In Memoria (40K)

[Imperial Overlord]

Things settled down, with a little work on Jolan's part. A bolt pistol round into the jammer took it out and then Jolan was able to talk to the now panicked and confused Frater Militia soldiers wandering around with large guns and itchy trigger fingers. He used his inquisitorial authority like a hammer, which was somewhat reinforced by the fact that no more shooting was going on. Things began to subside.

In the time being Hethor and the rest of his retinue had moved to the hill and climbed to the top. The big veteran was eyeing things skeptically. Batista was somewhat relaxed, having been in telepathic contact with Gix and having been informed that Lydia was expected. Batista wasn't nearly paranoid enough to ever make an inquisitor.

Melina eyed the other woman carefully. Lydia's body language was standoffish and not nearly as confident as she might think. Such weaknesses were something Melina had been taught to recognize and attack. She refrained. For now.

Hethor prowled toward Meradin. He held out his hand. "Hethor D'eckor. Thanks for the assist."

She took his hand. "My pleasure. Lydia Meradin. Kyra's told me a lot about you. Said the Astartes lost out big time when they didn't find you."

"Yeah, but then who would cover the boss's ass?" She smiled.

Melina addressed Gix. "I take it she is joining us?"

"Yes," said the Inquisitor. "Lydia is a gifted diviner. As divining talent beyond use of the Emperor's Tarot is quite rare, Kyra passed her so I could further her education. We were going to meet up later. At least that was the plan."

"I had a premonition," said Lydia. "I acted on it."

"I'm glad you did," said Gix.

"Indeed," added Gard. "I much prefer my patron and myself to be unmurdered."

"Yes," said Iriza shyly. "Thank you."

"What now boss?" said Hethor.

"We wait until the Eternal Will is within teleport range and then have them beam us up. We introduce Lydia to the rest of our motly band and then we're on route to Abraxis."

"Abraxis?" asked Heth. "Why are we going there? More ship modifications?"

"Of a sort," said Gix.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Gard stepped into Jolan's private quarters. He had always liked the inquisitor's taste. Simple, subdued, comfortable, and elegant. Jolan was sitting on a chair, a holo projection of the Eternal Will's schematics floating above the table of Vitrian glass. "You wanted to speak with me privately, sir?"

"Yes," said Jolan. "I have a project in mind. You're essential to it. Please sit down."

Gard sat down on the opposite side of the cogitator/table. "This sounds interesting. Please go on."

"I'm going to have one of the internal holds reconfigured into a high security lab. Only you and I will have access. We'll be using Adraxian archeotech machinery inside."

"What is the nature of this project?"

"We'll be growing a host-clone. A perfect host-clone."

"Inquisitor, this sounds dangerous."

"It is, but it will only be perfect for one entity. We'll pick up the samples of biological material necessary for the clone at Adraxis as well as getting the ship refits."

Gard Vikal wasn't a stupid man. He hadn't been present for the Adraxian affair, but he had long since obtained most of the details. Growing a perfect host-clone for a single entity narrowed the list considerably. Down to two, as a matter of fact, and he knew which one Gix was most likely to attempt this for. "You intend to resurrect Nathan Talstrem."

"Yes," said Jolan. "His warp soul and personality survive in the Immaterium. He has ties to us. Using formulae derived from those used to summon and bind daemon hosts I can draw him back to a clone grown from the genetic material on file here do to the injuries he received in the Abraxian campaign."

"This is radical, even for you."

"Actually, its Puritan," Gix corrected. "Thorian, to be precise. Although both Xanthanite and Horusian schools of thought are off shots of Thorianism. Nathan Talstem served in the Great Crusade. He got his rosette from the hand of the Emperor himself. He remembers the Golden Age, he lived in it and helped shape it. And then he was lost in the warp and found in our own. He is a resource without price, even if he was not my friend, even if I didn't owe him my life, I would seek to restore him."

"You think it can be done?"

"I think we have a chance. If we try."

"Well then," said Gard, "we'll need a decent sized space for clone tubes, nutrient tanks, life support, monitoring equipment and so on. And then there is security to consider." He extended his finger into the the frame of cyan lights. "About this should do. Of course, the engineers may have different ideas."

He paused to think. "Cogitator, light trail on my index finger."

"Affirmative," the machine replied. A line of bloody red light followed the movements of Gard's hand as he began to sketch the preliminary ideas for the cloning chamber. Gix watched and interjected occasionally. The grand campaign had begun.

[Vehrec]

"Actually, its Puritan," Gix corrected. "Thorian, to be precise. Although both Xanthanite and Horusian schools of thought are off shots of Thorianism. Nathan Talstem served in the Great Crusade. He got his rosette from the hand of the Emperor himself. He remembers the Golden Age, he lived in it and helped shape it. And then he was lost in the warp and found in our own. He is a resource without price, even if he was not my friend, even if I didn't owe him my life, I would seek to restore him."

You know, if it ever becomes known widely that Jolan Gix was responsible for this, it would not only move him firmly out of the Xanthian sect, but make him a hero in the eyes of the Xanthians and Thorians. Of course, that would lead to even more attempts to purge him. I always get the feeling about Jolan that he's going to become the most hated Inquisitor Lord in a long time.

[Imperial Overlord]

Lydia walked across the observation gallery to where Jolan stood, watching as workers swarmed over the hull of the Eternal Will. His back was to her. "Meradin," he said.

"Sir," she replied.

