Chapter 35(orphan)

Franklin was excited as he led his new Night Lord friend Malcolm Abbot through the Nightmare Asylum from the shuttle airlock to meet his nuns, this might be his first convert!

Franklin's tactical light under his shotgun shined the way through the dark maze, showing every fly and maggot and maggoty dead body of the Nightmare Asylum maze in clear view. Franklin knew the route through this maze off by heart as part of his endless training running through it, and knew exactly where they were right now in this maggoty maze.

Malcolm wore the very simple power armour of a tank crewman, lacking the ornamentation of other Night Lord power armour in favour of clean smooth surfaces that wouldn't catch on the cramped confines of a tank. His helmet was likewise completely smooth and lacking decorative horns, and Malcolm currently had his helmet off and carried in one arm. Malcolm's armour in fact didn't even have a backpack power supply, relying on power cables inside the tank and currently unpowered, relying solely on Malcolm's muscles to move it.

Malcolm's bare head was currently gazing all around at the maggoty cadaver strewn floor and the crudely welded decrepit steel walls, and Franklin felt strangely embarrassed that "his" ship was so utterly woeful, ashamed even.

"Sorry about the mess, this maze doubles as a graveyard for the families of the common heretic slaves and crew, they lay their dead here to be eaten by maggots as a heretical funeral tradition. This ship is a complete dump I'm sorry," Franklin apologised in embarrassment.

"No need to be sorry, this ship is amazing! Looks like an actual Gloriana class battleship! How did your father get this precious relic?," Malcolm asked excitedly, gazing all around the dark maze.

"It's not a holy true Gloriana, just a poorly built blasphemous copy of one that's meant to fool enemies into thinking it's really a Gloriana, as a terror tactic. It's made of common steel rather than proper ceramite and is plagued with constant technical problems. It probably DOES actually have about the same firepower as a true Gloriana admittedly, but it will fall to bits if hit too hard, it was built on my father's orders using filthy xenos technologies so is completely inferior," Franklin explained disgustedly.

"It is MAGNIFICENT! Far nicer than the decrepit devastation class cruiser rust buckets of our own fleet! No matter what problems this battleship has, we simply MUST have one of our own! My war band would be willing to pay your father very handsomely to have one of these!" Malcolm said greedily.

"I will ask him for you... IF you convert to worship the Emperor!" Franklin insisted zealously with great hope.

"You get us one of these imitation Gloriana class battleships and ALL of my war band will worship anything you like," Malcolm agreed eagerly!

Franklin thrilled with excitement and led Malcolm all the faster through the ship, this was a MIRACLE!

The tactical light shone off the wet black eyes of another pair of daemonettes fornicating with dead bodies in the maze, and Franklin grimaced in revulsion at the spectacle!

"This ship has quite an infestation of daemonettes, there must be a large number of Slaanesh worshippers onboard to summon so many," Malcolm noted.

"Over 100 thousand Slaanesh worshipping slaves and serfs crew this ship, they mostly live in the rear half of the ship around the engines where most of them work keeping the temperamental engines maintained. They are all disgraceful perverts!" Franklin explained.

"This is a Slaanesh war band right?," Malcolm asked curiously.

"Indeed it alas is, my own mother is a Chaos Champion of Slaanesh and a terrible insatiable harlot," Franklin confirmed distastefully.

"Oh, um, will I get to meet this mother of yours?," Malcolm asked with too much hopeful excitement for Franklin's liking.

"You will... Why do you ask?," Franklin asked dangerously.

"No reason, just making conversation. And the Chaos Lord is your father right... Yeah, I won't lay a hand on the consort of your father, won't touch her," Malcolm said out loud.

There was awkward hostile silence for the next few minutes as Franklin scowled angrily, he did not appreciate Malcolm showing sexual interest in his mother.

The pair of Night Lords Franklin and Malcolm continued through the dark maze, in silence for a time, as Franklin led the way out of the maze to the populated areas beyond. They went up flights of stairs, entered through a guarded gateway, and were now in the exclusive residential area set aside for Night Lords and their relatives.

