The Multiverse Project: Warhammer 40,000

Fighting at night was cool as fuck. The ambience, the thrill, the kaleidoscopic lightshow as multi spectrum lasers crashed into each other, honing one's senses to its maximum capacity to have an edge over the enemy, was the kind of challenge and rush Tangmo like to indulge, a way to show off his badassery and improve on areas he found lacking. But for all the novelty of nocturnal warfare, Tangmo had to admit that it has one major, glaring downside. He can't see shit. Now, twenty days into the promised fifty five days of darkness on Yomi, Tangmo was starting to get annoyed by the perpetual night, which on paper sounds kinda romantic, sure, but the logistical problems and scrambled intelligences were super aggravating. Not to mention the effect it was having on morale. Humans were children of the sun, and dawn was keenly missed only a week into the campaign.

"ETA on the enemy's column?" Tangmo turned to Meko, he and the Cadian 89th were hunkered down inside an abandoned factorium complex. They were currently waiting for enemy reinforcements to roll up from the countryside and into the city of Takagemi, where the Immortal Spirit battlegroup was in the process of liberating. And when Tangmo say liberate, he meant kill everyone and get the Isha relic back to the Nokori monastery, which have since been cleaned, quarantined and fortified into the battlegroup's planetary base of operation.

"Tyra said they should be here any moment now," Meko magnetized the telephone speaker to his radio pack and eased his lasgun on the crumbling wall, the ground was already starting to rumble, "six half-tracks, two Leman Russes and a shitload of trucks with men and armaments, all of them heading for the southern train depot."

"I thought the railway station was secure?" Tangmo turned to Meko, at least it seemed that way when they broke off to intercept the Chaos reserves.

"Still contested I'm afraid," Meko said. "The Sororitas and the Aeldari, not wanting to get bogged down, swung their forces westward and headed straight for the governor's palace. Last I heard the Astartes were wrapping things up, but they'll be pin down if we don't stop this reinforcement."

"Eh, shouldn't be that much of a problem," Tangmo shrugged then, as paranoia sets in, asked Meko. "Hey man, check in with the UAVs and have them confirm that the column really belongs to the heretics."

"One hundred percent confirmation sir," Meko tapped his earbud with a nod.

"You sure?" Tangmo asked, he could see exhaust plumes drifting toward them now, the acrid stench of burning fuel followed a few seconds later.

"They use half-tracks, we don't," Meko said. "And their Leman Russes are of the older model, a lot slower and less maneuverable than the King Russes. That's why it's taking them so long to get here."

"Good point captain, very good point," Tangmo admitted as the first half-track rolled into view, rounding the corner of a blocky, gothic apartment building, the speed tempered, the driver having to hit the break several times to not overextend himself as the rest of the column followed behind. "And you are absolutely right, nice one Meko."

"Thank you sir," Meko grinned smugly as more vehicles entered their field of fire. The most intimidating of the bunch was an old Leman Russ with dead bodies nailed across the hull, the usual over the top Chaos shit.

"What the hell are you waiting for? Blow them up already!" Luva hissed at Krix, the flamer captain promptly ignored the scout captain as she watched the armored formation thundered by, her hard eyes unblinking.

"Not yet," was all Krix said, finger hovering above the data-pad built into her left armguard.

"What kind of firework did you used?" Tangmo asked.

"Those new plasma mines R&D just cooked up," Krix narrowed her eyes then shouted, "fire in the hole!"

Krix pressed the data-pad and the lead Leman Russ cartwheeled into the air, torn messily in half by the blue plasma fireball that erupted out of the ground, the half-tracks sandwiching the doomed tank were melted into bubbling slush.

"Holy shit, that was fucking amazing!" Tangmo laughed as he blinked away the afterimage, the plasma mine was really bright, made more so by the perpetual darkness. "Was that the only bomb you planted?"

"Nope," Krix answered this by detonating another mine, beautiful iridescent blue plumed skyward from the very rear of the heretic's column. Frantic shouts and blaring trumpets echoed down the line as Grey Antebellan and traitor guardsmen clad in tan khaki trouser and black coat started forming a defensive perimeter around the immobilized convoy, the local heretics were more lackluster though, scrambling all over the place like a bunch of headless chickens.

"Korri, have the snipers take out the officers," Tangmo told the Cadian girl, who he didn't punished after she came clean about her little scuffle with Verity.

