Hey y'all. 400 follows! super cool! thanks for the support peepo. More stuff at the bottom, hope you enjoy!
While Balor was not considered a high value world, and its Tithe of Guardsmen to the Imperium was insignificant compared to other notable planets of the Fortress classification, it was by no means lacking in regards to its military might.
Just outside of Balor's atmosphere was the first line of defense. If the Greenskin invaders wished to set their filthy feet upon the planet, they'd have to get past the Orbital Platforms.
While there was a small collection of cruisers and even a few battleships, these vessels were dwarfed by the massive space Stations that they were clustered with.
The Orbital Platforms were arranged in groups of three, these pockets of defense placed above each of Balor's eight Hive cities and locked in geostationary orbit above said cities. The behemoth structures would be tasked with absorbing a significant brunt of the approaching enemy.
And they were more than equipped to do so.
Bristling with a vast variety of Marcocannons, Torpedo bays, Laser Cannons and even Plasma Batteries, the Orbital Platforms excelled in the elimination of heavily armored Voidcraft.
And they'd need every last weapon.
For the sheer number of Ork Vessels alone outnumbered the Imperial starcraft twelve to one.
And against such odds, it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.
But the Imperium of man rarely cared for listening to such odds.
Life in an entire galaxy that seemed determined to exterminate you cultivated such tenacity, such determination even in the face of oblivion.
As such, each and every Orbital Platform was operating at maximum efficiency, the Red Alert still blaring across all Imperial Vox Channels.
If the Orks wished to land upon Balor, they would pay for every step they took in an ocean of blood.
The Torpedo bays were the first to fire.
As the Ork vessels came within range of the station's defenses and targeting array's, the guided Melta Torpedoes rocketed out from their launch pods.
Streaking across the void in a cluster of flickering lights akin to a swarm of fireflies, they sought out the Ork Vessels at the head of the Greenskin fleet.
It took some time for the barrage to find its mark, but when it did every eye cast in the direction of the attacking aliens saw the proof of impact.
More than a dozen Xenos ships vanished in blossoms of fire and molten metal, their monstrous forces slaughtered in an instant.
Some of the vessels survived, but were damaged beyond repair. Venting oxygen and their alien crew into space, damned to a slow death in the void.
But their kin did not care.
For the first stone had been cast.
And having been struck, the Orks were not ones to sit quietly and take the punishment of Mankind.
Even out of range of the Imperium's superior armaments and targeting technology, what Orks lacked in quality they certainly made up for in quantity.
After all, more Dakka eh?
The roar of the Ork vessels' weaponry was lost to the silence of space, but the veritable tidal wave of crude projectiles was determined to find its mark based on sheer probability alone.
And with both sides now firing upon one another, so was the day marked by the official Imperial Record;
The Beginning of The Siege of Balor.
"The Orbital Defenses will hold for some time my Lord"
Vownus processed Captain Olivina's words in solemn silence, the only noise being that of the cargo lift that bore him into the lower floor of the Fortress.
Having returned to Hive Primaris in order to represent his forces at the tactical meeting, the Witch Hunter had established a connection with his personal vessel in order to get a better bearing on how the void conflict was progressing.
"I need a solid number. A concrete value" Kaede replied, his eyes closed as he found some semblance of calm within himself.
Olivina's voice receded from the Vox caster for a moment, a bare command made to someone else on the bridge of the Tempests Advance.
"Three days at best. So long as the Orbital Platforms remain intact"
Vownus recalled the tenacious nature of the Greenskin, knowledge gifted to himself both first and second hand through his years in the Ordo Xenos.
Van Vuygens was an accredited teacher, one who had a plethora of knowledge regarding the hostile forces of the universe.
Vownus knew that the clock had started, and it was only a matter of time before the Greenskins got through.
"And if the Platforms fall?"
Olivina was quiet before she spoke, "less than three days"
The lift came to a stop, its freight doors opening to reveal the underground command dome of the Central Fortress. The desks of the Administratum had been cleared away, their once occupied spaces taken up by Officers of the Guard. Vownus noted how the whole chain of command was present, even as he fired back an agitated response. The entire chain of command for multiple regiments were present, each officer from Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain and Colonel in the underground space.
Orders and barks of command echoed unspecifically around Vownus, his mind not focusing on the chaotic situation he was so callously walking through.
"Specifics Captain, give me specifics"
He didn't bother to keep his voice quiet as he cut a path through the ordered lines and clustering of the Imperial High command.
"Hours. Three probably. Four, if the Machine God permits our Plasma Batteries some extended use"
Vownus scoffed back at her, uncaring as a group of Lieutenants hastily stepped aside to avoid his sauntering charge toward the central command spire.
"I didn't take you as one for the Omnissiah, Olivina"
"I'll believe in whatever keeps our fire rate up" she huffed back with some humor.
Vownus smiled as he neared the doors of the soon to be tactical command center. Here, beneath the Central Fortress, would be where the fight was coordinated for Hive Primaris.
"Olivina" Vownus' voice dropped in strength, a quiet tone now taking his words as he spoke to the Captain, "when the Platforms fall, I order you to retreat"
He had stepped out from the dome, coming into the small building that was fixed in the center.
"Inquisitor-"
"No" Vownus harshly cut over her, getting a flinch out of a nearby orderly stepped from a recently vacated office. "this is an order Captain. I have need of your skill and proficiency, and I will not waste such talent in a glorified death. Do you understand?"
He found himself facing off another freighter lift, this one at the center of the office-like structure he was in.
Two Tempestus Scions flanked either side of the lift.
Vownus swiped his Imperial Rosette into the air, his attention still focused on his communication.
"Captain" he snapped as the lift opened, its interior empty "this is not some trick or underhanded ploy to besmirch your honor. You are needed. It is your duty to obey this command, is this clear?"
As soon as he passed into the compartment, the doors slowly dropped closed and the lift began its descent.
His mind did not regard this as he got a reply from the irked Captain.
"It is, Inquisitor. Should the position in orbit become… untenable, we shall withdraw to a safer location"
"Good" Vownus softly exhaled, "there are contingencies in place, Captain. See to it that my order is carried out should the worst happen"
An alarm sounded in the background of Olivina's side of the Vox comm.
"Aye sir"
Vownus looked to the sky, imagining that his eye could pierce the dirt, city and heavens in order to gaze upon the Tempest's Advance.
He smiled, the expression somewhat soured by his thoughts. Still, as he imagined the sparks of light and battle above orbit, his words to his Captain were filled with encouragement.
"Send them to the Abyss Olivina"
"The Emperor Protects" was all she gave, all cheer gone in place of the stoney warrior Vownus had known her to be. A second later her end of the Vox cut out with a crackling pop, the call ceased.
Vownus sighed quietly, repeating the same phrase she had given in parting.
"The Emperor Protects"
The lift came to a stop as the doors steadily cranked open.
It took the Inquisitor's eyes a second to adjust to the brightly lit room.
"Apologies for the sudden intrusion"
Kjarl Grimblood wasn't taken aback by the Inquisitor's entrance into the War Room. He'd heard the gears of the lift turning as the compartment had begun its descent, and had inferred the arrival of an individual.
While it was curious that Vownus Kaede was present, considering how the Governor had just told those present said Witch Hunter was departing Balor with his forces in tow, the Wolf Lord had no complaint.
The man's presence said enough as to his intentions, which was presumably to join the fight.
However, Governor Andoa Paxat felt the need to voice her grim condemnation of the Inquisitor's actions.
"Inquisitor Kaede" she frowned at him by way of greeting, "I was of the mind that you'd be halfway out of the system by now"
Kaede plastered on a roguish grin as he swaggered his way to the center of the room, "and miss all the fun? Pah" he visibly waved away the idea, "perish the thought my dear Governor"
The Witch Hunter found his way down the short ramp that separated the open walled lobby of the elevator shaft with the rest of the tactical room.
