Baby Don't Fear the Reaper. (FT, EE)

[The Golden hoarde]

Baby Don't Fear the Reaper

The stone passageway was a large black hole in the ground. The hot sun beating down upon Hajir’s back was nothing compared to the icy cold air that seemed to blow out from the passage beneath the sands of Northern Afghanistan. Hours ago he had set out from the northern Kabul suburb to search for his brother who still had not brought the family’s sheep back from pasture farther up in the mountains, one thing led to another and now he stood mere meters from the entry way into the unknown.

He was about to turn away and grab the cellular phone to try and call some friends when the bleat of a sheep sounded from inside the passageway. He sighed, knowing that this was just the kind of place Abdul would chose to spend a rough night. Grabbing instead a small flashlight he sighed heavily before stepping into the dark expanse.

Slowly marching forward at a fixed and rhythmic pace he suddenly became aware of the sharp drop that the passageway followed. In just a few meters he had gone more than twenty feet down at angles so steep he was not too sure he could climb back out without help. Perhaps that was why his brother had not returned yet?

He moved forward another forty meters and down another thirty feet before he found the first sheep. He approached it and found that it was near hysterical, he could read sheep like a book by now seeing as to how his only job/regular action was veterinary work on the family’s livestock. He slowly rubbed it’s face and nose before moving forward calling for Abdul.

His voice echoed down the hallway and for a second he could almost hear something howl back. Slowly stepping forward he could swear he had walked miles and miles while he only in reality had gone perhaps a quarter of a mile on a narrow and twisting path that disorientated even the most hardy scout or miner. The air grew staler and staler until Hajir had to stop and take a rest.

His heavy breathing seemed so loud down here and suddenly the macabre thought that if someone killed him right now no one would ever know rushed into his head. Feeling nervous and slightly afraid he glanced over both shoulders before sinking down against a stone wall. The passage was so smooth yet projected some kind of rugged aura, an almost plausible stink of old fear and death. As if on cue his flashlight flickered and then went dark, leaving him alone and blind perhaps miles underground.

He turned to go back the way he came but remembered the miles of tunnel and assumed that he must be nearing the end or perhaps another way out. Rising he reached out one hand and began to walk forward, tracing his path on the wall with his worn and calloused hand. The stone was colder the farther he walked, that was the first thing he noticed, cold yet hot in places almost as if some ancient technology regulated everything within this tunnel-cave anomaly.

He had heard about these things, Muslims made them long ago to hide weapons and officers in. Perhaps he would stumble upon the Muslim holdouts who were said to be plotting against the Hindu government. He continued on and then noticed that the dark gloom was slowly getting brighter, perhaps this would herald a way out or the end of the tunnel. He moved quicker until finally he retraced his hand from the wall and began to jog.

He went on for several long minutes before he realized that the air was much fresher and echoes carried farther. Slowing and then finally stopping he tried to turn on his dead flashlight and got only a momentary flicker, in that flicker he saw something. A door.

The door was smooth stone that was warm to the touch. Symbols coated it and they appeared to all be written in some ancient language. Scholars in Herat of Kabul would say it was high gothic and the central symbol was of the “Tears of Darkness” Space Marines but to an ignorant Afghan it was gibberish with an unknown standard upon it. Placing his hand upon the door’s center he paused before saying,

“Open.”

With a hiss the door slid open and far in the distance something stirred.

[Rethan]

Silent words, not spoken and yet heard by those who spoke them....

"They intrude."

"It comes alone."

"It comes alone."

"It is afraid."

It had not been the first to find perfection. No. It had come hunting for it's kin, and it had wandered this wretched path unwittingly embracing the gift which lay behind the shadows and darkness. Walls slick with an indefinable black gore, a web of glistening organic residue, thin against the stone walls. Along the floor, shattered remnants of cocoons, their occupants long since vanished into the darkened edges of the room. The oil which coated the floor was simultaneously biological and yet unnatural, given a ghostly appearance by the cold mist which floated and twisted around the numerous ridges and crests of the webbing.

A wall moved.

A lone figure stood in the centre of the room. Tall and thin, a coarse and sharp skeleton visible through the dead, scentless skin. Sharp ridges and spines tore through flesh to make their owner take on the appearance of some hell-spawned spider. Wiry limbs hid immense strength, six thin and clawed fingers flexed in the ice-cold air. Blank eyes, blind to light yet with greater sight than the most evolved mammal, gazed into the very nerves of the intruder. A smile far too large grew, cheeks splitting to lengthen the malevolent show of needles which lined an empty, blackened mouth.

The floor twitched.

The creature laughed turning to face another which emerged from the space behind it. Twins in the artificial winter which engulfed the room. Both hissed, both smiled, both stared. Unblinking and utterly motionless. No breath moved their chests, no heartbeat twitched their veins, no saliva wettened their lips. They simply stared.

The roof lunged.

This creature was different. Some twisted merging of limbs and flesh, hanging sacs glistened with poison as scythed bone ripped the air. A jaw less head forced its way into the intruder's face as a tentacled mass of muscle and gore wrapped itself around the prey's legs. Bone connected with scalp, a small spurt of blood spraying into the air. Extended bone pushed through ragged flaps of skin to pin the intruder's hand to the floor, as the second monster opened it's mouth, revealing a score of whiplike tongues. Eyes which bled eternally met the eyes of the screaming prey as the tongues wrapped themselves around shattered shins, perforating skin and leeching blood. The intruder went pale as a third creature reached up from behind and sealed the door once again.

As the intruder looked up to the roof, the two humanoid creatures stood silent. The abominations held him in place as one of the Masters reached down, scratching his cheek, a thorned tongue licked his wounded hand, cracked lips kissed his scarred legs.

As the light faded, the Downcast retreated into the darkness, leaving the intruder with the Masters. Finally, the intruder fell into deep slumber as the toxins of the Downcast took their toll, ravaging his nervous system, driving the terrified prey into unconsciousness, ripping apart his memories and leaving everything blank.

---

The sunlight burned the blinded eyes, the being which called itself Second looking around for other life before dumping the now infected sheep herder. A cold hiss, and then Second was gone, vanished into the abyssal darkness again. When the intruder awoke, he would remember nothing, he would seek his own kind.

And then he would die. Just as his brother had, and just as the animals which went with him had. Their flesh and organics rent asunder and rebuilt into their evolved and more perfect form. One animal had given birth to two Masters, the rest had all died, their bodies perverted into the Downcast which defended the Hive.

The Hive had to survive. This world was full of victims of life, and for them to be cured, the Hive had to thrive.

And so, the Hive would kill again.

[The Golden hoarde]

Kabul
Ten Days after Infection

The streets were barren and empty. A dead man lay not far off, his smell one of the thousand and one smells that came together to make the stink of a dead city. The soft bleat of untended animals and the far off pop of linear musket fire was the only sound one could hear in Kabul these days. The infection had spread rapidly in the closed in and confined city. One Million and one citizens died in the chaos with thousands more becoming something else, something dark.

The Military was called in, they did a decent enough job setting up a cordon around the city. Several lines of field works looked upon by sentries and artillery not to mention the large bulk that was the lone Afghan ship the “Fist of Herat”. The real concern was what was inside, the infection was like nothing any Afghan medicine man had seen. It spread rapidly and did things no one could understand. The infected did not die, they changed and it was unknown just what they were changing into.

Quickly an order from the Great Khan had come down to the men of the Army and an elite squadron of soldiers was sent in. Armed to the teeth they slowly moved forward. Weary eyes gazed out upon desolate streets, every window was empty and every corner a danger zone. Still, no contact was made and it unnerved the men. Their rifles were held in trembling hands and their steps were quick and filled with fear. This was unlike anything anyone on earth had ever seen.

The infection had spread quickly, faster than the government could ever predict. What started as a dozen isolated cases quickly filled the city with sick and dead. Whole neighborhoods came down with it at once and those who were Islamic, Christian or any of the other Monotheistic cults claimed it was the wrath of their god while the Hindu and Pagans claimed it was the will of their’s. All that was for certain is that some deity had turned their back of the Khanate as it’s second largest city quickly died.

Small enclaves still survived, camps and lone bastions in converted apartments. Military men holed up in basements or the occasional fallout shelter while civilians were killed by their dozens. Killed by beasts that were once men, animals that stalked as one. The soldiers of Nightmare Six had head these tales, their hearts of iron reduced to butter at the thought of these beasts the line men spoke of. Still hours into setting off and no contact. Settling into an even pace they thought that perhaps this would be it, a long walk with nothing to do.

