Calth

**Qeztotz** · 06-01-2012, 01:48 PM

Who was the first to die?
Most commentaries will cite Honourious Luciel and Seventeen others on the company deck aboard the samothrace as the first casualties, at the hands of Sorot Tchure, at mark -00.19.45.
However they would be wrong.
The fleet tender, Campanile is mob-boarded and taken with all hands aproximately one hundred and thirty six hours before count begins, as a preliminary to the Calth assault. Three thousand seven hundred and nine crew members are executed, including the shipmaster, all command staff and a large portion of the engineering contingent. Proof of the loss of the Campanile, delivered to the Lord Guilliman at around mark 1.30.00 shows calculation and extreme planning on behalf of the adversary. This refutes any claim that the conflict was born of accident, if such claim were ever made. None were, nobody can argue against this. Lorgar was trying to kill them all along.
precise details of the circumstances are lost / and alone in such darkness, on a decelleration path between the outer moons, one small ship, overweight and wheezing, over three and a half thousand souls / because no log record or data canister was ever recovered from the wreck / which had been attacked by something in the night, made in the night, made of the night. A void hard darkness with teeth and eyes, squirting through every airgate and bulkhead and sealed hatch like pressurised oil / though it is assummed that the vessel was overhauled by a fighting vessel and taken with all hands / all of them screaming as they were blinded and suffocated, nowhere to flee or escape, no door that would open except to bare and airless space. And the thing in the night filled the Campanile up and swallowed the screams of the dying and the lost and laughed them back, promising that thier screams were nothing more than chamber music to the Dark Monarchs that humanity had only just begun to dream of / so that its anchorage could be used to penetrate the platform yards. Course irregularities are noticed frequently between marks -135.01.20 and -122.11.35. Vox contact is lost at mark -99.21.59. Calth orbitals mark the Campanile as 'cause for concern and would dispatch an inspection team upon its anchouring. The team never sets off because Vox contact is regained at mark -88.10.21. The crew of the Campanile is listed on the roll of the fallen as none of them were seen again / except they were but not in any form that they could be recognised.
Apart from thier screams.

Red.
Red, for Enemy.
A Marine is floating forwards at me from the airlock. 12 metres away.
It is red.
A Word Bearer. The XVII Legion, the Word Bearers.
I have a pistol in my thigh pocket. I can draw it and fire in under a second.
Theoretical: Aim for the eyeslit. Weakest part of the armour. Assured killshot. Close, probability of hitting at this range is high. Fire multiple times, garuntee a kill.
Practical: Fire two shots. We are in an airlock, chance of depressurisation is decreased with two shots. Aim for eyeslit with the first, Chest with the second. Eyeslit to kill. Chest to knockback in unlikely case of survival, Secondarily to throw the body into any futher opponents and throw them off balance. Estimated chance of kill on first shot is 67%. Overall chance of a successful engagement, factoring in the chance of non-instantaneous death and multiple opponents is 94%.
My name is Honourious Luciel, I am a Captain of the XIII Legion, the Ultramarines. What do I do?

**Kibaxyru** · 06-01-2012, 02:24 PM

>Maybe he's friendly. Shoot him anyways!

**Zolen** · 06-01-2012, 09:53 PM

(I am a little confused by the spacing and pacing...)

Punch him in the face if red means enemy, but keep him alive for questioning.

**Qeztotz** · 06-01-2012, 11:08 PM

That was intended zolen. The italics are written from a third person veiw, with hindsight. The bolded letters i cant explain without giving away plot, and everything else is in first person realtime. Does this clear things up?

**Dreamscythes231** · 06-02-2012, 12:24 AM

(Is this a standalone or connected to All is dust???? The armor looks familiar......)
Captain: Do not kill, diplomacy the marine, if cannot be show him another form of" diplomacy."

