Warhammer 40K, Suzumiya Haruhi and Anime Style

[Julius Firefocht]

This event takes place after Suzumiya Haruhi played Warhammer 40K in the SOS-Dan clubhouse, and becomes so inspired by the fiction of the game that a gigantic closed space is created. The entire SOS-Dan is dragged into this closed space, and an entirely new universe is created, destroying the delicate balance between dimensions. Note that this story is meant to be a prologue, and will serve as the basis of all future stories to come.

Multiple anime characters from multiple anime series are involved in this project, but the central figure is still the God-Empress Suzumiya Haruhi, though I believe fans from the anime series that made an appearance here might be interested.

Yes, that is right, this is more like a project rather than just a story. Each Astartes Legion will eventually receive an Index Astartes article describing its origins and attributes. Eventually, rules may be created that will allow actual Warhammer 40K players to field armies from these Astartes Legions on the tabletop game. It's a vast undertaking, and one that I am not confident of completing alone.

As the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. So without furthur ado, let us begin:

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Prologue Part 1

In the 29th Millennium, mankind had become scattered throughout the stars, amongst the great vastness of the galaxy. So many worlds were colonized since the invention of faster-than-light travel that it had become impossible to count or keep track the number of human inhabited worlds in the galaxy. Such travel was made possible by the discovery of the warp, an alternate dimension seething with psychic matter and raw energy. Ships moved quickly between stars by piercing the veil of reality, hurling itself into the warp and back out to normal space at the destination. Though far from completely reliable, the warp proved to be mankind’s most convenient way to move and communicate amongst the sea of stars.

Unfortunately for the myriad human colonies, at the start of the 30th Millennium, fierce warp storms engulfed the galaxy, isolating the colonies from each other, their citizens unable to communicate or travel offworld for centuries. Cut off from all form of external influence for generations, the colonized worlds experienced severe civil wars fought by factions who demanded mastery of their respective planets. These wars, combined with rampant alien incursions, tore the colonies apart, causing severe hardship for the general populace. Terra, the homeworld of humanity, was no exception to this rule.

The brutality of the wars fought on Terra easily rivaled the dozens of world wars fought on humanity’s cradle throughout the endless centuries. The nations of the world had degenerated into kingdoms ruled by barbarians armed with the best technology of its time. It was in this period that the Empress was first heard of, Her name rising from anonymity to become synonymous with the light of humanity. Utilizing super-advanced genetic technologies and enlisting the best scientists and genologists of the day, the Empress succeeded in creating the most powerful and deadliest warriors that the universe would ever see, the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines of the Empress.

History states that the Empress initially led a single legion of Space Marines, bringing them directly under Her command. In order to share the responsibility of planning and persecuting the coming war, the Empress gave appointments to Her group of four companions, who were henceforth known as the Imperial Council. The man known only as Kyon was made overall commander of the Imperial Army, an organization consisting of regular men and women who fought in the name of the Empress, while Koizumi Itsuki was made the chief of the Empress’ Inquisition, a secret institution designed to silently hunt down opposition to the Empress’ cause, and gather intelligience for military operations. Asahina Mikuru was made the chief of the Imperial Household and commander of the Empress’ personal guard unit, the Adeptus Custodes, while Nagato Yuki became responsible for leading the Imperial Navy of warships.

Thus prepared, the Empress, Her Imperial Council, the fledging Imperial Army and the Astartes Legions went to war, with the aim of the conquest of Terra.

The war, which came to be known as the Reunification Wars, was a spectacular affair. Led personally by the Empress, armored with power armor that were light years ahead of any other personal protection, and armed with Bolters that fired destructive bolts of mass-reactive explosive payloads, the Astartes made short work of Her enemies. The combat prowess of the Space Marines were such that they literally had no equal on the battlefield, each Space Marine an army of one that could easily best a hundred normal soldiers. With such warriors at her beck and call, the Empress easily completed the conquest of Terra within a time period of two years, bringing to heel the kingdoms of the world and uniting them under Her divine leadership. The conquest of Terra, however, was only the beginning of the Empress’ plans.

All of the Primarchs were heroes of their age, and all of them would leave their marks upon the history of the Imperium. Names such as Fate Testarossa Harlaown of the Blood Angels Legion, Lelouch Lamperouge of the Luna Wolves Legion and Edward Elric of the Iron Hands Legion would become celebrated or reviled in equal measure, but that was in the far off future. For now, the Empress was ready to commence the next stage of Her plan, which was no less than the total conquest of the galaxy.

The recruitment and creation of the Astartes had continued at a feverish pace even as the Empress fought the Reunification Wars, with the genetic labs and training facilities in modern Japan creating Astartes as fast as was humanly possible. By the end of the Reunification Wars, there were forty thousand Astartes spread out over twenty Legions. The Empress in Her wisdom, knew that the expansion of the Astartes program was crucial to Her future plans, but She was also aware that it would be impossible for any one person, even Her, to directly control so many Legions of Astartes at once.

And so it was, that at the conclusion of the conquest of Terra, the Empress, accompanied by Her Council, began the search across time, space and dimensions for suitable candidates to lead her Space Marine armies. Slowly and painfully, 20 individuals were found and instated as leaders of their respective Space Marine Legions, while the Legions repaired and rearmed themselves. The genetic material of these individuals would be used in the future creation and training of Astartes for their respective Legions, thus ensuring that a Space Marine Legion would always take after its leader in body and soul, much like how a child takes after its parents.

These leaders became known as Primarchs, a name coined and sanctified by the Empress Herself. The Primarchs would directly command their Legions while the Empress provided overall strategical direction. Unfortunately, some Primarchs were bought into the Empress’ service by the force of Her will; a fact that rankled with those bought into submission this way, and which would play a big part in later events. Others served willingly, realizing that the Empress was no mere mortal, but a person of immense power who was worth their loyalty.

[Julius Firefocht]

Prologue Part II

In the pursuit of this lofty goal, the armies of the Empress would search for and rediscover the lost colonies of humanity, and embrace the citizens within as long lost brothers and sisters. At the same time, any alien civilizations would be forcibly integrated, or failing that, exterminated, by the direct and express orders of the Empress. As the first step towards the objective, a treaty was signed between the Empress and the Adeptus Mechanicus of Mars to allow the Empress access to the vast production capabilities of the Martian Empire, with which she upgraded Her armies and built vast starships. With that done, the Age of the Imperium was at hand.

The 20 Astartes Legions, led by the Empress and their respective Primarchs, began the war of conquest, boarding their ships and sailing out into the sea of stars for the war that eventually came to be known as the Great Crusade. Countless human worlds were illuminated, the sufferings of the populations making the divine light of the Empress a welcome change from the darkness of wars that had been fought for so long, that the combatants had all but forgotten the reasons for fighting. Certain worlds were peaceful and stable, and most of these worlds readily submitted to the Empress’ undeniable authority. A number of worlds refused to entertain the prospect of joining the Empress’ Imperium of Mankind, and took up arms against the Astartes, whom they perceived as invaders. Such worlds were conquered and subjugated in short order, the Astartes’ horrifying efficiency in war making mincemeat out of any and all opposition.

Alien races, both benign and hostile, were discovered as the Great Crusade pushed ever outwards beyond known space. The Astartes went to work on the openly hostile races, pushing these aliens back across galactic space, and reclaiming planet after alien planet in the name of the Empress and their Primarchs. However, it was at the Joker system campaign, against a whole sector of rebellious colonies, that the Imperium acquired one of its greatest victory.

Joker was a huge system comprising of roughly forty worlds, all held by colonists who preferred their independence and their heretical religion to the guiding beacon of the Empress and the Imperium. Attempts to peacefully contact them were met with outright hostility, prompting the Empress to declare all out war on the system and its inhabitants. Intelligence acquired by Lord Koizumi had indicated that the amount of opposition in the system was truly astronomical, thanks to the amount of soldiers and war material available to the resource rich worlds in the system. The Joker system had been peaceful throughout the centuries, thus allowing the colonies to build a superb defense against any invaders, human or alien. The very same defenses would be turned against the forces of the Empress, who would now have to fight through a daunting network of orbital and ground based weapons. Never in the Crusade had such a powerful obstacle been placed in the path of the Astartes Legions, and led by their Primarchs, they rose to the challenge.

The demands of that campaign were such that out of 20 Legions, six Legions and at least 4 million soldiers of Lord Kyon’s Imperial Army were called upon to cleanse the system of the faithless heretics. To coordinate the effort of so many assets, the Empress personally chose Primarch Lelouch of the Luna Wolves to take overall command of the campaign, while She and Lord Kyon supervised the campaign from Her orbiting flagship.

Primarch Lelouch was a commander who had proven himself to be a genius at military tactics and strategies. Indeed, Lelouch had the highest victory tally out of all the Primarchs, with only Primarchs Sawatari Makoto of the Space Foxes and Yagami Hayate of the Dark Angels approaching his victory count. The other five Primarchs, namely Fate Testarossa of the Blood Angels, Sagara Sousuke of the Crossed Scars, Izumi Konata of the Ultramarines, Takamachi Nanoha of the Empress’ Children and Tsukimiya Ayu of the White Wings, naturally deferred to his judgement, especially after the Empress’ orders to that effect. Outwardly pleased at the honor bestowed upon him, Lelouch began planning his moves carefully and soon enough started the vast assault against the Joker system.

The White Wings, led by Ayu, began a series of hit and run attacks that Primarch and Legion were so famous for, scattering and diverging the heretics from the system’s main planet of Joker. The Ultramarines, led by Konata, performed with their trademark efficiency and precision, striking at multiple weak points in the heretics’ defense simultaneously. While the main bulk of the enemy army was disoriented and in disarray, the Blood Angels, Crossed Scars, Empress’ Children and Lelouch’s own Luna Wolves mounted a daring drop-pod assault upon Joker itself, utilizing Lelouch’s practiced strategy of ripping the throat out of the enemy before the rest of their forces could respond. The strategy was successful, and the four Legions, led by their Primarchs, began the grisly work of killing their way through a seemingly endless tide of fanatical soldiers who died screaming the names of their gods.

