Chapter 9: ~The Siege of Terra~
As the traitors closed in on Terra, raveging the Sol Sector as they did so, the loyalists hurried to build up the defenses of Terra and furthermore, the Imperial Palace. Beautiful statues and paintings were torn down in favor for barricades and turrets, while entire rooms were remade to become armories, medbays, and forges. The Imperial Palace became more like the Imperial Bunker.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Perturabo walked through the bustling hallways of the Palace, directing the reinforcement of the glorious palace he had called home for so long. He walked over to one of the grand balconies, where a squad of Iron Warriors were readying an artillery cannon upon. There he also saw an Imperial Fists helping out, struggling to work with the Iron Warriors' machines. With a silent command, Perturabo asked the Iron Warriors to leave, leaving the Imperial Fists alone with the Iron King.
"L-lord Perturabo, sir!" The Fist exclaimed, dropping to one knee. The Primarch looked down at the marine, and frowned. Not with disappointment, but with sadness. His brother's legion had helped build and fortify the Imperial Palace, making it a grand piece of work. Now they had become disgusting traitors, with very few loyal among them.
"Rise, and tell me your name." Perturabo stated calmly. The Fist stood up, clearly still nervous.
"My name is Orus Poleguard. Sergeant of the 4th Company." He stood upright, clearly nervous but proud of his rank. Perturabo smiled internally. The Imperial Fists were always proud to be Fists. It was something he had admired about them. While he and Rogal Dorn were rivals, Perturabo had come to respect his legion. It was why he came as fast as he could to help them when an Ork WAAAGH had hit his empire.
Sighing, Perturabo placed a hand on Orus's shoulder plate.
"Orus Poleguard. Your legion's name had been damned by the actions of your Primarch, the person who had sole responsibility to keep you and your brothers away from the dangers of treachoury and vile magic of the Warp." He noticed Orus's posture slack a little. But Perturabo smiled.
"But despite that, you and your brothers who have stayed loyal and have assisted us in building and reinforcing the Palace you had helped build, despite our machinations being different from your own. For that I have a new role for you." Handing Orus a powerblade built by the primarch himself, Perturabo also handed him a seal made of pure iron.
"You will lead a portion of my Iron Warriors, Orus Poleguard. For you are my first Iron Fist."
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Loyalist survivors of Istvaan III had arrived not too soon afterwards the main efforts to reinforce the Palace began. They were heartbroken and enraged upon hearing of the events that had transpired since their escape, but they were ready to assist and defend the Palace from their former brothers. And that they did.
All the while, Loyalist forces were being recalled to Terra. No force brought their full might, but they did bring a lot of their forces. Astartes and Guardsmen rushed to their positions and last minute preparations were made. The last to arrive were the Night Lords, Thousand Sons, and Death Guard, their ships damaged but still plenty ready to fight off the incoming fleet of traitors. Magnus the Red also had an intense conversation with the Emperor, but no one knows what was spoken.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Magnus sat in the throne room, the Golden Throne lying dormant as his ritual on Posbero had sealed the Webway. His father stood in front of the throne, the Custodians standing across from him.
"Why close the Webway, Magnus? Now all of humanity will be forced to cross the Warp until a new situation has been found…" The Emperor turned to Magnus. Instead of rage or anger, Magnus saw tired eyes and a curious glint. Magnus sighed.
"If I had let the Webway open, the traitors would have gained access to it, and from what Mortarian, Konrad, and I theorized, the damage they would have done would have destroyed any chance we had of using the Webway. With it instead sealed, I may be able to find a proper way to open it. Though such actions will take time to not only discover but pull off." He looked deep within the Emperor's eyes, the only of his brothers to be able to do so. The Emperor was a being of pure and absolute power. But he was also a man of science and knowledge. The Emperor looked back to the now sealed Webway portal. And smiled.
"So be it. Now, let us deal with more pressing matters." He motioned for his custodians to follow him and Magnus, and the two discussed a grand ritual that could give them the edge.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In an effort to keep civilian casualties as low as possible, the World Eaters and Salamanders were ordered to guard every city and street, and bunkers were made in case the defenders could not keep the traitors out. The loyalist remainders of the Traitors scrambled to assist anyone they could, and every capable guardsmen rushed to the frontlines.