"On three," Korri said and after the three second mark bright flashes of crimson cut across the empty ground separating the two forces. The heretics screamed in alarm and soldiers started dropping dead.

"Rockets," heavy ordnances streak across the night, body parts and scrap metals flew spectacularly into the air as flame consumed the traitor's rank. The survivors' sporadic return fire was wild and lacking in discipline. "And now we open fire. Kill them all, let none survive."

Grabbing the foregrip and aiming down the optic sight of his lasgun, Tangmo sent burst after burst at the heretics, the barrage growing in intensity as rapid-las and heavy bolters joined in, lighting the place up brilliantly, laser and bolts scything the traitors apart in mist of blood. For their parts, the heretics made a decent showing, standing their ground for a good ten minutes before breaking. The locals were the first to haul ass, leaving the professional soldiers behind to bear the blunt of the assault.

"Heavy guns, maintain suppressing fire, we're moving out," Tangmo poked his head above the pockmarked wall, fixed his bayonet, and vaulted over the cover. "Let's go! For the Emperor!"

The 89th roared mightily and poured out of the factorium, dashing toward the decimated convoy with Tangmo at the head, firing as they went, unbothered by the heretic's pitiful salvo. Seeing their doom approaching, the surviving half-tracks put the pedal to the metal and veered right down a cramp roadway that leads to the residential complex beyond.

"Hey! Get back here motherfucker!" Tangmo cracked a Grey Antebellan's skull opened with a vicious swing of his lasgun as the Cadian fell upon the dazed, disintegrated line. "Orhul! Luva!"

"Hang on!" Luva yanked her bayonet out of a screaming black clad soldier and shut him up with a lasbolt to the head. "There, all done. What can I do for you sir?"

"We need to go after the runaway, get ten of your best men and come with me, and where in the hell is Orhul?!" Tangmo glanced around urgently. He couldn't find the heavy weapon captain anywhere.

"Already on top of the heretics," Luva pointed at an empty spot between two burning trucks, where Orhul and his fireteam were pouring an uninterrupted stream of las, rockets and grenades on the routed heretics, none of them were putting up a fight.

"Oh hey, cool," Tangmo waved Luva and her team after him, keeping their heads low as they joined Orhul, the barrel of his MG42 rapid-las glowing white hot as he gunned down the fleeing traitors with impunity. "Yo Orhul, nice to see you safe dude, how's it going?"

"Can't complain," Orhul eased his finger off the trigger and shrugged good-naturedly. "We got half of them, but the other half is running back into the forest, do we pursue?"

"The air force will deal with them," Tangmo pointed after the rumbling trucks and half-tracks. "We need to go after those sons of bitches though…"

Melta beams, lasbolts, plasma bolts and rockets rained down on the fleeing heretics, the foremost half-track was gutted and set ablaze, blocking the narrow street as a hellish barrage cut down the traitors to the last man and woman, the rooftop blazed radiantly from the unleashed firepower.

"Well shit, roof Korean strikes again."

"You guys doing alright down there?"

Glancing up, Tangmo and the Cadian found a smiling Min-Jae waving at them. The 89th returned the gesture energetically as the Homeland Rifle colonel parkour down the side of the apartment building, Tangmo nodding appreciatively at the skill displayed.

"Excellent work Min-Jae," Tangmo saluted the colonel then fist bump him. "I thought you were supposed to be further west?"

"We were," Min-Jae confirmed. "But en route, the scouts reported that an armored column was heading our way, so we gave them a little surprise. If we had five more minutes, things would've been a lot more spectacular."

"You did pretty well regardless," Luva offered encouragingly. "Thank you colonel, your help is very much appreciated."

"What about the ones that got away?" A beautiful cacophony of roaring jet engines, whistling missiles and bone rattling BRRT of vulcan cannons answered Min-Jae. This was followed by an equally melodic explosions and blooming red glow that gave the night a momentary splash of color. "Oh, that's nice."

"Damn right it's nice," Tangmo tapped his earbud. "Krillen, get everybody up here, we're heading west with the Homeland Rifle."

Fifteen minutes later, after making sure that every heretic motherfuckers were dead, Tangmo, Krillen and Min-Jae led the Cadian and Jijurean westward, flashlight mounted barrels sweeping across the ruinous landscape, seeing nothing but empty desolation. It wasn't until fifteen minutes later when the two regiments entered a cosmopolitan part of the city, with lofty high rise condos, chic brand name stores and luxury malls, one of them actually looked kinda like Siam Paragon, that Tangmo noticed how his boots were making disgusting squishy sounds, the street becoming mud like in its consistency.

