Warzone: Borhelia - a mini-campaign on the planet Boreliah in the Esenie system!
The Wolf Scouts couldn’t believe their eyes. They had to look hard, rubbing their eyes twice... no, thrice... times, to really grasp what was staggering towards them from the vast wadi in front of them. They had been out on a sweep, patrolling the southern perimeter, known as ”The Nothing”. Orders were to canvas the area with caution, as the Necrons were often hidden and more often than not didn’t want to be seen by lesser forces. So, the Black Raven Librarian, Tempelstam, had told them. He seemed to know his business, the Scouts thought. They, therefore, took their patrol very seriously. But... what they saw now, struck them as nothing near to serious. It was almost like a bad joke. In front of them, a lone figure walked, stumbled and crawled, laughing madly sometimes and sneered and swore between the laughters. The figure was naked and disgustingly obese. There was not supposed to be someone out here, not a lone human, anyway. Not a laughing, fat, fool... It was a ridiculous encounter, but the Scouts had been around before and knew that it could be a trap. They assumed fire position and then called for the laughing, staggering figure to lie down with his hands on his head. Of course, the mad man in front of them didn’t respond, so a sedative dart was fired by Brother Thore; a sniper who could pin a wasp against a wall from 300 yards. The man didn’t notice the dart in his throat for almost twenty seconds, but at last he fell down with a moan.
Librarian Tempelstam looked at the Scouting party as they moved through the gates of Outpost 2. With them they had the fat, naked man, they had reported about. They had covered the man with a pelt and it looked like he was asleep. Tranqued, no doubt, he thought. He went down the stairs and met the Wolf Scouts with a interesting look on his face.
-Well, Brother Sven, what do we have here? Tempelstam lifted the pelt to look at the sleeping beuty. He froze when he saw who the Scouts had captured.
-By Russ! By the Emperor!! Doppelstupa!! It’s the heretic General! Brother Cicero, send for all commanding officers to meet me in the HQ... and where is that damned Ogden? Any word?
Tempelstam screamed his orders as the begged the Wolf Scouts to follow him to the ruined shack they used as HQ. How in the Emperor’s name could they have been getting hold on Doppelstupa this easy, he thought, it must be some kind of trap. It must be!
Tempelstam looked at Brother Lokison and Brother Steingrimur as they entered the tent. They looked very worried and upset.
-Librarian Tempelstam... there are most disturbing news coming in. It seems that Inquisitor Ogden ran into some problems at Gaxos. He is mortally wounded and is now now in the infirmary on the "Emperor's Hammer". It's in orbit and we won't be seeing more of that Ogden down here on Hyperia. But... there are more, Lokison continued, large numbers of Imperial Guard units have made planetfall not far from here. We have no idea why or what they want, but I presume that there are more traitors coming our way. They are not responding any calls...
-By, Russ! Things are coming to a closure here, I think. The Necrons are surely triggering things here on this rathole of a moon. Tempelstam hammered his fist against a table, which almost shattered at the impact. Do you know what stumbled into our hands a couple of hours ago? That heretic Doppelstupa!
Lokison and Steingrimur looked at each other. They both shook their heads. Things were really heating up here on Hyperia. But why?
-Look, my Brothers...
Tempelstam looked more decisive than ever.
-I will take a force and seek out the Imperial Guard and try to gather information about what they're up to. I bet, though, that it is not to our advantage. I suggest you assume a defensive position here and expect an imminent attack. Just let me know as soon as possible if something's happening here at the outpost.
He didn't wait for an answer and left the HQ. The Runepriest and the Wolfpriest both sighed at the same time, which made them chuckle, and then both started to plan the defense of Outpost 2.
***
Inquisitor Herr Doktor Hoffman, patted one of his flagellants, which sat dumbfunded at his feet. The flagellants were a scary bunch of killing-machines, soulless and without mercy they acted upon his command. He had seen his flagellants tear demons apart and flaying heretics with ease. He liked his killers... in fact, he kind of loved them. Hoffman was, very rightly so, feared by everyone who was near him. He had a natural aura of power and violence around him and when he spoke, noone dared to say, or even think, a word. As he studied the map over Outpost 2 he made a plan, which would blow the fallen Marines into Kingdom Come. He smiled when he thought of the torture he would exact on the heretics commanders. Oh, the new bonesaws and the thing that pulled the intestines out of the interrogated... that was fantastic things to use against heresy. But the most grandiose of them all was the semi-automatic brain removal device. It was old-school torture, with a technology which surpassed anything he had come across in his career. The "victim", if you could call the vile heretics victims, would live through immense pain for days and then the brain would both reveal inner thoughts and turn the victims mind against itself! Hoffman loved the brain removal device. It was a piece of art! He couldn't wait to use it on the heretics...
