Chapter 58
Battle of Sluis Van
War Between Gods
The very second the Alliance battle-group exited hyperspace an order went out to the three Eclipse star dreadnoughts, ordering them to fire their superlaser cannons upon the three largest warships in the Chaos formations. The three vessels opened fire. Two aimed for the battleships while the other, the Eclipse Prime aimed for the massive bulk of the Planet Killer. All hit their target. The three targeted warships vanished in a beam of green plasma, the lances piercing straight through the heavy armour. The entire battle-group erupted in cheers and yells of victory as the beams began to subside.
On the bridge of the flagship officers, aides, controllers and Jedi alike cheered in joy. All except for Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu, Yoda and Luke Skywalker cheered. Those four Jedi simply continued to watch the Chaos armada for any change. It came a moment later, a thick beam of crimson light shot out of the smoke and fire. The beam hit the Eclipse Two head on, impacting on its shields for a split second before shattering them and piercing its armoured black hull from nose to engine nacelles. The light of the beam could be seen through the viewports, cracks began to form on the matte black armour, slowly spreading with the power of the beam and finally the ship exploded.
The cheering had died down completely. Everyone only looked out the viewports in shock of what they had just witnessed. An Eclipse, one of the most deadly warships in the history of the galaxy had been annihilated in a single shot. In the distance a massive bulk pierced through the smog, the Planet Killer, badly scarred by the firepower arrayed against it. A single large hole pierced straight through its side.
"By the force" Mace muttered "That's just impossible!"
"Order the fleet to spread out" Anakin ordered sharply, causing the suddenly fatigued looking crew back to their stations "Begin advance. Let the Eclipses deal with the Planet Killer. All others are to regroup with the remnants of the defence fleet and engage"
The fleet began to spread out over a three thousand kilometre area of space, long range weapon systems opening fire on the advancing swarm of Chaos warships. Many of them were demoralised by the loss of two of their battleships, allowing the fleet to make a steady advance. They came within range and opened up with main turbolaser batteries. Squadrons of starfighters launched from hangers of any vessel able to carry them, swarming to meet the approaching Ssi-Ruuvi drones and Chaos starfighters.
Anakin's eyes refused to leave the Planet Killer, he felt a massive shadow of corrupt energy resonate from its hull, tendrils of dark whispers and false promises writhing around her, promising power, more power….join us and gain all the power you could dream off. He gathered the force around him and sent a response to the shadow.
Abaddon growled as he unsteadily got back to his feet, blood streaming down a cut right above his left brow, he drew Drach'nyan from its sheath and plunged its blade into the black-stone floor, using it as a crutch to help him too his feet. He watched the decks below, many of the consoles were burning and sparking, some had exploded throwing the serfs and psychics manning them sprawling across the floor.
"Status" he shouted angrily, sending the astropaths on his deck back too work.
"Several high powered beams have struck us" one muttered in response "Heavy damage. Decks fifteen to fifty all open too space, hull armour breached. Battleships Dread Lord and Eternal Damnation have been completely destroyed. We returned fire with the Armageddon gun and have destroyed one of the opposing capital ships"
"Recharge the Armageddon gun" Ezekiel Abaddon ordered sharply "Arm all ordnance for long range fire. Gather all remaining battleships and battlecruisers for a full assault on that fleet. Continue pushing until none remain"
"Ai my lord"
The Despoiler sheathed Drach'nyan and sat back in his skull throne, ignoring the blood flowing down his face, entrusting his heavily modified immune system to repair the damage. Sure enough a few minutes later the wound above his eye closed up, leaving just the thinnest line of a scar, eventually even that would disappear. He felt the tug to his mind suddenly. A powerful psychic mind was trying to gain his attention. All messages left a trail and the Warmaster curtly used his own considerable psychic power to find its source. The source was on the lead star dreadnought of the Alliance battle-group.
Grinning he sent a strong wave of warp energy to the bearer, the death of this psychic should serve as an ample warning to any others. He was surprised to find that the opposing mind did not only block his attack but sent it back at him, with a growl of surprise the Warmaster raised his mind shields as far as they could possibly go. The wave of redirected energy struck his shields with such power that he had to concentrate more. Perspiration suddenly appeared on his bald face, mixing in with the drying blood.
"My lord" a rasping voice asked, the Warmaster turned his head to see the towering forms of his four lieutenants. They each came from one of the legions who worshipped a single Chaos god. Four massive men decked in terminator armour, their helms shielding their facial features. It was the World Eater lieutenant who spoke "We are at your command"
His grin returning to his face the despoiler rose from his skull throne, drew Drach'nyan and pointed it towards the opposing fleet "Begin the advance"
The two fleets met and their union was christened by masses of lance and turbolaser fire. Capital-ships from as small as destroyers to as large as star dreadnoughts and battleships duelled, hammering each other at long, medium and close range with flurries of weapons fire. Starfighters duelled around them in large scale skirmishes and dogfights.
The Planet Killer fired its Armageddon gun again, striking the Star Dreadnought Reaper, destroying her and her entire escort contingent of six star destroyers and two star cruisers. The two Eclipse star dreadnoughts Eclipse Prime and Eclipse One retaliated with their superlasers, atomising two battlecruisers in quick succession.
Anakin watched the entire battle from the bridge of the Executer who was even now mercilessly pounding a Despoiler-class battleship with her impressive turbolaser banks. The black silhouette of the obsolete warship was even now lighting up with explosions against first the void shields and then the hull. The chosen one remained on his feet even as a retaliatory burst of lance fire from their opponent smashed into the deflector shields, causing the entire vessel to rock violently.
"Admiral" Anakin asked, drawing the attention of his fleet officer "Are the strike teams ready?"
"All shock squads are fully prepped and waiting for the order sir" Piett replied, grabbing onto the arms of the command chair tightly as the star dreadnought shook from return fire. Anakin growled at the far away silhouette of the Planet Killer, surrounded by obsolete battleships and battlecruisers.
