Chương 147: Horus Heresy III
As news of Mars being retaken was reported on Terra, it was a bittersweet respite despite returning to loyalist hands, the traitors destroyed the Databanks of their life works by implanting them with scrap codes and destroyed the terraforming machines as if they couldn't have Mars, no one can... But Alexander assured before the civil war, he got a copy of their research a few decades prior and after they able to commit to the frontlines, he would sent the copy to at least not make them more hardheaded towards progress...
Slowly Mars slowly regaining their production cycles and their city forges albeit partially damaged have now refitting the defenders of Terra with whatever resources they could muster...
But a new battle is about to take place in Luna...
The ancient moon known Luna that is the birthplace of the mass-produced the legions of the great crusade is now a focal point of contention, as not only it held the Gene Banks of every single Primarch Geneseed needed to create a legions loyal to one side but it had a vital shipyards such as port Luna that is vital to the loyalist to able to resupply and refurbished their ships while the orbital defenses like the ring that surround the moon that's vital to the defenses to Terra... However a month ago after they managed to send their latest batch of Astartes, they went radio silent along with a sizable league garrison, Rogal Dorn took noticed of such trifles as he continues to build more walls and overseeing the training of the local forces, he handed Alexander to oversee the command of the expedition force to investigate the blackouts.
A expedition was sent towards Luna...
The plan was simple, A three pronged assault as covert operatives was sent ahead of the Expedition group and a part of the expedition was to take control of the ring and ensured it remains in Loyalist hands... While the majority is to land just a few klicks away from the nearest colony to assure that they are not hostile...
A group of Mechs was walking on Luna along with the Armoured division heading towards Luna... their minds on alert of the Warmaster appearance...
Ever since the appearance of the Warpstorm that covered the League... Terra hold a significant meaning for them troopers as a cradle of their existence and a means to return home... And if they failed... The Demons will flood through the gates and slaughter everyone they know on the other side...
One stopped his machine and watched Terra from the moon...
"Sarge... Terra looks so different...I recalled Terra to be a blue planet." The soldier aimed his camera towards terra magnifying it as much as possible and Dorn ever expanding walls...
He could see the outline of the Golden Palace...
"Private, get your arse on the mission! He could be here any minute now!" A voice in his vox receiver rang out making the pilot shrugged his loudmouth sargent.
"*Sigh* I hope this madness would end... This is crazy, having a Primarch willing to kill his own family?"
"I already done my tour when do I get ready to leave?"
"Son, I not sure what goes on in the nutcase head but we-" Sarge responded to shut private up.
"Sarge,Contact!" Another one of them saw some activities in Luna base...
they found a convoy that is heading towards them...
"Wait... Aren't those IDs.. the Selenar cultist guys that made those Astartes?" One of the Mech Pilot pointed out...
They saw several vehicles that is in a hurry as if they want to get away from the colony...
Luna was the first conquered colony before Alexander and the Emperor reached Mars... While Revelation did send the Luna Wolves to capture the colony... They managed to pacify most of them...
Alexander managed to appease the Moderates and Pro-imperial align Selenar cultist. As the Frontlines continue on, he personally assure that even if the front are still far the Selenar cults still have their jobs to create Astartes...
But ever since Terra is now marked for death, the Selanar Cult is now flooding with orders to make the Astartes... Batches upon batches of Imperial fist was created that some question that it was more like a factory of crude art than a artisan creations
As the Squad of mech was unsure what or why a group of vehicles is escaping from the colony...
Until they managed to reached in the high definition range of the monoeyes that the convoy was littered with scraps of blood and gore...
Not a good sign.
Seeing that they were in a conflict within the city... And the Advanced scouts went radio silent...
The Mechs aimed the unknown convoy..
"Unidentified vehicles state your affiliation or you will be shot!" The private spoke through the vox channels...
The vehicles below their preparations began their preparations for a assault...
As soon as the convoy of vehicles was in vox range...
"This is Loyalist from the Selanar Cults... We need assistance...we created something... terrible."
A terrifying roar erupted in the colony as several unmarked Astartes now flooded out like a waagh Ork tide, some they didn't even have a full set of armor...
Mutations and pus covered their unarmored bodies...
Now chasing the convoy that is desperately fighting back the flood of mutants...
They don't care bout the injuries the convoy had wrought...
Until they were met by hellfire of Humanity fires and steel.
Thieir screams of primal anger was heard from the distance...
Many wonder what the Imperium kept secrets from the League?
The convoy was not welcomed by the expedition as they taken and were interrogated...
"Who are you and what are those things!!" The commander slammed his hand on the interrogation table... A Man of Iron was present to oversee that if there is such a rebellious thoughts of the survivors... and they were more than capable to crush the traitor.
"I am designated gene-witch Ta'lab Vita-37 and I bear a burden... High matriarch of the Selanar cult have order me and selected personel to a local League Stronghold... Warmaster have already sent his covert operatives and destroyed it... Those creatures you see was our attempts to instant mass produce the Astartes to meet the demand and it failed... They are called Ur-Legionaries, they lacked the vital cortex's of tactics but their unhinged power is what mades up the lack of it... We sent them to Warmasters Astartes to buy time... While we made our escape... Sadly we underestimated the capacity of Warmaster new toys..."
"What capacity?" The Commander eyes raised of the new development...
"They are able to control the Ur-Legionaries... And upon the first clash the Ur-Legionaries that still have their loyalty codes was overwritten and now they are cranking bout hundreds of the failed experiments to swarm against all... The Astartes that the Warmaster leads didn't care if High Matriarch removed the memories of us, he killed her despite her professed undying loyalty to the Warmaster to produce the traitors' legionaries... He wanted the facilities only and he already replaced the vital people to man our sacred works. Our gene labs...is lost to the traitor forces... And I carry the last remains of my ancestor's legacy..."
"What legacy?"
"Magna Mater.. it holds the last true essence of the Primarchs...their Geneseeds that is needed to build new legions...please... Do not let our people legacy die by that damnable demon!"
The commander breathed a cold air... This is already above his paygrade...
