[b][h1][center]The Beginning Purge[/center][/h1][/b]
[center]-After The Invasion of Kush-[/center]
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The March through the wastes was a tedious one, Gyptian marauders had fled to the countryside and continued out savage harrying attacks on Imperial convoys, civilians, and others. More and more of the God-Slayers had to be pulled to deal with these attacks, despite Aeternus forcing the three-hundred to make haste to aid with the main assault force. Never once did the Black Hawk personally travel with them - her shadow only being seen and never was a voice heard. A squad, known to the God-Slayers as Immortalis Squad, no more than five strong, was hunkered at the edge of the encampment. A small fire illuminated their massive forms and still they wore the power armor that was their uniform.

“I grow tired of these Gyptians,” growled Tyrannus, setting his helmet to the side as he gazed out to the waste’s horizon. He knew they were out there, waiting for them to let their guard down despite their Dynast-King having been killed. He spoke again as he looked back to his brethren, “I don’t know why we have to fight what the army should be doing - bloody mop-up.”

The eldest of the group, Hox, spoke back, “The Primarch told us we’d be on march. It comes with the territory Tyrannus. Keep your eyes upon the horizon else they may fall upon us at any moment.”

They conversed like this well into the night, their augmented bodies unburdened by only needing a short rest. It was not even dawn when Squad Immortalis continued their movements across the waste, scouting ahead of the main force of God-Slayers. Their steps sent sand scattering across the dunes, moving fast through the desert heat. Occasionally, the gene-warriors would stop to survey the area and report over vox to the rest of the legion. Hox gripped his chain-sword ever savagely, eager for the fabled Gyptian warriors to fall upon them at any moment. 

There was nothing but heat, rock, and sand.

Hox would speak in paranoia, “I know they are here. The Gyptians shall fall upon us at any moment.” His head turned to watch haze dance across the horizon, spires ever so distantly flicker with the heat. It was a moment before he took a knee in the sand, his eyes watching all that could possibly move.

“How can you be certain, Hox?” Another spoke, taking a knee to follow the movements of the eldest, allowing himself a moment to breathe. The two slayers looked at each other before the others came upon them, feeling the sun blast its heat down upon them. The group was gazing in all directions before Hox could give an answer, his voice lowering, “There.”

He pointed his sword in the direction of a distant settlement - nothing more could be seen but a handful of buildings and what seemed to be a central market. Hox had the look of insatiable anger in his eyes, “They hide there. I am sure of it.”

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Dark, polluted clouds wafted over the crumbling roadways of the old world, sharp droplets of poison rain pattering against destroyed asphalt. Static threateningly charged the air as the harsh crackle of thunder boomed overhead. The beating heat of the sun in the deserts of southern Gyptus only worsened the environment, corroding waves of temperature haze drying and blinding those traveling in the desert sands. Ruins dotted the sides of the roads, looming towers broken down by sandy debris and smaller, metallic huts that had been rusted for an unknowable amount of time. Small groups of humanoids traveled on foot, some on mutated pack creatures and others in rare vehicles ramshackled into functionality. None, however, dared to travel directly on the vehicle-laden path as great plumes of smoke billowed from a great distance away.

Vehicles of mixed proportions rumbled down the highway with all the power given to their chugging engines. Some were heavy, tracked blocks of metallic terror mounted with terrifying weaponry, while other crafts were small, agile machines ramshackled together with available scrap. In extremely finite numbers, no more than a handful, aerial jetbikes swooped on gravitic shunts above the metal swarm speeding through the Gyptus desert. In sporadic intervals, pairs of assault wagons would split off to travel into the depths of the dunes. At the center of the churning horde drove a leviathan tank of titanic proportion, ungodly amounts of turrets mounted across the entire length of it.

