chazz huggins wrote:Commissar Jethro Alenko looked off into the darkness the hive’s streets. The flood lights of inquisition’s forward base rebelled against the corrupting abyss of the upper hive, however they barely managed to illuminate ten paces from the compound’s walls. From the darkness Alenko could hear all manner of noises, the distant crack of las and auto fire, the occasional explosion that illuminated the black oppression for seconds at a time, and the hideous howl of yet unidentified origins. Jethro took a deep breath, his rebreather filtering out dozens of harmful airborne particles. Since the Nurgle’s rot had taken nearly two hundred convicts rebreathers had become mandatory to wear at all times, the punishment for any man being caught without a mask was a three days in quarantine without food. Alenko stared deep into the abyssal streets and felt as if a knife had been twisted in his gut. Alenko swore he heard a silent whisper cry from the unknown: a horrid beckoning he would have no part of.
“Under the crimson fog of a winter dawn, a black regiment marched over Iron Bridge. I had not thought death had undone so many.”
The voice of Captain Amanda Kid caught the Commissar off guard. She wore a rebreather similar to Alenko’s only hers was silver to match her carapace armor. Alenko turned to Kid and recited.
“So come now sons and daughters of Mordia, let us strike one final blow against the void and rejoin our comrades forever more.”
Kid removed her mask and approached the commissar.
“I had not realized you were a coinsure of Mordian poetry.”
“It was always a bit macabre for my liking I much prefer the works of Faust.” Spoke Alenko
“Oh, would you care to share one with me?”
Alenko broke his gaze from the black shadowed streets and recited staring deep into the Captain’s eyes.
“I cannot rest from travel: I will drink Life to the lees: as all times I have enjoy'd Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those That loved me, and alone, on shore, and when Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Armageddon Vext the dim upon the void.”
Kid took a step towards Alenko and removed the commissar’s rebreather lingering near him. Alenko continued breath unburdened.
“I am to become a name; For always roaming with a hungry heart. Much have I seen and known; cities of men and manners, climates, councils, governments, Myself not least, but honour'd of them all; And drunk delight of battle with my peers, Far on the ringing plains of Gallor Prime.”
Before the Commissar could speak another word Amanda pressed her lips on his.
3434 watched as 1597 exited the medical tent. It had been nearly two weeks since the failed attack where 1597 lost his leg. Where 1597’s leg was replaced by a crude metallic peg forcing the former Faustian to walk with a limp. 3434 laughed at his friend.
“What in thrones name is that, why didn’t they give you a regular servo leg?”
1597 grumbled. “Apparently, they don’t have anymore regular servo limbs, it seems the storms had first dibs on them. So I’m stuck with this in the mean time.”
34 laughed and pulled a flask filled with contraband from his pocket. 34 tossed the booze to 1597 who immediately took a swig.
Growling at the horrible drink 1597 spoke “thanks for cutting off my leg by the way.”
“Any time friend, any time.”
Jethro and Amanda laid on the small cot in the Commissar’s tent.
“Why didn’t we do this sooner?” asked Amanda
“I don’t know. I’ve thought about this, us for some time. The timing just never seemed right. I was going to say something at the Governor’s ball, but those pesky green skins had to barge in and start killing everyone.”
Amanda laughed “Put a bit of a damper on the mood.”
Amanda arose from the cot and began reattaching the pieces of her silver carapace armor. “You should get ready; Randall’s final war counsel will begin in half an hour.”
Alenko sat up in his bed and spoke “Right I’ll see you on the other side.”
Kid smiled and nodded as she fixed her last piece of armor and exited the Commissar’s tent.
Randall watched as Raven entered the war tent, Randall spoke
“Welcome Colonel, now that you are here we may begin. We have at long last a chance to strike at the heretics headquarter.”
Randall pointed to the hive’s citadel.
“Should we destroy this the rest of these cultist scum will fall to disorder. Our enemy knows this and has consolidated everything they have to defend the citadel. I suspect it will be a hard fought battle, but we stand to finally end this.” Randall began placing down tokens identifying the various units and began to speak. “We will surround our foe, and attack them from all sides. Colonel Raven you have the fastest force so you will flank from the south. Captain’s kid’s storm troopers will advance from the north, they will be our anvil. Commissar Alenko and warden Hoffman will split the penal legion and attack from the east and west. Paladin Utilitarius will lead a terminator deep strike force into the citadel and bring it down from within, using melta charges.”
Raven looked at the battle plan and then to Randall “It’s sound, but our last offensive was equally sound.”