Luna now producing these berserkers close to Terra and a VIP that needed evacuation...
Horus already spread his influence past the combined defensive fleets...
He contacted the Alexander and his orders was single sentence...
"Try to keep the gene labs intact... And if the assault is too grim beyond the casualty count limit... I grant you permission to destroy it."
"In the event if the gene labs are destroyed, we could rebuilt it better than before... So inform the loyalist that remains, of what we about to do to the city domes."
The expedition group moved forward... As they charged towards the city domes that housed millions of citizens that needed liberating...
The orbital ring was encountering the newest threat of Horus machinations...
Several machines were shooting blindly into a certain part of the ring...
"Shit! Shit! Are these Astartes!?" One pilot screamed as he kept his trigger as fast as he could...aiming his hud against a Shadowly figures in the dark side of the moon...
They were designed and trained to kill all 20 Astartes Legions under Alexander orders... Behind Emperor and Macaldor, Alexander kept a few secret of his own... If Macaldor have trained assassin's to hypothetically kill Alexander based on the reports he knows, Alexander made armies to kill the Astartes Legions and drown them in blood and steel... As he knows they are more of a threat to him...
He couldn't take account that if the loyalist still remains loyalist he knows..
Now on a real time recording he met face to face of what that Damm number sent him...
He managed to destroy them whilst they were on the ship... But on the ground... He beginning to doubt if the training of Anti-legion tactics are the same...
"They are too fast..." He muttered as he saw one ripped the pilot from the cockpit of a Zaku...with such force that the limbs were ripped out of the socket with such a force... That blood stated gushing out minutes later..
"What about the thunder warriors sir?" A young officer gleamed as he offered his opinion to Alexander.
"The majority is still heavy wounded in that daemonic incursion... I doubt they have any capacity of a leeway to aid us. And Thunder Warriors Legion that participated in that Mars expedition is still replenishing..." Alexander watched as the casualties' counter is rising to forty-one thousand... And around a thousand of them were mobile suits...
Alexander could not send the Men of Iron Legions now... As Mars was a exception as they think the men of iron are just Castellans... But in Luna that held brunt of the A.i rebellion?
They would willingly tossed their lots to Horus in spite even if both the League and the Imperium offer them aid...
Now it is the blood of the people, not the steel of metal constructs to help win the day...
Both sides bled as mutants and traitors in one side and veterans of a thousand battles clashed one another...
The stalemate had forced the combined armies pressing for time... And just a few hundreds miles from the Genelabs that is overcrowded with the Chaos Astarte and their mind controlled abominations...
Another part of the battlefield took place a few hundred miles away from the Gene labs...
The League commander was distracted that a battle lost many of his good men...
They were to retake the city domes but the locals that join their hearts and souls to the dark gods didn't make this any easier, they raided the League base and killed them for sacrifices and the armory, retaking the city as brutal street fighting occurred on every sectors and every high rise buildings a sniper spots....
Frustrated that he alone ordered deaths of thousands...
On his data slate... A familiar Hydra symbol was shown...
"Alpha legion?" He hesitated as he knows not of their loyalty is with humanity or the traitors...
But if he wants to break a stalemate... He tossed his indecisiveness to the wind... And opens it's contents...
"I see... This would do it!" He laughed as if he seen the truth...
Later...
The expedition forces suddenly retreated...
Those that aligned with chaos was confused why they suddenly took back their initiative to take the colony domes?
And a grim truth was said to them... By those in the maintenance crew...
"The power generators is failing!" A follower of the chaos shiver to his new master...
"Then turn on the backups generator welp! We need more meat to the grinder!"
"It is set to explode!"
The legionary eyes widen as the colony was engulfed into flames along with him.. erasing the gene labs in a blaze of glory...
A single lone Alpha legionary armed with bionical arms stared at the ongoing fights ... One might have mistaken him as Ferrus if he did not bear the Hydra symbol...
The Alpha legion stood in the distance just barely away from any augers scans... Another Alpha Astarte approach him...
"Brother are you sure about following this path?"
"Brother... The plans went into chaos ever since Warmaster allowed this interlopers into the stage." He spoke not caring about his brother name...
"Are you sure it will keep the balance?"
"No... But it will make it a very interesting stage we play a part in, eh brother?"
He hummed as the balance is now in favor to the Imperium as the city's domes were pacified... Ever since Horus begining to used more of this abominations that is the so-called "perfect legionaries." They were the first to be chopped into the grinder and every Traitor captains used their lives without caring the cost... The honor and their revenge is more important than any upgrades...
The Colonies on the Luna that was held by the traitors was self-detonated, the imperial propaganda spun the fates of those that joined Horus they too will outlive their usefulness...
The loyalist returned back to the ruins of the colonies to double tap any creation both the Ur-Legionaries and the Horus new legions alike...
As one laugh middle finger to the Imperium... Horus sabotaged the Luna ring as he sent his first captain Abaddon along with a fresh set of Chaos legions into the fray... To either hold the remaining forces there until Horus fleet arrived in the sol system...
A group of Mobile suits are patrolling Saturn when they found traces of Warp signatures imminent...
"What the hell?" As one of the Ewacs saw the signature was growing in number...
The first ship that arrived was not reinforcements... But a traitor symbol that appeared in every monitor that looked upon it...
"Contacts! It is in battle sector STrn-D53a1! Contact command, Operation: Loum is starting!"
Operation Loum...
It was a fight to use only mobile suits against the traitors legions ships... As they are useful to mass produced... they were allowed to delay the enemies until the imperium sent their ships ready... It was estimated to be around 12 million that was spread around the perimeter of the sol system... while it look many on paper in reality it was spread thin as many was focused on detecting the warp signatures using visual contact.
It was a series of mobile task force to attack any infringing ships that bear the traitors around the Fringes of terra...
The first groups of battle barges that ejected into realspace hoping to meet their foes was swarmed by Titans in space, It was hundreds of thousands that swarmed the fleets and several were shot down due to the inexperienced of Imperial tactics...
But through fire and ash they survived...
Many died under the chaos infused weapons.
Many more became ace pilots...
