Rahhel; Come to thing of it, your right. 28,000 years stuck with only three other people to talk to, Shinji probably would have learned English and German. All that work trying to figure out a way to allow Shinji to understand Gothic was completely un-necessary!
Homer Simpson 'Doh!'
Oh well, I suppose it's better then attributing it to some kind of Dues est Machina (apart from the Machine God I mean). Maybe I'll work in an explanation for why Shinji didn't learn English or German or the final version. Anyway, thanks for reading.
KaOn KaI; Thanks! Only one or two more to go, though I doubt they'll compare to this one.
nick2951; Thank you, I always like to hear that people like my work. Though I've got exams in less then a week (spends half an hour in a panic attack) I'll do my best not to leave the next chapter for too long.
As always, support, constructive criticism and money is always welcome. And even flames are welcome; the Imperial navy needs the fuel.
Chapter Six
Two fleets of ships, one group a dark black, the other fleet a light icy grey, tore their way through the shifting chaos of Warp space. In the lead was an immense Battlebarge with a stylized wolf head gracing it's hull. On the bridge two men, superhuman even by the standards of their brethren, stood, examining the main tactical holo-table. Scowling, Leman Russ turned to the ship's master Astropath.
"Has there been a response?" he growled, the wolves at his feet echoing his sentiment with growls of their own.
"No, my lord," the Astropath replied, his voice serene and unafraid. "Some fluctuation in the Warp perhaps or…"
"It doesn't matter," Lion El'Johnson replied, ignoring Russ' glare. "Keep sending the message. Add the fact that we are but a day's Warp Travel away from the Sol system."
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"Fall back. Fall back to the palace." Fornacht ordered over the comm.-link. Shinji nodded at the familiar words, before bringing the battered Unit-01 around for the jog back to the Ultimate Gate. The one thing that Shinji hadn't experienced during the Angel War was a siege. The Angels had all been defeated quickly, the fifth angel or the attack by the JSSDF had been rapid affairs. Even the seventh angel had only lasted a week, and that was a period of mostly inactivity and training. The overall battle had lasted less then an hour.
Over the two days since the death of the Flying Fortress, Shinji had seen and experienced more then enough to make up for that. Unlike before, dealing with the Chaos Titans had become extremely dangerous. Originally, Shinji had been able to use his Eva's much higher mobility and agility to get around a Titan, coming at it from the side or rear where it's weapons couldn't traverse to hit him. Now, however, the Chaos Titans were moving in packs, with formations that ensured that whatever angle Shinji tried to use, there was always a Titan facing him.
Unit 01's armor, capable of resisting an N2 mine without serious damage, was now badly battered and cracked. In several spots, the organic components of the Eva were exposed to the air between large rends in the armor plating.
Shinji blinked, and tried to wipe the tiredness from his eyes. Since the Wall had fallen, the Titans in the leading attack had taken out over 20 kilometers of it in their initial bombardment, pretty much all of the Imperium's forces had been driven back to the palace. Barely a few hours ago, Sanguinius of the Blood Angels had nearly fallen holding back a Bloodthirster daemon so the Ultimate gate could be sealed.
The Imperium's remaining forces in the palace gardens, consisting of several Titans, as well as Unit 01 and Shinji (Asuka having been forced to take Unit 02 inside the palace when it became impossible for the Adaptus Mechanicus to get the capacitors to her. Right now she was muttering angrily over the Comm. Channel as she used Unit 02's immense size and strength to hold the Ultimate Gate shut against the constant bombardment) had been fighting in this same pattern since the gate was closed. He would run out through a weak point, try to get behind the Chaos lines and smash a few of their supply lines, before running back to the comparatively safer cover of the Palace guns.
Shinji glanced up at a familiar whine, and watched yet another bomb detonate against the palace's shields.
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Despite the flickering void shields, the throne room shuddered under the impact. The Emperor glanced up at a secondary crack of parting stone and his eyes tracked an angel as it fell from it's support, a kilometer from the ground. Men and servitors scrabbled for cover as it smashed like a bomb, scattering shrapnel in all directions.
"My Lord, what are your orders?" Dorn asked, after glancing towards the remains of the statue. The Emperor hesitated, for the first time in his life almost scared. The statue falling, the same question asked thrice, these were his last memories of the future, foreseen only days ago. From here on, all he could see was darkness.
