Hello again! :)

Well, here's the next chapter, as promised.

*insert disclaimer from Chapter One here* (I'm lazy :P)

Let me know what you all think :D

Chapter Two

Angels' Arrival

Dios stared down at the Guardsman at his feet. He had forgotten how most humans reacted to his presence. Awe, fear, inspiration; he knew all these things ran through the hearts of those who had never before seen a member of the Adeptus Astartes, the name given to all Space Marines. These feelings had gripped Dios himself, over one and half centuries ago, when he was first selected by the Angels of Vengeance to compete in the Angel's Task, the trails that potential aspirants must undergo, and pass, in order to begin the long and painful transformation into a Space Marine.

Memories flew unbidden to his mind as Dios observed the unconscious human beneath him. Memories of his time on his home world, the hive-planet of Seles…

--

Dios was a young boy again, having not seen his thirteenth year yet. Seles was a massive hive-world; towering spires crammed with people reached from the dark sky. The wealthy amongst them lived in the upper spires, in luxury. Dios hated them. He was forced to live in the lower slums, forced to fight for every day of survival, to kill for each meal. The 'nobility', as they called themselves, wouldn't survive a day down here. But Dios could.

In his years, he had grown strong; his body was thin and cut, with lean muscle visible below the skin. No one in this sector of the slums dared go against Dios. They had seen what had happened to those who had tried before.

In the memory he had returned to, Dios stood over the lifeless corpse of one of those wretches foolish enough to challenge him. The corpse clutched a laspistol, though its finger had never been given the chance to use it. Dios turned behind him, expecting the grins of his gang staring back at him. What he saw drove a fear he had never known deep into his heart.

A monster of a man stood before him, clad in jet-black power armor. He stood over three heads taller than Dios, and was over four times his girth. Glaring red eyes stared down at Dios from the monster's helmet. The red hooded winged skull stood out against the black surface of the ceramite. At his side was a holstered bolt pistol, on the opposite side, a sheathed chainsword.

"What is your name, hive scum?" the black armored warrior asked.

Dios bristled at the obvious insult. He stood straighter and stared directly back into the red eyes, "My name is Dios."

"I take it that was your doing?" He pointed to the ruined face of the corpse behind Dios.

The young human grinned, "Yes."

"Interesting."

Dios tilted his head, "Who are you to ask all these questions of me?"

The man remained quiet, yet Dios could hear a series of clicks coming from his helmet. Finally, he spoke again, "Dios, come with me." He reached out to the boy.

Taking a step back, Dios didn't understand, "Who are you?"

For a moment the man was silent. "I am Veteran Sergeant Bram of the Angels of Vengeance Sixth Company."

"Angels of Ven…" Dios began to say. Then realization dawned on him. The stories were true. This world, Seles, was a reaping ground for the Adeptus Astartes, the legendary Space Marines who carried the Emperor's justice across the stars. Dios had long thought them only stories, legends from a time millennia ago, when the Emperor walked the earth.

"It's true then?" he breathed after beginning to come to terms with what he had just realized.

The man, Veteran Sergeant Bram, instead of answering, reached up to his helmet. Carefully, almost reverently, he undid the sealing clasps that sealed the helmet to the armor. Pulling it from his head, Bram gazed upon Dios with his own eyes. Bram had relatively round features, with piercing blue eyes and close cropped black hair. He held the helmet in the crook of his arm.

A gauntleted hand reached down and rested on Dios' shoulder, "Indeed, boy, the stories are true." It was as if he had known Dios' exact thoughts, "The Angels of Vengeance have long recruited from Seles, and you have been chosen for the privilege to compete in the Angel's Task. Should you survive the Task, you will have taken the first step on the road to becoming one of us, and bring the Emperor's enemies to justice."

Dios, still shocked by this truth revealed to him, didn't answer. But Bram was patient and merely stood by as Dios came to terms with it. He looked into Bram's blue eyes, "I am to come with you…?"

Bram simply nodded.

"I am to travel the stars, bringing justice and death to His enemies?"

The Space Marine nodded again.

Dios stepped around the massive form of Bram, to look upon his gang. They simply stared at him in open-mouthed awe.

"What of them?" he asked, pointing.

"They have been selected for recruitment as well. So fear not, you will not be separated from your companions." He paused for a moment, as grins spread to each face of the hive gang. In a voice only Dios could hear, he added, "Not yet at any rate."

The gang leader's grin faded quickly, "Not… yet?"

"I can assure you. Not all of your gang will survive the Task, and fewer still will survive the transformation itself. You must be prepared for this, or you shall follow them."

It did not sit well with Dios that he may have to watch his friends perish. But life in the slums had quickly snuffed out any immaturities, giving him the mind and heart of a man twice his age. He took a shuddering breath, "I am ready."

Bram gave a small smile and, in a voice too low for Dios to hear, said, "No one is ever ready for this… But those who survive are made into His image, sculpted into gods of war." He looked down at the boy by his side, "Gather your gang, and follow me." He pointed to the black Thunderhawk gunship that streaked overhead, "Your destinies await." The gunship landed a few hundred meters ahead, its thrusters spitting fire to land it softly on the ground. Another Space Marine came running over to the approaching hive gang.

