//------------------------------// // 1.19- Warzone Caesaria: The Mare Broken, Part 2 // Story: The Empress Returns // by iowaforever //------------------------------// Warzone Caesaria: The Mare Broken Part 2 Mattias only had scant seconds to brace himself before the bommer slammed into the Chimera. The transport probably could have survived a direct strike, but the thousands of pounds of explosives the orks loved to strap to their planes would be more than enough to break open the Chimera. Mattias’ armor prevented his restraints from snapping his arms as the Chimera was upended, though it would not do him much good against getting smacked around inside the hold of the tank. Mattias’ vision blurred for several moments, and try as he might he could not force himself through the darkness. He lingered, waiting for some sign that he was still alive. Slowly he came to, finding himself lying rather far away from the tank, Nikolai and Alexis standing guard while Bianca and Angelique looked to him. “The eye opens,” the psyker chirped. “But the mare is broken.” “Easy, my lord,” Bianca said, gently easing Mattias into a seated position. “Give the stimulants some time to work; you could black out again if you are not careful.” “I don’t have time to take this easy,” he mumbled, though there was nothing to be gained arguing with the Hospitaller. “The others?” “Most of Markos’ men were killed when the Chimera was hit,” Bianca replied. “... the others did not live long enough to stop us from escaping.” “... Markos?” Mattias tried pulling himself back to his feet, but nearly rolled over before Bianca steadied him. “Tara? Where’s Tara?” “We do not know,” Bianca said. “I fear Markos may have taken her further into the city once the attack started, but... maybe she was injured before that could happen.” Mattias’ blood ran cold. Suddenly, the fatigue from getting knocked out had dissipated. “We need to find Tara and get her back to safety,” he said. “And if we’re lucky, we can make sure Markos pays for his crime.” Bianca nodded before passing Mattias his sword and pistol. Mattias took them without another word, starting forward while the others formed up behind him. The first Chimera was in no better shape than the last. Beyond being merely riddled with bullet holes, a glancing hit from a bommer had blown a large chunk of its side off, smoke and fire pouring from a ruptured fuel tank. A few surviving stormtroopers were pulling their comrades from the wreckage, oblivious to Mattias’ group approaching. More importantly, neither Markos nor Tara were present. Complications... always complications. “You there!” Mattias turned to the nearest survivor, leveling his bolt pistol once the man spotted him. “Answer me quickly or you will get to meet the Empress sooner than I feel you would prefer: where is Inquisitor Markos?” “Go to hell, traitor,” the soldier growled. Mattias fired, the soldier convulsing as the poison within the Hellfire round melted flesh and bone. “Wrong answer.” he growled before turning his gun to the next man. “Where is Inquisitor Markos?” “The girl.” the man said, dropping his gun before falling to his knees. “The girl escaped and ran passed the obstruction; Lord Markos and the others pursued her.” So Tara is alive... that is better than we could have hoped. “If you value your life, leave your weapons and turn yourself over to the nearest regiment. I may be able to convince the Commissariat to send you to a penal legion instead of turning you over to me for ‘disciplinary action’.” the man nodded weakly, detaching the power pack of his weapon before starting off down the street, gaining speed until he was out of sight. “You could have killed him and saved the galaxy a little more trouble, my lord,” Nikolai said. “I’ll save the bullets for the Greenskins. We have more pressing matters anyway; with Tara lost in the city and Markos in pursuit, we’ll need to make up for lost time before either he or the orks find her first.” “Uh, sir?” Alexis started, raising his hellgun to his shoulder. “I think I found Markos.” Mattias followed Alexis gaze, blinking as he saw Markos... or rather, his head impaled on the shoulder spike of a massive ork nob. The beast let out a roar before it and its followers charged down the pile of rubble towards the humans below. “Focus fire on the smaller ones,” Mattias shouted, drawing his sword as he and the others drew back. “I’ll take care of the nob. Angelique?” “The eye sees all, but those that fall from the light are blinded by its