12
Warp-storms tore up the fabric of space and time, hurling whole stars into blue miasmas of pure chaos. The whole solar system whirled in shreds around the aging sun, a corrupt disk forgotten and left in a corner to collect dust. The inhabitants of this solar system had long since left to travel the wider reaches of space. Except some; the eternal sentinels of the undying past, the foundation stones of a forbidden memory. Once, in deepest history, the planet known as Earth had been a life-bearing planet consisting mostly of water and various edible green things. It had been inhabited by millions of intelligent life-forms. In fact, it was overcrowded, and the planet's consciousness (Gaia) had trouble finding new ways of killing them off, until it discovered warp-storms. Now the planet was roughly the same shape and colour as the Ozma in the 2nd-millenium computer game 'Final Fantasy Nine' (still popular in the 41st millennium). It, too, was more final than final; more deadly than deadly. It lay on the boundaries of plot and sanity and dared itself to cross the line.
On the surface of this planet, soldiers massed like ants, loading weapons, sealing their armour, grabbing onto nearby rocks to stop themselves from being sucked into glitch-void, offering final prayers to the Emperor, sanctifying Dreadnoughts, standing resolutely in line and watching the black skies. Half the entire army of Humanity fit onto the surface of planet Earth, and Earth was full, no vacancies, no standing room. Stood before the black iron door of the Sanctum Imperialis, bound and locked and warded by the sacred word, MORIA, that had been carved into its doors countless millennia ago, were the Adeptus Custodes, invincible giants of men in the strongest and most sacred of armor, wielding power axes as large as themselves. They were so resolute and unbreakable, the elite of the elite, that they stood there for twenty-four hours a day sometimes just to show off how ridiculously overlevelled they were. The chaplains spread their uplifting words of devotion to all, infusing the souls of the soldiers with fires of zeal. The Librarians wrote things on their clipboards but nobody knew exactly what.
"The Emperor has said so himself! He came to me in a vision!" screamed a psychic, his straggly hair streaming wildly about him, his arms thrust in random directions, "This is the end! The end! The enemy has come to kill the Emperor! We must fight to the death! The death!"
They heard the drone of thrusters, a spaceship descending carefully through a gap in the warp-torn non-space of the atmosphere of Earth. Everyone looked up.
"It's them! They've come! AARGHWACHUNGACHUNGACHUNGA!"
Blue bolter fire pulsed back and forth, aimed at the spaceship. Some of it hit its target, burning holes in the hull of the stolen vessel, but most of it went into the unmanageable crowd, killing its own people accidentally. A beam from an inferno cannon big enough to incinerate the craft barely missed it, scorching the paintwork on one of the wings. Psychic storms spun the ship around, dragging the psykers into the warp, but the ship's pilot didnt seem to mind. Nothing seemed to be affecting the intruders.
"We're killing ourselves, sir, it's no use!"
"Good! Die for the Emperor!"
"But we're not killing the enemy, sir!"
"You have a point. Why aren't you?"
"I think they're demons, sir."
"Demons would fall under our heavenly fire!"
"Maybe they're not enemies, sir. Maybe they're reinforcements."
"Only one ship?"
-We are a neutral band of travelling field medics. We will aid either side. Do not attack us! I repeat, do not attack us! We will be establishing a neutral zone right here. If any of you attack us, we will be forced to retaliate. Thankyou for your co-operation.-
"By the Emperor, we've been firing at neutral medics all this time!" the Custodian grabbed a loudspeaker and adressed the crew of the spaceship, "We apologise for firing upon you! We mistook you for the enemy! You may land."
Slowly, the spaceship made its way through a few more warp storms and landed on a patch of rock. A hatch opened, and a Titan stomped out. It was painted a garish white, and instead of weapons, its arms ended in two gigantic spring-loaded war hole-punches. Many of the soldiers broke and routed then and there, fleeing in random directions.
"It's the criminals! Destroy them, for the glory of the Emperor!"
An avalanche of raw firepower rained upon the Titan, deafening everyone and creating a huge crater in front of the entrance to the Imperial Temple. It emerged from the dust, surrounded by a white nimbus of pure healing energy. It was repairing itself faster than it could sustain damage.
-It is time.- announced the Titan. It extended one of its hands towards the soldiers. There was a loud clicking noise, and pandemonium was born. The Land Raiders dropped out of the sky as one. Space Marines hammered on the triggers of their bolters to no avail; the guns no longer operated. The aura of crackling energy dropped from the Custodian's power weapons. Librarians fell to their knees in despair as the words 'NOT COMPATIBLE' flashed on and off inside their minds.
The Titan marched, slowly but relentlessly, towards the Temple door, and ripped out the lock.