Naturally as soon as they settled in something happened. One of them found them.

[Rethan]

Kabul
Infection: Day Ten

"Vectors come, prey to be consumed. This is our Hive now."

The Mutagen had wrought its deadly gift across the city, slaying thousands and curing thousands more of their infliction of life. Those who lay dead and dying throughout the streets began to morph and shift their appearance. Rotting and decaying into black masses of oily, biomechanical webbing which crawled up walls and over the ground of the grave sites. Entire buildings began to be corrupted by the web, appearing normal on the outside while the inside and the sewers beneath grew new walls of slime and alien architecture.

Those that did not die immediately experienced a much more magnificent gift. Those whom the infection chose as worthy collected themselves in the cold, dank sewer systems of the city and in the claustrophobic darkness of basements the city over. There they slept, wrapped in velvety cocoons of black filth, until their forms were changed into the harbingers of the Mutagen, the heralds of extinction. The bulges cracked open, long thin fingers coiling around the edges of each fracture as they peeled apart their temporary homes. Six sharp claws ripped through velvety veins, revealing the gaunt forms of the Rethast. Creatures who had never felt the agony of life, whose bodies moved with grace and malevolent power. But they were weak and clumsy now, their blind eyes not yet open to a world they could never see. As the Newborns emerged in twos and threes from the former corpses they had been born in, the walls themselves moved.

Downcast. Perversions of nature. Guardians of the Newborns.

Of every 100 who were infected, 60 would die. 5 would be warped into Newborns, each body giving enough flesh for between two and four of the pathogenic warriors. The rest became Downcast, and sad too, for the damnation wrought upon them was hell itself. Their minds their own, but their bodies controlled by the immortal will of the Rethast. Prisoners in their own deformed flesh, driven mad with agonising pain as bones extended and extra limbs burst forth.

It was these which stalked the city, some clinging to walls of buildings, others hiding in the darkened corners of Kabul. A brood of these beasts, lead by a creature which stood the height of a man but could crouch to the size of but a child, now moved their way towards one of the final bastions of survivors. The largest creatures stood at the fore, immense titans of muscle and bone capable of smashing through hardened rock for their smaller, more varied brethren behind. The most nimble of the brood took to the roofs, elongated legs pushing them forward to glide on wings of extended flesh from rooftop to rooftop, drawing ever closer to the defenders.

All at once, the building in sight, the brood hurled itself without abandon at the structure. The living battering rams aiming to smash the walls down for the legion of crawlers and tentacled monstrosities behind, while the gliders crept onto the roof, aiming to catch the defenders off guard from above....

[Venusian France]

The small flat was not what was expected, it was instead changed. The simple furniture and decor was gone replaced by alien architecture. And again their objective, a French citizen who served as an administrative assistant was not found, only a black messy spot of bio mechanical webbing that was moving up the walls to cover the outside of the building.

"Negative contact Sergeant." Lance Corporal Dominique Varia reported to her squad leader, Sergeant Henri Villers. The transparent HUD over her left eye displayed the visual of the flat transmitted by the recon drone she operated remotely.

"Recall the Finch" the Sergeant ordered calling the small drone by its nickname. "We're Romeo-Tango-Bravo"

"Aye Aye Sergeant" She said as she transmitted the recall to Finch. It would leave to Flat through a window and move out into the open air above the Marine Squad.

The nine man squad pulled out of the alleyway, they moved in a staggered column moving from cover to cover, their linear accelerators always scanning down the street and above them at the rooftops. They moved in well drilled sequences one fire team covering the advance of the other until they reached their transport. Two armored vehicles, each had a turret with an imposing tri-barrel gun capable of firing a 100 rounds a second. The Marines embarked and with a screech of tires the vehicles moved towards one of the last bastions of living in the city, the embassy.

Abandoned vehicles were driven through when necessary the bodies of the dead driven over. In five minutes the vehicles were within sight of the Embassy. The five meter high stone walls were topped by razor sharp Constantina wire. The gate opened as the marine fire team who manned it waved them through quickly before securing the gates. Inside the compound the vehicles parked in front of the embassy the marines exited but so did four civilians, the only ones the marines were able to recover.

"Civilians move inside the Embassy there is food and water available, you will be made as comfortable as possible before the evacuation shuttles arrive." The voice of Lt. Michelin said over the loudspeakers.

With little warning the loud report of the .50 cal sniper rifle rang out from a the roof of the three story embassy, then another and another shot. The marksmen on the roof tops have just observed the approaching assault and began to fire upon largest of the Rethast that were charging the walls. Each projectile moved at transonic velocity and would strike their targets before they even heard the sound. While the sniper weapons did not have the ability to knock out a tank like a marine's linear accelerator, they were much more accurate and capable of punching through an inch of durasteel at more then two kilometers.

Troops moved quickly the squad at the gate pulled back to the inner courtyard behind a sandbag wall in between the two armored vehicles. The two marines spun in the turrets, their tri-barrels aimed at the top of the walls. The Gliders that attempted to scale the walls would find themselves caught and cut in the Constantina wire, while being targeted by the two tri-barrels. Then the turret's weapon system fired and the two sections of the walls were struck by the largest of the enemy beasts.

Lance Corporal Varia saw the approaching brutes on her HUD, her Finch still orbiting above. "Two o'clock" and four a clock they will be hitting the wall" The gate squad and Villers squad all aligned their weapons at those two positions. When the walls crashed inwards at those two spots the two squad fired a volley of their linear accelerators. Eight heavy iron-nickel slugs capable of knocking out a modern tank and shattering the most powerful kinetic shields went down range at their targets they did not even look for the results as they hurried to reload their powerful weapons. Above them the quicker firing sniper rifles and assault rifles of the squad of light infantry kept up a steady controlled rate of fire against the ever approaching enemy.

The Rethast up to this point had met resistance only by confused Afghan civilians and scattered military units of the Afghan army. Now they assaulted a walled compound garrisoned by a platoon of French Marines, who were among the finest troops in all of Sol. They were outnumbered, that was true, but every marine knew they fought for the lives of their countrymen trapped inside the Embassy and they knew that relief was coming. Every Marine also knew that the Emperor, Charles Martel, did not leave any one behind, soon the Hammer would fall upon those that devastated Kabul.

[OMGeverynameistaken]

A Message to Khan Ahmad Shah, From the Desk of M.N. Skobelev, Governor of the Turkestan Military District

Greetings,

It has recently come to our attention that, not only has the majority of civilian activity ceased in the city of Kabul, what little there was left after recent events that is to say, but it appears that there is a significant amount of fighting going on involving the French delegation in that area.

As a state friendly to the Afghan Khanate, and one which the Russian Empire wishes to remain stable, we request permission from your majesty to deploy an expeditionary force with the objective of liberating Kabul and investigating the ongoing events of the region.


Signed,
Mikhail Nikolayavich Skobelev
(Signed)

[Terraius]

Set Roman Task Force on Monitoring the Rethanst Infection spreading throughout Beta;

"Alert in Sector MR. Our probes have detected possible infectious activity."

"Get a closer look, make sure its not another case of colliding novas."

The operator stationed near a display clicked the screen a few times to zoom in on the activity. There were puzzled as an image of the Russian Solar System popped up.

"Russian Sol? That doesnt make sense. Where is the main activity coming from?"

"Looks like right in the middle of Earth.."

"This doesnt make sense. Did Nuclear war break out? Have we any communication from Russia on the matter?"

"None."

"Have our probe vehicle dispatch some monitoring drones to get a zoom on Earth. If nuclear war broke out then Im sure were going to have to rush to gather up survivors."

---

A few hours later;

"Impossible.. look at this."

In the south central Asian region of Russian Earth, was a small mountainous stretch of land, identified in diplomatic archival information as 'Afghanistan'. The drones detected large amounts of negative radiation emitting from a large urban center in the nation.

"It has to be them. No other known.. thing, emits such a weird aura. The Pathogen is spreading and along with it, its deathly radiation, either killing or subverting the population. The Rethanst is devouring Earth."

"I want this on the desk of the Emperor and the Senate within the hour! Make haste!"

---

At the Imperial Palace, the Emperor is quite upset by the information he has received, needless to say;

"How could this have happened right under our noses? A few days ago they ravaging in the north, and now, they are devouring Earth and within a stones throw of our southern border! We let them come right through our backdoor and not even know about it!"

Constantine threw the documents across the Throne room and let out a few curses in the process. He paced back and forth trying to think of what to do, now that the Rethanst threat was certainly too close for comfort. He scrambled for a comm device to compose a message to Earth to see how much they knew on the matter.

