Darkness of Rage, the Lament of Angels

by Niccolo Dante de Remas

On the fields of Armageddon the Imperium struggles against the greenskin menace. But all is not lost as the Angels of Death arrive to deliver the Emperor's wrath. Amongst them are the Flesh Tearers, scions of Sanguinius whose savagery matches the Orks' own. Theirs is a battle on two fronts, one against the enemy, the other is against the very rage within them.

1. Chapter 1

The Darkness of Rage, the Lament of Angels

Armageddon.

In ancient human mythology it was the End of Days, when the world would end in smoke and fire.

Armageddon the planet was not that much different to the world described in those ancient myths. It was a planet of ash and the skies were always filled with great clouds of chemical smog billowing forth from the chimneys of massive foundries and forges which churned out weapons and equipment to be shipped across the length and breadth of the Imperium of Man.

The rivers were filled with all manner of pollutants and waste-chemicals having long since become unsafe to even tread in, let alone to bathe in or to drink from, the results of which would be most gruesome indeed. The great hive cities, the mega-metropolises that were home to billions of citizens were clogged and overpopulated, even the nobles rich and powerful as the were lived in condition most of their peers from offworld would sneer at.

Armageddon was a long dead world kept alive by a proverbial life support machine, despite the many invasions from alien foes and far worse besides in its long history of Imperial settlement. Yet the Imperium had kept its iron grip on Armageddon for ten millennia, since it had been first settled when the Emperor had walked amongst his people.

But the greenskins, the savage Orks who were like a plague of vermin throughout the galaxy had firmly set their beady red eyes upon this polluted lump of rock. Coming in their millions to plunder Armageddon, led by a monstrous warlord called Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. Roks, the mobile asteroid ships of the greenskin horde descended upon Armageddon's barren soil, eager to pillage and the Imperium had responded in force.

Whole Chapters of the mighty Adeptus Astartes Space Marines had been called upon to fight in Armageddon's defence as well as the forces of the Imperial Guard and even the secretive Inquisitin. The might of the Imperium, led by heroes such as the legendary Lord Commander Dante, Chapter Master Tu'shan, Commissar Sebastian Yarrick and Princeps Kurtiz Mannheim had denied the Orks in a brutal war that had brought utter ruin to Armageddon the process.

Hives had been shattered and burned, the great factories and foundries had been broken and billions had died but the Ork menace had been defeated, though the leader, Warboss Ghazghkull had escaped with vengeance on his mind.

In the wake of the invasion, dubbed the Second War for Armageddon, the first being a conflict between the Imperium and the dread forces of Chaos some centuries ago, the long arduous process of repair had begun. The Hive cities had been rebuilt, the factories repaired and slowly Armageddon had regained some of its former power and glory.

By the time Ghazghkull invaded Armageddon, fifty years to the day of his first invasion, all but the most grievous of destruction had been repaired but within a matter of weeks all the good work done was utterly reversed. Such was the fury of the greenskin invaders the populace of Armageddon slowly began to wonder if the God-Emperor had forsaken them and this was Armageddon, the End of Days for them and all upon the planet's surface.

Then like the Angels of Death they were famed to be the Space Marines returned bringing fiery retribution, the wrath of the Emperor incarnate. Their armours were painted every colour under the sun and many of them were the stuff of legend throughout the Imperium.

The Salamanders, the fiery warriors of Nocturne and the noble Blood Angels of Baal who had fought in the Second War, returned to defend Armageddon once more, alongside other, equally as renowned Chapters such as the zealous Black Templars, the ruthless Marines Malevolent and the ferocious Space Wolves and the fighting upon the blighted surface was furious as the greatest war Armageddon had ever experienced was played out.

In particular, deep with the Fire Wastes, the Ork Warboss Rukglum, one of Ghazghkull's prime lieutenants led a devastating campaign against the many settlements dotted about the wastes. Thousands of men, women and children were killed by his relentless assault, and the fiery devastation his artillery brought to bear.

In response the people of the Fire Wastes formed a rabble militia to fight the Orks, ostensibly under the control of the Departmento Munitorum, but miners and factory workers proved little good against the fury and savage attacks of the greenskin. Several crushing defeats were meted out in short order until eventually Rukglum and his forces overran Gaius Point, the only major township in the Wastes besides Fire Harbour, which for the moment was still in Imperial hands.

With the invasion of Gaius Point the Imperial defences in the Fire Wastes were thrown into utter disarray and many commanders began to fear that it was only a matter of time before they were overrun completely. With the loss of the Fire Wastes, the Orks would utterly devastate the Imperial industrial operations, the mines, factories and refineries vital to the war effort.

