A.N.: Hello everyone! Back again with another chapter, and one I hope you will enjoy reading! Thank you all for the positive reviews on the previous chapter, they mean a lot to me!
With that said, onto the chapter, and the desolation brought forth...
"What...what is that thing?" Jane asked, her voice a whisper of curiosity and revulsion. The walls of flesh pulsed gently around her, their soft light overpowered by the green glow emerging from the pool of biomass she was standing at the edge of, strange shadows cast upon her conflicted expression.
"A remembrance. The first of many." Anya whispered softly, a fond smile on her lips. The child was crouching by the edge of the pool, her hand dipped in the strange liquid. "The host of the consciousness of all those who will choose to follow me, and the guarantor that they shall never be taken from me." Jane gazed further at the strange creature. It was hard to distinguish much detail, deep in the pool as it was, but if she had to estimate it was larger than a carnifex by an order of magnitude. As big as a tervigon, if a little bit bigger. Most of its body seemed to be made out of some strange brain matter like matter, though there were some subtle differences impossible to truly distinguish from where she stood.
"And what if it dies? Do the people connected to it..." Anya shook her head.
"No. Though if they died before another could be born to replace it, then they would be gone for good." It was strange seeing the xenos so vulnerable...no, that wasn't quite right was it? Despite it all, that child was still painfully human. "It's why I am trying to get this one just right. Spent a lot of time on it." She turned to Jane. "This is where your consciousness will be preserved, should you accept my offer."
"...I see." It was tempting, she had to admit. The idea of being able to act without true fear of death, without having to worry about what comes after...whether the Emperor would find her first or something far worse. "...I've been thinking about it. Your offer, that is." The child looked at her, yellow eyes staring straight into hers. Jane could have sworn there was some nervousness in them; and as she spoke, a mixture of excitement and slight fear tinted her words with a slight trembling.
"Oh. Um, and what is your answer?" Her eyes widened. "If you have one, that is, if you don't and need more time I completely understand, it's a big decision and..." She raised a hand before the child could continue babbling.
"No no, it's fine. I need to make my decision at some point after all." She took a deep breath. "What you and your sister said...I wish I could just brush it aside, that I could claim my faith is strong enough to be unshaken." She looked at the child who was by now nervously fidgeting. "But I...I can't. You're monsters, no doubt about that." The child lowered its head a little, the light in its eyes dimming. "But so is mankind. So are the orks and so many more. This is a galaxy of monsters." She chuckled humorlessly. "You're just the first monster to actually be honest about what they are. Well, and be willing to not just kill me outright."
"Not the first honest one then?" The child asked curiously.
"Nope. That was the orks. They can be cunning, but most of the time they're brutally honest."
"I've heard of the orks. I really want to meet one." The child grinned wildly, a burning, feverish light in her eyes. Jane chuckled nervously.
"Ah well, if what I heard from Occ is correct, you might actually get along with them..." She sighed. "But anyways. I'm...I'm tired. Tired of the hypocrisy, of the lies, of pretending to be anything but a monster." She looked down to her open hands. "I have condemned millions of people to death through orbital bombardment. Killed millions more ordering fleets around during my career. Some of them were justified; Enemies with whom reason would not work. Others...we hid it behind piety, behind logic and reason, but the truth was they weren't doing what some important people wanted them to. It didn't really matter if it was heresy or not. It wasn't what we wanted them to do. So it was wrong." She lowered her hands. "I can't escape being a monster. I accept that. But if I am to be one...I want to make an informed decision. I am tired of being lied to, of being manipulated by a thousand conflicting interests, just another vessel cast upon the stormy ocean of human desire!" She stood tall, her expression confident for the first time since being brought to the ship. "I ask you. Please. Show me." The child stared at her with wide eyes. Slowly, she rose to her full height. Admittedly, it wasn't much.
"Are you sure? Once you see it... feel it...it's not something you can erase from your memory. If you find it unbearable, it will drive you insane." Jane chuckled at that.
"You spent all this time trying to convince me, and when I finally say yes, you try and get me to back out?" The child smiled softly, bringing her chuckle to a stop.
"I wish for you to make an informed choice. I promised you I would not lie to you." The child reached out with her hand. "I want you to join me willingly, knowingly, or not at all." Jane gulped, berating herself for letting the words of a child get her so emotional. Her eyes felt wet.