In a final effort to make the Imperial Palace unbreakable, Perturabo, Mortarian, Magnus the Red, and the Emperor performed a ritual and cast a powerful spell across the hallways and hidden tunnels underneath the Palace to become a labyrinth of undivided madness, but only to those not loyal the the Emperor of Mankind. And the spell was put in place just in time.
The Traitors had arrived.
Appearing from the Warp came thousands of attack cruisers, all bearing the flag of the Arch Traitor. And leading the charge was the Space Wolves' flagship, the Hrafnkel , Leman Russ's personal base of operations. Its hull was covered with daemonic runes and red fog floated all around it. It had become a daemon engine, bound to the Space Wolves' will.
The loyalist fleet readied every weapon it had, and the crews onboard prepared to get boarded. For a while, the two fleets just faced each other. But then a shot was fired, no one knew who, but it hit the Traitor's flagship.
And the Siege of Terra began.
The two sides clashed, ships trading blows while drop pods were launched, releasing traitors en masse and loyalists to help reinforce areas that were being attacked. Grand spectacles, heroic sacrifices, and mighty duals spread all across the planet. Every stone, every street, every stair was fought over with vicious intensity. But above all else were the duels between the Primarchs…
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vulkan fought wave after wave of traitors, their corrupted forms bringing tears to his eyes. How far his brothers had fallen to indulge in dark powers that damned their sons. Hopefully slaying the corrupted marines would bring them some sort of true peace.
A shot fired past his head and Vulkan whirled around, his hammer crushing a Raven Guard dreadnought. To his surprise, two mighty beings stood behind him, wearing the armor of Alpharius. But Vulkan just smiled.
"So the rumors were true…" He simply stated, standing upright, his mighty form towering over even other Primarchs. The Alpha Twins looked at each other, their helmets covering their faces, but Vulkan knew they were thinking about the most gruesome way to kill their former brother. Vulkan's Fire Drakes circled around him, facing off the Alpha Twins' honor guard.
And then they charged.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brother fought brother, son fought son, cousin fought cousin. The battles were everywhere.
But the Traitors were pushing the loyalists back. They took the Space Ports, and the Lion's Gate. And they were closing in on the main walls of the Imperial Palace. But before they could, the Alpha Legion's Primarchs were killed in combat, slain by a mightier Vulkan. As the two were leading the initial charge, the Chaos forces were thrown into true chaos, leading the loyalists to push them back and patch up the walls of the Palace.
Leman Russ's fury and frustration built as more and more mistakes were made. The Raven Guard, manipulated by the drive of Slaanesh, attacked the cities, killing thousands of civilians. Corvus Corax himself led his forces through the streets. Magnus the Red stood in his way though, using his great magic to banish Corvus into the Warp, and even dealt a massive blow to the Raven Guard by summoning a small sun that burnt the shadows the Raven Guard so dearly desired.
Rogal informed Leman Russ that the Siege would take another week before they could possibly break through again. Despite all the loyalist forces on Terra, there were still back up infantry on the way, and Leman knew that if they arrived, he and the Traitors would be crushed under the Imperium's knee. So he decided to end the battle with one blow.
By killing the Emperor.
He took Rogal and Logar with him and landed on the surface, two daemon Primarchs and an ascended Primarch of Chaos leading the forces of Chaos into battle, being heavily reinforced by the Ultramarines and Guilliman. Together they broke through the walls and into the Palace.
What they found though was a labyrinth. In the end, all the Primarchs were separated, with Leman Russ only having himself to face the Emperor.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Logar wandered through the now warped palace, statues on the ceiling and doors hiding pure nothingness behind them. While the confusion paled in comparison to the likes of the Lord of Change, it was mighty impressive, even to him.
"Oh dear father, hiding behind lies once again. As you always do…" He kept wandering, Erebus trailing behind him. Suddenly a large chainaxe whirled past Logar's head, and was pulled back by an unknown force. In front of them, fog dispersed to reveal Angron and his Devours. Angron held a grim expression, his chain ax glowing with intense energy. Logar simply chuckled before raising his mace, alight with daemonic fire.