My Lord, what are your orders+ came again, this time from Acting-Fabricator General Kane. Even now, the Emperor could hear the death screams of those on Mars through his link with the Astropathic Choir. The former Fabricator General had sided with Horus, and under his orders the most ancient and terrible weapons of the Adaptus were ripping Mars' inhabitants apart.
"My Lord, what are your orders?" asked winged Sanguinius, his body still showing the marks of his battle with the Bloodthirster. The Emperor closed his eyes, unable to bare their faithful stares, assured that he would find a solution. The Emperor knew that he has no solution, no last-minute tactic. He had hoped that they might hold off long enough for help, for the fleets of the Imperium to arrive. But even the Space Wolves and the Dark Angels must be weeks away.
If they were even coming.
The Emperor cast his psychic gaze out, glaring at the arrayed might of the Chaos fleet, at Horus' almost unimaginable…
The Emperor frowned as he detected a flaw. The fleet is still there, a massive concentration of metal and firepower, and yet… The Shields! The Emperor opened his eyes wide in shock as he realized the enormity of what he saw, and forced himself to double-check. His shields! They are down! What kind of arrogance…
The Emperor shrugged off the thought, and his awareness that it could be a trap. He had come too far to allow the forces of darkness to claim humanity now.
"Kane, contact your brethren in the Teleportarium. Tell them to power up their systems and lock onto the Chaos flagship." He turned, and looked over a sea of surprised faces. "Horus has made a mistake. His ship's shields are down." Ignoring the sudden rise of hope in the faces around him, the Emperor reached up and removed the helmet that links him to the Astropathic Choir, before turned back to Dorn and Sanguinius. "Assemble your Terminators. We take this fight to the enemy."
The Emperor waited until the last marine had strode past him, the floor vibrating under the heavy Terminator armor, before moving to his own position within the circle of charging coils.
All the marines that could be spared from the defensive positions were here, more then an entire battle company of marines, all wearing red, yellow or gold Terminator armor of the Blood Angel, Imperial Fists and Adeptus Cusdodes respectively. And it might not be enough, the Emperor mused silently over the crackle of the discharging coils.
A moment of discontinuity…
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Shinji glanced up with a frown. He had been resting in the seat of the entry plug while command tried to find a new weak spot where he could break through the Chaos lines, when some noise caught his attention. Glancing around, he spotted a ring of cultists. Shinji had seen several of these summoning circles, with a dozen or so Sorcerers pulling reality apart to allow a daemon through. But those were only a few meters wide, Shinji thought, this one's huge! It was easily a hundred meters wide, and the chanting was so loud that Shinji could hear it from several kilometers away.
"Command… I've got something strange going on over here," Shinji said, keying the comm. "It looks like a ritual of some kind, and it's too close for comfort."
"Hold on a second…" There was a faint murmur as Fornacht checked with hs superiors. "Go and check it out. We'll try and give you support." Shinji carefully bought Unit 01 back on it's feet. Before he took a single step forward, however, there was a sharp crack of energy, causing Shinji to stagger back in surprise.
Shaking his head in an attempt to remove the purple afterimage of the lightning bolt, Shinji looked back over at the circle. The lightning had hit dead in the center with the force of a bomb. It had been so powerful in fact that the sorcerers had all been killed. Smoke was raising from the ground in tendrils, hiding the sight from view.
Smoke… Shinji frowned. The ground was barren. There wasn't anything to ignite and burn. Where's the smoke coming…
The ground exploded out, throwing Unit 01 against the Palace walls, crushing a gun battery with it's massive weight. As Shinji watched in shock, the smoke coalesced into a new, horrific form…
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A moment of discontinuity…
And the Emperor came as close to stumbling as a man in Terminator armor can, as the horrific sights, smells and sounds abused his natural and supernatural senses. The Emperor desperately fought to impose a form of order on what he could see. He was alone; the other marines and even his own Adeptus Cusdodes must have been scattered during the teleport. He was in some kind of tunnel, but…
The walls seemed to be made of a kind of dark flesh, which crawled and writhed disturbingly, covered with inlet runes that speak of death, decay and war. Somehow, the Emperor knew that the dull white material was human bone. Objects protruded out of the walls at irregular intervals, limbs for various creatures that clutching and writhing as if in agony. A thick, cloying mist floated above the floor, not only stealing away sight, but dampening even the Emperor's psychic powers to little more then that of an ordinary human.
