Chapter 8
The surface battle is getting intense. Sanguinius is starting to have difficulties holding the lines together, communication with distant troops is getting disrupted and their supplies are running low.
Word has just arrived that the Harkonnen forces are being led by the Sardaukar commander and they are coming up front from the west and east with the Fremen army behind them, which is said to be huge and very capable. It will be a nice change of pace to have the Fremen as their ally instead of an enemy. The Fremen have impressed Sanguinius to be sure, a lot better fighters than Sardaukar.
However, so far the Fremen have been fighting in the shadows, or under the sands. But under the order of 'Muad'Dib' Paul Atreides, they have decided it is better to confront the forces of chaos more directly, as their positioning and speed are far too sporadic and unpredictable to be able to contain with those tactics. Sanguinius wonders how these Fremen will fare as frontline troops.
Unfortunately, the Fremen do not bring supplies for the Astartes, and ammunition is running low. The Astartes have been forced to resort to using their chain swords and hand-to-hand combat to fight off the cultists and demons. Their numbers are dwindling, while Chaos is growing stronger by the minute.
If only he could have words with his Father, to discuss exterminatus again as Horus has done.
The warp storms are only getting closer and closer, surrounding them in body, mind, and soul. They are trapped for all intents and purposes. But they can't let Chaos win. They will not be captors, they will not submit. Death is better than that.
Sanguinius is worried that the Sardaukar and Fremen will soon succumb to Chaos, followed by the Astartes. After them, only he and his brothers can hold back the tide of chaos.
Perhaps the only chance is to plunge the ships into the planet from orbit, overload their drives, and crack the planet apart. This would kill even the sandworms, he believes.
Despite the dire situation, Sanguinius is thankful to be in contact with Rogal. Perhaps they can find a way out of this together.
"Rogal, come in." He says through his communicator.
"Rogal here, Sanguinius tell me what is on your mind brother. I am kind of busy here penetrating the city towards the palace and perhaps seeing the source of control and coordination for this chaos incursion." His brother says, static interfering only a little.
"By all means press on brother, perhaps we can find some way to break the chaos offensive. I was just wondering if you have been in contact with Father?" He asks.
"No brother. The last contact with Father was with Horus. He refused exterminatus and told us to keep pressure on the chaos spawns and crush them on the surface so we could focus on fighting the sandworms who are clearly in league with the ruinous powers. Neither of us has heard from him since." Rogal says, whilst in the background Sanguinius can hear chainswords cutting through bodies, Imperial Fists exclaiming good kills and advancing slowly.
"We need more supplies. The Fremen are adding to our strength but we are running out of ammunition and fuel." Sanguinius says.
"I am currently unable to communicate with space due to the warp storm interference. We must rely on Father's deduction to understand our situation and hope that he sends more supplies soon. However, I am concerned that the supplies on the ships may not be sufficient. We must push through quickly," says Rogal. Sanguinius agrees, recognizing Rogal as a skilled tactician and leader who was equally knowledgeable about their predicament.
"I will try and get some intel from space, see if something is arriving," Sanguinius says and cuts the comms.
"First Captain!" Sanguinius yells behind him through the ranks of Sanguinary guards awaiting orders. First Captain Azkaellon runs up front and bows before Sanguinius.
"Lord Sanguinius!" He salutes.
"We need intel on space, Captain. Boost signals, put up relays, purge the skies. Do anything you can to get something through the storms. The storms are licking the atmosphere now Captain, we must know the status of the fleet and The Emperor." He commands.
"At once, my lord! For the Empire!" Azkaellon says before running off. Sanguinius moves towards the battlefield, accompanied by his Astartes warriors, all ready to fight, although wary. Despite this, morale is high, and they are prepared to do their best. Sanguinius has his private entourage, consisting of majestic warriors who stand in ranks and salute the moment they see their primarch approach and position himself on an elevated location. From here, he can oversee all of them.
"Sanguinary Guards, Primarch Rogal Dorne and his loyal Imperial Fists are currently working their way through this city, killing chaos spawns as they go. They are trying to find the command of this chaos insurgency. Shall we leave them to have their fun by themselves?" He shouts, seeing his troops raise themselves higher as they hear his words.
"No!" They yell in unison.
"I am headed into the heat of battle to rid this planet of chaos, no matter the cost. Are you with me?" He asks.
"Yes!" They all say without hesitation. They'll follow him no matter what. Sanguinius pulls out his flaming sword, and the Sanguinary Guard all draw their swords too, encarmine blades made of angel steel. Unbreakable. Sanguinius challenges any army to face them.
"Charge!" he yells as he speeds towards the city. At the edge of the city, chaos cultists and daemon spawns are waiting. Most of these cultists are naked, with tattooed or carved ruinous marks of chaos undivided into their skins. Some astartes have mentioned seeing tattoos and carvings in the flesh of a circle with two serpents biting each other, and in the middle of the symbol, a triangle with a dot in the middle - which is 'their' symbol.