"Its still too heavily defended for us to even hope too strike" he growled "Where are the defence forces?" instead of answering Piett brought up several holo-screens, showing the battered Imperial and Alliance fleet regrouping and striking the enemy from the rear.
They were still outnumbered by three too one, Anakin realised as another volley of lance fire struck the shields of his command ship, causing them too flicker. One of the escort star destroyers, Firetide vanished in a bloom of fire as her own deflectors collapsed. They still needed a miracle.
"Sir we have a mass of new fleet signatures arriving" the sensory officer reported from his station "It's the Crusade sir, the crusade has arrived!"
Thank the Force!
"Admiral you may assume command of the Executer" he said before turning and stalking from the command deck to the pod launch chambers "It's time to meet the master of this armada, and send him back to the warp"
The Crusade fleet exited the warp like a swarm of angry hornets, the only battleship in the just arriving fleet Infinitas Imperialis and her defence squadron of battlecruisers and heavy cruisers immediately opened up with long range lance batteries, annihilating several dozen escort vessels and a half dozen capital ships. The reply was quick and without mercy, the Armageddon gun fired again, the beam ripping through a section of the fleet annihilating three cruisers and nine escort ships.
In response the Crusade rallied and speared into the central Chaos ranks, ramming escorts and assaulting capital ships at point blanc range with their weapons. Their target was not the capital ships but the flagship of the armada. The only problem was the six battleships and twelve battlecruisers surrounding the planet destroying capital ship. Once within range they fired upon the rampaging Imperial ships, destroying and maiming dozens in their opening salvoes. The Imperials counterattacked with their own volleys, the combined barrage of a few thousand ships annihilated two battlecruisers and seriously wounding the battleship Warp Spawn.
By now all of the remaining vessels of the Coalition had been rallied around a small command squadron made up off the capital ships holding the military leaders of the Coalition and joined the Imperial forces in their advance. The Executer and the battleship Crying Saint led a small flotilla of star dreadnoughts and battleships, surrounded by an armada of over seven thousand warships from two galaxies rammed into the equally numbered armada of Chaos warships. The tables had evened, now it was only a matter of strategy and luck.
The Planet Killer fired again, destroying the Emperor-class battleship Lady Retribution and several escorts, massive chunks of debris flew in all directions, impacting against the star defender Insurgent and seriously damaging the titanic battle-carriers starboard side. The two Eclipses fired a short time later, destroying the Planet Killers two guard battleships, the Reign of Blood and the Daemon's Scythe.
The Planet Killer was now completely open too the Coalition armada, Space Marine strike vessels swarmed through the gap and began executing sharp turns when they came within a hundred kilometres of the giant. Bringing their side mounted launch tubes too bear. They fired, the barrage taking the form of lines of silent flashes. But these tubes did not hold missiles or torpedoes but insertion pods loaded with squads of Space Marines. The pods dived towards the behemoth, dodging the thick anti-air fire of point defence batteries before piercing the void shields and digging into the heavily armoured hull.
The pods sliced through the armour to the outer corridors of the flagship and released their squads of Space Marines, hundreds of them from a dozen different chapters charged from their pods. The scene that greeted them was one from a nightmare, the very interior of the Chaotic vessel seemed to be alive, the corridors were made of a pulsing red tissue, like a mass of veins and arteries leading too the vessels vital areas. Daemons slid from the walls in their hundreds, sensing an intrusion to their domain. They were met with hails of bolter fire from the insurgent Space Marines. The highly explosive shells tore through the air, embedding themselves into the pulsing walls and muscular bodies of daemon and mortal alike. The Planet Killer herself seemed to scream in pain and anger as the shells struck the corridors living surface.
More insertion pods impacted against the armour, burrowed their way into the titanic monster and releasing their contents of Kasrkins, Battle sisters, veteran Imperial Guardsmen, Remnant Stormtroopers, Alliance Marines, Chiss Shock-troopers, Psykers, battle Priests, Commissars, Jedi, Hapan Marines, ARC troopers and battle droids swarmed into the outer corridors. All meeting surprised Daemons and Traitors, all tearing them apart with flurries of blaster, las, bolter and slug fire.
Anakin walked out of his insertion pod, fully dressed in his white armour and immediately cut down a daemon approaching him with his ice blue bladed lightsabre. He then reached too his belt and pulled another lightsabre hilt, his Sith lightsabre, he ignited it and fell into a battle-stance, the two lightsabres shinning in the darkness. Other lightsabres ignited behind him, their wielders holding them in front of their faces, showing their identities, Mace Windu, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Shaak Ti and Obi-Wan Kenobi. With a roar he led the charge into the bowls of the monster, hunting for the daemon he was determined to slay.
At the other side of the monstrous killer Luke Skywalker strolled out of his insertion pod, Jedi masters Kip Durron, Corran Horn, Kyle Kattarn and Saba Sabatyne directly behind him. They ignited their lightsabres, illuminating the darkness enough to show several dozen snarling daemons. They dived into the enemies ranks, severing limbs and hacking bodies. They were soon joined by a group of five Dark Troopers, the battle-droids hefting their blast cannons and ripping daemons to shreds in a flurry of blaster fire.
Abaddon sensed the energy of his adversary from his skull throne. It had been so long since he had the privilege of fighting a worthy opponent, he sensed other powerful entities all over his ship. Psykers, Librarians, Chaplains, Jedi. He felt his warrior's blood boil.
"Let the Jedi pass" he ordered "We'll deal with them. As for the rest, completely annihilate all borders!"