"What the fuck?" Tangmo pointed the lasgun downward and found himself walking on semi-tangible, slushy mass of red and brown, like something out of an overflowed septic tank. But instead of shit, the gross muck at his feet appeared to be comprised of fleshes and bones pureed together with copious amount of blood. Stay classy Chaos. "I'm not even fucking surprise at this point. Yo! Watch your steps, shits starting to get weird."

Groans and grunts rippled down the line, and it was when the flashlights started hitting the buildings that Tangmo realized they'd just walked into a world of fuck.

"Everybody stays the fuck away from the building," Tangmo said and the guardsmen squawked in alarm. What they saw were not walls of concretes, woods or steels, but an amorphous plaster, runny and half formed, composed of human bodies in various stages of decay fused together by some unspeakable dark sorcery, organic bricks and mortars of fleshes, bones and muscles. Guess they now know what happened to the captured loyalist.

"God Emperor's mercy…" Tangmo's eyes widened when Krix, being the spunky curious one of the group, started peering closer at the building, head craned toward the mass of oozing meats, which shuddered with excitable animation the nearer she got. Tangmo was about to shout a warning when Luva quickly snatched Krix back, the same moment an arm, rend down to twitching crimson muscles, clawed the air where the flamer captain had stood just a nanosecond before.

"Didn't you hear the commissar?! Stay away from the fucking building!" Luva barked and shoved Krix back into the column.

"I was just…" Krix started to splutter an excuse before deciding better, instead sighing heavily in admission to her stupidity. "I'm sorry, I got curious, won't happen again. Thanks Luva, I owe you one."

That was not the respond Luva expected. The scout captain just stared blankly at Krix for a moment before nodding, "you're welcome."

"Okay, how do we deal with this bullshit?" Tangmo spoke up as the column pressed onward at a more cautious pace, most of their attention diverted to the macabre scenery around them. The walls were starting to howl now, the resonance one of tortured humanity, forlorn and pained. Heads, hands, arms, torsos and legs were reaching for the guardsmen now, the various organs covered in rotting translucent membrane similar to that of an insect larva, pushing to be free of their confinement.

"We need to clear this area of hostiles," Min-Jae made a face as he glanced around them. "How we're supposed to go about that, I honestly don't know."

"Burn it, I guess?" Krix offered, totally not liking the idea. "What happen if we shoot them?"

"Well shit, we better find out then," Tangmo braced his lasgun. "Stand clear of the fucking building!"

Okay, so Tangmo knew some extremely fucked up shit was gonna happen the moment he pulled the trigger, but props to the Ruinous Power, those sons of bitches actually managed to exceed his expectation, in the worst possible way. Predictably, his burst of red hot las was met with abominable shrieking of the most horrid cadence, the human pieces that made up the wall flailed and thrashed in unbridle agony as the membranous seam holding the macabre tapestry together started to break apart. When the last strip of fleshy plaster finally snapped the section of the wall Tangmo shot collapsed. And pouring from the gap were refuses of still living body parts that flopped about with clear conscience animation, eyeballs rolling in panicked delirium, mouths open in bestial scream.

"Jesus fucking Christ," Tangmo flipped his lasgun to semi-auto and shot the heads rolling amongst the cadaverous pile, Min-Jae, Krillen and the guardsmen joining in until the dying bay faded to silence. "I honestly wasn't expecting that. Holy fuck, this is some next level shit."

"That was just the icing on the cake," Min-Jae winced as he shone his light into the hole Tangmo had just made. "It's worse inside."

Tangmo thought Min-Jae was exaggerating but nope, he was totally legit in his assessment. Instead of rooms, ceilings and furniture, more grotesque fleshy sculptures greeted him, squeezed so tightly together as to be cavernous. Carved by demented hands, a sickening parody of artful expression, the idols of tormented flesh were very much alive like the walls outside.

"Fuck that shit, I ain't going in," Tangmo backed away, dragging Min-Jae with him, and pointed at a squat, but large, mall down the road, the entire thing looked like a wall of meat. "And we have to go through that fucking thing?"

"Unfortunately," Min-Jae deadpanned. "We can probably use the flamers to clear us a path."

"Is that a good idea? Something tells me the damn thing is gonna react violently to fire," Krillen offered and Min-Jae nodded thoughtfully.

