Darkness Rising
The screams were... delicious.
None of the humans of the colony had any warning whatsoever. It wasn't a particularly large colony, only about five hundred people. Of those, perhaps ten had any kind of training with weapons. More than a few had weapons, mind you, but those weapons? Fairly useless against the hulking black armored forms that suddenly appeared out of nowhere and simply opened fire. The colony had lived in peace in a hidden part of Mars that was still habitable to humans for millennia. They had been somewhat prepared for Grineer, Corpus or Infested. Not this. Not Chaos Space Marines with bolters.
But the ones cut down by bolter fire were the lucky ones.
Chanting misshapen forms that looked sort of like Grineer pulled women and children out of their hiding places, ignoring their screams of pain and fear, herding them into the center of the tiny colony. There they huddled in small groups under the wary guns of a dozen of the black armored forms. None of the huge humanoid forms replied to the shouted questions and demands that were hurled their way. Only when one particularly brave teenager tried to flee did any of the black armored forms move. A single contemptuous shot splattered the young woman across several of her peers and no one else dared to move. Then her body started to glow.
More than one of the terrified humans cried out as the young woman's body dissolved, a purple disc forming from where she had lain. It flew to the hands of another form, this one different. He wore armor similar to the others, but his helmet had two huge horns that rose up almost like a crown. His backpack, instead of spike orbs, had snarling daemon mouths at each side. But most worrisome of all... The odd staff he carried in his hands glowed even brighter as the purple disc that had formed from the girl flew into it. A sharp shriek sounded and then... was gone.
"So many sacrifices to be made..." The terrifying form said in a mild voice as the black armored forms took aim. "No, no..." He chided the armored forms and they lowered their weapons. "Not like that. Our brother... hungers." A huge roar sounded in the distance and a wailing cry went up around the humans. The apparent leader laughed coldly. "You humans will serve nicely."
"What do you want?" One older woman demanded.
"Who me?" The glowing form asked, to all appearances shocked by the question. "All I want is justice. But that is denied me. So I will take vengeance instead." The words were calm and uninflected. It took a moment for people to realize what he meant and they tensed to flee despite the futility. But he raised his hands and a glowing barrier of purple energy surrounded the square that held the few survivors of the town. "Now, now..." The odd being chided them. "Don't be like that. It won't hurt."
A huge red form strode forward, its bulk eclipsing the meager light. It roared again and spread two red wings. It's mouth opened wide and more than one of the humans cried out as they saw blood and worse things falling from its maw.
"The dead feel nothing." Horus said with a smile as the Bloodthirster Daemon saw its prey and with a cry, started forward to feed.
Horus ignored the Bloodthirster as it cleaved and ate its way through the survivors. Some tried to flee the monster and hit the energy barrier. Their deaths powered his staff further.
"Okay." Horus said with a sigh as the daemon did what daemons do. "Now we..." Whatever he was going to say next was cut off as an explosion sounded in the midst of the carnage. A white armored form simply appeared, a golden blade flashing as he faced off the huge red demon. "What?" Horus snapped. "No! Stop him!"
But there was nothing to be done. The Rhino warframe was inside the energy barrier, standing over two cringing human girls. The only living left of the survivors. He stood in front of them and met the monster's charge head on. The golden blade flashed as the Rhino nimbly dodged each and every one of the daemon's attacks, his won blade scoring the monster's thick hide. Normal weapons would simply bounce off the otherworldly hide, but that Orthos Prime was not a normal weapon.
The daemon, frenzied by an enemy it could not hit, swung again and again until finally, it's axe hit the purple barrier which popped. The feedback from the discharge slammed into Horus and left him reeling. The daemon, bereft of his command, charged the Tenno again.
"Enough!" Horus screamed as he rose to his full height. Two bolts of purple energy slammed from his staff to touch both still cringing humans who vanished, consumed by its power. The Tenno shook it's head minutely and then, with a quick slash, cut one of the daemon's wings to the bone. "Stop!" The camouflaged form snapped with a snarl. "My quarrel is with the Orokin, not with the Tenno!"