"Oh Angron. You must know that you stand no chance against the likes of me, not now. I have ascended. You have merely learned a new trick." Logar would have rushed forward if Angron hadn't smiled in a way that was new to Logar. Angron was a kind Primarch, never having the Butcher's Nails thrust into his skull like his gladiator siblings. He smiled with kindness and understanding.
Not anymore. His smile was something of grim, dark, cruelty.
"You think I only know a new trick, Logar? Oh on the contrary. Magnus and our father taught us all something we all had deep within us." Angron raised his unarmed hand and suddenly a burst of pure emotion hit Logar and Erebus. Rage, sadness, and disgust built up within the Word Bearer and his Primarch. They fell to their knees, Angron slowly approached them, his hand raised.
"I could always absorb and silence emotions, dear brother. And now I can give them right back. I am channeling all the emotions of my sons into you and your pitiful vile disgusting servant." He raised his axe over Logar's head, looking down with a darkness only seen by Angron's closest friends and brothers.
And swung.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rogal rampaged forward, crashing through walls and killing any in his way. The plagues of Nurgle allowed him to tank any attack the loyalist fools threw at him. Dreadnaughts, artillery, psychic powers, everything and anything just fell apart around him. He growled in satisfaction, seeing his brother's fortifications fall around him. But the labyrinth that had overtaken the Palace was the one thing that didn't fall, as every hallway simply led to another. Fury built up inside him as he shouted.
"WHERE ARE YOU, PERTURABO? WHERE IS MY SO CALLED BROTHER THE LORD OF IRON?!" The Imperial Fist Primarch kept barging through walls, intent on now slaying his brother. Eventually, after killing thousands of loyalists, he came across a room he recognized.
His old forge. The Imperial Fists flag still stood dormant on the ceiling, his tools and forge silent and dormant. He growled, seeing his former glory in display right in front of him. Suddenly, the forges around him activated, fire roaring to an unheard of degree, even bruning the new Lord of Plagues. Rogal shielded his eyes, a quiet and quick wave of confusion flowing through him. And then a powerful force hit his back, sending Rogal crashing forward. Jumping to his diseased feet and turning around, Rogal finally found his prey.
Perturabo stood before him, armored in a new set of battle plates. In his hand the Lord of Iron held a hammer Rogal had never seen before. But it did not matter. Rogal roared with disgusting force and launched himself forward, his corrupted chainblade and Pain Glove raised to slay his former brother. Perturabo simply stepped aside, allowing the sickened Primarch to fall to the floor. Roaring once again, Rogal Dorn launched himself forward towards his brother. And again Perturabo dodged the attack. This repeated again and again, each time Rogal getting angrier and angrier.
"Why do you dodge!? Don't you see that nothing you can do can harm me?! I have become a true weapon of siege warfare! Something you can never even compare to!" He tried to rush Perturabo, but Perturabo simply caught him and threw him into the ceiling, crashing through it. Rogal crashed into the hallway he found himself in, Perturabo launching himself upwards into the hallway.
"You have turned into a monster, Rogal. A beast that needs to be put down. And I am the one to do just that." Perturabo suddenly slammed his fist into the ground, causing an eruption of bricks, earth, and gears to rush forward Rogal, hitting him with such force he was launched backwards, even his rotting form unable to quickly recuperate from the blow. Rogal tried to stand but in a flash Perturabo was in front of him. Perturabo leaned forward, his helmet whirling with life.
"Time to hear you howl." Perturabo grabbed the Pain Glove on Rogal's arm, fused with his very skin… and pulled.
Rogal did indeed howl, as his entire arm was ripped from his body.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mortarian walked through the palace walls, tracking the scent of one of his brothers. He knew the smell of the Lord of Ultramar, and was keen to get rid of his traitorous brother. He found Guilliman in the Palace Garden, the only place untouched by the Labyrinth spell. Guilliman held his first captain, Typhon, in his gauntlet, slowly squeezing the life out of his son. Mortarian dashed forward, slamming into Guilliman and releasing Typhon, who crashed to the floor unconscious. Guilliman turned to Mortarian, a dead cold expression written over his face.
