Paths of the Damned - WH40K

[Stravo]

Before the Eye of Terror and the Birth of Slaneesh was there ever a time when Chaos walked in this realm and was not just relegated to the Warp?

On WH40K FTL how is it described? Is it Warp travel? And what sort of travel times are we looking at?

[Kuja]

Before the Eye of Terror and the Birth of Slaneesh was there ever a time when Chaos walked in this realm and was not just relegated to the Warp?

Oh hell yeah. At least one daemon was running around namby-pamby during the Age of Strife (immediately before Slaanesh's birth) and I believe there's implications of other daemonic activity before that.

On WH40K FTL how is it described? Is it Warp travel? And what sort of travel times are we looking at?

Think of hyperspace in the fashion of Babylon 5: the ship moves into an alternate dimension and actually has to navigate through it to a destination. For the Imperium, this means the ship has to have a mutant aboard called a Navigator, who has a third eye that can see through the warp currents to guide the ship. As for travel time, that can depend on the competancy of your Navigator, the vagarities of the warp (think of it like an ocean, complete with streams, currents, and even storms), and how far you're going. Sometimes it takes days to get to a destination, sometimes months. There really is no hard and fast rule for travel through the Immaterium (the official name of the warp).

[NecronLord]

Think of hyperspace in the fashion of Babylon 5: the ship moves into an alternate dimension and actually has to navigate through it to a destination. For the Imperium, this means the ship has to have a mutant aboard called a Navigator, who has a third eye that can see through the warp currents to guide the ship. As for travel time, that can depend on the competancy of your Navigator, the vagarities of the warp (think of it like an ocean, complete with streams, currents, and even storms), and how far you're going. Sometimes it takes days to get to a destination, sometimes months. There really is no hard and fast rule for travel through the Immaterium (the official name of the warp).

What's more, one can arrive before one leaves.

[Kuja]

What's more, one can arrive before one leaves.

Though to be truthful, the warp usually isn't quite that vague. It's consistant enough to be used by the navy, the inquisiton, and trader ships with a minimum of difficulty, except around the really nasty places like warp storms, the Maelstrom, and the Eye.

[Stravo]

What's more, one can arrive before one leaves.

Though to be truthful, the warp usually isn't quite that vague. It's consistant enough to be used by the navy, the inquisiton, and trader ships with a minimum of difficulty, except around the really nasty places like warp storms, the Maelstrom, and the Eye.

Wait does that mean that it is conceivable that you can meet yourself before you leave?

[Kuja]

What's more, one can arrive before one leaves.

Though to be truthful, the warp usually isn't quite that vague. It's consistant enough to be used by the navy, the inquisiton, and trader ships with a minimum of difficulty, except around the really nasty places like warp storms, the Maelstrom, and the Eye.

Wait does that mean that it is conceivable that you can meet yourself before you leave?

It is not impossible, though I've never seen it happen in 40K literature.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

Wait does that mean that it is conceivable that you can meet yourself before you leave?

Our physical laws do not apply in any meaningful fashion inside the Warp, hence its use as FTL. When the Warp is involved in something almost anything is theoretically possible, however, by the 41st millenium it has become so tainted by the collective unpleasant emotions of sentient beings that it rarely deviates from the traditional depiction of Hell (with a capital 'H').

So yes, time travel is possible... just not terribly common.

[Imperial Overlord]

Stravo, well done.

As for travel times through the warp, a ship with a Navigator (someone with genes that enable him to navigate well in the warp, a Dark Age genetic modification) can cross the galaxy in a year if he's making good time. Local conditions can very (good weather or bad so to speak), and travel is easier along certain routes, so in effect you have a lot of lattitude for how long travel from point A to point B will take.

[White Haven]

With regard to Warp travel times, it's worth noting that Chaos powers can and have had dramatic effects on Warp travel. In Grey Knights, Ghargacan'tspellhisname deliberately smoothed warp travel behind his false 'saint' to provide a 'miracle.' On the flip side, you have the fact that you're more or less translating into Hell to move around, so there're all manners of nasty shit outside. You can hear claws scrabbling on the hull at times.

EDIT: Now, if Imperial powers ever notice that, they could then make the assumption that the slower and less cooperative the Warp is to a given ship, the more whatever it's doing is annoying Chaos.

[Shroom Man 777]

And there are geller fields, forcefields, to keep the nasties from coming in and turning a warp-travelling ship's crew into...well, bad stuff.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

Heh - if you want to do some research into what happens when a ship's Geller Field fails within the Warp, rent the movie Event Horizon.