Flotillas of Crusade and Alliance vessels stormed through the recently opened gaps in the Chaos line, soaring towards the planet which meant victory or defeat for either side. Squadrons of Chaos frigates and destroyers gave chase, their lance batteries firing streams of energy at the fleeting vessels. An old Corellian Blockade Runner took a lance beam to its spine, severing huge chunks of hull into space. One of the rearguard Imperial Light Cruisers vanished in a bloom of fire as its engines were hit and her warp core detonated.
The Chaos vessels didn't let up until several Imperial-class Star Destroyers opened fire on them from a range too great for their lance batteries. The flotillas continued on until they came to the upper atmosphere of Sluis Van, small clusters of atmospheric drop pods were launched from side mounted launchers. The pods broke orbit and hit the ground, leaving craters in their wake and within a few moments squads of Space Marines, Dark Troopers and YVH battle-droids joined the battle on the ground.
In space the small flotillas of Coalition vessels escaped orbit and ran back too their lines, only too be replaced by much bigger carriers. Five ancient Mediator-class battlecruisers, relics of the Old Republic-era, completely refitted into troop transports hovered past the now degenerating skirmishes. Squadrons of Chaos fighters swarmed around them, dropping bombs and launching missiles in an attempt to destroy one of these giants who were returning fire with hundreds of turbolaser batteries and laser cannons.
They got within range, large belly doors opened, releasing small taskforces of troop transports carrying men, equipment and vehicles too the besieged planet below. The Coalition was not going to give up Sluis Van without a fight. Farseer Stormwind watched the degenerating brawl from the viewing chamber of her own personal battlecruiser, the Void-Striker battleship Wraith Queen.
My lady when will we be given the order too engage? High Admiral Eldran Sylvanne inquired impatiently.
Not yet High Admiral, not yet she replied simply, something doesn't feel right
She sat in the centre of the chamber, her legs crossed and her hands positioned in meditation. Small stones of wraithbone shot out from miniscule holes in the otherwise perfect walls, coming into orbit around her armoured form, they glistened and pulsed with a mass of colour. Images immediately flooded her mind. A tiny scratch in the fabric of space, several million kilometres above the raging battle, her spirit flew through this crack. A fleet of vessels stood in the warp, twisted and black. One stood out, a massive fortress of power, beautiful and terrible at the same time.
She instantly tried too withdraw her mind only too have a force stronger than she could possibly comprehend drag her back. A humanoid shadow appeared behind the fleet, dwarfing it with its great size, eyes of a sickly yellow appeared in the darkness and two dragon like wings uncoiled themselves from around its slender body and stretched out, blocking the shinning wisps of warp cloud and gas. She immediately averted her gaze and tried to creep away only too have a voice crackle through her mind, shattering her defences as if they were paper.
Run little Eldar, run. You are only delaying the inevitable
Shingai she muttered in terror, she tried to turn only too find him floating before her, his sickly yellow orbs gazing into her dark red ones. Leda Stormwind screamed in terror. A hand slapped her across the face and she awakened. She shot up too see Exarch Lasaria of the Howling Banshees kneeling beside her, her silver eyes starring at her worriedly.
"My lady"
"Lasaria a Blackstone Fortress is hiding in the warp" the Farseer said frantically, grabbing the Banshee Exarchs armoured collar and pulling her close. Even with every ounce of strength she could muster she could still hear her voice quivering in terror at what her vision had shown her "We must reposition the fleet! Intercept it before it tears the Coalition apart!"
"We may have too wait a little while longer before doing that" Lasaria replied "The Seers just received a communication from Ulthwe"
"Ulthwe" the Farseer asked "What could they possibly want?"
"They have heard our plight and have sent a taskforce of Cruisers through a wormhole. They should be here within the hour"
Thin crackling strands of force lightning encompassed the last Chaos Space marine and threw him against the massive double doors, forcing them open with his weight. Anakin and his team of elite Jedi Masters did not break their stride as they entered the cavernous bridge of the Planet Killer, the domain of Abaddon the Despoiler. The Warmaster himself was standing at the far end of the bridge, looking out of the massive viewports at the battle raging around them. It reminded Anakin of the Invisible Hand, where he saved Palpatine and killed Dooku.
The Warmaster turned as the group entered the centre of the eerily empty command deck, he was as intimidating and huge as Anakin had imagined. At least three meters in height, dressed in impressive black armour. His face was bald, pale and scarred. A sword was sheathed too his side, the blade feeling alive in some grotesque way. This was Ezekiel Abaddon, the Warmaster of Chaos, the Despoiler, and Chosen of the Dark Gods.
"I have been waiting for you" Abaddon hissed "Since we entered this galaxy I have felt your presence, a being whose power rivals my own"
"It's over Abaddon" Anakin said firmly "Turn your fleet around and remove yourself from this galaxy!"
"I like this galaxy" the Warmaster replied pompously "I think I'll stay. I think I'll keep it"
"This ends here Abaddon" Mace Windu said, his voice dead serious as he spoke. A violet lightsabre snapped to existence, followed by the blades of the other masters, even Anakin ignited his two ice blue and crimson red lightsabres at the words of the former second in command of the old order.
"Ah Master Windu, Korun master and the best user of the Vaapad art" Abaddon muttered "Your reputation as a warrior is exquisite…but I have no interest in fighting you or these other worms you have brought with you. My only interest is this Lord Vader who stands beside you"
The Warmaster snapped his fingers and four foreboding shapes fell from the rafters overhead, drawing weapons with shrieks of grinding metal and dark laughter. The four lieutenants of Abaddon landed in the midst of the Jedi group and began swinging their power swords indiscriminately. The Jedi were ready for them however and quickly began executing back flips and corkscrews, narrowly missing the blades of the Despoilers personal guard.
"Now that all other annoyances have been dealt with we can begin" Abaddon said smugly, drawing Drach'nyan and holding him casually with his right hand as he stalked towards Anakin Skywalker. The chosen one fell into a Soresu stance, his lightsabre blades poised and ready. It was Abaddon who swung first.
