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Chapter 10: Tonight, we dine in hell
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Part 9
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Aceria Forests
Kronus
It should have taken them days, no weeks, to properly perform all the necessary rituals! Awakening such ancient, Holy Machine Spirits blessed by the Omnissiah Himself, was a slow, careful, and precise work! Magos Explorator Gaius should have had the time to examine the beyond ancient corridors at his leisure and bask at the everlasting achievements of the Ancients, before even thinking about touching the Holy Machinery!
Instead, in a few hours, the Necrons had the whole facility opened up, mapped and their Drones were busy repairing everything in a crude mockery of the Omnissiah's sacred rituals!
It was working…
The Astartes guarding Gaius and his acolyte were even happy at the insanely dangerous and improperly fast progress. The Magos Explorator himself was torn. The unfolding events had all the hallmarks of sacrilege, and he was one of the more progressive members of the Mechanicus. He didn't even want to think about the reaction of his more conservative peers, who were now too busy dead after Scipio-Ro-11 and his cohorts purged them with Inquisitorial backing.
The old Magos knew that sooner or later there would be hell to pay and to avoid the worst of the fallout, he needed a result. This facility was a good start. The Necron supplied technology. If approved, would help as well. However, they weren't the reason why Gaius was on Kronus. His allies back home wanted the legacy of Magos Paladius, and all leads they could discover led to this forgotten world. Due to Xeno and Heretical interference, Gaius was unable to find anything tangible. Just rumors and the barest traces of Paladius' presence in the distant past. This facility didn't answer any pressing questions, merely raised new ones.
For example, the place had been sealed for ten thousand years. There was no trace it had been breached or opened for that manner, until now. Yet, there were clear traces of combat inside, including the remnants of the Tech-Priests and guards manning it. How heresy found its place inside, Gaius had no idea and that naturally made him wary.
The Necron's didn't help. Their machines jump-started the Logic Engine responsible for the facility's critical operations, even gained limited access to its functions. It was fast, brutal yet elegant in a way Gaius knew he wouldn't be able to replicate without some of the most sacred and coveted relics held within vaults on critically important Forge Worlds. The Necrons did it with what was for all intents and purposes light, disposable multi-purposes machines. Not even a sacred fusion of flesh and metal, just machines!
It was vexing, infuriating, yet it stirred burning envy too!
Beyond ancient large screens and hololiths came to life painfully slowly, yet when they did, the images were crisp and clear, better than most the Mechanicus could easily produce these days. The image of Kronus appeared above the main hololith in the control center, then blinked rapidly while powerful scanners sang their songs and tagged everything in orbit. The Logic Engine quickly recognized the Imperial designs, even though it painted them in amber due to not having their IFFs in its data banks. Multiple red symbols appeared next, showing the small battered Tau fleet keeping station above the blue Xenos' holdings. A sorry collection of mostly disabled Ork monstrosities came next, barely holding orbit above the Greenskins' stronghold, thus preventing its purge by the Imperial Navy.
And finally, a handful of Traitor vessels hung above the Deimos Peninsula. Those combined with the Warp emanations coming from the abominable gate there made effective orbital bombardment impossible.
Another pulse rippled through the crystal-clear hologram, and five new gray symbols flickered to life. Their designations were in an older dialect of Gothic, though one Gaius could easily read.
Orbital Bombardment Platforms, Ares class.
The Magos loudly praised the Omnissiah and rant to a nearby console, his revere interrupted by the new information. He demanded data on those platforms, only to find out he needed access codes he lacked. He had to placate the Machine Spirit of the Logic Engine and gain more access! Who knew what other treasures this facility might allow him to find!
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Task Force Talon
Thur'Abis Plateau
Kronus
It was close to midnight and low clouds covered the sky. It should have been pitch blackout here in the heart of the desert. Instead, a green glow and the occasional arcing lighting illuminated the white sands. Instead of forgotten ancient ruins that should have been buried and unrecognizable at this point, dark metal monoliths rose into the sky. We could see neat squares of cylindrical generators, heavy weapon emplacements guarding them. There were even a handful of immense forms poking from the sands and pointing at the overcast sky.
There was no mistaking those – ground to orbit installations. The Necrons took the security of their base seriously, a fact underscored by the escort we picked up as soon as we approached the territory they claimed. Fusions of Necron Warriors and skimmers silently floated around our Task Force by the dozens. More joined them with every kilometer we advanced. Soon, we could no longer see the sky due to an immense swarm of Drones buzzing overhead. Some were familiar, others resembled tiny insects no larger than a grown man's fist.
"Inquisitor, I'm glad they're on our side." Commissar Weber sat beside me on top of a Chimera.
