Chapitre 7: Eyes of the Inquisition
Light pierced the void as the ship punctured into realspace. Strange light spread across the darkness, bathing the asteroids in the colours of the immaterium. Warp magic corrupted the virgin space as it flowed through the gate. But as suddenly as it had formed, the gate in the void collapsed in on itself, leaving nothing but the looming shadow of Imperial cruiser behind. "My Lords, the transit has been successful. No hull damage detected." "Good. Scan the area for life." Stradivaria answered his crew member. "We cannot detect any- Wait. There seem to be life-forms just nearby, as a matter of fact, it seems to be… Human life." He continued, speaking as he got the data straight from the sources on the sensorium. "As expected, pin down its location."
Not far from the void cruiser there was a light, alone flickering among the asteroids. A small station all alone with the rocks, floating in the darkness. At Least, it had been. Now the light was alone, in a world of darkness created by the immense shadow of the Magos own flagship. "Send the skitarii to investigate immediately. They will gather any information that could be valuable to us." The Grand Magos spoke, but he was cut of by the Inquisitor. "I am afraid I will not let you do that. This is why I am here. This is a strictly inquisitorial operation from now on." In outrage, Stradivaria answered. His tone amplified and voice raised. "You have no authority above me on my own ship Inquisitor. This is my great work. I will not have my achievement taken credit for by Cawl or any of his submissives!" "Oh, I am afraid I do have the authority. By decree by the holiest Emperor himself. You dare not go against his word, do you Regulus Stradivaria." "This is outrage-" Stradivaria was stopped before he could finish his sentence. "I will take it from here." A strange feeling rushed through stradivaria. He was struck by fear as well as awe. He felt an intense will to submit to the Inquisitor. "Of Course, my Lord Inquisitor." The Inquisitor turned around to face the commanding crew behind him and raised his voice so all could hear. "I have taken control of this ship on the decree of the Ordo Xenos of the holiest Inquisition. From now on, you shall all answer to my orders as if they were spoken by the Emperor himself. Is that clear?" A dull murmur could be here from the crowd. Some clearly more compelled to comply than others. "The Astartes will investigate the station, and the skitarii and mechanicum can do their research whatever is left of whom or what is on that station if it decides to fight back, is that clear?"
Amos could recognize the feeling of the drop pod exiting the ship immediately as it happened. He had probably been dropped by pod at least half a thousand times, over half a thousand battlefields. He knew exactly when the pod left the safety of the hangar to be shot out into the void, unprotected and fierce, as it pierced whatever atmosphere was dividing the world below from the cold, uncaring space above. With him in the pod were Destissos, Meriburus and Torghel. They were his battle-brothers and had been ever since he was taken by the chapter and had his gene-seed implemented. On hundreds of battlefields had they fought. On in every terrain imaginable. This time, they all sat still as the pod propelled them towards the station, shaking as the unstable rocket booster accelerated them forwards. He was counting down. Twelve seconds he was told it would take for the dropship to reach, and breach the station's hull. Nine seconds left. It was a great honour to be the first in contact with life from another galaxy. The glory of being the first of the chapter to slay a Xeno from another place, in another time. Five seconds. He held his bolter firm. Loaded with blessed bolts, sent with him from the armoury of Macragge itself. Carried away in though as he was, the impact surprised him as he was hit by the sudden violent impact. The ship pierced the outer hull, slowing down as it chewed through steel, cables and isolation with a great drill that had been attached to the pod, ensuring a successful breach.
Smoke poured from severed pipes and tubes, leaking all kinds of glasses used for cooling and refining of precious minerals aboard the mining station. The Friction caused by the Pods entry had cauterized the holes with molten steel, and the station was once again airtight. But in the smoke, Amos and his brothers had already deployed, scouting the area, watching closely as their internal visors searched for heat signals. "Brothers, move out, we must clear the station as fast as possible."
