In the narrow confines of The Pits, in the belly of vast warehouses hastily cleared of their iron and smelted plasteel, there were a half a dozen rumblers being converted from external use to internal violence. Sparks sprayed as men in scrubby clothing, wearing the purple bandana and armbands of loyalty to the Sisterhood of the Levithan were at work, using las-welders and cutters to attach new armor to the heavy vehicles. The warehouse was filled with the clamor of voices, and the calls of work crews.
In the tunnels below, shooting ranges crackled with the thunder and lightly of massed lasvollies, while trainers shouted out. "Time your shots! Your weapons has no drop, take advantage of your grouping. Each lasgun is weak. But together, they are
strong."
The ozone smell of the massed fire stank in the air, but further down, underneath the common recruits...
There was the secondary training.
"I swear my life to the future, to the Star Children, to the hope for a better world," the squad of hard trained, tough looking gangers in former Krullz and Skaviz colors said, bowing before the red and purple robed women who walked among them anointing their brows with gently touches of the aphrodisiac that was being brewed up for the ritual. The men and women gasped and shivered, and their eyes were filled with delight as the Pure came from the shadows, scuttling towards them. By now, each of them had sworn to fight and die for the Sisterhood. Now, their mouths were opened, willingly, as Genestealer tongues slid down their throats. They trembled and bucked as they were Kissed...and they were ready to not merely die, but to
live for the Sisterhood.
The throbbing of new minds pulsed through the nascent network, and caused pinging pressure to reverberate off Xandra's head as she walked, her augmetic spine hissing softly as she moved past chambers were fireteams cemeted their love and comradery together, the moans and sighs of pure bliss echoing through the underground warrens. NExt to her, Yolanda walked and brushed her finger through her hair.
"Shexi?" she asked.
"Report first, worry later," Xandra said, her voice quiet.
"The...cloud-level has gone completely out of our grasp," Yolanda said. "They're aware of the build up down here, and despite my words, it has spooked them. Xandra...House Mark is ours. We've kissed the last member, and even their maids will die for us, even if we had to slit a few of the more intransigent throats..." She made a face. Gamak had been a particular delight, even if his bolter pistol had almost taken her head off. She shook her head. "But this means we only control a smattering of the areostats and a few agriculture centers across the lower levels. We have bodies, we have guns, we have weapons...and in return..."
"What?" Xandra asked.
Yolanda sighed.
"I think that Lousia may suspect me. She's begun plying her husband with obscura so he won't take any meetings and has quietly taken control. Her and General Takarus have convinced House Pierre that, to keep everything as it should be, they should form something called the Thedesian Defense Front." She made a face. "The PDF is wearing their colors and crests, and they have the entire cloud layer locked down. We can't even get to our orbital elements, I don't know if they're even intact. Me getting to the cloud cities at all is tricky."
Xandra rubbed her temple. "And the Mechs?"
"The Reformed Math of Saint Thepselion?" Yolanda asked, her voice grim. "They've refit, repaired, and...and are going to be commencing the attack on every front as soon as possible. They have only two space marines, but two space marines supported by the Skitarii, especially when they're the most deadly members of the Deathwatch? It's nothing we've ever had to fight before. Worse...the Arbiters have joined them, giving them an immensely powerful mobile force - the Arbiters have chimeras and suppression squads."
The two came to a small gangway, looking out over one of the resources that House Mark had bequeathed them - the Aquious-2, one of the revivors of water built beneath the Pits and the other Drophabs, chosen by the original founders. There, Yolanda blinked as she looked down. Three armed and bald headed, her cult's brothers and sisters were cladding themselves in flak armor, while crude hover-skimmers were being fitted with flamers and stubbers. Lasguns and heavy bolters were racked up - a scant few of the latter, but so many of the former it beggared the imagination. The vast space of the Aquious was being used to store even more men and material than she thought possible, rafts bobbing on the dark, clear water. The sounds of calling voices and laughter filled the air.
Xandra jerked her chin. "It's all thanks to her, and Shexi," she said, softly, as Yolanda saw the luminously beautiful Korine move among the soldiers, her new third arm caressing a cheek there, shaking the hand of another there. Most kelemorphs were made for ranged combat, but she carried a rapier and a pair of sleek dueling knives, the kind made to catch and twist knives out of hte way.
"Their example, above and below the clouds, have brought many to our side..."
"We can't let her die," Yolanda whispered.
"We're going to let a great
many people die," Xandra said, her voice grim. "War never is free of cost."
Yolanda gripped the railing, then bowed her head.
"One way or another, this will end," Xandra said. She put her hand on her sister's shoulder. "Our long hiding is over. The long wait is over. Thedias Prime will be free - or we will burn together." She looked down at the massed army.
Kilometers above them, the Arbites fortress on the Pits opened its gates. Emerging down the immense thoroughfare of the central pyramid came the first snarling, snorting, angular beast of a vehicle: A chimera, hastily painted red and adorned with cogwheel symbols. Skitarri rode on the sides, their long arc-rifles glittering as they watched the crowds of civilians looking out in fear. Families, who had known that nothing was amiss save for a change in rations and a subtle shift overhead, the faint sound of rumbling guns, and a single crashing shuttle...hurried inside, their doors slamming shut.
Booming from the PA, a voice spoke in trilling Low Gothic.
"Praise the Omnisiah. Chaos will give way to Efficency. Disunion to Logic. Emotion to Rationality. Praise the Omnisiah, your salvation has come."
And on, the Chimeras rumbled...
---
The last gang has joined you. The Zavs, Pierres and PDF have merged into the Thediasian Defense Front, while the Arbiters have thrown in with the Admechs. The apocalyptic final war for Thedias Prime's future, and the fate of the genestealer cult...HAS BEGUN! This will be more than a month long, probably, but the time has come to go big, go loud, or go the fuck home, BABYE!
[ ] Attack BLANK (Might + Treasure VS Might + Territory)
[ ] Being Informed (Influence + Soverignty vs Diff 1)
[ ] Spying on BLANK (Influence + Treasury vs Influence + Territory)
[ ] Influence BLANK to do BLANK (Influence + Treasury vs Influence + Territory)
[ ] Increase your Sovereignty (Territory + Treasure vs Diff [Current Sovereignty])
[ ] Police BLANK (Might + Sovereignty vs Influence + Might)
[ ] Rise in Stature (Sovereignty + Treasure vs Diff [Current Influence]
[ ] Train and Levy Troops (Sovereignty + Territory vs Diff [Current Might]
[ ] Unconventional Warfare (write plan in)
[ ] Wait And See What Happens
THE SISTERHOOD OF THE LEVITHAN
(Cycle 1, Month 5 - the Month of Gnashing Teeth)
MIGHT: 6 | TREASURE: 5 | INFLUENCE: 4 | TERRITORY: 2 | SOVEREIGNTY: 6
)