Shadow of a Doubt

Chapter 2

Above orbit

The Angelic Purity was a strike cruiser gifted to the sons of Sanguinis when the angelic primarch and his sons still strode the sky in legion size. Back when the long night was finally broken and the Emperor was reunited with his own. The march towards the stars was led by the shock troops of the Angel when he was reunited with his legion with many victories and compliances carried out by one of the most respected and well known legions that fought under the Aquila. The heresy had changed all that, and not all of his sons had shown fealty when it mattered the most. When brothers and cousins slew each other, Captain Viprus and his legionnaires of the IX legions 88th Great Company were guests of the III legion and had embraced the youngest god with open arms. After all, Captain Viprus had always felt the slight made upon him when on the assault of the world Murder, he had only been reinforcement after his primarch had already conducted the assault with the Wolves. That day he had begged his father to allow him to join him. He could still remember that day.

"Father.. please I beg you. Let me avenge my brothers, let me avenge Khitas death." The red clad astartes Captain was on a knee, his head down as he pleaded with his genefather. The golden figure sat at his throne and sighed softly before reaching down and lightly placing a hand on the shoulder pauldron of Viprus. "My loyal Captain, I'm afraid that in this case my vengeance must preceed yours. The first assault must be led by me my son, honour demands it." The Great Angel looked at his son with sorrow in his eyes. "Khitas death at the hands of these xenos, my spirits tremble with rage and I must have first blood." A few tears would stain the rich red carpet that Captain Viprus kneeled on. "Father, please. If you must strip me of rank and let me serve even as a legionnaire, I beg you please do so. Khitas and I.. we ascended the ranks together. We competed together. We lived, breathed, bled together. Please do not deny me this my Lord." Sanguinius could only sigh softly and stood up to look over at a hand carved Aquila gifted to him by a human civilian on a world the Blood Angels had rescued from xenos once upon a time. "Please Viprus.. do not forget you are the Captain of the 88th Great Company. You must be the mobile reserve, my Reavers of Death. However I understand and feel your pain, so I will give you this. I will place you with the assault forth of the III for they too are in orbit awaiting the order to drop."

Viprus stood up and saluted his primach with tears in his eyes but a loud audible clasp of his armoured first to his breastplate. "I will not forget this Father, thank you. I.. I apologize. I will show better conduct befitting of one of your Captains in the future." The Great Angel simply smiled at him. "No need Captain, this moment makes me proud that you are one of my trusted Captains. Your humanity.. it is what we fight for after all. It is something which must be cherished even in the night before war. Ready your company my Captain, I will instruct the III to expect you." With a bowed head, Viprus left the Great Angels chambers aboard the flag ship. As he walked past the golden Sanguinis Guards in the hallway, he voxed his Sergeants. "Vengeance shall be soon my brothers. Ready the 88th, we make for the III's battle barge." A series of enthusiastic affirmatives answered his words. He would make his way to his chamber and examined its contents with a small smile. Making his way over to one of the chests in his bedroom, he would open it and draw from it a beautifully crafted blade with a curved weighted end to provide for more powerful slashes. It had belonged to Captain Khitas, before he had been murdered by Murder. He caressed the side of the blade slightly before undoing the sheath for his chainsword at his side and sheathed the powersword instead. This vengeance will be personal.

8 Hours Later

"No, it.. it can't be." Viprus stared at the tactical screen for the 19th time to ensure his eyes were not playing tricks with him. The Emperors Children battle barge had been ordered to hold position and make ready to enter the warp, the Lunar Wolves as well as the Blood Angels had already attacked but were now withdrawing, the bodies of the fallen Blood Angels never to be retrieved. His teeth clenched as his fists squeezed tightly. No, it cannot be. The assault he had been waiting for never came. Instead the fleets were being called away, the demands of the Great Crusade they said. More important objectives that needed to be dealt with.

