A/N: Enjoy, everyone! :D
Book Two: Corruption's End
Chapter 38: A Soul Like Elder Woad
"They made the transition from sheep-fucking farmers to Guardsmen pretty Emperor-damned fast. Wonder what they were like before the all the tractors." - Veteran Sergeant Alan Jorvis
It took the next six hours to hold the hill, repulsing half-hearted counter attacks and providing a rally point for the rest of the regiments. They took shifts as the smog above them turned from black to grey, and day stole itself upon the forge-world of Uriel.
Yang volunteered for double-duty, allowing Ros to stay with Caolin as he recovered. Bumming a stick of lho off Theni, she smoked in silence, her lasgun across her lap. The taste of Uriel's air was foul, a taste lho alleviated. From Hill Thirty Seven, she could see the entire battlefield, set aglow by burning metal hulks and corpse-piles, both trailing pillars of black into the polluted sky. How many more had she killed today? It was impossible to tell.
Lryasson'd been after her, wanting her to be the Woadian's new standard bearer. He'd been desperate, almost to the point of ordering her. One look was enough to still that notion in its infancy.
Yang would never leave Gamma.
She stole a glance at the Sisters, most of whom stood in a half-circle around their Lector, a woman named Sister Katarina. Their voices thrummed in the dawn, a low, peaceful hum that drowned out the pattering of small-arms fire echoing across the fields of twisting metal.
Fanatics though they were, Yang couldn't deny they were hard-boiled badasses. Having fancy weapons helped, sure, but the sheer energy they brought to war was only matched by her own enthusiasm. The thought made her shiver, despite the sweltering, humid heat of Uriel.
She caught herself humming along to their hymns. The words meant nothing to her, but the tune was always stirring.
"Anything out there?" Asgeg.
"Nothing," Yang said, taking a drag. "How're the lovebirds?" Asgeg chuckled, shaking out a lho stick from the pack she'd strapped to her helmet.
"Gotta light?"
Yang provided one, lighter catching the dry grey weed on the first try. Asgeg breathed deep.
"Thanks. Helps with the nausea. As for the lovebirds, they're fine. Caolin's still beat. Getting shot tends to do that." She knocked the end of her smoke against a metallic wrist to emphasize her point.
"So what's the word from Sarge?" Yang asked, blowing a bright strand of gold away from her eyes.
"Well..." Removing a data slate, she pointed at a blue dot in its center. "This is us." With a flick of smoke-laden, shaking fingers, she scrolled over to a wall of red. "And this is our target." There was a lot of red.
"You okay?" Yang asked, turning over her friend's trembling metallic fingers.
"Fuck no. I almost died yesterday. Should have, really. But the Emperor was calling for me to join Him. I swear, I could hear Him."
"We charged up a hill in open ground," Yang said, ignoring the bleated piety. "We all should have died." Letting loose a long trail of smoke, she looked to the sky, where streams of tracers arced through the fog of industry. Artillery boomed too, long whistling shrieks that exploded far away, bursting into muted flashes. Yang patted her friend's pauldron. "Don't think about it. You'll drive yourself crazy. Now what's the deal with tomorrow?"
"Right," Asgeg said, a nervous grin splitting her cracked lips wide. "Were tagging along with a mechanized regiment around oh-seven-hundred standard. The Rollanders, I think. Jorvis'll get everyone roused in the next hour or so."
"We're pushing up?" Yang asked, unable to keep herself from matching Asgeg's grin.
"You bet your sweet ass. We've got to assault through two hundred klicks of heretic territory tomorrow." Yang gave a low whistle.
"Hot damn. That's quite a pace. It'll be tough keeping you clowns in one piece," Yang said, her brow furrowing. Weiss must be desperate to reach the Forge if she's pushing us that hard. That was a lot of treacherous ground to cover, all of it sure to be crawling with cultists. Examining the data slate, she frowned. "Why are we stopping outside the Forge?" Asgeg shrugged.
"Higher-ups want to keep the place intact. Plan out a less destructive assault. That... and something about a Titan."
"What's a titan?" Yang asked.
Asgeg opened her mouth to reply, but her eyes went wide instead, lho stick falling out her mouth to spark against her flak armor. "Uh… Asgeg?"
A shadow loomed over her, swallowing her whole.
Turning, Yang's eyes met the colossal breastplates of the biggest Sister, her face freed from a helmet for the first time.
