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Here is the whole of my Iron Warrior's fluff so far, let me know what you think please and thank you!
Act 1
Scene 1, The Life Before;
He had been born from two loving parents. An only child and the last male descendant from his father's side the pressure was on him to find a mate and carry on the line. At the moment he was sweating profusely, standing by the wall in his lord Perturabo's palace at one of his victory balls. His father was one of the high prince's head generals and so he was privelaged to be here. The girl that his family had set him up with was dancing with her friends, every now and then casting a glance in his direction which made his knees quiver. Eventually he gathered up the courage enough to approach her and give her the rose he had picked for her. They were only fifteen but that was the normal age for people on Olympia to get married and have children, and the pressure was on him now. After giving her the rose she had smiled and taken him outside where they talked the whole night away until her and his father had come to fetch them. They left and in four weeks were married, they had just turned sixteen when their first two children were born and his lord was there to congratulate them.
They were both from warrior's families and the children were destined to be great heros of Olympia. He had already aquired a high position in the army under his lord Perturabo and was moving up fast. Then a month after their lives changed drastically. The coming of the Emperor had marked a new age for him and his family. The Tyrant, Perturabo's father, was deposed and his lord put in his place. Immediately trials started for the induction into his lord's legion, and he wanted so badly to go, but he had a family now and could not. He was a staunch supporter of his lord which is why what happened next happened to him. A week into the trials his family was attacked by supporters of the deposed Tyrant and his wife was killed in cold blood, his children missing. His lord took it upon himself to send out his men to search for his children but to no avail, and he was driven into a state of deep depression. It was in this state that his lord came to him and told him of the trials. It would be a new life, one that he would excel in. Little did he know how drastically his life would be changed from the day he stepped foot to take the trials.
Scene 2, The Trials and a New Beginning;
The Trials were being held at his lord's palace up on one of the highest mountain tops. He expected them to be only on strength of the body, for although he was a warrior he had not had the growth spurt that would make him as large as his father and so he was quite skinny, but was surprised when they were also composed of battle tactics, leadership skills, how well one's mind was attuned with technology and many other things. He did about average in the physical fitness trials and barely made the grade when it came time to weed out the weak ones from the trials, he was glad when the trials of the mind had started. At the end of the physical fitness trials he had been considered a bad candidate for one of the warriors of his lord's legion but when the other trials had started he had shone out amongst the rest. His superb tactical genius and leadership had led him and the team he commanded to the top of the charts in every other trial. His affinity for the magic of technology had also impressed his lord's proxies who were in charge of selecting the candidates to be in the legion.
It was during these trials he had met his best friend, Shamesu. The boy was extremely tall for one his age and was skinny like he was, and so they bonded simply because they each needed that extra push to get past the competition. Shamesu's father was the son of a warrior who was one of the lower ranks in their lord's army and so their fathers' knew little of each other. They had made a terrible tag team when they each had been given their own teams for the tactical and leadership side of the trials and none of the candidates could hope to best them. When it came time for the two of them to go head to head they relished the chance and bid each other good luck. The mock battle was to be a siege, Shamesu the one committing it, and he the one defending the fortress. The mock battle had lasted for a week with neither side gaining the upper hand until their lord Perturabo had stoped the battle and declared both of them and their teams fit to become that which they had all dreamed of, Astartes.
Scene 3, The Transformation;
He had to admit he was very frightened at the moment. It helped that Shamesu was there, the two of them complimented each other very well in not only tactics but personalities. Where he was outgoing, loud, quick to anger, had a fierce tenacity, and possessed of a frightening strength of will, Shamesu was quite, methodical, slow to anger, merciless, and had such an affinity for technology he was surpassed only by their lord Perturabo. They and their other recruits had been summoned upon one of their lord's new "ships" although he couldnt for the life of him understand why they were called ships when they werent anywhere near the water. Shamesu had said it was because they sailed the abyss, but he didnt really understand that either so he let it be. When they had arrived on one of the "ships" they had been asked for a volunteer to go first and he had stepped up unafraid of what was in story for him. When he was belted to an iron table he could see Shamesu across from him and said, "See you on the other side brother." Shamesu smiled weakly before the anesthetics knocked them both out.
He awoke in a chamber on a cot and sprang to his feet, hitting his head on the low cieling....but the cieling wasnt low. When he examined the room and himself he realized he had grown to enormous proportions, a sense of elation filled him as he realized that he had made it, he was now an Astartes. He lept around his room wooping and yelling like an idiot until the door slid open and his lord entered. He immediately kneeled and pledged his allegiance, "My son, stand, please you embaress yourself." His voice always served to stun him but he stood regardless. His lord told him of the changes wrought upon his body and his new purpose in life, a great crusade for mankind across the stars. His mind wondered at everything he was told and when his lord was finished he had two questions that he wanted to ask, the first being why his lord had come to see him first. His lord had said that he had a special place in his heart for him for he had weathered so much and became such a great being. Satisfied with the answer he then asked where Shamesu was, his lord chuckled and told him to follow him. They walked and conversed for awhile until they stood outside of two huge iron doors. They walked inside and he saw hundreds of men just like himself, he quickly saw Shamesu's towering form above them all and waved him down. They stood conversing until their lord motioned for them all to be quite. Silence immediately followed and the speech was one of the most moving he had ever heard, they were to crusade across the galaxy and bring together the lost strands of humanity for their lord's father, The Emperor of Mankind.
When they had been dismissed for the beginnings of their training he and Shamesu were each assigned to their own squad and given command due to their exploits in the trials. When they were being given their armor the old marine who was sizing them up stopped them both, "Names." He had answered first of course, "Vilhelm sir." The old craggy marine looked him up and down, "You're pretty thick Vilhelm, squat too. I know what would suit you but first thing is first." He handed Vilhelm his bolter and combat knife and then motioned for him to got and retrieve his armor. He had quickly ran down the corridor, not waiting for Shamesu. When he was outfitted in his new armor and weapons he felt like he was complete. They then spent months training with their squads and the company they were to be in, the Eighth Grand Company. Vilhelm had grown quite large, larger than any other marine he met in the fleet, but he was of average hieght, on the other hand Shamesu was the tallest marine he had ever seen, towering over their brothers and almost as tall as their primarch. They were fighting in one of the training cages when they got the call to arms, they armored themselves and met their squads on the embarcation deck they were assigned to. They were to fight in their first true battle, they were taking the system of Justice Rock.
Scene 4, The First Blood;
The noise was horrendous, this was the last planet they had to take and the fierce opposition was stunning. Vilhelm's squad, Eigth Tactical Squad, had been ordered to take out numerous comms stations and were at their last one when the Judges themselves had sauntered onto the battlefield. His company, The Eighth Grand Company, was to take the eastern fortress wall, and their leader, Warsmith Godur Steel Fist had said that they would breach the walls first. Vilhelm ducked back into cover, one of his men, for all of them were from Olympia like him, asked him, "Now what?!" Vilhelm thought for a moment and opened a channel to Shamesu and his squad, "Brother, where is your location?" He got static for a few moments and then Shamesu's voice cut through, "West of one of the comms bunkers. What do you need?"
"I need some explosives ten meters from the entrance of the bunker, leave the rest to me."
"Will do." One of his men, Halkur, tried to peek around the corner they were hiding behind but was quickly pulled back by Gar, their Apothecary, when huge rounds attempted to shoot his head off. The Judges were huge amalgams of a once human body and machine. They still had human components but were outfitted with weapons gallore, each one capable of killing an Astartes. Their targeting systems were top of the line with the exception that they were easily distracted, a trait Vilhelm was going to exploit. Explosions were suddenly heard and he rushed from the corner, his chainsword high and his bolter pumping rounds into the judge. It had been blinded by the explosions and was firing wildly, he ducked and rolled right up to it, bringing his chainsword up through its torso and ripping it out. The Judge collapsed and he and his men charged into the bunker.
The battle had actually been surprisingly quick, and the last planet was taken within the day. He and his sqaud had been blooded and were considered full astartes now by their peers from Terra, something they took great pride in. As Vilhelm's and Shamesu's squads sat, ate, drank and conversed at one of the huge iron eating tables the ship they were on, The Implacable, jumped into the warp with the rest of the fleet. They were off to go and further the crusade in the name of mankind. The pride within their breasts was enormous, for what greater calling was there.
Scene 5, A Gift from the Forges of Mars;
It had been the one hundred and fortieth year of the Great Crusade when Tactical Drednought armor had been introduced to some of the legions. Of course by stint of their abilities and type of warfare the Iron Warriors had been the first gifted with these mighty suits. He and Shamesu were still sergeants of their respective squads, each having won many laurels, and they were considered to be the best veteran squads in the legion, even better than first company's veteran squads. They each had been called with their squads to the bridge of the Implacable where they were to meet their primarch Perturabo for some unknown reason. When they reached the doors to the bridge they opened automatically and the two squad sergeants and their squads marched in to meet their primarch.