"Jolan will do. Try to relax a bit."

"I'll try sir."

"You do that. Settling in alright?"

"It's a well oiled machine. I'm the new cog. It's going about as good as could be expected."

"I'm not so old that I have forgotten what its like to be in that situation. They won't be to hard on you. You did, after all, start out with proving yourself in a spectacular fashion."

"Thank you sir. There's a communication for you."

"Oh?"

"Condition Vermillion. That's all I know. Iriza has it."

"Walk with me," said Jolan as he headed out of the room. Lydia followed. "We haven't had much time to talk about your gifts. I'm sorry about that, but certain other matters took precedence."

"I understand sir."

"Jolan."

"Jolan."

He smiled. "Better." They had left the more public area around the observation galleries and into the housing section set aside for dignitaries. Scanning beams probed them and ceramite doors hissed open. "Divination," Gix continued, "in any strength beyond weak, is rare in humans. The art and its techniques are undeveloped compared to say pyromancy or astropathy. There's a lot I've managed to figure out mostly by trial and error and I'll try to give you the best benefit of my own experience. We'll try to take best advantages of your strengths and see if we can improve in areas where you are weak."

"I would very much like that."

"Good," he said. They had reached Iriza's door. He touched the door bell. The chime rang within and moment's later the door swung open. The diminutive astropath bowed.

"Sir, I received an important communique for you. It is now transcribed on this reader crystal." She handed him a thin wafer of transparent material.

"Thank you," said Gix. He held it in his right hand and his electoo flash transmitted a personal verification code. Phosphorescent letters appeared on his hand and began scrolling up. He frowned for a moment and then his brow smoothed. "Tell everyone to get ready for a meeting as soon as possible. Also tell them to start packing."

"What's happening?" Lydia asked.

"Lord Inquisitor Chandraha Reil wants my help. She'll be swinging through this system in a few days, if the warp remains calm. We're to join her and assist her."

"Where's the trouble?" she asked.

"A cult on Telmont's World. Apparently the whole world is on the verge of civil war and Inquisitor Dalemont died while investigating. It's a mystery cult, little data on it, but apparently it has some holy artifacts with magical properties."

"Chaos?" she asked.

"Or xenotech. Or archeotech. Or something else. Either way, a Hereticus inquisitor who was once Malleus is a good choice. Especially if he is familiar with Telmont's World."

"You've worked there before?"

"One of the Mandrassi Harrowing atrocities took place on Telmont's World."

"You never found who was responsible for those attacks, right?"

"Correct. I had hoped that taking down the Rising Phoenix would provide answers, but it did not. For the time being the perpetrator has eluded capture."

"You still want him."

"Ten years from now or two hundred years, it does not matter. He has committed crimes against the Imperium and we will always be after him. I do confess to desiring it to be sooner than later that he meets his end and that my hand be on the gun, but I won't lose sleep over it if someone else sends his soul screaming to the warp."

[Imperial Overlord]

Two sleek and lethal Sword class frigates, the Fury and the Havoc, guarded the flanks of the much more massive and lethal Lord Marburg. The Inquisition Black Ship was crewed by men and women who were born and would die in the Inquisition's service. Much high technology, available only on Mars and a handful of other worlds, had gone into its production. It was armed with dreadful and terrible weapons that could do more than ravage a planet or break open another ship and spill its crew to the void. The Lord Marburg was the fist of the Inquisition and was a library, torture chamber, troop transport, and Exterminatus platform as well as a warship. It excelled at all of its functions.

Black armoured Inquisition stormtroopers saluted as Jolan Gix and his retinue arrived in the shuttle bay. The Inquisitor returned the salutes and approached the commander of the honour guard. "I wish to speak with Lord Inquisitor Chandraha Reil."

The lieutenant in charge, a young man with an easy smile nodded. "She thought you might say that. She's on the bridge. I will escort you."

Gix gave a sharp, brief nod of approval. The lieutenant turned and lead Jolan to a lift car. He stared for a moment when he realized that all of Jolan's retinue was coming with him. "Is there a problem lieutenant?" Gix asked coolly.

"No lord. No problem." The lift car took them horizontally several hundred meters and then up. Hethor cleaned his nails with a slim knife. Lydia flexed the fingers of gun hand. The lift doors opened and they spilled out on to the bridge basilica.

Jolan walked down the nave, which was lined with junior officers, techpriest acolytes, and servitors tending various pieces of equipment; and approached the command throne. Captain Valcav Hennel was a huge, pale man who was cybernetically connected to his ship by a half dozen data cables. Chandraha Reil was a lean, two meter tall woman with dark brown skin and long dark hair. She wore a gown of black velvet and jeweled digital weapons on her fingers.

She turned as Jolan approached. "Inquisitor Gix."

Jolan bowed slightly. "Lord Inquisitor Reil."

"I was not expecting you would bring so many to the bridge."

"There's more than enough room for them and I cannot get the benefit of their advice if they are not here to give it."

"True," she said. "Thank you for coming. As of yet we know little of what is occurring on Telmont's World. Rather than inundate you with the speculation and rumour, I want your eyes and brain to be available when we finally get some first hand observations."

'Of course, Lord Inquisitor."

"Maybe you should settle into your quarters, familiarize yourself with the ship. Nothing is going to happen for the next few days."

Jolan could take the hint: get out of my hair until I need you. "A good idea Lord Inquisitor." He bowed, turned, and departed.

