Chapter 10: The Great War
The skies burnt, and the heavens wept, for a mighty host of xenos descended upon the flock of the Emperor.
They came in uncountable millions, for the batarian war fleet brought massive troop transports with them carrying conscripts from all corners of the Empire, thinking the sheer numbers would overwhelm their enemies and bring glory to the Hegemony, and potentially, the tech from their enemies will allow them to exact the vengeance on the citadel races that have wronged them so.
The batarian war fleet orbited the planet, their canons loaded and various gun serfs pointed them at the biggest object on the planet, the Aurelian Prime City, at this point the city had almost none of the Asari architecture on it, wholly replaced by the Imperial one, gun placements and buildings were constructed with killing zones set in such a way that any invading force would take substantial casualties before taking a single building, the planet now numbered around 9.8 million citizens, 8 million being humans, the rest were xenos servitors who were used in construction, and ever since the conquest of Aurelian did they constructed, fear and paranoia gripped the imperium and fear of xenos retaliation forced the leadership to construct defenses in every part of the world. For every meter of the planet, the batarians would pay the toll in blood.
The Imperium was no stranger to war, millennia upon millennia of conflict has made them into proficient fighters; their combat prowess was amplified by sheer rage of the defenders who were foaming at the mouth of the audacity of the xenos to come to their home in search for blood.
Aurelian Prime City had a strong Void Shield reactor beneath it, and numerous anti-space batteries were built within that shield, any fleet attempting to bombard the city would take constant casualties so long as the shield held, and it was designed to hold.
Its population was mostly made by the newly liberated and humans that have come to this planet in order to escape the oppressive Alliance who sought to eradicate any wrong thinking ideas, that humanity, and not xeno should rule this galaxy. They were trained by the soldiers from the original imperial fleet and the Space marines who taught them how to fight better than any alliance drill instructor ever could.
Aurelian prime contained 60% of the entire troop contingent present on the original fleet, with majority of the vehicles and titans, also present were numerous skitarii as well as chapter master Tesla himself. Field Marshall Romuluss was named the ground leader with other Marshalls and subordinates to coordinate the defense.
Among the defenders were the clone borne soldiers of this universe called "The Soulless ones", they were born out of the cold wombs of the mothers that didn't love them, the silica was their only warmth, and the cold gaze of the techpriests their only consolation. It was much argued how they should be dressed and equipped, the debate led them to simple conclusion, they were born to wage war, and so they were aptly named "Death Korps of Krieg" according to their original counterparts in the normal universe. Their baptism will come on this planet.
Countless zealots and faithful were also present on the planet, mostly from the rebellious planets; the Anhur faithful were not able to come, as the Amun System was blockaded by the coalition fleet meant for containing the xenocide that was occurring on the planet. The coalition was unwilling to send ground troops yet, much to the anger of the batarian population and its government.
This led to the batarians nearly declaring war on the council space, but due to fear from the militaristic Turian Hierarchy, they remained silent.
And now the Batarians came in search for a way to make their vengeance on the cosmos, and they sought to find it here in the forgotten corners of the galaxy.
The Batarian fleet took position directly above the Aurelian Prime City, the order was for the destruction of the fortification, they were under strict orders to avoid too much collateral damage to the city and its surrounding as they would need technology from the ruins, and not ashes.
They attempted to soften the opposition by bombing the infrastructure, the first round fired didn't pierce the void shield, as didn't the last one. The void shield flickered defiantly with each round hitting it, and the cheerful population issued shouts of challenge and curses at the xenos who thought they would be defeated so easily. The imperial anti space batteries were constantly spewing fiery death onto the batarian fleet even as the batarian transports were getting into position. Deployed, the batarian fleet moved itself out of the way of the anti-space batteries that were too well-defended for the fleet to destroy, they would have to be content with the local space support, allowing the Imperials to regroup at the capital city should it be required.
For the Imperium wasn't some petty politician to be killed from afar, if they wanted them dead, they would have to come and take their lives personally.
So the batarians began deploying their forces, thousands upon thousands of troop vessels began their descent on the least defended part of the sole continent of Aurelian Prime.
