Iliatorie's Story

The Terrible sound of silence shattering was accompanied by the sudden appearance of a break in reality. It was nearly like the warp coming through into space, but where the warp was usually accompanied by the screams of the damned and demonic laughter, this break was clean and closely controlled. What chaotic energies there were were subdued and, if it were even possible, dissolved in another force.

From this break came an absolutely massive structure, nearly three hundred kilometers in length. it resembled nothing so much as a massive geode of rock and crystal. Oblong in shape, with several protrusions that made the whole thing appear like a thorned rose stem.

Immediatly the Imperium vessel was assaulted by a message which, for all intents and purposes, sounded like an orchestra of musical notes sang from the throat of some massive beast.

Essentially that's what it was. Thankfully, there was an embedded text based message in the audio signal. It read as follows.

We have come to offer assistance. After aid is rendered, we intend to speak with your leader. For your own safety, have all fighter craft return to the safety of your launch bays.

And with that, the massive ship began to glow in several hundred points across it's surface, as gemstone like objects began to shine with a soft blue light.

Another tear in space came from the more distant portions of the system as another rose up through a sparking tide. First seen by its fore a giant emblem of the Imperium upon the armor of his forehead. Then the eyes surfaced with the maw of a long wyrm showing it clad in armor. It's presence called out to the souls of dead Imperium soldiers as a gateway to their Emperor.

A long creature of power it replied to the noise in a rumbling draconic voice, "Wer kapral tiric ti rigluin aso."
It repeated itself for the benefit of the Imperium while heading for the ruined Halberd of Truth, "The Emperor does not need aid."

It coiled around the ruined imperial warship as huge eyes peer through the structure looking for isolated pockets of marines in the disabled ship. Its wide maw opens with sparks of teleportation as it moved anyone still alive to aperture loci inside its interior. While easily controlled by men Tolyl's interior was one of metal ribs and flesh. Psykers would find the dias control a silent place of supreme focus to select weapons of witchfire for their position in the long lateral line. Dead were simply stacked as cordwood in an anteroom along with pieces held in stasis. Jinhai would build vessels for Adeptus Interitus from what viable parts remained. Myrkul realized it needed weapons of war but vastly preferred mankind.

The Nova shell rocked the Shadowed Dawn to it's core the light Shields failed and massive explosions tore though the ship. The energy blast that spread from it only served to strengthen the Light Shields of the other ships caught in it though.

"Damage Report!" Shouted Nefertari as fires spread across the bridge.

"Shields are down and we report hull breaches all over the ship... Weapons at ten percent... Engines at twenty percent... Reactor is holding...for now." Reported an officer.

"We have incoming troop transports!" Reported another.

"Let them come! And let them find nothing but death!" Nefertari growled. "Set the self destruct and activate the rings!"

Nefertari and her crew would vanish into the ring transporters leaving only an empty ship and a countdown to death for the incoming space Marines. Nefertari and her crew would reappear on the Lightbringer Phoenix Down where she gave a new order.. "This is Nefertari from the new flagship Phoenix Down all ships free of imperium forces fall back to the planet Pax Arcana all ships infested with imperium scum set self destruct and get to the ring transporters if you can...if not may the Goddess guide you to her rest.."

Nefertari looked down to hide her face knowing she had just sent many of her people to thier death with her order as the Mauhasinan fleet flashed away to the planet all but those set to die set to take the enemy with them.

As the Marshal and his men boarded the enemy Flagship, they would find nothing but the empty ship. "Marshal! All hostile forces have fled the ship! Scanners indicate no lifeforms other than us in the ship!" A Space Marine reported and the Marshal gripped his fist. "Cowards! They flee from the Emperors finest!...However...I must give my Order..." The Marshal spoke as he put the pieces together. They were familiar with boarding, and an empty ship was a sign of self destruction. "This is Marshal Renalanus to all Battle Brothers in boarding action! Kill as many of these xenos as possible! Pray to the Emperor for deliverance! These xenos are all cowards worshiping a so called deity. They are no match for us so they crawl back to their holes they once crawled out from. They are no match for our zeal battle brothers! On my mark return to the Telliportarium!" The Marshal shouted into his vox as the Space Marines all roared with even more fury.

