In orbit above Heliosa, on the bridge of the Ninth Chapter's flagship, the Relic-class battleship Wave.
Chapter Master Szczesny stood before the hololithic strategic table. "The Sixth Chapter has broken the back of the Avenian air force in eighteen days. It's our turn."
He studied the holographic image of Heliosa, reviewing the Augury Matrix reports and assessing the target world.
Heliosa's landmasses had been torn apart by tectonic activity into three massive continents, covered in jagged mountain ranges, surrounded by vast oceans.
"The Black Emperor's orders are to establish beachheads on the other two continents, in addition to the First Continent where the Phoenix Court is located," analyzed Captain Jorginho of the 1st Company.
He tapped a point, and the image of the southern continent faded.
"We should leverage our advantages. Land on the cliff-face zones to gain a foothold."
Szczesny nodded in agreement. "I concur."
"I'll take the second. You take the third."
Thousands of Stormbirds and Thunderhawks, built on Firestorm Forge, flew from the black ships, emblazoned with wave patterns, diving towards the surface.
The Shadows of Order, unlike the Ultramarines preference for Thunderhawks or the Luna Wolves preference for Stormbirds, used whichever was best suited for the transport and drop difficulty.
Captain Jorginho peered through the narrow viewport, seeing a haze of metal shavings.
Black fighters pursued the graceful white craft, unleashing missiles against anti-aircraft fire and the silver towers on the mountain slopes.
Flocks of circling, winged ravens and carrion vultures drifted like banks of dark clouds.
"Open the hatch!" Jorginho commanded.
The warning light shifted from red to green. The hatch slid open.
The "Ocean Songster," Jorginho, saw a bolt of lightning flash through his eyes. A thick bolt of lightning struck from the sky, slamming into the cloud of birds.
Charred corpses rained down.
Jorginho looked down, his gaze piercing the mist. He saw an endless ocean, its blue as clear as the Symphony of the Sea.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Over a hundred black-and-white figures came into view.
Graceful giant birds, riding the surging updrafts.
The outer Stormbirds' turrets rotated: four twin-linked lascannon turrets swept their beams, three twin-linked heavy bolter turrets spewed fire.
The shrieking giant birds dove headlong into the fire, but even Astartes found it hard to hit such swift targets.
Jorginho had never seen such agile raptors. Their white bodies were like feathered serpents, their wings long and flexible, exceptionally maneuverable.
Each giant bird carried two riders in flying saddles, wearing light black armor.
One was the rider, gripping reins-like straps to control the bird's direction.
The other was a sniper, raising an elegant rifle and firing at the Stormbirds.
The barrage hammered against the black metal hulls, leaving dents.
One giant bird struck like lightning. Its long, sharp beak, like a lance, pierced the metal hull and the Astartes pilot's chest.
Shrike Riders.
They struck with the speed of the wind, making the Stormbirds and Thunderhawks seem ponderous, chasing them in vain.
Jorginho recalled the Avenian elite mentioned by the Black Emperor. He opened a comm channel to warn his men.
"Ascend to the Talemman state. Shield yourselves from sound."
After closing the communicator, the "Ocean Songster" suddenly opened his mouth.
A discordant, grating song erupted. A dozen Shrike Rider snipers pulled their triggers in frustration.
Rat-tat-tat...
Their accurate shots went wide, slamming into the cliff face.
One rider, in frustration, yanked on the reins, sending his mount crashing into the cliff.
Bang!
The rider's spine snapped. The shrike tumbled among the rocks, its beak gouging a gash into the wall.
Its beak lodged between the rocks, the shrike beat its wings uselessly against the cliff.
The riders clamped their hands over their ears, trying to block the noise, relying entirely on their birds' instincts for direction.
But the grating sound bypassed physical barriers, raging in their minds.
Several riders' legs went slack, their bodies tilting.
Decades of coordination with their mounts shattered. They veered, dizzy and disoriented.
The shrikes' sharp claws lashed out wildly, striking at different targets.
One rider was torn apart by the claws of an oncoming shrike. The razor-sharp wings of his mount sliced through the light black armor of a sniper passing by.
Dozens of shrikes, driven by hunting instinct, dove at the black iron birds.
The "Ocean Songster," Jorginho, shifted his gaze. His throat vibrated, and the discordant song abruptly changed, erupting in a peal of thunder.
Rumble!
The shrikes paused, stunned by the "Ocean Songster's" "Song."
After a brief moment of instability, the Stormbirds and Thunderhawks, their pilots having shaken off the supernatural interference, stabilized.
The hatch of a Sokar-pattern Stormbird slid open, revealing the Honour Guard, ready.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Fifty "Wind-blessed" rose, winds swirling around their feet and bodies, buoying them.
The "Wind-blessed" "glided" at speed. With each sweep of their hands, they unleashed thousands of thin, razor-sharp wind blades.
Cyan wind blades screamed towards their targets from all directions. Shrikes were torn apart; riders' bodies exploded.
White feathers, black armor, and flesh scattered.
The "Ocean Songster," Jorginho, watched the "Wind-blessed" rout the Shrike Riders and fell silent.
Twelve "Wind-blessed" spread their arms. With a series of clicks, hundreds of plates of finest custom alloy unfolded.
Their armor, tailored from the Yeld hunter-killer suit pattern, granted them wings.
The remaining thirty-eight "Wind-blessed," weighed down by their Tartaros-pattern Terminator armor, fell.
Bang, bang, bang...
Ripples spread across the sea. Cushions of air exploded from the impact.
The "Wind-blessed" "floated" above the waves, running across the water towards the cliff.
They raised their hands in unison. For a kilometer-wide stretch of water, the sea surged upward.
A wave, a hundred meters high, crashed against the shore.
Light-armored warriors, their chests emblazoned with a double-headed shrike, were knocked down. Hundreds tumbled into the sea.
The shoulder-mounted cyclone missile launchers of the thirty-eight Honour Guard members howled, unleashing a stream of missiles.
Boom, boom, boom...
A storm of missiles swept the landing zone.
Mountain fortresses were torn apart. Stone debris rained down on the gleaming bridges that spanned the mountains.
On the bridge of the Shadow's Sovereignty.
"My Lord," Arsena approached the Black Emperor and reported.
"The Ninth Chapter has successfully established beachheads on the shores of the Second and Third Continents."
Nareth nodded slightly. He studied the life signs on the Augury Matrix, marking forty-five zones on each continent.
Ninety war-holds.
"The Eighth and Second Chapters will conduct orbital drops to establish defensive lines. They will serve as the anvil, grinding down the Avenian warriors."
"The Fifth and Seventh Chapters will strike as the hammer, shattering the enemy."
"By Your will." Arsena acknowledged the order and relayed it to the four Chapters.
....
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