Unlike the space above them, this underground chamber was quaint and tight, meant for only essential personnel. While there were also the telltale passageways and tunnel entrances across the walls of the room, the visible headcount was under ten.
Kjarl could not only hear, but also smell the presence of the attendants and servitors that lurked in the shadows of the many underground tunnels.
They would relay physical commands to the officers that were assembled above the room they were in.
A circular table dominated the space, a projection of Hive Primaris dominating its center.
Above was an estimation of the orbital combat currently occurring, symbols being used to designate Imperial forces from the Xenos.
Everyone had forgone seats for the duration of the meeting, Kjarl in particular having not even bothered to look in the direction of the paltry chairs.
Vownus however seemed to be preferential to the chair, and as if he enjoyed being the odd one out, the Witch Hunter slid his way into the nearest seat to him.
Out of his peripheral vision, the Wolf Lord saw the Governor frown before she spoke to the flippant Inquisitor.
"You were certain on evacuating your forces not even an hour ago" she harshly commented.
The Castellan of Hive Primaris central fortress, Hageski Harkoden, crossed his arms at the words. He did not glare at the Inquisitor in reference to the unspoken cowardice of running from such a fight, but he did seem displeased by the notion.
Vownus caught the underlying question and smiled, swiping his hat from his head as he made himself more comfortable in the chair.
"I changed my mind. What do you gain from knowing my justification?"
"Nothing" Paxat bluntly replied, before gesturing to the tactical display before the four of them. In particular, her finger pointed to the Orbital section of the display.
Speaking as if Vownus' abrupt interruption had never even occurred, the Governor continued her analysis.
"Based off of the latest reports, our timeline has moved up" she gestured to the Orbital cluster, "it is estimated we have only another 26 hours before the first Xenos vessels break through"
Her finger traced down to the section detailing the entirety of Hive Primaris and some stretches of land surrounding the outer wall of the city.
"Should the Ork's attempt to land close to the city, or even directly upon it, the mountain guns will do their best to prevent a significant incursion. We are however, still worried about a direct impact-"
"Don't be"
Everyone turned to Kaede, the one that had interrupted the Governor.
Paxat glared, but only asked, "and you are sure of this, because…?"
"Before my talents developed, I was once an Acolyte of the Ordo Xenos" Vownus airily remarked, before fixing Paxat's glare with a stern yet calmer gaze, "I know Orks. Fought them, killed them and studied them. These ones?"
He gestured to the many symbols that lingered above the digital projection's atmosphere.
"They'll land. They want a fight and they'll do anything to get one"
"These are Greenskins… regardless of your expertise Inquisitor, what is to say they won't they just bomb us from orbit and move on" the Castellan interjected a question, drawing the attention of the room.
Kjarl Grimblood grumbled at the Mortal in an immediate reply however.
"A valid concern, but the nature of their arrival dissuades this possibility, Castellan" the Wolf Lord still retained his impressive height as he leaned forward onto the table, tapping out commands against its surface.
Another display appeared, one that depicted the every shrinking warp rift that the Ork Fleet had emerged from.
"The nature of the Anomaly suggests this was no intentional plan by the Greenskins. An emergency attempt made to escape the warp, one where an improperly powered Warp drive was used to ferry the Ork forces back into realspace"
The segment of the display that highlighted the Ork fleet was zoomed in on, the Wolf Lord pointing toward the largest blip at the center of the Greenskin vessels.
"This was not some calculated effort, nor was it some cunning plan. We just happen to be the unlucky receivers of their escape attempt from the Warp. Their only purpose is to wage War, as such they will raid and pillage this world for supplies"
Paxat looked upon the blip.
Her mind considered many things before she asked a question to the gathered council, "the vessel that carries their only warp drive?"
"And the Warboss" Vownus immediately supplied, his voice coated with an air of calm nonchalance.
Paxat turned her eyes to Vownus. Her expectant gaze was matched by the others at the table. Each of them wished for the Witch Hunter to elaborate.
It took Vownus a few seconds to key into the gazes of his comrades, his eyes having been attentively fixed on the large blip.
He coughed once, "Greenskins are known for their large numbers. But at a certain point, a sort of 'critical mass' is reached. Enough battles have been fought and won, enough blood is shed, and what amounts to a leader will rise upon among the Green tide"
Vownus pointed at the single blip located in a sea of smaller Ork designations, "We are dealing with a significant number of Xenos. A group this large will have reached a point where there will be a Warboss, and it will be no simple Ork"
"Aye" Grimblood affirmed the Inquisitor's words with a nod, "a rabble of this size… we can only hope this Ork will lead as close to the front as possible. That will give Balor a chance"
"A chance" the Castellan muttered, "if they make planetfall-"
"When" Vownus corrected, "the orbital platforms are not enough to deal with the tide that approaches us"
The Castellan glowered further, but reworded his harsh comment rather than express offense at Vownus' interruption.
"When they make planetfall, what will killing one ork do to grant us a chance against such odds?"
"It will shatter their forces" Kjarl Grimblood stonily declared, "with the warboss slain, their great numbers will turn on one another…. I've seen it before Castellan, I've seen how the Greenskins crumble upon their leader's demise. The infighting will rip them apart"
Kjarl pointed to the city as the Castellan turned deep in thought.
"It is because of this that the entirety of my Company will be on the outer wall. My Wolves possess the greatest chance at defeating such a foe"
"Regardless of a priority target" Andoa Paxat affirmed the Wolf Lord's words with a nod, "the outer wall must hold. The presence of the Space Wolves will be a great boon"
The Grimblood gestured then to the city diagram, "the wall is long, but my forces are sufficient in size to maintain its defense"
Paxat and the Castellan were a moment away from voicing their agreement, before the Inquisitor interrupted them.
Vownus shook his head softly as he remained fixated upon the projection of Hive Primaris's outer wall.
"We must retain air-superiority for as long as possible" Vownus sighed, "while the Guard man the weapons, they must be protected. I suggest you divert a fair chunk of your legion to ensure this, Lord Grimblood"
"These are Orks, simple Xenos that-"
Vownus glared at the Castellan, his fierce tone cutting through the dismissal "Many men like yourself have underestimated the Greenskins capability to wage war before, Castellan. All of them failed to learn from such fatal errors"
"And why does air superiority concern you so, Inquisitor?" Paxat asked.
But it was the Wolf who replied.
"The Greenskins will attempt to overwhelm us. This will be an attack that comes from every conceivable direction. The ground will be the most contested, but assuring we control the air, then they cannot deploy deep behind our lines"
"Behind our lines?" the Castellan nearly scoffed, but turned quiet at the Wolf Lord's stare.
"The Inquisitor is right, Castellan. Do not underestimate the Orks, nor their capabilities. When they make landfall we should expect vehicles of war within their advance"
"Vehicles" the Governor frowned, "such as armored divisions and flyers?"
Vownus nodded, "tanks, dropships and maybe even salvaged titans… and maybe even vehicles I cannot think of"
Paxat glared, but said nothing. Her anger was directed solely at the enemy's violent potential.
Kjarl gestured to the outer wall on display.
"The primary Anti-Air batteries are located upon the Eastern, Southern and Western gates of each wall. My legion will be concentrated in these areas. What I can spare will be dispersed along the rest of the wall"
The Castellan grimaced but tacked on, "the 223rd, 224th and 225th Regiments will man each gate respectively. With the 105th, 108th and 109th deployed on the segments between the gates, we will have full coverage of the outer wall. We have time to possibly deploy armored divisions deployed beyond the wall. Their presence will slow the Greenskin advance"
Vownus shook his head, "it will do nothing. The Ork tide will sweep across the land regardless of their presence. Artillery from the North will thin their numbers. Keep the tanks within the walls of the city. When they breach the gates the Orks will be bottlenecked and easy targets for the armored divisions"
The Castellan did not argue to the decision, merely acquiescing with a nod.
