Ben Counter - Galaxy in Flames

'My thanks, Solathen. I owe you my life,’ he said.

The warrior nodded as Tarvitz picked up a fallen bolter and checked the magazine to make sure he had a full load.

'Now come on,’ he said grimly. 'Let's show these bastards how the real Emperor's Children fight!'

SEVENTEEN

Winning is survival

Dies Irae

The end

'Betrayer,’ said Loken, stepping into the parlia­ment house.

There was nothing to betray,' retorted Abaddon.

Even after all mat had happened on Isstvan III, the word betrayal had the power to ignite the ever-present anger inside him.

'I envy you this, Loken,’ continued Abaddon. To you the galaxy must seem so simple. So long as there's someone you can call enemy you'll fight to the death and think you are right,’

'I know I am right, Ezekyle!' shouted Loken. 'How can this be anything but wrong? The death of this city and the murder of your brothers? What has happened to you, Abaddon, to turn you into this?'

Abaddon stepped down off the stage, leaving Aximand to stand alone at the lectern. In his

Terminator armour Abaddon was far taller than Loken and he knew from witnessing the first capВ­tain in battle that he could still fight as skilfully as any Astartes in power armour.

'Isstvan III was forced upon us by the inability of small minds to understand reality,’ said Abaddon. 'Do you think I have been a part of this, and that I am here, because I enjoy killing my brothers? I believe, Loken, as surely as you do. There are powers in this galaxy that even the Emperor does not understand. If he leaves humanity to wither on the vine in his selfish quest for godhood then those powers will swamp us and every single human being in this galaxy will die. Can you understand the enormity of that concept? The whole human race! The Warmaster does, and that is why he must take the Emperor's place to deal with these threats.'

'Deal with them?' said Torgaddon, shaking his head. 'You are a fool, Ezekyle, we saw what Erebus was doing. He has lied to you all. You have made a pact with evil powers.'

'Evil?' said Aximand. 'They saved the Warmaster's life. I have seen their power and it is within the War-master's ability to control them. You think we are fools, that we are blind? The forces of the warp are the key to this galaxy. That is what the Emperor canВ­not understand. The Warmaster will be lord of the warp as well of the Imperium and then we will rule the stars.'

'No,’ replied Loken. 'The Warmaster has become corrupted. If he takes the throne it will not be

humanity that rules the galaxy, it will be something else. You know that, Little Horus, even if Ezekyle doesn't. He doesn't care about the galaxy; he just wants to be on the winning side,’

Abaddon smiled, slowly approaching Loken as Torgaddon circled towards Horus Aximand. 'Win­ning is survival, Loken. You die, you lose, and nothing you ever believed ever meant anything. I live, I win, and you might as well have never existed. Victory, Loken. It's the only thing in the galaxy that means anything. You should have spent more time being a soldier, maybe then you would have ended up on the winning side,’

Loken held up his sword, trying to gauge Abad­don's movements. 'There is always time to decide who wins,’

He could see Abaddon tensing up, ready to strike, and knew that the first captain's taunting was just a cover.

'Loken, you have come so far,’ said Abaddon, 'and you still don't understand what we're doing here. We're not so far from human that we're not allowed a few mistakes, but to fight us instead of realising what the Warmaster is trying to achieve… that's unforgivable,’

Then what's your mistake, Ezekyle?'

'Talking too much,’ replied Abaddon, launching himself towards Loken with his bladed fist bathed in lethal energies.

S * S

Torgaddon watched as Abaddon charged towards Loken, taking that as his cue to attack Little Horus. His former comrade had seen the intent in his eyes and leapt to meet him as Loken and Abaddon smashed apart the pews along the nave.

They met in a clatter of battle plate, fighting with all the strength and hatred that only those who were once brothers, but are now bitter enemies, can muster. They grappled like wrestlers until Aximand flung Torgaddon's arms wide and smashed his elbow into his jaw.

He fell back, blocked the right cross slashing for his face, and closed with Aximand, cracking an armoured knee into his opponent's midriff.

Little Horus stumbled and Torgaddon knew that it would take more than a knee in the guts to halt a warrior such as Aximand. His former brother was powerfully built, his strength, poise and skill the equal of Torgaddon's.

The two warriors faced one another, and TorgadВ­don could see a look of regret flash across Little Horus's face.

'Why are you doing this?' asked Torgaddon.

'You said you were against us,' replied Aximand.

'And we are.'

Both warriors lowered their guards; they were brothers, members of the Moumival who had seen so many battles together that there was no need for posturing. They both knew how the other fought.

Tarik,’ said Aximand, 'if this could have ended another way, we would have taken it. None of us would have chosen this way,’

'Little Horus, when did you realise how far you had gone? Was it when the Warmaster told you we were going to be bombed, or some time before?'

Aximand glanced over to where Loken and AbadВ­don fought. 'You can walk away from this, Tarik. The Warmaster wants Loken dead, but he said nothing about you.'

Torgaddon laughed. 'We called you Little Horus because you looked so like him, but we were wrong. Horus never had that doubt in his eyes. You're not sure, Aximand. Maybe you're on the wrong side. Maybe this is the last chance you've got to end your life as a Space Marine and not as a slave,’

Aximand smiled bleakly. 'I've seen it, Tarik, the warp. You can't stand against that,’

'And yet here I am,’

'If you had just taken the chance the lodge gave you, you would have seen it too. They can give us such power. If you only knew, Tarik, you'd join us in a second. The whole future would be laid out before you,’

You know I can't back down. No more than you can,’

Then this is it?'

Yes, it is. As you said, none of us would have cho­sen this,’

Aximand readied himself. 'Just like the practice cages, Tarik,’ 'No,’ said Torgaddon, 'nothing like that.'

The energised claw swung at Loken's head, and he ducked, too late seeing it for the feint it was. AbadВ­don grabbed him by the edge of his shoulder guard and drove his knee into Loken's stomach. Ceramite buckled and Loken felt pain knife into him as bones broke.

Abaddon released him and punched him in the face. He was thrown against the wall of the parliaВ­ment, scorched plaster and brick falling around him.

The Warmaster wanted me to bring the Justaerin, but I told him it was an insult,’

Loken saw his sword lying on the floor beside him and slid down the wall to grab it. He pushed off the wall, pivoting past Abaddon's slashing fist, swinging the blade towards the first captain's face.

Abaddon blocked the blow with his forearm, reaching out to pluck Loken from his feet and hurl him towards the parliament building's wall. The world spun away from him and suddenly there was pain.

His vision blurred as he smacked into the ground and shards of stone flew up around him. The pain within him felt strange, as if it belonged to someВ­one else. It felt as if his back was broken and a treacherous voice in his mind whispered that the pain would go away if he just gave up and let it all