New Carax was a world that was as close to perfection as The Heralds of Fulgrimcould get it. The irony was that The Heralds had brought this world to compliance back when they were the32nd Grand Company of the Emperors Children. Being so far from the watchful eyes of Terra and thus its laws, after the Heresy and the subsequent wars that plagued the Imperium after the death of the Emperor, it did not take long for all the once meticulously kept records to just, fade away. The Heralds of Fulgrim retook the world from the Imperium and moulded it into their own, killing the Imperium loyal forces. Mandeaus ordered that the host take over the old barracks and then had it redesigned to a fortress befitting a company of Astartes. It had taken decades to change the world into a world worthy of perfection in the eyes of the great Dark Prince. Mandeaus ensured that the great-forested north continent was kept feral thus making recruitment easier.
That way when it came to recruitment it meant that he had a clean slate to work from, he would teach them the perfection of war, whilst imparting within them the cult of Slannesh and yet, he could still keep their ferocity. When it came to fighting the corpse gods warriors then sometimes feral worked better than finesse and if you taught a former barbarian the correct way to fight, then you might have the perfect warrior.
Jovotch strode out of the Chapel dedicated to the mighty Dark Prince and stood looking at the fortress of Colour. Its walls were sturdy and although it is not what say the Iron Warriors or Imperial Fists would have done, but the indentured workers had done a mighty job. Slaves from the raiding parties they had made over the first few years of their own crusades had done all the hard labour. Now he looked upon the walls and felt the soothing touch of the Dark Prince upon his soul. The walls had been consecrated with the sacrifice of a thousand slaves all in varying stages of sensations, sexual, drug, or battle. The walls had taken on a life of their own and the sandstone yellow had become the colours of their lord.
The walls had an almost silken touch to them and sounds of the sacrificed would moan in pleasure and terror when the wind blew in certain direction. With the sight of the Tower of the Phoenician in his heart he went to gather The Rapture.
It was time to go hunting.
The Skin Taker watched dispassionately as the prisoners were brought down from his last raiding party. They had no idea of the honour that was about to be done them. To enter the halls of she-who-thirsts as a slave to his whims and desires or to be used as experiments for the masters stimuli. They were a pathetic looking bunch, he had ordered them not to be harmed they were for the dark prince and the dark prince alone. The last time someone had disobeyed his orders he had them interned in a dreadnought.
Now Brother Acheman, like the other dreadnoughts was chained in the darkness of his vessel. There he lost whatever sensibility he had and he would fight in the service of the dark prince and his master when he and he alone decided.
Watching the slaves now he saw their dirty faces, he had ordered the boys separated from their parents, they would be the future of his warband and they would be the ones he could mould into future servants of the great she-who-thirsts. The girls he had kept back, not only as concubines but also, with the right guidance and of course help from Fabius maybe his own cadre of women warriors. The adults below clung to each other like frightened rabbits. He made a disgusted sound deep in his throat, these were nothing of the humans he had once fought alongside, and they at least had strength of spirit. He stepped onto his balcony and addressed not only his brothers but also their allies.
"There is war coming," He announced, "We will fight against the so called Heralds of Fulgrim to remind them who the supreme warriors of the dark prince are. When we are victorious then they shall become one with us and we can start our part in the long war once more."
His warriors cheered him and he outstretched his arms acknowledging their adulation. As it should be and as it always was.
The Heat of Pleasure emerged around a world that at first glance looked like some great white orb hanging in the vacuum as a single light bulb in an ever-darkening room. Jovotch turned to the human commander of his vessel, a man that wore the insignia of a former Admiral of the Gothic battle fleet but now, after decades of being part of the Human subjects of The Heralds of Fulgrim he was now interned into his command throne.
Stimulants of all variants rushed through his veins making his body react in only the way human bodies reacted. He was not just at one with his ship; he was joined in more ways than believed possible with his ship. Her gentle caresses would stimulate him and the rage of her battle lust would bring him to battle quickly.
"Admiral Kelara"
The Admiral turned his head "My Lord" he replied in a voice that was just off being lost forever in the sensations he was now feeling and had been feeling since he joined the traitor chapter.
"How is the spirit of our most blessed vessel?"
"She is – eager to teach the upstarts a lesson Lord as are we all"
"Good, be so kind as to bring her into the dark side of the moon, allow us time to prepare the Rapture and then we will descend to bring our vengeance and the true teachings of our mistress to those who think they know better than us"
"As you will it Lord"
"Kelara keep the weapons primed and ready I want all the gunnery crews working tirelessly…any who do not…" he turned to look at the humans who dispensed the law of the Admiral and by that extension the law of Jovotch to those who did not do as he asked "well you know what to do"
"It shall be done Lord"
Jovotch left the bridge and headed for where his company stood waiting.
"The man we are hunting is now known across the galaxy as the Skin Taker but once he was one of our greatest kinsmen. He was alongside the Primarch when they took the world of the Lear. He has surfaced once or twice over the years but always vanishing before anyone could catch him and it is my belief that he is starting to build his own power base"
Jovotch walked up the line of the Astartes who stood to attention listening to their commanders' words.
"He is believed to be a lieutenant of the Warmaster of chaos himself although, knowing his relationship in the before times with Abaddon I highly doubt that. A master of art and music he always made sure that he was well read and had the best knowledge of most cultural aspects that came his way.
I do not know if we will capture him but we can teach him a lesson, the glorious 9th, the Heartbreakers, the other of our masters favoured companies cry out for it so let us send these would be warriors of she-who-thirsts back to our dead kinsmen to play with in whatever way they see fit."
He glanced up as he saw the Dreadnaughts, chained and yet straining at their leashes like attack dogs that had not been fed for days. In a way he supposed that is what they were like.
Their food was battle and unlike their weak Emperor following lapdogs they were not bound by such intricacies as loyalty to a dead corpse, they were loyal to the gods of war, they wanted to kill and that's all they were good for. He was especially pleased to see the newest addition to the Raptures Dreadnaught brothers. He had stood by and waited as the former Corsair had been awoken from his self-induced sleep only to hear him scream in terror at the darkness that had engulfed him. His mind was already broken from the Judas Chair this had just finished the job.
He rested a hand on Veruns casket "We have a new brother to welcome and he will find the taste of battle as do all our honoured dead, intoxicating" he let the last word drag out a little.
"We hunt for the Skin Taker and his bastard warband but we are really hunting for Karesoian," The brothers looked to each other at the name fallen from their Commanders lips "Our fallen First Captain. Return to your squads we descend in a short while and say your prayers to the mistress do not release your combat drugs until we are planet side…. any who do will have me to deal with after"
The Astartes Snapped to attention as Jovotch called out "For the honour of our mistress!"
"Present her the Rapture of her being" They chorused back and filed away to the waiting Stormbirds.