Sep 05, 2020 With the blessing of his superiors in the Inquisition, Drogan began researching a means to use it against the enemies of the Imperium. Drogan arrived on the Forge World Graia and had his research in mind when he arrived. Drogan had enticed tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to allow him to conduct his research for the greater good of the Imperium.
Inquisitor Drogan of the Ordo Xenos Reply Good karma Bad karma +2 votes. VoidLight Apr 1 2016. I wonder if there is a blood letter inside of this one as well XD. The rogue Inquisitor Drogan is wonderfully vague, hinting at ulterior motives and malicious espionage; and Lieutenant Mira’s desperate fight to keep hope in her defeated troops seeking their survival. Contentsshow Inquisitors Lord Inquistor Caxius Menthol Inquisitor Drogan Force Commanders Canoness WarBosses Autarch Ethreal Kroot Warlord Chaos Lord Necron Lord The Silent King The Silent King is the first recorded, and indeed the strongest of the necron lords. It is the only necron lord.
(Graia, orbit)
From what Archmagos Veritas could ascertain through the Arizona's military noosphere, the battle in space was… progressing. While the remains of the Imperial Navy sought to whittle down the number of ork roks, kroozers, and battlekroozers, their losses were substantial. The Ark Mechanicus was more than easily holding its own. He sensed deep within the noosphere the great machine spirit of the Arizona, alert and subtly manipulating its internal systems ranging from ammunition manufacture and delivery to readying to drop the titans.
The Archmagos paused.
Drop the Titans? You do not 'drop' god-machines.
Veritas scanned through the noosphere and sure enough he found the titans with the exception of the Warhounds in custom-built drop tube without any type of reentry shielding! He accessed the Ark Mechanicus' local copy of the new titan STCs and after briefly processing, he found to his utter surprise that the new titans actually could be deployed from orbit! If this drop was successful, it would alter the tactical deployment of titans.
A general alert scrolled across the noosphere,+Initiating void material processors. Gravity cones enabled +
What? Thought the magos in confusion.
Through the Arizona's sensorum, Vertias saw 57 ork kill kroozers and battlekroozers suddenly, simultaneously shift course towards the massive 20 km diameter Opus Machina on either side of the Ark. The mouths of the cybernetic icon opened, revealing swirling blades and white hot interiors. The croozers were sucked in and ground to pieces and their remains were melted down and promptly processed and refined into the ship's stores. Magos Durindfire, who coordinated the ship's batteries, employed a new algorithm with the newly deployed systems.
-This is Princeps Aurora, Legio Arizona, Battle group 1, ready for deployment.-
-Magos Dominus Jendacus Fenstricus, Skitarii division Sigma-Alpha ready for tactical deployment #23872-34A-
-All parties, the way is clear, deploy immediately.- Magos Veritas gave the order.
The landing craft bearing the skitarii legions launched from the open bays which rapidly closed behind them. The titans were launched from their tubes, their own descent heralded by the force of air pressure beating against their lower void shields. With all available landing parties heading for the ground and Magos Dominus Durindfire directing the Ark's weapons and fighters, the Archmagos turned his attention to readying internal space in the Ark for a new titan occupant: the incomplete Imperator titan found by Tech-Dreadnought Vernus.
(Graia, surface)
Nemeroth
The dreadnought in question emerged from the depths to be greeted by a servo skull. Venus walked by transmitting a string of binaric to the servo skull which moved to be grabbed by one of the dreadnought's spidery servo arms. A mechadendrite slipped out of his shoulder plate and connected with the skull. The data was run through various decryption algorithms before revealing its contents. It was a message from his deployed Blood Ravens, indicating message received and which tactical scenario was used.
The local noosphere gave a burst of static before being filled with encrypted information. The ID belonged to techmarine Adjuctus, one of his acolytes. His machine spirit decoded it and soon he was linked in real time to the events taking place inside the gun battery through the eyes of the servo skulls inside. Brother Vale had set up a defensive position near the severed ammunition belt to prevent the orks from repairing it.
