"All is lost!" the Tau Ethereal was completely frantic, clasping his skull and crawling along the streets of Constantis "We cannot prevail here, the Greater Good has failed us"
"Honoured Ethereal, please! Calm yourself!" Shadowsun urged madly, trying to restrain the maddened Ethereal, without any success "You cries will demoralize the men!"
"Demoralize?" Aun Shi Tau ranted "What good is morale against those monsters? The Daemons of the Warp roam this land freely, unchecked and uncompromised! We are invaders in their new Empire, and invaders never prosper! We will all of us suffer and die at the hands of Chaos, all we can pray for is a swift and painless death!" Stubbs stormed into the scene.
"What in blazes is going on here?" he demanded.
"It is Chaos, Chaos in its purest form!" the Ethereal continued "It stalks this land, ever since we arrived here have we fed it and now it bites our hand! Madness, insanity, death is all we will find here! There is no escape for us! We are all of us doomed to die here and join their mindless ranks as Space Marines of the Dark Gods!" With a sigh, the Lord Commissar revealed his gun and loaded a small dart into it, firing into the neck of the maddened Tau leader and rendering him unconscious.
"My thanks to you, human" Shadowsun said, propping up the Ethereal's body and carrying him to a Devilfish transport "Had you not intervened, many of our men would have joined him in madness"
"My duty is to execute those lost to the enemy" Stubbs said firmly "That I was forced merely to intoxicate your Ethereal was hardly an act of generosity. What is wrong with him?" Shadowsun sighed, his Battlesuit clanking as he sat on the pavement.
"It must be all this Warp energy, even I can feel it, hear its whispers" he admitted "I would have expected Aun Shi Tau, of all of us, to ignore it. But alas, he is deeply pained by our predicament" he paused and looked to the troubled face of Vance Stubbs "How are your men?"
"Bleak, very bleak" the Commissar replied "We face the largest and deadliest army ever assembled and I have but a poultry few to send to the front lines. A few hundred Guardsmen, some squads of Kasrkin and Ogryn warriors, about a dozen Sentinels, Leman Russ' and Hellhounds, and a single Baneblade" he huffed and joined the Xeno Commander on the pavement "Nothing compared to the force I brought to this world. Those blasted Dark Eldar took so many of my men prisoner, and yet so few at a time that I scarcely noticed! My artillery was all but lost at the battle of Montakaan, and my men's morale continues to plummet" he paused, lost in his own thoughts "How about your warriors?"
"The Elder Ethereals of T'au gave me a mighty force of Tau, Kroot and Vespid to bring to this war" Shadowsun began "Not to mention one of our finest military Commanders, Or'es'Ka, and our greatest Ethereal to lead them. But alas, we too were hard hit by Dark Eldar raids, and many of my soldiers have fallen in combat also. But still I keep my trump card safely stored away in our city stronghold" Stubbs looked to him curiously "A great monster of the Kroot home world, epic in size, dreaded in strength and mighty in toughness. It will be to no avail, however, if those blasted Orks have brought Squiggoths with them" Stubbs sighed.
"Indeed, and they march under Ghazghkull Thraka, so it is likely that they have" he said "I too hold a trump card, but I'd rather not share it at this time" he looked to the Commander, seeing that his words had fallen on deaf ears as the Tau Commander was lost in his own thoughts "Well, I must return to my duties" Stubbs rose and, about to leave, he turned back to the Commander "It was good to talk with you, Commander. Good luck to you" he offered the Tau leader his hand, and Shadowsun took it.
"And to you, brave human" he said.
Once more, the Chaos Sorcerer knelt before the throne of his Lord, great energy conduits now feeding him with blood and sacrifices. The mighty form of the Great One loomed ominously over him upon his throne as the Sorcerer gave his report.
"We are ready to proceed, Great One, with your permission" he said slowly, never looking upon the throne directly.
"You have it, Sorcerer" the Overlord boomed "You have served the Dark Gods well, you are sure to be rewarded soon, once their wounds have healed"
"The Imperium did them a great dishonour the day they attacked their home" the Sorcerer cursed "I pray always that they will once again know their former greatness"
"Your words are pious, Sorcerer" the Great One said "And soon, with your every contribution made, their power will exceed that of the false Emperor of Mankind, and his precious Angels of Death will march for us!"
