First Warhammer 40k story, updated for hopefully the last time. Please read note at end of chapter, explains things.
Disclamer: I do not own Warhammer 40,000 or any of its inhabitants.
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"No! She cannot be the one!"
Voices…She recognised those voices.
"Citizen, you are to cease your acts of aggression"
She didn't recognize that voice. A deep synthesized voice, heavy footsteps approaching the door. The footsteps stopped.
"Brother-Sergeant, I believe I have found the subject."
Closer, directly outside the door.
"Carry on with the objective brother."
"NO! The girl has been requested to remain here! Her family are heretics! They ignore the teachings of the Emperor!"
"Then why has she not been terminated? Think before you speak citizen" There was a sound of metal being bent, screaming its death as it was wrenched free.
The door was opened, a massive human shape, silhouetted and defying all logical proportions of a normal human, stood in the door way. Clad from head to foot in black armour, dull red eye-pieces giving off a eerie glow. The 8-year old girl backed away, but was unable to tear her eyes away from the figure. She had seen them in picts and read about them in stories there exploits the fabric of legend, honours and deeds to many to recall.
Astartes. The Space Marines.
"I have located the subject Brother-Sergeant." the armoured giant spoke, slinging its huge gun over its shoulder, the metal hitting the halberd that was slung over the marines left shoulder.
"Very well brother-Captain, you know what to do" said the space marine sergeant, his left hand holding a chain-sword, his fingers tapping the handle. A woman and a man stood behind him.
"You cannot remove this girl!" shouted the man, taking a step forwards.
"Citizen, do NOT attempt to engage me." snarled the Sergeant, unclipping a bolt-pistol on his belt. Two more space marines walked in though the door. Bolt-Guns grasped in the their hands.
"Do you require our assistance, Brother-Sergeant?" asked one, taking a step forward, the objects in the room seemed to shake with every step.
"Watch these two citizens while I verify the subject."
The sergeant moved towards the room that held the girl. The first marine stepped aside as the sergeant entered. His helmeted head looked down to her, for what seemed like an eternity, then he glanced at a data-slate.
"This is the subject, Captain Valen." said the Sergeant.
"Carry out the remainder of our orders." said Valen, picking up the girl. He cradled her like a baby, such was the size difference.
He looked down into her face and she stared back. No fear was showing in her red eyes, which was a side-effect of living on the planet, and it made Valen feel un-easy. He wasn't scared, he'd fought and killed daemons, heretics and countless xenos, but there was something about the girl's gaze.
The young girl didn't know why, but she felt safer with this armoured giant. Maybe the stories made her feel safer, nothing could stop an Astartes warrior, she was finally safe. She stared up into the red eye peices as the Space Marines walked to the door, then the man that was arguing with the Sergeant picked up the metal-bar that had been holding the door to the girl's room shut.
"Look out!" shouted the girl, Valen stopped and looked down at her.
The man swung and hit Valen in the head, the bar aimlessly bouncing off the helmet with a dull clang.
All of the Marines turned to face the man.
"You shouldn't of done that" said Valen, his voice sounded metallic and cold though the synthesizer, as he handed the girl to the sergeant.
"Citizens interfering with mission, use of force authorized." said Valen.
As the sergeant was taking the girl in his arms, Valen turned, and punched the man in the head, it sent him flying across the room, cracking the plaster and paint in the wall when he stuck it. He crumpled to the floor, then groaned, and he stood up.
"That should of killed him" said Valen, calmly. The man and woman started to laugh, "Of course, imperial dog, a mortal perhaps, but not those infused with the power of Slaanesh!"
Valen growled as his hands twitched to his bolter.
"Oh Dark Prince! Grant us thine gifts!" they shouted, and underwent a hideous transformation. Their muscles grew, their anatomy shifted into something not human in any form. They were now pink in colour, a huge pair of jaws dominated the head, topped with small black eyes. The legs and arms grew out of the lump of flesh that was supposed to be the torso.
"Emperor's name!" shouted one of the Marines, staring at the two daemons in-front of him.
Valen wasted no time, he brought up his bolt-gun.
"For the Emperor!" he shouted, and fired five rounds into the one closet to him, his battle-brothers doing the same. It collapsed into a bloody heap at Valen's feet.