The south would soon be swarmed by four eyed xenos. Even as they descended on the planet, various fighter aircraft of the imperium assailed the drop ships and troop carriers, causing great damage even as the batarians attempted to ensure air superiority. For the imperial pilots were veterans of many battles, and they terrified the confident batarians, for even when an aircraft of the imperium was damaged beyond salvation, it sought to ram the nearby ship and make its death more meaningful. Even with high numerical superiority of the batarian aircraft, the imperium caused catastrophic damage and destruction.
The story of Emmilius Tartario was one of heroism and defiance, piloting a brightly red aircraft, he led his 6 airplane unit in defense of Manita city ,home to 20000 people, even as the enemy came and attempted to bomb it, his unit rose from the fields and brought the batarian pilots down and they fled, losing 3 of their own, who were swiftly replaced by the new imperial reinforcements.
When the next wave of batarian planes came, once again his unit rose, 6 of them, they defeated the enemy, losing 4 this time that were swiftly replaced. Emmilius was named " Red Baron" for his success.
As the batarians came in wave after wave, and saw 6 planes led by a red aircraft each time they did so ,the survivors of the original attacks began fleeing as they thought the imperials immortal, for, the red aircraft led the dead in defense of the living again and again.
On one of the most aggressive batarian aircraft attacks, Emmilius's aircraft was damaged by the batarian pilots,with his last breath, plane damaged and burning, Emmilius Tartario rammed the last of the batarian planes destroying it, and the enemy once more fled. His sacrifice saving Manita for the last time.
From that point on, the imperium would coat the leader aircraft of this sector in bright red colors, this spread the story amongst the batarians that some vengeful spirit was guarding the humans, and they were very reluctant to engage the imperial pilots, fearing that the Red Baron would take them to the underworld should they die by his weapons.
Some 60 million batarians would land on the southern part of the continent, they would set the 3000 kilometer long front and would have to advance some 4470 kilometers north in order to reach Aurelian Prime City. the planet had a singular continent much akin to Pangea, going from south to north, it was 8800km long, and it was 3000 km in width at its longest. For each kilometer or this continent the total war will now be waged.
They deployed vehicles and other support equipment, establishing the local air superiority and various anti air missile systems, for the imperium took advantage of the carelessness of the southern isolated part of the deployment zone, in which near 300 000 batarians were nuked by the local commander of the imperium who sought to deny its position to the enemy as they were swarming his position.
This was the price of Aurelian, an ocean of blood to be paid before it switched hands.
The batarians rallied and would carry with their assault procedures, for the first push north, millions of batarians rallied, and under the command of their leaders advancing northwards, soon met the first line of defense.
The Imperium built trenches and bunkers the length of the continent, and as the batarians approached, they were shelled constantly by basilisk canons that were kept as secret as best as they could be until the batarian aiforce depleted itself on the local anti-air and the heroic pilots of the imperium itself. Advance itself was met with heavy stubbers and lasgun volleys of the entrenched populace, for even the women held weapons in this time, servitors were utilized in the cities churning ammunition day and night, allowing the humans to defend their homes and children to the last man and woman.
Batarians were so confident in their own numbers that one of the supreme Marshalls of the batarian hegemony decided the full blown mass assault would crack the will of the imperial defenders.
Waiting for the morning the war horn of the batarians was sounded and from the south, a veritable swarm of 8 to 13 million conscripts and soldiers of the batarian warmachine rushed against the imperials to the sound of fanfares and inspiring music, some 1800 kilometers long offensive just began.
The music and the fanfares were drowned in the sound of war soon thereafter.
Trench defenders shot until the lasguns melted and until autoguns jammed, the kill zones saw batarians dying in their thousands without stopping, crawling over their own corpses, the sky was red and choked with smoke and weapon gases, for the batarians brought countless illegal weapons seeking to use biological warfare and other means of conquest, still to a limited degree due to limits imposed by their leadership.
Virus attack by the Batarians failed, as the anti Exterminatus measures proved useful in suspending any such attempts, various vents opened on the continent, and sucked the gas as it spread, dumping it straight into planets core. Aurelian will not be poisoned so cowardly. Such an act would inspire the defenders to commit some of the worst atrocities the galaxy saw, for their enemies do not deserve any respect.
