[40K] Black Crusade: Civil War of Calixis

[Bace1983]

"Eat bolts, alien!" roared Jack. Meanwhile, the renegades, frightened upon seeing the horrible monster, began fleeing from it, only to reach the end of corridor. They gripped their wits when the hissing of the genestealer ended, with a loud boltgun shot sounds.

Little did the warband know, the single genestealer had made telepathic contact with its brood, and they where already approaching. The cult knows it. It is only a matter of minutes, before they appear. The cruiser vox speakers began shouting and repeating "Intruders, Level C45, Power core. Cleansing protocol initiated!".

"A diversion must be made, Brother." yelled Jack and continued
"20 guardsman with us! The rest will move to the med center and make a fortification. Prepare void suits too! Move out!". They needed time, even though, it may cost lives. 

''We will destroy every last alien scum aboard this vessel before the day is out!'' Makroth growled.

[Bace1983]

Soon after the warband split the alarm message changed into "Intruders moved, Level C30, Med center. Regroup!". A fine smirk painted Jack's face as they tactically ran towards the bridge through empty corridors for 15 minutes. Almost too easy, Jack thought. If this was voidship of loyalist marine dogs, they would already be dead. However, such cheap tactics worked here.

As the med center was not far away from the place where they encountered a genestealer, 80 renegade guardsman quickly got there and began wreaking havoc and building a fortification. At start there were no resistance, but after the alarm changed, many zealots attacked. They almost knew, it was going to be their undoing.

Those 15 minutes of advancing suddenly was stopped by head-on coming of a big mutated mob of zealous scum. It was lead by a somebody who looked more alien than human. He wore heavily worn out carapace armor which almost did not fit on his changed body and wielded a lightning power sword. Jack spit from the disgust of those appeared filth. Makroth grinned, excited by the thought of blasting the abominations to shreds.

"Fee-s-asssst off fllessshh!...Attaaa-ssh-k!" with straight sword swing towards the warband, a growling shout came from the zealot leader. The zealots charged instantaneously and looked more like somebody who didn't have food for weeks.
''I will shatter your bones and rip out your guts as an offering to the dark gods!'' Makroth shouted.

[Bace1983]

"Enjoy-hh yourrsssh last breath-ssh scum! Devoured until las-shh-t drop of blood you all ar-rr-e going to be by our maas-ssss-ter!" growling scream replied from the charging mob. Genestealer cult won't give up so easily. The were much more followers in this infested voidship. The bloodbath was imminent and only 47 meters apart. Roaring and buzzing of zealot teeth were almost overwhelming compared to Makroth's already humming chainsword. The twenty renegades were also readying the volley of lasgun shots and frag grenades, which would be most effective in this five meter wide corridor.

[Bace1983]

In near proximity of warband fight, the last guard finally fell on the ground while looking into hole made in his chest by unholy warp bolt. Even though, the bridge was not far way, somebody boarded the cruiser. Acastus Markos did not like that at all. He cannot allow the artifact to fall into other hands again. He has already lost his warriors. Thus he moved faster towards the bridge. 

Acastus served during the Heresy and witnessed the Wolves' attack on Prospero, making him hate the Imperium for the betrayal, as a lot of the other Sons do. He did not have a say in the matter of joining Chaos. After the legion came under the banner of the Warmaster, he had no choice but to follow. Both sides' actions during the Horus Heresy only showed that the direct confrontation with the adversary is fairly inefficient, reaffirming his alignment towards his legion's doctrine and strategy, as well as elevating his view of Alpha Marines as one of the greater contributors to the 'traitors' effort. He split apart from his brothers some time after the Rubric. At this point Acastus welcomed the fracture of the organisation, getting rid of the shackles of a military hierarchy, as weak a grip it had as it did, which allowed the sorcerer to try and obtain more sources of knowledge and artefacts of demonic relation.
He located one such artefact in the Screaming Vortex. During his early years in the vortex, the sorcerer attempted to establish a smuggling ring and use it to obtain information, and provide some income. The ring was dismantled in its infancy. By local forces, apparently, although more clandestine actions might have been undertaken by somebody else. What little contacts he had, he managed to utilise them to flee to the planet Q'sal. Acastus reveres neither demons nor Gods, and percieves the former mostly as assets to obtain, and the latter - as possible allies.