The lieutenant took them to a series of well appointed guest rooms. Jolan and his retinue began to settle in. "What now?" Lydia asked.

"Keep the steel ready, check this place out, and wait," said Hethor. "Trouble will come of its own accord."

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Lord Marburg and her escorts broke through into normal space in a flash of impossible colours. Surveyors and auspexes probed the space around them, verified they had arrived in the right star system, and navigators began to plot a course to Telmont's World. The great plasma drives ignited and the ships burned forward.

An hour into their journey the surveyors of the Lord Marburg registered four large vessels moving on an intercept course. Alarm bells went off and the call to battle stations went out. Jolan Gix, fresh out of the shower, finished getting dressed and headed to the bridge.

When Jolan Gix arrived it was a scene of tense activity. Jolan approached the command throne. "What's happening?" he asked.

"Four ships closing on us," said Reil. "Probably unfriendly."

"Surveyors?"

"Still trying a match." Jolan walked forward to a bank of stations attended by surveyor operators. The humans tried to pretend he wasn't there. The servitors and tech priests didn't need to pretend, they simply ignored them. Jolan examined the data.

"They're attempting to jam our surveyors. Their electronic warfare methods are cruder and less successful than those of the eldar. Their speed is also inferior. General size and power emissions consistent with Zamakki War Cruisers, although we are some distance from their remaining holdings."

"What would the Zamakki be doing this far from their native stars?"

"Twenty thousand years ago, their empire was much larger," said Gix. "It might have encompassed Telmont's World. The Zemakki worship the Ruinous Powers. It is becoming increasingly likely that one way or the other they are connected to whatever is happening on the planet's surface."

"Confirmation," said a cold voiced techpriest. "Vessels are Zamakki War Cruisers."

"It looks like we're in for a fight," said Gix.

[Dominus]

Ah, my good Overlord, everyone here knows that I've been spoiling for a good old-fashioned naval scrap in true BFG form, and for providing just that, I hereby proclaim that you win the Internet.

I'll be eagerly looking forward to the next installment. Purge those xenos from existence with cannon and fire!

[PeZook]

These Xenos have a problem with life, I think, since they decided to commit "Suicide by Imperium".

[Vehrec]

BFG fight! With Boarding Actions because that's how all inquisitors deal with such problems!

[Imperial Overlord]

Jolan headed towards an auxiliary console and pulled up the data on Zemakki War Cruisers. While he was moderately familiar with the chaos worshiping race and their technology, he had never invested much time in studying their starship technology. He was not, after all, a member of the Ordo Xenos or a member of the Imperial Navy.

Data came scrolling through. After millenia of conflict with the Zemakki, the Imperium was very familiar with their ships and technology. The Zemakki utilized a modular construction system that allowed them to build their ships very quickly, which helped compensate for the loses they suffered at Imperial, Eldar, and Ork hands.

The typical warship consisted of a large forward fighting module with heavy shield generators and a pair of massive particle beam cannons. Two more standard ship modules, an enginarium module, and a cluster of thrusters and engines mixed out the package. Overall they tended to be somewhat long and cylindrical, averaging about two kilometers in length. They had good maneuverability and shields for a ship their size, but thin armour. Weaponry consisted of the forward particle beams, and dorsal and ventral rail gun turrets on both standard ship modules. They were roughly equivalent to a light cruiser.

Jolan accessed surveyor data. The Zemakki were coming at them straight on, in a line abreast formation. According to the databanks, the bow chaser particle cannons were very hard hitting and had excellent range although the rail guns were somewhat deficient in the range department.

"The Swords are to break port and circle the Zemakki to attack them from the rear," said Captain Hennel. "Bring our void shields to full power and load all tubes with standard torpedoes. All launch bays ready assault boats."

There were a chorus of acknowledgments from junior officers. Zemakki ships tended to have small crews and the gangly scaled xenos bore the legacy of their low g home world and fared poorly in close quarters combat. On the other hand, they tended to be very well armed and enthusiastic fighters. If the assault boats landed, their crews would in for some hard fighting.

Minutes ticked by as the ships maneuvered. The Lord Marburg was still heading straight at them, but the mighty battlecruiser was now alone. Fury and Havoc had broken off to circle around the War Cruisers. Jolan hoped the captain new what he was doing.

Across the void the massive particle cannons on the bows of the Zemakki ships discharge, sending intense streams of invisible energy shooting through space at a large fraction of lightspeed. The results of their impacts on void shields were very visible. Sheet lighting crawled over the shields, a product of the energy refracted and deflected away. The particle cannons were so powerful that most of the energy of their strikes went into forcing the shields closer to overload.

Captain Hannel heard the reports of the strikes dispassionately. "Crew to damage control stations, extra power to the void shields. Stand by to launch torpedoes and then brace for impact."

Officers acknowledged the orders and went to work. Across the void of space the Zemakki War Cruisers continued to close. They were superficially the same, but they all were changed by their allegiance to the ruinous powers. Decorative flukes and swirls had been added to equipment and the symbols of chaos had been worked into the metal. What had once been smooth metal was now marked with ribbing and striations. The War Cruisers had originally been built along strictly functional lines and resembled the machines of the Tau. Now they looked like alien serpents studded with rainbow coral. Lighting flared around their fang-tubes as the particle cannons charged up for another blast.

