Heresy Bk. 02: Istvaan V

"Fire when ready," Delphene said with some urgency. "Bring it down!"

Another blast of plasma cut through the air, the noise of the blast causing those outside to cover their ears in pain. Even the Astartes, who have a special implant that reduces deafening noises, showed outward discomfort.

The blast hit in roughly the same spot, leaving a dark scorch mark on the leg of the Titan. The Dies Irae was now focused on the Retribution, making its destruction top priority.

"Emperor's blood," Delphene breathed, seeing the larger enemy Titan bringing its Plasma Destructor online and spooling up its Hellstorm Cannon. "Fire! Bring it down!"

Another blast of plasma arced towards the Dies Irae, the white hot plasma streaking towards its leg for the third time as the Dies Irae backed up.



~Chapter 5~

~Cassian Dracos

~The Phoenix And The Gorgon

~New Arrivals



Xa'ven was in the fight of his life, pressing hard against the traitor line. He was glad he had forced his company to not only practice against servitors, but to spar each other. Their armor was covered in blood, torn and pitted from the constant bolter fire.

Hot beams of plasma had arced overhead, drawing everyone's attention, then they stopped. The traitor Titan had started to back up, surely to bring its massive firepower to bear. The whistle of artillery shells sounded overhead, followed quickly by explosions along the legs and torso of the traitor Titan.

Something was wrong though, their shields were not protecting them. As this new information processed for him, Xa'ven was brought to his knees by a deafening roar from the traitor Titan. Its plasma weapon firing towards the Retribution. Distant explosions told Xa'ven it had found its mark.

Another concentration of bolter shells whizzed by him, several ricocheting off his armor. He quickly returned fire, with little success. He saw his Primarch out of the corner of his eye, the twin flamers on his gauntlets coating traitors in burning promethium.

The vox network was full of chatter; squads calling for reinforcements, artillery support, apothecaries and more. One transmission caught Xa'ven's ear that made him swell with pride.

"Ancient Cassian Dracos is inbound on your position lord Vulkan."

The telltale rush of retro jets signaled his arrival moments later, his modified drop pod slamming into the ground only feet from Xa'ven's position. His men moved to take up defensive positions around the tear drop shaped capsule.

The ramps dropped and the large armored form of Cassian Dracos stepped out, his green boxy hull covered in names of battles fought and brothers who had fallen. His right arm was mounted with a powerful Assault Cannon, the double headed eagle with crossed lightning bolts expertly painted on the side, showing his service during the Unification Wars. His left arm was much like a human arm, ending in a powerful grasping hand, a built in flamer attached to his wrist.

"Greetings brothers," his deep, metallic voice said from his built in vox unit. "Into the fires of war, unto the anvil of battle we go."



Ferrus Manus had devastated the Sons of Horus before him, leaving the way open to the Emperor's Children. His rage grew greater as he saw his brother come out from the bunker, the look of pure joy on his face almost too much for Ferrus Manus to take.

With a roar, the Primarch of the Iron Hands charged for his brother, swinging Forgebreaker at anyone who got in his way. His rush was slowed by the mass of bodies in front of him, most of which were expert swordsmen.

Swords cut and slashed at his armor, but none could pierce it, glancing and reflecting back the way they had come. Many died by the hands of Ferrus Manus, but many more filled their place. His Morlocks had drifted back, weighed down by Fulgrim's troops, their bulky suits of Terminator armor unable to keep pace with those in standard power armor.

As Ferrus Manus fought his way to Fulgrim, he saw Gabriel Santar engage one of the Emperor's Children that he had known from many years ago, Julius Kaesoron. He was just a line officer back then, but was deadly with a blade. His skill was the equal of many First Captains, second only to Fulgrim himself.

Ferrus Manus struck an enemy hard with Forgebreaker, his crumpled form flying a short distance across the battlefield. He turned and see Santar duck under a swipe of Kaesoron's sword, the blade missing his head by inches. Santar struck back with his hammer, but Kaesoron was faster. A quick downward chop cost Santar his hand, and the hammer with it. The next blow severed his head from his shoulders.

Ferrus Manus flew into a rage, the loss of his First Captain and close friend hitting him hard. He looked to the man he once called brother, pushing his way through the maelstrom of battle towards him. He took one last look around, seeing Corax and his Raven Guard bolstering his troops.

"Fulgrim!" Ferrus Manus called. "Face me!"