The Imperium eventually emerged victorious after weeks of non-stop combat. Lelouch, accompanied by his elite 1st company, personally killed the arch-leader of the heretics in a climatic battle that marked the end of the campaign. With the conclusion of the campaign, several events happened that shifted the balance of power and the political landscape of the Imperium. First of all, the Empress announced Her intention to return to Terra with Lord Kyon, for reasons unknown to all. In Her absence, Lelouch would have overall strategic control of the Astartes Legions and all other military assets, as well as being honoured with the new rank of Warmaster. The other Primarchs and their Legions were to obey his orders as they obeyed the word of the Empress, a fact that caused unhappiness among some of the Primarchs. Finally, along with a long list of citations and honours presented to the Luna Wolves, the Empress allowed the Legion to change its name to the Sons of Lelouch Legion, to better reflect Lelouch’s new authority and power.

[Julius Firefocht]

Prologue Part III

Lelouch appeared pleased with the new rank and honours bestowed upon him, but inwardly, he began to feel resentment against the Empress. As he saw it, the Empress was now returning to Terra after leading the Crusade for centuries, while Lelouch would have the unenviable task of finishing what she started. His loyalty to the Empress had always been tenuous, as he saw the Empress appreciating him only because of his ruthless abilities at war. His loyalty to the Empress was slowly being chipped away as the responsibilities and duties of his new rank began wearing at him, while he perceived the Empress as enjoying life with Lord Kyon and the Imperial Council back on Terra as he built the Imperium for Her.

The straw that broke the camel’s back came after a particularly impressive victory against an alien empire that threatened to invade the outer frontiers of the Imperium. The Sons of Lelouch had defeated the enemy despite being outnumbered by vast odds, and had won for the Imperium a number of worlds with substantial production facilities. The Empress’ congratulatory message hailed the abilities of Warmaster Lelouch, claiming the victory as belonging to the Empress and the Imperium. While the message was considered normal by the Empress’ standards, the wording that claimed the Warmaster’s victory as Her own finally unlocked the resentment that had simmered in him. Embittered to near the point of madness, Lelouch began planning what he saw as his greatest plan ever; the betrayal of the Empress and his assault on Terra to take over the Golden Throne of the Empress. Led by their Primarch, the entire Son of Lelouch Legion was eventually corrupted, their loyalty for the Empress replaced with a burning need for vengeance and destruction of the Empress and the Imperium.

Lelouch knew the odds were enormous, as the Empress has Legions of loyal Astartes, innumerable regiments of Lord Kyon’s Imperial Army soldiers and countless naval ships under the leadership of Lady Nagato. There was no way for a single Legion of Astartes to truimp over such odds. In his maliciousness, Lelouch remembered the Joker system and how its inhabitants has worshipped a pantheon of gods said to be able to grant immense power to a chosen individual. Delving into lost tomes of knowledge, Lelouch hoped to make contact with these gods of the warp, as the slain civilization of Joker called them. To his surprise, the entities answered immediately, as though they had been waiting for him all along.

There was Shinku, the red Goddess of Blood. Suigintou, the Goddess of Malice. The twins Suiseiseki and Souseiseki, the Goddesses of Plague and Decay. Canaria, the Goddess of Deceit, and Hina Ichigo, the Goddess of Excess. Last but not least, there was Kira Suishou, the Goddess of Envy.

These goddesses were known as the Prime Powers, the seven Chaos gods dedicated to the destruction of Humanity and the defeat of the Empress and all She stood for. They made a deal with Lelouch:

“Give us the Empress and we will give the galaxy to you.”

In addition, Lelouch was promised great powers equivalent to the Empress’, and the unsealing of his personal gift, his Geass, which had been sealed by the Empress when he was defeated by Her when they first met on his homeworld.

In his madness, Lelouch accepted the deal. His thirst for power had become too great to be quenched, and he finally forsook the Empress, turning from Her light to follow the dark path of the Chaos Gods. The first move he made was to influence many of his fellow Primarchs to his cause. The galactic civil war called the Lelouch Rebellion had begun.

The Lelouch Rebellion lasted a year, but the civil war inflicted great damage upon the Imperium, more than any alien race could ever inflict. Humanity was split in half, each world questioning its loyalties and declaring for either the Empress or Lelouch. The fighting forces were no better, as nearly half of the Imperial Army and Navy were corrupted into worship of the Dark Gods, joining Lelouch and fighting their former brother-in-arms with an unholy hatred. The Astartes Legions suffered similar fractures, with a full ten out of twenty Legions corrupted to the Warmaster’s cause. The Imperium warred with itself, destroying itself with a vigor no external enemy could hope to match. Lelouch and his traitor Astartes Legions were at the forefront of the fighting, carving an inexorable advance towards Terra and the Golden Throne.

The Rebellion finally ended during the Siege of the Empress' Palace, a battle so fierce that the very ground and sky trembled with the fury of the warriors on both sides of the conflict. Four loyalist Astartes Legions faced off against eight traitor Legions, Lelouch’s meticulous planning ensuring that he would never suffer a numerical disadvantage during this final battle. However, he had reckoned without considering the consequences of blind luck and destiny…

The Rebellion ended with the death of Lelouch and the defeat of the traitor Astartes Legions, along with their supporting Army and Navy units. The remaining traitor Marines and their Primarch retreated into the warp storm known as the Eye of Terror, where they would continue to terrorize the Imperium for the rest of their days.

However, this victory was bought at a high cost; the Empress Herself was severely injured as She struck the deathblow that killed the traitorous Warmaster. The loyalist Astartes Legions and their Primarchs had suffered terrible casualties, with some Primarchs presumed dead or missing. The fate of each surviving loyalist Primarch is a matter of debate, various witnesses or accounts serving to cloak the truth within layers of legend. Similarly, no one truly knows what transpired to the Empress and Her companions, though it is believed by the faithful masses of the galaxy that the Empress has recovered from her wounds and is alive, having ascended to godhood.

And so the Imperium as it was known was truly founded, along with centuries of suffering and misery for Imperial citizens, who have no choice but to support the Imperium simply because there was no other alternative to survive in an increasingly hostile universe. Yet, these citizens cling on to a hope, keeping their faith, believing that the God-Empress will now watch over them from Her Golden Throne on Terra, protecting and guiding them as a god, accompanied by Her loyal companions Lord Kyon, Lord Koizumi, Lady Nagato and Lady Mikuru, and warded by all the loyal Primarchs who sacrificed their lives for the Empress.

[Julius Firefocht]

Next up, the events of the Lelouch Rebellion, and the Siege of the Empress' Palace!

[Kha]

Reposting from the Nanoha FF thread...

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Looks impressive, and I like the idea that this could turn into a full table top.

In the OC thread, my OC, Kha Alexei, is the last of the Holy Velka Imperium's "Light of Velka", which is the equivalent of the Imperium's Ordo Maelleus. I can contribute him to be a famous "Brother-Captain" in Haruhi's Grey Knights, if she has them.

I could even help you with Codex: Demonhunters if ya need.

And not just him; there are several characters that I've created or incorporated using the Imperial Guard "rojak" model, and those can fit into your storyline lock stock and barrel too!

What do ya think?

[Diaboso]

I love WH40K. I never narate anything but it dose look cool (what you wrote)

[Julius Firefocht]

This story has been submitted to FF.net's Suzumiya Haruhi section, but I will continue to post new updates here as well.

[Cold Warp]

So this is a collection of stories in a WH4K anime crossover setting? Are you going to recreate an entire universe of races, weapons and otherwise?

[Julius Firefocht]

Originally Posted by Cold Warp

So this is a collection of stories in a WH4K anime crossover setting? Are you going to recreate an entire universe of races, weapons and otherwise?

Yes, this will become a collection of stories based on the background that I am currently working on. And no, I cannot recreate an entire universe of races and weapons, simply because that is too big a task for me to chew on. What I am doing is to create a bit of new rules and lots of new fluff for the 20 Space Marine Legions that are used in this story, so that players can use them on the battlefield, with the permission of their opponent, of course.

Existing Warhammer 40K armies such as Dark Angels and Blood Angels will have their background written in the story to suit the current rules in their army codex. All these will be revealed in the articles that detail each individual Space Marine Legions in this story.

[Julius Firefocht]

Lelouch Rebellion Part I – The Players

The following is a list of all twenty known Astartes Legions and their Primarchs, given in sequence of the Legion’s numbering and allegiance. Introductions are included, and full articles describing each Legion in detail will be provided after the description of the Lelouch Rebellion is complete.

Loyalist Legions

1st Legion: Dark Angels
Primarch: Yagami Hayate
First Captain: Reinforce II

Remarks: The Dark Angels prefer the use of combined arms tactics, lessening the reliance upon any one method of war. Famous for its Deathwing Terminator Assault Company and Ravenwing Recon Company, both of which were pet projects of Lady Yagami.

~~~~~

2nd Legion: Orange Legion
Primarch: Fuyou Kaede
Chapter Masters: Shigure Asa, Lisianthus, Nerine

Remarks: Normally split into four separate Chapters led by Lady Fuyou and the other three Chapter Masters, with overall control in the hands of Lady Fuyou. This Legion maintains a chapter near Lord Kyon at all times, acting as his personal bodyguard if the need arises.

~~~~~

3rd Legion: Empress’ Children
Primarch: Takamachi Nanoha
First Captain: Vita

Remarks: Favors the employment of heavy firepower to destroy an enemy at range, but highly trained enough to easily hold their own in melee combat. Lady Takamachi has been known to seek nothing less than perfection in the combat standards of her Legion.

~~~~~

5th Legion: Crossed Scars
Primarch: Sagara Sousuke
Equerry: Kaname Chidori

Remarks: Highly trained in infiltration and guerilla tactics, but versatile enough to undertake a wide variety of missions. Famous for a peculiar type of power armour that Lord Sousuke created.

~~~~~

6th Legion: Space Foxes
Primarch: Sawatari Makoto

Remarks: Uses subterfuge and deception to confuse and unbalance an enemy before moving in for the kill. Like Lady Sawatari, this Legion is carefree in nature, and eschews the military discipline that characterizes some of the other Astartes Legions.

~~~~~

7th Legion: Imperial Fist
Primarch: Arthuria
First Captain: Emiya Shirou

Remarks: Siege warfare specialists, this Legion built some of the most impressive fortresses in the Imperium, and are equally capable of tearing down enemy strongholds with ease. Expert duelists, Lady Arthuria is said to have promoted dueling as part of the training regimen for her Legion.