**Qeztotz** · 06-02-2012, 05:00 AM

This is a standalone story but is definitely connected to all is dust
This is based in the warhammer universe, but before everything all went to shit.
I am telling the story of the 20 Space Marine legions, of how they contributed to the fall of humanity and what drove them to it.
All is dust is about the fithteenth legion, the thousand sons, and how they were outcast from the galaxy because of thier magic, and what happened to them when they refused.
Calth is the story of 2 legions. The thirteenth legion, The Ultramarines, and the seventeenth legion, the Word Bearers. And is a collective tale of their clash over the prosperous planet of Calth (hence the name)
for those who want to know there is a quick crash course in warhammer history below. It wont be essential to finding this story a good read, as this is still meant to be a standalone.

**Dreamscythes231** · 06-02-2012, 07:15 AM

OOHHHHH
Galactic battles...cool
So this is like a prequel.
All is Dust is the "After rebellion."
While this is during or before, am I right?
Story: Eventually meet in the middle.

**Qeztotz** · 06-02-2012, 08:25 AM

No, all is dust predates calth by about 5 years. All is dust is about a legion that is accused of witchcraft and are hounded, i will all make sense soon. Whereas Calth is just after the rebellion begins, when not everyone is aware of it. It is a premtive attack on the rebel side.

**Qeztotz** · 06-02-2012, 09:26 AM

Also, about the starwars thing, it isnt. For one the rebels arent the good guys.

**Qeztotz** · 06-03-2012, 06:30 AM

[Mark: -124.24.03]
He slowly floats towards me, raises his hand. What is in it, a pistol? No, its not, he opens the hand like a flower.
"Luciel, Brother," he says.
"Sorot, Brother," I reply.
We grasp hands, "So tell me Sorot, what new things have you learnt to kill since we last met?"

[Mark: -116.50.32]
The Warmaster is flexing his muscles.
I look out at the horizon, at the sun setting on Numinus city, I would call it a beautiful scene, if I were one to judge.
I am not though, I am a weapon of war, of destruction.
My name is Aeonid Thiel an Ultramarines sergeant. I have been marked for censure and am awaiting a stormbird gunship to leave this planet and be punished by my superiors. My helmet has been painted red to show this
I have taken my time to look at this veiw because the gunship is late. Late by 6 minutes. An aborrently large gap for an exercise such as this.
The Warmaster is flexing his muscles.
A theoretical has been identified. The Alien race known as the Orks have been spotted entering Imperial space near Calth and the Ultramarines and Word Bearer Legions have been mobilised to exterminate it.
It is overkill.
The Orks are a primitve but stubborn race of superhuman monsters, Stronger by far than even a space marine, but Technologically only just past the space travel. We could annihilate them from orbit without trouble.
The Warmaster is flexing his muscles.
Newly raised to the job, Warmaster Horus Lupercal is showing the galaxy at large that he is worthy of the position.
So, to prove he has the guts, he is mobilising the entire Ultramarines Legion.
The Ultramarines are the largest of the eighteen Legions, numbering well into twentyfive thousand marines, dwarfing all the others. To get all of them to wipe out such a little threat is overkill.
And then there are the word bearers, a considerable force in themselves, they are one of the bigger legions these days, plenty of recruits from the planets they conquered. Before they arrived it was overkill, with them...
There are 25 chapters of ultramarines present today, with another 2 on thier way in a few days time. There are the equivelent of 5 chapters of wordbearers a few hours out-system and will arrive shortly.
To Mobilise the Ultramarines as a single force, that takes balls. To tell Roboute Guilliman, father of the ultramarines, what to do, that takes balls of steel.
To suggest he might need help....
The Warmaster is trying to prove that he is worthy of the honour.
So the Warmaster is flexing his muscles.
I have said such things aloud, and in the prescence of my superiors. It is not the reason I am marked for censure

[Mark -111.02.36]
My men are loading crates of munitions at Numinus starport.
I am Sergeant Hellock, part of the human auxilliary contingent to the space marines.
It is hard work toiling in this sun, the men should keep thier collars up, and i have told them so.
"Sergeant! Will it be Orks?"
"Yeah Sergeant! Will we get to fight Orks? Tell us!"
"Yeah!"
"Aye!"
My men are all impatient, they have heard the rumours, that there is an ork menace so big that it could warrant such a large battlegroup to form.
They are wrong, I have seen the disclose papers, there are hardly any orks worth going after, but I keep telling them; "maybe boys, maybe."
I get tired of lying somtimes.

