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[Domine Nox]

"Tracking multiple vessels with inconsistent energy signatures, and no known class designation." One servitor spoke up from the bridge that was alight with data readouts and diagnostics. Across the view port ships a plenty were flickering impossible and shifting like ooze through the blackness of space.

Apulo watched it all blankly. "Geller Field to maximum."

"Lord?" A serf asked. "We are not in the warp." As he spoke a strong cable snaked out and around the serf's throat, throttling him to death with a sickening sound.

"We are not." Apulo said as the limp form hit the deck. "The warp has come to us." He rose from his throne slowly, ponderously. Once his immense form had risen to its full height he stepped down from the throne with a dull ringing of heavy metal, as the gears under his robe whirred with life. "Extend our Geller Field to encompass ship designation Silent Shadow." The order was followed with mechanical efficiency.

"Magus, another ship has come into our sensors. Imperial, Battle Barge class, designation Righteous Truth." Apulo did not pause as the information was relayed. It took but a fraction of a second for him to respond after running potential scenarios and outcomes.

"Destroy them."

***************************************************

"You cannot run forever." Joker taunted in a malicious tone, punctuated by the rev of the chainsword as they ran down the darkened halls of the Silent Shadow.

"I do not have to run forever, Joker." Nox replied. "I just have to run long enough." Nox then cut into a room. Joker swiftly followed and found a living quarter.

"Ha! Nowhere to go now." Joker laughed. "I believe you said one day you would kill me. It would seem you were wrong." As Joker turned more Nox almost seemed to appear out of the shadows, a Crozius in his hand. Joker's blade shattered as he tried to parry the weapon. Nox's blow slamming into the berzerker's shoulder instead of his head.

"You should always be mindful of your surroundings, Joker." Nox scolded as he raised the weapon again. Joker roared with bestial fury, launching himself at Nox. The two of them tumbled together out into the hall, both of them had their hands on the Crozius as it crackled with energy between them. The sparks causing Nox's skin to tingle from the proximity. The ship shuddered then, and the Talon Lord's voice came over the ship's vox system.

"New contact entering the system from warp space bearing Crimson Fist colors. All hands report to the bridge." Then the vox cut out.

"More prey." Joker said heavily through breaths as they tried to fight for the Crozius. "Or perhaps more children to be coddled by your soft nature." He spat down at Nox.

"My compassion is my strength." Nox began.

"LIES!" Joker screamed, spittle dripping from his mouth onto Nox. "Fear is our strength."

"Fear is our weapon." Nox retorted, slowly shifting his weight under Joker. "Our brotherhood makes us strong, our training makes us deadly, and our father makes us Night Lords!" He roared as he pushed with all his might and rolled to the side. Joker was sent sprawling to the side to slam into the bulkhead of the ship. Leaping to his feet Nox raised the Crozius for a final strike.

"Do it!" Joker cried. "Do it!"

"No." Nox said, lowering the weapon. "You are a monster, and a degenerate, but I will not strike you down while our enemies are at our door." Turning around Nox headed for the bridge.

"Coward!" Joker laughed. "Fool" The crazed laughter followed Nox down the hall.

****************************************************************

"Squad Megatron, check in!" Grimaldus shouted as forced lightning leaped from his fingertips into a crewmember, blasting him to pieces.

"Sergeant Megatron here." Came the vox response. "Brother Dante has gone missing. We are fighting an organized retreat across deck 17, sector B. The whole deck is compromised."

"Understood." Grimaldus voxed the Captain. "Captain, we have contacts on multiple decks, much of the crew has been touched or corrupted. Everything below deck 12 appears to be compromised. The men are holding strong, but we are suffering losses." A figure charged from the shadows, a woman ungarbed and sensuous. Her hands ending in viscious talons that dripped foul ichor. The Staff of Legacy struck out at incredible speed, skewering her upon its tip.

"You cannot strike me down with your mortal weapons fool." She purred as black ooze leaked from the wound.

"You will find I am no fool." Grimaldus said grimly as psychic power surged through the staff and into the daemon. She screamed as her form burst into flame and melted into nothingness. "Confirmation of daemons on board, Captain." Grimaldus reported.

"It would seem this was a trap." Gerhart replied. "We are clear of the warp, but it would seem it is with us, and the Night Lords are at the center of it. Organize a defense force to hold the ship. All spare marines are coming with me."

[Gerhart]

My socks are rocked.

[Grimaldus]

thats right im not fool!!!!!!

cant wait for the rest Nox

[Domine Nox]

A Crimson Fist thunderhawk streaked through the warp tainted space laden with Space Marines set on a grim purpose. Each marine kept his gaze firmly fixed on the deck, having strict orders not to gaze out of the viewports in the vessels side. In the cockpit Techmarine White flew by sensors and readouts alone.

