"Excellent Shas'vre, you know the plan from there, We shall show the the Imperials the speed and furiousity that the Tau'va brings."

Doran Ro gave his last communication to his Shas'vre and returned to his plans. He tried to fool himself into saying he was looking for any improvement to the plan he could make last minute, well he was doing that, but he was mostly giving himself a last moment of peace. Soon peace would be in short supply, but they would prevail. He walked out of his chambers and towards the rooms where the Cadre was located. They would need to be ready for the coming hours

Bascilica of the Emperor Ascendant
Koroa City – Holy Synod of the Emperor’s Light – 10:00Hrs Local

The heavy rains descended upon the mighty city of Koroa. Her citizens trudged through the deluge with heavy hearts and even heavier pockets, for not even the rains could stop the flow of trade in Koroa.

Every shop was still open. Every restaurant, eatery and pub served up food and drink, to those who could afford it, in abundance. Merchants and trade mongers peddled their imported goods, pots and bowls laden around their shops to stem the leaks and drips from their aging roofs.

The dark shapes of transports, cargo haulers and bulk landers circled over hive-spires and hab stacks. The endless cycle of goods and citizens coming and going like ants from an ant hill. The Space Port’s red warning lights flashed and blinking landing beacons lit up the dark, dreary sky. The flares of afterburners and rapidly cooling metal hulls of descending ships lit up like swarms of fireflies in the night.

The gambling dens operated as they always did. Bets were made, wagers levied, odds stacked, and coins exchanged hands as easily as the rains leaked through rotting wooden shingles above their heads. Life carried on, and the city of Koroa never slept.

High above the meandering streets and spiraling hives, the mountainous glory of the Basilica of the Emperor Ascendant stood apart from its neighbouring fixtures in the city’s skyline. Where the Hive-Spires and hab stacks were dull black and greys, the Basilica was a monument of white, gold-veined, marble. Slender, onion-domed towers mingled with sweeping masses of flying buttresses and glorious archways.

At its base, lavish gardens and solemn reliquaries sprawled within its mighty curtain wall. Statuary of angels, knights and saints lined the paved walkways and evenly spaced lamp posts illuminated every dark crevice and niche. It was a testament to the wealth and glory of the Ecclesiarchy to have created such an edifice; and it was boasted that there were no shadows in the hallowed grounds of the Holy Synod.

Those who believed those words were fools. For there were dark places within the Synod. Secret places. Hidden paths and shrouded doorways. Each was clearly visible, to those with the talent to know of such things.

The Shadow knew of such things. He knew them very well indeed. He was darkness incarnate. He was an ethereal wisp, a ghost, a phantom of a past age. He was the stuff of nightmares. He was the blackness that lurked in the corner of a fearful man’s eye, before he turned to find nothing behind him. He was everywhere, and nowhere. He always was and never is. He was laughter, and he was fear. He was here to reap what the rulers of this world had sown for so long, and he would feast and glut himself upon it.

For the people of Lorias had cried out for freedom. They had called for an end to the oppression of their tyrannical masters, who lived in palaces of gold, brass, and marble, while they, the people, wallowed in gutters and dark alleys. Toil in factoriums and workshops. All the while, the cruel masters ceaselessly remind the people to give more than they receive. To sacrifice for the Imperium. To sweat and to bleed, for the Imperium. To die for the Imperium. All of this, for Him. The Father of Mankind. The God-Emperor.

God-Emperor? He is no God. He is no Emperor. He is a carrion lord of death and rot. He is a Lich that feasts on the souls of the weak, that he might live. He puts himself before his people. He raises armies from the people, for the people, to oppress the people.

And if the people question? If the people refuse. If they turn away from their Corpse-God? Well . . . hehehe.

Then He sends his Angels. Not his Angels of Mercy. Not His Angels of Love or Compassion. No, he sends His Angels of Death! Oh, and what death they bring with them!

They fall from the heavens, on wings of fire. Such beautiful angels! Emerging from the fires, with sword and bolter in hand, they cast judgement on the weak, the impure, and the heretical. Innocent or guilty, the angels care not. They punish both with impunity!

Just as they punished me. I once questioned. I once asked, why? Why must we punish the people, I asked?

“For their own good” they told me. I disagreed. I was wrong.

