The Fire & the Fury

[Sinister Minister]

I have three shorts rolling around my head right now, and two of them I have started. They are related to eachother...telling one story from three perspectives and timelines.
This is chapter 1 of the first installment of the Short Omnibus.


The Fire & the Fury

"The Galaxy will surely burn! When the inferno of truth pierces through the cauldron of chaos the righteous will indeed prevail!"
-Chaplain Dhall

Chapter 1: The Descent

“…the cauldron of chaos.”


The chaplain’s words echoed deep in Brother Kraden’s mind, searing his heart like a branding iron. In ten lifetimes a normal man could never have dreamt what a “cauldron of chaos” might look like, but Kraden was a Grey Knight and he would not need imagination. It was before him.

Kraden glanced through the port hole of the Stormraven, Atonement, and watched the spectacle drawing closer. It was technically still a planet, but one so vividly touched by the warp that it had almost entirely ceased to fit the description of one. Death itself was drawn to this place with an almost magnetic force filling millions of miles of dead space with the stench of blood and ruin. Unnamed, uncharted, it floated like a black hole of damnation beckoning the dead and corrupt from light-years around. Rusted and mangled wreckage of destroyed fleets and innumerable bodies of man and beast once vibrant with life, now frozen in the vacuum of space, floated into orbit decorating this vile world with grey and pink and red spirals and swoops that almost bore the resemblance of planetary rings. Unlike the more presentable rings that so gracefully adorn planets like Circe and Saturn, these were far from complete, and, more importantly, they were detestable in the sight of the Emperor. A thick haze draped itself around the planet like a blanket. Birds and winged insects had once fled from the evil that arrived on their home world only to be frozen in the upper regions of the atmosphere and sentenced to encircle the planet for eternity. It was a painting from the heart of Chaos, a tribute to the Blood God spewed from the bowels of the warp. If the Eye of Terror was where Chaos was pouring bile into the goblet of real space, then it was here on this cursed world where the warp drank in the refuse that had filtered through the universe in a vicious and grotesque cycle. It was as if the cork of the galaxy had been pulled here, and all its sewage was circling the drain before entering oblivion.

The sheer will power of the Grey Knights onboard the Atonement seemed to repel the debris as they rapidly descended. But eventually the cloak of frozen fowl and pest became quite dense, and the ship was bogged down by the amassing filth. They pressed through; their ship burning through the many layers of atmosphere; bathing in waves of gore only to be washed down with the next surge. The low hum of battle prayers could scarce be heard over the rumble of engines and the torrential rain of small frozen creatures pelting the bow of the drop ship.

Kraden recited the prayer pondering every word and its meaning, considering his actions and their repercussions, knowing fully that he was a true servant of the Emperor. As he voiced the sacred words his thoughts turned to his weapons; every bullet sanctified, polished, and loaded for vengeance; his halberd sharpened to a surgical edge. He thought of the armour he bore, armour far older than he, and likely to outlive him. He looked across at his Battle Brother facing him and examined every part of his power armour and weaponry. It was a masterpiece of art and ingenuity, meant to be wielded by only the most skilled and tempered of warriors. “Surely we are the Emperors chosen,” he thought.

The hum of the engines changed key and the Battle Brothers felt the force of gravity shift as the Atonement began to hone in on the landing zone. Justicar Auvram rose to his feet, and faced his squad. He stood beside Kraden radiating with contempt.

“Brother Knights,” he roared over the din of howling boosters, “I do not need to stress the urgency of this mission. Time is against us, so as always we must be swift and sure. With the departure of Drakos and his Blood Fleet we have only a small window to find the target, kill it, and evacuate. This will disrupt the engine of Chaos and leave the fleet with nowhere to regain supplies. Our success is imperative.”

“We are the hammer; the bane of devils and heretics. Let truth be your banner, and purity your shield! Let us unveil the enemy that hides in shadow and bring it to justice! The light of the Emperor is our sword, and we serve only his will!”

