Chapter 5 - What is Dead Can not Die
Time/Place 403 010.M42 / Battle-Barge Courage of Carolus in orbit of Grim Salvage.
The Shuttle's doors opened with a burst of atmosphere as Ex-Inquisitor Kryptman was led via chains into the Hanger by two Deathwatch Members. Countless weapons were trained on him and an explosive collar was wrapped around his neck. Yet with all that, Stigler still felt wary and uncertain. Two centuries and a half of experience told him that Kryptman was exactly where he wanted to be and the Heretic was holding all the cards.
The arriving shuttle also housed boxes upon boxes of scrolls and records of Kryptman's research and experimentation. A mixed group of Servitors and Acolytes emptied the Shuttle before scuttling off with the data for it be examined and copied. Chapter Master Gustavus along with Inquisitor Heimdall waited at the end of the Hangar watching all this. "Could have one of your Librarians dig the information we need out his brain work? The quicker we can be done with him and execute the madman the better" whispered Heimdall. "Sadly no, Stigler's Mystic tried already and is still comatose, he must have wards on him of some kind," replied Gustavus.
Kryptman strolled up to the Astartes and Inquisitor with a casual gait, he then reached out a hand to greet his captors. They looked at him as if he had just held out a chunk of human offal to them. Rolling his eyes the disturbingly calm ex-Inquisitor sighed and began to speak "I must thank you for rescuing me from the Iron Warriors but is the bombardment of Grim Salvage really necessary?" He spoke of course of the righteous fury the Imperial Lions were unleashing upon the Chaos Infested world below. Inquisitor Heimdall snorted in derision "As if you're one to talk about unnecessary actions, we are conducting our duty as servants of the Imperium. You committed acts infinitely more destructive than this on loyal Imperial Worlds!"
Smiling a soft sad smile Kryptman responded "I did what I had to do, I did not have the luxury to count the costs. Those of the Ordo Malleus should know that better than any-" Kryptmans speech suddenly stopped and his eyes widened as his face became a rictus of fear. "We need to leave now, it's found us." before anyone could could ask they felt what had struck fear into the seemingly unflappable Krypman. The horrid Psychic scream of Hive-Fleet Ghoul reverberated in every sentients mind as it ripped into reality.
*Constant never ending screaming, constant constant constant.
Except for those few moments… so short...so sweet.
Another voice sang in the void, it was so small and weak. Then the song was snuffed out while still in the beginning of its melody.
Now there was nothing but Screaming. Screaming and my hunger.*
Time/Place 403 010.M42 / Battle-Barge Courage of Carolus In the New Lochos System.
Sensors and scanners began to light up as the abomination lumbered into realspace. The Chapter Master, The Inquisitors, and their prisoner rushed to the command bridge, just to see the Warp Rift shut and the Devouring World began to move. Gustavus paused mid stride and looked at the Monster taking up most of the Viewport. "It's much bigger than it was" was all The Chapter Master could say. This statement was an understatement born of shock. The Devouring World had swollen tremendously, going from Luna Size, to at least twice that of Terran standard.
The grotesque Super planet's surface was smeared with the wreckage of Starships, Chunks of Hive Cities and even the equipment entire armies that had dared to land directly on the beast. Its maw and tendrils were hidden as the corpse world drifted slowly but steadily towards Grim Salvage. Its growth had changed its appearance fundamentally. New layers of twisted flesh and broken stone had increased its size and gave it an almost fleshy necrotic look. All those in the fleet with even a modicum of Psychic talent could physically feel its immense pressure, and even the psychic neutrals had a vague sense that something was horribly wrong.
Inquisitor Heimdall gritted her teeth against the foul presence, in her years of service she had encountered many horrifying monsters. Nothing came close to this, even the assault on a partial Daemon World 15 years back was nothing compared to this. The worst part is it was not even attacking them and had not seemed to have noticed the Fleet watching it. This effect was simply its presence, the presence of a being of such intelligence and power that reality itself trembled at it. It was Kryptman who broke the dreadful silence with the curt comment "Hmmm I thought we would have more time before it found me."
Whirling on the imprisoned heretic almost in unison the Joint-Leaders of the task force ordered him to explain what he meant. Kryptman driely explained "Well once we figured out what exactly the Devouring World was, we conducted some experiments in order to reproduce the phenomena. We underestimated our creation and it started calling out for its "kin" I killed it after we traced the psychic signals it had been sending. I was not about to allow another one of these abominations to be released upon the Cosmos." Heimdall barked "So it has also been hunting you… That's why your Ship moved between planets. How is it tracking you?" Apparently, the creature transmitted its, last moments of me dousing it in flaming promethium and its psychic signature. Xeno bastard sought revenge it appears, and Hive-Fleet Ghoul is more than happy to wreak that vengeance upon me for killing its only kin ."