He was absolutely massive in his armor. Although he was rather short compared to some of his brothers Perturabo's thick Olympian Armor made him look truly titanic. Black and yellow chevrons could be seen on his left shoulderpad and parts of his greaves, the symbol of their legion, a steel skull, was brandished on his right shoulderpad. The thickness of his armor made his head seem tiny compared to the rest of it, the baroque style with which it was built intended to protect him from anything. As one the two squads kneeled before their lord, he nodded and said, "Rise, I have a gift for each of you." They rose to their feet and awaited what thier lord had to tell them. "You each are to be promoted to the position of captain." A broad smile spread across his face as Vilhelm and Shamesu and congratulated each other and thier squads cheered for thier brothers. As they died down a little Perturabo continued, "There is a catch though, neither of you can be promoted without a badge of office and so both of you and your squads are being gifted with suits of Tactical Drednought Armor. You have earned it my sons." The marines cheered again, this time louder than before. Perturabo dismissed the two squads but made Shamesu and Vilhelm stay. "The armor is different for the two of you though. Shamesu you and your squad have been issued the standard mark of the armor but have been equipped with better close combat weapons. Vilhelm you and your squad have been issued a special mark that had only been issued to our legion because of our relationship with the adepts of Mars. It is a siege pattern, bulkier, thicker armor, better stabilizing systems, and mounted heavey weapons not available on the other mark but you will have even more decreased movement speed. I expect to see great things from the two of you." And with that they were dismissed.
Scene 6; To Kill a Giant (four decades into the Great Crusade)
They were told that the resistance could not be overcome. They were told that not even the Blood Angels had been able to storm the planet and take hold of it. They were told that their plans were futile. When their lord Perturabo heard this he was quoted saying, "If it was built, it can be torn down, and my sons are the ones to do it." and indeed they were. Five hours after entering the system designated as 43-08, being the eighth system that the Blood Angels splinter fleet, the 43rd expedition, had encountered, the main force of the Iron Warriors Legion was ready to make planetfall and begin its siege that was projected to take close to ten years to complete. This system was deemed to be a very large impediment right in the way of the Great Crusade and it was evident after the Blood Angels' failure that the only force in the galaxy capable of breaking it was the Iron Warriors. And so after five hours of long preparation the Sons of Olympia were ready to take the battle to the first planet.
The sound was horrendous. The constant barrage of fire from the Iron Warriors' siege works was deafening in its own right but the enemy's defense guns were just as bad if not worse. The inhabitants of 43-08 were human in almost every way but due to their long exposure to the certain chemicals in the air they breathed they had grown quite large and pale with almost pupiless eyes. Their technology so far had been on par with the Imperial Forces but were of a whole other branch. Where the Iron Warriors were using heavey slugthrowing munitions and large exploding rounds the human inhabitants who had been dubbed 'whiteys' by Warsmith Berossus used what seemed to be lightning guns. Although the noise and light they emmitted when shot were unbelievable the plate of the astartes held true in most cases, but it was the armor that was taking a heavey toll. Already three titans had been either completely destroyed or knocked out of action due to larger versions of this gun that seemed to be a sort of EMP weapon.
The only fortress left on this world was as large as half a continent, which was why almost the whole legion was planetside during this assault. Unfortunately the Iron Warriors were at a standstill at the moment due to the titans' inability to get close enough to break the walls. It was noted in a meeting that the fortress's defenses could only shoot outwards and if they were able to break one part and pour in then they could take out the other wall mounted guns and so allow the legion to take the fortress and the planet.
Shamesu and Vilhelm were now acting Captains under Warsmith Toramino and it was under his mantle that the duty of breaking open the walls fell to. The weak point had been spotted by sheer chance by an advanced scout squad that had been sent to a certain portion of the wall to examine a strange vent like structure that had been spotted. They were apparently the vents for the large energy weapons mounted on the citadel's walls and would lead to many other ways into the walls, but when an astartes squad was sent in the heated air that blasted out melted their armor killing them all, that was when it was suggested by Vilhelm that terminators be used. Originally he had been scoffed at but when Warsmiths Berossus, Toramino and Ferrous had backed him up he was allowed to continue, "Is not the Tactical Dreadnought Armor meant to withstand nothing short of a titan like blast? Do we not have the most suits in use of any other legion? Not only this but we were gifted with the new siege pattern that suits us even better. Let I and my men enter this vent ourselves and when we prove that it can be done the rest of our brothers that are gifted with Terminator armor can follow suit in the similar vent like structures."
Needless to say Perturabo backed up the chance, he seemed almost giddy that a new opening had been found but he was cautious as ever and when the time came for Vilhelm and his men to enter the vent he made sure that they were well covered. Before leaving for the vent Shamesu had confronted Vilhelm, "I will be waiting for your comfirmation brother, Iron Within," Vilhelm had smiled, "Iron Without." Vilhelm and his men had advanced with little to no resistance due to their brothers' efforts and once inside the vent for no more than thirty seconds a blast of superheated air had shot out at them. They all held their breath waiting to hear their armor melt but nothing happened, some of his men chuckled as they realized only thier paint on their armor was harmed and they moved on, "All clear." said Vilhelm as he and his men began to move forwards. The other squads all across the continent began to move into the vents and make their way to the points where they could blow their way out, all the while the 'whities' completely oblivious to the danger that moved within their walls.
Minutes later the terinators burst out of walls all around the citadel's bastions their weapons tearing into the men within. Twenty minutes after Vilhelm and his men had entered the vents holes were blown in the walls and the Iron Warriors were pouring through the breaches, overwhelming the defenders within and raining death upon them. The Emperor's justice had come to 43-08.
Scene 7, A meeting with the Warmaster;
Vilhelm, Shamesu and their squads stood at attention as their lord conversed with his brother on certain tactical matters. From where they were standing they could barely here anything but Vilhelm could tell by his lord's posture that he was not happy. "Doesn't look good does it?" said Shamesu as he leaned down toward Vilhelm. "No it does not. I'm guessing the vaunted Warmaster Horus is telling him that we need to split our forces even more to 'further' the cause of the Crusade." Shamesu was about to say something when they heard a deep voice from beside them, coming from an alcove off to their left, "Are the sons of Olympia questioning the tactical knowledge of the Warmaster?" Shamesu snorted his answer as Abaddon and Little Horus came into view, Vilhelm wasnt as quite, "Of course we are Horus. All the legions know that when it comes to tactical finesse and strategy the Luna Wolves are near the bottom, right next to the Sons of Russ and Angron's bloody horde."
Little Horus smiled slightly and Abaddon had a scowl on his face, he was a monster of a man but Shamesu was a little taller and Vilhelm was definately thicker, not to mention they were in their Terminator Armor, but Abaddon was an animal when it came to fighting and Vilhelm had always wondered which of them would win in a fight. "You would be wise to bite your tongue Vilhelm, the Warmaster does not take kindly to such words." Vilhelm smiled, "Oh he doesn't? Well you can tell him that we don't take kindly to having our numbers split and our legion broken. Ask him why he doesn't do the same to Dorn's bastard lot." Abaddon bristled but at that time Perturabo had made his way toward them and put his giant gauntlet on Abaddon's shoulder, "We are to leave my sons. Abaddon, Little Horus always good to see you." Horus smiled politely and bowed but Abaddon simply nodded his head and kept his mouth shut. Vilhelm and Shamesu smiled smugly at the two Luna Wolves as they walked away.
When they were back on the transport their lord said, "I heard what passed between you." it wasn't a question. Vilhelm bowed his head immediately shamed about what he had said. Their lord went on, "Do not be shamed my son. My brother has no sympathy for what we go through when we fight, it is the price he pays for having to see the bigger picture of the crusade. His sons, while valiant warriors, have not been through the gruelling campaigns that we have and do not understand, they are pampered with fame and recognition and respect. Unfortunately while some legions are given respect automatically, we must earn it." He placed his gauntlets on Vilhelm's and Shamesu's shoulderpads, "I am proud of you my sons. All your victories and all your defeats, you are true heroes, and deserve more than you recieve from your brothers in other legions." Vilhelm and Shamesu's chests filled with pride and they almost burst into tears with sheer joy, but as their lord sat back in his grav seat Vilhelm couldn't help but notice a hint of emotion in his eyes as if he was almost saying that to them to comfort himself. Vilhelm pushed the thought aside though, surely his lord got his dues and respect, after all why wouldn't he?
Scene 8, No Respect (Two years into the siege of Overdogg Mashaogg's forces);
Vilhelm slammed his power fist into the face of an ork nob before firing one of his autocannons at a group of gits setting up to fire upon a pack of Blood Claws. The siege was almost over the estimated time that his lord had put it at coming to a close and the defences of the orks starting to break, but apparently the orks didn't realize this. He and his men were tasked with taking the third, and what could laughingly be called, courtyard before moving forward to connect with Shamesu and his squad before taking one of the orks' sub-headquarters where numerous underbosses were held up nice and tight.