My Kasrkin bodyguards rode in the troop compartment below. My new Ogryn friends traveled into the following vehicles – they refused to let me get too far away from them. The newly named Selene rode on top as well and dozed off cuddled in my side to the profound relief of my security detail.
"I hope our superiors will agree when they arrive." A pair of Titan-sized Monoliths joined the procession escorting a number of floating Pylons. The Necrons had altered the precious devices. They were attached to over-sized skimmers similar to the lower bodies of the Destroyers, and other half-metal men, half-machines that surrounded us.
An utterly silent flash of blinding lightning struck, and we weren't alone on the Chimera's roof. The Necron Lord himself towered above us in all his glory. He was even larger than before, all pristine dark silver necrodermis with green undertones. His eyes blazed with power when he looked down at us.
"We're ready." He rasped in a deep, halting way.
"We're ready too." I carefully waved at the armored column stretching behind us. It contained the fastest vehicles the Guard had available and nearly half of the Blood Raven's armored forces.
"Proceed." The Necron Lord ordered, and a shudder went through the Xeno forces surrounding us. Then they moved forward as one.
"With this, we might stand a chance when assaulting hell today," Weber muttered, then winced when he remembered where he was and who could overhear him.
"We're going to hell and back, my friend. Tonight, we dine in hell and kill every single Traitor, Heretic, or Daemon who dares stand in our way!"
The Necron Lord looked at us with what might have been exasperation.
"All available data points out that consuming food in hell would be hazardous for your health."
He was joking, right?
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Part 10
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The Green Coast
Kronus
Gorgutz managed to drag himself to his stronghold. Doing so was an exercise of pain and futility with no foe to fight. At least the slog gave him ample time to think.
There was war in the air. He could smell it, feel it in his itching bones, and that wasn't just broken and cracks mending. He burned with the desire to go out there and fight, to become bigger and stronger.
It would be a great WAAAGH!
Gorgutz grinned at the thought, grabbed an unlucky squig that wasn't fast enough in getting away, and bit off its head. His teef crunched bone and cartilage with ease. The snack helped the Warboss center himself. By Gork and Mork, he knew something odd was happening to him. He was thinking, something unusual even for a Warboss of his statute. And his thoughts, they weren't all proper Okry like.
He should have been in the grips of great rage right now! His great stronghold, the pride of all Orks in this sector, which was proper Orky like, was all but empty. There weren't enough boys left for a proper Waaagh, much less a real WAAAAGH! Instead of smashing skulls, squishing Gretchin, and terrorizing any Weird or Mekbyos that were still alive, he simply stood in the heart of his fortress, munched on a snack, and thought.
Gorgutz didn't have enough boys left for a proper war. That very thought made him itch and shake in frustration. And even if he had the boys, he didn't have enough big guns, not enuff' Dakka.
He finished the snack and looked for another squig, while one of the handfuls surviving Mekboyz tried his best to hammer his armor in shape. Gorgutz looked down at the much smaller boy, at the scrap-hammer he was using, and at the armor, he wore with pride.
It was proper Orky. It was nice red, it was also little more than scrap. Likewise, it was really pathetic, Gorgutz thought and sighed in frustration. When he closed his eyes, he could almost see Orks who weren't Orks, Warbosses, and boys of size he couldn't have imagined before. He could see their weapons and armor. They were Orky, yet not. They were whole, massive, beautiful.
They weren't made of scrap.
That was a beautiful futur. One of a WAAAGH!, the kind of even Gorgutz could scarcely imagine. Yet, the Orks he could imagine, the ones who could bring it into being, they were different. They were smarter, both less and more Orky if that made sense.
See, he had too much time to think! That wasn't proper Orky, yet he couldn't stop! Gorgutz wanted to get all the boys and go charge the enemy, the Humiez, the smelly Humiez, the Bly Boyz, even those metal Boyz!
Instead, the Warboss looked at the sky. To the south, he could see purple, sick clouds, and ugly lighting. To the north, dark rainy clouds. Yet, right above his stronghold, the sky was clear, full of stars, of worlds to conquer. He wanted to spread the joys of the WAAAGH to every single one of them! His blood bubbled with excitement at the possibilities, at the conflicts yet to come.
Gorgutz stared at the sky and remembered his WAAAGH dying under an awesome amount of proper Dakka. He knew there were a few Kruzers up there, all shot up and nearly useless. All they could do was perhaps prevent the same from happening to his stronghold.
That simply wouldn't do!
It was painful to admit it, however, the WAAAGH on Kronus, at least the proper Orky one was over. It would take time for enough boyz to spawn. Even longer to get a sufficient number of Mekboyz to build Dakka and vehicles, to get Weirdboyz, so they could make the fun even better!
