Sappers

The thin light of the false dawn caused the thick clouds of smoke to glow a pale orange. Vassilev scanned the empty streets from the advance chokepoints his men had spent the better part of the last two days building.

His eye caught the movement before he could make out any forms. He quickly recognized Groznii leading 4 other sappers. All of them were covered with soot and ash. All of them had dark stains on their clothes that could only come from blood. And all of them were almost stumbling with exhaustion.

They walked slowly, all thought of stealth forgotten. Groznii dragged a lasgun by the barrel. Everyone was silent - it seemed to Vassilev as if they were all holding their breath waiting for something to happen. The wooden stock dragging against the rockrete was the only sound in the predawn morning.

Vassilev stood up and walked to the center of the road with his bodyguard a few steps behind him.

"I knew I could count on Groznii. Didn't I tell you Sasha? If anyone can get the job done it is Piet Groznii."

Vassilev walked forward to to the sapper. "What did you see?"

Piet looked up into the eyes of the general. Vassilev stepped back in shock.

"Wha-" his voice trailed off as five long blades punched through Vassilev's back. The thing that was Piet Groznii opened his hand, the razor edges of his fingers shredding the general's internal organs. Vassilev slumped to his knees as the bodyguard opened fire. At this range it was impossible for the bodyguard to miss but neither Groznii nor his sappers fell.

They were quickly in amongst the guardsmen hacking and slashing with bladed hands, reaping a terrible harvest of the shocked troopers. Lieutenant Sasha Vorgen was the first to recover.

"Tight discipline, men! Cut the bastards down! For Vassilev and for Vostroya!"

As the shock of the ambush wore off the soldiers of the the First Born began to lay down heavy disciplined fire and with the weight of numbers, the outcome was never truly in doubt. Piet Groznii was the last to fall but by the time he did, there was no flesh left. Just a bloody, charred, skeleton that somehow seemed to glimmer in the flashing light of the lasrifles.

General Anton Vassilev watched the flashing lights of explosions for the third night in a row as the Helian Hive died. For the last two nights he held position deploying scouts only in the morning.

All had returned empty handed with stories of buildings that were just missing, seemingly plucked from the earth by some giant hand leaving only a graveyard of pipes and wires. The occasional fire still burned but there were no bodies - either human or whatever had been waging silent war upon them.

"Damn it! I need eyes to fight these bastards!" He stroked out the waxed curls of his long mustache in thought.

He finally let out a long sigh.

"Groznii. Front and center."

The wiry sergeant of the regiment's sapper unit jogged forward. Piet Groznii had served under General Vassilev since he was a captain and Piet a raw recruit. He was tough, he was fast and most of all, he was a sneaky sonofabitch. And that was what Vassilev needed now.

"Piet, need eyes. I need to know what we are up against and I know that I am sending you into the crucible. I wouldn't do this were there any other way. Take your best men and avoid contact at all costs."

Groznii pointed out 10 of his men.

"Get your gear. Tunnel kit only. We leave in 5 minutes." Some groaned and all looked apprehensive.

"I expect a little of the good stuff when we get back, General. Private reserve, if you catch my drift."

"Bring my intel and I will pour it myself until you puke. Good luck, Piet. The Emperor protects."

"Let's hope so."

On board "The Pride of Argon"

"That is the entire message, lord."

Marshal Lacron stood still as a statue. The bridge of "The Pride of Argon" was silent, awaiting word from the master of the Crusade.

"Direct all relevant records on this system to my ready room."

Lacron walked across the bridge into his sanctum his dark utility kaftan fluttering with his pace. As he entered the room he called back to his equerry.

"Summon my castellans and bring us wine."

The door shut behind him as the crew on the bridge burst into activity, obeying their lord's commands.

Lacron walked to the datable. Already information was filling the large flat screen. The datable was one of a handful left to the Chapter. A huge circular table with a smooth glasslike surface it was capable of displaying and collating large amounts of data.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ ACCESSING... ACCESSING... ACCESSING... +
+ RECORD: GEOSURVEYOR REPORT 238/174 +
+ RECORD: COLL. SHEPARD'S REACH +
+ THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: KNOW YOUR PLACE AND DO NOT EXCEED IT+
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Shepard's Reach - Planetary Survey

Segmentum: Obscurus
Sector: Gothic
Subsector: Mendagon
Syst------

+command received...skipping...skipping...skipping...+

Shepard's Reach marks the end of Warmaster Helian Shepard's Crusade to expand the borders of the Gothic Sector. The success of this crusade is often a topic of heated debate amongst historians as it was responsible for the claiming of 174 worlds but also the loss of eight full guard regiments and the Space Marine Chapter Predators of Vellian. The guard losses were deemed acceptable but the strength of the Predators was so diminished that the Chapter had to be dissolved.

Shepard's Reach was unique of the worlds claimed in that it had no indigenous life despite an clean atmosphere and abundant water supplies. Warmaster Shepard himself was tired and claimed the world as his own, a reward for the services in the Emperor's name. He kept the remaining guardsmen as PDF and allowed the camp followers to settle the world with him.

Shepard's Reach

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++ ASTROPATHIC DUCT - NOT AVAILABLE ++
++ GENERAL DISTRESS ++
++ SENDER: GENERAL ANTON VASSILEV, 187TH VOSTROYAN ++
++ THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: A LIFE LOST IN THE EMPEROR'S NAME IS NOT FORGOTTEN ++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"-this damn thing on?"

"Yes sir, but vid is still on the outs. Maybe, I dunno, hopefully the audio will be enough."

"It will have to be. This is General Anton Vassilev, commander of the 187th Vostroyan First Born. Shepard's Reach is under siege. The entire world, somehow. I don't know. I don't have many answers, but the astropathic choir was killed... slaughtered rather, ten days past. Since then we have been unable to contact Argas, Venellon or any of the other cities on the third continent. In the last 3 days we have lost contact with ones closer to us. I issued orders under situation extremis to recall all patrols and garrisons to us here at the capital. Riots have broken out in the streets as the population begins to panic. The Arbites are stretched thin and have begun to set up field prisons for the more egregious instigators. The rest of the world seems silent at this point but we have yet to face our enemy. This is a general distress call."

"That is about it sir, we are losing power. I can't really expl-"