Chapter 1
There was much commotion amongst the crew of The Righteous Endeavor. Only a few minutes ago there had been a serious calamity while executing a warp-jump to the Forge World Orestes.
"And the day was going so well" Commissar-Colonel Mortem Cordasco muttered to himself as he walked through the corridor to the bridge, dodging serfs and medics carrying stretchers bearing navigators bleeding from their eyes and screaming out in pain. As he reached the bridge he saw his old friend Captain Laelianus Ostrum trying to organize a hasty medical evacuation of the few remaining navigators still fumbling in their newly blind life. In his many years traveling with Ostrum he had never found a reason to think that man never cared for his crew deeply. It reminded Cordasco how he treated his guardsmen. Cordasco straightened his cap and trenchcoat and walked over to Ostrum
"How’s the situation Laelianus? Have we figured out just what in the Warp happened?" He asked crisply, hands behind his back as he turned quickly on his heel.
"Well it certainly could be worse. Gellar Fields barely held through the trip and minor hull damage was sustained. Problem is the engines were damaged beyond the capability of a warp-jump. We’ll have to make landfall on a habitable planet to make repairs. Though the oddest thing is where we appear to be." He said as they walked over to the bridge windows. Through the window they could both see a planet that was obviously lush with life and would certainly do well.
"Well Mortem, we do not appear to be in orbit of Orestes. I do not know what is happening, but then again anything can happen within the Warp." Captain Ostrum finished. Cordasco held a hand to his chin in deep thought, lightly stroking his shaggy beard.
"I believe we can both agree the matter of wherever we are can be put aside until we sort out the matter of trying to get back to Orestes. The Mechanicus will not be pleased if we tarry in our mission to reinforce the planet. The populace there is getting uneasy in the face of an entire Traitor Titan Legio." Cordasco said to Laelianus after a minute of thought.
"We'll be fine on that matter, initial scans of the injured navigators show that enough of them will be able to recover to the point that we'll be able to make a warp-jump back. Thank the Emperor our astropath and psykers are alright." Laelianus replied assuredly, standing next to Cordasco in view of the planet
"Since that problem is solved we're presented with the other, where are we? I suggest we get over there and land. I also think it would be prudent to get my regiment on high alert incase something unpleasant resides there. Frankly I'm probably overreacting but I don't want to be caught unprepared. I don't want to land on another genestealer infested planet unprepared." Cordasco said to Ostrum, a small grimace of worry had formed on his face. Ostrum clapped a hand on his shoulder;
"Ah you commissars always worry too much. But I think that's the best course of action old friend." Ostrum walked back over to the captain chair before giving out orders. The medical evacuation of the navigators had gone smoothly and the bridge had been cleaned of blood by the servitors. Laelianus quickly gave orders to the serfs and soon the ship was on route, meanwhile Cordasco had gone over to the ship’s internal vox systems and said into it;
“Good morning men and women of the 315th Cadian Armored regiment. This is Commissar-Colonel Cordasco speaking. I know many of you are worried as to where we are. It appears we have arrived in some uncharted system. I’m putting the regiment on high alert until we can ascertain what is going on here. Report to Quartermaster Beliasus Machel for your equipment. I wish you all a good day of service to the Emperor, Ave Imperator.” He took the elevator back down to the main level of the ship and where the majority of the 750,000 strong 315th Cadian armored regiment had been bunked. They were good men and had never failed him. They commonly joked that “Only this regiment could be so happy in the midst of brutal war.” Honestly Cordasco had only performed field executions five times in ten years, though not from lack of trying. And the less time he had to spend killing his own men meant more time he could kill heretics and xenos. In fact the only part of the regiment he had to maintain a much more stern vigil over was the eighteen sanctioned psykers and their psyker primaris leaders. An usual thing about the regiment was that it operated as a tight, efficient meritocracy. All Cordasco had to do was issue general orders like "Attack this position", or "Capture this target" (not that he couldn't issue specific orders, he just never felt the need) and his excellent subordinate officers would achieve that goal. Situational awareness and general competence was a valued skill in his regiment. Another thing that separated the regiment was the diversity of it all. The regiment had been merged with so many others in the outcomes of battles that one could find those from Krieg, Armageddon, Vostroya, Catachan, and many more. He made his way to his quarters, a small room with a bed, desk, chair, dresser, and a small safe containing his personal cache of vintage whiskey. He had always had a taste for liquor. He sighed as he set down his hat on the table and sat down.
“By the Throne first the Warp fucks with us now we’re in some unknown territory. What next?” He mumbled to himself as he grabbed his bolt pistol which had been lying on the table along with his power sword. He inspected the fine mechanisms of the pistol for any faults before putting it back. Under his breath he quickly said a litany of protection in the hopes that it would keep him safe through the journey. He could hear many guardsmen and women moving outside his door, obviously going to get their gear from the quartermaster. He decided it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check on the tanks and armored vehicles, they were the fist of the regiment and they had to be in tip-top working order for them to be as effective a fighting force as possible. He got up and opened the door, seeing the rush of men and women through the halls. He waited for an opening to slip into the current, responding to the greetings from the guardsmen and guardswomen politely. He quickly slipped in when he had his chance and made his way to the loading bay where the tanks were stored. Many of their crews had decided to sleep with the tanks. The first one he passed was a Leman Russ Vanquisher named, Point ‘n Shoot. The crew was loading the cumbersome shells into the tank.
