The Augustus tore it's way through the veil between the Immaterium and real space, a plethora of colors unimaginable briefly consuming the darkness of the void around the ship as it emerged. The Augustus was a massive Battle Barge, painted in a dark grey and white shades along its lengths. Banners of the Imperial Aquila draped along the side of the armored hull, with row upon row of weapon turrets interspersed between them. It hung in space for several seconds alone before more tears in reality erupted around it, disgorging a small fleet of vessels in similar coloration to the Augustus, though none were nearly as large.
Fulgrim watched from the bridge of the Augustus as the small Phoenix Guard fleet fell into formation around the Battle Barge, three strike cruises securing the sides whilst escort craft took up positions forward and behind the vessel. In total there were only twelve vessels, barely a battle group in Fulgrims mind compared to other fleets in the Imperium, though he had to admit they were lucky to have this many. Before departing from their company, Belisarius Cawl had given over command of the ships to Fulgrim. They had originally been destined to replace losses to another Space Marine Chapter that had been locked in battle against an Ork WAAAGH, but the subsequent loss of the entire Chapter freed up the vessels.
The Augustus had been renamed after the Chapter Master of the fallen Chapter, an act Belisarius had not understood when Fulgrim gave the order. Sentimentality, the Arch Magos had reasoned would not bring the fallen back. Fulgrim had countered that they would never come back, but forgetting them would be a dishonor to their memories. The debate had ended there, and the two groups parted ways.
Turning his head slightly, Fulgrim watched as the Captain of the Augustus, a small man named Sentus Olan barked orders across the bridge. The first time Fulgrim had met the man he had been confused. The Captain apparently had Squat ancestry, as he barely came up to Fulgrims knee when standing up right. How a man like that could have come to his position within the bias and segregating culture of the modern Imperium, Fulgrim did not know. However, the man had made it clear the moment Fulgrim stepped on to the bridge that it was his bridge and his crew. Fulgrim had been humored enough to agree with the man. He walked with an air of confidence and surety around the bridge, and Fulgrim could not help the anticipation he felt to see the man in action. Given their current location, said action was likely to happen sooner rather than later.
Following the testimony of Jerold Westing back at the Tech City, Fulgrim had ordered the full deployment of the Phoenix Guard and their supporting assets. These included a single regiment of Imperial Guardsmen drawn from the world of Testamon. Testamon was a world locked in an endless tide of war and destruction, with various Ork tribes and rogue Ogryn spread across the surface. The locals humans had little resources to fight either threat and so had adapted their own style of warfare to suit their needs. Relying on hit and run tactics and sabotage, the Testamonian Assault Corps were some of the best irregular infantry fighters in the Imperium. The Imperium ensured that the people of Testamon had just enough resources to survive, and in turn drew as many recruits from them as they could. As well as the Seventh Testamonian Assault Corp were two squads of Mechanicus Battle Automata, replacing the Dreadnoughts that would usually serve as the Phoenix Guards close range heavy support. As they were still such a young force, they had not taken the sort of casualties yet that would lead to the creation of Dreadnought units. In time though, Fulgrim was sadly certain that problem would be rectified.
All of them would be dedicated to the coming campaign, a war to save the people of Testamon from the Eldar. Fulgrim began to run the words of Jerold through his mind again, playing out the conversations between the collective leaders and visualizing what was to come in his mind.
The world of Tytos was an odd world, even by Imperial standards. The northern half of the planet was covered in hive cities, with a collective population numbering well into the billions. The southern half of the planet was full of lush farmland and huge mineral deposits. All of the food grown on the southern half made it's way to the north to feed the population there, along with the raw resources gathered in their mines. In turn, the north sold back finished goods to the people of the south, ensuring they could continue their work. It was a closed market system, but it had survived for several centuries with only sporadic contact with the rest of the Imperium due to its isolated nature. That isolation however made them prime targets for the Dark Eldar.
The heavy planetary laser silos and defense grids dotting the hive cities prevented the Dark Eldar fleet from raiding in the north. However, once the planets meager defense fleet had been annihilated, the Dark Eldar had been able to land in the south and begin their reign of terror. Planetary Defense Forces were dispatched from the north to help shore up the local militias in the south, with the initial overwhelming progress of the Dark Eldar finally being halted. A stalemate ensued, as the Dark Eldar had already captured thousands of civilians in the south, and the military forces of Tytos did not wish to risk creating any openings in their defense lines to attempt a rescue. The stalemate however had been broken by a seeming accident five months into the invasion. A PDF regiment guarding a small cluster of villages was redeployed to another area, believing the Dark Eldar were preparing to launch a full scale attack there. However that night, while the villages were waiting for a replacement force to arrive, the Eldar struck. By the time the militia arrived from the next town cluster over, everyone was gone. This initial loss began a series of similar events. Northern PDF troops would be redeployed, and that night another small group of towns would vanish. When southern leaders raised their concern of the matters with the northern officials, they had heard nothing back but silence.
