Warzone: Borhelia - a mini-campaign on the planet Boreliah in the Esenie system!
The candles had almost burned out and the strings of solidified wax were long and spidery, running from the top of the candles down and over the feet of the candlesticks to the metallic floor of the Slayer of Perdition making it look like a fat, red cobweb. The Imperial Escort had been her home for a year now and still she had a hard time to get used to the fact that she was a starfarer now, in the service of the Ordo Minoris, ever seeking to root out any wrongness against mankind. Her quarters smelled badly of sweat and burned candlewicks and the air was so stale that one could almost touch it. Buffy had been studying the dataslates for weeks, relentlessy deciphering the alien language she had learned many years ago to at least comprehend a small part of it. The Necron language was beautiful, she had to admit that (even though it bordered on heresy), but complicated. It reminded her of the ancient, long-lost, human hieroglyphs that some culture had used as their communication a very, very long time ago on Terra. But she had studyied hard and grasped the basics of the Necron glyphs and now she could see the semantics and the meaning more clear than ever. And she didn’t like what she saw… And more and more questions arose the more she thought about the dataslates. The Necrons were obviousy more involved in this system than anyone ever had thought. And they had bided their time, as they usually do, until things were set in motion by others. The pieces in this particular puzzle were pointing towards a horrifying picture and a place unimportant and forgotten until now. The place, a planet in this Emperor-forsaken system, held a terrible secret that, if awoken by the Necrons… or any other who might understand how to use it, could spell doom to the whole system. But why the Tau? Here on Metz. Did they know about the probable Necron super-weapon on Esenie I? And what about the reports of Nurgle forces on the very same planet? Esenie I had been of no interest to anyone up to now. Did the Nurgle forces know something about Esenie I? But the Tau were here… on Metz. There was no sign of them probing towards Esenie I… Did they know something? Were they looking for a way to find… and use… that Necron thing. She needed more information. Definately! And interrogating Tau commanders would be a top priority. But, also, searching Esenie I for that mysterious thing under the surface was a top priority too… She studied the data she had retrieved from the slates and she was more and more sure she knew what this was all about. But, she needed more information. If it was a super-weapon buried under the surface of Esenie I and the Necrons could activate it… She bit her underlip, as she always did when she’d made up her mind, if the Necrons found it and activated it… that was not an option. She decided to get help, there was too many possibilities and tracks to follow, and she knew where she could get the help she needed… She sighed and activated her private channel on the ship’s vox:
– Commander Klopp… patch me through to Shield-Captain Amon Tiberius Valerius of the Custodian Dread Host. Override any other comm from or to the Slayer until I say otherwise. Imperial code: OM-B-53241. Acknowledge!
She waited for Klopp to get the green light from the voice-recognition and a couple of seconds later he responded:
– Yes, Inquisitor Bellatrix… uhm… Code red?
– Yes, Klopp… Code red!!
She sat down in her uncomfortable chair and thought about her next path of action. The Dread Host would answer to her call, Valerius couldn’t resist her when she was asking for help. She knew that old Val always had had a soft spot for her… The Dread Host could deal with Esenie I until the Tau problem was solved here on Metz. Besides, there was probably more information to find out here and with the aid of Watch Master Deschain and his Deathwatch it wouldn't take long. Bellatrix felt calmer, now that she had decided a course of action. But, she also had a feeling that she was missing something. Something extremely important!