~~~~~

9th Legion: Blood Angels
Primarch: Fate Testarossa Harlaown
First Captain: Signum

Remarks: Specializes in lightning assaults and deadly hand-to-hand combat, but possesses a strong fire support element. Lady Harlown very much molded the Blood Angels in her own image, and is a motherly figure to the Legion. Famous for its unstoppable Death Company Assault Marines and Veteran Assault Company.

~~~~~

13th Legion: Ultramarines
Primarch: Izumi Konata
First Captain: Hiiragi Kagami

Remarks: Employs careful tactics that account for all possibilities and outcomes. Lady Izumi’s efficient training of officers has allowed this Legion to operate at peak potential in any situation, truly living up to the name of Ultramarines.

~~~~~

18th Legion: Swords of Fire
Primarch: Shana
Equerry: Sakai Yuji

Remarks: Expert swordsmen, this Legion favors close-range combat, making use of flamers and power swords to burn and tear through foes. As per Lady Shana’s orders, power swords are readily available to all Marines, and rumors persist of new types of power swords being designed and tested.

~~~~~

19th Legion: White Wings
Primarch: Tsukimiya Ayu

Remarks: Specializes in hit and run tactics to wear down an enemy before attacking in strength, due to the influence of Lady Tsukimiya. Like the Orange Legion, the White Wings maintain a company near Lord Kyon at all times.

__________________________________________

Traitor Legions

4th Legion: Steel Angels
Primarch: Ayanokouji Kyoshiro
First Captain: Setsuna

Remarks: Relies upon sheer determination and a disciplined advance to shatter an enemy. The Steel Angels are heavily infantry based, with little mechanized support, due to the tactics preferred by their Primarch.

~~~~~

8th Legion: Night Lords
Primarch: Morimiya Aono

Remarks: Famous for their trademark tactics of infiltrating key positions and attacking their enemies at night with fearful intensity. Fear is a tool that Lady Morimiya willingly uses to weaken an enemy’s resolve.

~~~~~

10th Legion: Iron Hands
Primarch: Edward Elric
First Captain: Alphonse Elric

Remarks: Prefers the use of prosthetics and cybernetics over the human body, which they see as weak and frail, in order to follow the footsteps of their Primarch. This Legion has a proud tradition of saving and assisting the common people of the Imperium.

~~~~~

11th Legion: Naruto Legion
Primarch: Uzumaki Naruto
Equerry: Haruno Sakura

Remarks: Known for the use of techniques and tactics that leads opponents to fatal mistakes, which the Legion will then exploit. Thanks to the efforts of Lord Uzumaki, this Legion is the largest amongst all twenty Astartes Legions.

~~~~~

12th Legion: Moon Cleavers
Primarch: Kurosaki Ichigo
Equerry: Rukia

Remarks: Heavily favors melee combat, to the point of omitting any form of ranged support. Mindless berserkers when in battle, tearing apart both friend and foe unfortunate enough to be in their way. Lady Rukia has tried to control the Legion’s temperament, but to no avail.

~~~~~

14th Legion: Death Seer
Primarch: Tohno Shiki

Remarks: Known for their favorite tactic of concentrating overwhelming force at the weaknesses of an enemy formation. The Legion has been known to enter a state of cold bloodlust occasionally, moving with supernatural speed and easily slaughtering enemies in hand-to-hand combat armed with nothing more than their combat blade. Some suspect this is a trait they inherited from their Primarch.

~~~~~

15th Legion: Thousand Sons
Primarch: Negi Springfield
First Captain: Kagurazaka Asuna

Remarks: Famous for their widespread use of destructive sorcery and magics. The Thousand Sons largely avoids melee combat, preferring to destroy their enemies at range with spells. Led by Lord Springfield, the Thousand Sons are famous for their 31 companies of Marines, all of which are led by the Primarch’s former students.

~~~~~

16th Legion: Luna Wolves/Sons of Lelouch
Primarch: Lelouch Lamprouge
First captain: Kozuki Karen

Remarks: Widely recognized as the mightiest of all Astartes Legion, thanks to Lord Lamprouge’s tactical genius. This Legion favors fast battles, always preferring to take the fight directly to the heart of the enemy to secure a quick victory, and was one of the Legions most favored by the Empress.

~~~~~

17th Legion: Word Bearers
Primarch: Yagami Light

Remarks: Known for its pride, this Legion believes itself to be superior over mere mortals. Though it employs questionable methods, the Legion fervently believes that they are bringing justice to the galaxy, an ideal that is propagated by their Primarch.

~~~~~

20th Legion: Scarlet Hydra
Primarch: Itou Makoto
Equerry: Saionji Sekai, Katsura Kotonoha

Remarks: A Legion with a decentralized command structure that allows it to mount multiple operations without any loss of command integrity. This Legion’s Primarch is missing in action; overall control over the Legion is currently shared between Lady Saionji and Lady Katsura.

~~~~~

[Julius Firefocht]

Lelouch Rebellion – Part II

The Beginning

It was just before the Great Crusade, immediately after the complete conquest of Terra by the Empress. It was at that time that the Empress had searched across time and space for Her Primarchs, the chosen individuals destined to lead Her Space Marine Legions in the war to regain the galaxy in the name of Humanity.

When the Empress encountered these individuals on their home worlds, She would invariably approach them with tactics ranging from gentle coercing or bargaining to outright fights in order to gain their loyalty. Certain Primarchs joined her voluntarily without need of battle or intense debate, while some required the Empress or her Council to defeat them in feats of arms before they would give in. However, there were some Primarchs who absolutely had no wish to leave their home world, or worse, to swear their eternal loyalty to a person whom they had never seen before, much less know. It was these Primarchs that required the Empress to literally blackmail or threaten them into joining Her endeavor.

Searching for the Primarchs was a harsh task, and thus, despite Her power and force of personality, the Empress took a long period of time to assemble all twenty Primarchs. Even then, some of the Primarchs had suffered emotional damage when they were bought to the galaxy of the 31st millennium against their will. The experience embittered their hearts against the Empress, yet they could do nothing as the power of the Empress dwarfed theirs in comparison. Unable to vent their frustrations or emotions due to the all-seeing eyes of Lord Itsuki Koizimi’s Imperial Inquisition, these Primarchs lead their Legions mechanically without any real passion for the Empress and the Imperium that She stood for. To them, the galaxy and the Imperium was a sham, and there was nothing they could do about it except fulfill the duty that was their destiny, or face the wrath of the Empress.

The Empress was aware of the situation, but in Her eyes, She had already offered these Primarchs god-like powers and the greatest honor possible: the authority to lead armies of Astartes in Her name, in the pursuit of the advancement of Humanity in the galaxy. Surely such a prize was beyond value and beyond the petty feelings of these Primarchs, She reasoned. Lord Itsuki and Lady Asahina agreed with Her, while Lord Kyon strongly advocated caution when dealing with these discontented Primarchs. Lady Nagato was neutral on the issue. Eventually, the Empress noted that these Primarchs had carried out their duty of leading their Legions in the Great Crusade, and decided that She should have no major problems with these Primarchs for the foreseeable future. Satisfied, She then turned Her attention to other more pressing matters.

The seeds of Rebellion were already sown, and it would be some time before it bore its poisonous fruit.

~~~~~

The Great Crusade

Humanity was on the ascension as the Space Marine Legions, along with the Imperial Army and Imperial Navy, pushed the boundary of human civilization across the galaxy, claiming the galaxy in the name of the Empress and the Imperium of Man. Uncountable worlds were illuminated and bought into the Empress’ light, and countless hostile alien species exterminated. The Imperium was being forged from the bolters and chainswords of the Astartes, and victories passed into legend, told and retold by the masses to the point of embellishment.

One of the Imperium’s greatest victory was the conquest of the Joker system, a cluster of 40 planets resolutely opposed to the rule of the Empress and the Imperial Truth. The victory was also special for its political significance, as it was this battle that convinced the Empress that Primarch Lelouch Lamperouge of the Luna Wolves was fit to take on the post of Warmaster, to run the Great Crusade in Her stead.

Consequently, after the victory at the Joker System, the Empress announced Her intention to leave the Great Crusade, and Her imminent return to Terra with Lord Kyon. Primarch Lamperouge would command Her armies and all Astartes Legions in Her stead, speaking with Her voice in all matters of the Great Crusade. Along with Lord Lamprouge’s ascension to the post of Warmasters, the Luna Wolves were given a unique honour; their name would be changed to the Sons of Lelouch Legion, thus reflecting the Warmaster’s new authority.

This news was met with mixed reactions from the Primarchs. Some, like Arthuria of the Imperia Fists, Fate Testarossa of the Blood Angels and Edward Elric of the Iron Hands, hailed Lelouch’s appointment and were pleased for their new Warmaster. Some were indifferent to the news, recognizing that it was only right for the Primarch with the highest victory tally to lead the Great Crusade, with the Empress was returning to Terra.

However, some Primarchs, such as Kurosaki Ichigo of the Moon Cleavers, Uzumaki Naruto of the Naruto Legion and Yagami Light of the Word Bearers, could not accept the fact that they now had to take orders from someone who had until very recently been their equal. To make matters worse, Primarch Uzumaki could not understand why Lelouch should be made Warmaster when his Legion was the biggest amongst all 20 Astartes Legions.

The Empress, upon Her return to Terra, announced the creation of the Council of Terra, merging Her own Imperial Council with this new organization. The Council of Terra would serve as a galactic governing body, drafting laws and executing the will of the Empress. In time, the Primarchs would be appointed to this council, but only after the Great Crusade was concluded and the galaxy won.

In the mean time, the Empress continued Her efforts to improve the prowess of the Space Marine Legions, such as upgrading and designing new Terminator and Power Armour, and more efficient Jump Packs for Assault Marines. Most importantly, the Empress, with the help of the Adeptus Mechanicus, began construction of a massive device that would allow faster and safer warp travel, something that the Empress deemed crucial to Humanity’s advancement. Only the Council of Terra knew of Her activities, as She did not want to distract the Primarchs with news of Her activities on Terra.

The Primarchs heard of the formation of the Council of Terra, and some of them questioned why they, the leaders of the Great Crusade, were not included within the ranks of such an august body. Some Primarchs divined correctly that the Empress did not want to distract them from their wartime duties, and that She would appoint them to the Council once the Crusade was complete. The more disgruntled Primarchs told a different story amongst themselves, believing that the Empress only meant the Primarchs to serve as Her wardogs, and saw them as unfit to help with the task of ruling the Imperium.