He heard the roar of jetpacks and looked up to see a squad of assault marines from the White Scars soaring toward a tower not far off. Of all the battles he had been in since his inception this had to be one of the crudest and most brutal to take part in, the ferocity of the orks was well earned, but with the combined might of three legions astartes this ork empire was on the brink of collapse. When Lord Russ and The Khan had met with Perturabo to discuss how best to take out this ork empire his lord had chosen one of the Warmaster's favourite tactics, take out the head. There were simply too many orks to be dealt with in a straightforward siege, it would have been a massive waste of time, ammo, and lives when it could be done in a smaller time period, otherwise it would have taken neigh on twenty years. So with the plans drawn up and the estimated time cut down to only two years the siege had started and the Emperor's sons had bypassed three systems full of orks to take on Overdogg on his home turf.
The noise was absolutely deafening now, the primordial bellows of the orks, the wolf howls of the Son's of Russ, the roar of the White Scars' jetpacks and the booming of the Iron Warriors' guns all mixing to form one deafening thunderstorm. As Vilhelm and his men entered the third courtyard they saw two White Scars fighting a losing battle against a mob of ork nobs. Without a word he and his men opened fire on the greenskins with their inbuilt weapons systems, tearing meat from bone and frying flesh, the two marines nodded their thanks and ran off down a side corridor. It was night at the moment but the constant barrage of fire, burning buildings, and smoke gave the sky an orangish haze, not only that but the ork fortress was constantly shaking from artillery fire.
"Vilhelm where in the Emperor's name are you!? The bloody Space Wolves ruined our surprise attack! They just charged in without warning! We need you here now before...." the channel was suddenly cut off but Vilhelm had heard enough from Shamesu to know that he needed to move faster. When they turned the corner that led to their objective they saw huge steel doors blown up and could hear bellows and the sound of clashing weapons coming from inside. Vilhelm charged into the room and was stunned still to see the sight in front of him, ten space wolves lay dead on the floor along with five ork chieftens, four Iron Warriors terminators were littered amongst them. Vilhelm looked up to see Shamesu battling the last ork sub-boss, one of his arms hacked off and his armor rent open and massive amounts of blood pouring from them.
The next few moments were nothing but a haze but once it subsided the ork sub-boss was gutted and beheaded and an apothecary was bending over Shamesu's body. Vilhelm shook his head and asked the Apothecary hurriedly, "Will he make it brother?" The Apothecary nodded, "Alone, no, but he has earned the honor to live again. We will inter him once we get him off planetside." A thunderhawk was called in and Shamesu was rushed on board to be taken to the battlebarge The Iron Will, he grabbed Vilhelm's guantles before he was taken on board, "Thank you brother, I owe you my life."
In the coming months the siege had ended and the ork empire picked apart piece by piece. Vilhelm had visited Shamesu in his new dreadnought body every day even though his friend was sleeping, so he didnt hear his lord's raging outburst when Russ and Khan were given all the credit for breaking the orks, or that their next assignment was to cleanse the warrens of the hrud in some five systems.
Scene 9, Silencing the Hrud;
Vilhelm stood with his Warsmith, Dredos of the Eighth Grand Company, in the gigantic domed room that Perturabo used as a briefing room for his Warsmiths and Battle Captains. It was two hours into the briefing already and the amount of information that had flown through the chamber was ridiculous but all of the astartes inside the room had sucked every last bit of it up, not paying attention here could very well get them or a whole company killed on the battlefield.
There was a sound that sounded like a metallic grunt and Vilhelm looked up at Shamesu's massive body, two huge metallic claws on arms were bent behind his back much like the servo arms used by techmarines but with power fields of their own, two lascannons were placed on the top of his chasis instead of a missile system and storm bolters with flamers were attached under his huge power fists. He was certainly an impressive sight and the tech involved in his dreadnought body was testament to the Iron Warriors' gift with the machine.
"Bored?" he asked his old friend. "No, we have never layed siege to fortresses that were halfway underground, this should be interesting." Vilhelm had chuckled when Shamesu had said that and told him it would be an easy feat, but four months into the siege he recalled how foolish those words had really been. The Hrud looked as though they were a mix between some kind of fish and bug that stood upright on two legs and despite the look of them the tech they did possess was astounding in its sheer power. While things that could only be described as laser beams were their usual weapons, they were only as effective as lasguns, their anti-aircraft and anti-vehicle weapons utilized some sort of sound beam that tore apart anything in its path.
Despite the already horrendous noise of the Imperial guns and those o the Hrud the damned aliens were always screaming the most unnerving tune,it was enough to drive an Astartes mad, and Vilhelm was really close to losing it at the moment. The Hrud built the topmost part of their fortresses above ground as a sort of lookout beacon while the other twenty or so levels consisted of tunnels underground all leading to a massive beast inside a large chamber that the Iron Warriors had dubbed 'Queens'.
When they attacked the first planet in this system they had realized first hand how adept the Hrud were at tunneling when they would suddenly appear in the midst of the Iron Warriors' trenches without warning. While the surprise attacks didn't take that much of a toll on the Astartes themselves the members of the Imperial Army that were with them were massacred in the first few weeks by these attacks. More bunkers and redoubts were built at points were they could watch the trenches and when the Hrud would break through they were torn to pieces, the trenches were safe for the moment. After the first fortress was breached it was apparent that the Imperium was going to have to start their own tunnels to effectively hit the fortresses and overwhelm them from different angles.
These underground tunnels also had bunkers inside for now the Imperials were on the Hrud's home turf and in all the more danger. It was in one of these tunnels that Vilhelm and his men were in at the moment, pinned down by a group of Hrud that had broken in from the east wall. The amount of break-ins in this area now was proven to be becuase the Imperials were extremely close to one of the Hrud's own tunnels that had been mapped earlier that month that led almost directly to the Queen's chamber. The one good thing about all the noise the Hrud made was that the Iron Warriors' ships above could trace out the tunnel systems beneath the ground using high frequency radio waves and then putting all the information into a map and the Queen's chamber was easily found. Warsmith Dredos and his company were given the honor of killing this beast but before they could blow a hole into the tunnel they were attacked a Hrud rifle had blown a gapping gory hole in Dredos's chest.
"On my signal we move and do not stop for any reason, if we lose momentum then the assault will falter and fail!" He had to yell even over the vox so that his men could hear him. After Dredos's untimely death the men of the Eighth were looking to him now for leadership and he was more than capable of giving it to them. The infernal xenos had already almost killed Warsmith Berrossus in the same type of attack and now they had succeded with Dredos and the Iron Warriors' were keen to exact revenge. "Heavey Assault units will attack the breach on me and break it wide open or the rest of you, remember stay in constant contact and secure the objectives quickly!" A titanic explosion up above them signaled that their brothers up top had blown open the fortress walls, now was the time to move, "For the Emperor! Iron Within!" he bellowed as he turned the corner and let loose with his autocannons at the screaming Hrud in front of him, behind and in the other branches o the tunnels the warriors of the Eighth Grand Company breached the tunnels of the Hrud and answered his call, "Iron Without!"
His squad and the Terminators behind him followed him to the breach and blew it wide open so that they could fit through it, running as fast as possible toward the Queen's chamber, once she was dead than the Hrud on this planet would simply give up. He turned a corner and almost had his head taken off by a soundblast but the shot went wide and Vilhelm blasted the xenos with his autocannons. On is auspex he could see the warriors of the eighth spreading out in the tunnels covering every approach to the Queen's chamber buying him and those with him time to kill her. One of his men made a gagging sound before saying, "This tunnel is disgusting, I feel like I'm running through someone's bowels." Vilhelm had to silently agree, the Hrud tunnels were soaking wet in some gooey liquid that smelled so bad not even their helmet's systems could take the smell away.
They turned another corner and were suddenly in one of the largest chambers Vilhelm had ever been in or seen. They were struck by the sheer volume of the noise within, it was absolutely horrendous and what it was coming from was even worse. The chamber surrounded a huge slab of rock that held up the Queen's immense bulk, and all around it entrances to other tunnels were studded on the walls. The Queen herself was hideous, it made an ork look beautiful, a multitude of milky green eyes studded its bulbous head, containing fleshy mandibles that oozed with slime, that was directly connected to the largest pulsating sack in the known galaxy. The screaming from the Queen rose and fell as numerous Hrud were popped out of the end of the sack and were shuttled to a tunnel not far away.
The xenos seemed not to notice the Astartes that were appearing at almost every tunnel entrance in the chamber. "Let's get this done." Vilhelm said and opened up with all of his armor's weapons on the Queen below, the rest of the Astartes in the chamber following suit. The Hrud helping the Queen give birth were immediately torn to shreds and soon the huge sack was leaking its fluids all over the place, the screaming from the Queen so bad that Vilhelm felt like his eardrums were going to burst. The ground started to shake and the tunnel next to him erupted as something huge hauled itself out of the entrance and into the chamber, when the dust began to settle Vilhelm saw it was Shamesu and he soon added his own firepower to killing the Queen. With a last deafening scream the Queen died, her sack exploding and showering all of the Astartes inside with thick ooze, the chamber had fallen silent, "Good work brothers now we must meet up with Toramino's company further in the fortress. Move out." He got a number of comfirms and turned to Shamesu as he heard his brothers behind him muttering about the snotlike ooze that had been thrown at them, his dreadnought body was stock still and Vilhelm wondered if the ooze had done something to his system, "Brother are you okay?" he asked. For a few heartpounding seconds there was no answer before Shamesu turned his massive body toward him, "I am fine brother, I was just listening to the vox channels of our brother for some useful tactical information and have disturbing news, the Hrud on the planet have gone silent."
