Warhammer 40k RP

[tribble]

The 13th Black Crusade is underway. Abaddon himself has landed on Cadia, and The Black Legion Runs amok on Cadia, and the Cadian gate is contested heavily. The resulting pandemonium allows some ships to escape into imperial space to terrorize the Imperium. The Angel Star, commanded by the conniving Chaos Lord Mercutio the Rogue, Is one such ship. As he sets course for Aquileus, Mercutio smiles at the thought of gaining the favor of the most powerful Warmaster in all the Traitor Space Marines, Abaddon the despoiler. What he doesn't know is that the battle between Imperium and Chaos is not limited to those parties, and that the Eldar Craftworld of Ulthwe' has begun to meddle in Man's affairs...

[Don the Bastard]

**BEEP**

**BEEP**

**BEEP**

My eyes snap open.
I inhale deeply.
Looking round I see I am in the same dull grey room.
My quarters on Mordia.

**BEEP**

What is that.
A message from Terra.
I open it.

**Unit 303 withdrawn. Cadia is hot. Required for emergency dispatch. Return to Temple Vindicare.**

My gear is packed and ready to move, as always.
I shower.
I dress.
I report to the colonel:
"I have been recalled"
"I know, my orders came through this morning, thankyou, for all you have done"
"I have done my job, for the emperor"

I salute him and am gone.

My drop ship waits.

The cold emptiness of cryo-sleep embraces me, they say you don't dream in cryo... but I do.

[purepolarpanzer]

A loud klaxon erupted over the tinny speaker system of the bridge.
Boss! Dere's a distress signal comin up ova the com!
Krimscrag's "communications officer" banged the panel in front of him, putting yet another dent in it.
Why don't you work you stupid son of a squi..."
A massive fist flattened him as Krim hit the right combination of buttons to play the message. His troops weren't used to the Imperial ships they had stolen, but it didn't concern him much. He would probably be crashing them soon and getting new ones.
You want me ta get a runty grot ta work it, Scrum? Least dey woudn't break it every toime we get a message!A audio signal comes through, choppy and weak.
Probly some crappy transceiva. Some faama needs his cow pulled outta da muck.He is about to shut the signal off, when he hears something that catches his large, green ear.
Please, Chaos is coming! This is the planet Aquileus! The Minister says Chaos is coming in force! Please, anyone out there, Space Marine or Guard commander, come help us! PLEASE!
Krim smiled, as did his whole bridge crew. Cadia was too big a fight for them right now- once the big guns had settled to a stalemate he might offer his services. But this planet's fight was just beginning...
You can always trust da humies ta give you a heads up for a foight! Dey panic and squeal and send out dese dumb distress signals, thinkin their guys aren't already on da way!
He turned to his navigator, a Weirdboy sitting on the Astropath's throne, wires and interfaces jammed into his brain by the Doc. He sat, giggling and sparking, pules of green energy washing off of him. Most orks used roks to get across the universe, but Krim's smaller, more surgical force prefered stolen frigates, which needed a psyker for navigation. Disconnected from the Golden Throne, the Great Green proved a reliable enough navigation force- it pointed them towards conflict without error, though every week or so he had to get a new Weird Boy and have the grotz scrub brains off the command deck.
OI! Flim! Get dis tub movin towards dat planet Aquileus or what not! And send a message to da rest of da fleet! We're heading for a WWWWAAAGGGHHH!!!!!

The cry was taken up, and before his message had even been relayed the other ork ships knew something was up, as they too took up the savage warcry of the Greenskins. His fleet turned and shot off into the dark, preparing for warp travel. The WAAAGGHH was coming to Mankind's doorstep.

[WhiteKnight777]

Light music played through speakers artfully concealed throughout the small chamber. Arcturus Kleinhart, rogue Inquisitor and radical member of the Ordo Malleus sat alone, a finely crafted needle resting on one large, powerful hand.

Arcturus was stripped to the waist, revealing a broad, muscular torso, crisscrossed with scars and overlayed with numerous tattoos. His body was shaved clean of hair, save for that atop his head, which was a rich onyx hue, and this state served to better display the aformentioned tattoos. It was on one of these that he was working now, the needle connected to a resevoir that held silver-colored ink. But these were no mere decorations with which he adorned himself - Arcturus would never have sullied his Emperor-given form with such debasement. No, these were something much more. He worked diligently, refreshing one of the many purity seals he had inked onto his very flesh, to better protect himself from the wiles of Chaos and its unholy servants.

Speaking of servants, one of his own entered the room, bearing a dataslate. As he entered, the servant stopped for a moment, for he was not often in the Master's presence and had never seen the lines of text and artful designs that adorned his flesh. He turned his head as if embarrassed as Arcturus calmly sat down the needle and rose, placing a simple white robe over his torso. Stepping forward, he was a full head taller than the man, nearly seven feet, and built like a warrior. He took the slate, giving his servant a nod and dismissing him as he sat down to read.

His eyes flew over the words as he scrolled down, his face grim. The Cadian Gate was under heavy assault, and as the valiant servants of the Emperor fought and died to hold Abbaddon the Accursed at bay, the refuse of his fleet, the marauders and raiders, slipped out to wreak havoc in the surrounding systems. Noting the names of a half dozen or more that were most at risk, he tapped one with a thick finger. He depressed on of the buttons on his desk, speaking into a transmitter that connected directly to the bridge.

Captain. We've a new destination. Inform Tantalus and Marcius to make ready, and set course for Aquileus.

