Characters:

Zso Sahaal, Captain of the 3rd Company - Lord Magnus

Brother Acharias - Company Champion, Second in Command. - Great White

Brother Adric - Forge Master, Artificer. - Admiral9

Brother Leonidas - Apothecary - TheRobotLol

Epistolary Karras Nox - Expert Psyker, Trusted Advisor - Castiel

Sergent Taric - Terminator - rockerbikie

Sergent Harper Layhe - Assault Trooper Veteran - Angry Squig

Sergent Edvard Einer - Assault Trooper Veteran - Deadshot

Brother Lucius Peris - Stealth Specialist - BlapBlapBlap

Sgt. Morias Kalvae - Tactical Marine - DarkofVoid

Sgt. Krieg "Death Speaker" Rurik - Experienced Biker - Toastedandy



"Midnight's Glory" exited the Warp near Torayo, The Imperial Army there had rebelled and forced the loyalist army of planet, and 3 days ago the Night Lords had received the message and sent the 3rd company to deal with the traitors. The rebels were a large force and held several strong defensive positions on the planet, the Night Lord's would destroy them one by one. The company had recently been named the War Shades in honor of their victory over the Orks holding a planet, not taking a single casualty by using hit and run tactics. They would make an example out of these pathetic rebels who chose to rebel against all hope, and show the rest of the galaxy what happens. Sahaal readied his weapons for the slaughter ahead, he opened the vox to the other squad leaders.
"Prepare your squads, we make planetfall in 30 minutes."

Posting Order:

Lord Magnus, Deadshot, Angry Squig, ,Great White, Admiral9, TheRobotLol, Castiel, BlapBlapBlap, rockerbikie, DarkofVoid, Toastedandy.
Everyone must post once before the order starts.

Note: If a person is offline, skip them in the posting order.

After taking inventory of the armored support i could provide for the company i walked towards the captain. I was thinking about the old days on mars about the legio tempestus on their combat patrols with their mighty titans but i arrived. I walked up to the captain and said. ''Captain i have taken inventory i can prepare 10 land speeders for the initial assault i can also provide more heavy support in the form of predators if that is needed.''

Brother Acharias prepared for the drop. He reached for his power sword, "The Night Tooth," putting at his side while holstering his plasma pistol, the blue plasma lighting up the room. Not to forget his lightning claws, jutting from his wrist, bolters on top. He stepped into the drop pod, putting his helmet on, the eyes of his helmet a glowing red. He looked over to Sahaal and nodded his head. His was ready for the carnage that was to ensure. As he strapped into his seat he thought of their mission and the honor that would be bestowed on the Night Lords for completing this mission. He was ready to bring pride to his legion. For the Night Lords, For Curze.

So, they were sending them against rebels. Marines were above this skum, but a slaughter was still a slaughter and slaughter was fun. Leonidus grasped the hilt of his archaic power sword, a field of crackling energy flickering noiselessly across its smooth surface. With a chuckle he attaches the final mag-lock of his customised skull helm, the usually black eye sockets lighting up with a blood red glow. Without a word he straps into his seat of his personal dreadclaw, countless flickering buttons and nodes lighting up with a tilt of the head, the activation and direction codes transmited instantly from helm's advanced matrixes. The thrusters powering up with a low hum, he opens the vox channel.

"Enim noctis."

For Curze, he would slay these upstart fools.

The vox crackled. "Nox, we have a new assignment. We are to put down a rebellion by some Imperial Army units on some backwater planet. Prepare yourself." The Captains voice hissed.

Nox left his trance, letting go of the psychic energies he was holding, perfecting his art.

The vox crackled. "Nox, we have a new assignment. We are to put down a rebellion by some Imperial Army units on some backwater planet. Prepare yourself." The Captains voice hissed.

"I already know." replied Karras. "I stand in Midnight clad."

"I might have known" Sahaal replied, and cut the link.

Karras rose and walked to his personal armoury. He picked up his bolt pistol and slid it into the holster on his right thigh. Next he drew his force sword, Strom Bringer. At his touch the blade began to glow an actinic blue, bolts of psychic energy playing over its blade. "Not yet." he whispered, and sheathed it on his left hip. He turned on his heel and strode from his chamber in the Librarium, heading for the briefing. It was hardly a fitting task for the Astartes of the Night Lords, but they would end this rebellion faster than any of their cousins in the other Legions could manage. That was their talent, after all.

Lucius gathered his Stalker Bolter and calibrated the scope. He needed to be completely accurate.

He enclosed himself in his Power Armour. It was one of the newest suits, the 'Maximus' pattern. It was light and easy to move in.

He put his combat blade in it's scabbard, and slipped on his chameleonic Cloak. He walked to the bridge, where he met Adric and the Captain.

"Prepped and ready, sir. They won't know what hit them!"

He walked off with the Artificer, requesting a special piece of equipment after the battle.

Harper tested his sword, taking a practiced swing.
"I am ready." He replied to the Captains vox. He went to his Dreadclaw and found his squad already waiting. This was to be fun. Rebels were rarely well-outfitted or organized, just scum.
"MARINES, PREPARE TO DROP! We will be dropping down into the main battle-lines to lead the diversion. Octavius, Marius, you will accompany me. Samhain, Jackal, you hunt any big tanks. Load up!" Harper shouted and a cheer rose from his claw as they hopped in.

Morias Kalvae knelt in his quarters, whispering a prayer to the Emperor for guidance in the coming battle. It was a quaint, personal matter - a ritual he had become accustomed to doing on the eve of battle many, many years ago. When he was done, he gripped his chainsword and held it upright, scant centimetres from his head. Quietly, he recited the Litany of Devotion.
Where there is uncertainty, I shall bring light
Where there is doubt, I shall sow faith
Where there is shame, I shall point atonement
Where there is rage, I shall show its course
My word in the soul shall be as my bolter in the field.

His ritual complete, he stood, the bulk of his armoured frame barely managing to operate within the small confines of his bland quarters. Sheathing his sword, he donned his helmet, which sealed with a hiss, before making his way to the chapel. Ever since becoming sergeant of the Ghosts of Moonlight, he had decreed that before battle the squad should spend time giving prayer to the Emperor. He knew some of his men resented it, as their legion had never been one famed for devotion. But he had done his best to stick true to the Imperial Creed; it gave him a certainty and purpose in life that little else could. It was true what the Chaplain's preached: there was no greater defence than unshakeable faith. Whilst he believed in the Emperor, he was unbreakable. He would never submit and never tire in his duties.

For that is what it meant to be an Angel of Death.

Midnights glory breezed through a stream of stars, it seemed an eternity, waiting in the dark. Drifting past a saffron-hued gas giant, the order for mobilization came.

Sgt. Krieg stood unmoving before the glorious Haggered Circle. The wait for war always effected Krieg badly. The anticipation boiled his blood and it took all his will to hold himself together before his host. Krieg struggled to forcus his sight and calm his body.
"They look to me for guidence" he thought as he looked up to his brothers.


"My brothers, prepare your engines and ready your claws, we take our wrath to the enemy, grind them under foot and wheel. Rise, Night Lords, Adeo mori servus Ave Dominus Nox "

"Ave Dominus Nox" replied the squad, as they roared their engines into life, belching fuel into the factorum.

As the Stormbird sped ovdr the planet's stratosphrere, Edvard Einer checked his weaponry. He drew his identical Power Axes, "Darkhood and Nightmonger" and placed one on each hip. Darkhood was on the right. Then he checked his Lightning Claw, Nightshredder, sliding the claws in an out quickly. He holstered the bolt pistol and turned to his squad.
"Get ready." He opened a vox chanel to the piolt, strapping on a Mk IV Jump Pack, single thruster design. "Pilot, open the assault ramp." He said in a monotonous voice. The ramp opened without a reply, and Einer took a running leap. As he reached the edge he lept, dropping several hundred feet before firing his Jump Pack, his squad spread out 10 metres apart.

His four advisers stood around him in the personalized Storm Eagle, they readied weapons and jump packs as the door slid open, below they saw a trench line full of the rebels, they prepared to drop in and begin the slaughter. Sahaal felt the wind on his face, and dropped out the front ramp into the chaos below.

Though the darkness will be rent by noise and flame
Your eternal soul will be mine to claim

Krieg slammed his palm into the side of his skull shaped helm. His head was throbbing with anticipation, his thoughts swimming as he tried to focus himself. Words formed from the pain he felt, words that sounded as old as time itself,
words he could not understand. His vision slowly became focused, his hearing slowly came back, and he was sundenly aware of his surroundings once again. They will be on the planet soon. Soon his torment will momentarly cease.

The deafinging roar of the Storm eagles engines was the only noise audiable. Even as he reved the powerful engines of the massive beast he rode on, he could not hear it. His brothers remained motionless, battling with there own demons. As is the way with the Circle.
The storm eagle dove into a canyon to avoid the primitive radar systems expected. Their target was an heavy artillery emplacement. The resistance was expected to be light, but the objective was seen to be worth the attention of 8 battle hardened gods of war.

"The slaughter will not be quick" voxed Krieg

After he finished with the Master of the Forge, Lucius found a grav-chute and put it on. He couldn't do his best in such a cramped unit. He waited until nobody was looking, and he jumped, gliding far away from the massed trenches. Lucius came down as lightly as a butterfly, hardly disturbing the thin layer of dust and dirt that covered the cracked, dried soil. He slipped off the chute, and scurried to the vantage point. He took aim through his sight, trying to distinguish between the ranks of soldiers.

Karras followed Sahaal out of the Storm Eagle. The air rushed past his face, whistling over the plates of his power armour. He extended a thin parachute of psychic energy, slowing his descent. He landed amongst the command squad, and released the energy he held with his mind. Drawing his pistol and force sword he surveyed the battlefield and the rebel scum who had thrown off the Imperial way. Along the line guardsmen fell to bolter fire from the marines, the few return shots easily absorbed by power armour. This battle would be over quickly, Karras thought.

Adric discovered lucius disappeared and saw him jumping of the dropship. He ran towards the edge of the dropship but saw that it was too late.
He returned to his duties the dropship would hit the ground in 10 minutes Adric would need to request the armored support within a damn strict time limit but that was in the future.
He checked his equipment. Power axe and plasma pistol in Adric's hand and on his servo harness he had another 2 plasma guns and some tendrils. Adric was ready to fight
He looked around and saw some marines preparing their gear. Adric could hear the plasma gun of one of them scream in pain and could see it wasn't treated as well as it should have been. He walked up to the marine and said. ''Give me that plasma gun you are not worthy of holding such a weapon.'' He threw a ordinary bolt gun at him and after fixing the plasma gun gave it to a different astartes.
The drop ship almost touched down now. The combat here would be swift but hard.
Adric heard the ship touch down and he saw the light from the sun shine down as the hatch opened up and las bolts came towards them.

Although the dreadclaw moved at an incredible speed, the thick hull prevented any trace of noise reaching his superhuman ears, while the gravitational stabilisers made the ride utterly smooth. He always traveled alone, not even his trusted bodyguard were permitted to acompany him, his Nocturnus guard were deployed to the battlefield in his secondary dreadclaw, only seconds behind him. The scanner nodes told him impact time was in 27 seconds exactly. Accessing vid links and.....ah, the rebel forces had set up perimeter nearby. They had limited heavy support but were many. The info-links told him they were armed mainly with las and auto weaponry. Utterly pathetic. No mission for marines of their level. There frail defence would be no problem. No matter their weak weaponry and artillery, they would die all the same.

"Nocturnus, prepare for incision."

,His harsh voice crackled over the vox channels.

"Primary and secondary launch procedures complete to satisfactory standard. Opening hanger bay doors," the monotone voice of a servitor droned. The massive bay doors creaked open with a rush of air as the compartment depressurized.
"Holding clamps releasing in 5...4...3...2..1."
There was an audible clack as the clamps released, and their pod hurtled to the planet below. There was a loud whoomph as the pod's engine engaged, powering them towards the planet's surface, the computer expertly guiding them to pre-set co-ordinates. His squad was tasked with being dropped right into the heard of the capital to sow as much chaos and disarray amongst the traitors as possible. Morias blinked slowly before opening his mouth to speak.
"What is your life?" He demanded. His men replied in unison.
"My honour is my life."
"What is your fate?"
"My duty is my fate."
"What is your fear?"
"My fear is to fail."
"What is your reward?"
"My salvation is my reward."
"What is your craft?"
"My craft is death."
"What is your pledge?"
"My pledge is eternal service."

He smiled. The men of the Ghosts of Moonlight were loyal, devout and proud warriors. He was honoured to serve and lead them. The ten of them were in silence for what seemed an aeon; Morias in silent contemplation of the battle ahead, when his thoughts were interrupted by a deep voice beside him.
"Once more unto the maw of the enemy."
"Aye, Haestus," he replied sombrely.
"Why is it that the captain most often picks our squad for insertion into the heart of the enemy?" His friend queried.
"Because brother," Morias wore a grim look of confidence, "We are the best men for the job. If there's an objective, we will secure it. If the enemy are as thick as oxygen on it, then we will sooner torch the air to secure our objective than take another breath without a step forward."
"That," Darius Haestus replied, "Is something I can agree with. For the Emperor and for Curze!" He bellowed.
"For Nostromo!" The rest of the squad echoed, as the drop pod blazed through the atmosphere, its hull a fiery crimson as it plummeted ever closer to the grand city below.

Sahaal plunged into the trenches, his weapon were not drawn, he simply beat the soldiers down with his armoured fists. A human with a power sword charged toward him, he jetted into the man, unsheathing his claws as he did. He fired bolt rounds into two unarmoured approaching humans.. Their torso's burst in a shower of gore. He sliced and jetted, through everyone in his way, working through the trenches toward the bunker ahead.

Lucius still crouched behind the stone, trying to find a target. Men scurried about as the bulk of the assault squads poured out of the dropship. At last he found a head.

"Gotcha."

He pulled the trigger. A single bolt shell flew through the air like a meteorite, corkscrewing around.

A scream rang through the air as the bolt shell closed in.

All that remained of the soldiers head was airborne. Fine chunks of human flesh and bone rained down from the sky onto his comrades. The squad ran, firing weapons at the rock.

The astartes dsembarked the ship and rushed towards the main battle.
Adric disembarked last. The second he stepped out of the ship he saw 9 renegades surrounding him out of their ranks a sergeant walked towards him and said ''Just surrender their is no chance for you to win or do you want to die already?''
Adric looked around and smiled. He said ''Fools do you even know how stupid this whole endeavor is? Waisting our time and your lives for the purpose of what? Stupidity?!''
The sergeant nodded and the renegades began firing at adric. The power armor shielded him from any grievous damage and when he saw a chance to counter attack he raised his plasma pistol and shot the sergeant in the head. His head exploded and his whole body began to melt.
The guardsman where confused and adric fired at them with his twin plasma guns they began rapid firing and killed 4 guardsman. After that adric rushed into close combat.
With a quick slash from his power axe he killed another 2 guardsman. After that with my tendrils i severed another guardsman limb from limb until only his head was left ehom i stored to be brought to the apothecary. The remaining three where lying broken on the ground one of them crying.
Adric's tendrils lifted them up into the air and he squashed 2 of them into a pulp. He knocked the remaining one out to be interrogated.

After continuing into the field adric heard a huge rumble and a explosion. He saw a leman russ battle tank rush onto the battlefield and his hull mounted lascannon slashed off one of the dropships wings.
Adric rushed towards cover and assessed the situation. He eventually opened his vox and said. ''This is forge master adric i request anti Armour units to be deployed towards my position immediately. A leman russ battle tank is tearing up the astartes here we need the support immediately!''

Sergent Taric looks at his squad and smiles. He has skulls around his belt and that of his terminators. This was to send fear into the enemies, Sergent Taric grimaced. He knes what he has to do. He does not like fighting but they have to do it to achieve peace. He had to do it for the duty for his Legion. For Curze. Not a single word was spoken on the way down to the planet. Just the awkward sound of the Engines, he was then droped down. When he arrived he heard the silence before the start of battle, the antipication of war. Sergent Taric, pulls out a small device and presses it, it relays the mission. The other Teriminators nod, without a word they start walking towards the front line with Sargent Taric. He would have to those poor idiots out of their misery. What a bother. The assault squads have porbably already made it to the front line and it would be smarter to shoot the enemy down a bit before heading charging in and making the enemies flee in Terror. They are only a few hundred metres from the battle, Taric grimace turns into a frown.

"We have landed." His voice crackles over the channels.

With a metalic thiring, the dreadclaw lifts its main body off the ground, the exit iris opening. A click as he unbuckles himself, Leonidus leaps to the ground and spots a nearby trench, he could hear the paniced men just inches behind it. Rising up to his full height, he takes a step foward and with a simple channel hack, connects his comunication channel to their outdated vox callers. Chuckling quietly, Leonidus begins to speak.

"Fools. Pathetic fools. Who do you think you are taking on the superhuman astartes, and with such feeble tools at your disposal. I offer no chance of surrender, for you there shall be no escape, you will never again see the faces of those you love and care about. Now show yourselves, lay down your arms and maybe, just maybe, you earn a mercyfully quick death."

With this, his Nocturnus guard close in silently behind him, their skull helms mirroring his own. He had personally chosen them from those on Nostramo he had most trusted, and they were utterly loyal to him. They were all highly trained, masters of the art of combat. Petty rebels would be like flies in their wake.

"Switch to incindiaries, open fire."

The weight of fire focused on Karras increased as he advanced towards the trenches, the guardsmen slowly recovering their wits from the shock of the assault. Heavier weapons were brought to bear, solid rounds from autocannons whined past, and an incandescent lascannon shot missed him by a whisker. Reaching out with his mind, Nox raised a dome of psychic energy, shielding himself and his brothers from the worst of the firepower. He would not be able to hold it for long, but they should make it to the trenches, provided it didn't get more intense.

Darius srubbed his armour, eyes scanning the dark blue ceramite. He could feel the multitude of scars in this old armour. This old armour which had guarded his body against countless attacks. From eldar shurikens to slicing blades he seen this armour guard him and had made a connection with it. Not just the connection through the caprace, but mentally as well. He stood and began to put it on. As he did, he thought of their enemy. Traitors, humans, but traitors. How he mourned for them, they had fallen from the light of the Imperium and now would be cleansed by its dark tallons. They were Astartes and now they would carry out their purpose. Death. The last peice of armour linked to his mind, he turned to his weapons. His bolter was clean, he always had it so. The pistol, however, was not. He had lended it to a novice and the fool hadn't cleaned it. It took him a mere five minutes. He made sure that all the large magazines at his belt where full. They where. He was meticulous in this. The door to his quarters slid open and his armoured bulk moved into the hallway. He recited a battle prayer in his head as he moved. An old one, from a home he hardly remebered.

Angels on wings of fire and death.
Angels with golden blades
Help to smite our enemys
Help us to win the day.

It went on like that for quite a while. Always talking about angels and how to smite dark foes. He didn't buy into the superstition, but he did quite enjoy how it sounded and felt. His footsteps rang on the floor. Aids and techs walked past him, he ignoring them, they looking with slight awe at him. He was a Night Lord, Son of Curze and warrior born. The awe would never fade. He held his helmet under his arm, the bolter in the other hand. His grey hair splayed out across his shoulders with his grey specked beard making him look like some sort of discoloured shrub above the armour. He made his way to the launch deck. He had been ordered to go the chapel before battle, but that would be countermandin the emperors own decree. Their lord wished for now worship, thus Darius would give him none. If the sargent, who he considered friend, pulled him up for it then he would simply quote the emperor.

A few minutes into his wait, his brothers arrived. The nine of them, all younger, all less experienced. All arrogant. Younge Astartes couldn't help it. They where the emperors angel's of death after all. He smiled before clamping on his helmet and moving to the drop pod. Soon, the servitor wound out the luanch procedure and ten deadly warriors of the emperor where flung out of their great ship in a tiny metal egg. He listened to and joined in with the Morias pre-battle ritual. "Once more into the maw of the enemy" he smiled rufelly. He may have been old but he still enjoyed a good fight. Some had compared him to an ork in that regard. "Aye Haestus" his leader somberly replied. A little too sombre for Darius's liking. You had to have fire in your blood and ice in your brain to fight like an astartes. However, the marine was still young. "Why is it that the captain most often picks our squad for insertion into the heart of the enemy?" He laughed slightly awaiting his friends response "Because brother, We are the best men for the job. If there's an objective, we will secure it. If the enemy are as thick as oxygen on it, then we will sooner torch the air to secure our objective than take another breath without a step forward" Now that, that was the reply of an astartes, of a warrior, of a leader. "That, is somthing that I can agree with" He paused then shouted "For Curze!" His brothers echoed the cry with "For nostramo!"

Clouds of flies buzzed around a couple of Trojan class support vehicles as its crew slaved to unload the potent heavy shells. 'The Dictator', pride of the 34th artillery regiment continued to
pound the drop zone with earth shaking force. The entire emplacement shook the surrounding canyon with each salvo. Their orders were clear, continue firing no matter what, they would pound the astrates into
the ground with fire and ash.

"Weep for them! for their faith is false. Rejoice for yourselves, for my faith is bottomless!" boomed the propaganda sirens. Moral was high in the 34th, they were over 40 kloms away from the expected drop zone.

The engines of the Storm Eagle were beginning to whine as it began its final decent. Activating his view screen, Krieg stared at the flickering image of the snake like artillery train. Guns protruded like thick hairs, ant like
support vehicles scurried back and forth re-supplying the massive shells. A glowing, multi dimensional map of human life signs flickered, counting roughly a full company with support crews.

Krieg slammed the view screen back into its wrought iron frame. Resistence is ten fold what was expected. The Storm Eagle set them down 4 kloms east of the objective. Their first priority were the Hydra anti-air cannons.
With these eliminated, the entire emplacement would be at the mercy of the Storm Eagle.

Krieg kicked his mount into life, and roared down the canyon, his brethren spread out into a single line. They would be on top the enemy before they can react. With a feral grin Krieg bellowed at the top of his lungs. Dust kicked up a storm behind them,
as they sped down the canyons side. Their bolters barked before the rebels could see them, blasting their unarmoured bodies into a fine mist. Panic swept through the 34th, as they desperatly tried to climb abourd the Dictator. The Night lords were already upon the outter defences,
and were sweeping through the skeleton guard shockinly fast. The train finally began to jutter into life, throwing men and women to the dirt. The cannons continued to fire, even as it began its retreat.

A series of explosions followed the daemonic bikers as they dropped grenades into fuel reserves. Huge towers of smoke and fire raged through the canyon, choking and burning any left behind in the hasty retreat.

"Bloody Space Marines, apparently they've landed at the front and the first trenches are almost gone already," A concerned guardsmen mumbled to his companion.
His friend, who was head and shoulders above him, smirked. "Nah, they ain't so tough. The bigger they are, the harder they fall!"
"Y-yeah, you're right. Besides, they'll never get through all our defences to the centre of the city here, and even if they did, we've built miles of bunker complexes, gun-nests, killing fields and they'd be running through fifteen miles of booby-trapped land from the outskirts to get here. Not to mention our hidden guerilla forces."
"That's the spirit, they can't touch us. They may have that fancy power armour, but we'll see how much good that does them against our over-charged lasguns."
The two men shared a malign laugh. "I hope they do come, bring 'em on I say! We'll show the bastards not to mess with us!"
A third voice spoke up from nearby. "Privates, I suggest you focus on your duties, not making idle chat."
"Yes sir!" The two men snapped to attention instantly.
"Rest assured, those Astartes can and will find a way to break through, and when they do, we-" The officer paused, looking around curiously. "Can you two hear something?"
"Now that you mention it.. I think I--"
The three traitors managed to look up at the sky with bewilderment for a mere second before they were crushed into the ground as if they had never been there.

The familiar resounding thud resonated through the hull of the drop pod as it impacted with the fury of a volcano cannon. "Pod down!" Morias yelled as their restraints retracted and the sealing bolts blew, the doors burst open, slamming to the ground. The Ghosts of Moonlight piled out, weapons raised and firing. The guardsmen were still reeling from the impact of the pod. Morias raised his bolt pistol, pulling the trigger twice and feeling the sharp bark of the weapon was probably more comforting to him than the two men mass-reactive explosive bolts slammed into. Haestus was by his side, boltgun raised, precise shots taking down a half dozen of the traitorous dogs.
"Forwards brothers! To me, Ghosts of Moonlight!" Morias roared over the comms, rallying his men and drawing his chainsword high. He lead the charge towards the nearest group of men, who were struggling to feed the ammo into a jammed heavy bolter. He noted with some delight as they looked up; relishing their distraught and horrified expressions as he brought his chainsword down, slicing the first's head from his shoulders followed by a twist of his wrist and a thrust to place his blade through the chest of the horrified gunner. Wrenching his blade free and firing from his pistol with his other hand, he silenced another enemy as his brothers hacked and slashed with combat blades, bashed and crushed with fists and boots and mercilessly slaughtered with their fell boltguns.

Within a bloody minute of close combat, two dozen more traitors lay rent and broken at their feet. They looked up as a counter charge, lead by what appeared to be lead by a foolhardy sergeant with a power sword.
"Archaeus, heavy weapons solution now!" He ordered. There was a clunk as one of his Marines yanked the heavy bolter from its attachment, and within a few moments it's breach was cleared and the heavy calibre rounds were loosed upon their charging foes. Two dozen of the traitors were brutally cut down, legs and arms blown from bodies in explosive sprays of gore and arterial spray, whilst others took multiple shells and were reduced to little more than bloody clumps of meat. But yet more came, a sizeable counter charge of five infantry units, a command section backed by a lumbering Leman Russ MBT following more slowly behind. Lasbolts rained down on them, the Marines thought little of it until two Astartes at the front took a flurry of red-hot bolts that whisked clear through their ceramite, adamantine and plasteel armour; the two falling to the ground lifeless, their forms riddled with smoking holes.
"Get down! They have over-charged lasguns!" He shouted over the squad comm, and his men dived behind what sparse cover was available.
"Donnatus, Corvus, suppression fire, Kurnar, flank with your flamethrower, Vartenius let fly frags!" He spat out a flurry of commands; four runes on his HUD display flashing green in acknowledgement. His men wasted no time, a hail of .75 calibre bolter rounds were emptied into the charging traitors, thinning their foremost ranks and scattering their charge. A frag grenade landed in their midst, blowing apart four as the rest of his brothers poured fire into them. There were blood chilling screams of agony as Kurnar revealed himself ten metres ahead and spewed deadly promethium over the traitor's ranks, incinerating a dozen before he was forced back into cover, scattered shots flying towards him. Their assailants; or at least what was left of them, raced towards them, piling into the encampment. Marines met hand-to-hand with men they towered over, but it was only eight against almost thirty. Bayonets jabbed and stabbed whilst razor sharp combat blades sliced, scoring clean kills. Tyceus and Vartenius fought back to back nearby - both skilled blade fighters, putting down three men in as many seconds whilst Haestus slammed his bolter into the face of a charging man, crushing his face. A follow up blow caved in the front of his skull and a power armoured stamp crushed his head, ensuring a kill.

Morias slashed out, disembowling a man before parrying the wicked edge of a sword and placing a shot in its wielder's head, splashing blood over his armour. He hacked and cut, wading through the traitorous soldiers as easily as his chainsword tore through their armour, grinding flesh and bone alike under its mono-molecular edged teeth. Vartenius died gurgling as his body turned to molten slag under the relentless blast of a meltagun. Tyceus roared and ended the special weapons trooper's life, forcing his combat blade through the man's skull. He then scooped up the meltagun and stood impassive to the agonising screams as he reduced two men to wet, smoking slush as his boltgun fired into the mass of bodies, cutting down a trio of charging men. Donnatus was brought down in a mass of raging adrenaline-fuelled bodies, slashing and stabbing at the vulnerable parts of his armour. Ultimately, he was hauled to his knees and two guardsmen forced their bayonets through his helmet lenses, firing away and burning away his head under the fusillade of searing hot light. The traitor's triumph at slaying a superhuman was short-lived as Kurnar set them alight with his flamethrower, ensconcing them in the warm caress of his weapon's flaming embrace, their charred corpses fluttering to the ground as their screams died away amidst the conflagration.

After cutting down and gutting a duo of foolhardily courageous traitors, sergeant Kalvae found himself face to face with the vainglorious sergeant leading this platoon, who waved away his accompanying orderlies and guards and outstretched his power sword in a defiant challenge. From underneath his helmet, Morias saw the sheer determination and willpower emanating from his opponents thick-set features. Such characteristics could be admired in a leader. Regardless, the man would fall by his blade this day; of that Morias was sure as he holstered his pistol - the clip spent - and gripped his chainsword two-handed, holding it high. With a curse on his lips, he charged as did his foe and their blades met in a furious clash. Morias did not hesitate to deliver a kick to the man's chest, sending him to the ground before his glowing blade had the chance to cut through his own. He brought his weapon down, the teeth revving furiously as they bit into dirt - his opponent lithely rolling out of the way and to his feet, a laspistol raised. Two over-charged shots slammed into his chest, the powerful laser bolts leaving simmering burn marks but otherwise only causing superficial damage. Morias charged, his large shoulder blade smashing into the man and knocking him down, likely braking his nose at the very least. He deftly stopped and twisted round, swing his blade in a sweep designed to decapitate. But it seemed his enemy was made of sterner stuff and still did not yield to his inevitable fate, managing to squirm away just in time to avoid losing his head. The man seemed to conjure inhuman reserves of strength, climbing to his weary feet and as Morias brought down another killing blow, the army sergeant managed a skilful parry before thrusting with his shining weapon. Morias moved to avoid it, but not quite fast enough, and it struck him in the shoulder - though his armour absorbed most of the blow, the blade pierced through to his body and he felt pain as it went through his shoulder blade. He grunted and grabbed the man, kicking him to the blood-soaked ground and pinning him with his immovable boot. His opponent closed his eyes below him, whispering some prayer to debased gods or perhaps simply the names of loved ones, it mattered not as Morias's chainsword came down and tore his face apart in a terrible demonstration of Imperial might.

Apparently deciding their infantry were fighting a losing battle, the Leman Russ MBT opened fire, its heavy bolters mowing down a truck load of its own soldiers. One of the shells took Archaeus in the abdoment, blowing out the side of his armour and knocking him down with a wail of pain and anger. The lascannon fired, annihilating two men and vaporizing the top half of Corvus with it. Then Kurnar was there, leaping onto the back of its hull and climbing on top of it. The top hatch opened and a startled tank commander screamed as he was pulled from his seat and discarded over the front of his vehicle like a rag doll and crushed under its tracks as it moved forward. Kurnar dropped a frag grenade down the hatch, hearing screams from inside as it detonated, then he athletically moved to the front, lopping two krak grenades into the main cannon before pressing his flamethrower against the unprotected driver's peephole and pressing down on the trigger, immolating the man at the controls. He jumped clear and curled into a combat roll as he hit the ground just before the krak grenades exploded and blew the main turret apart. The counter attacking traitors were routed with their sergeant dead and their heavy tank rendered all but useless. The few remnants were cut down mercilessly or had a bolter shell put through their backs as they tried to flee. Morias pulled the small power sword free from his shoulder with a groan and impaled it on the corpse of its late owner, before forming up with his remaining men: Tyceus, Kurnar and Haestus helping the badly wounded Archaeus. They had lost five good men in the space of ten minutes of vicious fighting. These rebels were well-trained, very well-equipped and putting up a strong fight. Their job was not yet over however, they still had to press on to the central command centre - or die trying. If they didn't move they'd be overwhelmed by reinforcements in a matter of minutes anyway; and the rest of the company was a very long way from their position.
"Ghosts of Moonlight, gather up ammunition from our fallen brothers - we move in thirty seconds."

Einer hit like a comet, the shockwave knocking over those that weren't crushed beneath his foot. He had his axes in his hands, hacking and slashing away at the humans who were too slow or stupid to run. A cluster to his left recovered ,long enogh to aim their lascannon emplacement at him, but were destroyed before they could fire, one of his squad crushed them in the same manner as he had just done. He turned to the remaining traitors and bellowed. His voice snarled as he did so, the death's head image He had hand painted onto his Mk4 faceplate seming to come alive, screaming itself, while the lightning and fire rippled acros his armour. The humans dropped their arms and ran as fast as they could. They got 4 feet before the other 3 of the Claw droppedin front of them, a flamer incineration the bodies and bolt pistols and a plasma pistol obliterating the flailing bodies. The shots had scarcly hit before the squad jetted off, looking for a new target.

Taric and his squad began to run to catch up to his comrades. Concerned by the ammount of Lascannon shots and the sudden silence, he ran as fast he could towards the trenches, he started to open fire on the remaining Guardsmen in the first trench. They shot down around 30 or so Guarsdsmen. The rest of the guardsmen started to flee in fear, he decided to show them mercy. He started to run towards the trenches relieved to see it was taken care of them. He nodded and the squad gathered around him. Taric said "Grease your armour with their guts." He ripped out the guts and started to grease and cover his terminator armour in it. The others did so also.

He used his vox to communicate to the vox casters "Traitors of the Imperial Guard, you will face your doom, flee now or be striken down. If you do not leave now your head will be put on a pike for all to see, your family, house, everything you have ever cared about will die. If you want mercy, flee or be shot down" He hated doing that, at least it would encourage them to flee or surrender rather than doing things the more messy way.

Knowing that the Second Trench would already know about the breach in the First Trench they decided to run quickly before the Second Trench had time to even prepare for the attack. They started running fullforce. Taric decided to take cover in a ruined fort. Waiting for reinforcements.

Screams echoed throughout the canyon as flesh melted from bone. Even as the train reached its full speed, and hurtled through the narrowing canyon, its crew could still hear and smell their comrades death. The attack had been brutal and unexpected, soldiers and crew screamed and panicked. It had taken a matter of minutes to break from position, and they were down too almost half strength. Acting Lt. Green pushed his way to the cabin. Techpriests and servitors shuffled about at their stations. The smell of blood and oil was thick.

"What the feth was that?!" screamed Chief engineer Dravin frantically. Sweat dripping from his filthy square face.

Green didn't answer, as he grabbed the closest vox unit.

"We have been forced to fall back, unknown number of astrates closing on our position, please advise, over"

Any crew member that could still think for themselves stopped and stared at the vox. Their only answer was static, deafinging awful static.

After what seemed like an age they were finally answered.

"Do not lose the engine, reinforcements are enroute, expected eta 14 minutes. You are hereby empowered to deliver justice wherever you see it lacking. You are given total authority to judge and punish cowardice in the name of the high lord general"

The train suddenly jerked forward, sending the crew crashing into the sides of the cabin. Metal screamed as detonations sent massive multi tonne carriages flying end over end, dragging the entire train off its tracks, skidding and finally thundering into the side of the canyon.

Green struggled to his feet, his ears ringing. He balanced himself against an unknown servitor, still, obliviously working away. He unholstered his las pistol, and tried to pull himself from the cabin, into the blinding light outside. Green could barely see, smoke and dust billoed out of the wrecked engine. He pressed his commm bead, trying to find out what happened. Horrible silence was all he could find, he managed to find a handful of survivors, each as disorientated as himself.

"Ready up men, reinforcements are nearly here" he coughed

The vox channels told him the first trench was elimenated, the guardsmen easily routed. He would head to the second. Now this would be interesting. The info-links told him they had higher amounts of special and heavy weaponry and even some of the abhuman gene-brutes amongst their ranks; the Ogryns.

"Enim noctis." His harsh voice bellowed through his voice grill, his Nocturnus guard responding in kind.

The second trench was now within sight and their formidible weaponry was apparent, heavy bolters and autocannons bristling from their lines like hairs, many guardsmen carrying meltas and plasma guns. Their technilogical advantage seeming to give them bravely. They would soon see true fear. The renegades had the advantage of range, lascannon shots and autocannon rounds were alreadly raining down around them, tearing and burning great holes into the already dusty and cratered earth. As they neared, one of their number fell, his body blown apart in a shower of gore, his power armour and superhuman durability no match for a direct hit from a krak missile. They would pay for that. The charging astartes were within firing distance now, dozens of frail guardsmen dying in the opening seconds, their pathetic forms quickly set alight by his and his squad's incindiary rounds. Easy kills.

Only metres away now, his men all draw their finely crafted power swords as one, the remaining guardsmen hurriedly drawing their combat knives and attatching bayonettes to their las and autoguns. A heartbeat later, they were upon them. With an leaping sweep of his power sword, three renegades drop to the ground, their heads severed cleanly. He turns swiftly to slice his Narthecium across the throat of a terrified man, blade raised weakly in an attempt at parrying, the fool went down instantly, wide-eyed and gurgling. All around him his men did the same, the undisciplined guardsmen unable to defend against the lighting fast marines.

A deafening roar rending the air, Leonidus spins to see the head of one his most trusted men fly through the air, a brutish ogryn beating his limp body into the dirt. Drawing Bloodbolt from its holster, he opens fire. With three metalic clicks, three bolts plough into the giant's form, each shot causing a miniature explosion which tears a chunk from its side. Amongst the swirling maelstrom of blades and flame, the two charge.

