And so it begins... Again

[evil_red_orks]

The "Emperor's Duty" was closing on Nissin 3, but no word had yet arrived from the Phalanx.Last reports indicated some type of traitor blockade around the planet, and he had but his ship and a supply frigate.The Imperial Fists had long been known for fighting any battle despite the odds, this would be no different.

The bridge was alive with activity, as preparations for battle dominated everyone's actions.Despite being undermanned, Octavius knew they were coldy efficient. Each of his squads had a specific purpose, and each was very good at it.

"Sir the Iron Hands have ran the blockade and made planetfall" interrupting Octavius in mid thought."They sustained some castastrophic(I tried) losses, but it appears the bulk of their forces are now on the plan....."

The Captain interrupted,"How long till we enter the planets atomsphere Aurelius"

"4 days Sir"

The captain thought it over, realizing that he would not survive a run thru the blockade, another way in must be had. He needed a diversion, and an idea took hold in his mind.He would evacuate the supply frigate and send it thru the blockade, while he would alter course to the underside of the planet.

He barked an order to his second"Aurelius have the supply frigate evacuated at once!"

Aurelius looked puzzled.

Octavius explained further"We are going to use it as a decoy, while we slip in to the underside of the planet."

He continued"Set up sensor arrays on the frigate to give the appearance of lifeforms and power up its weapons and defences"

The second smiled and gave the orders at once.Having served with the captain for 10 years now, he knew the safety of his crew came above that of anything else.The Captain, while aloof and sometimes cold, was also methodical and calculating.

Octavius continued with his orders"Put Sgt. Maximus and his scouts on alert, they will be our emmissaries to this Captain Blackstern"

Octavius knew the timing must be impecable for all this to work. He would power down his ship to essential systems only. Then the frigate,set on autopilot, would be sent into the blockade on full systems overload. When it hit the blockade, the "Emperor's Duty" would execute a short warp jump to the bottomside of the planet(I think) and make a controlled crash landing(I hope).

--------------------------------------------------

Sgt. Maximus watched as his men prepared, he was proud to serve with them.He supervised while they cleaned their sniper rifles, the odd man of the bunch sported a lightweight missile launcher. Sgt. Maximus was told to make contact with Captain Greystearn, and give them news of the Imperial Fists arrival.

The plan was not without risks however, as they would come in behind the frigate on their shuttle. When the frigate hit the blockade on overload, the shuttle would make haste to the planet.

[Soleman]

“Lord Kharn, we have an incoming message from a ship of the Iron Warriors.”

“Tell them I will speak with them later! I am too busy to be bothered with such insignificance!” Kharn turned back to his console and his planning of the invasion of Jhanna near Gidiean Prime. He had learned of a sacred artifact of great power on the planet, and was devising his attack plans.

“Sir, they say it’s urge… Ack!” the cultist fell lifeless to the deck with a thud. Instantly, the heretics sprang into action removing the body from the captain’s quarters. Then the intercom sprang to life. “Lord Kharn, reports from our long range scans show major activity on Nissin 3, and we have a messenger waiting on line from the Iron Warriors, he says he is speaking on behalf of Lord Hellforge. Should I patch him through?”

“No Lieutenant, tell this messenger, that if Hellforge dares disturb me again, he better do it himself and not with this insignificance! Tell Hellforge that we are changing our course, and soon it will be raining blood on Nissin 3 and we will have more skulls to add to the skull throne!”

“Aye sir, it will be done.”

Smiling and licking the cultist’s blood off Gorechild, “It appears I will have the necessary sacrifices to the Blood God after all.”

[evil_red_orks]

For the last 4 days, the men of the 3rd company have been preparing to make planetfall. This required a fairly complicated plan that needed impeccable timing and a little luck.

"Sir, we are prepared to make the run for the planet" reported Aurelius.

"Very well, notify Sgt. Maximus and his scouts to load up the shuttle"Captain Octavius continues"Bring the decoy frigate online and initiate engine overload.

The bridge was alive with activity as everyone rushed to complete the captain's orders.The empty frigate was going to be sent into the blockade on self destruct, with the scouts in a shuttle behind it. As the frigate exploded into the blockade, the scouts would make a run for the planet. The "Emperor's Duty" would then make a run to the bottomside of the planet to make a crash landing. At the very best they would be crashlanded on the planet.

The second reported"Sir, final preparations are complete."

"Very well initiate the self destruct sequence on the frigate and send it into the blockade......"

[Catachan Colonel]

Lord Sextus raced across the field on his mighty steed of slaanesh cutting down guardsmen as the shells of mortars crashed around him and his forces. Lazgun fire bouncing harmlessly off his power armor. He raised his daemon rapier a delicate and swift weapon that sang with dread power. Catachan warriors were no match for him.