So they punished me. They beat me. They scoured me. They burnt and branded me. They cast me into the darkness and left me to die. The darkness came for me. I called out to the Emperor, to save me, to protect me, to comfort me. He did not come. He left me, just as the others had. So I called out into the darkness, for mercy, for salvation.

The darkness answered my prayers.

I did not die. The darkness did not consume me. It embraced me! It molded me. It reshaped me. It gave me new life, new understanding. It granted me power! And with that power, I took my vengeance on those who cast me out.

As I have shown those who punished me, the error of their ways. So too, will I show the people of Lorias the error of theirs. I will show them the true face of the Emperor’s Angels.

Then, as their cities burn, and their lives are cast into ruin, they will look up to the heavens for salvation, and it will come. But it will not be the Emperor who comes to save them.

No, it will be my masters’ angels that will come. They will enlighten the people and show them the true path to salvation. It will be glorious.

He looked to the sky. Though the dark, brooding storm clouds that blotted out the sky, He could feel the true darkness. The Ether. The warp.

It stirred. He laughed.

Vindicare assassin, Castus Bones

Castus Bones adjusted the hood draped over his helmet,irregardless of his expertise as a Vindicare assassin, the rain never ceased to be a nuisance. His orders were to oversee the security of his Lord's meeting with the planet's Governor. Unlike the Sororitas that now found themselves trying to ignore the gazes of the curious guardsmen patrolling the palace, Castus had achieved solitude.

Cradled in a window-ledge atop one of the many bastions surrounding the Fabricator-Marshall's palace, Castus was more than capable of monitoring the meeting between the Lord Inquisitor and Governor. The cognitive feed linked from the scope of his Exitus rifle was magnified by his helmet's sensors; it was as if he were right next to the two men.

The rain continued to batter against him, and he again found himself shifting to dislodge the puddles that gathered in the crevices of his gear. While tempting, he would not dare to look away from the meeting, even for a brief second. While he was unclear as too what the true goals of his Lord were, he would follow orders. The chance of a heretic hiding within the ranks of this unfamiliar planet's forces were very real, and it always seemed to be that professional paranoia that he found strength in.

Being the best wasn't about the success rate, it was about the quality of service.

As his mind wondered for a brief second, he snapped back to focus in time to see the familiar wave of his Lord, gesturing towards the governor...



Lord Inquisitor Karelix

The meeting had taken place in the Governor's office. Alone, the Inquisitor found himself digressing from the conversation, either discussing the horrid weather that Lorias had greeted him with, or the burden the planet carried in regards to supporting the sector after their conflicts with the tyrannids. While the uneasy atmosphere had yet to cease, Karelix had grown to appreciate the values that Governor Kalvanis held.

The Inquisitor shifted in the wonderfully carved chair that he was bestowed and looked into the eyes of the Governor.

"They say that children look towards their parents when it comes to what they value in life."

He paused briefly, testing the patience of the Governor.

"When I arrive at a planet, I always find that this applies. Much like children, the people you govern will mimic the traits you display."

Again he paused, this time to examine the glint that had caught his eye through the room's window. It was unusual for Mister Bones to be noticed, even if Karelix himself decided where he keep watch.

"Your planet, Governor, impresses me, and I believe it to be an example that should be followed by your neighboring governments."

He then handed a folded letter which was sealed with an insignia of the Ecclesiarchy and slid it towards the Governor.

"It has come to the Inquisitions attention that Adeptus Ministorum disagrees. It would appear that, for seemingly many years now, the church has been listing complaints about the traders and unfaithful populace. I have examined your policies in regards to this matter, and while it would appear you have done everything you can to keep the seeds of heresy from arriving on your planet, It is likely that they have been sown by your people instead."

He gestured with his arm, as if show his personal displeasure in having to make such an assumption.

"I'll be blunt with you Governor, my terms are unconditional but reasonable. You will maintain sovereignty over your government and military, however all planet-side Inquisition forces shall be given board and privacy as they conduct their investigation."

He stood from the chair as if the agreement had already been made and bestowed an outstretched arm towards the governor, a handshake to signify their mutual respect...