Her face was lined by a tapestry of thin scars, all of them carved to form an intricate mural of religious significance. Wide brown eyes sat under a jutting forehead, her dyed-black hair shrouding her ears in a tangled pixie-cut.
"I want to speak with our Lady's Representative," she said, her voice pure bass given wind.
Asgeg stepped back, spreading her hands in deference. "I… uh… of course, Sister," she said. "Right away." With a worried flick of her indigo eyes, she retreated, augmentic fingers clanking against each other nervously.
"Sister," Yang said, glaring up at the titanic woman. Is that bitch trying to intimidate me by sending her goons? Good luck with that! She was a giant, but she'd break like everything else that got in Yang's way.
The woman shifted, her armor hissing softly. "I don't want to fight," she said, face unmoving. Yang raised an eyebrow.
"Really?" Leaning back, she crossed her arms, assessing the Sister for signs of hostility. Admittedly, there were few, and her aura remained silent on the matter.
"My name is Sister Eleven," she said. "I want to discuss Palatine Naja bint Mutaa Al'Ibanhi."
"What about her?" Yang asked, eyes narrowing. Maybe she's just here to deliver a threat. She shook her head, taking a drag on her lho stick. Remember what Weiss said. Don't go around making enemies I don't need. Relax, Yang! What's wrong with you?
"I saw you fighting with her," Eleven said. Instead of taking on an accusatory tone, her voice was low and morose. "But I didn't see what started it. When the Emperor calls me to duty, I can't focus on much else."
"And?" Yang prodded, curious about the Sister's intentions.
"Don't cross her," Eleven said. Yang was about to retort before the Sister put a hand on her shoulder, fingers consuming her pauldron in its entirety. "She is frustrated and short-tempered. Her dedication and faith in the Emperor are unshakable… but I've known her to be rash as well."
Not what I expected, Yang thought, eyes tracing the expert bladework that marked Sister Eleven. She'd sat through enough long-winded (and mandatory) church sessions to recognize the image: the winged Saint Sanguinius standing victorious atop a vanquished foe. Around it were runes in a crude, unreadable script, one that trailed down her cheeks and leaked onto her neck.
"Our order is among the most temperate of the Adepta Sororitas," the Sister continued. "But the Palatine's spirit is like a forest fire. The fit is… not ideal."
"You know her pretty well then?" Yang asked. What's her goal here?
"Yes," Eleven replied. "She rescued me from my homeworld." Her brown eyes parsed the distant Forge. "It was place of darkness. Only the light of the Emperor shone through the ever-night. Predators the size of thunderhawks patrolled the forests. Humans are prey there, small tribes that huddle in leather huts up in the tall-trees"
"And I thought Ranshu was as bad as it gets," Yang huffed. Vadiik had never mentioned planets so lacking in basic… everything. A little bit like Remnant, she thought bitterly.
"Families were fleeting things," Eleven said. "Children are not expected to survive, so they are numbered, not named." Looking down at Yang, she blinked. "We only live for the Emperor. Some chose to turn from his light. Heretics."
"Let me guess: the Palatine swooped down to kill them all?"
Eleven nodded.
"She bathed the world in cleansing fire. In light. I lost everything in the fighting, and by the grace of Retributor Naja bint Mutaa Al'Ibanhi and the Emperor, I left, taken into the Sororitas." The booming roll of an artillery barrage sounded out, Basilisks spitting out spent shells across a kilometer-long battery. "Her faith in me has never faltered since that day. She is the best person I will ever know."
Yang watched Eleven's face. Sanguinius did not stir.
"You remind me of her. I don't know why," she said, before lapsing into a pause. "You shouldn't fight. We're here to purge the enemy."
Yang sighed. "I know that," she said, flicking the end of her lho stick. The woman's thick lips turned upwards in a courteous smile.
"I am happy to hear that."
"You got it, Sister," Yang said, putting on a smile. "Just… keep her away from me, okay?" Naja knew she was a psyker. Weiss' comments about their zealotry were well-founded, and their opinions on 'witches' were very clear. Though she knew the Inquisitor technically commanded total obedience, Yang wasn't naive enough to believe it would last forever.
If the Palatine started shit and word got out, she could never go back to Gamma.
"I'll try, Trooper," Eleven said. "And know, if you were not so beloved of the Inquisitor, there would be no... polite discussion."
Finishing her lho stick,Yang flicked it away, watching it fall between two sheets of corrugated steel.