Many believed that they could turned back the tide... But defying fate has it dangers...
"Scratch frakkin one hulking mess!" Whistle a pilots as they watched a ships burns in a distance...
"Now, heading to a new sector-" the captain that lead the squad was eliminated....
Many of them saw flashes of red.. and they managed to id the intruder... A group of corrupted Zakus?
"Isn't that... Apollo-13 company, the Terran Born? Wait... Seeing no life signs in the mech!"
"Shit, open fire and kill they are not our brothers!" The commander order them...
Horus raided the League convoys now they have weapons used against them...
Now it was mech vs Mechs...
Corpses of metals flew aimlessly into space... As many slaughtered each brothers...
The corrupted Zakus glowed as slaughter more it became more and more brutal in it's methods...
Skulls appeared on its shoulder pauldrons....
"We are so Fcked" Was on the minds of everyone present in the sector...
The corrupted mechs broke a path in their defense network and now the Horus fleets now have a free path to breaching into their defensive fleets...
The Bucephalus and its escorts now arrived in the breach to assist the beleaguered forces...
"The High lord of the League is approaching the battlefield, hold out until he comes to assist you!" rang out on every vox channels...
Many sent to the grinder, hoping to slow the cursed machines down at least a nanosecond...
In the far distance they saw a outline of a figure whose booster lighted up the night sky..
"I have arrived, Men retreat and regroup at Terra as I hold this fools accountable!" Alexander ordered as the forces retreated... They heard his kills under his belt... Alexander moved his mech between the retreating forces and stood between the endless tide of horrors...
"So... You betrayed the tenants I gave you? You think I own you like a slave? You are a utter disgrace...time for me to put you down!" The AC glowed Red and left afterimages in it's wake...
The Daemonic Spirits that inhabit the Mechs was confused.
Why did he got the blessing of Khorn? Was their last thoughts as their head was ripped off and their demonic fluid that is like blood scatter in the void...
Alexander heaved of respite as he was unclear if this was a probe... Or a outright invasion...
[Here they come! The guests is here. Care to partake in the banquet of blood?]
"Partner, are you alright?" Alexander wonders if his system is corrupted by Khorn?
Alexander managed to Destroyed a hefty portion of the fleet but even he was pressure to return as he realized this was just a feints that Horus told him about... And headed back to terra to take Command on the ground...
The Sol System was besiged on all sides by the traitors fleets... Each making a feints or probing attacks... Reinforcements arrived via the hyperdrives was added to the grinder as their destroyed hulks formed a artificial belt of carcass of shipwrecks and destroyed Mechs... As soon as the Fleets surrounding Sol system was about to thinned out.
Horus made his move...
He sent the armies that he made a deal with the outlier, to be the grindstone to wear out the defenders... Leaving the original legions that was loyal to him intact except Lorgar and his word bearers as he attempted a Coup and he was Exiled from the siege of terra, whether it was blessings or a curse to the defenders... Time will tell...
His favorite tactic of attacking the head of the snake is ennacted as they made a mad dash towards Terra, ignoring the cost of ships being bombarded by Mars Orbital rings, Luna Rings tht were partially contested between the Expedition and Abaddon legion and the remnants of the defense nets that covered the sol system....
Horus could taste it, the moment of truth that the corpse emperor would fall. And his mockery of the Imperium will vanish in the the fires of his liberation...
They ripped apart the defensive fleets one by one like a sword piercing through ones heart.... The defenders have the greatest technology known to mankind past, but nothing beats a savegery desire of ramming ships to death... A Luna Class rammed into several Acclamators with such force that its occupants was smashed to pieces...
The Navis Imperialis and the League Navy is desperately holding back the neverending tides of traitors, but large portions of the traitors managed to slip past the defense networks. And promptly landed their unholy cargo towards Terra...
Their Dreadclaws and Lander crafts flown into the stratosphere and they met a hail of bullets and missiles that blanketed the skies till it became darken from black flak and orange explosion from the flak, shrapnel and explosion was the one thing that the skies of terra was known during this period...
Many died upon entering the stratosphere but countless more flooded into the never ending tide of droppods...
Some managed to reach their designated landing spot... While those defenders that was nearby were tasked to kill them if possible...
The World Eaters rushed out with their butcher nails impaling their skulls and chain axes swept the drafted soldiers to pieces...
Several Emperor children followed by Fulgrim landed upon one of these refurbished residential areas that is between the League Gate and still evacuating districts knowing that the defenses was lighter in comparison... and Fulgrim smelled the sweet taste of fear of the civilians that weren't evacuated... How he Grinned into a unholy smile nothing compared that they seen...
Only met by desperate defenders knowing that their hands of the people blood be upon them...
Battle for humanity... Has just begun...
On the surface of Terra just away from the battlefield, the soldiers seemed tense, and the planet was put into wartime mode as more and more vehicles and soldiers are now securing their respective defensive lines... Legion align vehicles now flooded towards the Frontline...
The League Garrisons was worried as their tasked is more under pressure as there are still civilians still flooding Into the gate... Making reinforcements a pain to deal with... Time seems to have no meaning as fewer and fewer ships are able to breach into the sol system to aid the defenders and the only way to know the time is the reinforcements that is slowly trickling out from the gate to aid Terra.
The land docks that held the Acclamators whose guns are aiming at the skies still firing at the skies as if there is no end... And Imperium Astra Aeronautica and League Air force fought the skies.... As Fury interceptors and Valkyries engines scream from the horizons with missiles towards their enemies and their husks of what they fallen to the ground in a blaze of fire.
Any Civilians residential districts that were not refurbished by Dorn needs was to turn into a makeshift flak batteries and artillery cathedrals for the upcoming onslaught... Soon opened fire and added their sounds to the orchestra of war...
Terra a planet that was a civilization to look upon, became a fortress world that none have ever seen upon.... And a planet that is hard to crack...
Dorn gave a speech that made them worried about what's to come...
"My order to you all is simple, heed it well and exert yourselves to see it done." Dorn simply address to every single soldier both league and imperial alike; "They are coming. Kill them all..."
Some people prayed for them to survive....
