++Chapter 1+++
"Humanity is dying. I see its life ebb away with each passing day, not in the war torn battlefields of the crusade, but in the faces of the Astartes that fight for its survival and the gods that lead them. In striving to forge a mighty empire, we are slowly losing what once made us human. The tighter we clutch to our heritage, the more it slips through our fingers, what good is an empire if we lose sight of who we were?"
+++Valdes Rival, Primarch of the II Legion+++
+31st Millennium+
Shells fell like plump raindrops, slamming into the already shattered earth and exploding into rosebuds of fire. Titans lumbered overhead, shaking the ground with their heavy tread and felling the huge obsidian spires with their thunderous guns. Tanks rolled over mounds of crumpled bodies, their treads slick with filth and blood, their huge weapon mounts tracing back and forth in search of a fresh target. The indigenous people of Seventy three- sixteen referred to the city as Haven, though now it bore more in common with Hell.
Captain Nathan Avaro, master of the second Company lifted his snarling chainsword and pointed down the main boulevard
"Push up" he bellowed, the other Astartes in the company broke into a battle march, bounding over rubble and bodies in a relentless advance. Bullets from emplacements ahead stitched the ground at their feet as the next emplacement lit up
"Contact, 500 metres, fortified" he bellowed before hurling a grenade towards the bunker. It went off, the orange flames licking the reinforced outer walls. Switching his Bolter to full auto he sprayed the gun port. Screams echoed from the inside as the explosive rounds met their mark. "MOVE!" he roared, the men charged forwards ducking in and out of cover. The rest of the emplacement lit up with gunfire as the defenders attempted to hold off the charging Space Marines. Squad Orion was first to reach the bunker, their Bolters barked, tearing through the K'tari posted there.
"Neutralised" came the confirmation. Avaro increased his pace
"Continue down the main boulevard, neutralize any hostiles"
"Captain!" Orion's voice crackled in the Captain's ear "Weapons platform, advancing." True to the sergeant's word a large insect like weapons platform was scuttling down the street towards them, unleashing torrents of silver needles in the direction of the advancing Astartes.
"Cover!" the Captain barked and the men at his heels all obeyed immediately, crouching behind felled masonry as the heavier weapons were brought to bear. The captain gritted his teeth, switching vox channels
"Bastion breacher shells, 40 metres North of my position"
"Aye sir" came the static laced reply. Avaro lifted a clenched fist and counted down in his head. Three, two, one. A high density explosive shell slammed into the scorpion like heavy weapons platform, belching flames and smoke, it keeled over, its legs twitching as its servos powered down. The men at the emplacement scattered, screaming as some of them caught fire. Avaro straightened up and fired off a series of four round bursts, each volley obliterating one of the fleeing militia.
The world was human, one of the many colonies founded centuries ago, but time away from their brothers on Holy Terra had left them weak, and corrupt. Initial contact had revealed that not only had the inhabitants of Seventy three- sixteen adopted deities, but had infused their own genetic makeup with those of foul Xenos species. Resulting in a militant force of grotesquely deformed hybrids, each adorned with slabs of raw muscle and sinew, making them stand almost as tall as an Astartes, though they lacked the efficiency and speed of the amassed Astartes force raining down on them.
The assault on the false Emperor's palace had been orchestrated perfectly, utilising the Legions strengths and forming a carefully timed battle plan. Everything had been accounted for.
Avaro climbed over the rubble and began to jog past the twitching weapons platform. The palace lay ahead of them, like a jewelled crown amidst a black and scorched carcass. Through the sound of the numerous warhead detonations Avaro could make out the bloodcurdling warcries of the Third Company. Sergeant Orion appeared at his captain's shoulder
"Looks like Rax has started without us" the Sergeant chuckled
"Then we'd better follow up, I'll never hear the end of it if the Third reach the objective before us" Avaro grinned beneath his snub nosed Helm. In the ramshackle defence line the blood slathered silhouettes of the Third company stood, towering over their opponents, swatting them aside with brutal swings of crackling mauls and hammers. A small squad of breachers stood at the golden gilded doors, pounding them relentlessly with power fists in an effort to crack open the citadel ahead of schedule, too impatient to wait for the Rapier weapon batteries to arrive. Avro issued a series of curt orders, organising his men into fire teams and spreading them around the defences to allow for maximum coverage. Weapon ports in the palace walls opened up, revealing thin barrelled cannons, each one spitting a torrent of silver barbs into the Astartes below
"Shields!" Avaro barked, and his men responded instantly, either raising their storm and combat shields or ducking behind their fellows, using the time to load armour piercing rounds into their Bolters. When the fire stopped, the shield bearers crouched, allowing the Marines with freshly loaded Bolters to fire over their shoulders, spraying the ports with the high velocity rounds, tearing the automated defences to pieces, the fragments raining down on the heads of the Third company. With a dull grinding the huge doors opened, allowing the next wave of the palace guard to pour though the gap, their lithe frames and glittering armour was at odds with the dull brutes the Astartes had encountered on approach. They slipped between the bulkier Third company and seemingly made a beeline for the Second, glittering barbs flying from their bronze gauntlets.