[White Haven]

....yeah, come to think of it...

That's why tramp freighters in 40k confuse me. With FTL that....full of things with teeth, I sure as fuck wouldn't even set foot on a ship without an impeccable maintenance record, much less spend my life flying it from port to port.

[Shinova]

There are almost no civillian spacecraft as well. Almost everything belongs to the Navy, the Mechanicus, or the Space Marines. The hazards of Warp travel could be one of the reasons why.

[White Haven]

Rogue traders come to mind...decidedly un-Navy.

[Imperial Overlord]

Rogue traders come to mind...decidedly un-Navy.

And there are also standard traders and as for institutions, the Ecclesiarchy. The main point, that majority of ships do belong to one institution or another, is correct.

[Skelron]

Unsure on if any of the three Chaos Power's pre-Slannessh walked the material plane BUT the Eldar Warp God's certainly did. The ones dear old Slannessh ate when she-he-it was born. (The Chaos' Power's are just a particular form of Warp God.) At one point the Eldar had a hero who could 'summon' the Warp God's into the real world. it was the eldar's main contribution to the Old Ones Military efforts against the Necrontyr.

(Honestly do you think the Old Ones where after sword wielding Psyker's?) Then originally Asuryan changed the rules producing a barrier between the Warp and the material preventing the God's from entering the Physical. however Necronlord can tell us how much the Necron's entering into things have changed this older piece of fluff, since they certainly had a hand in a lot of the eldar 'Pre-History'.

So if it's some artiact made by Warp God's or a part of their essence or something similar it is possible. These days it is not, but in the past it was. I can't say for the Chaos God's specfically through.

[SirNitram]

Rogue Traders and the Merchants are not tramp freighters. I'd compare them to the Spacing Guild in Dune, especially the Merchant Houses.

Rogue Traders are just a kettle of fish of their own. They are armed for bear and often accompanied by military, either private or requisitioned Marines or Guard, or so says BFG.

[Imperial Overlord]

There are tramp freighters, but they are the exception, not the rule. Most 40K starships are a kilometer or more in length and are owned by people or institutions who can muster that kind of wealth. The high end Rogue Trader fleets can have Inquisitors, Arbites, and Space Marines among their numbers and act as much as conquistadors as merchants.

[Stravo]

So, let me know what you guys think. Did I do a decent job with the spacemarines, too wanked, not tough enough. Let me know as there will be alot more action with them in this story and I want to make sure I'm getting this right.



Chapter 3: The Swarm and the Brave



The Tyranid vessel was enormous. Almost the size of a mountain it drifted forward through space carried on the tides eddies of the warp. The titanic vessel was swarming with Tyranids, from the lowliest worker to the mighty Carnifex and their over minds the Hive Tyrants.

It drifted along a course carrying it through a barren system composed of unimpressive rocks and gas giants.

While massive and daunting a vessel, housing enough warriors to take a world this vessel was merely a splinter off of a far larger Hive Fleet lurking in the deeper recesses of space, biding its time to enter Imperial Space and devour. For the Tyranids were hungry and they would not stop until they were sated. Their home galaxy had not satisfied their ravenous hunger and this galaxy would soon share a similar fate.

But it would not happen soon.

And this vessel was marked for death.

The Adeptus Astartes would make it so.

The Tyranid vessel shuddered hard as several tube shaped objects imbedded themselves like harpoons at certain points along its chitinous hull. Alarms were raised by the Hive Tyrants who whipped the warriors into action and the swarms began rushing into the breeches in the mighty vessel’s hull.

As soon as the first of the Hormagaunts and Termaguants reached the barbed tubes jutting through the vessel they sensed the danger. The leading edge of the swarming repair crew squealed loudly and tried to turn back. Desperately clawing and pushing against the incoming wave of behind them a pile up quickly formed around the hull breaches.

The danger was in the form of a very simple red light flashing under the barbed tip of each of the spears that perforated the hive vessel.

The explosions drowned out the warning squeals and screams of the leading edge of the retreating Tyranids and shook the warship to its core. The forward progress of the ships slowed considerably as gaping holes were torn through the irregularly shaped hull. One engine pod fell away in a shower of red hot glowing debris and glittering bodies of Tyranids exposed to the void.

Above and below the mighty vessel, ships were coming in hard and fast like predatory birds swooping down on their prey. Painted an august sharp blue and proudly displaying the Omega symbol of the Ultramarines the thunderhawks were the heralds of the Spacemarine onslaught that was coming for them.

