Litany of Sacrifice

by Reactor

Prologue

Litany of Sacrifice

”In life, war. In death, peace. In life, shame. In death, atonement.”

--Final litany of the Litany of Sacrifice

A humongous sea of flesh was mowing it's way through the oncoming hail of shurikens and laser beams, launched by the weapons ahead. Each projectile hurled towards the tidal wave was wearing out a fraction of it, man after man falling onto the ground, torn apart by tiny blades or incinerated by lasers. A wave after wave the men clad in dull grey garments advanced, never hesitating or faltering. The rumbling of guns could be heard behind them, pounding its way into the eardrums of the soldiers, men and xenos alike. The bombardment had been going on for hours and the outcome could be seen as hundreds of craters and ruined buildings.

The Eldar in the ruined outskirts of the settlement were throwing everything they had against the waves of men advancing towards them from the wasteland, but nothing seemed to be able to stop them. All they had managed was to slow them down, and only marginally so. Already they had sustained heavy losses from the artillery fire of the enemy. They knew the enemy was human, but never had they met humans like these. Their Farseers and Warlocks said that the average human mind was fairly fragile and their morale easily breakable. They relied on numbers and officers keeping order.

But no, these were no ordinary men. Wearing their heavy greatcoats and plasteel helmets they never staggered. Their faces covered by a gasmask, having only two pitch black holes the wearer could see through. Under the layers of their uniforms and with their respirator units they were completely sealed against contaminated environment or gas attacks. Were it with a lasgun, quad launcher or a battle cannon of a Macharius, they deliver the will of The Emperor without a second thought. But the weapon they were the most deadly with, was their bayonets. Some even say that the bayonet was their main weapon. Even in the face of sudden death, they never flinch. It is a known fact that armies have fled when witnessed a full scale assault by these stalwart men. And now they were dashing towards the unfortunate Eldar sheltering in the rubble.

This was one of those occasions. Majority of the Eldar bolted panicking from their poritions, trying desperately to flee the wall of death approaching them, only to be obliterated by the heavy guns of the Krieg artillery. Those who stood their ground faced no better fate.

The tide of men clashed against the remaining Eldar, rolling over them. The Korpsmen thrusted their bayonets into the slim bodies of their foes, easily penetrating the armor they wore. Hunderds after hundreds of men poured into the settlement, hunting down any xenos they saw.

In the middle of the fray were three significant men.

”Forwards, men of Krieg! We never falter! For we will emerge victorious or give our lives for the Emperor!”

The man wearing a simple plasteel chest carapace and an Imperial Eagle ornating his helmet was encouraging his men, although he knew they needed no encouragement. Gerlach Bellrath had risen to the position of company commander from the bottom through the ranks. Partly thanks to his wits but also by the sheer luck of survival. Death Korps officers often lead from the front as nothing more is expected from the Death Korps but to fight and die for the Emperor. He was in command of the 16th infantry company.

”By the Emperor, I shall put you down!”

Alongside him fought Crask Stagler, swinging his chainsword and decapitating an Eldar Guardian. Wearing the identifiable black garments of a Commissar, he was ordered to join the regiment by the Departmento Munitorum. Commissars usually were to act as tactical advisors and enforcers. Stagler had never needed to fill his role as an enforcer during his time in the Death Korps, thanks to the discipline they already showed.

The last of the three was a menacing sight to say at the least. Wearing a cape over his back, a chest piece that resembled a ribcage and adorning his face was a skull mask, the Quartermaster Volkhart Feygon walked between corpses of men, reciting rites for the fallen and issuing his servitors to reclaim their equipment. The serviors, shuddering figures filled with tubes, pipes, and various gadgets and carrying various equipment; helmets, greatcoats, boots and so on, were buzzing around and looting all the equipment that weren't damaged.

A single laser beam pierced through a Korpsman beside the Quartermaster as he was reciting the last rites for a fallen comrade. The beam almost ripped the soldier in half around his mid-section and he collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain. Feygon gave a glance at the Korpsman groaning on the ground when finishing his rites. He started slowly to tread towards the suffering man, pulling his laspistol from it's holster while doing so. The man's respirator unit's hose was broken, although the Quartermaster could see from his respirator that the air was free of toxins, he knew that there was no hope for the almost-cut-in-half man.

Looming over the soldier, he pointed the pistol at his head. ”You have payed your debt to the Emperor, that our ancestors fell upon us. The Emperor is proud of you and I will grant you the blessing of His peace. May the Emperor always be with you, Korpsman.” In a flash of red light, the stalwart man was given peace.

In the ruins above them, was hiding an injured Eldar Farseer. She knew there was no escape for her kin, but at least she would take as many of the humans with her as she could. Drawing her psychic powers, she started to prepare a spell that when completed, would also claim her own life. Spots of light started dancing around her as she concentrated. Growing more and more intense, the ion storm started taking shape.

