GiskOrbit above forge Moon Amatheus, Present Day
The Emperor grit his teeth, Gregori clearly upset at the news of about half his marines deploying without orders, and that the ones that did were the Relictors. Marines who wielded Daemon weapons, boltguns and blades that writhed like living things and spewed death, who's ammo was enchanted by foul sorceries. This... heresy would not be seen by the Magos Xerxes as anything other than a declaration of war by their mere presence. In the face of this disaster the loss of tactical surprise was secondary... at least in Gregori's mind. All that mattered now was ensuring the Magos could not learn of the Relictors and their ways before Gregori could ensure his allegiance. The actions of Captain Lattore and his men not only endangered their precious lives as a commodity of the Imperium Reborn, but had just put this entire operation on an extremely short time table. Gregori drummed his fingers on the holo-table, his mind racing with solutions to this new problem.
"Lord Corbec... is correct. We must not deploy anymore troops without the Magos' blessing lest we spark a war within a war... Captain Lattore's actions and those of the Lord Karthis will be dealt with when the time is more appropriate. For now we must do damage control. The delegation shall consist of myself, Lord Corbec, Lady Thamus, Lord Inquisitor Alexius and the highest techpriest with the fleet. Our Escort shall be made entirely of your finest sisters Lady Thamus. We must make the correct Impression. Lord Corbec as Master of the navy order all ships to deploy magnetic chaff in the atmosphere. This should disrupt all long range vox channels temprarily on world. Hopefully, long enough to ensure the Magos Xerxes meets us before he hears of the Relictors. If the Magos confornts us on it, we will... say it was meant to disrupt only our enemies communication and the effects on his vox is an unforseen consequence. It should last for less than a single rotation. Any damage it does to our allies defence will be repairable. especially with our forces on his side. YEs... this may be our only recourse now. Any objections?"
He stared around, challenging any of them to speak in objection, but hoping there could be improvements yet upon his plan.
Forge Moon Amatheus, Surface
The Relictors new formation proved quite effective against the cultists, cut down in droves by their boltguns and blades, only those who sought some form of cover able to effectively escape the Adeptus Astartes fire, and the screaming death that awaited them at the hands of the armored warriors. But even still they came. The bodies of their fallen friends becoming barricades and or limp fleshy shields for the foolish and brave. The tide pressed hard into the Astartes lines, but was completely unable to break it or even come close. The tides began to slacken, and it seemed as if soon they would break, and the Relictors would be victorious! So it seemed...
Great screaming roars cracked the air, and they came. From above the throng of mad and frothing Heretics seven great, writhing things with thousands of teeth and claws, some with long limbs and thin claws, another rounded with a single massive eye in the middle of its body surrounded by great spines. Terrible spawn of chaos itself, frothing and mad they pressed past the cultists, cutting down any not smart or quick enough to get out of the way. But the first seven paled in horror to the eighth. Its body massive, as big as a dreadnought the spawn growled, its 'face' obscured by an ancient horned helm with brass horns and sigil in the center, perhaps it had once been a marine just like them, its eye lenses long since dark and its cables running into the deep crimson flesh of the beast. It had two arms, in each was grasped a massive brass weapon, one a cleaver and the other an axe. From its back sprouted tendrils covered in spines, they seemed to writhe and squirm in agony.
Atop the great beast rode a single Heretic champion, his armor red and brass. Under his arm was slung a heavy stubber, which he fired at the marines wildly while cackling, leading his war beast with two great chains hooked in its flesh. The eight beasts of Khorne caused a resurgence in the lines of the heretic, charging the Marines lines with these creatures. The marines fire cut down one of the twisted monstrosities before it could reach the line, its mutated and disastrous form crumpling before them only to be trampled by its brothers and the onrushing heretics. The first beast clashed with the marine line in melee... the wolves would need to arrive soon, for the spawn would prove far more deadly than their mortal followers.