The Astartes marines moved towards the doorway out towards the station corridor, when suddenly, Destioss detected an incoming heat signal. "Brothers, possible hostile" They halted and raised their bolt-rifles into firing position. Amos managed to get a glimpse of the creature just around the corner, as it was waiting for them. His enhanced vision could spot every detail, and his Astartes psychology helped him remember all of them, although he had only seen it for a fraction of a second. The being was a light blue, like a one of the T'au, and it's appearance resembled a classic bipedal human form. One of its hands grasping some sort of Xenos firearm. However, its human resemblance ended at the head. Instead of hair, the Xenos had two long appendages, like foul tumours dangling and knit behind its head. It's form disgusted Destioss, and in millisecond he had made up his mind. "Xenos scum, straight-ahead" He spoke into the vox and the moment he finished his sentence he fired a bolt towards the wall, which were he knew the Xenos was hiding, trusting the rocket-propelled, high explosive bolt to pierce it and detonate, killing or mortally wounding the Xenos cowering in the corner. The bolt did as intended, and the Xenos did not know what had been done, until its body was pierced and violently burst, spreading blood and innards over the walls, floor and roof of the corridor. "Fire was effective, Emperor be blessed." He spoke once more into the vox.
As they entered the corridor, more heat signals were detected, and once again the battle brothers came to a halt, ready for combat. This time, however, what stormed into the corridor was not of alien origin. The Astartes were slightly confused as they realized what came through the doorway was in fact human. Not that the Astartes had never killed their kin before, they had rooted heresy and other corruption, painting many battlefields red from the blood of fellow humans. However what confused them was that they had not expected human contact in such a distant place, and such a distant time. But these humans were carrying the foul Xenos weaponry, and at this moment, they were pointed towards the space marines. The humans fired their weapons, small bursts of superheated plasma discharged towards the Astartes in their enormous hulking power-armour. For a moment Amos was worried that the armour might be pierced, for he knew full well the ferocity and potency of plasma against ceramide, however, these blasts did not seem nearly as powerful. The Astartes returned fire.
As the Battle Brothers returned, the Inquisitor was waiting patiently in the launch bay. "Captain Amos, report please." The Astartes had just returned, their armour still covered in blood and dust from the slaughter on the Station. "Is there anything left for the Mechanicum to examine?" He asked them as they approached him. "They can autopsy whatever is left of them. We faced resistance and had to retaliate. Negotiation was not an option." The Inquisitor seemed displeased with his answer. Maybe he wanted prisoners. "However, my lord Inquisitor, they were not all human. There were Xenos among their ranks. Humanoids like the Eldar or T'au, and likewise, we put them down." "Not all of them. One ship was detected as it fled and escaped using some sort of lightspeed technology." Amos looked confused. "I was not aware of any escapes. He must have been a coward, running from the fight the second we arrived. I can assure you, Inquisitor. Every life-form we laid our eyes on was destroyed." "I am sure of it Captain, you did well down there. However, fortunately, we have discovered more life to be examined. We need to know all we can of this new strange reality before the
invasion fleet arrives." "Sir, the invasion fleet?" "Indeed captain. May the Emperor protect us in this most holy mission."
The last rays of light glimpsed on the horizon as the sunset over the reddish world. A gloomy light settled across its forests and swamplands as the day faded away into the night. The crimson lighting only helped strengthen the already present feeling of imposing doom and decay, as if the planet was writhing with dark forces and evil powers. But just as the last glimpses of light dissipated into shadow, a new source lit up the sky. Drop pods burnt through the atmosphere like shooting stars in the night. The pods tumbled through the air at incredible velocity until they finally hit the ground like meteors, with brutal force. The pods deployed and the Astartes Ultramarines within rushed out too secure the perimeter, bio scanners searching and bolt-rifles ready.
After everyone was confirmed to have landed on their prescribed drop sites, the marine company started to make their way through the forest, every move and action in accordance with the Codex Astartes. Leading the spearhead was captain Amos and his brothers, leading the vanguard as they pierced deeper into the unknown. "The forests here remind me of those Illios, this crimson vegetation," Destioss muttered through the vox. "Do not remind me of that campaign brother. I can't get those hellish arthropods out of my damned mind." Torghel answered his brother. "Hopefully we will encounter no such beasts here brother, and even if we did, the entire company is with us. We will cut down anything in our path." Amos answered them, his voice filled with determination and focus.
