Alright here is the edited first chapter, now it should make sense! Hallelujah!
Ok, I have had this idea in my head for a few years and I'm a little bit surprised that no one else has ever done something like this. If someone has already mixed the Warhammer universes and I just don't know it, review this and tell me where to find your story.
I'm not sure if this counts as a crossover (It's Warhammer either way) but if it does, it's my first so no flames.
Once again and as always, I Do Not own any Warhammer characters, ideas, places, or anything like that. If I did, I'd be making my characters into models, and my stories into campaigns, not words. Don't sue me.
Remember to review, I like the reviews!
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Captain Julius Marconov, of the Brazen Comet Space Marine chapter, was thrown to the wall as his entire ship shook. He turned and ran back to the bridge. The door hissed open and he was tossed against the doorway by another tremor. "What happened?! Are we under attack?" Serfs were thrown from their stations by exploding control panels and the ones who still worked were shouting out about new emergencies. "-decks one through three have hull breaches-" "Sir the Navigator's dome is gone, repeat the Navi-" "-void shields five, eight and nineteen are down, warp matter within the shields-" "-I am getting no report from Inquisitor Gerig, assuming interrogation deck is gone too-" "Abandon ship, abandon ship!" The alarm to abandon ship blared throughout the Annihilatus. Julius stumbled to an unmanned station and swiftly tapped out instructions on a key pad. "Opening bow view ports." Shields protecting the crew from the deadly sight of immaterium slid back to show that they were no longer in the warp but in material space. Before them, a planet loomed. "Xavior!" Julius yelled, ran up to the Command throne. "What planet is this!?" The Starship commander was calm. "I do not know sir, our galactical mapping system is off line. I would suggest escape Captain." Escape pods hatched in the floor slid back to reveal the pods beneath. Julius swiftly turned back to his ship's commander. "What about you?" "This ship is my reason sir, I will continue to attempt to save it so long as I have breath. Now is an optimum time sir." Julius turned from the ship's Commander and stepped to an escape pod entrance. "Fare well my friend." Xavior nodded. "Walk with the Emperor Captain." Julius hopped into the hole and the door shut behind him. The pod was just big enough for the Space Marine and with a hiss, it launched off into the atmosphere. Through the tiny viewing port window he saw the Battle barge crash into the atmosphere after him.
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Commander Xavior sat in his command throne, several cables and feeds that connected him to the great ship had been snapped off by falling debris. He could feel the machine spirit's pain as entire decks were destroyed by the entry into the atmosphere. He sat there doing all possible to comfort the spirit when the bridge crumpled like a piece of tin, and exploded into flame.
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Julius saw many droppods and escape pods fall from the dying ship, but as the last ones were firing, huge detonations blossomed from all along the ship's length, and the once glorious Annihilatus exploded. The shockwave shook his pod and slammed his head into the narrow escape pod walls, knocking the space Marine unconscious. As darkness played over his eyes, memories from the not distant past resurfaced…
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Brother-Captain Julius Marconov knelt and prayed before a shrine of the Emperor in his cloister-cell. He stood at the average height for a Space marine, around seven feet, his heavily muscled body was covered with garments of tanned leather, made from the skin of a Tyranid hormogaunt he had slain. And over that he wore His Captain's Tabard, which proudly showed his chapter's heraldry of a gold comet with two silver tails. His short brown hair and ice blue eyes had made him handsome on his home world, now thick scars covered most of his face and his left eye had been replaced with an emotionless red optical implant.
He had served the Emperor well. Five centuries in his service, two campaigns, three crusades, and the power of an Ork "Waaagh!" had not even begun to tarnish his faith. He remembered the day that the Space marines of the Brazen Comets chapter descended down in their mighty Thunderhawk gunship to his home world, Theta Prime.
He smirked, the legend in his village called the gunship a "falling star" sent from the Emperor to punish sinners. In a way they were right, if anyone sinned before the Emperor's chosen he or she would receive a trial by bolter.
The first sight of the silver lined bronze behemoths filed him with a great feeling of faith, if the Emperor had warriors like these it was not possible for him to lose. He and two others had been taken away from there that night, into the mouth of the gunship. The tortures and surgeries that transformed him from boy into Space Marine very nearly cracked his mind but he lasted through them all, and after three centuries of service he had been promoted to captain of the Brazen Comets seventh company.
The steel door to his quarters opened with a slight hiss, and someone entered from the hall out side with slightly clanking footsteps. "My lord, Inquisitor Gerig requires you on the bridge." The voice was artificial and amplified. Julius finished his prayers and stood up. He reverently closed the small Nal-wood doors of his shrine and turned to the speaker. It was, as he expected, one of the servitors the Inquisitor had brought aboard with his retinue. Its body and left arm was a strange combination of arcane technology, and grey dead human flesh. Its right arm was a mere weapon mount, and its head was mostly cybernetics. Julius stared into the unblinking optical implants much like his own until the half-machine turned and began to make its way down the hall back to its master.
Julius stepped out into the hall and strode through the doors. The hall of his Battlebarge, the Annihillatus was decorated with steely gothic arches and depictions of the Emperor, a few of the countless Imperial saints and heroes of the Chapter lined the walls. His walk showed that he was in deep thought, the Inquisitor in question had not yet informed him what mission he was on, and why he needed the Space Marine's aid. Maybe now was a time to find out.
In his last battle the Captain had faced the Eldar, and their deadly weapons had badly damaged his armor. Upon the removal of the armor a serf had taken it away to the Master of the Forge for repairs. Julius was curious if it was finished, and a smile passed his scarred features. The Inquisitor could wait just while longer.
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As Julius walked on, he came to where the hallway forked off. His great strides moved him down the left path and to a door that had the Adeptus Mechanicus skull and gear emblazoned upon it. The door hissed and then slid into the ceiling. The temperature rose dramatically and bright light poured into the hallway. Julius's enhanced eyes instantaneously adjusted to the bright light and he stepped into the room. His vision cleared and he saw his surroundings, he stood on a balcony over looking an impressive armory, every high adamantine wall meticulously cleaned and cared for.