At around mark -111.02.00 Sergeant Bowe Hellock is sitting, watching his men load crates. He does not know it yet, but he will be dead in two days time. It will not be an ork that kills him. We remember Sergeant Hellock specifically, he has an important yet often overlooked role in this fighting.

[Mark -109.08.22]
I am training to fight orks, Sergeant Domitan is giving us a theoretical overveiw of fighing them.
"Brallen! Let us assume that I am an Ork. What do you do?"
What do I do?

**Dreamscythes231** · 06-05-2012, 05:41 AM

Hit them on the head, to outbalance them, then you punch them on the snout.

**Qeztotz** · 06-09-2012, 01:28 PM

I lunge forwards and swipe at Sergeant Domitan's head. The blow never connects, as he has ducked under it, and he stabs his fist into my visor (establishing superiority).
"I was thinking more along the lines of a theoretical run-through, not a practical mock-battle."
"What weapons do i have then?"
"Your Boltgun and your combat blade."
"Then I would send mass-reactive shells into you, through the spinal chord or the skull, maybe through the heart-"
"Stupid boy! Don't aim for the heart, that wont down an ork! I've seen several continue to function when half their torso have been ripped apart. Cardiac damage has almost no affect on them."
"Then aim for the head and spine. Stop the nervous system. If it comes to close quarters then slice for the neck and delay it long enough for you to bleed to death."
"Very good. Take note of this recruits, this one has it almost down to a tee!"
"You've forgotten one thing sergeant."
"Captain Damocles! What would that be then my Captain?"
"Round count."
"What?!"
"Round count, be careful how many bolter-rounds you use, because where there's one ork-"
"There's bound to be more."
"Rightly so brother Brallen!"

[Mark -108.56.13]
I wonder what will happen to what will happen to us, all the space marines, when we have conquered the galaxy in the emperor's name?
Will we all just pine away and die?
Will we live among humanity, constant reminders of our race's violent past?
I'm called Remus Venatus, captain of the ultramarines fourth company, and I'm in charge of the Erud province muster-point. Its meant to be an honour but to me it just feels like a desk-job. Maybe my father is trying to get us used to other jobs, to get me used to leadership abilities not just warfare. I don't appreciate it much, I much prefer the song of battle and the yells of my brothers to that of mundane tasks and duties.
War is a necessary tool when it is needed for survival, but as soon as it is unrequired, it and those who prosecuted it are considered unpalatable by society. I am prepared for their scorn, and I shall not shirk from their accusations. But for now, as there are still enemies at the gates, I have a reason to live, with it I shall carve myself a spot in history.
But still Our Primarch turns us towards the administrative side of life. I think he believes that we shall be rulers of worlds or something after all of this. I cant see Angron or Russ being so optimistic about their future. But then, Guilliman always was more suited to ruling than the World-eater or the Wolf King.
"Why are you smiling Captain Venatus?"
"I was smiling Selaton?"
"Yes I was wondering what could be so entertaining about the list of 80 super-heavy tanks you're reading."
"Not much, I was letting my mind wander a little."

[Mark Insignificant]
The mark of Calth pertains to 2 things.
The first is the blotches of cancer that those present on Calth suffered in the fighting, specifically the non-superhuman combatants. Years afterwards the veterans of Calth would refuse skin grafts, stating that it is a symbol of their loss and in remembrance of comrades lost.
The second is to the standard timing system of the Ultramarines. They record all their operations and time them accordingly, with Hours-Minutes-Seconds format, with the mark: 00.00.00 as the beginning of the operation. In this case mark 0 begins once Lord Guilliman ordered return fire. Everything before that was considered base treachery. Negative marks refer to times before the operation begins.

