Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2: The Nihlus War: Part Seven
Warsmith Veraxus Pistonfist of the Iron Warriors 90th Grand Battalion smiled under his helmet. His two-thousand-strong force of heretic Astartes, all sons of Perturabo, the Lord of Iron, had taken over the shipyard. Pistonfist, through a combination of bloodshed, guile, and treachery, became the Warsmith of the Grand Battalion when he murdered its previous commander, Skabbidi Vhorlan, in cold blood by throwing him in front of a Hellbrute and watching it tear him apart.
Ever since the 13th Black Crusade had succeded in destroying the Cadian Gate, he and several other Warsmiths had joined forces to take over Deimios Binary in an attempt to turn it into a Hell Forge for the Dark Mechanicum. As the various chaos champions, known to the Iron Warriors by their Pre-Heresy title as captains, who were under his command reported their progress to the warsmith, his equerry, Captain Demetrius Thyranos ran into his chamber in his flagship, the Legate-Class Battle Barge Forgehammer.
"MY LORD!" Captain Thyranos yelled in shock as he ran inside, "We are under attack!"
"From who?" the Warsmith spoke in a mechanical growl as he rose to his full size from his desk. His corrupted Cataphractii Terminator Power Armor was colored silver with golden trim and black shoulder pauldrons. The Black and Gold hazard stripes, common in the Iron Warriors, adorned his knee plates, chest plate, and left shoulder pad, with chaos runes being dotted all over the armor. The neck torc that surrounded his helmet was engraved with the Gothic Numeral for four: IV, symbolizing the Iron Warriors' status as the Fourth Legion. Due to the Iron Warriors' hatred of mutations, much of his old body was replaced with daemonic-tainted cybernetics, cutting off the various mutations he had acquired.
His helmet, which obscured his face, was themed after a Cyclops, a legendary monster from the Mythology of Olympia, the Iron Warriors' destroyed homeworld. Mechadendrites and servo-arms sprouted from his powerpack, and the legion's symbol, a skull-shaped Iron Mask, adorned his left shoulder and chest plate, completing his look.
Captain Thyranos responded, "We have servants of the Corpse Emperor in the shipyard! Blood Angels! They're slaughtering the guards in the first shipyard!"
Pistonfist grumbled in barely contained anger as he made his way to the bridge of the Forgehammer. The children of Sanguinius couldn't have made it this far into the shipyard, much less made it into the planetary system itself, which was heavily defended by the combined Iron Warriors fleet of the Grand Battalions. "Who is accompanying them?! How did they make it inside the system?"
"They're being accompanied by a loyalist fleet, my Lord!" Thyranos yelled, his shock and horror evident, "It's a surprise attack!"
Hearing that information, Pistonfist turned to Thyranos, "Who is in that fleet?"
Just as Thyranos was about to respond, Pistonfist's Voxcaster went off. Hearing it go off, he turned it on. "Report."
"Warsmith!" the voice from one of his captains came over from the Voxcaster, "We have a large imperial fleet closing in on us! Black Templars, Ultramarines, Blood Angels, Celestial Lions! They've sent an armada to take the system from us! I repeat, they've-"
The Transmission was cut off by a loud blast on the other side of the vox, signifying that whoever among the Warsmith's troops had sent the transmission, it was safe to say that he was dead. Hearing this, Pistonfist was enraged. The Black Templars and the Celestial Lions, two of the chapters that were allied with the Imperial Fists, the Iron Warriors' hated rivals, were in the system, and he wasn't willing to give this station to his Legion's eternal foe.
"I want all guns to focus on the dogs of Rogal Dorn!" the Warsmith roared in anger as he ordered the fleet to defend the shipyard from the imperial warships, "Let's settle this rivalry and show them why iron reigns supreme!"