Above the steel grill floor, bolters sat in long racks, each carefully polished and battle ready. Lovingly repaired suits of power armor were set onto stands awaiting battle, and a mere few suits of nigh impregnable terminator armor were disassembled and being polished by serfs in their work stations. In the center of the workings and seemingly doing one hundred things at once was the ship's Master of the Forge, Techmarine Hephaestus.
The Techmarine's power armor had the silver lining his battle-brothers had, but in the place of the bronze was a deep red. He always wore his power armor, even at work and Julius silently wondered if he still could remove the ceremite suit. Those under the Machine God took to strange ideas about implants.
Two of the servo-arms on his backpack were swiftly tapping buttons on a control panel with machine precision, while the lower two were firmly holding the Techmarine steady by gripping the floor with splayed ceremite fingers. Hephaestus himself was reverently working on an ancient suit of artificer armor, his gauntleted hands sprouting mini-lascutters, and tiny wetware interfaces from his fingers. Julius stepped down the steel stairs and onto the armory floor. He walked toward the Techmarine. Hephaestus did not look up.
"No." Hephaestus's voice was harsh and mechanical as he spoke through his helmet.
Julius stood for a moment puzzled. "No? I have not even asked a question yet Hephaestus."
The helmeted head of Hephaestus never moved from his task. "Nevertheless, the answer is still no."
Julius smiled. "And what was I going to ask then brother?" The Techmarine paused for a moment. His servo-arms momentarily paused in their tasks, clicked and Hephaestus spoke.
"Your weapons are finished and I had a serf deliver them unto you not more than six hours ago, you know idle prattle annoys me so that cannot be the reason. We are not in battle, the alarms have not gone off, and I would know if something serious in the ship needs fixing, for I am connected to the ship's machine spirit as we speak. That leaves only one option to me, you came about your armor, as you have for the past two times in the last twenty two hours. I am not yet finished but I will be if you just have patience." Hephaestus moved his fingers slowly over the chest of the artificer armor, the tiny tools from his gauntlets meticulously repairing every imperfection.
The lower two of the Hephaestus's arms pushed themselves off of the steel grill floor like living metal extensions of the Techmarine. The servo-arms maneuvered past their controller's busy hands to remove energy cables attached to the artificer armor. Smaller clamps unfolded from the bulkier fingers, and with amazing gentleness unhooked the cables from their sockets. As the lower arms prepared the armor, the upper arms worked themselves. The heavy, but agile clamps ceased their toil on the control panel and lowered down to begin unhooking thick cables from surrounding machinery. These cables sprouted from the Techmarine's belt and had connected him to the room's security systems, that way he could focus on his work and know all that happened in his armory.
After the arms had finished their task they folded up neatly and precisely onto the Techmarine's huge back-slung power plant. Hephaestus retracted the minute tools from his fingertips back into their tiny slots and, with a mother's tenderness, picked up the intricate suit of artificer armor with both arms. He turned and walked toward Julius.
The armor was magnificent, it had taken four generations of tech adepts and artisans to forge each unbreakable design. The technology to recreate the armor was lost in the archives of Mars, but the Space Marines had the resources to repair it. The backpack that contained a mini harnessed-nuclear power plant had battles from long ago carved into it. Golden Imperial eagles were embossed into the tops of the gauntlets, and the knee guards were shaped into kite shields. The Chapter's two-tailed comet stood out across the breast plate and right shoulder in bronze. In the place of the normal bronze color this suit had been blessed with a rare alloy know as Eanorium which shown like gold when polished, but with one hundred times the strength. The helmet was not the standard issue, for it was the helm of Lucius Verile, the first captain of the Brazen Comets.
It was an ancient helm from before the great crusades from Terra, and to the Techpreists its making was a complete mystery. It had the simple shape of a medieval great helm but the technology in it was tightly packed so it could store vast amounts of information, even years worth of data. The helmet had been very intricately tooled, around the top of the head the ceremite had etched laurels, and around its base the Emperor's prayer had been carved with the smallest las-cutter available. The armor had been worn by every Captain in the seventh company for two thousand years.
Hephaestus held the armor to display his work. "Your armor is now repaired, and its spirit pleased Captain. I will send the armor to your quarters, a serf will bring it on a repulse-lift."
Julius shook his head. "The Inquisitor wishes to see me on the bridge. I will don my armor here and be on my way." The Techmarine nodded and led Julius to an armor encasing chamber located in the back of the armory. Hephaestus noted the venom in his captain's words when speaking of the Inquisitor, but said nothing. The Techmarine walked into the white cylindrical room first and activated a stasis field. The blue energy field came down from the room's ceiling and the Techmarine placed the armor into the light. He pulled his arms away from the armor, and the shining suit floated inside that azure light. No time passed in a stasis field so the armor had no time to fall. Hephaestus stepped aside allowing the captain access to the room. "Brother-Captain you armor awaits." Julius nodded and entered the room. A door slid shut from the right and the chamber was sealed. The Techmarine walked over to the encasement room control panel and tapped out a quick code into a key pad. A confirmation rune glowed on the panel, signaling the activation of the Captain's chamber.