Colonel Norton saw his men dieing and steadied them as he called forth the company’s hand to hand combat auxiliary. Big Bone 'ead Cipolla and his Ogryn lads raced at the Slaanesh lord.

Big Bone 'ead Cipolla ordered his lads to toss a few just before they reached the Chaos lord who towered even over the mighty ogryns on top of his snake like steed. Exploding bits of frag grenades annoyed Lord Sextus without doing him any real harm.

Lord Sextus swung his daemon rapier in a wide arch scratching into the flesh of three of the charging ogryns. Two died instantly reeling from daemonic power that could kill with just the taste of a drop of blood. Big Bone 'ead Cipolla reeled in pain but was saved by his superior faith in the emperor and his Macharian Cross. The remaining ogryns stabbed at the chaos lord and his steed with their ripper gun’s bayonets. Ogryn bayonets were the size of hugest choppas of the biggest ork bosses. Lord Sextus felt himself fall to the ground as his daemon steed faded back into the warp from the assault. He was thrown many meters by the beast’s death throes.

Lord Sextus looked around him and cursed. The heavy guns and bombardment of the Catachans had wounded or killed to many of his men. His noise marines were lieing on the ground of Dalton 4 screaming in pain from heavy bolter shells that had taken off limbs. Surely the noise marines were delighted at the sensations they felt but they were in no coherent fighting formation. Hate seethed from the chaos lord as he saw the Catachan Colonel strike a death blow to the monstrous daemon that his terminators had summoned.

Lord Sextus called a retreat. He would have to get his war goods elsewhere. Even with his help Lord zhu was not keeping this world. That would begin with the basilisk factories that the Catachans would take upon his retreat. Lord Sextus cried out an ancient curse at the Catachan leader. One day Sextus would be back for the pathetic Colonel Norton’s head. He would feed Colonel Norton’s soul to his next steed.

-+-

Lord Odoacer stalked across the sands of Nissin 3. He left the body of a Space Wolf rune priest bleeding in the dusty rocks behind him. The space wolves dared to challenge him. Lord Odoacer would slay human, marine even wolf cursed marines such as these. Nothing would stand in his way of taking Nissin 3.

There was a bright beam of light that shot across the desert sands from behind the dark blue armored Chaos Lord. It was Laz Cannon fire from Lord Odoacer’s obliterator forces. The beams hit the space wolves largest tank with a pair of direct hits. The tank split open and then exploded with a cry of pain from its mechanical spirit. Lord Odoacer grinned underneath his armored mask. Obliterators were the construction of his original legion the Iron Warriors. These were forged in the great obliterator factories of the 4th moon of Medengard. Lord Odoacer’s former master had taught him the secrets of controlling the obliterators just before being betrayed and assassinated by one of his Masters of Ordnance.

The Violators had broken the Space Wolves ability to significantly impact the impending combined chaos attack on the Governor’s palace. With the souls of the few space wolves that his chosen had taken alive, and the body of the rune priest that Lord Odoacer had bested in personal combat, the chaos lord would be able to order his Sorcerer Ardaric to open a mighty Warp Rift already his daemon weapon spoke to him of humble servants waiting in the Immaterium. From this rift a legion of minor daemons would come forth at the Chaos lord’s command.

-+-

To Be Continued

[Iron Warrior]

Lord Odoacer’s former master had taught him the secrets of controlling the obliterators just before being betrayed and assassinated by one of his Masters of Ordnance.

See Fiction called: Path of The Hellforge

These were forged in the great obliterator factories of the 4th moon of Medengard.

See Fiction called: Summit of Darkness

editing my posts?

^{What?? I made you look smarter bibliography page boy.}

_{Can you stop editing my posts please? If you want to add something do it in your own posts. Board Nazi editor boy.}

[Lord Dacius]

Capitan Greyburn and the remnants of his unit trudged up to the eastern gate of the city of Dante's forge. looking up at the large Concrete work, Greyburn read the phrase that was written in large script "Abandon all hope ye who enter here" words meant to dishearten any who would attempt to attack the city, seemed to be an ironic description of the mood of the men.

Of his company who first set down on nissen 3 months earlier, only half of 1st platoon was left, and of them a third were wounded in some manner or another.

"Capitan, what are your orders?" Lt thatcher asked as the rest of the men looked on in silence. Knowing that he must always be seen as confident, Greyburn stood upright, letting his crushed arm lay limp as he drew his power saber, and said "we shall make our stand here. These traitors will break against the walls like water on rock"

There was a cry of "huzzah" as the men heard these courageous words. They moved into the city to rearm and refit, ready to die for their capitan.

["LAST FREAK'N DRAGON"]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
BIG BONE 'EAD CIPOLLA GIVES ME A GREAT IDEA FOR A NEW TATTOO THAT WOULD STAY IN THEME WITH MY DRAGONS.

I KNOW WHAT YOUR'RE THINKING, YOU WANT ME TO SAY:
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, now where should I put it?

