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Act I: Part 1: The Chaos Temple

"Squad Commander Anthony Grantu this is Force Commander Thule. Aerial recon shows a large gathering of what appears to be the Forces of Chaos centered around a large pyramid like object in one of Kronus' deserts. We suspect they are constructing a Chaos temple with intention of opening another Warp Gate. We plan on assaulting the force in two days time. We need you and your squad to go and clear out the area where our troops will march as so our momentum isn't hampered. Not one step backward. Glory to the Emperor Brother."


One and a half days later...

Anthony stood on the dune in front of the squad's camp for the night. Kronus' moon was out and the stars were numerous and bright. Truly a sight to see, but he couldn't appreciate it. His eyes were fixed on the horizon. An ominous green glow, nothing like he had seen the Chaos Space Marines create, loomed over where intel suggested the Chaos Temple was being built. It all didn't add up to him. They made their way this far with no resistance. Normally, a Chaos Temple would have a few legions, divisions even of troops on patrol. Here, however, there was nothing. He held his helmet in his hands. He had to take it off, he needed to feel the breeze across his face. Although this desert did get so cold at night it chilled his very soul all he could think was "At least the God Emperor thought it fit to fit these battle suits with heaters." He put the helmet back on and headed back to camp.

The comm lines were quiet for a change. It must be the rare time in between battles Anthony liked to call "Golden Hour." A smile came across his face, he had to find the little things to make him happy. Especially in a time of constant war. The battle suit was surprisingly comfortable. It was like not wearing anything at all. It made him faster, stronger and gave him more stamina in the battlefield. Which was good, seeing as this squad has seen more battle hours than any other squad in the Blood Angels, possibly even in the Imperium.

They held another astonishing record. As he looked around the squad when he arrived at the small camp he realized none of them have even lost a limb to the enemy. No bionic arms, legs, eyes or anything. Any other seasoned squad you would see at least one metal arm or two. He found it strange but didn't want to mention it. He didn't want to jinx anything.

He opened up the squad comm link "I hate to say it guys, but I hope you got enough rest because we gotta get to that temple soon. The assault should begin in about seven hours and we got at least another two hour walk until we get in assault range."

Isabelle sighed softly to herself as she closed her ocean blue eyes momentarily, before fluttering them open once more to see the starlit sky looming over her and the small encampment. Her red armor that once shined with dignity was now dulled from the desert sand, as she was simply sat down at the petite encampment that her squad formed earlier to take a rest. Her slightly sand-covered red helmet was delicately placed to her right side, instead of it being on her head where it should have been. Isabelle simply loved the feeling of the humid desert breeze blow through her hair like a hair dryer would. It made her feel like she was not about to fight anything, however, it all soon began to sink into her on what their squad was now about to do.

They were about to risk their lives yet again, but the humorous part was that she didn't care, she never did. This could have been because they always had major luck with these sort of "missions" or just the fact that she had nothing to lose. At least nothing to lose beside her endearing squad that she thought of as a family. They've all been together for so long it seemed, and they got along pretty well... sometimes.

Shaking away the thoughts, her eyes drifted over, spotting their Commander instantly in his red armored attire. Indeed, he was young, but he was always a marvelous leader. She wasn't sure if he was a better fighter than her at some points, but he certainly knew how to take charge and stay calm in every situation and she knew it. Suddenly, her thoughts were completely disturbed as she caught a glimpse at a weary green glow in the dark sky.

'How odd.... well it's not like we can't handle whatever is happening over there.' She thought confidently, while nodding her head as if agreeing with herself.

Confidence was always something Isabelle claimed to be her's. She was hardly ever doubtful in her motives, or even in the squad's. Especially when they got themselves into sticky situations while fighting brutally. Hell, she could recall countless times where her life would be on the line, but she always seemed to squirm her way free. Never has she lost a mechanical limb in a battle, and she was proud of that. Very proud.

Noticing that her Commander was about to walk back towards them, she hurriedly slipped her sandy helmet back on, but first was rushed to wipe off the grainy sand that clung to it. Feeling relieved and now relaxed she stood herself up, awaiting for the news that Commander Anthony was going to bring them.

Once the Commander walked over to them and told them that they had to begin their two hour long walk, Isabelle silently groaned in disapproval to herself. She was just elated at the fact that there was most definitely going to be some sort of action, and as long as she got to kill just about anything, she was happy.

"Yes, Commander," replied the brunette, "I believe we got enough rest as it is anyway. Remember, we practically live on a few hours of sleep a day as it is."

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What are you clutching to, my enemy? Why are you advancing through storm and chaos? Is it hate? Maybe hope?
Or perhaps you are just like me, that simply, this is the only thing you have left.

John thought impatiently about the battle to come. Though anxious, He couldn't wait until he could feel the satisfaction of witnessing bolter shells rip his foes to pieces. They would be walking for a while. "What are the rules of engagement on this one?" John asked Anthony. He hoped the answer was engage freely. It had been a while since the team saw battle, and John was feeling more aggressive than usual. "Are we keeping score this time?" He asked half jokingly. He reflected on all the battles his squad fought together. It was kind of odd that they had never really sustained significant damage, but he didn't think about it too much. After all they were the blood angels, one of the better chapters in his opinion.

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Anthony began walking towards the glow. Fixated on it, almost obsessed with figuring out what it could mean. The gun fire and explosions didn't add up either. However, he shook himself out of the daze to answer.

"Yeah, we're still keeping count, however Octavius still holds record. You need about 4 more kills to tie him John." Anthony laughed "And as for orders, hold fire until I give the order." He said while glaring at the entire crew. He was worried they may have gotten arrogant with their luck. His attention immediately turned back to the light.