"Oh… it's you. I was hoping it would have been Magnus. His psychic power would have been… nice to absorb." Guilliman raised his blade, the cold expression frozen in place. Mortarian raised his scythe Silence in return.
"I don't know what dark god you pledged yourself to, but you and your so-called Ultramarines will not take a single other life today. Not after I defeat you." Guilliman scoffed at Mortarian.
"You? Defeat me? You know such action would require you to have some skill I have never seen. I have analyzed all of us, brother. I know all your tricks." Mortarian smiled under his rebreather. Once, that may have been true. But Magnus had revealed a great secret to all of his loyal brothers. And Mortarian now had the potential to defeat Guilliman. Mortarian let Guilliman attack first, his blade raised and cold stare determined. But when Guilliman struck, all he hit was green toxic fog. Guilliman looked around, confusion now taking hold. Suddenly Mortarian appeared behind him, slashing his back, disappearing again as Guilliman tried to strike the Lord of Death with his gauntlet. Again Mortarian did this, now at Guilliman's side, cutting deep. Guilliman whirled at Mortarian, cold anger written all over. Mortarian blocked the blow before grabbing Guilliman's face and kneeing the Lord of Ultramar in the face, causing the Primarch to stagger back, holding his face. By the time he looked up, Mortarian was already in front of him, Silence drawn. Guilliman tried to block, but Mortarian predicted this and altered the course of his blade…
Slashing Guilliman's hands clean off. Guilliman just looked down in complete shock. Mortarian glared at his brother.
"Try learning that from your patron… brother." Before Guilliman could react, Mortarian kicked him in the gut, sending Guilliman flying, straight off the balcony and down towards the ground, where the Ultramarines fought against the Death Guard.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leman Russ had been trudging through the Palace, using his chaotic powers to aid him and break through the spells that took control of the Palace halls. Every spell he broke only vindicated his rage.
He eventually made it to the Throne Room, where the Emperor stood with Fulgrim, both warriors ready to fight off the grand Arch Traitor. Leman Russ howled in rage and victory, and launched himself forward, blades drawn and the runes of daemons flowing around him.
Had the Emperor been at full strength, the battle would have been short. But the spell that twisted the Palace had taken much out of him, being the one who had performed the ritual with the majority of his strength, giving it the power it needed. The battle was ferocious, both sides mighty and deadly. But Leman Russ had the favor of all four Chaos Gods, and had nothing left to lose. Thus he was able to overpower the Emperor, tossing Fulgrim to the side to leave for later. But before he could land the finishing blow to his father, Fulgrim rushed forward, screaming hatred and rage towards Leman. He stabbed Leman in the back, going in deep. But it wasn't enough and Leman turned to Fulgim, grabbed the Perfect Son…
And snapped his neck, instantly killing him.
The Emperor, having lost one of his sons to the Arch Traitor, flew into a furious rage, knowing his son was truly and forever lost. Grabbing the distracted traitor lord, the Emperor threw him out the window of the throne room and dashed out behind him, the two clashing in the air. Howls of fury erupted from Leman's mouth, slashing and striking the Emperor. But the Emperor kept the fall steady and fast.
The two crash to the ground, the Emperor's blade plunged straight through Leman's heart. Without hesitation, the Emperor then blasts his son's soul, rendering the once great Primarch utterly and truly defeated.
The Arch Traitor was dead.
The Space Wolves, distraught at the death of their Primarch, left Terra, taking their father's remains with them. As fast as it happened, the news of the Arch Traitor's death flew through the ranks of the Traitors, causing mast paranoia and chaos in the ranks. One by one the traitor legions left the planet, fearing the wrath of the loyalists.
The day was won, but at great cost. Millions of loyalists laid dead, Fulgrim had fallen, and the Emperor was dying. Constantin Valdor and Malcadore rushed the Emperor to the Golden Throne, where Perturabo, Magnus, and Vulkan awaited. The Emperor was placed on the Throne, and once all of his sons were gathered, the Emperor declared his last decrees of law.
The traitors were to be hunted down and destroyed, no matter how long it took. They were no more. And his traitorous sons were no more his sons. They were simply beasts to be hunted.
