Exterminatus

by Imperaxum

And The Righteous Did Not Submit

It was the righteous that killed Lorn III. Life can exist in damnation, but this mockery is cleansed in the fires of virtue. In the case of Lorn III, this would leave nothing left.

The Planetary Governor of the planet was a fop, a grossly overweight dandy that surrounded himself in the most extravagant fooleries, a mockery of the infinity of toil and suffering beneath his position. He was not a fool, however, surviving for almost two centuries in the face of a tenth of the nobility that were servile to him and nine tenths that did the same with every intention to assassinate him.

Thus when every maid and servant of a relatively trusted noble adviser drew long blades out of their flesh and tried to murder him, the Governor's guards and refractor shields protected him. The Governor watched as hives began to fall to this new damnation, more often than not screaming their bloody intentions for him before the vox networks went offline; he knew he was doomed to Imperial justice for the enormity of his failure, and doomed to the justice of his own people if they laid their hands on him.

The Governor fled in the Solarius Astoria Nostara and was killed when an orbital defense station opened fire from a thousand kilometers out. The loyalists in the void defence network did not wreak vengeance on the defense platform that had destroyed the Nostara, having an excellent view of the madness on the planet surface and being unwilling to start fighting in the safety of the pitiless void.

The Lord Captain, His Glorious Holdet Bastantua of the Planetary Defense Forces died at the walls of Hive Doral, the first hive to fall to the madness. He had been giving a speech to the Sixth Army, drawn up in ranks before their assault - the Governor's Sixth, as it was known, was by far the most competent formation in the Defense Forces of Lorn III. A single trooper stepped out of the ranks, raised his lasgun, and put a bolt through Holdet's head. The Damned Sixth would fight a losing action in the next weeks, chased across the wastes by the population of three hives and several traitor regiments of their comrades. They fought skillfully and bitterly, and in the end, nearly 30,000 of their number were evacuated alongside various officials in the port of Daemaskas.

A word of note; commendations were given to the leaders and ranks of the Saggart 45th, 23rd, and 287th regiments of the Imperial Guard that fought on Lorn III alongside the Sixth Army. The 96th Saggart fell to Chaos in that same time as they held the flank of the Sixth's retreat for two weeks against the damned populace and the traitor Fifth Army of the PDF. Perhaps a third of the loyal Saggarts deployed to Lorn III left the surface alive, an astonishing feat given the circumstances.

Sources from The Death of Lorn III and its Notable Events by Acolyte Torban of the Ordos Hereticus. Pg. 237 Sc. 2 p/1, 'The Fate of the Governor and the PDF Commander' and Pg. 4572 Sc. 1 p/1 'Introduction to the Fall of Daemaskas'

Compiled by Acolyte Viola.

Author's Note:

A great deal of things got in the way of any updates, but I haven't abandoned this story. This is another of those short pieces that expand the background of what Barley and Thess are experiencing from the ground. Next proper chapter is almost done, so the update will be in the next few days, for anyone that still remembers this story exists.

Comments

[Son of Sanguinius]

Well-written exposition chapter. Feels like something right out of a good history textbook.
Good job. Looking forward to what comes next.

[Neacroon]

It's as good as many Dan Abnett's expositions in Ghost Series. Goooood job ;)