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Captain Julius began the Litany of Honored War gear, as the chamber powered up. The Captain stripped and placed his leathers and tabard into collection bin built into the wall. Julius finished his prayer, and breathed deep to find relaxation, then stood straight and spread his arms. The stasis field holding the armor changed harmonics and expanded with an electrical hum until the entire chamber glowed with the field, as if it was under water. The Space Marine captain was slowly lifted off his feet and a body-sized holographic image of himself fizzed to life before him. Sections of the figure in the hologram flashed red and small floating notes wrote themselves in the air by the red parts. The suit of armor assumed the same position as Julius and remained still. Dozens of small robotic arms unfolded themselves from the smooth wall of the chamber, and began taking apart the ancient armor apart at the joints and seams. Every part that was separated from the rest of the armor was set loose and began floating in the chamber, and soon the completely disassembled armor began floating freely around Julius like planets in orbit. The small arms then began snatching random part of the armor out of the air and began placing the components on their correct spot on Julius himself. With each part placed the hologram-Julius also gained armor, small notes written in High Gothic appearing beside each new holographic armor piece. The mini servo-arms carefully and swiftly attached the armor's components, stitching fabricated muscle fibers together and then placing the sheets of ceremite over them. Highly detailed auto-reactive shoulder guards clicked into place, and leg armor connected with knee joints with small snaps. The last piece put into place was the ancient helm, the red HUD blinking into life as soon as it connected with the top of his head. The stasis field deactivated and the now fully armored Julius stood on his own two feet.
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He stepped over to the small collection bin and pulled his clothes from it. The door hissed open and the light form the armory flooded in. "My Captain, are you now prepared?" the harsh rasping voice of Hephaestus was a drastic change from the silence of the encasement chamber. Julius removed his helm and held it in the crook of his arm. "Yes Brother, I will go see the Inquisitor now."
"Don't bother." A new voice snapped. A crooked figure surrounded by a group of half machine servitors came through the room. The mindless once-humans bumped into the armory serfs and knocked over suits of power armor as they made their uneven path after their master. Julius glanced over to Hephaestus whose helmeted head stared straight at the oncoming arrivals. The Captain knew the Techmarine well enough to know that he must be seething under his helmet.
The man leading the bumbling servitors was old, and by all rights looked as though he should have been dead for years, but to an Inquisitor Juvient drugs were always available. His hunched body was covered by a long black coat, and under that was a layer of a shirt and vest. A long scarf was wrapped around his sagging turkey-like neck. His head was balding with frizzled white hair sticking out of the sides. Thick brows jutted over small sunken eyes, and in his thin gnarled hand was an ebony cane topped with a brass skull. "When an Inquisitor gives a command it shall be done, quickly and without question!" the thin old man snapped. It took much of Julius's patience to keep himself from tossing the Inquisitor out of an airlock. "I was just on my way to the bridge, Inquisitor Gerig, I merely wished to see if my armor had been repaired." The spiteful figure before sneered at him. "Hmph. If you are done wasting my time follow me to the bridge." The crooked man shoved aside one of his servitors and hobbled through the armory workshop and out the door. His retinue of servitors clanked after him, causing minor damage on their way out. Julius actively tried to keep his temper. Inquisitors may have nearly absolute power, but he was the Captain of a Space Marine Company. He deserved respect.
He turned to Hephaestus. "Fare well my friend." Hephaestus nodded, his hands making the sign of the Machine. "May the Ominassah watch over you, Captain." The Techmarine turned back to his work station and began repairing a badly damaged suit of power armor. On his way out Julius heard Hephaestus begin the Incantation of Activation, then the door hissed shut.
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The Bridge of the Annihilatus seemed to be part battleship control room, part medieval temple. The ceiling was high and domed, with scenes from the Emperor's great crusades upon it. The front of the bridge was round, with a serf manning a post ever two meters. Gothic arches carved with the Imperial eagle separated each work station, and the stations themselves were in an archaic manner. In the center of the bridge a podium with a command throne stood and on the throne sat Commander Xavior Meteal. The commander looked the average for a Space Marine in build and shape, but his role was very different. He was wired into the ship's Machine Spirit, and essentially became the ship. Because of this connection he could freely control the ship with the grace he once moved his body with. The engines powered up and the weapons fired at his command. Instead of using bolter rounds as he once did, he fired proton bombs and melta torpedoes. He had single handedly crushed enemy ships, and even fallen hive cities with mountain leveling barrages. Near the Command throne stood his Captain, the Inquisitor and his servitors. Currently they were speaking of battle tactics.
"The Emperor's Holy Inquisition has tasked me with a very interesting assignment." Gerig said. He raised a gnarled hand and snapped his fingers quickly three times. One of the Servitors deposited a small round device in his hand. Muttering. Gerig placed the thing on the floor and stepped back. The object flashed twice and a hologram of a planetary system rose to head height. "This is our objective, the Kilagose system. It's third planet is know as yemark and that is where we are headed." The third planet was enlarged until it filled the hologram. Gerig to a deep rattling breath. "This world is currently under attack by the forces of the traitor Space marine chapter the Word Bearers." Julius grimaced at the mention of the traitors, they were a dishonor that could never be atoned for.
"Your ship Captain will scan the world until the warp signature we are looking for appears, once it is found we will go down to the planet and extract it." Julius stepped over the holographic projector, distorting the image until he was out of the hologram. "What exactly is this warp signature Inquisitor? A planetary governor? A captured General? Or another inquisitor perhaps?" Gerig snorted and began a wheezing high pitched laugh. "No, Captain nothing like that, we are capturing a Chaos Lord." Were Julius any other of the emperor's servants, not a Space Marine he would probably have laughed into the Inquisitor's face. "A Chaos lord." "Yes Captain, a Chaos Lord, one "Dominik Deathreach" I think." Julius stood silently, if he had thought the Inquisitor insane before this now confirmed it. Gerig gave a swift whistle and the hologram fizzled and shrunk back into the projector, a servitor picked it up as Gerig turned to Julius. "Here is what you will do, a large force of your men maybe fifty marines will assault the nearest base of operations near the target, this will be a distraction. You and a select group of yours will meet them head on and you will drive him north to me. I will have a trap ready." Gerig turned to the still silent Captain. "You have an issue with my plan Captain?" The Inquisitor said with arrogant disdain. Julius breathed deep trying to expel his mounting frustration. His voice was calm to start with but steadily grew in intensity. "Inquisitor Gerig, You want me to agree with your plan, but you also are telling me to send fifty Marines on a suicide mission so you can capture some heretic who would better serve us dead anyway. My men are not to be so carelessly sacrificed." "I do not like your tone Captain, I expect that this is because you have not fought Chaos as long as I have. This new Warlord has terrorized five systems in recent years and has created cults among four others, if we do not stop him this whole sector could fall within a mere three decades.". How long until we reach Yemark, Ensign?" One of the serfs manning the control panels swiveled his chair to face the Inquisitor and saluted. "We will be in low orbit of the planet with in three hours sir." Gerig snorted and went off out the door muttering. His throng of Servitors followed him out. Julius nodded to the Ensign. "Good work." The Serf saluted and returned to his task. Julius turned and left the bridge. It was time for pre-battle prayer.