Everything from defense, intelligence, and supplies was firmly established with tactically deployed defense turrets keeping the bulk to the orks at bay while larger foes were targeted by Brother Harknus, a Devastator marine with a heavy combi bolter with a secondary metla function to deal with larger clusters of enemies that had slipped through the turret fire. He was supplemented by Brother Erebus, a veteran tactical marine, and Brother Petricus, a recently commissioned full battle brother, who switched between his bolter rifle and his sniper rifle.
Satisfied that his battle brothers were doing well, Verus and his retinue of Electro-priests emerged into the open, his proximity sensorum indicated massive objects incoming. His audio receivers, built with the same level of quality as his vox-caster, indicated he look up. Vernus looked up to the the massive forms of the incoming titans. Large rockets producing counter-thrust, rapidly arrested their descent. The rockets cut out shortly before the titans landed. A testament to their precisely calculated descent, the titans' landing produced only a slight ground tremor with each of the god-machines landing tremors cancelling each other out.
Vernus continued to the landing point where the skitarii were landing. It was there he would be resupplied with ammunition and skitarii reinforcements, promised to him by Magos Veritas. A series of small explosions were heard from the titans as their landing rockets were jettisoned from their legs and torsos, these would be later collected and returned the Arizona to be reused for future deployments.
In the meantime, Apparatus Gloria, the Gipsy Danger titan leading the newly minted Legio Arizona led the formation of Coyote Tango titans to secure Manufactorum Ajakis while Formis Ultima and Pentus Ultima, brother Cherno Alpha titans, would take up a defensive perimeter around the subterranean titan manufactorum while the incomplete Imperator was recovered. Transport craft ferrying numerous Warhound titans landed. Most of rites of activation had been performed on the Arizona so the scout titans could launch from their transports with all expediency.
Magos Dominus Jendacus Fenstricus greeted the Master of the Forge with a complex hexamathical equation, which the dreadnought completed, demonstrating his vast knowledge. The Dominus was occupying his combat form which was wrought in the form of a silvery scorpion. His combat form was recently built aboard the Arizona, utilizing the rare foundries which could still produce adamantium and the only ship which could alloy it with Depleted Promethium. Vernus considered it a high honor to have aided the Magos in the fabrication of his body.
Magos Fenstricus was formerly attached to the Collegis Extremis, where he had endured having had his skitarii legions devastated by Khornate Brass Scorpions. He was able to successfully defeat the machines but at great cost. His accomplishments against the ruinous powers earned him the title of Dominus. The Magos had taken his posting to the recently discovered Ark Mechanicus with glee and happily utilized the Arizona's unique fabrication capabilities to forge a combat body of superior design to the Brass Scorpion and though smaller, was faster and more powerful. Of course, the body had yet to be blooded on the battlefield… now was as good a time as any.
- Praise be to the Omnissiah for this Glorious Day of Battle! - The Dominus expressed the closest thing he came to excitement. The articulated three-fingered claws of the combat form's primary arms, derived from a variation of the Crimson Typhoon dreadnought STC, the limbs had the ability to transform into versatile plasma cannons respectively.
- Praise be the Omnissiah for today we fulfill his charge of the acquisition and defense of his gifts!- Intoned the techmarine dreadnought.
The two soon faced the landing assembly, in the distance several booms of retro rockets were heard as the Astra Militarum was delivering its own reinforcements to the beleaguered forces. While the forces in orbit were able to secure a portion of said orbit there were still thousands of Ork Roks slipping through. The work was far from done.
- So we are expecting the Ruinous Powers? - asked the Magos. His primary sensorum array was recessed between his primary arms and was shaped similar to that of a crustacean but with multiple diamond-forged lenes gazing about the skitarii legions as they were assembling for the upcoming fight.
- Yes but there is also a sense that there could be the beginnings of the work of the Dark Mechanicum. - Though it was simple information exchange over a localized noosphere, the Magos Dominus could tell it was spoken with experience.
- What makes you so suspicious? - Asked Fenstricus. They watched as Adeptus Mechanicus support forces landed, large construction machines were unloaded to begin the necessary work to extract the incomplete god-machine.
- The speed at which civilians were evacuated, the timing of the orks invasion, while the mainstay of Legio Astraman is deployed elsewhere, the absence of large scale enginseer support on a forge world, an Inquisitor conveniently studying Warp-based technology… too many things happening at once to be even a simple Daemonic incursion. - The dreadnought went silent.
