Edits made: Name of Vincent Shultz's brother.
Paul Armiel's name.
Description of battlefield.
Commissar Plymouth's weaponry
Chapter 2 – The Coming Storm
Any Cadian who can't fieldstrip his own lasgun by the age of 10 was born on the wrong planet.
- Common Quote, Imperial Guard of Cadia.
Standing before the beauty and glory that was the Webway gate, the Eldar Farseer was kneeled down before it, her witchblade lying in front of her. She closed her eyes and removed her helmet and headgear, revealing a rather beautiful, young-looking female Elf with reddish brown hair and silver-colouered eyes, whose face was that of tiredness. She gently placed her helm down next to her witchblade and focussed, channelling her psychic energies towards the Webway.
'Archon of Eden,' she thought into the webway, 'Can you hear me? Have your own people turned on you? Do you require assistance?'
She was expecting an answer from this 'Guardian' as she attempted to reach out for him. What she received in response was what sounded like static. The Farseer was beginning to feel grim as she thought harder, trying to reach him…but to no avail. But still, she tried again, not wanting to give up on him that easily.
'Archon of Eden, Protector of Life,' she thought again, 'Will you not respond to me? Will you not heed our calls? Is there not proof that you are still alive?'
And judging from the fact she wasn't receiving any of this proof, she felt a tear slip from her eye, which rolled down her cheek as sadness overwhelmed her. She let it roll down off her face and onto the floor, where she handled her helmet and put it back on, where she gripped her staff, commonly known as a witchblade in the Eldar tongue. She turned around just in time to greet a Seer Councillor.
"Exalted Farseer Taldeer," the male Seer bowed, "Have you managed to reach him?"
"I fear he may no longer be able to return our favour," she responded, "His own people have no understanding of what his position in life is."
The Seer looked shocked, "You mean is he dead, Farseer?"
"I can not be sure," Taldeer replied, "All I know is that I can not reach him, therefore we must expect the worst."
A cloak-wearing Ranger suddenly appeared in the doorway leading toward the Webway gate, looking breathless as his mask was missing, as was his rifle. Both the Seer and the Farseer looked his way, questioningly.
"Farseer," the Ranger struggled to say, "The Imperials…they have breached out perimeter. Sturnn is with them."
The Seer looked at the Ranger as if he was crazy, before suddenly turning to the Farseer.
"Who else would they send to finally vanquish us?" Taldeer queried, before saying with determination, "It is time we settled this matter now, and for good."
----------
It was a rainy, stormy night on some God-forsaken deserted rock, which was now scarred through the tides of war as both human and elf, Imperial and Eldar, fought one another amongst the mud, blood, and bodies. The amount of gunfire, explosions, screams and barking orders was almost enough to drown out the sound of the rain falling down.
"YOU FILTHY ALIENS! GO BACK TO YOUR OWN FUCKING HOMEWORLD!"
A single Imperial Guardsman went bayonet against singing sword where he spouted curses as he drove his bayonet through the neck of the Eldar Guardian, before pulling the trigger and firing his lasgun, separating the head from the neck. He then begun to laugh like crazy as the effects of war finally begun to chew away at his sense. He was still laughing as the next Eldar ran up to him and hack him down, where his blood was mixed with those who already laid dead on the muddy no-man's land.
The sounds of gunfire, both men and Eldar screaming, the pounding of the Leman Russ battle tank, the Eldar Fire Prism hovertank and the Basilisk artillery cannons filled the night air as the rain came down in massive torrents over the large, narrow trench system. The men clad in their flak jackets and armed with their lasguns were already knee-deep in a mix of water, mud, blood and bodies, both Imperial and Ulthwe Eldar. They shivered immensely as they each huddled under their rain-coats and near each other as they leaned against the wall of the trench, in a vain effort to keep warm, and to regain closure, not caring if the Commissar came along to stir them back to attention.
And the scarred, middle-aged Commissar looked over his platoon and he rolled his eyes in annoyance. The Imperial Commissar appearing to be in his late fifties and just happened to be armed with a sabre in his left hand, then aimed his laspistol up in the air. He then pulled the trigger, where instantly the men cried out in fright and gripped their weapons. The Commissar then had a rather disturbed look on his face, where he then aimed his lasgun at the nearest guardsman, who eyes widened in fright.