Black Templars charged forward, driving Chainswords across enemy armor with the strength of a Superhuman capable of ripping apart tanks. Bolt Pistol rounds soared through the air impacting anyone unfortunate to be in their line of fire. They ripped, tore and shot the enemy soldiers. "No mercy! No fear! No respite! By the Emperor let none survive!" Sergeants shouted over the roar of their chainswords. For the dead, the call to return to the Emperor was heard. The spirits of these fallen warriors began to head to the Emperors light to be reborn as part of the Legion of the Damned. To continue their fight even through death. But not this day.

The Remaining Imperial ships began to pull back from the enemy fleet, a tactical retreat was in order. No use chasing down cowards that flee and run from the warriors of the Emperor. Let them have this sector for in the future they would come back to show them the true might of the Emperor's fury.

Illiatorie grinned as vessels began to explode and flee. She knew that they were afraid, of her vessel and of herself. But she in the mind to play, and began looking for a suitable target to assault.

One of the forces had already departed, there was nothing she could do about that. In the meantime a massive metal "dragon" appeared in the sector. It was both amusing and insulting, so She decided she would destroy this affront to her race.

Of the remaining forces, the imperium vessels seemed decently armed, so she gave an order.

Moments later another signal was sent out, and this message was embedded in it. "We have deemed you a worthy foe. En garde."

A moment after that, billions of points of light spread across the three hundred kilometers of stone and crystal. These points of light became beams of raw energy that seared the void of space itself. Billions of burning beams strung out towards the imperial vessels, wrapping around the perimeter of their void shields.

Their retreat would not be allowed. Several thousand beams seared outward from the vessel, and created a lattice of raw power than absolutely shredded and melted anything that came in contact with it. Thus was the perimeter for this battle made.

Several of the imperium ships whose void shields were still intact would immediatly notice a serious problem as the energy wrapped around them. The beams nature, though they would not be able to understand it right away, was interacting with their gellar field, the tool that prevented Chaos from assaulting their vessels. This rendered unto them a terrible and dangerous choice. The only escape left to them was the Warp, but with the gellar fields disrupted, such would undoubtedly lead to their ultimate destruction, or defection, at the hands of chaos.


Illiatorie smiled. She believed her trap was inescapable, and saw to it that all her bases were covered. Now to see how well these primitive creatures would handle a real challenge.

Tolyl rose its large head to look at the interloper the eyes on one side twitching. He was busy after being told not to attack anyting and did not like being interrupted. Far too old for age to be important anymore, even before it met the being Myrkul, it was rather crotchety at times. No matter the creature that did the interrupting. Though the glimmering crystal palace had power, certainly, something borrowed perhaps. As always such for dragons he supposed as attached to the basal planes they were but this intraplanar breed he found most pernicious in habits. It was hardly surprising their only allies were ever each other and slaves.

"Small fragment of an inevitable confluence of a inner plane's greed and end of themselves in the roll of eons, by your actions against Myrkul's Vein's interests so be it.", Tolyl replied acidly in common.

The maw opened revealing a tortured space into an eye of destruction interior to an outer wyrm. It didn't attack the ship itself but the hollow chanting burning in from aether chiseled a shape onto the raw energy tether draining from the basal planes. Chaos wasn't the only force that played with self-perpetuating spellwork. A discordant spellplague shaped onto nether energy of that raw power connecting that could connect to both chaos and the gellar field. Pustules of an etheric infection would travel up such lines of power to its source spraying gouts of solar fire in every direction like a fuse alit.

As Imperial ships charged Warp Drive engines, something began to interfere with the Gellar Field as Tech Marines immediately had to cancel Warp Transit. "Attention, Gellar Fields are not working. We shall reinforce the Machine Spirit, Warp Transit is too dangerious to pursue." A Tech Marine spoke into Vox.

In Response the Imperium ships sent a Vox Transmition to the unknown fleet. "Attention hostile xenos, your life is now forfit. If you dare face the EMperor's angels of death then so be it." A Black Tempalr Space Marine ship captain spoke as said ship fired a single torpedo which suddenly faded out of existence. Along with many other ships firing torpedoes at the enemy.