The next few days were filled with melancholy and betrayal, Viprus barely leaving his quarters aboard the III Legions battle barge, instead pacing around his chambers. He had been sustained by only bottles of the rich alcohols the Emperors Children had brewed and kept on board, barely sleeping. He had sent a message to his genefather requesting permission to stay aboard the III Legion as he felt he had much to learn from them. The permission was granted with more than a bit of distraction it seemed. Of course, his genefather was distracted by his First Captain and the much higher honours he had accumulated over the years than him, a lowly Battle Captain of only the 88th company. It seems the mood was shared amongst his men, each Marine observing their battle rites half heartedly and only as few as necessary as they retreated to their quarters in sorrow. That was when Viprus was introduced to the warrior lodges. There he found that he was treated simply as another legionnaire and soon he encouraged his company members all to join. Only a few did not, citing their moods too melancholic but Viprus let that go. It was expected after all, not every legionnaire had wished to stay on board with the III. As a gesture of brotherhood, he had sworn a blood oath with a III Legion Sergeant, Persedeus who welcomed him in and sponsored him as part of the brotherhood. That night, that's when he heard the voices.

You never meant anything to him, you are just another Captain. You will always stand in the shadows of Khitas. After all did he not make Captain first even though the two of you both rose to Sergeant together in the same company? No, Khitas was made Captain first. They gave him your company, it should have been yours. You? You were only given Captaincy of the 88th. Just a meager company made up of almost raw initiates. But what did you do? You perfected it. The 88th Great Company, vicious in the assault and perfect in the defence. It was you who ensured this and Sanguinius does not care. You are below his eyesight after all, no.. the favoured one was always Khitas. If Khitas truly considered you his friend, why did he not ask Sanguinius to grant you Captaincy of the 25th Company that journeyed with him? No instead it was given to another one of Sanguinius favoured, a newly promoted Captain from the 1st Company. Viprus closed his eyes and shook his head. No, the Great Angel would never do that to him. The Great Angel shed tears of joy at his promotion.. but tears were just an act. The Great Angel shed tears even when insignificant mortals gave him trinkets. No. He sidelined you, he denied you even your vengeance. That is because The Great Angel knows that you should be First Captain but denies you what is rightfully yours. No, you know this to be true. You see this. He had no problems letting you wander off with the III. He has forgotten your name. He doesn't see the 88th for the glory and perfection that you deserve. Viprus felt the presence of another softly caress his mind gently. Come now Blood Angel. Don't you deserve real power. Real authority. A Legion Astartes Captain of your might and strength deserves much.. much more. Swear your allegiance to me Captain, I will not neglect you. The voice was both male and female and soothed the anger in his mind. He would sigh softly as he knew this was the right path. After all, Sanguinius did not care for him, but the voice did. Yes of course I care about you Captain, I am Slaanesh and I am the youngest god. But more than that, I require champions. Loyal, strong and powerful champions. I can give you power. However much you want as long as you take care of me as well.

That night, Viprus swore his soul to Slaanesh as did most of his men. When he awoke in the morning, Persedeus took note of the change within him and embraced him now as a true brother and advised him. "Viprus, far be it for a lowly Sergeant to give advice to a Grand Captain such as yourself.. but not all of your legionnaires see this. You know what must be done, they must be made to see the truth, and if they cannot then…" The Emperors Children legionnaire sighed softly as he trailed off. Viprus nodded. "That is sound advise brother.. unfortunate but sound."

Viprus ordered his company together and ensured that his personal retinue, the assault squad Tiberius was with him. Armed with power axes and assault shields, they accompanied him as he addressed the company. "Those of you in the lodges, I ask of you. Have you heard the truth?" A series of loud roars cheered his words on. "I too have heard the truth. The truth is, we are more than what we should be. We should strive to always be more, we are of the 88th. No, we are the Angels Evermore. We have been sidelined. We can do what three companies put together can. We have been forgotten." As more voices cheered his words, he put up a hand for silence. "We are no longer of the 88th. No longer of the IX. We are the Angels Evermore. I declare us no longer tools of the False Emperor. From now on we shall make our own fate!" More cheers welcomed his words, but a small group of Marines separated from the company and drew their bolters. "Captain, that.. that is treason. We are Blood Angels, sired of the Great Angel. We are loyal to the Emperor!" Their leader, a sergeant called out. "We will report this Captain, please, withdraw your words. Take them back, I do not wish for our father to hear of this!" Viprus could only laugh as he made a simple gesture. Power axes flashed as Tiberius squad cut them apart with perfect strikes that lacerated both their hearts. With glee, Viprus removed the helmet from the now dead Sergeant and bit into his neck, drinking of the rich astartes blood. His men cheered him on as if by instinct each knowing somehow that the drinking of astartes blood empowered him even more. With a roar as he drained the loyalist, he felt the ecstasy that was due to him as he licked his lips. "Imbibe brothers.. I have brought you refreshments have I not?" With a joyous laugh, he gestured towards the dead loyalists and his Angels Evermore all began to take turns drinking from their dead brothers. "For the youngest god! We shall bring glory to the Exquisite Prince!" His brothers cheered him on as he closed his eyes, his senses finally open as he took in the rich copper tang of Astartes blood and the adoration of his legionnaires.

