Ch.7: The Roja Revelation

"Halt! Stand down!" Salbatore cried out.

The Crimson Fist strike force had wasted no time rushing upon the Roja Plantation. Repulsor Tanks, Stormhawk and Inceptors struck within the perimeters. Interim Captain Tadeas lead the Intercessor squads marching out of their transports to begin searching and locking down districts.

Within moments of the Crimsons' entrance, red armoured Primaris Astartes in turn revealed themselves and their strength of numbers right across the plantation.

There was a cold stand off. Defenders vs Invaders.

Stefano Salbatore, Captain of the Crimson Fists Primaris Company walked out from The Exorcists Command hab. Interim Captain Tadeas, betrayed his steely stance as he relaxed, his eyes spotting the Captain.

Tadaes blinked the 'At Ease' Icon to all squads, the Crimson Fist all lowered their weapons.

****

"...The Exorcist's have walked Krillion for as long as we have" Salbatore educated Tadaes and the Lieutenants.
"It appears the south have known conflicts with Chaos, just as the Krillion Liberation Crusade as known in the north, and east. The Exorcist's believes the key to ending the Krillion Invasion lies across the seas, 'Doom's Maul. It delights me greatly that in my absence we have managed to breach this location..."
"My Lord" Tadeas injected his information "we are establishing ourselves upon on a former settlement, an old port hub that has collapsed into the sea. It was the only option available to us, the feral continent is unwelcoming but your orders were carried out nevertheless. Nothing will stop our duty."
"Duty is honour." Salbatore affirmed "There is however more happening upon Krillion than we are lead to believe and we are waiting on the Emperor's word to guide us, this is why I delayed my return to you..."
"My Lord, The Emperor's Word?" Tadeas asked perplexed.
"The Golden Legion is here. We are being joined by the Ardent Halo Shield Host.
This fight is bigger than us, now, and...always was."

Ch.7: Commanding Destiny

All that broke the silence was Alexandros’s breathing, his closed eyelids flickered as if asleep, but he was very much awake.  The warp lay before him, a series of shards broken and shattered in to pieces, it had taken him days to find this place, if there is such a thing as place in the warp. 

 This point contained the future of Krillion but whatever had passed here had made sure to leave little trace of what that may be. Alexandros watched the shards that drifted pasted, his body nothing more than a shadow, a cloud of smoke in the warp. Some were of events he’d seen himself take place and others from a time before he’d taken up the mantel of Astarte or even been born. 

These he let drift by for they were not what he was searching for, “there” he breathed to himself, it was a small thread in among the larger shards but it was the thread he’d been looking for, ‘Stefano Salbatore’ nothing more than a name but connected to so many parts of Krillion, slowly Alexandros reached down and gently pulled the thread. 

 As his finger took hold of it, images began to flash in front of him, great battles, the burden of a duty to something more than one's self, rage and hate for what had happen and finally a mission to save a planet on the fringe. Alexandros looked deeper into this last image, “there” the shard shrunk back has Alexandros drew near to in as if trying to hide itself from him but it was of no use and with a quick wave of his hand, the shard was bound in place. It was of a lone marine charging into what could only be described as hell fire, his amour chipped and damaged but his soul unflinching even when faced with the full power of the warp unleashed in real space. Alexandros watch as he charged though the flames his power armor cracking and buckling under the pressure but still, he pressed on through the fire his gauntlet ablaze with crackling light and has he pushed his ruby red fist forward, past the flames the shard was consumed by a blinding light and shattered turning to dust.

As the dust drifted away Alexandros saw one last picture, it showed the same lone marine standing by himself amidst a field of bodies and flames but then the image shifted, and he was no longer standing alone in the field but was joined by another marine upon the field of battle.

Before Alexandros could see any more the warp once more let out a deafening screech as if it was a wounded beast and the currents that had laid clam at his feet began to take on form and twist into creatures from people's darkest dreams. Then Alexandros open his eyes and once more the only sound was his steady breathing in and out.

The Vox to the chamber then broke into life “My Lord urgent message from Captain Silas, he requests your presence in the burning veil there has been an encounter.”

Alexandros took a moment before relying “Ready my shuttle immediately and inform the Halo.”

“It will be done my lord.”

Ch.7: A Dark Discovery

The sound of metallic feet crunching on loose stone echoed into the darkness, a low hum from the omnispex carried in the hands of a ranger the only other sound. Eyes of crimson glowed and observed the details of the caverns the Skitarii stalked. The sight they took in would have driven most insane, but the parts of the brain that would have harboured such fear had been removed from them many years ago.