"Launch torpedoes," Hannel ordered. Great metal doors opened in Lord Marburg's prow as the launch tubes were opened. Huge missiles, sixty meters long, were flung into space my magnetic accelerators. Moments later, their fusion motors activated and they flung themselves towards the Zemakki on tails of fusion fire.

[Imperial Overlord]

The Zemakki War Cruisers broke away from the incoming torpedoes, two breaking port, two breaking starboard. "Twenty degree turn port," ordered Valcav Hennel. Fury and Havoc are to continue maneuvers and come in on them from behind. Engage the closest target with port weapon batteries and bombardment cannons. Stand by to launch assault ships. Target is to be the closest of the starboard ships."

The bridge of the Lord Marburg scurried into action. Orders were repeated and relayed, data was collected and analyzed, surveyors calibrated and prayed over. Jolan attempted patience as the huge ships began their maneuvers.

The Zemakki ships broke away from the torpedo spread, exiting the area where the torpedoes could still hit them by adjusting their speed and course. Doing so broke them apart into two separate pieces. The Imperials took advantage of that. "Launch assault boats," Hannel ordered.

Blocky ships, mostly engine and an armoured compartment full of fighting men, blasted out of the Black Ship's launch bays. Picked men were strapped into contoured acceleration compartments that allowed them to survive the punishing forces exerted on them despite the ship's compensators. The assault boats were plated with thick sheets of tough armour and possessed a pair of light turrets to defend themselves from fighters.

The Zemakki used multibarreled light rail guns as point defence weapons. They sent out a hurricane of metal at the small craft as chaff, flares, and jammers turned the xenos surveyor images into a confusing fog. Three assault craft took fatal hits from the streams of high velocity metal. The others connected with the hull, more or less intact. Automated cutters began slicing through the hull.

As the Lord Marburg's assault boats began to wreck havoc on the enemy, the Inquisition vessel itself was on the receiving end of enemy fire. The Zemakki rail gun turrets swivelled to track the Imperial vessel and opened up, lobbing high velocity slugs at the projected position of the Imperial ship. More than a few of those shots missed, but some struck the Imperial ship. More sheet lightning played over the Black Ship. The Lord Marburg was equipped with the best shield generators the Imperium could produce and they refracted most, but not all, of the energy of the rail gun impacts. The battered shields held. Barely.

Along the Lord Marburg's port flank, massive macro cannons and laser batteries opened up. Energy beams of immense power and shells containing thermonuclear charges were fired through the void at their intended target. The Zemakki ship was well shielded, but its defences lacked the shear power of the Imperials. Sheet lightning bloomed from hit after hit and brilliant flares of light marked temporary shield collapse. Then the bombardment cannons came into play.

The massive accelerator cannons on the Lord Marburg's dorsal surface lined up on the Zemakki ship and fired. Shells containing devastating magma bombs were hurled through space at a measurable fraction of lightspeed. Brilliant white explosions momentarily obscured the Zemakki ship from surveyors. The aftermath revealed a ravaged ship, much of her hull armour and weapons melted off by the massive detonations. Atmosphere and fuel gushed into space from the horrendous wounds. There was little fight left in her.

Havoc and Fury pounced on the other vessel, despite not having completed their circling maneuvers. The easy kill was too much for the captains of the heavily armed frigates. The drove in at the aft-starboard side of the Zemakki ship, their massed laser batteries overloading the War Cruiser's shields in brilliant flashes of light. The Swords sliced into the engine section, crippling the starship's engines, and penetrating into the generatium. Major power lines were severed and two reactors breached, resulting in crash shutdowns. The ship was badly wounded, but that didn't prevent her rail guns from lining up on Fury.

The tough frigate took a hail of hyper velocity munitions to the bow. Sheet lighting played over the front half of the frigate's shields, accompanied by several flashes as individual generators overloaded under the hail. Two slugs tore holes in Fury's armour and vented men and atmosphere into space. Blast doors slammed down and sealed off the wounds, redundancies took over for damaged systems. Fury had lost a defence turret, but was still in the fight. The tough little ship completed a turn presenting her less damaged starboard shields to the Zemakki vessel and continued to pour on the fire.

As all ships involved began new sets of maneuvers meant to seize the advantage, Imperial stormtroops rampaged inside their target. The interior of the Zemakki vessels used a hexagonal construction, but the touch of chaos had softened hard edges into a more organic roundness. Cables and pipes resembled living veins and the atmosphere was warm and moist.

Most humans would have been disconcerted to find themselves inside such a vessel. But the invaders in full black carapace armour were not most humans, they were Inquisition storm troopers. They carried hellguns, shotcannons, flamers, grenade launchers, and chainblades as well as melta charges.

A corporal consulted his bioscanner. "Large numbers of xenos approaching from up the corridor," he announced. "Fifty meters and closing." About fifteen meters up the corridor bent along a turn, preventing a clear line of sight.

"Set up for it," ordered a sergeant. "Squads two and three. Four, cut us through that wall."

"Yes sergeant," responded a corporal with a chain fist. Metal flew as the cutting team went to work with powerfield augmented chainblades. The storm troopers knew their business. The xenos bastards wouldn't live long enough to regret tangling with them.

[Dominus]

Nice work on these two chapters, IO. I've always admired the way you seamlessly blend ship-to-ship boarding actions with the larger naval battles going on at the same time. My hat's off to you for writing the best BFG material this side of Gordon Rennie.