”Psychic! Take her down!” A Korpsman yelled after seeing the lights dancing around the ruined structure. Several soldiers opened fire against the Farseer, las-beams impacting against the see-thru psychic barrier around the Farseer. She felt her strength draining, knowing that she couldn't last long against the hail of fire. Feeling the life seeping out of her body, she put the last of her powers into the ion storm, releasing it against the enemy.

Gerlach saw the approaching gale of death, frying humans and xenos alike while it roamed uncontrollably across the battlefield. As if out of it's own will, it changed it's direction towards the company commander. A commander from any other Guard regiment would have done the sensible thing and retreated from the course of the storm. But Gerlach was an officer in the Death Korps and withdrawing wasn't an option to them, not even if it had been strategically the best option.

Rising his ornate sword above his head he charged towards the remaining Eldar. ”Push forward, men! Spare none!”

Crask saw the officer he had served as an advisor for over three years, dashing towards the storm. His curses were muffled by the gasmask he hated wearing. Many Korpsmen wore their respirator units even when not in battle, and he never understood how they bared with it. He knew he himself couldn't do that. But in a battle, the respirator was a must.

”Sometimes I wonder if they're brave or just plain stupid.” He dashed after the commander, vaulting over corpses of friend and foe alike.

”Who are you?” He heard a voice, as calm as the night and soft as the smoothest silk, ask him in his head.

”You will not claim my mind, xenos!”

”Who is he talking to? And why does he sound so furious?”

”With the Emperor's wrath, shall I strike you down when I find you, witch!”

”I think I better cut the link, I feel myself weakening”

With that, there was a loud explosion, the ion storm growing larger and larger. Crask felt like his head would explode, the pressure crushing his skull. Before that could happen, he felt darkness overtaking him. The last thing he saw, was his fellow soldiers also falling onto the ground, presumably dead.

---

It was a beautiful, clear night in Equestria. Princess Luna was laying in her bed, bored out of her mind. Nopony ever came to her night court and this night was no exception. Most ponies were sleeping in their homes, hiding from the darkness outside. Still, they felt safe under the lucent shimmer of Luna's moon, and she knew and appreciated that. Her subjects had finally shown her the love she over a thousand years ago so craved.

”I'm soooooo bored. And it's still several hours until I may lower the moon and go to sleep.”

After her return she had started to visit ponies' dreams. She could manipulate them, banishing nightmares and unpleasant dreams out of the pony's mind. It actually was sort of mind reading spell, only altered a little. Apart from being her duty, she also often did this when she was bored. This is what she decided to do.

A meteor shower named Oriontis, was supposed to pass the planet of Equus tonight. It was one of the few stellar phenomenons that Luna didn't have control over. These uncontrollable phenomenons were said to strengthen one's magic, if they were powerful enough to harness it. Only Princess Celestia was known to had done this a couple of times, during desperate times.

Leaving the warm embrace of her bed, Luna started to trot towards a certain room located in the castle. Sort of a ”casting room” where one could cast their spells in peace. It also had several magic enhancing runes scribbled onto the floor. Many of Celestia's students had practiced their spells here when only foals. It was easier to learn magic when it was enhanced, naturally.

Arriving to the room, she knew she had about an hour before the meteor shower was supposed to pass, so she levitated a book from the shelves adoring the walls of the room, and sat on a cushion in one of the room's corners. She flipped through the pages, stopping on a certain page telling about the meteor shower about to come. When she was sure she had every piece of information about the said shower in her mind, she levitated the book back onto the shelf and walked to the middle of the room, powering her horn and starting to weave the spell she had in mind. The mind reading spell she used to enter ponies' dreams, though this time she wouldn't be entering anypony's dreams and she was aiming further. A lot further.

After several minutes Luna had the spell weaved. Now she only had to wait for the right moment so she could release the magic she had built up. Feeling her powers getting stronger, she knew Oriontis was getting closer and closer every second.

”Six, five, four...” Thewindow was nearing. ”Three, two... one!”

She released the magic stored within her, feeling it fill every corner of the room. Her eyes were closed in concentration, yet a picture started to form in front of her. In her mind's eyes she saw hundreds and hundreds of specks of light. On closer look, the lights were windows into different creatures' minds. This was familiar to her as she entered the realm every night. But tonight was different, empowered by Oriontis, she could travel further into the realm. She started with a slow trot, changing her pace to canter and finally to full speed gallop. She started to lose feeling in her legs as she built up more and more speed, until only a light blue blur could be seen as she sped through the realm.