[Iron Warrior]

Images of great battles and victorious slaughters screech aross his visual bio-mechanical cortex. A man in Gore red and black power armor weilding a power sabre....this marine persitant in his duty to the emporer. This marine stalwart and stands in the face of danger despite his the hopelessness of victory that he never sees. This marine...this captain...Chapter Master. A Silver Dragon adorns his shoulder plate, he screams and slashes quickly with his sabre only to have it parried by a set of red illuminated lighting claws...these same claws then push back the sabre and bury themselves into the marine time and time again. Yet this man still comes...time and time again, he returns, becoming more machine than man every time he is defeated. Titanic battles between these two warriors have raged for a thousand years but these Iron Dragons have never seen the light of victory....The Warrior has always been Victorious over the Dragon....

The image blurrs...then clears to a lone female figure briefly...an Inquisitor....the image fades out....images of yellow and red imperial marines come into view around this inquisitor, then vanish again.

Images of Captains falling one by one to the Claws of an Iron Warrior Lord....Dark Angels, Silver Skulls, Ultra Marines, Iron Dragons, Iron Hands, Blood Angels, Space Wolves, The images speed up and blurr, too incomprehensable to make sense of the rest of the fallen opponents....Soon the fallen captians slowly turn into Chaos Lords...Black Legion, Emporers Children, Death Guard, World Eaters, Violators,Night Lords, Alpha Legion and Word Bearers...those images spiral in upon themselves and mix together and soon fade away as well....

The Lights in his eyes flicker to life in the Iron Helmet of the Terminator Lord. They scan the dark room before him, he is alone in this chamber. Only a single red lim lamp above him glows. In the palm of his hand he holds the cube of memories. It is wired into the back of his neck through some cable. Silence, save the hissing of the internal rebreather permeates the room. Suddenly his hand closes shut and shatters the memory cube in his guantlet and yanks the cable out from the back of his neck.

"Map of sector 751, refrence Iron Empire."

A vid display on the wall lights up and shows the star map of a piece of the galaxy titled the Iron Empore after the 13th Grand Company of Iron Warriors Conquest. Several planets under the rule of Lord Asteroth Hellforge now some in rebellion, others waiting to see what happens and some still loyal to the Dark Iron Lord.

"Display warp route to Nissen 3 and current location of Legacy of Iron."

The vid screen shows the warp rout that opens near Nissen 3. Currently there are several fleets on route. The screen shifts to show the Legacy of Iron, Despoiler Class battleship. Time until arrival to Nissen 3: 33 days blinks on the screen in red.

Kharns fleet has changed course to Nissen, Odoacer and The World Eaters currently fight Greybrun and the Compined might of the Iron Hands and the Iron Dragons. No word from Ipexx yet on the where abouts of Lord Sextus or his allies. The Imperial Fists have already arived and are currently engaged in a small fleet skirmish. Odoacer is out numbered and out gunned. Hellforge shakes his head.

"How could that fool make such a tactical error. Did he not know that re-enforcments would arrive to aid Greyburn? Nissen 3 is a barren waste land, supplies will be short and Im sure he didnt plan for a long campiagn against the imperials. That planet will fall and that pathetic excuse of a Chaos Lord is going to let it!"

Hellforge punches a Steel beam which dents under the force of his blow.

"I will not tolerate such insolence and fool hardy subordinats in this new age...an example will be made...assuming Odoacer survives the imperial onslaught which he is about to recieve."

Asteroth looks at the floor where the shattered remnants of the memory cube lie.

"Its time to put an end to this rivalry once and for all...Dorns sons will die next to the Iron Dragons and when its all over This sector will return to it original state under my Iron Fist!"

[evil_red_orks]

As the decoy frigate approached the chaos fleet, the traitors opened fire and slammed the frigate's void shields.What they didnt know was the frigate would self destruct when it rammed the nearest ship.The ships defences were set on auto, and it began randomly firing at the traitor fleet.Of course the ship was no match, but it didnt need to be.

The strike cruiser "Emperor's Duty" was at maximum range and watched the plan unfold.

Meanwhile, the frigate hummed with power as the self destruct sequence was about to initiate.It finally let loose a fantastic explosion that took a chaos cruiser by surprise as it attempted to turn away from the frigate. The shockwave rippled through the closest traitor ships, and the chaos cruiser orbit began to fail.

"Sir, the frigate has self-destructed"

"Very well, engage our drives for warp space"replied Octavius.

"Set coordinates for the underside of the planet and engage."

Normally, warp jumps were used to cover great distances with little risk. In this case, a "short jump" was necessary in order to benefit from the distraction the exploding frigate provided. On top of that risky maneuver, the strike cruiser could not stay in orbit lest it be destroyed by the traitor fleet. It would attempt to land on the planet itself.