Batarian tanks were light, built similar to the MAKO designs, their tank designs ranged from light tanks designed to destroy infantry, and medium tanks, designed to engage other medium tanks and light tanks, there were some tanks that could be dubbed as heavy tanks in the batarian lines, but only difference is the size from their medium cousins and a small increase in caliber size. Times of peace in the galaxy have dulled the war senses of the citadel races, but the Imperium, War was their mother, and they suckled on the breast of their mother until they have grown strong, far exciding the expectations their mother has set for them.
On the plains of Veritus, a show of force commenced, for the Batarians saw this war as won, just a matter of months in fact, for how could anyone oppose near 60 million soldiers with tank and air support.
A full tank assault occurred, 24 000 batarian tanks organized in a nice formation and advanced forwards at the Imperial positions. Behind them tagged 3 million of the batarian infantry, meant for taking the positions the tanks would clear for them.
Much to their surprise the imperium on the other side decided not to wait for them to come.
The Human tanks installed a vox equipment on their tanks that chanted hymns and war prayers in latin so strongly the ground shook from the sound equally as from the tanks threads.
The imperium was angry, and it resented the nascent xeno children encroaching on its soil, they decided the enemy has polluted the ground for far too long.
The great number of leman russes assembled and stormed against the enemies, their drivers roaring their engines as loud as they could, for the batarian tanks were silent, packing latest mass effect drives that made their tanks silent and smooth in their approach, a total opposite of their Imperial enemy whose engines were as loud as the defying cries of war of their own drivers.
The leman russ tanks opened fire, its numerous variants all having a say in the conflict that just occurred, and the batarian tanks found more than a match for their armada, as the leman russ tanks took heavy toll on them.
They have returned the fire, but the small caliber of the weapons on the batarian light tanks reflected from the thick leman russ hulls, only scant few heavy and medium tanks killing few leman russes with a lucky shot .Batarians, driven by their tank commanders still advanced onwards even as they took casualties, Eager to use their numerical superiority to destroy their enemy.
The imperial tanks shot and rarely missed, decades of war made their drivers into a killing machines akin to the vehicles they drove. The dedicated and specialized leman russes designed to destroy tanks were the most precise, for they aimed at the commander tanks of the enemy, a single shot enough to cause a critical explosion in the batarian medium and light tanks.
Plasma russes melted their light tank enemies, whom they dwarfed nearly two to three times in size, the crew inside screaming in agony as the alloy melted and fused with their flesh from hot plasma eating through the metal.
The distance was closed even as the batarians lost countless tanks, while the imperium deflected most of the shots directed at them, still losing a few of the valuable machines of war. Batarians could afford to lose tanks in the conflict, they could always bring more, the imperium had to make them last.
Then the ground trembled, and the crews of the tanks began chanting and shouting, and leman russes, almost as in utmost respect, moved aside, and from the ranks of the imperium stormed the gods of tank warfare.
The Baneblades.
Their numbers were not more than 20, but their impact was equal to 1000 of their counterparts.
Batarians could look only in horror as the 7 meter tall tanks emerged from the ranks of the Imperial line.
Then there was a vox shout from the blue coated baneblade leading the charge.
" All Guardsmen, Follow me to glory!"
Then they opened fire from 11 barrels of hell. And the Imperial infantry, some 130.000 imperial guardsmen surged onwards following the advance of the tanks.
And the batarian line cracked like a shell of an egg impacted by the hammer with full force.
Any attempt to pierce the baneblade armour was laughable, for the batarian tanks simply couldn't pierce the front armour of the metal colossus.
Those brave or outright stupid, refused to pull back, seeking to close the distance with their tanks, they were promptly rewarded as baneblades crushed them under their threads like ants.
The destruction was catastrophical, the batarians couldn't organize the retreat, and tanks in their formations would crush into one another in their panicked retreat causing a general stall. Some of the batarian tank crews simply abandoned their vehicles and began fleeing towards the assembled infantry that stopped their advance as they observed the ongoing battle.
