silver-armored attacker flying in an uncontrollable spasm. The body slammed into the side of the space barge's corridor and fell to the ground in a steaming pile of singed armor and burnt flesh. The librarian turned back and followed the remaining Space Marines through the winding corridors of the spaceship toward the drop pod hangar.
"Commander Vandro, come in Commander Vandro," crackled the vox piece in his ear. The display on his helmet quickly gave him the speaker's identity, though the Librarian knew the voice all too well. Vandro quickly pressed the button on the side of his helm. "Master Corfus," he panted as he ran past the cargo bay section of the ship, "we near your position."
"What is your location?" said the voice. Vandro scanned the walls.
"Bay 59, no 60" he corrected himself.
"Keep that door unsealed," he heard Corfus yell. "Make it quick Vandro," the vox channel blipped off.
He and the five men with him rounded the corner to see a handful of Grey Knights being held off at the drop pod chamber entrance. Vandro closed his eyes and clasped his hands. "Divisio," he muttered and with one, fluid motion swept his hands apart. The attackers at the entrance smashed into the walls on either side. "Hurry," he ordered the others and ran past the unconscious bodies and into the chamber. Vandro looked around as the five men hurried down the stairs onto the launch deck.
Before him was a vast, metallic chamber. Far above him, the ceiling was shaped like a giant, Gothic arch pointing upward to the unknown. Below, the drop pods were lined up on either side of the chamber, with each drop pod parked in a single hangar. Vandro knew that once the drop pods were set to launch, the hangar doors would shut and the airlock would stabilize, allowing for the drop pods to shoot down toward the target planet below. Directly in front of him, the wide-open launch deck was covered with a multitude of rushing, red and black armored figures as the remnants of the Warlords Chapter attempted to board their drop pods and escape their doomed battleship. Sergeants barked orders as their men clambered into their transports. Behind him, two soldiers finished welding the doorframe to stall the attackers and rushed to join their respective squads. The sound of gunfire and explosions erupted from the other side as the attackers attempted to break down the welded door.
A barrage of questions assaulted Vandro's troubled mind. What was happening? No, why had this occurrence even happened? What was the reason behind the series of events that had transpired? One moment they were being hailed by the Inquisition, demanding the entire Chapter turn itself in. The next they had been deemed 'Excommunicate Traitoris', traitors to the Imperium whom they had loyally served. Soon, they were being attacked and boarded by its fearsome military division, the Grey Knights.
"Librarian Vandro!" called a stern voice. Vandro snapped out of his trance. "We have no time for delays," said Chapter Master Corfus severely. He had taken off his helmet to better direct the evacuation. Vandro respected Master Corfus not only because of his stature as the leader of the entire Warlords Chapter, but because he genuinely cared for the welfare of all those that he had pledged to protect, and those he swore to command.
"At your command Great Warlord," Vandro bowed his head. Chapter custom, and Vandro's deep respect for his grey-haired superior, called for kneeling, but the current situation did not warrant time for custom. He looked up at the great Chapter leader. The lines on Warlord Corfus' face had begun to show, and his face was not as youthful as it once was. Time was victorious over all, even for super-soldiers like the Space Marines. However, Vandro could see the fire of battle in the great man's sharp, brown eyes
"Take drop pod 5E," briefed the Chapter Master as they briskly headed toward the hangar. "Our destination is the planet Exilor below. We will meet with Captain Rezlin at the consolidation point. The co-ordinates will be relayed to you once you land." Vandro's heart dropped at the mention of both names, but was more concerned with the attack, and a flurry of additional questions popped up in his mind. Regaining focus, Vandro began "Master Commander, what is the meaning behind this..."
"There is no time Vandro. Everything in due time," cut off the great Warlord abruptly. Vandro fell silent but could not help but feel disconcerted. They reached the entrance of the drop pod when Corfus turned to face Vandro. "I will explain everything once I arrive," he said softly. Vandro looked at the great Warlord's piercing eyes and relaxed a little. He could tell his superior was hiding something, but could not bring himself to question his leader. He bowed his head again, "Yes, Great Corfus,"
Vandro entered the drop pod and strapped himself in, then looked at his Chapter Master, expecting him to seat himself down as well. But Corfus stayed outside. "Master Corfus?" he asked the great Warlord. But Corfus simply turned around and hit the launch button on the wall of the hangar.
Vandro's eyes widened. "Master Corfus what is the meaning of this?" he demanded. Master Corfus looked back.