The decks were becoming crowded with daemonettes now, and the pair of Night Lords were forced to twist their way between the fornicating creatures with difficulty. The daemonettes were doing revolting unholy things to each other!

"This is my mother's home, my nuns and I live with her. Be warned, this place is a pit of sinful degradation," Franklin warned grimly, and pushed open the front door.

"Mother, I am home with a friend," Franklin shouted over the sounds of Wendy's ticklish laughter as he stepped inside.

"I'm a little tied up at the moment! Octavia and the daemonettes are...," Wendy cackled with laughter in the beginning of a reply.

"I don't want to KNOW!" Franklin cut her off.

"I wanted to know...," Malcolm grumbled quietly.

The laughter stopped and a vast number of daemonettes exited out of Wendy and Octavia's bedroom door as Franklin waited awkwardly for his mother to get herself decent.

A few long minutes later Wendy and Octavia exited the bedroom holding hands and looking extremely disheveled.

"WOW!" Malcolm exclaimed in awe at the sight of Octavia's astonishing beauty.

"Is THAT your mother?!" Malcolm asked, pointing at Octavia.

"*I* am Franklin's mother, what is your business here in my home?," Wendy said with cold politeness.

Malcolm gazed transfixed at Octavia and merely stammered.

"She is my WIFE," Wendy said warningly.

"Lesbians?," Malcolm asked apprehensively.

"Yes," Wendy confirmed.

"Aw CRAP! But you have a son?!" Malcolm bitterly complained.

"We ONLY share our bed with our lover the Chaos Lord Luke Sevenson, no other MAN may lay with us," Wendy warned sternly.

"Lucky Chaos Lord, damn he has it good! I would kill to have what he has here," Malcolm lamented with bitter jealousy.

"That other woman is the mother of my brother the Chaos Raptor, stop looking at her like that!" Franklin warned angrily.

"Oh, um, oh DAMNATION this isn't FAIR! I haven't been with a woman in a long time and then you show me THESE women?! Curse the fates!" Malcolm raged and turned his gaze away.

"Franklin why did you bring this stranger into my home?," Wendy asked coldly.

"He is my friend and a brother Night Lord who was also raised in an imperial orphanage before being abducted and forcibly recruited, I invited him to come and talk to my nuns about the Emperor," Franklin explained stubbornly.

Wendy blinked in surprise and excitedly said, "you finally made a friend?, Well come in! You should have told me you were bringing a friend home!"

"Hello, I'm Octavia," Octavia greeted sluttily and waved.

Malcolm gazed longingly at Octavia and groaned in dismay.

"Don't go near her, she has an unholy aura that will mess with your mind if you get within about 2 or 3 meters of her," Franklin warned urgently.

"Come and see Franklin's harem of nuns." Wendy changed the subject deliberately as Octavia smiled invitingly.

Franklin excitedly led Malcolm to his bedroom, followed by Wendy and Octavia, and knocked on the doorway politely before entering.

"Enter," Mother Superior called.

Franklin entered and found the nuns having a scripture reading together. Franklin stood at attention and asked, "permission to move and speak freely nuns?"

"Permission granted, what do... Eek!" Mother Superior said and then screamed at the sight of Malcolm in his power armour.

"Nuns this is my friend Malcolm Abbot. He was raised in an orphanage as well and he was taken against his will to be a Night Lord. He said that he would convert to worship the Emperor!" Franklin said excitedly.

"Woah hang on, I only said that I would THINK about it!" Malcolm countered defensively as Wendy gave him a look.

The nuns all cheered and directed Malcolm to sit down. Malcolm sat down with his helmet still removed, and suddenly sniffed the air.

"These nuns are all pregnant!" Malcolm exclaimed suspiciously.

"Not by choice, we were all forced against our wills to get pregnant to Franklin," Mother Superior explained bitterly.

Malcolm gave Franklin a look.

"I had no choice, the war band demands that I breed more recruits for them!" Franklin explained bitterly.

Malcolm nodded in understanding, and returned his attention to the nuns.

"So you are interested in repentance from heresy?," Mother Superior pressed.

