The Rebirth

Disclaimer I do not own the names of Dorn, Horus, or the Emperor, as these are the property of games workshop, Dilandau and Jajuka's are my own although their names are based on characters from Escaflowne all other characters are my own.

Silence, that was the only thing the two blood Angels were aware of as they slowly walked down the large and seemingly living corridors of the battle barge. They did not know where in the vessel they were nor did it really matter the pair's only priority was to reunite with the other battle brothers and primarch that they had been separated from.

From the darkness of one of the side corridors a pair of blood red eyes set into a very pale face watched the progress of the two warriors. The eyes and face belonged to a being known as Dilandau once a warrior of the Emperor now a servant of the chaos powers. At first glance he appeared to be much younger than he really was with a somewhat boyish looking face topped with a mass of short untamed silver hair, however one look into the mans eyes was enough to tell anyone what kind of person he was for they reflected his malice and his joy for killing. He wasn't sure how time had passed since these weak fools teleported aboard his master's ship nor did he really care. "A few hour's or a few days" He whispered to no one in particular whilst brushing a deactivated lightning claw through his hair. "What difference does it make as long as I get some fresh victims to slaughter." The words brought a smile to his lips the current struggle had been the most amusement he had received since the drop sight massacres and it was almost funny to see his former brethren attempt one last futile gamble. He could almost smell the fanatical desperation coming from his former brethren as they struggled to reach the ships bridge and for what? Didn't these weak fools realise that Horus was the rightful ruler of the galaxy and that none could stand before his awesome might. Shaking these thoughts aside Dilandau returned to waiting for the right moment to strike these weak fools.

Seeing an opening Dilandau activated his Lightning claws, stepped out of the shadows and grabbed the first warrior by his neck then with a quick twist of the wrist ripped out half of the Blood Angels throat sending blood spurting all over his Terminator armour, throwing the corpse to the floor Dilandau watched as the second Blood Angel charged at him a buzzing chainsword held in his right hand. With speed that belied his bulky form Dilandau dodged the Blood Angels swing and grabbed onto the warriors sword arm and with an immense show of strength pulled the Blood Angels arm right out of its socket, repeating this with his opponents left arm Dilandau then threw the Blood Angel to the ground and stood still for a few seconds content to let his opponent writhe in agony for a few moments. Enjoying the sound of his opponent's screams Dilandau allowed a small smirk to cross over his features before he returned to business, walking over to the fallen Blood Angel he ripped the helmet from the rest of his opponents power armour then grabbing his opponent by the back of the head he began to speak into the Blood Angels ear in an almost childlike tone "Were going to play a little game now it's called how many times can I smash a Blood Angels face into a wall before his skull caves in" The words had barley left his lips when Dilandau hefted his opponent's head back and smashed it into the nearby wall with such force that the Blood Angels head went straight through "One" Pulling the Blood Angel further along the corridor he repeated the process again "Two" This went on till the fifth attempt when a large crunch came from the Blood Angels skull and the body went limp. Dilandau looked at the body a mixture of humour and hate spread over his face. "Only five tries I expected a son of Sanguinius to be able to handle more than that" Throwing the body away Dilandau then began to calmly walk down the corridor in search of new victims. He had only gotten a short distance when a strange energy seemed to wash over him and a sudden odd feeling of dread entered his very being. Sensing the origin of the disturbance he rushed to the bridge with all possible haste.

At the end of the next corridor Dilandau was joined by the remnants of one of the other squad's the leader of which Jajuka approached him. "How nice to see you again, brother." Jajuka greeted the contempt clear in his voice "I'd have thought that you'd be dead by now." Dilandau remained silent content with the fact that he was a far superior warrior compared to this pompous buffoon. Jajuka realising that he would not be getting any answer continued to talk "Were heading toward the bridge to find the source of that disturbance we all felt. Would you care to join us or are going to run away and hide like a coward?" For a brief moment Dilandau considered ripping Jajuka's head off. But decided against it. "He and his men may prove useful to me" Dilandau thought to himself and with that in mind he set off for the bridge Jajuka and his men in tow.