-----------------------

The scout shuttle had followed the frigate into the blockade and veered away at the last possible moment for the planet surface.
The shuttle rolled uncontrollably as the shockwave from the blast overtook them.

Maximus shouted"HANG ON MEN!!"

[Catachan Colonel]

Heavy clad steps of terminator armor stepped across the bridge of the “Holocaust” traitors and cultists who served on the cruiser bowed as the Violator chaos space marine sorcerer walked past them. The continued out to a large window where the lord of the Violators looked out upon Nissin 3. Ardaric the Violators Master of Sorceries stopped placing his staff quietly down at his side. He waited for Lord Odoacer to speak first.

“What have you to report?, Master of Sorcereries,” Lord Odoacer asked in the deepest of voices.

“Your berserkers have cleansed the Ley Line Nexus my Lord.” The sorcerer spoke in a soft but direct voce. “Their Captain Greyburn appeared to understand the significance of the area he sacrificed a sizable number of men in an attempt to stop us. Planetary defense forces are tragically low.”

“That does not reassure me now that there are three companies of the false Emperor’s Space Marines on the planet. More annoyingly Planetary militia from the Fenris system has also snuck past to reinforce the Imperial garrison.” The chaos lord glared at his stoic sorcerer. “Even with the renegade forces of Daemon Prince Jeremy Bloodgore and his lunatic berserkers ready to kill everyone in sight. It is doubtful that we can scour this desert of all three companies before Greyburn is reinforced with siege level forces. This was expected to be a quiet operation on an isolated imperial world.”

“As you know sir our every move was executed without flaw. The forces were sufficient to the task without compromising our reserves. No one could have predicted what the khornate daemon prince would have done. It was unfortunate that he chose this world to randomly attack.” The Sorcerer spoke the obvious.

“No, no power could have forseen that. Daemon Prince Jeremy Bloodgore and his crazed followers broadcast their intent to sack this world to the imperials before they departed their last location for this one. No one could have predicted that companies of marines would have already been preparing for Captain Greyburn’s distress call. d**n those red armored idiots They are here only to spill blood and move on. They have no idea what they interrupted.”

“Nor do they care my lord,” replied Ardaric. “But in their uncaring is our opportunity. With Hellforge dead and gone and his former lieutenants fighting among themselves, your forces should still take this world. Then the Iron Empire stands open before us. Bloodgore’s berserkers will move on swarming some other poor world. Only time stands in our way. The main imperial city must be taken swiftly within the next few weeks. As for our numbers now that we possess the Ley line Nexus, I can contact other worldly forces to boost our numbers for a short time. We have no need of any outside help. The other chaos legions here are mere fodder.”

“Excellent Ardaric, we will take this world, use it, and discard it. Then we will take the dead Hellforge’s empire.” A wave of the Chaos Lord’s had dismissed the sorcerer. Lord Odoacer resumed looking down at the imperial city below them from the window.

-+-

Oracle of the 13th Company Sorcerer Ipexx walked out of the intensive interrogation room on board the Slaughterer Class cruiser "Torment of Tantalus." Behind him he could hear the cracking voice of the interrogated noise marine laughing and begging for more. Sorcerer Ipexx had a servant clean the gore of interrogation from his hands and sighed. “I should have known better.”

The noise marine was of a cult of sensation. The most vile tortures were pleasures to their depraved minds. He was defiantly one of Sextus’ war band. Sorcerer Ipexx had been interrogating him for a week now and could confidently say that the noise marine was just starting to enjoy himself. There was no way he was going to reveal anything to Sorcerer Ipexx.

The Oracle of the 13th Company looked to his mutant servant and smiled. “Tell the warriors in there to fill the subject with pharmaceutical nerve relaxants and send him out the closest airlock.”

Sorcerer Ipexx started walking through the halls of the "Torment of Tantalus." He had been dispatched to convince Emperor's children Lord Sextus the pink. To bring himself and his allies to Nissin three in efforts to crush the imperial presence there, specifically the Lord Hellforge’s three most petulant opponents The Iron Hands, Imperial Fists and the cursed Iron Dragons. The Iron Dragons especially were ever an irritant to Lord Hellforge.

Lord Sextus however was not here on Gidiean Prime where he was usually headquartered. A few of his noise marines were here were rounded up and interrogated. They revealed nothing. An Iron Warrior chaos space marine had also been captured on Gidiean Prime. The interrogation and torture of that marine had revealed much. Lord Sextus had been called to fight at Dalton 4 by Lord Zhu. The Catachans of Xirsos had come in force to siege Lord Zhu’s world.

Sorcerer Ipexx had hoped to collaborate the Iron Warrior of Dalton’s story. Now he would have to travel to Dalton 4 to track Lord Sextus. Hopefully Lord Sextus would still be there.