[Julius Firefocht]

Lelouch Rebellion – Part III

Visions of treachery

Amidst the differing sentiments among the Primarchs, Warmaster Lelouch took up his new rank with pleasure and threw himself into his duties. However, he found to his detriment that the power the rank conferred was not without strings attached. Eventually, the demands of his appointment began wearing at him, as responsibility after responsibility was piled on his plate.

Primarchs demanded for his attention, seeking his input on the overall direction of the Great Crusade, forcing Lelouch to plan and coordinate the movement of 19 other Legions. To make things worse, the Council of Terra marched in and ordered taxes to be levied on the conquered planets, at the same time asking for Lelouch to bear the burden of overseeing the taxation efforts.

Countless other issues demanded his attention, and all this while there was a war to fight and win, and a galactic Crusade to manage.

It was too much. Even a Primarch, the chosen of the Empress, only had that much energy and patience to spare for so many tasks.

His loyalty to the Empress, which had been rough to begin with, underwent gradual erosion as he did his best to juggle his duties, his work stretching from days to weeks and from weeks to months. Eventually, he perceived the Empress as appreciating him only because of his martial talent, and came to believe that the Empress saw him only as a tool to carve out an empire for Herself, while She remained safely behind in Her Imperial Palace. The final straw came after a spectacular victory against an alien empire known as the Zerus, the final assault of which Lelouch himself took part in. The battle was hard-fought, but the Sons of Lelouch had prevailed in a hostile environment against an alien force that outnumbered them five times over. Yet, the victory was bittersweet as the Legion had sustained high casualties, with nearly three companies worth of Marines killed or heavily wounded in the fighting.

The Empress’ congratulatory message was normal by Her standards, hailing Lelouch’s victory as Her own, and claiming the victory for the Imperium. All the Primarchs had seen this message or its variations on countless occasions, but this time the message touched a deep anger within Lelouch. In his eyes, his warriors had died, and his Legion had fought, for a ruler who was now seemingly only capable of sending self-congratulatory messages that stole the credit for his Legion’s victory. Driven nearly mad with pent-up anger and frustration, Lelouch set himself upon the path of no return, and he began planning the betrayal of the Empress and the destruction of the Empress’ Golden Throne on Holy Terra. It was in this time that the loyalties of the Sons of Lelouch began to erode as well, as though sensing the changing loyalties of their Primarch.

Realizing the scale of this new undertaking and just how much loyal forces the Empress possessed, the corrupted Primarch began actively searching for a method to balance the odds between his Legion and those of the Empress. Unbidden, Lelouch remembered the so-called gods that the inhabitants of the Joker system worshipped, and how it was said that they can grant great power to any who dared to take it. Seduced by the promise, Lelouch tried to contact these monstrous warp entities, or Chaos Gods, in his bid for more power.

Unknown to him, the Chaos Gods were waiting for him, seeing him as the vessel with which they would finally destroy the works of the Empress of Mankind, whom they hated with a vengeance. The Empress, with Her Great Crusade, had overran and conquered many world inhabited by the worshippers of the Chaos Gods, from whom they derived their power. The Empress would soon scour the galaxy of these unwitting Chaos worshippers, greatly diminishing the power of the Chaos Gods in the process. That was something the Chaos Gods could not allow to come to pass, and they hatched a nefarious plan to destroy the Empress and the Imperium of Mankind.

Lelouch did not know it, but his mind had already been corrupted by the Chaos Gods during the final battle in the Joker system. This corruption had stemmed from his fractured loyalty to the Empress, and the Zerus only served to corrupt the Warmaster further, as the foul aliens were the willing pawn of Chaos. The Chaos Gods knew they would never be able to influence a being as mighty as a Primarch directly, and so they sought to manipulate Lelouch through seeming coincidences and indirect means.

And so the Warmaster made his unholy pact with the Chaos Gods, offering to destroy the Empress in exchange for the right to rule the galaxy. The Chaos Gods were only too happy to accept, and led by their Primarch, the Sons of Lelouch soon became totally corrupted beyond measure, their loyalty for the Empress replaced with a heretical desire to see the Empress cast down from Her Golden Throne, and the Imperium that they had helped built burning around them

In addition to boosting his power beyond what the Empress granted him, the Chaos Gods also unlocked the gift of the Geass that Lelouch possessed. Lelouch’s Geass power had been sealed by the Empress after their initial encounter, as the Empress judged the power too unsafe in the hands of a Primarch. Now, the Chaos Gods unsealed the ability in order to facilitate Lelouch’s corruption of the rest of the Primarchs. While the Geass would not be able to totally control beings as mighty as Primarchs, it would be able to subconsciously affect the Primarchs that are already discontented, allowing Lelouch to manipulate them without alarm.

The die was cast, and Lelouch began his mission of tearing down the Imperium to rebuild it in his image. But first, he began talking to his some of his fellow Primarchs, those that he knew would listen to him and would have a high chance of following him into worship of the Chaos Gods and betrayal against the Empress. The Lelouch Rebellion had begun, and the ingenious thing was, no one knew about it yet. Or so Lelouch thought.

[Julius Firefocht]

Lelouch Rebellion – Part IV


The storm gathers

Unknown to Lelouch, one Primarch was painfully aware of his new loyalties.

Primarch Negi of the Thousand Sons Legion was proficient with sorcery since a young age. The child prodigy of the past had since matured into an outstanding young mage, with powers rivaling that of his fellow Primarchs Nanoha or Fate. In his eternal quest for knowledge, Negi had begun research into the powers of the Immaterium, or more commonly known as the warp. The Empress was not adverse to the use of magic or sorcery, but She rightly frowned upon the use of warp-spawned powers, viewing it as a wild and dangerous tool that could barely be controlled. Thus, when She heard about the latest subject of Negi’s researches, She ordered him to cease all his experiments and investigations. The Empress hoped Negi knew She was doing this for his own good.

Negi promised to comply, but he was soon resumed his research at the Thousand Sons’ homeworld of Mahora, secretly this time. His curiosity had gotten the better of him, but he knew he was right to continue his activities when he acquired new gifts and talents from close contact with the power of the warp. Foremost amongst these was the gift of prophecy, also known his third eye. Casting the gaze of his third eye upon the broiling future, Negi was shocked at the revelations that had been hidden from him till that moment.

He saw that Lelouch would soon betray the Empress, and the Primarchs would soon be at war with each other, with the burning galaxy as their prize. He stood as silent witness as loyalties were tested, with every planet declaring for either Lelouch or the Empress.

Horrified at the knowledge, Negi continued to secretly moniter Lelouch’s activities with his third eye, but he was too late to act as Lelouch sealed his dark pact with Chaos, just as he feared.

Resolving to warn the Empress, but realizing that traditional lines of communications were too slow, Negi decided to send his message directly to the Empress in Her palace. However, such a feat would require the power of the Immaterium, and the Empress’ Palace was sufficiently warded against such power. The shields would have to be destroyed and broken for his message to reach the Empress’ ears, but Negi saw it as a way to save his Empress’ realm from destruction. Also, Negi hoped that the Empress would validate his studies of the warp when She saw that those very same studies had rescued Her realm.

And so the message was sent, the intensity of the warp powers ensuring that it would be powerful enough to reach the Empress no matter what obstacles were placed in its way. With that done, Negi began waiting for the Empress’ response, while preparing his Astartes for a possible confrontation with the Sons of Lelouch.

The wrath of the Empress

In the meantime, Lelouch had already persuaded the Primarchs of the Moon Cleavers, Word Bearers and Naruto Legion to his side. All of them had their own grievances with the Empress, making it easy for Lelouch to turn them using the power of his Geass. The Scarlet Hydras, Steel Angels, Night Lords and Death Seer Legions were already being manipulated into the thrall of Chaos, just as Lelouch planned. The Chaos Gods had decreed that the Iron Hands were to be left alone, for reasons that were kept from him.

The rest of the Space Marine Legions were either too close to Terra to be contacted without raising suspicion, or were too loyal to the Empress to be swayed by his powers. Biding his time as he waited for the total corruption of his chosen Legions, while building support among the Imperial Guard and Navy units that were attached to him, Lelouch waited for the signal that would soon come, the signal for action that the Chaos Gods had promised him. He did not have long to wait.

Primarch Negi’s message of Lelouch’s rebellion had sped towards the Empress’ Palace on Terra at a speed normal communications could never hope to match. When the message arrived, it impacted and overloaded the Palace’s wards and shields with so much power that the energy bled into the Palace interiors, destroying much of the Empress’ sensitive projects and causing heavy damage on the Palace wing that housed the Empress’ labs. Many of the Palace’s servants were killed or wounded in the sudden destruction, and grief filled the Empress’ heart when she arrived at the scene and beheld so many innocent lives lost. At that moment, She received Negi’s message and grief turned into rage.

Much of Negi’s message had become garbled and incomplete, due to its clash with the Palace shields. The Empress could not make much of what Negi was trying to say, but She did know that he had sent it, and warp power had been used in the message’s creation. Enraged that Negi had defied Her direct orders to cease all involvement with the Immaterium, and thus killing so many of Her loyal servants in the process, the Empress branded Negi a traitor and ordered Primarch Takamachi Nanoha of the Empress’ Children to bring Negi to justice.

Nanoha had been with the Empress when they first heard the explosion from the lab building’s destruction, and they had rushed down to the site together as fast as they could. She was just starting rescue efforts when she received the Empress’ pronouncements and orders. Gazing at the carnage around her, Nanoha knew in an instant what the Empress had demanded and what needed to be done. Her Legion, the Empress’ Children, was on Terra for rest and refit, but that would need to be cut short.

Gathering her Legion around her, Nanoha set off for the Thousand Sons’ homeworld of Mahora, fully intending to enact the Empress’ will and exact terrible retribution upon the traitor Primarch.

[Julius Firefocht]

Lelouch Rebellion – Part V


Preparations of the Warmaster

Word of the Empress’ Children’s assault upon the Thousand Sons soon reached Lelouch, and he immediately recognized that as the signal he had been waiting for. In the first of many vile acts of betrayal, the Warmaster led the purge of all Imperial loyalist Astartes within his traitor Legions. The freshly corrupted Scarlet Hydra, Steel Angels, Night Lords and Death Seer Legions gleefully followed his example, murdering thousands of their own warriors to seal in blood their allegiance to their new gods. The Loyalist Astartes put up a valiant resistance in the name of the Empress, but eventually succumbed to the overwhelming numerical superiority of the traitors.

On Terra, the Empress felt the psychic shockwave created by the death of so many of Her Astartes, and She realized immediately that something had gone terribly wrong.