- I see that internment has only sharpened your instincts, brother techmarine Vernus. - A new voice invaded their noosphere. Vernus examined the ID ping of the new speaker and was both relieved and concerned by who it belonged to. His sensorum array was allowed to detect a fellow techmarine of seldom known chapter. The message was isolated to him alone.
- Do excuse me, Magos. - The dreadnought nodded to the Magos in respect and the combat form went to see to the preparations of his skitarii.
Vernus moved into the cavernous ruins, out of sight of the landing forces. Inside he was greeted by a squad of Grey Knights, Inquisitors, and their own forces. There were very few that were permitted to retain knowledge of these enigmatic space marines, the Blood Ravens chapter being among them. Over the course of several hundred years, Vernus had had many a privilege to serve alongside this secretive chapter.
As his auspex array looked over some of their armor and weapons, he recognized several of his own marks in regards to workmanship. He saw one of their twin-linked, wrist-mounted storm bolters which he had been graciously permitted to service. He saw a crusader helm he had forged from remains of a god machine that had faithfully fought against the Ruinous Powers to the end before succumbing to the sheer power railed against it. The helm had been fitted with archaeotech sensorum linked via fiber optic cables forged from rare Lorelei Crystals acquired from the deep deserts of Kalidar. Most of all, he saw a Servo-Harness, that he had helped craft alongside its owner, Grey Knight Techmarine Prodromos.
'I see congratulations are in order, Master of the Forge Prodromos.' Vernus addressing the fellow techmarine but taking care to lower the volume of his vox unit so his voice would not carry beyond the chamber.
'And it seems that you have been similarly gifted with a dreadnought chassis, so blessed by the Cult Mechanicus.' Said the squad leader, his armor bearing the distinctive marks of a Justicar.
'How might I serve the Ordo Malleus?' Vernus asked. If the Grey Knights were here, they they had received a prognostication that predicted a daemonic incursion. Vernus had served with the Grey Knights on several occasions, working side by side with their techmarines.
'Our prognosticators had several visions related to this world, you were among them. It was unclear as to the exact nature of the threat, we hope you might have more enlightening details.' Said the Justicar which Prodromos identified as Justicar Styer.
'An Inquisitor Drogan has been researching Warp-based technologies under the watch of the Graia's Cult Mechanicus. If you are here, then it confirms the inevitable conclusion of Drogan's research, however other events on this planet have made me strongly suspect the workings of the Dark Mechanicus, though without a Librarian, I could only build a strategy based upon logical conjecture.' Stated Vernus as he directed his body's machine spirit to transmit what he had learned and the strategies he had developed.
'As expected of a Blood Raven, very thorough…' Mused Librarian Gerad,' It does grant greater clarity for our prognostication but still lacking detail.'
'Even Exterminatus is considered in this strategy.' Said Inquisitor Furia, the squad's inquisitorial attache.
'...And with considerable complexity and multiple objective surrounding the recovery of artifacts and knowledge,' Stated Prodromos.
'I see no reason to alter your plan at this time, it covers many avenues, alternatives, and redundancies. We will investigate and see if your suspicions of the Dark Mechanicum are true.' Spoke Justicar Styer.
'As for this Inquisitor Drogan, I will accompany you. You will need to be backed by the proper authority in order for you to take necessary action.' Said Inquisitor Furia.
'Shall I inform Magos Veritas of your involvement? It will allow us to avoid potential disagreements.' Asked the dreadnought as he directed his head to gaze at the mostly mechanical body of the Inquisitor as the Grey knights slipped into the shadows.
The Inquisitor seemed to ponder Vernus' request, considering the wisdom of one so ancient. Normally, making forces of the Astra Militarum aware would be overly complicated and time consuming but the request was to make Mechanicus forces, whom were already aware of the potential incursion and making their own preparations under a Magos whom had proven his own combat value against the Immaterium.
She finally answered,'If you can contact him with all due expediency, then do so quickly.'