"Yes, Great One" the Sorcerer presented the glowing Stone of Farsight "As I predicted, the orb has located the weapon that will bring about the destruction of our enemies! And with the opposing forces on this world either under our control or utterly destroyed, I have foreseen the downfall of all humanity, all Eldar and all other races in the galaxy as one by one the worlds of this universe fall to our power. With the loss of their precious Emperor's sustained corpse, the morale of humanity will be shattered and they will fall so easily before our power"
"Excellent, where is this mighty weapon?"
"Rather conveniently, Great One, it rests beneath the Deimopian Plateau"
"Good, now go! You have much work to do!"
"You are sure?" the Farseer again asked of her Rangers, only to have her suspicions again confirmed by their findings "The enemy's objective lies under the Deimopian Plateau?"
"Yes, Farseer" the Ranger's Warlock reported "We have heard from the Great Enemy that this objective is a weapon of unparalleled might and power. They say it is greater than any Titan, more devastating that the greatest Warp Storms, and once they carry out a black ritual to possess the weapon, it will course with the foul energies of all four Chaos Gods, making it all the more unstoppable" the Farseer lowered herself to sit upon a shattered wall to ponder these thoughts "They say they will turn this great device first on the Imperium capital of Terra, to break the morale of humanity, then on the worlds of Ultramar, and then against the entire universe"
"By Khaine…" Caerys rested her helmed head in her hands and struggled to comprehend the scale of it all "We have only one course of action to take" With a wave of her hand, the brightly coloured and elegant Harlequin danced to her side "Summon the other Commanders"
Before long, the courtyard of Constantis played host to the vast array of Alliance Commanders. Nebulous and his Ultramarine Command Squad, Farseer Caerys and her Seer Council, Canoness Agna and her Imperial Confessor, Commanders Or'es'Ka and Shadowsun of T'au, and Lord Commissar Vance Stubbs accompanied by Commissar Yarrick filled the small and round area of the ruined city before a psychic map formed by the Eldar Farseer. It showed the plateau to be a massive space, where many armies of vast size could be deployed. The central hill was tall and steep, dotted with statues and ruins and traversable only by a single staircase of stone that ringed around the hill many times before reaching the top. And upon the top, the grass of the mound was gone, replaced by harsh rocks that formed a great arena. Surely if the weapon were buried here, this would have been a great fortress once, assigned to protect its destructive powers from the wants of others.
"We can assail the plateau only from one direction, up the staircase that climbs it" the Farseer was explaining "The side of the mound is too steep and may well contain a vast array of defensive traps. We can expect only the fiercest of defences to be lain out by our foes, this Sorcerer is indeed a shrewd tactician. With the wisdom of Farseer Taldeer pulsing through his mind, he will no doubt need to be our primary objective"
"And he holds the orb that controls the minds of his army" Or'es'Ka reminded them.
"True, surely if the artifact were destroyed, his hold would be broken" Stubbs suggested "Or maybe if we could use our psykers to repurpose it-" but Chaplain Antion cut him off.
"No, it would be unbecoming of loyal servants of the Emperor to prey on the vulnerable minds of our foes" he said clearly "Such an act would lower the Imperium to the level of Chaos"
"In less brazened words, I believe the artifact has been fully corrupted by the Warp" Caerys explained "To expose your psykers to its influence is to damn them to madness or death"
"With his hold shattered, we can hope for one of two outcomes" Nebulous suddenly said "First, the armies all turn on one another out of their rage and tear each other apart, making our attack against the Sorcerer himself easier. Second, the armies may realize that it was Chaos who brainwashed them, and simultaneously turn on the Sorcerer and destroy him"
"Indeed" Shadowsun agreed "And depending on how quickly we can destroy the artifact, Chaos' ambitions on this planet could be felled then and there" Caerys lowered the psychic map and looked at each Commander seriously.