If I needed proof of Horus' true allegiance, the Emperor thought to himself as he moved out to find his wayward son, this is all the proof I need.
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The daemon-creature unfolded from it's crouched squat to it's full height, easily a match for a Titan or Eva. The daemon was blood red in color, it's wiry form clad in colossal armor, articulating with the blade-edged rasp of metal on metal. It's canine features were twisted, it's horned and leering face turning to gaze at the Ultimate gate before it while it's eyes and nostrils blazed with an inner fire. It was an armored slaughterer, black-leather bat-wings unfurling from it's back as it curled it's vast knuckles, blood-stained chainmail wrapped and stapled to it's very flesh, around an axe that dripped red fluids. A Bloodthirster of immense proportions.
Shinji covered his ears in pain as it threw its head back and roared. Then it bent it's head down, and charged straight for the Ultimate gate, a red mist of heat and vapor following it like a shroud.
Asuka! Shinji moved automatically, charging straight towards the creature, slamming Unit 01's right shoulder into the monster and forcing it to the ground.
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Despite the changes that the vessel had undergone, the Emperor recognized the overall layout as that of a Battlebarge of the Astartes. Despite this, it had taken nearly an hour to work his way up to the viewing chamber above the main command deck. Disturbingly, the entrance to the chamber seemed to resemble a mouth, teeth of steel glinting between lips of brass. As he approached, it pulled open, revealing the room beyond.
The Emperor saw it all in a single second. The heaped bodies lining the walls, loyalist and traitor alike. The immense 20 meter viewport overlooking the war-choked sphere of Terra. Horus standing over the dead body of Sanguinius. A drop of blood dropped from Horus' lightning claw as he turned to face the Emperor.
"Poor Sanguinius," Horus growled, sounding as emotionless as if he were commenting on the weather. "I offered him a position of power in the new order. He could have sat at the right hand of a god. Alas, he chose to align himself with the losing side." The Emperor stared in shock. It was many seconds before he could bring himself to even utter one word.
"Why?" he whispered.
"Why? You ask me why?" Horus cackled in amusement. "Have all those millennia taught you nothing? Weak fool, your timidity prevented you from binding the forces of Chaos. You shied away from ultimate power. I have bound it to my will, and will lead humanity into the new age. I, Horus, Master of Chaos."
"You have deluded yourself," the Emperor snarled in reply. "You are the servant, not the master." Horus gestured angrily, his mirth forgotten. The Emperor collapsed, biting back a scream as forbidden sorcery set every nerve in his body on fire with pain.
"Feel the true nature of my power," Horus growled, "then tell me I am deluded!" Struggling back to his feet, sweat pouring off his face, the Emperor pulled himself back to his feet.
"You are deluded," he gasped. Horus sneered, and gestured again. Impossibly, the pain increased.
"I let you come here, old friend," he growled, "so that you could witness my triumph. Kneel before me and I will spare you. Acknowledge the new master of mankind." The Emperor felt his knees try to buckle as Wych-fire played across his nerves. Forcing himself past the pain, the Emperor thrust desperately with his mind. The blow struck home, crackling lightning and psychic frost formed on Horus' armor as it absorbed the blow. The pain vanished as Horus stumbled back in surprise, and the Emperor leaped forward, sword raised.
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Shinji jumped Unit 01 back, the blood-stained axe narrowly missing Unit 01's abdomen. Silently cursing himself for forgetting to grab an effective weapon before his charge, Shinji backed up again while raising Unit 01's Prog knife, which had been broken in half in an earlier attempt to block the massive axe. Right now, Shinji's options seemed to be limited to desperately leading the Bloodthirster round in a circle while he desperately searched for some way to attack.
The weapon emplacements around the Ultimate gate were useless, shattered by the earlier attacks, he'd left the guns back at his earlier position against the Palace, Asuka had the lance (given that Unit 02 was in a much more dangerous position with it's reliance on external power, she had demanded the weapon to maximize her effectiveness).