“Hello sergeant! How’re you doing today?” Cordasco called out to the Sergeant on top of the tank.
“Good sir, we’re just making sure that we’re loaded and everything’s working fine.” He said back to Cordasco.
“Very good sergeant, I trust the engineseers have done a good job repairing the tank? That carnifex was rather nasty.” Cordasco said to the sergeant, he could still see the gash the carnifex had made on the side of the hull before getting pulped from a point-blank shot.
“Yes sir they did an excellent job on the tank. In fact I’d say it’s better than ever.” The sergeant replied.
“Good to know sergeant. Carry on.” Cordasco said before moving on to the next tank. He greeted the crews and made sure that their allotment of standard Leman Russes as well as their Punishers, Vanquishers, Executioners, as well as the four Baneblades that the regiment currently had attached to it were in fully working order. The Chimeras, Basilisks, and Sentinels as well were working just fine. Pleased by this Cordasco decided to check the bridge and see how Ostrum was doing. When he had made his way to the bridge he saw through the windows that the planet was much larger, nearly taking up the entirety of the windows. Though it was bathed in the shadows of night he could make out many aspects of the largest continent. It was shaped like a highly irregular rectangle and included a wide variety of biomes ranging from deserts to snowy tundra. Cordasco finally noticed that Laelianus was in his captain’s chair and was too admiring the sight of the planet. Cordasco walked over to Ostrum.
“Quite a sight isn’t it.” He said to Ostrum, voice filled with ecstatic admirance.
“Indeed, never once in my life did I ever imagine myself to be orbiting such a varied planet.” He replied, also deep in admiring the planet.
"I hope that whatever befalls us on this planet the Emperor's light shall guide us. It is the only thing we can truly hope for in these times."
It was a peaceful night in Canterlot, Princess Celestia was sitting outside with a cup of tea reading tax reports and other bureaucratic papers. She was enjoying the day, everything had gone much better than usual and that meant that she could simply enjoy the day in all its splendor. Suddenly Celestia felt a disturbance in the skies, rather one in space. She quickly pulled over the telescope she kept for stargazing and looked in the direction she had felt the disturbance. She saw an entire spaceship, it was long and painted a series of grays and reds, the front was fashioned into a ram with a golden aquila adorning the top. But the most prominent feature of it was that the whole thing looked like a flying cathedral of war. Ready to deliver death at any moment. Celestia decided to reach out with her mind to try and ascertain what kind of creatures resided on that vessel, each species she knew had a certain “signature” and she hoped it would be at least similar. As she touched the minds within the vessel she could determine that the vast majority were not users of magic, but a select few could and were quite powerful. She decided that first contact was something that could not be postponed and located the most powerful being on the ship.
“Ack! A-a mind, not human. It is communicating with me!" The ship's astropath said to Ostrum and Cordasco. Interrupting their conversation.
"Xenos? What does it say? Can you ascertain its species?" Cordasco said immediately, he put his hand on his bolt pistol, concerned of the possibility of a daemonic possession.
"N-no, it identifies itself as Princess Celestia of Equestria. It wishes to know if we are hostile or not." The astropath stuttered out. He had not been prepared for psychic communion and was having trouble relaying messages while getting in the correct mindset.
"Tell the xenos swine that we are the Imperial Guard, vanguard of the Imperium of Man. We tolerate no xenos within our borders and that they shall be crushed as any other." Cordasco said, voice brimming with righteous fury. Ostrum looked at Cordasco and nodded in agreement.
"The xenos, it wishes to negotiate with us. To try and convince us not to turn to war." The astropath said Cordasco and Ostrum looked at each other in shock, a xenos species wished to communicate with them?
"Perhaps we should humor the xenos, maybe get a chance to assassinate their leaders." Ostrum suggested to Cordasco. The Commissar went deep into thought on this.
"That would be most entertaining. I guess it wouldn't do us any harm is I were to humor their attempts at diplomacy. I presume you will have to stay o the ship to oversee repairs?" Cordasco said.
"Unfortunately yes." Ostrum replied, somewhat glum.
"Tell the xenos leader that we shall talk with them once we have landed at our place of choosing. We shall alert them of the time and location when we are ready" Cordasco said to the astropath. The bridge went silent as the astropath delivered the message and received the response.
"They, have agreed" He said.
"I will prepare the regiment for landing. We will set up a perimeter while the ship is being repaired. I only wish we had the authority to declare Exterminatus, that would be a much handier solution to this problem.” Cordasco said in a determined voice. Ostrum nodded and he went over to the ship’s internal vox and spoke into it.
“Men of the 315 Cadian Armored Regiment, it seems our worst fears have been made manifest. Something terrible has befallen Terra and humanity and we must do our best to protect the ship while repairs are made to the engines. All guardsmen and guardswomen are to report to your company officers.