Sorry I've been gone guys.


Brother Acharius,woke up from the impact and surveyed the ground. The fight had started without him and he charged headlong into battle, sword drawn. With one swoop of the blade he cleaaved the head from a guardman. Filth in his eyes he made his way into a trench, wanting a challenge. Yanking his plasma pistol from his holster, he shot two guardsman as an ogryn ran towards him. One kick sent the creature reeling.

The vox cackle, "Where have you been?"
Acharius responds, " Out on impact, in the fight now."

He pushes through the trench, getting out and entering a nearby bunker, throwing in a krak grenade. With a blue exolosion everything inside is destroyed. Acharius looks around and sees they have made an impact. This will be over before it started.

Taric ran past the second trench knowing that the Guardsmen were engaged there. He headed towards a small supply post. It was guarded by the elite Stormtroopers. This would be a challenge, they were armed with meltas, plasma and hotshot lasguns. This would not be very easy but if the supply post fell, the morale of the Traitors would dwindle dramatically.

He run towards it silently. The Stormtroopers seemed a little offput by the attack. He started shooting at the Stormtroopers as the troopers started going down like flies. Even with the Special Weapons, the Suprise Assault left little time for the Storm Troopers to prepare. For Stormtroopers, they were missing a lot. The Plasma Guns and Meltas missing completely hitting multiple trees instead turning them into slimy mush.

"Feth this! Why aren't we killing those Bastards" yelled a Stormtroopers.
"Keep conecentrated, they are gaining group quickly said another, in a few more seconds they will reach us" said another. He started to concentrate as his friends were being shot down left and right.
"Shut up, we will kill those bastar.....

The Stormtrooper was impaled on Taric's sword before he could finish the sentence as the Terminators slashed left and right. They butchered the Stormtroopers. Maimed then and covered more of their armour with the blood of the Stormtroopers. Taric took a fresh head of one and attached it to his belt. He said to the others "We have to destroy this station, I'm going to plant a melta bomb and we are going to dive for cover." The Melta Bomb was planted and they ran back as far as they could get before the explosion, just making it out of the radius in time.

Lucius took aim again, blowing off the leg of a running rebel, before a large explosion hit the rock he was crouched behind. He barely had time to scramble up before another blast hit the rock, blasting fragments of it all over the place. He began to run, but was struck down within 3 seconds by another shell. Blood began to pour out of him.

He crawled to the stump that was left, and began to blast his bolt pistol at the Autocannon teams that fired at him. He managed to kill 2 soldiers, before another shell rocketed towards him.

Morias pulled the magazine out before replacing it, having noted it as full. He racked the slide on his new boltgun - he had taken it from Tyceus, who now kept his new meltagun handy. Kurnar had retrieved six magazines and they had split them between himself and Haestus as they were the only two using boltguns now. Archaeus simply used his bolt pistol; his other arm slung over Haestus for support. They new it was likely he wouldn't survive this battle; his side had been torn open and it was likely he was only operating on a single lung and heart now. However, though it was Morias's duty as sergeant to administer the Emperor's peace to grievously wounded Astartes under his command, he knew Archaeus would refuse it - that man would fight as long as he could draw breath, and he'd sooner die than take that opportunity from his squad-mate. They moved fast; Morias, Kurnar and Tyceus taking the lead whilst Haestus lagged behind with their injured brother. As much as it pained him, Haestus was experienced enough to know that they would be better off leaving Archaeus behind, however he knew the sergeant well enough to know he wouldn't allow it. In the distance, they saw the form of a drop pod race through the sky and impact not too far from their position. It was soon followed by another, further ahead than that. Morias knew those were the fifth and seventh claws - the Heralds of Darkness and Talons of Fear. With the Ghosts of Moonlight having created a disturbance and thus drawing a portion of the enemy's lines in their direction, the others could land and find themselves amidst a fractured defence. The traitorous Imperial Army would fall more easily this way.

"Go, go ahead!" Haestus shouted at them. "We will catch up with you soon enough. Rendezvous with the other squads - don't waste any time sergeant!"
Morias wanted to protest, but he knew his elder brother was right. He also knew the grizzled Marine wanted them to dispense the Emperor's peace to Archaeus, or at least leave him behind as he was a liability, but he would not have it. So this was the result.
"Very well brother, we shall move ahead. Try to catch up some time today old man," Morias joked over the comms, but he took little joy from it, this was a time for killing and death, not joking and camaraderie. He sprinted ahead with Tyceus and Kurnar, leaving Haestus and Archaeus to make their own way. Within a matter of minutes they drew closer and closer to the sounds of brutal fighting. They cleared a trench line with a powerful jump and raced towards the ever rising sounds of fighting. They saw a trio of bunker emplacements up ahead and with a wave of his hand Morias ordered them into position. The deadly retort of multiple heavy bolters, heavy stubbers and autocannons overbearing on the much quieter fizz-cracks of Lasguns that all but one with hearing as enhanced as a Space Marine's would not be able to detect. Kurnar was the first to reach his target and poured burning promethium inside, the flames consuming all within. Then Tyceus, who lobbed a pair of frag grenades into the bunker, shredding the occupants and somehow detonating the ammunition inside, causing the bunker to erupt in a fireball. Morias sprinted towards the furthest bunker from the triangle-shaped kill zone, whose occupants had noticed the destruction of their other two numbers and turned their weapons on him. His midnight blue armour was scorched black in many places from the sheer number of lasguns firing at him, luckily for him these were not as over-charged as the others. Nonetheless, they were still on a high power setting and he felt the armour heating noticeably around his skin; each impact slamming into him like large hailstones on a glass window. Then, he was upon them, firing his boltgun at the firing slit in the side of the bunker. The result was screams of anguish and pain. In his foolishness, one of the traitors burst out of the heavily armoured bunker door, attempting to flee. A bolt round through his heart dropped him. The idiot had not only doomed himself, but his allies as well. Morias revved his chainsword as he disappeared into the bunker.

When the screaming finally stopped, Tyceus and Kurnar saw their sergeant emerge from the bunker, his armour drenched in the life blood of his enemies. They made no comment, their helmets impassive as they moved on. They saw the Talons of Fear engaged in bloody close combat with a sea of traitors, however the dedicated mêlée squad cutting them down without pause - their fury undeniable as they slaughtered the humans. Then an Executioner variant of the LRMBT trundled into sight, its main plasma turret whirring ominously before reaching a high pitch and unleashing a terrible volley of plasma, instantly vaporizing dozens upon dozens of Imperial Army soldiers along with four of the Talons of Fury. The side-mounted plasma cannons could be heard charging up when they melted away all of a sudden. Tyceus's meltagun turning the side of the tank into molton liquid as the hull slid away to reveal a terrified crew inside, who were quickly turned to a sludge that mixed with that of the melting tank. The plasma destructor mounted on the top of the tank suddenly exploded violently. Tyceus caught the full effects of the explosion and he was propelled backwards through the air a dozen metres, his armour sizzling as much of it was burned and melted away. He screamed as his body was scorched and the flesh on his chest was scolded. Kurnar rushed over, helping the injured Marine to his feet. It was clear that he would live, though he was in great pain from the blast and as the armour cooled it would become semi-fused to his body. Morias imagined it would be extremely painful to have removed. Tyceus growled in pain, even as painkillers strong enough to kill an ordinary man were pumped into his system by his suit's life support systems. As the nearby assault squad finished off the few remaining soldiers, butchering them like cattle, the three Ghosts of Moonlight stalked over to them.
"Where is sergeant Turellius?" Morias asked.
An assault marine removed his helmet and shook his head despondently. "He was lost with three others when that damn Leman Russ opened fire," the Marine paused before remarking, "Is this all that is left of your squad?" He seemed shocked and concerned.
"Thankfully not brother; two more of us are nearby, one gravely injured. However we lost five brothers in the fight that ensued after our pod landed. These traitorous dogs have over-charged Lasguns, powerful enough to penetrate our armour."
"This is grave news indeed," replied the assault marine, who Morias now recognised as a brilliant young swordsman by the name of Navren.
"Nonetheless my brothers, we must push on to their central command," a new voice bellowed from nearby. The Ghosts and Talons turned to see nine Marines moving to join them - the 5th claw under sergeant Lazevar; an experienced veteran who had been a sergeant since Morias had been in a scout squad seconded to the 3rd company. He was greatly respected by all and a brilliant tactician.
"Well met, brother Lazevar." He greeted.
"Morias, good to see you made it. These traitors are proving more intelligent and cunning than any of us predicted. I hear the fight goes well at the front lines, however our communications have been jammed. We managed to find detailed information on their defences up to this point - they have three miles of the city mined with melta-charges and I fear they will inflict grave losses upon our company."
"We cannot allow that!" Navren exclaimed.
"I concur. We must disable their jamming station," Morias stated.
"Agreed. However it will not be easy. There are two jamming stations, both heavily guarded about a kilometre east and north of this position. We may not have sufficient numbers left after we take the communications for our assault on their HQ." Lazevar explained.
"No matter. The rest of the company will arrive and reinforce us enough to take the HQ. But first we must disable communications before they reach those melta-charges. They could wipe out the entire company," Morias replied.
"Then it is settled," Navren decided. "For death or glory brothers, we march on those stations."

Adric cursed seeing that his request for help was being completely ignored. Astartes where being killed by the leman russ left and right and their wasn't a stop to it.
Adric knew he would need to use some of the more dreaded techniques, the one that brought him to this rank. He closed his eyes and concentrated his power, feeling around at the bright blue of the machine spirits.
He saw the brightest one coming from the leman russ he could feel the age and power from him. He noticed that the sensors of the tank where severely neglected and could break down any moment. He used that loophole and weakened the machine spirit the sensors went off. On the inside the crew where screaming as they where practically blind now.
Adric took my chances and disappeared he sneaked towards the tank from its flank going from cover to cover and out of nothing he appeared behind them. He walked towards the front and using his tendrils began tearing off the battle cannon. With a strong push it was torn off he threw it away and the crew inside cowered. Adric prepared a highly powered plasma shot and fired it into the crew compartment the explosion was strong and they where all incinerated.
He sheeted my power axe and ripped the las cannon from the tank.
Adric opened the vox and said. ''Well thanks for the help boys. Don't expect to see any land raiders where you are going.'' He turned around and rallied the remaining marines. Adric screamed ''Men of the emperor we need to purge these heretics and secure this drop zone, kill them all!'' With a harsh scream they began pounding down the remaining cultists. Adirc gave the all clear sign and the thunderhawk transporter patterns began coming down. They would bring 10 land speeders to ravage the enemy supply lines.
They also brought a phalanx of three land raiders to make the main assault. He began gathering some support crews to setup a decent drop zone.

The brutish creature, clutching his backpack, slams his body into the ground a third time. He could feel his incredibly durable bones shattering under the impact. He could not take this much longer. With that final thought, the savage throws him against a wrecked chimera, a warped hole burnt into its side where one of his men had got it with a melta. The impact was hard but he was glad to be free of the thing's vice-like grip. Getting to his feet slowly, Leonidus could see his elite squad in combat with several storm trooopers and what looked like a psyker, white light eminating from his fingers to make one of his veteran's head explode gorily in a burst of blue lightning.

Turning his attention back to the raging Ogryn, Leonidus brings his power sword around in a deadly arc just as the hulking figure smashes into his. The crackling blade sweeps down into the Ogryn's gut, slicing through flak armour and thick skin, to spill its intestines across the dirt-covered ground. With this, the Ogryn falls to its knees, clutching at the gaping wound. In one swift movement, Leonidus sends his blade darting up through the brute's neck, its head rolling fowards into the mud.

Turing again to face his squad, he sees that the psyker and the stormtroopers had been slaughtered, their blood covering the ground. The victory had been at a cost however, and during their charge into the guard's ranks, two more of his veterans had been killed. Decadus, the plasma gunner, had taken a melta blast through the head. He had died instantly. Dominic, a good man he had known for decades had been killed by the psyker's fell powers. He would need to extract their geneseed soon.

Opening a vox channel, Leonidus taps into Brother Adric's communications.

"Apologies for the lateness brother, but me and my squad were otherwise preoccupied by the rebel scum in the second trench. The threat had been eliminated. Do you stll require any assistance?"

Of the battalion only 17 remained, 5 already gravely injured. It was a masacre, Krieg lead the final charge straight at the tiny knot of survivors. The few las rounds that actually found there mark only managed to scorch the thick armour covering both bike and rider. Krieg felt alive when he lept into the survivors. Everything seemed distinct. He could hear his breath roar within his chest, and feel the individual movement of each muscle. Surrounded by the crack of small arms fire and screams of dieing, he set to work. He grabbed the closest human in his crackling fist, crushing bone like it were nothing, and flung it into an engineer, knocking them both into the steel carcase of the artillery train. He grinned as adrenline rushed through his veins. By dealing death he felt totally alive. Each step took forever, he felt lighter, as if he were walking in zero gravity. Las bolts blurred pas his helmet, it felt like some evil dream.

What felt like minutes were only a matter of seconds. The crippled remains of the survivors moaned in pain, unable to fight back or even move. Krieg turned to his brothers.

"Skin them, and fly them as banners. We shall show their kin the meaning of fear and pain."

Brother Acharius moved on after the guard bunker, seeing a Leman russ fast approaching. With a quick movement, he ran, dodgeing fire from the large battle tank. With a large jump, he climbed on top the tank and ripped the hatch open. Shooting a Guardsman in the face he dropped a krak grenade down the hole and jumped off. With the tank crippled behind him he pushed on. He saw a large storehouse ahead. He said into the vox, " Brothers, I have found a large storehouse of weapons and equipment. Anyone want to join?" With that he burst in the door of the warehouse, shocking the guardsman inside. His piercing red eyes burned into the hearts of the rebels. With a quick grip he grabbed one by the skull, crushing it in his hand. Gore splattered across his armor as he dropped the body. The guardman were reeling for their weapons as Acharius was on them. Throwing a guardman into a wall, he pulled out his lightning claws and tore through the warehouse. This battle would pose no threat for the emporers finest he thought to himself. We will purge all the heretics, crush them soon. All Acharius wanted was a champion to pin his might against. The commander fast approached and told Acharius, " It is over Night Lord." Brothe Acharius said in a low voice, " It is just getting started." This was a champion he was waiting for.

Lucius fell into the main battle in an avalanche of rocks. He was helpless. The Autocannons had tore his body apart, and he had left his Bolter on the cliff edge. At that moment, a great silhouette crossed the sun. A Leman Russ was looming. The main cannon began to lower and point at him. Lucius flailed about like a newborn, unable to move. His arm was trapped under a boulder the size of a Demolisher Cannon shell. He opened his vox.

"CAN ANYBODY HERE ME?! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, CAN ANYBODY HERE ME?!"

He grabbed his Bolt Pistol and blasted away at the Leman Russ. The empty Bolter casings ricocheted off of the admantinium might of the battle tank. He still blasted away, hoping for a chink, a weak spot, anything that could avert his demise. The Tank Commander came out of the hatch, bellowing orders to the gunner. He turned to the Marine. A serpent-like tattoo crossed his face, running from the corner of his mouth to his forehead.

"Your end is nigh, Marine. Join us, and you shall live."

The neophyte still fired, his aim blurred by the pain flowing through his body. A bolt shell skimmed the shoulder of the Commander, forcing him to double over in agony. This was his chance.

Lucius took steady aim and fired, the bolt blasting through the gunner's hatch and striking him dead. Disarray took over the battle tank, allowing Lucius to wriggle out from the boulder and flee.

Leonidus heard the vox chatter, Brother Lucius needed help. He would come, it was his role after all.

"Brother Lucius, what is your current location? I have my sternguard and an assault team at my call, do you require reinforcements?"

He says bleakly down the vox caller. He had retrieved the two marine's progenoid glands, the third however had unfortunatly been unrecoverable. His Nocturnus guard had slaughtered the reamaing guard, they had all been too damaged to be of any use to him.

The main armored support arrived. Adric bellowed orders to the marines, he screamed towards the land speeder crews. ''Capture that train alive! Help the bikers but don't let them blow them do you hear me?'' He ordered one of my subordinate tech marines named Aria to lead the attack and secure it.
Adric turned around and mounted the lead land raider. He bellowed orders to begin movement when he heard over the vox. "CAN ANYBODY HERE ME?! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, CAN ANYBODY HERE ME?!" Adric screamed into the vox. ''Keep yourself alive i am gonna provide help right now!''
He screamed at the crews ''Get moving right now!'' They began moving towards lucius's position.
The column arrived, Aldric saw lucius hiding at a rock and he saw a leman russ non operational. Aldric rushed towards lucius and picked him up. He said to him. ''Its alright brother everything is gonna be ok you will live!''
After i put him into the lead land raider we spotted some heavy weapon teams 100 clicks east. I decided that they did this to lucius and ordered the complete and utter destruction of them.

Acharius hit a button on his sword and it split into two blades. He could sense the fear on the commander, but his face showed none. Time stood still s the two challengers moved towards eachother. All noise around them disappeared. The commander pulled out a power sword, buth chose wrongg. He played right into the game Acharius wanted. The two men collided, sword on sword, the hiss of sparks flying around. They stared into eachothers eyes, the commander finally realized he was outmatched and collapsed. Acharius went to finish him off, but realized his position in the ranks. He was the commander of the troops at this location. He needed him to help the Night Lords win. Acharius swallowed his pride and lowered his swords. He talked into the captains vox channel, " Sir, I have the commander, I will be bringing him to you." Acharius picked the small man up, an easy task. He stepped outside and saw what was happening. The Night Lords heavy support had arrived. Within minutes this battle would be over. Acharius realized they may have won here, but the fight was not over. Over the roar of the machine gun fire and explosions, Acharius ran back to the command post, the commander slung over his shoulder.

The bolter roared. One. Two. Three. Dead. Dead. Dead. Their traitor blood spille and flesh scattered. Just as they deserved. He moved quickly, gun blasting at the approaching enemy. Rounds fell from the weapon and he watched the soldiers that had turned on their emperor, their saviour so callously. His armoured fist turned a mans face to paste, and another. They thought to hold back the servants of the emperor? "For Curze!" He yelled, his vox enhancing the warcry and turning it robotic in its tone. He ducked under a thrust bayonnete and put his fist into the mans abdomen, probably pasting his organs. His boot stamped into his face just as he stood, making sure. He reloaded quickly, storing the spent magazine in a pouch. He watched as the last enemy in the immediate vicinty was ended. Then he looked up. A large force of the enemy was advancing towards them. He took a potshot at what appeared to be the commander, carrying a powersword. It missed by mere inches, instead blowing apart a soldier behind him. His brothers fell before him. He yelled out as he saw them fall and leapt behind cover. The bastard had slain astarted, warriors worth a thousand of them. He stood with the rest, opening fire. One shot one kill. He ducked as a flurry of beams slashed the air above. A quick dive to different cover threw the fools off the scent. Again he fired.

They where close. Lots of them. His fist's lashed out, smashing faces and stomachs. A appeared in front of him. His boot slammed into his groin, sending him a foot into the air and snapping his pelvis in two. He turned, bolter slashing out and slicing a mans face with the barrel. A shell launched into the stomach of the other, bursting through one man and embedding itself into another before exploding. He laughed a little as he slaughtered the traitors. He whipped one across the face with his bolter and stamped on his head once he was down. The fools deserved it for leaving the emperor. He nodded in admiration as one brother took out the Leman Russ. He saw the marine nod back.

Soon he was walking with his hobbling brother "Brother, i implore you, let us leave you" The marine shook his head groggily, Darius watched as his blood and organs where exposed to the air. Blood dripped from the ragged hole. And...was...was that a kidney? He shook his head. The man was dying. Soon, he told his squad to carry on. He lay the young warrior down once they where out of site. "Pup, I've seen more than one Astartes like you. The young marine tore off his helmet. "Brother...why....have...we" He started coughing, blood leaking through his hand. "Why are we stopped?" Darius looked at him "To either administer the emperors mercy" His hand clasped his bolt pistol "Or so that you can watch my back while i search the are over that rubble" He gestured and watched the young marines eyes light up "I heard somthing over there and i don't want somone to sneak up behind me" The young marine nodded, eyes hooded and full of pain "Now brother, don't let them take you if you get into a firefight." He handed the servant of the emperor a frag grenade "For Curze" Whispered the grizzled warrior. The younger, fresher soldier smiled "For Nostramo"

He lay atop the large pile of rubble. His sights trained on the small head of a man in a peaked cap. He was looking around, yelling at aids and into a vox. He never saw the flash of the muzzle that spat the bullet at him. Nor did he see the massive blue armoured bulk of a space marine descend on his command squad.

Darius smashed through the two soldiers who where still fumbling with their lasguns when he got to them, his combat blade opening the door for their intestines to escape out onto the ground. The screams must have carried for a mile. Another of the enemy went flying across the small squar, his had hanging on by a stirp of flesh. Blood splattering the ground over which it flew. He turned on the last of the aids and was shocked to find it was a mere boy. He had never been called on to kill children. The boy was clutching something. He heavy marine said "What are you holding" The child looked up. He was only elven or twelve. His hands unclaped to reveal an Aquilia "I am no-no traitor" Darius stared for a moment then turned away "Then go live"

He came to the side of his young brother and looked down into his face. It was peacful and his eyes where closed. He was dead. The old marine carefully squatted and took the ammo the boy still had, making sure to take his grenades as well. He was about to say a prayer from his own planet when he remembered that the boy was a devout follower of the emperors creed. He said one of those insetead.

And from the depths there arose a mighty beast, of many eyes and many limbs.
And the beast from the darkness did set upon the world with hateful thirst and unnatural hunger.


By the time the tratorious reinforcements arrived, the Night lords were gone. The smoking ruin of the once proud train was all that remained. The corpses of the 34th regiment were left in great piles along the tracks, left skinless in the baking sun. Flies buzzed over head as the shocked commander of the 87th mechanized division order the bodies to be burnt.

Sergeant Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier ordered the train to be searched. Anything of use will be needed in the coming storm, he thought to himself. Sweat dripping from his brow, he heaved his heavy frame out of the lead Vanquisher. Leaning against his command tank, he tried to catch his breath, choking on the smoke and ash. He has always been more of an armchair leader, unused to being in actual combat. The unexpected destruction of the Dictator caused his superiors to force him out of their tremendous mountain bunker. Work is its own reward he repeated to himself. Those aristocratic fools, Paulaner was one of the few who wanted to stay in the light of the emperor, but was smart enough to keep it to himself.

The canyon rocked once more as the traps set on the train were detonated. Flaming promethium engulfed the area, clinging to dirt, metal and flesh. Only the rearguard managed to be spared from the inferno. The few tanks that remained reversed back into the narrow ravine from whence they came. Flames still clinging to the hulls of the tanks, thye never saw them coming.

Leaping from the canyons edge, Krieg and his brothers ripped into the vulnerable weak armour. Tearing the metal, they dropped grenades into each APC one at a time. Not a single round was fired in response.
Soon the canyon was quite, apart from the cackle of the fire, and the distant sound of the astrates bikes.

Using their Jump Packs, the Talons of Dusk flew several klicks at a time, each landing only on top of a Traitor's skull. Einer's armour was streaked with Blood, which only added to his positively terrfying image. His helmet was the image of a Death's Head, while corruscating Lightning seem to streak across his arms, while beautiful flames seemed to dance up his shins and thighs. It was not just these pictures, but the realism they had. His inner arms were a tone lighter than the rest, appearing to glow with the lightning, as did his abdomen with the fire. His eye lenses, a deep, dark red, blazed within the skull's sockets. His Jump Pack had a pair of stylised bat wings, and but for his flaming trail he could have seemed like a demonic creature. His squad were likewise designed but the quality was nowhere near as good. He remembered one.particular traitor, he spotted resting in a dugout with some others. He voxed for the squad to keep moving. He switched his pack to stealth mode, flying down silently, landing on the roof with a thud. He lept down into the doorway, cutting the power. The soldiers turned to face him as he sheated his axes.
At that point he activated the lighting effect. The eye lenses burned bright enough to reveal his mask, fires exploding and lightning blasting across his armour. The humans wailed in fear as he released Nightshredder, the jagged blades sliding from his fingertips. He snarled as he lept upon them, butchering them in the most gory fashion possible. He left one alive, a scrawny little man carrying a pistol. He ensured each swipe of his talon sprayed gouts of blood over him. When only the runt was left he picked him up, bellowed at him to tell all who would listen.

The Sons of Curze are coming. You will all die.
There would be No peace.

There would be No respite.

There would be No forgiveness.

There is only war.


To turn from the Emperor and the Imperium is damnation by the darkest demons.


And the Night Lords had arrived.

The column was moving at full speed. Aldric's phalanx Aldric's pride consisted out of 3 land raiders 2 standard pattern ones and one custom made one. he had replaced all anti infantry weapons with twin linked lascannons, Aldirc called it The reaver of the machines and it acted as his command vehicle. He had 2 destructor pattern predators, 2 annihilator pattern predators and 2 predators with plasma executioners. He got the blueprints from a techpriest on ryza with whom he exchanged my original command vehicle.
Lucius was inside sleeping Aldirc had given him emergency treatment but he would need a real apothecary.
He saw the small encampment with the banner of the night lords. The column stopped in its tracks. He dismounted and walked towards the command tent upon entering he saw the apothecary treating a marine. He said. ''Greetings brother I am Aldric your new master of the forge. I have heard you are the leader of the aphotecarion here? Well i need you to treat lucius a neophite come with me i will show you him and a present.''

The weight of fire proved heavier than he had expected, it seemed that the traitors had found some way to manufacture over-charged lasguns. Nox knew that he wouldn't be able to hold the force dome much longer, but they were still a good twenty meters from the trenches. With a cry he caused the dome to explode outwards, expanding into flickering tendrils of strange lightning that earthed themselves through the traitor guard, frying those hit were they stood and blinding others. It was enough to by them another moment, and by the time the traitors' eyesight was recovered Sahaal was amongst them, his fists bludgeoning them to death, the rest of the command squad dropping into the trench behind him.

Nox advanced down the trench slowly, bolt pistol carefully placing shots into the troops he came across. He felt his psychic might returning slowly, growing stronger again as he slew. He followed Sahaal across the open ground into the next trench, ducking under heavy weapons fire as lasgun shots, mercifully not overcharged in this trench, pattered off his armour. Again he leapt into a trench, blade swinging and bolt pistol firing in a dreadful song. They would be at the city in no time.

Brother Leonidus gets up from the injured sternguard. He needed no further treatment and his superhuman form would heal rapidly. Walking over to the newcome Forge master, he sheaves his power sword before adressing him directly.

"Well met brother. I am indeed the cheif Apothecary here and yes, I will indeed treat this Neophite you bring with you, to the best of my ability. Under my command here I have my personal veterans, the Nocturnus guard, an assault squad and a heavy weapons team, two lascannons, two autocannons and two missile launchers. Each the master of their trade. Let us continue this conversation inside, your prospect of a gift interests me."

With that he walks back inside his command tent, one of his men supporting the neophite inside.

Acharias ran into a nearby trench, the ground shaking as he hit the ground. Pulling out his lightning claws he pushed through the droves of men looking for Captain Sahaal. Lasgun fire bounced harmleesly off his armor, but he aimed to defend the commander, still passed out in fear. The guardsman either ran or fight. But either way ended in death. Why rebel, Acharias thought to himself. Why go to these gods who did nothing to defend them. Acharias spoke into the vox, " Captain, I have a high priority prisoner. He could help us get into the city." Acharias shot a round from his bolter,the fiery explosion of the round made a large crack as the round flew towards it's target. The guardman exploded with the impact of the round. Acharias finally found who he was looking for. He approached Zahaal and said, " Captain, I have the commander of this guard regiment. What do you want to do with him?" Acharias looked into his captains eyes waiting for an answer.

Lucius was coated in ichor. Autocannons had torn his left side to shreds. Another silhouette crossed his vision.

"Lucius?! Lucius?! Can you here me?!"

The world became darker and darker. His agony was disappearing in a haze. He shut his eyes, and tried to mouth the word 'Yes'. Blood spurted from his mouth. His heart began to slow.

"LUCIUS?! Luci..."

He passed out, bolt pistol in hand.

Aldric turned towards Leonidus. He was treating Lucius at his best and he said that he would be fine after some treatment that i don't really understand.
Aldric picked up leonidus's present and said. ''Here he is some random crying grunt from the front lines. I captured him for you you can do with him as you see fit, but try to extract some information from his brains.'' Aldric walked outside and opened the vox. ''Captain i have met up with chief apothecary at the second trench there are around 3 claws with him, i also brought Aldric's pride to make the main spearhead.''

Sorry should have been in OOC thread.

Taric nodded at Brother Caesar, Caesar turned on his vox to all places and said"We have destroyed the Supply Post near the second trench. If anyone needs help post via vox. We are currently reloading and hiding out in a ruined builiding." Taric walked over to the ruined building and stayed their waiting for reinforcements and orders. After hearing the vox that his fellow comrades were struggling he could not press on, he had to mount a defensive position and fast.

With no answer from the captain, Acharias dropped him at his feet. With disgust he walked away down the trench. How are we going to win the war if he can't even listen to what his men say. Acharias climbed out of the trench and ran into the fray of battle. He let out a scream, amplified by the vox to form a nasty screech. All men dropped their guns at the bone chilling sound. They turned and saw the giant figure, lightning dancing across his armor. With a bone chilling laugh Acharius jumped into the trench and tore the men apart. Victory had never been so easy, it was in his grasp. He ran down the trench, killing everything that moved. Nothing could stop his might. The Emporor would be proud to see what the Night Lords were doing. Acharias stepped out of the empty trench, and ran to find his battle brothers. If no one else would listen to him, they would.

Leonidus was concentrating deeply, the neophite was very badly wounded, a great chunk of his side missing. He had been carefuly removing shrapnel fragments, one wrong move and something important could be cut. The side of the torso had been to badly damaged to heal, several ribs utterly shattered. He was forced to use crude biotics, temporary of cource, until better repairs could be made. But the neophite would live, that was certain. The gift brother Aldric had given him would be very useful, he needed live ones. The crying grunt was currently tied up to a steel chair across the room. Since he had gone to work on the neophite, his squads had reported in many more hostile casualtes. The battle was going perfectly.

Devotion... Honour... Sacrifice
These three words are engraved in gold ink along the side of Iscariat's right pauldron, his eyes glance along them, mentally reminding himself of his duty. His right hand rests on the hilt of his chainsword, shich lies in wait at his hip. His left hand is shielding his eyes from the glare of the waning sunlight. Behind him the thrall servitor's screw his fuel tanks shut and one blips out a recorded service message of readiness. Iscariat wears no helmet on his bald head and a scar that runs from his left eye along the back of his head is clearly visible, the place where an Ork power Klaw had nearly brained him. The light plays across the surface of his otherwise smooth head in a strnge halo of light.

Beneath the seargeant's feet the deck of the low altitude drop ship hums in resonance, the side door open before him shows a continuously shifting tableu of scenery that is at once stunning and terrible. Stunning because of the natural architecture of the world, terrible because it would not remain so for long. The seargeant's armour displays a white and gold colour scheme that is his way of denoting his rank, the usual white helmet eschewed by the grizzled veteran. A quad of service studs mar his forehead and from the right side of his mouth his lip droops slightly, a result of an impact that severed some of the nerves there. He never bothered to have it looked at.

Soon the Dropship is flying towards a battlefield which is lit up with gouts of lascannon fire, a small brigade of astartes are camped nearby. Iscariat turns to the pilot and in his loud brassy voice gives a simple order.
"Take me to where the fight needs me."
The pilots reply was lost in the noise of the engine but Iscariat would have garunteed an affirmative. The engine's pitch lowers significantly and Iscariat shifts his weight to accomadat the lean of the vehicle. He draws his chainsword and his left hand instinctively activates the turbines in his jump pack, then grips the handle of his plasma pistol. The pilot guided the dropship over a trench and Iscariat saw his chance. He took a double footed hop out of the dropship and immediately plummetted towards the ground. A moment before impact the turbines on his Jumppack flare and he snaps upright from his freefall position and lands feet first in the trench. His eyes snap up to see a dozen or so traitor soldiers staring at him in horror as his traditional battlecry rips from his mouth
"Pro totus Abbas!!"

One of the soldiers charges Iscariat, the seargeant almost pities the man as he is brought down screaming with a plasma bolt in his chest. The other soldiers open fire upon the Astartes, the shots crackle over his armour like so many toothpicks but a shot grazes his face gouging a thin groove in his cheek, he is amoung them in an instant however, the pain forgotten. His chainsword sprays visceral gore in all directions as he puts his full astartes strength behind every blow. Roaring like a landraider as he does so, spittle flying from his mouth and blood splattering across his chest, brutal swings of his service chainsword tearing great holes in the soldiers. Soon the trench is no more than so much blood and gore. Mutilated bodies lying in the corners, many of them still screaming in horror and gut wenching pain.

Not one of them does Brother Seargenat Iscariat grant mercy t as he moves towards the next trench segment, the screams of the soldiers eching in his ears.

Devotion... Honour... Sacrifice
The words are covered now in blood that slowly drips from the pauldron's surface as Iscariat makes his way towards his next hapless victims.

Lucius was in a deep slumber. He was stuck in a horrific nightmare. His friends and allies had betrayed him, his Primarch cackling in the foreground, terrorizing the innocent. He saw his closest comrades fighting amongst themselves, cutting at each other with sundering chainswords.

And then he saw the beast.

A hideous monstrosity reveal it's twisted, malignant face. It was covered in ancient runes, etched into it's rotting flesh. Blood dripped from it's talons. Blue flames beckoned from the back of it's throat. Serpents coated it's body, designed to enthrall mortal men.

Lucius woke up with a start, the image of the beast branded into his mind forever. Bionic components riddled his body. Pieces of equipment whirred inside him, the electronic hum soothing Lucius. He tried to stand up, but fell as the bionics in his leg calibrated. Leonidus levered him back into the chair, strapping him up. Lucius kicked and squealed like a newborn, only just learning how to use his new-found limbs and control them. He demanded his release, so he could destroy the rebels, but his shouting fell on deaf ears. Lucius slouched back in his chair.

Sergeant Rorick was keen to get his men up to the frontline. They had only played a minor support role for some time during the initial assualt. Being part of the breaching wave they had deployed first setting up a beachhead for the oncoming supplies and vehicles behind them. They had laid down continous covering fire from a captured bunker, repelling more than a few sneaky counter attacks to the company's flank. A vox came in from their officer saying the Bearers were to move up to a better position to cover the extending line of advance through the trench lines.

His squad silently trudged through the carnage left behind making their way to a command bunker which was said to have been abandoned. He raised a flat palm in the air signalling the squad to a halt. Over a muddy, crater ridden hill he could see the top of a communications array giving away it's location. Leading from the front they crossed the open muddy fields, a perfect oppurtunity for the enemy waiting to happpen. Rorick was stunned to make it to the entrance of the bunker without insidence. Maybe the scouts were finally learning to do their job?

They obviously had not learnt a damn thing. The devastator Sergeant strolled in only to find a group of Traitor officers crowded round a digital map of the entire area. Artillery spotters were setting up an observation post along with heavy weapons that could strafe the advancing marines. The officers seemed all too busy to notice the marine lifting his heavy bolter until it was too late. An officer peered up with horror stricken face about to yell before the monster's mouth unleashed death. Rorick sweapt the whole room in an arc, decimating everything in miniture explosions blasting apart the concrete. The officers were riddle to peices making them seem like puppets caught in a sporadic dance of death as they flailed their arms about. Some managed to upturn tables which were easily shredded apart. A peircing shine of light caught Rorick in the pauldron knocking his shoulder back with force. He pulled out of the room putting his back against the wall on the otherside.
"Those scouts must be blind!" roared Sergeant Kovar in frustration."Create a distraction Mirosa!" He was yelling orders over the now more confident return fire coming from inside. Mirosa was a new additon to the squad who was just another replacement in Rorick's eyes. Mirosa burst through the wall from the side of the bunker with ease. The young brother managed to let off a few shots with his auto cannon before he was forced back out of his newly created hole by a stream of energy. The distraction was enough for the Bearers to come into the room and mop up the remains. The bunker was now silenced except for the occasional groans of the wounded. Mirosa staggered back through the rubble with a decent scorch mark across his chest shaking his head from the impact. Brother Seth and Trogar found this rather amusing giving a sheepish grin underneath their helmets. They searched for intel on their new enemy who had so foolishly not left a watch outside.
"This one is still breathing!" cried out Seth.
"Drag the filth over here"
A blood trail followed where Seth dragged him and the injured man gave a loud yelp in pain. From his pompus uniform and clean apperance,except the gaping wound, this man appeared to be well bred and of high calibre.
"Command this is Immolation"
"This is command, speak Immolation"
"Command, acquired possible high value target"
"Acknowledged, hold position for confirmation"
They set up a defensive perimetre in their new found home and began their original misson of firing into the now exposed lines of enemy trenchs.