A mass of organic matter had been grafted and stitched into the walls. Investigations revealed that what ever it was, had been human at some point. It had stretched out a mile behind them, and continued on into the darkness an unknowable distance ahead. Faces were contorted in anguish and bones splintered out, dripping with yellow bile. The stench of death and decay hung low and heavy in the air. Scarred and branded along the puffy pallid flesh was evidence of who they once were. The symbols of the Mortenok Pandemica was known to the Rangers. They had been witness to the vile horror the Pandemica was unleashing upon Krillion.

Suddenly a sound broke out into the near silence, like a dagger piercing skin, it cut into the cold darkness. They turned around quickly and looked at the source of the noise. A rotten head stitched into the wall screeched out one word. Then! Another and another! Multiple mouthes of the bloated mass hissed and shrieked that word, no, not a word. A name! A name whose mere utterance churned the fetid air, the name made the bits of flesh the Skitarii had left itch, and organs churn and ache. The sickening name rang out again and again. The taste of doom leaked out of it.

"SSSSSSAAAAARRRRCCCOOOMMAAAAAA!!!!!"

Ch.7: Iron Soul

The flaming hulks of the destroyed chaos knights lit the nights sky, Silas had attacked with support from the Iron hand and reduced the knights to molten slag but there was no celebration, no victory cry, the Iron hands Captain’s body had been found in one of the few remaining buildings left standing after the assault, his body, or what was what was left of it was chained to a metal bench, bones broken, skin flayed, eyes burned from their sockets and his tong cut out, this had been done not for information or to kill but to inflict pain upon his body and yet he had survived his will unbroken.

A Vox had immediately been sent to the Iron hands that had assisted them in the purging of the Vale, informing them of his location and they had arrived quickly and secured their Captain, they’d also brought with them what appeared to be some kind of stasis pod, but its design was not one that Silas had encountered before and interned their Captain into it, part of Silas wondered how they had found one on a world such as Krillion but these questions would have to wait.

Scans had picked up a faint lone heat signature on the fringe of the Vale and this would be his next mission.

++++

Iron Father Seanair stood above the broken body of Captain Puistfuar, trapped within the stasis chamber. Seanair's face was stuck in its usual grim scowl.

"The Flesh is Weak." He uttered.

"Iron Father," a voice hissed in the darkness, forward scuttled the techpriest, "it is ready."

Seanair looked up to see the mighty machine being bought forward into the chamber. Seanair looked once more upon the bloodied and ruined body of Captain Puistfuar.

"I bring you a new body captain, I will strip you of your weakness and once more you will stride across the battle field smiting our enemies in the name of the Holy Emperor!" His eyes closed and he left the chamber. Once more the flesh of the captain was cut into and moulded into the weapon that it needed to be.

Ch.7: Aid Unlooked For

The world had turned black.

Salbatore fought his eyes to open, his helm lost, blown off his head.

Slowly he picked himself up, sitting at first has he breathed and took in his surrounding. Where was he? And what had happened?

All he could recall to memory was his last defiant stand against the monsterous machine of the Pandemica's Warlord. He'd smashed the Fist of Vengeance into the renegade construct and let the Emperor decide his fate.

He unsteadily rose to his feet and analysed the air with a deep breath. The air had an ionised tang to it, and sand...igneous in origin.

He could see in the far distance the mighty plumes of smoke ascending the sky, Mt Shatterer. This gave him his first bearing. He turned to face the opposite direction where Hive Quentif lay, all Salbatore witnessed was ruin and destruction. Fire and ashes. It had appeared he had been flung by some force, south westernly.

He considered what he should do and made to take a step forward. Returning to the Chapter was his priority, however the Primaris Captain stumbled, overbalancing catching his weight on out stretched arms. He looked up and saw only an ashen fog with fires still burning.

He rose again, this time however he stood watching as forms swirled and began to take shape stepping out of the fog.

Astartes! Salbatore identified. The power armoured form could not be mistaken...and yet, the armour was dark, fire burning upon it and within it. Bones protruded from pauldrons and where the Imperial Aquila should be.

The Crimson Fist, prepared himself for a fight. But the dark Astartes  never advanced closer. He could make out five of them... four of which were slowly surveying the ruins around them. One was still, staring, watching the Captain. Then it raised it's fiery gauntlet and pointed.

Salbatore recognised the indication was not at him but behind him, he spun around to see...more Astartes! They were in a theta-pattern advance and travelling quickly towards him. These Space Marines wore red armour with a horned- skull heraldry...Primaris Astartes! Salbatore was taken back with surprise. He turned to face the marines of bone and fire, but they had vanished. Only smoke and fog remained.

"Identity yourself Brother!" Came a call from a red Marine.

"I am...I am Stefano Salbatore of the Crimson Fists, Primaris Company. To whom am I addressing?"