Warhammer 40k: The Harmony Crusade

                                                                                   Chapter 2

                                                                           Objective Complete?

“Keep going!” shouted Captain Belknap, firing his hellpistol back towards the cultists, “We're almost there!”

The two Kasrkin squads sprinted across the battlefield towards the entrenched Blood Ravens, dodging debris and enemy gunfire. Squad Aquila got there first, vaulting over the barricade, followed closely by Squad Solace. They both turned and opened fire on the chasing cultists, riddling them with lasfire. The soldiers dropped to the ground, granted a moments respite from the battle.

Captain Belknap walked over to Sergeant Roland, pulling him to his feet. “Come on” he said, “We need to go find whoever is in charge around here, let them know what happened and why we are here”

“Is that a wise idea?” asked Roland, “I don’t think we were supposed to fall back”

“Well then pray for the Emperor's mercy” replied Belknap.

They made their way through the winding barricades, passing by other squads of guardsmen, even a few of the space marines. Belknap rounded a corner and found himself face-to-chestplate with a Blood Raven.

“Hey! Watch where your going soldier!” snapped the Raven.

“Sorry sir” replied Belknap, saluting, “We are trying to find the person in charge around here”

“At ease soldier. That would be me” said the Raven, removing his helmet. “ Brother-Sergeant Morentz, Blood Ravens Assault Squad Talon. I'm in charge while Brother-Captain Uriel is assaulting the bunker” he said, proffering his hand.

“Captain Belknap, acting commander for Kasrkin Squads Solace and Aquila, this is Sergeant Roland, my second-in-command” replied Belknap, shaking the marine's hand.

“What happened to the other squad's captain, and what are you doing here?” asked Morentz.

“Killed, sir. Around twenty-five minutes ago. We retreated here, we were low on ammo and surrounded by cultists”

“Were your orders to retreat?”

Belknap gulped. This was where he had to phrase what he said very carefully. “Our orders were to hold a position at all costs until the reinforcements had made it to the bunker. Once we got the signal that they had made it, we fell back. We would all be dead right now otherwise”

The marine seemed to consider for a moment.

“Fair enough, soldier. I understand wanting to keep your men alive, and you would be of no use to anyone dead. Besides, I wouldn't be surprised if your commanders are dead by now. The guard regiments have been all but overrun, and the reinforcements really aren’t helping that much. Re-stock on ammo, take your men and go help defend the eastern barricade. Our men our getting swamped down there”

“Yes sir, right away sir!” replied Belknap, saluting. The marine turned away and started to walk back towards the south side.

Roland wiped the sweat from his brow and released a large pent-up breath. “How close were we to just getting executed for dereliction of duty?” he asked.

Belknap smiled and pinched his thumb and fore-finger together, millimetres apart.

“Damn, that close huh?” chuckled Roland.

They both jogged back towards their men. The fight wasn’t over yet.

The Terminators advanced slowly down the stairs, the high-energy beams of light from the helmets barely even penetrating the gloom ahead. Purge 1 followed them close behind, the blades of their weapons gleaming in the dark. The flame on Anvar's Incinerator flickered menacingly.

The walls were packed tightly together, being two marines wide at best. It was the perfect chokepoint, and Tarrik didn't like it.

“Light up ahead!” called one of the Terminators up ahead, “We're coming up on something!”

They emerged into a massive hall, illuminated by large lamps that hung directly overhead, spilling a bright yellow light into the dusty air. The marine's helmets were already filtering the air and tracking heat sources in the dust.

“They're here!” they heard a voice across the hall. “Defensive positions!”

One of the Terminators opened fire with his assault cannon the direction of the voice, to be rewarded a splatter and a gargling scream.

“Cover!” yelled Brother-Captain Uriel. Both squads dived into cover as the length of the hall was filled with las fire.

“How did they see us?” shouted Tarses, “I can barely see anything myself, even with my helmet on!”

“Must be some kind of warp enhancement!” Vakarrian yelled back, “Don't forget, we are dealing with sorcerers and witches here, I wouldn't be surprised if they have access to some psychic power!”