"No?" Another voice sounded and Horus went still as three more forms appeared nearby. More Tenno. An Excalibur Prime with a Skana in hand. A Trinity with a Burston Prime in hand and...
"You!" The mad Tenno said slowly. "It cannot be... You were destroyed."
Jane stood, both of her hands resting on her pistols. Not Tenno weapons those. No. Bolt Pistols more like what Horus and the Chaos Space Marine pawns that he had made carried. But they were puppets. Not actual living, thinking beings. Not like Brother Abrahaim. Not like Jane.
"I would order you to surrender." Jane said quietly. "But you won't. And frankly? I don't want you to. You denied me my husband."
"How can this be?" Horus demanded. "You were destroyed Your body was dust!"
"You and your pawns cannot stop the Emperor's wrath." Jane said as she slowly drew both of her pistols. "And for future reference? There is such a thing in this universe called a platinum revive." She bowed her head and shook it. "By the Emperor's will, you will harm no more innocents."
"Innocents?" Horus screamed. "There are no Orokin innocents! I will burn them all in warp fire. I will take their souls and feed them to Tzeentch! I will-" He paused as Jane shot him. He stared down at the bolter shell that hung, embedded in his field of energy. It exploded and threw him back a bit, but did no further harm.
"You always did talk too much." Jane said mildly as a red armored form appeared nearby. Brother Abrahaim wasted no time on speech. He too opened fire. Then it was a general melee.
Avalon
"Mother..." Michelle shook her head slowly as Eliza paced. "What else can we do? Either the Tenno and the others stop him or they do not."
"There is more going on here than you know." Eliza said quietly. "More than anyone knows."
"I know." Michelle said quietly Eliza paused in her pacing and looked at her. Michelle shrugged. She couldn't talk about what had happened to her when her father Michael had dragged her into the deepest recesses of her mind during his mad attempt to seize Avalon's power for his own. But... "I do know about alternate realities." She paused and then stared at Eliza. "You didn't!" She breathed.
"I..." For once, the Empress of Orokin looked small. Lost and alone. "He offered. I... wasn't sure. I asked him to prove his intentions and he said I would know his hand when I saw it." She bowed her head.
"You..." Michelle swallowed hard. "You... Let someone external into our reality... Mother..." She said, horrified. If the dragon she had talked to before found out about this... he had said the border had to remain inviolate. She didn't want to know how he would react. "Do you have any idea how bad an idea this is?"
"Yes." Eliza said simply. Michelle paused and then embraced her mother. "I need you two to leave." She said to the Royal Guard who stared at her. She rattled off a code and both nodded and left the room.
"Mother..." Michelle stepped back from the Empress, her face wary. "What have you done?" Instead of answering, Eliza took Michelle's hand. A flash of gold...
Aw geez... Not again... The sigh reverberated across the huge cavern. Of all the stupid... human...
Were you any different?The powerful voice was everywhere.
No. The first voice said quietly. But I grew up. Oh well... Might as well talk to them. They are going to need help.
Indeed. This was... not planned for.
Right.
Somewhere outside of time and space
Michelle gave a gasp as she and Eliza appeared in a cave. No, a cavern. It was huge and it was gorgeous. Part was natural, part was artificial. The artificial part was... odd. A map hung on one wall. It was nowhere she knew, a planet with two huge continents. Rack of obvious weapons were neatly arrayed near another. What she did know was the huge form that lay in the middle of it. The huge... silver form. Two wings, long serpentine tail, long neck. She had seen... the dragon once before.
"Oh no..." Michelle knelt slowly, bowing her head to the dragon. "I am sorry."
"You didn't do it." The dragon said with a sigh. The puff of warm air around Michelle felt... comforting. "Your mother did not do it." Michelle stared from the dragon to her mother and back.
"You two... know each other..." Michelle felt her world start to rock on its axis.