A fierce wind wipped the flayed skin banner against Kriegs shouldar, splattering gore over his stern, gaunt face. The 8 marines stood atop a cliff, staring at an awe inspiring gate, tall enough for the scout pattern varients of Collegio Titanica. Streams of panicking civilians pilled into the gate


Night had fallen long ago, as they tracked a convoy of reffugees through the mountains for hours, picking off stragglers, and throwing their mutilated bodies from ravines as the convoy passed. The convoy began to panic, shoving each other out the way, tying to make it to the gate, lest they become victims of the demons of the night. Pushing and shoving, hundreds were crushed against the mountains edge, thousands trampled as those at the back forced there way through the few guards unfortunate enough to be caught by the tide of sweating cattle. One of the chimeras fired warning shots, thinking this may calm and slow those pushing from the back. But it only proved to panic them further.

Flood lights swept through the dark, lighting the panicked, fear strikening faces of the traitors. Gears whined as the gate slowly kicked into life. Protesting metal whined as the tremendous weight of the reinforced giant gate was lowered. The tide pushed harder, desperatly trying to seek the refuge of the gate. Guards stationed atop the gates towers opened fire. Cutting bloody swathes through the crowds. Thousands were cut down, yet they kept pushing, trying to escape the night. The gate finally slammed down, crushing those caught underneath. The canyon echoed with the wails of those left behind.

Krieg kicked his bike into life. Thundering down the mountains edge at break night speed,
"Hear my warnings, unbelievers. You have turned from the light of the Emperor, our path has been long and bloody. We demand sacrifice. We shall bleed your planet dry" his booming voice amplified to an ear splitting volume, screaming .

They hit the crowds like a hurricane, bodies split open by the barking, twin linked bolters turned to mist. Bodies were crushed under wheel, Every movement was instinct, the ground was slick with gore as they herded the crowds away from the gate. People ran in a blind panic, those too slow were cut down like dogs, those at the front yelled, they were being forced right over the edge of a cliff. First a trickle, then a waterfall, bones crushed under tonnes of kicking and screaming bodies. Screams and wails filled the night, as Krieg and his entourage turned from the gate, and sped back into the black night.

Aldric opened a vox channel to Aldric's pride. ''All members of Aldric's pride we are going to wait here for a while. You can get out of your tanks but stay on your guard and be prepared to get back into the fight!''
He turned around and walked through the trench line killing the occasional struggler when Aldric saw him. It was the second in command hacking and slashing at a group of renegades. Aldric wanted to greet him when He saw a plasma gun armed renegade sneaking up behind him.
Before he could do anything Aldric fired his plasma pistol at his knees and his legs melted off. Aldric walked towards him and whispered into his ear with a screeching voice. ''Don't sneak up on a night lord!'' The sound was driving him mad. The screeching sound kept ringing around in his head and he screamed. Aldric picked him up and stuffed a frag grenade in his mouth. Afterwards he threw him towards his squad members one of them picked him up and before realizing it the frag exploded. 5 renegades where transformed into a gory red mush.
Aldric walked towards the second in command and said. ''Sir we have set up a base nearby follow me.''

Acharias turned around, ready to fight, but saw it was Aldric. Glad to see a member of his legion who would talk to him he said, " Very well, Let's go." They began walking to the command bunker, picking off any straglers they could. Acharias looked at the Master of the Forge and told him of the commander he had found, and maybe he could have something made to get information out.
They arrived at the base, finding it somewhat empty, mostly vehicles and the occasional marine. It was quiet here, the calm before the storm. He knew something was going to happen, he just didn't know what. Acharias turned to Aldric and asked him, " What are we to do now?"

Chief Apothecary Leonidus was deep at work extracting the progenoid gland from a fallen assault marine's corpse. The astartes had fallen after an assault on a leman russ, the vehicle had been destroyed by melta charges but the unfortunate had been caught in the blast. His gruesome task completed, he gets to his feet to check the scans. Good. The progenoid has in perfect condition. Turning, he notices the Neophite once again stiring, his newly implanted bionics whiring quietly. Getting to his feet, brother Leonidus walks slowly over to the figure. With a slight whine of feedback, he begins speaking.

"Ah brother Lucius. I trust the bionic modifications are functioning correctly? I have healed you to the best of my ability, and for that I ask something of you. You see this?"
He gestures towards the bound figure at the end of the tent.
"This was given to me by Brother Adric on the condition I treated you the best I could. And it would be terrible if word got out that me, a chief Apothecary, was in possession of live members of the enemy force. If you keep my little secret, then I shall make sure things run nice and smoothly for you. If, however, word was to get out, then I can make sure that your remaining days will be filled with terror and agony of the likes you have never seen.

So, are we at an agreement?"

The storm eagle dubbed "Nights terror" roared overhead, kicking dust up around the speeding astrates. The tremendous heat from the engines turned small particles of dirt and sand into glass, before they shattered against armour and steel. The ship flew low to the ground, expertly weaving between rock and bush. The ramp lowered suddenly, illuminating the night with flickiring green and red lights. Krieg jerked his bike back, slamming the front wheel onto the adamantium ramp, one by one, the rest followed. With a sudden burst of speed, Nights Terror cleared the narrow valley and hurtled towards the distant battlefield. Lights flickered like stars around the towering city.

"Spoils of war are still to be had, brothers" said Costanze, the oldest among the riders, as he grinned at the flickering pict screen.

With a hiss, Krieg removed his gore and dust covered helmet and grinned. "There are always spoils to be had, brother" he turned to see Varan slump over his handlebars. Krieg pulled his head back, and tore his helmet off with a flick of his powered fist. Half of his face was pulverised, bone and flesh smashed inwards. His one good eye fixed on Krieg, gasping and gurgling he tried to speak. Coughing blood and phlegm into his heavily oiled black hair.

Krieg put his heavy gauntlet on his shouldar. "Silence brother, preserve your strength, you will need it."

Darius sneaked behind the unsuspecting fool. The soldier was standing next to one of his comrades. The knife sliced through both their throats quickly, silently. They where dead in moments as the massvie marine dragged them back into the shadows cast by a tall highway. The heads he left on the ground. He soon had the two soldiers rigged with their own grenades and connected to tripwires. A nasty surprise for any of the enemy that moved through here. He darted away as he heard approaching footsteps. Then a yel. Running. Screams and an explosion. His grin widened. There was nothing better than a dead foe. His eyes widened as he saw from his vantage point atop a pile of rubble a man crawl from the shadows. He had no legs and a slick of blood spread behind him. The old warrior leapt, falling into a roll that brought him right next to the warrior. The man had spirit. The laspistol at his belt was soon in his hands and aiming at the warrior above him. The old marine lazily slapped it from his fist and knelt before him. He reached down and lay his knife at his throat "Why?" His voice tore from the helmet, the metallic tone filling the air. The soldier coughed "We..followed our orders" He screamed. Darius looked down on him and slid the combat blade through his neck, a quick, clean slice. As was befitting of a foe.He stood and heard the sound of gunfire and screams nearby. His brothers?

The tall skyscrapers sixth musty floor gave hima a good vantage above the fire fight. A group of men wearing armour emblazoned with the Imperial aquilia where firing upon a force of traitors. The traitors where winning. They where about a platoon a peice with las guns, but the traitors had a tank. Darius smiled wolfishly. Not for long the didn't.

The Krak grenade sailed through the air, catching a tank commander peeking from his turret in the groin. It had been thrown straight, by a space marine. Something crunched. Then that somthing was slagged and atomized by the massive explosion below. The tank was gone and a devil was among the men. The short sword sized combat blade cut through swathes of the enemy, smashing them down and slicing them up. The demon that was Darius turned the tide and brought the loyalists charging. The soldiers of the emperor fell upon their foes with bayonnete and sword, felling them left and right. The tall saviour that they would now follow till death fought with them, fire in his eyes and war in his blood.

Lucius looked at the stern, venerable Apothecary. His eyes stared straight through him, for he was a fully fledged Night Lord, a bringer of terror. Lucius glanced to and fro, trying desperately to avoid eye contact. He clamped them shut.

"Okay! It shall remain unearthed!"

Leonidus finally unstrapped him. Lucius stood on his feet, a faint hiss being let out as the pistons in his leg began to function. He took a walk around the stuffy, cramped tent. This was all the time he had to become accustomed to his implants before he had to enter the fray once more.

He took up his trusty Bolt Pistol and his gleaming Combat Blade. He clad himself in a suit of Carapace Armour, the lightness of it augmenting his ability in stealth. He placed a set of night-vision goggles on his head.

He was fear incarnate, striking from the shadows.

He was a Night Lord.

He was his nightmare made manifest.

He sprinted out of the tent, running away from the dank, decrepit Apothecary's tent. The less time he spent there the better. He leaped across trenches, literally jumping over the head of the traitors, too sly and fleet-footed to be caught by the slow and ponderous forces of rebels. His newly grafted bionic eye locked onto his quarry, an Officer who stood tall and proud, projecting orders to his men. He was clad in fine purple linen with a golden hem, plasma pistol clutched in one hand, swagger stick in the other. He rolled a cigar from one corner of his mouth to another as he belted out orders.

Lucius galloped to him, placing his Blade in both hands, sprinting faster, jumping the final few yards, decapitating him in midair, his newly forged knife tasting the sweet ambrosia of tainted blood.. He quickly unloaded his bolt pistol into another rebel, his armour proof to the volleys of Lasgun fire he received.

Aldric turned towards the second in command and said. ''Welcome brother to our sanctuary, here we will consolidate our forces until we have enough to wage an attack on the capital. I would like to organize a war council with the higher circle if that is okay with you.''

Aldric walked off towards the apothecary tent. He saw lucius suddenly burst off and rush of towards the last trench line.
He walked inside and went very close to leonidas. Before he noticed it Aldric wispered into his ear. ''You should be more on your guard brother.'' He suddenly turned around and smiled. Aldric threw something towards him and when he opened his hands he saw a live human heart. He had a confused look on his face when Aldric said. ''A sign of trust. The heart represents the bond of the body, i hope we can cooperate in the future.'' He took of my helmet and smiled at leonidas afterwards Aldric walked out of the tent.

Acharias stood there as the Master of the forge walked away. It was getting dark, and that was where Acharias shined, pitch black. He walked around camp until he found what he wanted, an assault marine. He said, " Soldier, give me your jump pack." Realizing who he was, the soldier immediatly gave up what Acharias wanted. "This will be fun."
Acharias went and found Aldric saying, " I'll be back later." Acharias pulled out his power sword and split it into two blades. He started running off into the night towards the battle, turning on the jump pack and rocketing into the night. He landed with a crash next to a building filled with men. He let out a blood curdeling laugh, scaring the guardsmen out of their skin. The men looked outside, but saw nothing. Nothing but the piercing red eyes, and the lightning that danced across Acharias' armor and blades. With a screech he lept into battle.
No one stood in his path, all were destroyed. Cut into bloody little ribbons. He demolished every thing in the room. He walked out of the room, dripping in blood, and took off into the night.

His assault squad had brought word of an oncoming renegade force. It was a fairly large with a leman russ as support. He was enraged that the rebels still kept the name of a great primarch and warrior for their vehicles. But it mattered not, they would die all the same. He was moving his forces out of the camp, his heavy support team would lie in wait within the trenches, his assault squad would take the fight to the enemy and as usual, he would lead the charge acompanied by his Nocturnus guard. He was glad the neophite had accepted his terms. It would have been such a waste to have him die just because he couldn't keep his mouth shut. Once this small battle was done, he could finaly enact his grissly work on the unfortunate sitting metres away.

Einer crahsed down into the enemy ranks, landing just behind the trench line, his flamer veteran landing beside him. He pulled his pistol, shooting a man before leaping down behind his brother, great orange fire racing down the trench, immolating men and ammuntion alike, the fuel packs exploding with concussive force. A massive Orgryn, toting a pair of heavy bolters, each wielded single handedly. A crude but dangerous bayonet jutted from under each. His brother flashed his rune, asking fo their pre-planned tactic. He acknowledge, and his brother shot up, leaving Einer to face the beast alone. The Ogryn opened fire, thousands of high caliber bolter shells slamming into the walls but none touched him. His armour would be nouse against its brute strength, and the skull would not cower it. As the Ogryn neared he fired his Jump Pack. Not hard or long enough to fly, but enough to propel his backflip over the creature, firing round after round into his enemies back and neck. The Ogryn stuggled to turn as he landied behind it, and he fired his pistol, leaving a single round in the mag. He doged the clumsy swing of the bayonet, and swiped his axe into the abhuman's shin, embeedding Darkhood's head in the thick bone, driving the Ogryn to its knee. A second blade punched towards him, he dodged with perfect ease and Nightmonger crucnhed against the creatures spine, the neck severed. The creature, unwilling to die, tried to scream. Unleashing Nightshredder, he punched his claws into the beasts face,. From behind him a autoround smacked into his pauldron, denting it onlyslightly. He glanced around to see and thin, skilled swordman, wielding a pair of power swords. The man was challenging him, his discarded autopistol on the ground. The man spun his blades, a dance of death that could match a space marine in speed and strength. His image wasn't sacring the man as far as he could see. Hewthdrew his claw, sheathing the talons and his axes were readied, Darkhood in one hand, Nightmonger at his hip. The man spun his blades again, trying to scare his opponent into making a mitake.
"You are an honour-"
He never finished, blown apart by Einer's last bolt round. The men behind him fled in terror as he reloaded and hoklstered his pistol. He drew his second axe, watching as the fleeing were incinerated, his brother sneaking around behind them. He turned to recieve the next charge, his 4 squad mates forming up on his position. The took of to the west racing down the tenchline, flamer in front, plasma pistoliers in the rear, him dead centre.

Sergeant Daston and his two remaining scouts were pinned down by an Autocannon team. The traitors were camped in a tower in the outskirts of the city. Daston had been trying to get help since they arrived planetside. A shell managed to find its way over the rock that they were hiding behind and into one of his men's heads, splashing brain matter everywhere. Daston was positive he could take the gunners out, but revealling himself would be his death.

At that moment, two plasma shots sailed over the pinned scouts and destroyed the tower's vantage point. Daston looked around for his savior, and Tocus drove his Predator along the ruined trench lines past where the scouts were hidden.

Renegade soldiers were all around Iscariat, milling like so many insects, easy to crush, but bothersome. Iscariat had suffered only a second minor wound to the ribs from a lucky grenade. Around him scores of soldiers lay dead in the mud and gore of the trenches, Iscariat's chainsword had clogged up long ago and it was more of a simple bludgeoning tool now, Iscariat not having the time to free the gore fromthe teeth with the reverse mechanism.

If the tenches were soaked in blood then the seargeant was almost made of it. It covered him utterly, a result of dozens of visceral spray's coating his armour and parts of his face. Speaking of which his mouth was turned up in a firce snarl, a solid raor still eminating from him with every blow. The astartes was not tiring and the soldiers just kept moving within range. One managed to land a lucky blow with a lasgun in his armpit as he was going to fire his plasma pistol, Iscariat flinched backwards and it was with that moments hesitation that the mob of soldiers covered him. Piling on top of him trying to fight him down. But the Seargeant was not worried and simply activated his jump pack, charring dozens of the soldiers, and throwing dozens more out of his way as he rocketed upward.

His eyes quickly sought his target and he landed heavily next to the astartes command tent. And it was only then that he had time to discharge the gore from his chainsword. He brushed the tent flap aside and noted a SIC,
"Hail Brother, Brother Seargeant Iscariat reporting."

Aldric was resting inside the tent. He had found one of his predators was missing and he directly opened his vox. ''Rahl where are you? Report back to aldric's pride immediately we need you to provide some fire support against an incoming rebel attack.'' Just when Aldric wanted to get out of the tent he heard a vox channel open up. It was aria. ''Aria have you found the train?'' He replied. ''Yes sir but it was completely slugged. We can spot astartes grade explosives where used.'' Aldric's scream of anger could be heard all over the camp when he said his last words to him. ''Return to the camp and please do not fail me this time.''
Aldric got out of his tent he had discarded his servo arms and his helmet he was only equipped with his plasma pistol and power axe. He saw a marine running towards him while saying. ''An enemy force is approaching. We need to prepare ourselfs!'' Aldric pushed the marine beside and
he walked of into the darkness.

Aldric was laying on the ground. He could see the leman russ with the renegades. All the light they had was from the tanks search light. Aldric had a sickly smile on his face. When he began moving he stealthily moved towards the russ from its rear and when no one was watching
he jumped on it. They where still oblivious.
He opened the hatch softly and dropped inside. Their fear was so great they coudn't even scream. It was clogged in their throat with a silent slash i ripped 2 of the crew members open. Only the tank commander was left, Aldric could see he was trying to regain his fighting spirit but he never had the chance. His face was skinned by my power axe and with blood gushing out of his body. He fell to the ground.
He humped the bodies into one place and opened his vox to leonidas. ''Brother i have great news and a surprise. You will see, just don't shoot the leman russ alright? Don't shoot the leman russ!''

Leonidus opened the vox channel, the words, "Don't shoot the leman russ!" ,coming in from brother Aldric. Putting his advanced prototype helmet on, the message was instantly transmitted to his forces, Don't shot the Leman Russ. Walking outside his comand tent, he sees his highly trained heavy weapons team opening fire in perfect time, shells, bolts and blasts tearing dozens of rebels asunder. His assault squad had moved into the thick of the fighting, las and autogun shots either bouncing off their harmlessly or leaving small burn marks. In return, the renegades' were ripped limb from limb by the astartes' chanblades. Drawing Bloodbolt and his power sword, he charges foward, his Nocturnus guard again at his side.

They would leave none alive.

Lucius smirked as he cut down the renegades, his geneseed beginning to take a hold of him. He impaled another soldier with his blade, now completely saturated with the ichor of his enemies. Several men run, dropping weapons. Others stood and fight. Each one had the same serpentine tattoo as the Tank Commander.

One of them fired a shotgun into Lucius' chest. It slowed him drastically, but it had only hit his cybernetics. He grasped the soldier's head and twisted it off, terrorizing the rest of the trench, forcing them to run. A barrage of lasgun fire followed their departure, firing their weapons on the run.

Sizzle.

Lucius' arm was burnt, the pain running like a torrent of fire through his veins. He walked again, propping himself on his blade to stop him falling over. He loaded a new clip into his Bolt Pistol. The enemy officer's head still hung on his blade hilt.

"Immolation this is command".
"Immolation here"
"Your "high value" target is lying, he is not on any of our records, dispose of him".
Kovar needed to give no explaination to Trogar. The giant marine, known for his stunning acts of strength, lifted the bloodied traitor by the legs. Trogar stepped outside and began swinging the panicked traitor officer as if he were a rock in a sling. With a great grunt and a twist of the body the officer was hurled towards the traitor lines. The officer screamed as he flew quite a distance landing directly in front of a packed trench in a mangled bloody mess.

Trogar let out victorious cry that startled the already disarrayed troops watching their twitching officer's body.

Sahaal listened as the chatter on the vox increased. He had gone silent since he had first deployed, making strikes in and out of defensive positions far in the city.
"What is all the chatter about, Adric?" He asked

The battle was going smoothly. The rebels where being massacred, the second wave was already underway and Adric was inside the tank.
The tank captain was starting to wake up. His face bloodied but he was a strong one apparently. Adric walked over to him and pushed his face very close to his and whispered with his metallic brain screeching voice. ''We are fear! We will eradicate you in the night! We are what hunts you! In the day you will live but in the night all of you will fall to the night haunter!''
The sergeant began to scream as hard as he ever had. Adric opened the tanks vox and amplifiers and the scream was heard on every channel on the military vox. He also made sure his fellow brothers could hear the screams of pain.
The scream of a faceless man dying scared for his live. The moral dropped significantly and that was when Adric began his action. He had swayed the machine spirit over to his side his name was titanus rex his powers where dormant but Adric had activated them. He let the power of the machine spirit take over and all the sponson weapons as well as the battle cannon began firing on the rebels. They where dying by the dozens as the ever lasting scream of the tank command continued. The rebels where all scattered when they ran away in fear of blood and dead and the scream that heralded it.
Adric began moving to the camp when he got out of the tank. he saw the marines with a confused look on their face. The tank captain was bound on a chain as he carried him over to his tent.
Just when Adric wanted to reequip he heard the captain on the vox saying. "What is all the chatter about, Adric?"
He returned with a message. ''Yes captain we have secured a camp at the second trench line. Adric's pride has been stationed here awaiting the all clear sign to begin the attack which we ofcourse still need to wait for because we don't have the info yet. But everything is going smoothly at the moment.''

Taric heard a noise, it was a huge group of Conscripts lead by a Commisar. There's got to be at least 100 of them. He heard the commisar talk:

"Conscripts, have you heard anything?"
The Conscripts replied simultaneously "No, sir."
The Commisar nodded and continued walked unsuspectedly in a trap.

Suddenly, Taric raised his hand to open fire. The sounds of bolter fire and screaming filled the air. The Commisar screamed "Come on fight back, let's show them what we think of scum." They continued shooting their lasguns. Taric finally ordered the charge, the Terminators charged shooting and screaming curses while Taric remained silent. The Commisar screamed "Hold the line." The Conscripts looked like they were white with fear but they did not want to retreat in fear of being gunned down. The Terminators started butchering left and right with their power swords, many Conscripts were being slashed apart left and right. There were cries and screams for help. Gore and blood swished everywhere. There would be one hell of a feast for the Carions tonight. A Conscript yelled "We got to get out of here! He started fleeing with the rest of the group." They were shoot down with the sheer weight of fire from the Stormbolters. Only the Commisar remained standing he screamed at Taric "Come on Coward 1v1." Taric stood foward aceepting the challenge, the Commisar drew his chainsword and ran at Taric but before the Commisar could even react, the power sword had already sliced the Commisar in two. Gore covered tarics armour Taric had to hurry to reach the city and the trenches in time for the fight. He started to run as fast as he could.

Leonidus opened the vox channel to Brother Sahaal, his powersword sweeping backwards casualy into a charging shotgunner, his head seperated in a burst of gore.

"Chief Apothecary Leonidus here. Heavy enemy engagement near the second captured trench. Heavy weapons and vehicular resistance encountered. We have a heavy weapons team, assault squad, sternguard and one Leman Russ. We are holding out, no further reinforcements are needed at the moment. Oh, greetings Brother Aldric. I trust things are going well over there?"

With this, Leonidus spins round, a small group of six or so autogun wielding rebels, each seemingly terrified. In a fit of panic they all open fire with their puny weapons,their bullets pinging off his chestplate and pauldrons. In a burst of superhuman speed, he is upon them before they can even register his movement. Swinging foward, his armoured gauntlet impacts upon the face of one unfortunate, his face imploding inwards with a gurgling. In one swift motion, he brings the same bloodied fist around into the gut of a second renegade scum. Bringing his sword arm, he feels a burning sensation on his back. It annoyed him. Turning his head from the strugling figure, his fist still embeded in his stomach, he sees a flamer-wielding man panicedly spraying the white hot blaze at his back. Stabing foward, his blade breaks through his ribcage. With a nightmarish, amplified laugh, he lifts upwards, the blade passing up through the man's neck and violently slices his head in two. Turning back to the swine impaled upon his gauntlet, he chuckles slightly as he reaches further back, tearing through meat and organs to his spine. Jerking his arm backwards, the man shrieks as he dies agonisingly, his backbone ripped out in a horrifying display of brutality. The remaining few men simply drop their weapons, their faces turning a paler shade of white, and run.

Raising the grisly trophy aloft, the blood soaked butcher lets loose a blood-curtling cry of pure rage.

"LEAVE NONE ALIVE, SLAUGHTER THEM ALL, FOR THE LEGION, CURZE AND THE EMPEROR."

Sergeant Kovar unleashed another burst of fire. This time it found its mark, ripping a troopers arm off. For some time the Bearers of Immolation had been pouring death into the trench lines in front of the ridge. Troops unlucky enough to be caught in the open were quickly put down by the never ending barrage. Their barrels glowed red hot and the floor was littered with shell casings. However the rebles had already planned the demise of the marines on the high ground.

Smoke rounds were first dropped directly onto the bunker to test the aim of the artillery lining up on them. Rorick found this tactic predictable of the Imperial Army.
"Immolation, pull out of there you have incoming" voxed command.
Damn rebels had to spoil our fun, thought the sergeant. Unfortunately they had not left quick enough and the shells began falling around them. They ran down the back of the ridge towards the landing forces, sliding down the muddy slope. In any other case Rorick would have braved the firestorm rather than give up ground to such foes.
Suddenly Mirosa disappeared in an explosion of fire and mud which threw up into the sky. The rest of the squad were luckly spaced out enough not be caught by detonation. As the smoke cleared the young marines body was seen hanging of the side of the fresh crater. From the chest down he was mangled into twisted form of flesh and entrails. His helmet blow clean off revealing his youthful face, eyes closed never to see another battle.
There was no time to mourn him though as the shells were now picking up in frequency and accuracy. Seth threw his mutilated brother over his shoulder covering himself in Mirosa's mess. The pounding behind them continued lighting up the ridge in spectacular explosions. Rorick swore the sheer firepower had moved the ridge a few klicks. He was glad though that they were worth such an amount of ordinace and had probaly warranted it after harrasing there troops for so long. They made their way back to newly formed command trench following a path of impaled heads which marked a way through the minefield. The HQ seemed to be under heavy fire and looked like they needed their help.
"Command we are coming in, hold your fire to the south"

Lucius slumped in the trench, weakened by the shot. He grasped his cybernetics, sparks flying out.

"I shall fear no death." he whispered to himself. The quiet clicking and whirring of his admantinium frame soothed his troubled soul. If he was going to die today, he would not die retreating. He was terror.

Lucius threw himself up over the trench lip, sprinting towards the plasteel bastions that jutted from the great walls the enclosed the capital, unloading his Bolt Pistol into the traitor scum. Some ran away, some stood and fought, incapable of touching the graceful Night Lord.

Then a squadron of Leman Russes appeared, rearing their mighty hulls in the clouds of choking dust. Disgraceful icons violated the beauty of the tanks, the Commanders wearing the same purple lilac and bearing the same serpentine tattoos on their faces.

On each tank there was a curved idol, coloured bright purple and lined with pure gold.

Acharias rocketed through the ait, landing on top of scattered rebels. In the distance he saw the apothacary with a spine in the air. " That looks like some fun, I'll join that battle." Acharias turned his direction, rocketing into the night, the lightning on his suit flickering in the night. He landed next to the apothacary, " Brother Leonidus, how is the killing?" Rebels fleed in all directions scared of apothecary, scared of the night lords. " The straglers are mine. Acharias started a run, the ground tremling under his feet, and jumped, landing right in front of a rebel, with a quick move ment he smacked his hands together, crushing his head in between, his head exploding everywhere. Acharias let out a howl of laughter, causing all the nearby rebels to fall to the ground in fear. He grabbed one and threw him as far as he could, a little football in the nightsky.
This was Acarias' domain, the night. This is where he felt at home, where anything was possible. He let out some shots from his plasma pistol, the lightning blue plasma chasing a rebel that got up and ran. No one stood in his path. And what happened next made him laugh even more, the one thing he loved even more than night, especially when it happened at night. His favorite thing at night, was when it started to rain.

The were completley surrounded by human soldiers, lasgun round after lasgun round hammering their armour. Amazingly, but not surprising, not one of them had fallen. All but Einer himself have taken a score of wounds, and one of his brothers should be all rights be dead, a pair of lasrounds punched in his chest, centred perfectly over both hearts. Still they fought, the traitors more afriad of their commissars than them, a feat best described as enraging. The Night Lords were fear uincarnate, and the Talons of Dusk would not betray this reputation because of these louts. He stepped up, leaping onto the battleent of the trenchline, activating the sonic disruptor in his neckplates. A wailing screech caused everyone there, marines and humans, to cower in fear, and pain in the case of the marines. The marines recovered quickly as their autosenses and Lyman's Ear filtered the noise, as did one commissar. Clearly a veteran of his regiment, his bright red trim marked him out as a Lord./One particular man turned to flee. The Commisar lord executed him, a defiled bolt pistol sending a single round into the coward's chest without looking. Einer knew thwe men wouldn't flee with him at their fore. He decided to do the one thing he knew could scare bind even the most rugged marine or Ork warboss, and these treacherous dogs would be begging for forgiveness before he even finished.
He reached up, taking of his helmet, the humans staring with interest, his marines shielding their eyes from such horrifc sites, knowing what was coming. He ook of his Deathmask, revealiong the exact same image underneath. His skin was flayed off by an ork flamethrower. Seeing even the Apothecaries revolted by it, he ordered his entire cranium be skinless, and bleached a stark white. He lolled his head back and growled, leaping down in front of the commissar, who, to his credit, stood tall, and defiant. Einer stared down into the commissar's face, seeing the tiniest morsel of fear in the deep receses of storm grey eyes. He unleahsed his Lightning Claw, pressing it slowly into the commissar's flesh, his ribs and spine grating against the admantium and power field. Einer's talon's closed around the man's heart, and ripped it out of his chest. The body fell limp. He was still alive. Now for the part Edvard despised. He opened his mouth wide, bringing the still beating heart to his his teeth. As the commissar took his last breath he watched as Death Incarnate ate his still beating organ, in two bites. The soldiers wailed in fear, and fledwith all haste, trmapling those who had not been fast enough. He screamed in the highest pitch voice he could manage.
"Stay or you shall suffer the same fate!"
This brought each and every one of them to a halt. Then lined up, each on one knee, begging for forgivness. He felt the hot blood running down his chin and wiped it away. He counted along the ranks, taking each tenth man out, putting him in a corner. The squad followed, removing bayonets and ammo clips from the guardmen, sidearms and combat blades too. As he reached the end of the line, he turned, shouting instructions.
"This men here," he cried, indicating the group of tenths, "are to be beaten to death. Use your fists, boots and rifle buts. Kill them all. Any who refuse shall die with them!"
He loved this method of torture. To kill a friend in error is one thiong. To slay dozens of your fellows to survive is mind breaking. These bastards had no qualms though, setting upon the group with fists, bots and even rocks, bashing their comrades to death, even catching ome of those that joined them in their attack. The brutallity and barbaricness of it was unbelievable, and within minutes the small group was a ruddy red stain on the ground.
"Go, run! Spread word of what we have done. Tell all who will listen! we are coming from you!" He voice snapped as he screamed thelast word, ruby blood welling up in his mouth, and he sprayed it over the gathered guardsmne, who resumed their maddened stampede of sheer terro. he replace his helmet, but not before vomiting up some heart meat. He rejoined his squad and set off at a run, resuming their attack towards the capital. As they neared the third trenchline they saw a tunnel, partly concealed, heading of towards the city. They saw the gate was unblemished, so no hostiles would be inside. Slicing open the grate, they made their way inside, heading south.

Miles into the city, Sahaal came to a square where a large crowd of conscripts and soldiers were gathered in an organized formation, a commander stood on a balcony with a massive vox system, shouting words to increase moral, and make the soldiers have new vigor and courage. Sahaal felt a spark of amusement, and decided to test a few things Adric had modified into his suit of armour. As the commander spoke into the microphone his voice became quieter and quieter till suddenly it was replaced by another, deeper, more deadly, fear inducing voice. "Hello" It spoke through the vox system.
"I am the voice of the Night Lords, you cannot hope to resist. I am the voice of death itself, the herald of darkness... and your doom. You have made a grave mistake, you cannot hope to survive, surrender now, and your death shall be quick."
The voice cut off, the men looked extremely unsettled, some on the verge of weeping, some clutching their heads, trying to remove the voice. "Remain calm," the commander spoke into the microphone, though he stuttered and shook, "We mustn't allow them to-"
The words were never finished. The vox message turned into an ear shattering, stomach churning scream, and the commander's head exploded.

The battle had gone perfectly, minimal astartes casualties and total routing of the enemy. The death of three of his closest comrades had come across his mind several times however. He had to find some way to avenge them. They would not be forgotten. He had recovered one of their bodies some hours ago, the power armoured body lay at the far end of the room, both legs and an arm little more than ravanged stumps. He had to have careful however, if anyone had seen him take the body then his carefuly formed plans could all be instantly brought down. Enough. He had to clear his mind for the task ahead.

Picking up a devilishly sharp scalpel from the tray, Leonidus walks over to the bound form of the captured rebel so generously given to him by Brother Adrid. The one comrade he could fully trust. With one heavily gauntletted hand, he grabs hold of the struggling man's head, holding him still and silencing his muffled cries. Utmost precision was needed for this stage, one mistake, no matter slight, and the specimen was wasted.

The scalpel drawing close, he begins his grisly work.

"Display servo-skull vid feeds beta-sigma-four through alpha-seven-bravo," croaked the Priest-Marshal from his command throne several metres above. His voice was harsh and metallic. Despite the holy unguents and smoking censers hanging from the ceiling high above, tended to by fluttering cherubim and maintenance skulls, the place was still filled with the stench of oil. Jenna shuddered at the thought - the servant constructs of the Adeptus Mechanicus always gave her the creeps. To her, they were as wrong and debased as every single order she had carried out over the past few days. Helping cause the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians and loyal soldiers, now the Space Marines were here - the Emperor's Angels of Death. They surely couldn't resist them, could they? Though they were, albeit just barely. She had been one of the first to see the trickle of field reports come in. She had watched them become a flood as the death count rocketed skyward. So much death; unnecessary, terrible. She had shed silent tears as the names of the dead had flickered across the screen. At first, she'd tried to read each one, then every dozen or so, but now they just blended together in one long blur of Imperial retribution.

"Station-officer 329B-zeta, operator first-class Tynarth. Do not make me repeat my orders," the Priest-Marshal hissed down at her. She shivered, glancing at the cold, lifeless servitor plugged into the station next to her. They had replaced all but three of them with those dreadful, soulless things as soon as the rebellion had been declared. It was only a matter of time before they decided she was of no further use to them and when that time came, well, she was loathe to imagine the consequences. A bead of sweat trickled down her neck - this place was hot, far too hot for her liking. Maybe it was the coolant systems malfunctioning again, or perhaps it was the tangible tension and fear smothering the human occupants of the control station. The Priest-Marshal didn't seem to notice either way.
"O-of course, Priest-Marshal," she stammered as her hands hastily raced over the holo-controls in front of her, "Vid feeds should be appearing through your hard-link now."
The background hum of the computers working rose to a noticeable level as torrents of information from all over the planet was fed directly into Priest-Marshal Vorath's cranium via the dozens of cables connected to the cable-ports deep within the back of his skull. The room was silent again - any respite from the harsh, grated voice of their new dictatorial machine priest superior was a god-given gift to be cherished. Short lived, as usual, for mere seconds later the bionic synth-vox in place of the Marshal's original neck droned out yet more words as cold as a glacier.
"Vid-feed and logisticer speculation show the bulk of the Legionnaires Astartes are assaulting our frontal trenches. Two-thirds of our outer garrison have been overwhelmed. Third garrison coming under hit-and-run attacks. Issuing mobilisation orders to the Dirge of Annihilation - praise be to the Omnissiah for such magnificent constructs!" The Priest almost sounded happy. In truth Jenna thought he was absolutely insane. The priest was completely off his oil-washed cogs, but then, that was hardly surprising for a member of the priesthood of Mars. However, she had seen just how deep Vorath's fanatical devotion to his machine God and insanity ran. A young lad, who had worked as a servant-boy to the station workers, by the name of Worgen, had come to see if they needed anything on the first day of the rebellion. In his eagerness to once again try and impress Jenna he'd tripped over a servo-lead. For that, Vorath had him bound and taken away to the depths of the facility for it. She never did find out what happened to him. In truth, she'd seen his polished skull floating about the place for two days now, though of course she would never have recognised what had once been an otherwise nice young boy.
"Attention! Hostile units moving towards this position. Sentries under suppressing fire. Result: they will not hold," Vorath explained from high above. A computer-generated voice spoke through hidden wall speakers and though it was monotone it was still identifiably female.
+++Hostiles within designated threat parameters: executing precautionary protocol XIV: deploying servitor defences+++


Morias hacked down another guardsmen, the reverse swing cutting another in twain. Kurnar torched several rebels who were attempting to flank them, their death cries as demoralizing to their few remaining comrades as were there burning bodies; their flame-enveloped flesh turning charcoal black as blood vessels pulped and their nerve systems overloaded. A nearby Marine from Lazevar's squad was cut in half by weight of fire from high-powered shots whilst an assault marine stumbled; a stray shot finding its way through his leg armour. With a growl, a flurry of shots cracked off from his pistol, ending the lives of the momentarily lucky sharpshooters.
"Your time has come, traitors!" came a noticeably human shout from nearby, as a soldier marched down from the far end of the dug-out, his las-rifle on full auto, mowing down his erstwhile allies in the back. Having finished betraying his 'allies', the man ran over, only to find a dozen bolt weapons aimed at him.
There was a moment's pause, before he spoke. "Private Maverick, at your service m'lords," he introduced, with a curt salute. One by one the weapons aimed at him lowered.
"It is good to find a loyalist amongst these traitorous dogs," Morias commented.
"Anything to help get Torayo back under decent control. The last few days have been hell sir, millions have died.. good soldiers, loyal soldiers.. civilians even, women and children.. I.. I helped them do it. I had no choice.." The man mumbled despondently.
"He's no better than the rest of those scum, he should be lying with them!" Navren insisted, "Not only is he a traitor to the Emperor but a traitor to his own brothers in arms! Worthless, gak-ridden piece of--"
"Easy Navren," Morias implored, placing a reassuring hand on his tenacious brother's pauldron. He turned to the soldier before him. "You may be a traitor, private Maverick, but perhaps you can yet find salvation in glorious death upon the battlefield. Fight with us or die with your comrades in the filth. The choice is yours."
Maverick didn't seem to believe he was being offered a traitors execution. He stuttered for a second, then composed himself, saluting again. "I'll fight to the death to reclaim my world, my home!"
"We shall see just how deeply the warrior's spirit runs within you," Morias replied, walking past the comparatively small human and heading towards the vast jamming station. His rag-tag force behind him. He looked the five-metre doors confronting him over.
"You'll never get in there sir, those are sealed tight. Take an artillery shell to even make a dent on this place, and a bloody miracle to get inside!" Maverick exclaimed.
Much to his confusion, the bulky Astartes sergeant simply knelt; head bowed in prayer. "If all we need is a miracle to open these doors, then faith is the key we already possess."