Halfway to the bridge Dilandau and the others were blocked by a small force of Imperial Fist space marines. "Halt!" The squad's sergeant roared out "In the name of the Emperor you shall all die this day" Dilandau almost laughed out loud at that remark. The sergeant had put up a brave front but Dilandau could feel and see the fear that was emanating from the squad, some of the marines were so terrified that they were actually shacking uncontrollably and Dilandau would be more than happy to justify these men's fear's and so began to walk very slowly towards the squad. "You honestly think you can stop me?" Dilandau asked in a calm yet menacing tone of voice "Well I hate to burst your bubble but compared to me you all have the combined fighting skill of a group of Grots." Then with a sudden burst of speed Dilandau lunged forward and impaled the first marine through the chest before the man could even register what was happening. Suddenly the entire chamber erupted into violence as both sides charged into each other, soon the chamber was littered with the bodies of the fallen and the screams of the injured and dying mingled with the clash of weapons and the firing of bolter's. Turning away from gutting one opponent Dilandau caught a nearby Imperial Fist by the base of the neck and lifted the man off his feet, applying incredible pressure to the mans throat Dilandau felt the man squirm and twist in a desperate attempt to get free but these quickly slackened and the body went limp. A sudden noise from the opposite end of the corridor caused Dilandau to spin round, at the end of the corridor the Imperial Fist Sergeant was taking aim with his Plasma pistol. Realising he would never be able to reach the sergeant before the man fired Dilandau decided to improvise, grabbing hold of Jajuka's power pack Dilandau twisted Jajuka round to take the full brunt of the shot straight in the chest and try as best as he could Dilandau could not suppress the smirk that crossed his face at the scream that erupted from Jajuka's throat as most of his midsection was vaporised. "Well it appears Jajuka was useful after all." Dilandau thought to himself as he dropped the body to the floor, charging the sergeant Dilandau delivered a savage upward slash that shredded the sergeants body from groin to head. Looking around Dilandau realised that the only man left standing beside himself was an Imperial Fist marine who by this point was so afraid that he could do nothing but stand on the spot shaking. "Nervous are we?" Dilandau asked, "Do not worry after all death is my specialty" and with those words Dilandau delivered a backhand swing that completely decapitated the man and showered the chamber in a fountain of blood. As Dilandau began to leave a large gasping noise grabbed his attention. Looking down he saw Jajuka one hand clasped over the remains of his chest the other held up in a pleading gesture. "P please you, you must help me," He begged his voice coming in rasping coughs "Wanna bet?" Dilandau replied and proceeded to kick Jajuka's body across the corridor, leaving the chamber Dilandau on an after thought turned to where Jajuka had landed and in a mocking voice spoke "Thank you for the assistance, brother." Then with these parting words Dilandau resumed his journey to the bridge.

As he reached the entrance to the bridge his blood red eyes widened slightly in surprise, it wasn't so much of an entrance now than it was a slaughterhouse, all around the room the mutilated bodies of his enemies and Allies lay heaped by the dozen their power armour cracked and melted. The look of surprise was quickly replaced as another twisted smirk spread over his pale face. "Well someone decided to have some fun without me." He muttered to himself as he surveyed the carnage around him. A sudden noise from the bridge brought Dilandau back to his senses. Stepping back into the shadows of the corridor he awaited the appearance of whoever was on the bridge.

