The Void Scorn(40K)

Captain Norma hobbled through the newly lit hallways of The Viper's Bite. Dim blue light cascading over her leather overalls as she cautiously ambled to the living quarters in the higher areas of the ship. She reached the chamber she was looking for, marked with new sibilant scrawlings and the painted image of a blinded woman. Tears streaming from the strip of cloth covering her eyes as she clutched a cracked helmet. The symbol of her new demigod masters. She wrapped her knuckles on the door thrice, hearing a monotone "enter" before opening the door. Dhibroxz was bent over Yaczharri Tyllalb's heavy bolter, whispering words of hissing speech while putting the thing back together, piece by piece.

"is it grammar or vocabulary this time?"

He stuttered in a neutral tone, not looking up from his work. Norma wrinkled her face at the sound. It sounded unnatural, the low gothic fluent, yet wrong. As though an animal were trying to speak human words instead of calling or howling. He turned his head slightly to look at her, his pale blue skin and dark blue eye met her eyes in what seemed to be annoyance. She worked herself back slightly before answering.

"just pronunciation" Norma spoke as the vox caller in the room started to crackle, a low voice beckoning her to the bridge.

She always had a curiosity, whenever the ship entered the warp, it is almost as though she could feel it going past, endless amounts of miasma that lay beyond the shutters. The ripples as they went in and out of the tears in reality. As a child she had begged to see, to glimpse at the forbidden garden, the sight that lay beyond the metal confines of the hull. She understood now why he had never let her, only when she took the command throne for the first time did she hear the machine spirit whisper her the warnings of what it protected her from.

The doors to the bridge slid open, flecks of metal and sparks still spitting from the mangled turrets that had yet to be replaced. Tyllalb sat on the newly enlargened command throne. His chest plate defiled and scraped against something sharp. Norma walked forward and kneeled in front of him.

"What do you require of me lord?" she stuttered, having to pause between each word.

"Your Shioldan is still weak" the marine spoke in low gothic, he paused, shifting.

"Tell me captain, when is the last time you took on cargo?" he hissed

"It must have been almost a standard Terran year ago lord" she said, head bowed, making sure to not catch sight of the burning blue eye lenses that looked upon her with contempt.

"it appears you have a stowaway" his tone lightened, as if crudely in jest.

"Yanuthlu have encountered something while purging the ship. Where did you take cargo from?"

"An imperial merchant vessel w-we" she paused, taking another breath of air before continuing

"We siphoned it's cargo with an intention to barter"

His gaze was almost oppressive now, she could feel the blue starting to burn into the back of her head.

Tyllalb's blue visor showed him the depressive sight, Norma kneeling, her dirtied hair covering her face. It had been 3 weeks and yet her Shioldan showed no sign of improvement.

"Yaczharri" a voice came over his helmet's vox.

"Sergeant" he replied.

"We have discovered the intruder in storage facility 3, and are requesting your presence"

"You should be able to deal with any stowaway Zhouggath, what has changed?" Tyllalb responded sternly, leaving Norma to kneel in silence, her legs beginning to twitch.

"Yituind" Zhouggath spat.

Tyllalb could hear the determination in his voice. He stood up, Norma backing away as he walked forward, his Mark 8 armour purring with the thought of warfare.

"Lord" she said as he walked past, he turned his head, stopping.

"Might I ask where we are going?" she said, head still bowed.

"Be ready to receive orders from The Indomitable once we arrive" he said, striding towards the bridge doors before leaving.

Tyllalb carried his heavy bolter in his arms, finally reaching the storage bays he found Yanuthlu.

4 marines clustered around a door with the number 3 marking, just illuminated by the blue lighting.

"How many?" he said addressing the squad.

All four stared to look at him, one marched forward, a painted yellow striped ran down his helm, as he bowed it slightly.

"We are not sure how far the infestation runs" Zhouggath spoke, clicking a magazine into his bolt pistol.