The plan was simple but brutal; General Fisk and his armoured might would hammer the Marines from the east and General Kovalkov and his sea of infantry would overwhelm from the west. Nothing could stand against a concentrated onslaught from the Imperial Guard. Nothing! They would crush the Outpost like a hammer hitting a ripe Polkharian apple! He would personally accompany Fisk and his panzers and apprehend the fallen Marines himself. And... somewhere at the outpost was the most sought heretic of them all: Doppelstupa! Hoffman couldn't understand why he knew Doppelstupa was there, but he was. Actually, the whole thing was strange... somehow he had seen what would happen up until the attack and who he would be up against. But, he trusted in the Emperor's light and wisdom and supposed that the visions, or what it was, had come from the Emperor himself. Yes, that was it, Hoffman was chosen for this. An exceptional task for an exceptional man, he thought. Hoffman smiled when he pondered what he could do with Doppelstupa's brain. His smiled even turned into laughter, which made the flagellant glance up to him, so he patted the thing lovingly on its head.
***
The humming sound bothered P'tzork in a strange way. He had always disliked the humming, which seemed to always be around. Perhaps that was the price to pay for being an immortal machine... But, he didn't have time for the humming now. Things were set in motion and everything had gone exactly as planned. The humans, weak and foolish, were going for each others throats and the Tyranids were there to distract the humans enough to grind themselves and the Tyranids down to nothing. And the jiggling with the minds of several human commanders had really paid off. They had been pushed exactly to where he wanted them. He felt like a God, arranging things as he pleased, wiping out armies without even fighting himself. Yes, he really felt like he was a God of the greatest proportions. And now, it was time to move on. He let his voice ring out:
(?)ARE THE PREPARATIONS READY FOR THE NEXT STEP OF THE PLAN(?)
There were hundred and two affirmative answers and he nodded.
(!)INITIATE AWAKENING PROCESSES ON ALL TARGETS... CODE XSF00076... ACKNOWLEDGE(!)
There were another hundred and two affirmative answers and P'tzork flexed his right hand. Now everything would change for the petty creatures in this starsystem, now a new order was coming...
***
-Any word from Tempelstam?
Runepriest Lokison felt a sting of worry. He had come to like the Black Raven librarian and had seen the potential in him. Tempelstam was powerful, but also with the right compassion and zeal. Tempelstam was meant for great things, of that it was no doubt.
-He's on his way, Wolfpriest Steingrimur replied dryly.
-He ran into some trouble, but he will be here soon. Hopefully before that is upon us!
He pointed at an endless sea of guardsmen footslogging forward in the distance.
-And what about Doppelstupa? Is he secured?
-Yeah, look!
The Wolfpriest pointed at the center of the outpost. In a ruined house a man stood, fastened to the ground and ceiling by thick chains, arms and legs stretched out in a awkward position, like a giant X. He looked as if he was fast asleep, sedated of course, with a black eye and a bloody nose. He wouldn't go anywhere. Brother Lokison nodded approvingly. The Wolfpriest continued;
-Soon, the shooting will start, my friend, let's take defensive positions and pray to Russ. I fear this will be a hard nut to crack...
-For them, or for us, Brother?
The Runepriest smiled that crooked smile he always got when he stood before impossible odds. Steingrimur smiled back and moved to oversee his position. Brother Lokison's smile died out when he looked upon the armoured might rolling towards his own position.
The shells started landing at noon. It was a devastating barrage hitting the Space Wolves. Brother Steingrimur had a hard time yelling out his orders as the explosions shook the ground. He was among a large group of Blood Claws, who were eager to fight. But he had to hold them back. To run out in the death rain would accomplish nothing. Hee wasn't popular right now, though, but every Blood Claw also realized the suicide it would be to move out. But soon... soon they must attack! It was in their veins, the blood-lust. A Razorback, just beside the Wolfpriest exploded and at the same time the eastern bastion was shattered into ruins! The Long Fangs, who had been expecting the cover to last longer, picked themselves up and took steady aim at the Basilisks which had targeteed them. Several missile launchers spat out krak missiles and hit one of the vehicles. It exploded in a huge ball of fire and took several guardsmen with it. Steingrimur stared in disbelief at the horde running towards his position. There were so many!