One day, two years into the invasion Jerold's town watched in horror as their PDF forces departed for the north. Knowing their fate, they had packed up what belongings they could that day, and commandeered one of the freighters being used to ferry food and resources to the north, who still demanded their quotas from the south. They had fled the planet, and had been making their way towards Imperial space when their ship was attacked and crippled by a Dark Eldar patrol.
Fulgrim had initially been enraged by what he had heard. The Governor of the world and his officers, all from the north of Tytos had seemingly decided to begin abandoning those trapped in the south. Though further word from Jerold had indicated that the redeployed PDF forces were apparently actually engaging Dark Eldar assaults in their redeployed locations. Poor judgement and planning on the defenders part then, Fulgrim guessed, though he could not be certain. The Dark Eldars trap should only have been allowed to work once, and even PDF forces should have been able to adapt to the trick swiftly enough. Whatever the case, Fulgrim would need to look into the matter further. For now, he needed to simply focus on getting his forces down to the planet that was growing steadily larger in the viewscreen.
Tytos looked much as Fulgrim suspected it would, a lush green and blue paradise to the south with an ugly brown and grey north. Rarely could one see the true cost of Imperial and mankind's 'progress' displayed so starkly in comparison to the beauty of what once was. He had worked hard in Chemos to create a stable balance between the two, with careful planning and constant vigilance to ensure one did not supplant the other. Evidently the Imperium chose to go the simpler route.
Finally the ships entered augur range, and information came flooding back across the bridge. Tytos was located near the edge of the solar system, just barely inside the habitable ring of the system's star. It was a short journey to the jump point from Tytos, less than an hour. Any Imperial naval elements that had been in the system would have had very little warning of the sudden Dark Eldar attack. Their apparent slaughter made more sense to Fulgrim now. The still drifting hulks of ruined metal the remaining proof of such. However, at the moment Fulgrim was focusing on another issue, one that Inquisitor Natalia had seemingly just noticed as well. The Inquisitor had rarely left Fulgrims presence during their journey from the Tech City to Tytos. She rarely said anything, instead simply watching Fulgrim and those around him with accusatory eyes. Fulgrim had attempted to broach the question as to what was bothering her, but she had remained quiet. That silence was broken by her crisp question, asked more to the entire bridge than anyone in particular.
"Why is there only one of them?" Fulgrim glanced back up at the augur overlay of the planet, now showing a single red object over the southern hemisphere. Further scans showed it to be a Dark Eldar corsair ship, maintaining its position and distance at the very bottom of the planet. Fulgrim had spotted it as well, quickly surmising why the Eldar would only have one ship in orbit, but before he could speak the resonating baritone of Sentus cut across the bridge.
"While the primary defense weaponry against an orbital target for hive cities is their laser defense silos, they also maintain an array of missile defense systems. The laser grid had a defined firing range, but the missiles could be used to strike targets in orbit on the other side of the planet. However, the missiles are big and slow. Eldar vessels are notably faster and more maneuverable than our own ships. Firing a single missile against the enemy vessel would likely just see the Eldar evade it or shoot it down. Firing a volley might have greater chance of hitting the vessel, but it would be a costly depletion of a limited weapon. A single ship makes little difference in the grand strategic map here. The rest of their fleet is likely located at an anchorage they established or captured further in the system. The missiles are likely to be saved for any great appearances of multiple craft." Natalia grimaced at the Captains words, delivered with an air of simplicity that made it seem like the train of thought should be simple. The man was smart but not diplomatic. He would have to keep that in mind for future meetings.
"Captain, I do not believe our lance weaponry is as hindered as the planets defenders. I would like to see it disappear." Captain Olan nodded his head, beginning to issue orders across the bridge. As Fulgrim watched, the Augustus angled away from the rest of the fleet formation, streaking towards the Dark Eldar corsair that even now was just beginning to pull up and make for the emptiness of space. Before it had made it more than a handful of kilometers, streaks of pure white light poured from the prow of the Augustus, tearing into the corsair vessel. Space around the ship seemed to distort and waver for a second as the ships void shields attempted to resist the onslaught. The second volley tore through the shielding left, and bore into the vessel itself. A series of explosions began to erupt along the length of the vessel, with the third and final volley of lance fire destroying what was left.
