Author's Note: This chapter is a series of shorts detailing the Nemean Abyss Crusade. I not realizing it have been consistently missing spelling Nemean for the whole story, sorry about that

Chapter 8: The Crusade

The former Knights Protectorate is now known as the Second Imperium, or in Gothic Imperilis Secondus. With the help of the Adeptus Mechanicus representatives the ships lost in the defense of the planet renamed Orar have been rebuilt and the fleet expanded. The design is a mix of the smooth sleek lines of the mass effect ships and the gothic architecture of the Imperium. The current fleet of the Second Imperium consists of a single eighteen kilometer long super dreadnaught, a single two kilometer long strike cruiser for the Astrates, five kilometer long dreadnaughts, three carriers, a dozen seven hundred fifty meter long battle cruisers, eighty cruisers that are five hundred meters long, ninety-four destroyers that measures in at three hundred and twenty five meters long, and finally a hundred and four frigates that are two hundred and twenty meters long. This fleet numbers three hundred combat vessels and is supported by another two hundred freighters and transports.

Hoeth standing in the Strategium reviews the forces for the opening of the crusade. He has three planets that Intelligence has denoted as unwilling to yield and have committed hostile acts against humanity. They are also some of the most heavily defended planets in the Abyss. Hoeth has his ship attacking the largest threat, and two fleets of sixty-three ships each attacking the other two. The other seven planets in the opening assault have fleets consisting of twenty vessels.

Satisfied with the naval aspects of the crusade, Hoeth calls up the information on the ground elements. He is glad that Horus has given them three months to prepare. They have assimilated much of the Knights and Orders of the Protectorate into small battalions of guardsmen. Each have been equipped with extra weapons and vehicles, while the kinetic barriers of their armor systems have been applied to the guardsmen. The twenty six thousand survivors of the Battle of Scipio VI have been augmented with another four and half million soldiers from the Second Imperium. In addition to the one hundred and thirty surviving space marines.

"Give me a vox to every soldier, sailor, and marine." commands Hoeth. As the vox crackles to life Hoeth gives a short mental prayer to the Emperor. "Followers of the Emperor. It is time to begin our Great Crusade. We have been sent here by His Will. We have found His Son. He has commanded us to battle in order to make a better galaxy. We must not be found wanting. While you will live and fight by your weapons do not trust them, for they fail. Trust not in ships or tanks, for they fail. Trust not in men alone, for men break. Trust in the Emperor, for he is our salvation and protector. Our souls are our armor and faith its strength. Our zeal our weapon, its power measured by devotion. Many will die on this crusade and they will be remembered as the Emperors finest. The Emperor Protects."

The fleet heads to the Mass Relay and jumps:

Planet Caialea: Home to a large Blue Suns base as well as a staging ground for several slaving fleets.

Hoeth's ship leaves the warp and heads in system. The planet use to strange visitors do not react any more than usual. The slavers however know something is wrong and have the mercenaries and pirates to tell that ship to leave the system or risk destruction. Hoeth laughs at their puny displays of force. Any ships that threaten the Asgardia are swatted from the heavens. Entering into a high orbit, Hoeth demands the planets surrender. "In the Name of the Emperor and Warmaster Horus, Surrender this planet to Second Imperium of Man. Those who bend the knee and submit will live. Those who don't will die."

The ships in the system try to flee to the relay and are cut to pieces by the predeployed groups of fighters and bombers from the Asgardia. The Slavers promise the Blue Suns ships, slaves, and money if they help in defending the planet. The Suns have no choice since this is a major operations base in the region. The orbital defense batteries open fire, the heavy massive accelerators lash at the shielded battleship to no avail.

"Death they have chosen, very well. Silence those guns and prepare the Life-Eater Virus rounds." The heavy weapons batteries open fire and level sections of cities, hills, and mountains. Soon the defensive batteries are twisted lumps of scrap metal. The forces that control the planet prepare to bleed their foe white in a protracted dirty war. "By the orders of the Warmaster. By the authority of the God-Emperor of Man. I hereby declare Exterminatus on the planet Caialea. I hereby sign the death warrant of an entire world and consign a million souls to oblivion. The Emperor Protects." The virus filled shells are fired. Death rained from the sky as all living matter was rotted away instantly. The next volley ignited the purified essence and created a firestorm that engulfed the planet. Once the flames burnt out all that was left was a charred rock.

The Asgardia moves to another target.

Planet Astkeshan: Home to The Black Fall, the largest pirate band in this section of the Abyss.

The Coming of the Storm, the Space Marine Strike Cruiser, exits the relay with the rest of her battlegroup containing a single carrier, a pair dreadnaughts, a single battlecruiser, a dozen cruisers, nineteen destroyers, and twenty-seven frigates. The pirate vessels know they cannot compete with true warships and try and make a run for it. Dozens are struck down at each volley of lethal energy and heavy cannon fire. The system is soon choked with the dying hulls of various ships and their crews. Entering orbit, Brother-Chaplain Venti condemns the planet for harboring those who would break the laws of the Imperium. "Suffer not the Heretic to live." Death came to that planet has the fleet fired their heavy orbital impactors until the planet was a lifeless crater and lava covered rock. The Fleet leaves to reinforce those who are going to assault the Batarian controlled world of Seyuliv.

Planet Seyuliv: Batarian Military Outpost in this region of the Nemean Abyss.

The planet Seyuliv is the most heavily defended system close to the Second Imperium's boarder, that and the fact it is controlled by Batarians have signed its death warrant. Ignis is leading the attack personally. His fleet consists of a single dreadnaught, four battlecruisers, a dozen cruisers, twenty destroyers, and twenty-five frigates. It is his job to draw the enemy ships outside the protection of their orbital defenses. His four capital should give them the proper incentive, come out and fight or die where you stand.

Entering the system the capital ships form a line, the dreadnaught is flanked by two battlecruisers on each side. The cruisers form up on each flank with escort squadrons warped around them in a lose cordon. "It seems that the largest ships present are cruisers. This should be easy. Advance the fleet to bombardment positions." The ships move up to a comfortable 80 thousand kilometers and open fire. Each capital ship has four main rail guns backed up by a pair of lance turrets. Saving the lances, Ignis's ships open fire with a twenty round rail gun salvo every two seconds. The orbital defenses are station targets and get destroyed in turn.

The Batarian ships numbering a hundred vessels charge the smaller Imperial fleet, they lose a handful of cruiser as they close the distance. Ignis has his fleet move backwards to the relay keeping a steady barrage of fire down range. Sheltering his escorts behind the main battle line he has pulled them away from the defensive lines. The lances leapt from their turrets melting their ten targets in an instant. Ignis releases his smaller ships to general melee as the relay lights up. Out pours the sixty four ships of the other attacking fleets. Approaching in a vast wave, the Batarian ships are overwhelmed in the hail of bullets and laser bursts. Nothing is left in orbit but wreckage. The Asgardia moves into orbit, and the Live-Eater Virus rains down. No one was going to give them a chance to surrender. Ignis happy that this attack went flawlessly says to his fleet over the vox, "Absolutum Dominium Imperator, Imperium sine fine." With the initial strikes finished seven planets are about to feel the Hammer of the Emperor. The fleet leaves to RV at Orar to begin the second phase of the First Crusade.