For all those people in desperate need of another...

I
+MISSION LOG: 480+
+LOCATION: RAPAX BATTLE BARGE+
+BROTHER MAXIMUS, 5th COMPANY COMMAND SQUAD VETERAN+
+BEGIN ENTRY+
Being a battle-brother of the Tempest Knights has given me the opportunity to see many things within our galaxy. Yes, it is most definitely ours. Mankind shall conquer the galaxy as the Emperor wills. However, His will is hard to accomplish for every time we think we have seen all the galaxy can throw at us some new vile thing shows up. This was the case of the Tarco system. An exploratory fleet had gone in to investigate the system. It was a rather unremarkable system, unremarkable in the sense that thousands of systems have already been discovered. The fourth planet, now designated Tarco Primus, showed signs of advanced civilization. The fleet landed on the outskirts of one of the city spires. Their only transmission from the surface indicated that nothing hostile was in the area. An hour later a video clip was logged and sent out by the ship’s log engines. Shortly afterward all signals from the fleet were lost. The image, although blurry, was of a black dog-like beast. Our glorious company was called upon to respond after our Chapter Master won the honor from a nearby Ultramarine force. +LAUGHTER+ While they are mighty and noble warriors, there is no need for them to try and win all the glory.
We break from the Warp.
I must prepare with my captain and my squad.
The Emperor protects.
+END ENTRY+
+HONOR THE EMPEROR+