"I hop realities." The dragon said with a huge sinuous movement that Michelle interpreted as a shrug. "I try not to interfere. It usually causes more problems than it solves. Doesn't it?" His tone turned hard and Michelle's eyes went huge as a equally odd looking form appeared. Different. This one was a huge human form seated on a huge pyramidal golden throne. The dragon nodded. "Michelle, Princess of Orokin, meet the Emperor of Mankind. Yes, the one from the game. In his universe, your reality was a game."
"Ah..." Michelle swallowed hard and gave a full court curtsey. "A pleasure."
This... was not expected. The silent but clear voice from the throne was calm, but held melancholy. I sent a means to aid, not this. This perversion. The Ruinous Powers have made themselves felt again.
"You opened the way, they followed." The dragon sounded weary. "In your reality, it is always that way. Only war. Never a moment's peace."
I had hopes for the Tau, but they too fell prey to their own hubris. The Emperor agreed. All things will end. The horror must end, sometime. The only question is how much is left of the galaxy when they are done and the Eye of Terror finally closes.
"And until then, you need heroes." Eliza said with a bob of her head. "I knew Abrahaim was your hand as soon as I saw him. But the others..."
The one who calls himself Horus made them. He is twisted by his rage. Chaos found a worthy tool as it did in his namesake The Emperor replied sadly. When he reaches his full power, your Tenno will not be able to stand against him. Even now, they cannot harm him. Jane Talona can, but she is broken still.
"I don't understand." Michelle said into the silence that fell. "Is Jane from your universe?"
"Nothing quite so simple." Eliza said with a deep sigh of regret. "It would take a couple of days to explain it all. Suffice it to say: No, she is from ours, but she touched the other. Not by choice."
"Oh." Michelle swallowed again and then she sighed. "What can we do?"
"Tell me something, princess Michelle..." The dragon said quietly. For a dragon anyway. It still rumbled across the cavern. "What is the opposite of chaos?"
"Order." Michelle said, confused. "But how does that help us?"
"Ask Violet." The dragon said calmly. "And Two."
"What?" Michelle asked, confused. Eliza paused and the dragon actually winked at her.
Horus made a serious mistake. The voice of the Emperor was calm as well, but anticipation sounded. May I fix my own mistake? He was asking the dragon!
"I don't know if it was a mistake or not." The dragon replied. "It is going to make a hell of a mess." He warned Eliza and Michelle who nodded. "The forces of Chaos want to expand their influence and see a new opportunity. We have to seal the breach."
"Can we?" Michelle asked after a moment's thought. All three of the others looked at her and Michelle shrugged. "I don't know the energies from that universe, but Horus is using our own. I can feel the draw every time he does. He cannot tap it directly, thank goodness."
"Yet." The dragon retorted. Michelle froze and the dragon nodded. "If he does, there will be no stopping him."
"Then we need to stop him." Michelle said firmly. "What do I do?"
"Talk to Violet and Two." The dragon said quietly. "I need to talk to your mother and you do not want to know."
You will not be alone. The Emperor promised. Ab'gal'ui has not been idle.
Michelle bowed formally to all three and vanished. The dragon sighed again.
"You made a good one there, Eliza." He said in a sad voice. "I am sorry about the others."
"You know the pain that comes from losing children too." Eliza said as she stepped forward to hug the massive scaly neck. "I am sorry. I should have asked her before. Asked her advice. I didn't know... She never said."
"She wouldn't have." The dragon replied. "She will make a good Empress someday." Eliza went still and the dragon chuckled. "No, I am not predicting the future. No prophecies from me. She is a good kid. Now get on. We have a lot to do to make this work." Eliza gave the huge scaled neck another hug and vanished. The dragon gave a sad noise. "I miss 'Liza... The little girl I knew. The one who brought me chocolates."
They do grow up. The Emperor replied, his own tone melancholy. Did you have to mention chocolate? Do you have any idea how long I have wanted chocolate? Stuck on this blasted seat...
"I didn't have to." The dragon said snidely. "I wanted to. So... Who will you send?"