"open the doors and spread out, try to cluster them into the centre of the chamber, and I will see to them"

Zhouggath nodded, pointing at the console, as the thrum of his jump pack roared to life. The noise became thick as 3 others responded. The large doors slid open, 4 marines instantly leaping onto stacked boxes and containers, making their way to different corners of the chamber. Tyllalb strode in, heavy bolter loaded and lowered, as it's mouth gazed down the main strip of floor between the large containers and pallets of boxes. Gunfire started to growl in concert with the heavy thrust of jump packs as Yanuthlu sped back towards him, 3 marines returned to the doors and stood beside Tyllalb. Lastly came Zhouggath, speeding back, his armour had long grazes, new scratches along his pauldrons and chest plate. his jump pack was sputtering as he slid through the doors.

A loud screech came from within the chamber along with the pattering, clicking of feet and mouths. The heavy bolter sputtered to life as several lifeforms charged into view. Their shining purple carapaces glinting against the white light from above, hissing with long tongues outstretched. Bolt pistols howled to life, as several of the gene stealers went down in a bloody mess, bolt shells impacting their heads and ricocheting off indigo carapaces. Tyllalb kept his heavy bolter on target, as flares of target signatures constantly hovered across his vision. 2 gene stealers leaped into view from boxes and containers high above the doors, one being carved to pieces by chainswords as it collided with the ground. The other landed on Tyllalb, he grunted as he took its weight, dropping his heavy bolter, the ammo feed lurching, as he grappled with the Xeno. He grabbed one of it's four arms, ripping it to one side as another clawed hand dug itself into his armour just below his shoulder. His armour responded, warnings and alarms sounded, it begun flooding his body with pain relief and battle stimulants as he grabbed it's neck, the gene stealer gnawing at him. He held it up by the neck, a bolt shell thudding against it's skull, relieving it of life.

The Indomitable ripped it's way out of the warp after 4 weeks of travel, the ship heaved a sigh. Finnik walked into the bridge, the bonding studs in his armour newly replaced, despite his pleading. He quite enjoyed their rattling as he raced into battle.

"Brother" he spoke, helmet to one side, showing his pale blue skin and short black hair, kneeling before Ivex before returning to full stature.

"Is it true? Tyllalb spoke of Brallax" Finnik hissed in Shioldan, not masking the confusion he wore on his face.

"You are right Finnik, while I am not sure if it is even in this system, we are looking for our brother's relics" the beaked helmet said, standing now beside him and looking out into the system they found themselves in.

"I cannot leave them in their hands"

Finnik tensed, a sudden flurry of annoyance and anger.

"Although we shall have our work cut out for us" Ivex spoke, removing his helmet also.

Finnik gazed upon his brother's face once more, skin pallid blue, eyes as a deep blue, 2 abysses that reflected the depths of Shiolda itself.

"The chapter master hid them well" his tone pitching slightly. Pictures and words started to flash before Finnik's eyes. He had met him once.

"But not well enough" Finnik snarled, the accent changing slightly, betraying the crude speech.

A long pause followed, captain Xanac came forth, beady eyed as ever. His bionic left arm clicking and sagging slightly, hidden behind his back.

"Lord Ivex" he said in a nasally tone, bowing his head slightly, drooping his greying hair.

"We have located the vault, buried into one of the asteroids around Xicax 3"

"Thank you captain" Ivex said nodding to the captain, who slowly retreated back into the rest of the bridge.

"Hopefully they are still there" Ivex responded, looking back to Finnik.

"And hopefully we are not being stalked" Finnik retorted.

"Make ready Cnathre Finnik, I shall be down shortly after I vox Tyllalb, apparently he has taken injury"

Finnik, lifted his helmet back on, his vision flooded with the blue display.

"Affirmative" Finnik stated.

