The Price for a Chance to Live - Volume I

As Calidus drove with his passenger to the Imperial Anchorage, he kept glancing at Ollanius who had his window down and arm resting in the windows place, he seemed to have his attention locked at the buildings of the ‘upper’ city.

Soaring buildings and broad, breathtaking avenues with formidable statues of angels and ancient heroes lining the edges of the roads. This made the mark of the upper city, for it was the most important section of the capital - excluding the Citadel; the ever beating heart of Angelgard and the capital city.

The two passed by a colossal sized structure called the Ministry of Production, as stated by the large monument sign in front of the building. The Ministry of Production was one of the many colossal buildings that were built within the confines of the upper city.

It used the ‘Imperial Modern Gothic’ architectural style like the rest of the city, but could never surpass the Citadel, no matter the number of attempts and who attempted it.

“Beautiful, ain’t it?” Calidus said, “It’s a shame that we won’t be able to see it for some time”

Ollanius looked at Calidus, “Yes, it is a shame” he turned to gaze at the city buildings, “To think… that we have to leave our Homeland behind… in order to protect it”

“We do what we must for the future of the Dominion”

Ollanius was about to respond but something caught his attention, so he decided to steer the conversation to that instead, “Yes, but it’s a shame that these people can’t do that”

Calidus looked at what Ollanius was looking at, and what he saw enraged him to the core. To the left he saw a large group of people wearing thick coats. Men and women; all with different coloured skins… protesting behind a steel pedestrian barricade.

“Stop the car” Ollanius ordered.

Calidus reluctantly did so, and turned on the emergency lighting for the cars behind him.

On Ollanius’ side was four lines of men equipped with dark riot police armour, their faces were obscured by a dark visor.

The first two lines - or the tactical group - had large curved, transparent, polycarbonate shields with horizontal grips in one hand while they carried a baton in the other.

The second two lines - or the ballistics group - carried various models of ranged weaponry, ranging from tasers to single-shot grenade launchers - that was likely loaded with tear gas.

The tactical group formed a shield wall to act as a secondary barrier against the protesters. While the ballistics group hung back with their weapons lowered, but ready nonetheless.

The protestors were waving signs that said, ‘Dominion withdrawal’, or ‘Bring our soldiers home’ or ‘No honour in forced labour’

That last sign made Ollanius clench his hands.

Honour… what do they know about honour…

Their chants were loud and determined, their combined shouts were loud enough to intimidate the mightiest of warriors, but unfortunately for them, they were not enough to make the police back down.

“Bring them home! Bring them home! Bring them home!” They chanted, raising a fist in the air.

“Disperse immediately!” A police officer announced over a megaphone, “You ‘plebes’ have no legal right to protest here. Disperse or you will be forcibly removed!”

“We won’t move until we get our message across!” A plebe shouted, enhanced through their own megaphone.

“Neither are we, but we’re getting paid!” The officer shouted back, prompting a couple of chuckles from his men.

Ollanius chuckled as well but his attention was pulled away when he heard Calidus’ voice.

“Frater, you have a crusade to unleash. Let us be on our way” Calidus said.

Ollanius thought about it for a second before looking at Calidus and sending him a nod.

“Right. Let these privileged traitors protest all they want. They’re just wasting their breath”

Calidus turned off the emergency light and continued driving.

“What’s the word for my departure? Is everything on schedule?” Ollanius questioned, looking at the buildings that surrounded him.

“Everything is on schedule, brother… however there seems to be a… slight issue”

Ollanius sighed, “What is it?” His voice carried no concern, he sounded more irritated.

“The number of clans that have answered your call”

Ollanius stayed silent for a few seconds, taking in and processing the information that he just received, “How many?” He said, with a hint of frustration.

“Out of the hundred clans you called for the crusade, only twenty-seven of them answered the call”

“And the other clans?” Ollanius questioned.

“They’ve chosen to remain in Angelgard. Some clans believe they are more needed here than out there, while others have stayed for other unspecified reasons.”

Ollanius gave Calidus a questioning look before looking out the window again, “No matter, we’ll make due with the clans we do have”

“You would only have enough for a single company.” Calidus stated.

“I know… but they’re still outmatched, even if they brought a force that’s forty-thousand strong… our forces would annihilate them.”

“Of that, I have no doubt, frater”

On the left side of the road, Ollanius saw an electronic road sign that said,

‘National Parade in Progress’

‘Road Closed Ahead’

Ollanius felt the car slow down a bit and before he knew it, he saw a roadblock in front of the cars that were in front of him. The roadblock was guarded by a group of riot police of the same composition as he saw before.