A massive war barge lumbered out from behind the small volcanic moon of a nearby gas giant and a second wave of assault ships were darting forth from the cavernous maw of the war barge “Vigilance Eternus”. But the first wave was currently inbound and about to enter the fray.

The Tyranid hive ship began throwing up a half hearted defense with anti aircraft fire spouted up through fissures traversing at odd unnatural intervals throughout the hull. Bright orange plumes of smoky gas spurted out in a nasty welcome for the spacemarines. Many of them passing the rapidly approaching thunderhawks and exploding past them in a widening cloud of plasma and death.

With the explosion confusion reigned within the bowels of the vessel. The powerful demolition explosives, designed to tear down the mightiest fortresses, had shattered the interior of the vessel like so much glass. Entire decks had collapsed in on one another and crushed thousands of Tyranids in seconds. The explosions had also punctured many of the bladders that provided thrust for the main drives and fed the primary weapons system. Precisely placed in a pattern that allowed the shockwaves to render entire swathes of the vessel unsalvageable and essentially cut the hive in half. The middle section of the hive ship was now a no man’s land that no Tyranid could cross.

With over half their number isolated below in the engineering decks and sub sections it left the other half expecting to repulse a Marine assault.

It was exactly what the Ultramarines wanted and all was going according to plan.



On board the lead thunderhawk, a squad of spacemarines waited patiently for their chance to assault the enemy. Two of the ultramarines were gathered around a tactical display with constant readouts scrolling along the bottom of the display plate.

“Life readings and tactical records indicate that beast houses between four to seven million Tyranid scum. It is definitely the largest hive ship we have assaulted yet”

Company Commander Mordred De La Croix pointed to readouts on a tactical touch panel hanging down from the ceiling of the cramped lander. On screen the Tyranid Hive ship was perfectly displayed in a high resolution emerald computerized grid pattern and blast points were highlighted in pulsing red circles.

“See, brothers? It is as we suspected. Although their hive craft seem to have no rhyme or reason in design between one or the other on the exterior the interior is a completely different matter altogether.”

“We have a stratagem now. One that works.” Brother Captain Jericho Antonius added with a firm nod of his head.

Mordred glanced back at Jericho and smiled, the jagged scar that ran from his lower jowl up to the right side of his forehead changing it into a leer.

“And now we have a way of striking back at the Tyranids on their home ground.” Mordred stated with fervent conviction. It had been his life long ambition to accomplish this goal.

“No longer will we have to suffer any more Macragges” Jericho added softly.

“No longer will Imperial soil be violated by their xeno filth.” Chaplain Mordecai Mortus chimed in on the internal helmet vox. He was on another approaching Thunderhawk.

Mordred was suddenly seized by a spasming coughing fit and his massive frame shuddered as he fought the coughs. Jericho said nothing and all the other ultramarines tried their best not to look at each other.

Mordred stopped coughing as suddenly as it began and wiped bloody spittle from his mouth. He glanced at Jericho and his second said nothing. He obediently waited for his next order.

Mordred slipped on his massive war helm, the standard helm of the Imperial spacemarine was further decorated with the bleached bones of a Hive Tyrant jaw set in around the base of the helm giving the impression that brother Mordred’s head was emerging from the gaping maw of a Hive tyrant. Horns of the same Tyrant jutted out aggressively from the front of the helm giving him an almost feral quality as he slipped it on with a sideways click as the maglocks slipped into place.

“Feet dry in 30.” A deep bass voice announced over the vox.

Jericho snapped his bolter into the on position, rewarded with the reverberating snap of a bolt falling into the breach. His arms had the spine of a Carnifex wrapping down from beneath his shoulder plate to his upper wrist. On each of his enormous shoulder plates the open mouthed skull of a Tyranid warrior revealed the bright white inverted Omega emblem of their order.

“Remember brothers. Our enemy outnumbers us more than 100,000 to one. But let them be comforted by those numbers. We are the Adeptus Astartes and we must always remember, the Emperor is watching us. Do not shame him.” Mordred growled into his throat vox.

No one cheered. It did not matter. This was not a rallying cry, it was not an appeal to authority or emotion. This was a simple grim reminder of who and what they were.

“Feet dry in 10.”

The Thunderhawk made a sudden spinning turn, the g-forces alone would have rendered the crew and troops unconscious, instead the Ultramarines grunted and kept on their feet. The Thunderhawk was now facing the giant hole rent into the chintinous outer hull, Tyranids were swarming around the edge of the hole, many waving razorboned appendages and hissing a challenge to their attackers.