[Mark -61.20.31]
If you start with many and end with a single victory then the cost in between is acceptable.
I read back the words I have just written. They are not my own, I have borrowed and...refined.. them from a T'Vanti warleader.
The T'Vanti are a curious people. Low-tech of course, nothing compared to my legion but they have an unquenchable fighting spirit.
On their homeworld the orks had been rampaging unstopped for millennia. I agreed to let them serve as auxiliaries and to defend the eastern line of our formation. But the orks were mercurial that day, they swung eastwards against all sense and they assaulted the T'Vanti instead of my Ultramarines. The T'Vanti, instead of waiting for our backup, counter-attacked all along their lines. They eventually took Kunduki hill and literally decapitated the ork commander. They were delighted with their achievement and were totally oblivious to the eighty nine thousand men it had cost them to do it.
I look over my words again. I am writing a compilation of all warfare and tactics. I'm not sure I entirely believe the words i have just written, but all knowlage pertaining to warfare should be recorded, no matter how much I disagree.
My name is Roboute Guilliman, Primarch, Son of the Emperor, Master of the Ultramarines.
Most of the Chapter Masters are waiting outside of the transparisteel doors, waiting to be let in. I could let them in now, or I could let the rest of them to arrive and ruminate some more, it is of no difference to me.
What should I do?

**Dreamscythes231** · 06-15-2012, 07:07 AM

>LET THEM IN< LET THEM IN THIS INSTANT!

**Qeztotz** · 06-15-2012, 04:13 PM

you know, i actually thought this was dead for a while

**Dreamscythes231** · 06-16-2012, 05:21 AM

No, I just forgot to check on it. I will never let this awesome thing die, except of course you choose to.

**Qeztotz** · 06-16-2012, 06:52 AM

"Enter, My Chapter Masters. We have a meeting to start."
They all file in and take their places as usual, the first and second masters on either side of me, carrying on down the table, with odd numbers on my left, evens on my right, until the room is filled with 255 of my sons.
"Master, we noticed that you had been writing again."
They worry about whether I have been keeping up to speed on the developments on the planet below.
"And we wanted to check whether you were up to date with the most prudent details of the mustering."
See? I can second guess everything anyone has ever thrown at me. It is my birthright as the Primarch of the Ultramarines.
"First Master Gage, I have been keeping my eye on the monitors surrounding me. In the last minute I have seen and solved 73 different problems surrounding both the fleet manoeuvres and the mustering of the troops below. I am also, as you have no doubt noticed, still writing."
*sigh* "Once again i have underestimated you my master."
"One day you will eventually come to terms with it old friend."
We are both laughing now.
And im still answering all those querys
"There are a few things we should sort out before the meeting begins proper, firstly the frigate Honour of Terra is 354 Megatonnes overweight, I suggest that they switch the 54th Jouran dragoons onto the nearby cruiser Lion's Breath. Secondly the Erud province muster is 6 minutes behind schedule, not much, but that gap will expand over 2 days and that is unacceptable. Gage, if you wouldnt mind, please contact Captain Venatus and get him to sort this out personally. Thirdly, Vox contact was recently lost with the fleet tender Campanile and has recently come back, I would apreciate it if someone looked into it, because it sounds uncannily like singing."

[Mark: -61.39.12]
The Interrupt is checked and attributed to solar radiation. A vox artefact. Half an hour later a rating aboard the Castorex reports hearing singing on an inter-ship vox link. Twenty minutes later, chanting blocks out the main orbital datafeed for 11 seconds, before resuming. An hour later there are two more bursts, unsourced. An hour after that and communication command reports 'a series of malfunction events' and warns that 'further communication may be disrupted until the problem is identified.'
After another hour the bad dreams begin.

There are many clues.
Many portents.
Given the extraordinary thoroughness the ultramarines maintain their battlereadiness, it is now considered tragic how few of these clues are heeded. The simple truth of it is that they had no idea what to look for.
[Mark: -50.11.11]
On the surface of Calth, Tylos Rubio waits with his squad, waiting to board the craft that will take him to war with the Orks.
Rubio's head aches, and there is a pain behind his eyes. He puts this down to fatigue and tells himself that his superhuman body will release hormones and take the pain away within the hour. But it isn't fatigue.
Later, Tylos Rubio will regret not mentioning this to an Apocathary.
When the firing and the killing, the death and the destruction is over, when fate gives him a chance to rest, he will realise that because he was so determined to perform perfectly, he caused himself not to be.
He is not alone.
In the 200,000 ultramarines spread across Calth, there are hundreds of talented individuals who, like Rubio, ignore their headaches.
Unlike Rubio, few of them will live to regret their mistake.