Deep within the bowels of the Planet Killer there was nothing but long corridors, their walls alive and pulsing from the thousands of years of exposure to the warp, the dim glow orbs had fizzled out long ago, never too be replaced. Daemons and Chaos Specialists patrolled the corridors and grand chambers, weapons from tooth and claw too bolters and power weapons poised. A
Among these Daemons were the special creations of the dark gods themselves. Blood daemons patrolled the corridors, their masculine bodies of fur and mane coloured red, long horns sprouted from their foreheads and small red slits glowed in the darkness. Plague daemons whose bodies were grievously wounded wandered along the labyrinth like the living dead, tainted blood seeping from badly diseased wounds and dangling intestines. Scantily clad Daemonettes whose bodies were sinewy and exquisitely beautiful danced along the halls, their skin pink and their eyes black as the abyss they guarded. Soulless cases of power armour were among them, representing the monsters that were once Space Marine but their bodies rotted away many millennia ago. And finally the recently finished monsters of the fear god, long sinewy creatures, their limbs like thin cable, their skin dark and rippling, their eyes as dark as night and scythe like talons extended from their forearms and feet.
They were all moving with a purpose, intruders had invaded their home, they were laying waist too what they had guarded for thousands of years and they would pay for this desecration with their lives. A hail of bolter fire ripped through a wave of three Daemons, tearing their masculine bodies apart in a storm of suppression fire. Waves of warp energy streamed along the corridors, incinerating daemons and Chaos space marines by the dozen. Still more came. They came from the ceiling, they seeped through the walls, they phased through the decking and floors, they hobbled down the corridors like armies of un-dead.
Among the carnage Librarian Nigel Barsark of the Crimson Guard Space Marines stood in the centre of the corridor like a guardian of old, his arms folded and his eyes sparking green with warp energy. Bolts of arc lightning and warp fire surrounded his body like a hue, tainting his crimson and silver armour. Daemons approached and were just as quickly dispatched by a wave of power, a squad of Space Marines surrounded him, pouring bolter fire into the approaching hordes, sending more back too the hell they came from.
"The emperor is with us brothers" he yelled, aiming a blast of arc lightning at a Daemonette and ripping her sinewy body too ribbons "Do not falter, do not retreat, never surrender. There may come a time when your strength will fail, but by the emperor it will not be this day! It will not be this day!!"
A barrage if crimson blaster bolts assaulted the daemons from an opposing corridor, ripping several of them apart in an impressive display of power and precision. A moment past before the perpetrator made himself known. A pair of YVH battle-droids strolled down the corridor, wrist mounted blast cannons firing streams of crimson bolts into the daemon hordes, a squad of Remnant Stormtroopers kept pace, ducking, diving and firing as they went. At the lead of this force was a young girl with shoulder length blonde hair and piercing green eyes, a lightsabre of emerald green held firmly in her hands as she lead the squad, hacking off the limbs and torso of any daemon who came close too her.
"Ah my lady Jedi" Barsark called gleefully "Nice of you too join us!"
"It's Tahiri Librarian" the Jedi replied as she force jumped beside him and sent several daemons flying with a well timed force push "Tahiri Veila"
"Nigel Barsark" he replied, grabbing the young girl and spinning with her like they were in a ball room performing a dance, smashing a daemons face with his power fist as he went. The young Jedi lashed out with her left leg as they spun, sending another daemon spinning in midair.
"I sense something" the young Jedi mumbled "A presence so familiar"
"It is the warp playing tricks on you milady" the Librarian replied as he drew a power sword from his waist and ran it through a blood daemon. He looked around too see the Jedi dive against an iron set of double doors an plunge her blade into it "What in the name of the emperor are you doing!!"
"I can feel it"
"What!?"
"Pain, torment, and suffering" she went on "There are captives beyond this chamber Librarian, I can feel them. Just give me some cover!"
"It could be a trap milady" the Librarian replied "There could be a horde of daemons beyond that door, waiting in ambush!"
"More meat for us too grind" she said heatedly, the area on the doors where her lightsabre had run into were beginning to burn red and disintegrate "If not then we retreat in here and form a bottleneck!"
She then sent a powerful blast of force energy into the weakened crack, causing the doors locks too snap and fall open, revealing a dark chamber whose only light came from the Jedi girl's lightsabre. Immediately the Space Marines, stormtroopers and YVH droids fell back through the doors, firing continuously as they went. The floor was covered with the casings of expended rounds and empty power cells as they finally all made it through. The daemons followed and were immediately mowed down by the blaster and bolter fire.
"Force preserve me" Tahiri muttered with a gasp. Barsark turned and immediately felt sick. They had entered a torture chamber. The walls were covered by corpses, chained and bloodied from hours, maybe even days of unholy agony. Some of the poor souls were still alive, hollow eyes weakly looking up at the newcomers, devoid of life or hope. Many had already been lost too the warp, their bodies hanging limp and drool pooling from their mouths.
"By the force" the Librarian heard the girl again, this time with a tone of disbelief and fear in her voice, she was starring at a few of the prisoners "Numa" she asked, running up and cupping the face of a bloodied Twi'lek in her hands "Numa Rar, please talk too me, can you hear me?"
"T-t…t…Tahiri" the alien replied, her face creasing with effort too even remember the girl's name.
"It's me Numa" she replied "I'm going too cut these chains, hang on" with a blur of motion from her lightsabre the chains were severed and the Twi'lek fell limply into the blonde Jedi's waiting arms.
"My lady step away" one of the Space Marines shouted as he released an empty clip from his bolter and slammed in a fresh one "She has been contaminated by the warp, she could be possessed, a daemon trying too trick you!"
"T…Tahiri" Numa muttered, lifting her right had and pointing too another chained body a few meters away from them. Tahiri looked up and felt tears brim her eyes, chained against the wall was a young human boy of roughly eighteen with short brown hair, eyes which she remembered as once being a piercing ice blue, full of resolve and life were now hollow and lifeless.
