Author Notes:
First up, my thanks to Posiden for your donation to the Imperium of Man! I hope you will enjoy the early access chapters. They can be quite wild, especially the latest GSS chapter over on Patreon.
As per usual, don't hesistate to ask me anything, or, if you feel like it, give me a morale boost by liking and commenting on the chapters!
Other than that, I wish you all a happy weekend, and a happy Valentine Day!
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Ein C8th 10 and 11:
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"They are fast..." A raspy voice can be heard cutting through the shadowy depths of Installation 08. "Faster than predicted."
Strangely, one can not identify the direction from which the voice comes; it's as if the words travel to the listener from all around them. It's only when the speaker in the dark finally steps into the dim artificial light of the underground chapel that one knows who he is. A towering figure, encased in a suit of age-old power armor, painted in dark blue and brass. On his left pauldron, a half-skull with a pair of red wings is splattered on it. Additionally, the faceplate of his helmet is decorated with an extra layer: a white, skull-shaped ballistic mask.
He is, no doubt, an Astartes of old descent.
With silent steps as if he's gliding, the first Astartes comes to the side of yet another Astartes, who has been the sole occupant in this dilapidated chapel. The Astartes in dark blue crossed his arms, angling his head upward to look at a half-desecrated statue of the Emperor of Man.
"What? You finally decide to get all melancholic on me now, old man? I do appreciate my silence, but I do need a reaction for the report I gave you, at least." The first Astartes addresses the second one, the former giving the latter a side-eye.
On habit, the first Astartes scans his talking partner from head to toe. Clad in fine, if well-worn Artificer Armor of light blue and silver, alongside a faded gray cape, the second Astartes' helmet design also harkens back to the golden days of mankind as a whole. On his left pauldron, a green, three-headed hydra can be seen.
It won't be wrong to say that these two Astartes, themselves and their armor, are relics of an age long, long gone. And yet, here they are, idling in a forgotten corner of this floating fortress under siege.
"I feel disinclined to speak," The second Astartes finally speaks up in a calmer, much older tone, which is a feat in and of itself. "After all, you haven't really told me much to comment about."
The first Astartes shrugs. "True that. I thought you would at least pick up on where I left off instead of expressing your appreciation for the finely destroyed statue of Her."
"Divine or not, for a time, She deserved respect. " The second Astartes says, looking over to the first one. "I was reminiscing about those times. The silence, far away from those cultists, has been comforting... At least until you arrive."
"Hah, spoken like a true old man." The first Astartes smirks before continuing. "Good talk aside, the so-called Joint Task Force is roaming the upper level much swifter than expected. They are blasting through the cultists' barricades and firepower with impressive coordination. A casualty from the JTF can be exchanged for a dozen or even twice or thrice that number on the cultists' side, and that's a scale I used for their mortal auxiliaries. You can imagine just how skewed the matchup is when there are the Salamanders and Sisters of Battle in the mix. There are also a few rats skulking in the flank, too. That small offshoot should be reaching the monitoring room any moment now."
Stopping for a bit, the first Astartes adds.
"By the way, that one lass who dismantled your whole game at a welcoming missile barrage on the JTF's decapitation force... Heh, she's one of those rats running down the flank. Quite impressive, that one is, to effectively snipe all of your missiles, thus allowing the JTF to preserve much more of its force to assault the very structure we're staying underneath. Somehow, I even have the feeling that she can see me with those eyes of hers, should I get too close."
The second Astartes nods easily enough despite being called out by the first one due to one of his failed tactics.
"She is... An interesting variable. While the missiles weren't aiming to cripple the JTF's decapitation force, most would ultimately miss anyway, to have them all eliminate like that... I admit, it made for quite an amusing sight, if perplexing all the same. To say that one mortal Cadian girl had stopped me from testing the JTF's mettle is not wrong. However, I would like to think that the girl was the JTF's answer to any unforeseen event. If anything, I would like to find out more about this interesting mortal guardswoman. Such decisive marksmanship skill is rare indeed."
The first Astartes speaks in a faux warning tone.
"Careful now. I know your heritage gives you an appreciation for talents, old man, but if that girl keeps pulling out more tricks, she has been quite unstoppable on the flank thus far, she may very well upend all our plans here on Installation 08 faster than I could brandish my claws... Well, what's left of our plans, anyway. Never thought the planetary governor would be so easy to purge by legal means, of all things, much less Installation 08 being exposed so fast."
The second Astartes gives a hum of acknowledgement before speaking cryptically. "Then we will have to thank them all for making our job easier, at least. Though unexpected, they will help us rid this side of Cadia of all its rot. The girl is interesting, but her tale isn't as important as the grand scheme of things."
