Ultramarines: Asclear's Revenge

"Brother Daceus, what do your readings show?"

Daceus checked his auspex, its screen casting an aura of green light in the dark corridor, before replying,

"Nothing Brother-Sergeant, no life forms of any kind."

Veteran Sergeant Valarius paused for a moment then nodded,

"Kronor, Marius, take point, Nicero, Belar act as rear guard, let's get this over with."

Brother Marius moved to the fore, the glow of his flamer illuminating the corridor before him, as the squad advanced further into the depths of the space hulk.

The hulk had been detected two weeks ago by a cosmological monitoring station and had drifted deep into the system by the time the Ultramarines Second Company arrived to investigate. Though several attempts had already been made to board the hulk none were successful as the boarding parties either disappeared or the compartments they were in were suddenly and unexpectedly vented into space. Mounting losses and the spread of bad rumours about the hulk had forced the investigating fleets' captain to request the aid of the Ultramarines, he was glad they had not refused.

The strike cruiser, Galatans' Pride, hung level with the hulk as tiny tug ships strained against its' forward momentum, the space marine admiral had ordered the hulk to be stopped so as to not spread fear through more of the systems inhabited planets and to allow the Ultramarines to act without the interference of planetary governors or the many tech-adepts the planets would likely have. The tugs eventually overcame the momentum of the hulk and it drifted to a gentle stop with the Galatans' Pride manoeuvring along side in preparation to launch additional squads via boarding torpedoes and Thunderhawks.

Lord Admiral Julius Malenor stood proudly on his command deck, his hands clasped firmly behind his back, as he surveyed the image of the hulk on the view screen before him. At his side stood Captain Altarion of the Ultramarines Second Company, battle honours shining brightly on his chest plate as he too surveyed the image on the screen.

"The squads are reporting in now, my lords." announced the vox-officer.

"Good," replied Malenor, turning to Altarion, "we can only hope this hulk does not signal another Tyranid invasion."

Altarion nodded in affirmation as the vox-officer turned to them.

"All squads report successful boarding."

"Excellent, get me Sergeant Valarius, I must speak with him." requested Captain Altarion, moving to stand behind the vox-officer.

"Halt." Valarius said as his vox-bead crackled in his ear, the squad spreading out and covering every avenue of approach to their position with practiced speed and efficiency.

"Valarius, its Altarion."

"Brother-Captain, what are your orders?" replied Valarius hurriedly.

"You must find the command deck of the vessel and discover what happened to it, where it came from and how it got here."

"Acknowledged Brother-Captain, we have just reached the entrance to an arboretum and are about to pass through it, Daceus believes that the corridors beyond may lead to the command deck."

"Good work Brother-Sergeant, proceed with your mission. Altarion out."

The vox clicked off,

"Marius, Palamar take point, Kronor, Veritan cover left, Ackleor, Ileus cover right, Belar, Nicero rear guard, Daceus, with me." Valarius ordered as the squad moved into the arboretum, bolters sweeping the area around them. The arboretum was huge, its domed ceiling stretching far above the marines walking across its floor. Many of the plants that had been grown here were long dead, their shrivelled husks littering the floor, crunching and crackling under the marines boots.

"Brother-Sergeant!"

"What is it Daceus?"

Daceus paused for a moment before replying, a hint of reproach in his voice,

"I'm not sure Brother-Sergeant, I thought I had a contact," he paused to push some buttons on the auspex, "but then it was gone."

"How sure can you be?" asked Valarius as he moved to join his brother-marine.

Daceus shook his head,

"I cannot Brother-Sergeant, not unless I get another reading."

Valarius considered this before replying,

"Very well, we shall continue on, report if you detect anything Daceus, be vigilant brothers, this doesn't feel right."

After two hours of moving through the dark corridors of the space hulk veteran sergeant Valarius and his squad reached a door, its control panel smashed and apparently un-useable.

"Daceus, what do you make of it?" asked Valarius, gesturing to the door. Daceus swept his auspex over it before replying,

"It appears to have been sealed Brother-Sergeant, these weld marks indicate that it was done quickly and without much care, perhaps to keep something in."