A wide berth was given as the two Primarchs met as enemies for the second time, and what Ferrus Manus knew would be the last, one way or another.



Horus was busy in the command bunker, his vox link to the fleet full of chatter. He had his combined fleet anchor just outside the Istvaan system, the distance being their disguise. They had moved, as ordered, to approach Istvaan V after three hours, just long enough to lull the loyalist fleet into complacency.

His fleet was reporting more vessels entering local space, bearing the symbols of the Word Bearers, Night Lords, Alpha Legion and Iron Warriors. Horus picked up the transmitter and hailed Calas Typhon, First Captain of the Death Guard and commander of the Terminus Est.

"Yes Warmaster?" Typhon asked.

"You have command of the fleet, when their forces have deployed, engage at your discretion," Horus ordered.

"It shall be done, lord."

Horus opened a vox to Angron, Mortarion and Fulgrim, his brothers acknowledging his intent.

"The other legions have arrived, pull your men back as soon as possible, reestablish the defensive perimeter."

Each voiced their affirmation, with all except Fulgrim complying immediately. Horus looked at where Fulgrim and Ferrus Manus dueled, none having the upper hand. Fulgrim' Emperor's Children began to fall back in good order, the Morlocks not pursuing in favor of guarding their Primarch.

As the others joined Horus, watching the battle between demi-gods, Horus spoke softly.

"The others have arrived, right on time."

"This should be interesting," Mortarion said.

"Very," Horus replied with a smile.



~Part 2~

The Second Wave





~Chapter 6~

~Raven's Claw

~Passing The Word

~New Orders



"Sir, multiple ships translating from the warp," the sensory officer reported.

Commander Agapito Nev sat in the command throne aboard the Strike Cruiser Raven's Claw, his face scarred from many battles, his general disposition grim and unforgiving.

"Weapons online, I want firing solutions now!" Nev demanded. His voice was cold and hard, years of fighting having taken their toll.

"Aye lord," the weapons officer said, relaying the commands to the gunnery decks. Flashing indicators a few moments later indicated their readiness. "Gun decks report ready Commander."

"Who has come to join us?" Nev wondered aloud. He was expecting reinforcements from four legions, but it wouldn't do to be unprepared.

"Sensors indicate several capitol ships sir. Fidelitas Lex of the Word Bearers, Nightfall of the Night Lords, Iron Blood of the Iron Warriors and Beta of the Alpha Legion. More craft arriving as well."

Nev breathed a sigh of relief. "Stand down all batteries, they're friendly."

The Fidelitas Lex hailed Raven's Claw, Lorgar himself speaking. "Well met Commander, we will begin our deployment momentarily. My brothers have been instructed to fortify the plateau opposite the Warmaster's forces."

"Thank you lord, you sure are a welcome sight," Nev replied. "Shall I inform lord Corax of your arrival?"

"Please do, and tell him we look forward to seeing him on the field of battle."

"Of course lord."

The vox went silent, followed shortly by dropships of every size bringing materials to the surface. Most distinctive were those of the Iron Warriors, their pre constructed fortifications being sent to the planet on giant cargo haulers similar to what the Mechanicum used for Titan deployment.

"Open a link to the Primarch," Nev ordered. Corax responded happily, the sounds of war carrying on in the background.

"Commander Nev, it's good to hear from you," Corax said.

"Likewise lord, reinforcements will be joining you momentarily."

"Thank you Commander, I'll pass the word along."

Nev sat back in his command throne, the battle below seemingly turning in their favor. He silently hoped he would get a share of the glory, but knew that Corax never did anything without reason. If Agapito Nev was to stay with the fleet, it was because he was the most capable Commander for the job.

"Sir, tracking multiple vessels inbound on our position," the sensory officer said.

"Identify them, spin up weapons batteries and scramble tactical fighters. No other friendlies should be coming," Nev said hastily. Something was wrong here, very wrong.



Xa'ven and his squad fought beside Cassian Dracos, the Venerable Dreadnought laying down fire support for their advance. As they reached the enemy, Jo'phor and Hae'phast charged into the Death Guard together, fighting back to back as they pushed closer to their Primarch.

Go'sol had proven to be a great asset, the young neophyte sticking close to apothecary Tarsa and Sergeant Guldor. More than once Xa'ven had seen Go'sol deflect a killing blow aimed at one of the two he was with. He fought with all the bravery of a seasoned veteran, yet with the speed and agility of someone half his age.