"I will drag Yivroxhu by his hair if I must"

Ivex marched into the hangar, his bolt pistol clasped to his leg, his right fist pacified. It had been a while he thought to himself. Gazing upon the metallic beauty that was Seeker many a time had he ridden and assaulted in the thunderhawk. It's once yellow, black and green banding still visible in discoloured strands underneath the full black paint she now wore.

He entered the lowered ramp. 3 marines were in varying states of readiness. Finnik sat whispering to his chainsword, Ivex could hear it over his helmet's internal vox, a bad habit, 2 others stood clustered around a robed metallic figure in the centre. Strapping themselves into chairs alongside their bolters.

"Honoured Tech Adept" Ivex spoke.

She looked back at him, he could never tell any more what emotion she wore. 4 blue eye lenses, mangled with wires and metal had replaced the top half of her face.

"Marine 2-3-4, name Xethri" the Techpriest said, in a voice that might once have been feminine. The flesh around her still human lower jaw and mouth was a violet red with inflammation due to recent replacement surgery.

"I am honoured that you still ca-"

"Ivex" a marine interrupted. Walking forward, a yellow stripe adorning his black helmet.

"We are ready to depart" he said, the ramp raising behind Ivex in creaks and lurches, as Seeker's engines began to ignite.

Seeker shook as she entered the atmosphere of the small rocky moon, it's thin atmosphere causing no issue to the old machine. Ivex looked across to Yivroxhu, he could feel the stare behind his helmet.

Ivex strode out front alongside Osatar, whose metallic feet clicked along the rough grey stones of the moon. Both Yivroxhu and the other marine of Cnathre walked behind, with Finnik at the back.

Before them stood a set of large bulky doors etched into the side of a rocky hill. Osatar at the sight of these doors started to gyrate slightly, a string of words and numbers being both displayed then mimicked in her vocal cogitators. Something that once might have been taken for awe or excitement.

Ivex gazed upon the doors, painted yellow, green and black. A symbol was engraved into the centre. he gave a small nod before it after directing Yivroxhu to the terminal set aside. A blinded woman stared back at Ivex, holding a set of golden scales. The doors opened, and they walked into the abyss.

They ambled through chamber after chamber, draped in decaying livery and statues until they reached a chamber marked 'Armoury'.

It was filled with terminals, blacked out screens that pockmarked the grey walls and pedestals. Empty racks had been kicked and knocked over both that stood in the chamber itself and off of the walls. Several lit gaps in the walls were marked with racks where power armour once sat.

Ivex finally spotted it, in one of the corners, sitting upon it's own plinth.

"Yivroxhu, take it back to seeker and return to The Indomitable"

Yivroxhu nodded.

Directing the marine to his left. The marine required both hands and considerable amount of effort, his power armour whirring as he lifted it. They retreated quickly back through the corridors.

"Tyllalb will enjoy it" Finnik piped up, walking behind Osatar towards the next chamber

"It might take the edge off of his injury" he continued, one hand placed firmly on his chainsword as he chuckled.

They came across another door, both Ivex and Finnik standing guard and watching the corridor. Osatar worked on the terminal quietly until the doors gave way, shifting dust as they went.

Ivex walked into the large hangar, with doors large blast doors overhanging them. Locked within the far side wall was a large stasis chamber, windows clouded against the light blue miasma of the stasis field. Osatar moved towards the terminal beside the large chamber, one of many, but the only one active. She started humming words and numbers as she struck keys and tapped on the glass. Ivex and Finnik kneeled before the great reinforced glass doors and muttered words of praise, reverence and respect.

Ivex stopped, his vox crackled to life.

"Ivex, we have reached Seeker and are returning to The Indomitable, have you secured Brallax?"

"Yes Yivroxhu, the honoured tech priest is currently awakening the machine spirit and pulling it out of stasis, send down the transporter when you return to the ship"

"Affirmative Ivex, we are receiving word from The Viper's Bite that a drop pod has been detected, embedded into the planet's crust, stay vigilant"

Ivex turned to Finnik

"Understood Yivroxhu, Inshavit d'yltha"

"Inshavit d'yltha" he responded before the vox cut.