He also decreed the Warmaster Triad to be the new rulers of the Imperium, and that what they decreed would be law forward. With that, his eyes shut and the Golden Throne activated. His body was dead, but his mind was not. His essences would now forevermore guide the ships through the warp, and lend visions and instructions to those most loyal to him.
Perturabo and Mortarian were the most worried of the roles now thrust upon them, but with the Angel on their side, the two knew that they would help lead the Imperium into a new future. As the old future had been damned into pure absurdity, a new future would be charted. Together with Angron and Vulkan they crafted the Imperial Cult, as Magnus had observed an increase in power from the Golden Throne when people believed the Emperor a god. But they knew if the Imperium was built upon cruelty, Chaos would far easier take hold in the hearts of man, so they built on more principles of compassion and respect.
After that was built and the Imperium was slowly being put back together, the Imperium went on the Scouring, conquering, destroying, or "rewriting" entire worlds that declared themselves loyal to the Traitors. Worlds held like slaves were liberated and repaired.
One of the first acts of the Triad was making a deal with the Alderi, who had been fighting Chaos for as long as Humanity had existed. While distrust and hatred would forever exist, the two sides realized how much better the galaxy would be without the two species at war.
Slowly the Imperium began to once again prosper, but not to the scale that the Great Crusade brought. And slowly enemies of Mankind rose. In an effort to help bring humanity back from the brink, Magnus the Red decided to undergo his own pilgrimage, with Vulkan, Angron, and Konrad Curze both joining him. Each had their own goals in mind, but all united under the singular goal of Humanity survival.
Though their pilgrimage took them far into the stars, only one destination was made within the grasp of the Imperium… was Mars. No one knows what transpired there, but reports state there was a meeting between Magnus the Red, Belisarius Cawl, and Fabius Bile, who had been on Mars to assist with some new apothecary technology which blueprints had been found.
It is now the 41st millennium. The Warmaster Triad struggle to keep up with the threats that surround them, and the Imperial Navy, Inquisition, Mechanicus, Militarum, and Astartes Legions and Chapters struggle to defend their territory, even with the aid of the Aldarei and T'au. Ork WAAAGHS shred through planets, Necrons rise and rampage the galaxy on a twisted crusade, Tyrinaids ravage the galaxy looking for biomass, Dark Eldar raid outpost after outpost, stealing many important resources and documents. And within the Eye of Terror, whispers leak out of a new Wolf Crusade, where the leader of the now Wolf Legion, Bjorn the Hate Hearted, gathers the forces of Chaos under his banner, intent on releasing a 13th raid of pure evil into the Imperium, its eyes set on Cadia. T'au and Alderai pledge their aid in the upcoming attack, but with the forces of Chaos rising ever more, and the surrounding threats covering the Imperium's borders, the Imperium, and furthermore the galaxy, looks to the missing Primarchs, hoping for the return of any one of these great beings…
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Typhon stood defiant, his dreadnought frame radiating his potent psycher energy, staring down the forces of Chaos in the form of the Sons of Khorne. The howls of rage and thirst for blood radiated from the once great warriors as they rushed forward. Typhon just glared at them through his frame, raising his iron Pyscher Gauntlet, letting his psychic potential radiate from it. If this was to be his last stand, it would be one spoke for centuries to come.
Before he could bring down his fist, a sudden burst of Warp energy swarmed around the area, causing even the Sons to stop and look around. The sky slowly turned a deep shade of purple as a cyclone of pure energy grew in power in the center of the battlefield. And from came rushing a sight to behold.
Dark Angels, Sons of Horus, Iron Hands, Death Guard, every legion seemed to flow out of the cyclone, each wearing armor once thought to be no longer in action. They descended upon the Sons of Khorne in a vicious rage, tearing them apart. The Sons of Khorne tried to fight back but it was useless. These warriors were skilled beyond comprehension, capable of slaying squads of Terminators with a standard chainblade.
As Typhon watched in amazement, slowly out walked a massive figure. Metal claws, drills, and bolters sprouted from his back, and shining metal arms were exposed, the figure's armor battered and bruised, but the hands clean and scratchless. They wielded a powerful hammer wrapped with the light only seen by the Sister of Battle's Saints. The Figure clashed with the forces of Khorne, slaying everything in their path. Typhon slowly made his way to the figure, intent on figuring out if this entity was friend or foe. But before he could, a deafening roar was heard.
