A mere handful? Are they trying to pick a fight with such insult? Amalysemar retorts as the void isn't swarming with mon-keigh interceptors. They have had countless worlds to throw everything they got at their shadows and after-images, and now these mon-keighs send only a recon squad after they challenged them head-on. Should they be priggish person, they might take that personally. Apparently whatever or whoever is on that other ship means more to them. Subtlety seems to fly over their heads, not much of a surprise.

Tylarerdrunn maneuvers around and fires a lance of dark energy at the Sword of Orions bridge. The bridge gets showered in myriad of colors as void shields disperse the energy beam across them.

@TuskatheDaemonKilla @Avenging-Angel
Ethoch tilted his head curious. His eye caught the item the deathmark was holding. With sly strides he walked toward the deathmark. He walked circles around him, eyes fixed on the device.
"Curious. Why indeed...."
He lengthened vocals in his words needlessly as he spoke. With a theatrical twirl of his staff he settled in front of the deathmark and tapped the staffs base on the floor in rhythm, which he replicated with his fingers as he drummed them on it's grip.
"Why won't we ask them?"
Ethoch said to both necrons, and to anyone listening.

The four Thunderbolts swung back towards the Sword of Orion in pursuit of their target. Unleashing bursts of autocannon fire from their quad mounted autocannons. The pilots being more accustomed to in atmosphere dogfights had to readjust their skill sets to handle void combat. They had not had time to be retrofitted with the twin linked lascannons which would have been better suited for their current prey.

As the Thunderbolt squadron attempted to cease the xeno threats harassment, a pair of Valkyries exited the hangar headed towards the crippled enemy ship to begin salvage operations as well as breaching the enemy hull to vent any enemy that could potentially be still aboard. During the flight over the pilots took popshots at the boarding torpedos headed for the Sword of Orion.

@TuskatheDaemonKilla & @BlackNecron | Having heard the Deathmark's reasoning, accepting it as truth when the assassin produced the device, Akhenhotep moved to inspect it, seeing Ethoch also approach to make his own observation. His anger towards the Deathmark was slightly mollified, and he concluded that honour had indeed been satisfied, but he wasn't fully prepared to act nice to the other necron.
"You hardly need companions to visit their ship. But you do raise good questions." Turning to Okantakht the Overlord gestured at the image of the human ship. "Ask them what is was that they dared to throw."

Suddenly the bridge had become a bit chaotic. Looking over to Ahthor, he confirmed that his Lieutenant had frozen the outgoing visual feed since the start; there was no need to let the human see the strange situation at hand. And it's not like the Marine would notice the difference.
When the deathmark suprisingly revealed the reason for his behaviour, even Okantakht was interested.
In one slow movement, he stretched his hand out towards the deathmark with his palm facing upwards and spoke:

"Bring it to me, Akarahel. And remember your bearings, Akhenhotep."

He threw a short glance over to the Overlord. Normally Akhenhotep knew better than to command him. And he also wasn't sitting anymore. Tsk.

Sabios was astonished as he heard the Phaerons words regarding his honor. Could it be true? The Alpha Legion and most Space Marine legions had foregone honor, when it hindered them fulfilling the Emperors will and since the betrayal his legion had not changed that habit, except that they knew no longer for what they stood.
Now was not the time to ponder, the negotiations were going reasonably well.

Sabios answered:
"Your arguments convinced me. We will keep the Necron atrifact in your possesion as soon as we obtain it. For our plans: we want to invade the planet Garneron to destroy the warband of the chaos champion Drakaniel. The problem is that we cannot just jump to the planet, because of warp magic. As it seems nnot even the Eldar, which are following the same goal are able to pierce the barrier that obscures Drakaniel from our assault. To solve that problem we need the assortment of artifacts, I talked about. e do have no information how exactly the artifacts work as this is part of the Eldars´ task. Ours is to ensure that we obtain the required allies."

A flashing of his screen alerted him that the technicians had detected that the visual data they recieved stayed absolutely identical for the last five seconds. Thoughts raced through his head. Was this the beginning of an attack. Sabios blinked the rune, which muted his comm station for the opposing ship. "What do the scanners say?" He shouted towards his sensors officer. "No increase in energy we can detect.", was the fast and short answer.
"Everyone stay calm. They would have opened fire by now, if they wanted our death. Nevertheless, plot a course for maneuver Corvus."

" Weak. "

Nurrahks voice cut across the room the moment he had arrived. His towering and ever resplendent form marking him above many of those present.

" The bickering ends. Now. "

Simply put, while things were dying down at the moment, they had still risen much to far to begin with. The other Phaeron was also failing to enforce his status upon these lessers. The Deathmark, the Overlord, and any others present were but chaff before the two of them. It might have pained a younger, more flesh ridden Nurrahk to think in that way but times had changed. They had thrown their lives away for immortality and that very act also set them firmly in the ways of old. Status, rank, and power meant everything now.