Deep within the leviathan tank walked mortals and augmented supersoldiers alike in a hurried pace. Menials stood at belching cogitators, partially slaved to the terminals through neural links. Auxilia stood guard over entrances, exits, and the like, despite their duties being vain in comparison to the yellow-armored giants they accompanied. Voxrelays constantly screamed new information that scoured the entirety of the Gyptian invasion, highlights of engagements and sieges particular amongst the topics. Every transmission was an amalgamation of the same word in different connotations - victory. The Gyptians were on their last leg and soon Memphos, too, would fall beneath the Raptor. Despite the guaranteed outcome, there was unrest in the ranks.

Caestus Caligula, captain of the First Cadre of the God-Slayers, hurried down the corridors of the mammothine vehicle with a dataslate in one hand and a voxbead in one of his ears. Mortals scurried away from his enormous, armored form like fish splitting away from an oncoming predator. Devoid of his helmet, the thunder warrior wore an uncomfortable look on his heavily scarred, bruised facial features. Just a look from his mismatched eyes sent menials into trembling fits. He despised that feeling the most.

Both of his legs brought him to the center of their command vehicle, a chamber wide enough to support twenty genesoldiers shoulder-to-shoulder and tall enough for a pair of them to stand atop each other. A hololith table stood at the center, a hologram hovering over it displaying the entirety of Gyptus. Cogitators along the edges, linked both to the table and to a mortal menial, spat out fresh information that instantly updated the current affairs of the invasion. Arrayed around the floating images were the core commanders of the God-Slayers. Primarch Aeternus Rex spoke without his helmet, his voice as commanding as a lion's. Captain Victorius Nero of the Second Cadre impatiently waiting for orders to fight something, anything. Captain Curzio Tiberius of the Third Cadre patiently watched the ongoing battles along the Delta Nilus, consuming knowledge and data as it appeared. Commander Eddith Krayl, the mortal commander of their non-augmented forces, hotly debated with the Lord of the Legion.

“... The logistics battalion will not support further raiding incursions into Gyptian territories unless the Legion is prepared to facilitate appropriate garrisons. Be reasonable, Primarch, a garrison of no more than five of your warriors would make controlling the southern parts of the Delta Nilus impervious to rebellion.” Eddith barked at the genefather of the God-Slayers, a dataslate in one hand and a stylus in the other. Her aged face was scrunched up in a mixture of anger and frustration, a pair of vividly green eyes staring daggers into the thunder warrior. Her conversational adversary, however, remained nonplussed and unwavering in the face of worthless threats.

“The logistics battalion has no choice but to do as they’re ordered. You are a liaison, Eddith, not the primary commander of my Legion - [b]the Emperor’s Legion[/b].” The Primarch said with a threatening smile, leaning forward on the table and eyeing her back down with his own dark eyes. “Gyptus will be scoured of the remnants of the Dynast-King’s forces. When that is completed, I will acquiesce to your requests. Until that moment has passed, cooperate with Captain Tiberius on our next list of targets.”

The mortal commander seemed frightened at first, remembering her position amongst the legion and her duties to the Unification. Her facial features softened at the end of the Primarch’s words, a look of short gratitude passed between them before she stepped next to the Third Cadre captain. Tiberius shifted in his data-adled stupor, turning to Aeternus and banging his fist against the Raptor before leaving the command chamber. Caligula saw that as the opportunity needed to step forward.

“The Raptor never rests, does it?” The wisened genewarrior joked as he approached the edge of the table, drawing the attention of Nero and Aeternus. A more genuine smile shone on the Primarch’s lips, while a toothy grin sprouted across the Second Cadre’s captain. Rex moved around the hololith to clap Caligula on the shoulder, while the other gave a playful punch to the opposite side.

“It’s good to see you back in working order, my friend! That abomination nearly killed you in that fight. I am thankful that you did not die, I don’t think I would be able to readily choose your successor in the event that you pass in such an untimely manner.” Aeternus' voice was nigh angelic to the First Captain, such praise bringing a wide smile to his lacquered features.

“Aye, I wouldn’t have anyone to argue with on every possible occasion! Tiberius would be without himself if he didn’t have his job as a mediator!” Captain Nero spoke loudly, slinging an arm over the older thunder warrior in a familial manner.