[Eldan]

The Shadow ship was silently gliding through the darkness beyond the webway tunnels it had travelled through in the past hours.
On board, Autarch Eldanor mustered his troops for the last time. Of course, it wasn't necessary, as every one of the Eldar was close to mastering the path of battle he had chosen for himself. The warpspiders stood to his left, their armor holding up the bulky jump generators and their heavy deathspinners. To his left, the strikign scorpions were assembled, their green armor standing out against Ulthwés black and white dominating the Shadows interior.
Focusing half his mind on his breathing, calming himself down before the battle and listening to the staccato of his racing heart, he adressed them again:
"The farseers have revealed our mission. The pathfinders that will join us will already have arrived through the webway. They will scout ahead. Group "Spiders bridging-the-void of the warp by weaving the veil of Isha" will join me on the "Black Dragon from the Abyss of Reia", while Group "Swift Fury of the Hidden Scorpion" will join Warlock Aldarin. Ten minutes until Wave Serpents enter orbit, prepare for waking your battle minds. Ishas wisdom with you."

[Don the Bastard]

**FSSSSS**

I wake. I push the cryo-coffin door open. My heads swims, a little groggy from the chemicals, a little groggy for just waking.

The tech-priests stand waiting for me, all nameless as am I. They check me over, ensure I am undamage from my travels. Ensure my purity seals are all still in tact.

I feel the cold sting of metal as they jack into me, downloading my memories since last I was here.

I am cleared to see the Abbot.

My footsteps echo in the empty halls of the temple, occasional screams tear the silence as fresh recruits are conditioned.

I approach the Abbot's office and hit the intercomm "Unit 303 reporting for emergency dispatch"
"Enter"

The door slides open and I walk in, instinctively checking the room for exit points and potential threats. I approach the desk and kneel head down. The Abbot stands and offer me his hand. I kiss it.

"Cadia has been invaded, you are to be dispatched there immediately, Colonel Deckland will be your new OIC"
"Yes Abbot"
"The tech-priests will upload the mission specs, go now, For the Emperor"
"For the Emperor"

Again the cold metal jack, pain like a mild electric shock in my spine as the details are uploaded for troop rosters, local militias, nearby systems, building specs, local weather trends and resources.

Again the cold embrace of cryo... this time I dream of Chaos.

[WhiteKnight777]

Arcturus Kleinhart

Arcturus stood, looking out through the transparent observation dome at the distant world. The warp-journey was over. Reports from Cadia were sporadic, mixed, and confused, but at least the Gate had not fallen. If that were to occur... the catastrophe would be unimaginable. He shuddered a little in contemplation of it, sighing softly as he looked down once again. A servitor stood nearby, ready to relay his orders. At last, he turned and spoke into the vox reciever.

All hands at the ready. We will be deploying to the Sanctum Aquileus Within the hour. Hostilities can hopefully be avoided, but be prepared for combat, if necessary.

[puppyavenger]

Drelith awakened, his excess flesh sloughing off to reveal a thin, almost sickly, young man, blond hair tied back in a ponytail, surrounded by a mas of semi sentient sludge

Awakening beside him were his masterpieces, three Tyranid warrior, 7-foot tall creatures from a mad-mans nightmare. One had a pair of adamant-hard claws and two pairs of bone-rending talons, another had a monstrous cannon capable of firing tank-melting acid, a pair of deadly larva-spewers, and a pair of the scything talons, the third had a bio-weapon that fired a hyper-growing seed to strangle the enemies, and the two lesser weapons of the previous one , as well as some small phsyker abilities.

Quickly communicating to their advanced minds to awaken the broods, he manually awakened the rest of the ships occupants, 30 of his greatest followers, blessed with claws to rip metal, spit to burn bone, and in the case of two of his lieutenants, moderate ability in pyromancy and telekinesis.

Turning to the display screens, he looked at the planet the servitors had brought him to, they were instructed to bring him to the first planet they caught a signal from. The one he came to was Aquileus II, an Civilized world. He noted with some humor the amount of forces going to Aquileus I.

Turning around he yelled Prepare for crash landing! and instructed the servitors to land near a wasteland inhabited by shanttowns, he loved shantytowns, everyone was desperate, and the Imperium didn't care enough to send forces if anything less than violent rebellion broke out.

[tribble]

With a shock that knocked the Dark Tech-Priests over, the Angel Star slammed into Realspace.
"I really Must get that Problem Adressed, Its losing Me Time." Mercutio mutters.
"Mercutio, The Augers have detected an Inquisition Ship In geosynchronous orbit around the Planet, and I feel...something there."
"I thought you couldnt detect things psychically at that distance, Cicero."
"I... Did as Well, Lord Mercutio."
"Hm. What is it in orbit over?"
"Scans indicate that it is in Orbit over the Capital of the World, Milord."
"Have we found the Abbey yet?"
"no- wait. what is- My Lord, we have found it! look!"
"Good. Dispatch A dropship of Marines to the planets surface 10 miles from the Abbey, outfit them with Lascannons and Rocket Launchers. 30 should be enough, Make sure they have one of those little Icons with Warp Energy in it with them, Ill be leading the assualt. hm. You stay on the ship, the only reason I can think of for you to be able to sense a presence at this distance is a Psyker beyond anything you've ever encountered, or a huge group of Psykers. Either way, this Barge was Proofed against Psychic Assaults before the Heresy, so you're safest here."
Mercutio Scowls, and wonders; Are Cicero's powers growing somehow? what is in that Ship? Khorne's teeth, I havent even landed on the Planet and the Raid has gone Rancid.
Mercutio glances at the readouts for the Abbey's location.
Hm. the foothills of the mountains. That copse of trees will be a good point to bombard the Abbey... Maybe I should take a page from the Night Lords book and copycat the attack on Scounds Fall...

