Chapter Fourteen

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"Sanguinius. It should have been him. He has the vision and the strength to carry us to victory, and the wisdom to rule once victory is won. For all his aloof coolness, he alone has the Emperor's soul in his blood. Each of us carries part of our father within us, whether it is his hunger for battle, his psychic talent or his determination to succeed. Sanguinius holds it all. It should have been his…,"

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The Fortress planet of Certi, well-known for the heavy emplacement guardsmen that the planet trained throughout the millennia since it fell under Imperial control. The Fortress world is a training hub for the Imperial Guard sending many decorated regiments to the stars throughout the years in service for the Emperor. With Hive Cities scattered around the planet, the mighty bastions under its command remains strongpoints and a pool for human resources for the ever great demand of manpower by the Imperial Army. It's main Building Officiae, the Elise Bastion named after the Great Saint Elise that is said to have once graced the planet of Certi in a Drukharii raid stands as the office of the Planetary General slash Governor. The main pride of Certi however is not its mighty fortresses but the rather the Adamma Orbital, the mighty defense platform that serve as the main Planetary Defense of the planet.

Due to its close proximity to the Forge World of Icate, Certi and a couple of other worlds enjoys its autonomy and protection even as it becomes part of Imperium Nihilus when the Great Rift spilled into real space. With its mighty fortresses and its large population of well-trained Guard, along with its mighty defense platform it manages to fend off Chaos Warbands with great cost of life. The continuing trade and accommodation of the Forge World of course only increases Certi's chances of survival as the material needed by the Astra Militarum continues to flow like a river.

Everything changed however when a Tyranid Splinter Fleet appears.

It is into this slugfest that the Seventh Company Fleet of the Angels Encarmine appear at. Tyranid Bio-Ships are everywhere in the orbit around Certi even as Imperial Navy ships duke it out with them. Macro cannonts, torpedoes, lance fire and missiles are everywhere as the Imperial armada surrounding Adamma Orbital tries its damnest to make clear the air around the orbital free of Tyranid creatures. It is plain to see however that the orbital is overrun with creatures crawling like ants even from a distance can be seen through magnification lenses of the Purgatory.

"So those are the Tyranids," exclaims Sanguinius letting a little bit of wonder enter his voice as he observes through the magnification lenses of the bridge the giant creatures looking like giant space whales.

"Yes, the Great Devourer," answers Elindra lounging at one of the chairs at his side. "Don't mistake that as their full strength Son of the Anathema. That is not even a drop of what they are truly capable of. Imagine an entire swarm hundred times bigger than that,"

"I agree with her lord Primarch," says Mira who is also at the bridge wearing a black shirt, one of the rare instances Sanguinius notices that she is not wearing the carapace armor of the Cadian guard. "Those xenos are a major threat to the Imperium. Even we at the guard have been made aware of how much they could be a problem if they are en-masse in one big fleet,"

"I see," Sanguinius simply humms wincing a bit as his precognition for some reason is wonky, it is as if looking through a faded screen instead of the clear glass that he has been used to ever since he has been reincarnated.

"These must be the famous Shadow of the Warp thrown around by being near the Tyranids according to the Codex," he muses as he pulls his thoughts back to himself and stops looking to the future.

"Lord Father," Captain Tyrion bows as he approaches him once more. "I have made contact with the Admiral in charge of the Imperial Navy fleet currently engaging the Tyranids. They are requesting Astartes support into retaking back the Adamma Orbital. It has been overrun by Tyranids after being bombarded by Mycetic Spores. The crews inside have been overrun. A strike force of twenty Astartes of the Storm Heralds, a permanent presence here at Certi have pushed inside to set an incineration bomb to purge the Bio-Forms, but the Fleet have lost contact with them,"

"Storm Heralds, what legion are they my sons?" asks Sanguinius to the gathered Space Marines who looks at one another before answering.