-+-

Two mighty chaos cruisers sat in space above Dalton 4. The guns of both ships were armed loaded and trained on the other ship. Gun crews stood at the ready awaiting orders from their superiors. At any moment the ship with the better crew would be able to strike the first and most likely decisive blow against the enemy floating in space in front of them. Both ships were warships of cruiser class. Both brimmed with guns and each was fully capable of leveling cities flat with the power of their massed fire.

Sorcerer Ipexx had come to Dalton 4 and it had not taken long to locate Emperor's children Lord Sextus the pink. Now they both sat in space staring each other down. “Hail them again.” The sorcerer ordered. Being the first to hail was in many ways a type of submission in combat among the stars. Few who thought they could fight and win would bother with talking for what they could take. Fighting wouldn’t get Sorcerer Ipexx what he wanted however, so The Oracle of the 13th Company had to talk.

The video screen suddenly snapped from a view of the enemy cruiser in front of them to a live video of Emperor's children Lord Sextus the pink. “I see sorcerer that you did not perish with your master. Explain to me why I shouldn’t reduce your ship to space dust.”

Sorcerer Ipexx peered at the lord of slaanesh. Speaking submissively and without making direct eye contact he replied. “I survive where my former master has met his end. I come to you in the spirit of cooperation. Foes of both of us gather outside the Empire of my previous master. A cooperative attack on Nissin 3 would benefit us both.”

“Your foes do not concern me. Nissin 3 is no more than a ball of dust. It is a worthless place unless you plan to attack dead Hellforge’s domain. I have already been propositioned by Lord Zhu to split Hellforge’s domain. Lord Zhu controls the factory world below he has much to offer me. What do you have to offer me other than the pleasure of seeing the last hit of old Hellforge erased?” Sextus stood from his command chair. His bridge crew awaited his order to fire.

“I am beneath your need to exterminate Lord Sextus. As the trusted sorcerer of the departed Hellforge I hold many of his secrets. Treasures and artifacts that he had hidden for another day. Surely your spies have uncovered a taste of those. I can offer more than you may initially think.” Sorcerer Ipexx was cut off.

“I want Cerberus! Its exact location on Glacia, its command codes, Everything!” Lord Sextus demanded.

Cerberus was a war-hound titan that Lord Asteroth Hellforge had managed to cripple and capture from an Adeptus Mechanicus war host. It was the Iron Warrior 13th Company’s only titan. It had cost many lives to take and many resources to rebuild. Taking another would be practically impossible even for Ipexx’s new master. Sorcerer Ipexx wished that the Lord of Slaanesh had not known about Cerberus. Now he could only hope that his new master did not reacquired that memory.

“Your Knowledge of Cerberus has me at a loss. I can make that deal with you. But I would require you to bring not only your personal war band but those of one your toady lieutenants.” Sorcerer Ipexx had to try to at least sweeten the deal.

“Fine, fine, fine, I will call forth the forces of my sycophant Lord Lucius. After I endure him groveling before me for far to long I will force is excuses for Emperor’s Children along as well. “ Emperor's children Lord Sextus the pink smiled knowing that he had the far better end of the deal.

“Then we shall meet you at Glacia’s largest gas giant there you can claim your payment” Sorcerer Ipexx ended the transmission and ordered his ship into the warp. He had done as ordered even if his master would not be pleased.

-+-

To Be Continued

[evil_red_orks]

High overhead of Nissin 3, one could barely make out a trail of smoke and fire.To the untrained eye it would be a meteor or shooting star. It was however a marine shuttle loaded with Sgt. Maximus and his scouts, the heralds of the 3rd company Imperial Fists. The shuttle was losing altitude fast and in a matter of seconds would explode on the surface.

"I NEED THOSE STABILIZERS ONLINE NOW!!" barked the Sgt."GIVE ME MANUAL THRUSTER CONTROL NOW!!"

His men quickly responded to his orders, however the shuttle was still closing on the surface at breakneck speed.As soon as one system came back online, another faltered showering everyone with sparks of electricity.

"SGT, PLASMA COOLANT HAS FAILED, ALL SYSTEMS OFFLINE!" shouted back one of the snipers.

"d**n!!, REROUTE AUXILARY POWER FEEDS TO THE EMERGENCY DEPLOYMENT CHUTE!!"

They would not go down like this vowed the Sgt to himself, they were supposed to die in battle.. for the emperor. They were supposed to find a Captain Greystacks of the imperial army. They were supposed to announce the arrival of the Imperial Fists.

"SGT, THE DEPLOYMENT CHUTE IS ONLINE!!"

"WELL, BLOW THE d**n THING SO WE DONT CRASH!!" shouted back the Sgt.

As soon as the chute deployed the shuttle bucked, throwing everyone back in their seats.The shuttle slowed consisderably, and was now weaving back and forth under the parachute.There were still in danger, as the shuttle was still alit with fire. The landing would not be soft either, but at least they would not be splattered on the surface.

Everyone was holding their breath, quietly thinking these next few moments may be their last.

