Sacking of Beilas

Beilas was nothing more but a quiet Agri-World with a dark and unknown past, soon however it would be host to a war of untold savagery and bloodshed. Here on these green plains and in the depths of these vast jungles, mighty Space Marines, vile Dark Eldar, savage Kroot, and twisted Chaos Marines will struggle in a war that will ring through out the annals of history as one of the most dire fought in the name of the Imperium.

Chapter 1: Bird of Prey
Silinurl Luvt looked upon a small green world from the bridge of his flagship ''Chance's Dagger. ''The pitiful Agri-World was home to over 400,000,000 humans...each a potential toy for years of entertainment and sustenance. But Luvt had not chosen this world simply because of the pitiful inhabitants, no, the Deamon that clung to his soul told of a far greater prize to come... much more exotic and durable pets to capture and subject to untold eons of pain and suffering. Luvt quivered at the thought, the Kabalites on the bridge took notice, most were quite anxious to begin the raid. Twice their Archon had brought the fleet in orbit of a planet only to suddenly order that they leave.

"M-my Lord?" A particularly bold Kabalite managed, "We.." he swallowed as the Archon slowly, menacingly, turned to face him, "We are raiding this particular world..yes?"

Silinurl Luvt turned over his favorite finger bone in the palm of his hand, "Perhaps..." he gazed at the finger bone "Perhaps not..." he suddenly spun to face the planet. "We shall let...luck..decide.." he flipped the finger bone, high into the air, and caught it all without taking his eyes off the green sphere that lay before him. He didn't need to look to know what it landed on..nore did he truley care. "Ready the Ravagers."

Chapter 2: A Hole in the Sun
Jorden Moris was just like any boy of his age. He worked in the fields with his father and three brothers, then he'd play in the various thickets just outside the boundaries of the jungles that bordered his small farming village, sometimes, to prove just how brave he was, he'd venture to the edge of the jungle... peer into its murky shadows and imagine what wonders lay there. Well he used to do that, until his father caught him one day and scolded him, "You never know what kind of horrors lurk in places like that!" he had shouted, now Jorden always stayed well away from the jungles..but every now and then he'd find his eye drawn to the treeline.

It was a typical day, Jorden was feeding the Grox their usual slop, when the animals suddenly scattered. He looked everywhere for any sign of the usual suspects for spooking the Grox, he was unsure what was going on until he saw his youngest brother, Ferris, gawking at the sky. Jorden looked up and was astonished by what he saw, a black, swirling vortex, had opened in the sun. Suddenly, what looked like, boats poured from the hole, some went racing East towards the city where Jordens family sold their crops, but others came his way.

He was unsure how to react at first, he gawked like his brother, the sky boats came at a blinding speed, faster than anything he had ever seen. Soon he could see dark figures, hanging from the sides and on the deck of the strange but foreboding ships. Ferris suddenly sprinted inside the small cottage Jorden knew as home, screaming with terror, Jorden stood where he was, overcome by both looming fear and strange awe as the ships eldritch markings came into view. At that moment one of the ships seems to launch a blazing stream of black energy that completely incinerated a house on the edge of the village, Jorden absentmindedly thought of the people that lived there...suddenly the realization hit him, those people...were dead..and those ships...were..

"XENOS!" someone screamed, or was it him? Suddenly Jorden found himself running, he didn't remember clearing the levies, but soon he was in the middle of the feilds. The crop was up to his head, he tripped and fell flat on his face, he rolled over just in time to see one of the evil ships fly overhead, he prayed to the God Emperor that the xenos didn't see him, he prayed that everyone would be alright.

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Jorden lay there for what felt like an eternity, to scared to move, it was night...the screams and shooting was gone, but the dried tears on his cheeks still stung. Everyone was dead, he knew it, as much of him wanted to hope and pray it was otherwise, they were dead. Everything he knew about xenos, told him that his parents, his friends, his brothers, all dead, no other result. He had to get out, he had to run, but he was too scared. He fought himself to move, fought the instincts of a ten year old child, his family was dead, he had to be a man now.