"I am no heretic, like many Night Lords I am irreligious in fact. I never worshipped Chaos, I just fight for my legion like any other Astartes. Franklin promised me that if I convert to worship the Emperor then Franklin would ask his father to build a copy of this ship for my war band," Malcolm explained.

"Oh REALLY!? I think that *I* might have been informed of this first!" Wendy butted in angrily.

"But mother, Malcolm said that his ENTIRE war band would convert if given a ship like this one!" Franklin urged desperately.

"I BET they would! Do you have any IDEA how much technology and secrets we had to steal from the T'au Empire to give to the Dark Mechanicum, in exchange for them designing and building this ship for us?! BILLIONS of xenos died in the war that paid for this ship!" Wendy exclaimed.

"You mean that it can't be done again?," Franklin asked stubbornly.

"Well... It COULD be done IF we had Tech Priestess Helena Gonzalez with us, or better yet Magus Technicus Labia Johnson. We have NEITHER of these great technical pioneers with us onboard. In theory it COULD be arranged over the longer term, but I want to see some serious offers to pay for it!" Wendy conceded angrily.

"I cannot speak for my Chaos Lord, but I think that he would be willing to pay you an entire planet for a fleet of these," Malcolm offered.

"A FLEET?! No WAY are you getting a FLEET of these! ONE is negotiable, but not a fleet!" Wendy haggled.

"Why not a fleet?, We are members of the same Legion, and your Legion has need of these ships," Malcolm haggled back.

"But ONLY if the war band converts first!" Franklin insisted.

"Grown ups are talking here Franklin, stop being silly," Wendy snapped impatiently.

"NO! I will NOT have a war band that is not loyal to the Emperor getting its hands on another one of these dreadful ships!" Franklin demanded angrily.

Everyone just ignored Franklin and kept haggling!

***...

Franklin was feeling betrayed 2 days later as he joined Malcolm in a thunderhawk hanger for a rehearsal of his role in tomorrow's invasion of the Lavender Furnace crone world.

Malcolm was leaning up against a chaos rhino transport tank waiting for Franklin, his helmet on but still managing to look ashamed.

"I hope you LOVE the 3 new ships you traitor!" Franklin spat as soon as he was in earshot.

"Sorry about that Franklin, but at least you have my word that *I* at least will let your nuns prosthelytize me as agreed, in thanks for making this possible," Malcolm reassured.

"You promise?," Franklin asked hopefully.

"As long as I don't have to betray my Legion, then yeah, I promise," Malcolm agreed.

Franklin was still not happy, but he was now a lot happier than he had been, and reluctantly accepted this feeble offer, trying not to think about the 3 new imitation Gloriana battleships that would soon be in the fleets of the Eye of Terror.

Franklin nodded in reconciliation and joined Malcolm at the rhino.

"Ok now listen very carefully Franklin, as you know, you have been assigned to my rhino as a trainee assistant crew member on the orders of your father. This will give you a small taste of battle experience from in the relative safety of an armoured vehicle." Malcolm began.

Franklin listened with perfect discipline, drinking in every word like a warrior of the Emperor should. Malcolm had apparently not been expecting this, and nodded approvingly.

"You are very wise to pay attention. Now come into my rhino," Malcolm told Franklin approvingly.

Franklin followed Malcolm inside the open rear hatch of the rhino and peered around in the dark interior of the vehicle, relying on his tactical light to see.

"This sacred vehicle has been DESECRATED!" Franklin exclaimed in horror at the blasphemous heretical symbols carved all over the interior.

"This "sacred" vehicle is not even of true STC design, but was designed by reverse engineering an existing rhino to make a substandard alternative construction blueprint when the technology was lost, it doesn't even have a machine spirit and was crudely built by heretics here in the Eye of Terror you fool," Malcolm chuckled.

"Oh... Do you have any PROPER rhinos that are not desecrated?," Franklin asked hopefully.

"No we don't, we built ALL of them ourselves in a factory inside our fortress using captured common heretics in air masks as slave labor. The heretics "desecrate" everything they make for us. We don't care so long as it works," Malcolm chuckled.

Franklin was extremely disappointed but dropped the issue for now at least.

