Scuttling Genestealer
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By many accounts they do not, nor never did they exist. But here is the story of The Blood Born
At the turn of the 31st millenium the imperium of man lay decimated by the betrayal of Horus. A thousand worlds burned, billions of souls were lost whilst many more were driven to insanity. The very heart of the imperium itself had been pierced by the corrupting claw of chaos leaving the emperor of mankind but a shadow of his former glory. But he was not the only one to fall. Brave Sanguinious primarch of the proud Blood Angels legion gave his life willingly serving the emperor to the very end. During the battle aboard Horus's warbarge the noble Primarch became separated from the Emperor and came across Horus alone. The Warmaster tried to sway Sanguinius and turn him to Chaos, but the Angel-winged warrior refused, and attacked Horus. The Daemonically strengthened Horus slew Sanguinius, as the Primarch knew he would. He had foreseen his death, and yet still engaged the Arch-Heretic, knowing he would die. This has endowed many of the Blood Angel's beliefs with a deeply mystical streak. Sanguinius' violent death left a strong psychic imprint on his Legion, since they partially share his DNA. However, this was a willing sacrifice that was made in order to buy the Emperor time and to give Him a weakness in Horus's armour, which was key in bringing about the traitor's defeat. All Blood Angels still feel this deep connection to there primarch and even today some fall pray to the black rage or the red thirst which drives them mad with a lust for the destruction of there enemies and drives the effected marine to believe he is sanguinius on the day of his death. Such victims are locked away in a place known as the tower of the lost where they will spend the rest of there life.
As the corruption of chaos had turned full half the legions of space marines to madness the remaining loyalist legions were re-constructed into chapters to better controll them and prevent such power ever threatening the imperium again. This founding has become known as the second founding and it is where the story of the Blood Purgers truly begins. The Blood Angels legion, as all the rest was divided into chapters and one of these chapters was to become the Blood purgers.
Little is known of the early days of the Blood purgers except that they dispised the weakness of the black rage and the red thirst and sought to correct what they saw as a genetic flaw. For nearly two thousand years the apothecaries and Psykers of the chaper worked tirelessly to correct there gene seed untill finally in the late 33rd millenium there dedication and work finally paid off mainly due to grand master librarian Farthan who became hailed as a hero. The Blood Purgers had succeeded where all others had failed and corrected there gene seed . From there homeworld of Aeries Prime located within the segmentum tempestus the chaper flew from strength to strength. Recruiting from its surrounding worlds and the nearby moons, the chapter swelled in strength. When in the height of there power disaster struck as all of the marines given there new and enchanced gene seed after they already had aspects of the previous seed fell to madness. Nearly 100 space marines were killed by there brothers as they became wild with rage and a lust for blood as they hacked blindly at anything they could reach, willingly murdering companions of a thousand battles. After the massacre upon Aeries prime the chapter now knew only could the enchanced gene seed be fully implanted into the fresh recruits. Chapter master Tiberius and Master Librarian Farthan knew they would have to begin again. As a sanction from the chapter master it was ordered that there would be an eleventh company within the chapter, a company comprising only of those who had the gene seed placed at the beginning of there training. This new company would be called The Blood Born.
As several years passed it became clear that the new way of introducing the modified gene seed was completely effective as the 11th, or Blood Born company quickly showed it had none of the flaws of its other brothers. With the supervision of Librarian Farthan the Company quickly grew into a full and functioning unit of the emperors space marines. After the Blood Born had been taken to battle with the other companies of the chapter many a time it was considered that they were just as much a company as any other. The captain who was originally from the first company stepped down and another from within the Blood Born took his place, his name was Brother Arachas, an ambitious marine who had shown the ability to command at many levels working his way from the bottom in an extremely short amount of time.
Though time passed quickly for the chapter its marines did not age, as they were still descended from the blood angels even if they had inexorably mutated there gene seed.
After five thousand years of war the chapter fought on for the empeor and for imperium. When a chance mission threatening Xenos invation of a nearby planet came from near the edge of the Segmentum Obscurus the Blood Born were still as ever willing to prove there worth accompanied by the 6th company the knights of blood and Grand master Librarian Farthan. Captain Arachas led his force from one side of the Imperial fold to the other. It is still uncertain as to why it was not a more local force that recieved the message but that will always remain a mystery. On reaching the sector the 11th and 6th companies docked on the feudal world of Gudrun as further scout vessals were sent ahead to the planet in mention: Nocturnal. Upon the planet of Gudrun the locals appeared as backward to the astartes but they too were the emperors soldiers and as such Captain Arachas gave orders to a regiment of the Newly recruited 14thGudrunite Rifles to accompany him, which the guardsmen saw as a great honnor and willingly prepared to join the marines. After the regiment had joined with the Blood Born it was decided that the 6th company, Knights of Blood would remain upon Gudrun with Librarian Farthan.