The Guardsmen wasted no time and had closed the distance, the batarian tanks not outright destroyed by the passing leman russes and baneblades were soon mined and destroyed by the imperial guard, flushing their crews out with incendiary granates. Batarian infantry supporting the tanks were hunted down by the leman russ side guns, and the ongoing rush of the guardsmen who used their bayonets to maul their fleeing adversary.
Soon from the destroyed column of the batarian tanks passed the baneblades followed by the leman russes, and opened fire on the infantry that was massing behind the now destroyed or fleeing batarian tanks.
It was no longer a battle, it was a hunt, as they were getting slaughtered by the imperial armada, the blood rage took over the imperial guard, as many simply lost their minds from the pure carnage, grasping their knives or bayonets, or simply just using their hands and seeking to engage their fleeing foes in close quarters, ripping them apart, the recordings taken by the batarians in that battle scared the high command, they saw human soldiers tearing their screaming soldiers apart as they struggled to survive, one in particular scene took the highlight, in which an imperial soldier guts two of the batarian soldiers with his knife, that shot him, bleeding he jumped on the third, using his teeth to rip the throat of a batarian soldier, before taking his knife and ripping the head off his body, he stood up, lifting the head that dripped blood, he shook violently as if in immense pain, the human soldier shouted something that chilled the batarian command to the core.
"B…" the soldier was shaking ever violently as he held the batarian head high.
"Blood…" he stumbled onwards as he began laughing harder and harder before just yelling from the top of his lungs causing his voice to die.
"Blood for the Blood God! Ha Ha Ha"
The sight was terrifying, then the soldier noticed the batarian soldier that recorded him, he gazed at him, eyes red and leaking blood, his open mouth smile horrifying as it seemed the man was insane, he then jumped on the crawling batarian that recorded it all with his helmet camera, the camera lost visual feed and only the sounds of bone crunching and impact of fists on the head of the batarian were heard, along with his screams and a maniac laughter. Then all was silence.
It was something that made several of the officers considering an outright planetary retreat. But not enough to voice their concerns openly.
And on the battlefield, the camera didn't show what happened next, as commissar approached the scene in which the soldier was done with killing, he stood up, removed his chest armour, grasping the burning piece of metal from the ground, and holding it by the cool side, he began carving a symbol on his chest, a symbol resembling the eight pointed star.
The commissar wasted no time and pointed the bolter pistol at the soldier. Who turned at him and with the eyes of pure rage shouted before charging " Skulls for the Skull throne!"
his mad charge was stopped by the flight of the bullet opening the skull and splattering the ground with his brain.
The Commisar approached the corpse, and was concerned to say the least, The madness could infect them here as well. Was this a single isolated case, a man that lost a faith in the Emperor beforehand, giving into the ruinous powers in the original universe, and the sickness claiming him only now? or something far worse, something that can happen in the thick of battle, and claim more of the soldiers of the imperium. He reported this to the local command, but not before using the flame thrower of a dead guardsman nearby to burn the corpse to ashes, lest it infects someone else with its putrid existence, before continuing onwards with the rushing soldiers.
In the original universe, a giant God of War on his throne simply smiled as it felt the flow of blood.
The imperials kept chasing the fleeing batarians, slaughtering them all the way on their retreat towards the south, they fled into the thick forests of Southern Continent, ensured of their safety thanks to the dense foliage.
They would know the error of their ways as the first baneblade crushed the trees aside as if nothing and kept going into the forest.
The counter offensive stalled then, as the forest kept catching on fire due to weapon discharge, and the numerical superiority of the batarians could be used much more effectively. The Imperial soldiers, taking casualties as they progressed deeper into the forest and receiving information that new reinforcements of the batarians were on their way, decided to retreat towards the safe zone, behind the plains that saw the first major defeat of the batarian land invasion force.
The statistics would later show that the batarians lost 4.6 million soldiers as well as 90% of the first wave tanks. The imperium lost negligible 48.346 soldiers, less than 200 leman russes, and none of the baneblades that carried the victory of that day.
From that day onwards, the batarians would utilize more and more extreme weaponry in order to win the war, much to the disapproval of their scientists.
The frontline would see new horrors appear soon, the batarians and the imperials not holding anything back.
