Coronid Deeps, Manachean System.
Prophet Flamini was once again leading his remaining followers through the sewers, fleeing yet another crisis.
Looking around, he saw that their numbers had fallen from a peak of five thousand to barely over four hundred.
Most of them had already been fed into the Mitu bio-arcane machines as fuel. Even now, he could hear their terrified screams carried through the tides of the Warp.
Flamini's young face was marked with a heaviness and pain far beyond his years.
He heard their cries for help, yet he could do nothing.
He didn't even know how much longer this endless escape could continue.
His visions didn't always reveal what he wanted, and even when they did, he might interpret them incorrectly.
He had made many mistakes; no one had taught him. Everything he knew came from talent, trial, and error.
He took a deep breath, the stench of the sewer filling his nose as he forcefully suppressed his negative emotions.
Flamini scanned the area, then walked toward a pipe.
"We'll rest here for now."
He found a relatively clean patch of metal pipe, sat down cross-legged.
His eyes grew deep and distant. His mind sank into the Warp, searching for hope among images of swirling, shifting color.
For years now, he had sought visions countless times, but never once had he found new hope.
But Flamini didn't give up. He believed he eventually would.
His sight drifted through blood-red scenes, Mitu butchering humans, feeding them into machines of arcane abomination.
He fought to keep grief and rage from appearing on his face; such emotions would lure the predators of the Warp.
Cold wrapped around him, illusions danced before his eyes, whispers swirled around his ears.
He knew his will had reached its limit. He needed to end this vision immediately.
A bitter smile appeared on his face; he had once again failed to find hope.
But then, he saw a dark shadow covering the Mitu's blood-red sphere of light.
He chased the shadow and saw an unremarkable marble building… then a shining beam of light.
His consciousness snapped back to reality, his body drenched in cold sweat.
All his attention fixed on the final moments of his vision, which stirred memories from his childhood.
Back then, he had not yet awakened his psychic powers. His family and many others had crowded into that broken building.
Compared to the sewers, it was paradise, and more importantly, he still had his parents.
A spark of light appeared in Flamini's eyes as he interpreted the vision:
'Hope is tied to that shadow. I will find it where I grew up.'
He could not identify the meaning of the shining beam, so he regarded it as the Light of Hope.
He hesitated. The Mitu executed any psyker on sight; going to the surface was like walking into the butcher's knife.
And he knew from experience that foresight did not always foretell what would actually happen.
As he hesitated, he sensed an enormous shadow approaching.
He knew this vast shadow well, years ago, when the Warp storm surged, the shadow had enveloped Manachea
"The shadow…" Flamini whispered silently.
'The omen had come.'
He suddenly stood up.
"Follow me. I will lead you to hope."
His bony followers rose to their feet. Light returned to their eyes as they followed the young prophet.
At the same time, after a long voyage, the Ramilies-class Starfort, towed by tugcraft, finally reached the Manachean System.
The Eleventh Legion's fleet exited the warp into realspace moments later, forming a battle line around the star fortress.
As the capital system of the Mitu Conglomerate, Manachean held its largest fleet.
Thousands of Mitu warships immediately turned their guns on the colossal fortress.
Beams rained across the void, battering its fortress-grade shields.
In response, the central batteries of the Ramilies unleashed over a thousand thermonuclear torpedo warheads.
Atomic fire ripped apart dozens of Mitu capital ships, turning the void into a burning sea.
More cluster-warhead torpedoes followed, endless, inexhaustible.
Titanic engines, larger than entire destroyers, burned bright red like miniature suns.
The star fortress plowed forward, its shields withstanding the storm of energy fire as it slammed past drifting wreckage torn apart by torpedoes.
Terrifying batteries hurled massive shells like torrential rain upon the Mitu fleet.
The Eleventh Legion's ships advanced behind the startfort, their prow-mounted lances carving crossing beams through scores of sphere-shaped warships.
In moments, dozens of Mitu vessels flared like dying stars, then vanished entirely.
The void of the entire system blazed with light, and the Ramilies finally anchored in high orbit above Manachea.
The skies above the planet erupted into shifting firelight. Seas of torpedoes and dense barrages collided with Mitu's anti-air fire, exploding mid-air like a storm of suns.
But this was only the beginning.
For an entire stellar month, the bombardment continued until Mitu anti-air defenses fell low enough to permit a landing operation.
Five Chapters of the Shadows of Order deployed via orbital drop.