“Move up through the hall! Suppressing fire as you go!” called Uriel. Both the Knights and the Terminators ducked out of cover and opened fire as they moved up. The heretics ducked into cover as the bolter shells flew past them. Some were too slow and were shredded by the hail of bullets.

Tarrik rounded a pillar and came to face-to-face with a cultist. The cultist tried to back away but Tarrik grabbed him in his bolter hand and squeezed the firing stud, blowing the heretic apart. Kaska charged past him and demolished two cultists with a swing of his hammer.

“There's a gate at the end of the hall!” called Vakarrian, “That's our target! Anvar, suppressing now!”

Brother Anvar stepped forward with his Incinerator, unleashing a geyser of flame towards the heretics. They ducked into cover as the Knights moved further down the hall. The Terminators followed them up closely, keeping the effect going as they continued fore with their storm bolters and assault cannons.

“Brother Ryza!” called Uriel, “Move up to the gate, clear out remaining heretics!”

“Yes sir!” replied the Terminator, but just as he moved out of cover from behind the pillar, he was smashed back by a hail of rounds.

“Damn!” shouted Uriel, “That's a heavy autocannon, we can't get past that! If that can punch through Terminator armour, it can sure as hell get through yours!”

Vakarrian poked his head out of cover, scanning the area near the gate.

“The pillars!” he shouted. “Take out the support pillars! Collapse them in on the emplacement!”

Both squads opened up on the support pillars. The autocannon began firing again, taking out another Terminator.

“Anvar! Watch out!” screamed Brother Kaska, but it was too late.

The autocannon shots punched through Anvar's left shoulder in a spurt of blood. He fell back, yelling in pain. He crawled back into cover, his enhanced body already clotting the blood flow and releasing pain killers to the wounded area.

The squads continued firing, and it paid off. The pillars collapsed, along with a sizeable chunk of the ceiling, crushing the autocannon and the heretics manning it.

“Brother Anvar! Are you okay?” called Tarses, running up to him.

“I'll be fine” he replied, as he propped himself up against a pillar, pulling his Incinerator to his side.

“Your in no condition to continue” said Vakarrian, “You won't even be able to lift your weapon properly. Stay here and watch for reinforcements. Communicate us with the vox if something is wrong”

“Yes sir” replied Anvar.

“Very well” said Justicar Vakarrian, turning away. “Right” he said to everyone else, “We now number three Blood Ravens including Brother-Captain Uriel, and my own squad of four Grey Knights. This should be more than enough to capture the target, barring any unforeseen incidents. Now, let's go!”

Both squads took up positions on either side of the gate. “Remember, we want the target alive for interrogation. Non-lethal shots on any suspect, got it?” said Uriel.

Both squads nodded in unison. “Okay then. Three, two, one, breaching!”

Uriel kicked open the gate and both squads charged in, and were immediately met with a blinding flash of light and an immense shockwave that blasted them back against the walls.

On board the command deck of the Hammer's Retribution, Inquisitor Hallaman cried out in pain as he felt something sharp jab into his mind. Damn his warp-sensitive mind....wait....

“Sir!” yelled Callidus Assassin Umbra from the corner of the room. She sprinted up to him. “What is it sir?” she asked.

He raised his head and looked at her through glazed eyes. “They....they failed...the daemon has been summoned”, he straightened up. “Evacuate all personnel off the surface now. If they are not at the transports by the time they leave, they will die. I am ordering exterminatus on Damscan II”

Tarrik painfully opened his eyes and pulled himself to his feet using the shaft of his halberd.

“We have succeeded! You have failed, servants of the corpse-Emperor! My master's plans will come to fruition, and your Imperium will fall!” screamed a maniacal voice from a platform at the other end of the room.

Well, at least now we know which one he is thought Tarrik grimly. He looked up and stifled a growl. Standing in the middle of the room was a gigantic blue-purple aviary creature. Sharp claws extended out of its bony hands and its feet ended in hooked talons. A large pair of wings extended out of its back and it had a massive green and gold staff clutched in one of its hands. A Lord Of Change. It opened its beak and let out a piercing screech. The Terminators fell to the ground, crying out in pain. Tarrik and the other Grey Knights flinched as the warding runes etched onto their skin burned white-hot, stretched to their limits.