"Ok, well anyway, in the coming invasion tomorrow our rhino will be carrying the ammunition and supplies rather than troops, so you will be helping out with fetching and carrying ammunition, both for the troops and for the rhino's combi-bolter as I ask for it. The rhino usually carries 800 rounds of ammunition for the combi-bolter, but we are going to be carrying a lot more than that," Malcolm explained and continued.

"This rear area is going to be piled high with boxes, and you are going to have to climb over them constantly to do your duty, which you will be practicing all day today. You will be doing it today while you're wearing the same refrigerated suit you will be wearing tomorrow, but I won't make you wear the protective goggles and air cooling mask until you have learned your way around the boxes in the back."

"Now have you read the strategic report about the fighting conditions tomorrow yet?" Malcolm asked.

"I have but I did not understand all of the words used. It said that the planet Lavender Furnace is hot and full of solar panels on tall poles, with cities hidden below the surface that we must subdue," Franklin recalled.

"Not just "hot" Franklin, Lavender Furnace is so hot during the day that it will literally melt lead. During the night time it is cool enough for normal humans to be out on the surface as it has no greenhouse effect, but when the sun comes up the surface glows red hot," Malcolm said darkly.

"Why would anyone want to live in such a place?," Franklin asked in dismay.

"For the solar power. The planet orbits an immensely bright big blue star, extremely high luminosity with exceptionally high solar power watts per square metre down on the planet surface. The planet is called the Lavender Furnace because of the light blue lavender colour of the star it orbits, and because it is literally hot enough to melt some metals."

"The inhabitants have built a vast forest of sun tracking high temperature solar panels atop tall poles, terawatts of power without end. They use this power to refrigerate their underground hive cities, power ground based defensive lasers, and grow food in huge hydroponic farms under electric lights, enough to feed trillions of people and still have food left over."

"The planet's population also uses some of this power to protect the terraformed artificial atmosphere from the intense solar forces with a global void shield and artificial magnetosphere, and are busily refrigerating their way down into the planetary core to mine the metallic centre, cause they no longer need it intact because of the artificial magnetosphere."

"After thousands of years of labor, the population has almost frozen the core solid by now with artificial cooling lasers and other artificial refrigeration, and they are digging up unimaginable wealth from the metallic core. They then use their limitless electrical power to forge this raw material into ships and weapons and other things for whoever controls the planet at the time," Malcolm finished.

"Sounds like a place that will be heavily defended. Can we conquer such a planet with little over 1000 Night Lords?," Franklin asked doubtfully.

"We wouldn't even penetrate the orbital defences to reach the surface. But with your Tzeentch Daemon Princess TigerLily altering the fates in our favour we can conquer the entire world. You have no idea how welcome your support is in our war against the Word Bearers," Malcolm answered thankfully.

"But we are only getting a tenth of the spoils! That's not fair!" Franklin exclaimed in realisation.

"I doubt that this ship could even HOLD more than a tenth of the spoils of Lavender Furnace. You have no idea just how rich the planet is," Malcolm explained patiently.

"If this is true then I take your point. How do we capture this heavily defended rich planet?," Franklin asked.

"The Night Lord fleet will have to drop out of true warp far out in the shadow of the planet, as it's too hot in the light outside this shadow for the ships to cope with for long. A large space station city is permanently parked in the L2 Lagrange point in the permanent shadow of the planet, the fleet will immediately disable it with our combined firepower and park our ships behind the station where the ground based defensive lasers can't get us," Malcolm explained.

"From the safety of the L2 Lagrange point behind the station, we will then be able to launch all of our combined squadrons of thunderhawk transporters, to deploy our entire force of armoured vehicles and rhino transports down on the planet."

"Because of the ground based defensive lasers it is impossible to get anything bigger than the agile thunderhawk transporters safely to the surface. Even then it is only possible by giving TigerLily remote psychic control of all the thunderhawk transporters, so that she can predict the flight paths that will safely avoid the lasers, the transporters will also be heavily shrouded with Tzeentch witchcraft so the enemy sensors can't lock onto them."

