Chapter 3

18:23

Vorink looked around him. He saw the blank expressions of men and women living on borrowed time. A massive curtain wall had been raised around the city, built to connect with the mountain cliffs on the east outskirts, and surrounded by miles of minefields. Platforms had been built to give Vorink's Basilisks greater range. He could feel the tension in the air around him. He turned to Corens and gestured to the vox unit beside him.

'Any news?' he asked.

'Aye,' Corens looked up at him with weary eyes. 'Dyk'thos is gone.'

Vorink stared for a moment. 'What do you mean, gone?'

'Gone. Rubble. Blasted to bits. The fleet's falling back to try and hold them here. The Astartes will be on the ground by morning.

Vorink sighed. 'We're next, Corens.'

'Aye, Sir. We'll send the warp-spawned filth back to hell with their tails between their legs.'

'I wish I shared your confidence.'

'You'll be shot if a commissar hears you saying that.'

Vorink chuckled darkly, 'Major, I'm going to be shot either way.'

Corens grinned. 'That, or eaten alive by a hungry daemon.'

'Any word from Sylvan?' Vorink asked, changing the subject.

Corens checked the vox logs. 'He's set up a field command base on the far side of the planet,' he paused. 'Sir? When did the Archangels make landfall?'

Vorink threw him a confused glance. 'What?'

'Says here the Archangels Third Company has a squad working with Sylvan.'

'Show me.' Corens moved aside and let Vorink read the message. Half-way through, Vorink glanced up, as a shout came down from the walls.

'Astartes, inbound!'

Vorink sprinted for the stairways as fast as he could. By the time he reached the top, a crowd of thirty other guardsmen had gathered, looking out over the plains. Vorink's breath caught in his throat as he followed their example. The sky had darkened to a deep blue, the light of the descending sun casting the few clouds in a purple shade. The waist tall grasses lining the road swayed in the breeze. The last vestiges of light glinted off the armour of a lone transport making its way towards the city.

A figure in armour of the deepest black Vorink had ever seen manned the heavy bolter on the vehicle's roof. The armour seemed to absorb the light around it, creating its own shadows and rendering it virtually invisible. Vorink had the distinct impression that he only saw the figure because it wanted him to. A shouted voice cut through his thoughts, coming from one of the men beside him.

'Open the gates!' Loud groans split the air as gigantic servos began to turn, forcing the heavy gates to move. The steel had been heavily reinforced with ceramite and adamantium, causing it to be heavier than the servos were accustomed to. The gates slowly ground open, leaving a space big enough for three Leman Russ Battle Tanks to fit side by side. The vehicle's form resolved into that of a Space Marine Rhino. As the transport passed through the gates, the sunlight caught on the image of a silver wolf's head framed by golden wings, causing the symbol to shimmer and move.

The wolf's eyes bore into Vorink's soul. It read his deepest thoughts, knew his darkest desires, and, in turn, Vorink knew its. This was a Chapter damned and cast from the Emperor's light. The wolf's head sensed a kindred spirit within Vorink, and was pleased with his courage and unfaltering loyalty. The image passed into shadow, and Vorink snapped back to his senses. The effect had lasted less than a second, but seemed to be an eternity. As the Rhino entered Vladovsk, Celestal's golden sun dipped below the horizon, bathing the world in shadow.

18:30

Vorink walked up to the back of the Rhino and waited. The transport had stopped under the glare of a street lamp. The assault ramp began to lower. A massive figure stepped out, quickly followed by four others. Vorink hesitated, just realizing exactly how big an Imperial Space Marine was. He only came up to the Marine's chest. Of course, the Astartes were, in no real sense of the word, men.

Going through years of grueling training, hypnotherapy, and horrendous surgeries, an aspirant to a Space Marine Chapter loses all trace of their humanity on day one. Superhuman beings, the Astartes are the best the Imperium has to offer. Capable of surviving for years off of tree bark alone, containing the strength of twenty men, able to seal their armour from the vacuum of space, the Astartes exude power. From the ranks of the Imperial Space Marines, came tales of heroic defeats, glorious victories, and unrelenting loyalty. Vorink was more than a little nervous; this was the first Marine he had ever had the opportunity to talk to.

'Welcome to Vladovsk, the Capital City of Celestal.'

The Marine who had disembarked first turned to look at him. 'Thank you Colonel. Are you Vorink?'

'Aye, that's me.'

'I'm Brother-Sergeant Velthos of the Archangels' Third Company. Captain Aktar has decided to end the Chaos threat here. The company will be fighting wherever their needed most across the planet. My squad and I will remain here, on the request of your general. There is one regiment en route to the planet. They'll arrive tomorrow. The forces of Chaos will make landfall at midnight.'

Vorink blanched. 'The fleet said-'

'The fleet was wrong. Make ready the defenses.'