“Ha! I never tire of you lot. Practically kin with the amount of blood we’ve spilled together. Alas, there is a reason that I wasn’t in attendance originally, my Primarch.” Caligula laughed initially, drawing off the other thunder warrior’s arm before growing somber. He passed a dataslate to the commander of their legion, then he maneuvered over to the hologram hovering over the table with a finger raised. The yellow digit pointed approximately to a zone off the path of the road, several kilometers ahead of the armored column.

“As you know, several squads have split off since we left Kush to deal with increasing reports of raiders further north into the Gyptian territory. Squads Aurelius, Utalitum, and Immortalis were our recon force ahead of the Legion. Squad-” Caligula stopped dead in the middle of his briefing, an emotionless look crossing his face as he halted speech entirely. The heterochromic eyes glazed over, his body remained upright but slack, and a sliver of saliva began to dribble down the corner of his lip. Several minutes passed by like this, Captain Nero throwing a knowing look at the Primarch. Aeternus wore a worrying frown as he patiently waited for the moment to pass.

And it did pass. Caligula snapped straight back into the middle of the command chamber, quickly wiping the saliva that had accumulated on his lower lip. Sweat beaded across his forehead as his eyes returned to their typical appearance. A dry chuckle gurgled up from the draconic genewarrior, clearing his voice and starting once again. The pair of thunder warriors before him continued to listen as if nothing had happened in the first place.

“- Aurelius and Utalitum have reported back, confirming the destruction of insurgent compounds that offered resistance at first sighting. They have since resupplied and ventured out again. Squad Immortalis has gone dark. No contact has been heard from them in approximately three hours. Their last  known location was at this location. How would you like to proceed?”

There was a tense silence as the information was absorbed by the remaining Legionnaires on the bridge, some menials had listened but did not act on the newly received data. Aeternus crossed his arms, shifting his view to the location marked by Caligula’s finger. Nero fought back a snarl at the prospect that something had managed to defeat a squad of their thunder warriors. The First Cadre captain shifted uncomfortably, somewhat aware of the possibilities regarding the missing legionnaires.

“We’ll branch off. Anything that can kill a squad of our advanced scouts is worth our attention. Nero, you will continue the forward march to Memphos with Tiberius. Caligula, you will join me with the First Cadre on the hunt for Squad Immortalis. We will take no more than five squads. The Imperialis Praetorios will remain in formation, command is relinquished to the Second Cadre captain.” Aeternus’ commands were firm and invigorating, forcing the hairs on the other thunder warrior’s skin to stand. Both of the thunder warriors slammed their fist against the sigil on their chestplate in response.

Captain Nero displayed his usual, manic grin before setting off to the bridge, pausing briefly only to relay new orders to a menial to vox across the armored column. Caligula watched him leave, turning his attention to the Primarch. Aeternus’ held a worried look, staring at the location marked on the hololith. He was a warrior that exuded great amounts of confidence. In this moment, though, a small break of confidence was minutely prevalent.

“Contact the Black Hawk. Lady Amalasuntha will certainly join and I would rather her be with us than the alternative.” The Primarch spoke carefully, cautious of the words that he implied to the ears around him. Caligula understood immediately, exiting the chamber with a finger pressed up to his voxbead. Only the menials, ever at work, remained in the chamber besides himself. A flick of his black gauntlet saw the hologram expand on the location indicated by the First Cadre captain’s report. It enhanced large enough to notice several blocky shapes in the form of towns, villages, or settlements. An eerie feeling crept into his bones. Urgently, Aeternus’ left the command chamber as orders were relayed from one vehicle to the next.

The call had gone out. Vehicles rearranged in the metallic swarm, blocky craft swarming around the leviathan tank that was the [i]Imperialis Praetorios[/i]. Several shapes disembarked the hulking warmachine onto fat, armored personnel carriers mounted with a ramshackle assortment of weapons. Seamlessly, as soon as the figures had entered the transports, they roared forward ahead of the column with a location set for the last known location of Squad Immortalis.