"Why you men look like a bunch of imperial army pansies that just saw a ghost" quipped the Sgt.

The comment awoke his men out of their thoughts, and they tightened their seatbelts for the hard landing to come.

The shuttle crashed through the trees first, breaking off huge chunks of wood on the way down.A particularly large branch crashed through the cockpit window, narrowly missing Maximus. Maximus thanked the emperor, as the shuttle thudded its way thru the trees.Suddenly the shuttle lurched to a halt, as the parachute caught on the branches above.

The shuttle now groaned and swayed freely.

"Give me a headcount men."

The men all counted off, all the way up to 8.When the Sgt was satisfied everyone was alive, he instructed his men to gather up their equipment.

"Sgt, we have some bumps and bruises but everyone is alive" called out one of the snipers.

"Hail the emperor, ok lets climb out of this rustbucket and take account of our supplies"

The shuttle had burned itself out, and everyone climbed out safely. They began to check all their equipment, most of it came through unscathed.

"Sgt, I'm afraid the sat-phone is beyond repair as well as most of our rations, but our weapons and ammo are intact."

"Ok men give me a five meter spread, lets make our way thru the woods and keep your wits about you."

--------------------------------

The "Emperor's Duty" had sustained some torpedo hits and lance fire, but was largely unscathed. The frigate had exploded into the traitor fleet as expected, however the scout shuttle had been caught up in the shockwave. The last the captain saw was the shuttle rolling out of control towards the planet surface.

The strike cruiser made the jump to warp past the traitor blockade, towards the underside of the planet. When the strike cruiser came out of warp, the ship lurched, and an explosion could be heard toward the back of the ship.

"Report."

"Sir, the short jump caused an overload in the reaction drive, its totally offline." replied an engineer.

The engineer continued"The fire is under control, but no warp space for now."

"Very well, helm make for the planet surface and prepare for landing."

The helmsman took the reaction drive offline and used the ion drive to pilot the ship to the surface. In his travels, never has he heard of a strike cruiser landing on a planet. With the reaction drive down, they werent going anywhere too fast. It looks like this could be home for a bit.

------------------------------

As the Sgt and his scouts made their way thru the trees, they came across scorched ground and dead bodies. Most of the bodies were imperial in nature. The battle was fairly recent, as ground and trees were still burning from weapons fire.

"Spread out and clear the area, report in 15 minutes"

Ten minutes later, one of the scouts called out to Maximus.

"Sgt., you might want to see this"

As Maximus strode to the scout, the vegatation was not as thick. He came up to scout and what he saw jolted him. Endless sand as far as the eye could see. Apparantly they had crashed onto an oasis in the middle of a huge barren planet.

[Ranger Dude]

Apr 22, 2008 14:27:38 GMT -5 evil_red_orks said:

.A particularly large branch crashed through the thingypit window, narrowly missing Maximus.

Now that's just funny. I didn't realize Imperial Shuttles came equipped with Thingypits. I'd expect that from SLaanesh. ;D ;D ;D

[Catachan Colonel]

Inquisitor Delshie waited while two veteran storm troopers used steel pry bars to open the great stone door before them. They struggled against the weight of the rune covered slab. With extreme effort they managed to force a crack open and a light flooded out of the room inside. The veterans heaved again and made room enough for a man to enter.

The three storm troopers proceeded ahead of Inquisitor Delshie then over the radio gave the “All clear!”

The room was colossal and in the shape of an eight sided star. At the point of each star was a small Eldar arch like structure made from their bizarre bone like material. Etched in the bone were many Eldar runes the likes of which Delshie would never decipher. Painted on them in what could only be described as some sort of tar were sigils of the daemon hunters. Heavy chains tied the elder structures to a central dais. Thick black sand covered the room. It covered the floor burying the three lowest steps of the dais.

In the sand were various pieces of armor. Mostly they were mutated and bent pieces of power armor, but there were plates that were only from tactical dreadnought armor. There were also weapons bolters and bolt pistols. Swords and blades. Each rune covered but psychically dead. There was no sense of spirit or possession to any of the weapons. Some of these were weapons Delshie knew well from her researches. They should have been daemon weapons of fantastic power, Now they were decorated scrap.

Delshie approached the dais. There was a single large body raised up on some sort of altar. Heavy chains secured the still body to the dais. It was the same chain that ran to the Eldar structures. This body was far different than anything else in the room, or in fact the entire structure. Upon stepping on the dais Delshie could feel the malevolent spirit of the body on the altar. The body wore no armor and only the most minimal of tunics. Delshie recognized the clack carapace of a space marine. Whoever this was had once been one of the galaxy’s angels of death.

The body before him was burnt. Its head melted down to the skull only tatters of hair cling to small patches if blackened skin. The body was scarred and burnt across the chest. A large section of its torso replaced with some leathery demonic scales. The body’s right arm was a daemon thing ending in slime covered black claws where finger would have been. The most unsettling thing were the sparks of blue and pink flame that burnt in the skull’s empty eye sockets.