Scene 10, In the Fires of Home and Betrayel;
They had gotten the message from Horus as they were making their way to the central systems of the Hrud. To warriors who were fresh and ready for battle it would have been shocking news but for the Iron Warriors who had been fighting thankless wars across the galaxy for the whole of the Great Crusade and were now fighting one of the hardest sieges they had ever partaken in the news was not only horrifying, but shattering. Traitors, that was the first thought that came to every Iron Warrior's mind when he heard the news, they will think we are also traitors. The Tyrant, Perturabo's adoptive father and previous ruler of Olympia had been overthrown upon the Emperor's arrival and replaced by Perturabo himself, was now the cause of a worldwide uprising against the Imperial Government set in place. Administratum buildings burned and it was said that their brothers that were on the planet were hard pressed to keep the uprising contained, they needed the legion. So with a heavey heart and confused mind the Iron Warriors stopped their crusade against the Hrud to save their own planet from destruction.
That was weeks ago when they had made the jump into the warp, the ride had been less comfortable then it usually was but then again they didn't care, all they had cared about was stopping this uprising and restoring their honor. But as bolters and heavey bolters gunned down screaming civilians and funeral pyres were made to burn the dead the haze of hatred and bitterness blew away to reveal the horrors that the Iron Warriors, the supposed protectors of Olympia, had unleashed on the hapless population. Hatred was replaced with despair as each and every Astartes from Perturabo and his Warsmiths and their Captains all the way down to the newest intiates realized what they had done. They had come to regain their honor from a traitor but instead had lost it to lies.
Newly appointed Warsmith Vilhelm Ironheart of the Eigth Grand Company stood in the ruins of what used to be his family's mountain top mansion and surveyed the scene of carnage below with nothing but bitterness and shame. Huge funeral pyres burned with horrific flames as the Iron Warriors tried to burn away the black stain that was now on their souls from this monstrous betrayel. They had killed their own people, those they had sworn to protect from all harm, and all because of a lie. A lie, it left such a bitter taste in Vilhelm's mouth that he spit constantly hoping it would rid his mouth of the foul waste. Already he had met with Perturabo and the other Warsmiths to decide their next course of action and were awaiting his summons so that they could be there with him when the Warmaster's communique came in.
Shamesu stood by him, a silent sentinel amidst all of the death and destruction. To the untrained eye it would seem all of this did not have any effect on him but Vilhelm knew his friend all to well and knew that he would rather kill himself then stand here and watch those he killed burn, but he did so anyways. It had been Toramino who had at first said that the lie had most likely originated from the Imperial Fists who had to pass by Olympia on their way to Terra, they were still sore about leaving the Great Crusade and jealous of the victories the Iron Warriors had been winning and would still win.
Toramino's blackened gauntlet slammed onto the table, "We know it came from them! Those bastards are jealous that we got the Hrud campaign and they got called home! They had to do something to spite us because they knew we didnt care they called to build the defences on Terra!" Ferrous stood up, "The message came from the Warmaster Toramino, remember that, we don't know for sure where it originated." Toramino's face distorted in disgust, "Are you a fool Ferrous? It is obvious where it came from! I cannot believe you seek to place this on the Warmaster and to defend Dorn's bastard lot!" Ferrous was a large man before he became an Astartes and that irregular musculature followed him into his life as a space marine. Despite being twice Toramino's size who was not small either he was across the room in less than a second and his fist was connecting with Toramino's face, knocking him to the floor, "Do not presume that I try to place blame on the Warmaster rat! I hate Dorn's lot as much as any of us but where you let your emotions take over your mind I do not! I am trying to find the best solution to this problem unlike you! If you speak to me like that again I will rip your head off!"
Ferrous walked back to his spot and crossed his arms as Toramino got up and set his nose back in place. Just as Toramino was about to say something Vilhelm spoke up, "Shut your mouth, we have all suffered today so think about the rest of your brothers before you start anything. We must appeal to the Emperor for his forgiveness as Berroussus said earlier and as all of us must agree." Toramino waved his hand Vilhelm, "You think that you can tell me what to do? You have had no action as a Warsmith yet and are new to this inner circle. Let me tell you Vilhelm the Ironhearted youngling it doesn't matter that your family was in good with our lord and that he favors you, you are a whelp through and through and until you prove..." that was all Toramino got to say before Vilhelm's power fist connected with his face. Unlike Ferrous though Vilhelm did not stop and get up, he kept pummeling Toramino's face until the Warsmiths in the room had to pull him off. Toramino's face was a bloody mess and he was moaning in pain as Warsmith Gouran who had used to be an Apothecary pulled him up and called for an Apothecary. This infighting and arguments had gone on for another six hours the whole time their lord Perturabo was silent and watchful his mind clearly in other places.
"Warsmith Vilhelm you are needed in the War Room, the Warmaster will be coming through soon." Vilhelm acknowledged and looked at Shamesu, "I need you with me." Shamesu's chasis made a weird grating sound and he knew his friend was sighing, "I will go with you, we have stood together since the beginning and I will not leave your side now." As they entered the War Room Perturabo was facing a huge screen and the other Warsmiths were also standing in different areas of the room watching the screen. Ferrous nodded at him but a few like Toramino scowled in his direction, Berroussus actually approached him, his huge dreadnought body clearly bigger than Shamesu's, "What you did earlier today boy, I commend you on it. Toramino is rat as Ferrous says and thinks himself better than the rest of us, he always has comments for all of us and that beating was needed. We are clearly in deeper than we think." and with that he made his way back to Ferrous and Gouran. There was a huge amount of information that suddenly came across the screen, pictures and telepathic messages being intercepted and as was usual they all started reading the information.
As the information they were reading suddenly began to sink in a single gasp was heard among them eminating from Perturabo himself. They all stood there stunned to the very core, unable to move or think or even breath, more betrayal. Horus, Horus the Warmaster, one of the only primarchs to show the Iron Warriors the respect they deserved had turned agains the Emperor, his own father. Many of them openly wept while others just stood there with their mouths open in horror at the information flooding their systems. While they tried to cope Perturabo spoke to himself, trying to make himself believe it wasn't real, "No....not Horus....why....how....." Suddenly as if it seemed that the stream of information wouldn't end the screen blinked and there was Horus in all his splendor. He could only see Perturabo but by the look on is face he seemed genuinely worried for his brother, "Perturabo I am truly sorry for what transpired on Olympia. I was only recently made aware that what I had told you was a lie, a lie that was perpetrated by those who seek to shame you. I know who sought to bring you and your mighty sons down..."
He let the statement hang as Perturabo sought to digest everything, "How could you Horus? Our own father....our brothers..." Horus's face twisted in passionate anger, "Brother what do you mean how could I?! Don't tell me you didn't secretly figure it out earlier, you are no fool. Our father doesn't care about us! He sought to use us for his means to conquer the galaxy, you and your sons know this the most out of all of us! Thrown at every wall and fortress that could not be broken, bleeding and dying to conquer the unconquerable! And for what?! What have you received for all of your hard work? It is not I that seeks to split your legion brother, that order came directly from our loving father himself, he sought to keep you under his heel but you have a chance to fight back. You can regain all of the honor you have lost to him! Think of how Dorn and the Fists had won the honor to build Terra's defences, that should have been your honor, your legion's task...but it wasn't given to you, it was given to a brother who should have supported you like I did but didn't for he knew you were better. Now is your chance to take everything back that you lost and that should have been given to you, to finally get what you deserve."
Perturabo was silent for a long while as were his Warsmiths who were practically brain dead, but Horus had hit something deep inside them all, a flame of bitterness and hatred was starting to kindle deep in their breasts. They had been betrayed by the one they had all thought loved them and appreciated them for all of their hard work, all of their unbelievable victories, all of the lives given in his name, and he had betrayed them? A bellow of anger resounded through the room and suddenly Perturabo was swinging the warhammer Forgebreaker, given to him by Horus himself, at the statue of the Emperor in the room. It shattered as the mighty weapon hit it, not even the legs of the statue surviving, the whole was turned to dust. Perturabo turned to face Horus and the smile on the Warmaster's face was wide indeed, "What are your orders brother?" Horus spoke his next words smoothly, "In a few days you will get a message from Dorn himself, he will tell you of my betrayal and you will be part of the legions sent to silence me. Talk to Alpharius for the rest of the information, his, Lorgar's and Konrad's legions will be aiding you. It is good to have you by my side brother." And with that the screen went blank. They all stood there, the emptiness they had felt earlier was filled with such strong hatred and bitterness that they all felt like they were going to burst at the joints.
Hours later Alpharius was finally contacted and his face was on the screen twisted into a scowl, "And what is the name of the system again?" asked Perturabo bitterly. Alpharius smiled slyly, "Istvaan."
