The massive asteroid that was the sole remaining evidence of the existence of the planet Caliban remained immobile. The activity of the ships and patrol craft around it dwarfed in to insignificance by its gargantuan mass, it lay like a berthed whale in slumber. It's upper surface was nearly completely taken up by the vast gothic monastery that had been the home of the Dark Angels when they were based on Caliban. Although outwardly unchanged, the whole structure had been modified with a vast array of offensive and defensive weaponry that would equal it to a Ramillies class star fort. The massive warp engines embedded within its bedrock was beyond imagination. Its origin unknown and its acquisition unprecedented, it had been the source of much interest by the disciples of the machine god. Their constant inquisitiveness balanced only by the failure of virtually all their observer ships despatched to study the engines at close quarters. The hangar bays and docks of the Tower of Angels were large enough to berth even the massive battle barges though such activity was a rare event. The fortress-monastery itself easily accommodated the entire chapter, its command structure and its armoury with much space to spare for more. Deep beneath its surface untouched by outside eyes were hidden many secrets. Dungeons, interrogation-rooms and libraria adorned the halls within the structure. Some deep caverns were accessible only to the highest authority of the chapter. The Conclavium Angelus is such a chamber with two separate entrances. Entry from the main monastery is through a long corridor guarded by the Deathwing and accessible only to members of the innermost circle. Behind the massive blast doors lay the chamber, the simple but unusual furniture disguising the magnitude of decisions taken within its walls. In the centre lay an oval shaped table. Thick, strong and deep magenta in colour it was made from the trees of the native woods of Caliban. Attached to the table and hanging from its edge were individual consoles with vid-link and input points. The chairs around the table were arranged in threes, all exactly the same except for the motifs on them. They too were massive affairs, able to seat and carry the weight of the superhuman frame of a space marine in full power armour. At the head of the oval were the three chairs with the white winged dagger motif, the seats of the Dark Angels. To its right were three more seats, which were occupied. The black wing and white skull of the Angels of Absolution adorned the heads of those chairs. The three occupants remained unflinching, looking through their consoles. Each was clad in power armour in the colour of bleached bone. Each wore a robe of the same colour. Without warning the massive blast door at the other end of the room hissed open, the weight of the structure easily taken up by the finely crafted pneumatic hinges. The large figures stepped in before the door hissed shut again. Dark green power armour shone in the subdued light of the room. Bleached bone coloured robes fluttered intermittently showing off the Dark Angel emblems and Deathwing insignias etched on their auto-reactive shoulder pads. None wore helmets. Without any formalities the three took their assigned seats. The leader looked at the others seated around the table and then slowly eyed the empty seats. Strong but noble features were reflected in his face. The sturdy look of the space marine physique intermingled with his original cimmerian genetics. Stress lines could be seen momentarily in the flicker of his eyes. Without further delay, the supreme commander of the Dark Angels chapter, holder of the honorific title "Keeper of the Truth" and the proud caretaker of the Sword of Secrets spoke. "The oracle has spoken. The great enemy is moving rapidly and we must keep pace. Abaddon will move openly against Cadia very soon. Much discord has already been accomplished within the nearby systems. But there is much more at stake" Azrael continued "Our brothers of the Angels of vengeance and Redemption remain far away. Their arrival may well be too late to prevent catastrophic events in the near future. The fates of our chapters hang in balance at this present moment." The silent visitors looked up. The leader, chapter master of the Angels of Absolution, replied in a similar deep monotone. "The entire fleet and chapter strength of my chapter has been mobilised and is at your disposal. Our combined fleets can accomplish much if we had more intelligence on the activities of fallen 1-0-0. I fear that Abaddon's plans for the Imperium may hide an ulterior objective either by the despoiler himself or by our fallen brethren. We must move quickly but cautiously. Our brothers in the Angels of Redemption remain in the gothic sector while those of the Angels of Vengeance are in full strength in the Ultima Segmentum. Their immediate return is imperative. The Angels of Vigilence remain in full strength on Pervigilium and should remain so" "Interrogator-chaplain Phaleg and his strike force have performed admirably so far. There is a strong concentration of the fallen in the Agripinaa sector. I have dispatched the supreme commander's orders to our strike forces on the systems of Lelithar and Amistel. We will gain more information on the activities of the cult know as the 'Voice of the Emperor' and their warplans" commented Grandmaster of chaplains Sapphon. Ezekiel, grandmaster of librarians for the Dark Angels, looked on solemnly. "The coming storm will be calamitous to many. The bloodbath required to stop the despoiler is unprecedented. But we must not fail. The fate of not only the Unforgiven, but also the entire Imperium of man is at stake. But I fear that there is more to this activity by the cult than meets the eye. Their underhand modus operandi was evident in piscine IV, where only the noble sacrifice of chaplain Boreas and his squad saved the world. The loss of our holy geneseed was a tremendous blow but we must expect more such attempts." Lowering his voice to a whisper he said "It is almost as if they are inviting us to arrive in full strength. I expect a trap but cannot define what their target is" "Time is a luxury we do not have!" replied Azrael. I have passed on information to our far flung brethren, which if applied correctly, will result in their rapid journey to join forces with us in time. If not we face the enemy with our own forces. The enemy may have many faces and many objectives. They may even wish the destruction of this Tower of Angels as a major accomplishment. They may spend their devious ways plotting on acquiring our honour bound artefacts born in to battle by the lion himself. They may wish to steal more of the precious leonine gene seed. Whatever his aim, whatever his plan he will find the Unforgiven ready and waiting!" Tapping the console in front of him to bring up a display of the galactic charts, he pointed to the locations of the battle fleets of the unforgiven chapters. Our combined fleet will move immediately to the Agripinaa sector along with the Tower of Angels. We will ascertain further movement based on intelligence and other developments. Final destination is at grid reference alpha-dextus-omega for convergence of all forces!" For the Lion and the emperor! Let the Gathering of Angels begin! |
CHAPTER II: COUNCIL OF WAR Chronicled By ( Shadow Guard ) |
GATHERING OF ANGELS |
This section provides the narrative history of the events that took place during the Gathering of Angels campaign conducted by the Inner Circle, during Abaddon's Thirteenth Black Crusade. This is in no way the official GW version nor is it in anyway an attempt to infringe on their IP. There are many versions of imperial history buried within the sands of time and this is but just one of them. Read on if you dare! |