presence.” Angelique raised her hands, the air twisting around her as she delved into the warp. The effects were not immediate, but soon the orks’ charge had slowed ever so slightly. The Greenskins stumbled more, banging into one another and tripping over the broken ground in their rush to reach Mattias and his fellows. More importantly, they exposed weakpoints in their armor more readily than before. Brilliant blue beams raced forward as Alexis and Nikolai fired, going for single high-powered lasbolts to better overcome Greenskin resilience. Several orks toppled over dead, while others merely charged forward despite sections of their arms and torsos having been blasted off by the Valhallans. Mattias strode calmly forward, firing his bolt pistol into the charging nob. The Hellfire rounds did not have the sheer penetration power of the hellguns, but the force from the bolt pistol and the corrosive acids would certainly slow the beast’s charge even more. The ork drew its big choppa back, the chainaxe’s roar matched only by the bellowing of the Greenskin. Mattias did not need to roar his own challenge. He had the might of the Empress behind him. Mattias ducked left, into the potential arc of the nob’s strike. As the beast swung its weapon, Mattias ducked down before squeezing off one of the last two rounds left in his bolt pistol’s magazine, acid splattering against the Greenskin’s hide. Mattias lunged forward, his blade stabbing up into the ork’s upper torso before punching out through the beast’s shoulder. The power field flickered as Mattias pulled outward, severing the ork’s arm at the shoulder and causing the chainaxe to drop uselessly to the ground. The Greenskin roared in outrage as Mattias twisted around and fired his last shot into the beast’s knee, causing the ork to keel over. As the beast thrashed about, Mattias switched his grip on his sword and stabbed down into the Greenskin’s neck, blood splattering across his gauntlet as he twisted the sword about to sever his opponent’s head. As the nob slumped forward, Mattias turned about to catch the next ork before its attack could connect. The Greenskin’s momentum could not be slowed, the alien slamming into Mattias and driving him back. Fortunately, being barreled over by the ork brought Mattias out of the arc of the choppa. Mattias twisted his hand around and slashed, ripping a shallow gash along the ork’s side in his efforts to get away. The ork bellowed and brought the axe down, the armor protecting Mattias’ shoulder cracking slightly from the force. Mattias whipped his blade around, the sword cutting the top of the ork’s skull free from the bottom. As Mattias kicked the body back, he retreated and loaded another clip of Hellfire rounds into his bolt pistol before taking stock of the situation. Many dead orks littered the battlefield, though both Alexis and Nikolai were currently locked in melee with the beasts. Alexis grappled with the Greenskin for control of his hellgun, while Nikolai had pounced on one of the aliens before viciously driving his combat knife into the ork’s throat. As odd as they could be at times, there was no denying the Valhallans’ zealous hatred for orks. Angelique and Sister Bianca appeared to be in better shape. Three orks had charged the Hospitaller and her charge, but psychic power swirled around the two as they dodged every swing and lunge from the Greenskins. Occasionally Bianca would strike back, but her narthecium’s blade lacked the cutting power to keep the orks down. Mattias rushed forward, putting a bullet in the back of one of the three. The other two drew their attention away from Angelique and Sister Bianca as Mattias charged, only one able to get his weapon ready before Mattias gunned down the second. The Inquisitor’s first strike chopped the ork’s machete in half, and the second split the beast open from head to hips. “The eye need not worry, for the flower descends from the tree.” Angelique said, twisting her hands around to provide more support to the Valhallans. “You all are my charges; I have every right to worry,” Mattias turned back towards the battlefield, dropping another ork with a quick burst of fire. “Keep supporting us; I’ll move forward and try to take some pressure off Alexis and Nikolai.” “They eye must close, for the flower will burn.” Mattias had no chance to question Angelique’s prophecy before the little psyker rushed forward and tackled Mattias, the Inquisitor stumbling forward in surprise more than anything. Just as his momentum carried him