Post by Khornate Marksman on Nov 1, 2007 19:20:28 GMT -5
First Blood
Prequel to Infection
Prequel to Infection
Captain Tamias of the Word Bearers Legion stood on the bridge of his vessel, Khorne's Spear. The bridge was filled with consoles attended by the many sevitors and marines that occupied them. Grisly trophies and paintings of the Word Bearers' brutality covered the walls. Next to the captain's chair was a steaming cauldron filled with the blood of humans taken aboard from planets and forced to live in the dark underbelly until they were brought forth and drained of their vital life fluid. The ship waited in the Warp, the demon-infested miasma of space that shortened travel through the universe. It used to be a magnificent, perfect example of Imperium might 10,000 years ago. When the Word Bearers change to the side of Chaos, so did their ship. The bow was covered with bronzed skulls taken from the bodies of countless millions of dead. The red paint that lined the ship was human blood mixed with specific chemicals to bond it with the dark metal plating.
Darkness lived and breathed in the Warp. It housed many enemies of the Imperium, traitor and monster alike. Along with the demons, the various Chaos Legions of Space Marines spent their days in the warp, traveling through its deadly currents to planets ripe with Imperial citizens to butcher. The planet Tamias was heading for was Jargus III of the Uronuz system. It was a trade planet, founded thousands of years ago by traders and missionaries. The chaos captain's plan was simple; introduce a virus to the planet that would infect the populace and mutate them into bloodthirsty monstrosities that would wreak havoc and kill all those that would be unfortunate enough to get cornered.
The destruction and body count would be so high that Space Marines would have to be called in to relieve any of the Planetary Defense Forces that may have survived. When the marines made planetfall and stemmed the tide of infected, Captain Tamias and his legion would attack. They would burn the planet's cities with a massive bombardment. Any survivors would be killed by the forces Tamias would send to the ground. It was a simple, but efficient plan.
Tamias was about to give the order to exit the Warp when an Imperial ship entered and appeared beside Khorne's Spear. He studied the ship through the side viewports. From what he could see the ship was old and unarmed. The name Serene Fruit was etched in silver lettering along the ship's black hull. It was a simple merchant ship. The captain turned to face his first mate.
"Olgex," he said, his voice deep and calm. "Have Sergeant Mixoa prepare a boarding party. We have a new plan. I want that Imperial ship raided. Have Apothecary Vendrias accompany him. I want the virus to be planted on that ship."
"And then what, sir?" asked Olgex. He stared at his towering Captain. Tamias was a big space marine, but his terminator armor made him all the more menacing. He stood nearly twelve feet tall and was as wide as three full-grown adults. Tamias's left eye had been replaced by a red augmetic lens years ago after an Imperial Guardsman had tried to shoot his head. Because of that Tamias now wore his custom made helmet which hung on his belt next to his heavy bolter. His armor was decorated in the Word Bearers' fashion, cryptic text written on old parchment or human skin hung from his left pauldron. His armor was darker than blood itself. Old gore from his many victims stilled coated the adamantium battleplate.
"Then I want that ship to have a course plotted to crash into the planet Uronuz," replied Tamias.
"Right sir, I'll send the orders right now."
Tamias didn't answer him. He turned around as Olgex relayed the orders to the sergeant and apothecary. He stared at the Imperial ship. Within the next two hours everyone on the ship would either be dead or infected with the virus. Apothecary Vendrias still hadn't told the captain what he called the virus. He had said he wanted to see it in action before he decided what to name his twisted creation.Tamias didn't care, he just wanted his plan carried out. There was one problem though, the geller field surrounding the Serene Fruit would prevent the chaos marines from boarding without being detected. With the field active, they would have to blast a hole in the ship's hull to get inside, but that would alert the crew onboard to their presence and probably doom the marines to a death of incineration via the ship self-destructing.
"Olgex," said Tamias.
"Sir?"
"Have Chaplain Yrgon also join the boarding party. They'll need his special talents to breach the geller field successfully."
"Aye, sir."