"Any of you even think of dozing off and letting the witches flank us, you'll be the first to know of my irritancy," the Commissar cried out, "Got it?"
The guardsman nodded quickly, "Ye…yes, sir!"
The Commissar nodded and lowered his pistol, "Now, Fix bayonets! We are preparing to climb over and drive these foul aliens off the face of this rock!"
With that, the guardsmen platoon of twenty so-called proud and strong Imperial Guardsmen pulled out their bayonets and attached them to the end of their rifles, a few of them muttering silent prayers to the Emperor, one of whom was a young blue-eyed, orange-haired, freckle-faced nineteen-year old farm boy. His eyes were closed tightly as he prayed silently, holding his bead necklace in his hands.
"Please, highest," he said, slightly stressed, "Please watch over me as I take the plunge in my first battle. If something should happen to me, please watch over my family. Especially, Karl."
He then felt a cold hand on his shoulder, where he turned to see the elderly Commissar smiling at him. The guardsman's eyes widened, slightly panicked at the sight of a Commissar smiling. He knew they would only look at you to either threaten you or kill you, and most times it would be both.
"What's your name, son?" the Commissar asked.
"P…Private Second Class Vincent Schultz, sir," the private replied, stuttering slightly.
"Well, Private Schultz," the Commissar said, "You will make your family proud today as you and your comrades expunge these foul aliens from the Emperor's realm. Remember that he is watching you from his Golden Throne."
"Yes, sir," the guardsman known as Vincent said, smiling slightly, "I will remember that, sir."
"Good," the Commissar said, before his smile vanished and he narrowed his eyes, "Just don't fail me, alright?"
Vincent eyes widened and he gulped painfully, the stutter returning, "Y…y…yes sir!"
The Commissar then turned away and continued walking down the trench, his men standing to attention. Commissar Rowan Plymouth knew he could count on his men to get the job down, they always have ever since their own home planet was destroyed. His men, have always gotten the job down, where they had risen up against the odds together for many, many years. Today would be no different.
"ALIENS INCOMING!" a voice called out from the other end of the trench.
Plymouth quickly turned and stepped towards one of the trench's periscopes and looked through it. He frowned when he saw what appeared to be Eldar Wailing Banshees running across the battle-scarred No Man's Land. He gripped his sabre and held his laspistol over his shoulder as he prepared to take the fight to them once and fall.
"PREPARE TO REPEL ELDAR, MEN!" he called out, "FOR THE IMPERIUM! FOR THE EMPEROR!"
The men all let out a loud battle cry and gripped their las-weapons as they raised themselves above the trenches, where they saw the dozens of Eldar Banshees rushing toward them, swords glistening with the blood of the first wave of Imperial Guard they had sliced through. Plymouth was the first to aim his weapon, where he fired a precision shot which hit then nearest Banshee in the face, killing her.
The Imperial Guardsmen then opened up with their lasguns, cutting down the Banshees as they got within metres of the trench. Vincent narrowed his eyes and he looked through the sight of his gun and picked his shots, the sounds of battle being intensified as the Basilisks from behind the trench system begun to open up and pelt the area with shells, sending Banshees flying like rag dolls.
One of them fell into the trench, scaring the hell out of Vincent. It startled him even more when the Banshee got up and swung her sword at the young guardsman, where he swerved to avoid her slash and dive forward, driving his bayonet into her chest. She let out a whimper, blood gushing from her wound and onto Vincent. Not wanting her to suffer, he pulled the trigger and blew her back out, killing her quickly.
"OVER THE TOP!" Plymouth ordered, "NOW!"
The guardsmen all climbed over the top of trench, seeing the massive Imperial concrete fortress that was only a dozen yards away. Eldar gun emplacements fired from the towers and the gun slots as the guardsmen begun to charge across the no-man's land, the rain still coming down from above where they struggled to not fall in the holes caused by the artillery, which was now falling down upon the Eldar-controlled fortress.