towards the ground, the air was filled with the throaty roar of an autocannon, the heavy shells striking the orks and reducing them to nothing more than bloody chunks. The autocannon was soon joined by salvos from several boltguns, their fire once more drowned out as a gout of fire rushed forward to incinerate any Greenskins that still stood. Those spared from the carnage turned and fled, some falling from accurate fire from the new arrivals. Through the flames marched a black armored woman. It took Mattias a moment to recognize Sister Naomi, shaking off Angelique as he pulled himself back to his feet. “Sister, your timing is impeccable.” “Spare the chatter, Inquisitor Mattias,” Naomi growled. “Where is Tara?” “Lost,” Mattias pointed his pistol towards the ruins. “She ran off into the city with Inquisitor Markos right behind her. Unfortunately for us, the orks appear to have killed Markos... I don’t know about Tara.” Naomi bristled, but said nothing more as Mattias continued. “We cannot spare any more time discussing this. You brought reinforcements?” “Only one Taurox; the Guard needed all other vehicles to prepare for the ork attack.” Naomi turned slightly, drawing Mattias’ attention to where the rest of her Sisters were assisting Mattias’ henchmen recover from the battle. “I swear by the Throne, though, we will be more than enough to save Tara from these xenos.” “No doubt.” Mattias stepped towards his followers. “The Sisters will take point; Alexis and Nikolai, cover Angelique so she can help them locating Tara.” “We draw close to the corpse of the wolf, yet the mare will not climb.” Angelique chirped, stepping closer to the Sisters to Ruth’s visible discomfort. Judith and Rebecca had already started to scale the rubble, pausing only to make sure there were no orks charging up the other side to meet them. Taking up the rear was the Imperial Guard Taurox the Sisters had been provided. While not always as reliable as the more common Chimera, its autocannon would do wonders against the ork’s tough physique, and its suspension could help in scaling the rubble pile. Mattias scurried up the rubble to make room for the transport, the Valhallans flanking it as it continued up and over to the next road. The ork attacks had certainly left their mark, with dozens of ruined Leman Russes and Chimeras littering the street. The Sisters slowed their pace as they walked among the wreckage, sweeping their bolters back and forth in preparation of an ambush. Angelique all but skipped behind them, the air around her shimmering slightly with every step she took. “And you are sure your psyker can find her?” Naomi said once Mattias and the others caught up to them. “Angelique’s divination is far more accurate than any other psyker I’ve met, save perhaps the Empress Herself.” Mattias replied. “She may appear lost, but I have known her long enough to figure out what she is saying... most of the time.” “My friend might be my enemy,” Angelique sang. “The gods laugh, but the light is not extinguished, even if it is hidden from the mare.” “... Forgive me if that does not raise my confidence, Inquisitor.” Naomi quickened her pace, joining her Sisters as they continued their sweep. There was silence among the group, save for the rumbling of the Taurox’s engine, before Sister Rebecca called from ahead. “Sister Naomi! I spotted something by that Leman Russ.” Both Mattias and Naomi jogged over to where Rebecca pointed. Scattered across the road were the remains of Markos’ stormtroopers, the headless corpse of the Inquisitor lying in two pieces not too far away. Mattias stopped as he saw the shattered remains of Tara’s sword, the hilt having been kicked a little closer to the group. Mattias stowed his sword before picking up the hilt, turning it over a few times in his hand to inspect for further damage. He paused when he heard a series of expletives that he did not know Sisters of Battle were taught. He looked up to see Ruth kicking at Markos’ corpse, the Sister apparently trying to break his body into even smaller parts. Mattias watched her for a moment before Ruth stopped and looked up at him. “... I was only pausing to try and destroy his body.” she mumbled. “After we find Tara,” Mattias said as he clamped Tara’s broken sword to his hip. “Believe me when I say that we all admire your devotion to the Empress, Sister.” Sister Ruth merely nodded, but was kept from speaking when Angelique called out. “Within the corpse of the wolf,” Angelique repeated, walking over to the Leman Russ and