“I think our enemy can only have so many tricks up their sleeve, but yes we must remain ever vigilant our enemy is unpredictable.” Randall arose “What we do here today will echo throughout the Imperium for generations to come, preform your duty for the Emperor.” Each of the soldiers returned the salute “For the Emperor.”
The citadel was the center of the Hive. From here the hive’s lord mayor would govern his uncountable charges looking down upon them from the spire’s balcony. The compound was built to withstand all manner of attack, lower hive uprising, mutant incursion, a coup from the PDF. The citadel lived up to its name. around the single large spire were several other small buildings. The cultists had taken to using them as armories and barracks. Surrounding the complex was a 20-foot-high wall, that completely encircled the mile perimeter of the compound.
Mordecai looked at the approaching inquisition with disgust. From the ramparts he saw his own forces taking positions both in and out of the fortress among the ranks of normal soldiers were the twisted chaos spawn eager for the fight to come. Mordecai looked to the cultists below him awaiting his order. Mordecai growled beneath his porcelain white mask. “Those imperial dogs seek to martyr themselves for their corpse god, I say we oblige them.” The men bellow shouted and jeered in approval. Mordecai looked up at the citadel spire, the inquisition will not interfere with the ritual.
Captain Amanda Kid advanced up the boulevard taking cover behind the Malcador tank the slowly paved the way. Kid kept her head low as the metallic pinking of steel and iron sent sparks and flashes. From Kid’s left a squad of cultists stormed firing their weapons on full auto. The storm troopers returned fire and eliminated the squad, but not before three of their own had fallen. One of the Malcador operators opened the turret hatch and began the heavy stubber allowing the storm troopers to fan out into the ruined buildings for cover.
The underbelly of the citadel.
Five Grey Knights materialize in the flash of an eye. Paladin Utilitarius’s heads up display installed in his helmet read the area was clear. Utilitarius looked to his men, no words were needed they knew their jobs. They split up and headed for their assignments each with a melta bomb in tow.
Commissar Alenko fired his bolt pistol at the oncoming cultists, these ones were a particularly sickly lot pallid flesh and grotesque boils. These were the ones responsible for the out break that took so many convict lives, and the prisoners were eager for a bit of retribution. The penal legionaries advanced aggressively any cultists that had the misfortune of getting too close was met with exceptional brutality. The defenders were so preoccupied with the storm troopers on the north and the wyrms men to the south they had neglected the eastern and western walls almost completely. The penal legionaries were but feet away from the citadel’s walls. Randall saw his opening, the Commissar shouted “Hooks”. The order bounced six times from the arbitrator section commanders, and the penal legionnaires produced their grappling hooks.
3434 swung the hook at his side before sending it flying towards the citadel’s walls. 34 shouted “Hook secure!” as the iron snare latched to the citadel’s wall.” 8516 was the first to begin climbing the rope, he made it about half way up the wall when a cultist at the top of the wall gunned him down. 8516 fell taking with him 3391. 34 dodged the falling convicts and fired his las pistol at the defending cultist. 34 looked to his left and watched as a cultist cut the climbers rope with a hatchet. It was none other than Commissar Alenko who put a bolt in the hatchet wielders chest. At last they had finally reached the top of the walls 34 drew his pistol and short blade as the first of the cultist ran to meet the penal legionnaires.
The fighting on the west ramparts was brutal. 1597 slashed the throat of an oncoming cultist with his curved blade as 3434 kicked another off of the wall. This fight was clearly going in the penal legionaries’ favor, and soon enough the cultists began fleeing into the spire. 7386 an ox of a man hoisted the last cultist over his head and threw him from the wall, the cultist screamed for a few seconds before breaking every bone he had against the harsh hive floor.
Alenko watched as the penal legionnaires celebrated their victory over the cultists, Alenko couldn’t help but grin as he shouted “Alright boys, lets show the rest of these poor bastards what real fighters look like.” An eager roar was let out as the commissar drew his saber and headed for the northern gate with his criminal chargers.
The citadel’s underbelly was a loathsome place, dark, damp and decrypt. From here Utilitarius could hear the muffled fighting between the inquisition forces and the heretics. The occasional explosion would cause dust to fall from the celling. Paladin Utilitarius had encountered three cultists hurrying to get something from the cellar, the Paladin had cut them down before they could learn of his presence. The paladin approached where he would place the charge and set the explosive. Utilitarius opened a psychic channel with his squad and informed them his charges were set, battle brothers Beshka, Fellran, Kellgan responded affirming their task’s completion. Brother Jyorus however made no such check in. Utilitarius attempted to psychically hail the knight but was given no response.
Utilitarius ordered his men to meet him where Jyorus was supposed to place his bomb. Utilitarius was the first to arrive, finding Jyorus dead in a pool of blood.