TO: Tsar Nikolay IX, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russias
FROM: Constantine Augustus, Roman Emperor
SUBJECT: Urgent News

Cousin,

In the past few weeks our defense networks have been tasked with monitoring a rather vile entity known as the Galactic Pathogen; and we have reason to believe it is not only moving through the Beta Quadrant at an alarming pace in attempts to spread, but it has taken a foothold in the region of, what our diplomatic archives tell us, 'Афганистан'.

There is no time to ponder or waste. I can better explain the nature of this thing and why we have found it to be something worth tracking, but in person would be best. I request to travel to St. Petersburg so that we may discuss this urgent business.

DOMINVS NOSTER CONSTANTINE PIVS FELIX AVGVSTVS
DEI GRATIA IMPERATOR ROMANORVM

(Personal dispatch signed)

[OMGeverynameistaken]

(OOC:
Freaking Firefox ate my post :\
Sorry for shortness. I hate rewriting things.)

A Dispatch from Tsar Nicholas IX,
To Emperor Constantine of Rome,

Greetings,

Preparations for your arrival in St. Petersburg are being made now. You may arrive whenever you like. The Imperator Pyotr I orbital elevator will be cleared for your descent, and an escort from the elevator to the Winter Palace will be awaiting you.

I have taken the liberty of inviting representatives of the monarchs of the surrounding states and Afghanistan itself.

Tsar Nicholas IX of Russia


An urgent dispatch directly to the Queen of England, Emperor of the French, Emperor of China, Khan of Afghanistan and Shah of Persia,
DIPLOMATIC CODE LEVEL: MOST SECRET

Greetings,

I apologize for the rapidity with which I write, but urgent business presently distracts me, which I will presently relate to you.

It appears that a significant threat to our world has arisen in the region of Afghanistan, a threat which I have been informed is referred to as the 'galactic pathogen'. So far we believe that it has afflicted the city of Kabul, but according to various sources it has the ability to spread rapidly once established.

At the request of a human extrasolar nation friendly to the Russian Empire, I have invited their monarch to the Winter Palace to discuss this issue with yourselves or any representatives you should choose to dispatch. I urge caution in the selection of such representatives, the ability to hold their tongues will be required, as a large-scale panic in Afghanistan may result in the threat being spread to neighboring regions.

Representatives may arrive via the Imperator Pyotr I space elevator in St. Petersburg or by secure train. Both the Alexander Station and the anchor of the space elevator are prepared to accept high security arrivals.

I thank you for your understanding in this matter,

Tsar Nicholas IX
(Signed)

[Abruzi]

Herat Palace of the Khan

The Khan paced to and fro in his study. The warm light of a fire and the sharp crackle of the strong afghan wood he burned the only sound audible over his nervous footsteps. During the course of his reign Kandahar had been destroyed, Kabul taken by some kind of Daemon and Afghanistan instead of improving was close to becoming far worse for it. Oh he had the army, which for now was all that separated H--- from a horde of slavering monstrosities.

He could no longer even trust the council, too many of the old men were far gone with opiates to be trusted with the running of the Khanate. Now the communications Master had informed him that the Russian called for a meeting. They knew and so did most of the powerful forces on Earth. Things were bad and the Khan was loath to have any foreign intervention within Afghanistan itself, so recently free from the Russian yoke. He would have to attend, of that there was no question, the question was more so how he would be able to attend.

To leave would be to leave the Khanate without a stable leader for several days, a time period in which an ambitious rival could lead a coup with impunity. The Khan could return to find that he was no longer welcome which would make killing the Daemons a very hard thing to do indeed. No he would not be going it looked like after all. Instead the Great Khan donned his ceremonial armor of ancient leather and grabbed the Cassocks sword that the Tsar had given him. Moving to a desk he sat and wrote,

To: Tsar Nicholas IX Autocrat and ruler of all Russians
From: Your Servant and Friend Khan Ahmed Shan Khan
Encryption Level: 4
Thought For the Day: Not One Step Back

My friend, it pains me to say this but I cannot attend the great meeting of states. Without my leadership the Khanate is sure to crumble before this newest threat. I feel that it would be better if I stayed where I am.

With Kind Regards and Best Wishes

Similarly he moved the occupation army from Kandahar to outside of Kabul, they would need all hands on deck for this one.

A Souk Near the French Embassy

Makmud cursed and raised his Linear Rifle, two hulking horrors approached him from the fore. He fired and then frantically tried to reload while the other approached. The first had been reduced to soup from the waist up, an example of the power of the Linear Rifle. The second was not to be slowed however and bowled into the man with a ferocity that was little known on Sol.

Rolling he managed to draw his sword, a long curved saber that he then sheathed in an energy field with a press of an activation stud. Swinging it in a wide arc he held the Rethast at bay until he slipped on the loose gravel of the souk. Falling his eyes widened as the Rethast tore his arm from him and dealt a second blow that shattered his rib cage.

As his eyes closed he saw the batter and bloody Afghan Special Forces shoot the Rethast down into the dust. There was hope yet but wither every convert and every second it was getting fainter. Before long it wold be snuffed out, like a candle in the night wind.

[Terraius]

The Imperial Senate in Rome; an emergency meeting had been called, and present was every Planetary Magistrate of the Roman Provinces, Governors of the Colonies, Commanders of the Military worlds, Operators of the Forge worlds, and Overseers of the Trade worlds. The President of Loriiea, the autonomous republic of Rome. and his cabinet were also present. The Chairman of the Senate presided over the assembly, with the Emperor and speaker of the Senate on his flanks.

"Total votes accumulate to: All in favor, none in disbar. Will the Sergeant at Arms present the pin? Thank you."

"Chairman of the Senate, affirming all votes in favor, signed."

"President of the Senate, affirming all votes in favor, signed."

"Emperor of Rome and its dependencies, affirming legislation in compliance and passing into law. Bar Veto, full Crown and Imperial Decree. It shall now be read before the members gathered at the Senate, the highest body of legislation of the land, and the inhabitants of the galaxy,"

---

BY ACT OF THE SENATE AND THE PEOPLE OF ROME,

BY HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY, OUR LORD CONSTANTINE, HOLY, BLESSED, AND VENERABLE, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, ROMAN EMPEROR AND RULER OF ITS DEPENDENCIES,

BY OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF KINGS, GOD-EMPEROR OF THE KNOWN UNIVERSE IN ABSENTIA,

HEREBY DECREE ON THIS DAY 21 OF OCTOBER IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD,

THAT A STATE OF WAR EXISTS BETWEEN THE ENTIRETY OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE AND THE GALACTIC PATHOGEN, COMMONLY REFEREED TO OR KNOWN AS THE RETHANST, ON GROUNDS OF,

I. Aggressive warfare in the first degree against peaceful civilizations, demonstrating a complete disregard for the sovereignty of nations and welfare of life,

II. Galactic Genocide in the highest form,

III. Alignment with the Archons of Death and the Gods of Chaos, the blasphemous legions which stand united against the forces of good and order, and against the will of our God and his creations,

IV. Casus Belli: with the above counts being within or near the vicinity of the Roman Empire, a sovereign, peaceful, and God fearing nation, in order to prevent an invasion before it is given the opportunity to present itself,

V. Casus Belli: confirmed invasion of Russian Sol, a long time friend and neighbor of the Roman Empire and monarchial courtesy extended between the sovereigns of Rome and Russia,

VI. Casus Belli Sanctum: The Imperial Church's Just War Doctrine and Doctrine of the Will of God and in the Defense of his peoples, creations, and all things through him which are because of him, demanding the immediate retaliation of Christian peoples against this unholy threat,

DO IN HEREBY DECREE THAT THE PATHOGEN CEASE AND DESIST ALL ACTIONS IMMEDIATELY FOR STATED ABOVE COUNTS OR FACE THE ENTIRETY OF ROME UNITED WITH ITS BRETHREN TO STOP THIS UNHOLY SCOURGE FROM DEVOURING US ALL, AND TO IMMEDIATELY RETREAT ITS FORCES FROM RUSSIAN SOL AND THE VICINITY OF ROME AND THE BETA QUADRANT WHICH OUR AUTHORITY PERSISTS ENDLESSLY

SUCH IS THE WORD OF THE EMPEROR,
THE WILL OF THE SENATE AND PEOPLE OF ROME,
THE IMPERIUM IN WHICH BELONGS TO GOD,
AND SO IT SHALL BE DONE.