The Thunderhawk opened fire with under the chin heavy bolters, wing mounted las gatling guns and emptied pods and racks of ordinance into the hull breach. The nose of the thunderhawk was painted with the wide open mouth of some predatory animal, teeth glinting in the staccato light of the heavy bolter’s action, and the words “Devour this Heretic.” Emblazoned overhead.

The hull breach was suddenly filled with a thick cloud of blood and bone as the weapons ripped through the mass of Tyranids reducing them into a liquid state within seconds. Missiles spiraled past the writhing mass of dead and dying Tyranids and exploded with thunderous force deep within the bowels of the ship sending a spray of Tyranid bodies and limbs out through the breach and pelting the thunderhawk. As soon as the last missile rack emptied and the heavy bolters clicked empty without pause or hesitation the thunderhawk side slipped hard and fast into the breach itself and the airlock of the troop bay flashed yellow.

The assembled Ultramarines raised their weapons as one. “Feet dry.” The vox crackled. Simultaneously the light over the airlock glowed a steady green. The airlock snapped open.

“Remember Macragge!!” Mordred shouted and raised a power sword over his head and charged off the ramp. The battle cry was carried by the rest of the spacemarines as they leapt off the boarding ramp onto the Tyranid hive ship. Half the squad quickly pulled grenade off their utility belts and primed them as the other half began laying down a murderous wall of fire into the breach.

The marines with the grenades let loose and with their augmented strength the grenades soared deep past the wall of Tyranid dead and exploded in unison within the bowels of their target.

The screams of the dead and dying Tyranid horde was not carried in the near void of the breach. Instead the shout of the Ultramarines as they charged forward was heard on the entire battle net of the fleet.

The thunderhawk that carried them into battle swirled away quickly, ejecting empty missile racks and pods as well as spent bolter drums. Another thunderhawk swung down into position and opened her airlock releasing the next squad of Ultramarines. Below at another breach one of the thunderhawks was clipped by a round of orange plasma but it continued on wobbly and spewing smoke and glowing debris but the lander was intent on delivering her troops.

The ultramarines stormed each breach and delivered death and destruction to the enemies of the Imperium without hesitation or mercy. These Ultramarines were not standard spacemarines, if such a singularly plain word could be used to describe a spacemarine in the first instance. These were veterans of the Tyranic wars. They were survivors of the various Tyranid incursions into Imperial space. Though many within the chapter considered it against their most holy book – the Codex Astartes written by the ultramarine primarch himself, these veterans were slowly beginning to form their own units and companies.

The 19th Company was one such Tyranid veteran company. They were showing their skills and courage now in the face of the never ending horde that came out to meet them as they stormed the Tyranid hive ship.

Brother Jericho fired his bolter into the rushing hormagaunts that were hungry to taste their flesh, drew back his power fist and caught a Ravener just as it coiled up its armored snake like body and struck down with jaws open to rend him in two and crushed it against the wall of the hiveship. Yellow ichor dripped between the fingers of his powerfist as he continued scraping the Ravener’s body along the wall while firing his bolter into the enemy.

Commander Mordred was a whirlwind of death as he swung his power sword around him like a dervish, taking Tyranid heads and limbs off as if he were cutting through just air. His battlesuit was dripping in the black ichor remains of his numerous victims. He drew back his power sword as an overly large hormagaunt drew back a pair of pincer arms like scythes and prepared to bisect him. Mordred plunged his blade straight through the creature’s nerve cluster and flicked it off his blade like an annoyance into the heap of bodies that piled up around his lead squad.

The floor was thick and slippery with the ichor of their fallen foes but the Ultramarines were not simply after killing their foes or securing the breach. That was the duty of the follow on forces. Their mission was far more direct and dangerous. They were after the brain of the vessel. They were going to decapitate millions of Tyranids with one fell swoop.

The high pitched chitterling that filtered through the speakers in their helms alerted them to the approach of a new threat.

“Rippers!” Jericho shouted out the warning.

The advancing Ultramarines stopped short, let out one last fusillade to keep the Tyranid horde at bay and in one fluid motion holstered or shouldered their firearms and instead readied their flame units. Those troops without a flame unit shouldered their arms and readied melee weapons or primed their power fists.

A swarm of small hungry Tyranids swept past and over their brethren and charged the spacemarines. Too small and fast to target and kill individually the flame units provided the prefect counter as the Marines began laying down a thick hot cloud of fire over the advancing Ripper horde.