Eldar Guardian Squads fire their catapult rifles from their fox holes, where Vincent grabbed one his grenades, pulled the pin and hurled it into the nearest hole, sending the Eldar flying from the resulting explosion. Plymouth as he led the charge hacked his way through an entire Fire Dragon squad, where he drove his sabre through the chest of one Eldar, before pulling his sword out and slashing his head off. He then fired his laspistol at the other members, downing them quickly.
The guardsmen still fired off their las-weapons as they converged over the mud and grim, where the Eldar guardians leapt out of their holes and charged at the guardsmen, at least five squads of ten against almost a hundred Imperials. The guardians drew their blades and slashed down the first line of guardmen, before the next line attacked with their bayonets. Plymouth swung his sabre at the legs of the nearest guardian, sweeping him off his feet before driving his sabre into his chest.
Vincent rejoined his squad as they blasted their way through the attacking Eldar, where the sergeant was the first to greet him.
"Nice of you to rejoin us, Schultz!" the sarge growled, "Try to go Lone Wolf again and I'll have your head!"
"Sorry, sir!" Vincent cried, before firing his lasgun and scoring another Eldar kill, "It won't happen again."
The Imperial Guard soon pushed through the Eldar ground forces, where the Eldar still in the fortress still fired down at them. Vincent was quick to dive into the nearest fox-hole while the laser fire ripped apart the five of his squad, where their screams mirrored that of the Eldar as they were finished off by the guardsmen. Plymouth glared and reached for his earpiece radio.
"General," Plymouth cried, "I need additional fire support."
I hear you, Plymouth, the other line said, Vultures are en-route to your position, so I advise you to take cover.
"Yes, sir!" Plymouth replied, "Will you be joining us soon?"
Of course, the other line replied nonchalantly, My troops have breached the northern and western defences and have taken down whatever resistance these aliens threw at us. Besides, I got some unfinished business with that Farseer.
"Confirmed," Plymouth replied, "Out!"
With that, the roar of Vulture atmosphere gunships was heard as they flew across the battlefield, where they unloaded their Vulcan and missile rounds into the gun ports in the sides of the fortress, blowing away any unfortunate Eldar that manned the guns there, splattering their frail bodies. The guardsmen all cheered as they saw the Eldar defence dwindling gradually, before they broke cover from their foxholes and got back to charging towards the fortress.
Plymouth gripped his weapons as he trudged over the mud and bodies, relieved that splinter fire was no longer blazing from the fortress. He saw the massive front entrance into the fortress slowly close, where he cursed silently as he and his platoon just managed to reach it.
"Damn," he cursed, before banging his fist on the solid door.
Suddenly, gun ports opened to the side of the doors, where two automated guns appeared and begun blazing away at Plymouth and his men. Several were instantly cut down, where Plymouth dropped onto his stomach and quickly aimed and fired his laspistol, destroying the both of them. He then sheathed his sabre and reached for his radio.
"Fire control, this is Plymouth," he begun, "Direct Basilisk fire to grid 4-3-0. Destroy this damn door, will you?"
Affirmative! Get clear in ten seconds.
Plymouth then cried out into the air, "Men, Tactical retreat!"
They then ran away from the blast door and dropped once again into the mud, just in time for the artillery to land directly on the door, blasting a massive hole in it and scattering pieces of metal all overt the place, luckily not toward anyone. Vincent lifted his face up from the mud, where he wiped it away from his eyes.
"ALRIGHT, NOW WE'RE IN BUSINESS!" the sergeant cried, "WHAT ARE YOUR ORDERS?"
Plymouth frowned, "Advance!"
The guardsmen then advanced back towards the fortress, where suddenly two squads of Eldar Warp Spiders phased before them, firing their plasma cannons. Vincent stabbed forward with his bayonet, penetrating through the nearest Warp Spider's white-coloured armour and through the heart, before pulling back out and slashing him across the throat. He and the other guardsmen then fired their lasguns, cutting down the Warp Spiders, where two remaining Eldar teleported out of there and back into the fortress.