"I..." She took a deep breath, rubbing at her eyes with the sleeve of her uniform. "O...okay. So, how does...how does it work?" Anya tapped her shoulder reassuringly, before gesturing to her held out hand.
"Just grab it when you are ready." Jane stared at the hand. It was so small. And yet, holding it would mean changing her world irrevocably. How could something so small, so seemingly insignificant hold so much power.
Taking a deep breath, she reached out, and grabbed it.
And a whole new world engulfed her being.
Immediately she was overwhelmed. Her every sense was overloaded beyond the breaking point; the images, sounds, smells, tastes and feelings that assailed her were all too much for a human to handle, no matter how enhanced. Before her mind could shatter however it suddenly pulled away, nothing but a distant feeling in the back of her mind. She felt the thoughts of the child without hearing them. An apology for not having managed to shield her fast enough. An explanation that what she had felt was the raw, unprocessed feeling of the hive, seen as how an outsider would. She could feel the childs' thoughts as if they were her own, and yet distinct. It was an incredibly strange feeling, and yet stranger even was how little she found she minded. If anything, it was comforting feeling someone else's mind so close. It was impossible to lie when both minds were linked so tightly; She could feel every emotion, every inflection, every feeling of the child as if they were her own yet slightly displaced from her own.
Slowly she felt the protections the child...no, that Anya had put in place slowly peel away, her psychic prowess serving as the architecture that held Jane's own much more fragile mind together as it beheld the Hive Mind.
It was impossibly massive. An entity of a scope and scale such that she had never seen in her entire existence. A star of consciousness, an ocean of minds all interconnected, interwoven into a single being with a terrible awareness of both its combined nature and yet still retained individuality in each and every single organism that made the whole, albeit to different degrees. An intelligence made of trillions upon trillions of smaller parts, each an extension of its will and yet shaping it all the same. This was not some tyrannic power enslaving the tyranid race to its will, but a manifestation of theirs. It could not go against what was tyranid, for it was tyranid itself.
She could feel it inside of her mind as well. Through Anya she had been connected to it and she could feel the constant stream of information, thoughts and feelings as clear as day. Amazingly however, for Anya, it was all manageable. She was not able to process the whole of the Hive Mind, but her own Hive? She knew the location of every single organism the size of a ripper or larger, and a vague feeling of anything smaller. She knew what they were doing and could even tell exactly what the synaptic ones were feeling or thinking.
Above all else however was the absolute certainty of belonging. The feeling, the knowledge down to the genetic level, that you were tyranid, that you belonged with the Hive, and that every other tyranid knew it as well. That any single creature would look upon you and see its own, with no judgment or hesitation. A deep comfort in the simple fact that no matter what, you were tyranid and that was enough for the Hive. There is no deceit, no lying in the Hive. What use was there for it? The Hive was One. Lying to oneself was inefficient. Deceit was to catch prey or defeat an adversary.
It was the inevitable alien calculation for efficiency. A horror come from beyond the edge of the galaxy to consume all in its path.
It was beautiful.
It was home.
CONSUME.
She startled at the sudden, overwhelming feeling that came over her. She felt Anya's burning desire, one shared across the entire species.
CONSUME.
She wanted to scream. She wasn't sure if it was in sheer horror at being able to feel the primordial overpowering hunger of the tyranids; Realizing how little her own kind understood how essential it was to their entire being, or...because she wanted to express her assent.
CONSUME. The swarm echoed, each and every single creature's own hunger adding to the desire to devour.
CONSUME. They called out their purpose, the swirling of power radiating from the towering presence of the Hive Mind.
CONSUME. Came the hungry cry from Anya's own soul, a burning flame in the ocean of lights that was the Swarm.
Jane gasped as her eyes snapped open, the connection broken. Anya was looking up to her with concerned eyes.
"Are you alright? I know how overwhelming it can be, even when protected by a guide..." Jane's breath was deep and heavy, her pupils dilated as her body recovered from the shock.
"I...I am..." Jane gulped. "I think I'm alright. This...I don't even know how to describe it..." Anya chuckled softly, letting go of Jane's hand.