Before any more questions could be asked by the leaders of the Task-force the Devouring World started to transform. Tendrils and its maw erupted from it alongside new insidious adaptations. Great orifices opened on its side, spilling clouds of fleshy attack craft creatures into the void. Everything about the Devouring World looked more vicious, even deadlier... Every sentient in the sector suddenly felt as if had something brushed up against their mind, and something had. The Devouring World was using its incredible psychic might to look for its Kin-Slayer. Sifting through the Nine billion minds of the New Lochos System as if they were grains of sand on a beach the Monster quickly found its target.
Space/time shivered as a great Psychic roar of fury came from the Beast. The Immaterial Pressure it created was focused on the Task-Force Fleet. A few hundred serfs and other weak willed crew members died from raw power focused on the ship before the Gellar Fields could be initiated. The Tech Priests informed Fleet Command that the Gellar fields were experiencing Warpstorm class interference from the Devouring Worlds assault, and the fields might fail. After almost being shot/stabbed/throttled by the Inquisitors, Kryptman begins to Explain as the Fleet moved to distance themselves from the rapidly approaching Monster.
"No that was not an attack, it was its equivalent of focusing its attention. Mentally and physically we are to it what bacteria and viruses are to us. We are the Yeast in its bread. This thing is beyond us and I am an infection that killed its brother." Everything snapped into place for the Inquisitors. Kryptman was so eager to work with them because he knew this thing was after him, and even Chaos could not kill it and hoped the Imperium might have a better shot.
Heimdall growled "We want answers Kryptman, all of them. Torture might not work get us the information we want, but it would be intensely cathartic for the annoyance and pain you have caused us." Kryptman smiled slightly and spoke "You will have them, but first we have more pressing concerns. I have escaped from Hive-Fleet Ghoul four times and I believe my expertise will be invaluable in surviving this. Before Inquisitor Heimdall could retort Chapter Master Gustavus turned from the helm and said "He is right, the last time I fought this thing it was not nearly as massive, and we barely drove it off. It besmirches my pride as an Astartes but we will need his knowledge to slaughter the Devouring World." With that the Astartes moved with surprising speed to be right in front of Kryptman. He held the Heretics head in between his massive hands giving him a slightly painful squeeze as he whispered: "But remember Madman, The Enemy of my Enemy Dies Second."
Time/Place 403 010.M42 / Battle-Barge Courage of Carolus, Two Light Seconds from the Devouring World.
Kryptman smiled wryly at them and began to speak. "First Keep your Distance, it possesses no known weapons capable of hitting outside of distances equal to Luna Orbit. Second, anything that comes in contact with it must be purged with Holy promethium. Lastly, we should avoid Exterminatus class weaponry if we can. The Black Legion tried that and it's biomorphs intercepted the Weapons and detonated them before they could get close enough." with that the fleet prepared for combat.
One Battle Barge, Two Inquisitorial Black Ships, Four Battle Cruisers, and fifteen Escort craft were the forces at the disposal of the Task Force. Macro Cannons and Lances blistered the Crust-Hide of their foe in great barrages. It's great psychic roars flexed the Gellar Fields of the ships as it pursued them. They were well outside the maximum engagement distance for Imperial Vessels, but they could more than afford the decreased accuracy with their target being literally planet sized. They led the abomination like a kite on a string throughout the system, attempting to whittle away its considerable bulk.
Kryptman approved of this sensible strategy, he had told them quite ardently to stay as far away as possible from it and its "Dragnet" of Bioforms that it was leaving a trail of was. This strategy seemed to be working, the beast was splintering bit by bit, that was until long range scans showed it had suddenly stopped its pursuit. Scans showed a massive energy spike coming from their foe. They had no time to react before a blast of Heat and light tore through the fleet. Three Escort craft were atomized, and one Battle cruiser was neatly bisected by the Beam of energy.
It seemed the Devouring World had gained a Nova Cannon class weapon. Thankfully the Task-Fleet had spread out in order to lead their shots. If that had not been the case they would all have been destroyed in a gout of energy. "Well, it appears Ghoul has developed a long range weapon" was all Kryptman could say. Scattering the fleet even further, void servitors collected samples form the destroyed ships, the Magos's to study. They quickly identified it as a superheated bile equivalent. The Devouring World had vomited its leftovers at them at nearly the speed of light.
Auger Probes circling the Monster indicated that it had grown huge fleshy turret/spouts. That seemed to be built to launch this type of Bio Plasma in a colossal shotcannon spread pattern. Worrying enough other Growths of unknown purpose were also appearing, With the original plan it the Inquisitors agreed to use their trump card...
Time/Place 404 010.M42 / Battle-Barge Courage of Carolus, 1/2 Light Seconds from the Devouring World.