Something of a technical question, but is the Lord Marburg an actual "Black Ship" class vessel (of the kind you can see on the Specialist Games website), or is it just a repurposed strike cruiser or something else entirely? I only ask because it seems that just about any vessel owned and operated by the Inquisition could be considered a Black Ship, from tiny transports all the way up to battleships like the one in my signature, making for a very confusing situation for those of us obsessed with IoM naval nonclemature...

[Imperial Overlord]

The Lord Marburg is most definitely a full sized Black Ship, which is essentially a Strike Cruiser built to be the size of a battlecruiser instead of a light cruiser. The Zemakki would have raped a light cruiser's shields and blown big holes in the hull with their particle beams (lances) and their rail guns (weapons batteries) would have almost as bad.

Besides, the Lord Marburg's arsenal (weapon batteries, torpedoes, launch bays, and bombardment cannons) is just too much to stick onto a light cruiser sized hull. The term Black Ship does get thrown around a lot in the Imperium, but remember that within the Inquisition it refers to a purpose built battlecruiser. It's really the biggest thing they need. If an uber battlecruiser and its escorts can't handle the job, its too big for an Inquisition task force and you should be enlisting the Navy and/or the Astartes.

And thank you.

[Imperial Overlord]

"Continue turning to port," Captain Hennel ordered. "Batteries are to finish off the wounded Zemakki ships as they come to bear. Primary target for both batteries and bombardment cannons is the starboard Zemakki ship not being boarded. Launch new wave of assault boats when ready."

Jolan Gix watched the battle progress on his screen and the main holo display. The Lord Marburg was continuing its turn, the massive battlecruiser swinging around to go back the direction it had come. As it did so its portside guns swung away from the wounded Zemakki ships and the starboard weapon batteries were being brought to bear. As it did so the agile Swords zipped past, exchanging fire with Zemakki War Cruisers at the edge of their range.

The wounded Zemakki were in the process of completing their turns so they could unleash the combined firepower of their heavy prow particle cannons and their dorsal and ventral rail gun batteries on the Lord Marburg's flank. The pair of Zemakki ships that were now off the Lord Marburg's port side were just about finished their turns. What happened next was going to be bloody.

The now starboard Zemakki continued to fire upon Fury. The two Swords continued to fire volleys from their dorsal laser batteries into their wounded prey. That ship was turning slowly because of the damage already inflicted by the frigate's batteries. Lightning sheeted over its shield envelope as multiple shields neared overload. One by one they failed in spectacular flashes of light. High energy lasers ripped through the comparatively thin armour all along the hull, destroying weapons, sensors, and shield generators. Capacitors detonated, fuel ignited, and atmosphere spilled into the void. Powerless, with fuel and air pouring from its wounds, the ship drifted into the void.

It did not die quietly. Until the last few moments, its rail gun turrets salvoed fire into Fury. The other War Cruiser joined in, bracketing the frigate with volleys of hyper velocity metal and slamming hit after hit into already straining void shields. Moments after Fury struck her crippling blows, her shields failed in a blaze of light. Slug after slug slammed into her hull, each strike a white hot flash of light as some of the kinetic energy was converted into heat and light. Glowing wounds were stitched up the length of the frigate, reducing the mighty Imperial warship to a crippled hulk in little more than a minute of relentless fire.

Then the Lord Marburg's starboard broadsides opened up on the already wounded Zemakki vessel. Havoc zipped passed, out of range and circling around to engage the Zemakki vessels off to port. The Lord Marburg's guns were sufficient to rip through the already weakened void shields with brilliant flashes of atomic fury and incinderary laser beams. Weakened shields fell under the flail and the new wounds were opened in the already damaged ship's flank.

But that was only a taste of the punishment the Lord Marburg was going to dish out. On the port side the massive gun batteries were aligning with one of the Zemakki War Cruisers as were the massive bombardment cannon turrets. Assault boats were fired out of the Black Ship's launch bays and into the void where they altered course to join their comrades in seizing control of the Zemakki vessel.

The three surviving War Cruisers opened fire on the Lord Marburg. Particle beams from the two vessels closing to port hammered the Black Ship's shields. Lightning crawled over the shields and then came the brilliant flashes of rail gun impacts. The pounding pushed the Marburg's shields towards overload.

The Lord Marburg struck back with a terrible fury. Lasers sliced into shields and multimegaton macrocannon shells burst around the stricked War Cruiser. The bombardment cannons joined in and the white hot fury of magma bomb detonations overloaded the remaining void shields and consumed the bow of the War Cruiser, slagging void shield generators, crew, and the particle beam cannons.

Havoc joined in the slaughter, slicing into the Zemakki ship with her heavy laser batteries. Brilliant flashed marked the failure of the War Cruiser's port side void shield and terrible wounds were bored into her sides and deep into her guts. The Sword circled in, closing for the kill.

The men on board the Zemakki War Cruiser didn't know that reinforcements were imminent. They only knew they had a job to do and a limited amount of time to do it in. The cutters finished ripping through the wall and tossed in frag grenades. An assault squad followed up on the explosions, gunning down the Zemakki techs with flamers, bursts of glass rods from combat shotguns, and lethal hellgun beams.

The Zemakki were a slim race, about two meters tall. They wore full body suits of grey metallic fibers and were long of limb. They had yellow eyes and purple scales. That is to say, if they had been a normal race they would have had those traits. They were not.