"Anakin" Tahiri muttered silently "Anakin Solo"
Without another word Tahiri cut the resurrected Jedi's chains, allowing him too fall unconscious into her arms, he slowly opened them and starred into her emerald orbs, he managed a slight smile which made her heart soar. It was then that the daemons broke through the entrance and overran the soldiers defending it. The stormtroopers guarding the doors were torn to shreds in a mass of severed limbs and spilt blood.
A blood daemon swung at Tahiri, cutting deep into her shoulder, with a scream of pain she fell to the ground, clutching her limp arm and watching in shock as blood streamed down her shoulder, covering her torn arm and ripped clothing in crimson. She closed her eyes as the daemon cut down with his axe, waiting for the inevitable.
A shrill cry of rage made Tahiri open her eyes too see the daemon sliced in half, red light escaping from the horizontal slash wound across its chest. Fire streamed through the chamber, incinerating every daemonic entity within. When the flames finally abated all that was left were those made of flesh and steel.
Anakin stood, an unconscious Tahiri held in his arms and eyes shinning red with daemonic warp energy. He set the unconscious Tahiri against a wall and continued to glide out of the torture chamber. He stopped in the hallway, raised his left hand and released a powerful blast of crimson warp energy, the beam shot through the daemons in the corridor, vaporising them in the blink of an eye.
He didn't know where this power came from, but he quite frankly did not care. When he saw Tahiri lying on the ground like that he had lost all control of himself. A whispering voice spoke in his mind, a voice which he knew instinctively was not of the dark side of the force. It promised him power, strength, all in exchange for simply destroying as many daemonic entities as possible.
His mind was no longer in control, he simply watched from his body as it glided down the corridors, destroying every daemon which was in its path. His left hand was bleeding profusely from all of the warp energy it was releasing, crimson blood spread across his hand like veins, dripping onto the floor, leaving a soft trail of red smudges on the otherwise black decking.
"More, bring me more" he said through insane laughter, with a voice which was not his own "Is this all?" He spun around and, raising his now crimson coated left hand released another blast of warp energy down the corridor, incinerating a handful of daemons that were approaching him, his laughter echoed down the corridors, cruel and insane.
"You have all this power" the entity screeched, even though the corridor was swarming with daemons Anakin knew that he was talking too him "You had all this potential, why didn't you use it!? This is just a fraction of what a melding of the warp and the force can do!!"
He released another blast of energy, this time added with black force lightning from his right hand. those daemons who evaded the deadly beam of warp energy were struck by the unnatural lightning and died along with their torn apart brethren. He jumped into the air and curled into a ball, he uncurled quickly and a blast of powerful energy streaked out across the corridors, wiping out every daemon in its path. When the possessed Jedi knight's feet touched the ground the corridor was empty except for him.
His laughter continued to echo through the corridors, only too be stopped by a barrage of bolter fire. The Space Marines he had left in the dungeon had started firing on him, obviously just finding out that he had been possessed by something unnatural. The shells exploded a few meters away from him, as if they hit an invisible wall. The thing controlling Anakin Solo's body stood there for what seemed like an eternity, watching the assault with murderous, warp glowing eyes. He pushed out and the barrier he had originally made for defence flew across the void, only visible as the bolter shells impacted against her. It struck the Space Marines, throwing them across the corridor and against the pulsing walls with such velocity that it would have killed a normal man. With them he wasn't so sure.
The thing strolled towards them, firing off bursts of warp energy every time a daemon tried to phase through the walls. He came across the leader of the squad, a Librarian he figured by the golden armour and the staff he held in his hands. The man could not move, being held down by the enormous pressure of warp energy which the possessive daemon was releasing. He reached out with his bleeding left hand and opened his palm, ready too kill the Psyker. He imagined a lance extending from his left hand and piercing the Marine through the chest.
The Librarian looked up at him, his eyes full of resolve. There was no fear of death in this ones soul. The lance burst through the centre of his hosts palm, spurting blood and flesh as it streaked forward. Just as it was about too pierce through the golden armour it stopped and a voice, strong and determined pierced through the daemonic entities mind.
Disappear!
The right hand flew up and grabbed the left, causing the spear of energy to miss the surprised Librarian and pierce through the decking. Barsark looked up, seeing the glowing red eyes of the possessed being begin too change too blue, then red again and then blue. The daemons voice could still be heard from the boy's lips, but it was strained.
"This…is…impossible" it muttered as it wrestled with the young Jedi's mind "How can this…be!!"
You did not hear me? Disappear!!
The hands suddenly flew up and gripped the sides of the head. The body fell to its knees and gave a strangled cry. The Librarian could not believe it. How could a mortal boy fight off the advances of a daemon apparition? The body screamed one last time before falling on its face, its eyes lifeless.
The first casualty in this final battle was Ki-Adi-Mundi. The old Jedi master had begun a duel with one of the Despoilers four lieutenants, using his speed and stamina to keep the battle even with his much bigger and more physically powerful opponent. He dived, rolled and sidestepped the Chaos Space Marines swings over and over again but as the battle went from seconds too minutes too a half hour the Cerean Jedi was beginning too tire while his opponent seemed too continue on with the vigour he had at the beginning.
Eventually the Jedi made a mistake. He parried a sweeping slice from the lieutenant and made too jump into the air, with the intention of somersaulting over him. He pulled of the jump, the somersault, but as he came back down too the ground the Chaos lieutenant spun on his heel and with his power sword cut through Ki-Adi-Mundi's abdomen, neatly slicing him in half.
The Jedi master's death was felt by all the others fighting on the bridge, the Chaos lieutenants and their insane Warmaster immediately began laughing hysterically, seeing that they finally had the upper hand in this battle. The Death Guard lieutenant, recently freed from his skirmish moved on too the battle taking place between the Thousand Sons lieutenant and Mace Windu.