"We need fucking tanks," Tangmo tapped his earbud. "This is commissar Tangmo, is there any armored units nearby, we require assistance pronto, I repeat, we need armor support."

"We're on our way lord commissar, two minutes," a woman's voice answered Tangmo and not thirty second later an armored column bulled through one of the smaller, partially destroyed flesh building, the bestial baying silenced quickly by the heavy tracks. The formation was comprised of four King Russes and six Chimeras, the desert camo and Arabic writing identifying them as Tallarn.

"Good to see you unharmed, lord commissar," general Mavia popped above the hatch and saluted him.

"Same goes for you," Tangmo returned the greeting as Al-Rahman and Salahdin led the Tallarn down the Chimeras' ramp to join them, closer now he was able to see that the APCs and King Russes were covered in dripping gore and deep, savage claw marks. "Not the most friendly neighborhood to be driving through, is it?"

"Daemon infested houses made out of human parts! Unbelievable!" Mavia threw her hands exasperatedly into the air. "My little habibi almost got snagged by one of those awful abominations, I was so worried!"

"Mother I was fine!" Al-Rahman stomped his foot petulantly to the guardsmen's raucous laughter, a nice little moment of hilarity to boost the spirit.

"Honestly though, I'm really glad to see you," Tangmo climbed up the King Russ and joined Mavia at the hatch, his data-pad flipped open and held out between them, "I thought you were heading to the commerce district?"

"The main column got bog down by these Emperor damned things," Mavia waved at the Warp twisted cityscape. "You noticed that they are sentient?"

"Shot a freaking wall and they wouldn't stop screaming," Tangmo said. "You broke away from Henry's vanguard?"

"I did, he didn't like how the main forces were stuck in one place and had some of the armored battalion spread out to find other routes," Mavia said. "I was heading north when you gave me a call."

"Good thing I did too," Tangmo and Mavia shared a light laugh, being around the Tallarn woman made him feel strangely safe. "Now we need to figure out a way to get through this fucking place, got any ideas?"

"Not ones you already know," Mavia sighed. "Every building is a twisted ecosystem in itself, even with a tank it will be hard fighting, should've let the air force flatten the place before we move in."

"And something tells me using flamers will not yield a desirable result," Tangmo tapped the map on his data-pad, drawing lines and marking spots across the screen, Mavia leaning in so close that their cheeks were almost touching. "I saw the Sororitas's Immolators torching an entire section of the city, how did that go?"

"That was around the suburbs, near the city's limit," Mavia drew a circle around the metropolis they were besieging. "The infection doesn't start until about ten kilometers into the urban area."

"Well shit," Tangmo straightened his back and glanced at the unflattering vista tainted by eldritch horror. "I guess we have to do this the hard way then. What's the progress on the overall advance?"

"Slow, but we are not in any way falling behind," Mavia locked eyes with him, her face betraying no emotion. "What are your orders, sir?"

Sighing, absolutely not liking what he was about to do, Tangmo said, "we go through the buildings. Have your King Russes and Chimera's form a cordon around the infantries please. High explosive shells will be most preferable in this situation."

"As you command lord commissar," Mavia extended her hand to him. "Good luck sir."

"Emperor be with you general," Tangmo shook Mavia's hand amiably before jumping down the King Russ. "Alright ladies and gentlemen, prepare to engage! Get behind the tanks and form a firing line, all weapons free, heavies to the front, double time!"

The guardsmen swiftly got into the correct position as the tanks and APCs formed a moving wall around them. In five minutes flat, Tangmo and the main characters were standing at the vanguard between two King Russes, one belonging to Mavia, as the turrets were lowered at the big ass mall in front of them, the fleshly surface keened sharply, rippling in grotesque anticipation, limps and unnamable appendages bulged warningly at the battlegroup.

"On my mark, make ready," slinging the lasgun across his shoulder, Tangmo drew his bolt pistol and slammed the Hellfire magazine home, the synthetized Tyranid acid should be quite effective against organic matter. "On three. Three…two…!"

Before Tangmo reached one however, rolling flame erupted across the eastern part of the mall, the inferno sweeping its way across the building until everything was consumed by promethium fire. The screams, holy shit, the screams, the bays, the howls, the shrieks was an acoustic assault of such torturous magnitude that many of the guardsmen was thrown off their feet by the sheer kinetic volume, a tangible force that struck them like a battering gale. Teeth gritted, his ears ringing painfully, Tangmo managed to stay on his feet and helped Meko up, every small movement coming with reluctant lethargy, his body refusing to obey.