“Inquisitor Delshie, Return to The Burning Talon at once!” Boomed a voice over her headset.

“Chapter Master Garen what seems to be the issue. We are only just discovering what we came here for.” Delshi responded diplomatically.

“Unknown Chaos Marines converge on your location. We have sent a extraction force to protect your way back to the Strike Cruiser. A whole fleet of traitor vessels has made orbit. Expect your extraction to be rough and bloody,” Chapter Master Garen replied.

Inquisitor Delshie shook her head in disappointment. “Affirmative Chapter Master Garen. We are on our way.” Delshie waved her veteran storm troopers back toward the hallway. She quickly programmed the servo skull to take another 15 minutes of video in this room and then return to her. Delshie picked up one of the weapons laying on the floor and started after the storm troopers.

-+-

Much of Nissin Minoris was in ruins. It had been bombarded from space and then shelled by packs of roaming defilers. Con. Von Stieger was in command of the city’s defense. It was the smaller of Nissin Three’s cities. Con. Von Stieger had only been reinforced by a group of Fenris militia. The Space marines who had landed on Nissin 3 were concentrating on the defense of the larger city. The larger city had better defenses imposing walls and high battlements. The Emperor’s finest hid behind them waiting for the attack.

When the forces of chaos came to Nissin Minoris, Con. Von Stieger took the fight to them.

Lord Odoacer lead the first attack on Nissin Minoris. His Violators had secured an imperial medical facility and all streets south. The Chaos Lord’s veteran troops had taken a separate flanking position very close to the Imperial’s source of reserve troops. d**ned icons of the plague god had been distributed amongst many of his men by the sorcerer Geiseric.

Con. Von Stieger launched an attack on the medical facility. Two Leman Russ Demolishers armed with siege shells bombarded the building trying to collapse it upon the blue chaos marines. Con. Von Stieger would find that the fortified hospital’s walls were to repel all the shells that were thrown at them. Violators returned fire from the building creating a covering fire for Lord Odoacer and advancing plague marines.

Far a field things did not go better for Con. Von Stieger the Violators veteran marines successfully advanced fown the flank of the Minoris defenders. Even the might of a surprise attack by a grey knight hero who Con. Von Stieger had hidden among his ranks could not stop the rout of his men. The grey knight was wounded in personal combat against a raging khornbliterator. He was lucky to be evacuated when Con. Von Stieger called a retreat to a more fortified part of the city.

Great bonfires spew a dark black smoke through the night. Lord Odoacer allowed his plague marines and Sorcerer Geiseric take and sacrifice the souls of the guardsmen who were injured, dead, or simply left behind. The power of their sacrifice added to the Elysians who had already been sent to the chaos gods. The defenders of Nissin Minoris watched the smoke through out the night pondering if they would be next.

-+-

To Be Continued

[Iron Warrior]

The wind blew fiercely and bitter cold. The temperature was 20 below zero and snow began to gale in from the North east of the planets largest continent. Glacius was a huge Ice ball of a planent with frozen lakes and oceans covered by ice and glaciers. Nothing but underwater seas creatures lived on this planet on purpose. The surface was white and light blue where frozen water peered through the ice. The Planet had constant blizzards and snow storms raging across the surface. It was below the surface that intersted the new comers to the planet.

Snow and ice crunched under foot of the Marines in thier power armor. Ipexx looked back over his shoulder to Lord Sextus and his men following him. Barely visiable through the blowing snow Sextus looked to be annoyed with the weather conditions. Ipexx grinned under his helmet and kept on trudging through the snow. The ice where they are traveling was too thin to support the Rhino Armored Personal Carriers that usually transported the marines. They were taking an allternate route to thier destination. It was a large basin in the middle of a mountain range. The main route was a plowed man made road where vehicles like the Rhinos could travel. But Ipexx and Sextus were unwelcomed guests here and the road would have been a bad choice. instead Ipexx lead Sextus through a small pass in the mountains and over a frozen lake to thier destination.

Ipexx came to a halt in the snow storm and looked up. Sextus and his Slaanesh marines halted behind him. The snow began to clear and it reveal a huge instalation of Steel girders and metal rises. It was as tall as a mountain itself.

"Lord Sextus, this is the installation where Cerebrus is kept. Last reports were that its plasma drive was still under going repairs but should be fully operations otherwise. You have 45 minutes before the sentries and The Warriors learn of your prescence here and dispatsh Kill Teams to hunt you down. I suggest you work fast and excavate the war machine quickly." Ipexx grinned knowing the time frame given was nearly impossible for them to retrieve the Titan. He looked back at Sextus handing over a data slate. "These are the activations codes for Cerebrus"

Sextus snatched the data slat out of the Oracles hands and looked upon it for a few moments before responding,"45 minutes will be all I need." Sextus tapped his com link on his helmet and spoke some words unaudiable to other communication links.