Several decks below the bridge, Sergeant Mixoa readied his men on the embarkation deck. Two Thunderhawks, the standard marine transport craft were fueled up and ready to be loaded with troops. They, like their parent ship, had been adorned with skulls and painted with blood to convey fear in their enemies hearts. The chaos marines stood in a formation consisting of four squads. The squad in front was Mixoa's. To the left of his stood Squad Tero and behind his and Mixoa's were Squads Basnio and Pikex. Each squad consisted of six marines, including the sergeants. However, Mixoa's squad carried and additional member, Apothecary Vendrias. The medic carried what looked like a melta bomb, but instead of promethium sealed in the vial there was a dark green liquid with tiny blood red dots floating in it. Mixoa knew what the vial contained. It was the virus that Captain Tamias's whole plan revolved around.
Chaplain Yrgon stood on an elevated platform raised next to the thunderhawk squads Mixoa and Pikex would be riding in. He wore his death mask, the sign of his rank and the powers he controlled. The helmet was painted with the face of a menacing demon and had two long yellow horns stained with the blood of enemies extending from the top. The chaplain stood immobile on the platform, meditating to gather the dark energies that swirled within him so that he may call upon them when needed. He mumbled the cursed words of demons, his forked tongue adding a snake like accent to his speech. He was to stand on the bow of the lead thunderhawk and unleash a psychic blast that would overload the Imperial ship's geller field and leave them open to the many hellish damnations that inhabited the Warp.
"Chaplain Yrgon," called Sergeant Mixoa. "Are you ready to proceed?"
"Khorne fuels my strength and the demons have been called. These Imperial dogs shall meet their end soon enough. Just get me to that ship in one piece," responded the Chaplain, his death mask altering his voice and filling it with static.
Mixoa turned to his assembled men and said, "Marines load up!"
The chaos marines jogged up the loading ramps of their assigned thunderhawks and strapped themselves in. They stashed their weapons in the storage compartments above their heads and sat up straight, watching as their sergeants walked up the narrow aisle up to the seats next to the hatch leading to the cockpit. Mixoa knocked on the hatch three times. Seconds later the pilot's voice was heard over the vox in his ear.
"Sir, is it time for launch?" asked the pilot.
"Aye, start this bird up," said Mixoa.
Outside in the hangar Chaplain Yrgon stepped off the platform and onto the roof of the lead thunderhawk. He activated the electro-magnets in his boots that would keep him from flying off the dropship. He ran one last check on his suit to make sure he was perfectly sealed inside. It would do his fellow Word Bearers no good if he was sucked from his suit and killed instantly while they flew towards the enemy. Besides, he was itching for violence. The hunger for carnage was building within him and he clutched his crozius tightly. Beneath him the thunderhawk roared to life. The massive engines on the stern and wings of the ship started up, shooting flames thirty feet past it.
The hangar claws released the thunderhawk and it shot forward with amazing speed. Behind it the second Thunderhawk followed behind. Together the ships angled towards the Imperial ship, Serene Fruit. As they neared the lead thunderhawk slowed so Chaplain Yrgon could begin the chant that would destroy the geller field. He closed his eyes and pictured a sea teeming with demons of all shape and size. A glowing green moon was rising in the background.
"The Witches Moon," he whispered. His eyes flashed open, glowing green with demonic power. His mouth opened wide and an earsplitting cry exited. He inhaled deeply and began the chant.
"Okmu...grix...asew...tou...plivban...wulo...zex...femlil...poleih"
Chaplain Yrgon spread his arms and then slammed them together with tremendous force, sending an enormous white sphere of psychic energy sailing towards the Imperial ship. The white sphere, fueled by demons, collided with the Imperial ship causing the energised geller field to flicker. The protective field glowed red hot and then overloaded, leaving the Imperial ship open to attack.
Chaplain opened the private vox channel linking him with Sergent Mixoa. He said, without any emotion, "Sergeant Mixoa, the geller field is down. You can begin boarding now."
"Aye, Chaplain. Now the slaughter can finally be started. These Imperial slaves thought they would be safe, but now that their field is down they are defenseless," said Mixoa. Then he opened the all squads channel. "Pilots, guide us to the rear hatch and blow the doors. I want want squads Basnio and Pikex to eliminate the ship's engines. Tero, your squad, Chaplain Yrgon, and Apothecary Vendrias will accomapany myself and my squad to the quarters of the Astropaths. Understood?"
Acknowledge runes showing that each marine and the pilots knew there orders glowed on the top left of Mixoa's HUD. He smiled to himself, licking his long fangs as he did so. Within minutes he would be aboard the Imperial ship and free to wreak havoc. Then Vendrias's virus would be set and the ship would be sent plummeting to the doomed Imperial planet. The virus would be unleashed amongst the populace and chaos would reign.