It was a special torpedo that the enemy would not know what did, It was a Vortex warhead, one of the most dangerious superweapons the Imperium could use. However this warhead had vanished into the Warp. It could not be targeted, nor could the enemy know past the many other torpedos.

The Vortex warhead would suddenly appear next to the enemy fleet and detonate. A massive tear in reality opened up as a tear into the warp opened up. Like a black hole, it was dragging the unknown fleet into the Warp. With such force no ship was safe. However, the Imperium was at a safe distance away.

The Marshal listened to the Vox channels as his men had engaged the new fleet and detonated the Vortex warhead. Using a Teliporter homer he and the remaining Black Templars on Mauhasinan ships returned to Imperium ships. They were not one for holding back against the enemy. And if a xenos race wanted to fight, they would show them how to wage real war.

Iliatorie actively broadcast her laugh, a sound like a jumping roar, as the chaos rifts opened near her 300 kilometer long warship. The Imperium was attempting to suck a planet sized vessel through a straw.

In any case, Just as soon as those rifts opened, a flash of color, like that of an Aurora, flared across the surface of the ship. Immediatly the demons hiding just behind those rifts recoiled in pain, and perhaps even fear, and the rifts themselves were sealed closed.

Primitive mortal creatures, we mastered the sciences of interdimensional travel and control before you had even grown wings. The Great Greens thoughts echoed even across the void of space into the minds of any unprotected creatures across the local sector.

Immediatly following her inane comment, Her massive vessel began to shift as ports opened across it's surface, and massive stonelike creatures launched from those openings, and began to "swim" through the void of space towards the Imperial ships and the metaloid dragon.


Despite her obvious enthusiasm, Iliatorie was torn in regards to the metal dragon. On the one hand it was clearly a dragon, on the other it was obviously tainted by some strange influence and thus no longer could be considered worthy of the Collective. She felt pity and shame for the creature, it would have to be put down.

To that end, the crystal nodes began charging up again to fire at the dragon, the surface of the ship glowing and shining brightest towards the space dragon.

It either did not notice the infectious spellplague or did not care. Neither did it use its engines to cease meddling in its task. A knowledge of interdimensional travel indeed, thought tolyl, as he wondered how they'd weather all points as one as such things implied to the learned. A signal of its own transection engine to travel between dimensional space projecting gate manifolds whined to life as Tolyl cast his own line afield to a place nearby. A conduit into the surface of the nearby star.

High energy readings exploded in magnitude as a white burning light of hot stellar plasma raced through its own immense energy channels shaping the energy and perturbing its good nature. As ports in its side advancing with the energy changed from white to a grey Tolyl, unbinder, destroyer of spaces and things, ender of pockets of time, opened his toothy maw once more the huge teeth and inner flesh gleaming with the ley channels of outer dragons. Pointed directly at the creature's ship loosed from its maw a grey angular stream of a stellar malediction. A flare from the coronal ejecta of a sun shaped to touch the founding basal planes that supported dimensional life. It did not care if the plane shattered underneath its target as the bow shock of the beam left cracking eddies of tendrils showing ruined planar space. A destructive bow wake advanced rapidly toward the dragon's ship.

Arrogance...A word the Imperium was more than familiar with. Many of their enemies have shown arrogance to mankind, be it they believe to be far superior. To believe their knowledge and technology was impeccable. This unknown fleet called them Primitive mortals, they boasted their knowledge. How Arrogant they were to not realize that the powers of the Warp was far more dangerous than one could comprehend.

Their mighty leader, the Emperor himself designed the Vortex Warhead. It took more than just trying to seal it away, if that was the case then such a weapon would have been useless. Once a Vortex Warhead activated...the only way to stop it is to wait until it collapsed on itself...

The tear that the fleet thought they had sealed tore open with a vengeance, with the gravitational force of a Black Hole it began to suck in the planet sized ships as simply as a spider catching a fly on a web. The great powers of the Warp now shown with utter horror. Almost as if the demons that were scared away was a mere prank. The great powers of the Warp began to posses some ships, horribly mutating lesser ships and consuming them into abominations of flesh and technology. Crewman lost to these ships had their souls sucked out like a straw.