[puppyavenger]

Climbing out of the "wreckage" of his ship, he looked around. It seemed he was in a mining pit, and they were now surround by a an angry crew of mutant scavengers. They seemed to be the classic physically deformed by over-muscled ones, perfect for his purposes.

Hello my sons, why are you reduced to such deplorable tasks?
The mutants, obviously confused, stared, a few mubled something, and eventually one who was either the smartest or the bravest spoke up. What're'yu talkin' 'bout? we've always been scavengers. It's all we mutants are gid fer.
No, no, you are the children of the Great One, The Lord-in-the-void, why else would the Imperials enslave you so?
Cuz we're mutants, and mutants 're scum
No, Mutants are a natural evolution of humanity, a gift from the Lords. They will remove any liabilities you have and make you better in all ways than humans. The protect those gifted in spirit from daemons, they increase the gifts of those gifted in body, and they give those gifted in mind the ability to command the lesser creatures of the land.
.....'kay, so why're yu here? and wadya want with us
?
I'm glad you asked, your going to add me and my followers on our crusade, now let me tell you what you must do, and then I'll show a small amount of the Lords power

* * *

Looking around the hut, he sneered, so this was the best they had, even for their prophet. no wonder they were so easy to convert after he performed a few "miracles" and told them that, besides following his order and not harming the Lords servants and a few other things, there would be no restrictions on behavior. Turning to Kellith, the pyromancer, he said find some drink, and see if they have any entertainment in this hell-hole, we might as well have another break before we continue army building

(OOC) gained the 100 cultists I mention in my troops write-up

[WhiteKnight777]

Arcturus Kleinhart

The Inquisitor gave a low, guttural growl as he watched the astropathic display of the Untainted Hart glow with warp-translation. Chaos signatures, by what he felt. He barked orders for the captain to take the ship to the other side of the planet. As the rumble of realspace engines coming online filled the ship, he steepled his fingers in front of his face. He'd hoped to have more time.... but it was too late for wishing now. Giving several more orders, he began to walk down to the hangar where his personal gunship was stored. Under the gleaming overhead lights, techpriests made the last-minute fine tunings and said the final prayers before the ritual of ignition. Already being loaded were two caskets - each wrapped round in runic chains, carved with sacred diagrams, and enclosed in their own personal warp-fields. Even through all the protection, he could feel the unholy potence of their occupants - his most powerful and most dangerous weapons. On his hip, the daemon-sword he had mastered stirred within the heavy sheath, similarly blanketed with chains and runes to keep its hunger at pay. A small squad of stormtroopers would accompany him, but his best hope was to reach the abbey before his foes.

He nodded to the pilot, who began to chant the Litany of Activation as he made the sacred motions, even as the bay doors opened. They would take the shuttle down into the atmosphere and arrive at the Abbey under the radar of any who might be watching. No sense giving the foul heretical scum any more warning than they already had.

[tribble]

Mercutio's vox beeped.
"yes?"
"Lord Mercutio, the Inquisition ship has moved to this side of the planet, and has dispatched a shuttle to the abbey."
"Has their shuttle entered the atmosphere?"
"just now, my lord."
"fine, target the Inquisition ship with everything we have, I'll need some time to get these las cannon batteries set up for the attack, so send a fighter wing after the Shuttle."
"Acknowledged. with your permission, I'd like to spend our prisoners in a daemonic pact."
"what did you have in mind?"
"...I Intend to Instigate a Warpstorm on the planets Surface, lord."
"Absolutely out of the question, I'm still down here, you fool."
"I meant after you destroy the Abbey and leave the planet, Lord."
"very well. have you deduced or scried any information on that presence?"
"Indeed, Lord, It is a single Psyker, and Riding in that shuttle I mentioned."
"Fragging Nurgling In a commissar's cap. In that case, keep a salvo of Magma Bombs Prepared, I May need to Burn this place out of existence."
"you would die if I did that, lord."
"I would only call it in if I had failed utterly and was about to die at the hands of this Thrice-damned Psyker anyway.May the gods guide your guns, Cicero."

[Eldan]

The Serpent did not shake as it hit the athmosphere and slowly descended into increasingly dense air, accompanied by the faint glow of friction, mostly covered up by the holofields.
"Our target is a large building full of monkey, zealots of both the monkeigh emperor and the enemy. Our mission is to make sure that as many of both groups as possible die. The wanderers will cover the most likely escape route on land, covered by the scorpions. The serpents will prepare the messengers of fate to destroy any escaping vehicles. We will prepare for a quick strike to remove any survivors. The seers have determined that there is a psyker on the monkeigh side that has to be silenced. If we don't, he might prove fatal later in this conflict."

[WhiteKnight777]

Arcturus Kleinhart

The Inquisitor's gunship came in low and fast, touching down on the manicured green lawn of the remove monestary, scorching the grass to black. Stepping out. Kleinhart was greeted by the sight of the Ecclesiarch who ran the place, whose look of anger melted to one of fear when he saw the Inquisitorial rosette pinned at Kleinhart's throat. He began to jabber a series of questions that Kleinhart answered with curt abruptness - he ordered the place evacuated, telling of the incursion to come, and that he was here to remove the most important relics for safekeeping. Stepping into the main cathedral, now alone, as the priest had bustled off to organize the evacuation, Kleinhart closed his eyes for a moment, straining to hear the deep, sure voice of faith as he had once done as a young novice. But all he could make out were echoes.

He sighed, wondering if the voice had ever been anything more than arrogant self-assurance, and he moved quickly, directing stormtroopers to cart out huge bins full of rare, irreplaceable tomes to the waiting gunship, as he himself entered into the innermost reliquary.