“Hmm, it looks like the parade has started” Calidus said, he then looked at his watch, “It seems that we spent more time in the Citadel than I thought”

“It was a long walk to the infirmary” Ollanius pointed out, “How long would it take to take an alternate route?”

“Not long, just have to wait for the cars ahead of us”

A few minutes passed and they eventually reached the front of the car line, giving Ollanius and Calidus a somewhat better view of the roadblock and the national parade. A large crowd of Dominion citizens were gathered in front of the roadblock, they all formed lines as the police officers inspected their ID’s and let them pass, while two riot police officers halted Calidus and the car to his right.

Ollanius saw the crowd cheering happily, their cheers thundered throughout the city, practically muffling the unified sound of marching. Children sat upon the shoulders of their parents; either shouting praises or throwing ‘Wide Bay Flowers’ at the parade, some even waved with a naive smile upon their face.

As warming as the sight was, one of the police officers then gave Calidus the signal to go.

As soon as he made a left turn, Ollanius and Calidus were met with several citizens crossing the roads at the next traffic lights. Children were skipping happily while holding the hands of their parents, they seemed to be heading towards the parade.

“It's not too often you get to see the beauty of life,” Calidus said, a smile forming on his face,“I would gladly trade my life for something like that”

Ollanius looked at him and opened his mouth, he wanted to say something about it but he chose to speak about something else, “Any rumours circulating about the current state of the Kingdom of Olenia? Anything I should know or can use?”

It took some time for Calidus to respond, so long that Ollanius checked if he was still listening to him, “Hey, you got your ears on?”

“Of course, I was just… preoccupied” Calidus hesitantly said.

A little lost more like…

“Our ‘Dark Templars’ have reported that there's a controversial topic between who will claim the throne; either one called Princess Velvet or the illegitimate son of the current ruler; King Aldar II.”

“And let me guess,” Ollanius said, “Princess Velvet is the most popular choice-”

“And the most respected and loved by the… heretical populace” Calidus said quickly, cutting off Ollanius.

“Wonderful… could this spark a civil war?” Ollanius questioned, implying something underneath.

“If the current King were to have his life… ended suddenly, then there would be a power struggle which could lead to a civil war”

“Heh, the ‘Obscura Templarius’ do good work”

“That they do”

Calidus stopped at a traffic light and looked to the right, he grinned and lightly hit Ollanius’ shoulder with his left hand to get his attention.

Ollanius looked over to his driver, “What is it?” he asked

Calidus simply nodded to the right while Ollanius traced his gaze.

Ollanius saw a lighter crowd watching the national parade, though not as dense as the previous one, their cheers were just as loud.

The lighter crowd allowed Ollanius to gaze upon the national parade.

On the roads itself marched countless legions of soldiers, each one had a standard bearer with the emblem of the Maltese Cross and they all served under the same organisation as Ollanius. They all ranged from military-aged men and women - who wore their standard issued uniform - to young children who looked to be of the tender age of seven.

The children all wore the same gear as the males in the Ordo Templarius but they had a white sash going diagonally across their bodies.

They all marched in perfect formation; their right hand over their heart and their left arm swinging up to the shoulder of the person in front of them. The boys marched first, followed by the men, the girls, then women.

After they passed, Ollanius felt the car shake slightly. He and Calidus exchanged looks before looking at the parade ahead, but before long they saw what was causing this quaking sensation.

A ‘lance’ of tall, heavily armoured bipedal walkers with claw-like feet came stomping onto the road. Their digitigrade legs were attached to the sides of the centre torso and thus possessed no arms. A 37mm autocannon was located under the centre torso and a pair of missile launchers on top of it. It was given a dark coat of midnight black with a white maltese cross emblem on the front of the centre torso.

After the lance passed, another formation of Ollanius’ fellow warriors marched proudly. Ollanius felt the car move again, robbing him the view of the parade.

A shame we’re missing out on such a grand parade…

After a drive that almost lasted a half an hour, they soon arrived at a security checkpoint. There was an arm barrier system that was blocking access on both sides, there was a guard station placed in between the entrance and the exit roads.

A sign was placed in front of the guard station, it showed two roads and had an arrow going left, under the picture was the word ‘entrance’.