"It's something for sure. But...well. No need to describe it between us eh? We know." She added with a conspiratorial glint in her eyes. It twinged at Jane as she felt the fading echoes of that feeling of belonging. The longing for utter acceptance. To not have to hide behind false pretenses or follow deceiving leaders. To know that all worked towards a simple end goal. "Well. Now, you know what it is like to be a part of the Hive Mind. You can either join us and have your consciousness linked to the Remembrance, or..." The child hesitated. "Or you can reject the offer. I will let you go fight with your kind down below or send you to the ships in the stars." Anya held her hands in each other, rocking back and forth as she fidgeted nervously. "You don't have to make your decision now obviously, and you'll be well treated while you're here..." Jane shook her head.
"No, it's okay. I've already made my decision. For the first time in my life, I know what I want." The child's fidgeting only grew stronger.
"Ah...ah. So, um, what...what do you want?" Jane lowered herself to one knee before the child, looking her straight in the eyes.
"I want to belong. I want to be part of something bigger, something honest. Something true. I want to help you. I want to serve you." The child's eyes grew wide. "I want to consume." Anya wrapped her arms around the admiral's head, bringing her into an embrace.
"Then so be it."
"FIRE ON MY COMMAND!" The commander bellowed to his troops as they deployed inside on top of the hill. He glanced at his tactical display, wincing as another defensive emplacement was overrun. So much for crossfire artillery. They'd have to rely on air support. He could see the guards were nervous. He could hardly blame them. Seeing the veritable swarm rushing at them was making him nervous too. Literally tens of thousands of gaunts had been throwing themselves at them day in day out, slowly draining their ammo and energy. His formation had at first been almost amused by the xenos' attempts, knowing their formation was well within the guard's territory and as such well positioned to hold, especially against nothing but gaunts. Morale had started to decline as time passed and logistics convoy after logistic convoy failed to reach them. As ammo dwindled and rations grew few, the commander found himself worried.
And then the other positions had started falling.
It had been a slow, grinding process, but the truly worrying thing had been the methods employed by the foe to take down the other bases. Heavy artillery saturation, deployment of large creatures such as carnifexes, haruspices and even the dreaded tyrannofex, and a large number of tyranid warriors serving as shock troops to break strained areas. A much more complex and effective tactic than just...throwing bodies over and over at them.
What was the difference? Why were they being attacked like this? The increasingly loud screeching of the tyranid gaunts snapped him out of his reflection. He needed to focus on the now. Whatever was happening, he needed to keep his troops alive long enough to be able to worry about it first.
As soon as the first gaunts passed the designated line of fire, the commander barked the order. Thousands of lights streaked forth, carving burning holes into the flesh of the xenos killing hundreds in an instant. The commander frowned. So far so good. Another volley surged forth, wiping out swathes of the lesser creatures. Minutes passed as the carnage continued until eventually not a gaunt remained. And yet, despite his troops cheering their victory, he could not help but feel uneasy.
A marauder bomber passing above them, on route to join a larger contingent, elicited renewed cheering from the soldiers. He allowed a small smile to come to his lips. It was certainly a sight for sore eyes; A visual reminder that they were not alone.
Another report came in. A hydra position smacked down, crushed. He frowned. That was odd. Most of the orbital drops from the tyranids now focused on the areas already under their control. Were they planning to send some on them?
His stomach fell as a sudden realisation struck him, his eyes turning to the marauder bomber flying away. He checked his display. This had been the last anti-air position in the entire sector. In fact, almost every single anti-air position had been subjected to heavy attacks in the past few hours.
"God Emperor help us." He whispered. "Connor! Connor, connect me to the local command!" The communication officer seemed confused but acquiesced, patching the commander through and handing him the microphone. "Command, do you copy?"
"Copying five out of five commander Renald. What's the news?"
"How much of our air force is currently tied in the skies of the second continent?"
"Well almost every single one of our air supremacy fighters...it's where the tyranids launched their flyers after all. We've got bombers doing runs on pretty much every continent otherwise. Why?"
"I think the tyranids are trying to deny us anti-air capabilities in view of gaining air superiority over the sector." Silence on the radio.
"Passing that to high command. We've lost an amount of radio posts as well recently, and our capacity for detecting something like that is down drastically."
"How did no one realize this?!" The commander snarled.
"A bit busy trying to prevent a breakdown of the troops and holding the line from the sudden enemy push after the recent tyranid announcement, commander." He grunted, narrowing his eyes. On the horizon, the clouds had darkened.
"Might be a bit too late for that. I'm pulling my troops out."
"What?! No you can't just..."
