THE INVASION OF ORISKANY

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Lord Admiral Horatio Ellis, sat at his desk. He drummed his fingers on the oak as he stared at the map on the screen in front of him. It showed a planet with 3 continents. The largest of which showed a green swathe of old growth forests crossed by tiny blue lines. These were in fact major rivers that would prove to be major obstacles in an invasion.

He looked up and addressed the man standing across the room. He was dressed in a red uniform of the infantry. The bar on his shoulder showed an ensign “ Yes, ensign.” “Message for ya, sah.”“Excellent, hand it here.”“ Yes sah.” The ensign handed a letter to the Admiral, about faced, and walked out of the room.

The letter was a list of logistics of the campaign ahead. He pressed a button on the desk. “Clark, come read this. And have it filed in the network” “Certainly sir.” replied the aid. “I’ll be up there in a moment.” About thirty seconds later Clark walked into the room, his blue uniform was smart and well pressed. He reached out and took the letter and read it quickly. Then turned to the Admiral.”Heretics Milord.”

“What?” asked the admiral puzzled . “I was informed this was simply a cleansing of the abhuman population. I was not told that the filthy claws of chaos have wound there ways into this campaign.” I shall have the Marines informed at once. I wont have our men uninformed on the enemy they’ll be facing on the ground.” “I’ll send word to the cargo sir. I think the guard should know as well.” “Doubtlessly they already know but make sure they know to steel themselves against the Great Corruptors”Clark saluted and left the room.

The Aid walked quickly down a series of hallways that led to the main elevator in this part of the ship. He entered and nodded to the operator. “Level six” Clark said as he sat down on the leather bench. “Cargo and freight sir?” “Yes Seaman . That’s where the guard are located on this voyage.” “I’d almost forgotten they were aboard sir.” “Yes, so does nearly everyone. Hell I’d wager they’ve forgotten that they’re aboard.”

As the doors closed he tried to remember what being planet side felt like. He hadn’t left the fleet since he was a youth of twelve. Maybe he would ask to be deployed with the marines for the campaign. He knew he was quite a marksmen at the training ranges. He was also liked and respected by the crew and had several drinking buddies who were in the Mercian Marines. He would ask about it the next time he saw the admiral. “Level Six, Cargo and Freight!” yelled the seaman as the elevator came to a sharp stop shaking Clark out of his thoughts.

Getting up he smoothed out his jacket and strode into the dimly lit hallway. At the end of the hallway was a large metal door. A servitors head and shoulders poked through a slit in the wall next to the door. Its face was a metal skeleton with flesh and wires hanging loosely off. It smiled at him to the best of its abilities. This was disturbing to watch and he avoided it’s eyes. Commander Clark asking for permission to pass. The servitor was there to make sure that only officers could enter. This would stop the possibility of the crewmen stealing from the cargo.

+PERMISSION GRANTED TO COMMANDER ARTHUR L. CLARK OF THE ROYAL NAVY OF MERCIA+ Clark smiled at the servitors robotic voice and entered as the door opened. A pair of Marines in Carapace Armor stood at either side of the door they looked straight ahead and said nothing as he passed. They were in place to make sure that the Guardsmen didn’t try to leave the cargo hold. He passed down a final hallway and opened a wooden door at the end. The cavernous room was about 1200 feet wide and deep and 200 high. The room was covered in tents.

He walked up to a man in his battle dress and asked him where the Commander was. He explained that his commander was the Commander of Dragoons the Colonel Tartelton whose tent was the large one down a way. Clark walked down to the tent and called out the colonels name. A tall thin man with hard eyes and long black hair answered. “ I am Banastre. You have word for me.” “Yes the admiral wishes to inform the Guard that there are reports of Chaos interference on Oriskany they seem to be arming the natives and corrupting them to the service of the blood god.” Excellent I haven’t ridden down the berserkers of Khorne in some time.” “Well if you’d pass that onto your superiors the Admiral would be grateful.”

Clark shuddered, not only was this man looking forward to combating the warriors of the blood god, he was willing to use his name. Also berserkers of the king of skulls were not mortals, but the fallen Astartes of the World Eaters, bad news indeed. They were the fiercest warriors in the galaxy as far as he knew and only an Astartes would be a match for them. Perhaps a charge of men on white steeds could kill them after all imperial hunting lances had a armor piercing shaped charge on the tip. However mere infantry could only slow them down.

Hopefully more soon.

[twerd]

good beging looking forward to more

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Clark returned to his quarters thinking of the warriors he might be facing. After all if he was going planet side with the marines as he’d thought of earlier there was have a chance of him ending up dead at the hands of the inhabitants of Oriskany. Even worse he might fall victim to the lunatic followers of the Blood God. He Brushed these thoughts aside as he realized fully that although technically not his duty as a member of the Royal Navy, that it was in fact his duty as a faithful servant of the crown that he should risk his life for his countrymen. They would be doing so for him weather he went down with them or not, and as a nobleman he should serve alongside the soldiers in times of war.

He walked over to his sea chest a large wooden box decades old and lifted up the lid. Inside were mementos of the voyages he had taken and several garments. Underneath these was the cuirass of carapace armor that had belonged to his father. A gold pistol grip poked out of the clothing. He grabbed it and pulled out a melta pistol. It was a rare weapon that was very much prized by him. It’s ornate gilding and intricate sculpting showed it to be a masterfully crafted instrument of death.

He felt the urge to pull back on the trigger and unleash a blast of superheated particles but restrained thought. ‘Not inside at least, by the Lord, what a foolish impulse’ he thought to himself. If a melta gun could pierce through the side of a tank, the inferno it would create inside his living quarters could be unimaginable. Luckily the tanks of fuel were not in place in the gun. He put it down back into the box and sat down.

Well if the gore drenched berserkers of the blood god were going to be attacking him a melta gun would be useful. Almost nothing could stop an Astartes but a well aimed burst of melta to the face or chest certainly would. It could kill them even in the heaviest armors man had ever devised. Well this at least helped to dismiss his fears of going planet side. He got up and went over to the ships comm-link he dialed the access code to the Admiral.
“Permission to speak to the admiral?” he asked the secretary. After receiving the response he wanted he left his apartment and walked towards the staircase that led to the elevator that he would take.

As he reached the elevator the doors opened and a massive man over nine feet in height stomped out, his enormous boots clanked on the metal floor. He saluted and continued with his massive striding gait. Wondering to himself of when Ogryns had been assigned to the fleet. It was almost funny to see an abhuman soldier in an army taked with the cleansing of abhumans although certainly they were corrupted mutants and ogryns were just large almost funny warriors with the intelligence of a young child. Almost lovable he concluded as the giant turned a corner and disappeared from sight.