"Or out." commented Marius, his flamer lighting the corridor behind the squad. Daceus ignored his brothers' comment and continued,

"Judging from the deck markings this appears to be the entrance to the command deck."

"Excellent, see what you can do about the control panel, Palamar, Marius, attempt to break these welds." ordered Valarius as he opened a vox-channel to the Galatans' Pride.

"This is Veteran Sergeant Valarius, get me Captain Altarion." there was a minutes pause before the reply came,

"Report, Brother-Sergeant."

"Brother-Captain, we have found no evidence of any abnormal occurrences aboard this hulk so far, but we have just reached a sealed door and are attempting to open it, Daceus believes that the command deck lies beyond."

"Good work Brother-Sergeant, you do our Chapter credit. Be vigilant and report if you find anything, Altarion out."

Another hour passed before Daceus turned from his work and said,

"Brother-Sergeant, I believe I have rewired the control panel, it should allow us to open the door."

"If these Emperor-damned welds would break." grunted Marius as he forced his combat knife into the gap between two welds. Valarius patted Marius' shoulder guard,

"You are doing well brother, do not give up."

Thirty minutes passed before Marius and Palamar had broken the last of the welds. Marius removed his helmet, sweat streaking his face and dripping from the rim of his bionic eye,

"Brother-Sergeant!" he called as Daceus swept his auspex over the door once again.

"Well done brothers," exclaimed Valarius "but the mission is not over yet, prepare for hostile contact."

Marius replaced his helmet and unslung his flamer while Daceus prepared to open the door; Valarius drew his power sword, its emerald green blade flashing into existence as he activated it.

"Courage and Honour brothers, let us hope this is the fight we've been waiting for." he smiled as the door lock cycled.

The door ground aside on runners unused for centuries making a piercing noise that Valarius knew would have alerted whoever, or whatever was in the room to their presence as soon as it began. The Ultramarines stormed in scanning every corner of the room for possible threats and spreading out to cover parts that their other comrades could not see. There was nothing. Just consoles covered with dust, no evidence at all that anything was or had been in the room for centuries. The fresh boot prints of the Ultramarines stood out starkly against the backdrop of greyish-brown dust which coated everything. Valarius stood, momentarily caught off guard by the lack of an enemy or any evidence there ever was one, no bodies, bones or old equipment, just dust. His feeling that something was wrong increased to almost certainty. Composing himself Valarius quickly gave out orders,

"Daceus, see what you can get out of the main cogitator, Ileus aid him, brothers, secure the area."

"The last squad has returned my lords," said the vox-officer, turning to face Altarion and Malenor, "only Veteran Sergeant Valarius and his squad remain aboard the hulk."

"Very good brother, get Valarius on the vox, I am sure our brother-captain wishes him to report." ordered Malenor, nodding toward Altarion.

"Yes my lord." came the quick reply. Captain Altarion strode to the vox-station and picked up a spare headset.

"Valarius, this is Altarion, report."

The vox crackled for a moment,

"Brother-Captain," replied Valarius, "we have entered the command deck and have begun searching for information about the hulk; so far all we have is its name. Asclear's Revenge."

"Excellent, well done Brother-Sergeant, continue to investigate and find as much information as you can then…"

"Lord Admiral, look!" shouted the navigation officer, pointing to the viewing bay. Clouds of frozen oxygen were bursting from almost every airlock on the hulk, sheets of ice breaking from its' hull as it began shifting from anchor. Lord Admiral Malenors' eyes were wide as he watched the scene unfolding before him as fins began to protrude from the rear of the hulk.

"Valarius!" shouted Altarion into the vox, "what's happening?"

The deck of the hulk lurched violently, momentarily unbalancing the squad of Ultramarines.

"Daceus, report!" ordered Valarius as the hull began to rumble and shift.

"Guillimans' blood, the warp engines have been activated!" cried Daceus as the rumbling intensified.

"What? How?" demanded Valarius, struggling to maintain his balance.

"I do not know Brother-Sergeant, but all the controls have been locked out, the only way to shut the warp engines down is to do it directly from the engine room."

Valarius considered the options in an instant,

"Daceus, take Kronor, Veritan, Ileus and Palamar with you to the engine room, shut those Emperor-damned warp engines down before we translate, go!"