"And, for how long will you continue this charade, testing this JTF? If the Auspex arrays go down, the JTF will have total air and orbital superiority; by then, our interference may be discovered. One can hardly hide the presence of a Stormbird or that of a Whirlwind artillery piece in this rust bucket of an island, conventionally at least." The first Astartes asks. "Do not forget that, for all intents and purposes, we are not wearing green and mean, old man. The Salamanders, much less the Sisters of Battle, will happily put us down for good."
"Until my curiosity is satisfied." The second Astartes replies swiftly. "I must see for sure what this nascent prototype of a Legion can do, and why does the Imperium tolerate its existence, an Archmagos Dominus' backing be damn. Cadia's strategic implication means the overlords of Terra, not the crippled Emperor, would not tolerate this sudden spike in cohesive firepower that wasn't theirs to control. To them, the risk is too great. The Emperor thought... Heh, maybe if She could, She would have slapped Her knee on that throne while pointing Her finger, saying that the JTF is a great example of a practical fighting force."
"Then don't blame me if I ditch you if the JTF catches up to us, old man." The first Astartes gives the second one a couple of strong pats on the pauldron. "I will be taking the Stormbird, by the way. That thing is bloody expensive to be left behind. You can have the Whirlwind as your ride out, if you change your mind at the last second."
"Don't worry..." The second Astartes turns, ignoring the other Astartes' jab. "The JTF will have more to worry about than just a few ghosts left unaccounted for too long."
Together, the pair looks in the direction of the archway that leads outside, rounding the corner, and into view is yet another Astartes. This time, the newcomer wears an ornate, red, bronze, and white power armor, with a four-pronged sun proudly displayed on his left pauldron. His feet and the butt of his Power Halberd stop just in front of the two other Astartes.
The newcomer in red says in a frazzled tone that is more mechanically induced than normal. "Preparation is completed in the lower level of this Installation. Should our guests explore deeper, they will find what they seek the most. Then, with enough effort, Installation 08 will be purged, hopefully not with us being on it. However..."
"However what?" The first Astartes asks.
"It will take some time for the cultists and sorcerers to stage a proper Warp incursion. The Tzaangor we managed to smuggle in have already perished in great numbers, and I don't want to waste my breath trying to call upon yet another Warp portal for more fodders." The Astartes in red replies with an electronic sigh. "I still have to save my strength to cloak us from their prying eyes should we have to stage a breakout."
"Then it's time for us to release the Ogryns. Let them be the premium fodders." The second Astartes, the old man, turns to the first Astartes. "You will handle their deployments and make them act useful, for once. Let the Ogryns buy time for the Aspiring Sorcerers to work their crafts in the bowels of Installation 08."
"Gladly. I, for once, want to see how that interesting lass and her unit can counteract something that packs a bit more heat. Let them work hard to get to the Auspex arrays and all that." The first Astartes chuckles grimly before disappearing into the shadows; his presence fades from even the other Astartes' detection abilities.
"I have no idea whether I should pity the lass you were mentioning or praise her for attracting that guy's attention." The third Astartes comments dryly.
The second Astartes shrugs at that. "Perhaps a bit of both? It does speak to her potential to intrigue both him and me."
Shaking his head, the third Astartes says. "Perhaps you can give me a rundown as we walk. We still have to load that Whirlwind back onto the Stormbird. Really, it was such a waste to fire that full missile salvo with nothing to show for it."
"Honestly, you should wait for him to return to discuss that interesting lass, as we put it. I only witnessed one part of her feats myself. And for the record, that Whirlwind isn't technically ours to begin with; we only commandeered it from this particular cult." The second Astartes reminds.
"And now, we are trying to hide it in our Stormbird because we need it more than the cultists and sorcerers do. What are we, the Orks?"
"The Whirlwind will have a better home with us, my friend."
"And where are we supposed to find munitions for its launcher?"
"I heard that Cadia armory is well stocked these days..."
"You would want us to steal right under Cawl's nose after this whole thing?"
"Not steal, but recover equipment lost in transit."
"Ah, your sophistry is still not rusted yet, I see." The third Astartes sighs once more, seeing the utterly unrepentant faceplate of the other Astartes. Yet, he can't deny that this little band of Astartes of theirs is in dire need of supplies, not just wargear like the Whirlwind rocket artillery tank.
As such, the third Astartes suggests.
"After we're done with checking out the Joint Task Force's prowess and sate your curiosity, I will keep a lookout for known supply routes. Together, perhaps we can fashion a small accident and skimp off some stuff for our ship."
The second Astartes nods. "Good man. I know you will see reason."
"This is not the reasoning I expected to see as an accomplished Sorcerer, old man."