ULTRAMARINES BATTLE-BARGE OCTAVION
Ultramarines Scout Altharis grunted as he took a solid blow from Scout Sergeant Torias Telion in the abdomen, causing him to be floored with the venerable Sergeant standing over him with his foot on Altharis' neck. Looking down at the young Scout he removed his foot saying, "You're getting better, it took me about thirty seconds to knock you down. Try being more controlled next time. The enemies of Mankind will not hesitate to kill you when you face them in battle."
The young Scout nodded as he stood up and dusted himself down as he loosened his muscles while walking down the training room with the Scout Sergeant by his side. Telion looked at Altharis and said, "I hear that the upcoming campaign will be your first taste of battle." The Scout merely nodded at Telion's statement as they headed down to the firing range, to practice shooting skills. The Sergeant nodded and continued saying, "Don't worry too much, follow the orders you're given, no taking unnecessary risks and you'll be fine."
"Aye, I suppose you're right brother. I mean the foe that we are going to fight is just anthromophic animals. And I don't see how they could be much of a challenge." Altharis shrugged indifferently as he spoke, whilst removing a sniper rifle from the rack, checking it over before loading it. As he raised the scope to his eye to check that the sights were zeroed to his preference. Telion looked at him as the young Scout carefully flicked the safety off the rifle saying, "The xenos may resemble animals with human traits, but you must never underestimate them. What we do know about them, is that they are arrogant in their belief that humans are inferior to them. And for their crimes against Humanity, they shall all be killed."
"Aye brother. Again you are right." Altharis lowered his rifle and propped it up against a wall with the safety on. He leaned against the low wall and asked Telion, "Brother? I know that it is not my place to ask…but," Telion motioned for him to continue with what the Scout had to say, "Well brother, you see. What I'm wondering is about these…'Pokemon' was it?" he thought for a moment before shrugging and continuing, "What I was wondering was what Lord Macragge is going to do with them, after the fighting is done and we are victorious."
Telion thoughtfully stroked his snow-white beard saying, "I do not know what Lord Macragge plans to do with the Pokemon." He shook his head and continued, "Anyway let's forget about it for now and continue with some target practice." Altharis nodded and picked up the sniper rifle once more and aimed down range.
RAVEN GUARD BASE CAMP
"Hey Isaac! Let's watch the news, so we can see what those Morph bastards think of us now!" a male Arcanine soldier from England shouted loudly from the back of the room they were in. Another trooper switched the T.V. on saying, "John, you know what those fuckers think of us. But if it shuts you up, then here." He casually changed the channel onto the news as he looked at John, who was sitting beside him and cleaning his orange-black-and-white coloured fur coat.
John was a Sergeant and had joined up not long after the war's beginning, while Isaac had enlisted only a couple of years back and was a Corporal. He and Isaac had become great friends, hitting it off as soon as they had first met.
The news spokesperson was a female Dratini morph wearing glasses and a business-like suit, she looked at the camera saying, "The High Commander of the Grand Imperial Pokemorph army, has died in hospital. He was killed when human and Pokemon Terrorists blew up a critical power-substation in Germany last night causing vital machinery in the hospital to fail and the High Commander to suffer a fatal heart attack on the operating table." Some of the soldiers cheered as this was said. The Morph continued, "Military officials have declared a day of mourning for the Commander. They have also said that 'all further attempts by the humans and the Pokemon to resist their inevitable destruction, will be severely punished'."
Isaac switched the T.V. off whilst looking at John, whilst simply saying, "Told you so."
The door opened as a Raven Guard entered, Isaac saluted as he recognised the Marine as Kayvaan Shrike. Shrike walked up to the two soldiers saying in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "You know, when I first started this campaign," all heads in the room turned to face him as the Shadow Captain continued speaking, "I would have ordered your destruction." He paused as if to gather the correct words with which to speak, "But I have seen with my own eyes, more than enough proof that your entire kind is more than worthy of existence in the Imperium." Some of the soldiers, human and Pokemon started cheering and applauding as Shrike resumed speaking, "You have all proved your loyalty, your bravery, your skill in battle and above all else, your dedication to the human race." The applause became if anything even louder as he finished, "I do not lie when I say this: It is an honour to have met and to fight alongside a brave and noble race such as yours. I salute you all."
The allied soldiers in the room cheered and applauded even louder, but fell quiet when Kayvaan Shrike raised his hand in an appeal for silence as he told them, "Over the following weeks, we are going to launch multiple strikes, to destabilise the Pokemorph's economy and stretch their resources and morale to breaking point. Operation Economy Destruction will begin tomorrow. Our targets are slave markets, sewage treatment plants, aqueducts, bridges, power stations, dams as well as food and fuel silos."
The soldiers cheered once more as the Shadow Captain left the room without another word, he didn't have to. They were all motivated by the latest successes, the Astartes themselves and the prospect of revenge.
The fleet from Ultramar was two days from arriving in-system.