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"We are the Emperor's strong right arm, the Angels of Death! Fear incarnate!" Chaplain Manoroc stood on a podium at the front of the Battle barges chapel. The entire seventh company was before him. The armored bodies of the marines kneeled in prayer, and standing proudly in the back of the huge chapel were the company's two dreadnoughts, brothers Zachariah, and Saul. Chaplain Manoroc's voice was rich and the words boomed from his mouth with sheer determination and zeal. His death-black armor was silver lined like his battle brothers, but had skull motifs decorating every joint in the armor. His tanned face was heavily scarred, and where his ears had been bionic replacements were now. His deep brown eyes showed nothing but solid faith in his cause and hatred for all who were his enemies. "All who defy the Emperor's will, shall be purged!"
"Purged with Holy Flame!" the congregation of armored marines shouted, the Dreadnaughts careful to not drown out their brothers with their loud speakers.
"Whom so ever shall take which is his, shall be cleansed!"
"Cleansed with purifying faith!"
"And they who consort
with the vile forces of his foes, shall be killed!"
"Killed by
we, the Emperor's judgment made manifest!"
"And how shall they be killed?"
"Without pity, without mercy. Completely and utterly!"
"How can the alien stand before us?"
"It cannot!"
"How can the witch
taint us?"
"It cannot!"
"How can the mutant terrify us?"
"It cannot!" Julius shouted with his brothers. He was kneeled, his thunder hammer held before him. He had never missed a single one of Manoroc's sermons, and being here and now made it difficult to believe that the Chaplain's voice had even more power on the battlefield.
Manoroc waited until silence filled the vast room, he then kneeled, and bowed his head. The Marines in the front row could just hear words of a hymn coming from the Chaplain. Slowly Manoroc's voice rose in volume and the words could be heard clearly by those near the Chaplain. The marines joined in the hymn and their brothers further back heard and joined into the Hymn of the Emperor, Julius and the rest of his brothers added their voices. The sound of their voices rose through out the room and the sound echoed around the vaunted ceiling and amplified the hymn, making it seem to gain power until it seemed to have always been part of the chapel. Julius focused with all his might on a prayer to the Emperor, and while he sang the words his mind struggled with how to word the prayer. He merely had a feeling is all, a bad feeling. Something about this mission seemed not right. Julius shook the thoughts from his head and discarded them. A Space marine knew no doubt or fear. The hymn ended, when the sounds finally died away Mannaoroc stood and began his final words. Julius answered correctly whenever the Chaplain shouted a challenge out, but the Captain's heart was not in it. Something about this mission disturbed him, but he did not know what.
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As soon as the Annihilatus entered low-orbit of Yemark, the battlebarge scanned the hemisphere facing them for Chaos activity, and when ever a base was found without the Warlord's warp signature, the Annihilatus would open fire with a volley of melta- torpedoes and reduce the land below to smoke clouds and cinders. Julius stood in the drop pod boarding bay and watched his men climb aboard their drop pods. He turned to his own drop pod, it had one seat only and was designed for commanders of high status. The ceremite heat shield on the bottom of his drop pod had been cleaned and meticulously repaired be a team of tech servitors, for atmospheric entry brutalized any material passing through it. Julius placed the helm on his head, the red HUD display instantly becoming active and began identifying the space marines around him. Small words wrote themselves on his field of vision over his men, showing their name, rank, any honors they had won, and their years of service. He turned to his pod and readied himself for the trip. The drop pods were not made for comfort, but to deliver warriors into battle so there was nothing inside the bronze exterior but a plassteel seat and restraints. As he strapped himself into the seat the blast shield doors slowly closed before him like a gigantic adamantium flower and the pod's interior went dark. A moment passed, and there was a sudden jolt through the pod as it was pulled downwards into its launching slot. A serfs' voice crackled into the vox speaker in his helmet. "Prepare for orbital launch and entry. Launch initiated in five….four… Julius took slow deep breaths, no matter how many times he used these pods he would never get used to them. "…two…one… Launch initiated."
Julius grimaced as the tiny pod was released into the empty black vacuum of space, the initial ejection was never a pleasant experience. For a moment in the vast silence, he drifted utterly helpless in his small pod. A small red light flashed on inside his pod accompanied by a small high pitched beep from his vox speaker in his helm. Julius counted out two seconds and there was a slight jolt, and though he could not see them, he knew that the stabilizing fins had engaged. There was a slight rumbling above him, which was the short burst propulsion engine coming online. There seemed to be no movement from the pod, until a deep vibrating from beneath his feet drowned out the shaking of the pod's engine. Julius remembered, over two centuries ago, when he had been briefed by a Mechano-tutor on the dangers of using the drop pod. The artificial voice drifted past his mind's ears. "…To those on the planet surface, the descending pods should stand out like a small meteor shower, so they are easy targets to enemy gunners with suitable arms..." Julius mentally shook aside the memories.