"Stand firm! Trust in the Emperor and do not falter! It's just fucking noise you motherfuckers, I can sing louder than this shit!" Tangmo yelled over the daemonic cacophony and the guardsmen roared powerfully in response, defiant against the terrible howls of immolating destruction. Tangmo was about to belt out another inspirational verse when the hellish screams died down somewhat. It didn't stop, mind you, just not as abhorrently loud as before.

"Movement! Movement amongst the ruins, prepare to fire!" Mavia, having escape the worst of the inhuman wailing by ducking into the tank, emerged from the hatch and armed her twin mounted heavy bolter.

"You heard the lady, get into position!" Tangmo and the officers spurred the guardsmen into a formidable, if a little wobbly, firing line, the last man falling into place just in time to see bulbous masses, dripping ichor and swelling to horrible size, emerging from the blazing, destroyed mall. About two storeys tall, vaguely oval in shape, the terrible eldritch abominations crawled languidly out of the fire, doused and smoldered by torrent of excrement spewing from its many orifices, propelled forward by dozen of appendages, arms and legs, flailing in animalistic spasms, instinctual in its primal need to survive. Thanks to the fire, the detail of the creatures were painted in vivid red and orange, their blasphemous birth seared with unwanted clarity into the memory of all who witnessed it. It was composed of fleshy canvases and organic pieces, the building itself coming to life, driven by dark sorcery and the maddened desire to retaliate against those who had attacked it. Long, skinny limbs sewed together with mismatched skins and naked muscles burst from the creatures' side to sickening wet ripping, talons punching into the charcoal ground as they, with a herd mentality, started moving as one. Tangmo let out a sigh of relief when the damn things headed off in another direction.

"That wasn't us," Mavia stated the obvious.

"Thank the Emperor for that," Tangmo chuckled weakly then waved the Imperial Guards and tanks into the flaming corridor made by the abominations, what remained of the destroyed mall jutted out like teeth inside the maw of a massive beast. "Alright people, double time, I'm pretty sure those guys and gals who blew up the mall is gonna need our help. Let's go!"

With a rousing battle cry, Tangmo led the guardsmen after the monstrous blobs, Mavia's tanks matching speed with the marching troopers, stomping boots and crushing tracks trampling over any twitching remains of the Chaos infested buildings, leaving nothing behind but mushy, gory splatter. Soon enough, the horrid screaming of the eldritch abominations was mingled with thunderous reports of heavy weaponries, and as Tangmo crested a pile of smoldering rubble, slick with reddish black ichor, he found the Chaos monsters, fifteen in total, plowing furiously into a wall of Chimeras and Myrmidon jeeps, trying to reach a thick clustered of guardsmen hunkering down in front of seven King Russes. And standing amongst the first rank, Tangmo spied Raine and Cain, both of them spurring the Antari and Valhallan to heroic deed with boisterous encouragement.

"Mavia, give them fire support, high power round!" Mavia flashed Tangmo a thumbs up as her King Russes spread out and unleashed a sustain barrage on the Chaos monsters, joining salvo with the Valhallan tanks. The lumbering abominations shrieked in pain and indignation, having found themselves surrounded and getting cut to pieces by tank shells, "guardsmen, to me! We're not gonna let the Valhallan and Antari have all the fun, let's go motherfuckers!"

Tangmo led the Cadian, Jijurean and Tallarn forward, their movement swift and precise as he slid inside a rocky, still smoldering, crater. Sharing the hole with the main characters, Tangmo trained his bolt pistol over the sizzling rim, finger coiled tight around the hair trigger, aimed down the iron sight, and unleashed the Hellfire bolt on the creature's emaciated limbs. The abomination howled, the agony barely muted by the symphony of guns, the acidic payloads eating away at the Frankenstein jigsaw of fleshes, muscles and bones, leaving nothing behind but pieces of sizzling meat that splattered across the ground. The carnage was surprisingly brief, getting sandwiched by two forces of guardsmen and tanks proved super effective in reducing the Chaos monsters to lifeless goo.

"Cease fire! Cease fire!" Tangmo shouted and stepped out of the crater, waving his hands in the air until the barrage died down, rapturous cheers rising to replace the cadence of war, not even the stench of sweet sickly rot could dampened the jubilation. "Stay alert, if anything so much as twitch fucking kills it!"