Lelouch had already planned his next move against the Legions that he knew were dead loyal to the Empress. It would be vital to scatter these Legions as much as possible, and if possible to destroy them before they realized his treachery. To this end, Lelouch sent Konata and her Ultramarines to the Kaitain Sector, straight into the jaws of a strong contingent of the Naruto Legion, who stood ready to annihilate their hated rival. Fate and her Blood Angels were sent to the daemon-infested Giedi Cluster, where Lelouch hoped the Blood Angels would be smashed, if not delayed and weakened enough that this mighty Legion would be unable to render significant assistance to the Empress.

The Empress’ Children were already fighting the Thousand Sons, a situation that amused Lelouch to no end. Hayate’s Dark Angels and Shana’s Sword of Fire Legions were at the far end of the galaxy, too out of place to respond swiftly to any moves he made. To be sure, he had already sent the Nightlords and Scarlet Hydra Legions to harass and hopefully destroy them.

The remaining loyalist Legions were arrayed in the sectors surrounding Terra, making it dangerous for Lelouch to confront any one of them for fear of having the combined might of five Legions pitted against him at the same time. He was about to begin the first move of his Rebellion when he received an emergency message from Negi. Lelouch had expected Negi to be disintegrated at the business end of Nanoha’s Raising Heart, and so he was surprised to discover that Negi was still alive. A grim smile spread across his lips when he read the message,

The White Devil and the Mage of Mahora

The Empress’ Children assault upon Mahora had taken the Thousand Sons completely by surprise. Negi had expected orders to participate in a reprisal against Lelouch, not in his darkest nightmare had he imagined that the Empress would instead forsake him. Yet, he was forced to confront the fact that even now, more drop pods and Thunderhawk Assault Ships of the Empress’ Children were bearing down upon his capital city, and that the first shots had already been fired between Nanoha’s Legion and his. His continued attempts to contact the Empress’ Chilldren or Nanoha were also in vain, as Nanoha had already forbidden all methods of communications with the Thousand Sons, for fear of Negi using his powers to beguile the minds of the ship crews.

The Empress’ Children started coming into their own as more of their forces landed on-planet. Once consolidated, they began scything through the Astartes of the Thousand Sons Legion with ruthless perfection. Primarch Nanoha’s training regime had ensured that every Child of the Empress knew and played his part to his utmost ability in a battle, and the effect of such training was painfully obvious as the Empress’ Children purged the Thousand Sons before them.

Nanoha herself flew overhead, directing the battle while leveling entire sections of Negi’s capital city and whole squads of Thousand Sons with single shots from her famed Raising Heart. First Captain Vita was not to be outdone, personally slaying many of Negi’s company commanders and the Thousand Sons’ First Captain, Kagurazaka Asuna, in glorious personal combat.

When the disorganized Thousand Sons finally massed for a last stand at the outskirts of the city, Nanoha ordered Nakajima Subaru to lead her assault companies straight into the heart of the traitor Marines, while Teana Lanstar’s fire support companies provided accurate and deadly fire support. The plan worked perfectly, with Subaru’s assault companies ripping a giant hole in the lines of the Thousand Sons, through which the rest of the Empress’ Children flooded through. The end was in sight, and both Nanoha and Negi knew it.

All this while, Negi knelt on the ground of his palace stateroom in desperation and cried out to any who would listen to save his Legion. Tears of bitterness and betrayal flowed as his Marines and company commanders, all of whom were his close friends and formers students, were ripped away from him by the perfect skills of the Empress’ Children. Shouting like a madman, he finally forsook the Empress, his loyalty for Her replaced with an undying desire for vengeance, and his mind gave way to insanity.

The skies opened up with lightning as he howled his plea once more, and in that instant Negi became charged with the power of the warp, his body distending and mutating as the Chaos Gods saw fit to answer his plea with a small portion of their power. Warp energy spilling out from his crazed eyes, Negi’s mind became locked on a single purpose: the destruction of Nanoha and her Empress’ Children Legion, and the death of the false Empress to whom he had foolishly followed for more than a century.

Nanoha could sense the sudden spike of warp energy in the area, and she reacted barely in time to block a powerful spell directed at her by Negi. Realizing that the traitor Primarch was a threat only she could address, Nanoha immediately engaged Negi in vicious aerial combat. Meanwhile, the Empress’ Children and Thousand Sons continued to clash in all out battle with no quarter asked or given.

Energies powerful enough to vaporize mountains and destroy cities were unleashed by both Nanoha and Negi, as Raising Heart met an equal match in Negi’s magic staff. Perceiving Nanoha’s emotional weakness correctly, Negi aimed a spell of terrific potency at a large portion of the Empress’ Children who were fighting below them. Nanoha immediately swooped in to protect her warriors from the attack, just as Negi planned. Caught in a vulnerable position with virtually no magical energy left, Nanoha was forced to pour her remaining power into her barrier, and hopefully block the attack without too much damage to her Legion and herself. Laughing manically, Negi flung the spell directly at Nanoha, draining his own energies in the process.

The attack was right on target, hitting Nanoha with the force of a miniature sun. Negi believed that was the end of his hated opponent, and the Astartes of the Empress Children were stunned to see their Primarch engulfed in such terrible power, taking the attack that was meant for them. Their shock did not last long, and a great cheer rose from the Legion as pink magical energies gathered at a single point, amidst the swilling dust and smoke caused by Negi’s attack. Negi was too slow to react before powerful binds were set upon him. Immobilized, Negi watched helplessly as Nanoha, her barrier jacket tattered and torn, made ready her ultimate attack, the feared Starlight Breaker.

The Starlight Breaker hit with the fury of an angry god, smashing Negi to the ground and cracking the planet’s crust, causing magma to well out from the gigantic crater formed by the attack. The city and palace were totally leveled by the attack, and when the dust cleared, Negi and his Thousand Sons were nowhere to be seen. After a careful search that revealed no leads as to where the Thousand Sons had disappeared to, Nanoha considered the battle won, and ordered her Empress’ Children to return to their orbiting ships. The planet of Mahora would be destroyed by orbital bombardment from the ships of the Imperial Navy. Once done, the Empress’ Children returned to their own homeworld to await further orders, unsuspecting of the treachery that would soon befall their fellow loyalist Legions.

[Pendevous]

God I love this. Warhammer is the pawn, and Suzumiya rocks. Nice one.

[Julius Firefocht]

Lelouch Rebellion – Part VI

The Rebellion begins

Unknown to Nanoha, the disappearance of the Thousand Sons was caused by a mass-escape spell casted by Negi just before the Starlight Breaker inflicted terminal damage on him. Drifting through the warp to another planet, Negi had immediately contacted the Warmaster, pledging what remained of his Legion to him and expressing the desire to overthrow the false Empress. Lelouch was pleased with this unexpected turn of event, and integrated the Thousand Sons into his future plans even as he launched the first wave of attacks against the Imperium.

The first strikes were considered undisputed successes, as the traitor Legions assaulted multiple industrial worlds in order to secure an industrial base and a secure supply line for the protracted war that Lelouch knew he might be forced into fighting. The worlds of Crix, Argomon and Ellas fell in rapid order, their planetary defense forces totally unprepared to deal with an assault by Astartes whom they had always considered their loyal allies. The planets that were subsequently attacked took slightly more effort to conquer, as word of the traitor Marines began to spread.

The planet of Cyram suffered the bloodiest punishment that Primarch Kurosaki Ichigo could mete out for resistance, the possessed Primarch leading his Moon Cleaver Legion in an orgy of wanton death and slaughter upon the planet. Within days, the entire population of Cyram were massacred, their blood and skulls offered in praise to the Blood Goddess Shinku. The Blood Goddess was well pleased with the mass killings and terrible destruction wrought in her name, and this granted daemonhood to Ichigo, elevating him into a daemon-primarch.

This, and other similar acts of debasement performed by the other treacherous Primarchs, was the hallmarks of the first wave of attacks by the traitor Legions. Examples such as the enslavement of Nanging by the Naruto Legion and the culling of Vega by the Word Bearers Legion entered the dark annals of Imperial history, serving as demonstrations of the ultimate acts of heresy. Primarchs who sufficiently impressed their new gods were granted daemonhood and made daemon-primarchs, though those who made the mark were few and far between.

By this time, news of Lelouch’s rebellion had reached the Imperial Palace. Unsurprisingly, the Empress was enraged, and Her initial order was to gather all available loyal forces and send them on a determined counterattack. Lord Kyon managed to convince the Empress otherwise, pointing out that the forces currently available to Her were far lesser compared to the resources that Lelouch could call upon for now, thanks to the Warmaster’s preparations and timing. Mortified by the argument, the Empress bestowed upon Kyon the honour of commanding all remaining loyalist forces in Her name, and to do anything necessary to end this insurrection. Acting in his new capacity, Kyon immediately began shifting troops and forces around, to prepare the defense against the inevitable second wave of attacks.

The Ultramarines, Blood Angels, Dark Angels and Swords of Fire were still out of contact due to the Warmaster’s machinations, but Kyon had already relayed information and orders to them. He had realized that the might of these four Legions would be denied him for some time, and resolved to plan his defense of the Imperium with the current forces at his disposal. The Empress’ Children, Crossed Scars, Space Foxes, Orange Legion, Iron Hands and Imperial Fists were already on the move, along with numerous Imperial Guard regiments under his direct command. Lord Itsuki’s Inquisition was desperately trying to secure information on incoming strikes, while Lady Nagato’s Imperial Navy stood ready to defy their traitorous counterparts. The loyalist troops had just barely reached the worlds they were assigned to defend when Lelouch launched his second wave of attacks.

The second wave targeted a series of capital worlds, worlds that if fallen would decapitate the command, control and communications of entire sectors of Imperial space. The loyalist Astartes Legions pitted themselves against the numerical superiority of nine traitor Legions across a dozen capital worlds, and the incredible acts of bravery and sacrifice passed into Imperial legend. Feats such as Primarch Sawatari Makoto’s cunning victory over the Naruto Legion which outnumbered her forces three to one, and Primarch Arthuria’s demolition of the Death Seer’s assault on the planet of Portsdam, would eventually become required reading at Imperial war academies.

Thus bolstered by the new reinforcements, the Imperial forces on-planet were able to put up a credible defense against the ambitions of the Warmaster. However, one last act of treachery threatened to put to naught the immense effort that the loyalist Primarchs had put into the Imperium’s defense, and would nearly prove to be the undoing of the Imperium.