The Astartes had dropped an approximate 13 kilometres from their target. A small village the scanners onboard the cruiser had spotted on the surface, not far from were the vessel laid in orbit. They did not know if it would retaliate or what technology they had at hand, so they were careful and would lead a vanguard to secure it before the Magos and his skitarii could land, and do their research.
As they pushed on through the veins and branches of the forests, they could manage to see thin plumes of smoke rising in the distance. It was marvellous how such large warriors managed to move almost in complete silence through the vegetation, an entire company of Marines barely making a noise as they approached the village. As the forest ended, farmlands stretched out over the ground, covering the surface to the small town, but the land was abandoned as the farmers had gone to their families in the evening. And so the Astartes managed to walk across without being noticed.
However, the silence could not be kept forever. A Xenos beast that was attached to a small building had uncovered the presence of the company and started a furious barking as it unleashed its rage at the marines, and soon the entire town was alerted. Hell broke loose as confused men stumbled out of their homes, makeshift slug rifles and old blasters ready as they took cover and foolishly fired upon the Astartes company as they approached through the farmland. However, the Marines did not even seem to care about the incoming fire, as their armour could easily shrug off anything these peasants could muster.
Some marines fired back, their bolters roaring as they shredded buildings as well as the farmers in a slaughter of a battle. Soon the skirmish was over, the resisting forces beat to a bloodied pulp as the bolter fire had decimated both the defenders, as well as any building they had used as cover. Some were still crawling injured amongst the smoking rubble, but the Astartes put a swift end to them as they cleared through the village. Cowering in the buildings, women were protecting their children, Xenos were amongst the humans, the Astartes repulsed by the thought of a human mother caring for an alien.
As they were done clearing the town and making sure all able-bodied defenders had been neutralized, before calling the Cruiser over the vox. Not long after, the dropships and landers of the Mechanicum could be seen grazing the sky, their red ships blending in with the dark crimson atmosphere of the world. Dust and rubble blew through the air as the large gunship of the Grand Magos made its landing, hydraulics puffing clouds of pressurized gas as the various suspensions and machinery of his starship landed. The ramp extended, and out of the dark hull came Regulus Stradivaria himself, this time weapons as well as biosensors and probing needles mounted on his machine frame. Behind him, the skitarii and tech-priests rushed out, followed closely by a swarm of servo-skulls already starting to collect data on the dead bodies covering the surface.
"You have done well here Captain Amos. My Adepts will take it from here." Stradivaria said to the Captain and his squad, ready in the streets of the smoking village. "We have only accomplished our mission here, tell me if our assistance is needed again," Amos answered before signalling his company to board the dropships. The Magos started instructing his probes and servants, but his action was cut short by the landing of another ship. The black vessel of the Inquisitor swooped in for a landing, the Inquisitor entering the scene, taking the attention of everyone around. "Inquisitor" exclaimed the surprised Regulus as the tall Inquisitor exited his ship, closely followed by a guard of well-trained praetorians. "You come unannounced." He continued. "Do I need to warn you Magos?" He answered before starting his own examination of the rubble and corpses of slaughtered civilians that laid in the wake of the Astartes onslaught. Already, the Skitarii and other personnel started pulling the remaining survivors out of their crumbling homes, rounding them up in the town square.
"Inquisitor, what action should we take regarding these survivors?" Stradivaria asked the Inquisitor whilst they stood atop a pile of rubble, looking down on the square as the civilians were concentrated and surrounded. "Do as you wish, purge the Xenos." The Inquisitor answered before turning and swiftly returning to his ship. "Harvest the human children. Their genetic material is most likely to be uncontaminated and without mutation. We will match their gene-seed with our own and see if we are truly the same. We have no use for the adults. Purge the Xenos amongst them." Stradivaria called out, his voice greatly amplified to be heard by all servants, and he watched as his servants began to work, separating humans from aliens and children from their families. "The Omnissiah is with us."
Once again the darkness of night was lit up by lasfire as the Skitarii and other servants of the Mechanicum opened fire on the surviving Xenos, the crackling of the firearms heard across the plains and forests.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone