Cincere Tempestas Chapter 10

There was a buzzing note in the air, it was faint but its resonance was persistent. It was not a consistent noise either, rising and falling in pitch at seemingly random intervals, making it constantly intrude into one's thoughts. Just when one was getting accustomed to it the tone would suddenly change, making one grit one's teeth.

Marching down the street Ulysses did his best to put it from his mind and focus on the task at hand. It wasn't easy though, the noise was everywhere, emanating from the many Repulsors that were floating down the street behind him. Ulysses was well used to the way the anti-grav plates hummed constantly but never had he seen so many crammed into such a small space, their conflicting grav fields clashing with each other to create odd harmonics. They were also having a physical effect, the heavy grav-fields meaning that they did not float serenely along but instead crushed the ground beneath them, kicking up swirls of dust before their bow-wave.

Ulysses looked about him, seeing Ashen Knights everywhere. The Primaris Marines were advancing on a three century front, cutting the city into sections and sweeping it clean. Lord-Marshall Achilles had taken command of the primary thrust, another Centurion officer the second and Ulysses the third. The Ashen Knights were clearing the city as they went, smashing all resistance in a methodical sweep that left only charred corpses in their wake. It was meticulous work and yet they were advancing rapidly indeed. Behind the Master of Sanctity the Repulsors coasted forward, their turrets turning to point Onslaught Gatling cannons and Las-talons at possible threats while their commanders held onto pintle-mounted ironhail-stubbers. Behind them came heavier troops, Aggressors and Hellblasters while ahead swept Intercessor squads, backed up by bounding Inceptors. They isolated threats and obliterated them one by one, but several times had encountered stubborn resistance. Yet concentrated fire from the Repulsors had eradicated those threats effortlessly.

Ulysses was most pleased for the Ashen Knights acted as a well-oiled machine, each component exactly designed for its role and perfectly suited to the task at hand. He barely had to give any orders, the sergeants perfectly able to coordinate between themselves, each one trained to perfection in his role and knowing his counterparts thoughts as well as their own. It was like watching a thousand separate gears spring to life, each cog moving at its own pace and yet in perfect harmony with its neighbours to create a single whole. At moments like this Ulysses felt closest to the God-Emperor, taking immense satisfaction in doing His work.

Ulysses' thoughts were interrupted by the voice of Practici Elikos, who was marching beside him, "The advance goes well."

"These new stratagems are flawless," Ulysses agreed with his old friend, "The Codex Imperialis is breathtaking."

Elikos looked about and commented, "Libraries, museums, playhouses and stellar observatories, barely a cathedral to be seen. This city is decadent, no wonder it fell so easily."

Ulysses remarked, "It is a travesty that such weakness was tolerated. A hale society could have put up a real fight; a faithful citizenry would have thrown themselves on the guns of the foe to slow them down. Before we can leave this world we must correct such egregious errors."

Elikos looked thoughtful and said, "Yet it is strange that we have not seen any real resistance, just cultist scum. What are the Traitors playing at?"

Ulysses scoffed, "The Word Bearers flee before us, their faith is weak as their gods."

Elikos' expression was hidden by his helm but his voice sounded doubtful as he remarked, "I'm not convinced that they present no threat, something is off here. These Traitors have been fighting for millennia; I can't believe such incompetent foes have endangered the Imperium for ten thousand years."

Ulysses shook his head and said, "The greatest danger to the Imperium has been itself. Stagnation, corruption, mindless repetition of old ideas and doubts in the divinity of the God-Emperor are everywhere. The Primaris are here to do more than just fight off the enemies of Mankind; we are here to enervate this tired and withered society. To inject humanity with the strength and faith that they have been lacking for so long."

Elikos was about to say something else but at that moment the roar of bolt-rifles erupted from behind a row of apartment buildings. Ulysses heard the vox awaken with cries from the Intercessors, declaring that they had found a dug-in nest of cultists and calling for reinforcements. The Master of Sanctity didn't even have to give any orders, as a trio of Inceptors whooshed overhead on trails of fire. They arched up over the buildings, their assault bolters already firing before they had even touched the ground.

A few moments of bedlam erupted as the Primaris fell upon the cultists with full fury and then it cut off as voices announced all clear. The Inceptors appeared again, boosting back to the convoy to replenish their weapons, their magazines half-exhausted. Ulysses was thankful for the new weapons bestowed upon the Primaris but they did have their drawbacks. Assault bolters in particular consumed ammunition at a prodigious rate and lacked the capacity of traditional Heavy Bolters. Inceptors made peerless relief and deep strike troops but in any battle of endurance they were sadly lacking.

Elikos must have been thinking the same thing for he said, "Have you heard the latest? The Theorici whisper that Mars will soon issue us with new weapons. It seems Cawl is experimenting with variants of plasma weapons, assault and heavy versions."

Ulysses nodded and remarked, "That would be most welcome, plasma weapons would make Inceptors much more potent. The Hellblasters too could benefit from more flexible options."

Elikos muttered, "We could certainly have used them back on Grawell's world, that was a blood-soaked nightmare."

Ulysses swallowed for it had indeed been the Ashen Knight's sternest test. A whole world consumed by a capricious mass of mutating and cavorting flesh that had once been ten billion separate people. The powers of Chaos had waxed strong and the Chapter had been forced to fall back and enact the Exterminatus to burn out the taint, the first and last time they had done so. It was still a matter of fierce debate in the highest ranks as to whether that could be counted a victory or a defeat.