00:01

The Marine's prediction proved to be correct. A minute past midnight, the skies began to burn. Four thousand drop pods streaked from the heavens, leaving bright trails of fire. Hundreds of thousands of transports followed in their wake. Soldier and civilian alike, stared up in fear. All throughout Vladovsk, alarms rang and bells sounded, signaling the Guardsmen to the walls. Five regiments mounted the walls, pointing three-hundred thousand lasguns into the surrounding plains. Sixteen-hundred quad-barreled auto cannons pointed skywards as tank crews mounted their Hydra Flak Tanks. All one thousand Basilisks of the Celestian Tenth Heavy Armoured raised their massive Earthshaker cannons, ready to pound the enemy into submission.

Vanquisher pattern Leman Russ tanks rolled into their places, behind a line of Bane Wolves, and pivoted to face the gates. Anything that forced its way through would receive a full blast of toxic gases, causing the skin to melt from the bones, and blood to boil in the veins. Whatever survived would be blown apart by the high-explosive shells of the Vanquishers main gun.

Leman Russ Punishers prowled through the city streets, Gatling Cannons revved up and ready to fire. Sniper teams established positions on rooftops, and in the windows of towering hab complexes.

Colonel Vorink dropped into the command seat of his own tank, the Fury of Celestal, and sealed the hatch. 'Vox the Blood of Valdevski and the Destroyer of Worlds and tell them to mount up and get rolling.'

The driver nodded and spoke into his helmet mic. Corens hunched over the controls for the right side sponson mounted lascannon and flashed an evil grin at the other gunner. Vorink activated the vox link in his helmet.

'All units, mount up. Enemy armour approaching the city from the Northern Pass. Do not let them reach the city limits - your families are counting on you. Advance and destroy them.' A chorus of assent sounded from his company officers. The Fury lurched forward and out of the light of a street lamp.

'Damned Chaos bastards, couldn't wait 'till morning,' Corens muttered as a Leman Russ Vanquisher rolled up alongside the tank.

'Took your sweet time Lieutenant. Where's the Destroyer?' Vorink asked.

The commander of the Blood of Valdevski didn't answer. Instead, the searchlight mounted next to the hatch swiveled and pinned a Leman Russ Executioner in its accusing glare. The light glinted off the black lettering of the tank's name. The plasma cannons mounted on the tank's turret, and both sponsons gave off a barely visible blue glow, the plasma coils charged with lethal energy.

Vorink nodded to himself. 'Companies Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie, advance through the Northern Gates. Delta, fire on the mountain pass when ready.' His captains' responses were drowned out by a huge roar. The Basilisks of Delta Artillery Company had opened up. The shells left glittering arcs of fire in the sky, before returning to the ground in massive explosions. The Basilisks bracketed the pass and slowly tightened the noose, cutting the Chaos troops already through off from any further reinforcements. Vorink's tank, along with those of his main three companies rolled forward and left the city.

'Gunner, target lead tank, just below the turret.'

'Target acquired.'

'Fire.' The tank's battle cannon roared, sending an explosive round screaming toward the enemy. The shell slammed into the crevice where the turret met the hull, ripping a chunk out of the tank's roof and blowing the turret off. The tank slowed to a halt and went up in a ball of flame as its ammunition caught light.

'Nice shot,' Vorink said.' He switched to the regimental command frequency. 'Alpha Company, we're going straight up the center - carve the bastards in half. Bravo - take the right flank, Charlie - take left. Kill every one of these damned heretics. For the Emperor.'

A blinding stream of light lanced past Vorink's tank as the Destroyer of Worlds turned an enemy vehicle to molten slag. Light strobed through the night as Bravo and Charlie companies opened up. An Earthshaker shell slammed into the ground ten metres away, nearly flipping the Fury of Celestal and showering it with dirt.

'Delta, watch your fire! Target the pass, not the field, damnit!' Vorink yelled into the vox.

'Affirmative, retargeting.'

Corens grinned madly as he and the gunner across from him sent torrents of superheated energy at into the enemy lines. The Fury blazed with light as the front hull-mounted lascannon added its weight to the fire. Vorink's tank squadron blazed with the incandescent rage of the Emperor. The Fury led Alpha Company tearing through the Chaos armour, leaving burning husks in their wake.

'Alpha, Bravo, Charlie - light 'em up.' The three tank companies speared towards the enemy. Tank rounds and energy blasts flew back and forth, decimating Imperial and Chaos alike. Sloppily aimed Earthshaker shells slammed into the ground, destroying a Chaos Predator and one of the few Demolishers in Vorink's regiment.

'Delta, cease fire! Captain, I want to see you as soon as this is done.' Vorink's voice trembled with rage. As the explosions from the artillery barrage died off, the mountain pass was revealed. Wrecks littered the pass, bodies fused into smoking craters. By the light of over a hundred burning hulks, Vorink's combat group mopped up.