Daceus leapt from his seat at the console, unholstering his bolter as he sprinted to the door, his four brother marines following him. As Valarius watched his brothers depart his vox crackled and he could hear Captain Altarions' voice faintly,

"Brother…eant…..re…ort!"

Captain Altarion desperately tried the vox again,

"Valarius, report, what's happening?"

"Brot…Captain…thi…larius…ileve…warp engines…een activated." came the garbled reply. Altarion stood in shock for a moment then turned to Malenor,

"Lord Admiral, Valarius reports that the hulks warp engines have activated!"

"What?" there was a look of barely controlled fear on the Lord Admirals' face as he shouted, "Get us away from that hulk, alert all tugs, brace for impact!"

Even as the hulk began to slide from the viewing bay, Malenor could see they were not going to move in time, being at anchor left them at a disadvantage, with no forward momentum to help them manoeuvre they may as well have stayed where they were. As he watched, arcs of purple and blue lightning roiled over the prow of the hulk which had begun to move forward. Out in space the lightning struck out from the ship crashing against void shields and incinerating some of the tugs in silent explosions. Then the hulk was gone, in a burst of crackling energy. Lord Admiral Malenor gripped his command lectern tightly but the backwash usually associated with sudden and extremely close proximity warp translations, never came.

The command deck of the Galatans' Pride was silent. The command crew stared at the viewing bay, stunned beyond words. Altarion dropped the headset onto the vox-station with a clatter, then turned to Malenor.

"Lord Admiral." he said. The Admiral was standing stock still, his mouth open in shock, gripping his command lectern tightly.

"Lord Admiral," said Altarion, louder this time, the Admiral turned, "May I speak with you privately."

Malenor nodded and strode from the command deck, Altarion close behind.

"Julius," said Altarion, when they were out of earshot of the command crew, "we must go after them."

Malenor let out a breath and ran his hand over his head before replying,

"We cannot, Lucius, not without Lord Calgars' approval."

"Then we must contact him and get his approval." snapped Altarion, harsher than he intended. "I am sorry brother."

"Do not worry old friend," said Malenor, patting Altarions' shoulder guard, "We shall find them."

"Brother-Captain. Brother-Captain do you read?" there was no answer.

"Daceus, what's going on?" questioned Veteran Sergeant Valarius into the vox.

"Brother-Sergeant!" came a hurried voice through the static of the vox-net, "I am afraid we did not make it to the engine room in time, we have translated."

Valarius cursed before replying,

"Very well brother, get to the engine room and see what you can do to get us back into real-space."

"Affirmative, Brother-Sergeant."

Valarius turned as he clicked off the vox,

"Brothers, Daceus was too late, we have crossed into the warp, secure the perimeter and report anything unusual."

Affirmations came from the remaining Ultramarines before they moved off to their assigned positions. Valarius hoped that Captain Altarion was acting swiftly to initiate a rescue mission.

The vox clicked off and Daceus waved his brothers down the corridor. They too had felt the warp translation and the momentary loss of balance before their Lyman's Ear corrected it. The five brother-marines continued along the corridor, bolters sweeping the areas behind and ahead of them. Daceus knew they had to reach the engine room soon if they were to return to real-space intact. The marines rounded a corner and Daceus called a halt. Ahead of them was a door, a door inscribed with symbols.

"Brother Kronor, report to the Brother-Sergeant, tell him we have found what could be the door to the engine room and that I am investigating." ordered Daceus as he began moving cautiously down the corridor, his bolter trained on the door ahead.

Veteran Sergeant Valarius stood on the command deck of the space hulk, a look of consternation creasing his features, he was glad for the impassive mask of his helmet in front of his face, hiding his uncertainty from his brothers. For the first time in his command he doubted he would be able to bring his brothers out alive. His helmet vox crackled slightly, the clipped tones of Brother Kronor pushing through his hesitant thoughts.

"Brother-Sergeant, Brother Daceus requested I report to you."

"What is the situation Brother?"

"We have found a door which Daceus believes leads to the engine room but it is marked with strange symbols, he is investigating it now."