Accessing the Magos' vox-channel, the tech-dreadnought sent a compressed burst message to the Magos, telling him of the Inquisitor but leaving out the presence of the Grey Knights to avoid the potential complication of trying the erase the partially mechanical minds of the Cult Mechanicus forces and tracking down every innocuous record of their existence for the Mechanicus never deletes anything. Vernus put that thought out of his labyrinthine mind.
With the message sent, Vernus once again spoke raising his voice to appropriate levels, no longer concerned about being heard in the absence of the Sons of Titan,' How do you wish to proceed?'
Even with the enhancements that had come with her cybernetic reconstruction, she lacked the mental processing speed to comprehend the sheer magnitude of the Blood Raven's plan for this campaign. She had worked for many decades with the Grey Knights, whom grappled against corrupt and chaotic intelligences, but their battles were never planned out to this level of detail or scale. While there were traces and references to the Codex Astartes, the stratagem was constructed around who was participating in the battle.
Furia's vox unit emitted her conclusion,' We proceed with your plan.'
Vernus said nothing further as he plodded out of the ruins back into the skitarii landing zone. The Magos Dominus had already been informed of the Inquisitor and her presence was logged. The tech-dreadnought approached a cylindrical tower, 50 meters wide and 150 meters tall. It lower plating was blackened from reentry but its symbols of both the Opus Machina and iconography of the Blood Ravens was present on multiple points.
The Inquisitor noted the presence of numerous machines taking to the now reinforced battlefield. The quadrupedal striders stood over ork wreckage and picked up corpse and machine alike either carrying it of dragging it. As she stepped into the tower behind the ancient techmarine, she saw the wreckage and bodies were dumped into massive shovels which hauled them up and into blast furnaces, where heavily cloaked serfs intoned chant and ritual of purification. The roar of the forge was deafening but she pressed on.
She saw Vernus turn and back into the docking gantry designed for him. There were alcoves filled with other dreadnought shells in various stages of completion. Numerous industrial servitors sprung into action, removing various components from the dreadnought, others cleaning grime from his armored body followed by applying sacred oils. She saw a module detached from his backside and replaced with a larger one. She turned her ruby colored gaze to see the other Blood Ravens entering the forge just behind her.
'This is Inquisitor Furia of the Ordo Malleus. She will be accompanying us, otherwise our plan remains unchanged.' Vernus boomed above the noise of the forge.
'Excuse me for asking..' started the Inquisitor, the Blood Ravens directed their attention to her as she spoke,'... what is the next stage of this plan?'
'With the skies clearing and the Legio Arizona serving as our vanguard, we will take our thunderhawk, which Brother techmarine Xentax has gone to retrieve, to Manufactorum Ajakis where we will aid in repelling the Orks and search for Inquisitor Drogan. If he is there, we will back you up as you request or desire, if not we will split our squad in half to reinforce key defenses and the other half to continue in our search.' Explained Brother sergeant Vale.
'Also Magos Dominus Fenstricus has promised us aid while having us bear in mind that their priority is securing the god-machine Invictus and retrieving the incomplete Imperator, in conclusion they will stretched between these to points until we can activate Invictus.' Elaborated Vernus.
With his servicing completed, the gantry retracted, and Vernus took a few measured steps before running through a series of diagnostic movements. Furia was amazed by the smooth and precise motions the dreadnought was capable of, having had the unique and rare opportunity to see an Aegis dreadnought in action, this techmarine dreadnought, in spite of its size, moved with exceptional grace.
Satisfied his body was operating at peak efficiency and his machine spirit pulsed his reactor with anticipation of what was to come. Vernus took up his dreadnought-sized Omnissian Power axe and strode to exit the forge with Furia and his battle brothers following. Outside, they saw the thunderhawk undergoing repairs under the careful manipulations of techmarine Xentax. Vernus unfolded his spidery servo-arms and activated the tools in his main limbs. He intoned the spirit of his power axe and accessed its multi-tool functions.