Zeb stood waiting amongst the guards of the palace, who refused to allow him further in as long as the meeting between the Inquisitor and the Governor was taking place. Of course this was one of the worst slights one such as himself could be given at such a time, but he was willing to let this one past given the gravity of such a meeting. Instead going back to his flock whom he'd brought along for his little show, seeing as how some of them had decided to flock towards the landing pad holding the inquisitors lander, Zeb chuckled a bit at such childlike displays of faith, such things made him happy to foster the spirituality of these people so that he could shape it into something more than blind faith. Given that He had more time on his hands than he expected Zeb called for one of his lesser disciples, one he was more careful about than the rest. The ghastly man stayed far behind the rest of Zeb's retinue, keeping to the shadows as if afraid to show his face, as he should be. Redemptionists were not always a welcome sight to the public, and Zeb sometimes felt bad for allowing such people to run free. The redemptionist cult was one of the most murderous organizations on Lorias as it stood, or at least the most open about it. They routinely held lynchings and public murders of perceived slights against the faith wherever they saw it. Zeb never wished for such things to happen, as all had a place within the Emperors universe, but he also understood that whether he liked it or not, the redemptionists would murder and kill with or without his blessing, however secretive it was. He simply hoped one day he could put an end to the more murderous sects, possibly end the horrific ways they had instilled, but until then Zeb did as he was on this planet to do, steer the faithful in the right direction. Looking back at the old redemptionist who went by the name Khyle, Zeb quietly asked for the mans report, informing the Confessor that things were strangely still on Lorias, even the Redemptionists had retreated to their private dens. There was a strange feel in the air today, and it would only serve as an omen to worse things.

Eluthrien sped around the skein, enjoying it's beauty and grace. He followed runes around as his fact took him. He noticed that two of the runes were circling into a tighter and tighter orbit. The rune of War, the rune of the dark gods and the forge of Vaul were orbiting around each other. He investigated.

A small system, Lorias was about to bear the brunt of an invasion. The invasion would be welcomed by many of the lower class populace. Fools, he thought... but there was something else there... something of great importance. The Eldar of Il-Kaithe never missed a chance to attack the great enemy.

Eluthrien felt a rumble throughout the Craftworld and in his very core. The Avatar was awakening.

Blood runs. Anger rises. Death Wakes. War calls!

Toleyn waited. He waited for the call to war. He picked up Ice, one of his mirror swords. He admired the edge of the blade. He knew soon it would taste the blood of his enemies. He longed for battle again. He wondered what was significant about this....Lorias..

Enoch turned his face up toward the rain and indulged himself in a moment of self-induced solitude, allowing the patter of the rain against his helmet to drown out the unease festering in the corners of his skull. For just one moment the world was gray sky and falling water. Enoch blew a gout of air from his nose and continued down the road toward his platoon's barracks.

There was no casual conversation on the road to the barracks. Most everyone who did not have to subject themselves to the wrathful sky had taken shelter within the alcoves of the barracks or engineering bays. Off duty soldiers whittled away time playing hushed card games or silently seeing to their scheduled meal before shipping off to their next patrol. It was all very dour, really.

Enoch could hardly remember the last time he heard the soldiers talk to one another above a mumble outside of drills. The entire staging area had muted itself for over a week now and no one had a solid answer as to why. "It's the rain," Enoch mumbled to himself. "The floods have no doubt claimed the family of more than a few of the boys, Emperor bless 'em. That's going to bring down morale for the whole lot of them. The lack of any good sunshine isn't helping matters, nor are the soggy flak armor jackets and swamped boots." Enoch instinctively brushed the water from his bright blue left pauldron, the symbol of his rank of lieutenant among the Lorias Planetary Defense Force.

Enoch mumbled to himself all the way to the barracks, reviewing the happenings of last week to himself as he ignored the wet slapping noise his boots made against the concrete. It was nothing eventful, truth be told; mostly physical conditioning and maintenance lessons that each of his squads had all gone through one thousand times before. "Nothing like good ol' monotony to bring the Emperor's wrath upon any happiness that dare show it's face among the soldiers..."

Enoch idly wondered if that sentence might have been considered heretical as he stepped his way into the barracks. The interior of the barracks was not much cheerier than the rainy street. Harsh, white light and grey, metal walls reminded Enoch of a morgue rather than a legitimate living area.

Of course there was something the barracks had that the street and morgue sorely lacked, some semblance of life in the form of Enoch's soldiers. They sat about the sleeping quarters in various states of dress, maintaining equipment and talking amongst one another. He was glad that he was one of the few lieutenants that actually made an effort to foster some sort of relationship with his men. In Enoch's mind, a unit who respected the source of their orders would preform better under fire than a unit of equal skill who despised their commander. It also made living with them much easier.