Nurrahk walked towards the group of bickering nobility and hefted his left arm upward, it's metallic clawed fingers pointing toward the assembled royalty before falling.

" You all have a purpose. Fulfill it. "

Nurrahk allowed the threat to lie veiled and obscured. Turning his attention to the other Phaeron, Nurrahk remained silent for a moment. Okantakht was deigning to perform some sort of alliance with the warp addled transhuman wretches of humanity. What was he planning? Nurrahk could only imagine the millions if not billions of scenarios the Phaeron was likely running. The part that Nurrak found surprisingly amusing was that he was doing the same himself. Unfortunately, that was where the similarities between the two ended.

" Your floundering with the cretins is amusing. Do go on. "

The example of a man and a snake was ironic in Nurrahks eyes. Already was the other Phaeron proving to be far too compassionate even if he denied it. Nurrahk then remembered his title and the task he felt belonged to him. If any of them proved unworthy, he would give them a single chance to redeem themselves. If they failed to return to the path in that moment, he would end them. Honor dictated that he assist and honor alone was the only thing keeping him here.

Heavy footfalls would echo through the corridors, the backdrop to ship wide alarms, and the scrambling of the various naval staff, servitors and guardsmen rushing about. Charging through the halls, Brother Santana would grip his bolter in hand, as his helmet's HUD displayed information before his eyes, keeping him updated to the situation. It had taken some time, but after establishing a communication's channel with the bridge staff, the Crimson Fist had been able to piece together what had occurred, that had shifted his objective from potential rescue mission, to the defense of their own vessel. Tightening the grip on his weapon, and turning as he ran, the Space Marine would go over the details once more, moving as a blur of blue to all those he came across.

_____

He'd been heading down to conduct his inspection, when the first tremors hit the ship, feeling the vibrations running through the hull from what was no doubt the first attack they'd suffered. The lights flickering, the first of the alarm klaxons sounding off, he'd tried to figure out just what exactly had occurred, before he felt it. A subtle increase in the constant hum of the engines, the shifting of direction, that no doubt meant one thing, battle formations. He'd been moving already when he felt the shock of the mounted weaponry of the ship unleash in full, pondering what exactly had come to challenge mankind's might on this day, idling considering perhaps it's link to the station they'd looked to investigate. He'd just managed to establish a secure vox channel, right in time feel the wave of force as their cruiser struck the enemy ship. Falling to his knee, the Space Marine looked up, swiftly reaching out with a free hand to scoop a staff from the air, before he could crash to the floor. Standing up, placing the man back upon his feet, and scanning the hall to note the others who had been injured from the impact, Santana would then hear the follow up of another volley of fire, at what could only be near point blank range.

Shaking his head, he'd swiftly gain the intel he needed, the notification of the enemy ship translating into the system only moments before, the assault by an unseen foe, and maneuvers taken in response to dealing with it. He could only fathom what had occurred, that the Deathwatch Astartes had needed to take command of a naval operation such as this, before pushing the thoughts aside, and focusing on the moment. He heard the general orders issued by the Lord Commissar, and knew from the audio sent to his helm, recording the grisly fate of those soldiers sent to board the enemy ship, that within the span of minutes, they might be facing a massed boarding action. Worse, this boarding action would be undertaken by one of the most ruinous foes mankind had ever encountered, the forces of Chaos, the ever present, dark, corrupted mirror of all the The Imperium stood for. The traitor brethren of the Adeptus Astartes, it would seem, dwelt upon that ship, and very soon, would look to infest the halls of this very vessel.

Santana quickly considered the scenario as a Son of Dorn would, factoring in the situation at had, the forces assembled, the defensive means they could employ, coupled with the predicted number of life signatures detected that would be inbound against them. This, coupled with the new data of their mysterious attacker revealing itself and continuing to harass them, painted a grim picture. The Imperium could triumph this day, but victory would be bought with the blood of many a loyal soldier.

Gritting his teeth at the prospect, Santana would quickly locate the nearest defensive position assigned to guardsmen forces, and begin to make his way there. If the men and women of the Guard would stand against the monsters, then let The Emperor's Angels stand with them.

_____

As such, after quickly transmitting his position and whereabouts to the command deck, should they require him, Santana had been off, moving through the increasingly busy halls. The crowds parted for his armoured form, yet, as he'd move, the Space Marine would slow down at times, spotting an assortment of soldiers, and offering words of encouragement.

"We are The Emperor's sword, let us cut into the abominations before us!"

"Carry the light of The Imperium, and with it banish this darkness!"

"The Emperor Protects!"