Perturabo arrived and the guns that was gifted by Lion now has activated the weapons of destruction cutting a swath of land defenses that is built by Dorn...
Honestly, he didn't care about the insects that was on the wall... As his raged against Dorn shone more brighter than any other, he was the better builder than Dorn and reason why he followed Horus was just that making Dorn admit he was the gaudy arsehole of all his brothers...miles upon miles of Dorn walls which he painstakingly cleared the land for his walls was more than enough proof that Dorn was just not capable... As the iron warriors ripped their fortifications along with its foundations...
Perturabo never invaded the League front lines as he knows what they are capable of and their appreciation to him and his legion of his desire to build, also make him turned a blind eye towards them, and force Horus to order the rest of the traitors to flood the empty sectors left by Perturabo...that held by the league which was happily willing to discuss their healthcare with a array of Volkite and Gauss weapons.
Residential sectors that were not retrofitted were burned, the skies were choked from the ashes and toxins that not even seen in the days of the Unification wars... many died from the chemical radiation rather than the attacks made by the Traitors.
Alexander waited and hold the line designated by Dorn, until the Primarch Sanguinius and the rest of the primarch that landed on Terra...
The Angel face was solemn as he landed the landing zone from the skies that accompanied his sons landers, when knowing they were unloaded and he headed to the Eternity gates... He met Alexander tht is fighting with several detachments of soldiers of landed Infront of the Eternity gate, Astra Militarum, League and the people that willingly get drafted held the gate as much as possible...
Knowing that there are people that is wounded and need of aid behind it's majestic doors...
Those that want to see the families, those that want this nightmare to end...
But now the traitors used the Corpses of the defenders and the slaves that they stolen on their way here to open a portal to hell and Demons flowed out endlessly like a tide.. their teeth hungered violence, for the demon's voracious appetite of human is neverending...
Sanguinius hold on for several days as the outliers defenses that surround the golden palace slowly went silent as their occupants slain... There was sporadic gunfire in the distance and the League Gates managed to suck in the last refugees and more reinforcements of Men of iron strode out in formation ready to kill any traitor in the vicinity... And the only saving grace to the Defenders of the Eternity gate as artillery support rang out in the horizon to defend the golden palace... Explosion was erupted to give the defenders a time to breathe... But there was explosion of Psyker power erupted in one of the towers of the golden palace...
Alexander knew Erebus have already met Erda.
As promised he will not be the one that killed her. But by her own choice...
"Send more guards to the site, we must not let the pepetrator from escaping!" Alexander smiled knowing that Erubus already managed to killed her and escape by the time the investigation team arrived...
Sanguinius smiled softly as he saw Alexander fighting side by side with him... As they both knew his life is about to come to an end...
And each second they spent together on that gate was more than enough for the both of them to comfort that they were brother till the end...
A roar heard among the crowd of demons.... Angron now fully formed into daemonhood prince
Rushed towards the gate with impunity, not caring the demons he trampled along the way...
Sanguinius ready his blade and Alexander held his Volkite gun aiming at the possessed Primarch was the famous pict that was shown during the aftermath of terra siege...
A High lord that cares for his men and the Angel fought to defeat their fallen brother and a duo that fought a endless tide of demons... A symbol that Men could be as brave as a Primarch as long as they believed...
They fought and the shockwaves between Angron chainaxe and Sanguinius sword erupted causing the people around them to hold their ground...
"Forgive me, Brother..." The angel spoke silently as he banish his brother to the warp...
Angron eyes felt there was a sense of calmness...
He smiled...
As he about to say something...
Another contender in a Bloodthirster named Ka'Bandha arrive to fight Sanguinius... Yelling from the top of the Eternity gate...
"Sanguinius! Our debt is not been paid!" The blood thirster yelled...
Sanguinius fatigue from the days of fighting the demons... And despite the potions he was given, he could felt his strength is weaknen... as if the fate he always charmed is no longer interested in him.
There he flew to meet his challenger...
Alexander just watched as the two clashed, but he alone was standing at the Eternity gate... Alone
His brothers are fighting for the sake of the Imperium and their father...
Alone... He watched the tide of demons now flooding on the once empty road... Threatening to devour the Emperor...
The Gate of the Eternity gate opened, making the assumption that Alexander gave up...
But what awaited them...
Was the thunder warriors marching out... Now fully healed and recovered in the battle of the Webway, with Arrik Taranis leading the march... Each step they marched towards the opening the demons took a step back..
"Taranis, old friend... What is our war cry?"
"For Unity! For the Emperor Dream!" Their voice shouted as one was heard across the world...
"What should we do to the enemies of Mankind that defy his dreams?"
"Crush, Kill, Maim!" Every one of them bellowed out as their armors rattle from the shockwaves they represents...
"Defeat all the enemies before you and cleanse this lands from their filth!"
The traitor now know what it like being trampled by the thunder warriors as their Power swords and Sanctified bullets swept across the road to the eternity gate...
Many of the traitor astartes enamored and twisted by the dark gods believe that the thunder warriors were a mere relic of the past, that they are the new generation that is transcendent than a custodes... their bolters rang out and Chainswords roared in delight for a new flesh to be bitten....
Alexander already made preparations...
"What!?" As one of the sharpshooters yelled as his shells were bounced off from the armor...
"Iron halos...." Muttered the squad leader as he saw several shells bounced off...
Alexander already gave the entire legions Steel Halos... Which is more than a upgrade than the Iron Halos that the Imperium could create...
A new life leased to the Thunder Warriors is now equipped with the advanced technology... Now swamp the bridged with bolter shells and those that was in melee range was ended up in the on the floor in pieces...
A explode was heard as Ka'Bandha was screaming as Sanguinius managed to impale the bezerker Bloodthirster into the ground...
Sanguinius managed to banished the Bloodthirster, as the corpse went up in flames...
He was not killed permanently...
He prayed silently for the brother to find peace...
But there was respite... As the tides is turning back as more Soldier of the League is now pouring the vicinity and reports of the rest of the Primarchs is now converging back into Terra with fleets to crush the rebellion once and for all...