"Would you like to pray with me?" Eleven asked, her tone recovering its gentle timbre.
"Thanks, but I've said my prayers for today."
Nodding, Sister Eleven retreated, her huge, loping form off to rejoin her comrades. Yang watched her go, mind whirring. What was that about? What does she see in me? I remind her of the Palatine? The thought curdled the taste of lho on her tongue. Shaking her head, she tucked a strand of gold behind her ear. If they try anything, I'll hurt them. Bad. Not just gonna roll over if it means keeping peace.
"Fucking Emperor she's big," Asgeg said, sidling up next to her. Yang let out a snort of laughter. "What'd she want?"
"Told me to back off her boss," she said, half-grinning.
"Damn," Asgeg said, letting loose a low whistle. "You're blessed that she didn't just start hitting. The rest of us plebeians are lucky if we get a nasty glance once in awhile."
"Friendly, aren't they?" Yang asked, nudging her friend.
"They're the Emperor's Will made flesh," Asgeg said. "But yeah, they're also pretty fucking scary."
Yang laughed for real at that. Patting the crown of her friend's helmet, she grabbed at her friend's pack of lho-sticks. Asgeg slapped her hand away, rolling her eyes.
"You know, I saw the Palatine hit you," she said, eyes turning to steel.
"She didn't exactly try and be sneaky about it," Yang replied.
Asgeg crouched down, retrieving her data pad once more. "Yang," she whispered, hesitant and hissed. "If… if she wants to start another fight…. we're with you."
"Who? What?"
"All of us. I talked it over with Ros and the others. You've done a lot for us, Yang. You've saved us all, time and time again. Hell, you killed a squad of traitor marines!" She said, leaning forward. "I… I don't care that the Sisters pray until their knees bleed like a five-crown hooker's. I don't care that the Palatine's chainsword is bigger than I am. If she wants to pick a fight, we're behind you. 1st Company. Gamma Platoon. Woadians all," she intoned, her lips forming a silent 'Áuh'.
Yang sighed, running her hands through her hair. "That… means a lot Asgeg." She frowned, thinking of Weiss' words. "But please, don't start anything yourselves." You're such a hypocrite. You're practically begging for an excuse to pummel her. "I don't want you to get hurt." That much was true, at least.
"You got it, girl. I mean, we're behind you, but we're not out to start anything. We're reckless, not insane."
Laughing, Yang punched her friend's shoulder. Harder than she intended to. "Good to hear it." Pointing at the data slate, she gestured at a flashing icon towards a flashing blue icon. "So what's the deal with this 'titan' thing?"
Asgeg shrugged.
At oh-six-hundred, they found out. It was a mech, but putting it in the same class as mechs from Remnant was a fucking joke. It was, as Imperial constructions tend to be, sized on a ludicrous scale. It was at least fifty meters tall. Each step it took was an earthquake in motion, the ultimate expression of destruction wrought into mortal form by creaking metal and colossal cannons.
"Fuck me, that's a beautiful sight," Jorvis said, grinning as he took a puff on his morning cigar. "It might make my eye leak a bit of oil, if I say so myself." Yang agreed with him. Forty klicks felt like a joke now, a paltry test run for the juggernaut before them. A foot landed, making Yang's guts churn.
"Hot damn." Ros whispered. Mael's lips worked, his fingers kneading the beads of Rhain's necklace.
"Atten-shun!" Jorvis bellowed, pointing to the cusp of the hill. Around them, a tide of growling steel surrounded them, the 50th Rolland Mechanized requisitioned for the Woadian's use by the Lady Inquisitor. The woman herself stood before them, crowning the bulking hull of the In My Spirit. Accompanying her was the Colonel and Ira, each looking dour. She'd not removed her helmet.
"Under the gaze of the Mechanicus' mightiest steed, we march to war!" She shouted. Rabid cries met her declaration, thousands of fists thrown to the mottled sky with breathless enthusiasm. "Go now, find your commanders. Be free to make war, my friends! The liberation of Uriel begins today!" A roar of approval echoed across Hill Thirty Seven, one Yang added to.
They mounted up, every trooper clambering on top of the troop carriers. Boots by the thousands rang off their hulls, a noise joined by swelling voices. Jet wash buffeted them, the Sister's thunderhawks swooping low to recover their passengers.