cocking her head to one side. “Little mare, the eye has seen you.” “... hello?” came a muffled, somewhat choppy reply. Everyone present snapped their heads towards the wreck, with Sister Bianca being the first to approach and open one of the hatches. “Tara?” she asked, peering inside. There was a pause before Tara lunged out of the hatch, pulling Bianca into as tight a hug as she could manage. “Sister!” she sobbed. “I-I thought you were dead. I saw the plane hit, a-a-and...” “It’s alright, Tara,” Bianca whispered, stroking Tara’s hair as the younger woman sobbed. “Just let it all out. Everything will be okay now, Tara.” Mattias watched as the Hospitaller comforted the Empress’ student. Battle shock was nothing Mattias and the others had not seen before, but seeing Tara sobbing like this... Mattias was not sure what to feel. Confusion? Pity? For the first time in many years, Mattias was at a loss. “Is she injured?” he said finally. “A few bruises; nothing a few days of rest can’t heal.” Bianca called back. “Good. Get her onto the transport.” Bianca nodded, turning to help Tara out of the wrecked tank. Mattias turned back towards the waiting Taurox. “Guardsman!” “My lord?” there was a pause before a bearded man appeared out of the top hatch. “Vox your command center; I want a message relayed to the fleet of the situation and I want a Valkyrie transport ready and waiting for when we return.” “As you command, my lord,” the man closed the hatch, and there was a pause before the faint sound to static could be heard from within the Taurox. Static that was soon drowned out by a very familiar warcry. “Lord Mattias, we have orks!” Alexis called. “No no no no no no no...” Tara stammered, pulling back inside the Leman Russ. “Of course, the Greenskins always have to intrude,” Mattias pulled away from the transport. Charging towards them was a mob several dozen strong, a rickety trukk lurching behind them. The Greenskins barely bothered with their guns, rushing forward to try and catch the humans in melee. “Sister Naomi, stall them until we can get Tara onto the Taurox.” “Judith!” Naomi barked. Sister Judith all but skipped forward, stopping only to plant her feet as she raised her weapon. “Aw, Frederik finally gets to play!” she sang. “Come right up; he plays a bit rough, but he’s quite eager to get to know xenos and heretics.” There was the briefest of pauses before a curtain of white flames roared out at the Greenskins, the pavement beneath them blackening from the intense heat. The orks had no chance to cry out before they were incinerated, even the most enraged hesitating as Judith swept the flamer back and forth across the battlefield. “I guess she really did have the Empress bless it with a kiss...” Naomi murmured. “Never mind. Kill the xenos!” The other four Sisters stepped forward, staggering themselves to get the best field of fire. Mattias watched as the Sisters fired, their controlled burst overlapping so perfectly that there was not a single place the orks could run without getting hit. Those that made it through the flames were cut down in a hail of fire, smoldering bodies piling up at the feet of the Sororitas. Beyond, more Greenskins were drawn to the fight, rushing through the gap in the city defenses with reckless abandon. For many, they were caught by punishing fire from the Taurox’s autocannon, the shells blasting apart the xenos as if they were overripe fruit. The trukk that had supported the first group held up for a few brief moments before collapsing from the assault, panels and wheels bouncing off while the driver and gunner looked about in confusion. Over the din of battle, Ruth began to sing. “The Empress is my Shield and Protector; I shall not be in want!” she chanted. “Her Light fills the galaxy and gives life to all that is pure! Blessed is the one who bows at Her Altar, for he shall never be far from Her Sight!” One ork managed to close the distance to the Sisters, only to be stopped by Sister Naomi ramming her chainsword into the beast’s throat. “Cursed be the heretic, who abandons Her Will! Cursed be the Mutant, who perverts Her Image! Cursed be the Xenos, who blasphemes Her Name! By our hand, may they burn in the fires of Her Wrath!” As great as the Sister’s zeal might have been, it was clear that they were starting to be pushed back; more orks broke through the flames, each one drawing closer and closer to the Sisters before dying. Alexis and Nikolai lent their fire, but it was not enough to fully repulse the horde. “Sister Bianca!” Mattias