Big Game VI – Chapter Nineteen: And So It Begins

Chapter Selection

Intro  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38  39  40  41  42  43  44  45  46  Epilogue

Aboard the Honor, Antonius ignored the prickling feeling of the auto-injector as it treated his void wounds.

“Hard vacuum, eh?” Jorden asked as he applied unguents to Antonius’ skin.

“Yes.” Antonius replied.

“You went after the Traitor?”

“Yes.”

“Did you kill him?”

“No.” Antonius said with a sigh.  “…but that does not mean it was not worth it.”

A voice came over the internal comms.  “Arin to Antonius, His Hammer II has arrived, and you are being hailed by Chapter Master Perseus.”

“Put it through to the Apothecarion.” Antonius replied.  Within moments, the local viewscreen showed the scarred visage of the master of the Azure Flames.  The Old Man himself; Liam Perseus.

“Antonius.” He said.

“My Lord.”

“You look terrible.” Perseus said with a smile.

“Coming from you, that means little.” Antonius smiled back.

“We’re a bit late, but it looks as though there is still a job to be done.” Perseus intoned.

“Indeed, my Lord.  Do not concern yourself with the orbital battle.  It is not as important as the battle on the surface of the station itself.  Main Engine Control, Primary Weapons Control, and the Main Power Complex have all fallen to the traitors.  The last bastion of hope is the Primary Command Citadel.  We have landed troops to defend it, but the enemy is massing.  They mean to take it.”

“They shall not have it.  We will fight them to the last.”

“It is not that simple, my Lord.”  Antonius added.  “We received a transmission from Gehn.”

Perseus’ face scrunched in rage.

“I know how you feel, my Lord.”  Antonius continued.  “I intercepted him and the heretic Matthius in the Main Command Room.  We decompressed the room into the void.  During my escape, I was followed by a great deal of debris blown out into the void with me.  One of these pieces was a xenos-made computer, designed to override the command functions of the Omega Station.”

“What of it?” Perseus asked.

“We believe Genestealer Cult infiltrators provided these to the enemy.  It was not powerful enough to override the system, but enough of them could do so easily.  The Traitors must not be allowed to breach the Citadel, or else they could override the codes and take command.”

“Understood.  We shall stand with our brothers and hold the Citadel.  For the Emperor and Atrus.”

“For the Emperor and Atrus.”

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