The small Tyranids, almost all mouth and legs, screamed and howled in a frenzy of pain and frustration as they were enveloped by the marines’ fire. Many plunged on through, launching themselves at their enemy hoping to find flesh as they flailed forward.

Marines swatted or sidestepped the rippers that got through the wall of fire, those that advanced forward felt the crunch of bones and tissue as their armored feet squashed those rippers unfortunate enough to be in their path unable to move.

The marines advanced under cover of fire, some of the flames were beginning to hungrily lick up the walls of the living ship. That was a good sign for Mordred. It meant they were far enough into the vessel to once again be in atmosphere.

Distracted by the Ripper swarm and the violent assaults from all sides suddenly the ceiling caved in over several of the marines and a jungle of pincers, tentacles and teeth grabbed a firm hold of those unfortunate to be close to the new threat.

One of the Marines was roughly pulled off his feet and hoisted up as a scythe like claw arm punched through a shoulder plate and neatly severed the arm while another one slashed off the leg at the knee.

“Die Xenos scum!” the maimed marine screamed without any hint of pain as he brought his bolter up and fired at full auto into the cluster of Tyranids eagerly pulling him in. He dropped his bolter the moment it clicked empty just as the cavernous maw of a Carnifex closed around his midsection and crushed the armor like a can, blood and viscera leaking between the ruined joints and plates of the armor.

The Marine jerked back his head and blood erupted from his mouth. His free hand found the utility belt and his remaining grenades. He primed them and the reached over with his hand and punched through the gelatinous orb of one of the Carnifex’s eye.

The Carnifex roared in pain and jerked its head back, pulling the Marine deeper into the recesses above.

“For the Emperor!!!”

The explosion sent the Marines closest to the hole in the ceiling crashing to the ground. Debris and half dead corpses spilled down on top of them.

“Do not stop brothers! We must forge ahead.” Mordred shouted as he took a large Tyranid in half with his power sword and shoving the pieces aside.

Jericho checked the readings on his helmet projected over his eyes.

“We’re near the primary synapse junction.”

As if on cue the advanced Ultramarine squad burst into a cavernous section of the vessel that could easily fit an Imperial warship. Tyranids were comings down the walls, scampering beneath the floor and gargoyles were winging their way up and down the empty interior of the synapse junction.

Mordred glanced up and could see the tantalizing vision of their primary target.

“By the Emperor we’re almost there.”

The vessel shuddered hard now, many Tyranids lost their grip on the walls and tumbled screaming into the abyss below. The big guns from the “Vigilance Eternus” were coming into range and they were opening up with devastating salvos now. The overmind that guided the vessel was obviously taxed as it had to direct troops within to repulse the invaders, try to control a crippled vessel and now fight ship to ship with one of the most powerful warships in the Imperium.

The concerted chaos that was distracting the enemy was precisely what the ultramarines had planned.

Suddenly Mordred was seized again by the coughing fit that struck while on the thunderhawk. Jericho’s eyes widened as he saw a massive Carnifex drop down like some demented carnivorous ape from a level above them directly over Commander De la Croix. The Carnifex’s long ape like arms ended in glinting razor bone as its mandibled jaw opened wide to take the stricken marine directly into its gullet.

Jericho launched himself forward and tackled his commander

“Carnifex!” Jericho warned the others as he and Mordred aimed up and blasted simultaneously into the face of the attacking Carnifex above them. Its head came clean off in a geyser of red black ichor and pulp and the body twitched spastically. The body was transfixed by a hail of heavy bolter fire as two spacemarines lumbered forward holding their heavy bolters close to them and unleashed their torrent of death into the Carnifex driving the riddled body over the lip of the level and down into the abyss below.

“Brother Ventura you’re bleeding.” One marine noted as he looked at the leg of one of the heavy bolter gunners was damp with his own blood.

“I haven’t time to bleed, brother.” Brother Ventura replied coolly.

“Carnifexes.” Another space marine hissed angrily as three more dropped down and two climbed up to their level on the synapse network accompanied by a retinue of termagaunts who began unloading weapons fire into the assembled marine squad.

“Return fire!”

The marines quickly formed a firing line and unleashed a murderous fusillade into the advancing Tyranids.

Jericho helped Mordred to his feet.

“Thank you, Brother.”

“Never any need, my commander.”

Mordred saw the movement behind them and the crash of the ceiling in the tunnel where they had fought their way through. Hundreds of Tyranids were coming for them now from behind.