With supernatural agility, she snaked through the windows, peeking into several for a fraction of a second while passing them. Ponies, ponies everywhere. The scenes in the windows started to take more unfamiliar shape. She could see creatures she had never seen before, nor heard of. So many interesting minds to explore, she couldn't decide which one she would enter. At a certain window, she stopped. This one felt different. So much anger and frustration seeping from it. But there was something deeper there too. Ineffable sadness and loneliness. There was something Luna felt that she could relate to the feeling. After all, she hadd spent a thousand years in the moon, and it was hard to get accustomed to things back in Equestria after such a long time. She decided to enter this mind, stepping through the window.

Luna wasn't prepared for what laid behind the window. Deafened by the sounds around her, she saw hundreds of figures meddling in what seemed to be a city. Or what was left of one. Some of the sounds were unfamiliar to her, though she could still recognize them general meaning behind them. The sound of war. She could see her host taking a look at the figures beside him, seeing tall bipedal creatures wearing long coats, shoulder padding and helmets. They wielded objects in their arms, that spouted bright red light. To her, their faces were the most menacing features, bearing only two black holes. She thought they were some sort of masks to protect them. The creatures were ominous looking enough to startle the Princess of the night, who had seen many wars and things that mortal ponies shouldn't witness, during her long life.

She saw her host advance another bipedal figure, though this one looked different, clad in red armour and a white and black helmet. The creature in front of her host drew a dagger from it's waist, swinging it at her host who dodged the swipe. Blocking another swipe from the armoured creature, her host brought his sword down, decapitating his foe. Luna felt sick and was ready to throw up, seeing the body fall onto the ground and it's head rolling away from it.

”Who are you?”

”You will not claim my mind, xenos!”

Luna gasped, not prepared for an answer. Perplexed by the whole situation, she didn't remember, that when in ponies' dreams, she could think to herself freely, not disturbing the pony. But when linked to somepony's mind, the opposite side could hear her thoughts, and vice versa.

”Who is he talking to? And why does he sound so furious?”

Again startled by the answer, she felt herself getting weaker. Oriontis had to be getting further away, the window of opportunity soon closing.

”I think I better cut the link, I feel myself weakening”

Seconds later she heard a deafening explosion, flinging her out of the realm.

---

Cutting the connection and returning the world of living, Luna collapsed onto the floor, in the middle of the runes. Grasping her head with her hooves, she felt a crushing headache kick in. No matter what she did, the pain only intensified and she fidgeted on the floor. Releasing an ear piercing scream, she lost her consciousness.

Comments

[boredhooman]

Interesting. I'll wait until a new chapter before favoriting, but looks good so far. Also, you may want to get a prereader. I've found a number of small errors and ways that would have improved your prose.

[Inquisipony Stallius]

Not a bad start, I'll say. You did manage to capture some of the tone of the Death Korps. There were a few moments where you did a bit of "telling" us about them, however, rather than "showing." I think the Death Korps are actually one of the fascinating IG variants, and their callous disregard for human life is something that's very easy to "show." The Quartermaster is a good one, but there are other instances of exposition that could be better given as the characters' musings or details sprinkled in the action. And not necessarily all in the prologue, either. The creepyness of the Death Korps is the kind best cultivated over at least the first big chunk of the story.

I get the feeling you've read "Dead Men Walking." If not, it's right up your alley. Definitely look to that for a great taste of characters in and around the Korps.

Besides that, as boredhuman said, a few minor errors and patches of clunky prose. Reread it carefully, and out loud, and I think you'll be able to catch them.

Ave Imperatrix Celestialis

[GhostlyReader]

Hm... marking to read later. Concept alone has me intrigued, but currently I lack the time to actually read it. Will do so when able.

[Reactor]

2215807 English not being my main language, prereader might be a good idea. Only gotta find one now...

2216478 I didn't even realize that whole "telling" and "showing" thing, thanks for the tip. I'm planning on fattening the three main human characters more and more each chapter, trying some sort of character building. Though three characters might be a bit too much, especially for a novice like myself. I submitted the story around 2 am last night and had to wake up at 6 am, so I was kinda in a hurry.

And yes, I've read Dead Men Walking, though it's been a while, maybe I should read it again. I've also read Imperial Armour Vol. 5, The Siege of Vraks part one.

Thanks for the feeback, really appreciated!

[master109]

the death korps of krieg in equestria this is going to be awesome all though i feel sorry for all the ponies the korpsmen are probaly going to kill

[Jadders]

Holy crap this fanfic has massive promise to be truly amazing!

[Dicaeus]

This story sounds like it's going to be really good. Can't wait to read more.

Have you ever read the Imperial Guard novel "Fifteen Hours" by Mitchel Scanlon? It's my personal I.G. favorite and I would recommend giving it a read if you need inspiration.

[Inquisitor-Awesome]

to me this sounds like the battle for equstria fic did that story inspired you or did you came up with this yourself? just curious