Horus flagship suddenly lowered his shields.
Alexander know that Sanguinius would be killed...
And so will Horus...
But he took one last look as the Primarch descend... and past his injured brother the Vengeance spirit that still remain in orbit.
A group of Custodes approached the duo in their gleaming armor... Their aura was always unsheathed...
"It is time, The Emperor has called upon you two for the last battle..." One them them spoke...
As the two head inside the golden palace...
Where Alexander met Macaldor sitting on the golden throne and the Emperor gave consoling the Sigilite that this madness will end soon...
A set of a thousand Psykers approach the golden throne to sacrifice their lives once more to hold the golden throne... This time with a occupant on it...
"Let's go...." The Emperor took the lead with his selected custodes and Rogal Dorn and his Imperial fist while Alexander took a regiment of Imperial Guards and Sanguinius did not have any reinforcements to aid the raid...
As Alexander was tied up with his reinforcements still pouring into the sol system and the land forces is doing a cleanup... So he have to make do with Imperial Assets.
While the blood angels were decimated to the point that it may not able to provide any support...
They support the defender that is doing a cleanup duties...
As they teleported to the command deck of the vengeful spirit...
Horus managed to scatter the forces into several parts of the deck...
Sanguinius was struggling to travel the now almost infinite halls as he met Ferrus Manus ghost...
"Brother... You know Horus is now beyond reasoning..." The apparition spoke...
"I know but someone has to defeat him." Sanguinius spoke...
"Damnit brother you know you going to die a meaningless death!"
"I am aware I am going to die soon but meaningless? That is for my decision to choose...now tell me where is the command deck Brother?"
"This place is bend to your will as long as you deemed it, you will get there as possible.. as time in here has no meaning..." Ferrus point a direction...
"Thank you Ferrus..."
"Bah, Never like your politeness... It seems so hollow to me." Ferrus scoff it off... As the angel left ... Ferrus smiled...; "stay safe brother..." He faded into nothingness...
Alexander on the other hand... He was on Deck 13... A deck that never existed...
A path of blood and accounting of his deeds...
His choices come back to haunt him...
Every Xenos, Traitors that he slayed during the Golden age is now flooded him in Tide of blood...
Old, young, Poor, rich... His hands was covered with the blood that would drown the Galaxy...
A woman spoke to him...
"Tell me butcher, are you glad that you got the future you wanted?" She mocked him...
Seeing tht he was silent she added more jabs to him...
"You have the power of the ancients but you refused to aid this Imperium, are you a hypocrite?"
"What done been done wench, we are already at the endgame." He calmly answer as he shot her skull blowing her brains out. But she stood still and her mouth still spoke...
"Why didn't you aid your so called beloved Primarch Horus when he needed you the most?"
"He made his choice and I made mine..."
"Hahaha what a hypocrite... You knew that the Imperium would fail... And you are at the opportune time to take over the Galaxy... A Conquerer waiting for the Emperor of Mankind to fall..."
"I still believed in the Imperium ideals."
"You just a dog that willingly chained himself to the corpse emperor? A slave to a decaying empire? Something you will not see that everyday..."
"I always wonder... About that...but seeing that you belong to the chaos gods you have no right to say that I am a slave... But thanks for reminding me that I have a Axe to grind for slaanesh."
"You are just alone in a sea of mistakes you made..."
"Then I will just swim in it like a normal Tuesday."
Many apparitions of many Xenos he ordered to their deaths appeared before him... Hruds, Orkz, Psychic Spiders... all the xenos and all the traitors now flooded towards him...
Even the Legions Astartes that was destroyed by his hands..
"I still believed in him... That shining path he once spoke to me..." Alexander saw a figure of the Emperor in his mind... Golden but silent... And his back was facing him towards the endless darkness in between him was a ocean of blood and corpses...as if he was facing a foe that was unseen... He knows the path of obedience comes with sacrifices... But if he were to follow the Emperor he would gladly trail a path of blood...
"Then you would die like the Corpse Emperor!" She screeched as the old enemies flooded him..
They outnumbered him unendingly.
"I may cause the death of the countless civilizations under my orders... But never forget... I am never weak without my men holding me back..." The enemies flooded not hearing the words he spoke...
The first wave about to flood him.. they disappeared into the depths of the Warp...
"What are you?"
"I am paradox... I am a Psyker... But I am a blank...you choose poorly believing that I'm weak without my men... I simply just the paperwork guy... And this time for me to go for a walk..." Alexander activated his blank... This time it erupted across the hallways... Turning the demons to face true death...
"I never heard of this!"
"That mean I am the greatest keeper of secrets in the Galaxy, if you don't know what I am capable of? Now if there is hell for you in the void, say hi to the countless more fools that stepped in my way!"
After he perma-killed the woman... The hall was no longer dripped in blood... But the hallway remains infinite...
"I am really getting old..." Alexander sigh... But he paused...
Several figures appeared from the halls despite Alexander used his blank at his maximum capacity... They were real enemies that is not born from the warp...
"*Sigh* so you still prevent me from reaching Horus? And you join forces with this guys?"
A Inquisitor bearing the Ordo Chronos stood among the monsters...
"The timeline must be set, and you are a threat of the future..." The Inquisitor spat venomously...
"But consorting with people that wished to bring the downfall of humanity and the Imperium is not? A hypocrite in action."
"Only strength is the truth... See if you deserve to save it!"
"Sanguinius...I'm sorry... I will be late...." Alexander aimed his sword into the mass of flesh Infront of him...
The Emperor arrived to his destination... He was with his surviving custodes that he rushed forward instead of walking towards the command deck, the hallways are distorted beyond reason and time indeed stopped as the chronometer is halted... The wound that the daemonic Drach'nyen blade that stabbed him in the Webway is leaking out his golden blood that disintegrated upon reaching the floor and him forced to kill the possessed custodes that was puppeteer by Horus... He was weakened from their assault... though there were some that managed to break free from the puppetry... What was hundred now simply just 15...
He made many contingencies and plans... Some against His son... Other like Alexander who he supported his actions and provided time for his vision almost come to reality... Another path...