Astropath Ensign's eyes flashed open. He was in the meditation room, the place where astropaths rested after opening warp portals. He was kneeling within a great stone ring surrounded by pillars bearing golden torches with blue flames. Around him the minor astropaths that had helped open the portal lay on the ground clutching their heads and screaming in agony.
The horrorific image still stained his vision and the third eye on his forehead was wide and red. He could hear the laughter and howls of demons echoing through his head. He was shaking violently. Ensign coughed twice and spat out dark blood.
"They are coming. The archenemy is here. Natsha, warn the captain,"
Astropath Ensign sent the message telepathically to his adjutant in the other room. She didn't answer. The groaning of the pained astropaths was getting louder. The archenemy was near. Someone was coming and they had an ill intent.
"Natsha! For Emperor's sake answer me! Natsha!"
He rose to his feet and walked to the door leading to the next room, brushing his long white hair behind his head. Ensign placed on hand on the door and his other over his third eye. He channeled his psychic energy from his eye into his palm, using it to scan the other room for any lifesigns. His eyes glazed over as his sight was transfered into his palm and through the door. Everything turned grey and he could see many souls on the other side. A pure white figure lay on the floor, it's white light slowly fading. Eight red souls stood over the white. Ensign focused, he made the souls turn into their human counterparts. His breathing became ragged as more of his psychic energy was strained. The red souls cleared and he immediately stoppped breathing. The red souls cleared and the astropath saw eight Chaos space marines standing over the Natsha's dead body.
"Oh God-Emperor no," he whispered.
The larger of the Chaos marine looked up and gazed at the door as though it could see Ensign was behind it. The marine roared and ran at the door. Ensign tried to return to reality, but it was too late. When his normal eyesight returned it came with immense pain. He was still standing, but only because the blade of an axe that had been rammed through the door was supporting him. No, it wasn't an axe he realized. It was a crozius, the weapons of marine Chaplains. Hot blood leaked from the wound and stained his blue robes. His breathing became ragged as his life began to fade.
Suddenly the weapon was pulled back through the ruptured door and Astropath Ensign collasped, spilling his organs across the ferrocrete flooring. He used the last bits of his fading psychic enregy to broadcast the next minutes of events to the entire crew of the Serene Fruit.
Chaplain Yrgon withdrew his crozius and then kicked the door open with tremedous force, sending it flying across the dark chamber. He stepped in flanked by Sergeant Mixoa and Apothecary Vendrias. The sergeant had his bolter drawn and pointed it at the cowering astropaths. He pulled the trigger and sent a stream of explosive shells into the nearest group of astropaths. The ballistic shots wailed screams of death as they soared through the chill air and impacted, blasting fist-sized holes in human flesh. The Imperial servants didn't even scream as the shells impacted against their bodies and reduced them to bloody hunks of meat. Their blood swelled out from under their bodies and stained the fine carpets.
A red mist began to appear in the air. It spread through the chamber, dipping and soaring as Chaplain waved his arms around like he was a band director. The mist found the blood and dived on it, soaking it up. Then the mist began to take shape into that of various warp creatures. First skeletons appeared, and then muscle started to spread across the bones, followed by skin and eyes as the creatures were brought forth into reality by dark magic.
"Now my pets," hissed Chaplain Yrgon. "Kill these Imperial slaves."
The warp creatures roared and howled with delight, pouncing on the astropaths with fangs bared. They tore through the press of bodies, ripping fleshy chunks from the humans and spraying blood everywhere. Sergeant Mixoa watched with interest, never looking away from the primal carnage. He almost laughed at the site of a massive monster with a reptilian biting down on a screaming female's head down to her waist and then tossing shaking her around with her legs still kicking. With a savage twist of its head, the reptilian monster split the woman in two and sent the lower half flying across the room where it smacked against the wall and slid to the floor, leaving a trail of blood behind it.
Mixoa opened the vox to Sergeants Basnio and Pikex. "Squads three and four? Come in, are you at the engines? I repeat are you at the engines?
The vox hissed and beeped. Then Pikex's voice came in loud and clear. "Breaching the doors now, sir. Estimated time roughly three minutes, over"
"Roger that, continue with the plan, over."