Primarch Edward Elric’s Iron Hands Legion were stationed on the world of Altec, the capital world to the Laseele sector. This sector was home to the planet of Leonat V, an industrial planet of huge proportions with output second only to Mars itself. More importantly, Leonat V was the only world other than Mars with facilities to produce and repair powered armour and Terminator armour, thus making it a world of immense strategic value. Lord Kyon had already stationed companies from the Orange Legion and the Crossed Scars to secure the planet, alongside with his own Imperial Guard regiments. Indeed, under normal circumstances, that would be considered adequate protection for any one planet, save Terra herself.

In a stunning act of betrayal, the Primarch of the Iron Hands seized Altec for himself, proclaiming that he was liberating both planet and sector from the tyrannical and unfit rule of the Empress. It is not known whether Primarch Elric had conspired with the traitors or not, but with the sector isolated from communications with the Imperium, Warmaster Lelouch immediately seized upon the chance to attack Leonat V in strength. The power of the Night Lords, Scarlet Hydras, Steel Angels and the newly-arrived Thousand Sons Legions were called upon in the planetary assault. At stake were stockpiles of power and Terminator armour that were newly designed and introduced by the Empress, as well as the revamped production facilities of these technological marvels. Whoever gained these vital assets would possess an immense advantage in an extended conflict.

The stage was set for Warmaster Lelouch’s first overwhelming victory against the Empress, but on one knew what would happen next.

[Julius Firefocht]

Lelouch Rebellion – Part VII

Chaos Ascendant

The Warmaster’s assault on Altec was at the final stage of preparations, when Primarch Itou Makoto of the Scarlet Hydras demanded the honor of leading the assault. Lelouch, figuring that victory on Altec was already all but assured, allowed the Primarch overall command over all four traitor Legions involved in the assault. After all, he reasoned, it would be hard for even Itou Makoto to fail in a situation where his forces enjoyed absolute advantages over the outnumbered defenders. Also, he believed that Makoto’s lieutenant commanders, Kotonoha and Sekai, would be able to talk sense into the incompetent Primarch should the need arise. Happy with his new authority, Primarch Itou threw the power of all four Legions simultaneously upon the doomed planet.

The initial landings by the Chaos Space Marines were hotly contested, as the Crossed Scars, personally led by Primarch Sagara Sousuke, utilized their infiltration and guerilla skills to devastate the traitors’ ranks before they could regroup, while orbital defense guns shot down scores of drop pods and Thunderhawks that the traitors were using to gain a foothold on the surface. However, these initial successes were not to last; as the massed traitors began landing across the entire planet, even the Crossed Scars were eventually forced to pull back and regroup in the vast Factory-Citadels that dotted Altec’s surface.

Thus began the grueling and non-stop combat across the length and breadth of the continents of Altec. Each Factory-Citadel was heavily fortified and defended by Imperial Guard Regiments and Astartes who manned the defenses against a seemingly unending tide of heresy and insanity. Chaos Space Marines assaulted the citadels, only to be thrown back by a storm of fire and steel that Primarch Nanoha would have been proud of. Companies of the Crossed Scars and Orange Legion dispersed into the vast badlands of Altec, where they mounted hit-and-run attacks upon the enemy encampments. For the moment, it seemed that the traitors’ superior strength of numbers was balanced by the well-fortified and highly defensible positions that the loyalists possessed.

However, as the days stretched into weeks, the situation began swinging heavily in favor of the traitor Legions. While Altec’s factories could produce all the munitions and weapons that the loyalists would ever need, it relied upon imports for food supplies. The Astartes on both sides were able to live off the land thanks to their superhuman capabilities and training, but the Imperial Guard regiments were all too human. The enemy naval fleet had embargoed the planet since the start of the assault, and food supplies were already running dangerously low across all Factory-Citadels. Imperial citizens shared what they could with their protectors, but that could not prevent the inevitable. It seemed that Primarch Itou’s impromptu plan of starving the Imperial loyalists to death was working all too well.

Similarly, the situation across the Imperium was becoming increasingly desperate, ever since the assault upon Altec started. Four out of the twelve targeted capital worlds had fallen to the forces of Chaos despite the best efforts of the Imperial loyalists, and the armies of the Imperium were sent reeling as numerous other planets fell in rapid succession to the rest of Warmaster Lelouch’s forces. To aggravate the situation, formerly loyal worlds began declaring independence from Imperial rule, defying both the Empress and Lelouch in a bid to carve their own destiny. Planetary Defense Forces were left unsure of their commanders’ ultimate loyalties, and whole planets fell into turmoil with little provocation. Entire units were cast in doubt or suspicion regardless of their allegiance, and Lord Koizumi’s Imperial Inquisition was stretched to its considerable limits as it strove to separate loyalty from heresy.

The Warmaster’s traitor Astartes Legions marched triumphantly through the chaos of it all, driving disorganized loyalist Imperial Guard and Navy units before them. The loyalist Astartes Legions such as the Imperial Fists, Empress’ Children and White Wings performed admirably while defending against the traitorous onslaught, but even they could only stem the tide for so long before attrition from constant combat began to set in. Each Primarch knew that without the full power of the remaining loyalist Legions, it would only be a matter of time before the Imperium was overrun and Terra open to attack, but still they fought on for Humanity and the Empress, hope in their hearts and weapons in their hands, their respective Astartes Legions loyally with them.

Meanwhile, the Imperial forces were in danger of losing Altec entirely. Already, some garrisons were down to less than a week’s worth of food supplies, with some Factory-Citadels subsisting on nothing more than their faith in the God-Empress. The loyalist Astartes continued their attacks on the betrayers, but they were too few in number to cause significant damage to entire Legions’ worth of traitor Astartes and war machines. It was also getting increasingly harder for the Crossed Scars and Orange Legion to return to friendly lines for ammunitions and necessary supplies, as the traitors spread out across the entirety of Altec and occupied more and more of the planet’s surface. The only bright light in an otherwise bleak situation was the Imperial Navy’s success in preventing the Warmaster’s Navy from claiming total control in the orbital space around Altec, though every commander on both sides knew that the battle would ultimately be decided on the planet itself, rather than in the vacuum of space.

So it was that Altec, and the Imperium as a whole, were seemingly destined to fall into the talons of Lelouch, and through him, the clutches of the Chaos Gods. Lelouch laughed in his mania, confident in the superiority of his tactics, and began making ready his plans for the Siege of Terra, where he would confront the false Empress and destroy Her once and for all. Then the latest reports flooded in, and he began to suspect that his plans for Terra would be delayed for a while.

[Julius Firefocht]

Vengeance of the Imperium

The defenders of Factory-Citadel Axalon had been ready to sell their lives dearly for their beloved Empress of Mankind. Besieged for weeks, food supplies had long since run out. Cut off and unable to call upon assistance from the Astartes Legions on planet due to the heavy fighting that engulfed the whole of Altec, the defenders prepared to fight to the death in the name of their Empress.

Some of the older Guardsman had explosives strapped to themselves, as they prepared to stage a suicidal charge at the Chaos Marines in an effort to take down as many as they could with them. Demolition charges had been primed, with the entire complex set to self-destruct the moment the traitors stepped into the Citadel. The workers would rather destroy the factory rather than have it defiled at the hands of the foul traitors. All Imperial Guardsman and citizens had since commended their souls to the Empress and were ready to sell themselves dearly, as they looked upon the oncoming horde of Chaos Space Marines from the Scarlet Hydra Legion and prepared for the final battle of their lives.

Fortunately, none of them had to make the sacrifice.

The skies above Axalon darkened with drop pods, the scream of their descent causing the Scarlet Hydras to pause momentarily and search the skies for the source of the commotion. That was their fatal error, as the pods landed amongst their combat formations, killing the Astartes unfortunate enough to be caught by the pods’ violent descent. Space Marines armored in the jet black darkness of the night burst from the pods, chainswords whirling and bolters blazing, sowing death and confusion within the ranks of the traitors. The Dark Angels Legions had arrived just in the nick of time, and at their head was the Mistress of the Night Sky, Primarch Yagami Hayate, who personally led her mighty Deathwing Terminator Assault Company to land the killing blow against the Scarlet Hydra formation.

With the strength of the Terminators bought into play, the ill-prepared Scarlet Hydras began an ordered retreat, only to run into the Ravenwing Company, who had swiftly encircled the entire area with their fast strike vehicles. With nowhere to run and hide, the retreat turned into a rout, as the Dark Angels slaughtered the cornered heretics with no quarter asked or received. Lady Hayate herself severely wounded the traitorous Itou Makoto with her Diabolic Emission attack, which resulted in the unconscious traitor Primarch being carried away by his two deputy commanders. With their leader secured, the Scarlet Hydras finally made a concerted effort to break through the tightening noose the Ravenwing had threw around them, and barely succeeded in their attempt, thus allowing the survivors to escape.

All around Altec, similar scenes were repeated as the entirety of the Dark Angels Legion swooped to the rescue of the besieged planet. The Imperial Navy had finally gathered in strength to carve a path through the enemy blockade, creating a gap large enough for the Dark Angels’ fleet to slip through and deliver the waiting Astartes within to Altec’s surface.

The recent months had been trying for both Primarch Hayate and her Legion. The Dark Angels were crusading against the Orks on the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy when they were suddenly assaulted by a large contingent of Night Lords Astartes. The cunning traitors had waited until the Dark Angels were fully engaged in a decisive battle against their alien foes before launching a surprise attack upon them. Pinned between two enemies and caught by surprise by one, Lady Hayate had immediately responded by deploying her reserves to hold the Night Lords at bay while the Dark Angels Astartes killed their way through the aliens in front of them. The plan worked perfectly, with the Dark Angels smashing through the aliens, even as the Deathwing kept the Night Lords occupied by sheer brute force.

Once the aliens were crushed, the whole of the Dark Angels Legion fell upon the Night Lords and drove them from the Eastern Fringe, though precious months were spent in doing so. It was during this time that Lady Hayate received Lord Kyon’s message and orders. Her first reaction was to immediately gather her Legion and return to the heart of the Imperium to assist in its defense, but Lord Kyon had specifically asked her to return to the Imperium only after she had defeated the enemies sent against her by Warmaster Lelouch. After the Night Lords were driven away, Lady Hayate wasted no time in gathering her Dark Angels back into their waiting ships and making the jump to Altec, the world that Lord Kyon had designated for her to defend.

Lady Hayate had judged rightly that the Factory-Citadels would be running out of food supplies, and in a humanitarian effort, had specially assigned Thunderhawks to deliver food and other vital supplies across the planet. It would be only right and proper to crush the enemy, she reasoned, after all the loyalist warriors on planet were fully fed and reenergized.

Thus revitalized and reinforced, the Dark Angels, in conjunction with the Crossed Scars and Orange Legion, led the purge of Altec. The four traitor Legions, deprived of central leadership, were unable to put up a coherent defense against the hate-fuelled assault of the loyalists. The Imperial Guard regiments swarmed forth from their defensive positions, adding their strength to the attack. Against such force, the traitor Legions finally broke and retreated back into space, where they were pursued and driven away by the Imperial Navy and Dark Angels battle fleets.

Altec’s salvation was not the only victory the Imperium enjoyed. Across the Imperium, the Blood Angels, Ultramarines and Sword of Fire Legions struck with unremitting fury against the Chaos Marines, reinforcing their fellow Astartes Legions and in some cases, forcing the traitors to retreat from contested planets. The capital worlds under siege were saved after a campaign lasting several months, with Lelouch finally forced to regroup his forces in the face of intensified opposition.

Brilliance of the Warmaster

The war continued to grind on, with planets changing hands back and forth as the Imperial Loyalists fought the traitors to a standstill. The Warmaster’s manpower advantage was balanced by the Empress’ iron grip on practically every industrial world in Her Imperium. While the Warmaster could call upon vast numbers of Astartes, almost the entire industry of the Imperium was being channeled into less than half the amount of Astartes and Imperial Guard forces it usually supplied, thus ensuring that all loyalist forces enjoyed the best equipment and weapons, as well as assured mechanized and armor support.

The Imperial forces also fought more skillfully than their Chaotic counterpart, as most of the traitor Legions has long since discarded all semblances of order and discipline. The loyalist Astartes found themselves fighting enemies with practically no tactical sense, allowing them to extract victory in the unlikeliest of situations. When Lelouch realized that he was losing control of his own forces, consequently allowing the Imperial Astartes and Imperial Guard to routinely achieve a three-to-one kill ratio against their counterparts, he knew he had to do something or risk losing the war.

The loyalists suddenly began making major progress during the 8th month of the conflict, as the traitors inexplicably retreated before them with only cursory engagements. The loyalist Primarchs immediately seized upon the chance to mount a major push into the sectors held by the traitors, seeking to reclaim the worlds lost to the Warmaster during his initial attacks. It did not take long for the loyalists to realize that the Naruto Legion and the Iron Hands were the only traitor Legion that were left garrisoning those worlds, with some planets even left totally undefended. Lord Kyon himself was puzzled by the absence of the traitors, and it was only when Lady Konata of the Ultramarines mentioned the possibility of a strong strike against Terra itself did Kyon realize what Lelouch was attempting, and not for the first time he cursed Lelouch’s tactical genius.

The Warmaster had orchestrated the withdrawal of his armies to lure the loyalists into overextending their forces, with Lord Kyon and the Primarchs taking the bait. Lelouch had tricked entire Army groups and Astartes Legions into spreading out and fighting in multiple systems that were of no significant importance. Thus, the road to Terra was flung wide open, with the Imperial armies totally out of position to reinforce the cradle of Humanity. Lady Nagato noted that the Warmaster had the strength of eight Astartes Legions and supporting traitor Guard with him. If such a force could reach Terra before reinforcements arrived, then the end of the Imperium was truly at hand.

Lelouch’s Legions carved a path of bloody ruin towards Terra with little resistance, especially with the loyalists strung out as they were. By the time the reports of fallen planets reached the Imperial Palace, Kyon had already issued urgent orders for all loyalist Astartes Legions to be recalled back to Terra to aid in her defense. He did not know how many Primarchs could receive his orders, but there was little else to do as he anxiously monitored the advance of the forces of Chaos, each world they conquered taking them a little closer to their ultimate objective of the Imperial Palace.

[Julius Firefocht]

Siege of the Empress’ Palace Part I

The eight Legions that Lelouch had gathered in his attack on Terra finally materialized just outside the Solar System, triggering off proximity alarms that were swiftly destroyed by the guns of the Warmaster’s fleets. The Rebellion was in its 11th month now, and it was Lelouch’s intention to capture Terra before the war reached its first anniversary. Opposing him on Terra were a mere four Legions: Konata’s Ultramarines, Fate’s Blood Angels, Arthuria’s Imperial Fists and Shana’s Swords of Fire. The general consensus among the traitor Primarchs was optimistic; the Warmaster had received information from his daemonic allies concerning the loyalist resistance on Terra, and the corrupted warlords judged the four loyalist Legions to be mere speed bumps in their impending victory. Only Lady Aono of the Night Lords advocated caution, but even her advice fell on deaf ears.

The traitor fleets swiftly destroyed the relay and observation stations they encountered on the outlying planets of the system. Led personally by Lady Nagato, the loyalist Navy and Space Marine fleets moved out to intercept their traitorous counterparts, inflicting considerable damage before being beaten back by vastly superior numbers and firepower. Yuki was prepared to sacrifice her vessels to take down as much of the traitors as possible in suicidal attacks, but the Empress and Lord Kyon directly ordered her to pull back her ships, refusing to let her sacrifice the lives of herself and that of her crews. Having no choice but to obey, Yuki scattered her fleets in a masterful display of micromanagement, tempting the enemy into fruitless chases while her own ship made full speed for Terra. Lelouch foiled the ploy though, ordering his captains to stop all pursuit and allowing the loyalists ships to slip away.

The Warmaster next encountered severe resistance at Mars, as he landed the Word Bearers and Death Guard Legions at the Red Planet, with the intention to seize vital war material for the upcoming siege. Mars itself was in a chaotic condition, as the Adeptus Mechanicus itself had split into two warring factions fighting over control of the planet, with one supporting the Empress and the other supporting the Warmaster. The traitor Legions did not stay long on Mars, as Lelouch discovered that Lady Arthuria had already shifted the stockpiles of new Astartes armour and war material onto Terra itself. What was left was soon looted by the Chaos Space Marines, and the fleets consolidated for a strong attack against Terra’s formidable orbital defenses.

The Lunar and Terran space defenses proved to be every bit as powerful as Lelouch had expected them to be. Massed lance batteries and huge missile launchers stood ready to oppose the Warmaster on Luna and Terra’s surface, while Terra herself was ringed by orbital defense stations. These defenses extracted a terrible toll on the traitor’s ships, but sheer weight of numbers prevailed; the orbital defenses were silenced within three days of fighting. The victory has been bought at a terrible cost though, as nearly 35 percent of the Warmaster’s vast fleet was reduced to smoking wreckage that floated dead in space.

Finally unopposed, the enemy ships took up orbital positions, and began the preliminary bombardment of the Imperial Palace’s defenses. The Palace itself was protected and shielded by powerful void shields which creaked and groaned under the pressure of the intense bombardment, but otherwise held steadfastly. When Lelouch realized that the Palace itself was nigh invulnerable to an orbital assault, he switched his target to the Eternity Wall and Lion’s Gate Space Ports, the only two space ports with the facilities to handle the landers that he was using to transport his troops, and yet were close enough to the Palace to make a ground assault possible.

The first drop pods landed mere minutes after he made his decision. Crazed Marines burst forth from the pods, their bloodlust causing them to shoot at any and all targets of opportunity, armed or unarmed. Thus began the first of many dark days for humanity as the Empress’ loyalists Guard regiments and Astartes companies engaged the traitors in a running battle through the two huge complexes. The Ultramarines and Swords of Fire Legions led the defense of the Space Ports, with Konata’s tactical brilliance and Shana’s stubborn aggression ensuring that the spaceports would not fall without a fight. However, leading the Chaos Space Marines personally were the traitor Primarchs, as they spread carnage on a scale that was impossible for any but a Primarch to achieve.

Hundreds of Imperial Guardsman and Astartes alike weathered the initial frenzied charge of the World Eathers, as Kurosaki Ichigo led them on a huge rampage that more resembled a massacre than a battle. The World Eathers sang the praises of their patron god Shinku and their Primarch as they threw themselves into close combat with unholy zeal. Ichigo was at the forefront of the fighting, his noble form now corrupted beyond all measure ever since he was raised by the Blood Goddess to become a daemon prince. His sword Zangetsu, once a pure weapon that was as much a symbol of Imperial might as the Primarch himself, has become warped into a huge daemon weapon that thirsted for blood, which it found in abundance in the warm bodies of slain loyalist troops.

Negi led the survivors of his Thousand Sons Legion, the sorcerers casting fell magic and spells that flung incredible power at the defenders. Protected by the power of his new gods, he surveyed his surroundings triumphantly as all around him were burnt to ashes by the power radiating from his form. This destruction would be the first of many installments of his vengeance upon the Empress, for the destruction of his homeworld at the hands of Nanoha and her hated Empress’ Children.

Itou Makoto’s Scarlet Hydra Legion was not to be outdone, their defeat on Altec at the hands of Hayate’s Dark Angels still stinging in their memories. Thousands of the Astartes surged into combat, screaming in ecstasy at the deadly firepower that swept into their ranks. The entire Legion had long since been corrupted by Suigintou, the goddess of malice, pride and pleasure, with Makoto himself committing greater and more debauched acts by the day. Their neural networks rewired to recognize pain as bliss, the Scarlet Hydra Marines now sought nothing but new heights of sensations to excite their twisted brains. The Primarch now led his Legion from the front, flanked by Katsura Kotonoha and an unusually reticent Saionji Sekai, as their killed their way through the Imperial Guardsman before them, their hooting Marines mere paces behind.

Similarly, the rest of the traitor Primarchs rose to the occasion, wrecking unpredented destruction in the name of the Chaos Gods. Lelouch himself, with a sizable contingent of his Sons of Lelouch, mounted a successful attack upon the Pentagon, a military facility that used to be the Empress’ main command and control center during the Reunification Wars, before She moved her base of operations back to the Imperial Palace in Japan. The conquest of the Pentagon was done for both symbolic and military reasons; it signaled Lelouch’s intent to wrest over the Golden Throne of Terra before reuniting the galaxy under his own banner. In addition, the advanced facilities at the Pentagon would be useful to coordinate the ongoing battle at the Imperial Palace, an advantage that the Warmaster was not ready to ignore.