Yang leapt atop their assigned vehicle, a bulky Chimera with the words 'Lance of Ollanius' splashed across the hull. She helped her friends on board, hauling them up with a ready grin. One that they matched. The rest of Gamma crammed themselves within the hull, sardines in a death-dealing can.
Striking a pose atop the turret (a three-barreled multilas), she surveyed the battlefield. Far in the distance, she could see small dots scurrying around. The cultists were in a panic, and rightly so. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the titan advancing, each step jarring its massive shoulder-mounted cannons, each step sending small quakes through the twisted surface of Uriel. Then, it came to rest, just before the Imperial battle lines. Yang and her friends exchanged a few questioning glances.
A noise burst forth from the titan, a low, blaring horn. It carried no melody, no artistry, only a gnawing echo that ran brassy fingers up Yang's spine and made her shudder with pleasure. It was the sound of war, boiled down to its most basic, primal form.
Then it fired.
It was like a volcano erupting, the unremitting blast shattering the relative calm of Uriel. It sent the enemy lines up into a crater-marked pyre, fireballs roaring into existence and soaring skyward.
The mech was almost a kilometer away, and it was still deafening. Yang didn't care. With a victorious roar, she threw a fist forward, elation ruling her face. The Woadians took up her cry, their spirits soaring as they watched the titan resume its advance. Nothing could stand before them.
The Lance belched smoke as its engine ignited, its throaty purr barely audible over thier ringing ears. The rest of the Rollander vehicles followed suit, their motors guzzling promethium like a drowning man guzzles water.
"Forward, at full speed!" The Lady Inquisitor ordered, her vox-augmented voice reaching across Hill Thirty Seven and pouring into Yang's microbead. Her words were confident and strong, but she heard the note of urgency too, well-disguised to those who were not familiar with the Inquisitor.
They rolled forward, a tide of muscle and steel that surged over the broken earth in unstoppable force. The titan shone once more, carving a path for them with a salvo of death. From its arms burst forth two lasbeams bright enough to bring day to the fogged world. Where they struck, the ground spewed forth a geyser of molten metal and a maelstrom of shrapnel.
Laughing and cheering, the 111th charged forth.
A/N: Special news today, everyone! This chapter marks the one-year anniversary of this fic's beginning! Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me so far! I love all you guys!
Oh, and by the way, the Titan's a Warlord-class, the size of which is legendarily unclear. I decided upon a happy medium, which is still fuck-huge.
Sorry this chapter isn't all that much, it being the anniversary, after all. :(
Hope you guys liked it anyways!
Review Replies:
The Walrus of Eden: I guess we'll find out, won't we? :)
Allard-Liao: Hey that's awesome! I always like hearing that I inspired people to read more!
reality deviant: You might just get your wish...
Victor L: Thanks so much for your extended review! I'm glad you're liking Ira! OCs are always a tricky topic to tackle, so I'm glad people aren't actively hating them. :)
Nemris: I do like the Dark Eldar (they're one of my favorite factions), but I still think they're disgusting, evil little sweat-goblins. Thanks for all your input!
snoogenz: That's definitely what Weiss was insinuating! I'm glad you liked the dark eldar's introduction! It's tough shifting into their POV after doing exclusively humans for so long!
blaiseingfire: As you could see in this chapter, they totally could if they wanted to... but the Palatine is obeying the Inquisitor's wishes and keeping her trap shut about everything.
The Pyromaniac: Right? I think their arrogance might be a bit misplaced...
Kiyoushu: Ha! Thanks for that, it actually made me giggle. :D
PredatorPuck: I'm glad you think so! I try pretty hard to jkeep it interesting!
Magnificent Bosh'tet: I'm enjoying it, but I have to take a break! School's rearing its ugly head...
MrTerrorist: Damn straight!
ATP: Well, drones being all heretical as shit (kinda, they're almost like servitors), it's a little tough to implement them into the Imperium's arsenal. Plus, without drones, you can't engage in GLORIOUS MELEE COMBAT!
OBSERVER01: Thankfully the Sisters seem to be playing nice... for now... but yeah, the Dark Eldar might cause the Lady Inquisitor's warband some trouble...
Gafgar: Hehe! I laughed when I saw that review, knowing that they would be here... eventually...
y1fellas: I guess we'll find out, won't we?
soupie13941: I guess that's one way of putting it! Thanks so much for all your reviews!
Thank you EVERYONE for all your follows, faves, reviews, and support this past year! I love all you guys, and get ready for even more RWBYHammer 40k shenanigans in the coming year! :D