We are going to war…
Chapter 2
The Righteous Endeavor was a tense place to be at the moment. Cordasco and Laelianus has chosen the wide steppes of the former Techno-Barbarian state known as Ursh (Author's note: It's Mongolia and the likes. Trying to be as lore-accurate as possible here) to be the place of landing. Since the very flat land would allow them to utilize the range of their weaponry much more effectively. Cordasco and Laelianus watched from the bridge as the ship broke through the thick cloud cover that had begun to obscure their landing zone shortly after beginning final descent. Then as if on perfect cue dozens of Valkyrie dropships launched from the ship and began spreading out to their predetermined landing zones that were in a five kilometer radius from the ship's landing zone, when they reached them the quickly set down and disgorged their cargo of twenty guardsmen who immediately fanned out and started fortifying their position. . As the massive ship lowered slowly to the ground it deployed the landing struts along the bottom. Laelianus gave quick orders to guide the craft along. Finally the massive ship touched down, raising a cloud of dust from the impact.
"Not my best landing job but the main ramp will open." Laelianus said with a sigh. Cordasco nodded and rushed to the elevator. He didn't necessarily have to be there for the regiment to operate but he was itching to get some fresh air after being on a ship for the past two months. As he entered the main hangar he saw the regiment in the process of offloading and maneuvering into their positions. The enginseers were seeing to the offloading of Aegis Defense Lines and the parts for bunkers and bastions. They were definitely going to be a tough nut to crack, that was for sure. As he made his way to the nearest Valkyrie he was approached by a courier. The courier saluted before catching his breath.
"Sir, outpost 15 reports contact with equine scouts. They appeared to be an exact match to the pegasus of legend. Four were shot down from their patrol, the rest escaped." He shakily replied.
"Good work guardsman, get some rest and get back out there." Cordasco said before going to to his command squad, whom he had ordered to stay in the main hangar. He called over the vox operator and got on the regimental channel.
"All outposts be advised, expect xenos scouting patrol, shoot on sight and be prepared for attacks, over." He quickly said before heading to the nearest Valkyrie along with his command squad. He walked up the cockpit and tapped the pilot on the shoulder.
"Get me to outpost 15, on the double pilot."
"Yes sir." The pilot said before finishing pre-flight checks. Cordasco went back and sat down in one of the chairs. Quickly checking over his bolt pistol and power sword. The transport lurched as the pilot took it off the hull and eased it's way out of the hangar. They were silent for the trip. All were too busy going over things in their heads for small talk. five minutes later the transport touched down and the main ramp opened. Cordasco and his squad exited to find the outpost on a ridge overlooking extremely flat plains. Cordasco could barely make out other outposts along the ridgeline. They walked to the shallow trench lines along the ridge that were still under construction.
"May I see the commanding officer here?" Cordasco shouted. A tall, relatively well-built guardsman ran up to him and saluted.
"Sir, Corporal Gallienus Orosky reporting "
"At ease, what's the situation here?"
"Well sir we were constructing the outpost when several of us noticed a group of those pegasus creatures up in the clouds. It appeared they were moving clouds around. We opened fire and shot four down before the rest escaped." Cordasco paced around, deep in thought.
"Moving clouds... That could explain how that cloud cover appeared so quickly when we began the final descent. If they can control weather... That's not good at all." Then, as if on cue the sky opened up into a very powerful thunderstorm. But in the few very small holes in the cloud cover Cordasco could just barely make out.... Pegasus snickering at him? He growled and loosed a few shots from his bolt pistol at him. The holes were almost immediately sealed back up after that.
"Good work Corporal. Please continue doing what you were before." Cordasco said before heading back to the Valkyrie.
A few hours later Cordasco was going over meteorology reports along with Laelianus.
"It doesn't make sense Cordasco, how could the cloud cover materialize so quickly?" Laelianus asked
"When I went to Outpost 15 the corporal there said they saw many of the pegasus creatures manipulating the clouds, and later I too saw them manipulating them after I took a few shots at them with my bolt pistol. Do you think that could be the cause?" Cordasco replied
"Hmmm, perhaps. But if they can control weather then... Only the Emperor knows what sorts of plots they could have brewing." Laelianus said, worried. Suddenly the voxman yelled over to them
"Commissar Cordasco sir, you need to hear this!" Cordasco ran over to him
"What is it guardsman?" He asked, the guardsman raised the earpiece for him to hear. He could barely hear the sounds of screams and lasgun fire coming from it as he took it.
"What's going on?" He said into it.
"Sir! We're under attack from a large equestrian force! Estimated enemy numbers are one thousand! We're barely holding them off as is!" The man on the other end yelled into the vox.
"Affirmative guardsman, we'll send reinforcements ASAP. I'll be coming along too, just hold tight until we get there." Cordasco said into it. He gave the earpiece back and said to Laelianus
"Sorry friend but I'll have to cut this short, I'll see you later." Laelianus gave a sharp nod in return.
"Looks like this won't be a joyride after all."