The next stage of action taken by the Blood Born And 14thGudrunite Rifles was to establish exactly what level the threat was. The Blood Born scouts returned informing the captain that no life forms could be detected upon the planet of Nocturnal. So the decision was made by Captain Arachas to make planetfall upon the frozen planet below. Both the Blood Born and Gudrunites then Landed upon the frozen ground below.
Back on Gudrun Librarian Farthan smiled to himself. "My lord it has been two weeks since we had last communications from Lord Arachas" Piped up the native imperial communications officer, trying to gleen what the space marine was thinking. "I know exactly how long it has been" Replied Farthan. After a brief pause the Librarian strode through the door of the ship, stooping slightly under the roof. "Oh i know how long it has been" He muttered to himself once he was outside of the Imperials earshot. Walking quickly towards where his ships were he prepared the order to follow the Blood Born to the planet Nocturnal. "Marines" He announced on the vox speaker connecting all the blood purgers helmets in the area " We must go now to planet Nocturnal, Make ready to leave immediately". "Yes my lord" came the reply. Within moments the ships were beginning to fire there engines making ready to travel through the warp to there new destination. Again Farthan smiled to himself as he looked through the window of his thunderhawk as the planet below them grew smaller and smaller.
Upon arrival to Nocturnal the planet was scanned, a plathora of life signs appeared below the loyal marines as they decended upon the planet. Upon landing the cold ice of the plannet seemed slippery to the tactical squad, as they looked down they saw that the ice was infact convered in dark stains, the whole surface seemed covered in the dark sticky mixture. As the squad pushed forward they found the remains of what seemed to be an ancient tank frozen in the ice, on further inspection it was a leman russ of the 14th gudrunite rifles. The tank was worn and eroded by the weather seeming as though it had been there for centuries. The marines now, even through there armour could feel the harsh weather of the plannet buffeting against them, continued marching onward they could faintly hear sounds coming from ahead. approaching the sounds the marines drew up there bolters in readyness. The 5 man squad then distinctly heard the roar of a chain axe being revved followed by a desperate scream, now moving with purpose the marines begun to trudge up a ridge of ice and snow. There ascent was slow as the ridge fell away sharply to one side with dark waters below awaiting any foolish enough to fall. Then reaching the top of the ridge they paused, the confusion and the horror of what lie ahead hitting them in equal measure, dispite them being space marines. There was a pile, a pile of withered bodies with arms and legs missing with blood oozing from beneith coming all the way to where the marines stood and down the ridge they had just climbed. Looking further into the scene they saw a gaggle of humans huddled together, bound in chains shaking from fear far more than the cold. And there in the center stood a hulking construct of flesh and metal, with a great chain axe grasped in its hands, dripping in blood. Then there was a sound behind the squad as they turned away from the ugly scene they saw only too late. Flying towards them was Arachas his face and body distorted and writhing like a constant stream of moving flesh. His armour had the faces of the dead upon it, moving and contorting horribly. A grin convered his face showing long pointed teeth convered in flesh and blood, Bringing his weight to bear he knocked two of the astartes to there death in the water below, instantly emptying a plasma round into another head, he then spun around on the spot and decapitated the other with a long blade potruding from his hand. He then turned to the sargent "come to join us brother?" he said mockingly, Bravely the squad leader brought his chain sword to bear parrying Arachas' blade, but moments later an axe revved and the sargent turned but too late, the massive chain axe of the monstrocity cleft him in half, leaving an ugly splatter uppon the ground. Arachas bent down then to the entrails, sniffing them, he then began to feed upon his brothers still warm remains.
After a brief encounter the space marines of the Blood purgers were forced to retreat to there thunderhawk, quickly flying away from the plannet to report what they had found here.
Only one of them remained, Librarian Farthan. Standing alone of a field of blood and ice he was quick to realise he was not alone in the dark "Whos there"? he called out into the dark. The space marine captain, or what remained of the space marine, Arachas stode forward, Librarian farthan then smiled again, walking forward. "You have done well" he said softly. "How long has it been?" Arachas replied. The librarian remained silent for a moment, looking over the former marine. "Only two weeks, did you do as i instructed?" Arachas then looked at the seemingly normal Librarian again then grinned evily "Yes, time has moved exactly as we thought it would here, the mission you sent to me was all i needed for an excuse. But now, come i have many things to share with you im sure you hunger for something more.. tastefull" he said, with an cruel look in his eye staring towards the humans huddled in the darkness. As they walked towards the mass of bodies the buzz of a chain axe sounded in the distance.
..... to be continued
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