Like any techmarine that had earned the title, Vernus was a Master of the Forge and he needed only to glance at the thunderhawk to know what was wrong. Fire from the Orks had damaged the maneuvering thrusters and violated its armor. The Forgemaster toned the rites or repair, soothing the gunship's spirit. In what would have taken his acolyte hours to repair, Vernus completed the repairs in minutes. Soon the engines of the gunship roared as the machine spirit grew eager for vengeance against its attackers
Inquisitor Draco
The inquisitor and the Blood Ravens boarded but Vernus remained outside. He turned on his anti-grav plates and charged his ion engine supercapacitors. When the energy peaked, his ion engines fired launching him from the ground. The gunship followed shortly thereafter. They were soon joined by the Dominus' forces as they took point and covered their transports against Ork fighta's.
It did not take them long to reach the defensive line surrounding the Manufactorum with Apparatus Gloria and the two Coyote Tango titans had already gotten to work unleashing their weapons against the ork tide. Still in spite of this massive support the defensive line was struggling to hold, as the orks gathered themselves in concentrated assaults. As much as he hated the orks like any other Astartes did, he had to admit, whomever the warboss was, he had chosen effective commanders for his horde. On the other hand, warbosses were easy to spot.
The tech-dreadnought transmitted his desire to remove the warboss. He was acknowledged by the Dominus and Princeps Aurora. Verus directed his body to fly closer to the battlefield, soaring over the heads of the orks, whom were slow to recognize something had even gone over their heads before he was gone. His flight sloped slightly upwards before he cut his engines and anti-grav plates, letting gravity turn his mass and momentum into a blunt weapon as brutal as an artillery shell. His feet were suddenly mired in crushed metal and gore as the warboss was rendered to a mess, not having the opportunity to fight back.
As he rose from his haunches, the tech-dreadnought used one of his left arms to pull his combi-assault cannon from his back. The cannon rapidly spun up and unleashed the Omnissiah's fury upon the confused xenos. The storm of heavy rounds designed specifically with orks in mind tore through them as easily as if they were made of paper. Vernus stepped further into the mob, whirling his power axe in his other left hand cutting through additional greenskins that though they could close on the tech-dreadnought. His right arm combined attacks from his wrist-mounted, twin-linked storm bolter and articulated lightning claws.
With the death of their warboss and the suddenness of being set upon by such a foe, the ork charge against the Imperial forces was broken allowing the Blood Ravens, Inquisitor, and skitarii to deploy and lead a charge into the mob. Inquisitor Furia stopped for a moment to focus her augmentic eyes upon the distant figure of the ancient Forgemaster. The whirling array of weapons, mixing ranged and melee, was awe-inspiring in the essence of his sheer destructive power, rivalling that of any other dreadnought she had the privilege of seeing in combat. Filing away those thoughts in her head to think on later, Furia led her accompanying group of six Blood Ravens into the Manufactorum in search of her quarry.
A plasma bolt from Vernus' right hand punched right through the armor of the looted tank, its structure collapsing in on itself before exploding from its ammunition igniting. He ripped a large plate from the steaming wreckage and pounded it flat with his feet. While his targeting array moved his assault cannon from target to target, his servo arms began their work on the plate, plasma cutters cut the plate into a perfect circle and using his lightning claws to hone a razor edge.
Once complete, the tech-dreadnought took the improvised weapon in his right hand, positioned his body, rotated at the waist and threw the plate like a discus through the horde sending a line of death through the xenos horde. Forging such simple weapons without mechanism or power was a bit of a grey area when it came to the the Cult Mechanicus. Sensors in his feet sensed larger vibrations, not quite titan-pulses but something else.
The Orks began to reorganize and rally as belching smoke appeared behind the ruins of several buildings. A crude fat body of metal emerged: a stompa. Armed with a chainsword obviously scavenged from an Imperial Knight, and the other arm crudely affixed with a baneblade Mega Battle cannon, and sticking out of itls belly was a Demolisher cannon. Vernus felt in himself a righteous fury. How dare they build such and affront to the Machine God out of the blessed heavy tank!
Vernus clamped down on his emotions, cooling his fury with a targeting solution which he transmitted to the Apparata Gloria. The titan spun on its heels grinding the pavement to fine gravel. Its hand transformed into its volcano cannon, aimed, and fired right at the stompa's Demolisher cannon. The ork mek's weapon melted and additional smoke emerge from its holes, the interior clearly on fire but the machine did not slow.