Donak slid in beside Xa'ven, tapping him on the shoulder guard to get his attention.

"Captain, our brothers have come!" Donak yelled. He had ditched his helmet after a bolt round scrambled his internal sensors, preferring to fight the old fashioned way.

Xa'ven looked to the sky, seeing drop pods and aircraft entering the atmosphere. The Iron Warriors had already begun establishing fortifications on the high ground in the center of the ridge, with the Word Bearers below them. Night Lords and Alpha Legion took the left and right flanks respectively, each preparing their own crude battlements.

"Thank the Emperor, I'll inform lord Vulkan." Xa'ven quickly called for his Primarch on the vox.

"Lord, your brothers have come, they are setting up as we speak," Xa'ven said.

"Thank you Captain, I shall convene with Corax on this matter," Vulkan replied.

The battle may be turning, Xa'ven thought. The traitors, along with their Titan, had pulled back, the sight of additional troops making them reform for the next assault.

"Form up a battle line," Xa'ven ordered. "Thirthy-Fourth, hold position and await word from the Primarch."

Swiftly, the remaining men of Xa'ven's company formed up, the gunfire dying down as both sides readied for the next push.



Corax met with Vulkan to discuss their next move, the arrival of the other legions adding additional supplies as well as fresh troops. Ferrus Manus however, wouldn't listen to them, deciding instead to press the advantage.

"Corax," Vulkan said. "Have you gotten ahold of Ferrus Manus?"

"Our brother will not be pawed at. He has turned off his vox and is pressing on," Corax answered.

"Very well, how are your men?" Vulkan asked.

"Bloodied and hurting. We are low on ammo and have many needing to see an apothecary. How are yours?"

"In the same shape, unfortunately. We should pull back, resupply and return with fresh troops. Perturabo can hammer them as we fall back."

"A sound strategy, I'll try and bring Ferrus Manus to reason."

Corax made for Ferrus Manus's position, the Primarch of the Iron Hands having pushed further towards Fulgrim's command post after Fulgrim had pulled back. He was easy to find, the trail of broken bodies led straight to the hammer wielding giant.

"Brother," Corax shouted over the roar of combat. "We should pull back, resupply and regroup. We can win this, but we have to work together!"

"Go then," The Gorgon replied. "Send us aid when you can, we will celebrate our victory inside Fulgrim's command post!"

"Listen to reason, you will be cut off and surrounded by the time we get back!"

"Then we won't be able to miss, will we?"

Corax knew his brother wouldn't listen to him, his pride demanded he kill Fulgrim for what he had done. With a heavy heart, Corax turned and headed back to Vulkan.

"So he is staying then?" Vulkan asked, knowing the answer before he asked.

"His pride demands it. After what Fulgrim did to his fleet, after all they have been through, he won't stop until one of them is dead."

"Very well, lets make for our defenses."

Both Primarchs gave their orders; fall back by squads to resupply and regroup. Vowing to return with fresh troops to support Ferrus Manus and his reckless charge.



~Chapter 7~

~Ready

~The Unthinkable

~Betrayal



Alpharius stood by the defensive wall they had created, his face obscured by the helm he wore, decked out in bas relief serpents. His teal armor was also covered in serpents, the symbol of his legion. As he watched the Salamanders and Raven Guard fall back towards their position, he called for Lorgar.

Lorgar's tall, slender form approached, his skin almost gold in color, accentuated by his gunmetal armor with gold trim. He carried the Illuminarium, a tall sceptre-power maul that was made for him by Ferrus Manus. Though it functioned as a weapon, it was more a symbol of his religious zeal.

"They come to us brother," Alpharius said, his voice masked by a vox unit.

"Good, it's about time. Are the men ready?"

"I cannot speak for the others, but my troops are more than ready."

"Good, pass the word to have all available units ready to deploy. They will need all the help they can get."

"By your command," Alpharius replied.

Lorgar gazed at the men approaching his position, seeing many were injured and obviously low on ammo. He could see the huge forms of Corax and Vulkan as they aided several squads in pulling back. They looked like they had been in battle, but didn't look injured.

"Lorgar," Alpharius said, dragging him from his thoughts.

"Yes," Lorgar replied.

"Perturabo reports ready and waiting, but Konrad Curze isn't responding."

Lorgar sighed, "Night Haunter likes to be on his own program, doesn't he?"