The loyalist Guard and Astartes Legions fought valiantly at both spaceports, but were unable to prevent the Chaos Marines from eventually taking over both facilities. Kyon, who maintained overall command over all loyalist forces, had little choice but to order a fighting retreat back to the gates and walls of the Imperial Palace itself. Once both spaceports were secured, Lelouch began landing his Legions in huge transport ships that carried his Marines in their thousands. Chaos Titans strode from their landing bays, the immense war machines ready to level their city-destroying firepower upon the Palace that their crew was once sworn to defend. More heretics and traitors landed upon the holy soil of Terra by the moment, as dark cults dedicated to the Chaos Gods began summoning daemons, defiling the sacred ground of the birthplace of humanity with their profanity.

The traitor Astartes Legions eagerly awaited the command from their Primarchs, the command that would hurl them against the walls of the Imperial Palace. Conversely, the mood of the loyalists within the Palace was palpable, each Guardsman and Marine accepting the fact that they were as good as dead men walking. Yet, they refused to give up, as both Imperial Guard and Adeptus Astartes alike swore their oaths of moment, and prayed to the Empress for Her blessing, praying that they would take as many of the traitors down with them as possible in their death. Their oaths and prayers done, the loyalist forces hunkered down in the Palace defenses, awaiting the attack that they knew would soon arrive.

[Julius Firefocht]

Siege of the Empress’ Palace Part II

The Imperial Palace had originally occupied the city of Kyoto, but the Palace had since expanded to an incredible size. It now spanned the whole of Japan and a large part of China, the complex sprawling across hundreds of kilometers and housing numerous mazes and defenses. The Palace had its own spaceport, and only the self-sufficient orbital defenses and shields built by the Imperial Fists had prevented the Warmaster from landing troops directly onto the Palace grounds itself.

His options limited, Lelouch decided that a ground assault was the only sure way to crack the Palace defenses. At his command, all eight traitor Astartes Legions and two Titan Legions began the race for the Palace walls, with siege equipment in tow. The ground itself shook under the massive power of the attackers, and the loyalist beheld nothing more than a tidal wave of armoured hate that was rushing onwards to the Palace defenses. The Siege of the Empress’ Palace had truly begun, and everyone present knew that at stake was no less than the very future of Humanity.

Leading the defenses at the Palace wall’s main gates was Fate Testarossa and her Blood Angels Legion. Assisting her was Arthuria of the Imperial Fists, while the Konata’s Ultramarines and Shana’s Swords of Fire manned the defenses at the remaining two secondary gates. Kyon’s vast Imperial Guard regiments were stationed across the perimeter, with a larger concentration of troops assisting the Blood Angels at the main gate. It had long been decided that Mikuru’s Adeptus Custodes troops would stay behind the lines to protect the Empress with their lives; though Mikuru herself expressed her readiness to fight at the front lines with her troops, Kyon had ultimately decided that it would be better for her to continue her role of guarding the Empress.

With the bloodthirsty World Eaters and the Sons of Lelouch at the fore, the traitor Marines clashed upon the walls of the Palace like waves breaking against a cliff. Again and again they tried to scale the walls, only to be beaten back by the Imperial forces. Astartes died in their thousands, Guardsmen in their millions, but the walls held. Legends speak of the golden light that bathed the Blood Angels as they battled ceaselessly in the name of Empress and Primarch, while Fate herself flew in the air, directing her sons while slaying her foes in the skies above, her sword of light glowing like a beacon of hope. Arthuria and Shana were not to be outdone, with Excalibur blasting whole squads in the wake of its power, while Nietono no Shana put to the flame the traitors and heretics that Shana’s Legion fought against. Concurrently, Konata achieved a breakthrough in her section of the defenses, managing her forces well enough to slip five companies of her Ultramarines behind the enemy lines. These five companies would prove to be Konata’s key to her masterstroke in this battle, and Lelouch would come to regret ignoring the threat that five companies of utterly loyal and fearless Astartes could represent.

Thus the battle went, the Imperial Fists and Ultramarines resolute as they poured a disciplined storm of bolt shells and heavy weapons at the traitors, while the Blood Angels and Swords of Fire engaged any Chaos Marine force that successfully scaled the Palace walls in violent melee combat. When Lelouch ordered an aerial assault with Chaos Raptors and flying daemons, Fate ordered the majority of her Astartes to equip themselves as Assault Marines, engaging the enemy in the air. Covert attacks were repulsed by the Imperial Guardsmen who laid in ambush for any enemy movement. A teleport attack by Death Guard Terminators made some headway before being torn apart by the massed fire of the Imperial Fists and Swords of Fire, while the Ultramarines continued their masterful troop movements under the steady hand of Konata. Nearly every stratagem tried by Lelouch was countered by either Kyon or the loyalist Primarchs, a fact that frustrated him to no end.

The traitor Legions were paying in blood for every attack they made, as they responded to the urgent commands of their Primarchs and their Warmaster, but the loyalists also knew that such a situation would not be advantageous to them in the long term.

At one point of time, the Primarch of the World Eaters, Kurosaki Ichigo, stepped forward and demanded that the loyalist forces surrender. The winged daemon Primarch noted the bravery and valor of the loyalists, but pointed out that they were outnumbered and surrounded with nowhere to run, defending a worthless leader that was not worth dying for. Fate Testarossa strode forth then, the Primarch’s presence steeling the hearts and minds of the defenders. She then pointed her blade at Ichigo. The two Primarchs stared at each other, possibly communicating by telepathy. Eventually, Ichigo turned around and informed Lelouch that there would be no surrender as he had hoped, only slaughter. The attacks resumed.

Lelouch had originally intended to capture the Palace intact, but that was proving harder to achieve than he had thought. Two factors forced him to alter his plans. Firstly, the five companies of Ultramarines he had neglected to hunt down had returned to haunt him, attacking and successfully recapturing the Eternity Wall spaceport, immediately cutting his flow of reinforcements in half. The spaceport’s remaining defenses had been reactivated, and now his transport ships ran the risk of destruction from the active defenses. Attempting a recapture would require him to divert his troops from the frontlines, something that he was loath to do.

Secondly, the Scarlet Hydra Legion had begun to slip off his leash, diverting their attacks from the Palace Walls to the common civilians of Terra. While Lelouch did not care about the lives of those murdered by the crazed Scarlet Hydras, he did care about much-needed warriors not being present in this most crucial of campaigns. When Makoto failed to comply with his orders to return to the fray, he had ordered the Scarlet Hydras back to his headquarters at the Pentagon, threatening hellish punishment for disobedience. Makoto had grudgingly obeyed, as even he did not wish to speculate on the sort of “punishments” that Lelouch was capable of planning and meting.

With seven Legions left to the attack and half his supply line severed, Lelouch decided that it would be best to end the battle before the Empress’ reinforcements arrived. To that end, he ordered the Titan Legions under his command to destroy the fortifications with every weapon they had. No longer would the traitor Marines be scaling the walls, now they would be attempting to break their way through rather than going above it. In addition, the sorcerers of the Thousand Sons were ordered to help break open the walls with their most powerful spells of destruction, an order that Negi relished with his twisted soul.

The loyalist Titan Legions, the super-heavy tanks of the Imperial Guard and the Librarians of the loyalist Astartes Legions responded in kind, with the Titans of the Mechanicus and the Baneblades of the Imperial Guard concentrating their fire on the advancing traitor Titans. The Librarians of the loyalist Astartes pooled their psychic power, fighting an invisible mind war with the Chaos sorcerers who sought to tear down the walls of the Palace with warp power. Monumental energies both physical and psychic in nature were unleashed. Though impossible to verify, records of that time also stated that both Fate and Arthuria had engaged into battle independently, with both Primarchs killing at least one Titan each. Such a mighty feat, if true, would never be repeated again in the history of the Imperium.

Despite the best efforts of the loyalist forces, the walls could not be held for long under such a high concentration of city-destroying firepower, and it was not long before the external rampart of the main gate collapsed under the suicidal attacks of the Chaos Titans. The Chaos Marines roared with approval, and they surged into what were the private gardens of the Empress, killing with renewed intensity even as the Imperial Guard, Blood Angels and Imperial Fists staged a fighting retreat. The Ultramarines and Swords of Fire began their own withdrawal back into the palace, using hidden tunnels that they sealed behind them as they progressed. Konata and Shana both hoped that their Legions would make it in time to reinforce the retreating forces at the Palace itself, but alas, it was not to be.

Finally, the Chaos assault reached the Eternity Gate, the sole entrance into the Palace grounds itself. It was here that the Blood Angels and Imperial Fists Astartes made their legendary stand, a bulwark of red and yellow armour defying hordes of traitor Marines, while the Imperial Guard retreated into the safety of the Palace through the Gate. Hundreds of loyalist Astartes died in this battle alone, but they stemmed a tide of foulness and blasphemy that threatened to overrun Humanity. In the midst of the frenzied combat, Ka’Bandah, mighty Lord of all Bloodthirsters and Champion of Shinku, flew forward, bellowing a challenge of single combat at the Primarch of the Blood Angels, Fate Testarossa. Fate accepted the challenge, and the two gods of war clashed in the air, their weapons locked in combat with each other.

Time seemed to stop as the Lady of the Angels and the Greater Daemon of Shinku fought in the air, high above their respective armies. The duel raged for long minutes, the two exchanging crushing attacks and battle cries at each other. Unfortunately, Fate was fatigued by weeks of non-stop combat, and she was momentarily distracted by the sight of an injured Kyon being carried by his personal guards into the Eternity Gate. Seizing upon that moment of weakness, the Bloodthirster casted Fate down, the ground pulverizing at where the Primarch had violently landed. The daemon hovered in the air, mocking and gloating over her.

But Fate was not defeated yet. She had sworn her oath to the Imperium, and she would not falter in her duty now. Golden electricity crackled around her as she drew upon her reserves of power, and flying swift as lightning, she ran her sword through Ka’Bandah, who was caught in surprise by Fate’s attack. Withdrawing her blade, she finally called upon the full power of Bardiche, cleaving the Bloodthirster in half with the huge blade of her Zamber. The Blood Angels shouted with approval as the Greater Daemon was banished back into the warp, even as Fate flew back within the Eternity Gate with the last of her Blood Angels. The Eternity Gate slammed shut, keeping the traitors out for the time being.

The end was in sight.