[Bace1983]

Back at the fight, Makroth shouted ''Die, you pathetic wretches!'' and fired a burst of bolts at the mass of cultists. The shots ripped through the cultists and blasted their insides. Though the cultists had taken heavy damage, there was still many of them left.

Almost instantaneously another 3 bolt volley from Jack's legionnaire bolt gun shredded through the corridor and already covered in their own blood at least six cultists. The exact numbers were hard to count because of body parts and blood splattering around, but marines were exceptionally at combat and could see that barely two thirds of mob left to deal with. 18 bolts in his mighty bolt gun - Jack counted easily. The end of the fight is already near.

[Bace1983]

The raid for the artefact did not go as Acastus planned. The sorcerer's band proved to be barely effective enough as to let the marine close to the bridge. Their expiration, while expected, was far too premature.

The new situation called for a new approach, and the potential competitors could be turned to useful assets. As Acastus made his way to the bridge, he caught the sense of somebody who was not a denizen of this ship. Somebody who was touched by the Gods. Acastus understood that he should tread carefully, and decided to make his presence known. He mustered his telepathic prowess to contact the person.

As the pair's bolters mowed down the crowd, an intense whisper started to form in Jack's mind. A voice he had not heard shaped his thoughts, 'You seem to have got yourself in quite a trouble. I think that we can help each other'.

Meanwhile, Acastus was hearing a different voice, - a voice of bolters. The loud screaming of the guns made it easier to approach undetected. Silently opening the door the sorcerer introduced himself with a salvo of psychic bolts, making a short work of a couple of unfortunate sods.

[Bace1983]

Strange thoughts founded in Jack's head were a surprise. Somebody talked to him and that could be only done by a psyker. Judging by wording, it might be a rival, though he was not sure. The strange warp bolt traversed near him towards cultists, though he could not hear anything new appear at the back of their warband. The damage of warp magic looked devastating, and if it was towards cultist, the new guest could be an ally. It was taking too long to fight in this voidship already but, for the moment, Jack was too busy squeezing his boltgun. ''Sorcery.'' grumbled Makroth. He cared little for sorcerers, but still recognized their power. Makroth continued to fire hails of bolts at the enemy.

Despite both marines strange lack of awareness, renegades noticed a huge power armored warrior shooting warp energies. Most of them were already ready to shoot cultists, but the unexpectedly appeared warrior made them accidentally to press their triggers and a small volley of lass fire scorched the warrior's armour, though inflicting insignificant damage.
"Possible enemy, 3 o'clock, chief. Orders?" they made themselves ready to attack new guest. The fact, that marines didn't shoot at him, could mean he is an ally. That was confusing for renegades.

[Bace1983]

While the renegades were distracted by the newcomer, the cultists and their leader where on the move. Makroth targeted the leader, and began to fire another burst at him from the hip. ''Meet your death, slave of aliens!'' He shouted as his weapon spew out a salvo of bolts. One of the bolts flew right into the head of the enemy leader while another, struck him in the face. A third bolt punched into his arm. His armour where not enough to stop the bolts, but he still took minimal damage. Seeing this, Makroth gritted his teeth in frustration and began moving towards the advancing horde with his chainsword raised high. ''I made you a promise that I intent to fufill! Iron within! Iron without!''

[Bace1983]

The One felt them. His minions were already pushing the intruders. However, those were only decoys. The true threat was much closer. How could he not have seen through this deception? He was not going to loose his efforts of capturing this cruiser to be undone.
"Gather all available forces and send them to defend the bridge, 3CPO" he commanded and lighten up acigar while looking into holomap of his ship
"Will be done, sir" an old but still working servitor pushed its commands through command links.

The ship's voxes alarmed new information "Intruders, Level A65, Main intruders. Extra payment for all crew".

[Bace1983]

Jack again aimed and sprayed bolts towards the enemy splattering nearly half of left ones 
"Just die already! Brother, we will make them pay for wasting our ammo!" Jack accompanied the charging Makroth and as the last bolt left his boltgun, he looked back at the renegades and was surprised with the view. One sorcerer of the Thousand Sons chaos space marines stood near the renegades. 
"Spill your true intentions straight, Sorcerer!" words sprouted. Jack really did not want a new front to open here. At least not now. Sorcerers of the traitor legions are quite good schemers.
 "Guards, charge forward!"