Overhead came a blackened shadow, circling the transports of the God-Slayers as a buzzard over a carcass in the vast wastes of Gyptus. As the transports kicked up dust, soot, and rubble from the broken infrastructure the form followed, circling and circling as if a bad omen followed the First Legion.  All knew the omen and it stilled no hearts as to the fate of Squad Immortalis. Aeternus’ vox spurred into life and a grim voice came - a grim call barking to the Primarch, “Your warriors not calling in could mean one of two things.” 

[i]Thunk[/i]. The outer shell of one of the transports as the Black Hawk perched atop the hatch of the vehicle - her black form casting a long shadow over the front of the vehicle. Her voice spoke harshly again, grating and drilling into Aeternus’ head as a horrid reminder of all that he had to do countless times before, “If it is what I believe then, then you best honor your duty, [i]Primarch[/i].”

“[b]My duty is eternal, Lady Amalasuntha, I will honor my word unto death[/b]. I trust that you will honor your duty as well, Custodian. Let me know when you’ve spotted your prey, we will only be a short distance behind. ” The Primarch spoke into his helmet as he stood amongst his brethren in the transport. Aeternus’ voice was confident, as if there was no possibility of the actions that Amalasuntha insinuated. He counted at least ten of the thunder warriors he assigned to this specific task. Caligula strode through the cramped space, standing between the driver and passenger seats. Each bore their weapons of choice, including his own greatblade. Every one of their helmeted lenses turned to regard their genefather with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. They understood just as well what their hunt could unveil.

Aeternus made his way to stand beside Caligula, setting a hand on every shoulder of every thunder warrior that he passed. The simple act was enough to reassure them, reinforce them, and invigorate them with confidence exuding from their genefather. Words were typically the Primarch’s way of handling the Legion; however, this particular matter required fewer speeches and more actions. His view settled on the armored windshield of the transport, several terminals displaying auspex data and visual input at a quick glance. The Captain of the First Cadre watched as well; however, he held a grim look on his lips where there would otherwise be a playful joke. 

“I will handle it.”

Caligula heard, raising his head to the speaker next to him. Aeternus’ knightly helmet was staring at him, an unknowable look behind the voxgril and lenses. A small, pained smile grew on the lips of the elder warrior. Caestus wished he could echo the worries in his Primarch; however, he knew that the commander of their forces needed to keep appearances. He raised a yellow gauntlet to rest on his old friend’s pauldron, the gesture reciprocated by a black gauntlet falling on his own shoulder.

“Aye, it’ll be damned awful to see Ursh raiders deep in Gyptus territory.” Caligula said, reinforcing his lie with a small, typical chuckle.

There was a light lurching of the transport - Amalasuntha had left, leaving a small bit of relief for the force of gene-warriors. Silence followed even after Caligula’s attempts to lighten the mood. The rumbling of the engines were the only things to bless their ears and it was a welcome sound to focus on as it distracted from the possibility of what had to be done. Engines roared and men steeled themselves amongst the transports.

The Black Hawk seemed to know of the fates of Squad Immortalis though she dared not speak it over the vox directly. Even as she flew high above them, she had kept eyes upon all of the Three Hundred warriors - a simple task for one of the Emperor’s chosen. The sands began to whip. Churning great dust clouds that would hinder vision for those on the ground. Even though the sun blasted down upon them, the cloud left everything in a near red mist. The air seemed to grow charged the further the transports moved and a great wall of sand threatened Amalasuntha’s flight and so she would descend once more.

Aeternus’s transport allowed the ramp to open momentarily for the custodian to take refuge. Her blackened form seemed to dim the very lights as the ramp raised behind her. She spoke simply, “A storm is coming upon us, Primarch. Adjust your path towards the village ‘Tarajue’.”

Silence had festered by the time Lady Amalasuntha arrived in Aeternus’ transport. The belching of vox relays and pinging of auspexs filled the void. Every thunder warrior turned their attention to her, save for Aeternus, Caligula and the pilots. A mixture of anger, awe, and fear lingered in their eyes. Only in times where she was required to perform her duty would she close her distance with the Legion. Therefore, her sheer presence amongst their number caused no shortage of anxiety in the form of adjusting stances, rapidly checking armaments, and lip biting.