As combat servitors filled the room, servos whirring and laser trackers continuously scanning the room for pre-programmed targets. Several dozen marched raggedly down the entrance corridor. They would stand like statues by the main doors, not seeking of cover or fearful of intruders breaking through and killing them. They had no fear and they had no thought. She supposed this made them the best and the worst soldiers to have. A small corner of her display screen showed the vid-feed just outside the building where almost two dozen, dark-blue armoured giants stood, seeking to gain entry. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. As she exhaled she shuddered frightfully. She felt the back of her throat dry and coarse. Painfully aware of the consequences of what she would do in the next few moments, she sighed and gazed down at the screen as her hands expertly danced over the holographic controls. Damn, that fething priest has written-in a dozen new security protocols, she thought, tapping away furiously.
+++Warning. Warning. Unauthorised access of complex command functions detected+++
"Locate," Vorath said simply; coldly.
They were on to her already?! She hastily wrote in several lines of false information directly into the blasted computer's bio-neural cortex. She hadn't worked at this place for eleven years without learning her way around the system.
"The personnel making unauthorised access of command protocols will identify immediately and submit for arrest and execution," the Priest-Marshal demanded, his servitors moving towards the three remaining human workers and dragging them from their stations, one then another.
"Let me go, it's not me, it's not me!" Squealed the first, desperate to just make it through another day.
"It's her, it's Jenna!" The second shouted, the fear in his tone accentuated by the wet patch forming around his groin as he was manhandled by the brutish servitors.
She cursed profusely under her breath, still typing furiously as a servitor clasped her arm in its powerful grip. With her free arm she reached into her back pocket and produced an old Las pistol - her father's old service weapon. Pointing it into the servitor's face, she squeezed the trigger three times. The mindless creature, more machine than man now, slumped to the floor with a metallic clang - a smoking hole imbetween its eyes.
"This will not stand!" Vorath screeched, rising from his command throne; cables snapping out from his skull and spine, snaking away into the floor as if fearful of their master. It seemed even he could still feel anger. She slammed down her finger on the execute key and the command was sent, just as the screen exploded in a firework of sparks, causing her to scream and leap out of her seat. A second bolt round left the Priest-Marshal's bolt pistol, his augmetics compensating for the previous mis-calculated shot and the round slammed into Jenna Tynarth's shoulder and she collapsed back with a yelp, her own hot blood coating her face as she sagged down to the floor. Tears streamed down her face as a tendril scythed through the air from Vorath's back, impaling her through the gut and lifting her effortlessly face to face with the red-hooded Priest.
"What.. have you done?" The priest grated.
Was that.. fear in his voice? The machine-man felt fear? Jenna smiled, grinning in the face of death. She laughed even as she spluttered up blood. Sounds of a firefight echoed down the entrance hallway as the priest looked around fretfully. Vorath looked deep into her weeping eyes with the cold, impassive red lenses where his would've been.
"You have doomed us all!" He screeched.
Jenna coughed up blood over him, raising the las pistol still gripped in her hand and shoved it into the mechanical features of the priest-marshal and fired. Pink mushy brain coupled with a plethora of wires and cables blew out the back of Vorath's head, splattering on the floor as the last breath left Jenna's body and the two collapsed, side-by-side.


Blessed Emperor above,
Who gave us all that we are and ever will be,
I ask of you in this moment of our need,
To look down upon your sons and bless us!
Cast aside this obstacle which blocks our righteous path,
And in return we shall deliver your fury,
To those who dare oppose you, our father, our lord.
The collected marines, and Maverick, stood in silence for a few seconds. Nothing happened.
Sergeant Lazevar stepped forward, looking down at his younger counterpart. "Morias, why do you insist on wasting precious time with your false prayers to a man who is no more a God than our own primarch!" The aged veteran was wise, understanding even.. but he had always been impatient and indeed openly scornful of Morias' faith. He stood apart from the traditional Night Lord ways.
"Waste, brother?" Morias asked rhetorically as he stood to his full height. He shook his head sadly. "Someday I hope you learn the importance of faith, sergeant."
Lazevar was about to retort, his expression one of anger and annoyance, when there was a loud thunk behind them. Sergeant Lazevar watched in surprise and bemusement as the massive, twenty inch thick adamantium doors groaned open.
"Come brothers, for the Emperor!" Morias shouted, chainsword raised. The assembled astartes, and indeed Maverick, roared a deafening battle cry that seemed loud enough to be heard on Terra itself. They charged, Morias leading from the front, Lazevar and Navren by his side; Kurnar and Tyceus close behind. A wall of heavy calibre shells flew at them almost instantly, a dozen servitors staring impassively at their attackers even as they were mercilessly cut down. One equipped with a multi-melta reduced a valiant marine to sludge, the man still yelling the war cry until his lounges disappeared and even for a moment after. Space Marines, Night Lords especially, were known for being fearless, terrifying opponents. If the servitors still had emotion, they would've collapsed to their knees and begged for mercy, though none was to be had. They were all caught up in the surge of faith that had captured the heart of each one when those doors had opened after Morias's prayer. They surged into the command hub, gunning down the sluggish servitors before they could react. It was over as quickly as it had begun.
"Rejoice brothers, for faith has carried us to victory!"

Sahaal's voice hissed through the vox as he opened a link and spoke to Lucius, "I have found the governors mansion, it is heavily fortified, and what is left of the defense force in this city is mustered here. I need you to get to the position of the coordinates I have sent you, the governor will be executed publicly by you, however, do not kill him until I give the word, this mission and these specific orders are of the upmost importance, the group will be gathered for a speech in 2 hours, do not be late, Sahaal out."

Acharias rocketed through the rain, closing in on a guard outpost, the men sitting around guarding a weapon stash. This was the time to strike fear into their hearts, and the rain would help nicely. The man on the edge of the out post went first. Acharias grabeed him, flaying his skin off. He grabbed the body dripping with blood and flew above the command bunker of the out post. With one throw the skinless man went through the roof, breaking the table the commanders were sitting at. The commanders fell backwards in fear, the sweat already dripping down their faces. They looked through the hole in the roof, but Acharias was gone. The beast in the night. It wasn't long before the screams started, only 9 men left 4 commanders, 5 of their guards, one already dead. This would be fun. Acharias closed in on another guard, the last thing he saw was the red eyes, burning into his vision, a slight shriek the last noise he made. He disembowled the man, leaving him hanging from a roof by his organs. The other guards went quickly, spinning in the rain, firing their las guns, they never saw it coming. Two of their heads rolled into the command bunker, one left gripping his bleeding throat on the ground. The last man ran into the command bunker to warn the commanders as they sat in the corner, The man ran in only to have a pair of claws come through his stomach. The commanders tried to run from the hulking beast, the red eyes and the moving lightning. Acharias caught a commander and took off, dropping him to the ground, a thud followed by a splatter of gore. He ripped the head off another and cut the third in half. The last, the over all leader took his comrades skull to the knee, shattering it. Acharias caught the man, hobbling away and laughed. The commanders blood boiled as he covered his ears to hide the noise. Acharias took the man out into the battle, finding another group of guardsmen. He dropped the jawless commander in the middle and flew away, laughing as he escaped into the rain.

Dark wrote:
Traitor vehicle fleet:

[first vehicle of each cohort is command vehicle]

- Command cohort: Annihilators
-- Baneblade - Dirge of Annihilation
-- LRMBT - Pride of Torayo
-- LRMBT Vanquisher - Hunter at Dusk
-- LRMBT Vanquisher - Eagle Eye
-- Chimera (with elite soldiers) - Lilith
-- Chimera (with elite soldiers) - Tanner's Joy
-- Chimera Mechanised Infantry unit

- Cohort #1: The Indomitables
-- LRMBT Vanquisher - Lion's Teeth
-- LRMBT Executioner - Blazing Fury
-- LRMBT - The Stoic
-- LRMBT - Victory
-- LRMBT Exterminator - Prowler
-- Chimera Mechanised Infantry unit
-- Chimera Mechanised Infantry unit

- Cohort #2: The Unrelenting
-- LRMBT Demolisher - Relentless
-- LRMBT Annihilator - Destroyer
-- LRMBT Annihilator - Ferocious
-- LRMBT Annihilator - Fargo II
-- Chimera Mechanised Infantry unit
-- Chimera Mechanised Infantry unit
-- Chimera Mechanised Infantry unit
-- Chimera Mechanised Infantry unit

The order had been given. Though the comms-link with the command station had been cut mere minutes after the order had been sent, it mattered not. The order had been re-relayed throughout the force and the engines of dozens of giant iron beasts roared to life, rising to a cacophony that could only be the sound of massed tanks. It was reassuring to those men still fighting in the third trench - they faced unknowable terrors, but now the might of the Imperial Army was here, lead by the surely undefeatedable baneblade - the aptly named Dirge of Annihilation. As one, the 1st and 2nd cohorts surged towards the lines, shells flung far and massive explosions racking the landscape even as bright beams of energy incinerated man and Marine alike. Heavy bolter shells filled the air as large bolts of steaming plasma incinerated several of the Astartes fighting in the trenches.

Over at the field base set up by the Night Lords, an entire section disappeared in an incredible fireball as the ferocity of the baneblade's main cannon was unleashed. Mostly claimed were the few wounded Astartes who had been taken back to wait for the apothecary to administer his care. Things seemed bleak as the astartes were forced back, squad by squad under the torrent of shells and firepower, the likes of which evil the Angels of Death would be unable to match. That did not mean they were defenceless however. In response, their own armoured might moved forward, the powerful Land Raiders rolling forward, their blessed hulls resisting all that was thrown at them - certainly thanks to the Master of the Forge - as a dozen Land Speeders roared overhead, heavy bolters and multi-melta's unleashing hell on the tanks below. Several Leman Russ tanks went up in fireballs, even as a trio of chimeras were blasted apart, the infantry inside leaping clear, their bodies alight as they fell to the mud. The Space Marine vehicles were far more experienced and skilled than the majority of the enemies they faced, however weight of firepower soon took its toll. Though they reaped almost twice as many as they lost, two predators and a land raider's burnt out hulls soon joined the mass vehicle graveyard forming. As the titanic metal behemoths fought above, thousands of men and women fought desperately against towering Angels of Death.

The battle hung in the balance, both sides suddenly even and losing valiant warriors and proud battle tanks with each passing second.

Leonidus could not retreat now. He was so close, so near his goal. But the battle needed fighting. Reluctantly, he steps away from the subject, his face completly skinless and a gaping hole in his chest from which discoloured organs still pulse and throb. He had been so close. Taking a melta-bomb from his belt, he steps outside, fire and death all around, astatres and men fighting despiratly for their lives. With a roar of pure rage and fury, he draws his arm back and throws the bomb back inside his tent. Seconds later, the hole thing explodes in a searing blast of devestating energy. There had to be no evidence of his grotesque activities for anyone, marine or man, to discover. His plans were ruined. He would have to start from scratch, the only infomation he could salvage was that within his own mind. By the Emperor, he had been so close.

Turning around, he catches sight of an incoming rebel group, a chimera at their front. Picking up a discarded meltagun and drawing his blood-stained sword he charges, the reminants of his guard falling in behind him, their bolters spewing bolts of inferno. He would slaughter these scum. Or he would die trying.

Adric was mad he was forced to get out of his tent and into the fray.
The battle was progressing neutral. and he had already lost 2 predators and one of his land raiders.
He was commanding the reaver of machines at the head. The lascannons where destroying another vanquisher when a concentrated shot from 2 vanquishers immobilized him. His screams where heard everywhere as his anger mingled with his power and he surged over the battlefield, he was rushing towards the Second cohort command tank after jumping out of his land raider. His anger was unmatched he ripped a chimera in half with his servo arms as he continued his charge. He saw a line of stormtroopers block him but it was futile with a simple flick of a switch his twin plasma guns began exterminating them.
He reached the vanquisher and jumped on it. He saw the commander of the armored force standing out in a duel stance Adric walked towards him accepting the duel.
He began with his power sabre he slashed at my neck but Adric parried his slash with his power axe. He returned the hit with trying to grab his legs with his servo arms but the tank commander dodged them. they where exchanging hits when Adric noticed the enemy was being tired out.
He used it to his advantage and kicked him in his shin. He fell on the ground Adric held him up and after shoving a melta charge in him he threw him towards one of the executioners who blew up with a spectacular plasma and melta explosion.
Adric jumped inside the tank and with screams of terror massacred the crew. In Adric's anger his powers where fully activated and he fused with the vanquishers machine spirit. They became a one true being as they concentrated fire on the remaining vanquishers with one shot in the rear armor one of them exploded in a fiery blaze.
The rebels kept fighting on with fiery zeal And he could see his beloved reaver of the machines blow up in flames.
Their screams still didn't stop and the vanquisher was out of control. Their pure anger was being led through as They tank shocked one of the last chimeras.
They screamed and roared and kept firing the vanquisher into the direction of the enemies. Adric would need a true friend to calm him down otherwise his rampage would continue forever.
One of the exterminators hit him on his front armour and the las cannon was melted of. The battle continued his rage going he knew he would turn on his brothers if this continued.

Near the governor's fortified mansion, me gathered to begin the speech, Sahaal wanted Lucius in place before continuing, but he made his way to the armour complex, finding a Chimera land transport, he moved quietly into the armoury, picking up all the Krak grenades he could find. As he finished throwing the last crate into the hold, he turned and saw two men pointing their weapons at him. The first one, and older middle age man with brown hair, spoke. "Back away from that vehicle, you damned Ast-"
His sentence never finished, as the claw from Sahaal's arm pierced his lungs and blood chocked him. He fell in a heap as the captain removed him from his claw, as he looked over, he laughed. The younger man, probably about 17, maybe related to the older, had fallen on the floor. He scrambled to retrieved his weapon but Sahaal stomped it in two pieces.
"Boy" He spoke
"I can make your death easier for you, but you must listen to me, if you disobey I will find you."
The young man shuddered, his eyes wide, obviously listening to what the towering figure had to say.
"I need you to do something for me".

Lucius hid behind a rocky outcrop. Only now when he stopped and focused did the pain return. He clipped a picture onto the memory stub integrated into his army. The tanks rumbled past him, blind to the marine's presence.

He slid past the outcrop, making it a few feet before he collapsed in pain.

"ONE'S HERE! HERE!"

A Commander had spotted him, and now had him under the searchlight. Lucius rolled out of the way of the Lascannon fire, jumping up and sprinting again, holding his side intact with one hand whilst firing his Bolt Pistol with the opposite. The earth left the area under his feet. He was tossed forwards. He crawled onwards, his aim still remaining true. He tried his vox again, but it was jammed. He was alone. He blasted more. No response.

And then he found a weak spot. Boom.

Shrapnel hurled itself from the central Tank, a lucky Bolt Shell breaking through the visor, ricocheting inside before hitting the ammunition dumps. The pieces of hot slag tore through the other tank's sides, ripping them open like a parcel. Fire flew from the vehicles. The remains of crew members were dripped over the wreckage, ichor still moving, bodies still moving and twitching. White hot ashes fell like snow. It began to rain, the water saturating the parched desert soil.

Lucius looked onwards. He saw what seemed to be a horrific human, not unlike the beast in his nightmare. A single purple blur against the inferno.

After many hour, he had finally managed to reach the walls of the city. He was wearing the linens of one of the soldiers over his carapace armour. Before the guard could react to the threat, it was too late. His silver blade was bloodied again. He walked through the gate, taking a Bolter from the arsenal. He was in his domain.

Terror incarnate.

Sahaal opened another vox to Lucius, he had been quiet, but he was critical to the plan Sahaal had. The vox chatter had made it clear that his men were being butchered by heavy armour, he must make his move fast.
"Lucius!" He spat,
"Do you read me? We have only a short time, maybe an hour before this speech, I need you here faster, I require your skillset, get to those coordinates, hijack a vehicle to get here in time if necessary. Sahaal out"

Leonidus grasps the sergeant by the neck, lifting the struggling man off his feet. Those in his two squads who still remained were on their knees in a line, hands behind their head, their disembowled comrades spread at their feet. Without a word, the blood-covered apothecary plunges his free hand into the choking man's chest, his brittle ribs shattering easily fro the impact. After several seconds of rooting around, he grasps hold of the rebel's heart, and crushes. The last sight the sergeant sees is the pulped remains of his heart ripped free from his chest cavity, and casualy thrown aside.

Tossing the bloodied ragdoll to the ground, the apothecary turns to the cowering wretches and through his voice grill, adresses them;

"Pathetic. Utterly pathetic. Now at last do you see the concequences of your actions, the price of betrayal? I have no mercy for you scum, if I had come across you earlier, I might have let you run but now after all that has happened I will enjoy seeing you slaughtered."

Turning to his six remaining guard, he shouts out'

"Kill every last one of them. skin and disembowl them, and bedeck your armour with their skin and guts."

Opening the vox channels, he says calmly,

"Come in. Is anyone still there?"

Krieg had been repaired, rebuilt, augmented and generally sewn back together more times than he cared to remember. He was a walking testimonial to the skills of Chief Apothecary Leonidus. Varan on the other hand, was only a whelp. A boy by Astratus standards. His first battle scar will be his last. Krieg knew this even before they reached visual distance from the front. The Night lords were in disarray, with no leader each squad went on their own aggenda, killing and maiming without any thought of the main objective, or their own safety. Hundreds of foes were cut down, but each brother who fell was worth ten thousand of the foes lives. Tiny knots of Nightlords were surrounded in the counter attack, huge, lumbering tanks rained fire and death on freind and foe.


Krieg smashed nearby console, sparks flew and sirens blared in protest. "That fool Sahaal will pay! By my hand or otherwise!" Krieg was cut off by an incoming vox message.



"KRRRGHome in. Is anyone stiTTTCCCHHHHthere?"

It was Apothecary Leonidus's vox.

"Servitor, find the location of Leonidus. NOW!"

"Path detail:
Origin: Chief Apothecary Leonidus
Origin date: 153.34.M29
Origin Location: Torayo, Val Meer Wastes Sub 98168
Recieved: Torayo, Val Meer Wastes Sub 98172
Recieved date: 153.34.M29" droned a nearby gun servitors comm unit.

"Patch me through! Priority Alpha"

"Brother Leonidus, The Haggard Cricle stand ready aboard Nights Terror. What are your orders?"

"Ah good, Krieg we are in dire need of reinforcements here, sent any troops you can spare to reinorce the front line. Move any artilery units into the second trench, I currently have five devastators there. Any assistance at the moment would be most apriciated."

With that Leonidus turns, hearing the screams of dozens of traitors. On the hillside is a Leman Russ vanquisher, its weapons systems frenziedly shooting down traitors left and right. Was that Adric? The apothecary moves towards the ehicl, first at a fast walk and then a bounding sprint. By the Emperor it was him. He must had used his powers to possess one of the enemies' tanks, an ability Leonidus had never fully understood. Drawing close he barks out the words;

"Brother Adric, ceace this at once. You are killing good astartes, your allies and friends. You are a marine, an Angel of death, you have the strength to control this, and you know that. Stop this pointless rampage."

Sahaal voxed in to Leodinas, speaking in an urgent tone, "Give me coordinates of the enemy armored forces, I have a Storm Bird enroute.

"Enemy armoured forces at subsectors 98157 and 98187. My thanks for the assist."

Leonidus says into the Vox channel, still extremely cautious of the oncoming Vanquisher.

The screams from leonidas where slowly beginning to come through and luckily just in time.
Just at that moment the baneblade opened fire on the lilith as it was called.
Adric moved at full speed and they avoided it. With a counter shot he destroyed one heavy bolter but the larger demolisher cannon began firing. The blast came next to the tank and i was blasted aside. The tank was stunned and needed a while to start up again. Adric opened up the smoke launchers and awaited.

On the other side aria was leading the land speeders for a rather good success. They where hunting one of the chimeras with multi meltas and killed the infantry with heavy bolters. One of them had missile launchers installed and barraged the area taking down a dismounted infantry squad.
One of the land speeders was shot down and came crashing down. It hit the baneblade but he shrugged the hit off like it was nothing. Another land speeder was moving too low and a melta armed guardsman melted the astartes inside.
Aria fired 2 hellstrike missiles and immobilised a Leman russ, he knew they would need more help soon otherwise this wouldn't go good.

The remainders of the armored spearhead where dueling with the remainders of the second cohort. One of the destructor patterns was trying to outflank a vanquisher but it got immobilized. It was a ruse all along as a plasma armed predator came around and hit the vulnerable rear armor and its weapon systems overheated resulting in a explosion.
The land raider met the baneblade head on and was exchanging fire with it. The baneblade shot off the heavy bolters of the land raider while the demolisher cannon was shot out of commission. A chimera moved at full speed towards the land raider but was destroyed by a land speeder before he could reach the land raider. But the soldiers where still alive and they rushed towards the land raider. One of them threw a melta grenade at it. He was wrecked but the explosion immolated the surrounding area and burned the vets to a crisp.
I ordered all forces to pop their smoke and prepare a carefully laid out plan.

Out of the clouds above the battlefield burst one of the 2 Storm Birds of the War Shades. Its Lascannons opened up on the tanks, wrecking a Russ and Chimera immediately. The pilot voxed in "This is The Wraith, we have begun our attack, commencing bombing run..

It began a bombing run, and dropped ordinance on a line of Chimeras. in front of it, however, the maneuver was to risky, and the enemy was well prepared. The remaining tanks in the command unit trained their main guns and Lascannons on the massive dropship coming in.

"Sir, we are taking heavy damage, if that Baneblade gets a bead on us we are done for..

"Pull out to a safe distance, thank you for your assistance brother".

One of Lazevar's men spent five minute sorting out the butchered computer network, which had once been a well-maintained imperial defence grid. It seems the dead machine priest had made some rather bastardised and troublesome modifications. Nonetheless, the marine soon had the system at his beck and call.
"Can you break through the other station's jamming signal?" Lazevar asked.
"I think so sergeant.. just got to.. create a new signal to cancel it out and.. that's got it. Transmissions are now clear." The marine responded.
"Excellent. Immediately broadcast an encoded priority message warning our forces about the mined sections of the city."
A pause as the marine carried out his orders. "It is done."
"Good work. Lets see if we can't use this place to our advantage, eh?" The sergeant ventured, glancing at Kalvae and Navren. The two younger marines shared a look, then shrugged.
"What did you have in mind?" Navren inquired.
"Let me tell you about a similar trick we pulled eighty-nine years ago, on a backwater world called Orvan's Rock..."


Captain Tyberius Maximillian Rex's expert hands moved over the readout in front of him. A land raider was firing away at them whilst predator battle tanks attempted to flank them. Carefully sighting the troop bay doors, he grinned maliciously as he pulled back on the massive trigger and the resounding whumph as the main cannon fired a massive shell directly into the front of the land raider. The shell penetrated the weaker area of armour and detonated inside, the land raider exploding in a terrific fireball, claiming a land speeder that was passing overheaad raining shrapnel on all those infantry foolish enough to be nearby.
"Score!" He bellowed, though his joy was drowned out by the chaos of battle. He looked at the tactical display, seeing Eagle Eye and Hunter at Dusk tracking a predator with an unusual plasma configuration. They both fired, their vanquisher cannon's special AT shells tearing the vehicle apart.
"Excellent.. the battle is almost ours! Press on to victory, annihilators!" He shouted across the comms to his remaining vehicles. It had been a bloody fight, and the 1st and 2nd cohorts were ruins - only one or two vehicles from each having survived. But his cohort - the command cohort, was practically unscathed. They would roll over the enemy, just a few predators, one of which was immobilised and the final land raider, which had smoking ruins where its tracks should've been, great holes torn in the side of it. Admirably, the wounded tank was still firing away with one lascannon. A shot from it impacted on the side of the Dirge, taking off one of its sponsons. He cursed. Though, no matter. They could not stand before his armoured might. He would crush what remained of their battered tank formation then destroy their infantry.
"Dirge of Annihilation, this is command, do you copy? Over." The long range comms. He checked the sender: it was the forward command station alright.
"What happened to you over there? We lost contact with you after the order to mobilise was given," he rambled.
"Technical problem. It has been resolved. You have new deployment orders, captain. Disengage, I repeat, disengage!"
"But command.. we are on the verge of victory! We can crush them now!"
There was a pause. Then command replied. "Negative Dirge. They have heavy support en route, via stealth drop ships. Our long range sensors reveal at least five heavy units and seven support vehicles. Pull out now or they will be on top of you!"
Captain Tyberius's moustache twitched. "Dammit!" He spat, punching the interior of the vehicle. Victory had been in his grasp! And now it was robbed of him.
"Very well command, orders acknowledged."


Armoury Sergeant Tarvurk had just been about to give the order to abandon his immobilised and scarred predator when the unimaginable happened. The baneblade turned and thundered away from the city, its escorts scurrying after it. One of the retreating tanks was hit in its rear armour by a lascannon blast from the battered land raider not too far away. It went up in a great explosion as its ammunition detonated. Clambering out of the top hatch, he raised his fist in the air.
"Gutless dogs! Run where you like, we will find you. You cannot hide from the night and you cannot escape death!" He called. Despite his brave words, Tarvurk knew they had lost that fight. Why did they retreat? It mattered not. Whatever the reason, he was glad. Their vehicle pool was depleted, most of it destroyed and what was left was barely serviceable without heavy repairs.
Meanwhile in the trenches, the remaining guardsmen broke. What great reserves of courage they had summoned in the presence of their tanks now left them along with the fleeing vehicles speeding away into the distance. They were routed, running in all directions, disorganised and terrified. But there was nowhere to go. Within half an hour, the remainder of the men defending the third trench near the gate had all been either cut down where they stood, send bloodied and beaten to their allies further down the trenches to spread word of the Night terrors, unbeatable; invincible.

Or worse. Many were taken by the apothecary. What fate awaited them none could truly say.. all that was certain was that they would beg for a swift death that would never come.

Acharias watched from the distance as the battle raged on. Happy it was going so well. He opened up a vox channel to Sahaal, " Captain, where are you? I am making my way into the city, just have to find a way in." Acharias flew around until he saw a hole in the ground. He landed and looked inside, the gate had been slashed open. He said, " Well either my brothers or something else. I'll take the chance." With that Acharias dashed into the tunnel, flying through the muck of the sewer. But a noise ahead stopped him. He stopped and stood still, listening, listening for the noise. He heard it, the heavy splashing of feet in water, about a mile ahead, other battle brothers. With that he took off, speaking into his vox, " To any marines in the tunnel from the third trenchline, This is Brother Acharias and I am coming to join you. I'll shall be with you momentarally." Acharias kept going, closing in on his battle brothers.

Einer held up a closed fist to those behind him, the universal combat sign for stop. he spoke quietly into the vox.
"This is the Talons of Dusk, Sergeant Einer reporting. What is your position Archarius?"
"I have just entered the tunnel. I hear footsteps about a mile ahead. am coming to you."
"That's impossible Brother, check your headgear. Not only are we not moving, but we are at least 4 klicks on in, and through many twists and turns. we etimate to be about a klick outside the capital."
The was a slight pause.
"Einer, I have checked. Sonic triangulators say you are about 500metres ahead and tothe right.

Einer was about to reply. as he did, a pair of tiny, burning red eyes sparked in the gloom.
Damn bats, he thought. he barely had time to register the snarling boar, bigger than a space marine, charging full pelt towards them, many dozens of smaller, apelike creatures in its wake.
"Brother Archarius, we are not alone down here, I repeat, we are not alone!"

Adric's screams where beginning to die out.
He crawled out of the tank and fell on the ground unconscious blood all over my body.

He couldn't muster the strength to go on all he could do was shield himself until help arrived. He was disappointed i didn't do a damned thing. I hadn't helped it was everyone else who routed the enemies. All i could do was lose tanks and get knocked out, i couldn't even damage the baneblade with a heavy heart i fell unconscious.

Leonidus could just see the badly bleeding Brother Adric passing out. Walking slowly over to him he sheaves his power sword, fresh with the blood of traitors, and picks him up by the shoulder, slinging one of the uncontious marine's arms over his shoulder and begins the long trudge back to the remains of the camp to heal, rebuild and repair what and who he could. He could see his guard following to the left, each astartes dragging along behind him one or two bound rebels. The attack was over, but they were vulnerable. They all had to be on guard.

Acharias went silent when he heard this news. A splash was heard and Acharias raised his arm, his wrist mounted bolter ready to fire. He drew his power sword, lighting up the room with it's flickering lightning. Acharias walked forward ready for anything. He hit a four way intersection and stopped, the faint sound of yelling and gunfire ahead. Now the splashing noise wase comeing from each tunnel, getting louder and louder. Then he saw them, the red piercing eyes, much like his own eyes, except these were larger than his, infact the creature looked larger than he was. But this is what Acharias had wanted the entire fight, a worthy opponet. One with matched size and strength, he had it. Not the puny rebels up top, no they were too easy, this was a creature of might. He sheathed his sword, his preferred weapon. He wanted to fight hand to hand claw to claw. He slid his lightning claws out of their housing, spread his legs and arms out, going into a crouch and howled at the creature. The creature charged at him, followed by smaller creatures. Acharias ran at the creature, full speed, and as he closed in he powered his jump pack into flight straight at the creature, and they collided.

Krieg stared at the still, broken body of Forge Father Adric with contempt. Adric turned on his brothers, with blind fury he vaporised freind and foe. He was more animal than marine. Unworthy of any position within their ranks, yet alone a seat on the council of war. Krieg grabbed his collar with his heavy gauntlet and shoved his barely conscious body against the side of a wrecked tank, his heavy form denting its thick armour plating

"Can you hear me, wretch? I know you can. Do you know what you have done? You shall pay for your sins against our chapter, you shall dream of a quick release from your mortal coil,but not today "

Krieg dropped the non-responding Adric to the ground, turned on his heels and left. He WILL pay, repeated Krieg. that fool Sahaal and the traitor Adric, they shall both pay.

Casulties were high and they gained nothing. Brothers bled and died due to the mistakes and shortcomings of the arrogence of our legions leaders. Kriegs vision began to blur, grabbing hold of a nearby trench wall for support. His ears began to ring, and he could taste blood on his lips.

The ignorant worship your great Belial, your fish-tailed Dragon,
He rises to such heights on the blood of your brothers,
With fire and smoke he stretches out his arm and fetters the dead to the truly living.
In his heart there is hatred -- secret hatred:
there is disgust -- unspoken disgust:
there is treachery -- deep, deadly family treachery:
all declines and degenerates under his sceptre.
Your god is a masked Death.”

Krieg stumbled, almost falling into a puddle of blood and sinew. Brother Constanze steadied him.

"Brother Sergeant, fear not, your visions are a gift from the genes of our father. You are truly blessed"


Krieg shrugged him off and steadied himself.

"There is work still to do, brother. We still stand in the shadow of the city. It has been the death of many of our brothers. And I fear many more may die yet"

Lucius agreed.

"Lead me to the traitor."

He raised his Bolter, alert for any signs of movement. The streets were remarkably quiet, and the faint fanfare of a parade could be heard throbbing in the heart of the city. Lucius barged his way into a building that oversaw the main square.

Horror awaited him.

The women of the city were chained together, stripped of their clothes, being kept as slaves that had to give away their flesh to sustain themselves. The enemy were marching the women along, playing a huge complex ballad through the intergrated speakers of their masks. They tortured and molested innocent people who had been found on the wrong end of the sword. And in his great gold and purple gown sat the Governor. His body had been twisted and mutilated by the arcane powers that were controlling him. On his throne was a massive banner, with the same icon that was on the hull of the Leman Russes.

The governor stood up to address his troops. "I know we have lost many men to the Night Lords Astartes today. We are better than them. If you want to explore the pleasures of the galaxy, you will stick with us! For Slaanesh!"

Lucius' scope had locked onto the governor's head. He pulled the trigger on his boltgun.

Leonidus was tired. Even with his superhuman abilties and strength, his body called him to sleep. The night air was cold, the only illumination the occasion searchlight and the remaining flaming debris scattered about. Patrols were out and about, searching for any remaining renegade forces in the area. So far they had found none. And there it was. A whistling. A piping. It was coming from the darkness of the night, just out of sight. An echo in the breeze. There it was again. Further out. He would follow. He had left the camp now, it was growing ever smaller. He was running now, the whistling always coming so close then fading away, further each time. There it was. At last.

There was a small fire, an incinerated fragment of tank, a casualy of the earlier conflict. The fire was moving. Slowly, it drifted further away, the same whistling and piping always on the edge of hearing. He gave chase again. He grasped the flame in his gauntleted hand how, it had turned a deep purple now. He drew his hand away to find it wrapped in serpents, of all colours and sizes, all hising wildly.

Then he awoke.

The square erupted in a frenzy as the head of the Governor was blown clean off, then a crack was heard, and the flag fell away in flames, behind it was Sahaal. The flag had been mounted on a small upper balcony, where Sahaal now stood looking over the crowd.
"Now it is my turn to speak" he said through the vox.
"You are mistaken to worship this false god. I know not his way or what "pleasures" you may experience from his "help" but there is no god".
He continued speaking to them as a Chimera slowly rolled through the crowd of cultists, they simply stepped aside for it, their eyes fixed on the giant soldier in the balcony.
"My soldiers and I, who although are few, have done all this. Your city has been devastated because of your choices, and you all will pay the price."
He jumped down, using his jump pack to lightly land on the Chimera.
He hissed, "Here... is your retribution."
The Chimera's back panel blew outwards, and live krak grenades flew out, exploding in all directions. The bodies of those near the blast became additional shrapnel, and nearly the whole crowd was torn apart.
"You brought this on yourselves!"

He jetted away, landing on the roof he had positioned his sniper on.
"This city has fallen" He said to Lucius, "But the enemy will be waiting in the next, they shall be prepared... and after the casualties taken here..." Sahaal bowed his head as he spoke.. "So shall I".
He opened his vox to locate the remnants and their locations, the ones who were out in the field could simply be retrieved by a dropship, but he knew his champion and a squad were still inside.
"Come Lucius," he whispered "Let us find our brothers."

They two hit with a thunderous crash, shaking the tunnel around them. Acharias won the initial crash, sending the creature flying but not dead. After this the smaller creatures following the large creature attacked the Space Marine, but they were no match for the Champion. Smaller than he was, he cut them to pieces with his lightning claws. But while Acharias finished the smaller creatures off, the beast attacked Acharias,sending them into the wall of the tunnel, shattering the concrete. Acharias got up and jumped on the back of the creature sticking his lightning claws in it's side. The beast roared in pain and began bucking wildly. But Acharias had a good grip and hit the creature over the head, causing it to fall to the ground. In it's weakened state Acharias ripped one of it's tusked like things coming out of it's mouth off and shoved it through it's head. With the beast dead Acharias ran as fast as he could down the tunnel, he had to get to Einer and the marines.
He yelled into the vox, " Einer, I'm coming!"

The words had just left the lips of Sahaal when a great searing light came into the center of the square over the body of the governor. It slowly grew, warping the space around it. It shone a bright pink. Strom clouds began to gather, lightning began to streak across the black sky, and the glow became larger. Soon it was the size of a fully grown man.

Out shot a single purple blur.

Character:Adric.
Location: The camp.
Situation: In a dream and on the vehicle graveyard.