So ends Act 1
Act 1
Scene 1, The Life Before;
He had been born from two loving parents. An only child and the last male descendant from his father's side the pressure was on him to find a mate and carry on the line. At the moment he was sweating profusely, standing by the wall in his lord Perturabo's palace at one of his victory balls. His father was one of the high prince's head generals and so he was privelaged to be here. The girl that his family had set him up with was dancing with her friends, every now and then casting a glance in his direction which made his knees quiver. Eventually he gathered up the courage enough to approach her and give her the rose he had picked for her. They were only fifteen but that was the normal age for people on Olympia to get married and have children, and the pressure was on him now. After giving her the rose she had smiled and taken him outside where they talked the whole night away until her and his father had come to fetch them. They left and in four weeks were married, they had just turned sixteen when their first two children were born and his lord was there to congratulate them.
They were both from warrior's families and the children were destined to be great heros of Olympia. He had already aquired a high position in the army under his lord Perturabo and was moving up fast. Then a month after their lives changed drastically. The coming of the Emperor had marked a new age for him and his family. The Tyrant, Perturabo's father, was deposed and his lord put in his place. Immediately trials started for the induction into his lord's legion, and he wanted so badly to go, but he had a family now and could not. He was a staunch supporter of his lord which is why what happened next happened to him. A week into the trials his family was attacked by supporters of the deposed Tyrant and his wife was killed in cold blood, his children missing. His lord took it upon himself to send out his men to search for his children but to no avail, and he was driven into a state of deep depression. It was in this state that his lord came to him and told him of the trials. It would be a new life, one that he would excel in. Little did he know how drastically his life would be changed from the day he stepped foot to take the trials.
Scene 2, The Trials and a New Beginning;
The Trials were being held at his lord's palace up on one of the highest mountain tops. He expected them to be only on strength of the body, for although he was a warrior he had not had the growth spurt that would make him as large as his father and so he was quite skinny, but was surprised when they were also composed of battle tactics, leadership skills, how well one's mind was attuned with technology and many other things. He did about average in the physical fitness trials and barely made the grade when it came time to weed out the weak ones from the trials, he was glad when the trials of the mind had started. At the end of the physical fitness trials he had been considered a bad candidate for one of the warriors of his lord's legion but when the other trials had started he had shone out amongst the rest. His superb tactical genius and leadership had led him and the team he commanded to the top of the charts in every other trial. His affinity for the magic of technology had also impressed his lord's proxies who were in charge of selecting the candidates to be in the legion.
It was during these trials he had met his best friend, Shamesu. The boy was extremely tall for one his age and was skinny like he was, and so they bonded simply because they each needed that extra push to get past the competition. Shamesu's father was the son of a warrior who was one of the lower ranks in their lord's army and so their fathers' knew little of each other. They had made a terrible tag team when they each had been given their own teams for the tactical and leadership side of the trials and none of the candidates could hope to best them. When it came time for the two of them to go head to head they relished the chance and bid each other good luck. The mock battle was to be a siege, Shamesu the one committing it, and he the one defending the fortress. The mock battle had lasted for a week with neither side gaining the upper hand until their lord Perturabo had stoped the battle and declared both of them and their teams fit to become that which they had all dreamed of, Astartes.
Scene 3, The Transformation;
He had to admit he was very frightened at the moment. It helped that Shamesu was there, the two of them complimented each other very well in not only tactics but personalities. Where he was outgoing, loud, quick to anger, had a fierce tenacity, and possessed of a frightening strength of will, Shamesu was quite, methodical, slow to anger, merciless, and had such an affinity for technology he was surpassed only by their lord Perturabo. They and their other recruits had been summoned upon one of their lord's new "ships" although he couldnt for the life of him understand why they were called ships when they werent anywhere near the water. Shamesu had said it was because they sailed the abyss, but he didnt really understand that either so he let it be. When they had arrived on one of the "ships" they had been asked for a volunteer to go first and he had stepped up unafraid of what was in story for him. When he was belted to an iron table he could see Shamesu across from him and said, "See you on the other side brother." Shamesu smiled weakly before the anesthetics knocked them both out.
He awoke in a chamber on a cot and sprang to his feet, hitting his head on the low cieling....but the cieling wasnt low. When he examined the room and himself he realized he had grown to enormous proportions, a sense of elation filled him as he realized that he had made it, he was now an Astartes. He lept around his room wooping and yelling like an idiot until the door slid open and his lord entered. He immediately kneeled and pledged his allegiance, "My son, stand, please you embaress yourself." His voice always served to stun him but he stood regardless. His lord told him of the changes wrought upon his body and his new purpose in life, a great crusade for mankind across the stars. His mind wondered at everything he was told and when his lord was finished he had two questions that he wanted to ask, the first being why his lord had come to see him first. His lord had said that he had a special place in his heart for him for he had weathered so much and became such a great being. Satisfied with the answer he then asked where Shamesu was, his lord chuckled and told him to follow him. They walked and conversed for awhile until they stood outside of two huge iron doors. They walked inside and he saw hundreds of men just like himself, he quickly saw Shamesu's towering form above them all and waved him down. They stood conversing until their lord motioned for them all to be quite. Silence immediately followed and the speech was one of the most moving he had ever heard, they were to crusade across the galaxy and bring together the lost strands of humanity for their lord's father, The Emperor of Mankind.
When they had been dismissed for the beginnings of their training he and Shamesu were each assigned to their own squad and given command due to their exploits in the trials. When they were being given their armor the old marine who was sizing them up stopped them both, "Names." He had answered first of course, "Vilhelm sir." The old craggy marine looked him up and down, "You're pretty thick Vilhelm, squat too. I know what would suit you but first thing is first." He handed Vilhelm his bolter and combat knife and then motioned for him to got and retrieve his armor. He had quickly ran down the corridor, not waiting for Shamesu. When he was outfitted in his new armor and weapons he felt like he was complete. They then spent months training with their squads and the company they were to be in, the Eighth Grand Company. Vilhelm had grown quite large, larger than any other marine he met in the fleet, but he was of average hieght, on the other hand Shamesu was the tallest marine he had ever seen, towering over their brothers and almost as tall as their primarch. They were fighting in one of the training cages when they got the call to arms, they armored themselves and met their squads on the embarcation deck they were assigned to. They were to fight in their first true battle, they were taking the system of Justice Rock.
Scene 4, The First Blood;
The noise was horrendous, this was the last planet they had to take and the fierce opposition was stunning. Vilhelm's squad, Eigth Tactical Squad, had been ordered to take out numerous comms stations and were at their last one when the Judges themselves had sauntered onto the battlefield. His company, The Eighth Grand Company, was to take the eastern fortress wall, and their leader, Warsmith Godur Steel Fist had said that they would breach the walls first. Vilhelm ducked back into cover, one of his men, for all of them were from Olympia like him, asked him, "Now what?!" Vilhelm thought for a moment and opened a channel to Shamesu and his squad, "Brother, where is your location?" He got static for a few moments and then Shamesu's voice cut through, "West of one of the comms bunkers. What do you need?"
"I need some explosives ten meters from the entrance of the bunker, leave the rest to me."
"Will do." One of his men, Halkur, tried to peek around the corner they were hiding behind but was quickly pulled back by Gar, their Apothecary, when huge rounds attempted to shoot his head off. The Judges were huge amalgams of a once human body and machine. They still had human components but were outfitted with weapons gallore, each one capable of killing an Astartes. Their targeting systems were top of the line with the exception that they were easily distracted, a trait Vilhelm was going to exploit. Explosions were suddenly heard and he rushed from the corner, his chainsword high and his bolter pumping rounds into the judge. It had been blinded by the explosions and was firing wildly, he ducked and rolled right up to it, bringing his chainsword up through its torso and ripping it out. The Judge collapsed and he and his men charged into the bunker.
The battle had actually been surprisingly quick, and the last planet was taken within the day. He and his sqaud had been blooded and were considered full astartes now by their peers from Terra, something they took great pride in. As Vilhelm's and Shamesu's squads sat, ate, drank and conversed at one of the huge iron eating tables the ship they were on, The Implacable, jumped into the warp with the rest of the fleet. They were off to go and further the crusade in the name of mankind. The pride within their breasts was enormous, for what greater calling was there.
Scene 5, A Gift from the Forges of Mars;
It had been the one hundred and fortieth year of the Great Crusade when Tactical Drednought armor had been introduced to some of the legions. Of course by stint of their abilities and type of warfare the Iron Warriors had been the first gifted with these mighty suits. He and Shamesu were still sergeants of their respective squads, each having won many laurels, and they were considered to be the best veteran squads in the legion, even better than first company's veteran squads. They each had been called with their squads to the bridge of the Implacable where they were to meet their primarch Perturabo for some unknown reason. When they reached the doors to the bridge they opened automatically and the two squad sergeants and their squads marched in to meet their primarch.