Of course the Imperial fleet showed no sympathy, of course with such a gravitational force even their own fleet was slowly moving forward. Thrusters soon went on full throttle to buy them time for the gravitational collapse to happen. The Marshal soon arrived at the Bridge of the new Flasghip and opened up communication with the enemy. "Arrogent lizards. You may call us primitive but the Emperor has bee naround since your ancestors were mewling Lizards. Capable not even of complex thought. May your race be damned in the Warp for all eternity! A fitting end for you xenos filth!" The Marshal spoke.

Of course, they did not forget about the enemy they were origionally engaging with. However due to the uninvited guests they were forced to pull back for now to deal with them later.

Iliatorie was irritated. The rifts that her crew had assured her had been sealed had reopened, unleashing unsightly demons and other monsters into their midst. Of course the Draconids were immune to chaos influence, but still, they were disgusting to look at.

And the metal dragon that she still had not determined what she wanted to do with, had unleashed some sort of solar realightnment that was redirecting raw power from nearby stars into the area. Again, this was inneffective as her warships weapons were designed to manipulate powerful surges of energy to initate neurophysical attacks against the enemy. Thus, the solar energy unleashed on the vessel was just redirected into the power reserves to be used later.

She turned her eyes at the rifts, and with a thought, dissolved them. They had not been sealed this time, but the entire phase space that they had presided within had been moved. They would not open again in this sector. That nulled, She turned then to the metal dragon, and the gems coating the outside of the planet sized vessel were ignited, and a series of crystaline appearing shards and ribbons began to form, before launching at the metal dragon to stab and wrap around it like a massive cage.

These objects were crafted from neurophysics, reacting at the speed of thought and, like an idea, were immune to most all forms of attack. If the Metal Dragon Could break them, then truly it would be revealed as the more pressing threat.

The imperium vessels however had made a terrible mistake. They had ignored the boarding parties of the Arkos war engines. These would crash into the imperium vessels and "chew" their way into them, boring a hole to release groups of Agnur Beserkers.

Ahh... the Agnur Berserkers Iliatorie smiled. Interesting to see how these humans deal with them. Seven feet and near seven hundred pounds of pure strength and destructive fury. The berserkers will rip, claw, and tear their way through the vessel in a single minded attempt to destroy it from within.

Even as she thought it, the Arkos had disgorged it's passengers. Seven feet tall, seven hundred forty five pounds each. Six Agnur berserkers per Arkos, with eight Arkos launched from the warship. Each Berserker carried two scythe like warglaive with which they would twist and shred their way through the tight corriders of a ship and tear their way through it. Unmitigated, they would quickly disable and destroy whatever ship they were on. Adding to this, their particular conditioning made them especially difficult to deal with. The phrase it gets worse before it gets better comes to mind with them, as the berserkers become damaged they become even more wild and destructive, their forceful output increasing until they become quite capable of tearing through a ships hull bare handed.

And now they are aboard your vessel, oh noble primitives. Now... how will you deal with such destruction?

Tolyl experimentally torqued at the crystals as its armor redirected the force of piercing crystals at other crystals. Immutable things certainly could not pierce each other as its recursion damper rapidly reconnected points of impact among its armor to other points of impact stopping the attack with itself though taking innumerable pockmarks in Tolyl's armor. Momentarily curious at their response a knowing arcane eye could see how resilient they were to such forces. Breaking the planespace underneath him to damage the crystal's ability to exist was an option. At least the ability or want of the plane to keep such a destructive force inside it certianly was often lacking! There was a better use for such a cage anchored only to Tolyl. Slowly, as not to arouse immediate suspicion Tolyl seemed to drift slowly as the transection drive pulled at extradimensional plane space instead of propelling through it. The lesser of Myrkul's Vein re-oriented its long body with slightly upcurled foreneck on a targeting vector to the dragon's ship.

With a power word weakening the space underneath explodes a cloud of broken shards of light refraction to ensure the crystals had nothing of utility to cling to. Out from the broken spatial noise roared engines that went from false drift to near-luminal velocity. Its interiors were partially isolated spaces the humankind inside it would not suffer an impact that did not pierce them. A creature with armor already capable of surviving an such an impact with its armor now clad in a well-anchored immutable cage it knew full well wouldn't be easily broken. One could use that to advantage. The crystal spear shot across the space in a moment aimed directly at the center of the ship.