Dammit! Shinji thought, his mind, focused on dodging the Bloodthirster's attacks, ignored the clang of opening metal behind him. I've got noth…
"Catch you stupid Baka!" Spinning, Shinji spotted Unit 02 standing between the gaping doors of the Ultimate gate. Instinctively, Shinji grabbed at the object Unit 02 had tossed at him. Spinning with the objects weight and momentum, Shinji ended up facing the Bloodthirster, the Lancea Longinus in his hands and pointing straight at the daemon.
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The Emperor grunted in pain as he slammed into a bulkhead, organic metal tearing with a disturbingly organic noise. Ripping his way out of the wall, the Emperor swung his sword in a desperate counter-attack. Horus ducked, far faster then anybody in terminator armor should be able to, and the blow missed, the sword ending up embedded in a ceiling support.
Before the Emperor could pull his sword loose, Horus jabbed a swift punch to his chest. Lightning claws sliced through the armor like it was cloth. The Emperor gasped as a lung was punctured by his own sliced ribs, and desperately stabbed back with a psychic lash. Horus laughed as he casually swatted the whip of psychic force away.
A second slice ripped open the Emperor's throat, a blow that could have killed an ordinary man, and threatened to drive the Emperor into unconsciousness. He desperately swung out his left arm, bringing his crackling power fist up in a desperate upper-cut. The blow connected, forcing Horus back and cutting a gouge out of his armor.
In anger, Horus raised his hand, and fired off a jet of Warp energy. For the first time that he can remember, the Emperor screamed in agony as his hair igniting in the heat while his face's flesh began to literally melt off. An eye went with it, popping under the pressure of the magical power.
Desperately, the Emperor tried to figure out how he could be losing as Horus casually threw him into another bulkhead. The Emperor groaned again as a fresh spike of pain accompanied the sharp crack of his breaking spine. Reaching down, Horus casually ripped off the Emperor's arm, sparks flying from the shattered power fist as it shuts down, before slamming the Emperor's broken body back down onto the floor.
Desperately fighting the pain, the Emperor's remaining eye sought out Horus' gaze as Horus crouched over the body of his father. Staring into his eyes, the Emperor desperately searched for any remnants of his son, but found only madness. Grinning, Horus brought his claw up in a blow that both of them know will end it.
"NOOOOOOO!" Gunfire bounced off Horus' armor, bolts rebounding into the walls and floor. Surprised, both Horus and the Emperor break their shared stare, searching for the source of the attack. In horror, the Emperor's red gaze found a Terminator in the yellow livery of the Imperial Fists charging at Horus, screaming in anger and blasting away with a Storm Bolter.
Horus chuckled as he stood up, making a single gesture. The marine froze in the middle of his charge, Strom Bolter dropping from suddenly nerveless fingers. The Emperor desperately tried to speak, but his shattered voice box failed him. Horus gestured again with his outstretched hand, and a plume of fire stretched from his outstretched hand to engulf the frozen marine. The Emperor tried to turn away, but Horus planted a foot on the side of his head, forcing him to watch. Slowly the fire burned away the armor, then the marine's flesh. Soon, all that's left is a fire-blackened skeleton. Horus casually walked over and blew out a small puff of air. The skeleton broke apart into ash that faded away into a cloud of dust.
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Acting instinctively, Shinji thrust the Lancea Longinus straight at the chest of the blood-red monster. The lance, supernaturally sharp, capable of slicing through an A.T. field as if it weren't there, stopped dead in its path as it hit the daemon's skin.
The Bloodthirster cackled, and casually swept its massive axe up, knocking the lance out of Unit 01's grasp and into the distance. The daemon kicked out hard, connecting with Unit 01's chest and forcing it onto it's back. As Shinji tried to bring Unit 01 back up, he felt a foot plant itself firmly on Unit 01's abdomen. Shinji looked up, and saw the Bloodthirster raise it's axe over it's head.
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The Emperor knew now. He had failed because he was fighting his comrade, his friend… his son. That was the true nature of the trap he had fallen into. But he could see now. Around the body of Horus, ethereal shadows, the four gods of Chaos, clung to Horus' body and mind, playing him like a puppet. The Emperor hadn't been fighting his beloved son, he had been fighting the four Chaos Powers directly.
Despair and confusion gone, the Emperor's mind filled with anger. His body shattered, his weapons gone, the Emperor reached for the one weapon he still had.
