Phelgathon raced back to the jump point, the Confederate navy had pulled off its pursuit once they had reached the asteroid belt, they had swarmed behind him in their multitudes, and the fighting had been desperate.

While they had succeeded in evacuating his Astartes brothers, save some of those who fell in combat, thousands of mortals had fallen into the droids hands. He had been on one of the last thunderhawks to depart, and he had reaped a horrific tally from the droids that day, yet it wasn't enough. More always came.

The last fat bellied transport had been shot down by anti aircraft fire, droid spider cannons ripping holes in it as it attempted to take off. Phelgathon had seen as it bucked from internal explosions before another volley ripped it to pieces.

He had slammed the thunderhawk's door at that moment and rolled as the shockwave from the transport's death rocked it.

"Strap in Lord, enemy fighter squadron inbound!"

In fact several squadrons of vulture droids came screaming in, firing off missiles and laser cannons into the fleeing ships. While one vulture droid was of little threat to a thunderhawk, the number of encroaching droids were.

It was a race out of the atmosphere, and the higher they climbed, the more cluttered the space became. Warships dueled in the skies above the final stand of the Word Bearer's on Kursk. The thunderhawk sped past the hull of a Munificent frigate, the squadron of Vulture Droids still hot on its tail.

A barrage of turbolaser fire shot past the thunderhawk, battering the shields of an Infidel class raider, it was being fired upon by the curiously small Droid escort vessels.

The devastation class cruiser was dueling the enemy flagship but they were headed for the Herald of the Primordial Truth, the Hell Bringer class light cruiser which was scourging a squadron of enemy ships.

A massive volley of small torpedoes sped from that squadron's lead vessel, massive versions of the kind that he had witnessed deployed from enemy strike craft.

The Thunderhawk jynxed out of the path of a squadron of Tri-Fighters, they were chasing a group of Swift Death fighters.

The ship was not far, but several Tri-Fighters had broken off from the main swarm to chase them. They easily outstriped the Vulture droids, and their lascannons were starting to land hits on the Thunderhawk.

"We can't take sustained fire from them, I am summoning assistance Lord!"

Anti strike craft fire from the Herald started to converge upon their pursuers as they neared it shadow and the promise of safety.

Sudden light illuminated the void as the Herald was struck by the Providence's torpedo spread, scores of Proton Torpedos the size of vulture droids impacting the hull.

While none had the punch of an Imperial torpedo, they far outnumbered them.

They landed amidst the sounds of a ship fighting for its life. While nowhere as pressed as the Devastation Class Cruiser was, the Herald was slowing buckling under the pressure of the droid pressure.

Sirens could be heard through the hull of the Thunderhawk and the sounds of fighting.

"Lords, the enemy has boarding parties aboard the Herald of Primordial Truth, numbers are unknown but I have reports of breaches through the vessel."

He paused for a moment and then urgency touched his voice.

"They're heading for the Warp Drives!"

Phelgathon was racing down the assault ramp and into the fray before the last syllable had left the pilot's mouth.

He fired his bolt at the droids who were in the hanger, exchanging shots with the various mortal ratings who were defending the ship.

They were numerous and some of them more than a match for the average cultist. Unfortunately for the Super Battle Droid Phlegethon sliced in half with his power sword, he was no mere cultist.

He gave a battle cry that his helmet's vox gave voice too as a daemonic roar. Behind him came his brothers, bolters barking as they dispatched the droids.

The vessel rocked as an internal explosion shook its frame.

As Phelgathon sprinted to the hangar doors, a squad of grapple droids poured through, some staggering from their mad rush. They were some of the most aggressive droids in the Confederate Army, but by themselves they were no match for an Astartes. The issue being, they were not alone.

A pair of the droids often seen protecting the Droid's officer class followed them. One of them looked at Phlegethon, its purple eyes seeming to narrow before it raised one of their rad weapons. At an unspoken command from one of them the pack of grapple droids reoriented upon him and charged.

They were strong machines, capable of overpowering Astartes in groups. They were starting to attract fire, as the various droids inside the hangar reoriented upon the new threat.

Phelgathon's senses were heightened to a fever pitch by the slaughter around him, and he could see as little pieces of the battle occured around him. In one area a grapple droid pounced upon a cultist, ripping out sections of the mortal's body with its pincers.

Several of the small frail droids exploded as they were riddled with bolts, their steel bodies offering no protection from a bolt shell.