Slowly, he rolled over on his stomach, and inched forward on his belly. He couldn't see in front of him but he didn't care, he had to get away, anywhere was better than here, anywhere. It was pitch black, the sky only lit by pale starlight, Beilas didn't have a moon. Suddenly he felt something, cold, lumpy, he felt his hands across it, he felt somthing wet, he smelled blood. Realizing that this was the body of a human being he recoiled from it like it was a poisonous serpent. He crawled around it but soon another blocked his way, and after that one, another. He had worked his way though more bodied than he would dare count, in his mind he kept reciting the litanies he had learned in school. 'The Emperor Protects, The Emperor Protects...' he turned the thought over and over in his mind, he wanted to stop, oh how he wanted to curl up and cry, but something wouldn't let him, something egged him on.

He never knew the Scourges were watching his every move...

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Marsgrech could hardly contain himself, here was a perfectly innocent soul, a human boy of such pure heart. 'Oh how I love children...'  Marsgrech thought to himself, he circled the child for the hundredth time, sucking up his despair and sorrow. Then an errant wingbeat disrupted his focus, he glared at one of his fellow Scourges,  Menshad's way of showing his displeasure that his talons were not deep in the child's soft flesh at this very moment. Marsgrech's glare silenced his charge, he was the Solitare after all, and  Marsgrech ruled by fear and fear alone, his Scourges did well to entertain their Solitares "refined" appetites lest he rend them apart.

Marsgrech watched as the child stopped at the edge of the field...there was that small expanse of flat, open ground before the "safety" of the jungles. He sampled the wide array of emotions that suddenly rushed through the child, hope, fear, regret, uncertainty. Subtle emotions that  Menshad's underdeveloped pallet refused to savor.

Menshad saw the child dart into the jungle, it took every ounce of will to resist the urge, nay, the NEED to swoop down and drag the little morsel from the precived safety of the thick undergrowth. But he followed his orders, and followed his Solitare and two comrades, Simragoach and Falismcar, over the jungle. He felt the child's pure joy at making it to his goal..but then the fear..oh such exuberant fear! Perhaps Marsgrech did know a thing or two after all.

Chapter 3: Black Wings
Jorden ran for as long as he could before he collapsed from exaustion, the sun began to rise but he had no clue what time it was, the jungle canopy blocked out any light. He crawled into a hole in an ancient looking mangrove tree, he let sleep take him..it was no pleasant sleep...it was the sleep of necessity, dreamless, black as the void. He awoke to a faint sound, and as soon as he opened his eyes, hoped this was a nightmare. Looking back at him were two burning red eyes, set in a black, avian helm...it reached out so quickly he coulden't even react and flung him from his hole and face first in the dirt with one fluid motion. Jorden scrambled to get himself upright as the xeno alighted before him, clad in sinister black armor adorned with finely preened feathers and remains of various beings. What was most disturbing was, aside from the wings, helm, and taloned feet, the creature bore the body of a human female, an attractive one at that.

It took one menacing step towards him, at this moment he realized that three others had alighted upon the surrounding trees, as if and audiance to some dark spectial. The xeno placed a taloned foot upon his chest and slowly dug in, the pain was excrusiating...deep enough to draw blood but nothing deadly..yet.

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"Make it quick  Simragoach, I want to be b-back in the air before my S-s-shudderstep wears off!" Falismcar jeered from his perch, his usual twitch (a result of a nasty crash a few years back) on full display now as he was easily excited.

"Falismcar...one dose not simply..." She pinned the human child to a tree with her dextiorus yet powerful talons "make it quick.. you savor morsels like these."

Menshad scoffed "As I know it Simragoach, you like to 'savor' more than the rest of us care to watch."