[Mark:-28.27.50] - Honorius luciel - Campanile
"I asked to join the advance you know."
"As did I."
"Aye, but for a different reason I bet."
I wonder what Sorot is talking about now
Sorot Tuchure and I are sitting on the company deck of the Samothrace, enjoying a hearty meal.
And his last few words have confused me greatly.

Authors notes

**Dreamscythes231** · 06-16-2012, 07:07 PM

Oh sh****! Wait the brain headache thing is a psychic disturbance or a sickness???
Cause if it is psychic......
Become the other characters who we have been before.
Black out of many: Happen

**Qeztotz** · 06-17-2012, 05:00 AM

Me and Sorot are probably the only ones in the entirety of the XIII and XVII legions to actually be friends.
A long time ago, the Ultramarines and the Word Bearers fought side by side, as brothers in arms.
The praetorian excellence of the Ultramarines alongside the ferocious zealotry of the Word Bearers.
But the Bearers fought in a way that displeased the Emperor.
When a battle was won, they moved not onto a new conquest, but stayed where they were, and build massive edifices to honour the Emperor.
The Emperor railed at Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers, for this. It was a space marines duty, not to build monuments, but to conquer.
He took Lorgar along with him, and visited the planets we had conquered and showed how beautiful they were.
He told Lorgar to be more like Guilliman.
This created a rift between our legions that has since healed, but many of the XVII find it impossible to be friends with the Ultramarines.
Sorot and I are perhaps the only ones, which is why we asked to join the advance section of the fleets, so we could be friends together.
That is the reason that the XIII and the XVII are together on this conquest, not to flex the warmaster's muscles as many believe, but to join the two legions into one. He has shown remarkable insight in this.
After a few seconds of silence I say:
"I would know great joy, if our brothers on both sides could come together, and celebrate our similarities."
"I have no doubt, that this conjunction will end the hostilities of these legions once and for all."

[Mark: -25.15.19] - Sergeant Hellock - a few miles from Numinus starport
"Our lift has been delayed! Everyone bed down and get a few hours sleep!"
"Why have we been delayed Sergeant?"
"There appears to be a storm gathering in the east, they're loading the heavier units first so that the overall delay is reduced."
Personally I would say that the storm is more than gathering, I can see the sky going fugging purple, like a massive bruise on the sky, over at the starport.
Bale Rane is trying to leave the camp to see his girlfriend one last time. I stop him, because it will just sadden him more.
I settle down for a nap, and I think that there is just one thing that could be more perfect about this night.
If those fuggers over the fence in the Word bearer Auxiliary camp would stop the fugging singing.

[Mark: -19.12.36] - Captain Venatus - the Holophuskion
The Holophuskion is a museum to humanity, and to the endeavours of Calth.
I like this museum.
Its different to all the 'Ultimate containers of all knowlage' that Ive seen.
Its empty.
Still being constructed it was chosen as a command centre for the civilian section of this operation. (pilots, communications and whatnot)
I am waiting to see the senior manager of this province, and to inform her that she needs to get a move on.
Wait, that figure in the corner... Is that Eikos?
Should I go over to greet him?

**Dreamscythes231** · 06-19-2012, 08:25 AM

Yes, it is impolite to not. Ask what his purpose here.
18:30: suddenly come.
Destruction and chaos: Happen.
Lots of people who aren't either protected or psychic: Die.

**Qeztotz** · 06-24-2012, 12:15 PM

"Good afternoon Ven, how goes the war?"
"Worse without you to lead the company Eike."
Eikos was the Captain of the fourth before me, he was raised to the rank of chaptermaster, and from there he was raised to Guilliman's champion, he is the greatest swordsman of the legion and, debatably, the best in the galaxy.
"Why are you here Eike? Its not like you to leave our father's side."
"I came to make a contribution to the Museum, my first helmet, damaged on Golgotha, what about you?"
"Im here to see the Portmasters, theyre in a meeting apparently."
"Come, I know them personally, I shall introduce you to them."