"Cowards!" the sergeant cried.
"Keep going!" Plymouth cried, "The objective is near!"
Followed by fifty guardsmen, Plymouth stepped through the hole in the blast door, where he was surprised to see he and his men were not greeted by any more Eldar resistance. They were probably held up in the centre of the fortress, along with the Farseer and her Seer Councillors. He drew his sabre once again and he and his men quietly trudged down the passage from the front entrance, the lights dimming slightly from the artillery that was still falling down on top of the fortress.
They soon reached a junction, where they then noticed shadows approaching from the left. Plymouth and his men gripped their weapons, where with a cry of might they lunged to greet their Eldar enemy…only instead to find a rather battle-hardened Imperial General whose lightning claws were blood-red and his wrist-equipped storm bolter was smoking. Physically he looked as if he was in his late fifties, where his hair was all but greyed over, and he had gained a few scars on his cragged, battle-hardened, yet weary face.
"Nice of you to join us, General Sturnn," Plymouth said, smiling.
The men cheered upon seeing the legendary general himself, where behind him laid several slashed Eldar bodies, some of which had smoking holes in their bodies. The general just smiled and retracted his blades.
"Thank you, Commissar," Sturnn said, "It's good to be on the field once again."
"Where are your men, sir?"
"They've secured the flanks outside the fortress," Sturnn explained, "I'm all that's left of my command squad The artillery will stop soon, seeing as we've secured this facility."
The sergeant of Vincent's squad stepped forward, "Sir, permission to speak?"
"Granted, Sergeant Armiel."
"What are we going to do about the Farseer, sir?" Sergeant Armiel asked.
Sturnn narrowed his eyes, "Leave her to me. I'm going ahead and personally seeing to her demise. Secure this facility until I return…with her head of course."
Armiel turned to Plymouth, where the Commissar nodded and added, "You heard the general. Secure the facility until we return."
The sergeant's eyes widened, seeing that he was going to accompany the general, where then nodded and saluted, "Yes, sir!"
And with that, Plymouth and Sturnn took off down another corridor, where the artillery hitting the fortress gradually fizzled out, where instantly dozens of Eldar appeared out of thin air. A massive close-quarters battle begun in the tight corridors of the fortress, with the guardsmen fighting tooth and nail with their bayonets, against the space elves. Sturnn's claws protracted where he slashed down a Warlock, before driving his claws through the chest of a Guardian. Plymouth parried against a banshee, where she swung at his head, he ducked and slashed her chest open. He then sensed a guardian coming up from behind, so he spun around and fired his laspistol, blowing the top part of his head off.
With his squad behind him, Armiel slashed forward with his sabre, hacking the sword-carrying arm off a guardian, before he rendered his head off. He then aimed his laspistol and fired a precision shot, hitting a warp spider in the head. He then felt himself get swept off his feet and land on his back, where a guardian stood above him, clutching his bloodstained blade. Armiel raised his laspistol, only to have it swatted off his hand. The guardian then brought his blade down, where it penetrated his flak jacket and pierced his chest.
"ARGHHHHH!"
He screamed, feeling the Eldar's blade dig into his chest, before he gritted his teeth and swung his sabre, slicing the guardian's leg off and bringing him down. He then got back and drove his sabre through the guardian's head, his blade coated with alien blood and brain matter. He then struggled to stand up as he continued to fight on, despite being stabbed in the chest.
Sturnn and Plymouth fought their way through the hallway towards the elevators, where Plymouth pushed the call button. They engaged in swordplay with more Eldar, where Sturnn cried out and dove forward, driving his claws through the chest of another Eldar, brining him down to his knees. He then pulled out from his holster underneath his uniform and finished the warp spider off with a shot to the head. Plymouth drove his knee into the gut of a guardian, before bringing his sabre and slicing him across the torso, rendering him in two. In a final act of mercy, he aimed his laspistol at the still-alive Eldar's head and fired, sparing him from the horrors of being torn into two pieces.