The Defenders of Armageddon responded quickly to this threat.

Clad in their pristine white armour, the Sisters of Battle of the Order of the Argent Shroud deployed four Commanderies to the Fire Wastes to fight alongside the brave but beleagured militia and fuelled by faith and a grim determination to save the Emperor's subjects the battle sisters drew a line in the ash covered ground. Despite heavy bombardment and even heavier assaults from Rukglum's horde the Imperial line, bolstered further by Guardsmen of the Armageddon XXVII Steel Legion did not falter.

Then came the true champions of Mankind, descending to the Fire Wastes in Thunderhawk gunships the Space Marines of the Flesh Tearers came not to hold the line, but to annihilate the foe. A full five companies, five hundred warriors, came to aid the defenders and in a series of ferocious and bloody counter-attacks the Flesh Tearers repulsed the Orks and gave the Battle-Sisters and their militia allies some respite from the fires of war, if only for a moment.

In the forward command post at Korulaab township, the commanders of the three Imperial elements met at last to plan the next step, eager to make use of the brief halt to the greenskin advance.

First to arrive was Nikole Carmina, Canoness Superior of the Order of the Argent Shroud, clad in her suit of white power armour, the once pristine plates stained by ash, mud and blood and scarred by many close calls on the field of battle. Gold trim and holy symbols were dulled and tarnished by dirt but she still looked every bit the zealous battle-sister she was. At her side stood the four Canoness Commanders of the four Commanderies, equally as battered and bruised as their revered leader.

Next to arrive was Gregor Hatraft, Commandant of the Gaius Point Militia, a short and stocky man whose skin was forever marked by dust from years of working in the mines. A mane of thinning white hair atop his head he looked far from the gallant militia commander one would expect. But beneath the bohemian exterior was a capable leader for despite no prior military experience he had organised a militia out of factory workers and miners, armed them and led them with a skill and courage that would have put the some officers of the Imperial Guard to shame.

With him were his band captains, nine in total each in charge of their own militia band and all of them, like Hatraft himself had been ordinary citizens before the War. Now they were soldiers and each man and woman had proved their mettle to earn their rank, many bore scars and dressed wounds as testament to that fact.

Last to arrive in the cramped strategium of the forward command was a huge figure in a suit of dark crimson and black power armour, easily eight feet tall and probably more. His head was shaven and his eyes were filled with a murderous rage that seemed to be barely in check, coupled with a great sorrow. Radiating hostility in waves both the Sisters of Battle, and the hardened Militia fighters who had faced down hulking Orks without pause felt uneasy around the new arrival.

Five equally intimidating warriors accompanied him, four in armour like his and another in armour of jet black with a helm fashioned in the image of a skull. The lead warrior was Gabriel Seth, Chapter Master of the Flesh Tearers.

'I'm glad you could join us at last Master Seth.' said Canoness Carmina.

Seth grunted. 'You call us away from the frontline. Be brief about it Canoness.'

Carmina's scowl face told all what she thought of Seth's gruff manner.

'Very well,' said Carmina, nodding a signal to the serf in charge of the holo-projector table. 'Our efforts to hold back the Ork tide have been somewhat effective and the losses to the greenskins have been high.'

The holographic projector mounted into the floor began to emit a three-dimensional overview of the Fire Waste theatre of battle, showing the settlement of Gaius Point highlighted in green and the Imperial defences and the town of Korulaab in blue. Green arrows then appeared and shot out from holographic Gaius Point and showed the lines of the Ork advance towards the Imperial defences. This was then followed soon after by a series of red arrows that represented the Flesh Tearers which ran headfirst into the approaching green arrows and made them disappear.

'However orbital sensoria have detected great movement in Ork forces that corroborates with Xenos Tactica predictions that the greenskin warlord Ghazghkull greatly desires the Fire Wastes and its resources to fuel his war effort. In response he has sent many more warriors to join those already here,' Carmina said and in response the map displayed several more large green arrows converging on Gaius Point. 'We have also confirmed that Warboss Rukglum has moved his great artillery pieces forward to within the captured settlement and will commence heavy bombardment as soon as the ammunition arrives.'

Hatraft shook his head and cursed. 'More Orks at Gaius point. How much more can our town suffer.'

Carmina frowned. 'We all must endure great hardship Commander Hatraft. It is that which tests the bonds of faith and our loyalty to the Emperor.'

Hatraft grumbled. 'Yes, quite. Though you try saying that when Orks are shitting in your home and destroying your livelihood.'

'Is there any point to this Canoness Commander? You could have informed us of this whilst on the frontline.' Seth growled and Hatraft and his captains took a wary step backwards, intimated by the Flesh Tearer's anger. The Battle-Sisters whether they experienced similar trepidation or not merely looked on seemingly unfazed.