Just as the Iron Warriors fleet got into formation, that was when the Ultramarines made their move and started to open fire on the Iron Warriors. Several Macrocannon shells fired by the Eternal Vigilance rocketed towards the Forgehammer. Each shell could destroy a sizable chunk of his ship, and in shock, he turned to the shipmaster. "RAISE THE SHIELDS! FULL POWER!" As the shipmaster activated the ship's void shields, which absorbed the energy of the shells, the other warships of the Iron Warriors followed suit in activating their void shields, but some were too late.
A barrage of Macroshells fired by the Legionarius slammed into a Repulsive-Class Grand Cruiser, the Fist of Perturabo, then detonated, with one of the shells hitting an ammunition belt, obliterating the Warship and its heretical crew instantly. Similarly, a lance strike from the Aquila's Honor slammed into an Iconoclast-Class Destroyer, the Iron Storm, also part of the Iron Warriors fleet, causing it to be destroyed as well. "RETURN FIRE!" the Warsmith roared orders to his fleet, "Show our rivals the might of the Iron Warriors!"
Meanwhile, the naval battle raged on in the background. The Ultramarines Fleet, led by the Black Templars Battle Barge Avenger of Phall, commanded by Castellan Ishimaru, the Black Templars Strike Cruiser Wrath of Sigismund commanded by Sword Brethren Suzuka Nakamoto, and the Ultramarines Courageous-Class Battleship Aquila's Honor, commanded by Commander Ash Ketchum of the Ultramarines' Suzerain Invictarus, faced off against the Iron Warriors traitor fleet. Both sides relentlessly exchanged lance fire, Macrocannon volleys, plasma bombs, and regular and melta torpedoes in a deadly dance of destruction, with smaller warships on both sides being obliterated by the crossfire of the bigger ships.
"Launch the Boarding Torpedoes!" Castellan Ishimaru commanded the bridge crew of the Avenger of Phall, "Target the Hammer of Destruction! Pulverize them!"
As Castellan Ishimaru gave the order, the Avenger of Phall and the Wrath of Sigismund then released a swarm of Boarding Torpedoes as it fired on the Hammer of Destruction, with each torpedo loaded with three Black Templars Crusader Squads, and each of them was aimed at the formidable Desecrator-Class Battleship Hammer of Destruction. The moment that the first crusader squads stepped foot onto the deck of the Hammer of Destruction, they encountered horrors within the ships from both Daemons, possessed chaos space marines, and Obliterators, which they fought back against with the righteous zeal that they were known for.
"Legionarius, Aquila's Honor, concentrate fire on the Crucible, bring that accursed Warship down!" Ash Ketchum ordered the Ultramarines Fleet, "Eternal Vigilance, Miatus, Aegis of Gage, Thiel's insight! Put pressure on the Iron Warriors. Let them feel the might of Ultramar's finest!"
"Understood, Commander," Captain Terentius's voice came through the Voxcaster, "We'll let Perturabo's sons know that the Ultramarines control this system!"
"Got it, Ashyboy," Gary Oak's voice came through the Voxcaster, "In the case that we do boarding actions, would it be fine if we bring our Pokémon to the mix?"
"We always have to bring our Pokémon to the battle, Gary," Misty's voice echoed over the Voxcaster, "We were former Pokémon trainers, don't you know?"
While the Black Templars clashed with the Iron Warriors onboard the Hammer of Perturabo, The Ultramarines ships responded swiftly, the guns of their warships blazing as they unleashed a relentless firestorm of lance beams, macrocannon shells, and torpedoes upon both the Iron Warriors flagship, the Crucible, a Despoiler-Class Battleship, and the rest of the remaining Iron Warriors warships, including the Forgehammer. In return, the Crucible and its Chaos-empowered crew fought back fiercely, turning the void into a tumultuous battlefield. But the Ultramarines and Black Templars weren't just facing heretic Astartes, they were facing horrors that could only be spawned within the minds of those who were deathly afraid of the dark.
Because onboard the bridge of The Crucible, the Warsmith commanding the Iron Warriors warship issued orders to his coven of sorcerers. He told them to begin summoning Daemons, preparing for the possibility of the Ultramarines conducting a boarding assault on their ship.