The elevator door opened, where the two Imperial officers stepped in, and the doors closed. They felt themselves being slowly lowered down, leaving the battle that was just raging among the hallways of the fortress. Sturnn took this time to load another clip into his storm bolter, while Plymouth held his laspistol even tighter. They knew she and her Councillors would be on the bottom floor, Floor –10 to be precise.
"What do we do once we find the Farseer, general?" Plymouth asked, as the both of them faced the door.
Sturnn frowned, "We kill her, Commissar. That is all there is to it, and I for one am going to enjoy ending her pointless, traitorous life."
Suddenly the lift screamed to a screeching halt, where the lights suddenly went out. Sturnn cursed lightly, quickly figuring out that this was a trap and that in his haste to confront the alien that lost him something valuable years, he fell for it. He extended his claws and penetrated the metal doors, where in an impressive feat of strength for someone his age, he forced the doors to open. He and Plymouth than leaped out of the lift, just before the lift suddenly went down again at an alarming rate, where it then exploded once it hit the bottom.
They were in another hallway with several doors located to the sides. Suddenly, Eldar Fire Dragons busted forth from these doors, fusion guns at the ready. Sturnn and Plymouth narrowed their eyes and with cries of might, charge forward and dodging the fire dragon's blasts, before they engaged in swordplay with the Eldar, blocking against their strikes and countering with their own savage blows, hacking down onto the floor.
"Kaela…Mensha Khaine…" one of the fire dragons moaned as he laid on the blood-soaked floor, "Forgive our…failure."
The Eldar then felt Sturnn's foot crush his chest, before he and Plymouth moved forward. They encountered no more resistance as they reached a staircase at the other end of the hallway and made their way downwards towards the Command Centre, both eager to kill whomever it was that dared bring her minions to one of the Emperor's worlds.
And from the control centre, she watched Plymouth and Sturnn run down the spiralling staircase from the large screen alongside her Seer councillors, all eight of them. Although they couldn't see her face from behind her headgear, they could tell of her feelings of both sadness and vehemence.
"Farseer Taldeer," a female Seer begun, "What do we do now?"
The Ulthwe Farseer known as Taldeer lowered her head in sadness, "The Imperials would not heed our warnings and calls to fight this new menace. I'm afraid, brother and sisters, that we on our own once again."
"Surely you don't mean that?" another Seer asked, "There has got to be at least one human who would be willing to ally with us."
Taldeer turned to the Seers, "I am afraid that he may be no longer be with us, having being put down by his own people just for accepting our help. Ever since Medusa V, the humans would not take any more chances."
"You're damn right about that, Farseer!"
The Eldar turned to the doorway to see General Sturnn and Commissar Plymouth standing in the doorway, their blades soaked in Eldar blood, as was their boots. Sturnn wiped the blood off his forehead, flicking it onto the ground, before he smiled, seeing his prey. Taldeer stepped forward away from her Seers, to better confront the general.
"General Sturnn," Taldeer begun, somewhat amused, "This is somewhat unexpected. We were just settling here in this seemingly abandoned fortress for the week and you come along, unprovoked, to vanquish us."
Sturnn chuckled, "That sounds very familiar, Farseer. And goddamn it that sounds hilarious."
He then frowned, where he balled his fists.
"You costed me something very important to me. More important than my own life," he said menacingly, "Remember Lorn V?"
"Perfectly," Taldeer replied, voice rising in defiance, "There was nothing we could have done to save your Titan. It was either it's destruction or the downfall of the entire universe. Surely you would understand that, General…and…"
Her voice suddenly begun soft again which surprised both Sturnn and Plymouth immensely.
"…might I inquire how as to how you managed escaped from the Titan as it was in it's final death throws?"
"That's classified, Farseer!" Sturnn exclaimed, the surprise having quickly worn off him.
With that he got into a battle stance and stared down the Farseer, preparing for combat. Plymouth followed suit, raising his sabre.. Taldeer gripped her staff, while the Seer pulled out their energy blades.
"I never thought that we would ever need to fight each other, General," Taldeer continued, "Our interests in protecting all that live, our own species, are mutual. You understand that, do you not?"
"Of course," Sturnn smiled, "But we don't want to understand the way you aliens think. It's nothing compared to the teachings of our Emperor."