“You heard our guardian, Aurelia, perform your duty.” Aeternus’ spoke with a commanding voice, his tone as dominating as a roaring lion’s.

Aurelia gave a nod of her head in affirmation, pressing several runes on a terminal to adjust auspex settings. Her co-pilot swiftly activated several runes from his console, their transport beginning to shift in response to new information. Armored panes rattled as shutters began to tightly lock against their transport, shielding those within from harsh, desert winds. Their vehicle lagged momentarily as a perceivable shift in speed was noted. Terminals burst to life in the rear cabin along every pane that had access to a swiveling turret. Eagerly, those anxiety driven thunder warriors planted themselves in sponson seats as preparation for carnage to come.

Similarly across their formation, three other vehicles of similar caliber adjusted for oncoming weather by adjusting armored panes, closing hatches, and slowing their speeds. The lead transport, Aeternus’ carrier, seamlessly swapped their route to a village visible in the distance. A harsh blanket of sand rose as a monstrous effigy over their destination, lightning jolting from dusty veil to the next. Electrical tendrils licked out at openings in the storm, threatening to strike at anything close to it. Chunks of broken, rusted metal twisted within the tempest as it tore across the land, sweeping up every loose article from their wartorn world.

“Tarajue in sight, Lady Amalasuntha, Primarch Aeternus.” Aurelia stated after several tense moments of navigating desert and narrowly avoiding storm debris. She reached over to a console to her right, thumbing a rune and listening as every terminal within their cabin swapped displays. Tarajue appeared on their monitors, a small, indistinguishable settlement nestled deep within Gyptian sand. Several sporadic sculptures of rusted metal stood sentry on the village’s perimeter, crude effigies to forgotten gods created in a desperate attempt to appease uncontrollable forces.

“Relay a spread order to the other vehicles. Prepare for possible contact. Open a general voxline to the local area. If Squad Immortalis is alive, then they will respond.” Aeternus’ ordered as he turned his attention to one of their monitors. Aurelia was quick to respond, swiftly relaying her Primarch’s directives across their formation and opening up their voxcaster for general use. The Lord of the First Legion momentarily turned his attention to Amalasuntha as their voxrelay incessantly requested input. He felt a lump in his throat. He hoped for the best. He knew better than to think like that.

“Broadcasting to all local subvoxs. I am Primarch Aeternus Rex of the First Thunder Legion. Do not be afraid, do not cower, and submit to the Emperor’s unification. All hostilities taken against us will be responded to with extreme prejudice. [b]You have been warned[/b]. Prepare for our arrival. To all other agents of our Master within vox range, you [b]will[/b] rendezvous at our position.” It was a practiced statement. One that he had made hundreds of times in service to their Master. It was a statement that was never responded to with appropriate measure. It was a statement that always led to massacre. His attention never faltered from Amalasuntha as their transport rapidly approached Tarajue.

And yet there was but static over the vox, no response from the fabled Gyptian attackers nor from Squad Immortalis - it was all static. As the transport ground to a halt at the edge of Tarajue no shot came their way, save for the occasional bit of rubble ratting against armored transport metal. There was a tension in the air as the wind howled and the static roared for a straight minute. Then, a single utterance came to the ears of the Primarch, the familiar voice Hox, [i]”Gyptian! Come to die then?!”[/i] The sound of lasfire sounded over vox, screams echoed. 

Amalasuntha gazed to the Primarch expectantly, a hollow look for the genefather.

A moment of silence followed as their vox burst to life with perturbing noises of gruesome mayhem. All movement halted to a grounding stop inside of their transport. Tension within threatened to boil over as thunder warriors began to grow increasingly anxious. It lasted no longer than a mere second as Aeternus’ finally turned away from Amalasuntha to address his Himalazian knights. They couldn’t tell his facial expression behind their Primarch’s conical helmet, yet all of them could feel compulsory stalwartness emanating from him.