Both marines began sauntering back towards the door guarding the tech priest as she worked.

Zhouggath gazed amongst the planets and star of the system. The grazes on his armour still visible, scratched black paint giving way to yellow and bare ceramite. He had taken off his jump pack and for the first time in several months was wearing the power pack familiar to his mark VII armour, without the bulkiness of the thrusters. A small ping filled the room above the noise of servitors and bridge crew chatter, the auspex officer, if you could even call her that, stood up before approaching Zhouggath. He wrinkled his face in his helm at her darkened skin and filthy overalls. Pirates are still pirates. And not Shioldan. Tyllalb promised a crew transfer.

"Lord" she breathed, he could hear her heart pumping away inside her chest cavity, her blood through her veins. Fear? He nodded for her to continue, his head still gazing out at the solar system before him.

"We have detected a vessel that had hid behind the sun, it is currently making it's way out of the star's cover"

"Class?" Zhouggath responded.

"Vanguard class strike cruiser"

"Are you able to determine a name?"

"Not at this time my lord, The Viper's Bite has never had a fully functioning auspex"

He despised speaking low gothic, a crude language for under hivers and gangers, he wished The Viper's Bite made true their promise to learn a more civilised tongue.

"Wait until they are closer, then identify the ship, this star system is too far out of the way for corpse worshippers. Inform The Indomitable of our findings" he hissed.

She gave a quick bow before returning to her station.

"Are you sure this will work?" Finnik inquired, staring down the empty corridor.

"Have faith Finnik, let the honoured tech adept do her work" Ivex spoke back.

Finnik nodded resolving himself.

"It has been a long time since faith was useful" he stated under his breathed

"Indeed" Ivex said looking back at Finnik.

A bolt shell slammed into the side of Ivex's beaked helmet causing him to stagger back. Finnik snapped his eyes back down the corridor.

"3 targets possible, close" he muttered, a trio of visored large humans had collected at the end of the corridor, each armed with long bolt sniper rifles now pointed down the corridor.

"Close the door and I will put down covering fire" Finnik called through his helmet's vox. Ivex was still holding his helmet. Finnik grunted, pulling his bolt pistol from it's place at his thigh he slid across the opening of the door, as bolt shells began to fling past. 8 others had filled the corridor now advancing. He pulled the trigger, his bolt pistol unleashing 6 shells that hit one in the chest and arm.

"V'akai" he spat into his helmet, rage consuming his mind and vision as he caught sight of eight astartes filling the corridor and rapidly approaching them. All armed with bolters. Light armour, micro fibres visible in their lower abdomen alongside antennae that sprouted from their powerpacks. Two mask like grills covered each helmet. Their livery a gleaming yellow and black with green accents on the left pauldron.

He hammered his fist into the door controls, making it slam shut. Ivex by this point had started to come to his senses, his vision stabilising, as his helmet and armour struggled to asses the damage.

Cracked eye lens

"V'akai?" he asked venom dripping from each slurred word, with a tone that pleaded it not to be the truth.

"Indeed brother" Finnik said cheerily, before loading another magazine into his bolt pistol.

"Tech priest how far are you from the awakening?" Ivex called

"Not far" came the tech priest in the monotone robotic hum.

"Lord Ivex, transporter is inbound from The Indomitable" came another voice in his helmet, although mangled.

"Understood opening hangar doors now" he replied

Ivex directed Fennik to the door, before going through the painful effort of opening the hangar doors that slid slowly.

He pointed for the stasis chamber, as the 2 marines sprinted to the other side of the hangar's expanse. They could hear the laser cutter behind them working on the door, before long they would be in.

"Yes! Its done!" Osatar cried jubilantly.

Finnik snagged 2 large boxes of heavy bolter rounds from a side compartment within the chamber before the large door swung upwards, light blue mist flooding the hangar.