“Captain Uriel!” shouted Vakarrian to the spasming Terminators, “Get up, we need your help! Grey Knights, open fire!”

The Grey Knights opened fire with their storm bolters, the psychic bolts impacting the daemon with incredible force. The daemon screeched and shrugged off the bolts, swinging its staff round at the Knights. Tarrik and Tarses dodged back, spinning their halberds. One of the unfortunate Terminators was too slow, and was smashed apart by the blow, losing the group's last assault cannon.

“Uriel! Go after the target! We will engage it in close-combat!” called Vakarrian. Captain Uriel and the remaining Terminator moved away from the daemon towards the platform at the back of the room, continuing to fire their storm bolters at the monstrosity.

Vakarrian leapt up to the daemon, parrying the blows from it's staff with his sword. Kaska charged towards it with his hammer, only to be sent flying back against one of the back walls from a gigantic backhand from one of it's clawed hands.

The daemon swung it's staff in a huge arc, forcing Tarses back to dodge the blow. Tarrik instead jumped and grabbed the staff with his free hand, holding on as he was swung round. At the widest point of the swing, he let go, being flung up to one of the higher catwalks in the room.

Below, Uriel and the remaining Terminator advanced on the target, having eliminated the other sorcerers.

“My master's plans will succeed!” he screamed, “I have been promised whole worlds for my service! I will be a king in the warp!” he laughed maniacally. He grabbed a laspistol from a nearby table, moving to aim towards his own head.

Uriel fired, blowing off his hand and most of his forearm. The heretic collapsed, screaming, holding the stump of his arm.

“There is no reward for heresy” he replied, “Only death”

He grabbed an injector from a punch on his belt and stabbed it into the cultists neck, causing unconsciousness in seconds.

“We have to get this heretic out of here and to the medical facilities if he is to be alive for interrogation!” yelled Uriel.

“A little busy down here!” shouted back Vakarrian, parrying another blow of the staff.

“Tarrik! Whatever your going to do, do it now!” shouted Tarses.

Tarrik waited until the daemon's head was directly underneath him, and jumped. He landed on the back of the daemon's neck. It screeched, and started flailing about, trying to shake him off. Tarrik spun his halberd and plunged it into the back of the daemon head, the blade piercing it's skull. He leapt back, holding onto the shaft of his weapon. the blade ripped through the daemon's neck, severing it's spine and splitting it from the base of it's neck to the small of it's back. It screamed one final time and dissolved in a wash of pink flame. Tarrik dropped to his feet.

“That was bloody fine Brother Tarrik, nice work” said Vakarrian, jogging up to him.

“Damn straight” agreed Kaska, pulling himself to his feet.

Uriel came over, the cultist draped over one of his armoured shoulders. “I just received a message from Brother-Sergeant Morentz on the surface. Inquisitor Hallaman just ordered exterminatus on the planet. All remaining troops are falling back to the transports at the staging area, we have twenty minutes before the first torpedoes are fired”

“We best get moving then” said Kaska, sheathing his hammer and taking the cultist from Uriel in his armoured hands.

They made their way out of the hall, stopping to pick up Anvar and his Incinerator as they went.

“What in the Emperor's name took you so long, and what was all the screaming?” he asked.

“Oh, you know, summoning of a greater daemon, Tarrik pulling some badass moves, Kaska getting knocked out, basically the usual” replied Tarses.

“So I didn't miss much?”

“Nah”

“How is me getting knocked out the usual?” asked Kaska.

“Remember the daemonic incursion at Kasr Derth on Cadia, the summoning on Chiros, the invasion on Cypra Mundi?......”

“Alright, alright, I get the idea” he laughed before Tarses could name anymore.

Sorcerer Sonorious of the Thousand Sons watched as the Imperial Thunderhawks blasted into the sky towards the low-orbiting cruisers, his blue and gold armour glinting in the sunlight.

“They have foiled our plans and sentenced this world to death” he said to his two followers, Arazakh and Mhotep, “They have captured our minion, and plan to interrogate him. He is weak, he will break soon, and this, we cannot allow. He knows too much”

“So we go down there, and destroy him!” said Mhotep.