He was absolutely massive in his armor. Although he was rather short compared to some of his brothers Perturabo's thick Olympian Armor made him look truly titanic. Black and yellow chevrons could be seen on his left shoulderpad and parts of his greaves, the symbol of their legion, a steel skull, was brandished on his right shoulderpad. The thickness of his armor made his head seem tiny compared to the rest of it, the baroque style with which it was built intended to protect him from anything. As one the two squads kneeled before their lord, he nodded and said, "Rise, I have a gift for each of you." They rose to their feet and awaited what thier lord had to tell them. "You each are to be promoted to the position of captain." A broad smile spread across his face as Vilhelm and Shamesu and congratulated each other and thier squads cheered for thier brothers. As they died down a little Perturabo continued, "There is a catch though, neither of you can be promoted without a badge of office and so both of you and your squads are being gifted with suits of Tactical Drednought Armor. You have earned it my sons." The marines cheered again, this time louder than before. Perturabo dismissed the two squads but made Shamesu and Vilhelm stay. "The armor is different for the two of you though. Shamesu you and your squad have been issued the standard mark of the armor but have been equipped with better close combat weapons. Vilhelm you and your squad have been issued a special mark that had only been issued to our legion because of our relationship with the adepts of Mars. It is a siege pattern, bulkier, thicker armor, better stabilizing systems, and mounted heavey weapons not available on the other mark but you will have even more decreased movement speed. I expect to see great things from the two of you." And with that they were dismissed.
Scene 6; To Kill a Giant (four decades into the Great Crusade)
They were told that the resistance could not be overcome. They were told that not even the Blood Angels had been able to storm the planet and take hold of it. They were told that their plans were futile. When their lord Perturabo heard this he was quoted saying, "If it was built, it can be torn down, and my sons are the ones to do it." and indeed they were. Five hours after entering the system designated as 43-08, being the eighth system that the Blood Angels splinter fleet, the 43rd expedition, had encountered, the main force of the Iron Warriors Legion was ready to make planetfall and begin its siege that was projected to take close to ten years to complete. This system was deemed to be a very large impediment right in the way of the Great Crusade and it was evident after the Blood Angels' failure that the only force in the galaxy capable of breaking it was the Iron Warriors. And so after five hours of long preparation the Sons of Olympia were ready to take the battle to the first planet.
The sound was horrendous. The constant barrage of fire from the Iron Warriors' siege works was deafening in its own right but the enemy's defense guns were just as bad if not worse. The inhabitants of 43-08 were human in almost every way but due to their long exposure to the certain chemicals in the air they breathed they had grown quite large and pale with almost pupiless eyes. Their technology so far had been on par with the Imperial Forces but were of a whole other branch. Where the Iron Warriors were using heavey slugthrowing munitions and large exploding rounds the human inhabitants who had been dubbed 'whiteys' by Warsmith Berossus used what seemed to be lightning guns. Although the noise and light they emmitted when shot were unbelievable the plate of the astartes held true in most cases, but it was the armor that was taking a heavey toll. Already three titans had been either completely destroyed or knocked out of action due to larger versions of this gun that seemed to be a sort of EMP weapon.
The only fortress left on this world was as large as half a continent, which was why almost the whole legion was planetside during this assault. Unfortunately the Iron Warriors were at a standstill at the moment due to the titans' inability to get close enough to break the walls. It was noted in a meeting that the fortress's defenses could only shoot outwards and if they were able to break one part and pour in then they could take out the other wall mounted guns and so allow the legion to take the fortress and the planet.
Shamesu and Vilhelm were now acting Captains under Warsmith Toramino and it was under his mantle that the duty of breaking open the walls fell to. The weak point had been spotted by sheer chance by an advanced scout squad that had been sent to a certain portion of the wall to examine a strange vent like structure that had been spotted. They were apparently the vents for the large energy weapons mounted on the citadel's walls and would lead to many other ways into the walls, but when an astartes squad was sent in the heated air that blasted out melted their armor killing them all, that was when it was suggested by Vilhelm that terminators be used. Originally he had been scoffed at but when Warsmiths Berossus, Toramino and Ferrous had backed him up he was allowed to continue, "Is not the Tactical Dreadnought Armor meant to withstand nothing short of a titan like blast? Do we not have the most suits in use of any other legion? Not only this but we were gifted with the new siege pattern that suits us even better. Let I and my men enter this vent ourselves and when we prove that it can be done the rest of our brothers that are gifted with Terminator armor can follow suit in the similar vent like structures."
Needless to say Perturabo backed up the chance, he seemed almost giddy that a new opening had been found but he was cautious as ever and when the time came for Vilhelm and his men to enter the vent he made sure that they were well covered. Before leaving for the vent Shamesu had confronted Vilhelm, "I will be waiting for your comfirmation brother, Iron Within," Vilhelm had smiled, "Iron Without." Vilhelm and his men had advanced with little to no resistance due to their brothers' efforts and once inside the vent for no more than thirty seconds a blast of superheated air had shot out at them. They all held their breath waiting to hear their armor melt but nothing happened, some of his men chuckled as they realized only thier paint on their armor was harmed and they moved on, "All clear." said Vilhelm as he and his men began to move forwards. The other squads all across the continent began to move into the vents and make their way to the points where they could blow their way out, all the while the 'whities' completely oblivious to the danger that moved within their walls.
Minutes later the terinators burst out of walls all around the citadel's bastions their weapons tearing into the men within. Twenty minutes after Vilhelm and his men had entered the vents holes were blown in the walls and the Iron Warriors were pouring through the breaches, overwhelming the defenders within and raining death upon them. The Emperor's justice had come to 43-08.
Scene 7, A meeting with the Warmaster;
Vilhelm, Shamesu and their squads stood at attention as their lord conversed with his brother on certain tactical matters. From where they were standing they could barely here anything but Vilhelm could tell by his lord's posture that he was not happy. "Doesn't look good does it?" said Shamesu as he leaned down toward Vilhelm. "No it does not. I'm guessing the vaunted Warmaster Horus is telling him that we need to split our forces even more to 'further' the cause of the Crusade." Shamesu was about to say something when they heard a deep voice from beside them, coming from an alcove off to their left, "Are the sons of Olympia questioning the tactical knowledge of the Warmaster?" Shamesu snorted his answer as Abaddon and Little Horus came into view, Vilhelm wasnt as quite, "Of course we are Horus. All the legions know that when it comes to tactical finesse and strategy the Luna Wolves are near the bottom, right next to the Sons of Russ and Angron's bloody horde."
Little Horus smiled slightly and Abaddon had a scowl on his face, he was a monster of a man but Shamesu was a little taller and Vilhelm was definately thicker, not to mention they were in their Terminator Armor, but Abaddon was an animal when it came to fighting and Vilhelm had always wondered which of them would win in a fight. "You would be wise to bite your tongue Vilhelm, the Warmaster does not take kindly to such words." Vilhelm smiled, "Oh he doesn't? Well you can tell him that we don't take kindly to having our numbers split and our legion broken. Ask him why he doesn't do the same to Dorn's bastard lot." Abaddon bristled but at that time Perturabo had made his way toward them and put his giant gauntlet on Abaddon's shoulder, "We are to leave my sons. Abaddon, Little Horus always good to see you." Horus smiled politely and bowed but Abaddon simply nodded his head and kept his mouth shut. Vilhelm and Shamesu smiled smugly at the two Luna Wolves as they walked away.
When they were back on the transport their lord said, "I heard what passed between you." it wasn't a question. Vilhelm bowed his head immediately shamed about what he had said. Their lord went on, "Do not be shamed my son. My brother has no sympathy for what we go through when we fight, it is the price he pays for having to see the bigger picture of the crusade. His sons, while valiant warriors, have not been through the gruelling campaigns that we have and do not understand, they are pampered with fame and recognition and respect. Unfortunately while some legions are given respect automatically, we must earn it." He placed his gauntlets on Vilhelm's and Shamesu's shoulderpads, "I am proud of you my sons. All your victories and all your defeats, you are true heroes, and deserve more than you recieve from your brothers in other legions." Vilhelm and Shamesu's chests filled with pride and they almost burst into tears with sheer joy, but as their lord sat back in his grav seat Vilhelm couldn't help but notice a hint of emotion in his eyes as if he was almost saying that to them to comfort himself. Vilhelm pushed the thought aside though, surely his lord got his dues and respect, after all why wouldn't he?
Scene 8, No Respect (Two years into the siege of Overdogg Mashaogg's forces);
Vilhelm slammed his power fist into the face of an ork nob before firing one of his autocannons at a group of gits setting up to fire upon a pack of Blood Claws. The siege was almost over the estimated time that his lord had put it at coming to a close and the defences of the orks starting to break, but apparently the orks didn't realize this. He and his men were tasked with taking the third, and what could laughingly be called, courtyard before moving forward to connect with Shamesu and his squad before taking one of the orks' sub-headquarters where numerous underbosses were held up nice and tight.