"Now, in spite of the fact that he believes us dead, the Sorcerer behind this plot is too cunning to deploy any less than his full force around the plateau" she said slowly "We can expect to face the full force of Chaos, Dark Eldar, Tyranid, Ork and Necron power in this battle. Each force is capable of a number of different battlefield tactics, we know the Dark Eldar favour speed, stealth and striking from the shadows, whereas Orks will charge any foe head on and the Necrons rely heavily on their phalanx formation. Each of you will have to realize where you are strongest and use your abilities to counter those of our enemies"
"My Fire Warriors can dispatch most foes from a distance" Or'es'Ka pointed out "And our stealth technology is nigh undetectable" he paused "But, we falter in close combat, there we are weakest. Our Kroot allies do what they can, but if the Orks charge us, our lines will have no choice but to pull back"
"We can deploy our most brutish Ogryn warriors on the front to repel any attackers" Yarrick said clearly.
"Indeed, and my Rangers can wear down their lines as they charge" Caerys added "Howling Banshees can act as front line defences and our Warp Spiders and Fire Dragon forces are more effective at short range also"
"My Battle-Brothers' numbers are dwindling" Nebulous admitted "At present strength we are little more than an elite strike force" Caerys looked up to him.
"Then that shall be your role" she concluded "Your Space Marines are the best equipped and versatile warriors in the Alliance. You can strike the plateau itself, make your way through the gauntlet of defences that will be in place, reach the foul shrine at the top and stop whatever ceremony is happening there"
"And my Holy Battle Sisters will provide rear support" Agna said, quite surprisingly. It was as though her clash with Farseer Caerys in the charnel underworld of the Nightbringer's city had finally opened her eyes to the seriousness of the matter. Never before would she have elected herself to cover another's rear, her Sisters were made for the front lines. Strategy was the only key to success. Nebulous nodded his approval and gratitude to the Canoness and Caerys looked at each of them again.
"At the War of Kaurava, our races were incapable of cooperation, and the results were catastrophic" she reminded them "Though Chaos was mortally wounded on that day, the Dark Gods have begun their revenge strategy and now the universe itself lies on the brink of annihilation. We march on the Deimopian Plateau to put and end to this Sorcerer and his foul plans, and to rescue the galaxy from its impending fate. Perhaps when this war is done, and we can finally escape this world, the lessons we learned here can be taken to our superiors to look to a brighter future where the Alliance of Order spans worlds instead of just armies. Until then, we can hope only for victory and success. Commanders, to your transports and to your warriors, we ride toward the most epic battle in history, and we must triumph!"
The Deimopian Plateau. A massive space it was, spanning leagues of open grassland broken only by smooth rock faces and plant life. The mound itself however, was a terrible sight to behold. Around the ruined monastery at its peak great Warp clouds swirled and massed. The black ceremonies of the Sorcerer and his host had begun. And indeed, as one passed over the top of the mound, the sheer size of Chaos' new army would break the heart of the bravest man. The green of the grass completely overwhelmed by the bulking green forms of the Ork Waaagh! The skies were thick with the metallic Scarabs as they buzzed and hummed over the landscape between Raider, Ravager and Dais of Destruction alike at the heart of the Dark Eldar Fleet. Over the armies, the C'Tan looked on with hungering eyes as Destroyers hovered beside them and Necrons massed their lethal legions on the ground below. The terrible forms of the Tyranids towered over many of the other forces that had massed here like a lake of destruction, pouring over the Plateau, all up the staircase and around its base.
Within the ruined chapel at the summit, the Sorcerer weaved his dark words into the mighty well at the heart of the ruins. Many black altars had been erected around this great pit, and carcasses by the dozen were tossed into the abyss while cultists danced and chanted.
"It is upon us" the Sorcerer was saying "Seventy years of wandering, seventy agonizing years of planning, sacrifice and pain all culminating in this one moment. I have succeeded in breathing hellish life back into the Warp, feeding the powers of my Dark Gods to gain not only their favour, but their survival! How many lives have I given to Chaos? I lost count many years ago, but each was an important and necessary contribution to my massive gift. As the great Sindri once said, all power demands sacrifice, and I have sacrificed endlessly. Finally, all my plans will come to fruition, and Chaos will reign the stars and rain endless suffering down on their enemies!" he pondered his dark thoughts as he circled the altars and the great pit, sparks of Warp energy dancing from the orb on his belt and falling into the abyss to feed the devastating weapon that lurked beneath.