"Because of the planet wide void shields, the landing locations will be limited to only a few places where the void shields are just weak enough to fly through, these locations will be heavily guarded during the cool of the night, so we will be landing on the day side of the planet, in an area that is just experiencing sunrise."

"The heat will force all of the billions of ordinary human and mutant defenders to take shelter underground, leaving only very limited resistance for the entire day. Our vehicles will then be able to cause as much damage as possible to strategic assets on the ground, and set up defensive fighting positions for the counter attack once the sun sets."

"Once the sun sets, our entire combined Night Lord infantry forces will then be able to disembark from inside their rhino transports, and they will do the bulk of the defensive fighting against the local hoards as the vehicles hang safely back. This defensive fighting will only last until sunrise, and then the enemy will go back underground and our vehicles can continue the rampage of strategic assets."

"We will just keep this up until we have caused so much damage to the ground defences and void shields, that the fleet will be unhindered from performing orbital bombardment to completely crush the enemy, and force the local heretics to swear fealty to us rather than the Word Bearers."

"The local heretic infantry will not be a problem during the day, but they might still respond with armoured vehicles of their own. Any Word Bearers will also pose a possible threat during the day, as power armour can withstand the heat for limited periods of time. They will likely do hit and run attacks out of armoured ground entrances, attacking and then retreating back underground before they overheat."

"During the day Franklin you are to sleep if you can, if I need you for anything I will wake you, but otherwise keep cool and hydrated. You will be issued a refrigerated suit of armour just in case, but the rhino is heavily heat shielded and has excellent climate control systems to keep the cabins cool."

"During the night you will be running ammunition and supplies from the rhino to the marines as they need it. We are not the only supply rhino, and the other supply rhinos also each have their own junior neophyte like you to fetch and carry supplies. You will be working in coordination with these other neophytes, to together keep all of our troops supplied during the fighting."

"Do you understand everything so far?," Malcolm asked Franklin.

"I understand every word. What about going to the toilet or eating or hygiene?," Franklin asked.

"We carry lots of dehydrated food onboard, enough for months if needed. Shit outside during the night, we have toilet paper among the supplies the rhino will be carrying, use it sparingly. Kindly piss in a bottle and pour it into this here opening whenever you need to go, this is the onboard water recycling system as water is very precious in the field," Malcolm informed.

"And what about general hygiene?," Franklin asked.

"You already have your Larraman's Organ, so you now have extreme resistance to disease and infections. Hygiene is not necessary to keep you healthy, so don't bother with it until the war is over," Malcolm lectured Franklin.

Franklin nodded in understanding, he could take a bit of poor hygiene if needed.

"This war will be far from easy, and it will take time, probably longer than you would expect it to last. This rhino will be your home for the foreseeable future." Malcolm warned.

"I am prepared to face any hardship the Emperor wishes. But how will we keep the rhino fuelled for the entire war?," Franklin asked.

"I'm glad you asked. The rhino and other vehicles have all had tough armoured high temperature solar panels fitted on their roofs. The daylight is so extremely bright that even in the shade of the forest of solar collectors on poles, the ambient light in the shade will be bright enough to power a tank. The vehicles all have backup electric motors to use in case the normal motors fail you see,"

"During the night we can use the fuel in the fuel tanks to power the rhino in an emergency, but whenever possible we will park with the engines off as much as possible to save fuel. If the fuel runs out then we are unlikely to find anymore, so we will be relying on solar power as much as possible," Malcolm explained.

"How do we escape if the rhino is destroyed?, and is their an escape plan for if the war goes badly?," Franklin asked, covering all contingencies.

"If the rhino is trashed then we will save as much gear as possible and board another rhino that has room. As for retreat, the thunderhawk transporters will be able to extract us if it comes to that, hopefully it won't go that badly. A thousand Night Lords fighting together in a single force with armoured vehicles is more than enough to humble a planet, we can win this," Malcolm reassured Franklin.

"Now lets get started, you have a long day of training ahead to learn your duties." Malcolm commanded before Franklin could ask any more questions.