The second in command of the old Jedi order proved a far greater challenge however and within five minutes after the death of Ki-Adi-Mundi he had evened the score. Batting the blade of the Death Guard lieutenant away and jumping too the side, stabbing into the lieutenant's shoulder blade and piercing it as only a lightsabre could. The blade cut into the lieutenant, where the side of the neck met the shoulder blade.
Meanwhile Anakin Skywalker and Abaddon the Despoiler were attacking each other with everything they could manage. Not just with physical blows either, both opponents were using their mighty psychic abilities. Calling blasts of fire, firing flashes of lightning, lifting heavy objects off the ground and hurling them at each other, this was not just a fight between two mighty warriors. It seemed that the combined powers of the force and the warp themselves were gathering around them. It seemed that the Chaos gods and whatever deities that was the force were themselves battling for supremacy.
A blast of force lightning struck the Warmasters power armour, charring the shoulder plate pitch black. Abaddon struck down with his daemon sword, calling a blade of pure warp energy too soar across the space between them, the former dark lord was just able too evade it. He reached out for several empty control consoles and wrenched them from their places, tearing the metal and wiring which kept them in place with the decking. He sent them flying towards the Despoiler with a simple wave of his hand. The Warmaster's response was quick. He swung out with his sword, cutting each console in half as it flew towards him.
The Despoiler came running towards Anakin, Drach'nyan held firmly in his two hands. The former Sith brought his lightsabre up. Both blades met, their union christened by a hail of sparks. At such close range Anakin could feel the psychic whispers of Drach'nyan, almost inaudible too him, but probably deafeningly clear too any warp user. It wanted blood, his blood. Abaddon grinned savagely and brought all of his weight into his next swing, even though Anakin was able to block it the force from the attack sent him skidding across the decking. The Chosen one had too come down on a knee too keep his balance.
Laughing with delight the Despoiler ran at him again, Drach'nyan held over his head, ready for a downward stroke. The lightsabre intercepted the strike just in time but the force behind it felt too Anakin like he was trying too stop a one ton anvil from crushing him. The pressure from the strike was so great that the decking at his feet gave way and cratered. There was no choice, he gathered the force around him and pushed upward with a sudden yet powerful gust of wind. The Despoilers blade went flying.
Another death scream in the force made the Chosen one hesitate for but a moment, but it was enough for the Warmaster who dived for his possessed sword. Anakin looked around in time too see Shaak Ti fall face first too the metal decking, blood seeping from the fallen Togruta females chest and making a pool on the deck. His eyes alight with rage the Chosen one reached out with his free hand and clenched his fist. The World Eater lieutenants helm just imploded, blood bursting forth from the eye visors and mouth guard as he fell too the ground. His power axe falling from his now limp grasp and clattering on the floor beside him.
Seeing the death of their comrade was enough too make Obi-wan and Mace come at their opponents with renewed ferocity. Their bodies a blur as they fought their tainted opponents with everything they could muster. Obi-wan rolled under the Emperors Children lieutenant's swinging scythe and stabbed into the creature's abdomen before slicing out. The lieutenant screeched before falling too the ground dead. His battle over the Jedi master turned too the battle still raging between Mace Windu and the Thousand Sons lieutenant. He knew that he would just be getting in the way if he tried helping Anakin. That battle was one for beings like them too fight, not mortals like himself.
He swung at the last lieutenant only too be keenly intercepted by the Chaos warriors power sword, he then swung out with his back hand, catching the Negotiator in the side of the face and throwing him, corkscrewing into the air. Obi-wan landed hard on the floor, bouncing off the decking like he was a pebble bouncing off water. He brought his feet down and skidded too a halt before running back at the last lieutenant, spitting out a glob of blood as he ran.
Mace Windu continued too push at the lieutenant's defences, using his powerful and hybrid Vaapad lightsabre form too keep him on the defensive. This one wasn't like the others; this one was a fairly powerful psyker, a sorcerer by the scrolls and parchments of ancient black runes which hung from his armour. He spun his two meter long staff in his hands, its lean black form glowing red with warp energy. He swung, barely missing Mace's head by a few millimetres, even though it was a miss the Korun master could still feel the skin of his bald head burn.
He struck out, putting the last lieutenant quickly on the defensive. Again and again he pounded at the sorcerer's defences with his lightsabre, weaving his blade until it became like a wall of violet energy. The sorcerer stabbed out with his staff, a blast of warp lightning escaping the tip, but the Jedi saw it coming and performed a perfect backward somersault, missing the scar of lightning. He landed on his feet and lunged forward, ducking a decapitating blow from the staff and lunged the lightsabre into the Thousand Son lieutenants face, the violet blade exiting the back of the traitors head.
Across the bridge Anakin struck Abaddon's daemon sword with such power that it sent the Warmaster skidding across the chamber and hitting the thick metal of a blast door. The Despoiler stood up straight only too see the one known as Darth Vader striding towards him, the two surviving Jedi flanking him as he walked. Their lightsabres ignited and their eyes set on him. They stopped as one a few meters away from the Warmaster, falling into defensive stances and lowering their lightsabres like pikes.
"This party's over" Mace Windu said with a small grin.
"Oh yes" Obi-wan replied "I think your right"
"Oh no I don't think you are" Abaddon hissed, gaining the attention of three of the most powerful Jedi in recent history "This party is not over. It has only just begun!"
Before the Jedi could stop him the Warmaster slammed his fist into the control pad at the side of the door, causing the thick blast doors too open with a shudder which encompassed the whole bridge. Massive forms of Chaos Terminators stood five abreast and at least ten back in the chamber beyond, their thick armour bearing the colours of both the Black and the Alpha Legion. With a wave of the Despoilers hand they raised their wrist mounted storm bolters and heavy flamers, ready too tear the three of them too pieces.