Striding slowly, cautiously, through the ankle deep carnage, bolt pistol sweeping the gory mess, Tangmo led the main characters across no man's land toward Raine and Cain, who was also approaching them with the main Valhallan and Antari in towed.

"Lord commissar," Raine and Cain saluted at the same time.

"Sup guys," Tangmo returned the greeting, whistling appreciatively as he took in the scene again. "Well, this is positively fucked beyond words."

"Yes, I agree wholeheartedly," Cain adjusted his awesome commissar cap. "Getting through this infernal city is proving to be tiring work."

"Yet our progress could've been handle with less strained place upon our troops," Raine turned to regard Cain sternly, the Hero of the Imperium rolling his eyes in exasperation. "This push was needlessly dangerous. Many of the Valhallan and Antari are incapacitated because of it."

"We would have suffered greater casualty if we took the longer route around the city, as you have suggested. In case you haven't notice every building, by the Throne, even the ground itself wants to kill us. The faster we get to the source of the corruption, the more lives we'll safe," Cain explained and the Valhallan and Amberley nodded like a bunch of obedient goons. "I'm sorry Severina, but I had assumed you would approve of such tactic."

"In other circumstances, perhaps," Raine went on. "But your reckless tactic could have doomed us if commissar Tangmo didn't show up."

"No harms done, as you can see," Cain waved companionably at Tangmo and his troops. "And if I am correct in my deduction, I believe the Valhallan's swift action have been beneficial to commissar Tangmo and his retinue, saving them the trouble of fighting through the possessed buildings."

"Can the two of you please cut this shit out? Seriously," Tangmo rubbed his temples, getting real tired of this spat between Raine and Cain. "Look Cain, I really appreciate what you did, alright? It did spare us from fighting the spooky mall, so thank you for blowing that place up. But shit, you gotta know that Raine has a point, right? I mean, sure, you couldn't have known the building was gonna grow feet and attack y'all, but if we weren't around, a lot of people would've died. So can you two, I don't know, actually try working together?! Because winning this campaign is a lot more important than your tits and dicks measuring contest."

"Let me assured you, commissar Tangmo, that me and the Valhallan are not the one who oppose the idea of cooperation," Cain huffed petulantly and the 597th nodded vigorously in agreement.

"One cannot straddle two galloping horses, Tangmo," Raine said poignantly, quite unsubtle in telling him to pick a side, more specifically her side, the Antari backing her up with silent stares.

"I just need you two to work nicely together? Pretty please?" Tangmo made sure his smile was as sickeningly sweet as possible, lashes fluttering. The Valhallan and Antari blanched at the sight, even Raine and Cain flinched.

"As you wish," Cain coughed nervously, unnerved by a cute Tangmo.

"Alright, alright, just stop that," Raine shook her head, not hiding her disgust.

"Very good, because I can't babysit you two all the time," Tangmo reverted back to his dashingly handsome visage. "…Wait a goddamn minute we assigned the Dawn Blade and the Dragon Blood to act as a buffer for the Valhallan and the Antari. What happened to them? Where's Kenshin and Lingxin?!"

"Here," Tangmo let out a sigh of relief when the two colonels, drenched in thick grisly slime from head to toe, but otherwise unharmed, shambled up to the group, panting heavily, katana and dao hung tiredly from slacken arm. Behind them the weary looking Dawn Blade and Dragon Blood were greeted by the Cadian, Jijurean and Tallarn with cheers, handshakes and hearty slap on the shoulders. The Kuronese and Buxiunese however cast a distinctly unfriendly look at the Valhallan and Antari, all whom guiltily avoided their gazes.

"You guys alright?" Tangmo approached his Asian homies.

"It was hard fighting through those wreckages," Lingxin fist bump him, Kenshin doing the same a moment later.

"Casualties?" Tangmo asked, all the while shooting Kasteen and Andren a sideway glance.

"I lost six men, Kenshin lost eight, and a couple of dozen more injured," Lingxin said diplomatically, annoyed though she may be the Buxiunese colonel wasn't seeking a confrontation. "It could have been much worse, the Valhallan and the Antari fortunately inflicted significant damage on the enemies."

"They should not have overextended the advance," Kenshin added sharply, the Kuronese was totally not happy.