Adric's nightmares had returned, the flashes of blood sprang before him. He saw his family being massacred and screaming his mother yelling and begging. ''WHY WHY!!''
Adric's father tried to attack their assailant but got cut down by 20 automated turrets and only a bloody mush remained. His mother was being torched to a crisp and the baby she was carrying was coming out of her stomach by the incineration but he was spared from it by some unknown miracle.
When the shadow disappeared he saw it was himself. He was the one that massacred his family. He walked towards the barely surviving fetus a blade appearing as his blood was flowing over his hands he dropped him.
His dreams stopped.

Adric walked towards the vehicle graveyard and began assessing the ability to get new hulls he disassembled the land raiders and all the predators and ordered the usable pieces to be gathered and send towards the ship. He walked towards the las remaining 2 predators and began the repairs.

Captain Sahaal
City Square
With Lucius, witnessing whatever the hell this is..

Sahaal spun to see a purple and pink figure the a little larger than a man, a gruesome crab claw protruded from one arm, a single breast was exposed to the world. What was this creature, Sahaal had seen many horrors, but this unholy atrocity must be the worst.. He stepped back and continued to gaze, unsure of what his next action should be.

His newly formed tent was slightly smaller than the last and he had lost most of his equipment. Soon after the battle he had had his Nocturnus guard form a much larger tent, the heavily armed astartes dragging the bound captives inside. Only them, Adric, Lucius and of cource, himeself, were permitted to enter. His elite guarded it day and night, incindiary bolters always in hand and power swords sheaved.

As he had to almost start his great project from scratch, he had prosponed it until he had the correct equipment, this could not be rushed. Getting up slowly, the apothecary moves out his tent. The calm and tranquil morning sun seemed at odds with the grotesque and bloody events occuring under its gaze. Pieces of wrecked vehicles, both loyalist and renegade, still littered the area. Every so often a rebel survivor was found amongst the dirt, bloodied and crippled by the conflict. What made things better, was that he hade the choises about what happened to them. He had every eleventh man sent to the tent screaming. The rest were all put to death, their flayed and disembowled corpses bound to poles and put up around the edges of the camp, a testament to the brutality of their Legion.

His Nocturnus guard still wore the remains of the squad killed the other day, something that would have been usualy questioned and called on if it hadn't been for Leonidus' rank and influence.

Taric had to find out what happened to his Company, he had not heard from them for hours. He started running towards where the fire was heard. Taric arrived... seeing widespread destruction, he walked over to the wrecked vehicles, looking at each Wrecked Loyalist one with sadness. When ever he saw a Rebel he shot him or her in the head. His squad also looking down, looking sympathetically at each lost tank. Taric thought Why Couldn't I have stopped them? In a few more hours once sun rises he would scout the city and exterminate whatever rebels he could see...

Taric traced his scars and he remembered the day he got them, a long time ago before he became an Astartes. Some thugs have captured him, trying to torture them to join their gang, they used a knife to cut two long scars across Taric's face horziontally. The smell there was horrible, the smell of the ghettos. If he didn't escape that day he would have died surely.

Brother Acharias
Tunnel
Running to catch Einer

Acharias ran faster than he ever had done before. He had to save his brothers from certain death. From what he had seen, all the tracks of the creatures led in Einers direction. The kilometers passed by, the sound of the gunfire getting closer and closer. He turned the final corner and saw Einer and his men surrounded, the creatures attacking from all directions. Acharias pulled out bat tooth, splitting it into two blades, the tunnel lighting up as the blades left the sheath. With a feral scream, Acharias bounded forward, chopping one of the creatures down the middle. It was killing time.

Lucius
City Building
Reacting to new creature

Lucius took aim through his scope, his autosenses trying to get a lock to no avail. The purple blur stopped in front of his face.

It's face snarled at him, it's serpentine tongue rolling. The creature's breast pressed against his chest. A long claw proturuded from it's right arm, and a taloned hand from the left. It bit his neck open, forcing out the blood and muscle. It began to gorge on his flesh. Lucius lay unresponsive.

Sahaal
City Building
Helping Lucius

Sahaal rushed forward, kicking the creature into the air and impaling it with his lightning claws in one swift movement. He fired the built in bolt pistols, and before long the beasts chest was simply a strange pulpy pink, he pushes it back and pink fire consumed it as it fell to the ground.

Character:Adric.
Location: The camp.
Situation: Repairing a predator.

Adric was working on repairing one of the last predators. Its machine spirit was hurt and he would need to anoint it with sacred oils, he walked of towards his tent and took out his repair kit. He took out the oils of repair and the oils of soothing along with that he also got a welder.
He walked off towards leonidas he had to finish something first.
Adric arrived at the tent he saw 2 of leonidas's guards standing at the entrance but they let Adric through. He saw leonidas standing inside he walked up to him and said. ''Do you have any subjects to spare? I am in dire need for some experimentation otherwise i won't be able to finish a new project''

The room was a charnel house. Gore soaked the room and various organs and body parts were carefuly pinned to walls or hooked up with pulsing pipes to glowing machinery. The area for the captives was large, but even with its size it could barely accomidate the amount of cowering wretches cramped within. Two more Nocturnus guards stood near them, carefuly looking out for anyone foolish enough to try and run or resist.

The blood-covered Leonidus turns to Brother Adric, one of the few permited to enter, and putting down a bloodied scalpel, removes is helmet to adress him.

"Ah greetings brother Adric, of cource I have some to spare, most are here as backups in case of failure with the subjects. I can spare you...a dozen. Will that be sufficient for that project of yours?"

Einer saw the Champion sprint towards them, his matched blades cutting ape- things in half. Up till now the flamer had. incinerated most of them and the great boar lay. Dead. Einer was horrified as the monkey corpses began to pupate, and within minutes 3 more boars, each from a single cocoon.

Harper finally managed to get the Drop Pod to work. He was swearing and kicking at it furiously until he hit it once and hit the power switch. Its systems roared to life and he jumped in quickly. He locked onto the signature of Brother Lucius and deployed his squad. They crashed to the ground seconds later and hopped out. Harper held his chainsword in both hands and stared in horror at the creatures around him.
"Luc, tactical report. What the hell was that thing?" Harper said quietly, ready to fend off an attack at a moments notice in case another one popped up.

Adric strapped the 12 prisoners to a couple of tables. The last remaining land raider in ramshackles behind his tent, the machine spirit was hooked to a machine and Adric began speaking. ''Welcome men each of you will be tested. The ones that survive will get the ultimate honor the ones that don't well lets just say you will aid in the repair.'' Adric activated the machine and the souls of the 12 prisoners where tested, the machine spirit devoured the first one and his body exploded in a gory red mush. The machine spirit was devouring his soul and his power grew. He knew that he was corrupting the spirit and this way he would develop an AI i was breaking every single rule the mechanicum laid out.

Another 2 bursted open but one! He stood up. He was enlightened, Adric smiled and after taking hold of him said. ''Good you have been chosen you will be the first incarnated machine spirit you will be the one that will pioneers the machine!'' Adric strapped him to a slightly more comfortable table and turned to the remainders they where bursting apart every 20 second or so. He could see all of them where impure he turned to the one that survived and began installing some vital components in his body including the oh so important mind lock so he would still be mine and mine alone!

Lucius,
On the floor,
Going into suspended animation.

Lucius clasped at his throat, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. His cybernetics whirred more and more as he began to fall into statis.

The world slowed around him. It began to fade to black.

"Lucius! LUCIUS!"

The Marine hunched over him, watching as the Marine went into a slumber.

Blackness engulfed him. The blood stopped pumping in his body. He lay motionless. His cybernetics slowed, then died. He drifted further and further from reality.

Acharias looked around at the creatures that multiplyed like crazy. An unstoppable wave that would keep coming. It reminded him of Orks, the race he despised for their difficulty to kill. He looked at Einer, but he just stood there.
Acharias yelled at him, " Soldier, we are leaving now!!"
With that Acharias took off down the tunnel, the marines following behind. But they weren't going to make it very far, soon the creatures would catch them. To buy time, Acharias threw a frag grenade down the tunnel, it's blue explosion tearing apart the creatures, their corpses making a small pile. This gave Acharias an idea. He told the marines to all throw their grenades. They obeyed, not wanting to disobey their leader or die. The grenades exploded in a blinding fury, an explosion of concrete and gore. Acharias turned around, the tunnel blocked off as it collapsed. He turned to the men and told them to run, they need to get to the city. With that, they barreled down the tunnel.

Leonidus, Tent, doing 'work'.


Leonidus opened the vox channel to brother Adric yet again, the line opening with a breif static buzz

"Brother Adric, I have need of a favour, a return for those twelve subjects. I am communticating to you through my helm's secure channel, we can't risk our projects being discovered. In return for those subject, and future resources, I require the following; Several pieces of tank plating, a searchlight, vehicular wiring, hostile vehicles acceptable, a heavy bolter, and a squads worth of cybernetic implants. It may seem steep, but if you can secure these items, you guarantee my future support and forces, aswell as numerous more test subjects. Do we have a deal brother?"

Adric received the vox message and said. ''Ofcourse brother i can provide you with the necessary equipment, just send 4 soldiers to carry the stuff. The tank plating comes from an leman russ if you would like to know.''

The men knelt before him. All sixty had carved an Aquilia on their left cheeck and right hand, using the blood to paint the symbol on their guns and armour. He held the head of the dead enemy commander above them. They looked up as one to the shining warrior before them, the sunlight reflecting around him to make it seem like he was cloaked in a halo of white light with massive white wings streaming behind him. His bolter clutched in his fist and an Aquilia painted on his helmets faceplate. His voice rang out "We are the first screaming aquilias!" The men responded, screaming praise and their loyalty. The tall warrior made a gesture and they stood. They snapped him a joint salute then broke off into four distinct squads. "This is squad Alaric! Squad Perus! Squad Aren and squad Siggs!" He yelled the name of the sargeant to each, that was now their callsign. "You!" he shouted at a small man "Tell me, where is the enemy around here?" A short soldier walked forwards. "They have a large command and control station nearby my lord, It is being troublesome" The massive marine nodded his head. "We have a target"

The rubble was not disturbed as the sixty warriors of the emperor and their massive leader led them through the city. The men had fanned out, bayonets fixed to rifles and fingers on triggers. The black of their armour offset by the golden aquilias. "Men, we will strike from four directions, i wil lead the assualt on the main enterance, the rest of you will sit back and lay down covering fire until we have secured the enterance" They were all close enough to hear, but didn't respond save for a few 'yes my lord's amd 'very well's. He smiled at that. They would soon fight in the name of the emperor.

A missile blew the legs from a sprinting soldier, his screams filling the air along with his blood. "Keep moving!" Darius roared, keeping them going. Streams of Las-fire flew from above them, both hostile and friendly. The gate was tall, two large stubber nests firing down on the charging loyalists. Smoke blew from them as firey las burned against them. The massive shells from Darius's bolter blew sections of it apart. They where soon at the gates. Large explosive charges where attached to the gate and krak grenades were thrown into the gun nests. They blew out along with their gunners. A large stubber landed near Darius, it's gunners hands still stuck to the grip. He smiled beneath his helmet and watched the large doors blow inwards.

Men screamed as the paragon of death and his black armoured servants burst through their defence. The warriors yelled praise to their emperor as the enemy died in front of them, guns firing and killing. Blood flowed over the walled courtyard of plascrete. The enemy where in the center, hiding behind crates, awaiting their deaths. Forty five warriors of the emperor and their Astartes guardian lobbed frags till they were all dead.

"Status report!" Darius yelled, the soldier that had designated himself as personal aid ran over. "The last of them are locked withing the tower" He gestured to the tall skyscraper. "We will take it for our own and use it to direct the actions of all loyalists in the city" Darius's voice was full of confidence. Then he charged at the heavy doors. His massive bulk sent him flying through into a house of firey lasers. An autolaser in the corner opened up, burning beams tearing at the Ceramite of his armour. A krak grenade soon took care of it. He weilded his bolter with one hand and his pistol with another. The foyer was soon clear. The men poured in behind him.

They barged through the doors, guns fizzling and taking care of the two guards. Darius walked between the two sargeants and strode to the techpreist cowering behind the desk. She was mosly human still, only her limbs where bionic. The massive Nightlord picked her up by the throat. His fist clasped around her right wrist and pulled. Her dismembered corpse flew from the window a moment later. "SECURE THE AREA!" He yelled, watchin his troops bustle. Soon the building was again secure. He picked up a vox set. His eyes scanned the streets around his new fortress and spotted somthing pertubing. A large column of infantry with light vehicles. He smiled and looked at the vox, keying it to the imperial frequency. "Midnights glory, i require an orbital strike. Marking target" He took a large targeter from his belt and pointed it at the head of the approaching enemy. Soon they burned and soon he laughed. He would direct more strikes from up here as the battle went on.

Daily exposure to the horrors of the Night Lords battle-tactics has taken its toll on the psyche and moral of the defenders. Even those who were once relcutant soldiers, forced to fight, begin to hate their foe. An implacable enemy has formed against them, to secure victory they turn to the only aid they can - the old gods.Trapped in endless war and fear, many renegades have began to worship Kharneth, a god born before the of the rise of the Imperium. Kharneth demands only blood and death in his name, whose death does not concern him, and so the never ending cycle of continues.

Clad in a combination of crudely forged plates and scavenged armour, adorned with parchments of devotion, swearing oaths of devotion to their god, the psychopathic warriors marched en masse to the enemy held trenches. Armed with a huge array of weapons ranging from rusted pipes to plasma guns they march disorganized through the hazy, fog shrouded morning. Fear and sanity a distant memory. Servitors and servo skulls buzzed through the ranks, injecting potent drugs and combat stimulants into each of the hundreds gathered.

A mighty Malcador rumbled behind them, a venerable tank design, named after the Glorious Malcador the Sigillite. It's plates covered in crude graffiiti and painted in blood along its side were the words "Touch of Death".

A talon like hand emerged from its hatch, followed by the massive figure of Johann the Butcher. His blood pumping with stimulants, he was more an ogryn than man Adorned with Imperial medals, and dressed in sophsticated carapace armour, the former corpral smiled a toothy grin. Murder and conflict has always been a passion of Johann, now that the Night Lords have faltered in their attack, they would slaughter any who remained, for Kharneth, for the skull god. They would be upon the foe before they even fired.


Krieg and his brothers stood watch on the front line. "Contact" voxed Kreath, who had requsitioned an autocannon. They had left their bikes on board Nights terror, they would do no good in the crater marked blood and mud that was the battlefield. Even with their supernatural eyesight, they could barely see through the thick fog. First one, than 4, than hundreds of figures appeared, barely 50 metres in front of them, sprinting straight into the heavy fire layed down by the few astratus defending the forward base. 16 Marines in total, the rest were taken by their leaders, seeking to forward their own agenda.

Adric
Camp
Helping krieg

Adric smiled he was almost done all he needed was to install some black carapace on him so he can have full contact with the land raider.
He began walking towards leonidas's tent when he suddenly heard an explosion.
He saw a couple of astartes fighting a stunning amount of renegades. Adric took a more venerable piece of equipment with him the conversion beamer mark II, he rushed towards the battlefield seeing brother krieg with a couple of marines in cover fighting some renegades. He took a position on a hill and concentrated fire on the malcador a green and blue beam sprung out and a hole was made straight throw the it. It ended with a fiery explosion their commander jumped out of the ruins and in a berzerker rage ran towards the closest enemy.

Leonidus, camp (tent), 'project'

Leonidus heard the nearby explosion, but he could not let it unsteady his nerves. The last of his men were entering now, carrying with them the parts given by Brother Adric. The secondary project was going well now, he had the needed machinery, and from there on the rest was easy. The remains of ten subjects were tied down to tables now, each taken apart carefuly, their lifeblood soaking into the ground. Ah here it was. The last member of his elite came in now, dragging in behind him a dead astartes, the least damaged body they could find. Kneeling over the fallen marine, he extends his Narthecium and places it into the power armour's small extraction port, the Progenoid would be extracted momentarily.

Walking back over to the subject holding area, the blood covered apothecary carefuly chooses one cowering rebel to be dragged out. One of his elite strap the man down to the central table. Standing over the horified man, Leonidus selects an injector from a small box at the foot of the table, the thing full of a strange, sickly green fluid. Slowly and with great precicion, he stabs it into the subject's jugular.

He looked up in the sky wishing he could grieve for every lost man he killed that day. He continued running, seeing a building that he could station his squad in. He had lost communication with all the squads in the area. Taric continued to wonder while he was sprinting towards the dull building suprisingly intact. He wished he could find another squad. What if he is the only squad left in the city? What then? He must be patient and wait in the building and wait for any squad to walk past and ask what happened to the rest of his battle brothers.

The Captain strode toward the body of Lucius, He detached the light power armour he wore
"Take his armour and weapon back for me"..
He picked up the unarmoured body and jetted far into the air, jetting all the way back to camp. As he approached Leonidas's tent, many sad and angry faces looked at him from among his brothers. He stepped into the tent and said
"Leonidas, this patient takes priority."

Leonidus turns quickly from the table, now splattered in the blood of the restrained man, almost panicdly.

"...Captain...I was not expecting you back so soon."

The room stank of death. Gore covered most of the walls and had seeped into the floor, dismembered rebels lay still on steel tables, pulsing pipes connecting them to glowing machinery. Stepping backwards and dropping a barbed surgical tool onto the table, Leonidus again speaks.

"Captain, I can explain all of this."

At that moment Leonidus knew that he had crossed the line. Marines, especialy of high rank, were aloud much leeway and free reign, but this was bad.

Adric
Camp
Requesting augs for his test subject

After taking care of the biggest thread Adric walked off towards leonidas's tent with the bodies from 2 berserker's in my hand.He entered the tent and said. ''Hello brother leonidas i need you to install some augmentations on the subject.'' He dropped the bodies on the floor and after looking up he saw the captain stand in front of him. He turned to the captain and said. ''Captain i can explain this, this is all for the greater good.''
Adric stared at the captain. He realized that he had overstepped all his bounds and he would get punished severely for this.

Taric
Building

Sergent taric turned on his vox to the old vox speakers through out the city fustrated from the lack of responses He shouted "WHAT IS THE SITUATION! WHY AM I UNINFORMED ON WHAT IS GOING ON! IF ANYONE WANTS ME TO TALK TO ME I'M IN THE INTACT BUILDING NEAR THE VEHICLE WRECKAGE." A moment later he heard a slender voice talk "Looks like they don't care about you." It stood about 5 metres away from him. What the... what is that... That purple body... two exposed breasts... that long hair... a crab claw is this a new species of xenos?
Taric yelled "WHAT THE feth ARE YOU"?
The Daemon said "Your dreams and desires"
Taric said "Is this your best attempt at seducing me, it won't work."
The Daemonette snarled but refrained itself. She smiled. She tried harder in a more seductive tone "They aren't replying. Are they?"

Taric looked at his Battle Brothers and they opened fire. The Daemonette looked shocked, it snarled and tried to lung at him it's claws but the Stormbolters quickly desposed of it. Taric looked utterly shocked. It disappeared, did he kill a Xenos or is he going mad.

The fog was dense as the Bearers of Immolation devastator squad made their way towards the barely visable command HQ. They had lost all sight of it when the early morning fog had crept up on them, as if the enemy ahd some foul hand manipulating the weather itself against them. The clash of battle could be heard up ahead as bullets whizzed and snapped past at them through the mist. Steel on steel, crunching of bone and armour was amplified a thousand times around the swamp valley.
A splashing sound came from nowhere. Someone was running towards them, but from where?
Sergeant Rorick engaged his heat sensor on his targeting backpack. He brought around the scope connected by a long metal arm. His helmet's bionic eye connected with the scope, making a click attaching the locking mechanism. His display flickered on revealing the area in a deep orange glow.
Then he saw them.
Hundreds of them. Steam rose from their blood covered bodies, engines on chainsaws glowed hot, overheated lasguns and bolters gleaming together. It was wall of orange forms running directly for them. They were only a few hundred metres away, stomping through the sludge trying to find more blood to spill.
"Halt..." he said quietly through the vox. "Back up squad..."
They silently stepped backwards, always keeping an eye on the blind horde. Three marines against so many was not a match he was prepared to chance. If they could fall back and find the rear of the HQ they would link up with them rather then fight seperately and be cut off.
Slowly they kept creeping away, stepping over barbed wire and other noisy debri. Suddenly a woman's scream was let out from behind them.
Trogar spun round ready to unleash a firestorm. Luckily Rorick slapped the heavy bolter away and a shot rang up into the air.
"Hold fire!"
A woman cowered on the ground clutching a child to her chest. She was not the only one. A whole crowd of refugees, somewhere between twenty or thirty, had somehow come the wrong way finding themselves lost in the mud fields carrying what little possesions they had.
A bloodcurttling screech was let out by the horde. Sergeant Kovar literally scrunched his eyes shut in frustration.
"RUN!" he bellowed at the crowd, but they were struck still with fear at the sight of the towering man. Too late.
He spun round, cocking the heavy botler's handle.
"COVERING FIRE!"
All three let loose on the trigger, not worrying about ammo consumption or target range indentification. The water logged flats reflected the intense muzzle flash of their heavy weapons as they revolved their aim left and right hoping to spread as much bolter fire as possible. The whole front rank of the horde disappeared under a torrent, limbs and brains, guts and bone fragment exploded.
"Bring unrelenting suffering upon these heretics!" he yelled over the roar, "Not one step will be given!"
They all stepped forward keeping their aim steady.
"Not one shell wasted!" he contined his slow death march.
"For we are precisional death!" the other two replied.
"We shall stand!" The verse was always the same no matter how ugly the situation.
All three chanted together
"For we are the Bearers of Immolation!"
The heretic scum had their own chant. Said in twisted words of hysteria and thirst they charged forward screaming:
"BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!"
Kovar knew these men were beyond all forms of fear, beyond any reasonable thought. Still, they would all die the same.
The squad continued marching forward in parade style. No matter what none of them would fall back, even if it meant their death. They had learnt this too well on many occasions following their Sergeant. They would take as many of these foul madmen with them as they could.
Their barrles glowed red to the point of melting, ammo feeders working overtime supplying the hunger of Scream. The red glow of the barrel lit up the eyes of Scream as it searched for it next target. Rorick noticed his ammo capacity count was steadily dropping in conjucnction with the pile of dead which had now reached his feet. A heretic with a giant chainsword was the first to meet him. Rorick slammed the barrel into the painted freak's gut, knocking the wind from him.
He squeezed off the last shell into the runt causing his back to explode outwards with gore. He drew his combat blade and shoulder charged the first wave, running over the filth like a grav-train. His puldron was splashed with blood as it knocked out teeth and busted open faces. Back and forth he hacked with his blade, cutting deep into flesh.
However sheer wieght of numbers was pushed against him. An overcharged lashot was clumsily let off from a nimble teenaged boy who had climbed the marines back.
Rorick double over with pain as the shot burnt deep into his right arm. With his left he snatched the boy slamming him headfirst into a concrete tank trap.
His arm was now exposed and the suffocating blood suckers knew it. They pinned him inbetween their sweating mass, causing him to fall over.
They jumped onto him, pinning down his arm. Their leader of sorts parted the crowd. All fell silent before him. Rorick couldn't see him due to his helmet being pushed into the mud. Seth's head fell beside him, his lifeless eyes staring into his own.
"I do not fear you!" he defiantly pronunced.
The champion lifted his sword high into the air. The crowd cheering in celebration of their kill.
"Show me your fury, traitor scum" he spat a great acid shot onto the mutants foot, disolving his toe. It did not phase the beast at all. No matter what he said now the next thing coming was inevitable.
The greatsword was lifted above it's hooded head. With a great downward swing the marines arm was cleanly cut off through the exposed armour. Rorcik yelled in anguish at the humilation of it all.
The champion grasped his arm displaying it to the bewildered crowd.
"BLOOOOOOD!!!"
Rorick was turned over, his exhausted body sinking into the mud. Blood spewed from his shoulder as he gazed into his attackers eyes. It was definately some mutated monster, it's face stiched beyond recognition and it's skin a deep unholy black. Fire raged deep in it's dark red eyes as it stared back.
"Bring him to throne"
His helmet was ripped of his head with great effort from the bulking warriors surrounding him. A sniviling grunt who happened to be their handler got a look at the marine's features.
'A-a-a beautiful skull" the wimpling stuttered."You will be a-a-a honoura-able tribute to the dark gods!"
With that a second traitor behind him smashed a rifle butt into his face. Obviously having no effect the first time he tried again.
"Weakling!" Rorick yelled at him. He seemed to jump a little, but a few of his friends joined in. He was pummeled mercilessly. Blacking out, all he remebered was being dragged through the mist...

Heastus snapped his vox on. "There is a lot of vehicle wreckage pup, tell me your exact coordiantes and i will attempt to inform you of the situation." He shook his head. It was probably that hot head Taric. The old marine turned back the the soldier that had designated himself aid. "What is it you wanted?" The man laid a large clip board down in front of his commander. "So, the midnight is requesting coordinates for a landing zone" He shook his head. "Tell them to land the stormbirds here, the troops in the city need supplies more than those out of it. A man sprinted up the stairs "MY LORD!" He yelled, coming to a quick stop before the heavy marine "More of our brothers in arms have arrived" The massive warrior stood "You are sure we can trust them?" He asked quickly. The man nodded. "They have begun the carving of their Aquilias." The servant of the emeprors wrath smiled "Good, have them help set up the defence of the lower levels and the courtyard" The man nodded as Darius stepped past him and began jogging up the stairs.

He reached the top floor as the the first of the strombirds landed. The squat craft swarmed with legion serfs unloading it and laying out equipment in crates. One crate, obviously marked for assualt marines was lain out before him "My l-lord...this is not supposed to be here" The old marine tore the crates top off and looked inside. A jump pack and a chainsword. Strange, it wasn't like the serfs to make mistakes. He heard somthing from below. The edge of the roof was high, lascrete siding providing cover. A look down showed him an enemy infantry platoon in his courtyard, shooting at his men. He turned back to the serfs. "I give not a damn"

A moment later he was falling. The chainsword revved in his fist as he fell, the exhilarating feeling that he had not felt for years coursed through him. He activated the jump-pack and flew. He landed among the enemy, tearing out with his blade and clawing them apart. His bolter roared, killing most of a squad. A sargeant charged in and they locked swords. Space marine against man, Nightlord against traitor. The soldier spun away, realising that he couldn't take Darius on with sheer strenght. A smart opponent. Darius swept in, the traitor parrayed eyes burning with fire and battle lust. The warrior behind the helmet smiled. They fought, both smiling, both driven by faith. One in freedom and the other in servituted. The might warrior and the feeble human. Oh how badly matched they where. The blades smashed again, teeth tearing out and falling. Then the nightlord won. His fist arched with the sword clasped in it. The traitors heart and intestines fell to the ground. Darius knelt, not heeding the fact that his men were gathering around him. He closed the sargeants eyes and looked up. The men where in rank. Saluting.

The old warrior stood. "Get the gate fixed" They rushed to obey. He detached the jump pack and, carrying it, took it back inside.

Taric replied via vox running while replying, "I'll meet you at vehicle wreckage, I saw a strange alien it disappeared when I killed it, it tried to seduce me, I have never seen an alien try to do it before. I have never seen such a weird Alien before. Also, can you please tell me the fate of Brother Adric." He knew it was Brother Heastus. Turning off his vox he ran towards the wreckage. He stood their waiting at the Vehicle graveyard.

Harper had flown back to the med-bay with Lucius and the Captain. His squad was standing guard and he could here arguments inside. Then he saw it. A flock of Chimeras were barreling towards the tent, unnoticed.
"Krak Grenades on my mark! 3...2...1........NOW!" Harper shouted and tossed a belt of grenades into the path of the oncoming carriers. 60 Renagades poured out and Harper led his squad into them head on. A lone sergeant slipped by and entered the tent. Using his stealth skills and the arguments of the others he grabbed the lone marine on the table and ran off.

Besides that, the engagement was a slaughter, renagades falling left and right to mighty chainsword sweeps

Acharias burst out threw a whole in the ground, Einer and squad following close behind him. The city was empty, not a single soul. It was like a graveyard, the only thing around were dead bodies.
Acharias spoke into the vox, " Captain, Sergeant Einer and I are in the city, we have exited the tunnel. Are you still in the city?"
With that Acharias took off down the road, Einer and men following. Acharias looked at the men following him, brave souls. He looked around, wondering what to do, leave the city or stay and kill. But it didn't take long to make up his mind.
"Let's go kill. Any traitors you find, end them. We are going to find any Brethren and kill any who oppose. Let's get to work."

Heastus was about to enter his building when the terminator arrived. "How on earth did you get here so fast, pup?" he turned and walked toward him. "Sorry about the mess, had to deal with a couple of renegades" He smiled as he gestured at the mutilated corpses. "And as to your question, no, I have never heard of a beast such as you describe other than a human infested with genestealer venom"

Mid argument, the three marines hears a loud explosion coming from somewhere outside, the sounds of screaming, gunshots and chainswords filling the air, the astartes likely winning. Turning to the Captain, the blood-soaked apothecary speaks.

"Make your choise Captain, kill me or let me live, but make it quickly for there are many enemies aproaching the camp." Leonidus says loudly, raising up his arms.

"Make your choise."

He smiled at Heastus "Ha, I dealt with some, that's why my Terminator armour is covered is gore I had 150 Conscripts and a Dsclipine master which tried to ambush my squad after I destroyed a supply post. *points at the decayinghead* That's what left of him. I also massacred some stormtroopers and some Soldiers in the first trench. I'm going to tell you the story of the events where I saw the Xenos, I was camped out in a building, when suddenly I hear a voice, I see a seductive figure trying to tempt me, it had 1 claw, long purple hair, purple skin and 2 exposed breasts. We shot it down and it disappeared. I'm now wondering whether my squad is going insane or not because their is no carcass there. Anyway, what is the progress in the war?" He look at Heastus with anticipaition waiting for the answer.

''Captain i highly advice that we fight the enemies at hand now. We can't argue now that will only result in more deaths you weren't there when i lost all of my tanks you weren't there when leonidas lost some his favored guards you weren't there. But you are here now to fight with us and we will do that.''

"Leonidas.. please remove whatever that grotesque thing is from your surgical table, and do your job. I will not question your actions, however, please refrain from to much... experimentation."

He turned to the tent flap and strode out, moving towards the flashes of light in the distance. After a few minutes running, he looked and saw the beating of the sergeant of his Heavy Weapons squad, hundreds of corpse were lying on the ground, and few of these enemies remained. He jetted forward into the mass, unsheathing his lightning claws as he did. Sweeping through surprised renegade mass. He turned to see another 20 men, and heard their war cry.
"BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!"
"Damned Cultists" He thought, as he unloaded his wrist bolts into the mass, and finished the last few off up close.

Lucius remained in animation. A group of Spec Ops took his body and marched towards their HQ.

NOTE: Licius was never picked up by Sahaal as per the players request.
..................................................................................

Lucius lay upon the hard ground, head cradled between two large rocks. The thing had thrown him, a space marine at least twelve feet. The blood poured from his torn throat, the monster crouching, long tounge lapping at the flow of life. A low cackle crept up it's throat along with its disgusting tounge. A las bolt scarred the ground nearby. Its slitted eyes looked up, a discipline officer stood before it. "What did we tell you about prisoners Arfuagulaz" the monster hissed. "Very well masssster" It bowed and moved away. The officer walked over and looked down on the marine. "Bring this one, medic, set up a tube so the fool can breathe" The medic immediatley set to work making sure that his enemy wouldn't die.

They carried him in a large Chimera, men walking in straight lines around it. Soon they came to the palace and took him to a large lift. Licius was almost completely delirous or unaware of this, the artifical asophogus kept him alive along with his natural astartes ability to clot blood quickly. The long white corridors were adorned with strange symbols that his comatose mind shrunk from even while unconcious. Voices drifted into his mind "The subject...Damaged....useful still....lock in cell B....I WANT HIM!...Hut up!" The sound of flesh smashing flesh with extreme force followed, punching. The young warrior was soon placed in a clinical white room, traitor scientists leaving him. Little did they know that the young marine had activated his transponder


NEW OBJECTIVE: SAVE LUCIUS

Iscariat had followed his astartes brothers through the fires and trials of this world. Only to have it all snatched away form him. Moments after entering the city his head was impacted by a massive spike of energy from a lascannon.

Brother Seargeant Iscariat died 40134 at 5 in the evening. To a coward with a lascannon. Avenge him brothers.

Character: Adric
Location: Camp, leonidas's tent
Situation: Asking help from leonidas.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adric looked at leonidas and said'. ''Well now the task at hand, i was wondering installing black carapace can that increase the performance of a tank controller? And if so i need you to put some in my test subject.''

Character: Leonidus
Location: Camp, my tent
situation: conversation with Adric.


"...Yes, I can do that for you. The Black carapace should aid the subject in interfacing with a vehicle. May I ask brother, what are you planning to do with he subject once he has been implanted, and why choose a lowly rebel to undergo such a complex procedure?"

Leonidus says through his skull helmet's voice grill, pacing slowly.

Character: Adric
Location: Camp, leonidas's tent
Situation: Asking help from leonidas.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

''Well brother i am planning in creating the ultimate vessel i will allow a machine spirit to manifest inside the test subject that will result in 2 things first it means he will develop a sophisticated AI and second his abilities will be greatly increased And a lowly rebel is all i can get my hands on without getting detected by the mechanicum now that i have answered your question what is it that your well how do i call experiment will accomplish'' Adric said while looking at the insides of the tent he saw blood and bodies some where crying some where unconscious.

Character: You guessed it
Location: The very same
Situation: Still in conversation



"Hm. Very well brother, I shall tell you. My overarching goal is to further combine the powers and mind of the human, with the durability and cold precision of the machanical. This is far past simple bionics and even the tech priests with their bodies of steel do not match this. I shall create the perfect hybrid of man and machine, no mere servitor, something much, much more.

And this brother. This is the first step on that road, an imperfect stepping stone on the way to success. As grotesque and bloody as it may be, this prototype will herald the journey to victory.

Now do you see brother, now do you understand?"

Character: Adric
Location: Camp, leonidas's tent
Situation: Still talking xD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

''Well brother it seems our goals are rather similar i think a trusting cooperation will work between us because if i may be honest on first glance i can already see some of the bionics you installed aren't perfectly tuned''

Character: You guessed it
Location: The very same
Situation: Still in conversation



"Indeed brother, our goals are indeed parallel and a cooperation may indeed be fruitful for both of us."

Says Chief Apothecary Leonidus, holding out a gore stained hand.

Sahaal
Fields
Receiving transponder notification.

A beeping icon came up on the side of Sahaal's HUD, he realized that Lucius was alive, and had activated his transponder.

Sahaal began sprinting through the abandoned fields, jetting over wreckage, until he reached the city wall. He jetted to the top and prepared to move further into the city.

Character: Adric
Location: Camp, leonidas's tent
Situation: Still talking xD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

''Well i take up that offer.'' Adric said while shaking his hand Adric turned to one of his subjects and said ''Well i guess i will start by fixing up this guy.'' Adric turned towards him and began collaborating his eye bionics making sure they would make a full connection to the nerve system.

Lucius
Being carried to enemy HQ
In suspended animation, dreaming
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The ugly beast reared it's horrific face once more. Lucius backed away, only to find himself cornered. Evil shadows appeared to float around the claustrophobic room. He cowered.

The creature walked up to him, flanked by 4 advisers. One was covered in blood red reptilian skin. It's eyes glowed a strong yellow, almost floating in the darkness. It had a belt of skulls wrapped about it's small waist. It as clad in sinew and muscle. In it's clawed hand was a volcanic blade, stained with blood, that had grisly trophies and icons hanging from the brass hilt.

Another was similar to the creature that had attacked him. It had long sharp fangs. Massive claws protruded from it's arms. It skin was almost lilac. It had a single breast on it's right side, held in place by the arcane armour that it wore.

The third was bloated and diseased, almost like a plagued balloon. It was short and rotund, a single eye staring from his pustule ridden head. Flies soared about the great hemorrhages that crossed his rotten green flesh, which dripped with ooze, organs hung out.

The beast's final adviser was almost bird-like. 2 vulture heads looked down upon him with red eyes. It wore a white tabard over his blue feathered body. It's scaled feet ended with gargantuan talons. A pair of feathered arms hung by his side.

"Chaos." they whispered.

"Sergeant, hold on," said Brother Henlich. He had been tasked with keeping casualty figures. So far he had just given regular updates in numbers, so this must be important.
"What is it Henlich?" Einer asked, facing his squadmate.
"Einer, make haste!" calleed Acharius.
"Oner moment Champion."
Acharius came over, looking puzzled. Henlich spoke,
"Sirs, Sergeant Iscariot has just been killed."
Stunned silence followed.
"How?" asked Einer.
"Shot in the back Sergeant, by a coward with a lascannon."
Acharius shook his head, and walked off. Einer understood his champion's distress. iscariot had been a good man, and one of both his and Acharius' close friends.
Acharius shouted for the squad to hurry. They caught up, jetting up several hundred feet. Not high enough to risk AA fire, but high enough to land on the wall where a hydra emplacement blasted away at the Stormbird furiously trying to escape to orbit, only managing to dodge the shells directed at it. Einer landed first, his trajectory short than the others. he landed feet first, axes out, cleaving a many on each side in two. The others ran screaming, obviously having heard from the group he had beat their comrades to death. They fled northwards along the wall, only to be trampled under Acharius as he landed, spearing a man through the chest who had dodged his foot somehow. The turret fell silent as the bolt shell pierced its coordination system. A green rune flashed from the Stormbird as it sped off into the clouds, which were as pitch black as the eastern night sky. Night was falling. That was a good sign. when night came, so did the Night Lords install sheer terror into their foes.

the Children of the Night Haunter were about to arrive, in their true, horifying image.