There was a large wall with barbed wire on top, there was also a gun camera facing the driveway, and a security gate blocking access to the military installation behind it.

Beyond the wall, Ollanius could see several large buildings to the left side of the installation, a large one on the right, and a single large building in the centre, the one on the centre had a large tower reaching up to the heavens. They all shared the same Imperial Modern Gothic architecture as the rest of the city.

The tower had a pointed roof with a small statue of an Angel pointing her sword ahead, there were also four pointed corners on the roof. Several satellite dishes, remote turrets and cameras were attached to the sides of the tower. Near the top of the tower was a ‘control cab’ where the sides of the building were made of glass instead of solid walls.

The base of the building was shaped almost like a cathedral with its large size, flying buttresses, pointed arches and stained glass windows. The buildings on the left and shared the same design, although they were identical and were of smaller size.

The building on the right was larger than the ones on the left but its roof was flatter.

At the security checkpoint was a small group of Imperial guardsmen.

Two stood beside the gate entrance with their standard issue primary weapon shouldered on their left shoulder. It was a black EF88 model bullpup rifle with a red dot sight

While the other two were in the guard station and seemed to be unarmed.

They were wearing the standard Battle Dress Uniform of the Dominion. It consisted of gray, urban camo fatigues with black combat boots, a black balaclava, and several components of the main armour such as an armoured vest, a combat helmet, shoulder pauldrons, thigh armour and knee guards, though this armour was nothing compared to the armour worn by the Regiis Custodes.

The armoured vest had an extension to provide protection to the groin and was also bulkier in the chest area to provide additional protection to the users vitals. The front of the chest piece also had three ammo pouches to store ammunition for the primary weapon.

The combat helmet provided a decent amount of protection, it covered most of the head, leaving only the face exposed, but at least it was convenient in many ways. One of which was the inbuilt comms and ballistic goggles with a black visor but several other attachments could be added on the helmet.

The shoulder pauldrons were secured into rigs covering the upper arms and were attached to the vest. They had a higher and wider profile but still allowed a great range of movement.

The thigh armour were secured around the thighs and had attachment rigs for equipment. Such as a holster for a side arm, extra ammo pouches or a tactical ‘soft case’.

Their knee guards were simply inserts that sat in the pockets of their pants (located in the knees) instead of using the ‘unpopular’ clip on straps.

There was also a utility belt used for storing equipment, such as grenades, ammo pouches, IFAK, and a bayonet sheath located on the lower back.

One of the guardsmen in the station came out and signalled Calidus to take the left path.

Calidus did so before slowing down to a stop, right next to the guardsman. He seemed to be very young, he had hazel eyes and his hair was concealed in that helmet of his.

The guardsman immediately saluted, his palm facing out, before easing himself and holding out his right hand, “Name and order number, my lords,” he said, his youthful voice going through Ollanius’ and Calidus’ ears.

Ollanius and Calidus pulled out their wallets and handed him their military IDs, “Knight-Commander Calidus and Head-Knight Ollanius. Mission Order: 5-5-2-7”

The guardsman nodded and headed back inside the guard station with their IDs. He then handed the IDs to his fellow guardman.

“Security’s getting tighter” Ollanius mentioned, looking at all the security at the checkpoint.

“Yeah,” Calidus agreed, “That gun camera used to be just a regular camera and there used to be just two guardsmen”

“What’s next? ‘Magitek Walkers’ standing guard when ‘Nova Invicta’ could use them?”

Calidus shrugged, “Maybe, Imperial anchorage’s are vital to the Dominion”

“So is Nova Invicta” Ollanius countered, before continuing “Besides… this is ‘Aeternitas’” —he gestured to the city they were in—“Any attack here is just plain suicide”

After Ollanius finished, the guardsman came back with their IDs and handed it to them, he then stepped back and saluted, “Good luck on your crusade, my lords”

That line prompted Calidus and Ollanius to look at each other before chuckling softly.

The guardsman became undoubtedly perplexed, “D-did I say something wrong, my lords?”

Caldius faced the guardsman, “You’d call it luck guardsman, but we’d call it fate”

His once confused face was quickly replaced with an understanding one, “Oooh, right… sorry my lords.”

Calidus waved it off, “Don’t worry about it, you’ll get with the program once you spend some time with a Templar”

The guardsman nodded and gave a nod to the guard inside. That guard then proceeded to raise the arm barrier and open the sliding gate.

“May Anima preserve you and your clan, guardsman” Ollanius said.

