"Each attack of Abaddon has been with more troops than before, with stronger, better trained forces. It is not overstuffed, it is very well protected. The moment the Cadian Gate falls, the entire Imperium falls apart. It is the only thing keeping The Despoiler and all his agents of the ruinous powers out. You are willing to risk that for one petty Chaos Lord? Golbez is no real threat to us. He hasn't done genocide, he is not making any effort to conquer Terra or any such thing. Let him conquer the outskirts of the Imperium, the Orks will get rid of him for us." Lansung said, just getting back to the paperwork. "Just because you hate a man for killing your Chapter Master or whatever doesn't mean that everyone is as zealous as you about getting rid of him. So a handful of Astartes died a horrible death, so what? Thousands of humans die every day doing their daily jobs in the factories, as victims of gang conflicts on hive worlds, even during training drills. So stop mourning and get on with your life, for God Emperor's sake." Lansung lashed out, being bored of the same arguments he had already heard all day.
@Uriel1339 "You do not understand the threat Golbez possess' one bit, an idle threat such as dormant necrons are also harmless when they are encased within their tombs, but what of when they wake up? Would you not destroy them before they wake up? Because when they do, Emperor protects. The same could be said about genestealers! A single genestealer in a hiveworld is certainly of no concern, the gangs will probably kill it, but give it five years and the hive world becomes a tyranid-infested world. Such 'idle' threats are best treated and get rid of before they become something more. You must understand that while Abbadon masses forces outside the Cadian Gate, Golbez does so from within and they will coordinate to strike at the Imperium at once. We cannot enter the Eye of Terror to defeat Abbadon, that would be suicide, however we can mobilize forces and take on Golbez and his army before it is too late and as such, our fight against Abbadon would be easier when he stands alone."
Claudius felt a trimmer in his mind as information that seemed to have been common knowledge throughout the ranks and chapters of Astartes, was just said to be wrong. The Golden Throne was not meant to sustain, but to transport. It was an interesting thought, but one that still went against what had been pounded into his brain. He spoke as he placed his hammer onto his back, "So you would ask me to enter the webway and exterminate the daemons that would stop you. After which we would then enter the Throne room on Terra where an untold number of Custodes stand gaurd, and presumably have to fight and kill them...You place a heavy burden on my shoulders, should I accept. So, what do you offer me to help Me with this task and what proof do you have that that Orb will restore the Emperor? For all I know you could be draining the last energies from the Emperor and giving all the power in that orb, which includes mine, to yourself."
"The What?" Lansung looked up, more in curiosity than anything else. "The Imperium acts based on active threats." He said then anyway, not letting some weird alien species name letting him throw off. "That is why the Ordo Hereticus exists. It is not the Imperial Navy's duty to keep their tabs on traitors and annihilate them. Our duty is to annihilate threats from the void and make sure the Imperial Guard gets where they need to be. And that battlefield hardly is a necessity for the Imperial Guard to be present at. And let's forget even all that and let's assume you actually understand me by this point. What is there to gain for the Imperial Navy? You think so high and mighty of yourself because you fight on the battlefield while completely forgetting that I was not born a High Lord. I went through the imperial navy academy like everyone else, became an admiral through deeds not words. And there is nothing to be gained by rerouting major forces to some backwater world where a chaos lord presumably recruits from the very hearts of the Imperium to mobilize a Black Crusade. There is no evidence of such thing, there is no signs from intelligence that shows so. The only evidence there is that dozens of Astartes attached to the Deathwatch either are lost or killed when trying to get near that man. And that is a matter of the Ordo Xenos of the Inquisition and not a concern for the Imperial Navy. Not like you care, you just want an entire armada, perhaps the entire Battlefleet Sol sent right away to annihilate him. But you know what, you won't let me be will you? So have this." Lansung took a form from a drawer out, wrote something on it, signed it and put his own seal on it, handing it to Mariel. Once the Space Marine looked at it he could read the high gothic stating to allow 1 frigate to be under the command of Mariel. "Now get out of my sight, unless you have some other new points to raise." OOC: Only few Necrons awoke during The Great Crusade and later on and most likely are not even identified to be of the same species, you forget that even in M41 barely anyone knows of the Necrons. I read recently 'Fall of Damnos' and even Sicarius' 2nd company only knew basically that they are called Necrons and that they have Gauss weapons that are super deadly. Beyond that - virtually no information lol. Also Genestealers do not exist yet, Tyranids arrived the first time spotted on 'Tyran' after which planet they were named. Only after that they actually noticed Tyranids could have lived amongst humans and such since the 38th millennium or so :3 "It is not like you would be going yourself. I have a dedicated strikeforce that would be under your command. After all we do expect at least one Daemon Prince. And well... I will put the orb in your hands. It will be up to you what you do. Whether you decide to drain the Emperor's power and become the next leader of the Imperium, or to restore him and the Imperium to the former glory. But instead of talking about what happens if you accept... How about us talking about what keeps you from accepting this Imperium-saving mission?" Golbez inquired instead.