Simragoach shot a venomus glare at Menshad who simply crossed his arms indignatly in response. Simragoach then turned her eyes to her prey item, a small, well muscled, human boy. He could not be much more than a juvinile, such was his sature and fear in his eyes, already tears streaked down his cheeks and the smell of urin permiated the air, Simragoach took in the 'ambiance' of this, and relished it so. Slowly she dug her talons deeper into soft flesh, a pained wine worked its way out of her preys mouth followed by a feeble, "Please!" Oh how that word enticed her...

Suddenly she heard her comm system insider her helm crackle to life, "Marsgrech, why is your squad knee deep in the blasted jungles?!" It was her Archon, he was adressing the Solitar though a squad wide communication, "Your orders were very very simple, an idiot like you certainly has some vastly entertaining reason to abandon your post but I am in no mood to enterain your pitiful exuses. Regroup with the main force at the eastern hovle or I will have my brother flay you alive and I will dine on your heart, seeing as your brain matter would be lacking in sustinance! "

"My Lord we wer-"

"Are you actually trying to excuse your conduct after I expresly said I was not interested? Tell me,  Marsgrech, when the Haemonculi put you under the knife, did the happen to have an Ork go poking around in your head?"

At this  Marsgrech scilenced himself and the comms followed suit... a long scilence followed.. "Leave the child.."

Simragoach was appaled by this order, "But, Solitare!"

Within the blink of an eye he was on her, talons biting down onto her throat, "YOU WISH TO CHALLANGE MY AUTHORITY?"

"N-no...sir." Simragoach managed weakly before he relased her and took off in a cry of fury, the others followed suit...save for Simragoach..who glared at the boy for a moment. Suddenly she drew a knife and hurled it at him, the blade grazed his cheek, but still it cut deep. She then took off without a sound, she had marked him, he would be hers..sooner or later.

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Jorden lay where he was for the longest time, petrifyed, 'What were those things?' he thought but more importantly 'Why did they leave me alive?' Regardless he put his thoughts aside and managed to get to his feet only to have the stinging pain of his wounds bring him back down again..he lay there and sobbed, deafeated, he could not go on, there was no way he could..then suddenly a sound..like the hum of a tractors engine but much fainter, caught his atterntion. He turned to see yet another astonishing sight, as if the last was not enough, at least this one gave him hope.

Chapter 4: Web We Weave
Sinikogh strode throught the burning, rubble filled streets of a nearly depopulated city. It had scarecely been three hours and already the Archon was sending the Avian Lord and his pets out on missions to clean up any stragglers of the pitful human millitas that tried to protect the citizens of this planet. Though Sinikogh could be mounted upon his Red Rarivs flying high above the burning city, he'd rather be on the ground with his beloved pets, and futhermore he didn't trust these Kroot mercenaries with his Jarveks any more than a human would trust an Ork with a volitile explosive. Regardless the patrol was proving uneventfull as usual, until one of his pets picked up a sent, the dinosauriod let loose a blood chilling screech and went darting off with a small pack of three of its fellows at its heels, the other seven waited for the prey to be flushed out of the nearby building.

"Your beasts are...well trained." one of the Kroot Carnivores observed, Sinikogh knew this particular Kroot as Okkin. He had remembered the name because it was Okkin that weilded a Bolter as opposed to the usual Kroot Gun, he was also noticably more muscular than his fellows, a result of an Ork "diet" Sinikogh was certain.

"Of course they are, I am known as an Avian Lord, not 'Avian Shepard'."

Okkin cocked his head in an inqusitive manner "I do not understand."

"Of course you don't. As a Lord, I order and they obey, I do not guide them, I control them. There is a substantial difference."

Okkin looked upon the smug Dark Eldar, most if his kind was insufferable, but this particular individual was almost more than the Kroot could bear. Though the Kabal of the Skewering Feather had done the Banished Kindred good in the past at this current juncture that alone was keeping Okkin from tearing the Dark Eldars throat out and feasting upon his still warm corpse.