Julius concentrated on one hymn, and then switched to another in an attempt to ignore the great discomfort. He had read about thrill rides from Terra's ancient past called "roller-coasters", and how many of them tried to simulate the experience he was feeling. Those creations had nothing in common with what he was going through right then. The drop pod began to shake violently, and according to his HUD the temperature inside the pod was swiftly growing greater. Julius was a warrior of the Emperor, and no foe caused any fear in him. However the thought of death in the small metal shell of the drop pod, going at meteoric speeds, blazing like a flare, with no possible way to survive if the worst did happen, distilled small pieces of the emotion. As if sensing the fears, the HUD inside Julius's helm began pointing out in small red letters exactly where the drop pod was most likely to have a hole punched through the armor by the now enormous heat and friction of the atmospheric entry. Julius closed his eyes and began reciting the fifty duties of the Space Marine.
By the time he reached number forty-four the repulse jets at his feet fired, slowing his fall from meteoric velocity down into safer speeds. The pod slammed into the ground with force sufficient to shatter a normal man's bones. Julius's enhanced body and armor absorbed the blow as a small stumble. The small red light turned green and the adamantine door before him hissed, fell open and broke the ground where it landed. The catch on his restraints snapped apart and Julius ran out through the open door and out into Yemark's sunlight.
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The sun was setting in the west, distant mountain creating the horizon. The war zone Julius just dropped into might have once been a cathedral plaza, the cobblestone road beneath his drop pod had been powdered by the impact and then glazed by the heat. Towering marble statues of saints lined the circular plaza and heavily detailed temples stood between each huge statue. The place must have been serene when the Emperor's devout priests and worshippers worked and lived here. Now many of the great statues stone heads lay in ruins at their feet. Hideous eight pointed stars had been erected in their place, and in the center of each star hung a sacrificed body, the victim's blood trickling down the once beautiful edifices. The temples, once filled with harmonized voices giving praise to the Emperor, now were desecrated by the slaughter of innocents, their corpses pierced with blackened hooks and were swaying from the temple pillars with chains fastening them there. The captain uttered prayer for the souls of those before him with piety, and in the same breath promised most horrible vengeance upon the ones who had done this. Three ground shaking thuds behind him heralded the arrival of more drop pods. Julius turned to see ten of his brothers leave their pods, and from the third on came Venerable Dreadnought Saul. The once-fallen hero stood three times taller than Julius, his bronze armored body gleaming in the setting sun. His right arm was a crackling power claw taken from the Ork Nob who had nearly killed him and placed him in this adamantium shell, his left arm was a deadly twin linked Las-cannon, with which he was not known to miss. Julius drew his power sword and strode to his brothers. The space marines bowed with reverence, The dreadnought acknowledged his captain with a salute from his claw arm. "Brother Saul, are you picking up any hostiles on you're auspex?" Julius asked. Saul stood unmoving for a moment and then spoke with a deep amplified voice. "Yes captain, inside the temple to our right, two degrees north, by four degrees east. Be advised Captain, the workings of Chaos have befouled my instruments before." Julius nodded. "I understand. Come my brothers, let us send these heretics the Emperor's judgment!" The armored figures placed their hands over their hearts for a short moment and raced down the direction s provided by the dreadnought. Where the Marines ceremite boots cracked the cobblestones beneath them with each step Saul's feet utterly obliterated the pathway, leaving great pillar-like footprints forever marking his passage. Julius ran forward, he could almost smell the combat. He raced passed the decapitated statue of a female saint, and gracefully leapt up the temples steps. A large brass bound door was closed over an arch like doorway. Julius stopped his charge and slowed to a stop before the door. The sight that greeted his eyes would burn itself into his memory forever.
A small child had been killed, and nailed to the blood soaked wood of the door. Horrible, but not lethal wounds were lashed into the clothed body, showing that the child had died from either the pain or blood loss. An evil eight-pointed star had been craved into the flesh and bone of child's forehead. Julius's men caught up behind their captain, Saul stopped at the temple steps. One brother placed an armored hand on his Captain's shoulder. "They will be punished Captain. Not one heretic on this planet will escape, not one." "If not by us, by the Emperor himself." Julius muttered. He had witnessed much evil in his service to the Emperor, he had seen friends pulled open and eaten by the vile Tyranids, He had personally witnessed a torture session done by the sadistic Dark Edar. But to Julius all of the evil in the galaxy can to nothing when compared to the dead child before him. He stepped toward the body. "Saul are you still picking up the enemy inside this building?" The deep voice of the dreadnought answered a moment later. "Yes captain." Julius began a prayer for the child's soul and placed a hand on one of the nails to remove it. "Captain, my sensors are picking up a large energy sur-!" The carved eight-pointed star glowed and the small body began to change. A hideous sucker-like mouth opened on the body's chest and a slimy purple tongue lashed out and grabbed Julius by the wrist. The Deamon–thing had a horrifying streangth, the tongue cracking the ceremite around Julius's gauntlet. Julius flicked the activation rune on his hammer. An energy field like white fire spread across its head, and the captain brought it down onto his attacker, crushing bones and breaking teeth from the mouth. The deamon–thing shrieked and let go of the captain's wrist. The monster began wailing from both mouths and more hideous mutations spread across the possessed body. Julius backed off and never turned his eyes from the possessed body. "Men, kill it." The Space Marines stepped past their leader, leveled their bolters and opened fire. Mass-reactive bolter rounds punched through the ruined body and detonated inside it, quickly reducing it to tiny splattered goblets of meat. Behind them came the electrical explosion of las-cannons firing. "Captain! It's a trap!" Saul's voice boomed. Julius and his marines turned to see forces of their enemy closing in.