"Time to target?" Gerhart asked over the vox.

"Thirty seconds, Captain." White replied.

"Weapons at the ready." Gerhart called. "Engage maglocks, and prepare to disembark." In short order the twenty assembled marines readied their weapons, removed their harnesses and stood to the thrum of maglocks turning on, holding their feet fast to the deck of the small vessel.

"Fear not the enemy." Reclusiarch Sammael said, his terminator armor towering over the others. "They are but mortal. Fear not their weapons, for fear is their weapon. If your soul be steeled with courage and righteous fire, the enemy cannot harm thee. The Emperor is our shield, and our protector. He is our blade and wrath. Trust in him and you shall not falter. Cling to him and you shall not fall." He paused and the skull helmet scanned the arrayed helmets of each Crimson Fist. "I see before me, true sons of Dorn. The traitors cannot hope to stand before our might. Trust in your strength. Trust in the Chapter. Trust in the Emperor."

"For the Emperor! For the Chapter! For Dorn!" Came the unified cry from those present. The vessel touched down silently and without hesitation the Crimson Fists marched out.

"Keep eyes on the deck." Gerhart ordered. "I do not want anyone staring into the rift." Slowly the Crimson Fists progressed using only their helmet displays to ensure they were still near each other as they marched along the outside of the Night Lord vessel.

**********************************************************************

"How nice of you to join us, Nox." Othrim said coldly. With the Talon Lord stood all of the Night Lords, except Joker. The open warp rift seemed to be accelerating the mutation of Spuds and Priest as they seemed ever increasingly less like the men they had been. "As you can see, we have gained allies in the fight against those that would pursue us. Our Father always claimed that these weapons were not to be used. But look at the power they can unleash. Look what we have at our disposal.

"Only if you can maintain control." Nox replied. The Talon Lord gave no sign he heard the remark.

"Lord," a servitor chimed in from one of the consoles. "Mechanicus vessel is opening fire on Crimson Fist vessel."

"An interesting twist." Othrim mused. "What of the Crimson Fists?"

"Nothing to note of their vessel, it seems to be drifting." The menial replied.

"Ha!" Othrim laughed. "Our enemies come to us, and wage war on each other. A battle barge laid low in an instant. This is the power and triumph of the Night Lords!"

"New contact." The servitor spoke up again. "Small attack craft has landed aft section. Additional. Boarding craft departing Mechanicus vessel bearing 214."

"All of you head aft, and deal with our intruders." Othrim ordered, and the Night Lords filed out, leaving Othrim alone with Ragtag. "I expect more."

"More is to come, my Lord." Ragtag promised.

*****************************************************************************

"Incoming fire." A voice sounded within the assault boat.

"Account for firing trajectory and respond." Apulo retorted in sharp mechanical speak. The assault craft began to swoop and dive, from the turret fire coming in from the Silent Shadow. He ignored it all, instead focusing his efforts on the six skittari in the craft with him. Each was being checked with detailed scrutiny to be sure that it was at optimal operating capacity for the fight to come. As he worked status reports were streaming across his vision of the state of Master of the Code.

"Destination reached in 12.635 seconds and counting." The servitor informed all those aboard. Apulo stood from his work and moved to the hatch.

"Do not land." He ordered. "Fly by run at trajectory 23.27 degrees. Drop speed to 1/8 for 4.92 seconds before return to Master of the Code." As the hatch opened, Apulo and the skittari leaped out onto the hull of the Night Lord vessel. "Make an entrance." He ordered the mechanical soldiers, and they went to work.

********************************************************************************

"Status report!" Grimaldus roared over the roar of explosions rocking the Righteous Truth.

"Squad Megatron pinned down in sector 8." Came the first reply.

"Squad Simon reporting. We are enroute to Megatron, but encountering heavy resistance. We lost NightWolf to a bulkhead breach." Grimaldus cursed under his breath, the other reports were all coming in the same. The mechanicus opened fire on them? He paused a moment, weighing the consequences deliberately.

"All hands, report to hanger 2." He ordered. "Squads on retrieval continue on task before rendezvous at hanger 2." Grimaldus took a deep breath before uttering the next words. "We are abandoning ship. Repeat we are abandoning ship."

[Armoured Priest]

This is getting very interesting now.
Lets see who comes out on top.

[Apulo]

Awesome, shit be gettin' real!

[J NOSK36]

i agree very interesting, cant wait to read more

[Grimaldus]

cant for the rest, apulo screw you for opening fire on us

[Sammael]

awesome as always!

[Gerhart]

Well done Nox as always!