There, gleaming under focused lights, was a polished staff of gold and ebony. He wrapped one gloved hand around the alloyed shaft, examining with awe the perfection of the multifaceted crystal that tipped it. It was an ancient and potent relic, once held by the saint for whom this world was named. He felt proud to bear it, and relieved he had arrived here in time. But only just. As he headed for the exit, exhorting his troopers to hurry, he wondered if he would escape without a fight. In the distance he could see the shuttles of the Ecclesiarchy departing - That was good. At least they'd be out of the way.

[Don the Bastard]

**CRACK**

I pulled the trigger, I refocused just in time to see the pink mist. Head Shot.

Day 2 on Mordia, I had been placed with the Mordian 48th, my task, take out squad commanders amongst the Chaos hordes. My commander didn't really now how to use me, I don't think he'd been in charge of a Vindicare before, so he ordered me to the high ground to take pot-shots at will, but now I was running low on ammunition and would have to go to ground for more.

I hit my intercomm
"Sir, I am running low on shells, requesting reload."
A crackled response came.
"Request approved, and come down to my bunker, there has been a development"

Getting down was much easier.

Colonel Deckland stood around a holomap, that showed the Chaos advances, he was an ordinary looking man, buzz cut, average height, wore the same gear as any soldier, only distiguisable from another guardsman by the pips on his collar.

"303, we are being pulled out, the entire 48th, for an emergency deployment, one of the chaos raiders landed on Aquileus, it is a largely undefended planet"
"I understand"

We load into the dropships, armor, command and 20 companies, it was more but with casualties some were amalgamated.

Colonel Deckland has kept me on the bridge, at his side for the trip, I never though anyone would feel more comfortable with a Vindicare around. Within a few hours we are in high orbit around Aquileus, scanning the surface for a safe landing point.

[Phantom.exe]

Hass'Ahn was not a particularly good leader. He was only of middle rank in the Tau military. This was surprising because he had already survived 12 years "on the line," yet had failed his "trial by fire". And lived.

Hass'Ahn stood now at the bridge of the Skyrapist VI, the Manta holding his own personal detatchment. He was average-looking for a Tau, but he constantly though; not about tactics or the Greater Good, but about himself.

This was not the Tau'Va. He knew it was a very, very, very bad idea.

And yet, he couldn't stop thinking about his history...

He made his first Trial to Shas'Ui 8 years ago. He was tasked to be part of Aun'O'R'Vaun'Tyr's personal honor guard, and to escort him through a large forest to a Farsight enclave camp.
When Genestealers interloped, he hid. And he survived.

And he was promoted.

4 years ago, he was tasked with defending a weapons cache from an Imperial regiment. They were cornered and alone on an icy wasteland of a world, with the Man'O'War too far away to bring releif.

When the Guardsmen made their way into the facility, Hass'Ahn opened fire. Yes, he hit a few guardsmen, but more kept on coming, and the cloaking device in his new XV15 Stealth Suit was rapidly failing.

Just as they closed in on the room containing the ammunition, Hass'Ahn accidentally pulled the trigger. Not expecting the recoil, he fell to the ground, his burst cannon blaring and stuck on full-automatic.

A few shots hit the ammunition. The blast took out 8 Fire Warriors, 15 Guardsmen, and forced both sides to disengage.

For preventing the weapons from falling into Imperial hands - at any cost -he was promoted.

Again.


And now, he faced his next Trial By Fire. Aquilae was a planet beseiged on all sides. "Sort of," the Air Caste commander had put it. "It is sort of beseiged. There are enemy ships of almost every faction in the area, but only a few are actually on their way."

"And our task?"

"Find out why such an inauspicious planet holds so much interest for the Imperium."

"Could we ask them? Perhaps they would spill its value in their own arrogance-"

"No."


And so, Shas'Vre'Hass'Ahn commanded more troops than a Commander of twice his rank, held more power in his hand than anyone with half as much courage deserves, and had better luck than the rest of the Tau 2nd Expeditionary Cadre combined.

"Full ahead. Land at the polar region."



\\\\\\Do I show up on sensors? What other ships, exactly, was the Air Caste commander talking about?

[ChronicLunacy]

Aquileus System

A harsh light split the void of space, marking the crash of the strike cruiser Scylla through the barriers of realspace and out of the unknown and wyrd perils of the Warp. She was running silent, making use of a little used jump point deemed too dangerous for use by the Adeptus Mechanicus and Adeptus Astropathicus for normal fleet travel. The situation had warranted some risk if it meant avoiding the other main jump points, which were no doubt heavily guarded by the vile Chaos fleet by now. The valiant strike cruiser could crush most any single ship smaller than a battle barge in single combat, unfortunately the odds weren't that kind. So, Scylla crept in, using the sun and the system's asteroid belt to hide its presence, then hid in the shadow of its destination's moon.

A small, but still very dangerous craft dropped from the belly of Scylla like it had been birthed and angled towards the planet, endeavoring to stay just as careful as its mothership in remaining undetected. The Thunderhawk class gunship looked somewhat clumsy, but its movements were calm and graceful under the skilled direction of its pilot. Just before hitting the interfering atmosphere, the Thunderhawk broadcasted a coded Imperial transmission, calling all active Imperial units to report their presence on the same coded frequency in order to better facilitate deployment of its passengers. Then, it rolled to present its belly and plunged into the atmosphere like one of the great wyrms of Ithaka, its hull glowing like a falling star.