"In less than an hour this position will be absolutely pulverized by tyranid air forces. They've been draining us of ammo and keeping us pinned down, we won't be able to even fire on the bloody flying bastards with the munitions we have left. We're pulling out."
"Hold on, I need..." The sound of a scuffle sounded suddenly, before a new voice emerged from the radio. "Commander Renald. This is Marshall Gerern. I agree with your assessment of the situation. You have permission to pull out. If possible, I would ask that you help organize a coordinated retreat of the sector with my battle brothers." The commander went pale. He was speaking to the Marshall of the Black Templars. The Templar Marshall wanted him to coordinate with the Astartes. Oh God Emperor save him from high blood pressure.
"O...of course sir. Just give the word."
"Excellent. My men are gathering near the aerodrome impera-five, around four clicks from your position. You should be able to get there in about an hour carrying your equipment. From there, you will be assisting the logistics core in getting everyone into a transport and out of the area. Our fleet can guarantee orbital supremacy for the next three hours, however we do not expect the foe to let us do so with impunity, so expect the skies to grow red after that."
"I understand Marshall." Renald looked around him to his nervous troops. "We'll move now."
"Good. Give me an update on arrival."
Jane stared at the pool of organic goop below her, where the Remembrance lay.
"Is…is it going to hurt?" Anya shrugged.
"It didn't for me…but my transformation was much more gradual than yours. Last time I did a body switch this fast, it hurt like hell."
"Well, no use delaying it then." Anya smiled.
"Indeed. I have a task for you after all." Jane frowned, but did not question the child's words. She took a deep breath as she gazed into the green light shining softly at her. Then, grabbing her courage with both hands, she jumped into the pool.
Almost immediately, the substance began to eat at her skin, at her eyes, at everything organic it could find. She screamed in pain as she began to be dissolved into the pool, the horrible feeling of being digested alive permeating her every cell. And yet, as quickly as it burned her, so too did it heal her, new cells growing as genetic information was exchanged, swapped, morphed and mutated. Strangest however was the strange feeling of pulling at her mind, growing stronger and stronger as her body was converted from its original state. Her eyes, finally having regrown, snapped open to find the massive Remembrancer staring at her; floating not a metre away from her. She did not find the sight disturbing however; already she could feel a strange kinship with the beast. Under the liquid she could now see the beast better. It had dozens of eyes, each staring straight at her, and as she had seen most of its body was made of brain matter, covered by a thin translucent membrane. Chitinous armour covered its limbs and back, but it was overwise painfully fragile for such a large beast. However, she knew its true power came from the tremendous psychic power she could feel thrumming right underneath its bulk; its mind an impossibly maze meant to house thousands more for future repurposing. She caressed the front of the beast as the rest of her was consumed, her mind drawn to it like a moth to a flame, as the distant roar of the Hive Mind enveloped her.
When she emerged, she towered over the child further than ever before. She looked at her new body with amazement; so similar to that of the sister, Ayna, yet lither. Hers was not a form meant for front line combat, she knew, instead possessing more extra sensory organs and further organic tentacle-like growths allowing her to connect to bio-ships to an incredible degree. Chitinous armour covered her like plated armour, leaving only the growths exposed.
"Ah, there you are…" The child walked up to her with a wide smile. "Hello friend! It's nice to meet you!" Jane smiled, kneeling down to the child.
"My queen…ruler…" She frowned. "I am unsure what to call you. What is thy title?"
"Never really had one to be honest with you." Anya giggled. "Hm. If I'm going to be making more people like me though I guess I should. It's comforting, I think, for our kind." She tapped at her lips. "Maybe something in High Gothic? If I don't, the Imperials will pick one for me that I am sure will be far less flattering." She thought for a moment, before her expression brightened. She needed not speak the words, for Jane already knew through her connection.
"Very well. I am at your command…Amica." Anya giggled, clapping her hands together.
"Oh, I like it! You and I, we are going to have so much fun together!" She closed her eyes, calling out to her sister. A moment of pause, before assent was given. "Ayna will guard the Remembrance until Leviathan can arrive and more can be produced for safekeeping. I bound my consciousness to it as well, so that I may join my Hive on the ground."
"So you are…" Anya nodded.
"Yes. I take to the field of battle once again." She grinned wider. "But first. The harpies and hive crones have been bringing us lots and lots of the biomass consumed down below. Enough to make our first smaller ships. That is your first task Jane. Build a fleet as you desire it, and push our foe from space." The admiral rose to her full height, yellow eyes burning with determination.