"Sorry old friend..." His blood drip slowly from his mouth...
He remembers many times Alexander was a voice of criticism in his Imperium... Someone with power that is criticism to his work but still remains loyal provided him a aspect of himself viewed from the outside...
Saving the thunder warriors was the first part of him intervene in his plans... He didn't want to kill them... But the voices in his head order him otherwise...
When he did consider the Primarch as tools...
"They are not tools friend..." The Emperor turned around and saw Alexander that was covered in blood...
"Seem you are quite busy at the moment..."
"Just trying up loose ends..." Alexander smiled...
"Loose ends?" The Emperor looked at the direction where the person he spoke through seconds ago... He was nowhere to be found and in his place was a compass that Revelation was all too familiar with... He picked it up and it pointed him to his destination.
"Seem he watched too much pirates movies to see where it's going..."
As he travelled deeper using the compass the wound was painful but many of his soldiers that was scattered by Horus machinations now converged to him including Ollanius Pius that is a perpetual that often had disagreements with Neoth...that witness his attempted ascension to become a dark king but he rejected his divinity... All because of his son... He vouched to see what happens in the end... To see if the Emperor truly changed for the better or the worst.
There he saw Sanguinius dying as Horus face loomed in the darkness... Now bloated with the four dark gods blessings him....
The Emperor fought with such ferocity against his son...
Was there any words ready for forgiveness? Or acts of mercy of Horus killing his own brother knowing the future that holds if he failed?
Or was there any mercy left in Horus as the emperor clashed with his beloved son, all he sees in his son eyes is madness, something that is similar to him... Believing that he was in the right...
He never anticipated how much his own son truly wanted to kill him and how much support the dark gods have bless him...As he managed to banished the demons that surrounded Horus, there was a sense of concern in the emperor as he attempt to bring his son back to the Imperium...
But Horus took advantage of his father worries and he struck the wound where the demon sword Drach'nyen struck him prior...
Horus began to overwhelm him and as the Emperor fell down from the blows... Ollanius Pius stood between the Warmaster and the wounded Emperor...
His defiance towards the corrupted Warmaster...
A mere man before a Primarch that is now corrupted by the words in the warp...
Horus killed Ollanius without care or remorse..
After seeing his son become something more twisted even without the gods that twisted him into the monster he is today... He had no choice but to use his last resort... Soul eradication...
The one of many ways for a perpetual to be killed...
He knows what would happen if Horus killed conventionally and his soul dragged into the Warp... Twisted and broken into the dark gods playthings... Forever dammed in the bowels of hell... Better to give some sense of comfort...
A beam of light struck into Horus into the hole that Sanguinius painstakingly made for his father to channel through, past the armor that been corrupted by the chaos gods... Into the body of Horus...
Horus scream in agony and about to struck his father to end this attack, but he sense in that attack of his father had made was filled with genuine care of his son...
In that last moments he realized what he had done, not like the feint he did before... But genuine awareness of what he tried to accomplish in the Imperium destruction... nearly drove him to remorse... And guilt...
"Father...I..."
"Rest in peace son...I will never let them take you.."
Horus eyes slowly dimmed as he fell just beside Sanguinius...
The Emperor looked at his two sons that died... He felt more remorse for what he did.
Rogal Dorn and Alexander arrived too little too late to change anything.
Rogal Dorn was shocked as his duties to protect his father failed... He silently lifted the emperor and with a whisper that none but Alexander who was close to him spoke....
"Let's go home father...."
As the group left the command deck, leaving Alexander alone with the soulless corpse of Horus...
He stare at the port window seeing that the time is been stopped is slowly unravelling...and the traitors knew their time is running out as they fled to their ships...
He mourned for Horus... Even if he did convince Horus to come back... Would he listen... He felt the familiar psychic energies emanate in a corner...
"Magnus?" He turned to see the crimson giant...
"I know everything...what these brothers that was with us, that raised us...why?"
"I wanted to protect you... And your brothers... Me and your father wanted what's best for you..."
"Best for us? Father is now dead! My brothers is now estranged..."
"I know you joined the versions of yourself as you are more powerful than the corrupted version of you later, you know what the Imperium had become through the lens of the version you have seen... You know what your father truly acts if I didn't exist...if I gave you a lie of a life... Then would you still consider us as family?"
"I see... Considering how I would have burn you to ashes for being a lie, if it weren't for the fact that copy of you saved my people...you have my thanks..."
"Brother I..."
"Alexander...I need time to think..."
"Would you willing to wait for another ten thousand years?"
There was pause between both of them.
Magnus smiled...
"So be it..."
"Farewell Magnus..." Alexander headed out of the room... Leaving Magnus alone with the corpse of Horus...
"Farewell brother..." Magnus whispered as he senses Alexander teleported away from the vengeful spirit...
Alexander was just in time for the Emperor reaching the Golden Throne where the surviving Loyalist primarchs stood still... Macaldor noticed Alexander.
"Don't be sad," Macaldor say.
"It has been a short time we three spent together... thank you for being with us till the bitter end Alexander..." He added.
"Who's going to help me in the paperwork?" the High Lord asked.
There was a chuckle on the throne...
"Seems like you are on your own." Macaldor gave his normal sneer despite the pain is spreading throughout his body...
Macaldor slowly faded away on the golden throne...
Only Alexander wept for meeting a true friend now lost in the panels of time...
They may not like each other but their strength was respected...
Just before Macaldor faded entirely he sent the last vestiges of his power into the emperor who accepted it as a sole comfort for the dark times ahead... As Dorn placed the weakened Emperor on the golden throne he spoke, "Poor, brave Malcador the Hero. He reserved a fragment of his strength for me. It gives me a little time to pass final orders to you all. If you do as I ask then I shall not wholly die, my spirit at least will survive. My injuries are severe, more so than I had hoped but less so than I had feared. My psychic powers will return to me in due time but my body will never heal. I shall never walk amongst you again. I am now bound to this machine for all time. My faithful bodyguard and attendants know what is required. You must do as they request!