"BRACE" Avaro shouted, the mass of men slammed into the front ranks, the marines pushing back, using their heavily armoured shoulders, shattered them like glass. Before the broken bodies hit the earth the marines drew their combat blades and struck back. Robbed of its force the charging mass of the palace guard were quickly dispersed. Bolters were maglocked to belts and exchanged for pistols. The fire teams held their ground, battering and slashing their would-be attackers, forcing the shimmering tide of half-men back through sheer brutal efficiency. Avaro flipped his Bolter onto his back and drew his chainsword. Thumbing the activation stud to send it into snarling, angry life he swung the weapon in a wide arc, hacking through numerous adversaries. Blood splattered across his chestplate. He pointed to the doors with his whirring chainsword, urging the fire teams onwards to the palace itself. Seeing that their assault was ineffective, the K'tari attempted to turn and flee to the safety of the palace, but they were quickly smashed against the anvil that was the Third Company. Avaro watched as a single terminator smashed aside half a dozen guards with a single swing of his crackling power maul.
Avaro's forces abandoned their close quarters armaments in favour of their Bolters, ejecting empty magazines and slamming fresh ones into the housing as they clambered over the last defence line and into the marble halls of the palace.
The entrance hall was a cavernous affair, tall pillars of startling white marble held aloft the curved ceiling. More of the guards were inside, waiting for their assailants to breach the walls. Those Astartes who were earthbound were forced to pile in through the doors, spreading out and replying to the showers of silver needles with the echoing bark of their Boltguns and the atrium quickly became a swirling maelstrom of blood and noise. Its once tranquil fountains turned red with blood as the weapons of the Astartes formed an orchestra of violent death. Avaro took point, calling squad Orion to his side and charging them forwards, forging a path straight through the middle of the chamber, unperturbed by the incoming fire.
Needles shattered against Avaro's breastplate, some sticking fast in his armour, but failing to penetrate with any kind of depth. Unlike the men who had charged through the doors, the warriors guarding the palace's interior bore heavier armour and held thin scimitars in their gauntleted hands. Avaro reached their foes and swung his chainsword in a wide arc, splitting three men open, their gold armour offering little protection. Another of the K'tari lurched forwards, aiming a blow at Avaro's helmeted head. With a curt backswing, Avaro cleaved the man in two, the blade running from groin to collar with little resistance. Squad Orion divided their fire between their attackers, sending waves of disciplined fire into the ranks of the K'tari guard. Orion lifted his power fist before slamming it into another guard, trying to strike his Captain whilst he was dispatching another. Avaro gave the sergeant a curt nod before raising vox to the rest of his company.
"Hold your ground, Orion with me, we forge on."
Through the dimly lit tunnels expanding beneath the palace's gaudy surface, the ten man squad tracked through the darkness, Bolters raised, the dull glow of their helmet's autolenses the only colour in the blackness. Leering skulls sat in small alcoves either side within the tunnels observing the intruders. Avaro's grip tightened on his chainsword "Stay frosty sergeant" he muttered, Orion nodded. Ahead of them the tunnel turned sharply to the right, the bend decorated by a suit of battered obsidian armour. One by one, each of the Astartes passed the suit. Avaro lingered to inspect it briefly. Across the breastplate and flat surfaces were the dull red sigils that had been seen at sites across the city, religious icons, a mark against the Imperial truth.
The tunnel opened out into a vast circular chamber, lit only by a beam of light in the room's centre, lighting a flat stone tablet, suspended off the floor by some form of arcane science. Hooded figures stood sentinel over the pallid corpse spread across the slab. An Astartes, sporting multiple lacerations across the face and chest. The raven hair and piercing green eyes, similar to Avaro's own stared up at the ceiling, unblinking.