called, hurrying to the Leman Russ while keeping his eyes on the orks. “Get Tara onto the transport now!” “I’m not going out there!” Tara stammered, still quite panicked. “I’m not going out.” “The little mare fears much,” Angelique explained. “All the other little mares do not see what she sees.” Mattias looked to Sister Bianca. “I have tried to coax her out as best I can, but she’s locked up.” Bianca replied. “I could use a suppressant to calm her down long enough to get her onto the transport.” “Hold off on the suppressant; Tara is a non-combatant and might have an adverse reaction, especially with her psychic powers.” “Unavoidable considering Tara does not wear any dampeners, but she will remain unwilling to leave until we either sedate her or clear out the orks.” There was an explosion ahead. An ork armed with a scavenged missile launcher had fired on the Sisters, the rokkit missing but causing enough disruption to create a break in the wall of death between human and xenos. A second rokkit streaked overhead, this one finding its mark and blasting away one of the Taurox’s autocannons. With the volume of fire depleted, the aliens could advance. One ork came barreling towards Sister Veronica, the Sister taking a slight step back as she leveled her bolter towards the beast. The Greenskin’s attack was not enough to knock the Sister over, but it would suffice. Mattias watched as the ork’s jagged knife slammed into Veronica’s stomach just below her ribs, a splash of blood covering the alien’s arm. It did not get a chance to enjoy its victory, for as she stumbled back Veronica’s bolter roared, reducing most of the Greenskin’s torso to shredded meat as the mass-reactive rounds detonated within. Veronica keeled over, clutching at her bleeding stomach as she tried to keep her weapon aimed at the Greenskins. None of the other Sisters appeared able to come to their aid; their focus was on those xenos that had yet to taste the wrath of humanity. Mattias rushed forward in their stead, cutting down another ork that appeared eager to claim the Sister’s death as its own victory. “Sister.” “Leave me, Inquisitor.” Veronica growled, trying and failing to push herself back to her feet. “Get Tara out of here.” “You won’t do the Empress or Tara much good if you die here.” Mattias hooked his arms under the Sister’s, despite her struggles. “Sister Bianca can treat your wounds so you can keep fighting; I will take your place in the line-” “Leave me, dammit!” Veronica screamed, struggling but failing to break away from Mattias. “I give my life freely to the Empress’ Chosen. Don’t let your naivete cause her downfall!” Mattias wanted to argue the point, but the situation before him said otherwise; with Veronica out of the fight, the surviving Sisters had to fall back to make up for the gap in their line. The Green Tide rushed forward once more, some bringing up heavier guns to better deal with the Sister’s armor and tenacity. Sister Judith had switched her heavy flamer out with a bolt pistol, while both Ruth and Rebecca had shortened their bursts even more to conserve energy. With each passing second the Greenskins drew closer and closer, their war cries rising to a crescendo that could drown out even the loudest of firearms. Mattias’ jaw tightened. If it meant that he and the others died here, so be it; as long as Tara survived, and enough Greenskins died to make their sacrifice meaningful. Mattias released Veronica, both he and the Sister raising their weapons for one final volley at the orks. Imagine their surprise when, instead of slaying a few more xenos, they sparked and exploded against a purple wall of power. The Greenskins themselves pulled back in surprise, some wailing against the shield to no effect. Mattias drew back, shifting his gaze ever so slightly to get a better idea of what had been their deliverance. The shield was more accurately a dome, several meters tall and wide enough to engulf his team, the Sisters, and the Taurox. The Sisters did not lower their weapons, but they did look around in confusion at the sight around them. “No.” the declaration was soft, but firm enough to keep Mattias’ attention. He turned to see Tara stepping out of the Leman Russ, her hands wreathed in purple energy. Psychic shield; I should have realized it. Mattias and the others could only watch in silence as Tara stepped forward, her eyes blazing with power. “You. Will not. Hurt. My. FRIENDS!!!” with that Tara flicked her hands outward, the purple shield glowing before blasting