Signed,

SENATORVM·IMPERIALIS
SENATVS·POPVLVSQVE·ROMANVS

DOMINVS·NOSTER·CONSTANTINE·PIVS·FELIX·AVGVSTVS
DEI·GRATIA·IMPERATOR·ROMANORVM

MAGNVS·DOMINVS·NOSTER·IESVS·CHRIST
REX·REGVM·DVES·IMPERATOR·VNIVERSA
IN ABSETIA

---

'BLESSED IS HE WHO GOES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD'

---

Set public broadcast across the Empire and beyond;

"Romans, your Emperor speaks. A great evil has befallen the Beta quadrant and threatens humanity as we speak. The Galactic Pathogen, the scourge of scourges, blight of blights, devourer of nations and destroyer of worlds, right hand of the Archons of Death and the Gods of Chaos, usurper of the Tezekilth Azhujurius, has begun a unholy crusade against Beta and the worlds that reside in it. For the past month our newly established intricate defense networks which secures our borders and beyond of the darkness that lingers, has been tracking the Pathogen with the upmost diligence. And although it has not yet failed us, we were late to come to the news that the Pathogen has made landfall on Russian Sol, one of the last bastions of Humanity and Human power in the southern Galaxy besides us.

As a fellow Emperor and fellow Christian I have pledged the undieing loyalty to the Russians in their effort to ward the Pathogen from Earth. As we speak, me and an entourage of diplomats are making preparations to leave Terra this instance to make way for St. Petersburg to meet with my royal cousin, the Tsar Nickolay of all Russias, where I will secure this Covenant with him as sure as our Lord has with us. Rome will not sit by as the Pathogen devours and destroys Russian Sol and threatens the continuation of the Human race, the choosen people of God and holders of his word of salvation and greatness.

It is to my great shame that I was forced to ask the authorization of unlimited imperium from the Senate to take control of the Legions to wage all out war on this threat. I promised Rome an era of peace and greatness, a thousand years of learning and prosperity just as our Lord has promised us to come. Sadly, as only mortal I could not keep this promise, and must destroy the pact I have made with you, my people, who have stood beside me in these past two decades as Emperor of Rome, through the darkness and through the light.

In return, I decree that Imperial taxation shall be stricken in two at the conclusion of our crusade against the forces of Lucifer and Chaos. The wages of hard worked Romans which have all these years fueled the warships which blaze across the endless blanket of universe, the bullets in our soldiers rifles, the shells which our machines lay waste upon our enemies, shall be instead reserved to you for your pleasure. In a time of war, taxes fuel the war machine. Let it be known that in times of peace, the taxes will be levied to the people from here on out.

It is now that announce that the declaration of war on the Pathogen has been passed unanimously in the Roman Senate, and as we speak, the entirety of Rome's offensive power is being mobilized against the threat with the great efforts of General of the Legions, Maximus Flavius, loyal compatron to me and my father who ruled before me. Rome shall not and will not buckle in eve of this new threat. We will be victorious in securing the existence of humanity and God's dominion until the end of time!"

---

And with that, the entourage left Terra in a high security, unmarked transport vessel shadowed by Imperial Navy warships on his way to Earth. Along with the Emperor Constantine and his diplomatic staff, General Maximus, Several Roman Senators as well as the Chairman of the Senate, President Maximilian of Loriiea, The Ecclesiarch Imperialis (Pope), Several of Maximus' Junior Generals and Admirals, Several Bishops and Senior Priests, and Maximilian's aids, all accompanied him to St. Petersburg, effectively involving the highest ranking officials in all of Rome on the matter. One could not blame them, for what Rome knew on the Pathogen, it was, and still is, the highest ranked threat to any one things existence along with the other Archons and cult nations of Chaos..

Through the stars, the transport navigated through friendly terrain in the former JSA, UTA, approaching Earth from the Galactic south. The transport docked with the Imperator Pyotr I and made its lengthy decent to Earth, to be greeted and escorted to the Winter palace of Tsar Nickolay IX, the, at least in the eyes of the Romans, Autocrat and Ruler of Russian Sol either directly or through indirect means.

[Interstellar Britannia]

Dear Nicky,

Why I do take it that this is a serious matter for you to write so suddenly, I will make a note to mention the matter to the Lord of Admiralty when he comes over tomorrow for a visit. I am certain you can trust him over such a delicate matter, I would forward your worries to Parliament as well for an official response but I have little confidence that they will maintain the secrecy you desire. It would be prudent to have the Admiralty personally assemble a proper despatch to deal with this matter as I am afraid I am not too knowledgeable on the matter of alien pathogens, that is unless my presence is indeed required. The Winter Palace is quite lovely and it would not inconvenience me in the slightest to fancy a visit.

Sincerely,
Queen Alexandria I

[Rethan]

French Embassy
Downcast hurled themselves at the defensive line without care for their own casualties. The Mutagen constantly warped and shifted their inner make up, re-connecting broken nerves and forging newer, stronger muscles even as the firepower ripped at the flesh of the monstrosities. Repairing constantly, the Downcast were dreadful foes, difficult to fell with all but the mightiest firepower. Some lost their legs and fell to the ground, cloven in two only to claw their way forward as their rib cages exploded outwards into spidery limbs wrapped in wretched sinew.

But the defenses were too great, and an imperative command passed through the Collect. Like a single wave, the Downcast withdrew, vanishing one by one into the shadows of the city, to regroup and prepare anew, leaving their dead to rot and succumb to the rampant, uncontrolled virus in their systems. Already a black gore had begun to ooze out of the corpses, scentless and with the consistency of oil it stretched forward, drawn to the beating hearts and subtle electrical impulses of the defender's nervous systems. The two tank beasts lay dead, but their bodies underwent the most violent change as the virus further broke down the tissue. The constituent corpses which made the creatures dissolved, and hideous arachnid like mutations formed out of muscle and chitin, the faces of infants hanging by the barest tissue from mouth made of ribs and shattered skull. The monsters reached up, standing fully two times the height of a man and shrieked, exploding free of the tank beasts as the felled battering rams decayed enough to loosen the five spider things from their organic prisons....

Kabul Underground
Rock was broken down and cast aside as the Hive Material pushed its way through basements and sewer lines, aided by a wide manner of hideous abominations which dug tunnels underneath the city. But more than this there was another place which the Rethast sought to escape to....the cavern where they had come from.

Underneath the streets of Kabul, a scant eighty Rethast lay in the cool shadows of the caves, protected from the glaring sun and heat of the surface above. They had with them a sundry collection of weapons and armour seized from their victims, and knew full well how to wield the weapons. Hidden in the shadows around them lay scores of Downcast, protecting the Rethast from assault as well as defending those still lying dormant in their cocoons. The Rethast drove their failed brethren on the surface and in the makeshift tunnels with a single will, digging deep beneath the soil towards the cavern which held an even greater number of their kind.

They Rethast held many secrets close to their chests, traps and deceits to defend themselves until they could reach their first cavern, and they had one surprise to unleash on the citizens of Kabul which had only just awoken...

Kabul City
Two civilians stumbled through the blackened mess which coated the alleyways walls. Both male, their hearts were beating rapidly and their breath came in short, ragged bursts. They had heard about a safehouse nearby, and were struggling forward clutching digging tools close to their side as some kind of defence. They paused momentarily to catch their breath before a sound caused them to spin, raising their weapons high above them. But there was nothing.... Before the ground gave way beneath them and they both fell screaming into the darkness.

Over the city of Kabul, a single, earth-shaking and ear splitting shriek erupted, loud enough to be heard for miles and sharp enough to inflict pain on those close to the source. Something very, very big was stalking through the city streets....

[Venusian France]

French Embassy,
Kabul, Afghanistan

“Ava Maria…” The Marine corporal uttered as she say their volley take the enemy that charged through the breached wall. A slug from a French linear accelerator was .75 caliber and moved at super sonic velocity, they didn’t wound targets, they ruined them. She swore as she saw entire limbs, and half meter wide holes torn into the charging enemy, but the shots only put them down for a moment before they attempted to rise, others pulling themselves forward. Others were torn to shreds by the high volume of fire from the two tri-barrel turret of the armored vehicles. Yet, the wave still thundered down upon them.

“Fix Bayonets” She heard an authoritative voice ordered, she wasn’t sure whose, but she followed the command instantly. Her thumb depressed a button on the side of her weapon above the trigger guard. Below the flash suppressor of her musket a ten inch long bayonet of serrated battle steel, it glowed faintly blue as the armor powered itself enabling it to pierce and cut through just about any substance known to exist.