Tactical nukes were used freely; polluting the land and the air, such things did not hinder the Death Korps of Krieg, who held their trenches firmly, their section of the defense never giving a single meter, even as the mass assaults of the batarians attempted to take their positions.
The gas, the heat, the radiation, the Kriegers held, as the plains on the eastern front line were secured for the moment, so too was the western part of the continent, held by the combined 800 000 imperials, of whom 80 000 were kriegers, at the end of the long war, only they would hold the line, only they would defend the radioactive scorched land the western part of the continent would become.
In the trenches of the western wastelands, the kriegers cared little for the tumor inducing radiation, they would stand and watch over their positions even as the cancer and various tumors made them blind and die in pain, same was for the batarians whom kept attacking, even as the western wastelands were engulfed in an artificially induced climate disaster, the skies rained lightning and made communication near impossible, modern technology failed, as the electro magnetic disturbance from the various nuclear discharge and other atmospheric weapons made the western wasteland into a little more than a melee engagement.
The batarians charged, driven by their warlords, their attacks had to be calculated, for the wasteland had periodical Termo Storms, the air superheated to 300 degrees Celsius and carried various particles at insane speeds, and swept through the region, rendering flesh from the bone, the result of various experimental and other weapons on work. And still, the kriegers cared not for that.
Only that their positions never fall.
One such Krieger unit of 2000 soldiers saved their positions from one of the largest offensives known to the continent, the various batarians groupings, tanks and artillery meant to break through the wasteland, the kriegers stood and fought, along with the remnants of the normal Planetary Defense Forces.
The casualties were Catastrophical on both sides as the battlefield was on fire with the constant fire bombings of the batarians. Still the batarians pushed, numerical advantage working in their favour, the line was about to break, until the kriegers decided to launch a suicidal counter attack at the already flooding enemy.
The batarians were desperate in their attempt to overtake the main trench, for they have all but took it at that point, scant 300 meters keeping them away from the underground bunkers and shelters of the defenders erected to protect them from the Termo Storm event.
And still, this mad unit of humans were resistant to forbid them that, even as they were torn to shreds by the power armored batarians, 200 meters remained, and the skies grew red. The batarians knowing the termo storm was about to occur, they launched suicidal attacks in their attempt to take the bunkers, for they have sacrificed to much to fall back now, and allow the imperials to reinforce their position.
As the first of the hot winds started blowing through the ruined trenches, some of the batarians broke ranks and began a full rout, shot in the back by their furious leaders. The kriegers still stood, local PDF realizing this is where the future of the war lies joining them from the bunkers, even as they have reached safety.
The line was enforced with corpses and blood, and no matter how much the batarians clawed and shouted as they attempted to take it, it held in place.
The winds picked up speed and began superheating, causing light burns at first before the temperature increased, the humans cared little for the burning in their lungs, only that the line held.
It was too late for the batarian retreat, stuck in no man's land, they were burnt alive by the Termo Storm, same with their human enemies, who held the line and died standing.
When the storm passed and the soldiers emerged from their bunkers, they saw many guardsmen, chared, but still standing, almost as if still guarding their trenches, their uniform and flesh burnt, deceased, but standing and gazing at the front towards the enemy, even in death, they still served.
Reaching the very edge of the trench, 33 kriegers were piled on, burnt to unrecognizable mess, upon removing their corpses they have discovered a Imperium Novum flag, the sign of Aquila with the honorary logo of the Death Korps of Krieg in this universe, the most blessed artifact of the Emperor, the first flag to be given to them.
It was not burnt, the bodies of the kriegsmen piled on top of it kept it safe until the storm passed, their lives given in the preservation of honor and their beloved Imperium.
One of the PDF soldiers took the flag, and as the trenches were again filling with humans, lifted it upwards, the dawn on the horizon, he yelled
"For The Emperor!"
The entire trench, indeed, nay, even the entire planet responded in unison. "For the Emperor!"
They have held the line again, and will do so until the last man. They have prepared for a counter attack, the depleted batarians in the wastelands would prove no match for the zealous humans.