The Word Bearers were of Chaos Undivided, so all four of the Dark gods were with them, and they had sent a small army of Deamons to kill the Space Marines. Tall, horned Bloodletter deamons marched alongside putrid rotting servents of the plague god Nurgle. Sensuous half-naked deamonets of Slannesh clicked their wicked crab like claws to an unheard beat, and form-shifting Horrors of Tezeech scrabbled behind them. Julius raised his glowing weapon. "See men, the cowards will not face the Emperor's wrath themselves! Let us show them the folly of sending the likes of these against us!" The Marines aimed their bolters and let loose a hail of rounds. Saul charged into the throng of deamons, his massive adamantine bulk crashed through their lines like a juggernaut. His power claw and las-cannons reaping a great toll on his foes. Julius ran toward a dancing deamonet. The creature cackled and tried to snip off his head with its left claw. The Space marine ducked under the claw and broke it's leg savagely off at the knee. The deamon tumbled and shrieked giving Julius enough time to pulverize it's skull with his armored boot. A Plague-bearer of Nurgle, coated in flies, squelched toward him, gurgling a battle cry from leprous lips. The rebreathers in Julius's helmet blocked out the disease that were undoubtedly coming off the deamon, but did nothing to stop the thing's sickening odor. The energy wreathed head of his hammer smashed into the deamons side, the energy field ate away the bloated strained flesh there, spilling rotting organs and small crawling deamons. The Plague-bearer opened its mouth and thick bubbled of mucus foamed from between rotted teeth. The monster raised its crude sickle-like weapon to continue fighting, and Julius drew his bolt pistol. He fired the bullet straight into its cataract covered eye, the round then detonated blowing out the back of the deamon's skull. The plague-bearer fell to the ground dead. Something heavy slammed into his backpack and Julius was knocked to the ground. He rolled over and blocked the massive descending axe of a Bloodletter of Khorn with hishammer. The white fire of his blessed weapon fought against the hellsteel of the murderous axe. The red-skinned monster laughed over it's soon to be victory, until its back was shredded by bolter fire. The deamon dissolved into blood and Julius stood up again. He smashed his hammer into another demonet and made a note to himself to thank his men greatly. He continued fighting, and to his right he heard Saul's brutal rampage. The Dreadnought declared loudly that the deamons were blasphemy given form and an insult to the Emperor. If anything the words made the Monsters all the more eager to fight. Julius spun on his feet and decapitated a charging deamon with a powerful blow. He moved his head side to side looking for more to fight, but all that remained of the deamons was thick bubbling ichor splattered all over the now wrecked plaza. A final demon was in Saul's merciless grasp. The Tezeechen Horror squealed and writhed in the shimmering power claw. Saul aimed his upper las-cannon barrel carefully and vaporized the top of the monster's head. Julius relaxed his stance, Saul and his Marines cheered at their victory. If Julius had not been told the plan within the Inquisitor's plan he would have joined them. The cheering stopped at the sound of clapping. Not congratulatory clapping, but slow almost mocking, applause. Julius turned to the source. Standing upon the severed stone neck of a statue stood a sight that would terrify most men.
The figure stood as tall as any Space Marine, but the gore red armor had been twisted, and defiled almost past the point of recognition. The helmet had horns very much like a Blood-letter's and the eye slits were changed until the occupant of the armor saw the world through an eight-pointed star. Thick spikes stuck out of the armor in random places, and from the crusting blood on them it could be guessed that these were regularly used as weapons. On one huge shoulder pad was another eight-pointed star but with a deamon's head the center, the head snarled and spat, its evil eyes rotating to look at the Space Marines. The figure stopped clapping. "Well fought, warriors of the corpse-god, but here you will die none the less." The Figure jumped off of the statue and the ground cracked when he landed. Red warp energy surrounded the figure like an aura. "I am the one known as Deathreach, and I bring you the Word of Chaos. Against that, your False-Emperor stands not a hope." Dominik death reach's voice was like that of a deamon's, smooth, convincing and had an undertone that screamed how evil the owner of the voice really was. The shadows cast by the statues and temples grew thicker and tainted. Out from them stepped tall corrupted Space Marines, each carrying bolters and knives "blessed" by their dark gods. They all had gore red armor like their lord, and most had some form of horrible mutation upon them. The Chaos lord raised his gauntleted hand to his side, evil energies flowed across his armored hand and formed a massive brutal axe in his hand the weapon had all four symbols of the Chaos Gods burned into it, and what looked like jagged teeth sprouted from the edge. "You will now die, warriors of the corpse-god." "You will die before I do traitor!" Julius shouted and rushed towards Dominik, hammer raised. The Chaos Lord readied his axe and chargd as well. As the two giants among mortals clashed, Saul and the Space Marines opened fire into their fallen brethren. Only the blazing beams from Saul's Las-cannons ensured swift deaths among the Chaos Marines, the bolter rounds from either side merely ricocheted off of thick ceremite power armor, or cursed deamonic armor. The two sides fought vigorously, just as their masters did.
"Heretic!" Julius shouted. He emphasized the word with a blow from his brutal weapon. Dominik deflected it with his axe. "Heretic? No, I just found the truth." Julius roared and lashed out with his blade. Dominik merely dodged with a small change of stance. "If Chaos is so weak, how come you have yet to land a blow on me?" The Chaos Lord swung, aiming for the captain's head. Julius reversed his hammer, and ducked within the strike, he then smashed his fist into the side of Dominik's helmet. Julius returned his hammer back to it's normal stance and slammed the glowing weapon into the chest plate of his enemy. Cracks spiderwebbed out from the Chaos Lord's helmet and a large bowl shaped crater was in his breastplate. Dominik turned his head back to Julius. "Good strike confused one, but you really must try harder than that." Dominiks free hand clenched into a fist and slammed it under The Captain's ribcage. As Julius was tossed up by the huge force of the blow the Chaos lord spun on his feet and then struck him again, but with the flat of his axe, sending the Space Marine sailing into the base of a statue. Dominik looked at the damage to his armor. "You really must try harder."