"Summon the daemons," the Warsmith commanded the sorcerers, "We may have to unleash the warp's horrors onto the servants of the False Emperor. The Ultramarines shall face horrors beyond their reckoning if they choose to board this warship."
Suddenly, Bloodletters, Pink Horrors, Nurglings, Daemonettes, and other malevolent entities manifested within the hangar of the Aquila's Honor, threatening to overrun the ship. Erika swiftly informed Ash of the situation.
"Commander, Daemons are appearing aboard the Aquila's Honor!" Erika spoke in an urgent voice, "We can't let the ship be lost!"
Ash wasted no time in responding to the demonic incursion. He ordered the ship's Evocati breacher squads stationed on the Aquila's Honor to counter the daemons.
"Evocati, get to the hangars!" Ash Ketchum ordered the Ultramarines' specialized breached squads, "Eliminate the daemonic incursion and protect this ship at all costs!"
As the daemons fought against the Ultramarines, meanwhile, at the shipyard, the Blood Angels, led by Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Nora, Pyrrha, Ren, Sun, Coco, Velvet, Fox, Yatsuhashi, Cardin, Russell, Sky, Scarlet, Sage, Neptune, Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, Neopolitan, Dove, Sky, Neon, May, Sienna, Reese, and Penny, were nearly finished securing the beachhead in preparation for Ozpin's impending landing. As they worked to clear the drydock, some of the former Beacon Academy students couldn't help but reminisce about their time there.
"Hey guys! Remember the times that we all spent at Beacon?" Ruby Rose, now a Blood Angels assault marine sergeant, spoke with a sense of nostalgia as she impaled an Iron Warriors traitor marine onto Crescent Rose's blade, "Remember when all of us took on that Grimm alpha in the Emerald Forest?"
"It feels like another lifetime has passed," Weiss Schnee, now a Blood Angels assault marine reflected on their shared past as she beheaded a possessed Iron Warrior with Myrternaster, "I remember when we had our initiation in the Emerald Forest, that was quite the adventure."
"We've come a long way, team," Blake Belladonna now a Blood Angels assault marine, smiled as she sliced the arms off an Iron Warriors Havoc Marine before beheading him with Gambol Shroud, "That dance at the Beacon Academy Ball was one hell of a night to remember."
"Becoming Blood Angels was unexpected, but fun as well, guys," Yang Xiao Long, now a Blood Angels assault marine, spoke as she used Ember Cecilia to blast the head off an Iron Warriors Raptor, "The food fights, our sparring matches, and all the fun we had. It all took place at Beacon."
"But we're stronger now!" Nora Valkyrie's energetic personality, now in the form of a Blood Angels assault marine, shined through as she crushed the head of another Iron Warriors Havoc Marine with Magnhild, "We've always managed to endure! And look where it got us!"
"Our journey is far from over, everybody," Pyrrha Nikos, now a Blood Angels assault marine, spoke in a determined voice as she used Miló to impale another Iron Warriors raptor in the chest and used Akoúo̱to to deflect the attack from a plasma blast fired by an Iron Warriors warpsmith, "We just have to push on!"
"We'll face whatever comes our way, guys," Lie Ren, now a Blood Angels assault marine, spoke in a calm voice as he used StormFlower to gun down an Iron Warriors Tyrant Seige Terminators, "This is our chance to make our mark in history."
Others, however, were solely focused on the mission at hand rather than reminiscing while fighting against the Chaos forces. Their objective was securing the drydock so that the Black Templars, led by Headmaster Ozpin, could go into the shipyard to clear the rest of it out.
"Feel the power of the Blood Angels, fiend!" Sun Wukong, the Blood Angels librarian, yelled as he unleashed a blast of psychic Witchfire through Ruji Bang, incinerating a squad of heretic Iron Warriors Astartes before unleashing bolts of psychic energy from his left hand onto an Iron Warriors raptor squad, "Die!"