Consul Viprus laid back on his chaise lounge and sighed softly with pleasure. The planet approaches, but there was no overt eagerness to make planetfall. Not when he was being thus entertained. A trio of daemonettes danced for him as the last shipment of slaves were skillfully tortured to death bit by bit by the razor sharp claws of the Slaaneshi daemons. "Slower my loves.. you rush too much." He would say to them, and they seemed to understand. One man had cuts thinner than a paper cut but deliciously spread all over his body as he could only whimper in the pain of thousands of cuts. Viprus picked up an exquisitely crafted wine glass in his hand, the crystal having been formed slowly from a sorcerous melting of Eldar soulstones before being cut slowly with a slaaneshi blade. Inside was a rich purple liquid, distilled from the pulped remains of a rather arrogant dark elder cabal. It was luxurious, each drop of the unholy liquor containing entire planets worth of suffering. Of course he deserved nothing but the best. The golden trimmed white armour that he now wore was testament to that. A gift from the III Legion, a suit of armour made even more wonderful by the addition of various narcotics and combat drugs that gave him utterly alien sensations at his command which brought him only delight. Small samples he preferred, it is better to remain hungry and pick at the most exquisite of dishes then to stuff oneself with simple meat and potatoes after all. Eldar soulstones decorated this suit of armour and the cries of anger and fear as well as the hatred coming from their souls were of the sweetest symphony. "Truly your race are wonderous musicians no?" He would say to the one that held the bottle of dark elder liquor at his side. With various collars attacked to a spider like contraption formed over her, the dark elder wych glared at the corrupted astartes. "You are beneath me mon'keigh. You may humiliate me in this manner but our people have a saying. It is only the last blade stroke that matters." Viprus yawned at her words with fading amusement. "My dear Hekatrix, you should be grateful for such an opportunity. Even your skills are nothing compared to the daemonettes of the insatiable Goddess." He laughed at his words for a moment before sipping from his glass. "Perhaps if you would like, I can starve you slowly so you can truly feel the youngest goddess's caresses more fervently. Or even better, I can simply leave you restrained and abandoned amongst the mutants in the belly of the ship. I'm sure they will find sufficient amusement with you." Viprus dipped a finger into his glass and lightly drew it in a small line above the dark elder wychs lips. The wych would resist for a few moments before licking it off, the need for suffering and her desire to live outlasting her fury. However she would only give the astartes a look of utter contempt.

Viprus looked at her and cooed softly, tilting his white haired head slightly. "You still have fight in you.. utterly exquisite. Perhaps I shall let the daemonettes have their way with you here and now.. and I won't have to miss your company if I instruct them not to kill you. Could you imagine that, hundreds of thousands of microscopic cuts that would feel you with the sensations of an individual caress by She Who Thirsts." He leaned his head back and sighed softly with delight. There was a fury in the dark eldars eyes that long ago made her a feared opponent in Commorragh but now Viprus only laughed in amusement. "Oh my dear xenos.. one of these days I really must taste of your soul. I'm sure your hate and malice have spiced it perfectly." The wych could only look away from him in both disgust and loathing. Viprus looked back at the planet and nodded a few times. "But after this little round of amusement of course. I have a planet to rule after all.." Standing up, he walked over to the other figure that stood at the bridge in power armour. Clad in the same golden trimmed white armour stood Captain Persedeus. "My old friend. How goes the campaign planning?" The former III Legion Sergeant smiled and gestured towards the mortal slaves crewing the ship. "Well after the slow one week crucifiction, the crew are working much more efficiently." Viprus laughed at the eccentric style of command that his friend demonstrated. But each mortal crewmember was not just mortal, they were beautiful. Surgically beautiful. Each man and woman sitting infront of a console had been altered by the fleshwrights on board because as Viprus put it, he refused to have ugly pets. "We have been in contact with the governess. I think it is about time that we give the signal, my dear Consul." Persedeus smiled as he would hand his commander a data slate. It showed how much damage had been done to the Imperial infrastructure. Commanders of the local PDF had been replaced with those loyal to their cause. As it stands, Governor Adrianna had split apart all three large prisons into six, a number pleasing to Slaanesh in order to have six large sacrifice rituals done at the same time. "Excellent. I do wonder my friend, what do you think we should do with the Governor after this is done?" Viprus held out the dataslate and a surgically beautiful male mortal would take it from him almost instantly, his head bowed down towards the chaos marine. Persedeus glanced over at the wych that was leashed beside the throne. "Let the wych break her mind, then apprentice her to the Scoparius." Viprus nodded his head in agreement, his eyes lighting up in delight. "That I believe we will do. In fact, I may send them to retrieve her after all this has been finished."