Inside the gunship the ten space marines of the Iron Snakes Proteus Tactical Squad sat motionless, five to each side of the cabin facing outwards back to back with each other. The huge warriors were resplendent encased in their gunmetal gray power armor trimmed in red and white. The blue, double-looped snake, the symbol of the chapter, rested upon their left shoulders. Their heads were bared for the flight in, helmets situated in clamps above each of their chairs. Weapons were stowed in racks on either side of them built into their armrests. Each man was uniformly tanned and dark-haired, with hair oiled and braided tight against their scalp or sporting a shaved head so that their helmets could be fitted on with minimum difficulty.

Brother-Sergeant Rasmus, commander of Proteus Squad, was situated to the port and foremost side of the cabin. He had prominent cheekbones, a strong jaw, and eyes that seemed to crackle an electric blue that set him apart from his squad, who were all brown or green-eyed. His black hair was shorn close to his head, showing a sharp widow's peak which accentuated the angle of his dark eyebrows, giving him a severe look. He sported two gold studs punched into his forehead above his right eyebrow. Some of his men had one more or less, but only the warrior seated directly behind him in the fore-starboard side of the cabin had four studs, each marking a century of service and combat.

"ETA five minutes." remarked a voice over the cabin's intercom system.

Rasmus nodded and punched a button on the arm of his chair. With a few loud, metallic clanks and a hydraulic hiss the mechanized clamps above each space marine lowered helmets onto their heads. The grinning, macabre masks replaced each human face, green eyes glowing like embers in the darkened cabin. The warriors tested their range of motion, making sure the helmets were situated correctly as they removed bolters and specialized weapons from the arm racks, wracking slides and checking clips and coolant feed tubes while the seconds counted down to planetfall.

"Transmission from the planet. Local Ecclesiarch reports that the Abbey is being evacuated and important relic recovery being monitored by an Inquisitor. There is no record of the Inquisitor's presence in this sector."

"The Inquisition has little interest in broadcasting the whereabouts of its servants. If they've sent one of their number to oversee the operation then we are required to assist him in any way possible. The Abbey is our first destination. Make the Inquisitor aware of our arrival. Warriors of Ithaka, prepare for battle! We won't be the only ones aware of the Abbey's importance." the Brother-Sergeant barked, his voice harsh and metallic through the vox in his helmet. Several seats down, Brother Actaeon affixed Proteus Squad's standard to his power armor's backpack.

Even as the Thunderhawk's pilot attempted to contact the Inquisitor and his retinue, the vehicle made a roaring pass of the grounds, singling out a good spot to land. With practiced ease, the ship circled, then deftly lowered into the courtyard beside the other gunship, blasting even more of the manicured lawn scorched and black. The hatches on each side of the Thunderhawk crashed down with heavy thumps and Proteus Squad filed out five to each side with parade precision. They came together at the rear of the ship, weapons sweeping the area and portable auspexes noting their surroundings. Once the hatches slammed shut once more, the gunship lifted off the ground and soared off towards the horizon to await a return signal. It would hover at station keeping out of harm's way until Rasmus gave the pick-up order.

Rasmus noted the arrival of a man bearing an Inquisitorial rosette from inside the Abbey and brought Proteus squad double-time to the doors to address him. They spread out around the Inquisitor and the Brother-Sergeant while Rasmus approached the man.

"I am Brother-Sergeant Rasmus of the Iron Snakes. This is Proteus Squad. May we be of assistance?" his vox-amplified voice demanded from the grill of his helmet, its glowing green eyes scrutinizing the Inquisitor. This close, Kleinhart would be able to notice the green laurel wreaths painted upon the helmet's brow and the purity seal affixed to Rasmus's right shoulder armor, standing out from the rest of his squad. These were truly the warriors of the Emperor himself, the chosen few, giants and heroes of legend. standing tall in their magnificent power armor. They waited, silent and unmoving as statues, for the Inquisitor to answer.

[tribble]

"the batteries are ready, lord Mercutio"
"Fire at will, Lensure."
The explosive Whump of the havoc launcher and Missle launchers mingled with the Buzzing screech of lascannons.
I begin to see why the Iron Warriors Enjoy Sieges so much. Still, give me a Close Quarters fight in a tight space against this boring barrage any day. Mercutio mused.
"Lord Mercutio, do you read Me?"
"Loud and clear, Cicero. report."
[COLOR="Blue"]"the Imperials have begun to evacuate the planet, my lord."[/COLOR[COLOR="Red"]]"With their precious Ecclesearchy first. Still, the Schola Progenium Abbey remains inhabited. At times like these I wonder how the Imperium has lasted ten thousand years. Is the magma bombardment prepared?"[/COLOR]"yes, lord."
"good. another hour or three and I'll have this Abbey a pile of melted stones. Maybe I'll have you come down here to-never mind."
"My Lord?"
"I was going to say help summon a demonic horde with the bodies of the prisoners and casualties, but I forgot that you are a Sorceror of Tzeentch, and I would need Nurgles' Minions to cause enough damage to be worth the summoning."
"I see..."
"What with the Impending Wrath of a Psyker Of such extrordinary power looming in the future, I think it a good time to name my successor if I fall. I name you, Cicero."
"you do me honor, My Lord Mercutio. Do you really think you will die on this Planet?"
"no, but I acknowledge the possibility, And I see great things for you, Cicero, Worlds that will yet burn in your name, which I believe will become a curse to the Dogs of the Imperium, perhaps even as much as the names of Fabius Bile and Huron Blackheart."
"Are you mocking me, Lord?"
"testing your arrogance, really. You would have to become a more fearsome opponent than Kharn Himself to become a curse of the Imperium. Still, I believe you to be the most capable of my underlings on this Planet. Mercutio out."

[WhiteKnight777]

Arcturus Kleinhart

Even as the Astartes landed before him, Kleinhart maintained his calm. Cooly, he considered his options - his troops were finishing the last loads, filling the gunship to capacity with precious lore. At last, he spoke.