The Javrek sounded again, this time followed by a scream, Okkin knew it wasen't a deathknell. 'Very well trained ' the Kroot thought as he saw the Jarveks drag a young human woman from the rubble, more or less unscathed. Sinikogh gave a quick handsignal and rattled off some quick order in his native toung and the beasts backed off of their quarry..but never quite moved out of potental leaping distance. Okkins Shaper, Morking, gave the order to restrain the human, this one was a good find, young, good looking, she would be worth at least a few swords if nothing more. Okkin leaped forth and quickly grabbed the feble human by the neck, dragging her helplessly to the Dark Eldar, he had to confirm the price. He stood the now babbling female before Sinikogh, a quick roar and a sharp jostling to scilence her, Morking always said that the Kabalites of the Skewing Feather liked their slaves quiet when 'not in use' and having one jabber on during pricing was bad for buisness. "How much for this one?"

The Dark Eldar looked perplexed for a moment than a small smile flashed behind his avian mask, "Nothing, my pets found it, it belongs to me, free of charge." At the utterance of 'free of charge' almost every Kroot of the squad tensed, they would not be cheated, they were present and by their contract, were to be payed for the human regardless of how active their role was in its capture. Sinikogh new this of course, in fact the Archon had made it quite clear, but he wanted to see what would happen, now however seeing death in Okkins eyes, and knowing firsthand how violently Kroot react when cheated, Sinikogh quickly refrained as infighting would not only be a waste of time, but anger the Archon greatly.

"Two Agonisers." he stated, eyes watching the Kroot relax their grip on their weapons.

Morking stepped forward to negociate, odd that Morking would be the one to negociate as he could barely speak due to his heavily damaged beak, let alone haggle, yet as was tradition in the Banished Kindred, the Shaper always negociated. "This one young, last long, three Agonisers."

"Two Agonisers, and a dose of Sudderstep." Sinikogh countered, knowing Morkings weakness for the drug.

"Two Agonisers, and dose of Shudderstep for me and Carnivores." the fourteen Kroot present each gave a growl of approval at this, save for Okkin who simply nodded, arms crossed over his thick chest, ensuring the female could not escape.

Sinikogh wanted to haggle the damned Shaper down to a Splinter Pistol and three doses of Shudderstep but he knew that now was not the time. His pets had begun to sniff the air which ment something was drawing near, and he didn't fancy getting ambushed while dealing for one pitiful slave. "Very well, Two Agonisers and enough Shudderstep for you and your Carnivores." The Kroot all grunted in agreement and Morking nodded to seal the deal, then directed two of his Kroot to 'escort' the soon to be slave to the waiting Kabalite camp to the west only a few miles from their current location, a signed bill of sale in their hands to ensure payment as quickly as possible.

After the two Carnivores had left with the slave, Sinikogh noticed a change in his Jarvek, they were moving slower showing far more caution, he had worked with this particular pack for years now and never had he seen them act in such a manner. It ment something was here, somthing that by instinct the Jarvek precived as a threat, not a prey item. He could have warned the Kroot but, well where was the fun in that?

One of the Kroot Wrasks alighted on what seemed to be the burnt out remaines of some vehicle, civilian by the looks of it, its masked echoed the sound of it sniffing the air, deeply testing the surrounding sents, in two of its upper most hands it held a pair of chainaxes, and in its thrid lower arm, a primitve flintlock bolt pistol. Its heavily muscled from rippled and spoke deeply of a diet of Ork and Space Marine. "I Sssmell...Sspace Marines.."

The rest of the Carnivores immideatly took notice, Okkin held his bolter at the ready and Morking sniffed the air to confirm the Wracks report, he gave a quick roar and the rest of the squad immiedatly went to work and the Jarvek piled into the nearby buildings in order to flush out the Astartes. They scanned, sniffed, scanned some more, Okkin however, never took his eyes off the various windows that made up the various buildings...something told him that if they were just now senting them...