Now one was in front of her and she thrust upwards with her bayonet tipped musket the blade pushed itself into its neck, the creature barely registered the action when it reached out and hit her with such force that she was thrown backwards leaving her feet.

It was then she realized for certain that these creatures were not natural they were demons and monsters.

She felt herself impact the side of the marble fountain the sat at the entrance of the Embassy’s central roundabout with such force all the air was forced out of her lungs. Her own painful grunt did not drown out the sounds of bone crunching and her vision spinning. She blinked several times trying to clear her head like a prize fighter who is nearly knocked out, it cleared just in time for her to realize that the thing that had flung her off her feet, when she was attempting to reload her linear accelerator, was not done with her yet.

It took her a precious second to try to raise her right arm, to discover this only elicited sudden pain, but the sensation pumped much needed adrenaline into her system, her left hand moved to the holster on her left thigh and pulled out her pulsar, a standard side arm issued to marines. It fired 10mm projectiles at supersonic velocity, and could perforate any unarmored target. Yet, as she raised her last defense she could tell it would be to late, the creature was to fast and she had not reacted quick enough to save herself.

It was game over, for Lance Corporal Varia, Venusian Marine Corps (VMC).

The Rethast pulled back, their violent and sudden wave of action broken, they retreated as quickly as they came at the French defenders. Then figure stood over her, with a sudden thrust of his power-bayonet tipped linear accelerator into the solar plexus of the creature, it was stopped dead in its tracks. She heard her savoir shout,

“Huzzah, Viva L'Empereur” Then using the momentum of the thrust the man pushed the creature onto the ground like a stuck pig. “Face France, Face Death” He shouted as he slid the powered bayonet up through the creatures chest to finally cleaving through its skull on its way out. As the weapon came free the Marine assume a ready stance with his weapon at the preparatory position to initiate another thrust. ”

“Sector clear!” A voice called over the screams and weapons fire, “Enemy is withdrawing”

Her savoir turned around and offered her a hand…

“On your feet Marine,” Staff Sergeant Villers ordered as she took his hand and he lifted her up.

“Always follow through your thrust with violence and intensity Marine, be sure to kill first, and ask questions latter.” He instructed her, “Corpsman!”

A man approached quickly his uniform bore the Red Cross of a medic,

“Take her inside, make sure she’s on one of the first boats out.”

Varia protested this shrugging out of the corpsman’s grasp, her side arm still in her hand.

“No, I can still fight, You need all the men you can get Sergeant!”

“How you going to reload Marine,” Villers said looking at her broken arm. “Get inside, you’ve saved four lives today, you’ve done enough. Now shut up and go”

With that Villers turned around, and faced the broken walls,

He breathed out quickly it sounded like a predators hiss,

“Reform Lines! Reload and hydrate. They will return and we must hold them off till the slicks arrive”

He looked up into the sky looking for sign of the arrival of the rescue VTOLs when he heard a sickening scream shake the ruined city and he knew that they didn’t have much time left.

[Terraius]

Roman Space; In orbit above Abruzzo, outer western reaches of Central Beta

---

Set the Military World of Abruzzo, staging point for the Russian Sol expeditionary force.

In orbit above Abruzzo, three Roman Classis (fleets) hovered in idle; on the surface of the planet, one that was strictly housing military personnel, Roman Legions marched Labarum's flanking, with Roman flags and pictures of Emperor Constantine following shortly behind.

Out of the 35 million offensive troops available to the vast Roman Imperium of nearly 2 billion, 6 million were selected to aid in the defense of Russian Earth; and even the Roman Government thought that was a conservative amount to use against a planetary invasion sized Pathogen force; but under Imperial law no more then 1,000 Roman Legions could be conscripted to aid any ally at one time. Luckily the Inquisition was not counted amongst official Roman ranks, and was on standby to offer its Inquisitional Exterminators if the Pathogen had already gathered enough momentum to bounce 6 million Roman troops off its feet-- which Admiral Aurelius suspected was the fact.

The Roman Legions lined in cohorts stomped vigorously in formation as they marched onto their transports, which once full immediately shot into orbit and docked onto Battleship carriers. Imperial Priests and Psykers proceeded down the spaces inbetween the Legions with Incense smoke, bestowing last rights and blessings to the soldiers about to embark to fight against one of the very few entities Rome, in all its stuck up pride and morality, actually had come to fear-- The Rethast Pathogen, second in threat only to the Tezekilth Azhujurius. The faces of the Roman soldiers marching in Cohort reflected this horror equally, as one by one, they vanished off the face of Abruzzo in orbital docking formation.

As the various Captains of the Roman vessels maintained contact with eachother in administrating the functions of the procedure, Admiral Aurelius took up his usual position as the Praefectus Classis; supreme commander of the fleets, whilst still technically Emperor-in-seating.

From his command center back on Roman Terra, the rowdy commander vigorously dispatched orders to the various Battleships, cruisers, and frigates that circled the planet waiting for his signal. After a few hours of supplying and docking, the expedition fleets were ready to head out. The nearest Roman Hypergate leading to Russian Sol was near the former JSA and TFU worlds to the south; less then 20 minutes FTL. The fleets entered the hypergate one by one, emerging over friendly territory, ready to engage FTL engines into Russian orbit.

"Copy that Admiral, we are ready to move."

"Once in orbit, wait for my orders."

"Aye sir. Engaging FTL."

---

20 minutes FTL from TFU/JSA territory, near south of Sol Earth, fleets enter Sol Orbit following their declaration of origin from Roman Terra.

---

"Orders?"

"Bless the Promethium. Begin bombardment once locked on.. then drop to Earth."

The grim look on the Captains face quickly filled the rest of his comrades as they received the order; non the less they all gave the Roman salute and went about their duties.

Aurelius sat back in his chair, listening to his favorite opera as he watched the happenings from his command center.

In every battleship, Imperial Clergy encircled the bombadry, showering incense on the Promethium warheads. Elite Roman Legionnaires packed into droppods while regular troops remained in their orbit-to-surface transports. Many a rosary was being frantically prayed as the final order was given to release the Promethium warheads onto the Afghan region identified to be under Pathogen control.

"Fire!"

The clergy gave sign of the cross to the warheads as they plummeted from orbit into the city; nearly two hundred warheads scattered throughout the Afghan region controlled by the Pathogen, detonating with pure white fire, catching every organic being on the surface in the blaze, incinerating it. Praying that the fire would kill as many of the mutants as possible, Roman droppods and transports fell to the black, scorched earth. The old Admiral could only bite his tongue.

"Jesus Christ, this is going to be a blood bath."

---

"Burn the surface to a crisp.. because God knows there is ten times the amount underground.."

[OMGeverynameistaken]

St. Petersburg, The Russian Empire
The Winter Palace

"They did WHAT?"

The aide, clutching the report in both hands as if it were a shield, took a step back, "Ah...it appears a Roman fleet has...uhm...destroyed Kabul. What was left of it, that is, after the Afghans destroyed it first."

Nicholas IX, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russias, groaned. Of course, he had been planning to propose something similar, but now the Romans had gone and...Well, it was needless to say that there would be hell to pay. He himself understood the reasons for such actions. He had seen, as confirmed by independent sources, what the Pathogen would do to Earth if left to fester. But what was going to happen now was, in his estimation, the third-worst possible outcome.

He would have to act quickly.

"Put me in contact with...whatever Roman authority we can bring up on comms. Tell them that this is of the highest priority." Nicholas spun around and advanced towards his desk, his mouth set. He could only hope now that, as a man styled 'The Peacebringer' that he could put a stop to this war before it happened.

---

A Dispatch to Admiral Aurelius,
EMERGENCY PRIORITY

Greetings,
I will not waste words at the moment, Admiral, while your intentions may have been good, the act you have just committed may well trigger a war between your nation and some of Sol's other powers. I advise that you withdraw all forces from the system NOW, I repeat, NOW, in order to allow us to inform the other Solar powers of the exact reason for what you have done and to clear up any other matters of sovereignty.

Please do not question this advice, as time is of the essence. I understand that there may have been French citizens in the city at the time of its destruction, and our cousin Charles is not known to pull punches when it comes to the deaths of his citizens.

Please be assured that we will contain any further specimens of the Pathogen which remain in the area.

Nicholas IX of Russia
(Signed)

[Terraius]

"Err? I thought Constantine and Maximus was with this Nicholas already. Why are we being asked to pull back?"

"I dont know. The Emperor and the other staff are enclosed in some kind of elevated transport device. We cant get ahold of him."