"The Hive hungers. I shall act."
"Good. Now…how should I go about getting down to the ground."
"Alright, fifth battalion, you're boarding thunderbolts "Fury" one through twelve." Renald barked out, watching the troops press themselves into the aircraft as the previous set lifted off. Black Templars looked on impassively as the guard executed its retreat from the sector, hundreds of thousands of men gathered in a single aerodrome getting airlifted out battalion by battalion. It was a chaotic mess, but at last it was happening. "Fourth ba…"
"Sir!" He turned to see one of his aides approach. "Something is coming towards us!" He spat out a curse.
"Shit. Flyers?"
"No sir, those are still far away! It's…well, it's an orbital drop!" He paled, before rushing to the nearest comms officer.
"Put me through command!" He watched as the soldiers closest began to mutter to themselves, those given the charge of sentries on the improvised walls looking back with concern etched on their faces. "What the hell is going on! You gave me three hours, its barely been two!" A moment of silence as the operator on the other end of the line checked something, if the background talk he could hear come through was any indication.
"Commander, this is strike cruiser Angelic Fury. We've had no reports of any drops over your position."
"Wha…the hell you talking about!" He looked to the aide, the man cowering from his glare. "You said we had incoming!"
"We do sir! The radars are giving us a minute before they hit!"
"A min…get everyone ready for contact!" He could see the panic spreading at his words. "Command, you've got to shoot it down!"
"Oh fuck we see it now, what the…that one wasn't going anywhere near you! Did it…did it change direction?! It's a mycetic spore, it can't just change direction!"
"Well clearly this one did! Now shoot it!"
"We can't! This close to you, the chances of the shot slamming into you instead…oh god, the behemoth is moving!" The communication was cut, Renald snarling as he threw the vox on the floor.
"Fucking…" His eyes glanced up, widening at the rapidly approaching shadow in the sky. "INCOMING!" The loud whirring of mechanical parts filled the air as one of the astartes vehicles took aim at the mycetic spore. Renald vaguely recognized it as a Stalker tank, watching as the anti-aircraft weapons of the vehicle opened fire on the pod. It barely had a second to light it up before the thing impacted the ground a hundred metres or so away from the entrance of the airdrome, splattering in a shower of gore and chitinous chunks. Renald glanced at the skies, confused. Only one spore? Had that one had some sort of malfunction?
The templars did not hesitate however, as one of them aimed his rocket launcher at the pod, firing upon it as the rest of his squad deployed themselves at the entrance.
The rocket surged forth, whistling through the air, getting closer and closer to the pod.
And then, it stopped.
Renald blinked.
The rocket was hovering mid air, a couple metres away from the pod. A templar aimed his boltgun at it, firing on the missile without hesitation, making it detonate in a fireball, fragments of metal tearing into the pod.
"Oh, that's so not fair! I wanted to throw it back, it was going to be so cool!" Renald felt his blood grow cold at the voice that seemed to come from right next to him. From the reaction of the many guards shouting in panic and pointing their guns next to them, he wasn't the only one. The worst part however was that he recognized the voice.
Everyone did.
"The witch is here brothers!" The templar in charge of the force present at the aerodrome called out, pointing to the pod as something emerged from it. "PURGE THE XENOS!"
"TRY IT TEMPLAR!" The voice cried out, joyous. He could see the vague, distant figure of a creature walking out of the pod. A creature he, and everyone else in command, had been briefed about. She spread her arms wide. "COME ON!"
Already, the hundreds of guardsmen on the walls were opening fire on her, lasguns, autocannons and heavy stubbers bombarding them with projectiles as the templars opened fire with their own bolters, rocket launchers and even a plasma gun.
An iridescent shield slammed into place, energy ammunition finding itself absorbed by it as physical ammo was stopped midair. Renald cursed, throwing himself to the ground as the ammo detonated, a massive explosion and smoke screen appearing where the xenos had once been. Something darted out of it, so fast it was little more than a blur as it charged towards them.