A red haired woman dressed in fatigues offered him a friendly wave, Enoch nodded in return before finding a seat on the bunk across from her.

"Afternoon Lieutenant. How goes the daily brooding?" she asked as Enoch massaged a spot on his chin his helmet strap had rubbed raw.

"Not too bad, Sergeant Eve. I made much progress in the pontifications of the weather and its affects on the general populace of the great capital of Lorias City." Enoch put on his finest high class accent as he went on drawing a few smiles from some of the other soldiers.

"Oh? And what would that be, sir?" Sergeant Eve feigned rapt interest.

Enoch deadpanned. "It becomes a right pain in the arse after almost ten days."

Eve snickered as she nodded her agreement. "Fair enough, sir. Any reason you've returned to the barracks quite this early? You're usually out at the range about this time."

Enoch shrugged, shedding water like a pregnant cloud. "Too much rain. I could hardly see the barracks from down the road. I figure I'm just going to rest until marksmanship training this afternoon. Get someone to wake me up an hour before we're supposed to head out." Enoch had already peeled off his soaked boots and socks and was readying himself for the sweet oblivion of sleep when a thought struck him. "Oh, and have Ezekiel look over his heavy bolter with a fine-toothed comb if he hasn't already. It had a run-away yesterday on the range and I rather it not happen again."

Sergeant Eve gave her commanding officer a casual salute before walking off towards one of the other men in the barracks. Enoch dropped his helmet over his eyes as soon as she was away and tried to ignore the armor plates of his flak jacket as he sought the embrace of sleep.

"Fleet Commander, how long?"

"Around an hour, we are still unspotted, Shas'Vre."

Ja'Ra nodded in approve sitting in his Orca. It had been already around thirty minutes that he was sitting here with his personal squad, he felt unease to be deployed without his Shas'O, it shall be his first fight under the new commander and he wanted to make sure Doran'Ro appreciates his command and tactics, but Ja'Ra knew it was for the greater good to split forces and so he had no doubt in his task.

"Lock on the coordinates our contacts sent us, make sure we stay out of range of the Star Fortresses and lock on anti-air turrets around our deployment zones as soon as possible, but not before we started firing against the Imperial Ships."

"Coordinates are put into our systems already and we will let you know once we get Visual Contact."

"Good, the last report we got reported heavy rains over the last week, this means we should be able to deploy almost in complete secrecy before the Imperium knows what is coming. The Orcas will start heading for Lorias before you start your attack, if Interceptors should go for us send counter forces and halt till we make landing, understood?"

"Understood, Shas'Vre. With your and Doran'Ro's plan along with the information we received we will be victorious without doubt. Furthermore our Ships are ready for attack once we are in range, our Ion Cannons and Railguns are all at 100% and our supplies should be more than enough till the supply fleet arrives."
Shas'Vre Ja'Ra did only nod, not giving reply through the communication network as he looked through the ranks of his Fire Warriors.

"Do not forget we are here to show the Men of the Imperium that the Greater Good is the better option. Do not kill any unarmed Human, except they attack you, do not take their things or destroy them like their homes, factories and so on. We will show them that we can protect them from the harsh rule of the Imperium, that they can live in complete freedom and with no fear of being called Heretics. And to fight only if necessary and that we can also protect them from the evil seeds that started to spread among them without them even noticing, our contacts reported several sources in different cities so we will investigate while making sure their defense forces cannot stop us. We will deploy as a small strike force while our Commander will meet with our newer contacts and group with their troops there."

OOC: You may have noticed time jumps at the Tau, that is legit as long as troops are not deployed yet or events can be definitely linked to the same time, e.g. my earlier post & SecureHades on can be seen in emergency case as "Flashback". So don't worry too much about correct times and exact posting like Mechaius does. This will only be important once we start different events at same time (e.g. if 3 cities are waging war against different factions, so that we all know where which force is and can better understand the whole series of events)

Furthermore: Chaos & Eldar can start deploying already. (Farseer Urist & Darkapostle222)

The Webway portal flickered and spat into life after centuries of dormancy. Six slim figures slid out of it and into the shadows.