“Go. Bound them. I will deal the killing blow.” Aeternus’ words reverberated across their transport, each syllable felt deep within every thunder warrior’s pair of hearts. His tone was reminiscent of a disappointed, remorseful father that had lost his child. Despite this, the Primarch’s voice was as booming as it was commanding. Those thunder warriors that hung on his very word snapped into action, grabbing their wargear and swiftly egressing out of their transport. Caligula accompanied them with a mournful look spread across his scarred face. 

As the last thunder warrior left their cabin, Aeternus marched his black armored form into the aft chamber. His great, obsidian blade was torn from a magnetic weapon rack and swiftly mounted to his back. He felt Amalasuntha’s piercing gaze tearing a hole into his helmet from behind. The Primarch ignored her imperceivable glower for he had a duty to perform. One which he had no real want to execute, save for acting in the name of the Emperor.

“Come. Follow me. I will show you the duties in which I’ve pledged to uphold. You will see with your own eyes that the God-Slayers [b] will not falter [/b].” A new resonance slipped through his voice, one of hardened resolve and muted fury. Beneath his helmet, Aeternus’ clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes in preparation for what awaited him. Artificial adrenaline was already beginning to spill into his body as he stepped next to Amalasuntha. Even in close proximity, the Primarch emanated an aura of war and violence.

It was that very aura that Amalasuntha could feel - the power and command this brutal Primarch could field would have been overwhelming to the average man. Yet the Black Hawk was no mere foot-soldier and she would certainly not tremble by the coming of the barbarian’s wrath. She propped herself upon her Lance, feeling no need to fly in the raging sandstorm that whipped around them - scratching paint off the armor of those who fanned out around them. Her eyes snapped forwards and she spoke into vox as the wind and roaring torrent drowned out her normal voice, “There is no doubt that you will carry out such duties. The Emperor’s Will encompasses all.”

As they began their path forwards, red flashes, drowned by the haze of the sand, could be seen in the distance - illuminating the silhouettes of ruined buildings. Even at the edge of the village they saw it, blood soaked the sand and limbs could be seen, bodies stuck into the very sides of the building, hardly impaled and more having been thrown with such force. Scorch marks from rogue las shots clung everywhere. Even in the dim light, it was clear at what the scale of the slaughter was, but it also appeared as if a battle occurred- a traveling firefight down the main avenue.

Amalasuntha would speak once more in a low tone, “See as to what the gene-instability brings, Aeternus.”

The Primarch’s muted fury held his lips closed in response. He knew exactly what their inherent flaws brought upon their enemies, their friends and their allies. His crimson lenses scanned every piece of broken rubble, lasburn, and mutilated body that painted Tarajue. Aeternus took mere milliseconds to remember every grizzly detail that they passed. Both of his narrowed eyes demanded to be closed, wishing to not behold unwarranted violence caused by his genekin. Regardless, he tempered his mind as they passed the next row of ramshackle homes.

“An unwarranted consequence in the name of Unification, an inexplicable must for Humanity, and a disgusting necessity for the Future. It is not their fault - nor that of our Masters - that they experience it as they do.” Aeternus Rex coldly replied through the vox, his great helm turning slightly to regard Amalasuntha in their stride. Many of his brethren were ignorant and blind to their flaws, only glory in combat hounded their actions. The Primarch was far removed from his kindred in that regard, fully aware of their - his - volatility and instabilities. His mind wondered for only a stray moment if it truly was the fault of the creation or the fault of the creator for their problems.

Movement entered his field of vision as thunder warriors from his personal retinue knelt beside a fallen knight. Their left pauldron displayed the God-Slayer’s numeral, while their other pauldron presented a raptor perched atop a skull. To Aeternus, it was clear that this was one of Squad Immortalis. The corpse was devoid of skull, limb, and weaponry with a variety of scorch marks peppering their armor. An odor of burnt flesh wafted in their vicinity.