"Suppressing fire, coming in!" Coco Adel, now a Blood Angels devastator marine, notified her fellow Blood Angels as she unleashed a devastating wall of heavy bolter fire with Gianduja onto an Iron Warriors sorcerer, "Just tell me where there's a lot of those traitors, and I'll mow them all down!"
"Die scum!" Velvet Scarlatina, now a Blood Angels assault marine, roared in fury as she used Anesidoria to create a light copy of Astorath the Grim's Executioner's Axe to behead another Iron Warriors Warpsmith before using the copy to lop off the arm of a havoc marine, "For the Angel!"
"Keep on 'em, guys!" Fox Alastair, now a Blood Angels assault marine, shouted as he used Sharp Retribution to carve apart several Iron Warriors in his path, "As long we keep firing, we're guaranteed to win this! Let's make our school and the Ninth Legion proud!"
"Let the Iron Warriors have it, everyone!" Yatsuhashi Daichi, now a Blood Angels tactical marine sergeant, shouted as he used Fulcrum to cleave a havoc marine in half before sheathing it and then using his bolter to lay down suppressing fire, "Have at them!"
"Forward, children of Sanguinius!" Cardin Winchester, the Blood Angels Chaplain of the group, yelled to his fellow students and now brothers and sisters in arms, as he used The Executioner to cave in the head of an Iron Warriors Khornate Berserker as he bellowed the Blood Angels' sacred litanies of battle, "Slaughter the heretics! Show them no mercy!"
"Come get some!" Russell Thrush, now yet another Blood Angels assault marine, yelled as he used Shortwings to eviscerate another Iron Warriors Havoc Squad, "Everyone, show them no mercy!"
"One shot, one kill!" Sky Lark, now a Blood Angels tactical marine yelled in delight as he used Featherwings to behead another Iron Warriors Khornate berserker with a shot to the head, "Who's next?"
"Tear them apart, everyone!" Scarlet David, now a Blood Angels tactical marine, yelled as he used Hook to behead an Iron Warriors Havoc Marine with a shot and Darling to behead an Iron Warriors raptor, "The reputation of Beacon and the survival of the Imperium is on the line!"
"Got it, Scarlet!" Sage Ayana, now a Blood Angels tactical marine, yelled as he used Pilgrim to behead an entire squad of Iron Warriors, "Beacon has produced heroes for Remnant, it's time that we showed them that the School now produces the best space marine heroes throughout the Imperium!"
"We are the Angels of Baal!" Neptune Vasilias, now a Blood Angels assault marine, yelled in defiance as he blasted apart a possessed Iron Warrior that tried to charge him with Tri-Hard, "We are death! We are your crimson nightmare!"
"Kill them all!" Cinder Fall, now a Blood Angels assault marine, yelled as she shot an arrow from Midnight, hitting a charging Iron Warriors Khornate berserker in the head, "The Angel smiles on us this day!"
"Everyone, keep killing!" Emerald Sustrai, now a Blood Angels assault marine, yelled as she used Thief's respite to gun down several charging Iron Warriors Khornate berserkers with precise shots to either their heads or chests, "We're almost done clearing out the drydock! We just have to kill more of the bastards!"
"I hear you, Emerald!" Mercury Black, now a Blood Angels assault marine, yelled as he pulled off a windmill and hit several Iron Warriors, "Damn! These Iron Warriors don't know when to give up!"
"Guys! If you need any shield cover, I'll be happy to assist!" Neopolitan, now a Blood Angels Breacher Marine, informed her fellow Blood Angels as she used Hush to deflect several heavy bolter shots from an Iron Warriors bunker, "Stay behind me if you want to live!"
"Got it, Neo," Dove Bronzewing, now a Blood Angels tactical marine, responded as he took cover behind Hush, "Act as my shield while I use Hallshott to lay down some suppressing fire on that bunker!"
"Time to die!" Neon Katt, now a Blood Angels assault marine, yelled as she brutalized another Iron Warriors raptor with her pair of nunchakus, "No mercy for those that betrayed the Imperium!"