With a series of quick hand gestures and signals, Avaro commanded the squad to spread out, the light distorting compounds in their ceramite armour activating, causing them to almost vanish into the shadows around the edge of the room. Each one screwing a silencer onto the barrel of their Bolters. The scent of incense wafted through Avaro's helmet grill, the alien scent causing him to wrinkle his nose. A low chanting echoed through the chamber, uttered by the robed figures. One of the apparent cultists stepped forwards, lowering his hood to reveal a thin golden crown, topped with a gem of cut onyx. The Emperor laid his hands onto the chest of the dead Astartes and began to recite some strange incantation. Whisps of red energy spiralled through the beam of light above, curling and twisting as though it were alive, tendrils breaking off and reaching for the wounds on the warrior's chest. They had seen enough. Avaro gritted his teeth and lifted an open hand. After a few moments he clenched. The muffled cracks of the silenced Boltguns sounded, almost as one single shot. The cult vanished in a cloud of blood, fragments of bone spinning through the air. In the same instant the Astartes uncloaked and became visible. Avaro darted forwards, into the light and lifted his Bolter, the blackened barrel poised before the Empror's startled face. The man's fear quickly dissolved into rage
"What have you done?" the man spat, the words ill formed and sharp on the ear. Avaro didn't waver
"This war is over" he grunted "cease whatever vile ceremony you are performing and surrender"
"Why?" the man spat
"If you deny us your unconditional surrender, we shall be forced to continue our assault" the captain paused "this could have been avoided, we wanted peace"
"And you brought weapons to force it upon the unwilling" the Emperor growled, reaching into the folds of his robe. Orion's gauntleted hand clamped down on the man's shoulder
"Hands where we can see them" the Sergeant growled. The Emperor withdrew his hand and lifted them so that the rest of the squad could see them
"This is the nature of your Imperium?" the man smirked, Avaro ignored the foul jibe
"Orion, escort him to the extraction point, contact the Chamberlin, tell them to cease the bombardment"
"You shall do nothing!" the old man spat, reaching into the folds of his robe and drawing a thin barrelled pistol. In on swift motion, Avaro reached out, crushing both the weapon and the wielder's hand in his grip. The Emperor howled in pain and attempted to pull his hand free. Avaro released, and their prisoner slumped to the floor, hunched over and staring daggers at the armoured giants around him.
"Don't" Avaro cautioned. But the man didn't listen, he reached out and snatched up his ceremonial dagger before lunging towards Avaro. The tip of Avaro's combat knife pierced the Ktari's chest, halting him in his tracks. Sucking in a series of painful breaths, the Emperor fell to the ground, staring up at Avaro with accusing eyes
"Murderer" he wheezed "murderer" he repeated. Avaro crouched beside the dying man. Cradling his head in his hands, he was old, wrinkles covered his palled face.
"You brought this on yourself" Avaro shook his head "you drew first blood. You forced our hand" taking a firm grip on his combat blade, the Captain delivered the mercy stroke, a clean death, an honourable death. Avaro turned to the body on the slab. Brother Darneus, sent as a negotiator for peace, he'd been cut down shortly after making planetfall, a betrayal of trust, and first blood on the part of the K'tari. "Leave the cadaver for the Apothecaries" Avaro instructed, unclasping his helmet and placing it into the crook of his elbow. With his free hand he reached out and closed the Astartes' blank eyes "For the Second Legion" he muttered. Before turning to take his leave. Something beneath their feet rumbled. Orion turned to his Captain
"What was that?"
Riox went first. Split from shoulder to groin before he could so much as cry out. His body slammed into the ground. Orion turned to face a towering iron giant. Having been activated by some arcane device in the palace's defence system the metal statues began to animate themselves. Hissing and clanking they advanced on the group. Each step cracking the ground beneath their plated boots.
"Form ranks!" Avaro replaced his helmet and thumbed the activation stud on his chainsword and took it in a two handed grip. Bolters were fired an instant later. The explosive rounds slamming into the advancing machines. They showed no signs of slowing. A blade jabbed forwards and slipped under Nestra's guard, and his insides were torn free. Blood sprayed across Avaro's chest. Rage boiled in his blood and he dived forwards, tearing through the iron beast's wrists with a firm backhand strike. The hands fell free and the grinding cogs inside the creatures arm were exposed. Carrying the momentum Avaro struck outwards. The impact slammed into another of the guardians, its chest plate shuddering under the impact. Chunks of metal bounced off of the stone floor. In a sickening moment Avaro realised they were the teeth of his chainsword. Something hard struck him across the back, his head slammed into the ground and the lenses of his helmet cracked. He rolled and felt the juddering impact of automaton's blade beside him.
Antonio unleashed a torrent of fire into the beast, giving his Captain time to retreat back to the group. The squad unleashing magazine after magazine into the guardians. Avaro pulled the helmet from his head and cast it aside before adding his own gun to the battery. The guardian's advance was slow as the rusted gears within their systems strained to keep the monsters upright. Another fresh magazine slammed into Avaro's gun and he sent a torrent of bullets into the face of the closest iron warrior. It paused momentarily before swinging its blade in a wide arc.
"Get down!" Avaro dropped to his knees. But another of the squad was torn apart, his decapitated body sailing across the room and hitting the wall with a sickening crunch.
"It's no good" Antonio sent another column of fire into the beasts. "Their armour's too dense" a voice like a feral roar broke through the fighting. Avaro turned to see Dominus Rax hurl his power axe into the face of the closest guardian, a dozen marines, clad in tactical dreadnought armour stormed into the room and ploughed into the huge monsters. An orchestra of weapons lit up, and peppered the hulking machines, driving them away from the prone squad. The third company powered forwards bellowing battle cries and whooping as they carried out their bloody work. Their power fists smashing into the guardians repeatedly, punching holes in their armour and knocking them to the ground. Rax ran past them and retrieved his axe, giving Avaro a curt nod before joining the fray.