MARSHAL'S LOG [ENTRY 006] - 345155.M42

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MARSHAL'S LOG [ENTRY 006] - 345155.M42

MARSHAL TYRION

COMMANDER, 5TH BLACK TEMPLAR CRUSADE

PLANET THETA, MELKIN SYSTEM

I. MISSION.

(A) INTELLIGENCE REPORTS OFFERED BY INQUISTOR BALE REVEALED AN ANCIENT RELIC, FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE IMPERIUM, WAS BEING EXCAVATED BY AN UNAUTHORIZED MECHANICUM SPONSORED EXPEDITION. THE 5^TH WAS DIRECTED TO RETRIEVE THE RELIC, ON BEHALF OF THE INQUISITION, AT ANY COST.

II. COMBAT ACTIONS OF INTEREST

(A) UPON ARRIVAL TO PLANET THETA, IT WAS PLAIN TO SEE THE GUARD UNITS WERE ARRAYED IN AN IDEAL FASHION… QUADRUPLE OVERLAPPING FIRE POSITIONS IN ALL DIRECTIONS; THE COMMANDER OF THIS FORCE WAS A HUMAN TO BE RECKONED WITH. PLANETFALL WENT AWRY AFTER INQUISITOR BALE INTERFERED WITH FORCE DEPLOYMENT. AS A RESULT, MY FORCES DESCENDED ONTO THE FIELD IN COMPLETE DISARRAY. BEFORE I COULD REGROUP MY FORCES TO PUSH FORWARD, THE COMMANDER HAD ALREADY TAKEN THE INITIATIVE.

(B) THE EMPEROR'S CHAMPION AND SQUAD MADDOX DROPPED BEHIND ENEMY LINES TO DRAW ENEMY FIRE OFF OF THE CENTER LINE. BLESSED BE THEIR SACRIFICE. THE WICKED FELL IN THEIR WAKE BUT THERE WERE TOO MANY. THE CHAMPION'S BANNER FELL AND SQUAD MADDOX WAS OVERWHELMED.

(C) MY LAND RAIDER THUNDERED UNMATCHED THROUGH THE BATTLE FIELD ALONG THE RIGHT FLANK. IT DESTROYED ALL IN ITS WAKE. HOWEVER, A UNIT OF ENEMY SPECIAL FORCES ARMED WITH MELTA-WEAPONS EMERGED FROM A NEARBY CHURCH. IN A SINGLE VOLLEY OF FIRE, THE SACRED TRANSPORT WAS DESTROYED FROM BENEATH ME. THE SQUAD I ACCOMPANIED RECOVERED FROM THE HARROWING DESTRUCTION AND WE TOOK OUR VENGEANCE. BUT IT WAS NOT ENOUGH… THERE WERE MORE. THE ENEMY COMMANDER HAD ORDERED A MULTI-AXIS STRIKE ON OUR POSITION BEFORE WE COULD REACT. I STOOD ALONE AGAINST THE TORRENT. I TOOK THE DEADLY FIRE UPON MY SHIELD BEFORE IT DISINTEGRATED IN MY ARM. LACKING THE SHIELD, I STOOD WITH ARMS WIDE TO STOP THE STORM OF PLASMA FIRE FROM KILLING MY BROTHERS. I STOOD AGAINST IT UNTIL I COULD STAND NO MORE. THE REMAINDER OF THIS LOG IS BASED UPON SERVO-SKULL PICT-REPORTS WHICH WERE REVIEWED AFTER THE BATTLE.

(D) THE SQUAD I HAD PROTECTED WAS DESTROYED… VENIR, SARAS, CLAUSE, COMUDUS, THERIS, SHEEN, THRIN, GLOIN, GRATUS, VLOR; ALL GENE-SEED WAS LOST.    

(E) THE VENERABLE DREADNOUGHT GRYMM FAILED TO FIND GLORY IN THIS BATTLE AND HIS CHASIS WAS DESTROYED. THANK THE EMPEROR HIS BODY WAS RECOVERED AND HE IS BEING REFIT TO A NEW SARCOPHAGI.

(F) IN A LAST BIT GAMBIT, THE ALPHA-STRIKE LANDSPEEDER TWISTED THROUGH THE STREETS OF RUINS AT FLANK SPEED, DODGING LAS CANNON FIRE FROM EVERY ANGLE AS IT APPROACHED THE ENEMY COMMANDER’S CHIMERA. A BLAST FROM THE SPEEDER’S MULTI-MELTA CANNON LEFT THE CHIMERA A MOLTEN HEAP OF SLAG. THE ENEMY COMMANDER AND HIS RETINUE BARELY MANAGED TO CRAWL OUT OF THE BURNING WRECK.  THE CREW OF WRATH, THE VINDICATOR TANK, REDIRECTED FIRE FROM THE DESTRUCTION IT HAD BEEN REAPING NEAR THE RELIC SITE. IN A BRILLIANT FLASH OF FIRE AND SMOKE, THE DEMOLISHER CANNON STRUCK TRUE AND THE GENIUS ENEMY COMMANDER AND HIS PERSONAL GUARD WERE CAUGHT IN THE FURY BLAST OF WRATH’S ORDINANCE. ALL GUARD UNITS WITHDREW FROM THE SITE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THEIR COMMANDER’S DEATH. 

(G) THE RELIC WAS RECOVERED BY ELEMENTS OF THE 5^TH CRUSADE.  

III. PERSONNEL INTERACTIONS.

(A) INQUISITOR BALE. WHEN I LEFT THE MEDICAE FACILITY I SOUGHT OUT THE INQUISITOR AND FOUND HIM WITHIN THE CONFINES OF MY SHIP’S LARGEST CHAPEL. HE SAT UPON THE EDGE OF A PEW AND DID NOT BOTHER STANDING IN MY PRESENCE. HE LOOKED UPON ME WITH UNFLINCHING, UNCARING EYES. HIS MOUTH OPENED BUT BEFORE IT COULD UTTER A WORD OF NONSENSE I STRUCK HIM… AGAIN AND AGAIN. EACH STRIKE SPILLED A MIXTURE OF BLOOD AND TEETH ACROSS THE COBBLED FLOORING. I LEFT HIM IN A POOL OF CRIMSON... ALIVE. 

(B) THE ACTIONS I TOOK AGAINST INQUISITOR BALE MAY HAVE BEEN A MISTAKE. HIGH MARSHAL HELBRECHT HAS SUMMONED MY IMMEDIATE PRESENCE UPON HIS CAPITOL SHIP, IN THE THRAXIS SYSTEM. I WILL DEPART IMMEDIATELY.     

IV. PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS.

(A) TOO MANY OF MY BROTHERS DIED THIS DAY. THIS TRINKET OF A FORGOTTEN AGE WAS NOT WORTH MY KINDRED’S BLOOD, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE ENEMY WERE NOT THINE ENEMY.  INQUISITOR BALE’S APOSTASY WAS MET WITH MY WRATH AND I MUST NOW ANSWER FOR MY ACTIONS TO THE MASTER OF MY CHAPTER.

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