"I have stood against Abaddon on Xersia and have seen his measure. He fights this war on many fronts, psychological as well as physical. That he lost the battle on Xersia, yet aimed only to defile the Basilica Defaux is good evidence of his debased thinking. There was no strategic reason for using the planet killer on Macharia, they were very nearly overrunning the planet. Yet he perseveres with his genocide on a scale never before seen. He wishes to crush us in spirit before the physical blow falls. There is no doubt that the planet killer will head towards Cadia, to destroy the planet and the great pylons within. That must never be allowed to happen!. "Creed and Quarren will have contingencies to deal with that threat no doubt, as will the Inquisition, but we cannot rely on them! Let us face the might of the planet killer with the combined fleets of the unforgiven!" The booming voice belonged to none other than chapter master of the Angels of Vengeance, Grandmaster Furion. Clad in midnight black armour, his face was an aura of unadulterated anger. "We must face the despoiler directly! Honour demands it!" "Then we are of the same mind!" Azrael continued, nodding in agreement towards the last speaker. "I have directed the Grandmaster of the Fleet, Apollyon, Seeker of the Stars to make preparations for the passage of the Tower of Angels to Cadia. This is the only space vehicle capable of facing the fire power of the planet killer. If necessary we will stand in the path of the planet killer, our defences and shields would buy our fleet the time to come to grips with that abomination." He continued without pause "From this day forth all first company forces will be formed in to rapid reaction strike forces and deployed in fast strike cruisers. Where ever and whenever the planet killer is sighted they will attempt to teleport aboard and disable it as the situation permits. The rest of the strike forces will rendezvous once it has been sighted." Stunned to near disbelief the gathered angels sought to clarify their commander's intentions. To place the last vestige of their home planet, and their millennia old symbol of redemption in such a manner must sometime be seen as the last gambit of desperate men. But the hour was late and the situation dire. Azrael calmly continued to explain at length the preparations that had been made in the past weeks. He detailed the diverse and hidden bases set up by the Dark Angels and the various repositories for the ancient relics, revered gene seed and all the equipment and supplies that a chapter would need for continued function. The unforgiven would relinquish their hunt for the fallen temporarily apart for a few selected fallen. The combined might of the unforgiven fleet, would gather in-system in Cadia followed by the Tower of Angels. Battlefleet Vengeance was already arriving in the Cadian system while parts of battle fleet Redemption would also arrive in time. Battle fleets Angelus Mortis and Absolution would continue to support the operations on Kasr Sonnen until the last possible moment and then move to join the rest. Battle fleets Vigilance, Retribution and Revenant would continue to perform fleet operations with the Tower of Angels. "Guns of the guard thirst; proud battle fleets stir; The emperor's praetorians, the angels of death To face the coming test they come from afar To stand in harms way with the shield of their faith" As the hours passed and the final plans were laid amongst these guardians of humanity, a new resolution gripped them. Singularity of purpose and the exhilaration of the gathering of the unforgiven fleets fuelled their enthusiasm. Gone were the weariness of battle and defeat. They were to deploy once again as a legion, such was the strength of the unforgiven that would gather in the space surrounding Cadia. One by one each chapter's command contingent left the Conclavium Angelus, bidding farewell to their brothers in arms, knowing full well that they may not see each other again. Soon Azrael stood alone, except for his trusted friend Ezekiel. They looked at each other determination written in their faces. "It will begin at Kasr Sonnen." said Ezekiel in a low voice. "So it shall my friend so it shall, but it will certainly not end there." Azrael observed. "You were right in ordering Gideon to head there and in keeping it from the others. They will need his experience. I hope he can regroup and reach them in time. It will require all his expertise to achieve our objective." "Emperor knows how finely we hang in the balance. Gideon will be on time, he has never failed us. Ezekiel my friend, much blood is yet to be spilled even more destroyed. We will mourn others along with your close friend Azadael, but with the might of the unforgiven gathered in one place, we may just be able to disrupt the despoiler's plans. His hold on his forces and the strategic situation is far more tenuous than most would realise. He needs a big victory now because he wishes to crush our spirit. When he tries we shall be there to deny him that. Even at the cost of our chapter's venerated home." "That would indeed be high price grandmaster, but I am forced to agree with you. The hour is indeed dark" "May the emperor and the primarch bless our brothers and forgive me for what I am about to lead them in to." |
CHAPTER XXI: DESPERATE HOURS (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! |