Brother-Sergeant. Your assistance is timely. Deadly splinter from the vast forces of the Great Enemy are poised to pierce the heart of this world. I am evacuating the non-combat personnel of the Holy Ecclesiarchy, along with the blessed relics. But we shall not allow this world, or this holy sanctuary of His Divine Majesty, to fall into the hands of heretics unopposed. Whatever forces you have in space should move in concert with mine to obstruct their attempts at bombardment. Any forces they bring to bear planet side must, of course, be annihilated. If you shall be the anvil, I shall deploy My troops to prepare an ambush that we might be the hammer that breaks them.

[ChronicLunacy]

Brother-Sergeant Rasmus

The crump of the first missile detonations mixed with the subsonic whine of the Chaos lascannons gave the Brother-Sergeant a moment's pause before he calmly replied to the Inquisitor's suggestion. "We would be happy to, Inquisitor. Have your ship use code channel Echo to coordinate with the strike cruiser Scylla. I will prepare a defense of the Abbey while you finish your duty here. The Emperor protects." he said tersely, striking a gunmetal gray gauntlet against his ceramite chest plate much like the hammer/anvil reference the Inquisitor had just made. Then, turning swiftly to his men, he began to give orders, his vox-amplified voice booming through the courtyard.

"PROTEUS! FALL IN! Our mission is to defend this house of the Holy Emperor! Man the walls and prepare to repel the traitorous scum attempting to defile it! MOVE OUT!" he roared.

Proteus Squad filed out with practiced precision, climbing, or at times jumping whole flights of stone steps to reach the top of the wall that stood between the courtyard and the forces of Chaos gathered outside. Like many remote holy places, the Abbey was built like a small fortress, with heavy, angled walls and thick, adamantium gates in the case it ever needed to be defended. Unfortunately, with only ten men, even space marines, the weight of fire they could focus from any single point was inadequate. It would only be a matter of time before the traitors breached the high walls. Fortunately, all they had to do was buy enough time for the Inquisitor to ready his ambush. So, they would hunker down and wait through the lascannon and missile barrage for the Chaos troop push to start.

Rasmus looked to each of his men as they waited patiently for his order to fire, just imagining lighthearted Brother Jude's smile behind his helmet. None would even think about opening fire before the Brother-Sergeant gave the order, none would jump the gun in a fit of fright. To a man Proteus Squad were veteran warriors, reveling in the sound of battle for the chance to prove their collective faith to the Holy God-Emperor of Mankind once more. This was their worship, their purpose. The sound of bolter fire, the revving of their chainswords, these were their hymns to His Glory. With every depression of a trigger or swing of a sword they gave thanks. To have the chance to take the fight to the Great Enemy was almost more than they could have hoped for.

[tribble]

Mercutio looked through his Auxillary optical magnifacation scope.
Space Marines... Interesting.
Lieutenant Jeriman?
"My lord?"
"take a score of noise marines and a Rhino Transport, Go to the Capital of this world. Enter the city Covertly, Abandoning the Rhino if necessary. once you are in the City, set Melta Charges on the most Important Buildings. If I send you the message; "Broken Halo" through Cicero, blow the charges. "
"yes, lord"
Mercutio wondered for a few seconds why the Space Marines had not yet launched an attack on His Batteries, and then hit him. the fools thought he was going to attempt to storm the Abbey. Unfortunately for them, He had every intention of winning this Battle with as little loss as possible, and if that meant fighting like an Iron Warrior, so be it.
He touched the Combi-bolter slung across his back.
He Murmured a Litany of Hate written by Lorgar himself.
He smiled.
He wasnt even on the defensive and he was going to make the Imperium bleed as if they were assaulting a fortress built by the Gods themselves.

[ChronicLunacy]

Proteus Squad

"Brother-Sergeant, why aren't they assaulting us?" Brother Kastor said over Rasmus's micro-bead vox-link as he checked the feed on his heavy bolter once more. There was little else to do with the enemy just standing away like that. The walls could weather the fire reasonably well for a time, so Proteus Squad was left to simply duck down and cover. "They have numbers on us. Surely they would try to overrun our position." Kastor continued, puzzlement evident in his voice.

"The forces of the Great Enemy rarely stick to established battle doctrine, Brother. I find whenever you expect them to do something, they do the opposite. Still, this is fortunate. It gives the Inquisitor's men more time to load all of the Abbey's holy relics." Rasmus replied, risking a glance over the lip of the wall at the enemy's positions. "With-"

"Excuse me, Brother-Sergeant, but we have some...support from the Progenium, it seems." Kastor interrupted, pointing with one gauntleted hand towards the parade ground where a full battalion of what looked to be students were assembling on the parade ground. One company seemed to be made up and led entirely by female students, those in training to join the Adepta Sororitas, while the other three were entirely stormtrooper recruits led by the commisariat students. They were fully equipped with standard pattern lasguns with attached bayonets, with the would-be Sisters of Battle and Commissars also carrying training swords. All in all there were around a thousand students moving with ordered precision towards the walls. There they broke into platoons and moved to support Proteus Squad's defensive positions or hunkered down behind the gates in case of a breach. The head boy and girl, by their uniform markings, approached Brother-Sergeant Rasmus, joining him in cover.

"Progenium student forces arrayed and ready for your command, Brother-Sergeant!" the girl, who couldn't have been more than seventeen, announced. Her male counterpart nodded briskly and risked a glance over the wall himself.