They were words, memorized and spoken often by any who went into battle in service of The Golden Throne, yet Santana couldn't help but speak them. He'd never believed himself to be an orator, like the Chaplains of his chapter, but, being here now, seeing the soldiers marching off the face the monsters at their door, he understood the need for them. The horrors of war would be coming, and the courage of man would be tested in battle, as such, Santana knew his place was to steel in for the trials to come.

A door would open before him, it's gears grinding to allow him entrance onward, and his helm would notify him that he would be close enough to the assigned guardsman who would be at his defensive point. Opening up a comm link to their sergeant, swiftly perusing their credentials, Santana would speak into his vox.

"This is Brother Santana, of The Crimson Fists. I am moving to support your unit in the defense of the ship, send acknowledgements and notify me of your standard procedure in this operation."

Much to his own irritation, Santana had not taken the time to review the means by which the guardsmen would defend the ship if boarded. It had been a mistake on his part, discounting the mortals while he mourned the loss of his brothers, and one he would correct in the coming days, starting with seeing how they'd fight, and looking to plan to keep as many of them alive as he could in the coming hours.
​

(@RuinaImperii , Coming to help. If the Khorne boys are on the way, I figure you will need the support.)

--Khornates' first strike--

The void was filled with flashes of ordnance's fire and explosions of the torpedoes destroyed. The short distance between the two ships gave the attackers a small advantage in reaching their prey faster but it didnt make their passage easy. As soon as the first torpedoes leaved the dying imperial vessel the Sword of Orion's weapon batteries opened fire, destroying incoming boarding crafts in dozens. The sheer numbers of vessels was the only factor that prevented the assailants from being annihilated completely - the warband's leader growled disapprovingly as two torpedoes occupied by his warriors exploded in debris of rockrete and steel.
(OOC: remaining number - 290, I'll use this marking to specify how many khornates remain after some attack, I ask you to do the same when you engage your chars in combats - just make sure you dont kill too many, leave enough assailants for the other players ).

Yet his mood soared tremendously as his own craft finally smashed into the Sword of Orion's outer hull and cut through it like a knife through flesh, the same being performed by dozens of the remaining torpedoes. The sound of screaming metal and machine spirits filled the vessel's space as it continued to plunge deeper and deeper into the ship's inners until it finally crushed on the floor with a heavy thud.

"Forward, spill their blood!" the leader commanded to his Terminator squad and seven 9'' tall monstrosities stood up with susprising for such immense creatures speed. The torpedoe's hatch burst open and the leader emerged first, his squad following behind. They were greeted by several tech-priests screaming with fear and battle servitors clumsily aiming their weapons at the newly appearing threat - the first "defenders" ceased to exist as living beings in mere seconds, leaving only several scorching marks upon Terminators' armour. The leader mentally swore as he realised what section of the ship his forces boarded - they were somewhere on the lower decks serving as production, operating and maintenance facilities - the ship's underbelly was laid before them while they were supposed to be at its head. Emerging flows of the remaining khornates spilled from their boarding crafts like a foul rivulet, mercilessly butchering anything that stood on their path - soon hundreds of corpses lay on the floor, none of them of the Blood God's servants, the leader noted with satisfaction.

"Advance to the ship's command bridge, slaughter anyone you encounter but dont damage the ship's systems - we need it fully operational to get out of here! Move!" he roared and raised his immense axe, pointing it onwards. The rushing wave of blood-crazed monsters charged in strictly organized squads - they werent some fools ready to storm the enemy's ship like mindless beasts without any tactics. The warband's leader and his fellow Terminators ran like behemoths in front of their warriors, floor trembling and bending under their giant weight and strength. The first bulkheads began to close, intending to cut the assailants off the other sections of the ship.

"They think to trap us here with sealed doors!" the leader laughed thunderously through his helmet without breaking stride and smashed into the bulkhead like a battering ram, the bulkhead slightly bending under his ferocious assault but still standing. Two of his fellow Terminators smashed at the bulkhead a second later with a horrendous impact, bending the bulkhead slightly more - they began to crash it with immense power fists, strike after strike, with each punch bending the bulkhead more and more. With a bestial bellow the leader tore through the breached bulkhead with his axe, kicking its remains inwards with his boot and burrying several guardsmen beneath them who were certainly hiding from ther other side in a false hope that such petty defences could save them from the Blood God's glorious warriors.

"CHARGE!!!!" he roared and the red river of armoured giants spilled onwards.


--Alpha Legion's and Eldar first strike--

"It didnt work, some of them remained in the damnit hangars!" Tandreus exclaimed seeing imperial ships emerging from the Sword of Orion's hangars while the other vessels still remained there. "We will have to break through their forces," he snarled. He knew the Eldar's Nightwings were accompanying his Thunderhawk, hiding behind their holofields, there were about 40 of them in total but was their firepower enough to break through the Sword of Orion's hull?

