Fame Cimex Chapter 7
The Strategium of the Battlebarge Thunderlord was a place where history had been made, a chamber where the fate of whole worlds had been decided. It was a recreation of an ancient senate chamber, clad in marble and with graceful fluted columns that rose to a shallow dome. Upon that dome was projected a pict image of the stars outside the Battlebarge, while the walls were plain, minimalist and understated. The chamber was bereft of ornamentation save for a single golden Aquila honouring Him on Terra.
Into that space strode Captain Toran, his wargear still bearing nicks and gouges from battle, but that only lent him a rough, honest dignity that seemed to suit him. He had shuttled over from the Light of Terra as soon as the fleet had reached its rendezvous point, well beyond the claws of the Tyranid splinter fleet.
Toran entered the council chamber and he saw that he was the last to arrive, the rest of the Captains and Masters standing in knots around a wide, round table, surrounded by chairs engraved with their heraldries. Toran glanced at the table and saw that the chairs of the First, Second and Third Companies were shrouded in black sheets of mourning; their respective Captains had all fallen recent wars and so fierce had the fighting been since that no replacements had yet been appointed.
The chair of tenth Captain Judio was tastefully draped with a grey veil; the Master of Recruits had stayed on Lujan II with the Chapter's aspirants, for it had been decreed that should the battle go ill the next generation of the Storm Heralds must survive. The chair of sixth Captain Erathor was also veiled, Toran was glad of that for Erathor was a staggeringly arrogant officer and he could not think of anyone who he would rather see left behind to garrison the Fortress-Monastery. Toran glanced around the rest of the assembly and saw that their placements hinted at their various factions, and the deep political divides that existed between them.
Standing near the head of the table was Chapter Master Gorgall, even in his glorious artificer armour he was a lean and spare individual, with absolutely nothing wasted about him. With the loss of the First Captain he had taken direct command of First Company and fought harder than anyone else, but the defeat wore heavily upon him and he looked more tired than Toran had ever seen him. Gorgall technically had the power to order the Chapter as he saw fit, but his moderate policies were unpopular and the discontent was growing into outright factionalism and a doctrinal schism among the Masters.
Yet standing with him was his greatest supporter, Ninth Captain Phalros; he was a stern, patrician Marine who looked more suited to a senatorial debating chamber than the field of battle. With him was Techmarine Hevostan, since the Forgemaster could not leave the Fortress Monastery Hevostan typically acted as his equerry and was here merely to observe proceedings.
Across the chamber stood another group, first was Chief Apothecary Lessall, a brutal and heavily scarred warrior-healer whose face had a permanent bitter scowl. Lessall was the leader of a faction that worshipped the Emperor as a divine being and sought to break with the rule of the High Lords, they wanted the Storm Heralds to assert their right to act as a completely autonomous Chapter. This was in direct contradiction to Gorgall's more moderate policies and the two sides were engaged in a struggle for political supremacy.
Standing with Lessall was the skull-masked Master of Sanctity, Samect, who was Lessall's most fanatical supporter. With them was also Fourth Captain Jossat, a harsh and driven leader who boasted a proud but costly record of victories. Together these three represented the leaders of the Emperor-worshipping faction, the Master Apothecary, the Head Chaplain and a Battle-Captain. No wonder they were making such headway, now the only thing holding them back was the absolute authority of the Chapter Master's office.
Toran frowned when he saw Fifth Captain Tygra was standing with them, his face bearing the pale angular features of one born to the secondary recruiting world of Trux. He was a ruthless and ambitious officer, and his positioning worried Toran, could it be that Tygra had thrown his lot in with the Emperor-Worshippers?
The last knot of Masters represented those yet undeclared in the power struggle, there was Eighth Captain Hakulo, another native of Trux, infamous for his aggressive, brutal approach to warfare. There was also Seventh Captain Maxitio, a classic example of a proper Space Marine, everything about him was utterly precise and exact and there was the faintest echo of the Primarch about his face. Last of all was Chief Librarian Echeb, a mysterious and eldritch figure, the brotherhood of psykers was neutral in this power struggle and absolutely everybody was happy to leave it that way.
Toran strode into the chamber and Gorgall declared, "Ah here you are at last. Everybody be seated." With that everybody filed to their various seats, Toran taking a plain chair at the table. When everybody was seated Gorgall declared, "Fellow Masters, we are gathered here to evaluate this operation and determine the next course of action for the Storm Heralds."
"Operation?!" spat Lessall as he leaned forward, "Is that what you call this debacle, a shameful defeat and the loss of Captain Laryen. The Chapter bleeds and all for a pathetic hardscrabble mining world, not worth the effort to defend it!"
Captain Phalros sat up and retorted, "It was necessary, Veltri was the last line of defence before the Saint Karyl Trail itself. We had to try to stop the Tyranid's advance; it was our only chance to avert a catastrophe."
Jossat sneered and said, "A wasted chance, this campaign was bungled from the start, we should have crushed the Xenos not fallen back like cowards!"
Captain Maxitio slapped a hand upon the table at the not-so-subtle criticism of the Chapter Master and he declared, "This is pointless, what is done is done, we should not waste our energies on futile recriminations but focus our attention upon the future."