Rasmus suppressed a grin behind his helmet. Truly, if even children could stand tall against the traitorous scum then all of Humanity could find the courage as well. He wouldn't even think of telling these soldiers to return to the Abbey and hide. To do such a thing would be a disgrace to both them and himself. Instead, he looked them over for a moment and replied. "Excellent. Have your soldiers man these walls. Do not allow the enemy to take one step onto these hallowed grounds! We will require your support if we are to take the fight to them." he said, now grinning fiercely behind his helmet. "PROTEUS!" he called through his vox. "It seems the students have the defense well in hand. Now we can take the fight to the cowards who dare attack this holy place!" he announced to a cheer from his men. "Hektor, Herodes! Smoke screen! Everyone, over the wall now!"

As obfuscating smoke grenades fell to the ground in front of the wall, the enemy as one attempted to adjust their auspexes, targeting systems, and auto-senses to compensate for the sensor ghosts and echoes that for a moment fouled their readings. Proteus used the small amount of time to vault over the wall and plummet to the ground below, cratering the ground before the gate with several hundred pounds of pulverizing force each. Rasmus took off running, leading the charge towards the Chaos batteries with a vox-amplified battle-cry that shook the diaphragm of everyone within range. "IN THE EMPEROR'S NAME! FOR ITHAKA!!" he roared, rapidly covering the distance. His bolt pistol and crackling power sword hungry for traitor blood.

They appeared through the smoke like charging freight trains. Hundreds of pounds of ceramite, enhanced fiber muscle, and righteous fury howling like madmen. As soon as they had targets the space marines opened up with a blanket of explosive boltfire, pierced every now and then by the searing scream of the Brother Actaeon's plasma gun, which vaporized anything it touched in a blue wash of blazing energy. Rasmus picked his targets rapidly, aiming a single bolt towards each of their heads from his cracking bolt pistol. Once his weapon clicked empty he would lead in with his power sword, attempting to keep the charge's momentum going strong through the first lines of defense towards the lascannons and havok launchers.

(( OOC: I had WhiteKnight's permission to skip ahead of him in the posting order. Oh, and just for reference, I'm not calling any hits here. It's up to you, tribble, to let me know just how effective I've been. I expect the same courtesy from you during your counterattack. For example, not just announcing that you blow poor Brother Jude's head off without giving me any time to say otherwise. LoL ))

[Eldan]

""And there they are. Just wait. Let us see if they are both foolish enough to fight in the open or if the zealots of the great enemy have something better planned."
The Autarchs voice was sent over the small psychic relays in his helmet. He knew where the pathfinders were standing, already taking aim at officers and other important targets.

[tribble]

The Imperials hit the line of Berserkers hard, Guns blazing and chainswords roaring. Mercutio watched impassively as four Berserkers fell, helmets blown open by the Loyalist Bolts and one of them smoking from a Plasma Gun. However, the Berserkers still outnumbered the Imperials by several men, and they weilded their Blades admriably. As Mercutio looked on, the Berserker line wavered, threatening to splinter. Mercutio Barked;
"Lensure, dont move those batteries an inch, we have them aimed perfectly already."
"Mendax! I want your squad to open Fire on that entire mess of a combat if the Bersekers begin to run."
"Aye, sir."
Mendax bellowed a curt order to his Noise Marine Squad, and within seconds ten Sonic Blasters and a Blastmaster were poised to fire at the Imperials.
I had better not have to Personally intervene, or heads will roll... Mercutio thought.

[WhiteKnight777]

A cry went up behind the chaos lines - several squads of Inquisitorial Stormtroopers, flanking during the sudden assault of the Space Marines, their attack hitting the vulnerable weapon batteries with pinpoint accuracy. Though the Stormtroopers lacked the genetically enhanced potency of the Astartes, their hellguns and their iron discipline, combined with the sudden surprise of their assault, began to tell. Scattered throughout their ranks were heavy weapons teams and gun servitors, armed with plasma weaponry, as well as heavy bolters and even a melta cannon or two. From their ranks, several combat servitors charged, mechandrites flailing, implanted autoinjectors pumping suicidal levels of combat drugs into their systems as they smashed into the vulnerable rear of the Chaos emplacements. However, the inquisitor himself, not to mention his retinue, still had yet to make an appearance.

[ChronicLunacy]

Proteus Squad

Rasmus wrenched his power sword free of the corpse of a Khorne berserker, the symbols daubed onto the heretic's armor enough to make even a space marine's gorge rise. He booted the dead berserker away from him, noticing a squad of vile Noise Marines getting ready to open up with their strange weaponry. "Herodes, cleanse them with the Emperor's purifying flame!" Rasmus roared to his brother carrying a combi-flamer. Herodes batted away the warrior he'd been sparring with using his armored gauntlet and superhuman strength and slid out of the press of combat onto one knee. With a cry, he sent jets of blazing promethium to bathe Slaanesh's evil worshippers, running it back and forth across their lines to make sure the flame touched each one.

As the battle call went up from the enemy's flank, Rasmus was heartened. He could feel the momentum of their charge running out, but this could give them a second wind. "Now, brothers! Press forward!" Rasmus yelled, aiming a bolt round through the head of another berserker before locking blades with a second. With a fierce snarl he broke the lock and applied the pommel of his power sword to his opponent's temple. Then, he shot him in the face.

Rasmus felt the punch of a bolt round into his shoulder armor, coring a smoking black hole into the ceramite. He swung his bolt pistol up to return fire but received only dry clicks in return. Fortunately, Brother Actaeon chose that moment to step in with a sweeping blast of his plasma gun. He kept firing until the gun started to become dangerously hot and he was forced to sling it over his back in favor of his chainsword. Actaeon was knocked off his feet by the backswing of a vicious chainaxe but Rasmus had reloaded in time, forcing the berserker to back off with a few well-placed shots.