"Daemon-Scum…" he muttered, taking off the halberd he had slung across his back. Valen turned the blade towards the daemons head.
"Return to the hell that spawned you." said Valen, as he drove the blade though the daemons skull. He then watched the Sergeant engage in combat with the other. The Daemons talon hands where helpless to stop the heavy chain blade as it sliced though the entire arm, then cutting the head in two. The Daemon whimpered and dropped. The Sergeant shot it a few times with is bolt pistol.
"See Valen, we all don't need your fancy anti-daemon training to put them down." said the sergeant.
"We should be thankful that these were lesser daemons, summon a squad to purge this room with fire, no evidence of their presence, or ours, must remain." said Valen, walking towards the sergeant chuckled.
"One day Valen, Your going to crack a joke. Most of the lads will die from shock." he said.
Valen smiled slightly under his helmet. Valen picked up the girl, her eyes where wide at the scene. She seemed to grip the eagle on his chest armour, as if it were a beacon in the darkness surrounding her."Child" said Valen, not looking down. She jumped in his arms, at the sound of his voice.
"Y…Yes?" the fear now in her voice was unmistakable.
"You must not fear me." he said. Boarding the Land-Raider that had been parked outside.
"O…ok" said the girl.
"What is your name?" asked Valen.
"K…Kelly, Kelly Alden." said the girl, gripping his armour tighter as the Land-Raider roared to life.
"Very well." said Valen, sitting up-right. What an un-usual name he thought.
"Captain Valen, has she sustained injury?" asked the Sergeant, holding onto a hand-hold in the roof of the land-raider.
"No, Sergeant, I would have informed you straight away if she had, and we would have been under way a lot sooner." said Valen. Kelly stared up at the sergeant, who chuckled slightly,
"I see great potential in this one," he walked to the front of the raider, gripping a hand hold in the roof, "My congratulations to you brothers, mission is a success."
"Where am I going?" asked Kelly, looking up at Valen. Valen looked down.
"I wish I could tell you. What will happen to you is not going to be easy, but you have to make it through. The Imperium depends on it." said Valen. Kelly swallowed.
"O…Ok…I will."
---20 years later---
INCOMING TRANSMISSION:
SUBJECT: Unit 174 - ALDEN, KELLY
TRAINING: COMPLETED
STATUS - AWAITING TERMINATION
Thought for the Day: To not believe in the Emperor, is to be forsaken.
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A Scribe know as Kelden walked behind two security guards and a giant in black and gold Terminator armour towards the courtyard of the facility. He been selected to record the execution of 'Unit-174'.
Personally, Kelden thought this was terrible waste.
All the years of training and the scared Apocalus pattern of Terminator armour, that looked strikingly similar to the Aegis armour of the Grey Knights, would be incinerated after the execution, just because the unit 'had to be kept pure'.
But to speak such thoughts would be heresy, so Kelden just did his job.
The procession soon reached the courtyard. The bronze doors swung open, basking the corridor in the orange glow of the planets sun. Kelden didn't even know the name of the planet, it was kept a close secret. They walked to the centre of the courtyard.
"Unit - 174, remove your helmet and get on your knees." one of the Security-guards of the facility spoke, removing a las-pistol from its holster. The Terminator removed its helmet, its head engulfed by the lightening-Power claws it wore. Kelden noted they where strikingly similar to the 'Talon of Horus', he quickly shook the thought from his head, If Astartes Librarian was present, Kelden didn't want his thoughts of the Arch-Traitor detected.
The Terminator dropped to its knees, a deep sound coming from the floor as it did so. Kelden was slightly shocked to see that the wear in-cased in the armour was a girl. He didn't know the identities of the 'Emperors Chosen', he assumed they where all male like the Space Marines that brought them to the planet as children.
Unit-174 had a fairly average face, long black hair that was going into the suit, the left side of her face covered by her hair. Her skin was white, as if she hadn't been exposed to sun-light in years. Deep black bags had formed under her eyes, giving her the appearance of a skull, but her most striking feature was her eyes, they where red against the white features. Kelden looked on, the scroll apparatus on his back twitching and scribbling a report for the planet's governor and for the records. He then looked up to the security guard and nodded.
"Scribe…" the girl spoke, it was a angelic voice, a slight deep tone to it, but laden with authority.