From overhead flew Abbadon the Bloodied, his red wings and a twisted frame that only matched Horus himself. Abbadon landed in front of the figure, growling with frustration.
" WHO ARE YOU, WARRIOR? I HAVE NEVER SEEN YOU BEFORE… AND YET YOU SCREAM OF FAMILIARITY… " The creature spoke with vile words. But the Figure stood silent and simply raised his hammer. Abbadon growled and launched forward. The two clashed, blade and hammer sending shockwaves throughout the battlefield. Typhon could barely stand as the two dualed. The battle edged on and on. But the Figure clearly wasn't giving any ground, while Abbadon was. Slowly but surely the Figure pushed Abbadon back before launching one of his metal hands forward and grasping Abbadon's armor. The armor melt and flowed around the Figure's hand, as if it was a liquid bound to their will. Abbadon shrieked in confusion and rage… but also fear. The Sons of Khorne's armor all began to ripple and bolter rounds and chainblades began to slash through the forces of Chaos, tearing them apart. Abbadon roared with rage and tried to swing his blade once again, but the blade melted and swarmed around the Figure's hand. The figure looked up, and the helmet that once concealed his face melted away, revealing an aged but still defiant face of a once thought dead Primarch…
"I lived, bastard…" Ferrus Manus growled before slamming the daemon prince straight in the face, the fluid metal ripping through Abbadon's skull, killing the daemon prince. The Sons of Khorne panicked and began to retreat, being slaughtered all along the way.
Typhon now could approach the Primarch freely, shock and awe swallowing the ancient warrior.
"Ferrus Manus… my lord? Is it really you?" He said with caution but also hope. Ferrus Manus turned to Typhon, and smiled.
"It is, Thypon. It seems you got yourself caught in quite the situation. But you are indeed lucky, as it appears my final ritual to leave the warp succeeded. Bringing me and my scavenged legion back to the Materium." He waved a hand towards his warriors, some who bowed towards the two ancient warriors. Typhon looked back to Ferrus Manus.
"Who is this legion, may I ask?" Ferrus looked to the legions, both fighting and securing the planet.
"They are my Legion of the Damned."
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
{And now, a word from the writer…}
HOLY SHIT IT'S FINALLY DONE!
The story of the Cipher Heresy is COMPLETE!!! HOLY FUCKING HELL!!! I hope you all liked it as much as I had writing it! I love the Horus Heresy and Warhammer 40k, and while I am STILL very new to this whole thing, I am happy to say that I probably won't be leaving any time soon. ALSO I WANTED TO SAY THIS: The Overview at the beginning of this has obviously been slightly disregarded here and there. But things that don't seem to make sense there and with the ACTUAL Heresy writing will be explained. Mainly the whole Logar thing. I have some… plans for Logar/Erebus *wink wink nudge nudge*
IN THE MEANTIME, as for the future of the Cipher Heresy…
The Codexs are going to be done, but don't expect them to be GOOD. And they will be QUITE slow. And possibly not in order. BUT THAT'S YOUR WARNING XD
Art will hopefully be done as well, and will be posted in batches, as I REALLY don't want to edit the same chapter over and over.
Short stories and such will also hopefully be written, but no promises. I DO plan to expand on the meeting of Magnus the Red, Belisarius Cawl, and Fabius Bile. As it will be VERY important for the Cipher Heresy current timeline.
As for anything else, I honestly don't know! I do hope that this Heresy gets to the same level as the Roboutian Heresy or the Fulgrimian Heresy as those two are probably my favorite Alt. Heresys! And maybe I'll be able to find someone who would be able to get some cool art for the Heresy done, but eh. Art is expensive to get REALLY good stuff. And no AI is NOT on the table, AI is fucking shit. But I hope you liked this as much as I did! If you guys have ANY questions or suggestions to help expand this universe and some characters within it, let me know! I still have a lot of lore to explore, and a lot of characters to play with! So if you have an idea, let me know!
Anyways, thanks for reading, and to the future of the Cipher Heresy!
-Rough Time