Blood boiled onboard as the ship slowed; the pilot indicated the drop zone was good, and Auvram shouted to his men, “Brothers, let us light the way!” Their grav-restraints loosened, and they stood in unison. The squad gathered in the middle of the bay and turned facing out in a circle. They knelt to one knee, aimed their bolters out, and the Justicar voxed “ready to jump.” The pilot replied “Engage!” and an adept activated the teleportation device. A crescendo of white lightning began to fill the bay followed by a sound like an enormous cannon firing, and instantly the Stormraven turned into the immaterial. The squad was traversing the unpredictable Warp for just a moment when the crack of thunder gave them back to reality and Chaos was replaced with the red planet.

[dsol]

Well done...I'm hooked and waiting for more!

[Anne Marie]

You give a very vivid image of the cauldron of Chaos and how it destroys the space circling it. Good use of words and depictioning for the reader to move with. I can't say much on the characters since there's little of their thoughts and actions, but I look forward to see what the individuals are like.

I just wonder if a Stormraven has the capabilities to allow teleportation? I haven't read many canon works of the Grey Knights, so I don't know if the technology is readily available to just them. The only time I've read of teleporters was aboard the more massive ships like light cruisers.

There was one thing that stuck me as odd when I read it.

The sky was full of a thick haze that draped itself around the planet like a blanket.

Did you mean 'atmosphere' instead of 'sky'?

[Sinister Minister]

I have a coworker who plays a LOT and reads a LOT, and he advised me on the teleportation.

I chose "sky" because I use "atmosphere" in the following sentence and it felt repetative to me. I get paranoid about writing the same word several times. I think it came about from reading the Grey Knights Omnibus. Ben Counter uses the word "gout" numerous times to describe the flamer's weapon firing. "A gout of blessed flame engulfed..." It felt lazy reading it sooooooo many times, but it could be said (and acurately I might add) that he is published and I am not. What do you think?

Good feedback. Thanks

[Anne Marie]

I find using the same word twice in a sentence is repetitive. If, however, there's no other word to be used to convey the meaning, or to just be blunt about what it is, I'll use it again but that's the way I write. Generally speaking I like to use the same descriptive word at the most three times per story/chapter. I've seen published authors get lazy when they use the same word twenty times in a book, which I feel is lazy writing. Especially when online thesauruses can be used so quickly.

[dsol]

I am new and I have almost no writing experience so I probably shouldn't comment on this but here it goes. I can't stand seeing the same word multiple times in a paragraph and it kills me when its twice in the sentence. On the other hand sometimes I feel that you end up writing a paragraph to describe it when there's no other name for it. Anyone understand or is my noobism getting the best of me?

[Sinister Minister]

If you read anything of mine, your comments are welcomed by me.
I know what you mean about repeating. I feel like if there isn't a good enough synonym then you should find a way to rewright it to where the multiple usage of a word is less necessary. In the case above with "sky" vs "atmosphere" my line of thinking is that the relevance lies not so much with the precise meteorological level at which the haze resides, but rather the general location between the surface of the planet and outer space and the fact that the Marines have to fly through it to find a good landing zone. However it becomes relevant when there is some expressed confusion for a reader (especially if that reader happens to be a meteorologist, but what are the odds?). In either case I eventually tend to default to the old and arguably lazy adage "you can't please everyone." But I still try, or I would'nt post my work...especially on a forum. But that's just my opinion.

[Farskit]

I'm on board with the opinion on repetitiveness. Apart from that, I thought you were off to a good start and, being more of a character development kinda guy, I'm looking forward to see what you do with them.

[dsol]

So I don't want to be pushy...but I'm really hooked and I need more of this. :)

[Sinister Minister]

The Fire & the Fury


"The Galaxy will surely burn! When the inferno of truth pierces through the cauldron of chaos the righteous will indeed prevail!"
-Chaplain Dhall

Chapter 1: The Descent

“…the cauldron of chaos.”
The chaplain’s words echoed deep in Brother Kraden’s mind, searing his heart like a branding iron. In ten lifetimes a normal man could never have dreamt what a “cauldron of chaos” might look like, but Kraden was a Grey Knight and he would not need imagination. It was before him.