Everyone of them bore the stigmata of mutation. Extra eyes, double tongues, an additional limb, or limbs with more or less than the "normal" three joints. Everyone of them was marked, everyone unclean as both a xeno and a mutant. They were ambulatory piles of filth and were treated as such. There was no mercy in the hearts of Inquisition Stormtroopers towards human heretics. For xenos followers of the Ruinous Powers there was only hatred.

Zemakki troops tried to push their way up the corridor but the Stormtroopers were ready for them. Grenades, flamers, and Executioner shells meant the humans did not need a clear line of sight to kill. The Stormtroopers spent ammo freely, covering the advance of their fellows. Their weapons took a terrible toll on the lightly armoured xenos. Grenades were bounced around the corner and then the Stormtroopers attacked into close quarters.

Hellgun beams and shotguns bursts blew open torsos and severed limbs. The Zemakki fired back with spindly rail guns that fired steel cored ceramic bullets. Their slugs hit like hammers, staggering troops and cracking carapace armour. A short burst would destroy a breastplate. A long burst or a second burst into the same place would blast right through and kill. The rail guns chewed through ammo at a ferocious rate. Three Stormtroopers fell, two dead with shredded torsos and one with his left thigh completely obliterated.

Two of the Zemakki were lugging heavy particle accelerators, the pull of gravity on the one and a half meter long beam weapons offset by the built in suspensor units. Blue-white beams blazed through the air, too bright to look upon with the naked eye. One blast gouged a huge wound in the corridor. The other shot through a Stormtrooper, shooting through the front of his cuirass and exiting the back accompanied by a cloud of bloodmist.

The Stormtroopers closed to hand to hand range. Shotguns boomed at point blank range and hellguns fired rapid bursts. Chain swords rose and fell, leaving gore and severed limbs in their wake. The Zemakki were adapted to a world with only two-thirds the gravity of Holy Terra. Compared to ordinary humans most of them were frail and weak. Compared to the Inquisitions elite killers, they were cattle for the slaughter.

Armoured fists broke bones, gun butts shattered skulls. Blades rose and fell and weapons were fired into close quarters. Red xenos blood was spilled all over the deck, joined by the varicoloured ichor some of the mutants bled. It was over quickly.

The Stormtroopers redressed their ranks, taking ammunition and equipment from the dead and treating their wounded. The fight had been overwhelmingly one sided with the Zemakki taking five times as many casualties. The xenos employed small crews so it would be a while before they mustered another assault party and the Stormtroopers intended to make the best use of that time. Demolition charges were applied to power lines, capacitor banks, and life support nodes. They troopers moved out, heading towards fresh territories to ransack and destroy. Fire and destruction bloomed in their wake.

[Dominus]

As always, IO, reading your BFG material is a pleasure. You really have that knack for capturing the way ships move and fight in space, and I can only wish that more Black Library authors would write about the epic naval combat aspect of 40k. But your fanfic more than sates my desire for bloody good BFG material. Well done indeed, Overlord.

By the way, were the Zemakki a xenos race of your own creation, or one of the myriad "lesser" xenos species to be found throughout the 40k universe that don't get much "screen time"?

[Imperial Overlord]

By the way, were the Zemakki a xenos race of your own creation, or one of the myriad "lesser" xenos species to be found throughout the 40k universe that don't get much "screen time"?

One of my own creation. The galaxy abounds with doomed minor species.

[Dominus]

Truer words were never said, IO.

And good show on the Zemakki as well. Now, when shall we see the light of their foul xenos civilization snuffed out for good? What thou dost create, thou mayest also destroy...

[Imperial Overlord]

The new waves of assault ships attached themselves to the hull of the Zemakki War Cruiser. Boarding corridors locked on and automated cutters sliced through the hull, dispatching new waves of Inquisition Stormtroopers to kill and destroy. The Zemakki on the wounded ship had already failed to halt the swath of destruction the humans had sliced through their ships.

The second wave headed towards the engineering sections in the rear of the vessel. They killed every xenos and their path while severing power lines, wrecking machinery, and leaving explosive charges in their wake. The Zemakki retreated before them and tried to assemble a fighting force capable of stopping them. There was a brief and bloody clash. The Stormtroopers stepped over the bodies of the fallen and continued on their way.

As the Stormtroopers methodically crippled and seized the one War Cruiser, all three of them converged on the Lord Marburg at point blank range. The massive bombardment cannons swung starboard to join the weapon batteries. The ranks upon ranks of guns on the Black Ship's port side remained locked on the starboard War Cruiser with the mauled bow.

The two surviving rail gun turrets on the starboard War Cruiser fired upon the Lord Marburg. The surviving rail guns on the two port side vessels joined in on the barrage while the starboard ship's particle cannons neared full charge. The Inquisition ship's shields barely held.

The starboard War Cruiser was enveloped in hell. Nuclear explosions and white hot magma bomb detonations burst around it, overloading shields and eating into the hull. Volleys of laser fire ate through the ravaged hull and ripped into the ship's guts. The War Cruiser broke up into three pieces as the stresses of its own maneuvers were more than the damaged ship could survive.

Havoc circled around aft of its target and ripped through the War Cruiser's surviving shields with its heavy laser batteries. Beams sliced into the engine and reactor segments, inflicting severe damage and forcing half the engines and generators off line. Gas and fuel vented into space through hull ruptures, accompanied by the tumbling bodies of Zemakki crewmen.

The Lord Marburg poured fire into the stricken ship. Laser beams burned through the naked hull and atomic blasts detonated at point blank range. The War Cruiser was wreathed in light and pierced by spears of light. It exploded violently.

