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[simison]

This thread will be an ongoing anthology of narratives set in the 5R AU.

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The Blood-Seekers by Sim
Era: The Halcyon Age

Factions: Halcyon Wardens

Gregory read the orders with calm patience. A century and a half of life had taught him that much. His Chief Tribune, Stefan, stood at his side. Gregory's grey eyes finished the last bit of text. “We are heading for the outer edges of Ultima. It looks like we will be maintaining our offensive stance, after all.“

Stefan, a stout marine, nodded heartedly. “Someone has to.”

“Indeed,“ Gregory affirmed as he passed the datapad to Stefan. As for himself, he clasped his hands behind his back as he surveyed the bridge. The Fifth Brigade boasted a legacy that only the original four could surpass. A legacy that Gregory had done his best to uphold and to honor. The Crimson Crusaders, as they were known, contained the largest portion of Terran legionaries outside of Irvin Ruel's First Brigade. Such a simple fact, yet one that had no doubt influenced the Crusader's tendency toward aggression and assault operations. At least, compared to the rest of the Wardens.

His eyes studied the stars beneath his midnight colored hair. With so many brigades being rerouted to holding and defensive operations, Gregory could not deny a fierce sense of satisfaction for avoiding that fate. Perhaps the brigade would celebrate tonight with their traditional meal of raw meat.

His mouth watered as the idea gained traction.

An Astartes could consume many sustenances lethal to a normal human, but raw meat would not have been considered a favorite meal for any space marine. The Crusaders were an exception since it had originally begun as a habit to maintain the Omophagea. Then came that one incident on Volska where he and his officer cadre had explicitly eaten raw flesh in front of their enemies. The Volkan Confederacy had been flirting with either defiance or submission to the Imperium at the time. After that messy meal, with blood dripping down Gregory's chin, the Volkans had chosen submission.

It ahead created their nickname as the Crimson Crusaders.

Edited by simison, 05 January 2021 - 01:12 AM.

[simison]

Game Night by Trajan

Era: Late Great Crusade

Factions: Red Eyes, Shadow Warriors, Iron Revenants

 

 

 

Theoderaf stood, deep in concentration. He knew that his next move would decide the course of the situation in front of him. The fate of the Imperium rested on his decision. His left hand slowly moved across the table, as he stroked his beard with his right.

Clever. Very clever. I have only one option left open to me. I must risk it.

He selected Alexandros and his Athenoi Terminators and moved them onto the objective in the centre of the war table. The models stood there defiantly, with the wreckage of xenos vehicles and their corpses strewn across the ground.

 

Araphel smiled. “An excellent move, Theo. The best move you could have made.” 

 

Rang Talyc started smiling too. “But too little, too late.”

 

Rang began his turn, revealing his plan as a horde of Orks descended on the elements of the Imperial forces surrounding Alexandros, and the Ork ranged firepower began pouring in. By the end, Alexandros stood alone, his bodyguards all killed. 

Araphel clapped Rang on the back. “Well done, Rang, though I’m not sure the Orkish brutes would be as tactically dexterous. You win by seven points to our measly six and three.”

Theoderaf relaxed and walked over, “And I don’t think the Eldar would stay around longer than the first turn.” All three Primarchs began laughing, as Theoderaf and Rang clasped arms.

[simison]

The Muddied Path by Trajan

“Are they all this easy?” Whispered Rang Talyc under his breath. He remained looking out into the crowd that lined the street, keeping a stern face and with his arms clasped behind his back. 

Araphel chuckled lowly, not audible to anyone but the two of them. “No, brother, and you should not expect them all to be like this. Even now, this compliance is not over, anything could still happen.” Araphel was also scanning the crowd, looking for threats even in this moment of triumph. Surrounded as they were by hundreds of Astartes, anyone would be foolish to attempt such a thing. 

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Araphel and Rang Talyc stood, pouring over the data laid out in front of them. The data slates scrolled and scrolled, showing hundreds, or even thousands of signals. The two Primarchs had spent hours going through all of them, organising them by location and time of sending. “Hmmm, this is a mess.” muttered Araphel. He dropped the data slate onto the desk, nearly breaking it without even meaning to. “One message says an invasion fleet has attacked a planet, then the next states that the world is in the grips of a civil war, then the next says everything is under control.” 

Rang nodded, standing back a bit from the table to better take in the whole picture. He stroked his chin as he contemplated the situation. “There is no discernible pattern from the messages, with planets sending signals seemingly at random. What do you suggest we do, brother?” 

Araphel walked around the table, joining his brother. “There must be something going on, even if we cannot determine what exactly. We shall divert the fleet west to deal with this, and there will be retribution for those responsible.” Araphel reached through the swarm of information and pointed at a single report. “This is the latest report, we shall investigate this first.” The table cleared of reports, a single holographic planet appearing with information on it presenting itself. “We head to the world of Ophidia.”