Kraden glanced through the viewing port of the Stormraven, Atonement, and watched the spectacle drawing closer. It was technically still a planet, but one so vividly touched by the warp that it had almost entirely ceased to fit the description of one. Death itself was drawn to this place with an almost magnetic force filling millions of miles of dead space with the stench of blood and ruin. Unnamed, uncharted, it floated like a black hole of damnation beckoning the dead and corrupt from light-years around. Rusted and mangled wreckage of destroyed fleets and innumerable bodies of man and beast once vibrant with life, now frozen in the vacuum of space, floated into orbit decorating this vile world with grey and pink and red spirals and swoops that almost bore the resemblance of planetary rings. Unlike the more presentable rings that so gracefully adorn planets like Circe and Saturn, these were far from complete, and, more importantly, they were detestable in the sight of the Emperor.

As the ship approached the planet those onboard began to understand the depth of horror that ravaged this place. A thick haze draped itself around the planet like a blanket making visibility almost impossible, and warding off most visitors. Some time ago the birds and winged insects that once inhabited this world made an attempt at escaping the devilry that had come to rest on their home; driven wild with madness they took to the sky and flew higher and higher until they were frozen like clouds of organic debris in the upper regions of the atmosphere and sentenced to encircle the planet for eternity. It was a painting from the heart of Chaos, a tribute to devastation and demise spewed from the bowels of the warp. If the Eye of Terror was where Chaos was pouring bile into the goblet of real space, then it was here on this cursed world where the warp drank in the refuse that had filtered through the universe in a vicious and grotesque cycle. It was as if the cork of the galaxy had been pulled here, and all its sewage was circling the drain before entering oblivion.

The sheer will power of the Grey Knights onboard the Atonement seemed to repel the debris as they rapidly descended. But eventually the cloak of frozen fowl and pest became quite dense, and the ship was bogged down by the amassing filth. They pressed through; their ship burning through the many layers of atmosphere; bathing in waves of gore only to be washed down with the next surge. The low hum of battle prayers could scarce be heard over the rumble of engines and the torrential rain of small frozen creatures pelting the bow of the drop ship.

Kraden recited the prayer pondering every word and its meaning, considering his actions and their repercussions, knowing fully that he was a true servant of the Emperor. As he voiced the sacred words his thoughts turned to his weapons; every bullet sanctified, polished, and loaded for vengeance; his halberd sharpened to a surgical edge. He thought of the armour he bore, armour far older than he, and likely to outlive him. He looked across at his Battle Brother facing him and examined every part of his power armour and weaponry. It was a masterpiece of art and ingenuity, meant to be wielded by only the most skilled and tempered of warriors. “Surely we are the Emperors chosen,” he thought.

The hum of the engines changed key and the squad felt the force of gravity shift as the Atonement began to hone in on the landing zone. Justicar Auvram rose to his feet, and faced his squad. He stood beside Kraden radiating with contempt.

“Brother Knights,” he roared over the din of howling boosters, “I do not need to stress the urgency of this mission. Time is against us, so as always we must be swift and sure. With the departure of the Corpse Fleet we have only a small window to find the target, kill it, and evacuate. This will disrupt the engine of Chaos and leave the fleet with nowhere to regain supplies. Our success is imperative.”

“We are the hammer; the bane of devils and heretics. Let truth be your banner, and purity your shield! Let us unveil the enemy that hides in shadow and bring it to justice! The light of the Emperor is our sword, and we serve only his will!”
Blood boiled onboard as the ship slowed; the pilot indicated the drop zone was good, and Auvram shouted to his men,

“Brothers, let us light the way!” Their grav-restraints loosened, and they stood in unison. The squad gathered in the middle of the bay and turned facing out in a circle. They knelt to one knee, aimed their bolters out, and the Justicar voxed “ready to jump.” The pilot replied “Engage!” and an adept activated the teleportation device. A crescendo of white lightning began to fill the bay followed by a sound like an enormous cannon firing, and instantly the Stormraven turned into the immaterial. The squad was traversing the unpredictable Warp for just a moment when the crack of thunder gave them back to reality and Chaos was replaced with the red planet.

