Too late?
Byzantium:
two days after the End of the Abominite incursion
Chapter Master Jullius of the Vanangrian guard read over the report from Averneus again and again, the horror only increasing with each glance. The last Saint had survived, just barely, saved by some ancient Avernite Xeno who battled two first circle arch-angyls at once and come out on top, despite suffering mortal wounds, but the cost to the trust had been horrific.
Dis, all but wiped from the Spine, a burning ruin all that was standing. The best human army ever to walk the galaxy left lying dead or battling themselves for control of the remaining cities. Their heroes, psykers and generals, fallen fighting for time. Even the governor himself had laid down his life, holding the first circle at the gate of his vault, black crystal in hand buying the precious last seconds the Ancient one needed to catch up to the greater daemons.
The old Astartes knew that no other force in the trust could fight on Helhiem, against the fallen armies of Avernite humans attempting to seize the planet from the remaining loyalists, to launch one last attempt at the last Saint while he tried to start reconstruction. Lins report on how few troops remained loyal terrified the old General- him worriedly predicting that if things continued as they were, the forthcoming deployment would be an extraction mission rather than reinforcements intended to hold the world.
The rush to deploy was like lightning striking the Astartes. Within an hour every Astartes that could possibly be spared were aboard a small Armada, whatever ships were at hand, and they set off.
The warp:
one year later
Julius' rush to attack had cursed him, that much he was sure about. His fleet, barely half of which remained, was lost in the doldrums of the warp. His navigators had died, screaming about a snake crashing in and out of the warp, the waves being too great, the sea being too overwhelming.
Without the navigators alive Julius had no good way of telling where he was in the tumoultous warp. His fleet struggled, and suffered, fearing for the further harm that had come to Helhiem without them. Fearing for the life of the last Saint, left alone to hold his shattered world, the chapter master slowly let go of a layer of hope.
At least he was in a stronger position than before he'd found the trust- he had possesed only a few squads of Astartes and a single ship then, and now, he had over ten thousand space marines, and over a hundred ships. Wherever they landed in the galaxy, he was certain they would make an impact for good.
It was just a pity that it wouldn't be at home, saving the man who promised far more hope than any had before in these dark times, the man who he was certain could heal his father.
Averneus:
Day 15 of the Abominite incursion
The ritual was bombarded by dragonfire and deathstrikes, and yet it continued. Blink spiders struck again and again at its leader, little more than pinpricks.
The Human Avernites made ready to assault, but knew in their hearts that mere men could not match the wrath of dragons, could not hope to do more. They knew that this was a suicide mission, at best buying time, but they charged anyway, ready to die fighting Angyls.
They fight better than any hoped, their thrust cutting through the Angylic host like a chain sword at first, but as their supporting aircraft were one by one brought down the advance slows to a crawl, constant attack from the air tearing at the vast formation of soldiers, the best human army the galaxy has ever seen clashing with the might of a great god of chaos.
The Avernites had a chance, a one in a thousand chance, but as the battle raged on that became a one in a million, and then one in a billion.
The Governor, accompanied by the Ash Hound, the Champion, and the Witch of Nothing lead the final charge. They are halted but a few hundred metres from the enemy captain, each dueling a Third Circle Archangel, only Jacob seemingly winning.
And then, the stars come out
First one, then a dozen, then a thousand drop pods burst through the clouds, the amber bright flame of their retros casting a new red light over the battlefield, breaking the golden curse of the Abomination.
The Varangian guard had arrived, and in time to save Dis, paradox be damned!
@Durin