The guardsman returned the gesture before Calidus drove inside the installation.

When they entered the installation, they were greeted with a large amount of parked Magitek Assault Craft, these were dark, box-shaped, flying armoured vehicles about the size of a small shipping container with a large thruster on the back.

It had three ramps, the primary ramp was at the front and secondary ramps were on the sides, the side ramps had a mounted machine gun fixed in place. The sides of the craft had the Maltese Cross emblem.

Calidus drove past the Assault Craft and the building with the tower.

Ollanius looked at the three buildings on the left, their hanger sized doors were wide open and inside he could see many Templars training.

Inside the first building was a supervised sparring ring. Two Templars were fighting in unarmed combat while other Templars watched and cheered for one or the other.

The second building had a firing range. Several Templar warriors stood in different stations, they had no form of ranged weaponry, instead some held up their hands to the targets at the end of the range and fired bolts of lightning, while others lobbed balls of fire.

Ollanius could see a small glow emitting from under the gloves they wore on their hands.

The third building had a lone Templar, he stood there… still and silent. Though he was not alone, for three Templar warriors dropped from the ceilings, surrounding him and - in a brief flash of light - summoned their own dark blades before charging at the lone warrior.

Ollanius’ eyes were drawn elsewhere as he saw another pair of Templar warriors. Two Templars went at each other with dark, metallic swords. One had his back facing Ollanius while the other was facing his direction.

Their eyes were locked on to each other, even after they parried, dodged or attempted a counter attack.

Their form was skilled and refined. Swift slashes and precise thrusts made a powerful offense, and it was only matched by their flawless defense; blocks, parries, dodges… what else could they have under their sleeves.

However, the one facing Ollanius started to get more aggressive, he switched up his style and summoned another blade; it was a dark kukri. His dueling stance wasn’t optimal for dual-wielding, but he still went for some quick slashes at his opponent, though unfortunately for him, his opponent dodged most of them.

The duel-wilder then threw his kukri at his opponent, to which he simply stepped to the side to dodge, but as soon as the kukri impaled the end of the roof, the former dual-wielding Templar dematerialised and rematerialised in place of the kukri. He retrieved his kukri then moved to strike from behind, but his opponent quickly spun around and held up his left hand.

A white glow began to emit from the palm of his hand.

In an instant, a transparent crystalline barrier materialised in front of him. It was the same as the one the one overhead but on a much smaller scale. The duel-wielding Templar’s weapons bounced right off, leaving him wide open to a deathblow.

His opponent then took the opportunity to strike. He raised his leg up and sent a strong kick forward, sending the duel-wielder to his doom, though the falling Templar reacted quickly and threw his kukri into the wall of the building, teleporting to that spot.

He was now hanging by the blade.

He looked around for a bit before reaching and grasping onto the edge of the roof, once he had a firm hold on one hand, he then used his other hand to reach for the edge. After getting a firm hold, he started climbing up, but after getting an arm on the roof, a shadow overlooked him.

The warrior looked up and saw his opponent looking down on him.

It was hard to think what he was thinking for his expressions were hidden behind that mask, but soon he knelt down and offered a helping hand.

The fallen Templar quickly took it and was helped up onto the roof. His opponent gave him a pat on the back before walking off to the other end.

After an interesting show, Calidus drove past the building with the tower. Ollanius soon saw several large, unoccupied landing pads at the other side of the runway, they were evenly spaced around the edges of the installation.

Calidus then turned right, giving them a view of more Assault Craft lining the entire installation, but the real prize was at the end of the runway.

On a large landing pad was a single Imperial Dreadnought. The dreadnought was significantly larger than the Assault Craft, its hull was shaped with a large thin stern accompanied by boxed-shaped protrusions on each side. Flying buttresses were connecting the main body and protrusions and a large spire was also built at the front-end of each protrusion, the spire was just a bit taller than the main body itself.

Six rear thrusters were on the back, as was a large rear ramp that was currently lowered. Its elaborate frontal armour was simply unmatched by anything in this world, the Imperial Modern Gothic architecture was undoubtedly used the construction of Imperial airships.

Its hull was given a dark, metallic gray paint job. The sides of the dreadnought were a white emblem of the Maltese Cross, beside it, was the white prefix and the name of the warship: ‘HIMAS Imperium Aeterna’

As they drove closer, Ollanius saw a large group of Templars gathered near the landing pad. They stood at ease and were facing three other Templars.