"This doesnt make sense. We just did them a favor, they act as if blowing away that shambled, infected city was a bad thing."

"Russians. Whatever, we cant pull back now, we have 6 million Romans about to make landfall on Earth to attempt dispatch the rest of the Pathogen."

"We have only launched our first wave; we can stop the rest from launching and only sacrafice about half a million lives and military equipment.

The Admiral gave a grave, stone cold look to his assistant at his last statement. He need not say a word, as the officer quietly backed off and proceeded to remain silent. Aurelius then attempted to open a direct link with the Tsar Nicholas in response to his transmission. He had a Roman Communicator standby to translate Latin to Russian vice versa.

"Greetings your Majesty. I am Aurelius, commander of Constantine's fleets and his children which operate on them. Your message confuses me. Sol other powers? These French you speak of, our munitions officers assured me that our calibrated attacks only destroyed infected blocks of the city, and our munitions coordinators are accurate to a Sheckel of a Solidus.

You seem rather distraught, your Majesty. I was left as Emperor-in-seating since Constantine and the other leaders of our nation came to your palace to coordinate this defense personally. However you and these other powers you speak of seem to be unaware of the exact danger you are in. The Pathogen only requires two weeks worth of time once it has begun assimilation on the surface to reach the point of near unstoppability. After the two weeks is up, there will be little more then planetary destruction that will kill it. It is not a surface dweller by nature, 90% of the beings are underground and will proliferate under your noses.

Whilst I respect your authority and power over the things that happen on this planet, you must realize that once 6 million soldiers and armored vehicles have been launched I cant exactly call it back. The strike we did was required to prevent our men from getting killed before they hit the earth. In the centers we hit, there was no indication of natural life.

I will ask our fleets to pull off slightly; however for the sake of the survivability of your nation, nay, world, and the safety of worlds surrounding, near and distant, including our own, you should be doing the same.

You will not be able to contain. You will not be able to stop it alone. You will not be able to prevent its horrors from taking your world by force if you linger much longer. Our estimates indicate we have 3 days to stop the spread of the Pathogen before the entire Afghan region is compromised. Once that happens, it will be a matter of hours before the underground hives are entrenched through the diameter of your planet."

[The Golden hoarde]

The fiery death that rained down upon the Khanate was worse than imaginable. It scorched the air that rasped into lungs an instant before bodies combusted, it burned ancient buildings and mighty palaces that were just being built, it ravaged those human enclaves scattered throughout Kabul and the surrounding area just as it purged dozens of Xenos, it was as effective as it was horrible. The Khan understandably was outraged that this had been carried out upon his nation without his consent when he was notified just one hour after the fact. The Khan was outraged that the Russians had betrayed the Khanate and given no warning, but most of all the Khan was outraged it had not been him to cleanse the infected city of Kabul.

The Palace was alight both inside and out but the throne room was darker than hell. Arterial blood coated one wall where the Khan had butchered a slow servant in blind rage. His city had been leveled and the man dare answer his summons too slowly and then look him in the eye?! Not any more it seemed. The various ministers and hangers on of the court clustered around their leader who sat upon a rug on the floor. Sipping tea the Khan appeared to some to be calm but his fury was almost tangible, the air crackled and popped now and again to testify to this.

The Pskyer’s gift had been bestowed upon Ahmed year past but it was only now that he let loose with it. Men around him gradually lost control of their minds and became vessels to their Sovereign’s whim’s and several more people died. Finally when the Khan was sane enough to think he knew that it was time to rouse his people. The Afghans were perhaps the most disunities of the Sol nations, they lived in separate tribes that hated central authority and to rouse them the Khan would need a great tragedy. Kabul’s cleansing fit the bill perfectly. The sleeping giant that was Afghan-Mongol militarism stirred and with any luck would be woken soon.

With a mighty roar of fury the Great Khan Ahmed Shah roused what was left of the Afghan military. The Cordon around Kabul had been blessed with holy fire it seemed and even after calling on the reserves he counted only ten thousand warriors. These men were armed with out of date Russian arms, led by Russian trained officers, and were taught to use Russian tactics but they had been betrayed by their greatest of friends. The “Fist of Herat” the largest symbol of the Russian-Afghan friendship stoked it’s engines and loaded it’s magazine, the Afghans were roused to war.

Across Herat the sole sizeable city left in the Khanate the people mobilized. Bio Enhanced Horses were given to the military to re-form the two Light Cavalry Divisions that it was known for and those that were left were mounted by eager young men. The mightiest Horde assembled in years formed up in the desert plains outside of the city and as one cheered when the Khan took his place at their head. To the beat of mighty drums and the wail of hunting horns the great host took off across the plains of Afghanistan heading for the area outside of the ashen wasteland that was Kabul.

Along the way village after village emptied itself of it’s men who took off to rid their homeland of Foreigners. Nomadic caravans emptied themselves of their exotic weapons, goods, and men as the host of ten thousand grew to one hundred thousand. This very un-Afghan like behavior was attributed by some to the fury the Pashto people felt at the destruction of one of their oldest cities but others said the Khan had finally exposed his Warp Gift. Either way this armed mob crossed the country at a tremendous speed, the enhanced horses of the Khanate could move faster than the land speeders foreign merchants sold in Bazaars across creation and the foot mounted soldiers were quickly left behind by the makeshift five divisions of horse.

Beneath their feet the Pathogen festered but the Afghans no longer cared. The Khan no longer cared. They would march on Kabul and they would make war upon those that had destroyed the Khanate’s second city. This time they would purge their homeland of the foreigner’s taint and no amount of Russian Diplomacy would or could stop them. The hive mentality had taken over and now there was no going back.

[Terraius]

"Impact in 3.. 2.. 1.."

---

Set the scorched surface of Kabul; the sections that were hit deemed to be under Rethast control.

After 30 minutes of dropping soldiers and vehicles on the ground, nearly 6 million Roman Regulars and 60 thousand Elite Legionnaires sprawled the surface of the Afghan region. The Elite troops swarmed in small roves using Promethium flamethrowers to burn any left over Rethast bodies on the surface. The Regulars formed their 6 thousand man Legions and set up defensive positions all throughout the city. Artillery, tanks, and apc's all broke off in their mechanized cohorts.

The surface of the Rethast part of the city was quiet.. too quiet. In an eerie Iwo Jima setting, Roman regulars held their grounds on the perimeters whilst the Elite commandos slowly encircled the city and marched inwards. The radios were dead silent. There was no sign of the Pathogen to be seen. Commissars and Centurion Commanders on the ground began to radio fleet command for scans of the surface for hidden enemies; but nothing came up. Only the slight thumping on the ground below them..

Back on Rome, a frustrated Aurelius and his assistants stood by, eyes glued to their command screens.

"Admiral, no sign of anything on the ground. We have commandos scouting the city, with nothing to report but black ashes and brick rubble. What are your orders?"

"Send a transmission to the ground. Try to get in contact with the locals. In the mean time try to look for anything out of place in an otherwise burnt down city."

TO: Civilian or Military Personnel
FROM: Roman Expedition Force HQ
SUBJECT: Resistance

Attentio, Attentio

This is a call to all civilian and military personnel within the remaining parts of Kabul. This is the Roman Expedition Force, here to liberate your planet from the clutches of the Galactic Pathogen.

Our Expedition forces are already on the ground moving into position to combat the Pathogen. We ask everyone to join our forces as humanity makes its last stand against the beast; within 72 hours the Pathogen would have gathered enough momentum to completely entrench and devour this planet. Time is of the essence; The Promethium bombing was a necessary evil Rome had to take inorder to save millions of lives. We had to sacrifice infrastructure in return; but do know this, a portion of a city can be rebuilt, an entire planet cannot. You must understand the grave danger everyone is in. We beg you, for the sake of your planet and the sake of ours in the future, rise up against the menace, and fight over the damaged city after the Pathogen is rid of.

"Well, that takes care of that sir. What are we to do now? Wait for Rethan to come out and play?"

The Admiral looked closely at the orbital imagery. He sighed, unaware of what to do.

"I don't know. I'm just as frustrated as you are right now, if I knew where they were I wouldn't be starting here watching our men twirl their thumbs."

"Hmm? Whats this, here. Enhance orbital imagery on this structure here."

"Looks like a sewer pipe entrance."

"Get one of our commandos to drop a drone down there."

(Radio) "Copy, copy, unit IX in block 46, get command a visual on that sewer pipe to your east."

"Copy that, over."