The battle cannon spurted fire and blasted Vernus in the middle of his chest, knocking him off his feet. As soon as he got his own head to stop spinning, Vernus started to cant binaric signals and drawing upon the mysterious nature of being machine-touched and soothed his body's machine spirit. He quickly ran through diagnostics, runic dialog passed to every system.
Many of his forward auspex nodes went dark, mostly the ones on his torso. One of his hip bearings had been misaligned and one of his pneumatic lines had been breached. He reoriented his internal gyroscopes and rose to his feet. Fortunately his head array was undamaged. He activated and realigned his head optics, his custom assault cannon was intact and remarkably so was its ammunition belt. When he twisted his head, he was dismayed to see the ruined remains of his power axe.
Reining in his emotions once again, he returned his focus to the offending construct. The stompa appeared to have suffered a catastrophic explosion in its poorly made cannon arm. The arm hung uselessly from twisted steel and sparking wires, yet the xenos walker was still making its way to him, raising the chain weapon to strike at him.
Running quick calculations, Vernus willed his dreadnought body to move out of the way at the last second as the weapon cut into the ground. He leaped into the air and onto the walkers arm as it tried to pull the chain weapon from the ground. Vernus used his servo arms to stabilize himself an began to use his lightning claws to rip open the armor around the arm and rip into its alien machinery.
An Ork head popped out of the main body to yell at him. A swish of one of his lightning claws and the ork tumbled back into the walker… without his head. It was just the opening he was looking for. He nimbly climbed over to the open hole in the stompa in spite of the protests of his limbs.
He once again transformed his right arm into its plasma cannon form. He placed the muzzle against the opening and fired repeatedly into the vile construct. More fires broke out, followed by additional explorions. The cries of orks and gretchins dying was heard but a growing cacophony of screeching was heard as the stompa ground to a halt.
Vernus leapt off the dead stompa which had gone from a monument of the ork to a funeral pyre. The Master of the Forge walked back and collected the remains of his power axe. The sacred tool would be reforged. Two of his servo arms took the remains of the axe and bound them to his back. Orks were fleeing about him, the loss of the stompa immensely demoralizing to them. One thing did leave the techmarine wondering: why didn't Apparatta Gloria finish off the stompa?
He looked over to the battle titans and saw the reasons as they fired their weapons into the sky blasting apart a new wave of rok after rok. Every blast from the god-engines created a shower of debris forcing local forces to seek shelter. Vernus had his body set a limping jog back into the overhang of the Manufactorum, where the Dominus waited.
- Princeps Enoch and his moderatti have boarded Invictus and the activation rites are well underway. Invictus will walk before the day is out.- The Magos canted in binaric to the tech-dreadnought as he limped before sitting on a container that he judged could bear his body's weight,- Your performance against the ork abomination was exemplary.-
- Your words do me honor, Dominus, though it was the blessing of the Omnissiah that i was able to survive to destroy the stompa. - The dreadnought returned the binaric cant. Vernus had his servo arms delicately place the remains of his axe on the ground before having them set to work on his repairs. Mechadendrites extended from various panels, most focused on dismantling his hip plating to get at the misaligned bearing, while the others set to work on repairing his damaged sensorum.
- Do you require assistance, Forgemaster? I can have enginseers here and you fixed up right away. - Canted the Dominus.
Vernus replied with a polite and respectful subcant attach to the primary - Your offer is gracious but unnecessary, Dominus. For how can one properly be expected to carry out the will of the Omnissiah, if one cannot properly understand and repair his gifts? -
The dreadnought's mechadendrites exposed just enough of the complex mechanisms of his hip for him to stick two smaller tendrils in. And audible click was heard as his hip moved back into place. He reassembled the plating of his hip, the ruptured pneumatic pipe was repaired and the system repressurized. Vernus was able to repair the bulk of his damaged sensorum but some of the lens systems had to be rerouted when they proved too damaged to attempt battlefield repairs.
Vernus rose to his feet and bent down to better examine the damage to his power axe.
He turned to Fenstricus, resuming his binaric cant,- Magos Dominus, the machine spirit of my axe perished in my defense. If you are able, please conduct its remains back to my forge.-
-By the Omnissiah's will, I will have it done. - The Dominus' scorpion combat form did not move but the skein of the noosphere indicated the Magos had great respect for the Forgemaster.