That’s about a hundred and fifty Templars… only enough for a company…

Once Caldius was close enough, he stopped the car and cut off the engine. Ollanius opened the door and started walking over to the three Templars that were not in the formation.

Two males and one female, naturally, they wore the standard issued uniform but with the addition of the same amulet that Ollanius had, they did not don their hoods and their faces remained unmasked.

The three Templars looked at Ollanius and knelt before him, while the formation of Templars stood at attention.

Ollanius stopped in front of the three Templars, “Rise,” he said calmly.

They looked up, giving Ollanius a view of their faces before standing up.

The man on the left was a slightly tanned skinned man with messy tapered brown hair and amber eyes. He was about the same build as Ollanius but was about the same height.

The woman in the centre was a fair skinned person with short, ponytail styled blonde hair and blue eyes. Her head just reached Ollanius’ eye level though that was with heels on.

The man on the right was a fair skinned man with short black hair fixed into a comb over. He had hazel eyes and was the tallest and the most built in the group.

“Knight Alhaus Ferrall, Knight Lera Mortz, Knight Argus Krejcik… I may be a Head-Knight, but I’m still your friend,” He said with a smile as he spread out his arms

The two men chuckled together and opened up for a group hug. While the men laughed and gave each other a pat on the back, Lera stood back and rolled her eyes, “We have a crusade to wage. What kept you?” She questioned, her voice sounding cold as ever.

“Something came up,” Ollanius answered, pulling away from the group. He looked at Lera who now was crossing her arms. A grin formed on Ollanius’ face, “Quaesitor Drucilla”

In an instant, Lera ceased and backed down.

Argus chuckled and patted her on the head, only to receive a straight elbow to the gut. Unsurprisingly to anyone else in the group, Argus took it like a champ and laughed it off, “Not bad, still could use some work though” Argus’ voice was deep yet gentle.

Alhaus spoke up next, “Come on boss, let's get going. My blade has a date with the throats of some heretics” he said maliciously .

Ollanius placed a hand on Alhaus’ shoulder, “Remind me… Why aren’t you a Dark Templar?”

Alhaus grinned, “You already know why, Ollanius”

“Unfortunately, I do”

Ollanius then heard the sound of someone clearing their throat, he looked towards the source and saw Calidus standing their with his hands behind his back, he then nodded towards the Templars, all of whom were still kneeling in place.

“Wait here,” Ollanius said to his friends. They nodded and watched Ollanius walk over to the Templars.

“I wonder how his first command will go?” Argus wondered, before quickly adding, “I mean, it's our first command as Knights, but he has to lead a company while we lead a section”

“Don’t worry about it,” Lera said, “Why do you think the Knight-Commander is here for?”

“Too stubborn to be an instructor?” Alhaus suggested.

“Try ‘War Consultant’, asshat,” Lera jabbed, “Oh wait, you wouldn’t know because you didn’t go to the briefing. Do you even know what we’re going to do?”

“I know we’re going on a crusade against the filthy Deer, but if you’re talking details… then that’s why I have you guys”

“Your just as useful as the ponies”

Alhaus turned to glare at Lera, “Don’t compare me to those filthy primitives” he said harshly as he poked her with a finger.

“Shut it,” Argus commanded, staring into their eyes before looking at Ollanius “Listen”

Ollanius stopped in front of the formation of Templar warriors and placed had his hands behind his back.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

“Listen Ollanius, you cannot force a man to fight.”

“What about conscription?”

“That’s different… your making the physical part of him fight… not the spiritual part; the one, when the will of the fighter is stronger than the muscle within him”

Ollanius opened his eyes and addressed the Templars.

”Many of you are here because your clans feel indebted to my House, but I know better… I know that many of you are reluctant to serve under me. I do not blame you. However, I ask you to serve me, but not because I asked, or because your duty to your clan forced you to, but for the Dominion and the Emperor, both things that you have pledged your eternal service to… but if it’s your wish to stay in Angelgard, then hand me your amulets and leave your brothers and sisters”

His voice was filled with confidence, but his heart and mind said otherwise.

He waited for any sign of movement from the Templars before him. Unfortunately, after a few seconds, one step forward.

The Templar warrior walked up to Ollanius and reached into the insides of his clothes, soon he pulled out an amulet.

Ollanius slowly nodded and opened up the palm of his hand, “You know how this works, warrior”

He nodded solemnly, he removed his hood and removed his mask before raising the amulet over his head and dropping it in Ollanius’ hands.