ALL PLAYER EVENT
*********************

"And so, I do document the action of the Night Lords on the day of that grave heresy"
-Scribe Servitor 343245 Terminated
-Original scribe: *DATA EXPUNGED*
Document secured by Inquisitorial decree.
Copy 241.
Authorised acess only.
In the Emperors name.

Last acession: Unknown
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The marines stood in their squads, some fighting, some alert. Some talking and experimenting. It didn't help them when the horrors rose. Monsterous tentacled horrors, Beclawed seductresses and horned warriors of death and blood. The monsters of disease and pus would come later after the blood had been spilled in its entirety, though some roamed the world in direct defiance of their masters. These things appeared in the city, out of the city, everywhere. They arrived in small numbers at first, small, deadly numbers.

At the camp a multitude of red, sword weilding monsters advanced under the bolts of the marines there, ready to kill and bask in their blood. The master of the forge and apothacary put the final touches to their creations which would be field tested much sooner than expected. Bolters roared and tanks let loose thunder.

As he walked through the ruins, the captain heard strange noises around him, above him. Small, pink and purple forms flowed between buildings, small eyes watching him and beaks clacking. Fireballs of a multitude of colours rained down about him. Mad cackles sounded through the streets.

Taric and Darius conversed as the stormbirds brought in more and more supplies, watching. Then the lookout screamed and fell, blood pouring from his eyes. Purple beasts that Taric recognised swarmed towards them, but where intercepted by howling horned sword weilidng demons with skin red as blood. The melee began between them.

Kovar awoke to screams. A tall figure stood over him, horns rising far above, worshipers bowed all around. The beast looked down on him with surprisingly green eyes. He would either escape or die...or somthing else could befall him.

Acharius stood with Einar, ready for battle. Ready to stalk the night. Little did they know that they where also being stalked by monsters beyond description and the cultists that had brought them here.

Lucius lay on the hard dissection slab, dreaming. A slight, wide eyes woman wearing a doctors unifrom standing above him, face twitching and eyes scanning the marine before them. She wanted to delve into that body, that anatomy...to learn. She drew a long needle from her pouch first. She would need to revive the subject.

Morias stood, watching Lezevar manipulate the enemy. It was a skillful and effective manouver, the old marine gained some respect from the younger. His advanced sense heard yells outside the room and the roar of gunfire. And somthing else...something evil.

Character: Leonidus
Location: The tent (Camp)
Situation: completing project (incursion begins)



Leonidus had only to add a couple more implants now, the experiment was going well and quicker than expected. To make this thing, this marvel, he had had to commit grevious heresy, this was too far even for a respected marine of his level. To complete it, he had implanted the progenoid gland and other important organs from the deceased astartes, an action which went against his very purpose. But it had to be done. The heavy bolter given by the Forge master Adric had been grafted to it's left arm, replacing the hand and the searchlight had been mounted upon its shulder. The recovered Leman Russ armour had been added to various parts of its titanic form, effectivly shielding it's mechanisms from harm. It emmited a constant buzzing from its multitude of implants, it's deep red optic units flickering and twitching as if it were deeply dreaming. The great thing was still layed down, several tables had been put together to accomidate its size and weight, if stood it would be easily a head taller than an Ogryn. In contrast to its horrific, gore-stained form, the thing's face was deathly still, a ghastly pale mask of pure calm. From its back, half a dozen Mechadendrites, sprouted, each laying swaying on the ground, each tipped with a horrific surgical tool or a Narthecium designed to extract the Gene-seed of fallen brothers.

Something was wrong, a wrongness in the air, a faint smell and taste in the mouth. Then he saw it, a great flash of red. Stepping outside breifly, he could see a great fiery explosion from past the trench, he thought he could see illuminated figures skulking from it.

Then he heard the weapons fire.

Numerous tanks, marines and artillery were all opening fire on much nearer foes, the explosion must have been a distraction. The creatures were man sized and dark red, the hue of dried blood, and vaguely reptilian, snake-like toungues darting from fanged maws. Each wielded a great blade made of finely crafted bronze, skulls of all shapes and sizes dangling from their waists, held by iron chains.

"Nocturnus Omega." Mutters Leonidus

And the great construct stirs.

Character: Adric
Location: The tent (Camp)
Situation: completing project (incursion begins)

Adric was happy, everything had gone as planned. In his tent now spoiled with blood and machinery the subject lay on a cold slab, everything had been installed. He was planning to begin field testing tomorrow, he was checking the mind lock on the subject code named hells nemesis.
Adric saw everything was in place he would let him rest for now. He walked towards his bed where some personal items lay, he picked up a picture of his family from the old days he saw his mother with her ever caring face and her bloodied body flashed before him. His father who was stern but honest and he saw his organs fly before his eyes. And his brother who used to play seek the dysfunctional cogitator with him and the screams of fear rang through his head. He laid down the picture and took up a combi plasma checking its loadout the bullets where firing ready and he had 6 plasma charges with him. His servo arms had been mounted again his twin plasma guns spinning and its heavy flamer heating up. He stood up when he suddenly heard a explosion he looked around but saw nothing only the serene area of his tent. But that all was disturbed very fast when 2 red creatures dripping with blood rushed through the entrance. They where armed with brass blades the hilt was clad with skulls. They let out a horrifying scream that would scare the feth out of normal humans but it didn't have the slightest affect on him.
Adric raised his combi plasma and shot 2 hot blue explosive plasma shots towards the red bloodied creatures skull. He deflected the first one with some strange energy field but the second one pierced his neck and the heat seperated the head from the body. A hot sizzling sound could be heard from the body it somehow was beginning to disappear and all that was left was a bloody patch of ground. The second daemon opened the attack and slashed at adric one after the other hit was being given. He deflected them with ease he used two of his servo arms to restrain its hands, it tried to bite Adric with a feral growl but it couldn't reach him. The heavy flamer raised behind Adric and with a calm voice he said. ''Back to where you came from, to the depths of hell where you belong.'' And the heavy flamer began incinerating the creature hot seering flames began incinerating every bit of it until only its hands remained whom he crushed with his servo arms.

Adric decided that he would need to begin field testing immediately and picked up the reanimation device. An electric shock rushed through the nemesis. (note i'm just gonna call him the nemesis because otherwise hes just a mouthful.) His eyes opened for the first time since his transformation and Adric could hear him speak. ''Adric i can feel your presence what is this? Where am i? How did you do this?'' Adric looked up to him and said ''Well i have given you the vessel you are supposed to have. Your knowledge will be uncounted. I have even allowed you to have an AI.'' The nemesis could feel a different power flow through him, he wasn't used to having his own thoughts and they surprised him but he could also feel power more power he felt stronger. Adric led him to the land raider and when they arrived he said. ''You will know feel it. The true power. I have prepared a sacrophagus for you so that you can have full control come on now we have a base to save.'' The nemesis jumped into the land raider and saw most of the space taken by a gigantic sacrophagus. He stepped inside and felt it. The hole it was normally filled by the machine spirit but this time he filled it. He was the machine spirit he was one and the same he could feel the power more controlled he began activating all drive functions. Adric climbed on the land raider and they left off they rushed towards the courtyard where the most abominations were.
His heavy twin heavy bolters rapid firing on a mob of 7 daemons. 4 where banished when they counter attacked. They tried to hit his front armor when the frag launchers activated, tons of shrapnel where blasted into the faces of the daemons and 2 of them flew backwards and became squirming bloodied creatures but soon they disappeared. The last one managed to climb on the tank and attack Adric directly. He poured 4 plasma shots into his belly and he was incinerated before he could disappear Adric had only one thing on my mind now and that was to help save leonidas he was one of the few astartes he had ever considered a friend and he would not lose him!

Lucius
Medical Lab
Reviving
+++++++++

Lucius stared at the figures. The beast spoke.

"We are the servants of Chaos. Your legion will burn, your friends will turn on you, and you shall fall to us."

The creatures whispered the word "Chaos." again.

Lucius was in denial. Surely this was impossible? He was loyal to the Emperor, and to him alone.

He attempted to speak, but was being pulled away. Slowly, he awoke to see a women looming over him. Lucius' neck was crudely sewn together, the thread was rough and coarse.

"You shall be an intriguing test subject indeed." The doctor smiled with glee, the terror magnified by the cackle that force itself from her throat. She held a rusty needle, which once held the fluid that revived him. Corpses of human and Astartes alike hung like slabs of meat from ancient hooks.


Lucius squirmed, but he was bolted to the iron table. The doctor stared down on the Marine and pulled out a scalpel. She felt pitiful.

"Poor you. You'll never experience the true pleasures of the galaxy."

She cackled. Lucius was gagged. He eyed the bodies frantically, their forms violated with horrific new attachments. The scalpel came down on Lucius' abdomen. Cries of pain echoed through the empty hallway.

Acharias
City with Einer
About to stalk

Now was the time of night, the time Acharias lived for. Only one problem, no rain, which saddened Acharias. But he still had the element of surprise with the night.
" Time to hunt, " said Acharias to Einer and he rocketed away.
Acharias hit the street like a meteor, sending bits of street in every direction. He took off ahead, the men following closly behind him, his shadows. But no matter how hard he looked , he found no rebels. Nothing but darkness, no noise just silence. Then he heard something, Acharias calling for silence. The pitter patter of bare feet on stone. The noise , it was all around them, getting louder, more intense. He turned in a circle, but saw nothing.
He turned to the men, whispering, " We are not alone."
Then it hit, like a freight train. The red beasts desccended from the darkness. Acharias had no idea what they were, red creatures of the night.. He pulled out his sword, the two blades glistening, ready to taste the red flesh of the creatures. None would stand in his path.
Turning to Einer and men, " Let none live."
Einer nodded back, Acharias screamed and rushed into battle.

Leonidus darts foward, his crackling powersword cleaving another devil's head clean off, its disolving body sinking to the floor. Spinning round, he just manages to put two incindiary bolts in another's face before it impacts into his side. Him and the beast down into the trench, the blood of countless rebels till staining it, and they fight. Their weapons had been dropped in the fall, this would not be easy. Lunging toward him, the devil grabs him by his neck, lifting him off the ground. Choaking on his own blood, Leonidus grasps the thing by its scaled face, and squeeses, it's jaw and nose snapping from the pressure but still neither would yield. A swift knee to the gut, and the thing loosens its grip. And thats all he needed. With all his strength, the bloodied Apothecary crushes down on its head, eyes popping and skull cracking. Then it's head implodes. Coughing heavily, Leonidus picks up his powersword, and climbs back up over the trench towards the battle.

Nocturnus Omega had nearly awoken, it was the first time it had been activated and so the systems took a while to fully activate. It was safe through, his entire Nocturnus guard were defending it and they were the elite. Decapitating yet another of the things, he spies something at the other end of the camp, something new. It looked like another of the devils but slightly taller, its bronze armour gleaming and dripping with fresh blood. In one gauntletted claw it holds a great, serrated blade, the hilt forged in the likeness of a screaming skull.

This would be a harder foe to face.

As the sun sank behimd the horizon, Einer transformed. He was better at night, or it seemed like it. He sheathed his axes, unleashing.Nightshredder. Perhaps it was his geneseed that gave a Nocturnal affinity, but whatever it was, at night he was a Daemon in his own right. He lept skyward, jump pack rocketing him into the air. He took aim, a massive brutish Daemon on a metal beast. And stooping like a falcon, he struck, impacting like a comet once again, tearing the creature from its mount, shredding it, and turning to carve through a crab clawed she-devil before it could even notice his presence. He wove a symphony of death through the daemonic ranks, painting a picture as he so loved to do, one in daemonic ichor. And then he was trapped. Against a wall, surrounded by Daemons. His pack was out if fuel. The Daemons charged, and he met them head on.

Taric frowned as his squad and Darius got surrounded by a flood of blood thirsty red xenos. Their blood red swords, their scales as they snarled at glistened, they slowly advanced. Taric looked at them waving at his eyes to see if they were real or not, quickly decided they were real, he drew he blade for combat. He said "We must kill these Xenos, they ally themeselves with the annoying seductive ones." He charged in and started hacking and slashing with his power sword, attacking them as all converaged upon him. The strange red things snarled as they died, the strange weapons seemed to penetrate the armour but through luck he wasn't affected. He heard a cry, he didn't look back, must of been ones of his brothers.

Lucius,
Medical Facility
Being "examined"
++++++++++++++

The women had sliced into his abdomen. Lucius was thankful he wasn't able to observe the procedure. The doctor began rummaging through his organs, her hand grasping and clenching. She tore out an organ, the Preomnor. Lucius tried to scream, but only muffles came. She placed it carefully into a cryogenic freezer for further examination.

"That will be enough for today, Marine." She taped the gaping hole together, gore still flowing out. She removed the gag from his mouth. Then her obsessions began to take control. She looked upon his naked form, strapped onto the table prone. Lucius was yelling at her, asking for his release.

She ignored him. She began to slip off her lab coat.

Leonidus felt a searing pain as one of the red Devil's blades slammed into his shoulder, sending him falling face first into the dirt. Luckily the weapon had lodged itself into the think pauldron, preventing it from severing his arm. Spinning round, he brings his fist straight into the thing's snarling face, dislodging several fangs and breaking the jaw. Before it can steady itself, he grabs hold of one of its wrists like a vice, and kicks it squarly in the chest. The thing reels backwards, the gaping hole where its arm was a moment ago, spouting dark ichor. It tries desperatly to rise up but is brought right back down again as Leonidus' heavy boot crashes down on it's face. With the Devil felled, he walks calmly back towards his tent, now illuminated with a deep red glow. He could see that one of the five Nocturnus guard had been killed, his body cleaved in half by some Devil's blade. The remaining four were fighting furiously, bolter and blade mercilessly cutting down monster left and right.

Leonidus enters the great tent, the captured rebels either cut down or escaped into the whirling maelstrom of combat. Basked in a red glow, Leonidus sees his great creation, his great victory, get to its feet, numerous bionic implants whiring and clicking as it flexes its trunk-like arms. It turns to face him, its calm, emotionless mask staring as if into his very soul.

"Greetings, Leonidus."

It rasps quietly, its first words, as it rears up to its full hight.

Adric was standing on Hells nemesis the daemons where assaulting the tank from all sides only to be incinerated or shot down. A rebel counter attack force showed up it consisted of a leman russ and 40 guardsman.
Adric ordered the nemesis to move combat speed and flank the leman russ. He moved at full speed to its rear and charged his las cannons to full power. The concentrated shots literally made a straight hole through the tank and 10 seconds later a gigantic explosion erupted from it 10 renegades where consumed by the fire.
He jumped off the tank and while walking towards leonidas he released his control over the tank a bloodthirst took control over it and with a raging strength crushed tons of renegades under its treads one guardsman tried to shoot a melta at him but a feral roar released through the speakers installed on him broke their morale. They began running away as he charged after them crushing the occasional daemon. The pintle mounted heavy flamer incinerated another group of 8 bloodied monsters one of them succeeded in evading the flames and climbed on the tank. He jumped inside and found the nemesis resting inside the sacrophagus, he tried to slash him when the inside defensive systems activated a couple of tendrils they dismembered the daemon and crushed its head.

Adric arrived at the tent of leonidas. He saw his men fighting against the daemons protecting what laid within. Adric walked towards the tent the daemon that attacked him where simply fended of by his tendrils. He arrived inside and said. ''Brother it is good to see you i have arranged some transport to get out of here.'' Meanwhile i took control of the tank again and had it return to this position. ''Well brother what do you want to do?''

The doctor kept the clamps on the marine's limbs. He begged to be let go.

"No."

She turned around wearing only a set of fine lace underwear. She howled and dived in.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Several hours later, the Marine was still wide awake, unnerved. He had been powerless to stop this happening.

The doctor had curled up next to him. She snored.

For the first time in several weeks, Lucius truly slept.

Rorick was barely concious after being beaten sensless for what seemed hours, tortured with crude devices, electricuted and drowned. His overseers had been impatient with his resilient attitude, having to restrain him with impossibly hardened chains after he ended up breaking free twice. He had slaughtered all he could both times before once again a robed priest had put him down. He had never heard of people like this priest, able to manipulate his enviroment with a thought, release flame and lightning from merely pointing. Rorick dispised this man- no not a man- a mutant- a heretic.

He was at the breaking point, the torture being stepped up a notch. His mind was strong but sadly his flesh did not match. Slumped on the floor his body poured blood from many deep cuts, his face swollen and burnt he barely saw another cast of the sorcerer's arm creating a ball of energy then releasing it directly into the sergeant's mind. He collapsed from the effort of keeping the screaming torrent breaking apart his fortitude.

.................


Rorick felt the cold touch of the floor as his naked form was dragged along the clean white surface, leaving a trail of blood mixed with dirt. He was dropped mercilessly on the floor, smashing his head onto the sharp edge of an operating table. Muscle bound mutants, horribly disfigured underneath a surgeon's knife had carried him through the many tunnels and elevator's which spread underneath the city connecting it to the battlefield at it's gates.

The mutants parted allowing the grinning sorcerer to come to Rorick's side, kneeling so that he may whisper.
"Foolish Imperial dog, why do you resist, why do you not see the where true power and glor-"
Rorick stopped his measly rambling with a quick lunge at his leg, grasping it with all the remains of his strength. With a twist of his hand he heard the leg snap from it's socket, then he pulled with all his might tearing it from it's fleshy connection. Blood spraayed the gleaming white walls. The wailing priest lost his balance, falling hard on the floor while cluctching his bloody stump of a leg. His enraged mutant body guard kicked Rorick in the face with his heavy boot knocking him back down.

Rorick groaned at the pain and once again he was being dragged to another room. He was prompted up against a tiled wall, his arms shackled to the constraints above him. Blood seeped into his eyes and he could barey make out the room around him.

Then he saw Lucius. The young marine was strapped down to a steel bed, a white blood stained blanket barely covering his shame. Next to him lay a woman curled up next to the sleeping marine as if they were embracing. Roricks mouth gaped open, he could not believe an astartes could fall so far. He simply slumped back down relaxing in the chains. He shook his head in disbelief.

Leonidus spins round quickly to face the newcomer, the looming figure of Nocturnus Omega standing directly behind the blood-covered Apothecary.

"Ah, Adric, your timing could not have been better. We are suffering heavy casualties, we have 3 devasators, 5 assault marines and four of my guard remaining. And of cource, Nocturnus Omega."

With that, he steps aside, the hulking cyborg stepping foward, crimson optics glowing as bionics whir and humm. The thing looks down at the astartes carefuly, its expressionless face a pale death mask, and speaks in its dull tone.

"Greetings Forge master Adric. I am Nocturnus Omega. Within my mind lies all knowledge of our forces, Legion and primarch. I know every last detail, of every last marine of our Legion. Cheif apothecary Leonidus made me so. Enough pleasantries, there are hostiles incoming."

And with that, the two astartes and the hulking cyborg exit the tent, heading towards the Land Raider, the four remaining guard falling in beside them. The seven of them tear their way through the Red Devils in their path. Leonidus commands his guard to enter and forge master Adric gets in after them.

"Nocturnus Omega, accompany the Land Raider to it's destination." Shouts Leonidus over the din of battle, climbing inside.

"Affirmative Apothecary Leonidus." The titanic construct replies, heavy bolter obliterating two oncoming beasts instantly, in a shower of black ichor.

An hour or two earlier.

A doctor walked along the plasteel corridor, a clipboard covered in scrawls concerning astartes anatomy. He had heard that they had a new subject. He smiled, Viola was supposedly working on him, that girl loved Astartes...this was her first dissection. He smiled and looked around. The ground shook and somwhere, somone screamed...but that was always happening here. A soldier clad in flak armour ran past "Doctor!" he yelled, coming to a halt "The northe east wing has collapsed, the astarted brought in a bombardment over the ceneral corridor!" He was stunned. The west wing was where they had kept all the still livng astartes. No matter, he had to check on Viola. He opened the door, looking down at his clipboard when he heard grunting. He looked up and saw the girl wriggling on top of the marine. He, let us say, very quickly vacated the room. "So....so small" He said quietly, looking down.

The large astartes dragged in by the red robed cultists saw nothing but a small human girl sleeping beside an unconcious warrior. The red garbed soldiers nudged each other and laughed, stepping out as one stood in front of the marine. He drew a long, slender blade from his belt and knelt beside the marine "You know whats going to happen to you?" He whispered quietly "You know what i'm going to do to you?" He smiled, his teeth a bloody red "Then prepare to scream"

''Well then brother i guess we need to regroup with the majority of our men at the city oh and i forgot to exchange the pleasantries. This is the nemesis and this is chief apothecary leonidas.'' Adric said as he felt the conformation from the nemesis.
''Well brother we will move at a larger speed we don't have the time to slack around.'' He said as the nemesis moved at full speed and rushed towards the city gates. ''Alright now we will move in at full speed we need to meet up with the captain immediately. I will transfer command from the nemesis temporary to you i need to know why i lost contact with lucius i will not let this pass!''

Lucius,
Operation Theater with Doctor,
Dreaming
++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lucius thought back on the events of that night. He could still feel the doctor's embrace.

"I could have done something to stop this happening."

He felt himself hold the doctor.

"Why didn't I try to though?"

The doctor kissed his cheek.

"Why did I not do anything?"

His fists began to clench. He broke away from the doctor, awaking once more. She still lay at his side.

Character: Morias Kalvae
Location: Rebel C&C base
Situation: Securing the facility
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several of them turned and glanced at the entry hall, weapons raised. The battle shouts of uncounted soldiers was enough to send a chill down the spines lesser men, but the warriors of the Adeptus Astartes were not phased by it. They swiftly formed a well-practised firing line, with the assault marines ready to charge in should the enemy break through their killing zone. Not a single word was spoken amongst their ranks as they waited with anticipation for their enemies to become visible. The shouts of the approaching rebels grew to a deafening crescendo as the enemies drew ever closer, ill-placed las bolts whipping through the air towards the marines. The inaccuracy of their shots meant none of the Night Lords were hit as their enemies came into view; bottled into the great entry hall shoulder-to-shoulder.
"Open fire!" Lazerus boomed over the war shouts. Before he had even finished giving the order, seven bolters barked in unison, mowing down dozens and dozens of the first wave. Their valiant war-cries turned to screams of agony in their death-throes as the hall was drowned in blood and the number of dead bodies was so great you could walk over them without ever touching the floor. They brought low two further waves, if you could call them that - they were so close together it may as well have been a single mass assault - before sheer weight of numbers reached them. Lazevar's plasma pistol flashed, vaporizing a traitor where he stood as Navren and the other assault marines rushed forwards; chainswords scything apart men in twos and threes with each subsequent strike, for their enemy's ranks were packed so close they could not help but hit so many with each swing. It was a slaughter - the complex was turned into a Charnel house. Not a single marine's armour was left uncoated in the hot, sticky life-blood of their foolishly brave assailants.

As the assault marines cut a gory path through their foes, a chorus of inhuman screeches and wails pierced the methodical whirring of chainswords and screams of the dying that they were all so accustomed to. As Navren's squad thinned out the remaining attackers, a dozen humanoids with off-coloured skin came into view. Though they could perhaps be mistaken for human at a distance, up close there was no doubting that these things were far from it. They were clad in revealing armour, some with single breasts that were uncovered, others with six and even some with none. They appeared feminine in stature but it was plain these were not women. Wicked dagger-like teeth filled their maws and they stood on stunted, goat-like legs. Their hands, or at least where they should have been were nought more than despicable crab-like claws or three foot long chitinous blade-like extremities. They moved faster than anything the assembled astartes had ever witnessed before - far faster than even their own heightened reactions would allow. Their elegant, speedy but ultimately deadly movements resembled at closest that of their primarch - the swiftest of them all. The rabble of shrieking creatures deftly leapt into combat, their limbs dishing out a flurry of blows with speed that the marines could not match. Three assault marines were brought down under the unmatchable barrage of attacks almost instantly. Navren lost an arm but powered onwards heedlessly, cutting down a duo of the terrible creatures, which horrifyingly vanished into thin air with a final scream each. Another approached, with a wicked blade-like arm that pierced through his abdomen and a swing of its other claw neatly decapitating the marine. The sole survivor of squad Turellius roared defiantly as he fired his pistol wildly and swung out with his chainsword, killing another three of the foul things before two set upon him and sliced him apart.

It all happened in no more than ten seconds, half as many skilled and battle-hardened Angels of Death falling in that time. Such a sudden loss of Astartes life in mêlée - an area of combat they excelled in more than most - was unprecedented. True, fighting the savage Orks often resulted in the loss of Space Marines in close combat, but never so quick, so effectively. The remaining tactical marines bellowed in rage together, their combined bolter fire slamming into the creatures before they could get any closer. To their surprise, their deadly ammunition often simply passed through them without leaving a single wound. Tyceus aimed his meltagun and pulled the trigger, the super-heated air that could reduce the mightiest battle tanks to sludge in seconds failing to even leave a mark on his scantily-clad target.
"By the Primarch, what manner of trickery is this?!" He exclaimed. But soon each of the creatures disappeared under the torrent of shots. This earned them little pause from combat however, as no sooner had they vanquished these new foes a beast more terrible than even them thundered down the corridor with an incomprehensible screech. It stood on quadruple legs, each ending in a red hoof. Its skin was an unnatural blue; rippling and morphing - it defied belief. It had two arms, both ending in razor-sharp claws the size of a man's body. From it's back a lengthy tail with a scorpion-like tip was poised to strike. Worst of all was its head, comparable in overall shape to those of the old-earth steeds used by some mounted units in the Imperial Army but at the same time utterly different. It had two blank white orbs for eyes on each side of its head which ended in a despicable snout full of sharp, outward-pointed teeth surrounding a long, flailing snake-like tongue.

One the marines opened fire, but it did little good - many rounds simply passing through its inhuman form and those few rounds that struck it seemed to do little more than enrage it further. Within seconds it was amongst them. Its screech was high-pitched enough to break through their helmet's advanced auto-filter senses. The beast scooped up a marine by the leg and its other claw latched onto his opposite arm. The marine screamed as both limbs were wrenched from his body and a split second after his body hit the floor a heavy hoof slammed down on his head; crushing his skull and the brain within to paste. It made short work of another astartes, eviscerating him with a flurry of blows before he could even raise his combat blade. Two more of Lazevar's men approached it only to be knocked sprawling as it reared up and kicked out with its legs, cracking their chest-plates with the powerful blows. As they slowly began to pick themselves up, sergeant Lazevar himself moved in. His pistol shone as it released a retina-scarring bolt of plasma into the cursed beast, leaving a bright scorch mark in the middle of its unnatural body. Morias slashed his chainsword across its back but its tail whipped out and sent him flying into a wall. Lazevar followed up by forcing his dazzling power sword through its chest where he had shot it, making it squeal in pain. It gripped his arms in its massive crab-like pincers and pulled them from their sockets in a spray of blood, leaving his sword still embedded within it. The sergeant stumbled back, gazing into its blank, lifeless eyes and gave an angry snarl even as he knew this was where he would die. Its tail whipped out; the arm-length spike bursting through his mouth and into his skull. Lazevar spasmed for a second before the tail twisted upwards and the top part of his head was torn free. It landed in a bloody clump next to Morias with a squelch, his eyes rolled back and left as no more than white orbs as lifeless as those of the beast that killed him.

Tyceus and Kurnar charged together, their fingers curled tightly around the triggers of their meltagun and flamethrower respectively, scorching the beast and charring its hide black. Its front legs dissolved from underneath it and it slumped down with a howl. Much to their surprise, it used its back legs to leap up into the two marines, knocking them down. Its claws clamped around their bodies, pinning them down. They spat a chain of profanities at it, though this bothered it none whatsoever as its tail arced down, Kurnar barely dodging it as it hit the metal floor where it left a gaping hole. It came down again, this time landing a hit on him and slicing through the side of his head. Kurnar was alive but bloodied; he'd lost an eye and ear along with a chunk of his face to it. Before the tail could come down again, Morias was there, his chainsword revving as he brought it round in a heavy two-handed swing, messily tearing through its thick tail which hit the floor and twitched for a moment before disappearing in a flash of unholy light. The beast writhed and managed to spin on the spot; the stumps where its legs had been dripping a foul-smelling ichor. It took a hold of his chainsword and snapped it into three pieces like a twig, leaving him holding only the hilt. With a feral headbutt it knocked him over and began clawing at him. Its foul mouth came down and bit a chunk out of his helmet. He could feel a trickle of blood on his forehead as he grappled with it, struggling to push its arms off him. But it was too strong and he gave up trying to overpower it as it ripped a chunk out of his right pauldron. Seeing the hilt of Lazevar's sword still embedded in its chest, he yanked it free and stabbed it upwards through the beast's snout. Morias was vaguely aware of the remaining marines gathering around and stabbing, pummelling and otherwise attacking it behind. Pulling the sword clear he fumbled for his bolt pistol, ripping it out of its holster and forcing it into the creature's mouth. It gave out a muffled cry, trying to wrestle the weapon clear and severely damaging it in the process. But he pulled the trigger back one, two, three times and the back of its head exploded messily.

Hauling himself from underneath it, Morias emptied the rest of his clip into its already dead body as the rest of his brothers cut it apart with their blades.

Lucius
Operation Theatre
Escaping
++++++++++++++

The doctor woke up.

"Good morning, Lucius." The doctor chirped gleefully.

Lucius remained silent, deep in thought.

"Hello?"

He stayed still.

"My name's Viola."

She got up and shrieked. Rorick lay down on the floor, his face ruined by his captors.

Lucius could barely see his lightning streaked armour.

"Identify yourself."

Rorick heaved his body up.

"Rorick? Is that you?"

He looked upon the neophyte in disgust, slumping back to the floor.

Viola hurried out of the room, grabbing her clothes. She returned in combat uniform with a Laspistol holstered around her hip. Lucius was unchained.

A moment after returning to the room, Viola found herself pinned to the filth-ridden wall by the scruff of her neck.

"What did you do?!"

The Land Raider was impressive, it had been finely constructed and heavily armoured. The machine spirit and driver's area had been replaced with a bulky sarcophagus, several mechanical tendrils swaying gently by its side. The six of them sat there in solemn silence. They had taken many casualties. They hoped to regroup near the city gates with the remainders of their force. He doubted many, if any, would arrive. Looking through the side rear viewing slit, he catches sight of Nocturnus Omega keeping pace with the fast moving vehcle, its servos and bionics whiring and clicking wildly as it fired a hail of heavy incindiary rounds, his custom ammunition, into an oncomin group of Red devils, their limbs and bodies torn apart in a shower of oily ichor as they tried foolishy to engage it. Its dark blue, grey and black mechanical components were a stark contrast to the patches of pale and exposed skin. It was no simple servitor, it was a unique marvel, the perfect hybrid of man and machine.

Facing forge master Adric, and with a nervous chuckle, Leonidus joking says,

"You get the machines and I get the living stuff, deal?"

Before he turns again to his four remaining guard, disgussing the cource of battle and the plan for the regrouping.

''Why not brother. But it is a true shame that i have to do this isn't it?'' Adric said as the assault hatch opened and he jumped out while saying. ''Brother i need to do something else. Take care of the nemesis for me!'' He said while running towards the area where lucius's live signatures returned. The area in front of him was being sprayed with fire continually. Adric arrived at a old theater he could see some renegades still guarding the building he moved in for the kill!

The Master of Ordnance looked over the controls. He turned on the intercom to his servitors.

"Is the arsenal prepped and ready for launch?"

A voice crackled back.

"Yes, sir. Waiting on orders to launch Orbital Bombardment on the target."

"Initiate Orbital Bombardment. Destroy that city by any means!"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lucius held her to the wall, his grip growing tighter.

"ANSWER ME!"

Viola gasped for air. Lucius stayed stalwart.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

She kept on grasping. Her arms helplessly pushed on this fist.

Lucius poised himself to throw her across the room, but never got to. The roof fell down, choking clouds of dust were lifted off of the grimy floor. Pieces of steel and bricks were thrown across the room. The floor was turned into a beach of gravel and silt. Daylight entered the remnants of the hospital. Rorick began to scale the walls, desperate to leave. Lucius grasped the black armoured body of Viola, which lay limp in his arms. She was panting desperately. She looked feebly into the eyes of Lucius.

"Don't think this means anything."

Lucius threw Viola onto the surface, and quickly followed. He heaved up the doctor and headed away from the blasted ruins of the city, the harsh sunlight burning his paladinous skin. He saw one of the Night Lord Land Raiders in the smoke and haze.

He began to run towards the tank, shouting through his vox.

"This is Brother Lucius! I have a casualty!"

Adric's voice chirped back.

"Come into the Land Raider, Lucius!"

He charged into the open hatchway, placing the doctor down carefully.

"Who is this, brother? Where is your armour?"

Lucius eyed about frantically. Sweat beaded on his brow.

"Never you mind."

He put on a simple combat suit and grasped a Lascannon. He went to the side of Viola.

Adric returned to the nemesis only to see lucius and some women inside him. (this refers to the nemesis)
He turned to lucius and with a caring voice that he only had used when he was way younger he said ''My brother are you alright? all of us where worried fethless. But there is no time. Hurry we need to return to the dropzone. I have ordered for the immediate deployment of the remainders of my armory there to hold out until we can arrive!
Leonidas i trust you can secure the remaining astartes here with this'' Adric said as leonidas looked up through a hatch and saw a pair of stormeagles fly through the skies and began strafing runs on the largest swathes of daemons ''Hurry leonidas they can't stay forever!''

"What did you do, Viola?"

She simply stared into his eyes.

"What?"

The doctor raised a hand to stroke the side of his face. He simply held it and pushed it away. He left her to talk to the other marines.

"Leonidas, this woman has removed one of my implants. I need a replacement immediately."

With one neural signal from his advanced helm, the Nemesis would begin moving at top speed towards the dropzone in several minutes, its weapons systems would destroy any of the strange Red devils that got too close. Now he would turn his attention to the Neophite before him.
Activating his helmet's advanced medical and scanning systems, the blood covered Leonidus adresses the wounded scout.

"So, that woman likes you a lot, eh Lucius?" He mutters as he scans the poorly taped over wound.

"...Ah, I see whats missing here, that should be fairly easy for me to replace. You are in no immediate danger, but take it easy until a replacement can be found."

Leaning in closer, Leonidus says plainly,

"So Lucius, who is she? Where is your armour? This helmet is more advanced than you know, I scanned both of you as you arrived. Now, Neophite, tell me what happened before I crush her puny skull.

Lucius stared into the eyes of the Apothecary. His stern and weathered voice shook him to the core.

"She... she's nobody. Just some doctor that I thought had some useful information."

Lucius glanced worryingly at her. The Apothecary spoke again.

"Tell me, Lucius."

The neophyte was almost back against the hull of the Land Raider.

"Tell me!"

Lucius whispered into his ear.

With a slight chuckle, the gore-stained apothecary moves back into his seat, beconing the clearly uncomfortable Lucius into the space beside him.

"There was a time, not long ago, that if I had heard that from one such as yourself, I would had killed the two of you where you stood." As he says this he turns to the doctor and grins horrificly. Laughing, he turns back to the neophite besides him.

"But those days have passed. Just look at my and brother Adric's creations, both utmost heresies against the laws of the mechanicus and of the imperium. No, I will not harm you or your 'friend' here, I am no hypocrite. But be warned neophite, our leaders are willing to give me and Adric leeway, we are the Chief apothecary and master of the forge, the loss of both of us would have devastating effects. But the loss of you, a single neophite, would go unnoticed. Keep your head down Lucius, others might not be so...understanding"

With that, he chuckles again, before placing his helmet back on and opening the vox channels to other retreating roups, trying to coordinate them all to the dropzone. The Land Raider would begin movin in two minutes.

Staggering out of the rubble of the hospital, Rorick leaned his shoulder against the destroyed wall. He had heard the disturbing truths laid out by the apothecary, enraging him beyond the point of understanding creating a fit of fury within him. He picked up a disgarded daemon sword which glowed red with his touch, searing into his hand. He ignored the pain, his mind to set on this heresy before him.