Hissing pipes, ejaculating thick and green-grey exhaust-fumes made the engine room almost unbearable to be in, but the serfs had no choice. They had grown used to the horrible stench that clogged their lungs… or, rather… what was left of their lungs… that they somehow tolerated the abusive smoke. They had stopped coughing years ago and carried on with their tasks without a word, serving a cause they had not the faintest idea about. Lord Bluth watched them work the engine from afar with a kind of fascination. They worked relentlessly with a task they didn’t care for or even understood the meaning of. Mindless workers… hard-working ants in an anthill… it was intriguing and wonderful at the same time and he almost couldn’t take his eyes of them. But a sound of movement behind him caught his attention. The Esenie Sector... They were close, of course, and it was time to make their prescence known to a lot of enemies. It was time to work. He turned to his trusted second with a curious look. She looked like Papa’s butt, stuffed full of seaweed, grass, clay and whatnot. Lord Bluth thought she was beautiful. A creation of Nurgle’s finest notions. Lord Bluth looked at Hagra Bloatface and smiled, as he saw himself reflect in her bulging, wet and glossy orbs that were her eyes. He had never thought of himself as handsome, but… what was the word… ah… distinguished! His face was rotten, yes, and his own eyes were black and almost just slits in that rotten and formless face. Stitches ran over his face as he had cracked it… well… a thousand times. And the boils… oh, those boils… He loved his boils…
– Hagra! Sweet Hagra, do you have news for me? Will Papa Nurgle, bless his warty arse, smile upon us this day?
Lord Bluth was in a good mood. Things were set in motion and soon, very soon, the garden would start growing, a score would be settled against an old ”friend” and a devastating weapon of epic proportions would be retrieved. A weapon so powerful that he could take on whole worlds in the name of Nurgle and then… rise to a level of Papa’s favour like never before…
– Lord Bluth, we’re approaching the Esenie system in a few hours and the course is set for, what the vile Imperium call Esenie I… Soon, my lord… Soon..
– And, Hagra… Is… he… really there?
– My, Lord… he is there alright. On a planet with the imaginative name of Esenie X… He is there… and he knows you are approaching, I am sure of that. I can feel it...
Lord Bluth clenched his fist and thought about his old friend, now turned into a dangerous enemy. Entragian had always gotten the best of him… everytime their paths have been crossed, that fat fartmonger had come out on top. But not this time! Not. This. Time!!! With the alien weapon secured, nothing would stop him from conquering… heck, no… destroying worlds and then Papa would recognize him and favour him, like he had done with that idiotic ape Entragian. But soon... Entragians favoured days were soon over and then the fun would really start…
– Hagra, I presume the spores have been sent and started to root? And down there… what are we up against? I presume that planet is garrisonned by something…
– Well, my lord… I was coming to that. The spores are already turning into Father’s great blossoms and ripe for doing their work. A problem has arised though… It seems the golden warriors of the Emperor’s Guard, the Custodes is on their way to Esenie I too. These are formidable warriors, and…
– Of course! They have also found out about the alien weapon… Well, don’t worry, Hagra! They will run into something way over their golden heads! Golden warriors, my stinkin’ arse! The rot and the rust will show them the true meaning of what life is and can be. Decay is just a phase… haha!! Then they will know that there are more to dying than just to… die! Hahahaharr!!!
Pox hasted through the seemingly endless corridors with a worried look in his face. Serfs quickly stepped aside as he strode past them and then looked after the ancient Plaguecaster as he hurried on. Pox was rightly feared among Entragian’s minions and seen as the great Lord of Contagion’s right hand. Yes, Pox was feared, but also loved by the serfs. He always had a moment to spare to talk to them and hear what the latest gossip was. Gossip was pure gold when it came to retrieving information about the status of the crew and the sub-ordinates. Therefore, Pox was regarded with surprise as he now just passed them by. And the gossip started the second Pox had left their sight… “Somethin’s afoot…”, “Entragian is displeased…”, “There will be heads rollin’…” They then went silent and picked up whatever they were doing earlier and lost interest in Pox’ errands…
Pox finally arrived at the command bridge of Entragian and waved to a guard to open the hatchdoor. When the door opened, Pox saw Lord Entragian stand on the railing of the bridge, staring out in space. The countless stars and planets had always appealed to him and Pox suspected that the great and fickle Lord Entragian thought of his home, his childhood and his parents, who had met their doom in a most gruesome way. That would be his downfall sometime, Pox thought. His sentimentality and his longing for to reach out to his roots… to his parents. Entragian would never admit it. Never. But Pox was sure he was right about that.