Ipexx was puzzled and waited to see what the Pleasure Lord had in mind.

The ground began to shake and the snow began to blow again but away from the gathering of marines and Ipexx. The Wind came from above them and blew down. Ipexx looked up in the sky but only saw 4 hazy outlines. It was like a translucent figures of a large machines with turbines blowing down upon them. Sextus's marines ran into the installation and began to work on raising the titain above ground. When the titan was fully above ground the translucent hovering machines came into view lowering huges cables. They were 4 modified Thunderhawk Transport carriers. Each had a huge cable tow line underneath its belly and clamped on to the hull of the Titan above the shoulders. Together in perfect unison each the transports raised into the air lifting the titan off the ground and into the sky. Ipexx was surpised at Sextus's inginuity.

30 mins had passed, people were becoming suspicous at the constant snow storm surrounding the manufactorium that once held Cerebrus and personel were being dispatched to check it out.

"Most impressive Lord Sextus, I was unaware that you had such technologies at your disposal." Ipexx said.

"There is much your unaware of sorcerer." Sextus replied. "Now go before they find you"

Ipexx nodded, "And you will be on Nissin 3 correct?"

"As is my word you snivelling mage, now go!"

Ipexx pressed a series of buttons on the underside of his guantlet and vanished in a series of red glowing lights.

Sextus and his men boarded a small flying transport that came down with the Thunderhawks. All the ships ascended into the stars and back to thier ships in high orbit around the planet. Sextus had his prize and now he was ready to play with it. His ships made course for Nissin 3. Ipexx's Ship made for an intercept course with the Iron Warriors fleet already in route to Nissin 3.

[Catachan Colonel]

Iron Father Lee looked out across the city through the magnocular built into his artificial left eye. He could see blue armored chaos marines taking positions in distant buildings. The attack on Nissin Magoris had begun. Iron Father Lee was first alerted when reports from his outer sentry servitors stopped arriving. The last video feeds showed blue armored traitor marines trimmed in silver. Imperial archives indicated that these were the Violator space marines, according to the detailed reports of Captain Greyburn they were lead by a fearsome new lord named Odoacer. Iron Father Lee wanted very much to personally send Lord Odoacer back to hell.

The Iron hands had been busy since their disastrous landing at Nissin 3. Repairs were made to the equipment and vehicles that could be salvaged. Scouts had been sent out into the desert outside the city to learn the lay of the land from Captain Greyburn’s veteran forces. The imperial captain was smart and capable his defenses were well manned and supplied. He was a good man to have watching the Iron Hands’ flank. Iron Father Lee had taken up the defense of the northern most section of the city freeing Imperial guardsmen to reinforce outer defenses and better man the rest of the city.

The roar of a missile sounded through the Iron Father’s mechanical ears. A surface to air missile shot up into the shy tearing a hole in a closing chaos bomber. Servitors quickly began resupplying the Hyperios whirlwind with more ammunition. Iron Father Lee estimated that the two hyperios at his disposal would keep all but a massive bomber attack at bay.

Iron Father Lee looked to a nearby tactical squad. “We have to outflank them before they can dig in. Your with me!”

-+-

Geiseric the sorcerer of the plague lord looked to his plague marines from atop a throne held aloft by a swarm of filthy daemonic creatures. Desert flies swarmed around him and his men attracted by the scent of decay. Geiseric had just finished instructing his men in their secondary objective. The plague marines nodded in silent grim acknowledgement. Their extra task would take them deep into the enemy defenses.

The enemy anti aircraft tanks were their goal. Two tanks laden with surface to air missiles and the machine spirits who could track even the fastest of objects. Geiseric had equipped his men with a special kind of pox, one capable of degenerating even the purest machine spirit. Lord Odoacer had commanded that the Hyperios whirlwinds be captured. Geiseric and his plague marines had the pleasure of being the ones chosen to do it.

-+-

Sergeant Beauregard of the Iron Hands 2^nd tactical squad. Shot his bolter across the broken pavement of the street outside and into the building across the thoroughfare. Little bits of concrete showered out from where the bolter shell impacted the wall of the far building. Sergeant Beauregard ducked back behind the wall of the building his squad occupied as the blue armored chaos marines across the street returned fire.

Sergeant Beauregard led one of the first squads to actually engage the enemy. The chaos marines had taken up a defensive position and the two squads now traded fire neither venturing out into the dead man’s land that was the city streets. Sergeant Beauregard knew this was a losing position for his men however. The marines across that street carried a blasphemous icon of one of their dark gods. It sparked with a weird green glow. It smelled of sulfur. Sergeant Beauregard ordered his men to fire again hoping to keep that icon back far across the street.

-+-

To Be Continued