The doors hissed open and into the chamber strode a giant of a man in ornate armour his face hidden beneath an elaborate helmet. Dilandau automatically recognised the person "Dorn" Dilandau hissed under his breath. Taking a closer look he could see another figure being carried upon Dorn's right shoulder. Dilandau gave out a quiet gasp as he realised that the individual on Dorn's shoulder was none other than the Emperor himself what more the Emperor appeared to be alive and breathing albeit rather faintly and erratic. Despair suddenly griped Dilandau's heart as he realised that the only way the Emperor could have left the bridge alive was if Horus himself had fallen but that would mean. He quickly pushed that thought aside as he suddenly realised the unique opportunity that now lay before him Dorn was unarmed, exhausted and too concerned about his precious Emperor to be paying any attention to his surroundings or anything else, If he could just get past Dorn and finish off the Emperor. A wicked grin spread across Dilandau's face as thoughts about the rewards the Dark God's would heap upon him came to his mind. He saw himself at the head of vast armies, he saw entire planets bowing to his every whim and last of all he saw himself receiving the Chaos gods ultimate reward of Daemonhood. Shaking the thoughts out of his head he watched as Dorn now only a few feet away turned around at a sudden loud noise from across the room, now was the opening Dilandau had been waiting for moving with every ounce of haste he could muster Dilandau rushed towards Dorn turned back and began brining his right Lightning claw rushing down towards the Emperors exposed head. However before the lightning claw could strike the Emperor down Dorn twisted round and with his free hand knocked Dilandau's blow aside then bringing his fist round punched Dilandau in the shoulder forcing the albino staggering back before regaining balance. "Not bad" Dilandau commented a twisted smirk on his lips "but it will take more than that to stop me from killing that cowardly weakling" "Cowardly weakling?" Dorn replied "Strong words from one who would strike an unarmed man from behind." Even as Dorn finished the sentence Dilandau charged forward and once more tried to impale the Emperor whilst Dorn would easily blocked the attack with his free arm. The struggle continued like this for a few minutes and it became clear that even in his current state Dorn was more than a match for Dilandau's heated attacks.

Slashing at Dorn's midsection to force him back for a moment Dilandau looked around searching for something that would give him an edge in the fight, turning to his left he spotted a large pipe running from the floor of the chamber and up into the roof. Thinking it insignificant he began to turn back to face Dorn when it occurred to him that it was one of the pipes that ran plasma gas from one of the ships reactors to power some of the many systems aboard the ship which meant. Dilandau almost let out a cry of triumph as a plan quickly formed in his mind, slowly to avoid arousing Dorn's suspicion Dilandau began to lure Dorn towards the pipe then when they were only a few feet away Dilandau deactivated his lightning claws, turned and proceeded to puncture the pipe with the blades. A large hissing noise filled the room as Plasma gas began to force its away out of the holes in the pipe. Dilandau sidestepped to get out of the way and looked back as Dorn who had now realised Dilandau's plan turned and began to shield the Emperor's body with his own. "Too late." Dilandau screamed out as he moved his right hand up so that the tips of the lightning claws blades were over the burst pipe and then with a thought reactivated his lightning claws. A blast of flame shot across the room as the lightning claws energy field ignited the gas and Dilandau let out a roar of triumph as he watched Dorn's form disappear from view behind the flames. "Yes burn! Burn! BURN!" Dilandau roared out and then let out an insane burst of laughter.

A noise from behind the flames caused Dilandau to look again. His laughter suddenly died in his throat and he felt himself start to turn even paler than usual as the flames started to die down and he saw Dorn untouched except for his blackened armour slowly begin to lay the Emperor softly to the ground safely away from the remaining flames. Turning to Dilandau Dorn's right hand moved to his side and from a giant sheath pulled forth a glowing powersword that was easily as big as Dilandau himself, raising the blade in his hands Dorn pointed the tip of the sword towards Dilandau and spoke in a voice that seemed to echo about the chamber "This is the end of your path chaos filth!" With a sudden burst of speed Dorn charged directly towards Dilandau who in turn brought his left lightning claw around in an attempt to stab Dorn, Dorn however easily parried the blow with such force that Dilandau was thrown off his feet and sent crashing to the ground, swinging a double handed blow as Dilandau began to stand up Dorn severed Dilandau's right hand just below the shoulder and continued through to cut through the Terminator armour and stab into the side of Dilandau's neck. Dorn deciding to finish Dilandau once and for all pulled his blade back and then lunged forward with a double handed thrust that stabbed right through Dilandau's Terminator armour and body and left him impaled upon Dorn's sword. Blood dribbled out of Dilandau's mouth and down his chin in torrents as he tried to curse Dorn and the Emperor but no words came forth, looking at Dilandau in disgust Dorn lifted his sword into the air allowing Dilandau to slide down to the very hilt of the blade and finally putting all his strength into it swung Dilandau off his blade to go crashing into the opposing chamber wall. Sheathing his sword Dorn took one last glance at Dilandau's fallen body then walked over to where the Emperor lay, lifted him over his shoulder and proceeded to leave the chamber via one of the many side corridors.

