Muspel system, bridge of the Chingiz.
Torghun Khan of the Brotherhood of the Moon, having followed Hasik aboard a Stormbird en route to Muspel, had returned to the Noyan-khan's flagship.
As Hasik stepped onto the leather carpet, Torghun looked around. It was his first time seeing all the members of the Noyan-khan's Khanate of the Horde of the Stone.
Hasik commanded a portion of the White Scars Legion, comprising twenty-three brotherhoods, far larger than the khanate of his own commander, Jemulan Noyan-Khan. It was the largest khanate under the Great Khan.
Around Hasik's throne hung the hunting totems of Chogoris and the ceremonial spears of the Kuo tribe. His seat was woven from old planks and leather bindings.
"Shiban, what is the situation?"
Torghun's gaze followed Hasik's to the khan he addressed. He knew Shiban was the Khan of the Storm Brotherhood.
The Storm Brotherhood's name was closely tied to the one who had brought him into the Legion.
One of the Great Khan's most trusted advisors, Stormseer Targutai Yesugei, equivalent in rank to the Shadows of Order's Chief Librarian, Thomas.
"The Midnight's Veil, flagship of the Shadows of Order's' Third Chapter, has shattered the system's fleet."
The outcome was as Torghun had expected. Muspel's fleet could not possibly withstand a Gloriana-class battleship's firepower.
TheWhite Scars had only one. The Shadows of Order had four.
'Lord Nareth's single Chapter is far more powerful than mine.' The memory of Haren Svensalen stirred, regret flooding his mind once more.
He touched the curved power sword at his side, the one Jemulan Noyan-Khan had granted him upon his formal induction as Torghun.
"Hasik Noyan-Khan, please entrust the assault to me. I wish to fight alongside the Shadows of Order."
Hasik nodded. The flame in Torghun's eyes illuminated his white armor.
"You will have that chance."
Hasik rose, moving to the hololithic strategic table, his gaze fixed on the holographic image.
"The main continent of Muspel has many settlements. The 9th Legion's civil census-takers classified them as agricultural zones, farmsteads, hunter-gatherer family groups, and self-sufficient farmers."
"To the north lies the Shetansvaar Archipelago. Five of its islands are crucial."
"Beauty's Jewel, Grapplehook, Tailbone, Elegy, and Nigris."
Torghun stared at the five islands. They were promontories, natural fortresses.
They had to be seized before an assault on the main continent could begin.
"Torghun, your brotherhood's objective is Elegy Island."
"Shiban, I want you to take Nigris Island for me."
"For the Great Khan." Torghun and Shiban bowed deeply.
As they walked side-by-side towards the flight deck, Shiban spoke.
"We will surpass the Shadows of Order's fleet. We will reach Muspel first."
Torghun followed his gaze to the viewport, its shutters lowered. The black ships, their sides emblazoned with a dark crescent moon, were gradually being overtaken.
For over a century, the White Scars' Techmarines had worked to increase reactor output and improve their ships' maneuverability and agility.
"I don't believe this relentless pursuit of speed is a good thing," Torghun said, frowning. He had never been able to fully grasp Chogorian culture.
The White Scars' ships had paid a price: reduced lance range, and their ships had the lowest carrying capacity of any Legion.
Torghun had always believed that the Shadows of Order's balanced approach was superior, rather than a single-minded focus on speed.
Firepower, defense, and the ability to carry Legion warriors were equally important.
Though he bore a Chogorian name, he, born on Terra, would never fully understand the Legion's ultimate pursuit of riding across the open plains.
"But you seem eager," Shiban said, his steady tone and measured steps possessing an inner harmony.
"Yes. Today, I will pursue speed with all my heart."
He would complete the assault on Elegy Island faster than the Shadows of Order's Third Chapter.
He would prove that his failure to become a gene-son of Lord Nareth was merely a matter of luck.
'I, Haren Svensalen, though I could not become a Shadows of Order, can still follow in Lord Nareth's footsteps.'
...
Five hundred and twenty bikes roared, their engines deafening.
Torghun Khan's lance-pattern void-bike was larger and more rugged than the scimitar-pattern, equipped with enclosed thrusters and a powerful power system.
It was more like a single-man fighter than a bike, capable of short-range assaults in the void.
Torghun suppressed his battle-lust, studying the information on Elegy Island on his tactical display.
'The island is composed of grey rock. In the Shetansvaar chain, it has the lowest elevation, closest to sea level.'
'The Tech-Priests' terraforming accelerated natural weathering, grinding the entire island into a perfect plane, like a Starhawk bomber squadron's assault carrier.'
'The island has Hydra defense turrets mounted on rotating platforms and a five-hundred-meter runway. The most notable of the two dozen defense squadrons is a Swordtail interceptor.'
Torghun released the safety on the heavy bolter mounted in his bike's nose, giving the command over the comm channel: "Assault! Fast! Fast! Fast!"
The bay doors opened. The support clamps slid back and released.
Thrusters belched acrid smoke. The anti-gravity engines propelled the impatient Torghun forward.
Rat-tat-tat...
A dense barrage of fire screamed towards him. Torghun pushed more power, leaning forward, accelerating the bike's descent.
The Khrave-guided barrage missed the lance-pattern bike by a hair's breadth.
His helmet's display locked onto the runway, then flared with crimson runes.
He twisted the controls almost instinctively. A stream of tracers flashed past his white armor.
Boom, boom, boom...
His visor informed him he had lost four battle-brothers almost simultaneously.
A long, crimson blade shot upwards.
A Swordtail interceptor.
This fighter, which the Astartes Legions were already phasing out, was still exceptional in atmospheric combat.
More terrifying was the pilot. It had taken almost no time to lock on.
The Astartes' helmets were flashing warnings even as the deadly autocannons opened fire.
Torghun knew the Khrave had foreseen the brotherhood's diving trajectory.
He glanced at the fifteen hundred meters of "death distance" on his visor. He knew he had to take down that Swordtail, or dozens, maybe hundreds, of his brothers would die.
Torghun's eyes locked onto the red enemy craft. He weaved left and right, dodging the incoming fire.
The deafening explosions made him instinctively deactivate his Ramm's Ear filters, to cut the roar.
He slammed on the brakes. The lance-pattern bike swung sideways, arcing through the air.
He shut down the anti-gravity engine, throwing his full weight onto the bike.
Boom!
The bike screamed downwards, its speed increasing.
This sudden, dangerous maneuver was entirely beyond the Khrave's psychic prescience.
The lance-pattern bike slammed into the Swordtail, the impact crackling with sparks. Torghun activated his curved power sword and swung.
The shimmering blue blade sliced into the craft's nose, cutting through.
Sparks flew. The fighter was brutally cleaved in two.
The pilot erupted in a spray of blood.
Whoosh!
The lance-pattern void-bike, unbalanced by the impact, spun and fell.
Torghun raised his left arm, activating the anti-gravity engine.
Bang, bang, bang...
A series of detonations, the bike's spin gradually slowing.
He had just stabilized himself when a shell slammed into the white metal underside.
He kicked the bike away, using the momentum to dive.
Bang!
Torghun slammed heavily onto the runway.
"Assault!"
"Fast! Fast! Fast!"
....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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