It was at that time that his vox link to the Inquisitor was reestablished,' It would seem as though Inquisitor Drogan has already come and gone… with an Ultramarine escort. They left not but half an hour ago to where, I know not. I would appreciate any thought on the matter.'
The tech-dreadnought transmitted back,' Stand-by.'
Vernus rotated through various Astra militarum vox channels, making inquiries. His status as an astartes gave him much in the way of pull when it came to getting what he needed to know. Once he had the basic information, he contacted Princeps Aurora,- Submitting request 324-78A, authorization: BRMF435-TD Arizona Pattern Cherno Alpha *note sub noospheric decryption key*-
The Princeps was rapid in her reply. -Request accepted,forwarding requested auspex scans within time scale. Addendum: Any further requests?-
- Not at this time, Omnissiah be with you on your hunt.- Vernus shut down the link before cross referencing the data with Graia's city plans.
He reopened his link to Inquisitor Furia and the rest of his fellow Blood Ravens,' Do your augmentics support data exchange?'
' They do.' Replied the Inquisitor.
' Transmitting data.' Vernus exited the shelter of the manufactorum and headed for one of its many ingresses.
'We need to follow them. Bring your Thunderhawk around and contact local Astra Militarum forces and secure an escort.' Ordered the Inquisitor.
'Captain Titus of the Ultramarines already commandeered the local Valkyries. Continued deployment of Ork air forces complicates reinforcements. At this time, we are on our own.' Reported techmarine Xentax.
'No matter, we must get to Inquisitor Drogan with all haste! Meet me at this rally point.' Following the Inquisitor's order, a waypoint was synchronized across the squad channel.
Vernus was nearly at said waypoint, having anticipated the Inquisitor's desire for expediency. His sensorium detected the Magos Dominus and several of his huscarl skitarii following him.
Without turning, Vernus addressed the Dominus in binaric,' Forgive my presumption, Dominus, but should your priority not be with your skitarii?'
The magos returned his cant,' My priority is the securing of Graia. Addendum: My Alpha Primus is of exceptional quality and skill, the xenos will not stand a chance. Conclusion: My capabilities would be better served assisting you and your fellow astartes.'
'Far be it for me to question the wisdom of a Magos' Stated Vernus, tacitly granting his ascent to having the Magos join them, not that he had the authority to refuse anyways.
They arrived at the muster point just as the Arizona-pattern Thunderhawk landed. The Magos and his huscarls boarded the gunship and secured themselves. The Inquisitor and the remainder of his battle brothers arrived. The Inquistor Furia gave a him a look before boarding.
The landing ramp retracted and the Thunderhawk fired its ion engines, one of many features that distinguished it as the Arizona pattern. Vernus activated his anti-grav plates and his own ion engine array. Him and the Thunderhawk took to the skies.
'The Arizona has sent us updated topographical maps. Use strategem 467-78Y.' Advised the tech-dreadnought as he flew alongside it.
The strategem was one that requires fine-tuned control over the Thunderhawk's noosphere, control involving a deep connection of the gunship to the pilot similar to how one would connect to a dreadnought. While this would normally have the advantage of control over the weapons, the advantage in terms of flight were minimal… that is with any other pattern of the Thunderhawk gunship. The Arizona pattern had numerous ion maneuvering engines, which gave the gunship greater deftness and maneuvering abilities. This was demonstrated as Xentax flew low to the ground making tight turns through the structures. Any ork flyers that were drawn to them, got killed trying to keep up.
Vernus took his own fast maneuvering route, his own body granting him the ability to grab or spring off obstacles. Soon, leaving behind ruins filled with dead and confused ork flyers, the Thunderhawk and the dreadnought soon were closing in what seemed to be Inquisitor Drogan's lab, when it happened.
A pulse of energy fired from the upcoming point into the Orbital Spire. Vernus' sensorum detected a breach in time space; a warp portal. What was more, smaller warp breaches were opening randomly releasing daemons and Chaos Space Marines. From the peak of the portal by the spire, large transport craft descended. Vernus knew all too well what those contained:
Space Marine Inquisitor
Traitor Engines.