"Second Founding, the Fifth my lord; sons of the Great Khan,"

"Ahhh, Jhagatai's boys; it is no surprise they chose to dive in. The White Scars' Legion has always been a little too hasty when it comes to attacking. I guess it falls unto us to go and rescue them," says Sanguinius standing up much to the bewilderment of the Captain.

"You are going lord father? There is no need. I can deploy a strike force that can handle this problem by themselves. There is no need for you to risk your life or waste your time on this,"

"I would never send my sons in a battle where I would not also be participating. Besides, I am curious as to what foes these Tyranids are. It is better that I familiarize myself with these xenos, especially since something tells me that I would be acquainted with them even more in the future,"

"Very well lord father, by your will. I will inform the first and fourth squads to form up and wait for you at the hangar," acquiesces Tyrion. "The Fleet will help deal with the Splinter Fleet in the meantime,"

"Eldar, Captain Mira you two with me, let us see about these Tyranids shall we?" Sanguinius turns to his two original companions who nods as they trail after the Great Angel.

The Thunderhawk that they board zooms past an entire symphony of weaponry as it zips through the void dodging and weaving through the extraterrestrial fire being brought to bear by both Imperials and Tyranids before heading straight to the Adamma Orbital. From the windows of the Thunderhawk, one can more clearly see the many Tyranid organisms clinging to it as they enter through every crack and crevice that they can find.

"Lord Primarch, we are entering through one of the hangars. Please be informed that there are Tyranid Organisms all about,"

"Copy that pilot, you heard it my sons," Sanguinius says turning to the gathered Adeptus Astartes and guardsmen inside the Thunderhawk. We form a perimeter and nothing gets past us, understood?"

"Where blood is spilt, angels fly!" booms the Space Marines with the Guardsmen shouting "For the Emperor" in their own cadence and cheer. Sanguinius simply smirks as he readies himself as the ship flies through the gravity field of the hangar before bodily landing with a shriek as it skids on the metal floor of the Adamma Orbital.

In an instant Sanguinius is off the door of the Thunderhawk before it can even finish skidding, wings opened wide as he swipes sideward the Spear of Telesto to the first crawling and screeching things that try to mob him the moment he makes landfall with his feet on the steel ground of the hangar. Now Sangunius has seen many things during his tenure as a Primarch during the Great Crusade. He has seen xenos that are aesthetically pleasing to the human eye and the xenos that are nauseating to look upon. He has to say that the Tyranids fell unto the latter part with their insectoid appearances and looks that are too inhuman to even describe.

The golden spear that he is wielding he smashes sideward decapitating five of the smaller figures, Hormogaunts, he recalls their name to the Codex he has read. They are the most basic of Tyranid creatures there is, he remembers. There are a lot of them and Sanguinius twists and bobs twirling his spear non-stop sending the smaller Tyranid forms flying in all directions in pieces as he destroys dozens at a time at every hit of the Spear of Telesto. A challenging screech gives Sanguinius pause as he turns to see a warrior variant glaring at him in anger, bigger and standing upright wielding what seems to be a dual bone sword. Sanguinius simply grins before leveling his spear accepting the challenge from the Xeno leader. With a mighty roar, his wings drive him forward and the creature also who tries to intercepts the Spear of Telesto with his organic weapon. It somehow underestimates a Primarch's weapon for the bone sword it is wielding barely manages two hits against the spear before the spear cuts through leaving the alien weaponless. Before it registers the fact that it has no weapon, Sanguinius impales it through its mouth, the pointy end of the spear cutting through the top of its head exposing its brain. It is dead before it even hits the ground.

