That single sentence caused the immediate silence as the gathered angels held their breath in unison. The usually indefatigable composure of space marine commanders was visibly shaken as the let his words sink in. The Keep was a highly classified secret known only to the inner most circle of each unforgiven chapter. The keep was the remnants of the warship "Angelus Lionus", the flagship of Jonson during his crusades, It was destroyed during Luther's betrayal, and the remnants were found fused to a massive asteroid in the aftermath of Caliban's demise. Miraculously the large consignment of Dark Angel geneseed, secreted within its vaults were found intact, and an outpost established to protect it. In time a very secretive organisation was created from the ranks of the Deathwing and Inner Circles of all unforgiven chapters, called the Knights of the Order. These were tasked with the search for the fallen and protection of the gene seed banks. No one outside the inner most circles would ever learn of this information and live to tell the tale. "Yes! We have ascertained beyond doubt that they know of the keep and the gene seed stored within. Following the recent events in the Piscina system, we know of the fallen's quest for the gene seed. Whether this is in conjunction with the only other traitor who has a similar agenda, namely Fabius Bile, we know not. But time is indeed short and we do not have the resources for a complete evacuation. The Knights of the Order have been ordered to prepare to repel boarders. Battle fleets Vengeance and Redemption are tasked with the destruction of any invasion fleet. We expect an assault in the coming days. Strike Force Vengeance will accompany the combined fleets and deploy by assault in the rear of the enemy's invasion forces. Our brothers of the order will defend the keep to the end!" The grandmaster of the Angels of Redemption requested to address the gathering and was given the floor. "Honoured Azrael, keeper of the truth, should we not further reinforce the Caliban system and completely annihilate the enemy there? A strong victory in Caliban may well attract the despoiler there, away from the critical Cadian systems!" "A strategy worthy of consideration" added Azrael, "However, the Cadian system is on the verge of collapse. The time is critical at present to the extent that we have delayed any further action against suspected bases of the traitorous fallen angels, until the situation has been stabilized. Battle fleets Absolution and Dark Angels will deploy directly to the Cadian system and we will intervene in strength. Strike forces of both chapters will deploy to target Kasr Sonnen and take the battle to the enemy. Battle fleets Retribution and Vigilance will remain with the Tower of Angels as a ready reserve. The operational details will be downloaded to your commanders within the hour. Are there any questions?" Before anyone could answer, the massive blast door guarding the entrance swung silently open, the Deathwing terminator guarding it stepping aside. In walked Ezekiel accompanied by his counterpart in the Vengeance chapter and followed by Menalaius. Without formality, Ezekiel addressed the gathering, as within the inner circle they were all equals. "Codicier Adonis has yet to recover but I have gathered a smidgeon of formation that was transferred to his mind by the elder farseer. For a farseer to take such risks and give his life for this mission, it must have been information of supreme magnitude. I have but gathered a few words, phrases and events spread within his minds but the relevance is so great I felt that we must share it now." Everyone looked up at the ancient librarians. They showed no sign of tiredness or exhaustion, but all knew that the two of them had been at their tedious task for weeks. Ezekiel's eyes shone with defiance as he spoke. "They do know of the gene seed repository in the keep and will attack it! As real as it may be it is a diversionary assault. Their main target is the Tower of Angels. There is a connection between our missing brother, the oracle and the Tower of Angels! The warning I see is the destruction of this hallowed fortress! The warning is one about the birth of a second eye!" Time froze, hearts stopped, and breaths stilled as the most experienced and devout angels, sons of the lion and descendants of the emperor's personal guard digested the information. They realised with finality that the war for the eye had indeed been raging in earnest for weeks. The battle for their souls was about to begin. END OF VOLUME III |
CHAPTER XIII: THE GRAND CIRCLE (Continued) Chronicled By ( Shadow Guard ) |
GATHERING OF ANGELS |
This section provides the narrative history of the events that took place during the Gathering of Angels campaign conducted by the Inner Circle, during Abaddon's Thirteenth Black Crusade. This is in no way the official GW version nor is it in anyway an attempt to infringe on their IP. There are many versions of imperial history buried within the sands of time and this is but just one of them. Read on if you dare! |