The 5 commandos ran quickly over the pipe; sliding over, kneeling in a circle-fire squad position while one of them took out a grenade-like object and threw it down the sewer. The drone activated as soon as it hit the ground. At first it only gave pitch black readings.

(Radio) "Drop a flare down there, all we see is pitch black."

Again, 4 of the commandos encircled the pipe, rifles up, while one of the commandos took out a stick and punched it on his head, activating a bright flare. He tossed it down the pipe, and awaited further orders.

The flare descended slowly, until it finally plopped right in the middle of the screen. At first the drone's sighting was blinded by the flare; then it focused, and revealed what Rome had been looking for.

"Jesus Christ, GET OUT OF THERE!"

[OMGeverynameistaken]

A Dispatch to Admiral Aurelius,
EMERGENCY PRIORITY

I cannot issue orders to you, as you are not under my command, but I am seeking to advise you for your own good.

We know the threat the Rethast present, we have made some study of them. The problem is that you have just shown up in orbit around a world where borders and spheres of influence are extremely important. And to top it off you have destroyed a city without apparent reason. Russia understands your reasons for doing so, but we have not yet had the opportunity to inform the other states involved of the threat at hand.

At the very least, we ask that you withdraw in the face of an attack. I will, as Emperor of Russia, guarantee the safety of your troops on the ground and make all possible efforts to ensure their safety.

---

Russia, St. Petersburg
The Winter Palace

Nicholas IX stepped back from the desk, having just dispatched the last message to the Roman fleet. Now he would have to attend to the Romans themselves and hope against hope that the British and French would not be too angry to deal with the Romans against the threat presented to Earth. All three delegates were set to arrive shortly, along with representatives from China and Russian occupied Persia.

A large table, impressive, but not too big to hinder communications, had been set within the Nicholas Hall, which looked out over the Neva River. A modest reception had been arranged for the various arriving delegates, and several red-clad Cossacks of the konvoi would escort each representative to their place. The large, round, table had been carefully selected to avoid implying that any of those present were less important than any others. The Romans had been seated opposite the Tsar, with the French and British on the left and right, respectively.

[Terraius]

A Dispatch to Admiral Aurelius,
EMERGENCY PRIORITY

I cannot issue orders to you, as you are not under my command, but I am seeking to advise you for your own good.

We know the threat the Rethast present, we have made some study of them. The problem is that you have just shown up in orbit around a world where borders and spheres of influence are extremely important. And to top it off you have destroyed a city without apparent reason. Russia understands your reasons for doing so, but we have not yet had the opportunity to inform the other states involved of the threat at hand.

At the very least, we ask that you withdraw in the face of an attack. I will, as Emperor of Russia, guarantee the safety of your troops on the ground and make all possible efforts to ensure their safety.

"Well Admiral?"

A silence lingered over the command center in the Imperial Throne room.

"Withdraw all ships in orbit. There is a nearby TFU trade station in the south, near the hypergate. Orbit it. Stay out of sight of the planet."

"But, our troops, sir..?"

"He gave us his word, did he not?"

Aurelius' assistant said not another word, only punched in a few numbers on the screen infront of him. Within 10 minutes, The hundreds of orbiting vessels were mapping FTL out of Earth Orbit.

---

Russia, St. Petersburg
The Winter Palace

Nicholas IX stepped back from the desk, having just dispatched the last message to the Roman fleet. Now he would have to attend to the Romans themselves and hope against hope that the British and French would not be too angry to deal with the Romans against the threat presented to Earth. All three delegates were set to arrive shortly, along with representatives from China and Russian occupied Persia.

A large table, impressive, but not too big to hinder communications, had been set within the Nicholas Hall, which looked out over the Neva River. A modest reception had been arranged for the various arriving delegates, and several red-clad Cossacks of the konvoi would escort each representative to their place. The large, round, table had been carefully selected to avoid implying that any of those present were less important than any others. The Romans had been seated opposite the Tsar, with the French and British on the left and right, respectively.

Constantine stood, adjusting his tunic and tightening his belt. When the space elevator 'dinged' signaling arrival, the Romans, as of nature of a militaristic society, snapped upwards in a formation: The Vicar and Emperor side by side, Maximus and his delegates as well as the other officials behind. All dressed in their Imperial best, the flashy Romans marched through the hall with cold stares. As was custom, the Emperor awaited the seating of the Ecclesiarch, followed by himself, Maximus, Maximilian of Loriiea, the Senators and Clergy, Officials, and Ministers. Like a hivemind, they all reached for their dossier's of Tacita Imperialis, diplomata, and holoscreen projectors. They each positioned them in front of eachother, followed by a central one on the table to display to foreign onlookers.

The Romans, from the Emperor himself all the way down to the junior Senator attending, spoke in rapid vulgar Latin, punching buttons on the holoscreens and monitoring happenings in Earth Orbit and on the ground. Constantine established direct contact with Aurelius, who was seated and represented by a live holofeed from Rome.

Constantine would await the arrival of the other monarchs and heads of state, before standing along with his translators, to introduce himself and his followings.

"Salve', brothers. I thank you for having us on such short notice. I'm sure by this time you are aware of the threat you are dealing with. I need not linger nor come off as a broken record and attempt to explain the Pathogen. The matter at hand now is coming together to end this infestation before it comes to the point of irreversibility.

I would also like to take this time to personally apologize for the recent surgical strike in this Afghan region of your planet. I apologize for the infrastructure lost, and although my munitions officers have assured me that no city block containing humans were targeted, if, infact there were civilians killed, then the blood is on my hands. I will take responsibility for the reparations and rebuilding;"

It was after this that Constantine's voice changed from one of somber and official to harsh and strict,

"However, I will not apologize for the actual attack being commenced. It was the least lethal form of large scale orbital bombardment we could have ordered to ensure that 6 million Roman soldiers did not perish before they had a chance to leave their transports. This Kabul city can be rebuilt easily, but you will find it rather hard to rebuild your entire planet and 10 billion+ lives lost once the Pathogen has reached final mutation. Promethium is the only answer next to napalm bombardment or Melta warheads, which would have turned the entire eastern Asian area into glass. However, our mission is not to level this planet, but to save it. As fellow humanoids, we must put aside petty arguments over city blocks and realize that the Xeno threat is our shared foe."

Constantine hit a few buttons, displaying the Beta Quadrant in a 3d projection. The entire northern part, near the Delta border, was pitch purple and black.

"This, gentlemen, is less then 3 months worth of work of the Pathogen. Within another 3 months, the Pathogen will be infesting Central Beta, the heart of Roman authority. If the Pathogen is allowed to take this world, then we will be surrounded on all sides. Humanity will be wiped clean away from this side of the Galaxy, without a trace left. I offer my initial 1,000 Legions and 3 Classis fleets to aid in dispatching this threat, along with the Church's Inquisition forces. If I must step outside my imperium and order more, I will. The ultimate choice and fate of the planet is up to all of you. Our helping hand is extended if you so choose to accept it."

[Venusian France]

CSN-Uriel
Angelus Class Cruiser
Low Orbit Above Afghanistan
Empire Earth, Sol System

“The birds have enter the atmosphere, ETA to the embassy is four mikes”

Captain [S.g] Frederick nodded his acknowledgment to his chief of staffs comments. Four of the Uriel’s marine assault ships had just left the boat bay, their mission was to evacuate the besieged civilians and marines from the French Embassy in Kabul. Time was short, the marine company defending the building had already beat off one determine attack by the creatures that had overrun the former capital of Afghanistan. It was unknown whether they could defeat a second or third attempt.

There was a slightly distorted voice of the lead assault ship’s commander reporting over the 1MC,

“ETA 2 Minutes Kabul is in sight.”

Numerous alarms and warnings blared suddenly as the multiple Roman Fleets arrived in orbit of Sol, before the stunned officers of the flag bridge could react numerous missile separations were detected emerging from the Roman Fleets, the battle computer barely had time to project their trajectories for impacting Kabul when they struck,

The pilot barely had time to realize that his flight was in the impact zone of an orbital bombardment,

“What the-” Static filled the 1MC as four icons representing the assault ships in the holo-tank flashed red for a quick second before disappearing after sustaining catastrophic damage.


Russia, St. Petersburg
The Winter Palace



There sat a single man at the conference table who was not dressed in the Imperial regalia befitting his position. The man looked to be in his mid-life, his head was bald and his thick beard was graying. He wore only plain khaki pants and a cotton tunic the only other revealing feature was the radiation scar that ran upwards from left side of his neck to his cheek.

"The helping hand your offering us is covered in the blood of my people.”