"Dorn, Roboute and Jaghatai, you have much work to do. Though the head of the serpent has been destroyed its coils still choke the safety of mankind. You and your loyal brothers must fight on. Cleanse the taint of treachery from our stars. Never again must we allow the Ruinous Powers of Chaos to have such a chance. Alexander my old friend... I would have wish there was a day we would have been in a festivity with my sons.... but alas it was not meant to be... I fear that you will carry the burden of helping the Imperium without me and Macaldor is hard for you... please guide them as much as possible old friend...
Now all of you go. You know your duties. Execute them well. The universe has many horrors yet to throw at us. This is not the end of our struggle. This is just the beginning of our crusade to save Humanity. Be faithful! Be strong! Be vigilant!"
The Emperor spoke no more.
Alexander put down his sword and wept once more... knowing what truly happens in the far future...
Death was salvation and human life is cheap...
Despite all he had done... it was not enough to defy fate..
Meanwhile Alpharius and Omegon looked at the meeting in silence from a hidden passage as the emperor gave his last verdict. They disappeared into the corridors never to be seen again...
There was a weeklong of mourning the citizens of terra mourned the two foundations of their imperium now collapsed... Macaldor is Dead and the Emperor was in a comatose state that nobody knows when he would be awake, there are some nobles that want to take advantage of the power vacuum only for Alexander, Dorn and Roboute stopped their ploys... with their corpses now swinging in the eternity gate...
As Terra infrastructure was destroyed by the fighting and the League is now covered by a Ruin Storm that is larger than what happen in Ultramar, Leaving Alexander to use whatever assets he had on the ground to keep the order and security in terra...
Countless Buildings is erected using Perturabo designs for Terra and the citizens are coming back from the League gate...
Many were saddened that their homes were destroyed, but their lives are saved, many worked for food and a chance to earn a place to live in as new and more advanced buildings was made...
Droids and Men of Iron was prevalent all over the place, many did fear them for their ancestor stories of the machines destroyed Terra, but seeing that the said machines is now rebuilding Terra in a fast pace, they slowly gotten used to it. As their memories of Horus destroyed their homes is fresher on their minds than some machine rebellion in the past.
As promised to Mars for their loyalty to the Imperium, Alexander personally went there to terraform the red jewel to become a green planet once more... and given their copies of their works that is few years old and provided some knowledge of how to make electronics and manufacturing, they lost several foundations of knowledge but at least it will slow the decay of appeasing the machines through incense... and ignorance.... However in his actions it did solidify him as the Emissary of the Omnissiah as he Terraform mars in a day.
Luna was rebuilt once more and the City dorms is now rebuilt, and the Gene Labs is now modernized with the up to date and their ownership is now between Imperial fist and Alexander taking ownership for them to create more space marines.
And to prevent some nobles think that they are entitled to make more Marines, And to prevent Luna of not being useless Alexander implanted a Unlimited Mine for Plasteel and Ceramite to keep the production going for perpetuity...
In the Senate Imperialis the nobles and the High Lords are gotten out of hand as they believe they held the birthright to overruled whatever Alexander had made, Roboute managed to help but their hostility to anything primach wasn't helping.
"Sorry Alexander." Roboute weary of the political maneuvering of the senate...
"I understand Roboute..." Alexander was weary...
They demanded several changes that impact the military structure.
The Imperium Military is divided into the Astra Navy and the Astra Militarum as they witness the danger of the combined arms.
And they demanded for alexander to hand over whatever asset he has to the noble houses including his territory, which he denied vehemently.
"Are you a traitor Alexander! Give us the assets and we all be happier off knowing they will be kept in safe hands." The emissary grinned knowing that he could denied he would be tried and executed.
"My forces bled and died for the Emperor and now you carrions cackle for what scraps remains?" Alexander Growled.
"Our noble blood is more honest than your relations with the Emperor of the Imperium... And you don't have any noble blood in you. What are you doing?" The Emissary was appalled of what is alexander was doing.
"Simple, I am recalling all the forces I have back to the league, and you have to maintain your borders yourself, you think you have the upper hand on me, let's see if you have the budget of maintaining the trade lane of the Imperium, see if you care!"
"You can't-"
"And Yes, I can, Before I am a High Lord that was given by the Emperor and Macaldor, I am the Leader of the League and you forced my hand. Now say these words back to your pathetic masters, I don't deal with trash that fish in muddy waters, test my patience, whatever resources I am providing to the imperium will be halted as well. Including the gate that is now returning the people into Terra." Alexander growled now his bloodlust is now being materialized.
The Emissary left in fear as he knows that Alexander is meaning business...
"You shouldn't have tried that." Roboute walking in weary of the Courts.
"What Roboute, wanting to split my forces as well? Even the Thunder warriors that your father left in my care?" His Eyes pierced into Roboute.
"I would kindly asked you-"
"Denied, they are not space marines, and they are not codex compliant into chapters, they are like the white scars and the imperial fist they need numbers to show true strength."
"You seen what happens when Horus held the power!"
"And you see what happens when we bled and died on terra only to make a mockery? only for those we save now screaming for rewards they don't deserve? Don't Demand my navy to be split up from my ground forces as well."
"We want to limit the risk of a rebellion"
"Horus was corrupted by the Chaos Gods and the Astartes was neglected, don't forget you almost wanted to make a second imperium when you think that we died in that ruin storm!"
Roboute was silent as somehow Alexander knew what he was planning to do...
"Don't forget they may need the legions once more...there are enemies that chapters alone will unable to fight against...do you honestly want to limit the remaining chances against humanity enemies?"
"I see no different the Thunder warriors are no different from the legions father handed to us."
"But they been loyal and not a single one of them turned traitor."
"Alright I keep the Codex Astartes but the chapter Limit is void that much I could yield."
"I will keep some of the trade lanes under protection... That much is my limit considering my forces is waned from the constant fighting...Now even if I didn't threaten them sooner or later my flaws will be exposed...." Alexander opened a map that shows all the Garrisons he held inside the Imperium excluding the hidden bases and Micro empires he left behind....