By the time Horus spun around in terror, it was already too late. The ship itself quivered as the Emperor pulled the psychic power out of the warp, the bodies around him, the walls, the very air itself, focusing it all into a glowing ball of pure light in front of his forehead. There was no limit to the power this time, no safe wards to limit the power to something safe that won't kill him. The Emperor knew that there would be only one chance.
Horus gestured desperately, trying to summon his powers, but the Emperor's attack had drained even those. The Emperor could see Horus' eyes flicker around desperatly, but this time there was no escape.
Suddenly, Horus screamed, and collapsed to his knees. Darkness seemed to rip it's way out of his back, floating into fading chaotic shapes. The light faded slightly, as the Emperor saw sanity flow back into Horus' eyes, along with horrified realization. He's still contaminated! the Emperor thought. The forces of Chaos can still re-enter him. I have to finish it now!
The Emperor hesitated, his eye meeting Horus' sickened gaze…
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Shinji desperately bought up his arm, Unit 01 copying his actions. The immense axe fell, and it's supernaturally sharp edge sliced right through Unit 01's forearm, the breast armor plating…and straight through into the Entry Plug itself.
Shinji screamed in agony as the very edge of the axe sliced through his real arm, stopping a few centimeters from his face. Through his agony, Shinji felt the sickening lurch as the daemon ripped the axe out of his…Unit 01's chest.
Through tear-streaked eyes, blood-stained LCL and the flickering side screens that hadn't been shattered by the blow, Shinji watched the Bloodthirster raise it's axe for one last blow.
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…and Horus nodded, once.
Do it father.
The Emperor closed his eyes. And fulfilled his duty.
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Shinji watched in shock, clutching the stump of his left arm, as the daemon literally staggered back for no reason. It howled once, then exploded into a fine, black cloud of dust that faded into the wind. Shinji sagged in relief, and happily fainted.
Had he remained awake a few minutes longer, he would have seen a semi-translucent pair of black tendrils stretch out of the shadows, snag his severed forearm, and fade out of sight. Outside, larger tendrils repeated the action with Unit 01's severed limb, pulling it into the shadows.
Horus' death scream reverberated throughout the Imperium. Mutants, heretics and Chaos marines howled in loss. Daemons evaporated back into the Warp screaming in agony. Sorcerers exploded when the backwash of energy hit them. Machines twisted by warp magic collapsed back into their original shape, before the shock ripped them apart.
Throughout the Imperium, the traitors turned and fled, their power and might crumbling before the astonished eyes of the loyalist defenders.
To be continued…
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Space Wolves; Hailing from the frozen world of Fenris, the Space Wolves are a Legion of noble warriors, well versed in the act of savagery. Although described as blood-thirsty savages by their opponents, a Space Wolf actually comes to a battle with a clear mind, allowing him to handle any enemy fooled by this tale. The Space Wolves hold a bitter rivalry with the marines of the Dark Angels, first formed during the Great Crusade when Leman Russ, Primarch of the Space Wolves, and Lion El'Johnson, Primarch of the Dark Angels, came to blows during a disagreement. Ever since, the two legion s have constantly fought to outdo each other, although when they fight side by side no enemy can stand before their might.
Dark Angels; Under command of the Primarch Lion El'Johnson, the Dark Angels are fanatically devoted to the Emperor, with a faith in him that far outshines many of the other loyalist legions. Focused warriors, the legion at present has little to tell it apart from other legions, with no special knowledge of any specific aspect of war (unlike, for example, the siege specialists the Imperial Fists). Despite this, they are capable warriors, at home in any theater of warfare.
Teleportarium; The Imperium's teleporter system. Moves people from one place to another by converting them to energy. Slow, dangerous and not often used or understood.
Adeptus Cusdodes; The Emperor's personal bodyguard, the Cusdodes never leaves the Emperor's person. The genetic alteration seems to be better then that of a common marine, they are capable of taking blows that would kill a space marine in a second. Not much else is known about this mysterious force.
Power Fist; A massive glove-like device. A power fist generates an energy field that breaks apart the forces holding atoms together, allowing the wearer to 'punch' through even the thickest armor. A lightning claw is basically a power fist mounted with blades with the same energy field, allowing the user to slash and stab with each blow.