Apothecary Vendrias turned towards Mixoa. The sergeant wasn't wearing his helmet. His twisted face was extremely pale and two red horns were growing out the sides of his forehead. His right eye was gone, replaced by a red augmetic lens. His large fangs hung over his lower lips, curling back slightly.
"Sergeant," he said. "I believe it is time we leave this place and continue to the crew quarters. We must unleash the virus as our captain ordered."
"Aye, Vendrias," replied Mixoa. "Men, let's move out. Yrgon reel your damn beasts in and have half go with you to the bridge and the other half follow me."
"Understood, Sergeant," said the Chaplain.
The squad of Chaos marines exited the meditation chamber and strode through the observation room next to it into the hallway with the warp creatures on their heels. Chaplain Yrgon went to the elevator directly up front. It was a large service elevator with enough room for him and his creatures. Everyone else went right to the service ramp leading downwards in a spiral to the crew quarters.
Techengineer Syvlo hunched behind his console with his friend and partner Hilger. They each clutched illegal las-pistols in their hands that they had snuck aboard the ship. The rest of the engineers were taking cover behind the engine machinery and consoles spread throughout the large room. Ahead of them the wide adamantium doors were being slowly beat down by warp creatures. The metal was scraped and pounded again and again, creating a horrifying chorus and adding to the deathly wails of the beasts and screams of humans.
"Lolsen!" yelled Sylvo. "Is that bloody hole open yet?"
Sylvo looked behind himself down the hall where Lolsen and his cutters were trying to make a hole that would lead to the deck below and potential escape. Lolsen and his men hunched over the area they were cutting with blast shields covering their faces and Plasma saws in their hands. They were trying to cut a hole into the ferrocrete that was big enough for them to fit through.
The cutter looked at Syvlo and shook his head. He held his left hand up with four fingers extended and then went back to cutting. Sylvo and everyone else in the engine room would have to wait another four minutes before the escape hole would be opened. He prayed to the God-Emperor that it would happen before the warp creatures broke through.
Sergeant Mixoa had arrived at the door to the engine room behind the warp creatures. He saw squad Basnio standing off to the side with weapons aimed at the warp creatures while squad Pikex set a demolition charge on the door. He noticed several creature corpses lying on the ground with bolter and chainsword runes.
"What the hell happened?" he asked.
"The damn beasts are in a blood frenzy. They won't get away from the door. Massara is trying to rig a charge to blow the damn door down. Any of the beasts that got too close we killed to prevent the bomb from going off," answered Sergeant Basnio.
Mixoa looked at Massara slowly rigging the bomb as warp creatures jumped on and around him trying to break the door down. He looked down at his bolter and decided what to do. He switched the safety off and aimed at the creatures.
"Massara, grab the bomb and move off to the side," he voxed. The chaos marine did as he was told and the creatures filled in the space he had been occupying. Mixoa squeezed the trigger and sent a hailstorm of burning shells flying into the mass of demonic bodies, ripping them to shreds and blasting steaming chunks of bloody meat everywhere. It peppered his armor and that of the other chaos marines, but he continued to fire until every single warp creature was dead. Black, acrid smoke surrounded the barrel of his gun. He ejected his spent clip and slammed a fresh one home.
"Now, get that damn door open!"
"Was that bolter fire?" asked Hilger.
"I think it was my friend." said Syvlo. "That means one of two things."
"Two?"
"Yes, two. Only Adeptus Astartes use bolters as standard issue, but there are two. The loyal legions decoted to the God-Emperor and then the legions that fell from his light and sided with chaos. Judging from what I've heard before the vox went dead, I'd say the bolter fire on that other side of the door came from chaos marines."
"But they killed the warp creatures. Surely they must be on out side?"
"Don't you think they would have told us that already? They must've killed the creatures to clear a path so they could open the door and kill us."
"So we're screwed?"
"Yes, unless Lolsen gets that damn hole cut."
Sylvo looked over at Lolsen and his cutting squad. They were nearing the end of the circle they were cutting. The three men holding plasma saws were still slowly inching across the floor, dragging the blades across to slice it open. Behind them stood a brute of a man. He wore engineer overalls and held a massive hammer in his hands. The man was tall and hairy. His face was covered in a full brown beard and his arm and chest were covered. He stood waiting for the signal to bring his hammer down on the cut metal to open the hole for good.