"Establish our own orbit over the nearest settlement cluster in the southern hemisphere. And try to contact the planetary Governor. They probably haven't seen any Imperial ships on two years, but they should have still attempted to contact us by now." As the Primarchs orders were echoed across the bridge, Fulgrim casually folded his arms across his chest, staring at the world of Tytos as it disappeared from view as the Augustus reoriented itself. The other vessels in the fleet would be following the flagship into orbit of the world, with the strike cruises positioning themselves closest to the planet. When the time came for the Phoenix Guard to make planetfall, the drop pods aboard those strike cruisers would lead the way.
The Eldar vessel had been destroyed too easily. The vessel had not been able to maneuver due to being too close to the planet, something that should have been easily avoided if they had been keeping watch at the jump point. The lack of preparation on the Eldars part, and the lack of any transmissions from the planet, including a distress signal Fulgrim had been expecting added up to many unsolved questions. He had hoped that his first proper campaign in the name of his fathers Imperium would be straightforward.
He should have known better.
The Governor's Palace was alive with clerks and officials rushing down the brightly lit and richly decorated corridors, bumping into each other with barely a glance. The news of new vessels arriving in orbit had been unexpected, and the fact they were Imperial brought a fresh wave of energy and vigor to the formerly flagging Imperials. For two years they had stood alone against the seemingly endless assault of the Dark Eldar on their world. Now, perhaps finally there was a chance to restore their lives to what they once were.
The mood within the Governor's War Room was starkly different than that outside the doors. Pacing back and forth in his evening gown, the plump form of Governor Narius Ophilia dominated the front portion of the room, his wobbling bulk brushing against the large holotable in the center of the room with each pass. Three PDF generals stood on the other side of the table, their dark green and brown uniforms standing out against the bright gold and red robes of the Governor. They watched their Commander in Chief as he spoke quietly to himself, rubbing his meaty hands over each other as he continued to glance at the data streaming across the table.
"It's too soon. It's far too soon. Imperial reinforcements were not supposed to be here for another three years. Everything is at risk now. All of our plans will have to be rethought. This will cost us greatly…" The Governor continued to mutter to himself for several more seconds before turning to the assembled generals. "Send word to all our forces to hold their positions for now, and cease all deployment orders. We need to establish our positions…" The Governor's words cut off as one of the generals cleared his throat, typing a few commands into the holotable before the group.
"Governor, one of our regiments has already begun it's...redeployment. By the time we could get them to halt and reverse their advance, it will likely be too late."
The storm raged around the small town. Rain poured down in endless sheets across the wood and stone buildings that made up the town, with streaks of lightning erupting every few seconds to illuminate the world around them. None of the townspeople were outside however, for they knew what was coming. Their PDF regiment had departed earlier this morning to deal with an Eldar attack to the south of them, leaving the town protected by only a small militia. Those few brave individuals manned the hastily constructed barricades and trenches around the town. It would never be enough. It had not been enough for the other towns who had gone through what they were going to experience soon. An air of dread hung over the town as they stared out their windows, waiting for the inevitable sound of autogun fire to signal their coming doom.
Just after midnight, the first shots rang out. The weapon fire was drowned out by the sound of terror from within the buildings of the town. Soon however, a much louder sound began to drown out the autogun fire. Glancing out the windows of their homes, the people of the town watched as streak of fire tore through the storm cover above. Wherever they impacted the ground in and around the village, dirt was sent flying high into the air, and a brief flash of light illuminated the area around them. For the briefest of moments people were able to see the militia and Dark Eldar locked in brutal combat, with the Eldar seeming to slaughter the militia with gleeful ease.
The balance of power changed drastically as the objects lowered their ramps, and massive figures erupted from within. The weapons in their hands roared to life, each burst casting brief bursts of light. People watched as the purple armored giants tore their way through the Dark Eldar, the slaughterers becoming the slaughter in mere moments. Among the giants strode another figure, larger and broader than the rest of them. In his hand he wielded a massive sword, cutting left and right through the Dark Eldar with ease, each strike sending clusters of the xenos flying.
After what seemed like forever to the people of the town, the sound of combat began to die out, replaced only by the sound of the never ending storm. Slowly they began to emerge from their homes, watching with some hesitation as the armored giants began to walk into the town, their armor covered in blood that was even now being washed off by the rain. Some of the worry and hesitation left the people as the remaining members of the militia were helped into the town by the armored figures, some even being carried in their arms. All eyes turned to look at the leader of the group as he reached up and removed his helmet, revealing beautiful features and pure white hair.
"Be at ease, my friends. You are safe now. My name is Fulgrim, Primarch of the Phoenix Guard, and we have come to help."
Hello everyone, sorry for the delay in postings, had some work that came up that had to be done. Sorry again that this chapter is so short, but future chapter will be longer as the introduction phase is brought to an end and the proper campaign can fully begin. Please leave a review to let me know what I can do better for this story, and please let others know about this story. ArisenMoon signing off.