“Formation Phalanx Firmament!” Mordred shouted and without thinking, borne from a lifetime of drilling their battle formations without fail, half the marines turned as one and went back to back with the other half. They unleashed another murderous volley into the new attackers.

“We’re being swarmed out here in the open. We no longer have the advantage of bottlenecks and zones of fire.” Jericho warned as he saw more Tyranids coming from below tearing at the floor to get to the Marine squad.

Mordred slapped his vox on.

“Request divine intervention.” He ordered and grunted as his power sword caught a leaping Lichtor that had almost snuck up on him and neatly bisected it. Jericho pushed his bolter up past Mordred’s shoulder and fired a steady salvo that tore the wings off a pair of gargoyles.

“Brother Godric descends from the blessed realm in ten.” The curt reply came from the “Vigilance Eternus.”

“And so our prayers are answered.” Mordred replied trying to ignore the taste of blood on his lips and the ragged breathing that made him sound as if he were swallowing for air between each word.





“I am the Emperor’s Will made flesh! We are his children!” Chaplain Mortus shouted but even his shouts were like calm whispers as he wielded his mace through a throng of Hormagaunts trying to muscle their way past the lone Marine to get to the wounded behind him.

“You foul beasts shall not touch them.” He vowed as he reduced a charging Tyranid’s skull into paste. He whirled around and drove the blunt end of his mace into the midsection of a hulking hormagaunt.

“Chaplain, we have a clear shot at the primary bladders.” A spacemarine reported breathlessly as he fired round after round into the horde that was bubbling up between the cracks in the floor and walls. The Tyranids were determined to rejoin their brothers in the upper sections of the vessel and were dragging themselves through the ruined levels between them and the lower section.

It was Mortus’ squads jobs to slow that ascent.

“They’re coming out of the walls.”

“Check your six!”

“Burn them all.”

Chaplain Mortus smiled grimly. His marines were one with the mission now. He could feel it. Fear no longer had a place here now there was only duty and honor.

“Call for the Terminators.” He ordered.

“Of course.”

Behind him a Ravener whipped itself up around a marine and carried him up into the darkness above. Mortus charged over and began driving his mace repeatedly into the sinewy body of the ravener. He could feel its organs liquefying under the assault and finally the audible snap of its spine. The ravener plummeted back down but its jaws were already on fire as its victim turned his flame unit onto his attacker.

Mortus could not have been prouder to see the Ultramarine bound up to his feet as the Ravener crashed to the ground and give a sharp salute to his Chaplain.

The air around them shimmered and a bright flash blinded those not ready for the teleporter’s deposit of the elite Terminators.

The space marines wrapped in the heaviest armor available to a spacemarine did not hesitate as soon as they appeared they began a steady march forward towards the primary bladders.

“Now, forward brothers, forward to our goal.” Chaplain Mortus urged waving his mace, black ichor dripping from the wicked flanges. The Ultramarines advanced opening yet another flank to drive the overmind to distraction.



Mordred snarled angrily as he drove his power sword through the tree trunk like leg of Carnifex and sent the creature howling down onto the ground where he pulled his sword up its gut and through to its throat bathing him in the foul viscera of his enemy.

More of his men went down to the relentless assault from all sides, one was dragged down through the ground another snatched away by gargoyles.

Then the walls and floor shuddered as if an earthquake was afflicting the stricken vessel. But this was no earthquake.

The nearest wall suddenly evaporated under a las gun hammering and a massive walking tank strode into the level. A massive chest with missile racks mounted on the ‘shoulders’ of the vaguely humanoid figure swung on a gimbaled ‘waist’ stopped and locked on the nearest horde of Tyranids advancing on the isolated marines. One ‘arm’ of the figure was essentially a large rapid fire las cannon and it did not let up firing a steady stream of crimson death, evaporating any Tyranid that dared appear within sight of the newcomer and any that had the audacity of being within reach were scooped up in the remaining claw like hand of the machine’s other arm, simultaneously spun and squeezed into a bloody pulp then flung back at the remaining attackers With a dramatic arrival worthy of its position as the Spacemarine’s greatest fighting machine the Dreadnought had announced its presence with authority.

A missile salvo ripped out through the air and erupted against the wall sending fragments of chitten and body parts pinging through the air and off the Dreadnought’s armored shell.

“Brother Godric. As always your presence is a welcome sight.” Mordred slapped the dreadnought on one of its hydraulic piston like legs.