[Mark: -16.44.12]
Server of Instrumentation, Uhl Kehal Hesst, is standing in the surveyor room of the orbital watchtower. He has a very important job today, he is in control of all the orbital defence platforms on and around Calth. This requires him to manually deny all the firing solutions the computer is drawing up. Every time a ship enters or exits an orbital yard, changes course, uses an abnormal movement pattern. Every time this happens, the grid draws up a firing solution, and Hesst has to manually deny the firing request. Due to the size of this operation, Hesst is recieving 18 of these per second. To help with this task, Hesst is 64% machine. He can never leave the station.

[Mark: -15.02.48]
I have been given a blade, but it proves impractical to use it, so i use my sidearm instead.
My name is Criol Fowst, Major in the Word Bearers auxiliary units.
The man kneeling in front of me is dead, a bullet in his brain. The next comes forward and kneels before me.
He reads a piece of paper and speaks into the microphone.
Then i give him mercy.
The next comes forwards and does the same, uttering inhuman words words into the speaker.
These men are spreading a disease into the network, the words themselves digging in and clogging the system.
These men are spreading the words of gods.
I remember where I am and raise my pistol to offer mercy to the man in front of me, but it clicks dry.
It turns out that I do have to use the blade. It is a messier mercy.
I was almost too late that time, the man's eyes had begun to melt. I shall have to be careful this time.

[Mark: -15.02.53]
Server Hesst notices the disease immediately, the mangled orange code intertwined with the healthy green. He sees that it is spreading towards him quickly, and that the cleaners will have to work fast to stop it. He briefly considers engaging Automation but reconsiders it, if there is an attack then a split second decision, it would be horrendous if the cogitators made a wrong mistake. He is fairly certain that the cleaners will have it under control in a minute.

[Mark: -14.22.39]
Still 14 hours out from Calth orbit, the fleet tender Campanile makes a few last course corrections and begins the final stage of planetary approach.

[Mark: -13.00.01] - Captain Venatus - the Holophuskion
"I can assure you Captain, that our labour crews are working as hard as they can."
"They clearly arent Portmaster Arbute, our timetabling was based off of average timings of your crew, they are behind by 6 minutes and you need to get them moving."
"Six minutes! Six! Thats something to celebrate about captain! That is nothing to what we normally end up with!"
"Six minutes may be acceptable by your standards, but not by mine or my Primarch's."
*sigh* "Ok, I will try to get the foremen going faster... maybe the favourable disposition of lord Guilliman is a better incentive than overtime pay."

[Mark: 11.16.21] - Roboute Guilliman - the flagship Honour of Macragge - Calth low orbit
"That is your honest opinion?"
"Yes primarch, it was decided that the server of instrumentation unplugs for a few hours and tries to tackle the new scrapcode problem, he is a genius, if he cannot solve the problem then nobody can. All we need to enact this decision is your approval Primarch."
Do I give it? There is a small chance that the weapon systems may fire on a friendly ship if Automation is engaged, but the scrapcode may overload the systems anyway in a few hours if cleaning doesnt succeed.

**Dreamscythes231** · 06-26-2012, 07:59 AM

Give it. Decide to warn any incoming ships about the new calibration. This cannot go wrong.

**ballisticApothecary** · 06-26-2012, 08:18 AM

Holy crap, another 40k based adventure. Awesome!

Have a very 'mild' paranoia about Horus
(is this after the Horus Heresy?)

if not then have 'minor' paranoia about any traitor leigons

**Qeztotz** · 06-26-2012, 08:44 AM

yay! another reader!
this IS the horus heresy matey, you get to sort of decide the fate of the universe in a small way,
BTW the small changes have big consequences, so saying yes is a different timeline to saying no.
it will all end in disaster though, no way around it.

**ballisticApothecary** · 06-26-2012, 09:06 AM

Oh, so which of the primarchs have turned to chaos/or taken out. Has the incident on Ishtvan V happened yet?

**Qeztotz** · 06-26-2012, 09:14 AM

Isstvaan happened about 2 weeks ago, Lorgar is coming to kill guilliman and the ultramarines.

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