This Space Marine's armor was different however. It was still the same jet black color, but it appeared more ornate, more ancient. The Marine had a red hood over his shaved head, and small streaks of white lightning seemed to dance around the hood. Dios blinked and they were gone; had he imagined them?

"Veteran Sergeant." The new marine said, making the sign of the aquila, the warrior's arms forming the salute and banging against his armored chest.

"Librarian Noae." Bram returned the salute.

Noae looked upon the 'aspirants'. He did not feel that they were worthy of even that lowly title; they had yet to prove themselves. "These are the recruits?"

"Indeed they are. A larger tithe then I had expected."

"I see." Noae locked eyes with each of the hive gang. Most seemed to quake under his gaze, others even began to shake. Finally, the Librarian's silver eyes stared into the hard emerald irises of Dios.

Dios refused to show any sign of weakness before the Space Marine and met his gaze. Noae's lips curled up in a grin. The lightning Dios wasn't sure he had seen earlier became much more pronounced and bright as though a storm were brewing.

Almost instantly, the young gang leader could feel the psychic probe deep in his mind. It sifted through his memories and emotions. The very idea of a psychic intruder filled his heart with disgust and his mental defenses shot up immediately.

Noae's smiled faded and a look of concentration possessed his features. The probe shattered Dios defenses and tore into the deepest sections of his very soul. Dios' world filled with pain and he fought his knees to stay upright. He gritted his teeth, as blood began to run from his nose.

"Enough."

Bram's voice cut through the cloud of pain filling Dios and the psychic assault receded. Dios fought to maintain his equilibrium and one of the gangers ran to his side to keep him standing. As the ganger caught him, Dios turned his head to him, and gasped, "Thank you, Magus."

Magus simply smiled humorlessly, "You are my gang leader, Dios." He jerked his head slightly toward Bram, "With any luck, we'll be together in the next life as one of them."

Bram laughed, his enhanced hearing easily picking up the boys conversation, "Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment, young recruit. You must have faith that the Emperors deems you worthy to be one of His angels." Magus and Dios both looked at the sergeant and vigorously nodded their heads. Bram smiled and turned his eyes back to Noae.

He glared at the Librarian, "Do not use such abilities on these recruits again, Noae. They will be screened by the Chapter Librarium for any warp taint or weakness of soul. That is not your duty."

Noae took a step back and spread his arms wide, "My apologies, brother-sergeant."

"Go aboard the Thunderhawk and do penance for your overstep."

Though he detested it, Noae bowed, "Yes, brother-sergeant." He twisted on his heel and walked back up the assault ramp of the Thunderhawk.

Dios felt a weight on his shoulder and looked into Bram's face.

"Are you okay, boy?"

Dios merely nodded.

Bram nodded back, "Come now, boys." He gestured for them to follow him, "Come with me."

"Brother-sergeant?"

The voice cut through the memory and soon it began to fade.

"Brother-sergeant?" The voice called again, louder this time.

--

Dios snapped out of his reverie. His battle-collar pulsed a single blip, in conjuncture with a single rune blinking on his helmet display. Tensing his neck, he activated the pearl-like vox bead in his throat, which picked up the vibrations of his vocal cords.

"Brother-sergeant Dios. Speak."

"Brother-sergeant," it was Brother Magus. "We are currently holding the breach. What are your orders?"

The sergeant switched to the squad vox, "Hold the breach, brothers!" He got to his feet and raced to aid his squad. Sticking his bolter to his leg with its magnetic clamp, Dios drew his chainsword from its scabbard at his side. Thumbing the activation rune, the whirring blades roared to life, adding to cacophony of combat.

As he reached the line his brothers had formed and held, he leapt the covers they hid behind, rallying them to follow, "For the Lion and the Emperor!"

The squad echoed their sergeant's cry and unsheathed their melee weapons; chainswords, short swords, and even Brother Magus' own power sword. The Angels charged into the baying green tide.

--

Karr stood on the balcony of the governor's palace, gazing out over the battle. The eastern walls were holding, and the greenskins had yet to fan out and attack other sections of the wall.

"The defense is going well, general." Thorpe stepped out of the room behind the balcony.

"So it would seem." Karr's piercing blue eyes fell over a particularly vicious section of the wall, where the fighting appeared to be the fiercest.

"What is going on over there?" His magnoculars were up to his eyes in an instant, magnifying the battle.

The first thing to catch his attention was the large breach in the wall. It appeared to be only the length of three Chimeras end to end. He activated the comm unit in his ear, "General Karr to all Guard units, Why was I not informed of the breach in sector sixteen-A?" Only static was his answer. Then the voice of a Guardsman rang in his ear. Lasfire and explosions filled the background.

"Sir, those reinforcements have arrived."

"Guardsman, what's going on over there?" Karr demanded.

"You'll never believe it, general. It's His angels…"

His angels..? Karr had a feeling in his gut about what the Guardsman was talking about, but he had to confirm, "Say again, Guardsman? What reinforcements?"