[Domine Nox]

Nox strode down the corridors of the Silent Shadow, the rest of the Night Lords with him, weapons at the ready. They would not allow the Crimson Fists to take the ship. Checking for irregularities Nox scanned the halls ahead, but found nothing amiss.

"We need to spread out and cover more ground." He grumbled. "Teams of two, report if you find anything and fall back to a rally point. Stay in vox communication." Everyone affirmed, or at least remained silent. Nox broke the teams up into; Hunko and Siddicus, Pork and D'ex, Spuds and Priest, and Spiny and Baek. He hesitated a moment at the thought of Spuds and Priest together, but decided warp taint should stay with warp taint.

As Nox progressed alone down one of the darkness shrouded hallways he knew he should not travel alone, but by the same token he was a Night Lord. He was never alone. The darkness was his friend and ally, a weapon more potent than any made by man. Here he could embrace the shadows and strike unseen against any foolish enough to set foot upon the Silent Shadow. It was not long before Nox heard a distant explosion.

"Hull breach!" Hunko's voice came over the vox. "Crimson Fists are inside the ship." Nox heard the rapport of bolter fire. "I count ten, no fifteen, Crimson Fists. Falling back to section 119."

"Understood." Nox replied. "Priest, Pork, D'ex, Spuds rendezvous with Hunko and Siddicus at section 119."

"Nox?" Baek inquired over the vox.

"I do not believe that is all of our guests." Nox said in a thoughtful tone. "Keep searching."

************************************************************************

Gerhart stood upon the hull of the traitor vessel, his small strike team ready to make entry. With him was Reclusiarch Sammael, a truly imposing figure; his skull helmet set within the obsidian black of his masterfully crafted terminator armor. Beside Gerhart himself stood Champion Dodge. No finer warrior could be counted amongst the Crimson Fists. Many jested that Dodge was Dorn himself reborn to bring death the enemies of the Emperor. Filling out the team were Brother Uri and Bloodbone.

"Captain, we have breached the hull. Encountering little to no resistance." White reported. "The traitors are running like cowards. This will be simple."

"Let pride not blind you, Brother." Sammael scolded. "Pride is a gateway for weakness to prey upon our heart and soul. You must remain strong and true. Duty, Courage, Honor."

"Yes, Reclusiarch." White said molified.

"Thank you for the report, Brother." Gerhart added before giving the signal and Bloodbone produced a melta-charge, placed it on the hull and they stood back as the weapon let out a bright flash silently blasting their entrance. Pressurized air rushed out of the breach.

"Move quickly!" Gerhart ordered. "That explosion was not as quiet for those inside, and we have to move quickly to get past any attempts to seal off this section." With practiced efficiency the Crimson Fists were through the breach and making quick time down the halls of the enemy vessel.

"It certainly is dark in here. How do they live like this?" Dodge asked.

"Those that have turned from the Light of the Emperor can know only darkness." Sammael said coldly. Gradually the sound of their boots upon the metal deck began to ring, letting them know that they had proceeded far enough for pressure to be restored.

"Stay alert." Gerhart ordered. "We are on enemy territory, and I will not let the traitors get the best of us due to carelessness." Everyone signalled affirmative.

"I do not see what there is to fear. White has them on the run all ready. We should move decisively." Bloodbone said as he covered the rear of the group.

"You do not see what there is to fear?" A voice said in Bloodbone's ear. He was then hauled bodily before he could turn. The Crimson Fist fired off a single shot and disappeared.

"Bloodbone! Report!" Gerhart shouted, looking everywhere. Apart from a bolter on the ground there was no sign.

***********************************************************************************

Apulo and the skittari warriors easily tore open a section of the ship's plating. As soon as they were through Apulo set up a temporary repair for the breach, sealing as though it were his own ship. Schematics ran through his head as he deigned the ship they were on and his location, cross referencing likely locations for that which he sought. Silently he commanded his skittari forward. Most would be more cautious boarding an Astartes vessel, but Apulo had faith in his work. These skittari had been designed by him personally, and were adequate to the task he intended.

As the troop silently progressed Apulo's readings did take note of the lack of crew. A vessel this size meant that statistically they should have encountered someone, even just a menial about their work. This was most curious. Then Apulo signalled the skittari to halt, and they readied weapons. From around a corner a grinning skull upon midnight blue sarcophagus emerged, brandishing weapons of destruction.

"Fine craftsmanship." Apulo chirped mechanically. "A shame to destroy it." With that the skittari opened fire.

[Apulo]

Excellent!

[J NOSK36]

amazing!

[Gerhart]

Well done! I wish more people would take the time to read these.

[Brother White]

Bump read this!