Silence descended upon the chamber save for the rasping almost unnoticeable breaths coming from Dilandau as his lifeblood spilled from his body. The passing of time had no more meaning and the next few minutes or hours came as a jumbled set of images that could not be put in any real order although certain images Dilandau could identify such as what remained of the Blood Angels collecting the body of their fallen Primarch and teleporting from the ship. As darkness began to creep into his vision a figure appeared in the chamber and through his failing eyesight Dilandau could just make out enough details to identify the man "Abaddon" he muttered in a rasping whisper. He watched as Abaddon walked by him without even sending a glance his way and proceeded to enter the ships bridge. The last thing Dilandau heard before the darkness fully claimed him was Abaddon's howl of anger and despair echoing throughout the Battle barge.

After what could have been mere seconds or an eternity later a blinding flash of light seemed to wash over Dilandau bringing him back to reality. Trying to raise his one remaining hand to block out the light he suddenly realised that he couldn't move his arm or any other part of his body from the neck down no matter how hard he tried "So you have finally decided to return to the world of the living have you?" A cold dark voice to his side spoke. Turning his head to face the man Dilandau looked upon the person to whom the voice belonged to, the man held a presence that commanded respect and at the same time would make lesser men than Dilandau cower in fear. Clearly the man was a fellow space marine although Dilandau couldn't tell what Legion the man belonged to. Covering most of the persons power armour was a cloak that appeared to be made out of flayed human skin but what really caught Dilandau's attention was the device that was attached to the man's back, it looked a bit like a space marines power pack but attached near the exhausts were a pair of large claw like appendages that stretched over his shoulders and hung a above him as if ready to strike, from these limbs were attached vials of dark liquid and Dilandau watched fascinated as the device seemed to pump the dark chemicals straight into his body. Dilandau watched this display for a few moments till a sudden thought occurred to him, opening his mouth Dilandau tried to ask the man a question but no voice came forth however it appeared the man seemed to understand Dilandau's attempted enquiry. "How are you still alive?" The man's dark voice rumbled, "You have me to thank for that. You had passed upon the threshold of death but I was able to bring you back with one of my precious churigons." Glancing at his back Dilandau saw that this was indeed true for on his back was another strange device that although appearing to be significantly different in looks from the one the man was wearing seemed to carry out the same function. The device itself looked like a pair of canisters that were attached to the back of his Terminator armour from this a large tube extended into the back of his skull and now with his senses returning Dilandau could actually feel the device pumping some sort of liquid into his blood stream. Finding his voice returning Dilandau asked the next question that came to his mind "Why did you bring me back?" he asked. The man looked at Dilandau for a few moments and replied "I have revived you because I have need of someone with your. talents. My name is Fabius Bile and I am a man greatly interested in the secrets of our creation however I require artefacts and specimens to conduct my research and I don't believe that I can rely on any of the other Legions to bring me the materials I seek." The man paused for a few moments looking over Dilandau before continuing. "This is where you come in I need someone who can attain these items I need independently of the other Legion's. Since as far as the rest of your Legion is concerned you are dead you will serve my needs nicely". "What's in this deal for me?" Dilandau asked "If you agree I will rebuild your broken body stronger than what it was before, I will also provide you with new troop to command and you will answer to no one except me, if you refuse you die. So do we have a deal?" The man replied. Dilandau seemed to consider the deal for a moment before turning to the man and answering a twisted smile spreading over his pale face "To be honest I don't care who you are or your reasons for doing this. but what the hell it's not like I've got anything to lose is it? Fix me up and count me in."