Rogue Trader Lewis von Valancius and his private military forces joined the 1st Chapter.
The 1st Chapter, having fought in the Incladion Rebellion, the First Randan War, and garrisoned the Osiris Cluster, was the smallest among the participating Chapters, with only seven companies: 6,900 Astartes.
Their mission: assault the Mitu's fifth-largest city, identified by Auger Array.
Lewis' officers were retired Vostroyan Auxiliary elites, highly coveted by Rogue Traders despite their injuries.
Lewis secured their service not only with high pay, but because he was the Rogue Trader most highly favored by their Monarch.
His troops came from several feral worlds, trained harshly, armed with fine Vostroya weapons.
Chief Warrior Sławomir Kawski was the only former Vostroya company commander Lewis had managed to recruit.
In the battle to cleanse Ulthanx, he had destroyed an Andrew but lost his legs to an energy beam.
After receiving augmetic limbs, he failed physiological tests and was forced to retire.
For his service, he earned the right to live in Paradigm, and with the Ulthanx Memorial Medal, he could claim 100 square kilometers on Sidai Prime.
He instead chose a residence in Paradigm's middle hive, and through his honors secured schooling in the upper hive for five of his children.
Bored with retirement, he was tempted by the Rogue Trader's offer, including a specially designed augmetic body, and joined the expedition.
Lewis paid 1.5 million Monarch Coins, three times Kawski's retirement payout.
After training, he found himself nearly as agile as before.
As the Shadows of Order unleashed suppressive fire, old battlefield instincts returned to Kawski. Watching Mitu torn apart by explosive bolts, he said:
"Lord Lewis, the Monarch's sons have already broken the defensive line. It is time to attack."
"Good." The Rogue Trader pressed his comm-bead.
"Warriors of von Valancius, for centuries, the Mitu abominations have brutalized our human kin."
"Today, we deliver death as their punishment. Attack!"
He raised his Vostroya-pattern lasgun and fired at the vile xenos, his training showing in the precision of his shots.
After pushing through two city blocks, von Valancius' forces located a high-value target, the Mitu arcane factory.
Lewis thought briefly, then ordered its assault.
Such a victory would shine brightly in his family's history.
He ran a hand across his ornate armor and the ward-orb hanging at his waist, gaining confidence.
The chief warrior charged first, firing his lasgun mid-run. A stream of beams cut down an anemone-like Mitu.
Lewis and Kawski rushed into the spherical factory, only to see humans being herded into strange circular devices.
Fury surged through him. He shot down a guard and prepared to rush the nearest machine.
Suddenly, two Mitu with four pairs of arms charged forward.
Lewis instantly recalled the briefing: elite Mitu close-combat soldiers.
Kawski reacted first, firing multiple beams but failing to break their energy shields. He drew his power sword, runes glowing.
Lewis saw him adopting Otsberg-Vaya, intercepting one elite Mitu.
Lewis knew some swordplay, but had no confidence in defeating a Mitu elite with it.
As a Mitu warrior rushed him, Lewis raised his left hand and activated his ring-weapon.
With a loud bang, recoil slammed his hand like a small autogun.
A blinding flame-spear shot toward the Mitu warrior.
Lewis' heart leapt. Arsenne Dunn had told him that every ring-weapon fired only one type of attack.
But with so many types of rings, the effect of his was unknown.
He had also been warned that each ring required an unspecified recharge time after activation, so he never tested it.
'My luck is excellent.'
'Praise Lord Nareth!'
The flame-spear pierced the Mitu's shield, and the target dissolved into smoke.
'Damn!'
Lewis' eyepiece couldn't track the Mitu warrior inside the smoke.
He retreated, but the Mitu was faster.
Six smoke-wreathed blades slashed toward him.
He had no time to react, but a shimmering energy barrier appeared around him.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The impacts hammered the shield. The Mitu could not break the protection of the ward orb.
Lewis silently thanked Nareth yet again, extended his left middle finger,
Dozens of ice spikes shot out, pulverizing the Mitu into sludge.
As he finished his opponent, he saw Kawski cleave the last Mitu elite in half.
While the Rogue Trader was rescuing human captives, Flamini faced disaster in the Mitu capital.
When they had first reached the surface, chaos from the orbital bombardment had concealed their movements, allowing them to advance smoothly.
But after five kilometers, they were inevitably discovered by Mitu warriors.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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