The Scoparius was the only mortal fighting force on board that was also armed with power armour and bolters. However, their origin was one of darkness and betrayal. Once a minor convent in the Emperors service, an attack on the planet they were stationed on saw each of the sisters captured by the Dark Eldar. Yet instead of killing them, they were forced into gladiatorial combat for the amusement of the xenos on board massive cabal ships until that particular cabal ship was boarded by the Angels Evermore. Finding a massive hold filled with slaves on board, Viprus ordered them transferred onboard the Angelic Purity. Finding an interest in the defiance of the sisters, he gave some of the captured xenos a choice. Act as his torturers or be consumed by Slaanesh. Soon after with their minds broken, the sisters became a parody of the Sororitas, power armoured women with their faith broken and wholly devoted to Slaanesh were used as shock troops by Viprus to spread terror on worlds. Now on planets where they took in aspirants, females were also taken to be inducted into this unholy sisterhood. Of course this did cost a large amount of slaves, the Scoparius worshipped Slaanesh through torture. Slaves were hung from meathooks and slowly tortured to death in acts of worship, sometimes slaves lasting weeks in the cruel hands of the corrupted sisters.

Lorhenge Governors Palace

"Please, let us have order." Governor Adrianna glanced over at her head bodyguard Captain Nigel Tamperton who was wearing the pure white dress uniforms of the Lorhenge Grenadiers. While the uniforms were ceremonial, the bolt pistol holstered at his side was an indication that the Grenadiers had more than just ceremony in their job description. Adrianna sighed and lightly caressed her fingertips over the purple gem capped symbol of slaanesh in her pocket with impatience. "But Governor, why are we conducting repairs to the planetary communication system now? Surely with what happened with the Arbites-" The minor noble was cut off by the arrival of six more Grenadiers who were also dressed in the white uniforms of their station but they carried very unceremonial autoguns with bayonets attached. "Emperors blood get out of the Honoured Governors office before I order your arrest!" The Captain finally yelled, the large group of nobility who thought themselves entitled to the time of the Governor getting on his final nerves. The bodyguards of the nobility were forced to stand outside, and they looked on nervously. If they fired upon the planetary governor, it was treason. If they did not, they would lose their reputations as bodyguards. Outside, a squad led by a Sergeant in a polished helmet holding a chainsword marched with parade ground precision and stopped with a loud clack of their dress boots. While every inch of their uniforms were pressed and every button and buckle polished to a high shine, the autoguns held in their hands at shoulder arms were very real. "By the numbers. Load!" The Sergeant ordered, the grenadiers in his squad each taking out a magazine from the white leather webbing pouches worn around their chest and slammed a magazine in at the same time. Hearing this, the bodyguards all seemed to reach for their own holsters hesitantly. "Squad, make ready, and address!" The Sergeant bellowed out as each grenadier pulled the charging handles on their autoguns and turned to aim at the bodyguards. Getting the hint, they all put their hands up slowly. Inside the office, Captain Tamperton had also had enough of the nobility. "Honour Guard, ADDRESS." In a single clack, every grenadier in the office had their autoguns aimed at the nobles who then slowly retreated out, realising they might have pushed too far this time. As the nobles and their bodyguards were hustled out with more threats and some enthusiastic proddings with bayonets, Captain Nigel Tamperton sighed and bowed to the governor. "My apologies Lady Governor. I will have the sentries who let them in flogged." Adrianna nodded with some enthusiasm. "Yes Captain, please do. I will not have this rabble in my office again, make sure the guards learn their lesson. And please, send in my next appointment, you may consider yourself dismissed for the day." The end of the day cycle was approaching. As the entire hive was underground, day light and night light were very hard to differentiate if it was not for the lights installed everywhere along the ceilings of the massive hollowed out hives that would slowly dim or brighten depending on the period of the day. With a nod, the Captain clicked his heels in parade ground standard and saluted, before smartly turning around with another click of his dress boot heels. Walking out to the hallway, he would gesture for the next person to enter. "This way, Lieutenant." A young officer clicked to attention and saluted the grenadier Captain and entered the governors office. Sighing as the doors were closed, Nigel wondered if he should stop off at the tavern first before he headed over to his barracks or did the mess hall actually have something worth to bother stopping into. Well, the slow cooked grox shin at the tavern would be worlds better than the cooked in a massive pan whatever meat the messhall was serving today.