Brother Lokison quickly assessed the situation and directed the most of the Grey Hunters fire towards a group of Ogryns, who advanced together with what seemed as a higher command group. As the Grey Hunters opened fire, he reached into his mind and let it connect with the Warp. This was the critical moment when dealing with psychic attacks. He felt a sting of uneasiness and heard laughter in the back of his mind... but the laughter disappeared and he formed a thought of a giant crack opening in the ground and a huge jaw engulfing troops from below. He directed this thought towards the Ogryns, who he knew were dangerous fighters. He let the thought go and two Ogryns vanished. Several other guardsmen right behind the Ogryns also disappeared. Good start! he thought. But his happy thought was instantly changed into dispair, as a shadow in front of him fired at the western bastion, shattering it! A Vindicare assassin had opened the bastion as easy as opening a tin-can!! The Long Fangs inside were also going down in a pile of rubble, exactly as their fellow Long Fangs in the easter bastion. Their defense was quickly being demolished! Luckily none of the Fangs were killed and they soon retalliated and damaged a oncoming Leman Russ with a well placed lascannon shot. But things were getting more desperate as the Land Raider, which stood to the left of the newly razed bastion. It was hit, but luckily only its engine was damaged. It wouldn't move, but could still shoot. And that it did, hitting another Leman Russ, knocking its weapon out. Brother Lokison didn't feel good though, as the Grey Hunter squad to his right came under fire from a Leman Russ equipped with Plasma Cannons. It was a devastating barrage and the whole squad of Grey Hunters was blasted apart! Their numbers were dwindling rapidly now. Were was Tempelstam and his Black Ravens?
Wolfpriest Steingrimur. quickly looked back and saw the second bastion being pulverised. The fire they took was enormous and they wouldn't hold out much longer. The Wolfpriest considered leaving the shelter of the barricades and charge the oncoming guardsmen, but he realized that wouldn't do much good. Probably they would be quickly surrounded and killed and the captive, Doppelstupa, would be easily picked up by the heretics. And that they mustn't be allowed to do. He looked at the Blood Claws and knew that they couldn't stand hugging cover and just shoot at the enemy. But, they had to! There were not many left now, so he ordered the Wolf Guard, who had been held back to move up and add to the defense. This they did. But the cannonade was horrific. The Long Fangs had destroyed another Basilisk, but they were targeted by a third Basilisk, who hit them bang on target and wiped them out. The defense was really getting thin. Where was Tempelstam? He had to turn up now, or they would fall. The Wolfpriest rose from the barricade to take a look and was hit by a Lascannon shot in the head. He fell without a sound.
***
Tempelstam saw the outpost in front of him. It was in deep trouble. The bastions were down and the Space Wolves almost wiped out. He had split his forces and let one part move around the outpost. If things worked as they should the Black Ravens would hit the traitors from two directions and hopefully ease the pressure against the outpost. He barked the order to attack and reached at the same time into the Warp. He had a thing coming for the traitor guard... and it wouldn't be a nice present!
Brother Herakles moved right into the action as he jumped upon a Chimera and had his squad pour shot after shot against it. It was damaged and something must have triggered some important part, as the vehicle exploded spectacularly! The explosion reached the assassin, who had undisturbed downed a bastion, killed a couple of Wolf Guard and some Grey Hunters. He had not been able to foresee the terrible exolosion and died in a rain of fire and debris. At the same time a drop pod landed and out came a Hunter squad, pumping bolts and melta fire into any nearby enemy. It was a carnage that ensued and Ogryns and guardsmen and Hunters killed or was killed in a terrible frenzy.
***
Inquisitor Herr Doktor Hoffman was furious. His Chimera had some problem with a gear and it moved slowly towards the action.
-What in the Emperor's name is wrong with this piece of crap, he yelled to the driver. We're missing all the fun!! Get this thing moving!! Now!!!
But he could only watch as the Black Ravens intervened and turned the battle against the Imperial Guard. Things were going so smooth, but now there was a risk that they wouldn't reach Doppelstupa and finish off the traitors at the outpost. He wanted so much to use his brain removal device on the traitor general, but it looked like that opportunity was going right out the window.