He heard the roar of jetpacks and looked up to see a squad of assault marines from the White Scars soaring toward a tower not far off. Of all the battles he had been in since his inception this had to be one of the crudest and most brutal to take part in, the ferocity of the orks was well earned, but with the combined might of three legions astartes this ork empire was on the brink of collapse. When Lord Russ and The Khan had met with Perturabo to discuss how best to take out this ork empire his lord had chosen one of the Warmaster's favourite tactics, take out the head. There were simply too many orks to be dealt with in a straightforward siege, it would have been a massive waste of time, ammo, and lives when it could be done in a smaller time period, otherwise it would have taken neigh on twenty years. So with the plans drawn up and the estimated time cut down to only two years the siege had started and the Emperor's sons had bypassed three systems full of orks to take on Overdogg on his home turf.
The noise was absolutely deafening now, the primordial bellows of the orks, the wolf howls of the Son's of Russ, the roar of the White Scars' jetpacks and the booming of the Iron Warriors' guns all mixing to form one deafening thunderstorm. As Vilhelm and his men entered the third courtyard they saw two White Scars fighting a losing battle against a mob of ork nobs. Without a word he and his men opened fire on the greenskins with their inbuilt weapons systems, tearing meat from bone and frying flesh, the two marines nodded their thanks and ran off down a side corridor. It was night at the moment but the constant barrage of fire, burning buildings, and smoke gave the sky an orangish haze, not only that but the ork fortress was constantly shaking from artillery fire.
"Vilhelm where in the Emperor's name are you!? The bloody Space Wolves ruined our surprise attack! They just charged in without warning! We need you here now before...." the channel was suddenly cut off but Vilhelm had heard enough from Shamesu to know that he needed to move faster. When they turned the corner that led to their objective they saw huge steel doors blown up and could hear bellows and the sound of clashing weapons coming from inside. Vilhelm charged into the room and was stunned still to see the sight in front of him, ten space wolves lay dead on the floor along with five ork chieftens, four Iron Warriors terminators were littered amongst them. Vilhelm looked up to see Shamesu battling the last ork sub-boss, one of his arms hacked off and his armor rent open and massive amounts of blood pouring from them.
The next few moments were nothing but a haze but once it subsided the ork sub-boss was gutted and beheaded and an apothecary was bending over Shamesu's body. Vilhelm shook his head and asked the Apothecary hurriedly, "Will he make it brother?" The Apothecary nodded, "Alone, no, but he has earned the honor to live again. We will inter him once we get him off planetside." A thunderhawk was called in and Shamesu was rushed on board to be taken to the battlebarge The Iron Will, he grabbed Vilhelm's guantles before he was taken on board, "Thank you brother, I owe you my life."
In the coming months the siege had ended and the ork empire picked apart piece by piece. Vilhelm had visited Shamesu in his new dreadnought body every day even though his friend was sleeping, so he didnt hear his lord's raging outburst when Russ and Khan were given all the credit for breaking the orks, or that their next assignment was to cleanse the warrens of the hrud in some five systems.
Scene 9, Silencing the Hrud;
Vilhelm stood with his Warsmith, Dredos of the Eighth Grand Company, in the gigantic domed room that Perturabo used as a briefing room for his Warsmiths and Battle Captains. It was two hours into the briefing already and the amount of information that had flown through the chamber was ridiculous but all of the astartes inside the room had sucked every last bit of it up, not paying attention here could very well get them or a whole company killed on the battlefield.
There was a sound that sounded like a metallic grunt and Vilhelm looked up at Shamesu's massive body, two huge metallic claws on arms were bent behind his back much like the servo arms used by techmarines but with power fields of their own, two lascannons were placed on the top of his chasis instead of a missile system and storm bolters with flamers were attached under his huge power fists. He was certainly an impressive sight and the tech involved in his dreadnought body was testament to the Iron Warriors' gift with the machine.
"Bored?" he asked his old friend. "No, we have never layed siege to fortresses that were halfway underground, this should be interesting." Vilhelm had chuckled when Shamesu had said that and told him it would be an easy feat, but four months into the siege he recalled how foolish those words had really been. The Hrud looked as though they were a mix between some kind of fish and bug that stood upright on two legs and despite the look of them the tech they did possess was astounding in its sheer power. While things that could only be described as laser beams were their usual weapons, they were only as effective as lasguns, their anti-aircraft and anti-vehicle weapons utilized some sort of sound beam that tore apart anything in its path.
Despite the already horrendous noise of the Imperial guns and those o the Hrud the damned aliens were always screaming the most unnerving tune,it was enough to drive an Astartes mad, and Vilhelm was really close to losing it at the moment. The Hrud built the topmost part of their fortresses above ground as a sort of lookout beacon while the other twenty or so levels consisted of tunnels underground all leading to a massive beast inside a large chamber that the Iron Warriors had dubbed 'Queens'.
When they attacked the first planet in this system they had realized first hand how adept the Hrud were at tunneling when they would suddenly appear in the midst of the Iron Warriors' trenches without warning. While the surprise attacks didn't take that much of a toll on the Astartes themselves the members of the Imperial Army that were with them were massacred in the first few weeks by these attacks. More bunkers and redoubts were built at points were they could watch the trenches and when the Hrud would break through they were torn to pieces, the trenches were safe for the moment. After the first fortress was breached it was apparent that the Imperium was going to have to start their own tunnels to effectively hit the fortresses and overwhelm them from different angles.
These underground tunnels also had bunkers inside for now the Imperials were on the Hrud's home turf and in all the more danger. It was in one of these tunnels that Vilhelm and his men were in at the moment, pinned down by a group of Hrud that had broken in from the east wall. The amount of break-ins in this area now was proven to be becuase the Imperials were extremely close to one of the Hrud's own tunnels that had been mapped earlier that month that led almost directly to the Queen's chamber. The one good thing about all the noise the Hrud made was that the Iron Warriors' ships above could trace out the tunnel systems beneath the ground using high frequency radio waves and then putting all the information into a map and the Queen's chamber was easily found. Warsmith Dredos and his company were given the honor of killing this beast but before they could blow a hole into the tunnel they were attacked a Hrud rifle had blown a gapping gory hole in Dredos's chest.
"On my signal we move and do not stop for any reason, if we lose momentum then the assault will falter and fail!" He had to yell even over the vox so that his men could hear him. After Dredos's untimely death the men of the Eighth were looking to him now for leadership and he was more than capable of giving it to them. The infernal xenos had already almost killed Warsmith Berrossus in the same type of attack and now they had succeded with Dredos and the Iron Warriors' were keen to exact revenge. "Heavey Assault units will attack the breach on me and break it wide open or the rest of you, remember stay in constant contact and secure the objectives quickly!" A titanic explosion up above them signaled that their brothers up top had blown open the fortress walls, now was the time to move, "For the Emperor! Iron Within!" he bellowed as he turned the corner and let loose with his autocannons at the screaming Hrud in front of him, behind and in the other branches o the tunnels the warriors of the Eighth Grand Company breached the tunnels of the Hrud and answered his call, "Iron Without!"
His squad and the Terminators behind him followed him to the breach and blew it wide open so that they could fit through it, running as fast as possible toward the Queen's chamber, once she was dead than the Hrud on this planet would simply give up. He turned a corner and almost had his head taken off by a soundblast but the shot went wide and Vilhelm blasted the xenos with his autocannons. On is auspex he could see the warriors of the eighth spreading out in the tunnels covering every approach to the Queen's chamber buying him and those with him time to kill her. One of his men made a gagging sound before saying, "This tunnel is disgusting, I feel like I'm running through someone's bowels." Vilhelm had to silently agree, the Hrud tunnels were soaking wet in some gooey liquid that smelled so bad not even their helmet's systems could take the smell away.
They turned another corner and were suddenly in one of the largest chambers Vilhelm had ever been in or seen. They were struck by the sheer volume of the noise within, it was absolutely horrendous and what it was coming from was even worse. The chamber surrounded a huge slab of rock that held up the Queen's immense bulk, and all around it entrances to other tunnels were studded on the walls. The Queen herself was hideous, it made an ork look beautiful, a multitude of milky green eyes studded its bulbous head, containing fleshy mandibles that oozed with slime, that was directly connected to the largest pulsating sack in the known galaxy. The screaming from the Queen rose and fell as numerous Hrud were popped out of the end of the sack and were shuttled to a tunnel not far away.
The xenos seemed not to notice the Astartes that were appearing at almost every tunnel entrance in the chamber. "Let's get this done." Vilhelm said and opened up with all of his armor's weapons on the Queen below, the rest of the Astartes in the chamber following suit. The Hrud helping the Queen give birth were immediately torn to shreds and soon the huge sack was leaking its fluids all over the place, the screaming from the Queen so bad that Vilhelm felt like his eardrums were going to burst. The ground started to shake and the tunnel next to him erupted as something huge hauled itself out of the entrance and into the chamber, when the dust began to settle Vilhelm saw it was Shamesu and he soon added his own firepower to killing the Queen. With a last deafening scream the Queen died, her sack exploding and showering all of the Astartes inside with thick ooze, the chamber had fallen silent, "Good work brothers now we must meet up with Toramino's company further in the fortress. Move out." He got a number of comfirms and turned to Shamesu as he heard his brothers behind him muttering about the snotlike ooze that had been thrown at them, his dreadnought body was stock still and Vilhelm wondered if the ooze had done something to his system, "Brother are you okay?" he asked. For a few heartpounding seconds there was no answer before Shamesu turned his massive body toward him, "I am fine brother, I was just listening to the vox channels of our brother for some useful tactical information and have disturbing news, the Hrud on the planet have gone silent."