“Direct me commander and our enemies shall fall.” The dreadnought replied in a deep bass electronically filtered voice.

“Forward brother, up to our goal and victory.” Mordred pointed ahead with his humming power sword and the Dreadnought did not hesitate, plowing ahead on legs that could shake the earth and showering his path with las and missile fire. The remaining Ultramarines quickly formed up behind the dreadnought and advanced on the vessel’s mighty brain.

The hive mind knew what was happening now and directed all its mighty forces to halt the advanced but it was far too late as follow on forces poured in through the breach, the first of the Marines heavy armor like the Predator tanks were now being loaded into the breaches by the third wave of thunderhawks and firing explosive rounds laced with the most potent nerve toxin in the spacemarine arsenal deep into the bowels of the vessel, usually right into the likeliest avenues of approach for reinforcements from the rest of the vessel.

The Adeptus Astartes had watched their enemy closely, studied them as their founder urged in his seminal work and had dissected all manner of attacks and defenses and it was all now coming together perfectly. Flawlessly executed the Ultramarines had crippled, boarded and were now going to kill a vessel many times their own size, vastly outnumbered and out gunned within, the spacemarines were not daunted.

All that was left was the endgame.

And it was sweet.

The Ultramarines blasted their way past all defenders and entered the hive mind itself. Brother Godric roared a challenge and unleashed a barrage of missiles directly into the pulpy masses above them.

Mordred stood surveying the carnage with a gleam in his eyes.

This mission would prove now beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Spacemarines could now begin hunting the Tyranids in the great vastness of space. Destroy the hive fleets before they even entered Imperial Space. He envisioned entire chapters dedicated to the cause. Perhaps even warranting a new founding and they would rove the space ways carrying our their new strategy perfectly.

No more Macragges as they had promised themselves. No last stands on Imperial soil.

“Hive Tyrant!” Jericho shouted his warning too late as an enormous creature erupted out from beneath the hive mind itself and whipped several razor boned limbs sending the limbs of spacemarines and their bodies in opposite direction. It swung its massive bulk like a hammer at the waist and drove brother Godric into the far wall of the chamber. The dreadnought, more surprised than stunned by the blow sunk deep into the chitinous armored wall and flailed its arms and legs looking for purchase to pull itself free.

The Hive Tyrant advanced on Mordred who began to raise his sword but a cough erupted from him and blood spattered on the inner screen of his helmet. The tyrant sensing weakness began to charge.

Jericho leapt in and drove his power glove into the Tyrant’s side and he could feel ribs give way under the impact.

The hive tyrant turned on Jericho and hissed its only warning before launching into a series of strikes and feints. Jericho severed a limb as it tried to punch through his breast plate with his power sword then danced around another blow as he brought his bolter to bear. The Tyrant back flipped and its sinewy legs whipped around tearing the bolter from one hand and neatly slicing through Jericho’s power glove disabling it.

The tyrant snaked its head around and opened its jaws to strike.

A roar ripped through the chamber and Mordred was on the Tyrant’s back and drove his power sword through the thing’s back and deep into its chest cavity. The Tyrant let out an outraged scream, more rage than pain and reached for its attacker with various whipping limbs.

Mordred ignored the strikes that punched through armor plate and his own flesh and brought his bolter right up against its head and fired. The creature let out a surprised snort and then brain matter and blood gushed out from where its jaw used to be before it crashed to the ground and lay still.

The Ultramarines cheered their commander who said nothing as he stumbled off the fallen beast and suffered another coughing fit. Jericho was there for him again and supported his commander.

Brother Godric strode over to them and looked from the dead beast to Mordred.

“Selfless in defense of your brothers as always brother commander.”

“Brother Godric, burn this xenos filth and let us be done with this place.” Mordred gasped loudly and nodded to Jericho that he was fine. He walked slowly on his own back to his men.

“As you command.” The war machine replied coldly and without mercy turned all of its weapons on the mind of the Tyranids, lobotomizing them and driving the creatures into a murderous frenzy against each other.

When the Ultramarines left they faced no more resistance as the Tyranids were now more concerned with killing each other, falling to their most basic instincts than stopping the invaders. Instead they were able to watch with some cold joy as the various nuclear devices they left behind at key points in the vessel detonated sending the Hive ship into oblivion and their cursed cargo into the void.




Commander Mordred waved away his personal physician and eyed his three closest advisors.

“Perhaps you should seek attention on Holy Terra.” Jericho suggested.