The void shields on the nearby ships were strong enough to absorb blast. Captain Hannel eyed the damage reports before shifting his attention back to the surviving Zemakki vessel. "Status of target?" he asked.

"Target's shields are still intact," said dark skinned young lieutenant. "Slow rate of rail gun recharge and lack of particle weapon fire is suggestive of severe damage to internal systems."

"The boarding parties are doing their work," said Captain Hannel, "time for us to help them finish the work. Bring us along side and dispatch reinforcements. Have the boarding parties take prisoners. I'm sure the inquisitors will want to examine the ship and interrogate survivors."

The Black Ship began maneuvers to close and match course with the surviving War Cruiser. Jolan Gix got up from the bridge station he had appropriated and headed for the lift. He activated his vox.

"Heth, get Lydia and Gard together. We're going to board the Zemakki ship."

There was a pause. "Okay boss. Are you sure about this? We can just let the Stormtroopers do their jobs."

"We are," said Gix. He touched the lift controls and fell away from the bridge. "We're just going in to take a look after they've done the sweep and kill. Load for cudbear though. There's always the chance of encountering hold outs."

"Gotchya boss. Will do."

[Dominus]

You know, I was just beginning to wonder what had become of In Memoria, and thankfully I find that it wasn't abandoned. Kudos to you for another excellent chapter showcasing your excellent writing, IO. I'm only somewhat saddened by the fact that this signals the end of the BFG renaissance.

Random question of the week time: on a stylistic note, do you actually model out these battles in BFG before writing them out (as I know some authors do)? I personally wouldn't be able to keep track of all those ships doing their elegant dance of death in space unless I had a visual and/or notational reference to go on, but that's just me.

[Imperial Overlord]

A larger fight I might use notes to keep track of, but so far I haven't needed it even for the huge brawl in First, Best Destiny. I always get back to my work, although some of it stays on the back burner for a long time (Sarcophagus, for example). I do keep BFG stats in mind when I do the battles, but I don't play them out and I don't follow the rules exactly. There will be more BFG in the future, by the way.

Here's rough Zemakki War Cruiser stats:

Speed: 25cm
Turn: 90 degrees

Cruiser/4

Shields: 2
Turrets: 1
Armour: 4/5 front

Prow lance battery front Strength 2 Range 45cm
Dorsal weapon batteries front/right/left Strength 4 Range 30cm

Boarding and hit and run attacks on Zemakki War Cruisers receive a +1 bonus due to the small crew and their fragility.

Takes criticals on 5 or 6.

[Dominus]

Well, I for one am glad to see that you're not one of those authors who just abandons his projects and never bothers to inform his audience about it. I'll just have to be more patient in the future, I suppose.

By the Emperor, you weren't kidding when you said those Zamekki war cruisers were mass produced... erm, garbage, for lack of a better word. I think a single Lunar cruiser with the two Swords for escorts could have handily defeated that entire xenos fleet -- something even more powerful, like a Murder-class, would, well, murder the xenos scum ('tis a shame that they're not widely used in the Imperium anymore... I've always liked the design). Given the composition, a Black Ship (which has Cruiser/10 like a grand cruiser, unless I'm very much mistaken) seems downright overkill; but then again, no one ever said that victory through superior firepower could not be deeply satisfying.

[Imperial Overlord]

They're not garbage, although no match for an Imperial Cruiser. Four of them have 8 lances at 45 cm and 16 battery firepower within 30. And two void shields each. They're heavy frigate/light cruiser sized and perform adequately as such.

[Dominus]

Ah, there's the problem: I always tend to match ships up based purely upon their stats in a static environment, so I wasn't even thinking in terms of what they could do when massed in numbers, but rather a one-on-one comparison with the equivalent Imperial capital ship, saw that the Lunar cruiser had the slightly bigger numbers and went "Whoo, Imperium for the win!" Small-scale thinking, I know, it's a bad habit I'm working to rid myself of. In case you couldn't guess, I favor a capital-ship heavy fleet, and usually scorn those 'tiny' and 'insignificant' things called escorts and light cruisers, much to my own detriment in BFG -- or any naval simulation, for that matter.

My apologies if I was a bit hasty in my judgment of their capabilities.

[Imperial Overlord]

Scorning escorts is a good way to get raped in BFG. They're harder to kill than you might think from looking at them on paper and even the lowly Cobra (aka the highly mobile torpedo swarm dispenser) is quite effective in squadrons. They're especially good at backing up/covering battleships which are terrible at doing maneuvers and are too valuable to lose or have their effectiveness compromised by desperately maneuvering to try and deal with an escort squadron.

[Dominus]

Ach, nein. This is precisely why one shouldn't post when one is half-dead of exhaustion.

Scorning escorts is a good way to get raped in BFG. They're harder to kill than you might think from looking at them on paper and even the lowly Cobra (aka the highly mobile torpedo swarm dispenser) is quite effective in squadrons. They're especially good at backing up/covering battleships which are terrible at doing maneuvers and are too valuable to lose or have their effectiveness compromised by desperately maneuvering to try and deal with an escort squadron.

Ah, don't I know it. I ever tell you folks about the time I was watching some friends play a match and saw Friend #1's capital ship heavy fleet get annihilated by Friend #2's Eldar Hemlock destroyers? It was a very sobering experience...