"KEEP FIRING!" He cried out, turning towards the transport aircrafts. "TAKE OFF! WE'LL HOLD THEM O…" His cry was drowned out by the roaring of the engines as the first of the aircrafts took off, rising up only to suddenly freeze. Renald took a step back as it tilted to the side, only to scream "NO!" as it was sent tossed with contemptuous ease into the next aircraft, the explosion sending him falling to the ground. Only years of experience serving in the guard prevented him from looking on in horror at the wreck of the crafts having struck each other, fire spreading as fuel landed on soldiers and planes alike. Cries of pain rose in the air as men were burned alive, piercing through the cacophony of weapons firing onto the xenos. It had only been a second before a space marine went flying past him, so fast the air displacement dragged him along a metre before the marine splattered against a broken down thunderbolt, the armour breaking and revealing the pasted marine inside. Slowly, he managed to rise to his feet, a twinge of fear nagging at his mind as he turned to face the entrance to the airfield.
The abomination was standing there, a halberd in her hands as she bisected a templar in a single swing. The sheer discrepancy of seeing an astartes' armour seem as effective as paper when faced with such a weapon wielded with such strength was enough to make his mind stutter for a moment, failing to notice the hundreds of pieces of debris now floating in the air. Projectiles, both of an energy and physical nature, continued peppering at the creature, but it's shield seemed uncaring of such attacks.
The debris was mostly composed of large amalgamations of weapons, pieces of armour and scrap from the destroyed planes. The creature laughed, raising a closed fist, her eyes glowing yellow. His own widened and he threw himself behind a nearby chimera.
It was the only thing that saved his life as a veritable deluge of psychically accelerated shrapnel bombarded the troops present. The astartes were protected thanks to their thick, heavy armour, but the guards…their armour was meant to stop small arms fire or close quarters combat weapons from equal opponents.
When struck by a dozen half kilo kilo pieces of metal flying at almost two hundred kilometres per hour, the result was a body torn to shreds and pulped under the impact. In the blink of an eye, the sound of thousands of thuds and impacts as the debris flew clean through the guardsmen and slammed into the ground, creators peppering the uneven soil and asphalt of the aerodrome. Gore splattered the floor and survivors, screams of panic and fear as half of the troops present were killed near instantaneously.
Renald took a chance to peek from behind the now shredded chimera, horror filling him at the devastation around him. The entire aerodrome ground was covered in shredded corpses, red painting every inch of ground. A dozen templars still stood dispersed throughout the airfield, weapons firing on the floating creature. Strangely enough it seemed to have made its shield far smaller as anything that aimed further than half a metre simply sailed past her. The idea that an astartes could miss was of course ludicrous; But they were hardly pitted against an opponent that rivaled them in speed and reflexes, let alone one that surpassed them. He watched in grim fascination as she weaved through the hail of bolter bullets, parrying a strike from a power sword with raw strength in her halberd. As the black templar chappelin began exchanging blows with the creature, it was clear which of the two was the most experienced. The xenos had some obvious skill; As likely to have been acquired by itself as it might have come from the Hive Mind the abominable tyranid shared. However, the chaplain had centuries of experience in such battles, and whilst they were outmatched in speed, strength and agility, they made up for with unshakable determination and countless battles' worth of experience behind their belt. As the creature thrust its halberd, the chaplain allowed it to carve into its armour, moving just enough to avoid getting his body hurt in the attack and delivering a powerful headbutt to the witch. It cried out in surprise, recoiling in surprise more than pain, but it was enough for the chaplain to raise his bolt pistol and fire a burst into its abdomen. Renald made the absent minded observation that the thing's shield seemed to be unable to prevent attacks so long as they were delivered in close enough quarters and the creature was engaging in turn. Perhaps in order to strike with its own weapon it had to limit the effects to anything beyond a certain range?
The armour of the creature was enough to prevent any injury from the bolt pistol, but it still was a victory as the creature reflexively went to protect its stomach, leaving the chaplain an opportunity to strike with his own weapon. The power sword succeeded where the bolt pistol failed, cleaving into the beast's abdomen, cutting a wound that would have killed any man. Blood poured from its wounds, strangely red and human. She lashed out, the sheer ferocity and speed of her attacks forcing the chaplain back. As he did, the other astartes saw their chest and unleashed bolter fire on her, three more rushing into melee. The chaplain called out a warning as they did, managing to slow them down.
The xenos' eyes glowed.
"You're strong!" She cried out in delight. Already her wound was healing. "But you're not quite up to Occ's level!" She opened her arms wide, psychic energy focused so intensely it was visible in small bolts of lightning around her form, the very air around her glowing with purple energy. "NOW LET ME SHOW YOU POWER!"