outward in a dome of light. Mattias could feel heat and energy washing over him, the paint on his armor cracking as the wave struck him. He raised his arm to cover his eyes, lest they be burned out by the rush of power Tara displayed. Mattias felt... calm. Early feelings of anger and frustration at the xenos were swept away with the blastwave, replaced only with a soothing calmness unlike any he had experienced before. Before his eyes he saw a flash of images: some kind of winged insect, a fruit, a diamond, a lightning bolt, and a balloon of all things, the images spinning about before merging to form a six pointed star. This was not the powers of the Warp. Soon, the feelings past. Heat was replaced by cool... too much coolness for being at the epicenter of a massive psychic blast. Mattias dropped his arm and blinked; avenues were replaced by spires, wrecks by weather antennae. Whatever Tara had done, they had somehow been teleported atop one of the skyscrapers of the hive city, alone save for the howling of wind and the faint sound of gunfire. “Princess?” Mattias snapped his vision towards Tara. She had dropped her arms, and stumbled back as if drunk. “Princess... I’m sorry.” with that she collapsed, Sister Rebecca rushing over to where she lay and thrusting a palm against her throat. “... She’s still breathing.” she said, looking up at Mattias. “By the Empress, what was that?!” “I have no idea,” Mattias replied. “I have never seen psychic powers act like that, much less act with such force and precision.” “The mare has spoken,” Angelique said. “Now, will you take up her sword?” “I’m sorry... I’m sorry...” Tara continued to mumble, even as the Sisters stepped forward to tend to her. Sister Bianca stopped only to check Veronica, peeling back some of the shattered remains of her armor to check the wound. “We’ll need to get you to a proper medical facility; I can stop your bleeding, but you’ll be crippled if you do not get surgery.” “It is a small price to pay for the Student’s safety.” Veronica muttered, her words slurring slightly as Bianca administered hyper-coagulants and pain killers. Mattias did not approach either at first; instead, he went back to the Taurox, flinging open the side hatch and calling inside. “Are you still alive in here?” he called. There was a lengthy pause before someone responded. “... I think my nose is broken.” one Guardsman croaked. “What’s the situation, my lord?” the bearded one asked. “We appear to have been teleported to the top of a building far away from the conflict. Contact your superiors and see if they can locate us for pickup.” “... yes, my lord.” Mattias turned back to his fellows, searching for some way to make himself useful. The uninjured Sisters were busy trying to wake Tara, while Bianca and the stormtroopers did their best to stabilize Veronica for transit. As Mattias watched, he noticed a slight movement out of the corner of his eye. Readying his pistol, he turned to face the newcomers, stopping only as the black forms of Raven Guard Astartes, the Space Marines pausing as well before Corax made his presence known. “You are the Inquisitor attached to the Empress’ student,” the Primarch rumbled. “What are you doing up here?” “We were caught up in the ork’s attack,” Mattias explained. “Tara teleported us up here just as we were about to be overrun.” Corax brushed past Mattias, the Sisters giving way as he loomed over Tara. He kneeled and gently took her head in his hands, brushing a few locks of hair out of her eyes as she mumbled yet another incoherent sentence. There was a pause before Corax rose, turning to one of the accompanying Astartes. “I am leaving you here to watch over them. Vox the fleet and have a Thunderhawk come to take the Student and her companions back to the fleet. Make sure that an apothecary is aboard to treat their wounds.” “Yes, Lord Corax.” The Space Marine nodded as Corax turned back to Mattias. “You have done well to guard Tara, young Inquisitor,” he said. “I can see now that she is in good hands.” “I am sure that you over exaggerate, Lord Corax,” Mattias replied, trying and failing to meet Corax’s eyes. “I never exaggerate on such matters, Inquisitor.” With that Corax strode towards the edge of the building, gracefully lifting off with the rest of his sons in tow. Only when he was gone did Mattias allow some of his tension to ease. They had survived the onslaught, somehow. But one question lingered in Mattias’ mind as he looked over his shaken but unbroken group. What are you, Tara?