The Eastern Plains and the Western Wastelands were secured, under the great cost of human lives, they were held firmly and defiantly, the batarians deep into the continent have paved their conquest in red traces of blood, their own.
After months of fighting, some 17 to 23 million batarians were dead, at the cost of 3 million human lives. The war became the worst one Batarians ever waged in living and recorded memory.
Still, the biggest offensive was about to happen, as the flanks of the front proved to be too much, The batarian high command made plans and would use the combined 30 million soldiers and directly attack the main frontline with everything they got.
This main front was held by the 3 million humans, old, women, children even. The marine contingent, the leadership, the faithful from the human systems, they were now waiting for the deciding battle of the war. The center of the continent was combination of plains and cities, most of which were fortified and held by the defiant humans, whom the batarians had to take before reaching the the main front in the center of the continent.
They named this front Aurelian Indomitus, it was here where the humans would show the futility of the batarian invasion, they would break their teeth in and drive them off this planet, should that fail, they would take the planet into warp with them.
The main batarian offensive took the cities with heavy casualties, resulting in the death of 80 000 stubborn humans who refused to leave their homes to the encroaching xenos.
The main front was reached, and they massed for an all-out attack, supported by the artillery, the remnant airforce and many thousands of tanks, they have launched the biggest offensive yet.
The sun rose on the dust chocked planet of Aurelian Prime, and with it came the horrible things from the ends of the galaxy, the full blown offensive started, it is their last chance, it is their only chance.
Across most of the continent, the offensive began with incredible intensity, myriad of bombers sought to soften up the lines of the human defenders, from the airplains the sky was covered in batarian paratroopers, who were engaged by the human automated turret systems , landing all over the place didn't help the batarian invasion force, for they have fallen into a well-designed system, independent of one another, and such these paradrops turned into a killing zones as the batarians became encircled and besieged by the human defenders.
Millions upon millions of foot soldiers with various support equipment clashed at the imperial lines, the defence unrelenting, but the batarian numbers unending.
They reached the main lines and engaged the human defenders in melee when able. To the horror of the batarians, the humans didn't break their ranks and fled against the overwhelming odds, rather they stood and fought more ferociously.
As the dedicated melee units of the batarians, carrying an omni blade and packing an improved version of the shield capable of soaking some minor lasgun fire, they clashed against the guardsmen who were ill equipped for such a fight, causing much destruction against the guardsmen who used their bayonets against elite of the batarian society.
Only marines held their ground, chainswords rending the incoming batarian swarm with ease, but they kept swarming, the suicidal batarian charges increased, suicide bombers jumped into the trenches seeking to destroy and kill as much as they could be done, same was done with the humans who gladly jumped at the tanks and detonated their krak grenades.
It was a brawl, for casualties mounted on both sides, at some point the conscripts of the batarians broke through the battle line and reached an opening on the other side, the city of Aurelian Prime on the horizon. At this point the the invasion in this particular place stalled, for the imperium launched the faithful divisions, women and men, flagellants and priests, rushed wearing melee weapons and penintent engines against the enemy, using the symbolism of humanity, certain organ like artillery pieces were developed, high pitched chanting and music originated with each barrage, and the batarians learned to fear the extremely loud sound before the impact, it broke their nerves, for the organs emited the sound in latin "imperium" as they fired, and the shells caused the finishing sound as they neared impact "victrix". So do the imperial records say, and the batarians were unavailable to confirm the truth to this story.
So the countless faithful, supported by artillery and vehicles charged onto the batarian lines and used flame and sword to fight back, chanting the hymns to the Emperor, led by the zealous priests who fought even as they suffered mortal wounds, they pushed on regardless to the casualties and caused the breakthrough to fail, retaking the line and reestablishing it at a high cost in human lives.
It was at certain point that the entire line was nearly broke that the imperium decided to play its trump card, the tactical nuclear weapons used up by the both sides at this point in war, it would seem the overwhelming numbers of the batarians would prevail, it was this point that the entire central line after months of holding initiated the counter offensive, Operation Cadia, in honor of a besieged planet they sought to relieve in their universe, they have long thought of that planet when they arrived here, would it be able to withstand the incoming hordes of evil, would their presence assist the defenders to a meaningful degree? They knew, and joked even, that whatever happened in the 13th black crusade, the spirit of man would never break, and that the three were more chances of planet breaking first before the guard. Like Cadia, Aurelian Prime Stands! And will continue standing, proud. Defiant. And most importantly of all. HUMAN.