***
Tempelstam didn't waste any time. Everything he had he threw forward to bolster the now dangerously low numbers of Space Wolves. He was shocked to see that only the Runepriest and a couple of Grey Hunters still stood, battling on. A squad of traitor guardsmen was just about to get inside the building were Doppelstupa was held when Brother Lokison annihilated them. Tempelstam promised himself to properly salute the Runepriest and recommend that he'd be granted the most prominent awards that existed for his stiff defense. He continued reaching into the Warp. That present to the trraitors was about to be delivered. He pictured a great tornado sweeping through all enemies, killing them without mercy. His hands started to shake and the tornado formed itself between them. First as a little wind, but then it started to form a kind of funnel and it grew in size. He let it go and increased it to a gigantic tornado withing seconds. Then he cast it against the traitor guardsmen and it hit them like nothing before! Whole squads were wiped out, as the guardsmen were lifted up in the air and throttled by the sheer force of the wind. The whole attack from the Imperial Guard stopped and turned into flight. Tempelstam had come in the nick of time!
***
Inquisitor Herr Doktor Hoffman saw the tornado to the east and how the attack stopped and the Imperial Guard turned back and he knew that the traitor Marines had managed to stop the guardsmen there. On his side things were also halted and he realized that they would have to withdraw... for now. There is no point in committing suicide he thought, that would only help the ruinous powers in their work to crush mankind. He ordered the retreat over the vox...
***
Tempelstam shook Brother Lokison's hand. The Runepriest was bloody and exhausted, but happy. They had, to a terrible cost, managed to halt the traitors and secured the traitor general for questioning by the Inquisition. Not that Lokison thought that that was a victory, he disliked the Inquisition and their means to achieve their goals, but then again Doppelstupa was a heretic and heretics must be interrogated and rooted out.
-That was in the nick of time, Brother Tempelstam! A few minutes more and... well, you know...
-I'm pleased that we got here in time, Brother Lokison. But many Wolves and Ravens have fallen and I wonder how this could be. Did you notice that the attacking Guard was led by an Inquisitor? There is something wrong here and I want to know what!
-We will, Brother, we will. I will report to Inquisitor Ripley and Lord Grimnar as soon as possible. You're right, there is something strange going on here. And the Necrons... where are they?
The Black Raven Librarian nodded and started walking towards the dead Wolves and Ravens that had been laid on a Lit de Parade. It was the saddest walk he had done in many years...
Inquisitor Ripley, Inquisitor Ogden and Inquisitor Hoffmann were sitting in large, ornamented room. Pictures of heroic Inquisitors hung on the walls and it was a sweet smell of musk surrounding the room. Ripley shook her head.
-How could this happen? How could we turn against each other in this way? The Space Wolves and the Black Ravens are without guilt here, I must stress that. I don't like them any more than you do, gentlemen, but they are on our side!! And... what about the Necrons? I suspect that we will see more of them... they must be responsible for this... misunderstanding... don't you think?
-I am totally with you, Inquisitor Ripley.
Inquisitor Ogden spoke softly. He raised his new, and improved, arms, just to show the others that he was still in the game...
-The Ravens and the Wolves have acted accordingly to what they knew and were ordered to do. They are fierce fighters on the verge of Chaos, that is for sure, but in this case they have done the Emperor's duty. My investigations are not complete, but from what I can see the Necrons have somehow fooled us into this... misunderstandig, as you say. We must keep an eye on the Space Wolves and the Black Ravens, but I recommend that they be left alone for now... Herr Doktor Hoffman... what do you think?
-Well, they handed over Doppelstupa to me, so I am satisfied for the moment.
He clicked his teeth and continued;
Doppelstupa's... eh, revealings... corresponds to what I've heard about the Marines. He has also mentioned something about a new order and I think he refers to the Necrons. It is of my belief, that we will have to deal with them sooner rather than later. Let us just sweep this misunderstanding under the rug and erase all of this from the memory banks. This is nothing for others to know about. We will deny that this ever happened. And those who still want to examine further into this will end up in my... eh, custody...
Hoffman let the meaning fade.
Inquisitor Ripley shuddered at the thought of ending up in the custody of Hoffman and then nodded. It was for the best of all interests. She would tell Inquisitor Eisenhorn everything, he would understand. The Hyperian Wars would be erased from all databases and just be a paranthesis in history. It was for the best, she thought...
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Written by Tony Melander (2012)