Julius could feel that some ribs were broken. And if it wasn't for his genetic enhancement he probably would have some internal bleeding too. The HUD in his helm created a small diagram of his armor and informed him of how his abdominal plates were cracked and needed maintenance in small red letters. He looked up to see The Chaos lord staring down at him. "Stubborn fool. Why do you reject the Word of Chaos?" Julius kicked out with his left leg and knocked Dominik's legs out from under him. As the Chaos lord hit the ground Julius was already back up. Julius readied himself when the background noise of the fighting ended. The Dominik got to his feet. "I am afraid we will not be able to finish this fight for I am needed else where, but your soul still will serve Chaos." Julius looked around to see that all of his marines were dead, their armor cracked and broken, even Saul's great armored bulk was unmoving on the ground. Chaos marines and lesser Deamons steped over his brother's corpses and toward him with a blood thirsty swagger to their walk. "My warrior's will kill you in my stead. Fare well, warrior of the corpse-god." Dominik stepped back as his warriors closed in for the kill. Julius commended his soul to the Emperor, and prepared to take many of them with him. Then from above, there was a loud mechanical screaming noise. There was the small cracks of small arms' fire and enemies fell to the ground with bloody holes in them. Several metallic figures flashed by, jet turbines of their jump packs producing the mechanical screaming and trailing a thin white smoke. A squad of Brazen Comet Assault Marines armed with chainswords and bolt pistols fell out of the sky, and onto the Chaos forces. Leading their way was the Black armored form of Chaplain Manoroc. The Chaplain's comet emblazoned crozius arcanum hung from his belt and in its place he wore over sized gauntlets, with small blades sprouting from the knuckles. The Chaplain's skull shaped helmet grinned mercilessly at the Chaos marines. The worshippers of the dark gods stood for a moment making a circle around the Chaplain. Fire like energy blazed from Manoroc's lightning claws. "Which traitor will face me first?" he asked.
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The Chaos Lord Dominik Deathreach ran through the ruined hive city. Behind him he could here the sound of his minion's being ripped apart by the unenlightened warriors of the false Emperor. Why did this always happen to him? He had led his Word Bearers legions from system to system, showing many the path to Chaos. He was favored by the Dark Gods themselves, why has everything failed him as of late? Deep with in him he knew the answer, ever since Abaddon's latest Black Crusade. Ever since he failed.
He had been given the unholy rank of Dark Apostle and the command of a small fleet, and he was charged to make sure that the Orks from the clan Wotdoesdisbuttondoo held up to their end of the deal and made surprise attacks on Cadian shipping lines. The mission was simple, but when not only had the Orks changed their minds and decided to attack his fleet instead of the agreed target, the Black crusade had failed by the time he got back to the Eye of Terror and the other Dark Apostles had used him as a scapegoat for the catastrophic defeat. He was demoted, ridiculed, but he knew the gods still favored him. Why else had he been led to such prime worlds ripe for the corrupting, even if his plans suddenly dissolved because of unforeseen problems. Which reminded himself of this world, Yemark. His Sorcerer and Rouge psykers had told him that there was no indication of failure here. There were Planetary defense troops, and they were easy enough to kill, or be shown the truth, but Space Marines? How could his Sorcerers miss them? It was as if, he of all people, had been denied favor from Chaos! Even his armor had not yet healed itself as it had before, the deamon possessing it refused to heal the damage.
Dominik fled north, into a small copse of trees. The shadows caused by the leaves danced past as he hurried through. Almost a kilometer ahead there would be one of his bases, he would take refuge there. He exited the trees and into an open field. In the distance massive towers of smoke rose into the air, and small cinder began to fall like light black snow. The Chaos Lord slowed his run to a stop. At the back of the field stood a small figure leaning on a cane. "I have been waiting for you Chaos lord." The old man sneered.
Dominik smailed beneath his helmet and hefted his axe, at least he will be able to sacrifice this one to his gods. The Chaos Lord rushed the small old man axe raised. The old man's eye's glowed blue and he raised his left hand. Pain like Dominik never knew flooded through him, it was ice cold and at the same time burned with white hot intensity. The Chaos Lord stumbled and fell to the ground writhing. It was like death multiple times over, utterly complete, breaking pain. The old man hobbled forward on his cane. "Stupid, very stupid." muttered the man. "It is never wise to attack an Inquisitor so boldly." Dominik's vision went dark and the pain vanished.
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Julius stood outside an interrogation viewing cell. Beside him slumped Inquisitor Gerig. The captain had had his armor fixed and was wearing it now. His hammer hung from his belt and his bolt pistol was holstered. "Congratulations Inquisitor, you have your prize." Gerig nodded. "The Inquisition will find him most… interesting Captain." Inside the cell the still unconscious Chaos Lord was having his armor removed by the Inquisitor's servitors. The armor had been as a second skin and was not meant to be removable, but with machine precision, the Servitor's las-scalpels and servo clamps peeled off the tainted armor. "The armor will be locked into a blessed room with its own void shields-" "Much like your cell here?" interrupted Gerig. "Yes Inquisitor, just like our cells." "Good. Tell me, when do we go to Warp?" said Gerig never taking his eyes off of the operation inside the room. "One moment Inquisitor." Julius brought a finger up to armor's large collar and pressed a sunken button. In his ear a tiny speaker crackled. "Yes brother-captain?" said a small voice. "How soon to warp?" Julius spoke into a small microphone in his collar. "The Navigator is readying himself as we speak my lord." "Thank you." The speaker crackled again and went silent. "Not long now Inquisitor." 'Perfect, now leave. I must…entertain my guest." The old man cackled at his own joke and entered the room. Julius focused on a prayer of cleansing as he turned to leave the room. He did not enjoy watching torture, not even on one so deserving.