The Lieutenant entered, dressed in the tan camouflage fatigues of the Tythen PDFs elite 6th Shocktrooper Company, he would grin at the Governor before sitting down on a seat. "Has it all been arranged?" The Governor asked him with a raised eyebrow at his brazen behaviour. "Of course my lady. Those who did not see sense are all marked as dead in a training accident earlier today. It was unfortunate, a Valkyerie gunship crashed due to technical troubles, the family of the deceased are still being contacted." He smiled with a large grin. As he reached up to scratch his beard a little, a small purple tattoo could be seen at the bottom of his neck, covered normally by the high collars of his uniform. "Good. The Ecclesiarch church has been taken care of. The remaining arbites have all been killed in what was.. an unfortunate gas leak that exploded in their office. Are your men in position?" The governor poured herself a large glass of amasec and drank deeply from it all the way still glancing at the young Lieutenant. "Yes my lady. The 6th Shocktroopers have been stationed in the auditorium as requested. Is the summoning time still the same?" The governor nodded as she set her glass down. "Yes. 9 PM. Every noble has been informed to be there, without exception." The Lieutenant nodded and got up again. "In that case, I had better go down there shouldn't I?" With a smirking look, the traitor officer sauntered out.

That evening, the governor stood at the podium inside the massive meeting hall. There were over 500 officials there, all heads of departments or senior nobles. They had their own bodyguards with them but there were also over 200 members of the 6th Shocktroopers there and they had brought heavy weapons. "Thank you all for coming here. The reason for this is simple. We of Tythen V have toiled too long underneath the shadow of the Imperium. Here and now, I am declaring our independence. We will no longer pay tithes to the Imperium, sending off our precious coins and emptying our schools of draftees. No, I am the new seat of power on this planet." Shocked murmurs escaped from the different groups gathered up from within. "This is HERESY" Screamed out a man in the uniform of the Munitorium. "The Imperium will not stand for this, you will no-." The man was cut off by the sharp crack of a las pistol fired off by a grinning Sergeant in the uniforms of the 6th Shocktroopers. "Those who will join me, stand aside. Those who remain loyal to the corpse god, your time has come!" Of course the nobles all fled, running off to stand with traitor Governor but the rest of them, all Imperium officers merely hardened their eyes. Adrianna gave a single signal and the 6th Shocktroopers opened fire. In less than 5 minutes, every single one of them was cut down. In that instance, a pictcast was broadcast across the planet. Adriana dipped her fingers in the blood of the corpse emperor worshippers blood and painted the 8 starred symbol of Chaos across her face while laughing.