Renald raised his gun in a futile attempt to stop whatever it was the xenos was attempting. He fired as the astartes did, the chaplain thrusting his power sword at her.
Light burned his retina away as she unleashed her power.
The last two sounds he heard were the xenos' call of "TYRANNIC NOVA!" and the roaring of psychic energy as it annihilated him.
Marques watched in numb shock from the window of his ship as a bright purple light shone down on the surface of the planet. From her, it was little more than a small dot, suddenly appearing before winking out of existence.
It was the knowledge of what it was that terrified him to his core. A fear beyond any he had felt in his many years of fighting in the Guard.
The bridge was silent. He wasn't the only one stunned into silence.
"...Emperor merciful, what was that?" A shield operator asked, her voice breaking as she spoke.
"A beta class psyker, or worse." A grim voice cut through the air, Marques slowly turning his head to face the black templar chaplain the Marshall had left as his representative. "A dangerous foe to say the least. To think something like this would be present for a conflict such as this…" The chaplain' helmet was as ever an expressionless skull, but the voice spoke of true fury. "Despicable xenos witch…"
"...any clue on how we deal with her?" The chaplain turned to him.
"Are we able to order an orbital bombardment on her?" Under any other circumstances, Marques would have laughed at the suggestion of an orbital bombardment on a single target. As it was, he didn't even question it.
"No. The space we'd need to head to for that is still contested by the behemoth tyranid ship."
"Then I suppose the next best thing is to try and find wherever else that thing is moving and subject her to every ounce of firepower you can spare." Marques' hands tightened.
"Every asset currently available for front line operation is busy. I could pull our reserves and resting troops, but that would risk crippling us for the coming days and making a loss through power projection exhaustion inevitable." Marques sighed. "But we can't allow something capable of…that, alone. What's the status of that attack anyways?"
"The Aerodrome is gone. It's just…" The radar operator gulped, their voice slightly hysterical. "It's just gone. Something the size of a fucking space marine, and it just vaporized the entire place. Everyone there is dead."
"Damnit. Alright, what's the situation on the other fronts?"
"Second continent is suffering heavy casualties on both sides due to the air supremacy war going on, and the ground forces are grinding each other down trying to prevent the other from assisting their air forces. No clear outcome on that one. On the first continent, we have another breach from the seventh sector's tank brigade, leading the charge and going deep into enemy territory. A good third of the continent's forces are following the counter offensive."
"Good, that's something at least." He sighed in relief. Something is going right at last. "And on the third?" Silence.
"The third…well, how to put it sir…"
"The front is holding, but reinforcements aren't coming through. We risk collapse within the hour." He slammed his fist down.
"Emperor damn them! I ordered them to move three hours ago, what are they doing?"
"Mutiny." The chaplain rumbled. "That's what it is, yes?" The operator hesitated, before nodding slowly.
"...How bad." Marques asked slowly. Mutiny. The worst case scenario. One that absolutely could not be allowed to persist.
"An entire fifth of our force on the continent sir." His hands tightened. Worse case scenario indeed. "They are demanding we leave the planet immediately. They say they're afraid their souls will be damned if they allow the tyranids to get them."
"Tell them their souls will be damned if they do not obey the bloody order!" He snarled. The chaplain shook his head.
"They will not listen. Heresy has already dug its roots in them, if they believe their souls are more at risk by an enemy deprimed of them than by abandoning our Emperor through their actions." The deep rumble of the chaplain's voice echoed through his mind as he looked down at the planetary map. "They have already damned themselves. If we allow them to, they will damn others through their words, or even their acts. Heresy begets heresy Lord Commander. You must act with strength." Marques stayed silent for a moment.
"Operators. What is the status of space above the location of the heretics?" The visages on the bridge grew somber. The last word had already sealed their fate.
"Non contested sir."
"Move us. We will send a message to our troops that they cannot ignore. If there are others that harbor such doubts, they must not be allowed to doubt our response."
"Do you see now?" Her teacher whispered as he stood behind her. Her eyes were fixed on the broadcast transmitted onto her tanks' display. "Do you see how they react to being denied? To being told no by those they happily send to the slaughter?" The sight of one of the third continent's bases being engulfed in the fire of orbital bombardment engulfed her vision, the images of sheer utter destruction reflecting in the white around her pupils. "That is the punishment for doubt. For hesitance. There is no room for questioning in the Imperium of Man. Only blind obedience to your betters." She stayed silent as she watched. "That is why we must act. Why we must take the chance."
