Interlude: A quiet death
Interlude: A quiet death
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The Warp
U'zhul, the Skulltaker, most honored Herald of Khorne died quietly. In fact, almost no one noticed the precise moment of his passing.
The reason was simple. The Warp surrounding Kronus was chock-full with ravenous Daemons tearing at the borders of reality itself. Their screams of fury and pain drowned everything else. A thin barrier of Anathema's light stood firm, extracting a price of anything that attempted to manifest on Kronus. It further weakened and drained every Lesser Daemon that had the misfortune to be banished, which led to short-lived fights and feeding frenzies.
Nevertheless, Chaos was winning. The barriers separating Materium and Immaterium gradually weakened, more Daemons passed through the Warp Gate, even though they had to burn a lot of power for the privilege. Those already on the other side grew gradually stronger and bolder.
His victory was at hand, and then the impossible happened.
Chaos was denied its due. In a single moment, something banished hundreds of screaming Daemons back into the Warp. A very short-lived stunned shock ensured before the Warp descended into a feeding frenzy. In the ensuing anarchy, the feasting Daemons didn't know or care that much less food came back weakened for the taking.
Many a Daemon had expended too much energy fighting against Necron anti-Warp technology, then they expended more in actual combat and to heal wounds that would have slain a living creature. The weakest of them simply didn't have enough power left to cross back into the Warp and survive passing through the Anathema's barrier. They burned, their remaining energies purified and consumed.
The same happened to a smaller number of the weakest Lesser Daemons caught in the Necron trap. Their essence scattered and could only reach the zones of purified Warp created by the Pylons. There, it was slowly cleansed, obliterating those daemons for good.
U'zhul suffered a similar fate. He found himself caught in a potent anti-Warp field and the presence of a Pariah. He had bled a tremendous amount of energy by that point and was unable to properly replenish it. A different Daemon might have noticed the danger and ran.
The Skulltaker was made from a tougher cloth. He had his targets in front of him. The victory was at hand. And he was the Herald of Khorne. He didn't run. He fought and he won.
U'zhul fought to the last. It was glorious combat, and he gave it his all. Yet, victory has slipped his grasp, and his determination doomed him in the end. His unnatural flesh burned, his energy ended up scattered or absorbed by a ravenous Pariah, with what little was left, slamming headfirst into the Anathema's barrier where it burst into silver flame.
U'zhul, the Herald of Khorne, the Skulltaker, was no more. His very essence was gone, destroyed, transformed, or purified.
When Khorne beheld the destruction of his honored servant, he was silent for a moment that lasted for an eternity. And when it came, his wrath was legendary. The warp shook from his fury, scattering Lesser Daemons to the four winds.
Against that boundless fury, the Astronomicon glowed brighter, spreading waves of searing golden fire across the galaxy.
=ATBS=
Bridge
Rogue Trader Vessel Lucre Foedis
The Warp en route to Kronus
Your ship shaking during Warp travel was never a good sign. The vibrations became worse and worse the closer they got to their destination. For days now, Inquisitor Vail had her retinue outfitted for heavy combat, which unfortunately wasn't their specialty. It was a good thing they had a Mechanized Infantry Regiment embarked. The Guardsmen along with most of the crew were spread throughout the ship, watching intently for any incursion. Amberly had her retinue divided between main engineering, the Gellar field generator in particular, and the bridge.
They had to change Navigators for a third time today – the strain of finding a way past the hordes of Daemons converging on Kronus was becoming extreme. Fortunately, thanks to acting as her transport, the Lucre Foedis enjoyed ample resources in all categories.
In this particular case, paying from her pocket for additional Navigators was an extremely useful investment, which paid for itself through survival.
The senior Navigator stumbled from his alcove to be replaced by a much younger and fitter woman. Disturbingly, he bled from his three eyes, yet has had a smile on his face. Amberly's hand quickly went for a weapon, and she was ready to draw at a moment's notice. The Naval Armsmen on the Bridge did the same.
"The Emperor's light, it's beautiful!" The Navigator gushed. "He on Terra is protecting Kronus! I could see his shield! Its divinity made manifest!"
A shock-wave hit the ship and threw everyone not secured off their feet. Only Amberly's power armor and the magnetic clamps holding her to the deck saved her from breaking something, perhaps even her neck. The Navigator stumbled into a console and hit it hard. He screamed and fell to the ground carefully holding a broken arm.
"Status report!"
"Gellar Field down to forty-one percent and climbing! No breaches detected!"
"Multiple casualties, all decks!"
One of the Navigators screamed and their alcove burst open, spilling a fountain of blood, though no Daemon jumped out. There was just smoking blood and gore.\
"We lost two Navigators!"
"Pressure on the Gellar Field is lessening!"
"Whatever happened pushed us closer to our target. Estimated time of arrival in system, twenty-seven hours."
"And fifty-one hours to reach orbit afterward," Amberly muttered.
She was almost afraid to find out what waited for her at their destination.