He stumbled towards his target dragging the sword behind him causing sparks to fly on the road.
"Do you have no honor?!" he asked yelling at them in complete disgust. The marines turned in suprise to find the bloodied sergeant naked except for a makeshift cloth ripped from a dead man.
"Or are you no more than treasonous dogs?!"
Rorick stopped for a moment, clutching his crushed ribcage falling to a knee using the sword for balance.
"I see now I am the only sane one left in this company, and I will not let you live to stain it's great name".
With that he raised the sword above his head with both arms holding the heavy blade, his legs wobbling from the effort. He lunged forward, as if falling would keep the momentum in his legs. Unfortunately he crashed to the ground. Sword echoing as it crashed and split in half, causing it to erupt in flames and corrode to ash.

Lucius turned to see Rorick poised with a huge volcanic sword hefted above him. He rolled out of the way, only to see it crumble into ash. Rorick was rolling on the floor.

"Do you need treatment, brother?"

Lucius outstretched his hand, only to have it pulled down.

"You are no brother of mine!"

The two fatigued Night Lords began to brawl, only to be separated moments later by the Apothecary.

"We are all brothers here, Rorick, no matter what has been done!"

Lucius slumped by Viola. She called him closer to listen to her raspy voice.

"I... I'm sorry..."

The doctor kissed Lucius on the cheek as she had in his dreams.

He took her hand. He needed her alive for now.

Leonidus Chuckles slightly, slamming his skull-like helmet back on.

"Is this love I detect, Lucius? It confuses me why you take mercy on this pathetic wench, she tore out one of your organs for the Emperor's sake!"
With that, the Apothecary bursts out laughing, his helm amplifying the sound into a horrid daemonic sound.

"My my, Lucius, look how you've have fallen"

"What?"

Lucius looked at the apothecary in disbelief.

"You think that I am in love with her?!"

He turned in disgust. Love indeed. He needed to know what she had done to his body and why it seemed so natural. He was an Astartes. He was immune to temptation.

He glanced at Rorick, still lying on the floor, watching the entire debacle. His mangled lips began to move.

"You will burn, traitor."

His helm's eyes glowing a deep red, the chuckling apothecary walks over to the crippled form of Rorick, and kneels beside him.

"All heretics shall burn in time brother. Be patient." He mutters to the bloodied marine before picking him up and taking him into the Land raider's spacious transport area and laying him down.

"We need to get moving, brother Rorick requires medical attention."

Lucius nodded.

"Understood Brother!"

He sat alongside Viola as an escort. She asked for a hand up, and was promptly pulled onto her feet. She tried to wrap her arms around Lucius, but was promptly pushed off.

"I don't want you coming along with us. I would have left you for dead, but I need to know what you did to my body."

Viola looked straight at Lucius, her eyes penetrating him to his core. Tears began to stream down her cheeks. She started to sob and break down in tears. Lucius came to the driver's compartment.

"Forward Adric!"

The great ceramite bulk of the Land Raider came alive with a roar. The whir was almost in sync with his bionics, the sound of the machines soothing his troubled soul once more.

Lucius was at ease. As the Land Raider rumbled across the landscape, communications began to come in.

He walked back into the the hold, sitting next to Viola. She was still in tears. Her devotion had only been met with anger.

Lucius felt remorse. His human side was revealing itself. He placed his hand on the doctor's back, trying to reassure her.

"Viola, you need to stay with us. I'll protect you. We need to cleanse this planet."

Her head rose. She wasn't alone. Lucius was by her.

She shuffled closer. Lucius looked to the right, finding Viola's head on his shoulder. He took her in closer with his arm.

This felt good, almost natural. The neophyte held Viola next to him.

Character: Morias Kalvae
Location: Rebel C&C base
Situation: Contacting the Apothecary
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mutilated body of the beast seemed to deflate; almost waste away before fading in a flash of ethereal light just as the other horrific creatures of its ilk had. There was something foul beyond understanding about them. A palpable malign energy had entered the building with them. Voices had assaulted his mind - seductive and playful - but with undoubted intelligence. He could sense their terrible intentions. They had tried to ensnare his mind, perhaps as such creatures had ensnared the once loyal soldiers of this planet and manipulated them like puppets to march like slaves to their deaths. But for what purpose? These creatures had not attacked with a military stratagem, at least not with anything that could be considered such. A wise commander would've used grenades to force them out of the building and into a kill zone or perhaps collapsed the entire building rather than let it fall into enemy hands and be used against them - as the astartes already had. No, those vile witches had sent those men to their deaths just so that they could get close enough to kill themselves. The lives of once good, honest men meant nothing to them - but playthings in their dread schemes. Perhaps they had not been trying to recapture the facility at all, maybe their goal wasn't even to kill them even? These possibilities and more besides racked Morias's head before he heard a voice.
"Did you feel them, sergeant?" Tyceus asked solemnly.
"Aye, Salehn. I felt them clawing at my very mind, trying to tear down a century of discipline and faith." He replied.
Tyceus shoke his head. "This place.. those things.. I am ashamed to admit that it has left me unsettled. What terrible tongues were those bastardised witches whispering into my head? Why did my meltagun leave one unscathed? Where did they go when we killed them?"
"They returned back to whatever hell spat them out," Morias snapped venomously. "Get a grip, Marine! Have I taught you nothing in my time as sergeant? You must have faith to prevail in situations such as these. You must be devout in your worship of our glorious Emperor or else succumb to that which cannot be explained or defeated by anything else."
"With all due respect sergeant, the Emperor himself decreed all worship of him to be outlawed and our legion eschews notions of religion more tha-" Tyceus was cut off.
"To damn with the legion's beliefs, are you unable to make your own decisions at the age of one-hundred and sixteen?" Came Morias's sharp retort.
Tyceus was silent for a moment, taken aback by the sergeants disregard for their very gene-fathers' own values. "And what of the Emperor's decree?" He asked at last.
Morias looked his friend in the eye, unflinching. "I have my beliefs. No one can take those away from me, not you, not Curze and not even the Emperor I venerate so dearly. Now gather the remaining men and collect the remains of the dead together."
"Aye.. sir."

Sergeant Kalvae made his way to the computers in the centre of the room. His fingers moved over the controls, quickly accessing the communications as Lazevar had shown them so recently. Morias keyed in the personal code of the Apothecary - information made public to all Marines in the company for just such an occasion as this. Once a link was established, he spoke.
"Apothecary Leonidus, this is sergeant Kalvae, sixth claw."
"What is it you need, sergeant?" Came the reply.
"We have suffered heavy casualties in battle, we lost the majority of my squad at co-ordinates I am relaying to you now."
"Acknowledged. Is there anything else?"
"Yes, Apothecary. I am also relaying the co-ordinates where sergeant Tullius and some of his men were lost, though I doubt their gene-seed will be recoverable. I suggest proceeding to my position as soon as you have gathered the gene-seed from my fallen squad members." He explained as he sent the final set of co-ordinates.
"Understood, we will proceed to the first co-ordinates immediately."

Closing the personal channel, Leonidus walks over to the driver's section and adresse brother Adric.

"Brother Adric, we must procede to sector 165, coordinates 123563."

"Of cource brother, moving there now." The forge master replied, the Landraider turning almost 360 degrees.

The dropzone could wait, there was precious gene-seed at risk here. Walking back through into the transport area, he sits yet again in his space in the corner. His four remaining guard sat opposite him in a row, each of them in complete silence, their pitch black armour covered in both dried and fresh blood. Lucius was still comforting that woman of his. His human side made him weak. Leonidus had long ago mostly managed to surpress that side of him.

Lucius could feel the warmth of the doctor through his combat dress. She smiled. Lucius, however, could sense the discriminate gaze of Leonidas. This was treachery against the Emperor.

Lucius still ached from his ordeal. He was weak and fatigued, his body torn by the bombardment, his mind fractured by the events that happened in the hospital.

"Why?" He thought to himself. "What reason would she have? I surely am the enemy?" Viola was nestling her head on his shoulder, trying to get close to him. It was almost the same as the night before, she was curled up next to him.

"Am I still human?" His mind was swept away. All he could see was himself and Viola in a black void. He tried to ask her. She simply responded by embracing him once more, as in the dream. Again, she kissed him on the cheek.

Again, it all faded into reality.

He and Viola were alone in the Land Raider.

Leonidus, his men and his creation spread out through the scene of carnage, he had equipped his four remaining guard with Nartheciums and Nocturnus Omega had them built into its mechanical tendrils. They had all gone to the grissly work of extracting their fallen brother's gene-seeds, and killing the occasional crippled rebel. No prisoners, not now. They had all been caught by surprise by the attacking Devil hoards. What the things were, he knew not, some unknown mechanism caused their bodies to dissapate after death. The casualties had been far too high.

He could still not wrap his head around why Lucius felt such affection for the heretical wench he had rescued, but he would leave it be. For the meantime. He would have a word with Rorick when he was up and about again.

Lucius saw the doctor stood straight in front of him. Her devotion was almost fanatical. She was dwarfed by the marine, but was not intimidated or afraid.

Lucius doubled over in pain. The crude surgery had began to take it's toll. Viola ran to his side.

"Are you alright?"

The neophyte shrugged it off.

"I... I'm fine."

Character: Krieg
Location: CIty
Situation: Awaiting transport
Time: 14 hours from present.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The Night Terror, all 500 tonnes of it, swung in over the collapsed roof of the Municipal Aribites Precinct and descended on its wailing thrusters, into the crater pocked square. The tremenodus downwash pushed broken bodies of cultists, and clouded the air with dust. The vessel set down hard, cracking flagstones under its steel paded landing struts. Its rear ramp whined open.

Krieg waited at the bottom of the ramp, sternly ushering in the other members of the Haggered circle, now numbering only 5 brothers. Constanze and Vervauk, both having aquired meltaguns from the raided Arms Manufactorum were the first up, followed by brothers Sevetar and Valthex. Krieg ran up the ramp, hauling on the lever that slammed the ramp shut. Almost immediately, the Night Terror rose again, blowing a storm of dust as it gained altitude, climbing into the smog chocked clouds.

The midnights glory has tracked the remaining enemy armoured chorts moving North. The same cohorts that had broken the back of the company, in the first failed assault on the city. The Haggared circle were ordered to pursue them, lest the reach their unknown desitination. The Night Terror thundered through the atmosphere, thick with rust coloured haze, choking pollutants and vile toxins. An ever-thickening pall of smoke hung low over the war-torn city.

Each warrior stood ready for war, helmets removed and weapons ready, bracing themselves against the jerky motions of the Storm Eagle. "These dogs offer themselves to their gods as sacrifice, with blood and fire we will enable them." growled Kreig.

Character: Krieg
Location: Far North from city
Situation: Reconnaissance
Time: Present
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Hundred kilometre winds whipped across the ice covered north, the roar of the storm was such that no man could hear even themselves. The darkness concealed anything from the naked eye, and the blinding swirl of ice nd snow rendered all but the most sophisticated sensor arrays useless. Krieg could see the dark shadow rise before him, though even the advanced auto-sensors and magnifier auspexes had difficulty piercing the blinding storm.

The armoured chorots were last detected here, before the storm had blinded them. The few pict captures that had been sent from Midnights glory showed a huge fortress, constructed into the edge of a mountain. it rose some three hundred metres from the ice plains. It was the highest point of the planet, and loomed over its people, reminding them who it was that ruled them. It stood as a symbol of worship, but to Krieg, it represented all they hated about this world, all he desired was to see it burn.

About an hour had passed, and the group had recovered all the gene-seed they could, a fair amount, but still any loss was harmful. The group trudge back towards the Modified Land raider through the debris and bodies, it had been a slaughter. On both sides. Leonidus ordered the four Nocturnus guard inside, their pitch black armour glistening with freshly spilt blood. The Omega returned to its place adjacent to the Land raider, its complex implants whiring and clicking. Leonidus finaly entered the vehicle to find Lucius slumped over in his seat, blood running from his nose and mouth.

The gore-stained apothecary turns to the puny woman besides Lucius, her arms wrapped around him, her face worried, and stares at her, the red glow from his skull helm illuminating her terrified face.

"Restrain the wench." He says loudly, one of his men stepping foward to grab her by her arm, lifting her struggling form up with contempt.

Kneeling down besides the prone body of Lucius, Leonidus begins his work.

Captain Sahaal
Emerging from unconsciousness
Time: a few minutes before future

Sahaal emerged from the rubble covering him. He had been unconscious for some time, he could tell. His armour fell from him, destroyed by unholy fire, he found the body of a renegade and tore the shirt, using it to hide himself. He strode through the wasteland until he stumbled upon the land raider, a massive robot guarded it, and it seemed intact. As he approached, the machine stepped in his way. It looked over him, and after a few seconds, it seemed to recognize him. "Captain, proceed". He approached the land raider and found Lucius being worked on by Leodinas. He entered the vehicle and saw a woman lying on the ground. He looked at her, and wondered why she was here, but it mattered not. He used the vehicles vox to call a Storm Eagle in to retrieve him, and he left, saying a few words about returning to the Midnight to Leodinas as he went.

+++++++
Captain Sahaal
Midnight's Glory
Shortly after present

As he landed in the ship, he proceeded to the armoury, and saw that new gear was ready for him, then went to the med bay to be examined, he knew Leodinas was to busy on the ground, and they would contact him if need be.

Lucius was again in the dark room, again with the beast and his royal court. All was blurred. They flickered in and out of existence.

"What are you?!"

All of them spoke, but only with one voice.

"We are the servants of Chaos. We are power. Fall to us or face the cons-"

They finally flickered for the next time, melting away with the room into black. Lucius saw himself and Viola. They were holding each other in their arms. She was kissing him on the cheek, holding him tightly.

"What is this? Why could I not kill her then and there? She's a member of the enemy. She took my body and violated it mentally and physically. Yet she still seems to calm me."

Lucius spat up blood. He found himself on the floor of the Land Raider, with marines gathered around him. Lucius was carried into a Storm Eagle for further treatment, Viola staying alongside him.

Taric and his men were slowly driving off the red xenos. The blood which came from the Xenos smelled really foul. The evil snarls they were giving off. They retreated to whatever they came from offering. The more they slew the more Xenos retreated. He lost 1 good man in that attack, he looked at seeing those strange purple xenos surrounding in a circle. Darius said "Don't get trick under their trap pup." A familar xenos came forward, she looked angry but upset, she looked at Taric and said "Oh well, you hurt me sooo much last lover boy, getting your little tin cans to fire down upon me hurt me sooo much. Don't worry, when we kill all your friends you will be MINE!" Her entracing glance this time filled his heart with ectasy, good he really kill something this beautiful, surely this must be a sin. He heard Darius yelled "Snap out of it pup." They started firing, killing left and right. Killing daemonettes left and right. Their was hideuos screams, moans as the Xenos were being shredded, the Purple Xenos looked like they were going to flee in terror. Suddenly, Taric got knocked out by the familar purple xenos. He awake in a building nearby completely naked, a strange women was right next to him, he saw his Terminator Armour nearby. She was 5'6" tall, she had long straight blonde hair, pretty slender, porclaine skin, she was completely naked,no makeup. Yet she smelled good, there was a seductive look in her eyes, she did not seem entirely innocent. The Strange women said in a seductive tone "You know you aren't going to get it right?" She kissed Taric "Come on you know you love me." Taric look nervous. He knew she was just trying to manipulate him but he could do nothing at the moment without his armour and weapons. The best he could do is play around with it for the time being.

The Storm Eagle jolted about as it was hit with flack and small munitions. Taking off with blinding speed into the sky, the pilot desperate to get out of the range of anti-air crews on the ground. The sky filled with tracer and explosions, deadly shrapnel pranging off the armour. Rorick lay still on the wall mounted bunk, tubes of fluid and sensors already inserted into his skin. He was blind due to the bandages wrapped around his shredded face which were already soaked with blood.
A shell ripped into the cabin detonating inside. The roar of wind was heard, deafening everyone inside. Rorick leapt up in his bed, feeling around with his hand he found a hole only a few inches from where his head was resting.
He relaxed once again, feeling luckier than ever. But his mind quickly came back to the treachery around him. He would have to be cautious in his weakened state, vigilant to the fact that even the embrace of his brother's arms could end up strangling him.
He flexed his hand, which had been severely burnt by the strange sword he had picked up. It felt as if the glowing hot steel of the handle was still in his grasp.
Then something peculiar happened. It felt as if the fire began to spread, as if a bushfire had erupted. Rorick yelped in pain as his whole arm suddenly caught alight. Even though he could not see it his arm had become a yellow beacon that lit up the Storm Eagle. His fellow marines had been taken by suprise, stepping away from what could only be described as a bizarre case of combustion or some form of witchcraft. Either way none were willing to lay a hand on him for fear of contracting the curse.

He was now screaming in pain as the fire coursed like lava through his vains, quickly spreading throughout his body. It finally reached his head, making Rorick speechless with blind agony. All he could see was flames, his mind becoming an inferno. He clutched his arm to his chest, while the other gripped the steel safety rail on his bunk, twisting it in sheer frustation. His back arched involutarily, eyes and mouth now glowing, burning the bandages from his face. An inhuman scream came from his lips, making the sound sound of a dying beast.
The others were scrambling away from the sergeant's body. Staring in disbelief as they watched him burn. Suddenly the flames retreated back to his arm, viens pumping the lava back to its origin. His fist opened up releasing a great fireball that scorched the roof of the aircraft. His back relaxed dropping him hard against the bunk and he once again lay still. His body steaming, skin red raw and sweating. It appeared as if the flames had done no damage, his arm fully intact but the only body part with viens that radiated the heat within.
He lay unconcious. His eyes had burnt out leaving a blank white screen seared into his vision.

Lucius had his head pointed towards the ceiling. He couldn't move anything. The kind face of Viola hung over him, but it didn't calm him.

"You did this to me. You placed me here."

Lucius grunted. His chin was held in place.

"Why do I trust you? What did I do to have this happen?"

Viola looked deeply into his eyes. She stroked his cheek. Tears welled up and began to flow.

"I... I'm sorry... What have I done to you?"

She collapsed on Lucius in a heap. She wrapped her arms around his body and began to whimper, her warmth pushed up against Lucius' shattered body. He shut his eyes.

For now, he had to take care of Viola.

The Neophite and Rorick had been airlifted an hour or so ago, their wounds needed detailed treatment, something he could not do at the moment. Leonidus and Adric had been left on the damned planet to collect the remaining gene-seed and find any survivors that had not already retreated. First they would need to head to what remained of the camp, given the concentration of creatures there, he expected there would be naught but bodies and ash. It had been a slaughter, they could not have hoped to win against such a quick and overwhelming attack. They had been lucky to escape.

The Land Raider was fast, Adric had made significant modifications to it, and the weapons systems were far superior to those of an average Raider. They would arrive at their destination very soon.

The Storm Eagle began to dock onto the flagship. Slowly the marines poured out, until only the casualties remained. Viola still held Lucius. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Neophyte Peris."

The Apothecaries began to take Lucius to the medical bay, grudgingly allowing Viola to come with them. They removed his restraints. He slowly began to speak.

"You did this. Why did I take you here?"

The doctor stroked his brow. She kissed him on the cheek.

"Why did you do this?"

She was deaf to what Lucius said. The woman came closer and began to hold his head. She cradled it with her hands, lifting it towards her. Viola began to rotate her head. Her mouth began to open. Their lips made contact. Lucius rediscovered his humanity.

The neophyte held the doctor close to him, his heart beating faster and faster. They became a single entity.

Adric was disgusted by the current events but couldn't do anything about it. ATM he was clearing up one of the millions of daemon hordes to extract yet another piece of geneseed.
Adric had learned that with enough fire the daemons would just die and he used that tactic to full use as the heavy flamer from the nemesis in conjunction with adric's one purged the daemons. He saw leonidas move in for the geneseed
He opened the vox to leonidas. ''Well brother it seems we are not the only ones with our secrets. But i tell you one thing if you ever ever use this to benefit from lucius i will make sure you are executed myself!''

"Of cource brother. I would never do such a thing. You must say though brother, that what brother Lucius has done is just not right."
Leonidus mutters through his personal vox channel to Adric.

Exactly as last time, the 6 marines spread out, each carefuly and precisly removing the priceless gene-seed of their fallen brothers. Many had been butchered and dismembered beyond recognition, their power armour seeingly no match for the devilish blades which the monsters wielded. Nocturnus Omega stood guard behind them, patroling the area for hostiles or signs of life. Then they heard it.

Gunfire. It was loud, but a fair distance, likely coming from the trench. It was the unmistakable sound of bolter fire, some of their brothers must had survived the battle. If they had held out this long, they could for a little while longer, his and his men's job took priority here. He could pick up from the comm chatter there, that the survivors were lead by some armoury sergeant.

The thought was interrupted by an earsplitting roar, a dozen heavily armoured Red devils leaping through the debris towards them, great two-handed blades, dripping with blood in their hands. Not missing a beat, all four of his guard grab hold of their bolters and in perfect synchrony, open fire into the oncoming group, three of their number bursting into flames and falling to the ground within the opening moments.

He looked around, still no one. He looked at the Unsual women and said "When my brothers come here, you will pay dearly Traitor." The Purple Xenos looked confused, she frowned and said "I have no idea what you are on about. I'm not a traitor." Taric was shocked, she didn't act as seductive as she usually did. He asked in a shocked tone "You colorabted with the purple Xenos.?"
She asked politely "What's a Xenos?"
He asked "You seriously don't know, do you?"
"Yes, serious." Her eyes went from lust to a more serious tone.
"It's hard to explain, an alien or xenos is anything that is not Adeptus Astartes or Homo Sapien."
She rolled her eyes "Isn't that a little bigoted, what rights do you have to kill someone because you don't agree with who they are!?"
He suddenly felt a hint of guilt for the aliens, what if he was doing was wrong... he remembered slaughtering tribes of Dracolith, he killed men, women and children a like, tracked them down into the homes and killed them. Smearing the crystals all over their rooms, no sense of kidness and commitment. The destruction of innocent life...
She smiled a little. "See the guilt you feel is what you call empathy. Cute little thing isn't it."
He frowned a little. "I guess it is. I have done a lot of wrong things... Terrible monstrocities...."
She walked up and hugged him "Look, we all do bad things once everywhile... we aren't made to be perfect, we just have to stride to be it.... also morals are kinda iffy you see. Don't feel bad, you did what you thought was nessacary."
Geez, this women is... whatever her name is... is really reallly nice. I don't exactly trust her but she has nothing to hide. Gahhh, I don't know what to think. I have to do something. I do not want her to die but I am afraid that it may hurt my connections to my company.... I wish they could both get along. I should really ask for her name.
The grasp was warm and full of hear but there was an element of lust in her eyes still... Something that made her just want to have sex with him... He wondered what made her act so sexually explicit. He finally asked after 5 minutes of silence "May I have your name?"
She had a sigh of relief and she said sweetly but gently "Ophelia, what's yours?"
He said "Taric."
The tension has eased a bit and for the first time he had a friend, not just a Battle Brother to back him up from behind. They were just servicemen. He was forced into it, not really be able to quite be fully integrated into the Night Lords system, it was too brutal for his liking... he prefered peaceful solutions. He didn't want death to the traitors, he only wanted them to surrender... none of them did....

Apothecary Gaius finished his preparations on the artificial substitute for the Neophyte's Preomnor. It had been a simple task, although the Astartes these days.. always getting themselves blown up so young or tripping over a piece of debris and getting a nasty bump. He chuckled. It had been a long time since he'd felt the earth beneath his feet, with a boltgun in hands and his brothers by his sides. That had been another life time, when he had been chief apothecary. Gaius had stepped down of course, after the accident. Most of his body was gone because of that. Miraculously, he survived of course and his body was replaced but he knew from the day he'd laid on that operating table that the only way he would fight again would be from within a sarcophagus. That type of existence he would never condemn himself to. He risked fate and managed to survive by the skin of his teeth. Though he would never fight again - he was too slow, too old some would say, he would always serve his brothers as a healer, putting them back together when they got themselves shot apart.

Heavy armoured boot falls signalled the arrival of Apothecary Venetus, who hastily joined him.
"What manner of foolery is this?" He demanded, his voice as harsh as a Fenrisian night. The man was a brash marine, quick to anger and with but fifty years as a marine, and twenty as Gaius's protégé. He had not yet lost the fires of youth, oh how the old apothecary missed that feeling. But, what is done is done.
"What do you mean?" Gaius asked. Venetus pointed at the Neophyte. Gaius turned and his mouth dropped at what he saw. The neophyte and the human he had insisted bringing aboard were.. were kissing. Outrageous!
"Neophyte!" Gaius boomed, his aged features curled up in a snarl. The young marine and the woman snapped their heads around at his interruption. "What is the meaning of this?"
"This is blasphemy against the Legion!" Spat Venetus, who advanced two steps towards the Neophyte menacingly. "Restrain that human witch!" He demanded.
Two of the cruiser's security moved simultaneously and unquestioningly, roughly dragging the screaming woman away from the Neophyte. "Take that wench to a cell and leave her to rot!" Venetus bellowed angrily.
"Brother Venetus, I must ask that you tend to the other injured immediately. I will deal with the Neophyte here," Gaius instructed calmly. He could see the young apothecary was about to retort, but thought better of it and turned to tend his duties, giving Lucius a final look of disgust. "Heretic."

Lucius looked half ready to get up and chase after the girl, indecision clouded his eyes like a fog. The aged apothecary placed two metal hands on him, gently pressing him down on the surgical table. He pressed a few buttons and restraining clamps shot out over the young marine's limbs.
"I will operate on you, Neophyte Peris, and then when you awake you have much to explain.." Gaius voice drifted off as a cold point embedded itself into Lucius's bloodstream.

A few seconds later, his vision went black.

Leonidus swings his blade around in a fell arc, another of the foul Devil's heads torn away in a burst of inky ichor, to land in the dirt at his feet. Another of his guard had fallen, dismembered horribly by three of the damned things and their unnatural strength within moments. They had killed around eight of the things but they kept on coming, never hesitating, never fleeing. They were truly fearless. Another rushes him. Kicking out, he hears the Devil's knee breaking, the limb bending backwards with a sickening crunch. Not allowing any quarter, he sends his gauntletted hand darting foward, the beast's nose and jaw breaking under the impact. The creature stumbles backwards, trying despiratly to steady itself on its crippled leg. He had no mercy for such a abomination. With an amplified roar, he lunges foward to grasp the struggling creature by one of its long, knife-like horns. Breaking it free with a snap, he thrusts it into the mouth of the beast, the jagged blade tearing through the back of its neck as it claws futilely at his armoured torso. Within seconds the thing ceases moving, the life gone from its horrific form. Dropping its limp body to the floor, Leonidus spins around, hearing a great distorted bellow. Nocturnus Omega.

The great construct entered the whirling melee now, crimson scaled limbs sent flying with every sweep of its great, trunk-like arms. The thing was surprisingly quick for its size, darting from the path of charging Devils only to pulverise them moments later. The battle was slowly starting to turn their way.

Venetus moved to the higher-priority section of the apothecarium. Inside there were a few bodies, some missing limbs or chunks of their body. There was one however who had suffered altogether different injuries. His body had suffered lengthy torture and brutalisation. Apothecary Anvilus was tending to him. Sergeant.. Rorick, if he recalled correctly. The man was stable, for now.
"Venetus," Anvilus greeted the younger marine without pausing in his work.
"Gaius sent me," he growled. "That neophyte in the main theatre has some sort of despicable.. attachment to a human female."
Anvilus still did not look up or reply. He was a man of few words and everyone was accustomed to that. Venetus's brash nature however made him frustrated with the quiet apothecary's demeanour. He elaborated. "The neophyte has a.. physical relationship with the woman."
Anvilus raised an eyebrow but otherwise he still focused on treating Rorick. "No good will come of it."
"Damn right no good will come of it, I have half a mind to--"
Finally Anvilus looked up. "I am busy and there are many wounded," he said simply.
Venetus fumed. "Yes.. brother." With that, he turned and busied himself in his duties, starting work on preparing a marine for a bionic leg replacement.

Adric was getting irritated one of the damned creatures had tried to attack the nemesis's rear armor his blade made a superficial scar on him, but a scar nonetheless. Adric had picked up a plasma cannon and began firing on chunks of daemons. The searing hot molten plasma obliterating the monsters. His twin plasma guns where also rotating at furious speeds and where killing one after the other monsters.
He heard a vox coming in from aria saying. ''Master we are bringing in a thunderhawk to pick you up certain things have happened on the ship.''
Adric worried and gave the ok sign. Their ETA would be 20 minutes they only needed to hold out for 20 more damned minutes. He thought as one of the fiery monsters began climbing the nemesis only to be greeted by his boots.

Sergeant Tarvurk fired in all directions with his bolt pistol, leading the thirteen remaining space marines who fought in the trenches. This had been a terrible defeat. He couldn't recall on a battle so humiliating in his time attached to this company. He was just a vehicle sergeant, following orders of the commanding officer. But where was that officer, he wondered? Where was the captain when they had been slaughtered? Had it been the captain who ordered such a frontal or assault, or the lack of orders that resulted in one anyway? These questions were at the back of his mind as the red-scaled horrors assaulted their position once more. They pushed them back with bolter and blade from their makeshift redoubt, made from the bodies of allies and enemies alike. Ammo was running low and they would not survive another assault.

Salvation appeared in the form of a land raider, its hull scarred and damaged. Nonetheless, a multitude of extensive modifications were prudent on its form as a few figures, including the white armour of who could only be the apothecary, charged out and began fighting their way to their position.
"Marines, push forward!" Tarvurk shouted as he leapt clear of the body wall and made haste for their allies.

Yes, someone would pay for this failure. Perhaps the masters of the forge and apothecary would know who?

Lucius's eyes blinked open groggily. "Uhh.."
"Ah, you're back," Gaius observed, injecting him with a cocktail of what could've been painkillers or lemon juice for all the neophyte knew.
"How long was I under?"
"An hour and a half. It could've been less but I always prefer to be safe beyond reproach," the old apothecary smiled down warmly.
Lucius slid off the surgery table and steadiest himself on his feet. He looked down, admiring the venerable apothecary's handiwork. His left flank was patched up, almost appeared as if it had never been damaged. He presumed synthskin must have been applied.
"Be careful with that side, you've got a fair bit of new bionics in there - even the body of an astartes needs time to adjust. Whatever you got up to down there, you did a number on yourself. Your insides were a bit of a mess."
"As long as you're able to patch me up.." Lucius mumbled.
"One day I won't," Gaius said sternly. "Now, there's still the matter of that human woman. I want the truth - the whole truth and I want it now, neophyte," the apothecaries' warm bedside manner was all but gone, replaced with a cold, steely tone that could not be refused.

an hour and a half ago

The thunderhawk arrived in time along with aria's remaining land speeders they where touching down.
The men adric and leonidas rescued where also entering the thunderhawk and the land raider slid into the vehicle compartment.

10 minutes ago
The thunderhawk entered the cruiser. Leonidas left for the apothecarion nocturnes omega wouldn't be spotted as adric ordered all security cams to ignore his sight.
Adric was unleashing the nemesis from his sarcophagus and let him step out of the tank again. His body wasn't very used to walking but he managed.
Adric walked towards the apothecarion to look how Lucius was doing.

present

Adric entered the apothecarion only to see some apothecary standing over Lucius. He walked over to his and with a stern voice said. ''What are you doing here apothecary? shouldn't you be treating a patient?''
The apothecary was startled but stood before him with a stern face that said ''I wont leave'' adric took out his hand and pushed him away and said with a more angrier face ''Leave right now!'' the apothecary stood before him refusing to leave.

Einer heaved the rubble.off him, aided by Acharius. When they heard news of the bombarding, they had made all hasta fir cover. He and the Champion had dived inside the pipe. His squad hadn't made it. Now they were trapped. The Xenos creatures on one side of rubble, and an unending wall of debris on the other. There was no way out and no way they could all them alone.

Gaius frowned at the Master of the Forge's disrespect. Though the tech marine was taller than him in his power armour, the old apothecary was not phased one bit. He moved between the neophyte and tech marine.
"Yes, I do have a patient. He's right here and if you don't mind, this is my apothecarion. Are you injured?" Gaius demanded.
"No, but-" Adric grated but he was cut off.
"Then I must ask you to leave at once," Gaius's features turned to a wry smile. "Don't you have some vehicles to repair?"

Lucius found the Apothecary unnerving to say the least. His eyes stared through him like he was nothing but air.

"She... I..."

Lucius' mouth opened and closed. Sweat formed on his brow.

"It is a grave crime indeed. I have lost my training and have fallen in love with this women."

The apothecary turned.

"I was once a neophyte, Peris. I've heard far worse. I would expect better from such a fine specimen as yourself. Do some routine training to calibrate these new cybernetics."

Lucius looked up in relief.

"However, Lucius, I need to know whether this has to be referred to High Command. How far have you fallen?"

Lucius answered snappily. His words were false, but he needed to find her.

"Barely. She is nothing to me."

Gaius dismissed him.

"Where is Viola now?"

The apothecary told him he didn't know. Lucius stood on his feet and walked off with the Artificer, again talking about his new weapon design.

He shook his head. The boy had been lying through his teeth. But then, he had withheld the location of the woman. She had been taken to a cell in the brig, under armed guard. As grateful as he was that the disrespectful, arrogant tech marine had left with the neophyte, he hoped the young astartes wouldn't pick up any of his traits. To be an arrogant space marine was to fall from grace and be consumed by selfish thoughts and abusing the god-given gifts that have bestowed upon one. It was also a very dangerous situation indeed.

Leonidus was in his quaters now, the only place he could have perfect solitude, not even his guard were permitted to enter. The spacious room was bedecked with various trophies and some medals, all one over decades of loyal service to the Empire of man. He believed with all his heart in the teachings of the Emperor, he would never knowingly betray him. The one thing he could not fathom, was how what he did was bad, considered heresy even. Every experiment he created, including Nocturnus Omega, was done for the benefit of mankind. His titanic creation was now tucked away in his personal testing area, it understood the necessity of secrecy, especialy in the presence of other marines. The thing had shown a surprising level of sentience, it was capable of making split second tactical decisions from its own initiative and judgement. Stranger yet, it seemed to almost...imitate him, it copied certain mannerisms of his such as his tendancy to chuckle. He would keep a close eye on it.

Nocturnus Omega was a stepping stone, the first step on the path to true perfection and hybridisation of man and machine. He liked to think of it being to his next creations what the primarchs were to the marines. It was truly a marvel, but it was also unique and irreplaceable. He had managed to take half a dozen or so rebels on board with him. He had claimed they were for interrogation purposes. The equipment in the tent have been crude in comparison to what he had here. Here, he could really exercise his capabilities.

Opening his personal vox channel, Leonidus contacts Apothecary Gaius.

"Greetings Gaius. I trust the Neophite Lucius is well? I have been keeping a close eye on him. Contact me back when you can. I must talk to you about something."

Gaius sighed as Leonidus spoke over the comms as he finished treating a series of wounds and sent a marine on his way.
"Acknowledged."
Leonidus was a good surgeon and a skilled warrior - a worthy successor to him as chief apothecary. But there was something strange about the man, something mysterious. Gaius always sensed it. He had long since tried to find out, though he always wondered if he ever truly wanted to know what the man was hiding.
But whatever it was, he was sure it couldn't be good.

"Venetus, Anvilus, I am going to meet with the chief apothecary," he called, believing the other two to be more than capable of keeping things under control here. With that he made his way to Leonidus's quarters, preferring to speak in person. He disliked conversation where you could not look a man squarely in the eye.

Adric was walking with lucius allong one of the more secluded areas of the ship he began speaking ''You know lucius if you want i can look for that trophy of yours. If you give me a minute i can locate her and we will pick her up. But first i need to be sure that you are ok and that you don't feel anything for it.''

Krieg grinned in anticipation as he stared at the men 10 metres below him. Battling against the gale, they tried to make their way back inside after their routine patrol. The Marines dropped down amongst them, rockcrete and ice cracking beneath their feet. Krieg swung around, shattering one of the mens arm with his massive fist. The force of the blow slammed the soldier into a wall, pulverising his skull. Krieg swung back around, burying his other hand into another mans throat. He lashed his arm back, ripping his spine out, letting the rest of his body slump to the ground. The captain saw Kreig standing over two of his men, and shoated a warning to the rest of his men, as he raised his pistol.

Valthex pushed his chainblade up through the captains sternum, lifting him off the ground. With a dissimisive flick, he flung him into the wall, breaking his arm. The captain screamed in pain as his bones were shattered. With a jerk, he was hauled towards the bastion.Krieg felt the terror of the officer wash over him like and intoxicating wave, and he realished the sensation. He wanted to kill the man, slowly and excrutiatingly, but the rational side of his mind knew that he was needed. He grinned as the mortal tried to scramble away from him, screaming as bone fragments ground against each other. Krieg smiled at him, all hope of escape for the man was lost, but he still struggled, staring fearfully up at him.

"Restricted access. Band XK privalage required" croaked the robotic voice of the servitor, built into the massive circular door. Constanze sighed in impatience. A panel on the wall bore the scratched out symbol of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Krieg ripped it clear, wrenching the century old metal out of shape like it were paper. He grabbed a mechandrite cable and pulled it carefully towards the captains tear filled eye.