'Master Seth, according to the calculations from several lexmechanics and tactical savants the numbers we will soon be facing accompanied with the heavy artillery the Orks will be able to deploy will lead to our defeat with a 87% certainty.'

'The odds are that bad! Then what do you propose Revered-Canoness?' said Hatraft.

'All logical strategies dictate we pull back and reconstruct our defences at Fire Harbour.' sighed Carmina.

The weight of such an action lingered in the air. To retreat to Fire Harbour would be to give up almost the entirety of the Fire Wastes to the enemy, to make months of struggle completely redundant and the cost in lives all but meaningless.

'If you wish to retreat then you do so without the Flesh Tearers.' announced Seth.

'Chapter Master, I have great respect for the prowess of the Astartes but even the Chosen of the Emperor could not stand against such numbers. Your lives would be wasted for a moment of defiance.' said Carmina. 'I beg of you to pull back with us to Fire Harbour and not throw your life and that of your brothers away pointlessly. We stand a chance if we stand at Fire Harbour.'

Seth seemed unmoved by her plea and simply stared ahead with his eyes of murderous rage and sorrow.

'Excuse me Canoness but the militia won't retreat either,' Hatraft said with no small amount iron in his voice. 'We abandoned Gaius Point and left it to the enemy but we won't give any more ground willingly to the greenskin bastards.'

His band captains all seemed to agree with his decision and backed him up with nods and murmurs of assent.

Carmina hung her head. 'We cannot hold this position,' she repeated emphatically. 'The Adepta Sororitas run from no enemy but we know the difference between a pointless sacrifice and a worthwhile one.'

'Spoken like a coward.' Seth sneered. In response one of Carmina's Canoness Commanders stepped forward and pointed a gauntlet sheathed finger at the mighty Flesh Tearer.

'Show the Canoness Superior respect Astartes savage! She thinks of more than the next battle and the spilling of blood. She thinks of the entire war effort in a way your barbaric mind could never do!' roared the Canoness Commander with great anger.

Carmina turned to her subordinate.

'Sister Valois stand down immediately and know your place!' she hissed.

Seth grinned. 'It seems you are unable to keep your bitches on a leash.'

The Flesh Tearers officers stood behind him laughed, their chuckles sounded cold with a mechanical tinge through the vox-grilles of their black helms.

'Careful, Seth. I will tolerate no insults of my battle-sisters as I am sure you would not tolerate insults levied against your battle-brothers.' said Carmina.

'Try insulting a Flesh Tearer, Canoness Superior. Often it is the last thing that person will do.' it was one of Seth's officers who spoke and Seth made no effort to chastise him.

'That was a threat.' said Canoness Valois and the other Canoness Commanders looked ready to jump into the argument.

Before any more words could be exchanged the black armoured Astartes with the skull helm, Carmina recognised him as one of their Chaplains, stepped in between his fellow Flesh Tearers and the Argent Shroud commanders, holding up his open palms in gesture of calm.

'We have enough enemies to deal with without turning on each other.' he said. 'Purge your hearts of hatred and anger and focus on the matter at hand. Save these emotions for the greenskins.'

The Flesh Tearers seemed becalmed by the words of their Chaplain and they stepped back and held their tongues, the air of hostility around them ever so slightly dissipating. Seth nodded.

'You are right Carnarvon.' said Seth.

'Wise words Brother-Chaplain.' said Carmina.

Stood with his band captains, the Militia Commandant felt out of place when stood next to the two warrior orders and after several moments of silence in the command post, only broken by the hum of the holo-projector Hatraft cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention.

All eyes focused upon him and Hatraft felt a little intimated.

'If we are going to remain here, surely we can formulate some kind of plan. There must be something we can do to gain a victory here?' he said.

Carmina sighed. 'There is not commandant or else we would have thought of it. The Sisters of the Argent Shroud shall remain here with you as is the Emperor's will it seems but there will be no victory here, only death and defeat in the end.'

Seth's grinned evilly and Hatraft prayed to the God-Emperor on Terra that he didn't see the Chapter Master do it too often, for it was terrible and horrific to behold, which he honestly didn't think was possible a mere expression.

'We will get you your victory, commandant. All I ask is that your militia and the Battle-Sisters hold the line.' he said and without another word Seth turned around and left the command post, his warrior-officers close behind.

Left in the chamber the Canoness Superior looked to the Militia Commandant and both exchanged a glance of insecurity.

Neither had any idea of what the Flesh Tearers planned but if their reputation and their ruthless actions in the last few month were anything to go by then it was sure to be a bloody affair.