A rad shell impacted against his chest plate and Phelgathon staggered, its explosion ripping into his Power Armor, and when another Astartes rushed the second Magnaguard it blurred, moving like an Eldar.

"Kill them. Kill them ALL!" Shouted Phelgathon, as he closed the distance with the Magnaguards. They were fast, and moved with calculated precise movements. Flowing through the motions of combat. While many droids reacted quicker than base humans, none matched the grace of this kind.

Dodging and weaving between even his strikes the Droid thrust with its electrostaff and a jolt from its purple energies caused Phelgathon to spasm, and the Droid gave him a shove with the staff, twisting it as it did so to trip him up with a blow to his legs.

Unfortunately for the Droid, a Space Marine is much stronger than a man, which a droid can simply overwhelm with sheer force.

Phelgathon as one of the Fallen Angels of Lorgar, First Acolyte to Adramelech and Bearer of the Word. He stomped onto the staff, tearing it from the hands of the Magna guard.

He cut it lengthwise with his Daemon powersword, slicing through its toughened armor plating on the upswing.

"Brothers, cleanse this ship of all these iron simulacrums of humanities visage! The soulless cannot stop the blessed Sons of Lorgar!

Phelgathon continued on his path, cutting down any of the droids which attempted to slow him. He had to get them out of the battle, they had to reach Adramalech before the Iron Collar's denizen awoke.

The Droid Empire could wait.

It took several hours but the modest boarding party was dispatched from the Herald of Primordial Truth. They would need to find a place to replenish the ship's slave crew, many of them had been cut down by the droids.

"Get us out of here, we have to find the fleet. For both repairs and for salvation."

"Bring the fleet to our course, retreat to the translation point and take us to our anchor position with the Warpstorm."

Bridge crew were following his command, and one of his brothers who had been blessed by the gods with the powers of the warp, Niurta, was preparing to guide them through the warp.

Tol Bedar was leading the brothers on this ship through their devotions that marked the end of a major engagement, supplication to Khorne for the glory of battle, prayers to Nurgle for the deliverance of their bodies, devotions to Tzeentch for their escape from the enemy, and in the end raised their voices in song to Slaanesh.

He would lead them in their rites and bless the brothers of the host. The task ahead was perilous and the creature that Adramalech had thought to be a simple Greater Daemon they could release and use as a weapon against the Imperium, a great champion of one the Four.

On Kursk that veil had been lifted and while he knew not what it was, it was an enemy, one which threatened his Legion.

They had managed to leave the Droid fleet in their wake, their superior speed allowing them to disengage from the battle. One of the Cruisers, "Harran" had been badly mauled by enemy Ringships.

Their voyage was unusually quiet and many of the normal daemon contacts that characterized warp travel were absent, despite the maw of the Crimson Path gaping open nearby.

"The Neverborn are quiet Phelgathon, it is unusual for this area, something has caused many of them to shun this area."

"I have had trouble communing with our Host's patron, Ascended Brother Dur-Sharrukin. Normally he is always close to those of us in the Apostleship, but something is clouding the Warp here."

"I have empathy for the Astropaths of the False Emperor in one of the Empyreans storms, what did the Daemon tell you on Kursk.

Phelgathon paused, uncertain of how much he could reveal, while it was common to approach servants of the Changer of Ways for information, trusting them completely was never wise. Of all the Neverborn they were the most apt to duplicity, and were masters of manipulating the truth to their ends when dealing with mortals.

"I believe that the Iron Collar that we delivered to Apostle Adramelech was more than we were told, more even than he knew himself."

The Sorcerer turned to face him, his armor purring as he adjusted.

"What you're telling me is that we may be facing a Daemon that one of the Neverborn put you on a collision course with, one that has caused a disturbance in the warp and has blocked one of the more potent Daemon Princes from simple contact with you, and our fleet and brothers are depleted from a foe that was more potent than we could've guessed."

Irritation flared up in Phlegethon, he was command and this Seer, was questioning him within hearing distance of several of their brothers.

"Mind yourself Niurta, this is far from the area of your authority."

"Be that as it may, be certain before you risk the lives of your brothers in this crusade."

They were speaking over a shared vox, which was a small mercy. An open challenge would not be tolerated.

"Have Faith brother, the Dark Gods will not forsake us, their chosen Legion.

Author's Note:

Sorry about the big gap between uploads, had to do a lot of work for my major and I had a surgery which left me in the hospital for some time, again I apologize for the short chapter, but the next one will be out soon.