A Bloody Rose Story

{no pictures, but the warhammer wiki or Lexicanum has some} 

The warp… the immaterium…. The sea of souls… a place where we humans and Xenos gave birth to many gods… gods… who through our suffering grew strength… it wasn't until our great emperor stood in the way… that they put aside their differences for the first time…. 

And together they twisted a SON… a son who was black and white… like checkered chess… powerful and strong… he led many away from our emperor… into the dark… even those 'whom' first called our emperor god! A man... A SON… who wrote the books… the hymns… the sigils and the symbols… the SON who started it all! 

A SON who bore the name… Lorgar! . 

→Excerpt by Hidden Tomb← 

Terra second fleet… location... traversing the warp… on route to world… black listed… date…. black listed 

Flagship… Furious Class Grand Cruiser…. Named…. Eternity's end: 

[Lord commissar…] 

[yes? Master of the vox…what is it?] 

[sir! The scouts we have sent along with the vanguard have failed to respond at their designated time… and all attempts to reach them have failed…] 

[damn! Is it an enemy trap? Or a warp disaster?] 

[I'm sorry commissar, but I do not know, there haven't been any signs of distress.] 

[Yes... And that is what worries me…] replied the commissary, as he paused briefly and looked out into the warp from his Grand Cruiser. 

And with a deep breath and a clenched fist, the commissar felt the wight fleet on his shoulders, and with stern and dogmatic eyes, he turned to face his vox master and bellowed his order… 

[All troops prepare for Battle! The enemies of mankind wait for us! They believe us weak… they believe our emperor to but a corpse… well… today sons and daughters of the imperium… let's show them our emperor light! Let's show them…these...these… heretics the emperors might!] 

But with all cheers and pleasantries, none could foresee, that as the warp lets it grip free of the fleet… Its purple veil lifting and the ship shutters dispensing, the commissar turned to see a ship graveyard! The vanguard that went on ahead was all but destroyed to the last shrapnel! 

Cold bodies floating and silent hymns murmuring, in the frozen real space, just one expansion away… the shock of the scene only ended as the ship bridge vibrated from mine explosions! 

[damage report! Helmsmen! What is the situation!] 

[sir! We've entered a fleet-wide minefield! There's no end to them!] screamed the Helmsmen in a panic as he witnessed thousands of mines stretching in every direction! 

[a minefield! Dammit! I knew it was a trap but right after exiting the warp! How… is that possible? You're telling me the enemy knew our navigator's path?] 

[commissar! Compartments three through five are compromised! What are your orders?] said a bridge officer interpreting the commissar's thoughts. 

[seal them! The brave clans within those compartments will have their duty end today…. As for you helmsmen get us out of this field now!] 

But while the helmsmen plotted the course with the tech priest doing the calculations, the commissar looked up to see ships of a forgotten time! Dozens of them! Big and black with glowing symbols of a false god… seeing their ships the commissar now understood how… 

[but… Why... how... Are servants of our archenemy here!] 

But with those words screaming out his mouth, the fleet was bombarded from every direction and axis! From Missile and plasma, lasers and boarding craft! Fighters and ramming! Complete pandemonium as mines sealed and trapped the fleet in like a cage! Terra's second Fleet was shrinking by the moment! 

[sir! the fleet formation is in taters! What are your orders!] 

[tell the captains to scatter and by their will engage the enemy! Give no quarter!] 

But as the fighting continued and the names of the countless ships that sunk, fluttered on his screen, the commissar stared at the biggest ship at the center of everything… enrage filled his heart as his tech-priest did their best to filter out the screams of the dying machines spirits. 

And through all the explosion and howling, the commissar's eyes never left the archenemy flag ship… and with eyes that spoke volumes finally recognized the ship, he couldn't believe it even as his tech-priest in charge came running to confirm the news… 

[inconceivable… impossible…. Calculation… immeasurable! That ship…. No… it's more correct to say those ships should have been lost with all hands…. The Flame of Purity…. Overlord class…. Of the Word Bearers!] 

[tech priest… you and I know the Flame of Purity isn't the problem…but…] 

[the Gloriana class…. The Fidelitas Lex!] replied the tech priest in awe and wonders 

[but how is that possible? Wasn't it destroyed back in the war of the great Heresy?] replied the commissar with great shock. 

[it appears to not be the case… or perhaps it was remade… who is to say... The last known sighting of this vessel was above holy Terra at the conclusion of the war. However, if this is the original… then every single vessel in our fleet is calculated to be 100% screwed for an otherwise terminology!] 

[how can you be so sure tech-priest? Are there no better odds?] 

[Haha…. Those are the better odds…. For if a son of the emperor dwells on that vessel… then I apologize but the odds would be above 100% of the fleet's complete destruction.] 

[A son of the emperor? But if I recall the emperor only had like five or so sons and all of them followed our emperor? Do they not? Or has one of them turned to heresy?] 

[I apologize lord commissar but you are not authorized to know such knowledge…] 

Hearing the words that, that even a man of such high esteem wasn't privilege to know the truth, made the commissar grind his teeth in seething rage, only for the bridge officer to yell out a warning! 

[Sir, the scan is showing unusually high activity on the enemy flagship! It looks like they are preparing for something…] 

Staring at the ship, the commissar knew exactly what the archenemy was planning. 