The sound of guns makes Sanguinius turn. The Thunderhawk it seems has already pulled to a full stop from its skidding motion and its total complement of twenty Astartes and ten guardsmen have managed to form themselves in a perimeter around the Thunderhawk guns blazing. Bolter fire and las-fire takes down the Hormogaunt wave that immediately set upon them. The aliens come in all directions like ants attracted to a dead carcass. His sons do him proud though as the first and fourth squads lay armored and weaponized as Tactical Marines put down every Tyranid attempting to come near their perimeter fire. Eldritch lightning from behind also shows Elindra frying any Hormogaunt or warrior that tries to make jumping motions through the mass. Her lightning bolts are powerful throwing charred corpses that dare attempt to leap through the morass of white bodies that are being held at bay by disciplined Imperial fire.

Sanguinius wastes no time cutting through the white mass towards them as more and more gaunts and warrior broods appear. The Spear of Telesto is like a grass cutter shearing through the mass of Tyranids even as the Primarch punches, kicks and squeezes with his free hand the alien forms that gets near him. The Tyranids are many, but they are not that powerful, their power coming more from their numbers than their individual forms right now. He's thankful for that as he cuts through the white swarm that seems to be reinforced by more Tyranids from around. They appear from every edge of the station, roaring and screaming their displeasure, unhappy of the sudden Imperial intrustion in the Adamma Orbital. It seems that his sons and the guardsmen with them would lose ammunition first before the Tyranids lose bodies to throw at.

Searing an entire line of gaunts and bashing the skulls of two warriors along the way, Sanguinius reaches the line of his sons adding his combi-bolter fire to the mass as he leads from the front. He can immediately see his sons fighting more ferociously at his presence, taking heart that their gene-father is here with them. Sanguinius does them proud by burning another line of gaunts with the Spear of Telesto before noticing something above the parapets clinging vertically through the roof, a figure that is almost invisible to see in the naked eye, unless you are a Primarch of course. Sanguinius however notices it immediately and he snarls as his wings open propelling him upward like a missile slamming his spear to the large xeno that immediately materialize, screeching its hate in its death throes as the Spear of Telesto runs it through. It is a Lictor, a stealthy type aberration of the Tyranid brood, Sanguinius grabs it by the neck and with an almighty rip, tears off its head from its body with an ugly squelch before letting the corpse fell to the ground below.

It seems also that the mass of Tyranids are also slowly starting to finally finish. The defenders among themselves have already stacked almost two meters high of corpses from the gaunts among themselves from all around. The Tactical Marines of the Angels Encarmine are advancing, even as the remaining gaunts start to realize in their hive brains that they don't have the numbers necessary to take down the Imperials as they start to retreat even as bolter and las fire explodes their bodies.

"They will be back," Sanguinius simply says as he lands back to where everyone is giving off a little cheer of victory, even the Eldar who is sporting a small smile. "Plant the Incineration bombs and radio for any Imperial communication warning them of the hellfire that would soon consume the station," says Sanguinius even as he bends down to pick up one of the dead gaunts to examine it more closely now that they're not mobbing him and trying to kill him.

Four guardsmen under Mira salutes and immediately runs off to plant the Incineration Bombs on the hangar. The plan is simple. The hellfire from the bombs would purge it from it every organic life form while sparing the Orbital's main machinery from being destroyed. The Imperials would be safe then to retake the station at their leisure without the Nids to ambush them at every nook and corner.

"We've got communications lord, survivors of the Storm Heralds, an entire squad," says the Sergeant of one of the squads of Angels Encarmine with them, still an unnamed son that Sanguinius has yet to remember. "They are approaching from the East and telling us not to fire when they exit the bulkhead doors,"

Sanguinius simply nods as he drops the Hormogaunt, his curiosity sated now among the smaller Tyranid creatures. So far all he knows about the Gaunt is that they are small, fast, easy to kill and they come in large numbers. Against guardsmen, they are a fair fight but against Space Marines, they would be easy to kill. That is good news at least. The last thing that Sanguinius wants is Xenos that can overpower his sons easily.