Valarius paused for a minute, considering his options, no matter how limited they were, being stuck aboard a hulk there was little to do but continue to explore it for hostiles.

"Very good brother, report back if you discover anything, be watchful for the foul beasts of the warp, they may seek us out aboard this vessel."

"Confirmed Brother-Sergeant, we shall be vigilant."

There was a faint click as the vox disconnected, though on the very edge of his perception Valarius thought he heard laughter, like that of a child.

"All Ultramarines, report!" he shouted hurriedly into the vox. Nothing, no sound at all, then a sudden wash of static. Valarius tensed, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck raise up, there was a taste of electrical discharge on the air. Then the screaming started.

Brother Daceus advanced slowly on the door, his finger resting lightly on the trigger of his boltgun, his every sense alert for what might lay ahead as he approached the door. As he came closer, Daceus slung his bolter and unhooked his auspex, the glow of its screen highlighting the strange symbols carved into the surface of the door. The more Daceus examined them, the more he thought he'd seen them before. He breathed in sharply as he finally recognised them, they were pentagramic wards, though there was something about them, something he couldn't identify. His auspex chimed suddenly, its soft noise sounding loud and harsh in the bare corridor.

"Brothers!" shouted Daceus, "Contact five hundred meters and closing!"

The Ultramarines scrambled to better positions, falling back toward the inscribed door as the contact closed on them with horrific speed. Daceus' mind raced with thoughts of what the contact could be and whether he could save his brother-marines from their potential doom.

"One hundred meters!" shouted Daceus, though by the time the words had left his mouth the contact had already gained fifty meters.

"Take aim brothers, courage and honour!"

The lights in the corridor flickered slightly, dimming at the opposite end to the Ultramarines. A wave of heat washed down the corridor, so intense that the marines could feel it through the rents in their armour. In the darkness lines of flame began to appear, thin at first but growing thicker as they trailed through the dark until they formed what looked to be a figure.

"Daemon." hissed Palamar, taking a better aim as the figure strode toward them, the darkness following it and the heat growing fiercer with its approach.

"So you see Lord Calgar, we must attempt a rescue." finished Altarion, as he sat back in one of the many chairs around the table in the centre of the great hall. The Galatans' Pride had returned to Macragge after a brief communication with the Master of the Ultramarines. Captain Altarion and his command retinue were seated in the hall which occupied a large portion of the Fortress of Hera, its arched ceiling towering far above the central table, where Lord Calgar, Librarian Tigurius and Chaplain Cassius sat facing Altarion and his squad. Calgar cast a glance at Tigurius who nodded in turn.

"I have been granted a vision, brothers," spoke the Librarian, his voice resonating on a sub-conscious level, making several of the marines shift slightly. "I was shown a planet drowning in green-skins. These foul Xeno were fought by two warriors of great strength and courage, one bore the heraldry of Guilliman, the other was a dark warrior, his heraldry obscured by the dirt of battle." There was a minute of silence as the assembled Ultramarines took in this information.

"What do you make of it, brother?" inquired Calgar, gesturing for Tigurius to continue.

"I believe that Brother-Sergeant Valarius and his squad are still alive but as to their location, I cannot be certain."

Lord Calgar thought for a moment, tapping his chin with his fore-fingers pressed together.

"Cassius, what do you suggest?"

The Master of Sanctity was quick to answer, requiring little time to consider the dilemma, his voice laden with authority and experience from over four centuries of combating the enemies of the Divine Emperor.

"Moral is not as high as it could be, young Calgar, the loss of Captain Ventris and Sergeant Pasanius still haunts the memories of our brothers. We should mount a rescue mission, to show our brothers that we do not abandon hope lightly."

Altarion smiled slightly, he was always impressed by Cassius' council, the ancient chaplain was one of the wisest in the Imperium and was needed now more than ever.

"Then it is decided," said Lord Calgar as he rose from his seat, his honour guard snapping to attention behind him, "Captain Altarion, you shall take your Company along the last known course of the Asclears' Revenge and search for Valarius and his men. Lead with honour, Brother-Captain." Calgar turned and strode from the hall, accompanied by Cassius, Tigurius and his honour guard.