"I can think of one human who did have a interest in us, and suffered for it."
Sturnn and Plymouths' eyes widened…
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH, ELDAR!" the General then cried out where he had not wanted to be reminded about the one they call 'the only good human.'
And with that Sturnn and Plymouth charged forward, where they fired their guns. Farseer opened up a psychic shield, stopping the bolts in their trail. She then cried out in might and the shield expanded, which hit them and sent them flying backwards, where they sprawled out on the floor. Sturnn grunted in pain, before he charged.
"Predictable," Taldeer cried, "You are foolish to make me do this."
She then spun her staff around, creating a massive psychic blast, which enveloped Sturnn in elemental power. He cried out in pain as he felt the energy circulate through his being, frying him from the inside. His claws retracted and protracted as he felt like the nerves in his arm and hands begun melted. He gritted his teeth in pain as he felt himself get lifted up in the air.
"GENERAL!" Plymouth cried as he picked himself up.
All that Sturnn could remember before he passed out was the sound of Plymouth firing his laspistol and the swoosh of his sabre made when he swung it…
--- 3 MONTHS LATER ---
The general remembered all that was months ago as he sat at his desk in his office as he went over several documents following the capture of that fortress and the disappearance of Farseer Taldeer and her remaining Eldar. He had wondered what had happened once he regained consciousness, where his Cadian 412th and Plymouth's First-and-Only had secured the fortress and indeed the planet. Plymouth told him that Taldeer and her Seer Councillors had managed to escape through a Webway portal built into the bowels of the fortress, which was immediately destroyed after they went through. And with that, Sturnn rubbed his forehead both in frustration and disdain.
"Damn aliens," he muttered, "Damn them all."
He looked out the window of this office to see the hustle and bustle that Cadia, where thousands of guardsmen marched through the city streets accompanied by Sentinel walkers and Leman Russ'. The Cadian people went about their daily lives, either working in one of the hundreds of armament and vehicle factories or training with the deadliest weapons the Imperium could produce.
All this was not surprising on this massive fortress world, with it being Imperium's main defence against the Eye of Terror, the gateway to the Immaterium, or The Warp, where all of Chaos' minions and creatures resides. Ever since the end Abaddon the Despoilers' thirteenth Black Crusade just last year, security had increased tenfold, with almost a billion Imperial Guard now stationed on the surface and about a hundred ships in orbit, ready for when Chaos attempt to invade once again.
The same could be said about the destruction of Medusa V, with security around Terra and it's outlying planets and systems tightened as well…even more so than usual, anyway. He turned his head to the doorway when it suddenly opened, revealing a young Cadian officer.
He saluted, "General. You're presence is required in the Holo-Conference room, sir."
"Who summons me?" Sturnn asked.
"Lord Castellan Creed and Chapter-Master Calgar of the Ultramarines, sir."
Sturnn nodded and sat up, where he stepped forward towards the officer, who led him out of the office and down the hallway past several other officers, including Sergeant Paul Armiel, whose eyes widened on seeing him. He smiled, and suddenly gritted his teeth in slight pain as his chest ached slightly. Ever since that last battle with the Eldar, his chest still felt irritant at having been stabbed by a Eldar witchblade. He stepped up to the general, who slightly rolled his eyes at the sight of the man.
"General, general sir!" he exclaimed, quickly saluting, "You said you would see me now?"
"It'll have to wait, sergeant," Sturnn said, still walking with Armiel in pursuit, "The Lord Castellan himself requests my presence."
Armiel felt his throat tighten, before he stopped following Sturnn and stood his ground, where he said, "Yes sir."
"See me in about four hours," Sturnn finished, his brown eyes staring down at the purple-eyed, black-bearded sergeant who was in his late thirties, before he continued on down the hallway, "And maybe we'll discuss your possible transfer to Armageddon."