"When" Andoa Paxat grimly repeated as she glanced between the display and the Witch Hunter "you are disturbingly negative, Inquisitor Kaede"
"While I am an optimist my dear Governor, I am also realistic" Vownus smiled bitterly "The wall can hold for only so long. And with Hive Primaris being the largest Hive on Balor… it will subsequently draw the greatest number of Greenskins"
Andoa studied him for a moment, her eyes searching for some kind of fault or flaw.
Vownus' sad determination never faltered, and the Governor was forced to admit the man was most likely correct.
She turned toward the Castellan, her orders delivered with sharp resonance.
"Rouse all of our pilots. Bombers will take priority for deployment but I want Fighter squadrons to run support. When the enemy makes landfall we will sunder the earth beneath their vile footsteps"
She braced herself on the table with both palms open, leaning over it as she gave Hive Primaris a critical examination.
"I also want a failsafe installed on every gun battery. Should the position be lost, I will not forfeit that firepower to the enemy"
Kjarl growled in approval, "a wise decision. The Ork's would indeed turn the anti-air guns on the city should they take them"
The Castellan made a quick confirmation over Vox before speaking to the individuals in the room.
"Melta Charges have been requisitioned, should…. When the wall is lost, the guns will be destroyed"
Vownus cocked his head slightly, nodding toward the band of hab blocks between the outer and middle wall "then perhaps we should begin evacuation of the outer city"
The Castellan frowned at him, "mandatory conscription has not been completed, we are still drawing upon-"
"What useful civilians you have in reserve will have already been acquired" the Wolf Lord rumbled, "we must attempt to save as many as we can"
Another burst of communications was sent from the Castellan into his personal Vox-caster.
As Hageski delivered the orders, Vownus had his gaze fixed to the North of Hive Primaris.
The mountain range.
"We are certain they will only come from the south" he murmured, before looking to the Governor in confirmation, "are the mountains truly impassible?"
Andoa sighed, "before today I would have been certain of such a declaration…. However it seems best to assume the impossible when regarding the Green Skins. We have some forces to spare. They can reinforce the Artillery positions built into the peaks"
Vownus was quick to add to her words, "then get them into position fast. Once the Orks make landfall, I would not be surprised if a fair section of their number to attack us immediately rather than to wait and prepare for the real war"
Andoa considered this, "a fair number?"
Grimblood scoffed a cold laugh, the humor drawn up from old memories of the foe they now faced.
"Orks will heed their Warmaster's command, and most of them will… but even then they are not a race known for their patience. Our defenses will be tested by the most bloodthirsty and eager of their rabble"
As he finished speaking, the bright light of the room violently transitioned into a strobing red.
The display shifted, the Orbital view being held in primary focus.
Of the three blips that displayed the Imperium's Orbital Defense Platforms above Hive Primaris, one blinked out of existence.
It was only the Grimblood who openly spoke what they were all thinking.
"...our time is up"
Grimblood and the Castellan had left promptly after the former's grim declaration. In the relative silence of the now alarm-less war room, Vownus and Andoa were the only visible individuals.
Still in his seat as she stood across from him, the two of them kept their eyes focused on the tactical display.
The other orbital platforms above the other hive cities were beginning to fizzle out of existence, a domino effect spawned from the first one lost above Hive Primaris.
"What of Seraphis and his congregation?" Vownus idly asked, "unless you have already spoken of them before my arrival, I couldn't help but notice you did not mention them in the presence of Grimblood"
Andoa didn't look at him as she steadily replied, "should their strength be needed, they will come to the defense of the Hive"
"So the Wolves don't know about them"
The Governor fixed him with a glare.
Instead of answering however, she fixed her eyes elsewhere with a bold claim of her own uttered into the air.
"I'm surprised you're still here"
It was a quiet condemnation, but one filled with a mote of honesty. Andoa delivered the comment toward Vownus even as her gaze remained on the slow growing loss in the Orbital War.
A part of her prayed that maybe the defenses would pull through, maybe they'd break the back of the Ork fleet and spare her people the coming fire…
But the universe was not kind.
Miracles did not happen merely because one wished for it.
"Eh" Vownus wasn't offended by her comment as he sighed, also studying the Orbital war, "my apprentice makes a surprisingly good point"
Andoa blasted the man with a raised eyebrow as he finished the flippant reply.
It was clear she was asking for some kind of elaboration to such a sparse remark.
Vownus obliged her.
"He called me a coward for running. Said since it's going to be his job to fight mankind's enemies one day, why not start now?"
Andoa huffed, the small puff of bleak humor entwined with the noise, "quite the will… he possess a spine stronger than most…"
"He's a kid" Vownus immediately admonished, "he doesn't understand what he's arguing for. Comes from a backwater world that doesn't know war… well, it didn't"
He waved his hand in the air, brushing the rambling away.
"But with an opportunity like this, while certainly dire… now that I think about it, of all the enemies for him to fight…. Well it's not often you get to pick your battles, an Ork's are hardly the worst thing to come across. So I might as well let him experience a true war…"
The Governor caught onto the tone of the Witch Hunter, as well as the underlying justification for staying upon Balor.
Her question was righteously indignant.
"You only stay in order to teach him? What could be Balor's final stand you would use as your lesson?"
Vownus waved his hand in her direction, casual dismissal on his tongue in the face of her abject annoyance.
"No. Well, not completely" he rapt his fingers against the table, "one day we will all die Governor Paxat… and when I finally find myself in the Emperor's embrace… I don't think I could look my Master in the eye were I to walk away from this fight"
In the following quiet of the personal declaration, the signals and blips which represented Imperial vessels vanished from the display.
Hundreds of thousands killed in an instant, their deaths signaled by a tiny disappearance of light.
"...your duty is to the boy," Paxat quietly wondered, her eyes having returned to the display, "I've heard the whispers. And the rumors. How can a child hold sway over an Inquisitor's decision"
"Because while his words are ignorant, you cannot deny the truth they hold" Vownus' reply both critiqued and defended his apprentice.
Andoa gave a brief nod, conceding the point "if you truly intend to make him an Inquisitor, then perhaps it best he experience the worst this universe has to offer"
The display flickered again.
Vownus blatantly steered the topic in a different direction.
"I'm surprised you're here, at Hive Primaris in particular. As Governor I would have expected you to have your attention focused… well, everywhere"
Governor Paxat's response was blunt and direct, her eye catching Vownus'.
"I do not have the time nor the arrogance to assume that I alone can command an entire world against such a force. I have bestowed my Authority to the people I trust, and they shall lead the other cities"
More ships disappeared, alongside another handful of Orbital Platforms.
"Besides as you have said, it will be Hive Primaris that draws much of the greenskin presence"
"And you accuse me of seeking glory," Vownus grinned.
Andoa's frown deepened, "I seek victory, nothing more. We have no way of knowing where or even when this Warboss you speak of will appear. And if this beast is the key to a quick and easy victory…"
"It will not be easy" Vownus' tone took an icy dive, "nor will it be quick"
Andoa sighed, "I only hope and pray for such a dream for the sake of my people, Inquisitor. Balor governance and protection has been my family's responsibility for generations… I will not be the one to break the line that we have held for so long"
At that moment Vownus knew that Andoa Paxat would die for her planet.
She would throw everything she could at the coming enemy, every bullet, every shell, every soldier in her command. Balor would burn before the Greenskins could take control of it.
Vownus saw the fiery strength he so rarely observed in the Noble families of Imperial worlds.