Just before his Terminators could open fire a storm of bolter fire crossed the space from the darkness, impacting with several of the front marines and sending them flying into their comrades. War cries filled the air along with the sounds of discharging bolters, blazing blasters and the snap of lightsabres as a force of Space Marines, Stormtroopers, battle-droids and Jedi stormed through the openings at the other side of the bridge. In the lead of this new force was none other than the Grand Jedi Master of the New Jedi Order, Luke Skywalker along with his taskforce of Jedi.
Can you hear me?
The voice was stronger now, easier for his mind too decrypt.
Can you hear me?
Yes
Ah good, I was worried that I had overdone it
A landscape appeared around him. A desolate land of charred earth and rock lay at his feet. The roars of a terrible wind assaulted his ears. The smell of death permeated his nostrils. A being stood in front of him, dressed in a black tuxedo style suit with a white shirt and black tie, his hair was black, reaching down too his shoulders, silhouetting his pale face, his eyes were two different colours, the right was a piercing blue while the left was a bloody red. Anakin did not know who he was but he definitely knew that he was not human.
Who are you?
The man smiled, showing rows of white teeth, filed sharp.
I am who I am
Just what I need, a cryptic Anakin muttered beneath his breath I have no patience for this, tell me who you are or leave me too cross to the netherworld
…Very well. You may call me Malal
Malal
I am a Chaos God
Anakin immediately tensed, he had only known of five Chaos gods, those five were Khorne, Slaanesh, Nurgle, Tzeentch and more recently Shingai. He began too back away slowly from the daemonic entity in front of him, his fear clearly noticeable in his eyes.
Chaos God
Malal nodded once, a curt nod which left no room for questioning. Anakin spun around to run, only too find the supposed Chaos god directly in his path, looking straight into his eyes from barely a hairsbreadth away from Anakin's face. With a start Anakin jumped backwards. Slowly he realised he wasn't going to escape this, so he took a deep breath and asked the question.
I thought there were only five Chaos Gods
And so does the rest of the materium. In reality there are many entities that can be described as Chaos Gods, these beings only need a single emption or need too make them gods of the Warp. He raised his right hand and pressed it against his chest, a mirthful grin tugging at his black lips. I am Malal, also known as the renegade, the outcast and the lost god…in short. I represent Chaos' indiscriminate tendency too destroy…particularly itself
What do you want with me?
You have recently been possessed by a warp daemon. The proof is the pitiful state your left hand is in from releasing warp energy.
Anakin looked down at his hand and immediately saw that Malal was right. His left hand was horribly charred and covered with a still running crimson blood which dripped onto the burnt ground at his feet. It was limp and looked like it had been fractured in several places. He would probably never be able to use it properly ever again.
Grinning Malal snapped his fingers and a blast of sickle shaped war energy sliced through his mangled arm, right on the elbow, severing it. An explosion of gore and bone soon followed, causing Anakin to scream in agony. He fell too his knees, clutching the bloodied stump with his right hand. Still grinning, the renegade snapped his fingers again and a new forearm came to existence, it wasn't a human arm, it looked almost reptilian with blue shell like skin which seemed too glow with warp energy, its hand was fairly human with four fingers and a thumb but instead of fingernails there were purple claws.
This was once the hand of one of my most powerful champions, I now give it too you. But there is a price for this.
I will not become one of your blind followers Malal!
Followers the renegade laughed I have no such need for followers, I never liked the idea of hordes of foolish mortals praising me…no I want you to simply destroy anything of the other five gods that you can, and in return.
Suddenly the daemonic hand Anakin had been given began too change, its hard purplish blue scales turning into softer human skin. He could only look down at it in complete disbelief; it even felt like his real hand.
Do we have an accord? Malal asked as he turned and began too walk into the darkness, he raised his hand in a wave Kill every daemonic entity you find on the Planet Killer and I will consider you released from my service, no strings attached
Before Anakin could reply he was flung back into darkness.
He awoke too the sounds of bolter fire and inhuman shrieks. A battle was taking place all around him, the space marines had positioned themselves at a corner, firing continuously at the hordes of daemons and heretics charging them. Empty weapon clips and expended shells covered the floor at their feet along with sprays and splashes of tainted blood, and the mangled remains of mortals who were trying too overrun them.
A daemon phased through the wall, just out of range of the space marines barrage and leered down at Anakin, its fangs ready too dig into his skin. He quickly surged forward with his left daemon hand and grabbed the offending daemons head and squeezed, crushing it with a sickening sound of splintering bone and flowing blood. He pushed the disintegrating body aside and slowly got too his feet. A few stray bolt shells came right at him and immediately hit an invisible force, disintegrating with several purplish flashes.
He raised his left hand and released a powerful beam of red warp energy, every daemon within the corridor was turned too red mist, every heretic and traitor began too burn, even the few Chaos Space Marines among them succumbed. The show of power was so fierce that the space marines at the corridors edge had too take cover so as not to meet the same fate.
Bolter shells resounded throughout the bridge of the Planet Killer, impacting against bulkheads and consoles with dull thuds. Abaddons Terminators had been caught in a bottleneck between the bridge and the corridor and several had been peppered with bolter and blaster volleys as they tried too enter the main bridge. But now they were storming into the bridge, exchanging fire with the squads of Space Marines, Dark Troopers and Jedi running too meet them.
High above the battle Lord Vader and Abaddon the Despoiler continued their duel. Lightsabre blade and Drach'nyan stroked and jabbed, each one seeking the flesh of their master's opponent. Vader sidestepped Abaddon's downward stroke, his long black cape torn and tattered as it flowed with his movements. He swung, and caught the despoilers shoulder plate, slicing neatly through it and burning into the skin.