Sylvo didn't know the man's name for he had no tongue and couldn't write. He only knew how to work, so that was what he did. The brute seemed to know what the other engineers said, but he made no attempt to try to communicate. Now he stood there with everyone's lives depending on him to break the hole open and allow a successful escape into the lower deck of the Serene Fruit.
"Charge set," voxed Massara to Mixoa.
"Roger, detonate them on my mark. The rest of you prepare to enter, kill everyone. No torture or playing around. Just get the damn job done so we can get off this stinking wretch," said Mixoa. The chaos marines stepped into a door breaching position and waited for the countdown. Massara stood with the detonator in one hand and his hellpistol in the other waiting for the countdown.
"Three...two...one...Mark," voxed Mixoa. The charge was detonated with a thunderous explosion, creating a massive smoking hole in the doors that two marines could easily fit through. Sergeants Mixoa and Tero were through first, opening up with their bolters and stepping into the room to make way for the rest of the squads. Squad Pikex stayed in the hallway to protect Vendrias and the virus.
Syvlo had been surprised by the explosion and instinctively ducked behind cover. The breaching of the door had sent shrapnel flying throughout the room, shredding anyone caught in its way or hiding behind weak cover. The tech engineer could hear the death screams of men wounded and dying. They called out for help, but nothing could be done for them. When he reopened his eyes he saw Hilger lying face down beside him.
"Hilger," he said, turning his friend's motionless body over onto its back. "Oh God-Emperor no!"
Hilger's face was a wreck. A piece of shrapnel had flown by as he turned his head to duck and cut away flesh and bone down to his brain. His face face resembled a valley caked with blood.
Syvlo resisted the urge to vomit. The combined stench of munitions firing and blood being shed was almost overwhelming. Luckily, he still clutched his laspistol. He wiped the blood of his friend from his face with his sleeve and peered over the barricade to get a look at the enemy. Two full squads of Chaos marines equipped with a range of weapons were entering through the doors. The lasfire from the engineers bounced harmlessly off their armor as they advanced, firing sprays of bolter rounds into the Imperials.
Syvlo watched with horror as a marine armed with two chain axes jumped over a console and landed amidst three humans and spun in a fast circle, slicing each human and reducing them to piles of carved meat.. He heard the marine's laughter through the helmet speakers and it chilled him to the bone. They couldn't hope to survive against these monstrous warriors. Their only chance was to escape through the hole.
Syvlo ducked back down and looked over at Lolsen. The cutters were dead. All that remained was a mix of dismembered bodies and gallons of blood coating the floor and walls. The engineer could see the brutish man hiding behind a pillar with his hammer, waiting for the moment to run forth and open the hole.
The brute peered around and looked over at Syvlo. He pointed at the hole and hefted his hammer, preparing to charge. Syvlo looked back over at the rest of the engineers. Already half their number was dead, torn to ribbons by explosive bolter fire or incinerated by promethium flamers. He returned his gaze to the brute.
"Open it!" he shouted, his voice barely audible over the roar of gunfire. "Bash the damn hole open!"
Syvlo couldn't tell if the brute had heard him or not. But then he ran from his pillar to the hole, swinging the tool up and over his head down onto the cut flooring. Syvlo felt the floor tremble with the impact and nearly fell over.
The escape hole was open. He and the others could escape. Syvlo broke from cover and dashed down towards the hole. Bullets shot past him. A lucky shot grazed his left thigh but he kept running. When he was five feet away from the hole he dropped to the ground and slid into the hole, falling through it to land on the hard floor seven feet below. He landed on his feet and instantly rolled forward on his shoulder to absorb the fall. When he got to his feet and looked up at the hole he could see more men near the edge about to jump down. The first three jumped down through and copied Syvlo by rolling. Just as the last four started to jump, one of them was tagged by a ripper grenade. It detonated a second later, shredding the four men in an explosion of metal and gore and sending the brutish mute flying away from the hole. Syvlo covered his face with his arms as the blood came raining down like a hellish storm. When he lowered his arms he saw that one of the three engineers who had made it down with him had been split in half by the shrapnel and now lay on the ground screaming as he tried to keep his organs from spilling out onto the floor.
"Come on, leave him," said the engineer called Grady. He and the other engineer started to run down the hall. Syvlo took one last look at the gore-stained hole and then ran after them knowing full well that the chaos marines would be in hot pursuit.