"They want me, Vandro. I will delay them so that they do not target you or the others," explained the Chapter Master. Suddenly a huge explosion sounded. Vandro looked and saw the blast from the chamber entrance, then a plume of smoke infiltrated through, followed by a swarm of Grey Knights as they attempted to stop any more evacuators from escaping. Corfus saw them as well, and then looked back at Vandro. "Knowledge is Power, Vandro," he said and he nodded toward Vandro's chest plate. Vandro looked down at his Librarian's Seal, the same words etched into the small, iron trinket of a hammer and book. "You have great potential," Corfus continued. Vandro looked back up. Corfus held his gaze for a while. "Farewell," he said, then twirled around and exited the hangar, firing his plasma pistol at the attackers, drawing his power sword, crackling with energy as it unsheathed, in case any of the attackers tried to get close.
Vandro could only watch in horror as the great Warlord fired his pistol at anyone who tried to enter, picking off random targets as the energy left his pistol and bore into the oncoming Grey Knights. "Master Corfus!" he cried. He shook the restraints on his seats, trying to unshackle them, but the metal harnesses had already locked in place, ready for launch. "Master Corfus! No!" he screamed. But it was no use. As the drop pod hatch closed and the hangar door shut, Vandro barely glimpsed a Grey Knight point his weapon at his Chapter Master and, without any effort, disarm him from afar. Then the drop pod hatch closed and the countdown for launch commenced.
Outside, Corfus stood in front of the closing hangar doors, aiming his plasma pistol at the entrance to the chamber, firing at any Knights who appeared through the doorway. Blue orbs of plasma spewed out from his weapon and bore through the attackers, quickly melting their way through the armor and flesh, leaving a bloody, burnt hole as they exited the body. Corfus knew that this would be his last stand. He heard the sound of the drop pod being launched behind the hangar doors, and knew that his duty had been done.
The pistol started beeping, warning Corfus that the weapon was overheating. Corfus stopped firing and looked around for a place to take cover. Seeing a stack of cargo off to the side, Corfus ran toward the potential cover. He leapt into the air, diving toward the cargo stack, and prepared himself for a roll, but froze in midair. Corfus tried to move, but he was stuck. Suddenly he began smoothly rotating, forced to face the attackers at the entrance. There, at the foot of the entrance steps, a man was holding up his hand. A flurry of Grey Knights filed in past him, searching the chamber for any stragglers left behind. The man snapped his fingers and Corfus fell to the ground on his hands and knees. He heard the heavy thud of metallic boots slowly come toward him, then stop inches from his face. Corfus looked up. Above him towered an Inquisitor of the Imperium, attributed by the gigantic letter "I" on the front of the Inquisitors chest plate. Some Grey Knights trained their weapons on him, ready for any hostile movement.
"Chapter Master Corfus", smiled the Inquisitor, "It's nice to finally meet you in person." Corfus glared at the Inquisitor. "You know," continued the Inquisitor, circling around Corfus, "Traitors and heretics are given the righteous punishment of torture before death. The act of aiding heretics is punishable by torture and death. However," the Inquisitor leant in close, "If you inform us of your traitorous brethren, then perhaps we can alleviate your punishment," the Inquisitor mused, "Like death!" The Grey Knights around him laughed.
"The only heretics on this ship are you and your men, Inquisitor," replied Corfus coldly. "The acts that you and these so-called soldiers of our God-Emperor are more traitorous than any charges you can attempt to lay on me or my Chapter."
Suddenly Corfus felt a sharp pain in the back of his head as the Inquisitor lashed out with a kick to the back of his skull. The force pushed Corfus' face into the ground, and he felt a warm substance trickle down from the back of his head and down the side of his face, a pool of the red liquid forming on the floor and around his face.
"You dare accuse a member of the Inquisition of heresy?" the Inquisitor lashed out with another kick, this time driving his metallic boot into Corfus' jaw. The bone crunched with the strength of the kick and Corfus cried out in pain, the familiar metallic taste of blood filling up his mouth. The Inquisitor grabbed his mouth and shook it, causing more pain to pierce the area that his torturer had just attacked. "You will tell us where your Librarian is, heretic scum, and I will provide you with a quick death."
Corfus spat the blood in his mouth at the Inquisitor's face. "My loyalty is far greater than my life, Inquisitor. You would be far better off killing me than forcing me to betray a single one of my own," he snarled. The Inquisitor wiped the blood off his face and smeared it back on Corfus.
"Yes, yes I would," the Inquisitor replied and threw Corfus back on the ground. He signaled to one of the Knights and the soldier stepped forward and offered him his gun. "As I said to you before, Chapter Master," said the Inquisitor as he aimed the weapon at Corfus' face, "heretics are punishable by death," and pulled the trigger.