Warp-storms tore up the fabric of space and time, hurling whole stars into blue miasmas of pure chaos. The whole solar system whirled in shreds around the aging sun, a corrupt disk forgotten and left in a corner to collect dust. The inhabitants of this solar system had long since left to travel the wider reaches of space. Except some; the eternal sentinels of the undying past, the foundation stones of a forbidden memory. Once, in deepest history, the planet known as Earth had been a life-bearing planet consisting mostly of water and various edible green things. It had been inhabited by millions of intelligent life-forms. In fact, it was overcrowded, and the planet's consciousness (Gaia) had trouble finding new ways of killing them off, until it discovered warp-storms. Now the planet was roughly the same shape and colour as the Ozma in the 2nd-millenium computer game 'Final Fantasy Nine' (still popular in the 41st millennium). It, too, was more final than final; more deadly than deadly. It lay on the boundaries of plot and sanity and dared itself to cross the line.
On the surface of this planet, soldiers massed like ants, loading weapons, sealing their armour, grabbing onto nearby rocks to stop themselves from being sucked into glitch-void, offering final prayers to the Emperor, sanctifying Dreadnoughts, standing resolutely in line and watching the black skies. Half the entire army of Humanity fit onto the surface of planet Earth, and Earth was full, no vacancies, no standing room. Stood before the black iron door of the Sanctum Imperialis, bound and locked and warded by the sacred word, MORIA, that had been carved into its doors countless millennia ago, were the Adeptus Custodes, invincible giants of men in the strongest and most sacred of armor, wielding power axes as large as themselves. They were so resolute and unbreakable, the elite of the elite, that they stood there for twenty-four hours a day sometimes just to show off how ridiculously overlevelled they were. The chaplains spread their uplifting words of devotion to all, infusing the souls of the soldiers with fires of zeal. The Librarians wrote things on their clipboards but nobody knew exactly what.
"The Emperor has said so himself! He came to me in a vision!" screamed a psychic, his straggly hair streaming wildly about him, his arms thrust in random directions, "This is the end! The end! The enemy has come to kill the Emperor! We must fight to the death! The death!"
They heard the drone of thrusters, a spaceship descending carefully through a gap in the warp-torn non-space of the atmosphere of Earth. Everyone looked up.
"It's them! They've come! AARGHWACHUNGACHUNGACHUNGA!"
Blue bolter fire pulsed back and forth, aimed at the spaceship. Some of it hit its target, burning holes in the hull of the stolen vessel, but most of it went into the unmanageable crowd, killing its own people accidentally. A beam from an inferno cannon big enough to incinerate the craft barely missed it, scorching the paintwork on one of the wings. Psychic storms spun the ship around, dragging the psykers into the warp, but the ship's pilot didnt seem to mind. Nothing seemed to be affecting the intruders.
"We're killing ourselves, sir, it's no use!"
"Good! Die for the Emperor!"
"But we're not killing the enemy, sir!"
"You have a point. Why aren't you?"
"I think they're demons, sir."
"Demons would fall under our heavenly fire!"
"Maybe they're not enemies, sir. Maybe they're reinforcements."
"Only one ship?"
-We are a neutral band of travelling field medics. We will aid either side. Do not attack us! I repeat, do not attack us! We will be establishing a neutral zone right here. If any of you attack us, we will be forced to retaliate. Thankyou for your co-operation.-
"By the Emperor, we've been firing at neutral medics all this time!" the Custodian grabbed a loudspeaker and adressed the crew of the spaceship, "We apologise for firing upon you! We mistook you for the enemy! You may land."
Slowly, the spaceship made its way through a few more warp storms and landed on a patch of rock. A hatch opened, and a Titan stomped out. It was painted a garish white, and instead of weapons, its arms ended in two gigantic spring-loaded war hole-punches. Many of the soldiers broke and routed then and there, fleeing in random directions.
"It's the criminals! Destroy them, for the glory of the Emperor!"
An avalanche of raw firepower rained upon the Titan, deafening everyone and creating a huge crater in front of the entrance to the Imperial Temple. It emerged from the dust, surrounded by a white nimbus of pure healing energy. It was repairing itself faster than it could sustain damage.
-It is time.- announced the Titan. It extended one of its hands towards the soldiers. There was a loud clicking noise, and pandemonium was born. The Land Raiders dropped out of the sky as one. Space Marines hammered on the triggers of their bolters to no avail; the guns no longer operated. The aura of crackling energy dropped from the Custodian's power weapons. Librarians fell to their knees in despair as the words 'NOT COMPATIBLE' flashed on and off inside their minds.
The Titan marched, slowly but relentlessly, towards the Temple door, and ripped out the lock.