"Your journey ends here, Traitor," May Zedong, now a Blood Angels assault marine, whispered as she took out an Iron Warriors Havoc Marine with a shot to the head with her rifle, "There's nowhere to run, and there's nowhere to hide, for vengeance comes for you at last."
"How many of these bastards are there?!" Sienna Khan, now a Blood Angels assault marine, yelled as she used her Cerberus Whip to forcibly tear apart a possessed Iron Warrior, "These guys just don't know when to give up!"
Reese Chloris, now a Blood Angels Moritat, used her dual bolt pistols to blast apart a possessed Iron Warrior, yelling, "Take that, traitor scum!" as the possessed marine's body dispersed into nothingness, leaving his shattered and corrupted power armor behind.
"Die, traitors, die!" Penny Polendina, now a Blood Angels assault marine, yelled as she used Floating Array to tear through an entire platoon of Iron Warriors, "In life, you are damned! Through death, you are redeemed!"
Meanwhile, amidst the ongoing battle outside the shipyard, a Basilus-Class Battle Barge of the Imperial Fists, the colossal Hammer of Dorn, suddenly emerges from the Warp and starts unloading salvo after salvo onto the Iron Warriors fleet, shredding some of the smaller capital ships apart. Ash Ketchum, the Commander of the Ultramarines Suzerain Invictarius and the Aquila's Honor was taken aback by the unexpected arrival of the primary chapter of the mighty Imperial Fists Legion, as he hadn't anticipated their involvement in the conflict. The mere sight of the Hammer of Dorn left Ash astounded.
"Imperial Fists? I wasn't expecting them... Why are they here?" Ash was astonished, as he didn't expect the arrival of the Imperial Fists, "What could have possibly attracted the children of Dorn to this location?"
He quickly ordered the Vox Officer of the Aquila's Honor to establish communication with the Hammer of Dorn.
"Vox officer, Patch me through to the Hammer of Dorn," Ash Ketchum commanded the Ship's Vox Officer, "I need to know who's commanding that leviathan of a Warship."
As a servitor activated the hololith on the Aquila's Honor and the Vox Officer turned on the channel, the hololith revealed the commanding figure of the Hammer of Dorn, which was none other than Izuku Midoriya, who was now an Imperial Fists Captain. Ash was left in disbelief, as he hadn't imagined encountering someone he recognized from a different part of the Imperium.
Ash recognized the young hero's dark green hair and freckled face, but the yellow power armor with steel-colored trim that Izuku wore was a combination of utilitarian design and art. The Symbol of the Imperial Fists, a black clenched left hand over a field of white, adorned his left shoulder. The neck torc that surrounded his neck was engraved with the Gothic Numeral for seven: VII, symbolizing the Imperial Fists' status as the Seventh Legion. His Helmet, which he cradled in his left arm since his power fist encased his right arm, was artificer-crafted and themed after the knights of old Terra, with a crimson visor and green laurels.
"Izuku? What...What the heck is going on?" Ash was astonished and bewildered when he saw him appear on the screen, "Why the hell are you here?"
"Ash, the Imperial Fists have joined the battle," Izuku spoke in a determined voice, "We couldn't stand idly by with our brothers and sisters in the Celestial Lions and the Black Templars in the fray. We share the Gene-Seed of Rogal Dorn, our Primarch, and the Iron Warriors, our hated rivals, are involved. I want to show them that we've improved drastically in the aftermath of the Iron Cage."
"Who's with you on the Hammer of Dorn?" Ash curiously spoke, "Who or what did you bring to the table?"
In response to Ash's question, a multitude of individuals, both familiar and unfamiliar, started appearing on the holoscreen and communicating through Ash's voxcaster. The sheer number of voices and faces overwhelmed Ash, making it difficult to focus on the ongoing status updates regarding the integrity of the Alpha Sigma from Misty, Gary, and Iris. All of them weren't wearing their helmets, and as each student appeared, Ash soon realized that Izuku had mobilized the entire student body of U.A High School to join the battle, all of whom were now serving as Imperial Fists Space Marines.