"Yes, Unit-174?" said Kelden looking up. Unit-174 was staring at the floor."When you record, remember that I'm not, 'Unit-174' I have a name, that name is Alden." she said, turning towards him.
Kelden thought that the eyes where boring into his very soul.
"Very well" he said, "Do you know why you are being executed today?" he asked, still writing everything on the scroll.
"No…maybe you could tell me" was the causal reply.
Kelden frowned. How could she be so…so ignorant!? With a frustrated grunt, Kelden continued."You have been chosen for this terminatus because you refuse to follow the Emperors teachings", Kelden continued writing, "The only reason you where kept alive up to this point was that your units training regime was planned and functioned better when as a whole. Now that the training has been completed, you no longer have a use."
"I was 'Chosen' for this? What an honour…" muttered Kelly sarcastically, keeping the last part under her security guard held his las-pistol against Kelly's head, as he was about to pull the trigger, a roar caught his attention, everyone looked up, and saw a black shape, growing with every second, nearer to their position.
"What is that?" asked the security guard with the shot-gun, racking the bolt. The other guard turned, and began to put pressure on the Las-Pistols trigger. It was the last act he ever made.
A screaming bronze blur flew though the courtyard. With the roar of a chainsword, the guard fell in two pieces."What th…" the other guard looked to his left, a Chaos-Marine Raptor hung in the air. The raptor looked at him, then at the Terminator behind him.
It had stood up, and now loomed behind the guard. Ten feet of rare black metal towering over him.
"Unit-174! Kill the heretic!" shouted the guard, pointing towards the Raptor. Kelly just stood and looked at him.
"Unit-174! I sai-"
The lighting claws encased the guards body in a dull-metal prison.
"I heard what you said. You stupid…Imperial…fool" said Kelly, as she tore the flail human body apart with the lightening claws.
The Raptor was confused. As much as it enjoyed watching imperials die, This terminator, covered with the sigils of the Imperium, had just killed another of the false-emperors followers.Why is a girl such as this in False Marine armour? thought the Raptor, The fool don't use women.
They stared at each other for a minute, explosions and screams coming from inside the building. It was as if one was waiting for the other to make the first move.
"Something wrong traitor?" asked Kelly, fixing her helmet back onto her head, "Or are you another obstacle I need to remove to complete my journey?" asked Kelly, her voice turning metallic and cold though the helmets synthesizer. She was flexing the claws on her gauntlets, as if looking for an excuse to use them.
The Raptor bobbed in the air as it activated its jump pack, and started to circle the girl."What is your journey?" asked the Raptor in a sinister voice.
The Terminator followed the Raptors movements, surprisingly agile despite its bulk.
"My Journey? It is to destroy the Imperium, and everything it stands for." said Kelly, in a voice that made even the Raptor back up slightly, but a grin spread across it's face under the helmet.
"H…HERESY!" came a shout.
Kelly turned, and saw the scribe, Kelden."You would betray our emperor, despite what his subjects made you what you are?!" he shouted, getting to his feet. Kelly turned, and started walking towards him.
"Betray the Emperor, Scribe? How can I betray him, WHEN I NEVER EVEN BELIVED IN HIM!!?" screamed Kelly, picking the scribe up in her left claw.
The Raptor grinned underneath its helmet.So she doesn't follow him…Interesting he thought.
"Now, lets see if you actually listened…" said Kelly, holding the scroll in the massive right claw, Kelden in the other. The tiny scribe flailed as Kelly held him.
"Right, 'Unit-174'...'Unit-174'...So, you didn't listen." she said, turning her head towards him.
"Imperial doctrine states that the names of The Chosen…"
"I don't care what Terra says about The Chosen! My name is Alden! One day, that name will be the scourge of the Imperium, it will be the name that is used to frighten naughty children, it will be the name whispered in fear in dark alleyways. It is the name of the destroyer! Write that down on your precious scrolls, So that everyone knows what is about to happen!"
Kelly lifted Kelden so that he was looking into the red eyepieces of the armour.
"But you scribe, you won't be around to witness it." As she was about to crush Kelden's pathetic excuse for a body, the doors that led into the court-yard exploded, sending dark red fragments into the air, and landing around the trio in the open.
A black shape silhouetted by flame stood in the doorway. More shapes moved around it, red glowing eyes from the helmets. Kelly noted the spikes and skulls hanging from the armour, which now recognized as Terminator armour. Kelly's attention was more focused on the person in front of them.