-Pox… ah… What’s on your devious little mind? Entragian spoke without turning to Pox. Lord Grolth been bragging about his latest fart? First mate lost his head in the torpedo bay? I told him not to play with the Foolian spider there… You know… That spider has the largest fangs I’ve ever…
-Entragian has problems!
Pox interrupted his master with a hissing voice and a stared hard at him. Lord Entragian slowly turned towards the Plaguecaster, strangely amused.
-Pox? What are you on about Have you’ve been taking those strange blue pills again? And why do you always talk to me in third person? And why do you worry so much?
Lord Entragian’s growling voice pitched higher as he sincerely wondered what Pox was getting at.
-Entragian should worry! An old… friend… from before has entered the stage. His own agenda he has… that old friend… He is setting up the stage, he is… This play can be a real tragedy… Entragian must be wary, he must...
-Why do you always… always… speak in riddles, sorcerer?
Entragian was losing his temper… again. Pox was a brutal and useful Plaguecaster, but, oh so annoying…
-Entragian should watch his back as much from the right as from the left… and if he doesn’t also look forward, he might be… in a very difficult position…
-Pox! Stop this riddlespeak! Or I will end your miserable existence in the most gruesome way… Right, left, backwards, forwards... what is this nonsense?! Now, tell me what my problem is! All the time, he thought, all the time Pox do these strange allusions and almosttalk…
He hated it and he felt his temper rise. He tightened his grip on the desk in front him and it protested with a cracking sound.
-The Golden Warriors of the false emperor have been spotted in this sector, my lord, and rumours and sightings tell the same story… They have been called to an insignificant planet and… why do you think that, my… lord? Pox continued with a hint of irritation in his voice.
-See… that was a couple of sentences with a clear message. It wasn’t hard, was it, Pox? Now, to your question. What do you…
-ENTRAGIAN SHOULD BE WORRIED!!!!!
Pox suddenly screamed and Lord Entragian took a small step backwards, letting go a loud fart at the same time. A few seconds later, vile smell filled the bridge. Pox sighed… it wasn’t the first time an Entragian fart was let go on the bridge and the stench was horrible, even for a Plaguecaster...
-Entragian has more trouble coming his way… Pox continued, now in a calm voice. Entragian had a friend once… A very dear friend that stabbed Entragian in the back. Does Entragian remember Olizah III? The plot has become more complex, as that old friend… now Entragian’s enemy… is also heading for that planet. Something is afoot, Entragian… and we need to be wary…
-A friend? Oliza III? What?
Entragian stood still for a moment, deep in thought, then suddenly remembered.
-It can’t be… Is it… Bluth? It can’t be! Bluth died at my hands on Ferrox II. I tore out his spine through his mouth! I…
-Entragian is not the only one in Father’s favour, getting new bodies constantly… very much with my help, I might add. Bluth is here, you can be sure about that… And Bluth is running into the Golden Warriors of the Emperor for a reason… We cannot see that reason… yet… But we watch, Entragian… We watch and learn and soon we know…
-Fine! Ok! Leave and watch Bluth’s every move. I reckon we will bump into him, sooner or later, unless the Custodes maul him first… which I somehow doubt they will… Go, Pox! Go and watch him for me. If he’s after the Liber Magii I don’t understand why he is on that planet… Uhm… What planet, Pox? What insignificant planet is he on… and… why?
-The planet is known to the slaves of the false god as Esenie I, my lord… Esenie I… And I have yet to figure out why Bluth and the golden warriors are set to this Esenie I. But I will.
Pox promptly turned and left the bridge, while Entragian continued to stare into space, deep in thought… Lord Bluth, you say… It’s been so long… Interesting… Interesting, indeed…
Written by: Tony Melander (2020/07)
Go to The Battle of the Windblown Plains battle report!