"Access Granted" croaked the servitor, as the super heavy door whined open. Constanze entered first, sweeping his meltagun from side to side.

"Clear" he growled.

Krieg tossed the Captain over the cliff, into the roaring storm below. The rest of the squad emerged silently from the darkness, and followed them inside.

Closing the vox link, Leonidus approaches the steel door to his quarters, and entering a six-digit code, the enterance hatch opens. Stepping outside, he sees the veteran apothecary aproaching. With a metalic click, Leonidus removes his skull-like helm, feeling the fresh air on his face for the first time in months, he only removed it when eating or when in conversation with someone who he respected. Gaius was one such individual. Leonidus' face was deathly pale, his dull eyes rested half closed, great black shadows around them. His shaven hair was a dark shade of brown.

"Ah Gaius, greetings. I have brought you here to disguss some important matters. I am keeping Lucius under close watch, has he yet recovered? I must also ask you, has he still been displaying...affection, for that wretch of a woman? It concerns me, as I'm sure it does you. Now I come to my final and most important point. I am currently engaged in...a project of sorts. This may sound strange, and if you do not want to be involved, walk away now, I will not hold it against you."

Gaius's intrigue peaked instantly, but he did not show it. "The neophyte shared physical interaction with the human woman, in the apothecarion no less. He claimed she meant nothing when I asked, but I know that is not so. I had the woman taken to a cell. As for Peris, he is well, though he is with Master of the Forge Adric. I fear in his unstable mental condition he may pick up some of Adric's less laudable traits."
Leonidus nodded. "I am glad to hear he has recovered well, but we will have to deal with that wench soon. Now, I respect you a lot, as does everyone. That is why I am offering you a chance to be a part of my project."
Gaius knew he had to find out what the chief was up to, though he knew it did not bode well. He was as uncomfortable about it as he was the man's large, lavish quarters. At least that's what they were compared to the tiny, barren quarters of all other marines.
"Leonidus, I cannot accept or refuse to be a part of something that I do not yet know of."

"Of course, of course. Well Gaius, if you insist. I believe the best way to explain, is to let you see with your own eyes. Now, if you will, come inside."

With that, Leonidus yet again enters the code, the door sliding open with a slight click. Stepping inside, he makes his way over to his personal laboratory, gesturing Gaius to follow, the veteran apothecary walking in after him.

"You see that?"

Omega's optic units glow a fell red.

"Say hello to the future Gaius."

The titanic construct rises to its feet, bionics and servos whirring quietly as it turns to face the newcomer.

Gaius glances over the massive human.. no.. machine.. construct rather. The skill put into it had to be admired but it was a terrible creation all the same.
"What is that? An augmented form of combat servitor?" Gaius asked.

"Not at all Gaius, something much, much more. Even I'm not sure what it is, it defies classification. It is no servitor, nor an AI. Calling it a merge of the two would be most accurate, it has two 'brains' , one organic, one fully mechanical, both interlinked. I'd rather not get into the details, it gets rather complex after that point. As you can see, one arm has been outfitted with a heavy bolter, modified to utilise my custom incindiary ammunition. It has been equiped with numerous surgical tools to aid me in my tasks of gene-seed extraction and surgery.

Turning to face Gaius, Leonidus chuckles quietly, the construct doing the same in an eerie, distorted manner.

"See how it copies and learns from me Gaius? It has taken strangly to imitating my mannerisms, a curious habit."

"So, Gaius, do you wish to learn more of my plans, or leave now? The choice is entirely yours."

He listened intently to his colleague speak. It was true, his creation was impressive. But it was vile and wrong. So very wrong. He highly doubted the man had been willing to be.. transformed into that. The way it mimicked Leonidus was sickening and eery. He knew he should report this to the company captain, or perhaps the ship captain immediately.. but, he had to know more. What was the extent of Leonidus's madness?
"Go on," he said simply.

Pacing back and forth, Leonidus again speaks to apothecary Gaius. Even without his helmet's advanced sensory equipment, he could sence the uneasiness in the veteran apothecary.

"So, brother, my plan is to create more. This shall be the forunner to the next generation of constructs. If you help, in any way you can, I will share with you the fruits of my labour. Will you aid me."

Gaius sighed. "I don't suppose you've got sanction for this line of experimentation," it was a statement, not a question. "Leonidus, I do not know what possessed you to create such a ghastly creature but I cannot allow it to continue. This is not our way. Leave the bio-monsters and twisted servitors to the priests of the machine gods."

His calm and relatively friendly demeanor gone, Leonidus turns back to the titanic construction looming behind him.

"I see brother. I had hoped it would not come to this. You are a veteran in my profession, Gaius, and I respect you. But I will not cease, not now that I am so close.

Tell me brother, what will you do now?"

Gaius was wary of his brother quite suddenly. He looked at the hulking construct, then back to the other apothecary. "What I must." He answered simply. With that he turned for the door.

"I am truly sorry brother."

With that, Leonidus draws his crackling powersword and steps foward, yet again donning his skull helm, eyes glowing blood red.

"I cannot allow you to reveal my activities. Please brother, I beg you, don't make me do something I don't want to."

"If you continue, I will have to end you."

Gaius turned, shaking his head. "Never in all my three-hundred and seventy-nine years have I heard of an astartes harming another." His eyes bored into the impassive red lenses of the skull helmet. Gaius knew he couldn't outrun the power armoured astartes - his bionic body simply wouldn't be capable of it. While he could attempt to fight, his bionics were build for finesse work and were fitted with tools that would help him do his duty. But he would not.
"You do not know how sad it makes me to see you raise that blade against a brother. If you are going to kill me, then I suggest you get it over with. I will not harm your or any other Astartes as long as I live. It is my duty to protect and heal our brethren, as is yours. You have forgotten that."
"I beg you again, Gaius, do not force my hand."
Gaius did not reply. Instead he pressed a finger against the comm bead embedded in his Lyman's Ear and began speaking. "Gaius to the bridge..."

"I will not kill you brother."

Mutters Leonidus quietly, pressing the activation rune on the blade's hilt.

"Do what you will. I will not harm another marine"

He says, sheaving the long blade and stepping backward.

"I will escape brother. I promice you that."

"Bridge acknowledging, what is it?" Gaius heard in his ear.
"Security to chief apothecary's quarters. There is a security hazard. Be prepared to apprehend the chief apothecary if necessary."
"Understood."
"You can try to escape, brother, but you can only run for so long," Gaius said.

The ships punched into real space with a roar of triumph. At least four score ramshackled vessels charged towards the planet above wich the night lords vessel hung. A mighty green scream of battle craze and hate rode on the power of their leader at the unsuspecting astartes. On the planet below, demons began to disspiate, leaving the remaining astartes to a fate even demons could not hold back. A fate of war.

The orks had come.

In the bowels of the cruiser, an angry neophyte by the name of lucius fell as a lance shot shook the shields of the strike cruiser, then a deluge more.The void shield failed as adric reached his command console, the ship was lost. Massive shuttles full of orks inpacted upon the ship, pouring the howling green warriors into a battle of closed corriodors and death.

The mighty battle servitor Nocturnus Omega rose into battle position, the screams of battle permeating the ship. It rushed out of the doors, confronting a squad of marines on security detail. They took one look at the massive machine then yelled for whoever was controlling it to follow them as they ran towards the closest breach. Leonidas saw them go.

Viola lay on the floor, tears streaming onto her jumpsuit. A tall marine stood outside the large bars keeping her in the cell. Eyes impassive but heart wrenching. He was one of the neophytes that had joined the company with Lucius and was a friend of sorts. It turned out that all of the neopyhtes in that batch's psycho indoctrination was flawed. They could all feel emotions other than loyalty. The marine shook his head and tapped his vox bead. "Brother lucius to the brig"

Then the ork burst in. The marine roared and charged, killing the hulking green monster in a few shots, holding the door over its body. He would defend the girl...for his friend.

On the planet below, massive roks rained down, pouring legions of orks onto the surface, mighty war machines and beasts marching with them as they began their rampage. In the city, things were getting hectic.

Constanze stalked the corridors silently, the gentle hum of his power armour was masked by the industrial sized ventilation whirring above his head. He crossed a large overhang, stalking the men below him. Their skin looked like dried, cracked partchment, and many wore robes similar to that of the tech priests of mars. Constanze was full of scorn for these soft-skins. The compartment was densely crowded with large screens and computer terminals, and they shuffled uncomfortabley around them. Constanze dropped silently, and grabbed one of them by the neck, almost breaking the creature in two as he hurled it through the main terminal screen.He lept at the next one, smashing his fist through it. He ran at the last one, which was nearing an elevator shaft, and crashed his massive boot into its side.

The bodies of the adepts lay face down on the floor, the top of each of their heads removed, and attached to Constanze's belt.

"You are done?" voxed Krieg impatiently.

Constanze wiped his blade across his helmet, "Clear" he replied.

Krieg dropped down from the elevator shaft, followed by the rest of the squad. Krieg walked to one of the terminals, its screen showed large objects entering orbit.

"Open all vox channels, find out whats going on out there"

Leonidus tore backwards, tearing the contents of the greenskin's head through its gaping mouth, its hulking body falling to the ground. The chaos had started so quickly, the orks breaching the cruiser moments from their arrival into realspace. The attack could not have been timed better, the veteran apothecary had called for security, too many for him to overpower. The orks presented a much more immediate threat however, they were flooding inside the cruiser at an alarming rate, with seemingly no end, and outnumbered the marines horribly. There looked to be no easy way out.

He had lost track of the apothecary and was accompanied now by his four guard, Nocturnus Omega and a dozen or so tactical marines. They needed backup.

Sahaal donned his armour as warning bells sounded, he opened his vox to Leonidas, "Brother, prepare your.... Machine.. to take that breach."

He strode swiftly down the halls, among the scrambling crew, he turned and saw the breach. It was a large hole, 20 or so marines had kept the Orks back for the last few minutes, the pile of bodies, limbs and organs at their feet was 4 feet high.
"Scramble all marines fit for combat, we must take this breach."

He strode up to next to Leonidas, the ork wave had broken, and the shuttle had been emptied. Just as the the shuttle was broken away from the hull, another slammed into place where it had been. "Brother, where is your construct?" He asked as he prepared to face the next wave.

Lucius followed Adric.

"We could try to retrieve your trophy, Lucius."

"She is not a trophy."

"She is. Surely you know that?"

"VIOLA IS NOT A TROPHY!"

The neophyte took a swing at Adric, but had the feet removed from the ground below him. He was pinned to the floor.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lucius was shackled in the brig. He had been imprisoned for no reason.

Boom.

A huge pulse rocked through the ship. The faint sound of crude chants and battlecries could be heard. A squad of marines ran past him. A single one stood in front of him.

"Lucius?"

The imprisoned neophyte immediately recognized the smooth tone of Sezar, a recruit who had been inducted alongside him.

"What, Sezar?"

Sezar showed Viola the imprisoned Lucius. She ran to him and began pick at the shackles.

"Ah greetings Sahaal, Nocturnus Omega is currently, with 2 of my elite marines and I believe 8 others, aproaching our position. They have just secured another such breach very nearby. They were perfectly able to eliminate the greenskins. there."

Just as he completes his sentance, numerous hatches all over the front of the crude shuttle burst open, numerous orks of various sizes pouring out. Raising his pistol, Leonidus instantly puts two bolts through an oncoming ork's head, its large, and partialy flaming, body falling to the ground, tripping a slightly smaller of its kind. The two remaining Nocturnus guard stood their ground perfectly, mercilessly slaightering greenskins left and right with salvos of incindiary rounds.

Adric evaded lucius's hit with ease but before he could calm him down a lance hit the ship.
He saw a group of marines running towards them and knew something bad was happening. He left lucius to be guarded by the astartes and left for his chambers.
After taking a right turn he suddenly saw a drop pod slamming into the ship and tons of orks began running towards him. His heavy flamer began incinerating orks by the dozen and the ones that got up close where thrown back by his servo arms.
He rushed towards his chambers to wake the nemesis after pushing aside another 2 orks he reached his chambers.
He grabbed the nemesis and his most important possessions in his servo arms and left towards lucius. They would need to either fight of the orks or get the trophy and get the feth out!

Leonidus had heard the chatter coming from a nearby section of the cruiser, neophite Lucius had managed to get himself into the brig, for what reason, he knew not. Probably going after that woman of his. His remaining guard and Omega had arrived moments ago, the breach had been delt with. Lucius was useful to him, and that doctor was important to Lucius, so they had to be both freed. There would likely be no guard, everyone would be far too busy combating the remaining orks.

The group move quickly down the steel corridors, astartes skillfully cutting down the undisciplined greenskins. Leonidus was chief apothecary, he knew most of the codes on the ship, those to the brig included. They were very near now, the orks had not seemed to have yet breached the holding areas. The brig was small, but effective, breaking out would be incredibly difficult if not impossible.

Lucius held Viola to him. He was free.

"Leonidas, what do you plan to do?"

"I will escape, and take you and her with me. However, it comes at a cost. You must give me your body. You shall become more powerful than you could as any Astartes. If you refuse..."

The huge warped body of Nocturnus Omega thrashed wildly. Leonidas stuck out his hand. Viola looked at Lucius.

"Don't do it. Don't."

Lucius stuck out his hand. Tears poured from her eyes as the 2 marines shook.

"I loved you."

Lucius held Viola to him, eye to eye.

"They will kill both of us if I refuse. Let it go."

Tears ran down her cheeks. She silently followed him.

"So, Leonidas, how are we getting out?"

"We shall make our escape in me and my guard's personal dreadclaws. Me, my four guards and Omega shall go in mine, while you, your...woman, Adric, Gaius and Nemesis shall go in my guard's. We must go now."

With that, the group sprint back down the corridor, towards Leonidus' dreadclaw ports.

Adric found his way to the docks he had met up with aria a couple of minutes ago and they where moving towards the location leonias had confirmed.
They arrived at the docks seeing some greenskins looking at the dreadclaws trying to find where the weapons were.
He killed them with relative ease and stood guard awaiting leonidas's arrival.

Sahaal fired off parting shots to the Xenos before he followed the Apothecary as he strode away. He knew that the ship was going to be destroyed, and was determined not to be lost with it. He followed Leonidas down to the brig, where he liberated the neophyte, and the girl. He followed him further, and saw that his friend's plan was similar to his own. As he neared the marine he called out.
"Leonidas!"
The Apothecary turned to see that Sahaal had followed him. "Why take the dreadclaws? Follow me".

"What do you have which is better than my personal dreadclaws brother?"

Says Leonidus as he turns towards Sahaal, as he puts an incindiary round through an oncoming greenskin's neck, separating its head from its torso in a burst of gore.

"We must go urgently."

+++1.5 hours earlier+++

The bodies were arrayed as best they could be, many lying in multiple pieces. Morias sighed deeply. Many of those men had been good friends of his. He couldn't recall such a disastrous drop pod assault in his entire life. His squad was decimated and heavens only knew where Haestus and Archaeus were, Emperor preserve their souls. He observed Tyceus and Kurnar in solemn discussion a few metres away. Were they all that remained of the Ghosts? If they survived this bloody ordeal they'd have a batch of new recruits to contend with. New recruits were always so eager, arrogant and inexperienced. He needed warriors that he could rely on. As that thought crossed his mind he looked over the five remaining marines of Lazevar's squad. They were experienced. With both Tullius and Lazevar dead, it fell to him to take command of their forces.

Less than a third of the men that were in the drop pod assault remained, and he suddenly questioned the captain's tactical acumen. There had been no reconnaissance, no stealthy drops far from the target. No, they had made a full frontal assault. Intel had said that resistance would be light and the enemies would fall easily; even so they should have been far more cautious. They had paid the price for Sahaal's overconfidence. He felt anger welling up inside him, but suppressed it. These men needed him to keep a cool head if he was going to lead them out of here. Taking a glance at where his hopelessly damaged helmet had been discarded, he mused how close he had come to death at the claws of that foul beast. By the Emperor, he would find out where they had come from and have vengeance upon its kind.

“Sergeant! I've found something!” Tyceus called
Morias turned and hurried over to where Tyceus was standing. “What is it?”
“There is a pathway here, but it is sealed off.”
“Can we break through?”
“I doubt it, though the meltagun should clear us a path through.”
“Get to work.”
There was a hiss as the heavy plated door set beneath the control hub bubbled away slowly. It was as resilient as the rest of this place. Morias left Tyceus to it and headed over to the last of squad Lazevar. They all looked at him expectantly. He looked each of them over before speaking.
“Toban Lazevar was a great man, brilliant sergeant and close friend to us all. His death, and the deaths of so many of our brothers this day is a terrible blow to the company. But they shall live on when their gene-seed is passed to the next generation of neophytes and the Emperor shall watch over their eternal souls.” There were a few nods of approval amongst the despondent faces looking at him. “I know that I cannot replace Toban. But I ask that you follow me this day and to the death if necessary.”
“You know you do not have to ask,” said Logan, the eldest of the survivors. “Our lives are yours.”
“Aye,” agreed another. An appreciative smile played on Morias's face.
“I am glad to hear that. I know many battle-brothers have died this day, but have faith and we shall prevail my friends. Prevail and bring righteous vengeance upon the despicable traitors who would dare waste the lives of the Adeptus Astartes!” He roared, slamming his fist against his chest plate. The men of squad Lazevar echoed the soldier's salute simultaneously.
“Come, we still have much work to do,” Morias said.
“Not so hasty, sergeant. This is yours now,” Logan said, holding out Lazevar's sheathed sword. “Your own blade has been destroyed. He would've wanted you to have his.”
There was a pause, before Morias reached out and took it, fixing it to his belt. Kenov, the youngest marine present, also held out something: Lazevar's pistol. Morias took it silently and replaced his own ruined sidearm with it. “I swear that I will use these weapons to avenge our honoured dead,” he promised.

"Adric, take my guard and Nocturnus Omega to the first dreadclaw."
He gestures towards the nearest dreadclaw, his secondary one.

"Lucius, you and your...woman will go in my personal dreadclaw. I want to keep an eye on you."

"Agreed?"
Leonidus shouts over the deafening noise of explosions and collapsing cruiser.

Lucius ran towards the Dreadclaws.

"We perish or we flee!"

He yanked on Viola's arm, tugging her to the vehicles. They both loaded in next to each other. As the rest of the marines jumped in, the engines began to scream.

Adric agreed but before they left he said. ''Leonidas please take aria with you. He is a good friend and a valuable asset please take him in your personal dreadclaw we don't have any more time'' Adric said as another group of orks where rushing towards them.

"Of course. Good luck brother Adric."
Mutters Leonidus, pulling Aria inside the dreadclaw. As the enterance hatch closes.

Within moments, the transport was off, the vox links told him all was going well on the second. After the initial rumbling, there was next to no noise but gentle rumbling of the dreadclaw's inner workings, the vehicle was only illuminated by several dimly glowing lights.

"We have to go captain!" Raalen shouted. "Damn it, Fargoth, get up!"
"Go! Get out of here, I'm not leaving," said captain Fargoth Xenon with cold finality. A pair of serfs ran onto the bridge.
"Captain Xeron, the ship is lost. The greenskins are advancing upon this position."
"Acknowledged. Hold them back as long as you possibly can."
"Yes sir," the serf's replied, charging their lasguns to full power and fearlessly returning down the corridor they had come from.
Xenon quickly looked over the reports on his personal feed, the information appearing over his vision. Not good. Not good at all. He could feel the very ship aching in pain around him; the great tears in its metal flanks like bullet wounds through his chest. One of the cables attached to his armoured body burst free with a hiss as the ship shook violently again.
"Get up! Get up, Emperor curse you!" Raalen shouted. He was Xenon's first officer, a hardy marine that had never failed him.
"We can't escape, Raalen. This ship will be our tomb," he said simply.
Raalen snarled and punched the wall angrily, then racked the slide on his bolter. "We've commanded this ship for twenty-one years, and you're just going to let it end now?!"
"There's nothing I can do!" Xenon snapped. "Are all the drop pods and small craft clear yet?"
"Yes sir," came a reply from somewhere.
"Good. Helm, set a collision course for the largest enemy vessel."
"Acknowledged. Setting course," came the monotone reply of the servitor wired into the station.


Sparks flew and bulk heads exploded as a shell impacted nearby. A servitor station to the left blew out in a fiery spread of gore. The hull strained in agony as its one remaining engine and the thrusters struggled to turn it. But turn it did, Midnight's Glory refusing to die without killing more enemies. Its last lance battery spewed out a beam of light that tore into a small ork corvette before a storm of fire raked the side of the ship and took it out. Screams and gunfire echoed down the corridor, soon disappearing under the sheer volume of the ork warcries. Raalen bellowed a curse and his bulky frame filled the doorway, bolter barking until its clip was empy. He dropped it and pulled out his bolt pistol and combat blade, shooting one, two, three orks, his blade slicing through the skull of another before he was overwhelmed and brought down, five orks pinning him and cutting him apart. Raalen spat acid into the eye of one and it whelped in agony before another brought a crude warhammer down on the first officer's skull, smashing brains over the floor. Orks piled into the room, cutting down serfs and servitors mercilessly as a huge greenskin entered and moved to face Xenon who sat stoically in his command chair.
"You lose, spehss mahreen!" Warboss Skullmasha roared triumphantly as he plunged his crackling power claw through Xenon's chest. The warboss was confused as the marine before him simply looked up and smiled at him.
Xenon lurched forward, impaling himself further on the claw and grabbing hold of the ork's jagged metal jaw replacement, messily pulling it free and taking hold of the ork's head and twisting it round. They both fell to the ground, the warboss screaming incoherently as he struggled, his eyes alight with horror as he was forced to look out the bridge window.
"No," Xenon whispered. "You lose."

The large, metal form of Warboss Skullmasha's personal flagship was the last thing he saw as Midnight's Glory cut into it jaggedly before erupting in a massive explosion.

"No word from Midnights glory, must be the storm." muttered Sevetaar.

"We move then" growled Krieg. With a shuddering clang, the Elevator doors opened. Half a dozan stormtroopers opened fire. Las fire, bright and furious hammered the marines.

Krieg snarled as the blast of a combat shotgun peppered his armour. The powerful kick of the weapon was unable to knock him back even a step, and he charged through the hail of fire. A melta gun seared past his shoulder, instantly melting the elevator. It's floor caved in below it, melted by the tremendous heat. Three of the troopers were caught in the blast, as the other two dove behind a console. Krieg smashed his fist into the console, tipping it over ontop the men. The multi-tonne terminal crushed one of the troopers from the waist down. The other trooper dove away, into Constanze. Grabbing and twisting his arm, Constanze threw his Helgun away and turned to Krieg

Krieg crashed his fist into the back of the troopers skull, knocking him out.

"Skin him, but let him live a little longer. We may have a use for him"

The Dreadclaw was almost silent, only disturbed by the whimpering of Viola. Lucius turned to her.

"What's wrong? You're alive."

She simply turned her head to Lucius and back.

"I can't even look at you. You practically destroyed your body."

The shuttle began to enter the atmosphere. Retrothrusters started to kick in.

Thud.

The hatches of the Dreadclaw burst.

The dreadclaw had landed.

With a metalic hiss, the transport raises itself up onto mechanical legs, the exit iris opening slowly. The group descended.

The surrounding landscape was quite desolate, dry with the occasional patch of grass. The middle of nowhere. The secondary dreadclaw had landed several moments earlier, its inhabitants were standing there, waiting.

"Where to, everyone?"

Lucius staggered out of the pod, his cybernetics still uncalibrated. He was out here with Leonidas, unarmed, unarmoured. Viola still cried. He held her and gave her a single kiss on her head.

"We'll be fine. I swear."

Lucius turned to Leonidas, who now had a huddle growing around him. He joined and began to listen to the plan.

"I say we head North, my helmet's sensors are picking up vox chatter in that direction. Any other ideas?"

Mutters Leonidus walking over to the dreadclaw to collect his equipment.

"Lucius, why is this.....Viola of yours, so on edge?"

"No reason. Sir, have I got any equipment?"

"Indeed Lucius, what kind of personal dreadclaw would it be if it didn't have spare equipment?"

With that, Leonidus walks over to the dreadclaw and tears off a small hatch. Inside lies two bolt pistols, a bolters, two combat knifes and a chainsword
.
"Take your pick Neophite."

Says Leonidus as he slowly starts walking north.

Lucius took both the Bolt Pistols. He wasn't bothered with accuracy. He just needed to make sure whatever he faced was dead.

"There. Shall we begin moving, Apothecary?"

The group began to walk to the north, Viola next to Lucius. The sound of crude engines and savage chants grew louder.

Bright light was all he could see. Closing his eyes still did nothing to relieve the intense blank canvas that was his vision. He felt around blindly looking for something to prompt himself up. A brisk wind swept over him, grains of sand pushing onto him. He knew now that he had somehow made his way to the surface. He could feel the warmth of fire around himself, flickering up to meet his every step. It felt welcoming, as if it was greeting him, embracing his every touch. The raging fire around him infact was washing over his body.

The ship had crashed somewhere in the desert, the barren landscape where the forges of this world had not destroyed. Rorick was inside the carcass of the aircraft, only part of it remained intact, the rest of it was strewn across the sand leaving a trench where it had slid along the soft dunes. The fires died down with the wind supressing it back into the earth.

Rorick was still feeling his way through the rear of the cargo bay until his foot had kicked something. He knelt down, feeling something rough realising it was the scorched remains of the load master. He felt down to his hip grasping the handle of a bolt pistol. He also carefully removed the dead man's armour, just the chest piece which he lowered around his neck. It was a tight fit but would have to suffice. Had he caused this?

All he remembered was that sick feeling of falling. Then the sudden jolt. Whatever happened there was no point feeling sorry for it. He had to move, so he felt the walls of the trench they had created, hoping for some bearing. He found a vox unit and an auspex radar.
"All callsigns this is Claw One Zero".

No response. All he could do now was wait. He tightened the makeshift cloth around his waist, listening to the roaring wind brushing the desert sand against his face.

The dreadclaw touched down the nemesis was standing next to him aria was shielding his other side.
He heard leonidas speak about heading north and adric gave his opinion. ''Well brother it would be the most sane choice as i still need to find the idiotic mechanicum commander who allowed his men to go rogue. But! I think it would still be better to first get some transportation.''
Adric said as he looked at the nemesis, adric had given him carapace armor to keep him alive and after giving him the bolter. He said to leonidas through a personal vox. ''And leonidas i think it would be best to seperate lucius from his trophy he is getting a little handy i will take him with him you keep an eye on it.''

"All ZZZ callZZZs thZZZ is Claw OnZZZ ZeroZZZ"

Einer snapped up, activating the vox system.

"Claw One Zero this is Brother Sergeant Einer of Claw Zero Three. I have Brother Champion Acharius, we acknowledge!"

There was a pause.

"EinZZZ pleaZZZ ZZZpeat. We did ZZZ catch that, we ZZZ not caZZZ that!"

Einer shouted his reply.
"We are trapped in a collapsed tunnel near the city. My squa-"

"Einer you musZZZ ZZZepeat!"
"Hello? Can you hear me?"
"Einer?!"

The link disconnected, the signal lost.

They had started their journey North, trudging through the warm sand. There were bodies now, the brutalised corpses of rebels lay mutilated in the sand. They had obviously encountered a band of orks out here, the battle had been one sided.

Looking to the horrizon, he sees the form of a large warehouse, likely abandoned. They would head towards it.

"This way."

The band scrambled to the building. There they began to hatch a plan. The marines rotated guard positions. The sky was soon dark, littered with thousands of stars.

Lucius and Viola were being sternly watched by the other Night Lords, under the orders of Leonidas. If they tried to come closer, they were barged apart. As the warehouse grew darker and darker, their thoughts began to brew. Lucius thought about Viola; about whether he was a traitor and what he could do. Then his mind swerved to his biological impulses.

"What's the worst that could happen? Surely it's normal behaviour?"

Lucius became desperate. He began to stand.

Leonidus could hear the neophite Lucius stand.

"Something on your mind, Neophite?"

Says Leonidus, turning quickly.

Darius watched as the monstrous devils dissipated, wondering where the terminator pup had gone. How that boy had ever made squad leader, much less terminator eluded him. His eyes turned to the sky, looking into the large greyish blue sky. No clouds obscured his vision, but the screams of a man torn in half filled his ears. Oh how he loved the sounds after battle, even if it was his own troops making them. "Aide, head count!" His voice boomed. The self appointed helper jogged up. "Fifty five hale and harty Bloody Aquilias my lord. Another three are wounded and six dead." Darius nodded, the losses were minimal due to the aid of the terminators. "My lord, we're reciving radio chatter from non-imperial sources in close proximity to the planet...it looks like orks...a lot of orks" The voice of the soldier left in the comms center crackeled through his helmet. Orks, bloody brilliant. He hated the bastards. Had to fight them more than anything else. Of course, he hated almost anything he had to fight, made it die faster. Scraping his combat blade from its sheat, he turned to his aide. "Any aircraft nearby?"

The large civilian cargo craft hovered above the building, soldiers loading the weapons and supplies brought down with the stormbirds into it. Two smaller Imperial army craft were loaded with soldiers, guns at the ready. The ork roks around them, spilling their green contents. Shootas were being fired off and chants of 'OrksOrksOrks' were filling the streets. Darius had restocked his supply of bolter ammo and had made sure that all the men were secure. They would soon leave. The old marine, a vereran of battles against the Orks, knew that they should travel to the north as ork spores required fertile warm lands to germinate and grow into bloodthirsty xenos. Yes, bloodthirsty, axe weilding, waaaghing xenos. The craft took off.

They skimmed over the ground, the light guns on the doors of the troop transports suppressing the orks charging at the small compound. It was just outside the city and full of traitors...and a baneblade. Two large missiles detached themselves from the wing of the craft Darius currently sat in and blew a chunk of the large plascrete wall down. The orks below yelled in anger and triumph even as the heavy bolters chewed them to tiny green bits. The compund was soon swamped, but the massive tank smashed its way through the green horde and flew off into the plains. Darius looked on and couldn't stop a chuckled escaping from his lips. He then wondered how the terminators were doing, they had left them back in the city to look for their leader. He supposed that they would be fine.

The air was getting progressivley colder, the three large transports in a tight inverted V with the civilian freight craft at the front. Small bullet holes pocked each of them, a legacy of a desperate flyby of an Ork force. They killed a lot of orks, at least, more than the orks killed of them. Darius lifted his hand from the head of a now dead soldier, he had asked for the 'paragon' of the emperor to stand by him in his final hours. Darius had. The boy was missing half his face and was colder than an angry fenerasian woman. He was stripped of all useful equipment and thrown out the back of the ship. He had at least had the Aquilia carved upon him to carry into whatever lay after this life. Darius shook his head, that was a thought for another day.

The snow whirled around the soldiers, huddled into tight squads with the tall marine and his arc light leading them. The aircraft flew far behind. The troops had been dropped due to the detection of a large enemy outpost, the may have had anti-aircraft weapons and so Darius thought it best to attack on foot. It was a sound idea. The outpost was large enough to house them all and the ships, allowing them to set up and get ready for any attack. "There" A soldier yelled above the raging blizzard, eyes hidden behind green goggles. "I see the main enterance, heavy bolter....looks like there is a patrol moving in" Darius nodded and waved his troops back, placing the large arclight down in the snow as to muffle its guiding light. He stepped over it and moved forwards, bolter out and a frag in his hand. As the lead soldier smashed the security code into the panel next to the large armoured door, Darius had placed down his bolter and drawn his knife. The short sword sized weapons sat snugly in his guantlated fist, ready. As the door swung open, the knife flew out like a spear, taking one man in the stomach and sparing through into the other. The massive force shocked them so badly that they didn't even scream. Though the man on the inside did. A frag grenade soon sorted him out. The men poured in.

The facility was soon theirs. The large hanger built into the side of a sheer cliff acoomodated their air support nicely, and the mess hall made for a good execution area. The enemy lined up against the wall, the loyalists standing, lasguns levvled. They were dead in moments, clean shots stealing their traitorous lives. Darius started yelling for somone to clean up.

Sahaal had made it to the hangar and to his personal Storm Eagle just in time. As he departed the ship, it flew into the main ork cruiser and detonated, rocking his small gunship heavily, but he made it out of the harmful range of the blast. He entered orbit a few minutes later and opened a vox. "Leonidas, give me your coordinates, I made it out." Just as he spoke, several crude fighters came in on his tail, and he knew he had to get out fast. He employed evasive maneuvers, but he could not shake the rough planes that tailed him. The gunship's left engine burst in a rain of fire, destabilizing it. Sahaal excepted the loss of the ship, and opened the front hatch. He moved down, but before his jump pack had ignited, the gunship slammed into a ruddy looking warehouse, detonating in a fireball and throwing Sahaal through the roof, into the unconsciousness which awaited him at the floor below

Rorick felt up and down his right arm. It had been totally encased in a hardened rock exterior. He could still feel his arm underneath the rough black shell, it pricked with heat and felt like an oven inside. The rock exterior was impossible to remove no matter how much he tried. He simply widdled away the hours picking at it and flexing his hand inside.
"Claw......zero..."
He snatched up the handset, hearing the first transmission in hours.
"Claw one zero here!"
"One zero this is zero three, SITREP?"
"I am the only suvivor, the entire crew was wiped out in the crash, emergency signal has been activated on channel 3- alpha- 9, are you recieving?"

"Sir, I don't need to be bottle-fed and hawked over like some sort of infant. I'm responsible enough to keep myself in check."

The ancient apothecary tutted.

"No, Lucius. You cannot be trusted with Viola."

The neophyte glared at him. He needed to get out of the main hall with Viola.

Adric walked towards viola and began talking ''I have aq question for you where did you find lucius and why did you come with him if this is some sick perversion i'll make sure to dispatch of you immediately.''

"I know what you want to do neophite. I would'nt do that if I were you."

Chuckles Leonidus, taking his seat on some old steel crate.

"Don't even try."

"What are you going to do to stop me?"

The neophyte grabbed Viola's arm and dashed into hiding. The great armoured bulk of the other marines were cumbersome and slow compared to the unimpaired Lucius.

At last they slipped away into an empty unlit room. They embraced each other and began.

"WRONG MOVE NEOPHITE."
Bellowed Leonidus, his amplified voice echoing throughout the huge structure. Spinning around, he adresses his guard and Omega.

"We all spread out, if you find them, restrain them and bring them here."
All five figures nod before each going in the neophite's general direction. Their superhuman sences would soon detect the worms.

The two were locked in their own world. They began removing each others' clothes.

"Ready?"

They came into contact. Lucius never wanted to leave. They were one, truly together.

Leonidus and his men began kicking down doors systematicly, or in Omega's case, ripping them from their hinges. Even with all five of them, the building would take a while to fully cover. But in the end they would find them. And the neophite would wish he had never been born. The wench on the other hand, would be left to his men. They were the three people he had ever met that were most like him. That would not bode well for her. Not well at all.

His men had narrowed down their location. Slowly and surely, they were closing in.

"I'M COMING NEOPHITE."

Lucius was in euphoria. He didn't care for the consequences of his actions; only he and Viola mattered.

"I think I love you."

The doctor smiled. They held each other closely.

"NEOPHYTE!"

The door frame was flooded with light. In it stood Leonidas and Adric.

"gak."

With a deafening laugh, Leonidus grabs hold of the closest figure, the wench, while Adric picks up the struggling Neophite. Chuckling, the two astartes drag the worms back to the main hall, his guard and Omega already waiting there.

"Do what you will."
Mutters Leonidus, tossing the pathetic form of Viola to his three marines, who drag her down through a nearby corridor.

"As for you, scum."
He turns to Lucius.

"I think its time for you to deliver on you end of the secape bargain. Oh no, I won't make you a servitor. Much worse."

Lucius found himself pinned to the table. His mouth was gagged.

"If you had waited, we could have given you a good operation, rather than this crude temporary mindlock. But you and that witch..."

He pulled out an ancient rust encrusted scalpel.

"It'll do."

Given the crude conditions, the procedure was much more difficult, keeping the neophite alive was hard. If he died, it would all fail.

He could not do all he had wanted to here, but he would make a start. Adric hands him the neuro-router, the vital piece for the procedure, and he begins implantation, Omega's medical tools slowly whirring into life.

--Two hours later--

It had been hard, the neophite's blood stained the table, floor and Leonidus' armour. The screaming from down the corridor had ended ten minutes or so ago. Wench..
Standing up from his crate, Leonidus aproaches Lucius' prone form. The chemicals keeping him uncontious were wearing off. Looming inches from his still face, Leonidus shouts,

"AWAKEN NEOPHITE. IT IS COMPLETE."

The neophite stirred.

"Yes, sir?"

Lucius' voice was cold and metallic. His body moved clumsily about. The pain that ran through his body didn't matter. He was merely alive, his emotions were suppressed by the implant for now.

"The upgrade is satisfactory."