[center][i][h3]'Saint's Chariot', Personal battleship of Emperor Gregori Amastov, Present day[/h3][/i][/center] [@Hecticlord][@TemplarKnight07][@Thecrash20] Gregori sighed as Lord Gabriel asked for further information. "[color=fff200][i]I shall give you what I have Lord General, but know any information I have is several millennia out of date. The two other worlds were hive worlds controlled by despots who are now surely long dead. Even before the fall the worlds had a... tenuous relationship at best. Skirmishes and sponsored privateering were common between them. The Forge Moon itself is a Mechanicus installation that supplied Legions Skitarii and other Mechanicusa forces throughout the sector and had virtually no dealings with the other two worlds. If we are exceedingly lucky it is possible the Forge Moon was forgotten and has been left alone... but I do not believe in luck. Likely the Forge Moon had to seek help in order to keep itself fed, but we have no idea. That... is really all we know. Records are scattered, partial and long out of date. We are essentially going in blind.[/i][/color]", The emperor sighed. "[color=fff200][i]As for numbers, the Forge moon was said to house two personal skitarii War Cohorts along with other mechanicus war conclaves of varying size. The hive worlds had large PDF and merchant fleets but virtually nothing else. So Lord Corbec, Inquisitors... give me your far more experienced educated guesses on what we should prepare for, this is a critical objective that we must take in-tact.[/i][/color]" Of course Gregori had not shared everything. Like the fact that his family had stashed a massive stockpile of weapons in the forge world many millennia ago and had a small faction of techpriests loyal to them... of course Gregori had no idea if that faction still lived or if the stash had been plundered since then... or that the Forge Moon itself could have been destroyed long ago... it was impossible to tell, but he was not one to reveal the secrets of his success to just anyone. [hr] [center][h3][i]Forge Moon Amatheus, Manufactorum Alpha I[/i][/h3][/center] [@Marx][@CaptainBritton] "[i]++CYCLING MUNITION RESERVES. PLASMA CULVERIN FUEL CELLS OVER-HEATED 100% CAPACITY. SET FOR COOLDOWN 30.2 STANDARD TERRAM SECONDS. PHOSHPOR BLASTER CYCLING. . . OPENING FIRE++[/i]", the Kataphron destroyer's phosphor blaster expoded to life, white hot phosphor orbs slamming home into the hordes of cultists trying to rush over the barricades. The globes seared through the thin, makeshift armor into soft flesh, screaming-sizzling bodies collapsing under the rate of fire. Magos Dominus Xerxes Fekten grimaced... or would have is he had enough flesh to do so. Now only one of his escort still had a functioning primary weapon. The three Kataphron destroyers had done well thus far, two Grav cannons and a Plasma culverin proved more than sufficient to hold this breach with the Dominus' guidance when they were working. One Grav cannon had taken a direct hit from a rocket, ruining it for now and now the Plasma Culverin was silenced. A loud whine and *phut* sound accompanied a shot from the remaining fully functional Kataphron destroyer servitor. Xerxes watched as a loud crunch could be heard, a dent in the metal ground as a squad of heretics were flung into the air screaming. Their bodies were tossed above the crater like ragdolls, necks and bones snapping and tearing out of flesh as organs ruptured and exploded within their bodies. A few had their insides turned to slurry as their fleshy casing remained intact, falling to steaming piles of slurry as the gravity well died down... Xerxes loved Grav weaponry. His own eradication beamer whined to life and fired, vaporising three charging cultists without a second thought. His Phoshor serpenta clicked empty, the pistol in need of a new clip as another heretic fell with a burnt crater where his face used to be. A Champion roared a challenge, Xerxes turning to the the massive brute as his shotgun fired, the pellets ricocheting off the techpriest without damage. He raised his power sword eagerly, eyes full of rage and murder... until the Magos' power axe lopped the big ugly brute's head from his shoulders, his body tumbling limply to the ground as the Xerxes hissed in annoyance... there were far too many. A burst of binary and his servitors traks began to pull them backwards, their guns never falling silent in the fighting retreat as Xerxes fell back under their covering fire. They couldn't lose this breach... Xerxes cycled through all available units to seek support, finding no Skitarii, Kastelan Maniples or other such forces within range... luckily something far better was quite nearby. "[color=ed1c24][i]+++Lord Askelad. Captain Vallis. Divert forces to sector I-z1346 immediately, the breach is being pushed and I have not the forces to hold it adequately. I shall await your arrival+++[/i][/color]", he swung his axe in a wide arc behind himself, 4 cultists falling screaming cut in half as he turned, reloaded phosphor serpenta and eradication beamer firing. "[i]++PLASMA CULVERIN FUNCTIONAL. CYCLING RESERVE AMMUNITION. PRAISE THE OMNISSIAH, FIRE TO THE ENEMIES OF MANKIND++[/i]", Xerxes would have smiled if he could as the Kataphron destroyer vaporized a squad with a blast of plasma. Truly the fury of the of the Machine-god knew no bounds. [hr] [center][i][h3]'Saint's Chariot', Personal battleship of Emperor Gregori Amastov, Present day[/h3][/i][/center] [@thewizardguy] Gregori sighed as he sat heavily into his luxurious chair. His personal office was surprisngly free of ornament aside from his chair and lavish wooden desk. He had talked down to Space marines today and one had [i]saluted[/i] him for it... it was certainly not what he expected. The sounds of his door opening and shutting again gave him cause to casually swing his chair about to see the Captain of his Protectorate. "[i]My lord-[/i]", Gregori cut him off. "[color=gold][i]What have I told you about calling me that brother? Only when we aren't in private quarters... now what is it?[/i][/color]" Cornelius laughed, "[i]Of course Gregori. I grow used to it. I have the reports you asked for from Arexia Prime... why are you interested in these vigilantes?[/i]" Gregori smiled at his brother, "[color=fff200][i]Simple. They are challenging my authority. If they are killing gangers and helping people who will the people name their savior? I can only do so much on crusade and the populace is... fickle even with the ecclesiarchy. More freedom means they are more likely to support other things. Luckily, whoever these vigilantes are they have made a fatal error, they gave themselves a symbol. As technical criminals they cannot publicly defend themselves, so any act under their symbol becomes theirs. Even as I speak my agents are planting bombs at civilian centers across the hive and leaving the calling card of these hooded men. Soon the populace will hate them more than any other under hive gang. That my dear brother is where you come in. You will take half the Palace Protectorate down under the guise of cleaning up the under hive. Instead you and the PDF will target these 'heroes' while currently heavily damaged gangs are re-armed. They are an important part of the Hives society and I'm tired of seeing them get rubbed out.[/i][/color]" Cornelius nodded in understanding. "[i]Of course. It will be done before we leave for the Forge moon.[/i]" Gregori smiled. He could always trust Cornelius. It helped his relation to the Emperor was such a closely guarded secret. Family records hidden in the Amastov estate rather than the Emperor's palace. It could prove catastrophic should his enemies or even allies discover this fact. For now though his brother was simply the Captain of the Palace Protectorate, and Gregori aimed to keep it that way. "[color=fff200][i]Now, make sure K'varii is on his way. I need to see just how much the cretinous little shit of a xeno will charge me for his stealth ships... make sure our finest amasec arrives just after him, I'm going to need it.[/i][/color]"