Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2: The Fanfiction - The Prologue
"From the lighting and the tempest,
Our Emperor, deliver us.
From plague, temptation, deceit, and war,
Our Emperor, deliver us,
From the scourge of the Kraken,
Our Emperor, deliver us.
From the blasphemy of the Fallen,
Our Emperor, deliver us,
From the begetting of daemons,
Our Emperor, deliver us,
From the curse of the mutant,
Our Emperor, deliver us.
That thou wouldst bring them only death,
That thou shouldst spare none,
That thou shouldst pardon none,
We beseech thee, destroy them." - Common Imperial Navy Prayer
OST: Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2 Soundtrack - Assemble the Fleet
In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war. The galaxy is a boiling cauldron of conflict, where the myriad forces of the Imperium of Mankind battle against the encroaching darkness, and the terrors that lurk beyond the veil of reality. Such was the state of affairs in the events that were occurring at the end of the 41st Millennium, a time of unparalleled strife and tragedy, with the echoes of the 13th Black Crusade still reverberating through the Immaterium, a chaotic storm that left countless worlds scarred and shattered. In this galaxy, there is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter and the laughter of thirsting gods.
The galaxy had been plunged into an era of unending torment and horror, marked by the relentless advance of the near-endless Chaos forces led by the dreaded Abaddon the Despoiler, the Warmaster of Chaos Undivided, and the leader of the dreaded Black Legion, who swore to uphold the oath that his father, the infamous Primarch and Arch-Traitor Horus Lupercal, made. He swore so that in due time, he would see the Galaxy burn. It was during the bloody war that was the 13th Black Crusade that the mighty Imperial fortress world of Cadia, long regarded as a bulwark against the forces of Chaos, had fallen. The stalwart defenders of Cadia, led by Lord Castellan Ursarkar E. Creed, had fought valiantly to the last, but in the end, the planet's fate was sealed. The Great Rift, a tear in the very fabric of space and time that was created by the destruction of the Planet, had rent the galaxy asunder, and the repercussions of this cataclysmic event were felt across the Imperium.
It was into this maelstrom of darkness that Lord Admiral Spire's Exorcist-Class Grand Cruiser and his flagship, the Righteous Protector, emerged from the swirling madness of the warp, alongside a task force comprising of the Defiant-Class Light Cruisers Torch of Hope and Eidict of the Emperor, along with an escort squadron of Cobra-Class Frigates, all of which were part of the mighty Battlefleet Gothic, which called Segmentum Obscurus its home. The crew of the Righteous Protector, weary, wounded, and battle-worn, had endured the mindbreaking horrors of the Immaterium, their unbroken faith in the God-Emperor of Mankind their only form of solace in those tumultuous moments. As the vessel transitioned from the ethereal realm of the Emperyam into real space, many of the crew members let out a collective sigh of relief, for the warp was a place where madness, evil, and malevolence reigned supreme and where the servants of Chaos preyed on them.
"We're out," Commodore Kage, one of the commanding officers of the Righteous Protector spoke and breathed in relief, "Praise the Emperor that I can see the stars again."
On the bridge of the Righteous Protector, Lord Admiral Spire, hero of the Gothic War, stood resolute, his gaze fixed upon the stars that now filled the viewports as he sat on the Righteous Protector's venerable command throne. His features were etched with the scars of countless battles as a Lord Admiral of the Imperial Navy, his uniform adorned with the insignia of a lifetime of service to the Imperium of Man. He was a symbol of unwavering determination in the face of insurmountable odds.
"Report," he ordered, his voice carrying the weight of command.
"We're receiving distress signals," Kage stuttered in shock, "The region's alive with them. And according to the timestamps, Lord Admiral... The year... it's 999.M41. We've been lost in the warp for 800 years!"
Commodore Kage, Spire's trusted second in command and equerry, stepped forward. His eyes, once filled with youthful enthusiasm, now bore the weariness of a thousand battles fought as a member of the Imperial Navy. He held a Dataslate in his hand, its contents dire and foreboding when read
"And Cadia, the hymnals report that it's been destroyed, Sir." Kage began, his voice steady but heavy with sorrow as he handed the Dataslate to Lord Admiral Spire, "There's a lot of confusion out there sir. And Admiral, it was Abaddon himself who ordered its destruction. He unleashed a Black Legion fleet, which rammed a shattered Blackstone Fortress into the heart of Cadia."
The news struck Spire like a bolt of lightning. Cadia, the stalwart guardian and cornerstone of the indomitable Cadian Gate, had fallen, its people and its many defenders consigned to a horrific fate at the hands of the Warmaster of Chaos. It was a loss beyond measure, a blow to the Imperium's already-thinned defenses that sent shockwaves across both Segmentum Obscurus and Segmentum Ultima.
"Fallen? How could this happen?" Spire inquired, his concern evident. "What of Lord Castellan Creed?"
Kage lowered his gaze, unable to meet Spire's eyes. "His ultimate fate is unknown, my Lord. Cadia is lost, and its people are scattered."
A heavy silence hung over the bridge, the weight of the news sinking in. Spire had fought alongside Creed, admired his unwavering determination, and respected his leadership. The loss of such an influential Imperial Guard leader was a bitter pill to swallow.
But Lord Admiral Spire was not a man to easily yield to despair, as many others had done before him. His jaw clenched with determination as he looked out into the void.
"Then we have not returned a moment too soon," Lord Admiral Spire declared, his voice unwavering. "Navigator, chart a course to the Cadian system. We may be an age too late to join the battle, but revenge is still in our grasp. This is not the end, this is the beginning of a new war, a war like none we have seen before. Abaddon believes he has won, but we will show him that the Imperium does not falter in the face of adversity."
"Warp Engines online!" Commodore Kage informed Lord Admiral Spire as the Righteous Protector, along with the Battlefleet Gothic Taskforce entered the Warp, "Gellar Fields holding!"
As the Righteous Protector exited into the space of the Cadian Sector, Lord Admiral Spire then turned to the communication officer. "Send a signal to all surviving Imperial, Mechanicus, and Astartes warships."
As the Communications officer then turned on the Vox Relay, the Righteous Protector's Armsmen, Imperial Navy crews, and Tech-priests got ready to do their jobs.
"Lord Admiral," the Communications officer informed Spire, "The Vox Transmission is ready. You may speak."
"This is Admiral Spire to all Imperial Vessels: rally at the following coordinates: 154, 154. This isn't over," Admiral Spire spoke on the Vox Relay, "A new war is about to begin, a war that shall decide the fate of the Imperium."
As the orders were transmitted across the void, the crew of the Righteous Protector sprang into action. The dark days ahead would test their mettle as never before. The Nihlus War had begun, and Lord Admiral Spire, a flickering beacon of hope in the endless tide of encroaching darkness, would lead the charge to defend the Imperium from the bottomless abyss that threatened to consume it.