The battle barge Rapax erupted from the Sea of Souls in a conglomeration of lights and energies. Like all Space Marine ships it had an angled prow and was covered in ornate spires and statuary. The bridge of the ship was visible as a massive cathedral with large stained glass windows depicting the Emperor standing approvingly over the vanquished foes of the Chapter. The color of the ship was dark blue, trimmed in green the color of tree leaves labeling the ship as that of the 5th Company. However, the barge should not be taken as a mere thing of beauty. Cannons protruded all along the sides of the hull like dark spines while torpedo tubes pocked the prow with the dark promise of death and destruction. It was a potent symbol of power. It was a symbol of the Imperium of Man. It drifted slowly towards the fourth planet of the system like a massive harbinger of doom.
The planet in mention looked like any other planet, nothing remarkable stood out. Nothing gave a hint as to the danger it hid or the trap that had been set. But then again, the planet had never witnessed a battle barge of the Adeptus Astartes and the inhabitants had no idea of the destruction they could unleash. Two unknowns were drawing towards each other. This was not uncommon in the galaxy. Every time it happened something extraordinary was always the result. This would be no exception…
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
If the outside of the barge represented death then the inside was life. Teams of gun crews and tech-priests were preparing the bombardment cannons and missile tubes. Dozens of servitors were loading equipment, vehicles and weapons onto Thunderhawk gunships. Techmarines busied themselves tending to the company’s revered dreadnoughts. The ancient warriors having been awakened to do battle and longing to bring death to the enemies of the Emperor. Inside the ship’s massive chapel where banners hung depicting the glories of the fifth company one hundred and twenty battle-brothers knelt and prayed with the company chaplain.
In his black armor and grinning skull mask the chaplain stood out in stark contrast to the men he was ministering to. His massive suit of Terminator helped the effect too. The one thing he had in common was the leaf green of his right shoulder guard. The men in front of him wore armor the same dark blue as their warship. The tactical marines were designated by the bleached bone color of their forearms and the armor from the knees down. Their helmet also bore the same color on the band down the center and back of their helmets. The assault troops, given away by their bulky jump packs, had storm-cloud gray where the others had the bleached bone; the grey representing the rage of a mighty tempest when they struck. The prayers of the marines echoed around the massive chapel while the prayers of serfs and tech-priests echoed throughout their armory.
The captain of the fifth company was a mighty warrior with numerous honors to his name. He had defeated the foul orks, the evil Dark Eldar, the upstart Tau, and even a splinter tyranid fleet. For three hundred years the captain served the Golden Throne of Terra and the Tempest Knights chapter. His honor was displayed on his armor. Not for him the bleached bone or storm grey. Instead his dark blue armor was contrasted by gold which made him easily recognizable to his men when they took to the field. He also had a cape fastened to his backpack, the back was red and the side facing the captain was white. His weapons were no less impressive. His left hand was covered in a massive power fist, what would be the palm of the fist was gold, which sported an internal storm bolter. On his left hip he had an ornate scabbard which housed a massive power sword. Authority radiated from him, and as he stood with his command squad in the midst of the launch bay there was no doubt that he would lead the fifth to victory.
The men around the captain were impressive in their own right. Instead of gold they sported hunter green, which contrasted well with their numerous honors and purity seals. The only figure who stood out starkly was the apothecary. Instead of the dark green his armor bore the pure white of the apothecaries and his shoulder guard bore the red helix. Next to the captain the apothecary’s job was arguably the most important; he ministered to the injured and retrieved the precious gene-seed from the fallen. As the fifth company began filing into the launch bay the captain turned to his standard-bearer,
“Sebastian, unfurl the banner.”
“Aye lord.”
The banner was beautiful. The back and trim was the same leaf-green of the company’s shoulder pads but the picture was the real eye catcher. The scene was of a furious storm breaking over a plane with a sword stuck in the ground in the center. A lightning bolt struck the sword’s pommel and spiraled around the sword to the ground with smaller bolts arcing from it. There was also a decorative “T” to the left of the sword and a “K” to the right, the letters showed up as mithril as the standard moved. The bottom of the standard bore a list of honors as well as the previous ancients while the staff was topped with a skull between two golden wings. With their banner in their midst the fifth fought all the harder to honor their chapter and predecessors.
As the fifth formed up, two figures flanked the captain. One was the massive skull faced chaplain while the other was in ornate armor that was all dark blue except for his leaf green shoulder guards. On his right shoulder was chained a book with a silver sword down the center. He also had a bolt pistol on his left hip and a sheathed sword on his left. The staff in his right hand and the crystalline hood around his head marked him as the company’s librarian. The captain acknowledged each in turn with a nod.
“Gabriel,” to the chaplain, “Merlineus,” to the librarian.
“Captain.” Replied the skull-faced warrior.
“Artorius.” Replied the librarian, centuries spent together allowing for the informality.
The captain faced the men assembled before him and his heart swelled with pride. These men were arguably the finest warriors in the galaxy and he was honored to lead them into combat. The feeling never went away, and one hundred missions from now he would still feel it.
“Brothers, we have been called upon to secure this system for the Imperium. While it is unclear what we face, it is clear that this planet is hostile as well as the beings that occupy it. We will be dropping into what we believe is the capital and from there we will begin our assault. I have word from Segmentum Command that once we establish a strongpoint regiments from nearby Imperial Guard will arrive to establish a base of operations. Once again we find ourselves the spear tip of the Emperor’s wrath.” He raised his fist, “We march for wrath, vengeance and the New Dawn!”
“AND WE SHALL KNOW NO FEAR!” The company boomed.
“Sergeants, have your squads ready and loaded. Our thunderhawks launch in ten!”
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