"These are my friends, Ash," Izuku spoke as he introduced the new arrivals, "All fellow students from U.A High School, now serving as Imperial Fists."
"Quiet down! I need to hear..." Ash was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people who were calling in and appearing on the screen, "Guys, it's important!"
"Sorry, Ash," Izuku Midoriya apologized on behalf of his fellow students, "We're just excited to be here and help in this war."
To regain control of the situation, Ash had to instruct each of Izuku's fellow students to introduce themselves one at a time. As each student did, some introductions caught Ash's attention.
"We won't let you down, commander!" Ochaco Uraraka, now an Imperial Fists tactical marine, spoke in an enthusiastic voice as she saluted, "Wanna see me make them float before we fill them with bolter rounds?"
"Time to kick some Chaos butt!" Bakugo Katsuki, now part of the Imperial Fists Templar Brethren, spoke in a fiery voice, "It's explosion time!"
"Our training at U.A. has prepared us for this." Tenya Iida, now an Imperial Fists Chaplain Dreadnought, spoke in a determined and Mechanical voice, "I'll inspire my brothers and sisters with my speed and my words."
"We'll bring balance to this conflict." Shoto Todoroki, now an Imperial Fists Leviathan Seige Dreadnought, spoke in a calm and mechanical voice, "The traitors will know the force of cleansing fire and freezing ice."
"Our knowledge and teamwork will be our strength," Momo Yaoyorozu, another Imperial Fists tactical marine, her strategic personality shining through the now, spoke, "We're going to hit the traitors with everything we got."
"I'm ready for action, ribbit!" Tsuyu Asui, also an Imperial Fists tactical marine, croaked, "I'm ready to jump on them!"
"We're unbreakable!" Eijiro Kirishima now an Imperial Fists assault marine, spoke in an unyielding attitude characteristic of the children of Rogal Dorn, "Let's kick some traitor butt!"
"Darkness will not prevail if the Defenders of Terra are there first," Fumikage Tokoyami, now an Imperial Fists Librarian, spoke in a mysterious voice, "We are the last line of defense for the Imperium. We are the last wall of Terra. We are the Imperial Fists."
"We'll brighten the darkness!" Mina Ashido, now an Imperial Fists tactical marine, spoke in a cheerful voice, "We'll make them dissolve like they're nothing."
"Time for some shocking victories!" Denki Kaminari, also an Imperial Fists librarian, spoke with an electrifying attitude, "The thunder of Dorn shall burn away all heresy!"
"We'll make sweet music in battle, "Jiro Kyoka, now an Imperial Fists tactical marine, spoke in a cool and collected voice, "Wanna hear the sounds of traitors repenting in death?"
"Invisible, but not unnoticed," Toru Hagakure, now an Imperial Fists tactical marine, spoke in a supportive voice, "Let's show them what the Chapters of the Imperial Fists can do if they're all together."
With the introductions complete, Izuku relayed important information to Ash regarding the Imperial Fists' plan to land at the Spaceport of the Forge World, currently held by Skitarii forces facing heavy opposition from the Iron Warriors.
"We're landing at the Forge World's Spaceport," Izuku informed Ash, "The Skitarii garrison that is stationed there needs our support to retake the Forge World."
"Acknowledged." Ash responded, "Be advised, Castellan Steinhauser and Warchief Asala have already started their deployment on the Forge World."
"Once you've all landed," Ash continued, "We'll provide orbital bombardment once the void is clear. Just tell us where the enemies are most numerous, and they'll be pulverized."
"Got it, Ash," Izuku spoke before turning to his fellow students, yelling, "Everyone! It's go-time! Put your helmets on, and get your weapons ready! We're going in!"
With that, the Transmission was cut. Ash then turned to the windows of the bridge, watching and looking for others to respond.
And that right there wraps up chapter seven of the story! Watch out for next time in chapter eight, in which the ground battle begins! Leave a review and a follow if you want to see more of this story. Thank you!