"I'd be concerned if he wasn't," Alpharius said with a laugh.

"I'll go find him," Lorgar said. "Knowing him he is setting up for an ambush."

Lorgar found Curze outside his command post, going over battle plans with his Captains. The midnight blue of his armor draped in the skins of those he had killed in battle. His skin was abnormally pale, having grown up in the perpetual darkness of Nostramo.

"Here you are," Lorgar said. "Why haven't you answered our calls?"

"I've been planning, can't fight a war without a plan," Curze replied, his voice dripping with venom.

"True. You would do well to remember that this is a war, not one of your terror campaigns."

"My brutal tactics, as you call them, have seen me bring planets to compliance without deploying a single man," Curze retorted.

"And yet you cover your armor in the skins of slain adversaries, your men cover their armor in runes and icons to inspire fear."

"What's your point?"

"My point is, you rule with fear, where many of us believe you should do the opposite."

"That's not how I was raised, you know this. You were there when the Emperor found me, you saw where I came from. This is all I know."

Lorgar sighed, knowing how Nostramo had been before Curze had taken over. Crime was the law of the land, the population was poor and downtrodden, the rich only got richer off the labor of the poor. Konrad had changed that, killing criminals and villians, bringing order back with vigilante justice. His work had earned him the nickname Night Haunter, with mothers using threats of him coming in the night for children who misbehaved.

"Are your troops ready?" Lorgar asked.

"More than ready," Curze replied.

"Very well, we move soon, listen for the order." Lorgar said as he left.



Xa'ven and his squad were some of the last to pull back, providing the rear guard as the other groups pulled back. He was a bit surprised to see several dozen Iron Hands moving with them, heading for the newly established defenses. When Xa'ven had asked one group why they were leaving their brothers, they had told him they were out of ammo.

Xa'ven could see those first few groups up ahead, their shapes looked close the safety of the defenses. He was inwardly happy that the Iron Warriors had come, their siege expertise would no doubt prove invaluable. He could see the steel and yellow guns aimed at the traitor forces, oddly silent, yet menacing.

Xa'ven and Go'sol bounded back to a boulder, Atesh Tarsa and Jo'phor right behind them. Guldor had taken Hae'phast and Donak with him to aid several Raven Guard in dragging some Iron Hands back to safety.

Cassian Dracos lumbered up behind them, his Assault Cannon providing a base of fire to move under. He moved on past them, shaking the ground beneath their feet as his massive adamantium hull kept moving.

"Captain Xa'ven, you must keep moving," Cassian said.

"We won't leave you lord," Xa'ven returned.

"Nothing can pierce my armor, go!"

While he wasn't sure how sturdy his armored body was, he did know that Cassian could fire on the move, able to swivel his torso around completely.

"We won't be far ahead, call us if you need assistance," Xa'ven said.

"I may be old, Captain, but I still have a lot of life left in me. Go!"

The Captain couldn't help but laugh at his sentiments, knowing he was right. His mind had started to go, but his body and soul would live on for centuries, much like the many other Dreadnoughts throughout the legions.

Bolter shells pinged off of Cassian's armored hull, his large body used as mobile cover for the Salamanders. Xa'ven and Go'sol pushed ahead, only two thousand feet between them and the Iron Warriors strong point. As they came up beside Vulkan who was laying down suppressive fire for his men, something strange happened.

The vox went dead.



Agapito Nev was in trouble, the first impact had destroyed the comms array. Next went several gun batteries on the lower decks, the compartments venting to the void and those not killed in the blast were killed by explosive decompression.

"Helmsman, get us out of here!" Nev commanded as the damage reports came flashing across his screen. "Make for the jump point, full ahead. Secure forward batteries, prepare for warp translation as soon as we hit the jump point."

How could this have happened, Nev wondered. The Warmaster's fleet, led by the Terminus Est, had appeared shortly after the other legions, but they didn't engage. The combined fleets of the Iron Warriors, Word Bearers, Night Lords and Alpha Legion had turned their guns on the Raven Guard, Salamanders and Iron Hands.

The Raven's Claw was crippled, doing more harm than good. Her smaller size meant that she had maneuverability, but didn't pack the punch of the Shadow of the Emperor. Nev knew he only had one course of action, to run like hell and carry the warning of this new development.

More explosions shook the ship, venting more compartments on the lower decks. The ship was turning hard, trying to angle itself towards open space, away from the gravity well of the planet below.