The sound of a door opening on the East makes everyone turn, only to see ten space marines enter from there. Unlike the Angels Encarmine, their color scheme is gold with a white lightning emblazon on their shoulders. Their leader is bare-headed except for a narrow hairline at his middle. He has a mustache that is drenched with alien blood. They approach them before stopping and beholding in glory as they lay eyes on Sanguinius.

"The report is true," they said mesmerized before bowing in their knees to him. "We give glory to the Emperor of your return oh Great Angel. We didn't believe the vox when it said that the Primarch Sanguinius would be saving us. You are a legend walking among mortals my lord. It is our greatest honor to be meeting you today,"

"And it is my privilege to meet you nephews," says Sanguinius sagely. He rather likes how the Space Marines are treating him, one of reverent respect and not one of worship as the humans have tended to do. "Get up and introduce yourselves properly,"

"Of course my lord Primarch," says the one with the bared head. "I am called Arban, Sergeant of the Storm Heralds Tenth Company Ninth Squad. We are all that's left I am afraid of the Storm Heralds assigned to this station. The Tyranids caught us by surprise and overwhelmed us along with the auxilia of the Orbital. It is said that you plan to use Hellfire incendiary bombs to cleanse the station my lord?"

"Yes," nods Sanguinius. "Are there any survivors other than you in the Orbital nephew?"

"I am afraid to say that there would be none left my lord. Other than those in the hangar and those that are with us when we fought the Xenos, there would be no sign. The entire orbital have been overrun already and those that are at the control station and at the engineering would surely be Tyranid food by now. They don't have the equipment to defend themselves against hordes such as these,"

"Then we evacuate now with you. Captain Mira, are the bombs ready?" Sanguinius asks the woman who angles her head in affirmation.

"Timer set my lord Primarch. We are ready to leave at your order,"

"Very well, then everyone fall out. Elindra cover our rear and-,"

"KNIFE-EAR!" the sudden hiss from Arban makes everyone pause to see the Storm Heralds leveling their weapons at the Eldar Farseer who simply levels her spear at their direction.

"This Eldar is with me Sergeant Arban. She is sanctioned Xenos under my care and have been a part already of many campaigns," says Sanguinius simply in explanation despite the snarl from the Storm Herald sergeant.

"She is an Eldar witch Lord Primarch they can never be trusted,"

"I know, but Farseer Elindra has my trust. As long as I am Primarch and have the position as head of the Aquillian Crusade, this knife-ear would be tolerated. Am I understood?"

It is clear as day that the sons of the Great Kahn obviously want nothing more than to start shooting with how much hatred they look at the Eldar but they level their guns reluctantly as Sanguinius continue looking at them hard.

"It is understood Lord Primarch," they grumble out as they follow the rest of the Angels Encarmine and Cadians back to the Thunderhawk which is powering up its engines already. Elindra is the last to enter with Sanguinius behind.

"They have a history it seems with my kind," she mused looking directly inside at the Storm Heralds still glaring at her in a way that would make her combust if possible.

"You can tell," says Sanguinius sarcastically before entering also with her in tow as the Thunderhawk starts to leave the hangar. In a few seconds it is in the void heading back to the Purgatory.

Sanguinius simply stares through the glass of the bridge of the aircraft as it erupts in a fiery inferno burning every living thing inside it. The securing of the fortress world of Certi has just begun.

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Author's Note:

So another chapter done. Sorry I haven't updated yesterday. Been reading some star wars fic. Maybe ill try my luck with that fic once I reach the targeted chapter twenty with this one. Anyway its just an idea. Hope you like this chapter folks. So, the sons of the Great Khan, what do you think?

How do you get rid of Tyranids in a planet anyway? Only from a small splinter fleet?

Ohh I've been reading Idiot of the East comics. I totally ship kid Emps and Slaanesh XD hahaha

Anwyay thank you for the reviews and the support. As usual your reviews are the song to this writer's heart so keep them coming cause I enjoy reading them and I take them as inspiration for my next chapters.