An Ork boy was running frantically up the hill, passing members of every army as he went. His brow was soaked with sweat, his bloodshot eyes parched of fluids and his hands clawing madly at the dirt to pull himself up the last few agonising steps, falling flat on his green face before the great form of Ghazghkull Thraka. The Warlord stood among his Chaotic comrades, Archon Tahril, the Necron Lord and the Hive Tyrant, and all looked down on this strange sight with soulless eyes.
"Boss, Boss!" the Boy cried out breathlessly "It's dem 'umies! Days alive, day is! All of 'em! Da Pointy Ears and the Grey Skins too! Days comin'!" Ghazghkull growled in a deep and low rumble of a tone. His visor focused and zoomed in on the open plains to the East. There they were, endless rows of Rhinos from both Space Marine and Sisters of Battle, alongside Chimeras, Grav Tanks and other machinations. Behind them stalked the mighty Wraithlords in ranks, protecting the artillery cannons and other tanks, surrounding the mighty Baneblade and the Command Land Raider. Ghazghkull hoisted the boy up in his giant power claw and crushed him slowly with a cry of rage so loud that every Ork, Dark Eldar, Tyranid, Chaos Marine and Necron looked to the chapel ruins to see the corpse fall to the ground.
"Day is comin'!" he bellowed "How day still alive? I thought your silly little curse thing killed 'em all? Told ya you should 'a bombed da city, ya git!" the Sorcerer emerged from the chapel and gazed over the hills to the many transports of every shape and size coming their way. As they all lined up and deployed their warriors on the side of the hill, and the Commanders of the Alliance emerged from the great Land Raider, the Sorcerer could only gaze in disbelief. This was impossible, how could he not have foreseen this? But he gathered himself, determined to show only the most arrogant of faces to his enemies.
"Ah, welcome the Deimopian Plateau" he said calmly, his voice carried through the winds and into their very minds "I must say, I'm surprised to see you. You all looked, well how can I put it, dead when I last saw you scattered about your ruined city. Ah, the imagery for the fate of your universe" he chuckled under his breath, but Nebulous stood strong.
"Had the Emperor not willed we survive, you would have had your victory, Sorcerer!" he proclaimed.
"Ugh, more sickening pious nonsense" the Dark Sorcerer scoffed "I grow so weary of you Loyalist Scum! You are in Chaos territory now. Here, your False Emperor cannot touch us and you are blasphemers and heretics against the true God-Emperor!" the sky crackled at the very mention of their lord "The Dark Gods rule this land, and you defile it with your presence! They will bring their heavenly wrath down upon you for this blasphemy!" lightning broke out, arching around the hill and striking four points. After a brief rumble, four idols burst from the red flames of the Warp. One was bold and brass, one rotten and green, one elegant and blue and the other strange and purple "The Gods of Chaos command this realm! You cannot pass!"
"We do not come to pass, heretic!" Stellous called over the rumbling of the skies "We come to stop you once and for all! The Alliance of Order has come, united in their cause of ridding the universe of scum like you!" a great cheer arose from the warriors of Ulthwé, Terra and T'au alike, but the Sorcerer merely mocked their pious zeal.
"Fools! You cannot prevail here!" he cried "My army is endless!"
Then, it was as though the Warp itself burst from the chapel behind him, spiralling into the air with shrieks of agony and pain. The Dark Eldar stared, entranced by the music of suffering as the pillar of energy reached high into the raging Warp Storm above them. When finally it subsided, the tower of foul craft plummeted back to the ground with a mighty crash, even the Sorcerer looked on in disbelief at the ferocity of it. And then the ground itself began to shake, the chapel's already crumbled remains began to fall and roll down the hill. The stone floor lifted and broke up as some great form pushed its way from beneath.
Farseer Caerys and her allies looked on with terror. Had they arrived too late? No, it couldn't be, the Sorcerer was as shocked at this eruption of power as anyone. Could it be that the dark sorceries they poured into the planet had awoken something else? They would soon find out as the great form rose from the ground, dust falling freely from its form. As Nebulous looked on with awe, the giant throne began to shine with a golden light, divine and holy in strength. He struggled to peer through the light to see the being that sat on the throne, and he could. A man, clad in golden armour and with long dark hair flowing from his halo-framed head.