Fellran approached “That wound was caused by no human forged blade.”
Beshka growled “By Titan I swear vengeance for brother Jyorus. We must find the creature that did this.”
“You already have Grey Knight.”
Inquisitor Garrett Randall removed his sword from the heart of a massive chaos spawn, toppling backwards. High above the battle field was a flicker of light, emanating from the top of the spire. Soon the flicker became a beam of light that reached the celling of the hive. It drew every eye for miles. Randall felt a sharp pain in his head and his nose began to bleed. The grey knights accompanying him shared the psychic phenomenon. Captain Athenar spoke with shock “By the emperor.” Randall regained his focus and shouted “It’s a summoning, we have to get up there now.” Athenar attempted to caste a warp gate to propel himself to the ritual point, but there was some manner of psychic ward preventing him.
Randall opened his com bead, “Utilitarius, we need that spire down now.” Randall repeated “Paladin do you copy, what is your status.” Again static, Randall attempted to contact the paladin psychically but could not get a trace on him.
Utilitarius turned to face the voice, his brothers did not react. Utilitarius gripped his nemesis force sword with both hands. Across from him was a foul red creature armed with a blade of stygian ivory. The beast was a foot taller than the eight-foot paladin, its flesh an ever shifting gradient of black and red, its horns sharp, teeth, and claws razor sharp. Utilitarius moved passed his frozen brothers and cursed at the demon.
“Utilitari ati vak Draigo”
The demon laughed
“You think you can banish me with some words as if I were one of Slaanesh’s cheap harlots or Tzeentch’s sniveling peons.”
Utilitarius growled and charged for the crimson beast the demon grinned
“So it begins.”
Randall cursed “Utilitarius isn’t responding” Randall looked at the bright beam and focused on it so that he might detect its magics. After a few moments of focus Randall called over to Athenar, “We can’t teleport to it, but perhaps together we could teleport a small squad through.” Athenar nodded in agreement, “Those wards are meant to keep out psykers, we could send some non psykers through.” Commissar Alenko stepped forward “Me and my men will go.” Randall nodded “Get your men no more then five.” Alenko gathered five of his best men, Arbitrator Halouck, 3434, 4716, 7386, and 5219. They stood perfectly still waiting for Athenar and Randall to channel the psychic power. Through the combined effort of the two master psykers the six men vanished in a flash of Sanctic light.
Paladin Utilitarius swung his nemesis force sword at the khornate creature. The two blades of corruption and purity made heavy blows at one and other. Utilitarius found his opening after nearly a minute of exchanging blocks with the demon. However, when the blade struck the demon’s hide, it became apparent the beast was not actually there. Utilitarius’s blade phased through the demon, as if there were nothing there. The demon laughed as he returned to being soldi and locking blades with Utilitarius.
“You almost had me. It has been some time since I’ve killed something almost worthy.”
Utilitarius growled and shot a bolt of lighting from his hand at the demon. The creature absorbed the psychic attack with his blade and redirected it at Utilitarius. Utilitarius in turn weathered the blow against his adamantium hull, his ward of endurance ensured he felt no pain from it.
Top of the spire
Mordecai watched with pleasure as the psykers conducted the ritual. Eight psykers stationed at the points of the chaos star painted in blood atop the spire roof. At the center of star was a pyre with a hundred and eighty-four skulls of one hundred and eighty-four flayed men. Seven of the Psykers chanted in demonic tongues while a single orator sang above the others. “Ave Arachus prince of darkness, rise anew so that you may re-forge this world in glorious iron. Show us the path oh grand demon, scion of Khorne. Slayer of Skies, ARISE ARISE.” From the center of the pyre of skulls arose a blood red hand griping a massive thunder hammer. Mordecai smiled underneath his mask as the prince of chaos slowly began to force its way into the world.
Mordecai’s smile turned to a fierce rage as flash of blinding light heralded the arrival of six inquisitorial meddlers. Mordecai shouted “Complete the ritual! Guards!”
Alenko fired three bolts into the torsos of two guards. 3434 drew his lucky shiv and danced around las rifle armed cultist before slicing his throat. Arbitrator Halouck drew his stun baton and began dueling a chain sword armed pdf traitor. 4716 leveled his las rifle at one of the ritual cultists but was gunned down by Mordecai’s broom stock auto pistol. 7386 the ox man charged for Mordecai, with his chain sword. Mordecai drew his sword and shield easily blocking the convicts hardy blow. Mordecai lifted his shield and struck at 7386’s legs sending the man to the ground, allowing the Lazarus’s shield bearer to finish off the ox like soldier. Alenko removed his saber from another cultist guard as he saw Mordecai.