On the planet designated Tarco Primus a mighty citadel of black stone sat like a dark crown. While it couldn’t rival the Imperial Palace on Terra it was magnificent nonetheless. Hundreds of decorative columns supported flying buttresses while hundreds of sturdy towers dotted the walls. From the towers sprouted defensive weapons like dead branches on a tree. Along every space of wall were images and scenes of mighty warriors conquering their foes. The images on the massive gates were outlined in gold and only the images on the palace itself were in color. Along the walkways and wall stairs stood statues of black dog faced warriors. The statues were three meters tall depicting muscular bodies with tails about one meter in length. The legs supporting the bodies had reverse-jointed knees with feet that had four large claws, three in front and one in the rear. The head though, was the most striking feature. It resembled that of a dog with pointed ears giving the appearance of having small horns. They resembled a god from Terra’s dark past, a time even before the Dark Age of Technology.
It seemed one of them had come to life.
The dark figure was striding down the main walkway towards the palace doors with a purposeful stride. It wore a suit of dark grey armor that seemed to be an extension of its body, flexing and moving with every movement of its muscled body. The armor covered every part of the figure, except its wings, even its lower jaw and ears were armored. Such was the craftsmanship of the armor that it never inhibited the use of the wearer’s jaw or ears. It was larger than the decorative statues and had a pair of wings folded at its back. As it reached the main doors two “statues” moved to attention as the other strode through the doors without even slowing. Making its way down a corridor several kilometers in length decorated with scenes and statues of the race’s many victories. The vaulted ceiling was adorned with large stained glass windows also decorated with the large, black dog head of the species.
The figure halted in front of a large door more ornate than any other part of the palace. It lifted one armored fist and pounded on the door three times; the sound booming down the large hall like thunder. Giant locks and latches clicked and groaned as the door split in half and opened inwards. The figure strode inside and knelt before a large dais atop which sat a magnificent, dark being.
“God-king.” The kneeling figure intoned.
Few beings in the galaxy fit such a description.
This was one of them.
The god-king was easily four meters in height and massively muscled. His armor was gleaming silver with gold trimming the joints and eye sockets. He wore a tunic the color of bone over his armor that was belted around his waist by a thick, brown belt trimmed in gold. His massive wings were relaxed to his sides giving him the appearance of being even larger. From the darkness of his face two orbs of glowing orange, like flames of a mighty inferno, gazed upon the kneeling figure. When he spoke it was as if he spoke with voices millennia old, and it sounded like rolling thunder.
“Rise Xalanthas.”
The kneeling figure rose, appearing as a child before his god-king.
“Great Alamantrix, Chosen of the Lord Anubis, a ship is approaching our planet.”
“Yes, servants of a so-called ‘God-Emperor’. They seek to destroy us.”
“Fools! None can beat the Sons of Anubis! We shall blast them from our orbit! We shall…”
“No.” The word was spoken no louder than any other the god-king had said, but it was forceful enough to stop the tirade from Xalanthas who knelt in obeisance.
“Forgive me Great One.”
“You will allow them to land general, and then defeat them so that their race will know the truth.” The general rose and bowed,
“As you will it my lord.” He turned and left them chamber. He grinned to himself as he thought of how he would teach these lesser beings the error of their ways. God-Emperor indeed, what an insulting prospect.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

As the last of the equipment and men were secured aboard the thunderhawks Captain Artorius activated a hololithic projection of the planet. The same image was projecting on the other two thunderhawks, this way the captain could direct his sergeants on their objectives.
“Fiurion’s Comet will land here on this plain. From there sergeants Reynald, Bors, Hector, and Dane will move north and approach the south end of the capital. Stormraven will land here amidst this forested area. Sergeants Eli, Ajax, Octavian, and Tristan will march west and take the eastern side. Phoenix will land here at the base of the mountain range. I will lead the rest of our men southwest to conquer the northeast side. Once we have reached the walls our brother-dreadnoughts will arrive by drop pod to breach the walls. Once you have breached the walls make for the palace, I will meet you there. Understood?”
Eight acknowledgement runes and four ‘ayes’ greeted him.
“Very well brothers. Go with the Emperor and remember He is with us.”
The three thunderhawks broke through the planet’s atmosphere in a V pattern and as soon as they reached high orbit they turned to land at their designated positions. None of the warriors aboard knew what they were going to be facing. But then again they never really did. Their faith in the God-Emperor and their own strength had always carried them to victory. Chaplain Gabriel led them in a final battle-hymn before the transports touched down.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

General Xalanthas viewed the map display with a wicked grin. Indeed these so-called warriors would prove entertaining. They had split their forces and were planning to engage the city from multiple sides. Unfortunately for them the general was not new to warfare and had deployed a company of his soldiers to the areas he found most likely to be assaulted. His intuition served him well for by the grace of the great Anubis he had hit the mark on all three locations. He switched off the viewer and turned to the score of warriors surrounding him. Each was armed with a large spear and a large oval shield. This was his personal command squad. He drew his own weapon, a large, serrated sword and said,
“Sons of Anubis, we go to war against those who presume to serve a god. We shall teach them the error of their ways. For the God-King!”
As one they raised their spears and roared,
“We serve the Lord of Death!”
Xalanthas turned and sprinted towards the closest area the enemy would attack from. As fate would have it that happened to be the northeast wall section where Captain Artorius was due to assault. As the warriors came within sight of the wall Xalanthas couldn’t help but laugh again at the thought of these fools and their false god. Soon though, he mused, they shall be enlightened.
The board was set and the players were moving towards a confrontation that would shock both sides to their very cores.