A great quality, a strength mankind had molded over countless generations.
Another platform above Balor blinked out of existence.
The alarm sounded again.
Andoa straightened, her gaze focused on Kaede as the man stood from his chair.
"I leave you to the defenses of the central wall Inquisitor. Do what you can"
Vownus tipped his head to her, "I will be deploying the Astral Knights to the outer wall's southern gate. They have experience with Greenskins and in particular, all facets of Siege warfare"
Andoa accepted this with a singular firm nodd.
Vownus made to depart, but stopped a few steps away from the open lift, returning to the Governor that watched stonily as her world was invaded.
"Governor Paxat"
She looked up to him.
Their eyes met.
"Balor will not go quietly into the dark"
Her face took a determined glare, a strength of will once more burning up within her.
"No it will not"
As the first drops of rain licked his face, Lucian realized he had found a handle on his temper. After directly storming into his Master's command center and openly declaring Vownus a coward, Lucian had been expecting some kind of punishment.
A physical reprimand or corporeal punitive measure to correct what Vownus would label as "childish attitude".
Instead of the lash or boot of a training instructor, the entire tree house had begun its evacuation. And not to orbit. Not to where the Tempests Advance would ferry the newly reinforced 501st away from Balor.
No.
Because Vownus had accepted Lucian's words with relative calm. He had accepted Lucian's quiet demand and immediately began issuing orders pertaining to involvement in the defense of Balor.
An odd turn of events to say the least.
One that Lucian didn't get much time to ruminate on as he was taken in by the whirlwind of consecutive actions.
The 501st was recalled to Hive Primaris in its entirety.
The Tree House was abandoned and booby trapped for the coming invaders.
Lucian had been ordered to remain in the company of Romeo Squad the entire time. He was given his arms and armor, a las rifle and sword alongside standard issue plate bearing the Inquisitor's sigil. He then marched into the back of a troop transport alongside Vartic and Ezekiel.
They had deployed at the central fortress of Hive Primaris, the great structure that they had first landed in. The base which bisected the middle wall of the Hive was in even more of a chaotic scene then the suddenly evacuated Tree House.
Great caverns of machine and metal were revealed upon the landing grounds, the huge tracts of earth having been opened to reveal all the vessels and aircraft of the Aeronautica Imperialis at the Hive's disposal.
As the troop transport had touched down, Lucian made a clear confirmation of multiple bombers and fighters being taken from their earthen slumber.
Thousands of Guardsmen composed the endless lines of rank and file, the great gates of the Fortress open to allow their departing march to the front lines.
War calls, sirens, and faith filled chanting filled the air. Wafts of burning incense, oils and fuming engines touched upon his nose.
Hundreds of thousands of marching boots, in near perfect synchronous steps with one another….
Lucian only had minutes to take in all the noises, smells and sights before the Inquisitor's regiment received its orders.
A defensive positioning and post.
The 501st was tasked with the eastern segment of the central wall, the length of which was dotted with spires of gun batteries.
The walls were gigantic in nature but also unique in width and length.
Their height was inversely proportional to their length, meaning the closer into the city you came, the higher the great black steel walls climbed.
As the Inner wall looked over them, so too did the central wall overlook the outer wall. From his position close to the edge of the battlements, Lucian could not only overlook the evacuating hab blocks hundreds of meters beneath him, but the bare details of the outer wall.
Large swathes of soldiers moved across the outer wall's grand width, the larger of the distant figures certainly being the Space Wolves.
"'S a good view at least" Vartic mumbled from Lucian's side, his eyes cast upwards to the building clouds overhead.
Lucian didn't respond to him.
His temper had waned, but even now he couldn't help but find irritation building at the thought of his current position.
The 501st was stationed away from the combat, upon a wall that could only overlook the place where the Xenos would clash with mankind.
Either accidentally or intentionally ignorant of the youth's anger, Vartic didn't stay quiet because of Lucian's lack of response.
"Shame about the weather though"
A few more droplets dashed against Lucian's face seemingly in reply to Vartic's remark.
"It's all wetlands and marshes to the south east" Ezekiel hummed, "shitty terrain to cross through in general, these conditions as well though? Real favor"
Vartic snorted, "Greenskins won't have a problem with that. They'd land on the damn city if they could"
"And what's stopping them from doing that?" Lucian cut in, eyes still focused on the distant movements and preparations of the outer wall.
Vartic snorted, jerking a thumb to his right with a light grin on his face.
He was of course pointing toward the closest anti-air gun battery near them.
The gigantic set of barrels arranged in a cluster of four separate platforms was a testament to the fearsome nature of Imperial design.
And it was not alone in its existence.
It was but one position of thousands that peppered the lengths of the walls, each and every one of them able to deliver untold amounts of hellfire upon their targets.
So long as each gun was held in Imperial control and maintained functional, the skies of Hive Primaris would belong to mankind.
'So long as we hold the wall that is' Lucian grumbled to himself, but instead asked a different question.
"How many?"
Vartic's face soured, but only slightly. However his somewhat jovial nature evaporated from his cadence.
"When it comes to Greenskins… there's always a lot. But heard from a friend who heard from a friend who heard from orbit-"
Lucian gave an exhausted glare toward the Private.
The man held up his hands in patience, "it's a significant amount. Enough that without the Wolves here, we'd be up to our knees in dead by now"
"You have fought against Orks before?"
Past Ezekiel was the soldier that had spoken, the figure revealed as Lucian, Vartic and the blonde Necromundan turned to face the speaker.
One of the newest recruits from Balor's pool of Guardsmen, Private Orm, the most recent addition to Romeo Squad.
He was a bald man, middle aged and stern as any soldier with a hefty set of years under the cap could be. His disposition was neither offensive nor passive, his question levied for the presumed simplicity of obtaining new information regarding his future squadmates.
Considering the merging of the 501st and its new Balorian blood still had a few kinks to iron out, it wasn't a surprise that Vartic promptly answered the man.
Whereas the newest recruits of the Regiment tended to actively avoid Luian and by proxy those that hung around the Psyker, it seemed that the pale skinned Orm was willing to offer the first olive branch.
The man did not meet Lucian's observant gaze however, his attention cutting directly across the boy and into the eyes of the grim Necromundan.
"Aye. Not a pretty bunch. When they hit us, they'll do it hard" Vartic glanced once more to the sky, "patience isn't their fortee"
"Good" Orm grumbled back, looking past the battlements and out into the city beyond, "the sooner we see this through the better"
"Here here" Vartic half heartedly cheered, before they all quietly returned to their patient post.
To stand guard as the fight came to them.
Except Lucian was still fixated on the silent Orm. The man's quiet gaze wasn't locked on the outer wall. In fact, they were fixed upon a singular place far beneath. Tracking his gaze, Lucian eventually laid eyes on a collection of Hab-blocks.
He glanced back to Orm, almost taken aback by how the man was now staring at him.
It was not a glare he received, but the man's face conveyed displeasure at being studied.
He said nothing.
And for a moment neither did Lucian.
The two of them quietly took the measure of one another, Golden eyes lingering on a soft brown.
Eventually the youth found his tongue.
"You have family out there"
Orm's lip twitched, his face regaining its still composure in a moment before replying to the softly spoken apprentice.
"I do"
Lucian looked out to the battlements for a moment, watching as the pathways and streets were flooded with those seeking shelter within the inner city
He imagined how the underground passageways and tunnels would be crowded with those moving toward the safety provided by the consecutive walls.
"We will do all we can. Balor will not fall" Lucian quietly affirmed, his works having been spoken while his eyes held Orm's.
His quiet words were heard by more than just the stoney faced Orm.
However no response reached the youth.
With great mechanical noises, the clunking of gears and hissing of pistons, the gun-batteries began to adjust and rotate, many of their barrels pointing skyward.