Armiel frowned at seeing him go and mentally cursed at himself, once again being turned down for an audience over a request to transfer to planet Armageddon and to the Steel Legionnaires, believing they saw more action than the Cadian 412th. To him, a man of his expertise deserved to be among others who put their lives on the line for the good of the Imperium, not 'boys' like that little prick Private Schultz
With that Paul Armiel sighed, rubbed his left arm and proceeded to walk back towards the barracks. He considered Cadia, the 'most peaceful' world ever in the entire Imperium. This was so called because Chaos hadn't attempted another invasion in the months following their half-victory and subsequent downfall, where as quickly as they had came they had fled back into the Eye.
A/N: Remember the 'Eye Of Terror' worldwide campaign back in 2003?
Sturnn and the officer were before the door leading into the holographic conference room. The officer saluted as the door opened and Sturnn stepped through, being greeted by nothing but a barely lit room. He stepped forward onto a round pad with the Imperial coat of arms on it, where he stood perfectly. Two other pad lit up a translucent greet before him.
"This is Sturnn, Cadian 412th, ID #4536-2219," he said to the computer system built into room, "Awaiting transmission."
Granted, a computerised voice announced, Welcome, General Sturnn. Patching through…Lord Castellan Ursarkar E. Creed and Lord Macragge Marneus Calgar, both on Frequency 43.5.
The room was then bathed in total dark, where a light shone down on Sturnn from abobe. The two other hologram projectors produced images of a man in his late seventies dressed in military uniform with cape and a Space Marine equipped in his towering Terminator armour. Sturnn was quick to salute the images, where the other Imperial officer returned the salute, while the Space Marine Chapter-Master just folded his arms.
"Lord Castellan, Chapter-Master Calgar," Sturnn begun, still holding the salute, "It is an honour to see the both of you in person at once."
"Thank you, General," Creed said, before lowering his saluting hand, "I hope we haven't distracted you from your duties."
Sturnn shook his head, "Not at all, my lord."
"That's good," Calgar said, "Because we are in dire need of both your expertise and your assistance. We have a situation which may prove to be fatal for the survival of the Imperium and possibly the Emperor himself."
Sturnn's eyebrows crossed themselves, "What is it, my lord?"
Creed cleared his throat, "It's the remnants of Chaos' twisted social experiment, the Children of Eden."
Sturnn's eyes widened, "Eden? The planet destroyed during Mission: Xenos!"
"It would seem fate has woken these traitors up," Calgar explained, "They have being silent for about 14 years. And so soon after the destruction of Papetoon in the Lylat System."
"Where were they last seen, my lord?" Sturnn asked.
"They were spotted by our Kew surveillance outpost at 1435 hours yesterday," Creed explained, "A fleet of about six starships passed through the sector and before we could deploy our fighter squadrons, they entered warpdrive and evaded us. Tell me, General…"
Creed then narrowed his eyes.
"…what lies at least a five-hundred light years from Kew?"
Sturnn mouth was agape slightly, "The Lylat System? But why would they travel to the furry sector?"
"We do not know, general," Calgar replied, "But, given Eden's long history, it's obvious isn't it?"
Sturnn frowned, "Indeed. What would you have me do, my lord?"
"I am assigning you to pursue these wretched beings and to expunge them from the face of the universe," Creed briefed, "But I want you to spare their leader so we can try him for crimes against humanity and the Emperor. Lord Calgar and the Ultramarines 1st Company will be accompanying you."
Calgar nodded, "We have waited long to destroy the Children of Eden. Their history of foul, evil and unclean experimentation will die alongside them. "
"Commissar Plymouth has been relieved of his current duties and has been reassigned to you once again, General," Creed said, "He will be observing how smoothly this operation will go. And if necessary, he will take drastic actions to make sure it does so."
"Yes, my lord," Sturnn replied, feeling slight vehemence over being assigned a personal Commissar who could be ordered at any time to end his life if he screwed this up, but he did good at keeping his own irritancy to himself before the Lord Castellan.
"This will be your only chance to reclaim your lost honour, General," Calgar said, reminding him of his failure nearly a decade and a half ago, "Do you recount Lorn V?"
"Perfectly, Chapter-Master," Sturnn replied, eyes narrowed.
"Oh, and one more thing," Creed said, "If you should encounter any Lylatians during your mission…consider them expendable."