MORPHDON (FORMERLY LONDON) TWO DAYS LATER
The Pokemorphs of Morphdon were relaxing in the warm, midday sun that hung overhead. Their mood was happy and cheerful, but it was dampened both by the death of the High Commander two days before, and the chilling, threatening message that the Astartes Captain had delivered so coldly over the network.
The non-stop raids and attacks on their economy had not helped matters either. Fuel silos blown up, grain stores torched or emptied, bridges had been demolished, aqueducts mined, sewage treatment plants had been destroyed and substations bombed. As a direct result of the raids, clean water had become hard to acquire and power-cuts were becoming more frequent as the Military took priority over the civilian population for supplies.
Today however Morph children ran about parks and play areas laughing and playing games happily, while their parents watched them carefully for any sign of trouble.
Off duty soldiers strolled about with a nervous quietness about them, their eyes habitually darting around, looking for hidden snipers, explosives and a vast multitude of other dangers that were not there. Everywhere they looked was an image of peace and happiness, with no humans or Pokemon tainting the image.
Deep in space far away from the planet, space twisted and tore asunder as a massive fleet tore through the fragile veil of reality as they dropped out of the warp and into real-space. The fleet consisted of four strike-cruisers, one battle-barge, three Firestorm-class frigates, three Cobra-class destroyers, one Gothic-class cruiser, one Dictator-class carrier, one Mars-class battlecruiser, a Victory-class battleship and three troopships.
The strike-cruisers, the Vae Victus and her sister ships, Garra de Macragge, Fidelis and Valin's Revenge moved ahead of the rest of the fleet, swiftly travelling through the void towards Second Earth with utter silence as they swept through the cold, dark vacuum of space, their sensors searching for anything that could threaten the fleet in any way shape or form.
Aboard the Vae Victus' bridge was Lord Admiral Lazlo Tiberius consulted Captain Uriel Ventris of Fourth Company and Chaplain Judd Clausel about the upcoming campaign, "While I would normally believe that this would be an easy campaign. The footage that we were shown has made me wonder whether or not it will be easy."
"We fight in the name of the Emperor and the holy Primarch, Brother. We will be victorious in this glorious campaign of holy retribution." Chaplain Clausel said with confidence and zeal as he spoke to the Lord Admiral.
The Chaplain was an imposing sight in his glossy-black armour and grinning-skull helmet. As he spoke his auto-reactive shoulders moved in sync with the movements and gestures that he made. As he did so the light caught his massive blue shoulder pads with the green trims signifying that he was attached with the Fourth Company. Ventris was about to reply, when they received a message from the Raven Guard strike-cruiser Raven's Wing.
After lengthy messages sent between the vessels in High Gothic a plan was drawn up: The Ultramarian reinforcements would link up with the Raven Guard in the centre of the city that the Pokemorphs called 'Morphdon' after attacking and seizing control of the city. The city would then become the primary landing zone for more reinforcements from the Imperium.
The Dauntless-class carrier Valiant Faith moved into position along with the troopships Imperator's Wrath, Shield of Faith and Eternal Vigilance. While the four strike-cruisers and the battle-barge moved to their positions as well in preparation for the upcoming drop-pod assault that would send hundreds of Astartes in the fire of battle and the inferno of war.
Deep within the vessels of war, the Astartes blessed their wargear, swore oaths of vengeance and duty as they steeled themselves for the conflict to come. Squads of Tactical, Assault and Terminator-armoured Marines along with their Dreadnoughts boarded their assigned drop-pods in preparation for the upcoming assault. The doors on the strike-cruisers and the battle-barge opened sending out two dozen Thunderhawks carrying the heavy equipment that the companies would need to carry the day to victory.
On the planet below the Raven Guard's Thunderhawks were prepared for the battle. On hidden airfields dotted through out the countries of the world, fighter jets were wheeled out in preparation for the beginning of the greatest campaign of their lives.
The marks of fighter jets were numerous: F-15s, F-16s, F-22, MiGs, Warthogs and countless others. All fuelled, armed and ready for the battle. Though they knew that not all of them would return, they were undaunted for they were fighting for the very survival of their species. The Pokemorphs had started a war and now Humanity and the Pokemon were going to finish off their hated foes once and for all.
All over the world soldiers stirred and silently made their way to Morphdon. They were through with running, cowering like animals in the dirt. The time for vengeance was nigh, the time for victory was upon them.
As one, fighters and gunships took off, at the same time that the Pokemorph's radar systems were jammed. In space the drop-pods and Thunderhawks screamed through the atmosphere, causing the Pokemorphs in Morphdon to look up as the pods rained down.
With an enormous bang, the pods slammed down into the ground, vaporising or pulping any who were too close to where they landed with the colossal heat from the thrusters and pressure wave from the landing. Smoke coiled from the pods, the hatches blew open, and the ramps fell down. And as death began to stalk the city streets, the Pokemorphs knew fear and were shown no mercy.