Suddenly explosions rocked the ground, concussion grenades, Sinikogh was nocked uncerimoniously to his feet as the Kroot scrambled, then he heard something, a blood curdling screech as one of his Jarvek flew through the third story of a nearby building, landing with a sickining crunch. The Space Marines lept from the buildings, there were at least four that lept,  anti-gravity packs hurling them to their targets with a loud thrumming like a thousand angry bees. The first one to land crushed a Carnivore on impact, the armored behemoth looked Sinikogh square in his eyes and leveled his bolt pistol, only to have three Jarvek leap upon him. The Space Marine lashed out with its sword, not a power sword Sinikogh deduced quickly but none the less the blade was sharp enough to gut one of the offending Jarvek with ease. The Avian Lord lashed out swiftly at the Space Marine, his Agoniser finding the green juggernauts throat and promptly spilling all of its contents, yet still as it fell the gene-warrior killed one more Jarvek with a scileneced bolt round to the skull.

With the nearest threat delt with Sinikogh turned his attention to the Kroot, they were not doing well, already six of their number had fallen, and more Space Marines seemed to pile out of the various buildings and cervasses, mostly Assault Marines by the look of them though he had never seen them using Anti-Gravity Jump Packs. A group of what looked like Devastaitor Marines stood on the fourth floor of an adjacent building, heavy bolter fire and rockets soon filled the air. Sinikogh commanded his remaining pets to assault those damned Devastaitors while he had two Jarvek flank him as he sprinted twoards the nearst Assault Marine.

The Marine took notice, but that was as much as he did before Sinikogh swung his Agoniser and tore out the back of his knees as the Space Marine fell to the ground, the Jarvek lept upon him, ripping at whatever their claws and fangs could get at. Silikogh saw another one charge him, the blade narrowly slicing past him as he sidestepped it, then another slice, and another, he toyed with the Space Marine, danced an elegent dance of blades. The he lept into the air, arms spread like some dark bird of prey, and brought his Agoniser forth with one swift motion, a smile curved his lips as he heard the Space Marine roar in agony as his blade tore through his eyes in one sweep, the helmet providing as much resistance as a newborns flesh. His Jarveks dispatched the blinded Space Marine as their distant brothers began to assault the Devastators.

Silikogh was having quite the enjoyable time, these Space Marines were much more handy with a blade than others he'd fought in the past, they would be ideal pets should he domesticate one. Soon found himself surrounded by three more of these clumsy hulks of platesteel. One lunged forward, words to his dead Emperor on his lips but they would never be heard, for the Avian Lords Agoniser foraged itself a path though his vox caster and down his throat. With one motion, he sent the Space Marines internals spewing out of his mouth. The other two were not detered by this, and rushed forward to avenge their fallen. 'Ugh so predicable.' Silikogh thought as he tastelessly tore open one of the pairs throat with his monomolecular nails. The final one suddenly doged his half hearted Agoniser swing, much to the Dark Eldars surprise, and delivered a brutal punch. 'Prehaps I allowed that.' He thought absentmindedly as he flew through the air, when he came to a stop he found the Space Marine flying through the air on his Gravity Pack, bearing down on him, funny, it thought he was vulnerable. Silikogh rolled to the side, lept, and was immidiately in the air on a collision course with the metor of steel and blade,he gracefully flew past his foe, his Agoniser slicing the Space Marine in twain. However, as the hulk fell past him Silikogh felt the impact of two bolt rounds punching through his lower back, the Space Marines final defiant insult.

The Dark Eldar landed gracefully but immideatly fell to his knees, 'Drat! Bleeding? Now?!', Silikogh cursed his rotten luck. How the meger two rounds peneitraited his armor, including the sheilding, he had no idea, but it certainly hurt. He forced himself to stand just in time to see yet another Space Marine charging him, 'Well, this is it.' Silikogh thought as he feebly lifted his Agoniser, he could at least bring this behmoth down if he was lucky. However, it was not to be as Okkin blindsided the Space Marine with bolter fire. 'Saved by a Kroot?! Ugh I'd rather be dead!' Silikogh thought outraged, never the less he grudgingly accepted Okkins intervention as he aided the Avian Lord in fleeing the feild of battle. Silikogh looked back, the Kroot were in retreat, leaving some of the more blood crazed Wracks to buy them time, only three of his pets managed to survive the skrimish.