The cultist's eyes are bloodshot and dark, their skin pale and blistering. They are no longer human but chaos slaves. Most probably don't have long to live, their soul long gone into the warp. Killing them is a mercy and Sanguinius and his sanguinary guards don't hesitate. They cut them down with ease, they give no resistance. Some try uttering a word or simply close their eyes, seeming to embrace death. They are not really cultist anyway, just whatever is left of the human population of the city that didn't simply die. No mere mortal can resist this level of heretical psychic pressure, Sanguinius doesn't blame them, he is just saddened by the loss of life to chaos.
As Sanguinius and his sanguinary guards move deeper into the city, they face fierce opposition from the daemon spawns. Despite their tough nails and teeth, they are no match for Sanguinius' sword and the valiant efforts of his guards. However, as they progress, the daemons become larger and stronger, making the battle even more challenging. Although the sanguinary guards fight with unwavering energy and valor, the growing number of daemons poses a significant threat. It appears that there may be a warp rift somewhere on the planet, causing this demonic invasion.
"Stand fast, Praetorians!" Sanguinius yells as a daemonic beast emerges from the swarm of chaos spawns, towering over them. It looks to Sanguinius like a Fury, a crow of chaos. Its wings spread out, shadowing the lesser daemons. Sanguinius knows he has to take it down before it can get airborne.
Sanguinius cuts through the ranks of daemons to get to the Fury. It lashes out with its wings, but Sanguinius manages to clip a wing at the tip, taking off the outermost phalanx bone and tearing through the patagium up to the tibia.
Using his momentum, Sanguinius turns himself head over heels toward the creature and uses his weight to push the monster off balance. It comes crashing down. Sanguinius pulls out his sword from the wing and with a swift motion, cuts off the tibia of the wing, then the other wing, and decapitates the Fury. He stands upon the carcass to look somewhat elevated so he can look over the ranks of daemons still coming.
"Fire!" He yells and a barrage of bullets surrounds him as the Sanguinary guard pull out their special bolters and unload upon the horde of daemons. His guards surround him as they have a moment to breathe. First Captain Azkaellon comes up to him.
"The emergence of greater daemons like this monstrosity means that the rift or whatever it is has been fully opened. We are truly out of time. Say you have word on the situation in space." Sanguinius asks his First Captain calmly. Azkaellon salutes.
"Yes, my lord. I do. I have reports of several objects entering the atmosphere. They appear to be drop pods." He says. Sanguinius's face lights up underneath his helmet.
"Reinforcements! Or resupplies at least! How many are there?" He asks.
"6 my lord. They are spreading out over the city, they will all land within its perimeter." The First Captain replies with great vigor.
"Excellent. Communicate with our forces and the Thousand Sons legion to start collecting them. We can use replenishment troops or ammo. Now, onward!" He yells and they head back into the fray as more chaos daemons and cultists appear from all around them.
"My Lord, one will drop not far from here, look!" First Captain Azkeallon yells and points up. Indeed a drop pod was coming in hot, it would land only 1 block away.
"Quickly now. With reinforcements, we can turn the table on chaos." Sanguinius says as he leads his forces through the destroyed and blood-smeared streets of this alien city.
They got there fast enough to see it crash down in the middle of an intersection.
These pods can contain up to 12 Astartes or a ton of supplies, including weapons, ammunition, food, and war gear.
As it opens up a large amount of smoke erupts from it, this is done frequently when arriving in a hotspot to cover disembarking troops or cover awaiting forces for
supplies.
Chaos forces close in on Sanguinius and his troops but the drop pod is equipped with an automated defense system of twin-linked bolters that start cutting enemy force down as the drop pod's occupant disembarks and straightens up. The Thousand Sons force immediately drops to one knee as it is revealed who was occupying the drop pod.
Primarch Magnus The Red himself. He comes through the smoke with his unique plasma gun blazing at the chaos daemons still coming at a distance, more Furies and other greater daemons now.
He holds the force weapon Blade of Ahn-Nunura in his left hand.
His golden, ever-changing armor seems to dissipate the smoke around him as he walks away from the pod and amongst his troops towards Sanguinius. His red skin is a dark burgundy, like wine.
"Brother!" He calls as he approaches. Sanguinius smiles.
"Magnus. It is good to see you. I see Father has decided to end the conflict on the planet quickly, sending you down here." He says.
"Not just me, Brother. 5 of us have been sent down by Father to assist. Leman Russ, Lion El'Jonson, Vulkan, and Lorgar have joined me. They too are now planetfall. One of the drop pods is of course a supply pod." He says. Sanguinius's eyes light up. What great news. 8 primarchs on the planet at once, what a majestic display of power.
"I'm afraid there are not enough troops for us all to command," Sanguinius says honestly.
"Don't worry, brother. Remember that some of us work best solo," Magnus says. Sanguinius nods, considering it. Indeed, Lemann Russ and Vulkan are exceptional warriors, standing out among the primarchs for their power and ability to wage war. They do not require an army to command, as they can tear through any city with their bare fists. And then there is The Lion, who is probably the most identical progeny of The Emperor's genes. His radiant presence alone will make chaos spawns and heretical traitors cower away at the mere sight of him. It seems that the tide has turned, Sanguinius thinks... And then the ground begins to quake.