Boarding parties, the enemy had made a terrible mistake. The crewman of these ships were not simple humans. They were Space Marines, some of humanities best warriors. More than that these Space Marines were the Black Templars, they were experts in close combat.

These genetically enhanced superhumans in their mighty power armor weighed a ton and were seven feet tall as well. However their movements were beyond that of any human. As if their armor weighed nothing on these Space Marines stormed the enemy invaders with holy fury. Acting faster than a human could blink they opened fire with Bolt Pistols that fired 1.0 caliber uranium tipped rocket propelled rounds. If this did not kill the enemy then they would use Chainswords to rip and tear at the enemy. Alongside these warriors, Sword Bretheran, Veterans of the Black Templars in Terminator armor. These goliaths weighed twice as much as a Space Marine.

They were armed with power swords. These weapons were not ordinary, the blades in their hands were possibly centuries old. Passed down from a Sword Bretheran that had no doubt fallen in battle and passed down to a worthy warrior to weild them. These swords exuded a hazy, blue-coloured field of energy that wraped around the blade. This weapon separated the atomic bond of their targets. No matter the target, no one was safe from these weapons and with the strength of a superhuman capable of ripping apart tanks. Alongside Terminator armor increasing their strength. No doubt nothing would stand very long.

Even the Marshal himself was not sittinh hfor long, he stormed out from the bridge more than eager to kill his fair share of xenos. Of course the creatures would have quite a difficult time tearing apart the Imperial ships from the inside. Each ship was painstakingly crafted from the finest and blessed materials. Each ship was designed to withstand hours in combat, even focus fire from an entire enemy fleet the former flagship held on to fire one last weapon. These ships were tough to say the least.

The Mauhasinan fleet stayed at the ready around the colony of Pax Arcana. They where ever watchful of the battle waiting to see how it would turn out.
"Ma'am we have word from the planet two more defensive guns are online and the Stargate as been opened to the home world." Informed an officer.
Nefertari just nodded with a smirk.

Down on the planet below the Stargate opened thousands of Mauhasinan troops and tanks pouring though the event horizon anyone trying to attack this planet now would have a nasty surprise waiting for them.

With a terrible crack, another vessel of the Collective appeared in local space, emitting a tone towards the larger warship. Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished, only a discordant rippling of energy that quickly arced and faded remained of where it had come and gone.

Iliatorie growled with displeasure. She had wanted to toy with the mortals some more. But despite her desire, she was an Escion, and thus Duty and Honor bound her and her decision. Within moments, the crystals scattered about the hull of her warship flashed brightly, and with a sound like a mirror shattering, the vessel vanished, leaving behind arcing strands of energy that melted any vessels unfortunate enough to get caught in their erratic paths, the Arkoss boarding vessels, and the forty eight remaining berserkers who ripped and tore through stone and metal as though it was tissue paper.

Oh sure the black nights were brave and strong, but the Berserkers were fury incarnate. Every injury to them filled them with greater rage and power, and made them even more destructive. By the time the primitives would cut their way throuh the bulk of them, the remainder would be cutting through the dense hulls of their ships like a meteor through space dust, all empowered by the sheer rage and destructive wrath that burned in their blood.

Of this Iliatorie was certain, That ship would be crippled and forced to find repairs once the last of her berserkers were slain, and that would ensure they remembered this encounter, and spoke of it to others. The name of the collective would become known throughout this galaxy.

The Berserkers made have had fury, however the Black Templars were just as furious. All the berserkers had managed was damage their holy ships and injure a few Space Marines, for the Veterans they hardly had a scratch on them. The clensing on their ships were thorough and merciless.

The Space Marines would remember this encounter, however the enemy had better watch their backs. These religious warriors were burning with fury and hatred at these new enemies. Their blades wanted vengeance for the damage done to them. The dragons would know fear, they already had dealt with a dragon and they would do it again.

All enemies of man would be destroyed, and it was a manner of time until they wiped all trace of this new enemy.