[I see... So that's how they want to end it… very well you bastard! I'll play along!] yelled the captain to the shock of the crew. 

[sir? What are they planning?] replied a random crew member 

[isn't it obvious… they are planning to ram us! Now! force all shield batteries to the front! And divert all power to the engines!] 

[but sir! We have taken extensive damage already! Almost every compartment has a breach! and the outer hull is…] 

[shut it! And do what I have ordered! This ship isn't so simple that a few compromised compartments will sink her! If you can't find the power then use the life support system! Use everything! The archenemy wishes for a contest of strength then let's show it to them!] 

The commissar knew there were better ways to handle this, but just like how he knew the enemy had better options, as they didn't need to ram their vessel in order to sink her, it was then that the vox master screamed as warped energies contorted the man to speak! While the room became dark and cold, while the purity seals that adorned every wall, burned to ask! 

[your false god will never rise again… we… no... I won't allow it!] 

[curse you heretic!] replied the commissar, while secretly gesturing the tech-priest to find a voice match to the being talking through the Vox master. 

[is that all you have to say? Slave to my father lies… pity… but it's alright... I shall save you… by offering your souls up to our true gods!] 

[father?] 

[Oh... come now... You don't need a tech priest to tell you who I am… or has it been that long… that my name has already been forgotten through the annuals of time… well judging by the look on your face… I am safe to assume I have been forgotten... Thrown away like rubbish… much like my home world…] 

Hearing the hints and the manner of speaking with the sounds of that voice… the tech priest shivers at the thought… that his worst-case scenario may be true… judging that may be the case. The tech priest quickly loads a plasma round! 

[I see… well my apologies for not realizing my father's hate ran this deep for me… to have my name stricken from remembrance… very well… before you die servant of my father, I shall grace you will the knowledge of my name… for my name is…] 

Unfortunately, the commissar never got the chance to hear the entity tell him his name, for the tech priest fired his shot into the Vox master! Killing him before he could utter another word! Showering the bridge with blood and guts! 

Looking at his tech-priest in shock and confusion, the tech priest merely said before walking back to his station: 

[you are unauthorized to know!] 

Meanwhile on the Fidelitas Lex 

A man, who was more than a man, sat on a throne, covered in greys and gold! Bald and tan, with symbols tattoos, and glowing eyes, with a power mace forged by his cousin's brother. A demigod who has ascended to be more… 

[what's wrong my….?] 

Hearing his child's inquiry, the demigod simply laughed, while putting a giant hand on his forehead, and continued to laugh and laugh, until finally… he stopped with a grin on his face… 

[full speed ahead!] screamed the demigod with joyfulness and sad tears all at the same time! 

[let's send the servants of the false god home!] 

In space, in a system unknown but close to Terra's eye, one ship that housed a god and another that housed mortal men screamed as the machine spirits that drove them, one of madness and one of pure dogma, were willing to die… to end their duty… While one rammed through mines and debris of the dead, another corrupted and black, with golden shimmering light, swam in a sparkle of contradictions! 

But as they were about to meet, a brighter shimmer broke the cosmos! Covered in pure gold, a glimmering Falchion ship called Radiance rammed its beautiful hulls against the children of chaos! Pushing it just enough for the commissar ship to slip through! 

Bewildered at what just happened, the Commissar ordered a report, as hundreds of Talons of the emperor sink their claws at their foe ship! Witnessing the beautiful display of burning ships, a reply came in from a recently promoted Vox master! 

[Sir! We have received an order from the Radiance! They said and I quote... Leave! That is all…] 

Hearing and understanding the subtext of the custodes captain's words, the commissar simply tipped his hat and ordered: 

[All surviving ships disengage… and… follow me! the emperor protects!] 

Witnessing the imperium fleet renter the warp didn't anger the chaos demigod, far from it! he simply smiled and allowed them to escape, while saying out loud: 

[foolish servants…. I already did my part... Go ahead… fly from my cage…. You're only entering another hunter's trap… isn't that right Julianus?] commented the demigod as he slowly turned his thrown around to meet a golden man! 

[Lorgar Aurelian! traitors' son of the emperor! It's been a long time since Terra…] 

[Ah, it has been a long time Julianus… I'm glad not everyone from the old era has forgotten me. But even still… you've gotten old… my 'friend'] replied Lorgar with a toothy grin as he grabbed hold of his Illuminarum. 

[you know… I never wanted this… but I can't allow the star of the false god to be born… you understand right? Julianus…] 

[star? Born] replied Julianus in confusion 

[wait… don't tell me… your beloved emperor didn't tell you? You know I couldn't believe it myself at first... But the signs were too great… the warp was cheering as light sparked in a place it shouldn't… when the true gods had told me the truth of this light… I knew I had to be the one to stop my former father… even if it meant sacrificing my entire legion!] replied Lorgar with his arms wide open with a crazy smile! 

[is that all? Are you finally finished?] replied Julianus as the tip of his spear glows with a thunderous blue hymn! 

[you know traitor… I care not to know of my emperor plans, only that I carry them out!] continued Julianus as his helmet closed, and the weight of his feet left him, as he charged at Lorgar!] 

With a colliding light that shined on the bridge of the Fidelitas, a small plagued vessel warped in around the planet as the Canoness just finished reorganizing the planet's outer defenders. 

[Lady Canoness, it appears to be a merchant ship has just warped in!]