"Here the deal, we will slowly retreat back to the League and in this transition, you will replace what is left behind...any weapons and vehicles we left behind is now your responsibilities to handle." Alexander stood up and prepared to leave.
"Where are you going?"
"To Sanguinius Funeral...At least I have decency to pay respects of our dead brother instead of someone trying to cripple his own Nieces by separating them away from Baal!" Alexander spat and leaving Roboute with a tired sighed...
On a Terraformed Baal although Alexander terraformed it he left a part of the planet that is filled with sand dune to keep the culture alive, a Huge Procession was made... many of the people was in mourning as their beloved child, blessed by the heavens is now dead... the Primarchs didn't had time to visit their brother as they commenced the Scouring.... rooting out the traitors and those that allied with them... Vulkan attended it for brief time until his duties for the eternity gate is needed.
"Thank you for visiting Sanguinius, I am sure he would like it..." the Governor sadly spoke...
The people of Baal mourned as flowers that was grown in the very lands itself was placed on his Stasis pod.
Many more wept for him for letting the planet live a better life.
Alexander wore funeral clothes as he was probably the last time he might see the Angel still silent in the Stasis pod. He left a bouquet of yellow roses and blue bells...
Farewell...Sanguinius... May we meet again soon
As true to what Alexander promised, the forces of the League is now reeling back and headed into the gates that scattered across the Imperium never to be heard again, many nobles were panicking as they attempted to sway the soldiers to stay, they met with more disgust from the soldiers as they headed back through the gate, the noble houses began to act in small plays by committing assassination of Alexander or hindering his policies believing that if he dies then all control would be handed to them... only to find their toys was placed in a ribbon boxes and a last reminder of his promise of not letting them off...
One noble tried his luck and his home and his family and his extended family that comprised of a tenth of the Administratum was killed. And many stood in line as the spoils was divided between them and they were satisfied of the scraps they were given.
Alexander using Macaldor last gift of him having partial ownership of the Officio Assassinorum, killed the people that had egos to think to hunger Alexander assets...
As Promised the General Fabricator got a seat in the High Lords as they fear the High lords would try something they made alexander a Honorary position in the Tech priest Echelon as they know how much political powers, he already burned enough to grant them position of power.
"I can't thank you enough High Lord Alexander." Fabricator General said.
"Just make sure in the event I perished or disappear never allow a person on my seat unless the situation seems dire as it holds a important to humanity as a whole...I would return and I will bless you with the blessing of the omnissiah and the knowledge of the past."
"As your will, Friend of Mars."
For a half a century since the entombment of the Emperor... The great scouring happened, nobody knows how long it took but humanity managed to recaptured the Traitor worlds and there was a slight peace for a while. Alexander took custodianship on Horus, Konrad and Angron homeworlds as his remaining forces brought them under compliance while Angron world is just relabeled as a Shrine world to pray for the Freemen that was lost during the fighting.
after the soldiers of the League managed to escaped past the imperium territory.
And the forces in the Imperium borders were now purely controlled by the astra militarum.
The High Lord Alexander disappeared around 523.M32 during a general inspection of the Astra militarum... Seemingly hit by a weapon that was not known to the imperium and disappear into lights... And the assailant fled.
The Imperium was in a Uproar as the Last foundation was gone, Rogal dorn and Roboute tried to held up the imperium together...
Many of the Nobles that had Bad blood with Alexander rejoiced that he is gone, and they planned to use the gate to invade the other side but somehow the gate was destroyed leaving its existence into mere scraps... Many pointed their fingers as they found that the person that supposedly killed alexander was of the Noble houses that had a bad opinion with the high lord, and despite how the house claimed that the assailant didn't belong to them, the profit hungry sharks now ripped the condemn house to shred as countless wealth beyond the gate is now destroyed and a source of food is now closed to them... and they needed to vent out their frustration and the lands that surrounded the gate was divided up by the nobles houses as part of their gains. Roboute seeing how disgusting they have done, secretly managed to bring back almost all the technology and weapons of the league back to Macragge to prevent the Nobles from getting to their head. However the fleet that Alexander left behind in Terra orbital docks is under the High lord command, which now the crews are replaced by the handpicked men of the high lords as the original crews already left their station... which they were destroyed during the war of the beast
While some called him a hoarder of the relics of the past, Roboute staunchly refused to even give a single weapon to them until he met his end by Fulgrim posioned blades forcing him in a stasis pod hoping that there will be a cure in the far future...
___________________
A/n: it been a long time, I had the so called coof 19 and I was put under quarantine as the country nearby have a coof outbreak... Never had time when I fighting off my sickness... And that isolation made me wonder is that how the emperor children felt when they are deprived from their senses?
Originally the Horus heresy would have been divided into 6 chapters but my time is short and I had a few of Warhammer communities I know kindly answer my questions on how would the Heresy played out.
It was arkward when one brought a Acclamator to the table top... And we had to calculate the actual damage... Especially one of them grants a extra 2.3k point of free Imperial Guard reinforcements.
I know there are some traitors that is Loyalist space Marines that made impact in the battle and the meeting of Magnus and Macaldor below the Imperium Palace... Or what is Alexander relationship with the Grey Knight's and Janus The shard that Magnus left behind.
Let's just say they still went canon... As Alexander was in a battlefield when those events happened.
By now Alexander managed to briefly halt the decay but never underestimate the desire and control of humanity when they lacked a moral Shepard...
I liked the theory that the Emperor never did wanted to become a god... And after the great crusade ended and he accomplish the Webway project , he would slowly transition the Imperium to a Galactic republic as Macaldor and his bureaucrats took over, he and his sons disappear into the shadows living in the golden palace while Horus Luprecal would actually be the spokesperson for The Emperor in the new government as the Warmaster is a highly valued title.
Welcome to 40k where the grim darkness there is only war... It is where demons walk the lands and angels weep, where knowledge is but a mere memory of a distant past and machines are praised in incense and sacred oils.
It is a time of strife where heroes and villains thrived, where riches of the past is securing the future.
To others that read this world it is a place where there is no hope, for some it is a place where one belonged as humanity fight for survival on all sides for the glimpse of tomorrow...
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