The call came running down the line of squads, Sergeants yelling from one to the next, their Vox caster's having received the update.
"BRAAACE!"
And the Guard did.
The guns buffeted the sky with waves of shrapnel and hard ballistic fire. Lances of giant Lasfire accompanied the upward deluge of death.
The sudden roar of noise didn't completely swallow Vartic's affirming shout.
"That's it then! We've lost the Orbital war!" his shout was but a whisper over the roaring weapons.
Something exploded above the cloudlayer, a flash of burning red and tails of orange conveying the existence of a sudden inferno.
An enemy vessel, struck somewhere it most certainly wished it hadn't been.
Dark shapes formed above the heavens, their jagged edges and monstrous features discernible through the now torrential heavens.
The heavy rain seemed secondary to the noise of the Imperium's many guns.
And as the first of the crude Ork vessel's split through the darkening clouds, Lucian felt his anger at Vownus slip away completely.
The great ship of twisted steel and metal came careening through the sky, a destination far beyond the Hive's walls being its point of landing.
And where one ship came, so too did others follow.
From the clouds they drifted down, their great size begetting their slow descent through space.
Those that drifted too close to the Hive took the brunt of the Cities guns, either reduced to slag or forced to peel off.
One such desperate attempt to land caused a ship to strike its fellow as it tried to land.
Both dropped slowly together, intertwined in a dangerous twist of metal and plating before the first damned the second.
An engine must have gone critical, for both were consumed in a fireball after a few more moments.
The sudden explosion was bright enough for the wall's defenders to cover their eyes.
Vartic couldn't help but laugh at the sight.
"Greenskins… they never fucking change…"
Lucian wasn't paying attention to the explosion.
His eyes were focused upon the hundreds of ships that flew far out and beyond, each one of them carrying an untold number of fearsome Xenos soldiers.
For every ship that had been struck down, countless more made landfall, flattening forests and riverbeds in their touchdown.
From their bellies spewed a mighty host of creatures.
The Ork had come.
And with them came war.
With the engine's roaring rumble safely beneath his controlling fingers, Wing-Captain Sonnet Tash had to give credit to the cog boys where it was plentifully due.
After all, whatever they'd done to appease his ship's Machine Spirit had been right on the spot.
The deployment had been as last minute as most could be, but within minutes himself and his Wing had found themselves airborne, with Sonnet in particular already taking note of how smoothly his baby was handling.
Tucked into the cockpit of a Thunderbolt fighter was where a vast majority of the Aeronautica Imperialis found most comfort, but the subtle adjustments that the Mechanicus could give their warbirds did give that slight edge of further calm.
Taking a direct line to the west of the hive, Captain Sonnet flicked on his Vox channel with the flip of a switch.
"This is Gold Leader to all Wings, check in"
His Thunderbolt's onboard radar received five pings in the air around him.
And then the confirmations came through.
"Gold One reads you Cap, ready and waiting"
"This is Gold Two Tash, on your six"
"Gold Four, checking in"
"Gold Five here, lovely day ain't it lads?"
"Gold Three, checking in. Can it Five"
Sonnet's band of merry pilots, the Gold-Wingmen, one of Balor's most decorated Aeronautica squadrons, had been tasked for the opening strike of the War.
Knowing what their duties were, Sonnet cut through the typical banter.
"Keep the Vox clean fellas, once our dates are here we've got a job to do"
A brief wave of affirmative clicks sounded from each of the pilots on Gold Wing's vox channel.
While joking helped most soldiers deal with the harsh realities of their line of duty, sometimes the urgency of a situation transcends even the most unprofessional of conduct, regardless of how harmonizing the conduct could be.
Nerves could cost even the best of pilots their lives. One rash decision or hasty move made in fright… well, it would be over quickly at least.
Especially with what they were flying into.
Sonnet had given the rundown to his Wingmen as they had started to deploy in haste.
The Orbital war had ended abruptly, with the Ork fleet having gone to ground as soon as the remaining Orbital defenses were swept away.
Balor had received a brunt of the Greenskins attention, and many of the larger space faring vessels had sought landing around the mountain range of Hive Primaris. The other Hives were getting their fair share of Ork attention, but not in comparison to the vast number of hulking monstrosities that crudely landed beyond the outer wall.
Most settled upon the forests of the south west or even landed on the many shattered rivers and tributaries to the south east.
A great sprawl of Greenskins, their very arrival irrevocably destroying the land they touched down upon.
But regardless of where they landed, there were a lot of them.
Enough that command felt it would be beneficial to strike such a tightly clustered group of targets.
Made sense at least.
Get 'em before they could get off their damn boats and while they were a nice and dense spot.
The Northern artillery segments in the mountain ranges were going to rain hellfire on whatever they could, a few salvos intended to soften up the Orks before Sonnet and his Wingmen escorted the real first strike.
The Golden Wingmen, while a main proponent of this attack, had a pair of lovely dates on this dreary and rain swept mission.
Three Marauder Bombers, fully loaded for the incredibly immediate tasking.
A crackle of static preempted the sudden communication across Sonnet's Vox network.
"This is Lead Bomber, callsign Heraculean. I heard the Golden boys would be watching our tails tonight, over"
Three blips appeared on the captain's small radar dish.
Sonnet snorted at the voice, a grin slipping onto his face a second later, "Captain Mercia. This is Tash, I hope you brought your dancing shoes, over"
The formation of Gold Wing split apart, two fighters each coming alongside the much larger bombers.
"Of course! Freshly polished and armed. Greenskins'll love 'em, over"
The nine total aircraft began a slow bank and turn, their new bearing pointing them directly towards the now bustling Ork Encampment.
As they began their approach, confirmation orders were given to the Artillery guns and the aircraft which would be deploying in the following attack runs.
Balor may be under attack, but they would not sit idly by.
Humanity had learnt a thing or two about taking the initiative.
Waves of Orks rushed from their landed ships. From crude hatches, barely held together gates and now depressurised doors, the tide came.
It was the most manic and crazed that flung themselves from their vessels without care or concern, forming droves of roaring and rampaging Xenos.
Some were trampled by the masses, others run over by the small presence of trucks among the Greenskins.
This group was not driven to an uncaring blitzkrieg out of a suicidal predication, but because they finally had an enemy.
Unknown to the Human's of Balor, this particular Ork WAAAGH had been adrift for centuries, the Orks trapped and maintained within the Warp for some unknown purpose by a dark and twisted entity.
Scrap and monsters had been sent to them in droves.
And they had prevailed against all, their great force forming in the wake of the notable leader that pushed them onward. Until one day the large numbers of enemies no longer came, replaced by the occasional Daemon or Possessed.
This was not enough to keep the Orks' appetite for War sated.
Forced to turn on one another, the Warboss had done all it could to maintain control over the great tide.
It had been a long time like this, Ork killing Ork, waiting for a new enemy to fight… growing bored.
And then they had been given a chance to escape the warp, to be let loose upon the Universe once more.
By mere luck, sheer force of will or perhaps even a dark helping hand, the Ork horde rematerialised into real space.
Balor seemed like the juiciest of treats for such starved Greenskins, a prize that couldn't be ignored.
So it wasn't surprising that a large number of the War obsessed species could wait no longer.
The swarm of roaring and jostling Orks grew and grew in size as it passed around each landed vessel.
Akin to water flowing through a river, the great green tide found itself recklessly charging toward the closest location; Hive Primaris.
….
If only the Orks could hear the Human Vox network.
"This is Hammer. Batteries are loaded and primed, awaiting orders"
Unknown to the Orks of the Big Boss, was that even if they'd set down out of range of the many Imperial Gun's fixed upon the three city walls, Hive Primaris had a few tricks up its sleeve.