The laser cutter was taking woefully long, vox had been intermittent with the ship since they had made landfall and entered the vault. What a heretical complex. Sergeant Lagra thought. The laser cutter gave way, making a large hole within the adamantium of the doors.

"Auspex in first, scan the room and spread out" he crackled.

The hangar was filled with light blue smoke, as each infiltrator spread out.

"No life signs sergeant" his auspex user retorted.

He began to lower his bolter.

"Scan the few side doors out of the hangar, do not let the traitors escape"

"Understood" came the affirmation from his squad, as he heard several pairs of muffled footsteps begin to disperse from the entrance.

He watched as the mist began to lift, giving way to a low rumble, he struggled to pick out the noise. A low howl, sputtering with life, like a beast finally unleashed from a cage. His helmet cogitators spun violently, the visor finally being able to peer through the quickly dispersing mist. He stood before 3 large gaping barrels. Each one was burned and scarred with thousands of years worth of fire and fury. Sergeant Lagra of the Arbiters Of Truth 4th company stared down the tank destroyer, painted with his own chapter's colours. He heard the sound of two side mounted heavy bolters click into place over the purr of it's engine. He ripped a krak grenade free from his chest, whispered sweet tidings to his brothers through the vox before shouting.

"For The Emperor"

"Contact The Indomitable, I want an update on the Ivex's situation with the relic" Zhouggath spoke to his vox controller.

"Lord, the strike cruiser is bearing down upon us" she spoke, less fearful Zhouggath noted, yet still the anxiety delightfully hung in her throat.

"How long until they reach the range of engagement?" he asked

"15 minutes lord"

"Do you have a name for me yet?" he said, turning his now, unhelmeted, pallid blue flesh to face her.

"Yes lord" she waited a few moments

"Identification reads, as vanguard class strike cruiser of The Arbiters of Truth"

With just this Zhouggath clenched his fists. The mechanical servos in his bionic left arm. Struggling to mirror the strength in his right.

"Continue" Zhouggath snarled

"Code displays The Emperor's Scales" she said. Beginning to retreat into herself.

There was a long pause. Before Zhouggath turned. His face contorted with a thousand words of anger and hatred. Only barred by will.

"V'akai. They dare contort and use her name"

He strode forth, turgid, his deep blue irises absorbing any light from the eyes of those unfortunate enough to catch them.

"Get hold of The Indomitable I want an update on the Ivex's situation now!"

"Prepare The Viper's Bite for a warp jump!" Zhouggath added.

The crew began shift from place to place, recently promoted officers, conversing over the ships vox, as they relayed with the navigator and all on board personnel. The Viper's Bite became a hive of activity, the ship lurched graciously to the port side, turning and backing away from the moon.

Thankfully Brallax's engine had been left with fuel kept inside, and the machine spirit was prideful. Ecstatic to once again serve. Ivex could feel the vibrations caused by the heavy bolters firing. He saw on the readings and various screens that dotted it's driver's capsule, as he watched Osatar seemingly press buttons at random to keep the heavy bolters firing on target. Finnik grabbed the large sticks that jutted out from beneath him, as he sat and strapped himself into the driver's chair, perfectly suited for his enhanced form, he drove Brallax forward, crudely, into the centre of the hangar. Low clangs and blasts, followed by whizzing implosions as krak grenades bounced off the flare shield before detonating. Heavy bolters howling in jubilation and praise for the machine's freedom from captivity. A slow wale came from overhead as the thunderhawk lowered itself into the hangar. Several infiltrators, taking pot shots at the pilot's cockpit, only to be answered by the thunderhawk transporter's own heavy bolters. When the life readings on Brallax's auspex went silent, the hold of the transporter clicked as the heavy vehicle was attached. Several chatterings were heard inside Ivex's battered helm in mangled forms of vox speech. He equated to affirmation and braced himself as the vehicle shook, and was lifted skywards.