[tribble]

Cicero saw the Space Marine Unleash a flamer at his Noise Marines and swore. He unslung his Combi-Bolter and aimed carefully at the Space Marine, And was about to squeeze off a controlled burst of bolts at the man when he heard a roar from the other side of his lines as a hidden force of Half-trained Stormtroopers hit his lines. He almost turned back to the space marine, but then he noticed eight Praetorians among the stormtroopers. Mercutio muttered; "Damn them..." and snapped at his honor guard of six Terminator champions who had fought at his side since before the heresy, "Deal with the Marines. I must protect the guns." before sprinting as best as he was able to the other side of the battery. He stopped, crouched, and aimed his weapon carefully at a Praetorian, racking the slide of his under slung Meltagun as he tracked the praetorian as it rampaged across the battlefield, and fired the Meltagun.
The blast of superheated gas tore across the battlefield, screaming as it went, right into the Praetorians lower chest.
The mess was ghastly.
Mercutio stood tall, drawing himself up to his full 2 and a half meters before bellowing; Stand, you puling miscreants, they're only human! Shoot the ones with Melta-charges first!

[ChronicLunacy]

Proteus Squad

Monsters loomed out of the smoke. Horrible demons of spiked, deformed ceramite and adamantium scrawled all over with sickening symbols. The heads of slain enemies were spitted on trophy wracks that grew from their shoulders, grinning skulls and decapitated helmets of fellow space marines. Some of the macabre prizes dated back to the Horus Heresy by the design of them, advertising ten thousand years in service to the Ruinous Powers. Seeing the Chaos Terminators plodding towards him would have filled any normal man with bowel-loosening terror, but Rasmus felt only rage.

"Traitors..." he whispered, breaking into a flat out run as he did so. No battle cry this time, but his men consolidated behind him as if they could read his mind. Rasmus leapt high into the air just in time for Hektor's combi-melta to open up underneath him, washing the terminators with superheated thermal energy hot enough to cook even their reinforced armor. When Rasmus landed, he landed boots first on the shoulders of one of them. As he rammed the blade of his crackling power sword down at the terminator's helmet he yelled, "DIE!!"

Actaeon's plasma gun let loose again, the standard-bearer choosing his targets carefully while the others supported him with their bolters. The bolt-rounds weren't normally as effective as the plasma weapon, but throw enough of them in one direction and one or two were bound to find a weak spot in even terminator armor. They targeted the traitors that weren't currently engaged with their Brother-Sergeant, pouring it on between blasts of superheated plasma. Brother Kastor was especially noticeable with his huge, heavy bolter, the shell feeds in his backpack venting steam he was going through rounds so fast.

The only way the space marines could keep up the pressure was if they kept attacking. To go on the defensive was to quickly lose ground as the enemy regrouped and counterattacked. With Rasmus leading them sword-first into the enemy ranks they aimed not to let them get even the smallest respite. With enough faith and determination even a small squad could break the enemy. But they could not let up for an instant.

Even so, it was taking its toll. Brother Jude, still smiling beneath his helmet, walked with a pronounced limp as a result of the chainaxe a Berserker had left still embedded in his flank. Brother Herodes was missing half his helmet where a bolt round had glanced him. Not a single member of Proteus was completely unharmed by this point. Every one of them had their armor dented, holed, or scorched in some way, and their mounting injuries were beginning to take their toll. Still, they fought on for defeat was not an option. If the stormtroopers could take the batteries they could smash the enemy between them. They just had to keep going.

[tribble]

Mercutio hit the stormtroopers hard, Decapitating one with a Right hook from his powerfist, then flaying the face from another one' skull with a flick of his wrist as he backhanded the dog. With no other targets at Arm's length, he hoisted his combi-melta and emptied the clip into a Praetorian with a Multi-Melta, unbalancing it so that it tipped precariously on one side. As his Boltgun ran dry, Mercutio threw it aside and Reactivated his powerfist, running at several stormtroopers as he did so. with the Element of Surprise waning, the natural superiority of his Chaos Marines began to assert itself as a volley of frag grenades knocked the damaged Praetorian over and blew apart several other ones as well, shredding the Stormtroopers as it did so.
No Prisoners! Those who kill the Praetorians may keep their heads as trophies!
Then, something unexpected happened.
One of the missle launchers fired off a krak missle at the abbey.
This had been happening all day, the difference was that this krak missle hit a flaw in the stone of the abbey.
the flaw burst into a great crack with a horrendous tearing noise, before almost the entire wall collapsed in a cascade of rumbling boulders.

[WhiteKnight777]

The stormtroopers fought on valiantly. Though overmatched, they had wills of steel and their faith in the Emperor. That was enough. Only a few shots hit home against the unholy ceramite shells that encased the malformed bodies of the traitor-marines, but every shot that did hit home took a traitor marine to a well-deserved death.

Even so, things were looking grim. The shattering of the Abbey's wall left it open for the predations of the traitor marines. The stormtroopers lobbed a series of melta-grenades into the battery, and even as the abbey's wall fell, they went up with a series of detonations. At last, two of the combat servitors, battered and giving forth showers of sparks, broke through the lines to reach the heavy weapons of the Chaos forces, berserk and beyond all pain, all thought, existing only to kill as they ripped into the traitors with a vengance. All too soon, however, they fell as well - but they had one last gift to give. The Inquisitor's forces had implanted explosives beneath the flowing robes that covered the mindless man-things, and these exploded with a roar of righteous wrath, sending a wave of heat, light and pressure that melted ceramite and steel alike, annihilating everything it touched.