"It can't be" he said slowly as he looked upon his God and Emperor in all his holy glory. The throne descended into the chapel, but its sheer size meant that both it and its Emperor could still be seen. And then, darkness descended, and the light faded. The glorious form of the God-Emperor was stripped away one molecule at a time, mutating and growing into foul shapes of black, red and gold. Soon, as the Warp energy began to dissipate, the form was no longer of a man, but of a monster. A massive and daemonic figure sat upon a throne carved of bone and flesh, its giant and red claws clasped around the edge. Two spine-like constructs protruded from the Daemon's back, arching over two giant shoulder pads in Black Legion colours, each baring the eight-pointed star in bright and terrible gold framing the Eye of Horus. The Daemon Prince looked down on the armies that surrounded its throne as its maw of gleaming fangs widened to a dark grin and it began to chuckle and then laugh with a deep and terrible voice.
"Welcome to my kingdom, where I alone hold dominion!" the Daemon Prince boomed "Have you come to pledge your souls to me?" Nebulous stepped forward, showing no fear to this monster.
"Never, the Emperor protects!" he bellowed back, supported by a cheer from his allies, but the Daemon laughed.
"Not here he doesn't!" it mocked "Here, only I can hear your desperate cries for deliverance! Lay down your weapons and bow before the God-Emperor of Chaos!" In instant response, the entire force of the Sorcerer, and the Sorcerer himself, went down on their knees before the mighty Daemon Prince, worshipping their God-Emperor with all their souls. But as the Daemon Prince absorbed this worship and honour, he looked down with distain to see the Alliance standing strong, and the rage burned up inside of him "You dare to defy me?" he boomed, his rage shaking trees from their roots and causing the clouds to tremble.
"I bow for no one but my Emperor!" Commissar Yarrick proclaimed.
"Fool! Here, I am the only Emperor! The only God!" the Daemon Prince arose from his throne and towered over the Plateau "And what of you, warriors of Order?" his gaze fell on the rows and rows of terrified Guardsmen, Eldar and Tau. Only the Space Marines and the Sisters of Battle glared back with defiance "Will you throw away your lives so recklessly? I, the Immortal and Divine God-Emperor of Chaos, offer you one last chance! Offer me the heads of your commanders and I will spare your lives! You will join my ranks as my highest officers, those with the courage and steel to throw off the shackles of the False Emperor and all other False Faiths!"
"Yell and gnash all you want, Daemon!" Antion bellowed "The Alliance of Order is united in its goal, you will be felled here and now!" the Daemonic Emperor looked down on the Chaplain and uttered a great laugh.
"Chaplain Antion of the Ultramarines?" he boomed "We meet again after all these years!"
"What do you mean?" the Chaplain paused as though a great veil had lifted from his eyes "Wait, I know that voice. I know you!"
"Yes, Chaplain!" the Prince laughed triumphantly "Look past the awesome might of my form, look into my eyes, look deep within and see your nemesis mocking you!" the Chaplain fell back, barely catching himself.
"Carron! Firaveus Carron!" he realized, and the Daemon Prince laughed again "That's impossible, I destroyed you! You fell under my mighty hammer!" But before the Dark God-Emperor could reply, the blast of a gun came from behind as the body of Lord Commissar Stubbs fell forward onto his face in the dirt, the back of his head split open by the point blank blast. Madly, a Guardsman ran forward crying frantically.
"Spare me, Great One!" he was yelling "Take me from these cruel overlords! I'll do whatever you-" a swift blast from Nebulous' bolter silenced the traitor, and the great Space Marine turned to the army.
"This is the fate that awaits any who stray from the light!" he proclaimed, his face creased with rage "If you wish to serve Chaos, like this fool, then I invite you to run to the feet of your precious new God" his eyes thinned "But this invitation comes with a promise. Do so, and you will fall long before you reach him!" the Guardsmen promptly stood to snappy attention and yelled their allegiance, and the Space Marine Commander turned back to face his foe "Your words will fall on deaf ears, Carron! The Alliance of Order comes here this day, not to cast you back into the Warp, but to send your broken corpse to the feet of the true God-Emperor of Humankind!" Lord Carron peered at the Commander through his burning eyes. This Space Marine was different, too different "On my word, warriors of the Alliance, attack!"