Ollanius’ friends and the Templars watched the shameful display. Most clenched their fists and shifted their bodies slightly.

Ollanius placed a hand on the Templar’s shoulder, “May the Gods, your Emperor and your clan, forgive you” he said sincerely.

The Templar nodded once again and started walking towards the training grounds.

Ollanius looked back at the Templars before him, “Would anyone else wish to follow your brother?” Ollanius questioned, constantly shifting his gaze to every single Templar.

Again, one more stepped forward, before another and another. Soon, fifteen warriors stepped forward, handed their amulets to Ollanius, before walking away.

Ollanius placed a hand on the shoulder of each warrior and said the same thing he told the first one.

Once the last one walked away, he looked at who remained, “Liberi de Aeternitas,” he shouted, “First Company of the ‘Hellguard Legion’ will you take me as your Head-Knight, and follow me against the forces that oppose the rule of the Dominion?!”

The Templars said nothing, instead they kneeled and looked into the eyes of Ollanius before reciting,

“On the blood of our forefathers… on the blood of our sons, we swear to serve eternally and faithfully, no matter the pain we suffer or the choices we make… for the Creator will grant us salvation, for we are his faithful children”

Ollanius smiled, he gestured to the Imperium Aeterna with a hand and said, “Get set for departure and get as much rest as you can, it will be a long trip. You’re dismissed”

“Yes, Head-Knight,” The Templars said in unison, before standing up and walking to the ramp of the airship.

Ollanius turned and walked back to his friends. He saw that Alhaus and Lera were shifting around anxiously while Argus and Calidus stood still, “Is something wrong?” Ollanius asked, getting looks from the anxious two.

It didn’t take long for Lera to speak up, “Our numbers are already low. Why did you give those Templars a choice to leave?”

“You cannot force a man to fight for a cause he does not believe in…” Ollanius said vaguely.

Lera grabbed the wrist that had the amulets and gripped it tightly, “But you’re part of House Alastair, you can force clans to rally under you.”

Ollanius glanced at the hand on his wrist before looking at her, “I will not have a Legion full of warriors who do not believe in it. I will have other clans join us willingly, through deeds and actions”

After a few seconds, Ollanius felt the grip on his wrist start to loosen up, her hand soon came off and he started rubbing it with his unoccupied hand, “But what good can a single company do against a country? Despite our technological advantage, the fact remains that we’re still outnumbered”

“I will tell you in the CIC” He received a solemn nod as an answer and looked to the others, “Any other concerns?” They looked at each other, waiting for one to speak up, but nothing.

“Good” Ollanius said, pleased that there weren’t any concerns… at least at the moment. “Get on board and we’ll depart”

Ollanius and Calidus stood in place while the others started to make their way to the Imperium Aeterna, “You know… he sounds a lot like him.” Argus said aloud.

“Come on man, be honest. Are you even remotely surprised?” Alhaus asked, already knowing the answer he was going to get.

“No, and I’m sure that I speak for all of us”

Alhaus chuckled, “You’re damn right”

While they embarked the Imperium Aeterna, Calidus and Ollanius lagged behind, “I must admit, that was a bold move, then again… that shouldn’t surprise me” Calidus said.

Ollanius looked at the amulets in his hands and then looked at Calidus, “We will make due with the forces we have, and with your experience, we will come out victorious.”

Calidus nodded, “I will see you inside, my lord”

Ollanius watched Calidus start to make his way to the airship before looking back at the amulets in his hand, clenching his fist and tightening his hold on the amulets.

Creator forgive them…

In a flash of light, the amulets dematerialised, nothing remained but the crystalline particles that surrounded his hand, but soon they disappeared like the amulets.

Ollanius looked at his ship and started walking towards it, once he was close enough he activated his comms and announced over the radio, “‘Shipmaster’ Ollanius Alastair to all hands aboard the Imperium Aeterna. All stations brace for cast off”

Once the order was given, the sounds of the airships reactors came online, the sounds roared throughout the anchorage. The six thrusters of the airship slowly powered up, revealing blue coloured propulsion systems. The spires also slowly powered up, lighting up with the same blue at the thrusters.

Ollanius jumped aboard the ramp just as soon as it started rising. Inside the cargo bay, he saw several foldable seats and metal cabinets lining the sides and large containers at the far end of the bay.

He turned around and got one last view of the outside, as the ramp slowly rises and blocks off any source of natural light.

For Emperor, and Dominion…