Sector: Daramul
World: Kalassioan VII
Status: Hell World

The invasion force came out of no where, engulfing the planetary defenses within days. Cities fell one after another as the skies burnt red with blood. Imperial ships fell from the sky like a hellish rain, peppering the surface with fiery wreckage. Forests reduced to nothing more then desolate wastelands covered in a blanket of ash. The human defenders were slaughtered in the millions upon millions. Nothing stood in the way of the attackers.

This world, belonged to Chaos now.

The armies that attacked the planet was dedicated to the Chaos God Khorne, spilling blood in his name and claiming skulls for the mighty skull throne. The sky of the world that was once a brilliant green was now a dark crimson red that seemed to burn and smolder as great clouds of smog and smoke shifted across it. Great legions of Chaos Guard marched across the lands, claiming once great imperial bastions and cities as places of dark worship and military bases. War bands of Chaos Space Marines mopped up and destroyed any survivors on the planet or captured them as slaves to their cause. Hordes of cultists and sorcerers converted brilliant churches into demonic temples where they took up ceaseless prayer. Performing dark rituals and summoning warp storms to form a protecting ring around the planet.

Any large fleet that entered these storms would be sent into dismay and would be quickly torn apart by the chaos ships that orbited the planet. Countless attempts to retake the planet were made, with none finding success. Millions of Guardsmen were lost, either to the cold vacuum of space as theirs ships met their doom or by the hands of the dammed warriors that met them on the surface. A company of Space Marines found their end when they came against the personal army of the Chaos Lord that now controlled the planet. A vast valley filled with the blood of these great warriors, a tribute to Khorne.

A final attempt to reclaim the planet was to be made. Any large force was drawing to much attention and would be quickly eliminated. A team of Space Marines were to be sent down as a covert operation. Their mission, to destroy the Chaos Lord leading the mighty armies of the Chaos Legion. Once this high value target was removed then a main strike force of Imperial Guard was to land on the major continent, Valona, near its capitol. Retaking the capitol, they would set it up as their forward base and drop zone. The Space Marine Chapter, The Lost Wolves, would send down a company to the planet as the spear head for the next attack. The soldiers of the Imperium now with a strong hold on the surface, would drive the Chaos back, with a few companies marching in sequence to move the Chaos armies into kills zones.

The covert team of Space Marines had a number of other objectives that had to be completed if the plan was to go ahead. First was to plant explosives in the main anti air platforms that were located near the capitol. These hidden charges would be blown once the next objective was completed as to act also as a distraction.

The second objective was to destroy and burn three temples in the capitol that were housing the cultist and sorcerers creating the warp storms above the city. With these storms dissipating, the Imperial Forces could make its de-sent unhindered, other wise they would be surely destroyed like all other attempts to land so far.

Final objective so far was to then eliminate the Chaos Lord. His exact location is unfortunately unknown. The only knowledge that has been obtained is that he is indeed on the main continent and believed to be in or near the capitol city.

A small force of fighters and frigates will draw attention from the Chaos fleets above the planet as a single craft will be flown as close to the planet as is possible and a drop pod containing the covert team will be dropped on to the surface. An orbital strike will also take place at this point to act as a decoy on the surface, causing panic in the troops in that area. The drop pod should be seen as just another orbital missile and be mostly ignored. All broad casting equipment will be disabled as to not give any chance of having locations pinpointed by enemy and communications will only be sent once the final objective is completed.

Through Fire and Ash

A lone ship thundered past a view port, carrying its pay load towards the planet surface. A single imperial soldier looked out as the Thunder Hawk sped away, within its belly sat the last hope for this world. This was the last sight to fill the soldiers eyes as the ship around him shook with such a ferocious intensity as it broke apart, acting as a decoy while the Thunder Hawk flew on unnoticed.

Captain Vires Corvus sat in silence, as did the wrest of his squad. He was to lead a small group of Space Marines to Kalassioans surface and move to destroy the Chaos lord controlling this world. Vires was a hardened veteran, held within Terminator armor, a mighty hero of the imperium. No better choice could have been made for the man to lead this mission. He was an unstoppable force and a powerful leader, a man forged within the fires of war sent to complete the most impossible objectives his chapter could throw at him. His eyes looked to the faces of his men, seeing the honor and faith he felt inside him self as they waited for deployment.

The lights in the drop pod went red and made the interior look like a furnace, signaling is readiness to be dropped. Corvus squad listened as the pilot wished them luck, then they felt themselves fall.

Through the black and red burning sky, the drop pod fell like a great stone down to the surface. The marines barely flinched as they plummeted down and with a sudden explosion of sound the pod hit the ground and the doors burst open on explosives bolts. Disembarking rapidly and precisely, the squad formed up and surveyed their nearby area.

“No signs of enemies sir” came a shout from Brother Uller
“Area is secure”

With a bark, Corvus replied, “Right, we move out then. Keep your heads down and watch for enemies. Remain unseen, nothing can know that we are here, kill anything that spots us. Leave nothing”

The drop pod had hit in between two burnt out buildings, providing excellent cover to the squad as they had disembarked, but their safety was short lived. A scream from Corvus rear brought his attention upon two Cultists as they rounded another near by building. Cleon Styphus lay on the ground, un moving, a lucky shot from the cultists had brought the scout down. The squad backed away, ducking behind a wall while Corvus opened fire with his Storm Bolter, puncturing a hole in one of the cultists chests the size it its own head. Arrius Admantis fell down next to his fellow scouts body and heaved him onto his shoulders, refusing to leave a man behind.

“BLOOD!!”

A fearsome roar came from behind Corvus, spinning him around again to lock eyes with a cultist and Khorne Berserker running at him through a trench only meters away. A searing heat clawed at Corvus as a Laz Gun shot him next to the head, warming his skin but doing little else.
With another sharp yell Admantis fell to the ground, as the remaining cultist attacking the scouts scored a hit on his leg, bringing him to the dirt along with Styphus. Luthor Hedron stepped up with pistol raised, firing off a shot at the cultist as he helped Admantis to his knees and onto his own back allowing him to get the scout to safety.

Drawn to their captain by the Berserkers roar, Brothers Uller and Invictus came into step next to Corvus, and opened fire along side him. A round from Corvus’s storm bolter took the cultist head clean off as the Berserkers torso melted away from a blast out of Invictus’s plasma gun.

Behind them Antenor Morgan and Gillin Arrion rounded the corner of a large bolder, bringing guns to bare upon two cultists trying to flank them. Morgans bolter rounds tore the first cultist into ribbons while the other screamed in agony as searing hot promethium engulfed his body from Arrions flamer.

Dark shapes began to move at the end of the trench, and as three more Berserkers came running at the Space Marines down the narrow passage.
“Die you Chaos scum!” Shouted Corvus as he charged at the new enemies, firing his storm bolter wide as if almost wanting to miss as the Berserkers pistol fire spattered around him. The forward Berserker fell to the ground, brought down by Brother Invictus, its body acting a small rise for Corvus to launch his bulk from, barreling into the second Berserker and tearing through its chest with his power sword.

The last Berserker lunged at the Captain, attempting to cut into his skull with its chain axe, but again the warrior was met with Corvus’s sword and its head was thrown from its shoulders with a powerful swing.

The Marines, began running to the rally point marked in their read outs by their Captain, as the last cultist shriveled under Invictus’s plasma fire. With Uller and Hedron carrying the scouts, the marines made their way away from the drop site, things were off to bad start.