Scene 10, In the Fires of Home and Betrayel;
They had gotten the message from Horus as they were making their way to the central systems of the Hrud. To warriors who were fresh and ready for battle it would have been shocking news but for the Iron Warriors who had been fighting thankless wars across the galaxy for the whole of the Great Crusade and were now fighting one of the hardest sieges they had ever partaken in the news was not only horrifying, but shattering. Traitors, that was the first thought that came to every Iron Warrior's mind when he heard the news, they will think we are also traitors. The Tyrant, Perturabo's adoptive father and previous ruler of Olympia had been overthrown upon the Emperor's arrival and replaced by Perturabo himself, was now the cause of a worldwide uprising against the Imperial Government set in place. Administratum buildings burned and it was said that their brothers that were on the planet were hard pressed to keep the uprising contained, they needed the legion. So with a heavey heart and confused mind the Iron Warriors stopped their crusade against the Hrud to save their own planet from destruction.
That was weeks ago when they had made the jump into the warp, the ride had been less comfortable then it usually was but then again they didn't care, all they had cared about was stopping this uprising and restoring their honor. But as bolters and heavey bolters gunned down screaming civilians and funeral pyres were made to burn the dead the haze of hatred and bitterness blew away to reveal the horrors that the Iron Warriors, the supposed protectors of Olympia, had unleashed on the hapless population. Hatred was replaced with despair as each and every Astartes from Perturabo and his Warsmiths and their Captains all the way down to the newest intiates realized what they had done. They had come to regain their honor from a traitor but instead had lost it to lies.
Newly appointed Warsmith Vilhelm Ironheart of the Eigth Grand Company stood in the ruins of what used to be his family's mountain top mansion and surveyed the scene of carnage below with nothing but bitterness and shame. Huge funeral pyres burned with horrific flames as the Iron Warriors tried to burn away the black stain that was now on their souls from this monstrous betrayel. They had killed their own people, those they had sworn to protect from all harm, and all because of a lie. A lie, it left such a bitter taste in Vilhelm's mouth that he spit constantly hoping it would rid his mouth of the foul waste. Already he had met with Perturabo and the other Warsmiths to decide their next course of action and were awaiting his summons so that they could be there with him when the Warmaster's communique came in.
Shamesu stood by him, a silent sentinel amidst all of the death and destruction. To the untrained eye it would seem all of this did not have any effect on him but Vilhelm knew his friend all to well and knew that he would rather kill himself then stand here and watch those he killed burn, but he did so anyways. It had been Toramino who had at first said that the lie had most likely originated from the Imperial Fists who had to pass by Olympia on their way to Terra, they were still sore about leaving the Great Crusade and jealous of the victories the Iron Warriors had been winning and would still win.
Toramino's blackened gauntlet slammed onto the table, "We know it came from them! Those bastards are jealous that we got the Hrud campaign and they got called home! They had to do something to spite us because they knew we didnt care they called to build the defences on Terra!" Ferrous stood up, "The message came from the Warmaster Toramino, remember that, we don't know for sure where it originated." Toramino's face distorted in disgust, "Are you a fool Ferrous? It is obvious where it came from! I cannot believe you seek to place this on the Warmaster and to defend Dorn's bastard lot!" Ferrous was a large man before he became an Astartes and that irregular musculature followed him into his life as a space marine. Despite being twice Toramino's size who was not small either he was across the room in less than a second and his fist was connecting with Toramino's face, knocking him to the floor, "Do not presume that I try to place blame on the Warmaster rat! I hate Dorn's lot as much as any of us but where you let your emotions take over your mind I do not! I am trying to find the best solution to this problem unlike you! If you speak to me like that again I will rip your head off!"
Ferrous walked back to his spot and crossed his arms as Toramino got up and set his nose back in place. Just as Toramino was about to say something Vilhelm spoke up, "Shut your mouth, we have all suffered today so think about the rest of your brothers before you start anything. We must appeal to the Emperor for his forgiveness as Berroussus said earlier and as all of us must agree." Toramino waved his hand Vilhelm, "You think that you can tell me what to do? You have had no action as a Warsmith yet and are new to this inner circle. Let me tell you Vilhelm the Ironhearted youngling it doesn't matter that your family was in good with our lord and that he favors you, you are a whelp through and through and until you prove..." that was all Toramino got to say before Vilhelm's power fist connected with his face. Unlike Ferrous though Vilhelm did not stop and get up, he kept pummeling Toramino's face until the Warsmiths in the room had to pull him off. Toramino's face was a bloody mess and he was moaning in pain as Warsmith Gouran who had used to be an Apothecary pulled him up and called for an Apothecary. This infighting and arguments had gone on for another six hours the whole time their lord Perturabo was silent and watchful his mind clearly in other places.
"Warsmith Vilhelm you are needed in the War Room, the Warmaster will be coming through soon." Vilhelm acknowledged and looked at Shamesu, "I need you with me." Shamesu's chasis made a weird grating sound and he knew his friend was sighing, "I will go with you, we have stood together since the beginning and I will not leave your side now." As they entered the War Room Perturabo was facing a huge screen and the other Warsmiths were also standing in different areas of the room watching the screen. Ferrous nodded at him but a few like Toramino scowled in his direction, Berroussus actually approached him, his huge dreadnought body clearly bigger than Shamesu's, "What you did earlier today boy, I commend you on it. Toramino is rat as Ferrous says and thinks himself better than the rest of us, he always has comments for all of us and that beating was needed. We are clearly in deeper than we think." and with that he made his way back to Ferrous and Gouran. There was a huge amount of information that suddenly came across the screen, pictures and telepathic messages being intercepted and as was usual they all started reading the information.
As the information they were reading suddenly began to sink in a single gasp was heard among them eminating from Perturabo himself. They all stood there stunned to the very core, unable to move or think or even breath, more betrayal. Horus, Horus the Warmaster, one of the only primarchs to show the Iron Warriors the respect they deserved had turned agains the Emperor, his own father. Many of them openly wept while others just stood there with their mouths open in horror at the information flooding their systems. While they tried to cope Perturabo spoke to himself, trying to make himself believe it wasn't real, "No....not Horus....why....how....." Suddenly as if it seemed that the stream of information wouldn't end the screen blinked and there was Horus in all his splendor. He could only see Perturabo but by the look on is face he seemed genuinely worried for his brother, "Perturabo I am truly sorry for what transpired on Olympia. I was only recently made aware that what I had told you was a lie, a lie that was perpetrated by those who seek to shame you. I know who sought to bring you and your mighty sons down..."
He let the statement hang as Perturabo sought to digest everything, "How could you Horus? Our own father....our brothers..." Horus's face twisted in passionate anger, "Brother what do you mean how could I?! Don't tell me you didn't secretly figure it out earlier, you are no fool. Our father doesn't care about us! He sought to use us for his means to conquer the galaxy, you and your sons know this the most out of all of us! Thrown at every wall and fortress that could not be broken, bleeding and dying to conquer the unconquerable! And for what?! What have you received for all of your hard work? It is not I that seeks to split your legion brother, that order came directly from our loving father himself, he sought to keep you under his heel but you have a chance to fight back. You can regain all of the honor you have lost to him! Think of how Dorn and the Fists had won the honor to build Terra's defences, that should have been your honor, your legion's task...but it wasn't given to you, it was given to a brother who should have supported you like I did but didn't for he knew you were better. Now is your chance to take everything back that you lost and that should have been given to you, to finally get what you deserve."
Perturabo was silent for a long while as were his Warsmiths who were practically brain dead, but Horus had hit something deep inside them all, a flame of bitterness and hatred was starting to kindle deep in their breasts. They had been betrayed by the one they had all thought loved them and appreciated them for all of their hard work, all of their unbelievable victories, all of the lives given in his name, and he had betrayed them? A bellow of anger resounded through the room and suddenly Perturabo was swinging the warhammer Forgebreaker, given to him by Horus himself, at the statue of the Emperor in the room. It shattered as the mighty weapon hit it, not even the legs of the statue surviving, the whole was turned to dust. Perturabo turned to face Horus and the smile on the Warmaster's face was wide indeed, "What are your orders brother?" Horus spoke his next words smoothly, "In a few days you will get a message from Dorn himself, he will tell you of my betrayal and you will be part of the legions sent to silence me. Talk to Alpharius for the rest of the information, his, Lorgar's and Konrad's legions will be aiding you. It is good to have you by my side brother." And with that the screen went blank. They all stood there, the emptiness they had felt earlier was filled with such strong hatred and bitterness that they all felt like they were going to burst at the joints.
Hours later Alpharius was finally contacted and his face was on the screen twisted into a scowl, "And what is the name of the system again?" asked Perturabo bitterly. Alpharius smiled slyly, "Istvaan."
So ends Act 1