Who do you think?
Aboard a unfamiliar type of starship
"New orders!"
"Praise the Emperor! What mission, Force Commander?"
"A grand day, Sergeant! A force of traitors has been detected and it is our sacred duty to remove the stain. But the journey will be through the Warp."
"Squad Nils stands ready, sir!"
Elsewhere
"I wanna do something!" Violet was beyond chafing. Now she was simply infuriated by the boundaries that had been placed on her. "I know I am not one of those... Callidus things now... but... This is wrong. I want to help!"
"And if he put traps or controls in your mind?" Abigail asked reasonably from where she was tapping keys. Violet growled and Abigail sighed. "I know it is chafing, Violet."
"No one has found anything wrong with me." Violet said weakly as she sat again and picked up a book reader. She pointedly glanced at the third person in the room. Two knelt against one wall. She wore robes instead of her warframe and was still glowing. "I mean... I am not glowing or anything." The Tenno just looked at her and Violet made an exasperated noise. "I know, I know... Sheesh. I know." She snapped as Two shook her head. "I just... I have always had to be active. Had to do things. This... waiting..." She slumped a bit.
"I understand." Two said quietly. "My kin are out fighting and I cannot help them. It... hurts." Violet nodded agreement and then all three froze as the door to their room opened and Michelle strode in. Without Petra! "Ah... Michelle?"
"This is ultra level classification." Michelle said quietly. "The Royal Guard are making sure no one else is listening. Violet, Two...W hat is the opposite of Chaos?"
"What?" Two and Violet both chorused, but Abigail gave a small cry. Fear or...anticipation?
"Abigail?" Violet asked and then went still as Sister Abigail replied from the woman's mouth.
"Is it time?" Sister Abigail asked quietly. Michelle nodded and the woman who was three beings in one body shook herself and rose. "Then yes. We will help maintain Order. Violet can help. Indeed, we will need her and Two."
"Oh?" Violet asked, her tone a bit worried.
"You will like it." Abigail replied, no... This was Ab'gal'ui. "You won't be able to keep it, but you will like it. One question... How far can you shift?"
"Ah..." Violet looked at the other, her eyes wide. "Why?"
"You need a proper skintight fit to operate it." Ab'gal'ui said, Abigail's mouth moving in to a smile. "And yes, you will get to make things go boom. We need you to cover us while Two and I set the homer."
"Homer?" Violet asked, confused. "What the hell is a homer?"
"A big surprise for a nasty scum." Ab'gal'ui nodded to Two who looked poleaxed. "We didn't forget you either, but we did have your size. I will need your help. You and Violet are warriors. I am not. I can set it, but I cannot protect myself while doing so."
"Set what?" Violet demanded.
"A welcome mat."
The battlefield
The battle was not going well. Abrahaim was more than a match for any of the black armored forms. But there were at least fifty of them and their weapons matched his. They were fighting the Tenno, but not striking to kill, to disable. The Trinity was down, the Excalibur was fighting three chain-axe wielding berserkers at the same time as the Rhino and Bloodthirster still clashed in what was more brawl than battle. Jane had vanished, only to reappear, her shots ending enemy after enemy, never staying in one place long enough to be hit by return fire.
"Just die already!" Horus screamed as warp fire flew from his fingers at the red armored Space Marine. "Fool! You cannot stand against the Ruinous Powers!" The flying energy caught the rolling Space Marine and he went down in a heap, the black armored forms pouring bolter fire into his still form.
Then the entire group, perhaps ten of the Chaos Space Marines, were wiped away by a series of explosions. All eyes turned to where a huge spindly form was stomping it's legs into the ground. Two long square things on top of it lowered into place and started to glow as the odd robot thing turned to aim at Horus. It fired both of its railguns, and the Chaos Sorcerer was hurled backwards to slam into a wall. He stared at it, stunned, but unhurt.
"Oh, I so have to get me one of these!" Violet's delighted voice came from the Broadside battlesuit. "Die, you prick!"
Then she cut loose.