“[b]Leave them[/b]. Find whatever remains of Immortalis immediately.” The Lord of the God-Slayers roared, startling those thunder warriors that began to inspect their fallen brethren. His knights swiftly saluted with a fist against their heraldry before sprinting off into the oncoming storm. Their forms disappeared as quickly as they had arrived, veiled behind great gusts of sand and debris. Aeternus strode forward to observe the cadaver himself, refusing to kneel in reverence. He felt his lips part in a disgusted sneer. The body’s head hadn’t simply been decapitated. It had been torn off with brutal, violent strength well known amongst Imperial forces.

Amalasuntha stood behind the genefather of the God-Slayers, her eyes looking upon the cadaver with a cold indifference. Her grip tightened around her lance before tilting her head towards Aeternus, casting a watchful look as to what his reaction would be. Judgment loomed over the Primarch as a mighty mountain over any man. She dared not step towards  him, not out of fear of his anger but merely to allow him the moment to collect himself. The howling wind served as their ambassador - killing the silence between them. Then. The crack of munitions filled the air once more, barely audible over the wind. The Black Hawk turned away from the Primarch.

“The hunt continues, Aeternus,” she said grimly.

The Primarch didn’t respond as sharp cracks of lasfire erupted in their local area. Aeternus calmly collected himself, offering a respectful nod to the dead, before removing his obsidian blade from behind. A black gauntlet hoisted the greatsword’s hilt allowing it to lightly rest against his pauldron. Footsteps reverberated in unintended stomps from the thunder warrior as he pushed on further into Tarajue. The disappointed scowl he wore earlier persisted beneath his helmet, gloomy thoughts threatening to spill over within. 

As the Black Hawk and the God-Slayer rounded a shattered building into Tarajue’s singular plaza, lasfire danced past in brilliant, crimson streaks. Several yellow armored giants fought desperately behind makeshift barricades, toppled carts, and stacked corpses in a gnarly firefight. Their opponent stood by themselves at its center, bodies of fallen thunder warriors and Gyptian commoners in small numbers scattered nearby. Sergeant Hox, the veteran member of Squad Immortalis, maniacally laughed as he fired a lasrifle on full auto, stray beams scorching limestone buildings and barricades alike.

“Damnation, Hox, throw down your weapon before we have to disobey the orders of the Primarch! I’d rather you be bound and tied for Aeternus’ judgment!” Caligula called out with desperation on his lips. A lasrifle smoked in both of his yellow gauntlets, several warning shots having already been fired in a vain attempt for parlay. Several thunder warriors outside of Squad Immortalis shielded themselves nearby, tending their wounds with synthspray and quicksalve. Not a single Gyptian remained close to their firefight, either killed in action or having urgently fled Tarajue during the mayhem.

As Caligula bemoaned his failed attempts at diplomacy, Primarch Aeternus trudged between a set of barricades shielding warriors from their Legion. The first cadre captain watched as their genefather allowed his body to be riddled with scorch marks from Hox’s lasfire. No amount of volley fire slowed down their commander, even an aimed shot to his helmet failed to halt his steady advance. Slowly, thunder warriors rose to watch the scene unfold before them with a mixture of sorrow and awe. Terran sun glinted off blackened armor as Rex removed an adamantium dagger from an unseen scabbard.

“Be not afraid, Hox,” Aeternus’ softly spoke as he gently closed the distance to his afflicted knight. An adamantium, curved blade with a golden hilt ending in a raptor’s head shone brilliant within his blackened fist. A weapon that had been used countless times for the same express purpose. The Primarch could see palpable fear begin to grow on Hox’s facial features. No retaliation came from the thunder warrior, his lasrifle having long since dropped into Gyptian sand. “Find peace in having performed your duties in His name” 

In that solitary phrase, Hox’s eyes had widened and the storm opened - giving way to the bright Gyptian sun and the heat that swiftly followed. Clarity. It came in awe as the veteran warrior sank to his knees in the presence of his gene-father. There were no words in the moment that he could say as his eyes darted around the plaza as he took in all that happened. He saw his brethren, alive and dead and the recollection came in a wave. 