Sent from the Melta practice chambers of the Righteous Truth

[Grimaldus]

great work Nox, i want to know who took bloodbone

[Domine Nox]

The hanger aboard the Righteous Truth was a flurry of activity as crewmembers were rushed into Thunderhawks and drop pods under marine supervision. A few battle brothers held the entrances to the hanger, weapons ready to keep the foul beasts of the warp from reaching the debarkation point. Amidst the activity Inquisitor Varren was fuming with rage.

"We cannot abandon ship!" He shouted at Grimaldus as he oversaw the loading of a thunderhawk. "If the Adeptus Mechanicus would fire on an inquisitorially sanctioned vessel we should return fire and bring them to task. I thought you were space marines, not cowards!" The Inquisitor raged. Slowly Grimaldus turned, his staff in hand crackling with energy. He looked down at the inquisitor.

"The Sons of Dorn are not cowards, mortal. Say so again, and I strike you down where you stand." He said slowly as though talking to a child. "We act with prudence. The ship is lost. If you wish to wave your seals and title at the warp spawned beasts roaming the halls of our honored vessel. Be my guest." With that Grimaldus turned back away to monitor the evacuation.

Wordlessly Varren stalked away. How could this have even happened? Did they have a sorcerer? When did they get a sorcerer? He was so close, so close. Involuntarily his hand clenched as though to grip a weapon that wasn't there anymore. The inquisitor made his way back to his compatriot.

"It seems the marines are running away. I think we can make it to the weapon controls and blast the mechanicus vessel from the stars for this outrage." He started forward, but his companion did not move. "What? You are supposed to follow." The man in black simply shook his head. "No? You are refusing me now? The orders will hear of this." The response was a simple shrug, and then he headed back to where the marines were loading.

"Fine, I will show them the might of the inquisition." Varren muttered as he stormed off past the marines holding the hanger. They did not impede his progress. When Grimaldus saw him go he voxed all the teams.

"If Inquisitor Varren returns, open fire."

*******************************************************************

A single melta shot was loosed before Yapay's bulk rushed into motion. The blast turning part of his expertly wrought armor to churning slag. But the dreadnaught built up speed quickly and slammed into the adeptus retinue batting skittari aside like leaves, tossing them into the walls.

"You and your toys are not welcome here." Yapay's voice boomed from the dreadnaught's vox emitters. Apulo sized up the attacker, twinlinked lascannon, meter long power blades on a massive power fist. The craftsmanship was to be commended. Not up to his standards, but certainly no fledging had built this weapon of war. The power claw lashed out at Apulo, who simply took a step back, the blades just nicking his read robe. One skittari recovered its footing and hefted a massive power ax, slamming it into Yapay's back. The blade sinking into the metal sarcophagus. In response Yapay slammed his bulk backwards, pulping the mechanical man between metal wall and massive war machine.

Apulo ordered the skittari to continue towards the location he deemed most likely to hold what he sought. The close quarters favored the larger machine. He would deal with the dreadnaught himself. Seeing the skittari leave Yapay let out a staccato of static, that could only be laughter.

"Think to fight me yourself?" Yapay charged in. Grabbing the Magus with his power claw, the blades slicing through the wall and pinning the Magus in place. "What now, little man?" In response Apulo's arm's re aligned themselves so that they were no longer pinned. Then there was the whir of a chain weapon. The left sleeve of Apulo's robe dissolved into shreds of cloth as a massive chainblade revealed itself and slammed down on the joint of Yapay's arm slicing into metal and cabling. Yapay released the Magus, now only one of the blades moving, the other two static, but still charged with energy. An extra appendage emerged from Apulo's back, with an energy weapon primed and ready. Before it could fire, Yapay launched smoke filling the hallway with an impenetrable cloud. As Apulo's mechanical sense switched to account for the smoke his dreadnaught assailant was gone.

Briefly he ran a self diagnostic. Satisfied that systems were still within operating standards he charted a route to meet up with his skittari.

***************************************************

"We need a way around!" White shouted over the din of bolter fire. They were resorting to shouting now as their vox network was being jammed with sounds of screaming and static. Night Lords terror tactics. They did not phase the Crimson Fists, but they did make communication more difficult.

"Simon, Bilson! Find head back an intersection and find us a route out of these halls." He ordered. With practiced efficiency the two Crimson Fists fell back under cover fire the way they had originally come. White was certain there were only about eight Night Lords holding the halls. But it was their ship and they had the defensive advantage.

"Any word from the Captain?" Brother Darkwar asked.

"None. At the rate we are moving we may find he has cleared out the ship before we get out of this killbox." White joked, firing off a couple shots.

[Apulo]

Nice... Apulo the Imperial army knife.

[Armoured Priest]

Apulo, kicking ass and taking names.

[Brother White]

Very nice, biting my nails over here.

Sent from the Melta practice chambers of the Righteous Truth