"There is another option, we can open the doors from the other side," Slau Dha said. The legionnaires turned their helmets towards him in a questioning manner.

"Operative №67 is not available for now, there are no more agents aboard the cruiser," Tandreus replied.

"We dont need her body to help us," the Autarch replied and Tandreus was almost sure that under his helmet the xeno was grinning. "I can use her psychic trail as a beacon for opening a small Webway portal, it'll hold for just several seconds but it will be enough for you and me to go through." The perspective of travelling through the mysterious Webway dimension both thrilled and feared Tandreus yet he was unsured how exactly the Autarch was going to transport them through the ship's hull. "Open your mind, captain, I'll be cautious this time". Tandreus hesitated but realised there was no other option - the Thunderhawk's fire power wasnt enough to tear through the cruiser's outer hull and he didnt want to bring his Legion's cruiser - he needed to board the ship, not to destroy it.

Reluctuntly, he relaxed and felt the xeno's psyche penetrate his mind, carefully blocking sections of his memory he didnt want to be exposed. The sensation was unpleasent yet incredible in its potency - again he percieved the imperial cruiser's inners through the eyes of his agent, but this time some sections of the ship were more visible than the others.

"How do you do it?" he asked Slau Dha, knowing that he was somewhere close to him.

"You met this human before, talked to her and, perhaps, even had a physical contact - any of such interactions is enough to imprint a psychic trail upon both of you, an after-image of your communication, if you prefer. Unknowingly you establish connection with every living being you talk to or touch and that can be used later to track them. I'm searching for the ship's places your agent visited most often - in these places her psychic trail is strongest and can be used as a beacon for me. There, concentrate on this place and I'll open the gateway".

Tandreus saw a small control chamber nearly twenty meters above the hangar and several people sitting behind command consoles - it was from there the hangar was operated. He kept its image firm in his mind as the Autarch instructed him while inside his Thunderhawk a yawning portal of eldritch energies began to form in the air - his mouth became dry and he was sweating from unnatural energies pouring from the portal.

"Now, quickly, we have several seconds!" Slau Dha shouted and leapt into the gateway, Tandreus leaping behind him and the portal disappeared in an instance. A heartbeat later Tandreus found himself plummeting through the air onto the floor, crushing several servitors under his armoured bulk - he glanced upwards and saw Slau Dha somersaulting gracefully from the air with his witch-blade spinning and cutting the chamber's personnel before they could give any warning to the command bridge.

"Now we open the door, mon-keigh"

Almost as soon as the boarding torpedoes hit the Sword of Orion Victus started receiving data from the bridge, the feed from a camera on the Sword of Orion's lower levels showed hundreds of Warriors butchering the Tech Priests and other personnel but most notably a large squad of Terminators wading through the carnage. A few seconds later another piece of data came through and appeared on Victus' HUD, showing directions to a nearby one way teleporter used by personnel to reach the lower levels quickly. Breaking into a sprint, it didn't take any longer than a minute or so for him to reach the teleporter. After a few seconds of fiddling with the controls to target the area in which the Terminators had entered Victus stepped into the teleporter and with a brief flash of light and crackle of energy, disappeared from the room.

Victus stumbled as he reappeared in the ship's lower levels, almost falling to his knees but he quickly recovered as he regained his balance. Looking around to get a sense of his surroundings, it didn't look like there had been any fighting where he appeared but he quickly realised that he was definitely in a hallway on the lower levels because though he didn't see any signs of the forces of Khorne, he could hear them behind him. Laughter followed by screams of terror and pain, the distinct sounds of chainaxes tearing their prey apart and then the sound of something heavy smashing into something else. Victus turned around to see what made the noise and saw some Guardsmen cowering behind a bulkhead with a large bulge in it, then the noise came again and the bulge got larger... and larger... by the Emperor, they were breaking down the bulkhead!

Victus looked around for a place he could use to hide, he knew he had no hope of taking on the heretics alone but alas, he could not see anywhere he could reach before the bulkhead was breached. Seeing no other alternative Victus pulled the hood up on his cameleoline cloak and dropped to the floor. Barely a moment later the Bulkhead came crashing down, instantly crushing the Guardsmen under its bulk as the leader of the Chaos Warband stepped through, letting out a mighty roar. With that the Forces of Chaos spewed forth, countless Chaos Space Marines charging down the hall. Luckily for Victus none of them seemed to have noticed the slight deformation in the floor of the hallway, caught up in their bloodlust even though a couple even stepped on him. Staying absolutely still, Victus stayed on the ground and decided to wait out the charge. He had a plan of action forming in his head already, all he had to do was wait until they'd all passed him...