So combined human soldiers, remnants, civilians, marines, skitarii and other units,everything the humans could gather at this point, assembling the the armada of 1.350.000 people, from 3 million people, only they were combat able, some say, that over 300 000 more joined, the crippled, the wounded, the mauled, for they would not sit and silently drift into the night, or the xenos slavery, they would fight, they would never yield, they would never despair, and would never give heart, they all shouted, Heil Imperium! as they went gladly to their deaths.
Such was the psychic collective of these assembled souls that across the gulfs of space, of realities, in different worlds and universes and dark corners of the universes, that in one of their most beloved universes, a Man on his golden throne, wept a single tear from his decaying form, it trickled down his boney cheek, before fervently collected by one of the adepts in a giant room in a small gold coated class bottle, collected and named "Hope", for the Emperor wept only as he felt the death of his sons and daughters, and each of his tears through many millennia received their names, this one being the collective desire of humanity for victory and a time where their God would truly return to the them, and lead them to a bright future that now, only he truly knew.
Against the majority of the Batarian legions, these brave men and women now charged, suicidal to some, everything the batarians had was attempting to seal the breakthrough and counter offensive, and just like that, the trap was sprung, for so many batarians were in such small place that Imperium unleashed their true weapons.
The Titans were now marching, the entire legio titanica now marched, some 5 of the warlord titans were approaching the main lines, the single Imperator Titan being on Indomitus for the protection of that planet.
Aurelian Maximus Axom
Primogenitor Episcopalus Delendio
Constantinus Magnus Primus
Mithradates Seleucius Antiochus
Trajanicus Marco Aurelius
The Five God machines were seen approaching the lines, the batarians knew of those and the artillery of the batarians concentrated on the five god machines approaching, thousands of artillery pieces fired, their impacts doing little to the void shields of the titans. These were not mere tanks able to be destroyed with such a small barrage, the God machine required a God to equal it in the battlefield, and the batarians possessed no such weapon.
The high command kept these machines safe within the mega city void shield, knowing the batarians would use weapons of mass destruction on them given the chance, even if the titan can withstand the nuclear explosion, multiple ones would cause damage they could not afford, as the repairs on the titans required designated crews meant just for that, which they equally couldn't afford.
The men died and gave life only for the imperium to launch its best chance at victory, and now as the godlike machines approached within firing distance, all the sacrifices would prove to be worth it.
Near entirety of the tanks the batarians had were poised to strike against the titans, but they could not concentrate as the elite tank divisions that fought on the eastern plains have redirected most of its units here, now hundreds of lemans led by 15 baneblades were storming against the tens of thousands of batarian tanks.
The battle soon turned into a slaughter, disheartened from years of battle, the batarians were not willing to put much of a fight, much to the anger of their commanders. Under tremendous pressure, tired and weary they began a full blown rout, scared by the enemy they never knew would be so mad in their desires to fight, the united human army began their first real offensive after 4 years of constant fighting on Aurelian.
It was reported that there were orders issued to the Imperial Guard to ease on their assault as the tank crews had a hard time following them, such was their desire to liberate their planet that most refused to be hospitalized and miss the liberation of Aurelian Prime.
The main front was being pushed backwards, after being just scant 130km from Aurelian Prime city, the batarians would now be driven backwards.
The line was constantly driven backwards as no true organized resistance from the batarians could be organized;
the eastern plains saw the renewed tank offensive, tanks reentering the same forest they had to retreat from 3 years ago passing the tank graveyard on the Plain of Iron where near 22000 batarian tanks littered the field.
They fought through minor batarian resistance in the woods, who stalked the imperial tanks and destroyed them through various mines and deceitful attacks from behind, that didn't stop the imperial assault and eventually they were slaughtered to a xeno, their forces depleted by the constant mass assaults committed by the overzealous and glory searching generals.