Tears began to stream down his face, sputtering out apologies came in an incoherent stream as he sank further into the sand. A singular wail came from him. He didn’t want to believe it had happened and yet it had - a brother had killed a brother and there was no return from that. All that the God-Slayers stood for; Imperium, Honor, [i]Brotherhood[/i], all washed away by his clouded actions. There was a moment as he looked back to his gene-father, a crushing weight upon his face. They were warriors made to bring Imperium through gene-wrought might, but they were  still human. 

“I have failed you and the God-Slayers, Aeternus.” He wept, leaning back on his knees. There was no moment between his words, “I have failed Him. I killed my brothers! They were to die honorably and I butchered them like dogs! Like nothing more than Gyptian filth! How am I to find peace now? How am I to find my peace in my own death, Aeternus?”

He did not wait for an answer to his lamentation, “I deserve a most gruesome death, there can not be anything less. I can’t atone. I can’t mourn. I can only be given the death that I deserve! Hark! Hark upon how I, Hox,  am nothing more than a kinslayer! Please, [i]father[/i], put this mongrel out of his misery just as you did those Gyptian monsters.”

Adamantium blade met throat as Aeternus granted a swift death to Hox. The Primarch’s obsidian greatblade fell to his side, abandoned to pull his kindred into a death’s embrace. An inaudible gasp escaped the thunder warrior’s lips as life spilled out from his neck. Genefather watched as his geneson’s piercing black eyes dilated. Armored limbs dropped limp, head nestled against black pauldron, and tears stained his furred cloak as death arrived. Tears failed to fall from Rex’s eyes, nor did his lips tremble for the loss of his kin.

“Ave Imperator, Gloria Excelsis Terra…” Primarch Aeternus whispered as the adamantium dagger was carefully removed from Hox’s throat. The cadaver was gently raised by Rex’s black gauntlets, held aloft as if it were a precious artifact. Several thunder warriors slammed yellow fists against their own chest plates in salute, echoing their genefathers previous words in mournful repetition. Caligula approached with both of his arms open and turned upwards to receive their fallen comrade. Delicately, the legion commander relinquished his subordinates body into the captain’s awaiting limbs. As Caestus carried off the deceased knight to their transports, Aeternus turned to address those that remained.

“[b]This is our duty. This is what it means to be one of His warriors. Do not falter in His cause. We were given purpose because of Him. Without Him, humanity is lost. Raptor Imperialis! [/b] Gather our fallen brethren and return to the transports.” Aeternus roared, resolve and pride threading into his vocal cords. Genewarriors of the First Legion yelled out in response, some roaring as he did and others screaming to their lungs capacity. His thunder warriors left in short succession, collecting bodies of those that had fallen to Hox’s rage and assisting few that had been wounded. The plaza emptied as quickly as it had been filled, only the sound of sand tempests and belching engines remaining.

Primarch Aeternus stepped back into the plaza, retrieving his greatblade and twisting around to stare at Amalasuntha. Rex was well aware that she had been watching from beginning to end with her hawk-like eyes. Despite their few feuds, he did not envy the task she was forced to carry out. The legion commander walked towards her with his sword resting against his black pauldron. Black greaves halted approximately three steps away from her, the great helm’s crimson lenses level with the Black Hawk’s eyes.

“[i]Do you understand now, Amalasuntha?[/i]” Aeternus asked, his words lacking any of the hostility one would expect from experiencing such a situation. 

“My worries have been assuaged for the time being,” Amalasuntha stated, not bothering to meet Aeternus’ own gaze and instead gazing straight forward with her lance by her side. The custodian began to move past the Primarch with a slow gait, almost desiring to move on. Yet, she stopped a few paces away, looking to the imperious sun. An utterance came that only the two could hear, her stern voice cutting through, “You showed great humanity, Aeternus.”
[hr]
Credits: [@MarshalSolgriev] (Aeternus/God-Slayers), [@Lauder] (Hox/Lady Amalasuntha)