Clouds began to role in. Black, darker than any he's seen on any planet. It began to get colder. Even with the heaters it still chilled him to the bone. His gun began to feel heavy. No, this wasn't the Forces of Chaos. This was something more...ancient. Something more terrifying.

As they continued walking, time began to seem like it dragged on. His eyes fixated on the glow until the outlines of a pyramid became noticeable. He stopped and raised his fist. They were early. Very early and yet...no resistance. The sounds of battle became more apparent. "If this really was a Chaos Temple...it just." Anthony mumbled. He looked back at his squad "What do you think?"

James was closing his eyes, enjoying his rest, these few precious hours that they had to rest, as he heard Anthony approach. As Anthony told them the news, James stood up. He glanced around at the others, in their similar, blood-red armor. To outsiders, he was sure they looked similar in their full armor, but he could tell who each person was just by looking at them, and they were so...different, yet, they were like one In battle, they fought as one, perfectly. They were his squad, his....family. Without them, well, he couldn't imagine life without them.

James walked outside of the camp a little, and stood there. He closed his eyes, and mentally prepared himself for battle. His breathing slowed, and he thought back to other battles that they had fought together, the enemies that they had defeated, without even losing any limbs. We are so different than other squads, so different... He opened his eyes, and looked across the sandy dunes. There was a slight wind, which gave the dunes the appearance of an ocean. He could see, in the distance, the green glow. He tore himself away from this view, and walked back to the rest of his squad, as they started their walk towards the green glow.

James couldn't help but appreciate their suits. Even though he was getting very tired, and everything was becoming heavy, he knew that without this suit, his tiredness would have started long ago. The pyramids started to get closer and closer as the glow made their outlines more obvious. He immediately stopped when Anthony raised his fist, and looked closely at the pyramids. Something was wrong, he could feel it. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard Anthony mumble to himself. He looked all around, heard the signs of battle, yet saw no one.

"I think we missed most of it." John said bitterly. He looked around the desolate battlefield. Too desolate. There were no foes to be slain here. Or bodies... Or anything really. Just that creepy glowing pyramid off in the distance. "You know what? This doesn't seem like chaos." John said, gripping his bolter tightly. He scoured the land for anything they might have missed, maybe a trap. Hoping for a trap. The vacancy of the whole area was killing him. "What's the call sir?" He hoped it would have something to do with action.

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Lorn V, why did that name pop up in Anthony's head? Nothing here reminded him of it, save the cold. Lorn V was just another planet. Just another battle. Soldiers tell tales of new races, things that are so horrific. But they're only stories right? Anthony took his helmet off and took in a deep breath.

"Does anyone remember that Lorn V? We had to help the Imperial Guard retrieve a Titan?" he laughed and looked up "Those soldiers told some crazy stories, didn't they."

He looked at James "Remember that one? He had frostbite, lost all his fingers. He...he suffered from delusions but was the only one left of his group."

Then, his smile slowly disappeared only to show a worried frown. He turned to the light "Black...green...then died, then rose again. That's all he could say. That's all he would say. Black...green." Then he looked down at the sand and began to laugh. He lifted his head, rested his bolter on his shoulder and chuckled "That was one crazy battle," and began walking toward the temple again. "Come on Isabelle, pick up the pace." he said trying to make her angry.

James let his muscles rest during this stop, while thinking of what John said. He was right, of course. There couldn't have been a battle here yet. It must be a trap. It must be a trap. James glanced around him again. Still no movement. Nothing. The only other thing he could see was the pyramids illuminated by the strange green glow...

James smiled when Anthony started talking about Lorn V. "Yeah, I remember that battle. They did tell some.... weird stories." James laughed and looked at Anthony.

When Anthony mentioned the soldier, James thought back to that one soldier, the only one left of his group. "Yeah, I remember him alright. How can I ever forget him? He was definitely one crazy one alright..."

Then James remembered in full the stories that soldier told. Anthony must have, too, because he started talking about it. When he thought about the lights that soldier described, James couldn't help but look at the green glow. I wonder....is there a connection? James didn't have any time to think more on the subject, as at that moment they started to move out again.

Isabelle was hypnotized by the magical green hue. Her thoughts racing like never before as she tried to piece together everything into a somewhat logical answer. However, once Anthony brought up the story she couldn't help but come up with some sort of hypothesis to their situation.

"Black... green," she mumbled quietly to herself just as her Commander did, until he snapped her out of her thinking state, "Oi! You're lucky I'm compassionate enough to not blow your head off!" she replied to his playful nagging, scowling at him for a split second.

She quickly ran up to the squad in means to catch up to them, mentally kicking herself for straggling behind so much. It was then that she realized what that soldier meant on that fateful day when he died.

"Sir, I think we may be walking into a trap," Isabelle began, while trying to sort everything in her head, "You see.. the green glow up ahead, it fits in with that soldier's story.. or.. with the two words he could only speak. Though, perhaps when he said black, he meant some sort of enemy that he had faced, or the sky... either or."

Just then she realized how pitiful of an answer that was to all of this as she spoke up once again, "You know what.. forget I said anything, that was just ridiculous to think of."

A small laugh lingered away from her lips, in attempt at trying to hide her newly found embarrassment. Instead of talking anymore, she silently walked with the group in deep thought. She held her bolter gun tightly, as if expecting something to happen. Anything. Since they were just in a barren wasteland of desert sand, it would be easy for anyone to spot five large blood-red robotic figures walking.

'Mmm.. some fighting right now would be wonderful. It feels like it has been ages since we brutally destroyed something.' She couldn't help but give a death glare toward John. He would always steal her kills, as if she was some damsel in distress in a fairytale; however, she was going to make it her duty to have him kill practically nothing if action took place.

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