"Thank the Emperor things didn't go worse for you two then," Tangmo turned his scary ass commissar glare on Kasteen and Andren, both of whom standing ramrod straight. "The Valhallan and the Antari will remain here as rearguards while the rest of us move to reinforce the Sororitas and the Aeldari. You will tend to the wounded until given further order, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir!" Kasteen and Andren spoke in unison, loud and with energy, at the very least ready to owe up to their mistake.

"Can I count on you two to keep the peace?" Tangmo turned to Raine and Cain, both somewhat affronted by the fact that the Thai commissar was overstepping his jurisdiction. Unfortunately for them things operated a little differently in the battlegroup, with each commissar, all four of them, possessing equal authority across every regiment.

"It will be done," Cain offered, tipping his awesome commissar cap at Tangmo, the gesture cordial but a little stiff.

"I'll see to it," Raine saluted, maintaining her professional bearing despite being quite miffed with Tangmo's directive.

"Stay safe," Tangmo waiied Raine and Cain then headed to where Mavia had parked her King Russ, nudging his head for the other colonels to follow. "Let's go ladies and gents, there's still killing to be done."

The Cadian, the Tallarn and the Asian regiments fall in after Tangmo, tired in their steps but heads held high and proud, amiable chatting rumbled down the line as friends and buddies asked after each other's health.

"I can still feel commissar Raine's eyes on me," Krillen whispered lowly and Tangmo made the mistake of turning around, and indeed the lady commissar was watching them menacingly. Tangmo flinched and Raine slowly, ominously, turned away to talk with Andren and Juna.

"I thought you two were friends?" Min-Jae asked when they were amongst Mavia's tanks.

"We still are," Tangmo made a face that didn't inspire much confidence and turned to Mavia. "How far are we from the palace?"

"Just five kilometers in that direction," Mavia pointed at where the city was burning vividly, tracer rounds and lasbolts occasionally strobe the skyline. "The latest reports are saying that the Sororitas and eldars had successfully shattered the defenders and are pouring into the complex. Are we joining them?"

"We are, satellite reading shows that this part of the city is secured," Tangmo flipped his data-pad closed and stuffed it inside his awesome commissar coat. "Give us a few minutes for the Kuronese and Buxiunese to saddle up first, those guys and gals looks super beat yo."

"What of the Valhallan and Antari?" Mavia noticed how the vehicles of the aforementioned regiments were not stirring.

"They're grounded for acting like a bunch of doofuses," Tangmo deadpanned and went to stand several paces behind Mavia's King Russ, "when you're ready general."

"Thank you for the lift sir, running after one of general Sulla's insane charges was very…taxing, to say the least," Kenshin bowed at Tangmo the same moment Mavia's tank gunned forward at an easy speed, the guardsmen who weren't inside the Chimeras marched somberly after the war machines.

"You know, I thought that shit was funny at first, the whole Raine and Cain feud thing," Tangmo said. "Now it's getting annoying, like, super annoying. And shit stop being funny when people start dying because of it. How bad was this little spat by the way? As bad as when you and Lingxin first met?"

"Nothing as bad I assured you," Lingxin and Kenshin shared a chuckle. Those two really had come a long way. "But things escalated quickly when battle was joined, with the Valhallan and Antari trying to one up each other, usually at the expense of a well laid plan. Raine and Cain have been halfhearted in trying to stem these behaviors, to say the least."

"Will you be able to convince them to behave more tactfully in the future?" Min-Jae ventured. "To the best of your ability, of course, because I don't believe a polite discord between you and commissar Raine would be quite conceivable in the coming days. As for Cain, the man will smile at whatever you say."

"Don't worry about Raine, she has a bit of a temper but she's very reasonable, I'll have a chat with her later. Besides, this isn't the first time me or Leilatha chew her out," Tangmo said. "And Cain will do anything I tell him to, if it means we are victorious on the battlefield."

"Got the Hero of the Imperium by the balls, have you?" Krillen snickered and the others joined in.

"Damn fucking right I do," Tangmo grinned toothily but swiftly resumed his stoic demeanor when the pounding firefight became more pronounced as they neared the burning vista, the staccato epileptic in tempo, stopping for a few minutes before resuming violently, the rhythm annoyingly sporadic. But things appeared safe nevertheless, and after about twenty minutes Mavia waved the infantry column forward while her tanks veered right, toward an impromptu carpool comprised of other Myrmidons, Chimeras and King Russes. Waving his goodbye, Tangmo led the guardsmen toward a crumbling row of Chinese looking buildings, most of the walls and roofs demolished and fortified by piled up debris, where the Mordian, the Fire Guard and the 101st Cadian were hunkered down and blasting away at some unseen enemy beyond, the fighting was very one sided.