Inquisitor Stigler's vessel held a particular weapon that could be their salvation. A Two Stage Cyclonic Torpedo. This holy weapon of righteous doom did not simply annihilate a planet's surface but it shattered it into stone and dust. This bane of many Necron Tomb Worlds was their final option against their foe. Kryptman relented in his protests when they explained the plan of attack. A Flight of Attack Craft would protect the Torpedo from the Ghoulspawn biomorphs, that formed a protective net around the Devouring World. The Brave men and women of the 42nd Lion Interceptor Squad knew their chances of surviving this sortie were slim to none. They were honored with their last prayer being led by the High Chaplain of the Imperial Lions, and they faced their mission with the grim resolve and steadfast courage that has allowed humanity to conquer the stars.
The Attack Wing had attached themselves to the Inquisitorial Black Ships and prepared for the battle. As the Black Ship ripped open reality and prepared to micro jump with the 300 hundred pilots of the 42nd in its hangar the rest of the Fleet opened fire. This was no kiting or whittling operation but the full force of an Astartes Chapter Fleet blasting away at the Cannibal Planet. They closed the distance allowing for more vicious and accurate attacks.
The Fleet weaved through the void dodging the massive geysers of Bioplasma spat at them. Their Shields and Armor held out against huge towers of Spiked Bone that erupted from the Devouring World as hideous parodies Macro-Cannon shells. From every ship except the Inquisition's a battle cry roared out "KAISER MIT UNS!" the Imperial Lions home dialect for The Emperor is With us! And their battle cry. They had a target worthy of their hate and they intended to blast this crime against the Imperium and all that was sane and holy out of existence.
With the Monster focused on them it paid no attention to the Warp ripple behind it. Using secret archotech The Black Ship silently entered reality directly behind the Devouring World from the Warp and let loose its ultimate sanction. The Colossal Torpedo roared into the void, it's machine spirit guiding it onward with insane self-destructive glee. It was born to die and would kill all it could. The Pilots swarmed around it guarding and guiding the instrument of Doom. The advance wing that flew at the tip of the formation was the first to feel it. As if something was whispering in the back of their mind. They were also the first to die. Masses of hands teeth and claws suddenly lunged out of the void. Thousand mile chains of rotting malicious flesh hung behind the Devouring Moon like the stingers of a jellyfish of Ancient Terra. A great net of corrupted and contorted tissue lay between them and their target, and the net was alive and hungry.
Time/Place 404 010.M42 / The 42nd Lion Interceptors, in the Devouring Worlds Net.
The Void Came to life as the Interceptors fired at the great chains of flesh that undulated and grasped out at them. They ducked and dodged through the net tearing it to pieces with flurries of Multilaser shots. The Torpedo kept lumbering forward as its escorts shredded the Bioforms. They did not even have to aim or track their shots for the void was thick with living offal that fought back. Fighters would occasionally be caught by masses of tissue that grabbed hold and slither into it eating it and its pilot alive.
Furiously the Interceptor Wing cut through the organic net keeping it away from their apocalyptic cargo. Their guns and missiles reduced hundreds of tons of the corpse-web into a thin paste, but it constantly reconnected and grew more. For every blow inflicted on the flesh something new mutated and the Net became more and more tangled around them. Thankfully they were close, the World's gravity was now helping the Torpedo as it thundered closer to the Devouring World. Its exhaust and the Crafts attacks could only burn away some of the corruption congealing around them. The 42nd found themselves in a pocket of void surrounded on all sides by the web of mutation.
Yet they pushed forward, blasting and purging a path. All the while screaming hymns of hate and fury to none but themselves as more and more of the 300 craft were tangled up and consumed. Four hours they battled in a mad push to reach the bane of life that was before them. The last contact the Black Ship had with any of the pilots was a garbled Vox transmission "Hail, Emperor, those who are about to die, salute you!" None know how that message came through for it was an impossibility to the laws of the material for the signal to make it through the walls of flesh and taint.
Soon after that the Devouring World convulsed and stopped firing at the Task-Fleet that had lost all but one of its Battle Cruisers and eleven of its escorts. Great cracks opened up on the twisted crust of their foe as the Torpedo burrowed deeper and deeper into its fetid heart. The Machine Spirit of the weapon of Exterminatus laughed psychotically in binary, as its melta charge cooled and it felt its existence come to a close. With a blast of righteous flame and fury, the Devouring World was shattered.
Continent sized chunks of stone and boiling flesh were hurled into the void. As the corona of the Cyclonic Torpedo faded and the shattered world came into view Kryptman was the first to speak. His voice bitter and ugly "We need to leave now, It's not dead." Inquisitor Heimdall began to protest but Gustavus stopped her and pointed to two of the larger chunks of what had been their foe. City sized cords of sinew and muscle were reaching out and lashing the pieces together. Even after being obliterated by the fury of the Inquisition and the Astartes it was reassembling itself. It is a cancer on reality that refused to be excised. For it is dead and what is Dead can not Die.