“My health means nothing now. We have what we wanted. Evidence that a single company of determined spacemarines can take down a hive vessel many times greater than themselves. The strategy and tactics are sound.”

“Perhaps we may even be able to add them to the Codex Astartes.” Jericho shrugged.

“Do not speak such blasphemy, even in jest.” Chaplain Mortus snapped angrily.

“Surely even for the spacemarine there is time for jest?” Jericho countered.

“There is only service to the emperor young one. Anything else is a waste of time and material.” Brother Godric replied grimly in his deep bass electronic voice. “Though the young Brother Captain has a point. Holy Terra may cure what ails you.”

“This is a xeno plague we picked up on one of those blasted moons of Joren. It fell three others before me. There is no cure. I’ve already asked those back on Holy Terra. It matters not. Brother Godric is right. We must serve and if my service ends in my death from some chaos spawned plague then so be it.”

A simple chime sounded.

“Yes?”

A servant peered in. The young man had failed at becoming a Spacemarine but still found his own way to serve.

“Commander. You have a transmission coming in from deep space relay. Heavily encrypted, Inquisition codes.”

“What in the name of the Emperor do those vultures want?” Mordred sighed.

“It is an Inquisitor Malagaunt.”

“Malagaunt?” Mordred rolled the name on his tongue. “Where do I know that name?”

“I believe he is the one who uncovered the troubles back home.” Chaplain Mortus concluded.

Mordred’s face soured.

“Him. I knew his thrice damned soul would come looking for us in time. He is not the kind of man that serves the emperor without some repayment in favors later down the road.” Mordred shook his head. “What could it be that he wants?”

“Surely nothing we cannot handle.” Jericho noted.

“You did not meet this man, brother Captain. He had the stink of damnation on him and he will not go down alone.” Mordred explained darkly.

[Captain Cyran]

Very well done. I think you did a very good job portraying the cold effectiveness of the Ultramarines.

In terms of story, I liked it a lot. As usual your battles are very well done and the dialogue is another great thing. I loved the sound tactics (or at least they seem sound, but I'm no military expert) and the gory details of the fight.

There were two things that bothered me though. The group with the Chaplain didn't really go anywhere other than to introduce the Chaplain I felt. Their whole mission against the bladder is not followed up on. The whole end of the fight seemed more rushed than you usually take things.

[Stravo]

On the Chaplain issue, you're very right about his intro. I just ran out of space. I don't want the chapters of this fic to be too long. I wanna be able to crank these out fairly quickly and I didn't want to break up this battle into two chapters because frankly the action is really only there to intro the marines and doesn't really move the plot along.

In the end he should probably have been edited out but what the hell. The poor chaplain needed some screen time so poeple don't ask "Who?" when his role gets expanded in coming chapters.

I was afraid to wank them out too much but at the same time I want them to be as bad assed as possible for what is to come.

Another thing, am I capturing this idea of the Tyranid Vets correctly? On the website they have modeling ideas for Tyranid vets and they have things like skulls and claws of Tyranids adorning their armor and I kinda liked that.

[Academia Nut]

Very nice, and don't worry, I don't think its physically possible to overwank the Space Marines, its kind of like the line left unspoken after "And they shall know no fear"; "Nor shall any surpass their wankage".

The line "Our enemy outnumbers us more than 100,000 to one. But let them be comforted by those numbers" basically sums up Marine psychology right there. I especially liked the fact that Brother Ventura "doesn't have time to bleed".

There was however one problem I noted, in that there are only 10 companies per Chapter, especially the Ultramarines who follow the Codex to the letter, and most of the Tyrannic War Veterans are from the 1st Company. Otherwise its quite well done.

[Shinova]

Like he said, the only error there is the rank and unit composition.

There are 10 companies, with 100 marines per company, to make up 1000 marines per chapter. Each company is lead by a Brother-Captain, and individual squads within each company is led by a Brother-Sargeant (correct me if I'm wrong at any point). The first company is usually the veteran company; all the chapter's best are in this company.

Some chapters that don't really follow the Codex Astartes, like the Dark Templar and Space Wolves, can have more companies or different rank structure, but most chapters, like the Ultramarines, follow the Codex more or less to the letter.


In this case, Mordred would be the captain, I guess, and Jericho would be a sargeant.

Other than that, your newest chapter is great. Very good quality of writing. Love the dialogue.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

...Brother-SErgeant (correct me if I'm wrong at any point).

...and Jericho would be a sErgeant.

Will do.

[Shroom Man 777]

That was so awesome, Stravo. I love you!