Charles Martel told this to the Roman Emperor, his voice low and gravelly but seemingly restrained.

“I see the worth of a man’s life to you. You are proclaiming that you are here to save us, that a few lives sacrificed for the greater good is worth the loss. What is one life lost when billions could be saved, that nothing is worth more then securing the future of humanity in the face of the Pathogen threat.”

Charles looked then to the Russian Emperor, and spoke to him,

“He has it backwards cousin, No life is worth less then that. France and the nations of the Cytherean Alliance do not welcome the assistance of this man’s nation. It was not sought for, it was not asked for, and it is not going to be tolerated. He and his people are fanatics, they are blind to the rights and sovereignty of other nations. No less then six million of his nations troops remain on our planet even though their fleet have withdrawn, are we to exchange one invading threat for another?”

He regarded the roman leader again,

“The current infestation is an internal security issue to be dealt with by the nations of Sol, your nation has already help enough. It is clear in your arrogance that you think yourself to be the last bastion that exists in the beta quadrant against this threat, the idea is quite laughable.”

Charles even took this moment to laugh a bit,

“See? But do not fear my friend while free men still draw breath in Sol we shall always endeavor not be overrun by this pathogen, so I guess we have no more use for you. The Cytherean Alliance would like you to leave and not let the door hit you on the way out.”

[Terraius]

Constantine showed a sign of sorrow as the French Monarch spoke. The imposing, 6'3 man, autocrat of Rome, the ironfisted scourge of all things Chaos and Unholy, the champion of the faith, showed weakness. His eyes became shallow, his face shifted. His shoulders no longer sat up. His head tilted to the ground. All he could think about was those 10, dreadful years ago, where he was forced to lay down the lives of thousands of Romans to ensure the Empire was not destroyed by civil war and internal rebellion.

"I'm sorry."

Constantine stuttered for a moment afterwards; every single Roman in the room, including the Ecclesiarch, looked at him in shock and dismay; a Roman Emperor recanting his actions, as horrid as they were, was unheard of, even before the times of Constantine I.

"I didn't mean to kill any innocent person. I didn't mean for that to happen. I tried my hardest to ensure that the surgical strikes would not cause collateral damage. I didn't bring 6 million Romans to Earth to kill fellow humans, I came here to save them.

Where we are from, there is no such thing as sovereignty or 'other nations'; there hasn't been for thousands of years. Sometimes we forget that singular planets do not mean singular entities or rulers. Out of my shame, I allowed Admiral Aurelius to order the withdrawal of our fleet as requested by Nicholas. I cannot recall 6 million soldiers once they have landed, otherwise I would have ordered them back as well.

I, however, simply cannot leave this planet until the Pathogen is dealt with. This is your first encounter. You do not know the horrors this thing can bring-- it is not alone, the Pathogen is only the beginning of a massive network of chaotic influences in the galaxy that seek to bring about an age of darkness through the Archons of the Legion and Death. They worship death gods and chaos, and seek to bring it in any way they can. A planet divided such as yourselves will not be able to handle it at this rate. If I were to leave here now, the God Emperor would strike me with an ironfist for my refusal to aid my fellow man. I am bound by a code passed down from my line since 331 from my greatest grandfather, a code to defend the faith of my people and the children of God. Find it in your heart to forgive me, and allow me to help you, please."

[Venusian France]

"No."

Charles told the Roman Emperor when he was asked for forgiveness. He could not believe what he was seeing. The man who blustered on an on about the power and ability of his nation to protect earth was crying before him. The weakness of character it displayed appalled Charles.

"There is nothing surgical about an orbital bombardment, nothing at all. You think that if you shutter a bit, stoop and cry, I will forgive the murders you ordered today? I won't"

There was no apology in the French Emperors voice.

"You claim to know nothing of sovereignty but only a few short weeks ago, your nation threatened to enter into armed combat against mine over border transgressions near the New Tuscany system. It is strange to me that your government worried about sovereignty and possible freak damage from expended ordnance across multiple light years and systems then, yet today you showed up in Sol and without warning leveled an entire city? At best its hypocritical at worst its criminal negligence."

He stared right at the sniveling Roman,

"I do not care if your sorry. Apologies do not come from the mouths of Kings. You showed up in this system and without warning bombarded the surface of Earth. You have the blood of French citizens on your hands that is something that merely words can not make clean. We are also to believe that an Emperor who shutters among his peers is to be Earth's salvation from this holocaust plague?"

"I don't think so. Get your troops back on your ships and leave, or the pathogen will not be the only thing your people learn to fear."

[Terraius]

Although certainly not crying, the Emperor did look exhausted and out of energy from the trip. His age was catching up to him, and he had little else to say. He let out a sigh.

"There is a major difference between a system of planets sitting on our border with defense stations within sight range and this. I assure you I will not cry, as although the events today have shaken me, even If I wanted to, I couldn't. I haven't the energy for it. I'm getting to old for this."

Praefectus Legio; The General Maximus Flavius, the looming figure in the corner with a cigar to his mouth, watched as this French person made a mockery of Constantine, as if he was important or somehow meaningful in this conflict. He slowly walked over, leaned in as close as he could to Charles; and while blowing cigar smoke in his face, proceeded so speak very softly.

"I would watch your tongue when speaking to a man who has killed more people during his reign then you or any of your line have ruled over, EVER. If you think your little, pathetic section of land on this planet even phases me for one moment, your wrong. I have strung more leaders and kings by their own skin from trees for so much as hinting disobedience."

Maximus again blew a puff of smoke at the French monarch.

"Unlike Constans, Ive actually witnessed what this pathogen thing could do first hand, and I could care less how many of your people we killed today. If it was up to me I would have glassed the entire region and had wine and bread to celebrate. Infact, I find it comical that you think that we care. Sure, the old man has a heart because he's old and has reached his limit. As for the rest of us, we offer simple advice: Keep a better leash on your people next time."

The general proceeded to cackle, along with a few other military commanders who were leaning into eachother muttering Vulgate Latin with hints of chuckling, as he sat back down in his chair, earning a half hearted stare from Constantine to 'shut up'.

[OMGeverynameistaken]

"Gentlemen!"

The Russian Tsar brought a hand down on the table with a dull thud. He was quite clearly angry, but holding it back as best he could.

"We are not here to debate the actions or the intent of the Romans. That is a matter for later, once we are no longer in danger of having the planet eaten out from under us. Charles, Constantine, my cousins, your nations do not get along. We know this, but if you are truly here to assist us, Emperor of the Romans, then for now, perhaps the best move is to leave off what you have done and allow us to take care of the rest."

"Please rest assured, Charles, that we will return to this matter in time. For at this moment, every man, woman and child, French, Russian, British or otherwise, on Earth is at threat."

"My proposal is this, all three of our nations will establish a joint command to exchange information and intelligence, the Roman forces in the region will retain their commanders, but be placed under the strategic command of Russian forces, with French and British oversight of their actions in order to ensure that they are not here to actually conquer the planet." Nicholas' tone made it clear that he did not think much of this possibility, "Meanwhile, a joint Anglo-French and Russian fleet will be formed at Luna, from which point it will move to provide support to troops in Afghanistan."

"We must also consider the possibility than, should the infection become out of control, that an orbital strike against Afghanistan may be required. As one must cut off a gangrenous limb, this would be the uttermost last resort, as none of us here wish to damage our delicate world any more than we must, but I would rather see it destroyed by humanity than consumed by some alien filth."

With a deep breath, Nicholas sat back in his chair.

---

Earth Orbit
The Oriol

Fresh from the Swedish conflict, the Oriol was now facing an entirely different target. Rather than a set of tiny, frozen islands in the Arctic Ocean, it was looking at the worlds largest collection of dry barren, mountains. It had arrived first as part of a general dispatch, it being the closest vessel and part of the Rapid Response Force, troops who were rotated in and out of a modest pool that was to be constantly 'ready to go' on a moments notice. Five regiments had been packed into its hold, the 1st Titania, which had been on leave at the Hellas, the 11th Janissary Orta, the 92nd Martian, and the 5th Cuirassiers.

It had been arranged for the TItanians to drop via assault pod, being experienced in such matters, while the remainder of the troops would descend in more conventional fashion, via the Regimental Transport Vehicles.

As the ship attained the correct orbital position, the Romans on the ground were contacted and informed that Russian troops would be arriving, giving rough positional estimations and areas to stay clear of in the case of the drop pod's descent. In overall command of the force would be General Theodoric Cheremisinov of the 5th Cuirassiers, making their descent north of Kabul.