"Carnivore.." he managed through his own blood to Okkin who now supported the shambling Avian Lord, the bolts had done some serious damage, frag rounds no doubt. The Kroot looked expectantly at him.

"If you secure one of those-" a wretched cough forced its way though his clenched teeth "those Space Marines for me..they pay will be.. substantal."

Okkin looked back to the bloody scene unfolding behind them as the Assault Marines closed in on the Wracks. The Devastators had been scilenced but none of the Jarvek that assaulted them survived. The streets were stained with blood and chunks of flesh.

"Depends," the Kroot returned his gaze to the Dark Eldar, "what do you mean by 'Substantial'?"

Chapter 5: Comming of the Storm
Blackness...pitch blackness...a crown, great and spiked sat atop His head.. "The gate must open... the pain must be great... and the carnage... must wet the soil to the bedrock."

Ingar was bowed at the knees before his altar, the fresh blood of slaves still dripping from his gauntlets, "Of course my King, that is a given! But..the...gateway-"

"Did I ask... for your questions?" His gaze.. so awe inspireing, his form, so great.

"No my King."

"Remember your place... remeber your creed... remeber... my... generosity." He began to fade "Above all... remeber... my reach." Pain, quick, but great... a reminder.

"Yes...Black King." The vision was gone, the blood soaked altar now lay dormant, Ingar Blackspawn, Chief Chaos Sorcerer of the Storm Draugar, rose to his feet. The hour was upon him, he hastened to the bridge of The Storm, the anceint vessle still bore an aura of might and dread that Ingar still felt after all these eons... it was a good felling, it reminded him of the task at hand. Flanked by his loyal Sorcerers, Ingar strode onto the bridge of the deadly crusier, and was greeted by the usual sight of various human slaves and cultists scrambling about the various moniters and scanners, the mercenaries standing at attention, and of course, the hulking form of his older brother, Malak Blackspawn. Malak stood, a white and black mountain of adamantium and malice, his helmet already dawned for battle, the red eyes pratcially burining with anticipation.

Ingar knew that look all to well and a smile greeted his otherwise scared and hawkish features, "So ready for battle you forget your post brother?" Ingar mused aloud, noticing the surpising lack of barking orders that his brother often did.

A wolfish grin spread beinth the helm at the sound of the familiar quip, "Why should I bother? Your only going to reorganise these sods once I make landfall."

"True, brother, true." Ingar stood at his brothers side, his eyes fixe on the small Imperial world, green, lush, full of life. 'Somewhere on that planet lay something so-'

"Damn!" Malaks curse tore his brother from his musings, "Dark Eldar have beset the planet!"

Ingars eyes fell upon the enhanced image, sure enough there was a small fleet of Dark Eldar vessles. "This complicates things much more than I'd like brother..." Ingar began as saw his elder brothers fists clench, and in his mind could already feel his rage. "I sugge-"

"No... I will deal with the xenos scum." Murder seethed from his voice, Malaks mind was a storm of violent imagry, 'THIS WORLD IS MINE TO BURN!' His mind roared out and it took every ounce of restraint to keep that thought internal. "You will find the relic."

Ingar nodded, there was no reasoning with Malak when he was like this, in a way he could not blame him, this raid was long in comming and to have filthy xenos corsairs sully the moment was more than enough to ignite Ingars own wrath. Malak began to take his leave, Ingar knew what he was about to do, it was a foolish idea, he had to...

"Brother..."

Malak came to a halt, not looking back at his brother whos back was likewise turned to him.

"Don't do anything...foolish."