Ulysses drew in a breath and said, "We cannot rest on our laurels and we cannot ignore any advancement. That is what separates us from the old Astartes; they would waste centuries wringing their hands over new technologies, crying of tech-heresy while good souls died. We cannot fall into such hidebound thinking; we must never ignore an advantage simply because it is new."

Elikos sounded thoughtful as he said, "They certainly weren't what I expected. When I met those Storm Heralds I thought them foppish peacocks but they had fire and steel in their hearts. I did not expect such zeal from the likes of them; they were almost impressive."

Ulysses agreed, "They do fight bravely, the Reivers report they advance with respectable fury."

Elikos glanced over and asked in surprise, "You respect them?"

"In a way," Ulysses said, "We have ascertained they are not in league with the Word Bearers and they fight as best they can. Fury and zeal they lack not, but they are being left behind regardless. Their age is past and their tired old strategies are obsolete."

Elikos nodded and remarked, "The Astartes had their chance to save the galaxy and failed. The Primaris will soon replace them entirely and they can be retired."

Ulysses mused on this and commented, "I struggle to imagine any warrior retiring, they will probably seek honourable deaths in battle. It is for the best really, all know that the time of the Astartes is over. In a decade, two at the most, their breed will be extinct. Mark my words, by the time the Indomitus Crusade is done the Imperium will be protected exclusively by Primaris Marines."

Suddenly there was a mighty explosion and Ulysses' head snapped around as he heard the distinctive roars of missiles from ahead. His eyes snapped to a large building, a circular structure with a large domed roof. Ulysses didn't know its purpose and didn't care; all that mattered was that it was a perfect cover for an embedded foe. Missile and Lascannons fired constantly from its windows and the accuracy was such that it could only have been achieved by Transhumans. The Master of Sanctity instantly saw the threat to his forces and judged it to be perilous indeed. He saw that he had two options, sulk about trying to find a clever solution or charge immediately before they got boxed in… it wasn't even a choice really. Ulysses raised his Crozius high and cried, "Charge!"

As one the Ashen Knights leapt into motion, a solid wall of shining Ceramite barrelling forwards in an unstoppable mass. Lasfire, Heavy Bolter rounds and missiles flew downwards and tore into them, cutting down bodies left and right but the Primaris carried on regardless. Ulysses saw Elikos peel off, to save those he could and harvest the gene-seed of those he couldn't, but the Chaplain didn't pause in his run.

More devastation rained down but the Ashen Knights carried on, faith and fury driving them forwards. Ulysses saw one Intercessor take a bolt round to the gut, smashing through his plate, yet he did not fall. Inside every Primaris was a special organ created by Belisarius Cawl: the Furnace. When critically injured a Primaris would experience a flood of super-enzymes and adrenal cocktails that would boost their bodies beyond Transhuman levels, making them indomitable champions for a few precious seconds. Fired by the stimulant cocktail the Intercessor bounded forward, outpacing his brethren in his ardour to reach the foe.

As he ran Ulysses saw the range close and cried, "Thunder and fire formation, strike force with me. We are the God-Emperor's vengeance Brothers and we shall bestow His contempt on the foe!"

Instantly part of the force slowed, bringing heavy weapons to bear. Repulsors discharged their turret weapons and spat searing bolts of energy from hull-mounted Lascannons while Inceptors flew laterally, blasting away with furious volleys. The frontage of the building disappeared in a storm of lashing firepower, stonework vaporising under the fusillade and crimson bodies spilling to the ground already gushing blood.

Under the covering fire Ulysses led his Primaris straight into the heart of the inferno, fearing neither injury nor death. His hearts thundered in his chest and his blood roared in his ears as he felt his ire growing. He longed to meet the Traitors face to face, he yearned with all his being to make them pay for their treachery and he swore to dedicate every kill he made to the God-Emperor.

In the midst of the firestorm the Ashen Knight charged up a short flight of steps, leading to a large doorway. Here the shooting was most concentrated, the Word Bearers trying to create a chokepoint but the Primaris had the perfect tool for such situations. As one the Ashen Knights peeled off and let their heavy troops through: the Aggressors.

With heavy footfalls the elite troops marched up to the door, rounds pinging off their reinforced Gravis armour. They stomped up to the door and brought up their weapons, paired boltstorm gauntlets and shoulder mounted fragstorm grenade launchers. There was a single second's pause and then they fired, seeming to explode outwards as their weapons shot forth a blizzard of destruction. The carnage they unleashed could not have been matched by a line of Heavy Bolters, smashing the atrium beyond the door into rubble and creating a thick fog of brick dust and collapsing masonry. Ulysses felt his helm's respirators slam shut to keep out the cloying cloud but he raised his Crozius and shouted over the vox, "With me Brothers, Intercessors to the fore, Hellblasters behind. Show no mercy and let these scum know that their doom has come! We are the Knights of the Emperor and where we march only ashes remain!"

With his warriors one step behind Ulysses leapt into the cloying dust, gripping his Crozius tightly. His vision automatically shifted to thermal mode and he made out indistinct shapes in the gloom. With his hearts thundering he raised his Crozius and felt a grin steal over his lips. The Traitors had no concept what they faced this day but he would show them all, he would personally teach them to fear the Ashen Knights.