And with that Creed smiled, as did Calgar. This prompted Sturnn to produce his own grin, purely out of obligation.
"It will be done," Sturnn acknowledged.
Both Creed and Calgar nodded, where the Chapter-Master said, "I will be seeing you on Kew, where we will travel across the blackness that is space to the furry cesspool that is Lylat. If they know what is best for them, they will stay out of our way."
"Good luck to the both of you," Creed said, then cried out, "FOR THE EMPEROR!"
"FOR THE EMPEROR!" Sturnn and Calgar sounded off as one.
The holograms of both Creed and Calgar disappeared, where the lights switched back on in the conference room. Sturnn just stood there, comprehending what his new mission was. He couldn't help but shake his head slightly, looking at the ground.
"The Children of Eden?" he said to himself softly, "Why them, why now? After so long, why now?"
And with that, he turned on his heels and stepped out of the room, where he wasn't surprised to see Plymouth waiting for him, standing to attention. He saluted, where the general was quick to return the salute, before looking at the Commissar straight in the eye.
"I received word of my new assignment, General," Plymouth said, "I hope you don't mind."
Sturnn shook his head and surprisingly smirked, where he patted the commissar shoulder in a friendly manner, "Not at all, old friend.
"What are your orders, sir?"
The General crossed his arms and frowned once again, before exclaiming with total authority, "Spread word to the men of the 412th: We're going on a furry hunt!"
Plymouth's eyes widened in surprise, before he smiled and saluted again, "Right away, sir! It will be my honour!"
A quarter of an hour later all military personnel were running towards the parade grounds outside the base; dressed in full gear including flak jackets, backpacks and las-weaponry. Each and every one of those Guardsmen was hurried along by their sergeants, who each gripped their sabres and ran alongside their men, eager to get them before the General or otherwise face summary discipline, which had been always unpleasant.
"MOVE IT, YOU DOGS!" one sergeant was heard to boom out, "YOU WANT TO FACE THE GENERAL'S WRATH? THEN MOVE LIKE THE EMPEROR HAS GIVEN YOU PURPOSE!"
Soon ten thousand Guardsmen stood on the Imperial-emblem marked asphalt of the parade grounds outside the base, where they each stood to attention as they face the command centre's main balcony from where the General would address them. And the moment he stepped into view, accompanied by Plymouth and three other Cadian officers…
"GUARDSMEN! BEFORE GENERAL STURNN, SALUTE!" the officers accompanying the Guardsmen ordered.
…they saluted, where the officers and sergeants raised their sabres into the air. Sturnn smiled lightly, seeing how even after his failure back on Lorn V these men were still loyal towards him and saw him as one of the most valiant Imperial officers in mankind's long history. His smile then faded and he gave his trademark frown, where he then got down to business. He cleared his throat and spoke in his loud, gruff, authoritative voice
"Guardsmen of the Cadian 412th," Sturnn begun, "Highest servants of the Emperor of Mankind. He has once again called upon our services towards the continued survival and future of the Imperium. For he has entrusted us with a very special mission, one which may be our most greatest triumph in our regiment's history."
All Guardsmen looked up hopefully at the General, hanging on his every word.
'Nice opening, Sturnn,' Plymouth thought snidely, 'Couldn't have put it better myself.'
"As we speak, the Children of Eden are on the move. And of right now are slowly approaching the Lylat System. We have finally rooted these parasites from their holes and the time has now come to crush them for good, finally ending the menace of these…these…"
He narrowed his eyes.
"…sub-humans."
And with that every Guardsman cheered into the air, raising their lasguns high into the air, as well as pumping their fists towards the general. Sturnn raised his right arm from which held his storm bolter and fired into the air, silencing the Guardsmen.
"And if the populous of the Lylat System, civilian or soldier, were to help these traitors in anyway, we will make damn sure every single furry in that sector feels the Emperor's wrath. They will die…like the animals they are!"
The Guardsmen cheered once again, where this time Sturnn made no effort to silence the frenzied hordes.
"So prepare yourselves," Sturnn continued, "For in three days time, we once again GO TO WAR!"