And so the last thing Claudius expected to hear, hits his ears with such force they may have rung from a second or two. "After all the years of battle and collecting...you would just give me the Orb? Why would you not do it yourself or accompany the mission," he said out loud, as if not talking to Golbez, but instead trying to ask himself. After a moment Claudius spoke again, "Just give me a moment to think." What had been said as a moment may have in fact been much longer. Claudius paced back and forth as he thought over everything. Not just thinking about the plan, but everything that would have to be done. Killing a daemon Prince and Adeptus Custodes? Though it was to bring back the Emperor, would this be what the Emperor wants? Would the first action of the awakened Emperor be to killing me?...Claudius finally came to a hault and turned to Golbez, "And great deal of troubling questions weigh heavy on my mind, the foremost being if this is even what the Emperor wishes...However, the degradation of the state of the Imperium has gone on for far to long. The words of the Emperor have been forgotten or molded to benefit a chosen few in their duties. The Imperium needs to be reminded...It needs to remember the past...And perhaps most of all, now in these dark times, does it need its true ruler the most." He took a deep breath as he nodded, almost seeming to reassure himself this was right, and spoke, "With that said, I shall accept the mission and return the Emperor to the Imperium."
"I knew only an Ultramarine who saw the destruction of Monarchia himself, an Ultramarine who walked amongst his Primarch, an Ultramarine who was raised on Macragge at the peak of the Imperium, has seen the rise of the Imperium Secundus would have the Courage and Honour to accept this task." Golbez said satisfied, raising to his feet and walking up to Claudius, he grabbed the power fist of the Ultramarine and put the orb in his hand. "Now there is only one warrior's soul missing to be of full capacity..." Golbez grinned and slowly removed his helmet. Though to Claudius shock, or perhaps obvious clarity it was a quite familiar face. "It makes sense now, doesn't it? Who else do you think would have been capable of all this, building up to this very moment?" A very much aged Tur'tes Shen gazed into the eyes of the Ultramarine. "Kane and I had staged everything, from the taking away of you in the Deathwatch Fortress, over the attack at the ball even to you being stuck in the warp... It was her plan all along and from the very beginning we knew you would be the only one who would be capable to understand once it all came together. Which is why I ask you now, Claudius. To absorb my essence into the orb and carry all of us who sacrificed themselves to give you the chance to rejuvenate our home, our Imperium. Use this armor, become Golbez and lead the attack you were born to accomplish. Remember what you endured in the Iron Cage, the teachings of the codex, the hardships of the warp. Those experiences will keep you alive and earn you victory." The orb pulsed idly in the Powerfist of Claudius, he could feel the power and he knew if he was to infuse it with himself he easily could rise to the same power of a Primarch, yet... It was not even seducing him to do so. It was not the power of chaos he has learned to come, it was a power source that resonated with strength but not with the temptation. None of the whispers in the back of one's head. It was as confusing as it might be enthralling.
@Uriel1339 Mariel was certainly satisfied that he could actually get something out of Lansung, he offered a quick bow and headed for the chambers of the Militant General, seeing whenever he was around or not.
@Uriel1339 Claudius laughed slightly before speaking, "A survivor of the Dropsite Massacre and the Battle of Terra. Strange, I would have suspected many, many others but never once a son of Vulkan." He looked down at the Orb as its power could be felt, before he looked at his shoulder. Claudius let out a sigh, "I suppose I can not kill Adeptus Custodes as an Ultramarine, for I will disgrace my chapter no matter the cause. I can not go as Golbez, for the one who does this cannot be known as a Chaos Lord. The Imperium must know that a single, faithful individual stood against the false words of many. Something that shows that no matter the odds one faces, you must do what is right. So, I shall renounce my chapter and my father to save them from disgrace. However, the name I bear is what my father on Macragge gave to me. So I shall retain my name Claudius Aurelius." He then raised the Orb to just in front of Shen's chest and with burdened hearts spoke, "Rest well knowing that you have possibly done the greatest service ever for the Imperium, brother." He then pressed the Orb to his chest.
Erxadros shook his cooked bionic hand for it still stung. With the unflappable nature that he has been having in combat he aimed on the ladt rogue astartes and tried to pin him to the wall like the other. OOC: Sealance launcher vs last traitor astartes. Alderson mind worked out the calculations quickly. With the results in mind he sent those that could be saved on their ways but the rest he put to work on firing the entire inventory of weaponary at once at all the other little ships on the opposition side as he handled the overload of the generators. As they neared critical mass he opened a vox channel to Athenallas, Erxandros, Zuriel, the ships crew, and those of his brothers who were on other ships. " Athenallas, Cousin it looks like it won't be close combat that gets me but this damned ship. Sorry that I couldn't give your new body any more upgrades. Kill well. Erxandros, you take this information I am sending you and find someone in the Deathwatch to listen. They will need all the help they can get soon. Zuriel, Viceroy save as many as you can and remember that the end does not justify the means but the means also are sometimes are the hard choices. Crew of the Ferrus I am proud to serve on such as ship as you all have made. Thank you for being the best and Astartes could hope for. Fellow Brothers end this treacherous cancer then prepare for the trouble times that are coming soon. " With that he sent scrapcode with his complete files including stuff the Deathwatch would perfer buried to his chosen successor encrypted in such a way to only be understood by the one who help him make that encoding in the place they made that algorithm. A spectacular star shone at the end of the transmission diverting the Iron Liberator. The Torpedo boats dived into the enemy formation going to full rapid fire against other small ships to even the odds again in a prepared firing plan they got as a download right before the sacrifice of one of the greatest Iron Fathers of the Iron Hands or at least the oldest.
The Brazen Claw Devastator put away his heavy bolter and switched to his missile launcher. After loading a frag missile, he unleashed a screaming explosive projectile on the crewmen! Attack: Frag Missiles - 7 hits, AoE against crewmen OOC: AAARRGH, these damn alerts aren't keeping me up to date on deathwatch RP. hate it when I find the story advancing without so much as a peep from me.