Two hours later, the planet was in civil war. Loyalist PDF troops fought each other, civilians on the street butchered their neighbours or tried to run for cover. Captain Tamperton blanched as he looked at the next wave of civilians who had gone mad, armed with only hammers and things charging towards the barricade he had formed. He was a loyal officer, loyal to the Emperor. He thought with bitterness at how only hours before, he was still in the Governors service. No longer. "We stand in a single moment, a moment where we decide if we are men of the Imperium or dogs content to lie down and die underneath the traitors boots! I ask you Grenadiers, which are you?" The response was a roar of approval by the Grenadiers under his command. "Address the enemy. Rapid rate, FIRE." Like one, the Grenadier Guards all opened fire, autorifles clacking, even heavy stubbers joining in and raked the charging mob with solid slugs cutting them down. Tamperton had drawn his bolt pistol and fired as well. Every so often a civilian could be seen holding a shotgun or rifle of some sort and he would put them down with a well aimed mass reactive shell. He fired at a man holding a rifle, the bolt round exploding his chest cavity. Next shot, he adjusted his aim and put a bolt into the gut of a secretary holding a rifle, sending her guts spewing as she tumbled onto the ground with a look of.. ecstasy? He frowned, it must've been his eyes. He was aging after all. The third shot, the third shot was nothingness as he felt his body hit the floor his only sensation was an explosion of pain as a las bolt had struck him right in his hip, his body collapsing to the ground. He tried to lift his head up only to see soldiers armed with las rifles firing at his men. While the Grenadiers were well trained and well armed, the 6th Shocktroopers had the advantage of a cultist mob absorbing the soldiers auto rounds. Captain Tampertons last sight was of his soldiers dying with empty guns in their hands blood coming out of multiple wounds as the mob over ran them with traitor shocktroopers intermixed still firing as they overran the position.

Enforcer Leyla and her partner Regulator Harris looked at the madness in the street. They looked at each other, both down to their last two bolter mags. The rest of their shock squad had sold their lives dearly, buying them enough time to seal the massive doors of the Munitorium building. They looked at each other and sighed as they both racked the slides of the bolters and pushed forward towards their objective. Their carapace armour had been dented and damaged by the improvised weapons of the mobs as well as score marks from the las rifles fired by the traitor PDF troopers. It was likely their last few moments alive but their lives would be sold dearly. They will stand in front of the Golden Throne before Him and be judged worthy. Their Judges last order to them was simple. "Get to the Munitorium building, and upload this message to this frequency." He had given them his badge, his other hand clutching a massive stub gun as his last few remaining enforcers stood by him. The Arbite shock squad had nodded, knowing the importance of their last mission.

Harris looked back even as they ran up the staircase, hearing the loud thuds and howls of rage as the mob tried to breach the massive door. They could hear the loud crumps of melta charges being used on the door and knew they had minutes. Finally reaching the second floor, they sprinted towards the communication relay, the last one still in Imperial hands for all they know. The planetary communication system was down but Munitorium one was not made to rely on any planetary system. Leyla quickly pushed in the frequency and pushed the data stick into the relay. When the screen asked for authority, she punched in her now deceased Commanders badge number and authorization code. The screen blipped once. Message Sent They could both hear the mob now, roaring their lust for the two arbites lives. Bracing the boltguns against their carapace armours, they both fired as soon as the mob hit. As the two arbites laced the charging horde with bolter rounds, the litany of hate on their lips as cultist after cultist was cut down in an explosive show of rounds detonating inside their body cavities. With an empty click, both arbites reloaded, faster than they ever have knowing that to die with ammunition still on them was a crime in the eyes of Imperial law. As the final rounds left their boltguns, the two of them tossed them onto the ground. Each reaching onto their vests for their last frag grenades. "For the Emperor." Harris said to her as he released the spoons on the grenades. "Ave Imperator." She replied as she did the same. Seconds later the mob hit them with an unholy fury roaring for their blood. The grenades detonated with a loud crump as the mob was blasted back in a fury of concussive force and a deadly shower of fragmentation shrapnel ripping through them, killing a large amount of the cultists as well as destroying the communication relay.

Ultima Segmentum

Aboard the Imperate Electus cruiser, a helmsman frowned as he turned around in his chair. "Watchmaster, I have received an odd transmission. It's encoded in Arbitrator security lock, Vermillion Clearance." The helmeted Watchmaster nodded before turning on his heels sharply. The long trench coat covering his carapace armour, the Krieg Grenadier marched smartly to where she lived and knocked on the door twice, and stood at attention.

The door opened and a man dressed in casual street clothing but wearing carapace armour around it looked at him. A hellpistol was holstered at his side while he carried a cut down hotshot lascarbine with a curious look on his face. "Ma'am, I think someone is here for you." He would step back and a woman appeared dress in a pair of practical pants and a leather jacket looked at the Krieg Grenadier curiously.

"There is something you need to see, Inquisitor."