Chapter 2: Welcoming Party

In seconds the ten knights drank in their surroundings. The atmosphere was survivable with a less than desirable oxygen level and moderate contaminants. The ground was solid and a deep red and brown colour, the result of countless centuries of condensation pulling down blood and metal from the sky creating in a scab-like layer of rust. Furthermore, the earth was speckled with green droplets of bile which were more condensed in some areas and had webs of fungus streaming outward in all directions. It was a plague that had saturated the planet itself. One click to the east was a dead forest of skeleton trees petrified in thick rusty armour with red and purple mountains beyond. Three clicks south was the target, a small deserted city where the sorcery was strongest.

After Justicar Auvram established contact with their strike cruiser Malice in high orbit and confirmed that the drop zone was good he gave the order for the rest of the unit to teleport turning the ten Knights into forty.

“Move out!” Auvram lead the force straight on to the target; among them there were four flamers, ten terminators, and three dreadknights. They moved rapidly, their speed just below a terminator’s sprint, but a moderate pace for a regular Grey Knight’s lighter armour. The dreadknights effortlessly strode along, keeping up with ease, panning left and right for hostile forces, their height a much appreciated asset.

“Movement in the trees,” announced one of the dreadknights. “Looks like hostiles running this way.”

“Heretics,” Auvram spat out with disgust. “Keep moving. We press on until they get close.”

The strike force continued at the same pace. “More approaching from the right flank,” called out Kraden, his vision was tremendous even for a Space Marine. They were now getting close enough to make out the shapes of their attackers. There were no traitor marines among them, at least for the moment; no, these were mutants. The many limbed, distorted, and disemboweled creatures sprinted with purpose, some running on hands and feet, some with only hands or only feet to run on. Weapons were apparently optional in this force, but all would find something to fight with.

The justicar signaled, and his brothers responded in kind, shifting their position for the best mobile defense. Those in terminator armour took the right flank, while the dreadknights took the left, and the flamers fell back to the rear of the squad. They had to keep their pace at all costs.

The closer the two forces grew the more evident it became that they were not only mutated, but subject to disease and rot, and some of them were even moulded together. All were covered in the same green speckles that were scattered on the earth, a common theme further confirming rumors that the planet was owned primarily if not exclusively by Nurgles ilk.

"Preserve you rounds as long as you can," came Auvrams final order before the tide of filth flooded the Grey Knights.

The two forces hit the Knights with alarming precision, striking all sides of the unit simultaneously like tidal waves, delving an even blow throughout the ranks of the super human warriors.

"Finally," Valinor boasted as he brought his Nemesis Hammer down into the skull of an attacker, "an enemy with tactics. I was beginning to think all of Chaos was immune to the concept." His pristine terminator armour went from dazzling polished silver to green and red in as much time as it took him to utter the words.

It seemed like a strange game to guess what colour the entrails of the next villain would be when it was sliced or splattered or stomped into the earth. The creatures, once human, were full of blood and puss and green gore, so much so that they were bloated and leaking from everywhere at once long before they were dispatched by the unwelcome intruders. The dreadknights were fighting valiantly on the left flank, their towering forms over twice the height of the enemy. One of them cut his giant nemesis sword through three or four mutants with every swing, while another kicked a five armed creature a distance around fifty meters, and still the third was mauling them down with the blunt side of his sword. On the right flank the terminator squad required little effort to beat down their assailants, each one a veteran and hungry for combat. They were a wall, a breakwater the flood of chaos broke against and could not pass, stopping the enemy at the edges of swords, halberts, and hammers. Carrying the rear of the assault were the flamers burning any and all heretics unfortunate enough to come in range with white hot gouts of pure wrath. They left a wake of ash and gore amidst the already countless bodies taken down with the brute force and heroic speed of the Grey Knights.

But the real action was on the front line, the spearhead of the assault. Leading was Justicar Auvram with his ancient Nemesis Sword, the perfect weapon for his size and skill; he hefted it with ease and agility befitting a chief amongst giants. He parried and sliced and jumped all the while keeping course and speed, felling many a disgusting cultist with each swing of his mighty blade. His experience and zeal were more than enough to inspire even the lowliest of men, but he was not among men.