"Bombers are in the air Hammer, you're clear to fire. Deliver the Emperor's wroth, Colonel"
The fastest of the charging Greenskins, the ones at the front of the rampaging horde, were just able to make out the mountains behind Hive Primaris. Only a handful were able to consciously note over their roaring and hollering others, that a series of loud and bright flashes peppered the tallest peaks of the mountain range.
"Barrage away"
These keen eyed Orks, of what few there were, didn't know what to make of the flashes of light.
Far few even cared, their attention returning to the distance between them and the 'Humiez'.
They didn't stand a chance though, even if they did notice.
Too cluttered up and far too uncaring of what could happen.
At a touch shy of 14 kilometers, over five hundred 38 kilogram shells crashed into the earth.
The mix of basic explosive and incendiary rounds produced a hellfire of a landscape. Orks were ripped into pieces by the explosives and the shrapnel, or were roasted by the suddenly expanding fire. The wave of death peppered the charge mass, not enough to stop its charge…
…but the Ork's briefly lost a moment of momentum.
A second later it came roaring back. Those that lived charged around their charred allies, stomping the pieces of fallen Orks, and moving toward Hive Primaris.
Another confirmation passed across a Vox line the Orks couldn't care less about.
"Barrage away"
The mountain side lit up again.
The Ork's continued their charge.
And the next wave of death came slamming into them.
"This is Captain Tash! Gold Wing and Bombers are within attack range, over"
"We read you, Captain. The last barrage is away"
The Thunderbolt pilot flipped a switch on his comms dial, moving back to the mission channel.
"Alright boys, our window's gonna be open soon. I want everyone on their A game"
As the other pilots of Gold Wing replied with confirmations and determination, Sonnet was already flipping on his twin linked Autocannons and the dual mounted Lascannons.
Every weapon his personalized Thunderbolt possessed was active and ready.
The Golden boys would be swooping in on the recently hammered Ork Infantry, while the Marauders would follow up with a generous layer of explosives.
Softening up the target was the name of the game, something that would help beat back the ever churning tide.
"Confirmed targets have been hit. Airspace is clear Captain"
Tash began to dip the nose of his plane, his determined voice over the voxcast leading the dive.
"This is it, boys! All pilots, dive dive dive! For the Emperor!"
The call was echoed by every other voice on the Voxline.
From above the cloudlayer, nine shadows emerged. These dark masses were hurtling in a downward dive through the air, their occupants able to clearly make up the earth of Balor.
And what a monstrous sight it was.
The land had been torn asunder by the artillery, the scorched earth reminiscent of ancient stories of Hell, a cursed beyond marred by destruction and corruption.
Large dips and holes were strewn indeterminately across the ground, their deep wells defined by patches of burning fire and shredded corpses.
Splattered blood and body parts were sprawled across the blackened and bombed earth. The dead lay numbered in the thousands. The dying vastly outnumbered this. Crawling Orks, their legs blown away by shrapnel and kinetic force, dragged themselves in crimson lines toward the beckoning walls of Hive Primaris. Their fatal injuries having done nothing to prevent them from drawing crimson lines across the dirt in the direction of their foe. Others ran rampantly, their skin burning from the ignited prometheum that was flung from the incendiary shells. Blinded by the flames, and of the agony of their burning skin, these mindless monsters even attacked their own in a blind rage of pain.
As the earth had rumbled from the artillery strike, this bloodthirsty rabble of Orks, who blindly charged into the all consuming hell fire, were brought to a brief pause at the formidable Humie attack.
And as the shadows of Imperial Aircraft bore down upon them, the charge had just been reforming, the front of the line coming to the realization that the artillery strike had ceased.
They were only given moments before the first attack wave was upon them, streaking through their number from east to west.
Autocannon fire began to shred the living, the dying and the dead. Hundreds of ballistic rounds mulching every Ork the barrage passed over.
Hundreds died in swathes.
Some managed to respond to the aerial threat, their blind blood rage subsiding in response to the suddenly appearing opponent from the skies.
Crude Ork Shootas began to crack and bark, their lead flying up to greet these dark shapes that passed above them.
However by the time these Orks distinguished that there was a larger shadow among the small clusters, it was far too late for them.
The rippling blossoms of detonating charges flowered in the wake of the Marauder bombers, their lethal payloads delivered with maximum effectiveness.
In the waning light of the day, these larger charges of explosives blared sharply against the night.
Another vicious strike against the Orks…
And this was only the first wave of bombers. As soon as the payload was delivered and the Wing pulled away, the Artillery barrage resumed.
For every inch of land the Greenskins attempted to take, they would pay for it in blood.
But the Orks had plenty of blood to spare.
"And still they come," Hageski muttered, his mild awe scratching the same resonating feeling of every person around him besides two.
The Castellan had taken up his post as the direct Commander of Balor's armed forces. His position of choice was as close to the frontlines as possible. The peak of the southern gate, the largest entrance of Balor's outer wall, was a heavily fortified tower.
A five story structure that was bristling with guns of all kinds meant the sealed gates of Balor's south entrance lay beneath a powerful position. With barrels, missile tubes and autocannons pointed in every direction, the Imperial fortification stood out amongst its fellows.
From the third floor, the command center for the southern post, the Castellan had taken up watch with Binoculars, directly studying the strafing runs and artillery strikes against the Greenskins.
The armored viewing hatch remained open for the time being, but as the Orks pushed ever closer to the outer wall, they would eventually be shut.
Vownus and the Wolf Lord flanked the Castellan in silence, the former already knowing how the preemptive strike would play out, and the latter not requiring a visual aid to observe the attacks.
"It is… impressive" the Major General eventually decided on saying, his quiet admittance meant only for Kjarl Grimblood and the Inquisitor.
"Do not mistake their bloodlust for bravery, Castellan" the Wolf Lord fixed his eyes to the steadily advancing horde with a glare, "there is nothing to be found in these foul Xenos that you should admire"
"My Lord" the Castellan shook his head briefly before examining the Orks through the Binoculars again, "it is not admiration, merely surprise. None flee, none turn away or run… even their wounded do not give up…"
"That's part of what makes them so damn dangerous" Vownus grunted, "don't know when to fuckin' quit"
The Castellan remained silent to this comment, his gaze still focused through the binoculars.
Eventually he made his comment.
"They will be upon us within the hour"
"Aye" Grimblood agreed, "I have the Western length of the battlements" the Wolf Lord looked down to Vownus with a nod, "My Guard, Eiran, is to the Eastern side Inquisitor. I have bid him to heed your commands as if they were mine own"
Vownus blinked in surprise, "Lord Grimblood-"
The Wolf Lord cut him off with a stern, "I put my faith in you and your word this day, Vownus Kaede. I pray you will not let me down"
It took the Witch Hunter a second to find his tongue.
"I will not"
The Wolf Lord simply nodded and offered a prayer, "good. May Russ favor you on this day"
Vownus offered a slight bow toward the warrior as he spoke.
"The All Father protects"
The Castellan gave an odd look between the two of them, completely out of the loop.
Offering one last glance around the space, the Grimblood departed to the West. Vownus, a moment later, walked to the East.
Off in the now shortened distance, the tide drew closer.
The outer wall of Hive Primaris was the largest in length and in width. The great span of it is wide enough for even a behemoth like Thade to move comfortably, something that Vownus was grateful for.
A venerable warrior such as Thade would make a significant difference.
Not to mention Magos Cortetis has attached every spare weapon the Tempests Advance had available onto Thade's large form.
Accompanying the Dreadnaught Chapter Master were the remaining Astral Knights. They were not the only Astartes to man this side of the wall, but the first that Vownus set eyes upon as he emerged from the southern gate's tower.