Gorgutz looked around wistfully. There was just a single Nob left, and he was on the smaller side. Even smaller now because the boy was busy regrowing an arm and half his face. The poor bastard had almost no teef left, just a single, half-broken tusk. At least he got a nice heavy Choppa held in his remaining hand – it merrily sparkled with propar Orky energy, and it was ready to bash skullz!
"You!" Gorgutz pointed at the Nob. "Go! Gather all the boyz! I'll speak to them!" He declared. Already, wisps of a plan were forming within his itching brain.
Gorgutz would leave this rock, take all his boys, and go forth, find a place to prepare a proper WAAAGH! This time, it won't burn from the sky! When he was ready, when he gathers enough boyz, nothing would stop him!
But first, he should make a gift for the Humiez and everyone else who opened his eyes to the truth! It wouldn't be propar Orky, otherwise!
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Aceria Forests
Kronus
Brother-Sergeant Whent escorted Magos Scipio-Ro-11 into the ancient facility. The senior surviving Mechanicus representative on Kronus would be the one to do the honors and begin the battle to eradicate the traitors from the face of the planet. They passed by groups of heavily armed servitors, Guardsmen setting up defensive positions, and the odd impassive Necron protecting the facility. Those were the same Xenos who tore the traitors outside to pieces. Four serpentine Wraiths lurked in dark corners. One of them was quite obvious – for more than a day now, it toyed with the crushed helmet of Traitor Astartes.
Two "standard" Necron warriors stood still like statues at the entrance of the facility. Another pair guarded the command center. Those two were a bit different. Their forms were built lighter compared to most of their kind Whent had the displeasure to see. They carried shorter versions of their Gauss weapons, and each had a sword of dark, almost pitch black metal clamped to their backs.
They were among the most animated Necrons the Sergeant had ever seen – instead of acting like statues, their heads turned to follow everyone in view and if he didn't know better, the Astartes would swear they were curious.
"The convoy will enter extreme weapon's range of the enemy soon." The Necron to the right spoke, surprising everyone.
"I'm aware." Magos Scipio-Ro-11 stated without breaking stride. "That's why I'm here. Our assault will begin momentarily." He passed through the checkpoint and sent a stream of Binary at the Tech-Priests working inside.
One of them, Gaius, the senior one, answered with an angry whistle.
"Needs must." Scipio-Ro-11 continued in a normal voice. "We don't have any more time. We'll be apologizing and placating the Machine Spirits later. Now, they'll have to serve the Omnissiah."
The Magos made his way to the primary hololith and interfaced with the console in front of it. The hologram showing Kronus and the forces in orbit zoomed in. Two red, one amber, and two yellow symbols slowly converged above the continent – the weapon platforms. Suddenly, the two critically damaged ones shifted orbits and rapidly accelerated.
The hologram rippled and descend vectors appeared, leading straight at the heavy defenses that made an approach towards the Deimos Peninsula from this region suicidal. The other three platforms moved more slowly, merely shifting their orbits, so they would be in a position very soon.
Active scans went out from the damaged Tau battle group, though the Xeno ships didn't react otherwise. The Ork scrap-heaps did nothing – they probably failed to detect the activity in orbit.
The hologram zoomed in until it showed an orbital view of the Deimos Peninsula. Warp emanations and corrupted clouds covered almost the whole region, making precise targeting unreliable. It was another question if any bombardment passing through those "clouds" would even hit the ground.
The outer defense lines set up by the Traitors had no such defenses, and they were more than formidable enough to warrant the attention of the Ares platforms.
The two units without active weaponry went down first, like the fiery fists of furious Saint smiting infidels… and this was one of the few instances when such thoughts would be proper for a Space Marine, Whent thought.
Traitor Astartes, Daemon Engines, corrupted vehicles, Traitorous PDF forces, Mutants, Cultists, and barely controlled reaver War-bands, they all looked at the heavens and their judgment. They saw the falling platforms, and those at the target areas tried to run, while others stubbornly stood their ground. It didn't matter. Macro-Cannons, Lance Batteries, and fusion missiles tore their way through the heavens, lighting them in purifying fire.
Task Force Retribution's surviving artillery park opened up at the same moment. The Traitor, the Heretic, the Unclean, and Daemon-infested machinery, they all burned, and this was only the beginning.
Interceptors and anti-air weaponry rose in defiance only to be largely ignored. Explosives and Gauss weaponry leveled huge swaths of forest to open the way for armored spearheads. The Guard advanced like a mailed fist, flanked by Necron Destroyers and a hundred Eldar Grav Tanks racing to exploit the enemy confusion. Walkers and mechanized infantry followed behind them, while elite units waited in reserve.
Sergeant Whent smiled. This? This was merely a taste of things to come. The Traitors would rue the day they turned on the Imperium of Man!
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