***...

Franklin felt very tense the next morning, as he lay uncomfortably in the rhino that was already loaded into the holding hooks under a thunderhawk transporter ready for takeoff. Franklin was occupying a gap between the supply crates and a cabin wall in the back of the rhino. Franklin was suited up in his refrigerated armour, with protective eye goggles and refrigerated air mask sealed over his face, his shotgun had been heavily insulated to let it function in an emergency in the extreme heat, and everything else was ready.

"We are dropping out of the warp in ten seconds, get ready!" A vox call sounded inside the rhino.

Franklin prayed a prayer to the Emperor for deliverance as the seconds counted down...

The floor under the rhino lurched suddenly as the fleet dropped out of warp.

The ship echoed with booming gunfire as it opened fire on the unsuspecting space station.

The floor lurched terribly as return fire hit the ship with terrible thermonuclear force!

Franklin held his ears against the terrible racket of a naval battle, the broadside of the Nightmare Asylum was terrifyingly loud when it fired!

For terrible minutes the noise and tempest just went on and on!

"Enemy space station is crippled! Marines brace for takeoff!" The vox shouted!

Franklin barely had time to hold on before the thunderhawk transporter shot out of the launch bay into space with explosive force!

The thunderhawk transporter had no artificial gravity, and Franklin immediately felt the sick feeling of falling!

Savage acceleration forces then slammed Franklin against a crate! The thunderhawk was flying about crazily!

"Thank you all for choosing to fly with TigerLily airlines, please keep your tray tables upright and seat belts fastened as the stewardesses serve refreshments. Today's onboard movie is regrettably cancelled as the enemy is firing lasers at us, but if you ask nicely I will sing you a song," the demonic voice of TigerLily said cheerfully over the vox!

The thunderhawk lurched crazily without warning, spinning and swerving insanely!

TigerLily began to lyrically sing over the vox.

"My friend Billy had a ten foot willy an showed it to the girl next door, she thought it 'twas a snake an hit it with a rake an now it's only four foot four!"

Franklin blinked in confusion as Malcolm and the rhino driver roared with laughter.

The thunderhawk corkscrewed wildly, slamming Franklin against the ceiling.

TigerLily sang again.

"It's raining MEN, HALLELUJAH..."

Franklin was slammed sideways by terrible g forces.

"Absolutely soaking wet!..."

Franklin slammed forward as the thunderhawk suddenly decelerated momentarily.

"Rough and tough and strong and mean"

Franklin had no idea how ancient this song was that the Tzeentch daemon was singing, but TigerLily seemed to be almost omniscient so it could be from any time in history. Whatever time it came from, it was wildly inappropriate!

The thunderhawk transporter was flying so crazily now that Franklin was slamming into surfaces constantly!

BANG!

"We are through the void shield, all together now. It's RAINING MEN..." TigerLily announced gleefully.

Malcolm and the driver were now singing along with this sinful song!

"It's RAINING MEN" the vox sang as an entire Night Lord army "rained" down on the terrified planet below!

The rhino was vibrating terribly now and Franklin could hear the roaring wind of atmospheric reentry.

The thunderhawk ducked and dived crazily, and Franklin could hear the deafening thunder booms of lasers ionising the air!

The thunderhawk was buffeted with turbulence and dropping so fast that it was in near free fall.

The thunder of lasers was all around them in booms that drowned out the singing, and savage hurricane like winds tore at the thunderhawk in the air.

Air raid sirens could now be heard below and the thunderhawk slowed its descent, slamming Franklin down towards the floor.

"Thank you for flying TigerLily airlines, we are about to land. Feel free to grope the stewardesses on the way out and don't forget your luggage." TigerLily said cheerfully over the vox.

Franklin was relieved that the flight was finally over!

The thunderhawk transporter screamed down to a vertical landing, and the rhino tracks thumped onto the ground. The holding hooks released their grip on the rhino and the thunderhawk then immediately took off with a roar, leaving them behind.

The rhino immediately started driving into the siren filled screaming hurricane winds.

"Sunrise in 15 minutes, pre dawn luminosity already bright enough to power the rhino on solar power alone! Keep your eyes protected at all times, it is BRIGHT out there!" Malcolm announced...

The battle for Lavender Furnace had begun!

***...