The deluge of rain washed over him as he strode past the still and vigilant members of Balor's guardsmen. Great figures of Space Wolves were interlaced between these Guardsmen squads. They would help repel the Orks once the Greenskins reached the wall.
A heavy step began to accompany his stern stride, and Vownus had his attention drawn to the hooded figure of Aethod.
Ahead of them, the hulking form of Thade and the accompanying Astral Knights stood in silent vigil over the wall.
Vownus did note the larger and more decorated form of Grimblood's Wolf Guard standing almost amongst their number.
'Eiran' Vownus figured, recognising the grim-faced warrior as the one who had greeted him when he had arrived upon the Axe of Russ.
"Thade has already lead us in a battle prayer" Aethod remarked from Vownus side, his voice only slightly skewed by the staccato of gun batteries firing and distant explosions.
Vownus grinned slightly.
"Fearsome warrior he be, but a Dreadnaught is hardly the most pleasant of Orators"
Aethod's frown was only partly admonishing, "it is tradition"
Vownus shrugged as orders swept up and down the lines, weapons readying as Commissars began marshaling the lines, "that is no disagreement"
Aethod huffed, "it is not"
Vownus playfully slapped the arm of his fellow Psyker, "I'll make an optimist of you yet"
The Librarian did not reply, the two making the rest of the journey to their position in silence.
Upon arrival, the great Dreadnaught offered a blaring greeting.
"Inquisitor Kaede"
Coming up alongside the hulking figure, Vownus dipped his hat in an unseen greeting to the Chapter Master.
"Chapter Master Thade"
"Time is short, Inquisitor. War is upon us"
Vownus curiously regarded the Dreadnaught, whose unseen eyes likely watched upon the coming wave of the enemy.
"It is"
"Of what little remains of us Inquisitor Kaede, the Astral Knights have remained in your service for some time"
"You have" Vownus cleanly responded.
"Stand before me, Vownus, so I may see you"
Acquising after a moment's hesitation, the Witch Hunter stepped into the relatively small space between Dreadnought and battlement.
Now before Thade, the Chapter Master's great form bent slightly.
Vownus knew he was being directly observed by the interred warrior.
"Should the worst come to pass Kaede, I ask you to save what you can" Thade's voice was robotic and blaring, but to the keen ear of one such as Vownus, there was a clear tone of pleading.
"Balor will not be the death of my Chapter"
"It will not" Kaede firmly replied, his mind weighing heavier as the second leader of Adeptus Astartes placed their faith in him, "you have my word"
"Good" Thade straightened up, looking beyond the wall once more, "Brothers. Wolves of Fenris. Sons and Daughters of Balor"
His voice grew in volume as he spoke, his blaring tone broadcasted as far along the wall as the Dreadnaught could manage.
"A fearsome enemy is upon us. A blight amongst the stars seeks to destroy the essence of our Emperor's Imperium! By all that is Holy and Just, I, Thade, Chapter Master of the Astral Knights charge you with a sacred duty! Fight! Fight for your city!"
A roar of affirmations ripped from the throats of most, even a few of the Space Wolves.
But Thade wasn't done.
"Fight for your families!"
The clamoring response grew.
"Fight for your world!"
Vownus was taken aback by the fervent roar that came from the walls defenders.
"Fight! For Dorn and Emperor, we will Fight, and we will Win!"
Even the Witch Hunter couldn't help the cheer that escaped him, a warm burn of determination now nestled into his heart.
Spirits raised beneath the cascading rain, wills tempered and souls forged in new fire of determination, an charged silence overtook the outer wall.
The guns still fired, but the warriors of the wall remained poised and focused.
It was Germael, standing by Thades right with his swords drawn and helmet upon his head, that made the final world.
The Ork's drew nearer and nearer as the Captain let loose a calming huff of an exclamation.
"And so it begins"
As the shadows grew long and night was upon the denizens and defenders of the Hive, the enemy came within visual distance of the mortals that manned the battlements.
It was here, when only a kilometer separated the two species, that the Guardsmen of Balor were clearly able to make out the distinct appearance of the writhing tide.
Jagged teeth, gaping maws, gruesomely designed weapons and gear… the ramshackle nature of the bloodthirsty Ork horde was terrifying.
Even under the brunt of the artillery and bombing strikes, their daunting numbers had advanced without care or concern to their losses.
And as they drew within range of the Outer Wall's mounted guns, the Greenskins held the course, the death and destruction of their kind seemingly encouraging their efforts.
Las fire raked their forms, the flashes and bolts of red cascading from the heightened walls and into their vanguard.
Bodies dropped beneath the stampede, crushed under foot as the Xenos could practically taste their goal. From the horde of green aliens, Orks equipped with roaring jetpacks blasted into the air.
Their destination; the Battlements of the wall.
Kjarl Grimblood had given the order to fire once the Greenskin menace was within range. His Wolves proved the more devastating Marksmen among the Wall's defenders, but the sheer number of Guardsmen proved that quantity has its benefits.
Lasrifles spat scarlet death into the droves of Orks as Bolter rounds were precisely directed to the largest looking targets.
"Maintain fire!" the Wolf Lord roared, "by the All Father, the Xenos shall pay for their hubris!"
Commissars barked orders over the raging din, the stalwart line of Guardsmen maintaining its rigid position in their overlook of the walls.
The Ork's did not sit back idly as the fury of the Guard descended upon them.
Bright flashes, rendered miniscule by the distance between the guns and the battlements, blinked throughout the Ork masses.
The Greenskins were returning fire.
By sheer volume, stray bullets caught men and women in the face, chest and arms. Heads vanished, limbs blew free, and people died in sudden spurts of violence.
Kjarl spotted the sudden change in the enemy a second before they blasted into the air.
"Jetpacks!" the powerful voice of a Balorian Lieutenant roared out to the defenders.
The Grimblood's sword weighed heavy in his hand, the edge of his powerful blade thrumming with power.
Hundreds of Orks followed the first into the skies, their bodies flying closer and closer to the battlements.
"Stand fast! Repel! Send them to the abyss!"
As Kjarl roared these words, one particular Jetpack wearing Ork swept toward him, its attention most certainly focused on the largest Humie it could see.
The gap was closed between them in seconds, the Greenskin's jagged Axe coming down in an overhead strike toward the Wolf Lord.
Kjarl Grimblood's blade caught the Ork at its shoulder, the sword bitting through steel flesh and bone as it rendered the Xenos into two pieces.
Chaotic battle erupted across the battlements, Space Wolves and guards alike engaging with the Orks that managed to survive their aerial jaunt.
"FIGHT!" the Grimblood called once more, Bolt pistol drawn and a round blasted to his right.
An Ork that had just missed the landing and was attempting to haul itself over the lip of the battlements found itself suddenly lacking a head.
As the corpse tumbled down into the mass of Xenos below, the Grimblood began a deadly spiral of slashes and cuts.
His blade slew every creature that faced it.
And yet for every one he killed, another took up its place.
Chainswords roared, their growling engines sated once their ceramite teeth bit into the green flesh of the invaders.
Men and women screamed, large Orks crushing them under foot or splitting them apart with jagged blades as they landed upon the wall.
Bolters spat waves of death, their bullets reducing even the more armored Ork's into mushy pieces.
The Guardsmen rallied well, forming appropriate firing lines even as they were beset in close combat. Bayonets fixed to weapons, a handful of groups even managed to overcome a few of the Ork rocket boyz in melee combat without Space Wolf assistance.
But the tide was only beginning to wash over the battlements.
For a brief moment, Kjarl Grimblood looked out to the swarming mass that encroached upon Hive Primaris.
The sea was unending in its nature, sprawled across the now destroyed lands beyond the outer wall.
His attention was snatched by a larger Ork, one that had cleaved through a group of Guardsmen within a heartbeat.