"...The others. They have seen it as well?" She asked softly. Her teacher nodded, the androgynous commander relaxing back into the leman russ.
"Yes. This is being broadcast to every single corner of the planet. Our leadership intended I am sure to merely inform of the action and a vague threat to anyone else, but my friends have taken care of ensuring their actions would be seen as clear as day by all."
"How can they do this? We are already so overwhelmed by the foe. All they wanted was some better rations. That's all they asked." For a moment, she thought she saw a blue flame flicker in her teacher's eyes.
"Perhaps their words were misinterpreted by those who transmitted them." He spoke softly. "Perhaps they merely wished to cut it all at the root. It matters little when the results speak so clearly for themselves."
"You're right. Still, this plan, it's…it's crazy." She admitted. "I mean, you said the tyranid leader can read minds right? Won't it just see the plan right through?"
"Does it matter? We are merely going to ask for an alliance of circumstances. We share a common foe, and merely wish to be allowed to leave. This is the first time I have heard of a tyranid being willing to communicate other than a genestealer. And well, it is better odds than asking our glorious leaders." She sighed.
"I guess. Still, asking the xenos for an alliance…it feels insane."
"It is insane. But well, when no other path allows for change…one must adapt."
"I suppose." She agreed. The engine of her tank rumbled, making her frown. "I do not think the machine spirit approves much of this."
"The machine spirit is wise. It sees the dangers in our plan. However, if we wish to save the Imperium from itself, we must be willing to take the dangerous path others dare not." The rumbling quieted down to its usual pace. She chuckled, patting the commands of the engine.
"Well, if things go wrong, I suppose we can just do what we've been doing all along and blow them all up."
"Let us hope it does not come to that."
Following her vehicle, thousands of other vehicles and millions of guards, under the guise of a counter attack, made their way towards the largest tyranid base on the continent. She had gathered all those who had desired to defect; And with the help of her teacher, kept it all a secret from her superiors. Sometimes she feared the amount of influence her teacher seemed to have among the regiment, but she reminded herself that he was on her side. On the side of vengeance, of justice. Of doing what was right.
She gritted her teeth as the figure of a massive tyranid stepped out from the thick vegetation around them that had been growing ever since the tyranid had started establishing permanent structures on the planet and stood in the middle of their path.
The Hive tyrant looked at the approaching vehicle with malicious intelligence. Then, without a word, it turned and started walking away, down a path in the forest.
"It wants us to follow." Her teacher said.
"This reeks of an ambush." She answered.
"Yes. But what can we do? Go back? Too many questions to answer. We'd be killed on the spot." She sighed but nodded.
"Fuck it. Here we go."
The column deviated into the growing jungle, disappearing under its thick cover.
"I Am The Vigilant. The One Who Stalks The Enemies Of Man Where No Other Dare Tread. Who Uncovers Knowledge No Other Should Learn. Who Wields The Power To Destroy His Enemies." The words came out of his mouth with conviction and determination he hardly felt for them. "None Shall Escape My Sight. None Shall Be Above Suspicion. None Beyond Reproach." It was nonsense, all of it. Self aggrandizing nonsense, and he knew it. And yet for the sake of bringing about a better Imperium he repeated them all the same, pushing his burning will to change things into his words and hoping they would fool the zealot he pronounced them to. "I Am Of Your Retinue."
"And I shall accept you among it, along with all your fellow." The man who answered had a grim smile on his lips. "Now rise Harrison." He did so, standing a single metre before the kneeling Ashley and Vela. Occ stood in the background, the golden figure looming over the small ceremony. Behind the man Harrison was swearing fealty to were a dozen of individuals, each more eccentric than the other. "Welcome, my friends. To The Inquisition."
Black Templar, unloading an entire bolter mag into the psychic shield to no effect: "WHY WON'T YOU DIE!"
Anya, smirking: "Psychic powers, son! They harden in response to mental trauma! You can't hurt me, templar!"
Black Templar: "Wha..."
Anya: "AND I HAVE SO MUCH GODDAMN TRAUMA!"
Bonus thought of child Anya just standing there getting repeatedly punched with insane speed by a black templar to no effect with the smuggest grin on her face.