To his right was brother Kraden, who in a short time had proven himself more than a skilled fighter, but a fierce and unbreakable Knight. He had already been noticed for his leadership qualities and servants heart, he was perhaps the most humble of all to ever wear the Astartes armour, that is until he stepped onto the field of combat. He was ravenous, driven by something very few might ever attain or even begin to understand. It was not just honour, or duty, or truth that drove him; it was all those things and something else. It was piety. One Grand Master had pointed it out when he was the first to notice, the war for truth brought Kraden peace. Here on the battle ground where enemies affronted in droves he was content. He had such a clear understanding of his role as a servant to the Emperor of Mankind that to do his will, whatever it be, brought him a calming of spirit that he could not ignore.

Here as he slaughtered innumerable enemies of the Emperor, pouring rivers of blood into the thirsty ground, this simple soldier found joy. And he was awesome to behold. He leapt over a grotesque monster with two heads and three legs wielding a make-shift axe, the creature swinging wildly, missing Kraden completely. The airborne knight aimed his storm bolter down and carefully drove one bullet in each head erupting both in rapid succession. Before he had returned to earth he had brought his halberd down cutting another heretic in two from shoulder to waist. He landed effortlessly and took several long sweeps through the enemy lines severing limbs and heads and bodies.

The Grey Knights continued on to their destination without loosing pace, doubtless the attacking hoard was far to removed from reason to understand how truly outmatched they were, but they were only the first wave, and there would be many more.

Auvram briefly glanced up toward the city only to notice something new that made his gaze return. The tallest tower was glowing with green sorcery, a bright glow of magic with lightning bolts cracking out in random succession. "This could bode ill," thought the justicar, and his suspicions were not disappointed.

A great bolt of lightning shot skyward from the tower and panned out in all directions once it reached the haze of dead creatures. Immediately the entire sky began to move for the first time since their arrival, it was as if the weather had just been awakened to full life after lying dormant for centuries. However the cloud cover was not moisture but reanimated birds and insects. Great swarms of undead pestilence spiraled down in massive columns all around the Grey Knights as they continued to advance on the city still cutting through the mutant armies. The swarms of creatures were making an advance to the battlefield when Auvram voxed to the Strike Cruiser, "Malice, this is Auvram, do you have a fix on our position?"

"Auvram, we have you on our scanners." was the scratchy reply.

"Malice, I need Halo Fire now! I repeat, send Halo Fire!" Auvrams voice was urgent, but not panicked.

The Malice, floating in high orbit, had been following the Grey Knights movements in real time with the most careful precision all the while feeding their coordinates to the cannon batteries. When the call came for Halo Fire the gun crews were ready. They were given the command to open fire on the projected coordinates, and instantly a full broadside of incendiary bombardment rounds was unleashed from the port side of the Strike Cruiser. The salvo swept through space and within seconds the overwhelming crack of shells entering the atmosphere and striking deep into the crust of the planet shook everything for a thousand kilometers in all directions. The rounds had been precisely aimed two and a half kilometers in every direction from the Knights encircling them in a great wreath of flame. Anything within the circle not wearing heavy armour would be incinerated. All fighting came to a halt as every demonic being understood its fate and the Knights watched them die. Great mushrooms bellowed up from the red soil all around the squad; the creatures exposed to the torrential heat and radiation melted and burned to ash instantly. Everything around and amongst the Grey Knights was ablaze, burning at a tremendous temperature, being purified through the holy fire of the Emperor. The Knights armour was being cleansed by the immense heat, blood and gore turning into black ash and being swiftly blown away as well as purity seals and sashes being vaporized.

After several dozen shells had rattled the planet to its core the smoke was thick and heavy with death. The squad stood idle, steam pouring off their armour from being super heated, waiting for visibility to return before they would continue. As the cloud began to lift the Knights were met with new surroundings, at first they could not make out the shapes, but Kraden looked hard into the shadows until he could see the silhouettes of armour. It was Astartes armour.