Beady eyes fixed on Grimbloods own, two combatants recognizing one another even in the heat of battle.
With a bellowed cry, the beast charged at the Wolf Lord, uncaring of all those that stood between him and the leader of the Fire wolf company.
He met the beast's fury with his own, a snarl upon his lips as he too charged.
Grimblood resolved himself to a long battle.
Thade's dual mounted Storm Bolter turned most of the nearby Orks into red mist. Those that managed to avoid being shot from the sky that flew through found themselves beset on all sights by righteous Imperial forces.
But they kept coming.
Even as the large gun batteries across the wall started firing into the swarms below them all, Vownus knew there was far more to come.
Ducking under an axe swing, Vownus forced his Psychic blade into the attacking limb of the greenskin.
A hand and forearm clattered to the ground, a crudely made axe held in the tight grip of the severed limb.
The Ork did not get a moment longer to contemplate the loss, Vownus' Hell Pistol evaporating the beast's face and upper body.
As the dead Greenskin fell away, Vownus was drawn to the arrival of another wave of jetpack strapped Orks.
The beasts landed brutally among the Space Wolves and Guardsmen, only compelled forward by their deep desire to commit savage acts of war.
Vownus was able to kill two, but not before a Guardsmen was sent tumbling from the battlements, a scream on his lips as he fell to his death.
Another, a woman, was blown apart by an Ork wielding an obscenely sized shotgun.
Two more died before the wave was dealt with.
And more Orks descended from the sky.
'Could this get worse?!' the Witch Hunter cringed, leaping through a Gate of Infinity to plant his mind blade within the chest of an Ork.
Toppling to the side, the now dead Ork revealed a wounded Guardsman it had been about to stomp on.
Rising, Vownus heard the call of a modulated voice he recognised to be Raduriel.
"Ladders!"
His head whipped toward the edge of the Battlements, even as great metal hooks and steel cords bit into the material.
The Orks had brought bare siege equipment.
Vownus sent a demand through the Immaterium, as he activated his Vox caster.
.Aethod!.
The Witch Hunter cut a bloody swathe to the edge of the wall, looking out as the great metal ladders were hoisted up by cords attached to the metal hooks now embedded into the wall.
As the ladders ascended into the air, each rung teaming with Greenskin warriors, Vownus practically yelled into his lapel.
"Castellan! Get the Guns to start targeting the bloody ladders or we won't last another hour!"
The Inquisitor got a few more shots off, even nailing three or four Orks that flew in from the sky, as he delivered an order to Aethod.
.Roast these fucking Xenos!.
As they had naturally spread out due to the beginning of the fight, Vownus was pleased to note how close the sudden storm of Warp energy was to him.
From over twenty meters away, presumably fighting alongside Thade and Germael, a crackling wave of energy burst from the battlements.
Swathes of Warp lightning screeched out into the night sky, the disgusting lightning of a foul reality licking across the sieging greenskins without care or concern.
The twisted energy consumed some Orks, blew the rocket pack wearers from the sky, and even torched a ladder or four.
But the tide came.
"Inquisitor. If we let up-"
The lips of the ladders impacted the walls as Vownus snarled a response.
"TAKE OUT THOSE FUCKING LADDERS CASTELLAN!"
Orks began to clamber up from the ladders, their forms eagerly leaping forward to join the burgeoning melee of the outer wall.
Vownus met them with cold fury.
His Hell Pistol delivered bolt after bolt of death, the Inquisitor attempting to bottleneck the two closest ladder points to his line of sight. From the corner of his eye, some of the batteries began to swivel independent of their other cannons.
Orks now numbered evenly with the wall's defenders, even as their ladders were cut down by autocannon and Las fire.
"Kill them all!" Vownus roared to whoever could hear, drawing the powers of the Emperyean once more to his form.
Blinking through the air, the Inquisitor cleaved heads, arms, legs and from their owners. Indiscriminately he murdered a path across the wall, attempting to relieve whatever he could from the slowly overwhelmed Guard.
From behind him, lightning was spat across the wall.
And then another call was made.
"Enemy Aircraft, approaching from the south!"
The flak cannons adjusted once more, the vast majority fixed into the darkened southern skies and beginning to fire indiscriminately.
In a brief moment from separating an Ork's head from its body, Vownus caught a glimpse of the approaching shadows in the sky.
Yet over the firing of the gun batteries, the growing roar of other engines were picked up by his ears.
From overhead, vessels of the Aeronautica Imperialis flew, the shadowed wings and shapes hidden by night powering forward to meet the enemy's Aircraft.
Unlike the one at a time method of bombing out the advancing Orks, the number of aircraft was that of a fully mustered force, loaded and ready for combat.
Hundreds upon hundreds of fighters opened up, their red Lascannons joining the fray of dancing lights and explosions.
Vownus made a split second decision.
Taking a sharp breathe of air as he blew another Ork into whatever sick afterlife it may believe in, Vownus snapped into his Vox.
"Castellan! Shell the southern grounds! It is a target rich environment"
An Ork attempted to shoot him. The shells bounced off of him, his thickened shield of Warp energy preventing the rounds from striking.
"Inquisitor, our aerial forces are in the same area-"
The Witch Hunter blew the creature's leg off, the great beast falling forward in a roar of pain.
"Then they will die a noble death! If we lose the wall we will lose the city!"
After blowing away its arm, Vownus strode forward and viciously stamped on the beast's head, crushing it beneath his boot.
He blew away the two rods which held the ladder in place.
"...affirmed, Inquisitor. Firing for effect"
Vownus' gaze turned to the sight beyond the battlements as the siege device he had disposed off fell back to the earth.
A part of him was glad to note it crushed more than a few Orks when it fell.
His eyes turned to the ground, and the skies above.
The rain continued to fall as the pilots clashed with their Greenskin counterparts, Orks jetpacking through the air and ladders rising and falling.
Surrounded by death and destruction, Vownus felt a queer touching of peace and assurity.
He had been in such battles before.
War.
… a part of him had missed it.
'Where's the Deathwatch when you need 'em' the former Ordo Xenos member grumbled to himself.
A call came across the line of defenders, its fervent exclamation catching Vownus' attention.
Sergeants and Commissars alike did their best to warn their troops.
"Incoming! Danger close! Danger close!"
The Northern artillery barrage arrived moments later.
AN: Oh man. And there we have it. Hope that was a good read because I'm really trying to sell the sheer violence and scale of this battle. Will probably upload an image of Hive Primaris to some website or something just so y'all could get a clearer idea of what the city looks like. I know I explained it accurately, but I know how hard it can be to mentally picture specific images lol.
Aside from that. It's finally Warhammer.
Super stoked to deliver as much fighting, drama and action as I can. Moral conundrums, Psyker Powers, clashing ideals and maybe even some Chaos'y ploys will be coming up.
Not really a Lucian heavy chapter, or much of anything really, just to show that the handle of the meatgrinder has begun to turn.
Also going to Europe in a few days, so I'll be away for a large swathe of time, and I'm probably not going to be writing a lot while I'm away just so I can take a bit of a break from it all. So I hope y'all are cool to wait a bit before the next one comes out :P besides, I need to do a lot of lore readings before I make any of my next big decisions for the story. I have specific points that need to be reached for the sake of my stupidly complex plot, but besides that fun little adventures featuring some bigger named w40k characters are very much possible. I need to do justice by them tho, and intergrate them correctly lol, so Imma have to do a lot of ready.
Especially so with the Dark Angles.
Much love to all the reviewers n stuff. I'm now crossposting on AO3 if y'all prefer the format over there versus FFnet. Same name n stuff.
I'm looking forward to whatever feedback you guys have, whether it be more specific descriptions, tighter dialogue, or less melodrama n shit lol.
Much Love,
The All Father protects,
Freedom.