"Astartes, sir."

Karr's breath caught in his throat. Astartes, here? Impossible. There was no way they could have… Then he remembered that the planetary sensors had been knocked out days ago.

As if to punctuate the Guardsman's words, a Thunderhawk gunship screamed overhead, heading in the direction of the breach.

He pressed his eyes into the magnoculars again, and this time he could see the power armored figures defending the breach. Even as he watching, a lone Marine charged from behind the line, passed it, and tore into the front of the approaching greenskin horde. The rest of the ten man squad soon followed.

The general quickly sent out a broadcast to all Imperial Guard units near the Astartes' position, "Any and all available units, concentrate fire on the breach. Reserves, head out to reinforce the walls surrounding our relief." In an instant, Chimeras roared from the front gates of the palace, heading toward the breach. Karr felt pride in his regiments' quick response time to his orders.

Turning his magnoculars back to the breach, he watched the Space Marines wreak havoc through the advancing orks. Though I give thanks to Him for sending His angels to protect us, I wonder if a mere squad will be enough…

A roar began to sound high above him. Karr cast his gaze skyward. Fiery streaks plummeted toward the battle. He counted them, Seven. They move too acutely to be mere meteorites.

--

Dios chainsword growled angrily as it cleaved an ork from hip to shoulder in a brutal upward slash, thick alien blood splashing his armor. Even in this melee, his Space marines had proved a more than sufficient opponent for the greenskins. Behind them lay a charnel house of violence and dismembered corpses.

Even as his chainsword carved roaring death into another xenos, his free hand reached down and grabbed his bolter from his leg. Raising it in a blur, he pulled the trigger, spitting death into the green tide surrounding him. An ork ran directly at him. Dios fired a single bolt into its face, its head soon exploding in a bloody mixture of brain and bone. Inside each bolt round, was an explosive tip that would detonate upon impact.

His finger held the trigger down, and sprayed bolts, full-auto, into the tide. Orks fell to the ground, missing arms, legs, or even their own heads.

Brother Magus soon carved through the crowd to stand by his sergeant. His power sword, which had been given the name Rage by Angels past, gave of an angry red glow in the setting sun.

"Just like old times, eh, Dios?" Magus casually sliced through an ork's mouth, separating its brain from its spine. It toppled to the ground in a heap.

Dios smiled beneath his helmet, "Indeed, my old friend. Just like old times." In a quick motion, he spun around Magus and disemboweled an ork threatening to cut Magus' head from his shoulders, "With me watching your back…"

Magus raised his bolt pistol and fired a single round into the chest of an advancing ork Nob, the explosive tip blowing a head sized hole in its heart. "… And I watching yours."

Dios grinned as they moved like each other's mirror image, each felling an enemy that threatened their brother's life.

Just then, Dios could hear the roar of atmospheric descent. He shot a quick glance to the sky, and newfound strength surged within him. Above the battlefield, though shooting to the ground at an almost suicidal rate, the remainder of the Angels of Vengeance's force descended in drop pods.

"Look to the sky, brothers! The Company is with us!" he voxed to his squad. Cheers echoed in his ears.

The drop pods landed amongst the greenskin horde, all scattered within several hundred meters of each other. Explosive bolts blew open the sides of the pods and bolter fire roared out, giving the Marines breathing room to disembark.

Out of four pods came more Tactical squads, much like Dios' own, each with ten more Marines adding their own fire and sword to the fray. One squad was commanded by Librarian Noae, his hood glowing with lightning and force sword singing as it dealt death to the orks.

Two pods blew open and the orks around it were shredded with heavy bolter and plasma fire, as the Devastators threw off their crash harnesses and blew the greenskins into pieces of ragged flesh with their heavy weapons.

The final pod burst open and the greatest warriors on the Fifth Company lumbered out. Clad in ancient and powerful Terminator armor, Captain Bram and his honor guard added their power fists and storm bolters to the ever growing Astartes counter-attack.

Even over the chaotic noise of battle, Dios heard the captain's battle cry, "For the Lion!"

With fully renewed power, the Space Marines tore into the orks with reckless abandon; the Devastators turning orks into ash and piles of flesh, the Tactical Marines blowing holes in greenskins with disciplined fire or carving them into pieces with chainswords, Noae left hand felling a xenos with every swing while his right spat bolts of psychic lightning, some tearing through multiple orks before dissipating.

But it was Captain Bram and his Terminators that were the most awe inspiring to watch. Each of them was an army in his own right, able to fight with fist and foot long after weapons lay broken and spent behind them. Nothing stopped them.

Dios loosed a shell into the leg of a charging ork, the tip blowing a great chunk out of its thigh. It stumbled to the ground and he stomped an armored boot down on its skull, mixing skin, brain, and skull.

"Fourth squad! To me! We will show this xenos filth what it means to fear fight the Space Marines!"

As one, Veteran Sergeant Dios and his squad charged further into the green tide, laying waste to all before them.

Hopefully, that little gory display of violence grabbed some of your attentions. ;)

please review and let me know what you all think. :)