The 'decoration' spikes on the top of the armour where longer, and this one wasn't wearing a helmet. Black hair was blowing from inside the suit, tied back, even though there was hardly any of it. White skin surrounded eyes that seemed to shift colours. His left hand held sword, the blade jagged and it's surface was shifting constantly. His right hand was encased in a power claw similar to Kelly's own, only it had a twin-linked bolter bolted to the top. Kelly heard Kelden yelp and squirm in her lightening-claw. "Emperor protect me!" he shouted, trying to open the claw with is hands.
The Raptor dropped from the sky and bent to one knee, lowering its head. Kelly grinned inside her helmet, the red eyes seemed to glow The Despoiler. Kelly turned so that she was facing him.
Abaddon walked up to Kelly, and stopped a few feet from her.
They stared at each other for complete silence was only broken my Kelden's yelps and whimpers as he tried break free from his metal prison, and the faint sound of machines as Kelly flexed the talons of her right lightening claw.
"Be quiet, you idiot." said Kelly, dropping him to the floor and placing a armoured foot on his back.
Kelden clasped his hands together and immediately began babbling a prayer to the Emperor. Abaddon looked down, his eyes flicked back up to Kelly's eye-pieces.
"Isn't he your comrade?" he asked, almost casually, but the sinister hiss in his voice was unmistakable.
"No-one that follows the Imperium is my comrade." said Kelly, almost sounding like a growl as she said 'Imperium'. Abaddon frowned slightly.
"You are covered in the fools symbols, yet you don't follow him?" he asked, slightly cocking his head to the left. Kelly raised one of her claws and dragged it along her chest-armour, making four deep, jagged Valleys in the silver, double-headed aquila that dominated the black armour.
"Does that answer your question? Despoiler?" she asked. Abaddon grinned, revealing a line of jagged teeth."Yes, it does." he said, straightening his posture.
"Do you wish to join my Black Crusade? Overthrow that which you despise?" he offered his right hand towards her, and looked into the giant's red eyes, that glowed more with every second.
Alden looked at the Talon of Horus, offered to her allegiance. She had planned to just kill her way off the planet and start her own crusade of infamy, not with any help.
But causing death and destruction throughout the Imperium would be a lot easier with the help of the traitor legions at her back…
Abaddon looked at the featureless helmet, waiting for her to decide. If she accepted, he knew that she would serve the Gods well. There was defiantly something different about her, she was unlike anything he had ever seen. The last time he had been the presence of someone who gave this aura of power was Horus. If she refused however, he would have nothing against killing her and taking her skull.
Those power claws could use an upgrade though…something like a bolter…he thought. His right hand, encased in the Talon of Horus, twitched sub-consciously.
"HERESY! I'll see that you burn for this!" shouted Kelden, still trying to escape from the armoured giant pinning him to the ground. Kelly sighed, it was a frustrated sigh with a growl pinned to its end.
"No, Scribe…YOU WON'T!" Kelly pushed her leg down, crushing the scribe with a sickening crunching sound. She repeatedly lifted her foot and brought it back on the scribes back. Kelly picked up the barely breathing scribe.
"I will see Terra burn…The whole Imperium will be nothing ut ash at my feet." she said, and with a mighty sweep of her arm, threw Kelden into the wall.
She turned to Abaddon, who hadn't moved an inch.
"Well? What is your choice girl?" asked Abaddon, indifferent to the murder committed in front of him.
Kelly stared back. She knew accepting this offer would mean she would be hunted down like a dog by fanatical imperial soldiers and Inquisitors. Kelly grinned and dropped to one knee, bowing her head. Abaddon tilted his head back with a satisfied smirk. Alden smiled underneath her helmet.
"Tell me, my Lord, When does the Crusade begin?"
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Thanks for reading, please leave a review.
Kelly Alden is NOT a Space Marine or a Grey Knight. She is part of a project called 'The Chosen of the Emperor." Basically, its like the Halo Spartan Project for the 41st Millenium. Gets explained as story progresses. Hense why she stands taller than Abaddon. The Terminator armour she wears is a cross between the Grey Knight's Aegis Armour and standard Terminator armour, with some Horus Heresy style Terminator all mixed together.