The Warmaster let out a roar of pain before swinging Drach'nyan, aiming to decapitate the former dark lord of the Sith. But Anakin had jumped aside, his free hand outstretched and releasing a blast of force lightning. Abaddon sneered and with a swing of his daemon sword swept it aside before surging forward, Vader was able to deflect the blade but not fully as it sliced through his armour and grazed the side of his abdomen underneath. He tensed and roared before coming at Abaddon with renewed aggression. Swinging and stabbing with his lightsabres crimson blade and immediately putting the despoiler on the defensive.
"Good, good" Abaddon sneered "That's the Darth Vader I've heard about, this is the mindset of the man who took control of the galaxy and brought the Jedi too their knees!!"
Vader wasn't listening. He just continued to strike, mentally counting off his motions in his mind to stay in control. Swing, spin, stab, parry, block, stab, jump, he jumped over the Despoilers possessed blade and somersaulted over his head, once he hit the ground he spun on his heel, bringing his crimson bladed lightsabre into a swing. He caught Abaddon, digging deep into his abdomen. The Despoiler screeched, an inhuman sound before grabbing Anakin and head-butting him, sending the chosen one sprawling onto the floor.
Before Anakin could regain his composure Abaddon was on him, grabbing him by the collar with one hand and raising his power fist, ready to crush his opponents head with one powerful strike. Anakin had been knocked back too his senses by then, he snapped his head too the right, narrowly missing the fist and released a powerful force push, hitting Abaddon's wounded abdomen and sending the Despoiler flying through the air.
With a single breath Anakin flipped too his feet, his lightsabre reactivating in his hands before charging the Despoiler, who had fallen hard on the metal decking below, knocking over several Chaos Terminators and Dark Troopers. As Abaddon regained his footing he decapitated one of the black armoured juggernauts in one fell stroke before ducking the others blast cannon and cleanly stabbing into its chest before cutting out.
By then the chosen one had arrived, jumping over a cumbersome terminator and taking off his head with a swing of his lightsabre as he somersaulted. He landed in a crouch and found Abaddon starring right at him, blood as black as night flowed from the wounds on his shoulder and abdomen, washing over the dried blood and gore whch caked his armour. The two opponents stood there poised for a moment, waiting for the other too make a move.
The loyalists were being overrun, the space marines and dark troopers were hardy fighters but they lacked the experience and firepower that the Chaos Terminators, as elites of their traitor legion had. Even now they were slowly withdrawing from the bridge, bolters and blast cannons firing continuous salvoes at the advancing column of Terminators.
"Don't you see" Abaddon scuffed "You never had a chance, from the moment you stepped aboard my ship you were playing right into my hands. You force users think your so superior too us, that the force offers you more freedom than the warp…we may be chained too the Chaos Gods but we are still better than you"
"You seem so confident Despoiler" Vader replied "But the fact is that at the moment I have the upper hand in this duel!"
"Not for long" the Warmaster grinned and raising his hands summoned all of the power entitled too him by the circle of Chaos gods. The bulkheads, the steel, the control consoles, the decking, even the main view-ports showing the monumental space battle taking place all around them started too bend and twist. Anakin heard the squealing of wrenching steel, the unholy energy which suddenly permeated the air, then suddenly the thick steel-glass which covered the main view-ports shattered, opening up the entire bridge too space.
The sudden vacuum sent dozens of Space Marines and Dark Troopers flying through it, even the Despoilers servants were thrown through the shattered view-ports. Instinctively Anakin dug his blade into the decking and held on for dear life. He caste a quick glance at Abaddon too find him standing where he once before, the hurricane winds not even making him sway, his eyes glowed red, occasionally flashing streaks of crimson lightning.
Black wings pierced through the back of his armour and stretched out, dripping blood, his nose wrenched forward with a sickening crunch of bone reshaping, creating a maw of razor like teeth, his power armour began to crack and break as his body became too large too take it, an axe appeared in his other hand, dripping with the blood of a thousand innocents.
"This is the power Khorne bestowed too me" Abaddon screeched "I am Abaddon the Despoiler, Warmaster and gods chosen of the forces of Chaos. You cannot stand against me Anakin Skywalker!"
Anakin reached for his belt with his free hand and grabbed for the second lightsabre hilt nestled there. He took the silvery hilt in his gauntlet and flipped the switch, allowing a blade of ice blue light too sizzle into existence. With a deep breath he pulled his crimson blade from the decking and let the power of the vacuum take him too his target. He flew through the air, his body straightened out like a bullet, his tattered cape flowing behind him like a shadow. He aimed the two blades straight for the still changing Despoilers chest.
They pierced straight through, causing the Warmaster to scream in pain, at that moment he lost his footing and both warriors went zooming towards the shattered view-ports. Abaddon grabbed onto the frame for dear life, his half destroyed gauntlets digging into the unholy material. Anakin neatly landed on the framework and struggled along it towards Abaddon, he lifted his lightsabre, ready too finish of the greatest threat too the free galaxy's.
Abaddon saw Vader coming and released one of his hands from the framework, he aimed and fired off a blast of warp energy, the sickle like mass sliced through Anakin's right hand in an explosion of blood and splintered bone, the severed limb flew past him into open space. Screaming in pain Anakin fell too his knees, dropping his other lightsabre in his shock. The Despoiler was laughing now, watching as the chosen one of the force focused all of his power into staying awake. Weakly Anakin fumbled with his belt, pulling out a small orb and pushing the button in its centre, he then grabbed the Despoiler and placed it inside his half destroyed armour before planting a boot on the Warmaster's face.
"See you in hell" Anakin screamed and booted Abaddon in the face again, he watched with relief as the Despoiler finally lost his grip and fell into open space, and as the emergency shutters creaked down he saw a great flash as the thermal detonator exploded. He felt the Warmasters life wink from existence.
Abaddon the Despoiler was dead.
With that thought on his mind Anakin smiled and finally lost consciousness.