“No” replied Sonorious, stopping him. “There are too many Imperial forces still down there. Have patience”

Captain Belknap ran up to the nearest transport guard.

“Which are the transport ships for the Spirit Of Cadia?” he asked.

“I'm sorry sir” the guard replied, “The Spirit Of Cadia was destroyed by chaos cruisers more than an hour ago. The Inquisitional cruiser Hammer's Retribution will be dropping any of the Spirit's surviving personnel back at Hydraphur during a refuelling stop. There will be a transport ship waiting there to take you back to Cadia. The transports for the Retribution are over there” he said, indicating to the jet black Thunderhawks emblazoned with the dreaded symbol of the Ordo Malleus, a logo Belknap felt he already saw way to much on his homeworld.

“Very well. Thank you soldier” he said and hurried back over to his men. “Damn” he muttered to himself, “I'd almost rather stay down here than board an Inquisitional cruiser”

“Well?” asked Roland.

“The Spirit Of Cadia was destroyed. We're hitching lifts with the Inquisition to Hydraphur”

“The Inquisition!?” one man asked incredulously.

“I don't like it any more than you do Corporal, but it's the best we've got unless you want to stay down here and get blown apart at a molecular level” Belknap replied.

Grumbling, the men stood up and made their way over to the Thunderhawks.

“There!” said Sonorious, watching the entrance to the bunker through a pair of binoculars.

A group of space marines emerged from the gate, two Blood Raven Terminators (Nice to see some casualties were inflicted down there he thought) but he didn't recognise the second chapter. They wore a greyish-silver armour, and the sight of them almost hurt his eyes. They were certainly better equipped than most space marines, considering they weren't Terminators. They each wielded their own force weapon and had wrist-mounted storm bolters, with the exception of one, who was injured and was carrying a weapon that bore some resemblance to a heavy flamer, though was much larger. One of them was carrying a cultist in his arms. A Thunderhawk descended from the sky to meet them, and they began to load on.

“That's him” he said, handing the binoculars to Arazakh “They've got him”

“I don't recognise space marine chapter with him” Arazakh replied.

“Probably just some filthy second founding chapter, so little remains of the original legions now. Watch the gunship, see what cruiser it docks with”

Arazakh followed the transport through the binoculars. “There!” he said, pointing to a cruiser just visible in low orbit.

“Oh, that's an easy one” said Sonorious, grabbing his companion's arms as tendrils of the warp began to snake around them.

“What are you-” began Mhotep, but was cut short as they teleported onto the Hammer's Retribution.

The Thunderhawk descended into the hangar, opening it's forward hatch as it landed. The Grey Knights walked out, to be confronted by Inquisitor Hallaman, who was flanked by Levin and Umbra.

“What the hell happened down there!?” he demanded.

“Sir, the daemon was summoned earlier than expected. We ultimately destroyed it with the sacrifice of some of the Blood Ravens, who are on the way back to their own ship now. However, we did capture who we believe was the leader of this little thing” said Vakarrian.

“Hmm, well, I expect better of you, Justicar Vakarrian, of all of you. Hand the prisoner over to the Inquisitorial Guards, where he will stay under lock and key until we reach the interrogation facilities on Enceladus. You yourselves will be dropped back at Titan to be re-deployed. Am I understood?”

“Yes, Inquisitor” replied Vakarrian.

“And one more thing, we have a few guests from the Cadian 412th aboard. Try not to scare them” he smiled.

He left the Grey Knights there to go about their duties, and made his way back to the bridge.

“Magos Tevlan” he instructed. “Give the go ahead for the bombardment, then full speed ahead out of system. I want the jump to Hydraphur to be made as soon as possible”

“Yes sir” replied Tevlan, as the orbiting ships unleashed a barrage of virus bombs, cyclonic torpedoes and atmospheric incinerators at the planet. Continents of flame erupted across the planet's surface as all life was scoured from both land and sea, and the atmosphere was incinerated, ensuring no life would survive or ever would again. The planet, and all it's inhabitants, were dead within minutes. The daemonic forces had infected all major population centres of the planet. Hallaman had only done what had needed to be done.