Mordecai locked eyes with the Commissar and flourished his blade and raised his shield that bore the sigil of the flayed legion.
Alenko fired the remaining two bolts he had in his pistol at Mordecai, but the champion of chaos withstood the bolts thanks to his shield. Mordecai swung first Alenko narrowly dodged the long sword. Mordecai swung for the second time Alenko parried the blow but was driven back by its force. Alenko felt himself growing weary, while Mordecai was still fresh and hardened by rage. Mordecai swung his blade at a 45-degree angle, Alenko thought this would be the end for sure, but a memory came to him. Sheppard.
Alenko flipped his saber so the back faced Mordecai and the Blade rested in Alenko’s left palm. Mordecai struck the saber and followed the blade’s curve to the left. This left Mordecai’s face exposed to a bash from the hilt of Alenko’s saber. With all his strength Alenko bashed the side of Mordecai’s face with the Aquila headed pommel. Particles of the champion’s porcelain mask went flying everywhere and the masked cracked all across its face. Mordecai was stunned by the blow and Alenko did not hesitate to press his advantage. The Commissar pivoted to mordecai’s undefended right and ran him through with his saber. Mordecai fell to the floor gripping his side. Alenko towered over him and raised his boot. Mordecai laughed gurgling blood, “I will be with you soon, four fathers. I pray I served you well.” Alenko brought his boot down shattering both Mordecai’s mask and his face.
3434, arbitrator Halouck, and 5219 killed the last of cultist guards. They drew their pistols and began firing at the ritual psykers. Soon enough they all laid dead. And the hand that was slowly rising from the pyre of skulls began to sink back to the hell it came from.
Alenko looked over to his men they were all weary, 3434 laughed “You know, this reminds me of the time…” an explosion cut 34 off, as the building began to shake.
Earlier
Utilitarius locked blades with the demon as the beast snarled “You tire mortal, I do not. Give up now so you may die with some comfort.” Utilitarius roared stepping back from the demon unleashing the full strength of his wrist mounted storm bolter on his foe. The bolts had no effect on the demon but Utilitarius noticed something, one of the bolts damaged the creature’s bone sword that was its source of power. Utilitarius casted Iron arm and made a mighty vertical swing at the demon. The demon struggled to match the Grey Knight’s strength. The force of the Utilitarius and the burning fury of his spirt channeled through the force sword soon became too much for the demon’s blade to handle as it snapped and disintegrated into black ash. The demon snarled “Impossible!” Utilitarius threw the demon to the ground and seized the beasts by its massive horns and began to pry at it. The demon screamed in pain as Utilitarius planted his foot on its spine and with a mighty yank removed the beasts head.
Time was restored around Utilitarius and his three remaining battle brothers saw him finish the beast.
Kellgan bowed “A mighty kill Paladin.” Utilitarius merely nodded and spoke “Brother Jyorus has been avenged. May he never be forgotten.” The knights pounded their breast plates in solidarity. Beshka set the melta charges and began speaking “Charges set brother.” Without another word the grey knights activated their suits’ teleporters and the five of them were gone.
Alenko and the rest of the surviving cons ran toward the spire exits. A pillar crumbled in front of Alenko nearly crushing him. The party climbed over the large pillar to find the rest of the room engulfed in flames. They braved the fire and charged ever closer to the exit. Debris fell from above while smoke arose from bellow. Alenko had nearly lost his way before he saw the great doors of the citadel. Making a final mad dash the Commissar, Arbitrator, and two prisoners made it out of the building just as the final explosions ran out and the once mighty citadel crumbled down and into the lower hive.
Alenko arose to see the entirety of Randall’s and colonel Raven’s forces. As Hallouck, 34, and 5292 arose a slow applause began, and it eventually consumed everyone. Jethro sore and exhausted limped towards Randall. The Commissar began bandaging the slice in his hand where he had deflected Mordecai’s blow. Alenko looked to his left and saw Captain Kid, she had a smile but was not clapping, Alenko could never read her. Randall spoke “You did it.” Alenko laughed “All in a days work for the Inquisition.” Alenko turned to see a hole in the dome where the citadel once stood. The explosion tore a hole in the hive’s celling. Alenko for the first time in months got to see the true blue sky, and it looked like a lovely day.
Spent a lot of time on this one. and made a lot of references. The poems at the beginning were T.S Eliot's the
Wasteland and Alfred Lord Tennyson's
Ulysses I just modified them so they fit into
40k. Also we had a small cameo from 2BJ demon prince from the first COF. Killed off Mordecai and finally wrapped up Cogger Hive. If you still have stuff you wanna/ gotta write for Cogger you can say it happened before this.