Now they have reached the mountains of Tirmion, past the eastern plains, inadequate for a tank assault, the infantry continued onwards and the tanks redirected to the main frontline in the center.
On the Western Wastelands the remaining kriegers and soldiers noticed the lack of batarian assaults they were used to, the gas attacks stopped and the tactical nukes ceased, guarding the extremely warm trenches almost made them wish for a nuclear winter.
Then they commenced a counter offensive under the signal from the command, some 140 000 soldiers attacked, and much to their surprise the resistance was low or none existent in that area. It would appear that mass assaults and the last Termo Storm months ago that destroyed most of their invasion force, made the soldiers revolt, a power struggle occurred and rendered the batarians on the western incapable of launching any sizable offensives without further reinforcements, which was unlikely as no commander had desires to relocate his men to the radioactive zones.
The straggles and deserters were swept away quickly, taking the bunkers with various warlords, the imperium has retaken the entirety of the Western Wasteland, emerging outside the borders of the Termo zone, they had seen the sky blue for the first time in years, such was the sight of the blue sky that many soldiers fell to their knees, wept tears of joy and prayed to the emperor.
But not the Kriegers, they had their mission, and as the others wept and prayed, they marched on, the war was still not won, and from their numbers of 200 000 after numerous cloning cycles, they had fell to mere 30 000 soldiers, who marched on, to glorious death.
Kilometer after kilometer the imperium regained ther land and the batarians fell back faster and faster losing equipment in the process. And soon they were surrounded in the southern part of the continent prepared to make their last stand. The batarian marshalls issued panicked hails to the ships to pick them up.
But the Batarian ships had the problems of their own, new fleet was entering the system, and they would engage them firstly before initiating any sort of rescue mission. They would never come back for the stranded troops due to the events about to happen in space.
The author of this story took a moment to rest as he recalled the events that happened in that dreadful war that was but first of many.
His mechanical eyes gazed at the ink bottle, dipping the pen writing his words on the yellow paper to add his soul to the history of the struggle, he continued.
"As my processors overload writing this document of the Imperial expedition in this heretical universe, I would describe the story that would occur in space, but my attentions now lay on the ground war, and its conclusion, let it be known the that no human died in vain, for they were all heroes in the Emperors eyes. Praise be to him now and always"
The Imperial army surrounded the batarians now from the north, prepared for a final push and xenocidal extermination, dozens of peace requests came from the batarian side, outright ignored, as the batarian army was gripped with fear and rightfully so, for their fleet was busy elsewhere in the system. Nobody was coming for them, except an angry mob of humans bent on revenge.
After the offensive was renewed, the human army now numbering 2 million crashed against the remaining 7 million batarians, both sides exhausted, the defensive line cracked after 2 months and what occurred next could be described as outright slaughter of the batarians who were surrendering in vain.
After a month, the planet was finally silent and the guns died down, for no batarian lived on it to fight back.
In the aftermath of the war, lasting 5 years and 6 months, 52.6 million batarians were dead from wounds, radiation, and various other natural and unnatural ways, no prisoners were taken, the imperium not keen on feeding their invaders, they were shot and the burnt in a massive incendiary pits, the promethium making quick work of the bodies, the southern part of the continent was coated in a thick black ash cloud that permeated for a month in the skies, blocking the sun. the rest were on board of the troop transports in orbit getting medical attention, they were the lucky ones. On the other side 5.24 million humans lost their lives in defense of their planet, more than half of the total human population on Aurelian Prime and 16% of entire human population of Imperium novum.
Marines lost some 178 members fighting the ground war and 110 fighting in the space. Their numbers will take time replenishing, but they were honored to have fought in protection of the Emperors folk as suits the Humanity's Finest.
Batarian tech would be melted soon and used to make new weapons for humanity, resources were valuable in this universe and they would have to use anything they could.
The human soldiers cheered and celebrated, the astartes and the kriegers still vigilant, they looked to the stars and saw them burning once more
The new space battle for Aurelian System would happen. For the batarians would hold nothing back and would rather destroy the planet then let it be a humiliating stain on their history should they win.
The Aurelian Prime stood, proud, defiant.
Human.
And would remain so, so long as its defenders drew breath.