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Dominik awoke to a fire-like pain that traced his entire body. He opened his eyes, and to his surprise his helmet was gone. His arms and legs had been tied each to a corner of a large plassteel table. Raising his head he saw that all over his armor had been stripped off of him, only a large white piece of cloth covered his waist to his knees. The cloth was soaked in his blood. His armor had been his skin since it was placed on him all those centuries ago. So he now his muscles and flesh were open to the air. He tried to relax, for he had suffered much worse at the hands of his deamonic masters. He heard muttering around him, and he strained his skinless head around to find the mutterer. At his feet the hunched old man stood dropping something on the floor. "Who are you, wait it matters not, for when my masters find out about this your pain will be my pain ten fold!" The old man stopped his muttering and began to laugh, it was high pitched and halting. "Your masters?! HA! Tell me Dominik Deathreach." The man composed himself "W-who do you think led you on a wild grox chase from planet to planet, severely cutting down your forces with failed Crusades, until you were weak enough to crush on some back water spit of land?" Dominik looked at the hunched figure. "Wait it can't be…"
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The door to the bridge hissed open at Julius's approach. "I swear, if all Inquisitors were like him, the entire Imperium would be no better than some xeno empire." Commander Xavior smiled from his command throne. When the Captain spoke like that it usually meant a fight would happen soon. A serf turned to face Xavior from his station. "My lord The Navigator reports as ready." Unable to nod in response, Xavior merely entered the warp space programs and activated the void shields.
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Gerig smiled. "So servants of the warp can see it. Interesting." To Dominik's eyes the Inquisitor's entire frame was permeated with warp energy. The smile faded from Gerig's face. "The Dark Gods are very irritated with you Dark Apostle." Gerig sneered as he did before. "They had to send me to destroy you, to think that all of the other agents sent after you failed. It would make one who had not seen Chaos itself despair." Gerig chuckled and pulled some dust from his pocket. "They also said that who catches you and sacrifices you to them will be granted deamonhood. Glowing chaotic symbols appeared on the Inquisitor's body and he dropped the dust in his hand. It changed when it hit the floor, and became an eight pointed star. "These runes are annoying but they are also necessary." Gerig circled the condemned lord dropping his chaotic dust and chanting a spell. The dust turned multiple colors from midnight black to florescent pink as it turned into more symbols, each one painful to look at. When the circle was finished Dominik felt reality being pulled thin around them. Gerig smiled as an eight pointed star glowed on his forehead. "Now all we need is for the good captain to take us into the Warp."
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Blast shields closed over the viewing ports all over the ship and shadow like void shields activated covering the ship in a tinted cocoon. The bridge was silent as the Warp inducers tore reality apart in front of the ship and the Annihilatus was pulled into the madness of the immaterium. Julius stood by the command throne and waited. Finally one of the serfs turned to him. "We are now fully into the warp my lord." Julius nodded, and left the bridge. Something did not feel right, but even in the deamonic realm of the warp the emperor would hear his prayers. The captain made his way to the chapel.
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The dust runes blazed powerfully, and the threads of the material reality more swiftly unraveled. Gerig reached into his coat and pulled out a long spindly dagger, and he held it above his head and chanted hysterically. "For the wisdom of Tzeench I give my soul!" The dust symbol of Tzeench glowed brighter "For the pleasure of Slannesh, I give my life!" The symbol of the pleasure and pain god blazed with power. "For the fear of Nurgle-" Dominik sent what power he had through to his right arm, this fool thought he could kill a Chaos Lord like a lamb for slaughter? Gerig pointed the dagger at Dominik's chest. "And for the strength of Khorn, I give another's blood!!" The dagger and Khorn's symbol flashed into life. Gerig brought his arm back and his arm sliced down towards Dominik's chest. The rope around Dominik's straining right hand snapped, and the Chaos lord grabbed the dagger before it could touch him, reversed it and buried it into Gerig's chest. The Inquisitor looked surprised. "B-but… No…"
Deamons had been waiting outside the Annihilatus's void shield to devour Dominik's soul, however when the Inquisitor's was made available in its stead, their masters did not stop them. To the gods of Chaos a proper sacrifice was fine, but an unexpected twist was far more interesting.
Inside the interrogation chamber a large sphere of deamonic power came into being. The proper ritual had been preformed, so the gods of chaos had to provide what they agreed to. Dominik cut away the rest of the ropes binding him, and stared into the energy. This was enough power to ascend to deamonhood. Dominik clamored off of the blood soaked slab and stumbled toward the sphere. His skinless body still dripped blood but he did not care anymore, the ability for vengeance was before him. He reached out a hand toward the power and he gasped as a flood of it washed over him, and began to remake him. The power was incredible, he could feel horns beginning to sprout from his scalp and new tougher skin covered his entire body. Small tusks began jutting from his mouth. The power was great, but then the energy pulled away. The sphere blazed brighter and vanished through a wall. Dominik opened his changed eyes. "What!?" he looked down at his changed body but focused on his right foot. It was bigger and claws began growing where nails had once been, but more importantly, his foot had scattered the symbol of Tzeench. Without the god of change he would not be transformed. And because the ritual had been halted the gods felt no more reason to hold to their word. Dominik screamed in frustration, a now vastly inhuman sound. But unknown to him, the power had not just gone anywhere, it had gone into the warp itself, where it gathered great power and now something the chaos gods did not intend or expect happened.
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The contorting energy raced through the ever shifting immaterium, gaining power as it passed through the warp. A wave of increased time shot thorough the senergy mass, speeding its power growth by several thousand years. The energy reached critical mass and began collapsing in upon itself. Ribbons of energy lanced off of it as the energy mass shrunk, killing masses of deamons with its power. The energy collapsed one final time and tore a huge hole through the insane reality of the warp. The hole was dark and acted as a black hole, and began pulling in all things around. The Annihilatus was no exception. The ships thrusters fought the great pull, until it fell through, and vanished into the dark…
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…The memories ceased passing through Julius's mind as the blackness creped over his eyes completely. The Captain was completely unconscious as his escape pod sailed through the air like a meteor. His pod passed over small villages and crashed into a thick forest, leaving a trail of shattered trees in its wake.
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Down on the planets surface many people watched the ship explode and send many fragment spinning down like falling stars. They wondered if this was a sign from their gods, or if this was a terrible new weapon made to kill them all. All night they watched the burning fragments, until no more fell.
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Well there is part one. Tell me what you think, by pressing the review button. Please. If I royally messed up by your standards and you want to flame me, don't bother, but I will accept all constructive criticism with open arms. So if you want another chapter I need reviews. So thanks for reading, feel free to review now. Please.