Captain Hakulo snarled, "The key to fighting the Tyranids is to take out the Hive ships, I say we take our entire fleet and ram it down their throats. Gut the biggest beasts and leave the stragglers to wither on the vine!"
Phalros shook his head and said, "We've been trying that for months, the splinter fleet is too densely packed. We would be annihilated without even scratching the Hive Ships."
Hakulo snorted and said, "Perhaps we have not been trying hard enough, I am willing to risk it."
"Enough," said Gorgall stilling the debate, "This war will not be won with raging hearts but by cool heads and ruthless precision. Echeb, what is the strategic situation?"
The Chief Librarian activated the Hololith built into the table and a map of Segmentum Tempestus sprang up, he waved a hand and said, "As you all know Hive Fleet Leviathan encroaches from below the galactic plane and the Imperium is hard-pressed to resist it. But the Xeno are not mindless beasts; see here and here, they send out splinter fleets to spread the Shadow of the Hive Mind ahead of their advance. At the present time all the key Warp Routes between Segmentums Solar and Tempestus have been engulfed, all save one: the Saint Karyl Trail."
Phalros looked glum and said, "If it falls then the southern third of the galaxy will be cut off, ships will have to travel thousands of light years off course to avoid the disruption. Imperial resistance will wither, Segmentum Tempestus will be lost and soon after the Imperium itself."
Echeb nodded and replied, "With the loss of Veltri the Xenos have a clear run to the Trail. The nearest planet is the Hive world Angle's Redoubt, only twelve light years away."
"We absolutely cannot allow that world to fall," declared Gorgall, "How long will it take us to get there?"
Echeb's face fell and he said, "We are still enveloped in the Shadow of the Hive Mind and we dare not risk anything more than the shortest Warp hops. It will take considerable time to clear the interference, I estimate it will be weeks until we can transmit Astropathic warnings and several months more until we can risk a Navigator guided jump."
Gorgall rubbed his chin and said, "Then the question becomes, how shall we face them?"
Captain Tygra declared, "Let the planetary defences wear down the Hive Fleet as they deploy to the ground, then we enact the Krytpman protocol, burn them to ash and leave the fleet vulnerable to an attack from the rear!"
That statement caused much consternation and Maxitio gasped in horror, "You would condemn an Imperial world without even raising a finger to defend it. We have just seen one world burn, is that not enough for you?!"
Chaplain Samect retorted from under his skull helm, "Is it not written that the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Imperium."
Phalros glared and said, "You shame us, to leave others to fight while we cower is not the way of the Adeptus Astartes."
Apothecary Lessall snorted and said, "There are bigger concerns than the fate of one world, the entire galaxy hangs in the balance."
Toran spoke up for the first time saying, "But we will not fight alone this time!"
Lessall glared at him angrily and said, "Do not think to speak here whelp, you who let Captain Laryen die. What good was your precious 'Primarch's Own' then?"
Gorgall cut him off saying, "Let the man speak."
Toran saw everybody was staring at him and drew in a slow breath before saying, "Angle's Redoubt is not Veltri, the defences there are mighty and the guards many. There are layers of orbital platforms and minefields, regiments of Guardsmen and Warships aplenty, only the naval base at Tectum boasts a more potent defence. We will find no greater concentration of military might anywhere for a thousand light years."
Gorgall nodded and declared, "He speaks the truth and I have made my decision, we shall make our stand with the rest of humanity and rise or fall as one."
Lessall though scowled and argued, "You know that the Imperial Adepts despise us and our ways, do you think they will willingly fight alongside us?"
Gorgall rubbed his chin and said, "True, we have had our difficulties… very well we shall have to tip the scales in our favour. Captains, I know you all have spent much time making allies beyond the Chapter; now I want you to summon all of them. Once we clear the interference start broadcasting Astropathic messages to anyone and everyone you can call a friend. Call in every favour and debt you have, tell them that the Chapter is making its last stand and that the Storm Heralds call for aid."
Everybody nodded in obedience to the Chapter Master's order, some more reluctantly than others, and Gorgall said, "Now if there is no other business."
Captain Maxitio spoke up saying, "Actually there is one: our order of battle is sorely lacking. We are short three Captains and Second Company is without a leader."
Lessall said, "So promote a Sergeant and be done with it."
Phalros shook his head and said, "No, it will take too long to bring them up to speed, we need an experienced hand."
Chief Librarian Echeb surprised everyone by saying, "What about Captain Toran?"
That made jaws drop and Lessall spat, "Him?!"
Gorgall looked thoughtful and said, "Well he has proved to be a competent officer these past two years and his little Demi-Company has been an extremely odd aberration in our ranks."
Lessall scowled but it was Samect who growled, "Second Company has just lost its beloved leader, to insert an outsider so quickly would send the wrong message. Perhaps one of my Chaplains could take them in hand…"
Gorgall overruled the blatant attempt by his rivals to appoint one of their own by saying, "No it is time that we squared this circle, we have a Company without a Captain and a Captain without a Company: a good fit."
Lessall made one last attempt to block the appointment saying, "But Second Company needs time to mourn."
Gorgall replied, "True… which is why the post of Second Captain will be left vacant for now, the surviving squads will instead be merged with Toran's forces and form a new Third Company. May I be the first to offer you my congratulations, Third Captain Toran."