[Imperial Overlord]

Six black armoured Inquisition Stormtroopers formed the vanguard of Jolan Gix's team. Auspexes swept the path in front of them and sent data to their helmet displays as they advanced into the ship. The marks of battle were everywhere. Boarding parties had sliced or blasted holes in the ships artery like corridors to overcome obstacles and wreck havoc with equipment and power feeds. In several areas the walls were scored with weapons fire and the floors marked with puddles of ichor and pieces of flesh.

Lydia and Hethor trailed Jolan's footsteps. Jolan moved easily in his power armour, despite its bulk. It had been constructed for him by the Men of Iron on Adraxis, utilizing technology only equaled on Mars if it had any equal at all in the Imperium. "This is Inquisitor Gix," he said through the vox, "have the boarding parties secured the command center?"

"This is Captain Gesseau," a gravely voice replied. "We have. There was heavy damage and no one captured alive."

"Understood," said Jolan. "Was there a Zemakki wearing a leather robe at the command center?"

"No my lord."

"Have your men inform me the moment you find one."

"Your will, my lord."

"What's the big deal about a leather robe?" asked Hethor.

"Zemakki priests wear robes of leather made from Zemakki hide. If there is any xenophile or Chaos cult connection between the Zemakki presence here and the troubles on Telmont's World, the priest will know the most about it. Their authority in Zemakki society is nearly absolute."

"Sort of like inquisitors?" said Hethor.

Lydia gasped. "That is-"

"Mostly correct," Jolan answered. "So we want the priest and his effects, dead or alive."

"My lord," said one of the Stormtroopers, "I may have something you might want to take a look at."

"Continue," said Jolan.

"Discounted our own people, the psi tracker is only reading one source of any power and its very strong."

"Probably the priest or his shrine," said Jolan. "Thank you soldier. Lead the way."

They turned left at the next corridor junction and followed a winding corridor as curved around the ship. "We're close now," said the trooper with the psi tracker.

"Yes, I can feel it," said Jolan. "And something else. Be careful." The party moved through a curve in the corridor and found a massive door of black metal in the side of the corridor. Squiggly-line glyph marks covered the door.

"Crazy xenos," muttered Hethor. "Corridors like a mass of spaghetti strings. What kind of way is that to configure internal spaces."

"The corridors come last," said Gix. "They build the outer casing and then the insert the internal machinery. The rest of the internal spaces are configured based on patterns sacred to the Ruinous Powers. The ships are then cursed and dedicated to the Dark Gods of Chaos and it takes hold of them. Things change and distort and more patterns are formed. The entire ship is a prayer to darkness cast in steel."

"Extermination is too merciful for them," said Hethor. "I would spit except I'm sealed up tight."

"Remain so," said Jolan. "There's no telling what we'll find inside. And yes, death is too good for them. The very existence of their race fuels the damnation of humanity. Even orks and dark eldar are less obscene than they are." He nodded at the Stormtroopers. "Take the door."

"Locked my lord. No obvious control. Cutting through the wall will be easier than the door."

"The corridor yes, but not the shrine. It's walls will be reinforced. Melta bombs on the door." The Stormtroopers quickly attached a large charge and the group retreated around the bend.

"On your mark inquisitor."

"Blow it." Heat and lift washed through the corridor as the melta bomb detonated. Jolan drew his inferno pistol and lead the group forward.

The vault doors was white hot slag. A sickly green glow came from the shrine. Jolan stepped through the gap and entered. It was large, fifteen meters wide and long by eight meters high. Rusted iron hooks hung from the wall and from each hook dangled a rotting carcass. Some of the bodies were Zemakki and others were human, but most were unrecognizable.

On the far wall a Zemakki skull covered in rotting flesh grinned at them. Beneath it was two other skulls, forming the points of a triangle. Below them was a mound of decomposing flesh, an oozing and suppurating mass. Crowning the mass was a Zemakki body wearing a robe of wet and putrid hide.

"Looks like we found the priest," said Hethor. "Thank the Emperor we're sealed up and can't smell that."

"The smell would be the least of our concerns," said Gix. He switched channels. "Power still lingers here and the chance for disease-" the mound of decaying flesh hissed and bubbled. "Get back!" Jolan shouted. The mound heaved and then began oozing forward.

"Throne!" Hethor cursed. Hellgun beams burns through the air and struck the mass, scorching holes in it. Lydia pumped half a dozen bolt shells into it, sending vile fluid spilling from the obscene mound.

"Get back!" Gix snarled. The air around him shimmered and swam. The decaying mound began to glow and exploded in green witchfire. It tried to edge forward, but could not move. Gix gritted his teeth as his fist of warp power closed. "Perish in the Emperor's Name!" he shouted.

The fire blazed hotter. The carcasses on the wall caught fire and began to burn. The oozing mass hissed as its fluids boiled off, its outer layers bursting in sprays of boiling fluids and then burning to ash. A ghastly burbling shriek rose from the mass as it tried to heave itself forward. Jolan smashed it to the wall and held it there until there was nothing but ash.

"Lord Marburg, this is Gix. We'll be returning to the ship shortly. Have a decontamination team standing by for our arrival."

[Vehrec]

"Sort of like inquisitors?" said Hethor.

Lydia gasped. "That is-"

"Mostly correct," Jolan answered.

Hahaha, oh man. Most inquisitors would have chewed you out for heresy right there. Jolan knows the important things. Like finding and burning Nurgle spawn. Purge the Daemons!