"Hey Leila," Tangmo slid in beside Leilatha, both sharing a quick smile before turning to the huge empty square beyond, the eight lane road was littered with twisted, sizzling corpses. Few people darted this way and that, in panicky group or alone, firing blindly as the entrenched guardsmen easily cut them down. "What's happening?"

"Letting the Sororitas and Aeldari have their fun," Leilatha reloaded her bolt pistol and nudged her head at the gigantic, blocky red gatehouse topped off with a slopping golden roof. The walls and parapets around it were riddled with scorching bullet holes, behind the portholes and windows fiery discharges flashed brutally, occasionally accompanied by pained screams.

"Sounds like they're having fun," Tangmo commented dryly.

"Did we ever found out why the Eternal Legion and the Celestial Serenity look so similar to the Fire Guards, the Dawn Blade and the Dragon Blood?" Evangeline struck up a conversation, leaning easily, and quite sexily, on the earthen parapet. Along the frontline the guardsmen were chilling out somewhat, because it was clear that the heretics had completely evacuated the area. Only a few random groups of dumbasses showed up, none of them lasted more than five seconds.

"They are probably descendants of the Delphine Pilgrimage from ten thousand years ago, at least with the Eternal Legion," Xiphos wiped blood from his bayonet with a red soaked rag, passing it to Pollius when he was done. "It's a pretty well-known part of our history. Shortly after the formation of the Imperium, the most devoted of the Undying Flame priestesses, imbued by the holy words of the God Emperor, set out across the stars to bring the Imperial Creed to those yet enlightened. They were never heard from again, at least until now. The Eternal Legion's prayer of benediction was spoken in archaic Kolasian, and their armors obviously took inspiration from the Fire Guards. I've got some opportunity to talk with legatus Victrix about this and she agrees with the theory, I believe we will be having more discussion in the future." Xiphos glanced at Kenshin and Lingxin, who were sharing a canteen. "Same goes for you two and the Celestial Serenity, I presume?"

"I don't have a clue."

"No idea."

"Of course it's exactly like that."

Both Kenshin and Lingxin glanced at Min-Jae, the Jijurean answered the Kuronese and Buxiunese's stunned look with an annoyed rolled of his eyes, "Two orders of nuns from Buxiu Shoudu and Kuro Taiyo, bitter rivals by the way, both set out on a pilgrimage at the same time. The congregations were thought lost when they disappeared into a Warp Storm. The Celestial Serenity are obviously their descendants."

"How in the hell did you know all of that?" Kenshin asked incredulously.

"Jijugeum have extensive historical records on the entire Songkram-Napa system," Min-Jae went on smugly. "You're more than welcome to have a look."

"It couldn't hurt, I guess," Lingxin shrugged. "I mean, it can't be as bad as the propaganda they feed us back home."

"Might be nice to see things from a different perspective," Kenshin agreed, more to impress Lingxin than anything, the Buxiunese colonel chuckling lightly at her Kuronese counterpart but was otherwise endeared by the gesture.

"It's a pretty good read, trust me, despite a few instances of unbridle rage, Jijurean scholars are quite fair and impartial," Tangmo said when a powerful triumphant roar billowed tempestuously from the towering archway, the timbre uproariously feminine. The cheer was soon joined by the guardsmen when, from the central gatehouse, two banners unfurled and cascaded down the brick surface, blowing victoriously in the smoky wind. One emblazoned with the twin headed eagle of the Imperium, the other a teary eye on top of a curvaceous T, representing Isha. And standing on the railing between the two banners, hollering loudly, eldar sniper rifle raised high above her head like a Tusken Raider, was Nikki, absolutely rapturous in victory. Eldars and Sororitas quickly joined her, all of whom ultra-psyched after retaking the palace, looking very chummy with one another. This was soon followed by bodies flying from the barbicans and parapets, twisting and screaming as they careened down the fifty foot drop, every splattering crash eliciting cheers of joy from the Sororitas. Welp, that's one way to get rid of the prisoners.

"Look like the coast is clear," Tangmo adjusted his awesome commissar cap and clambered over their cover. "Maintain position and stay alert, fighting is still ongoing in other parts of the city, watch for any counterattacks and flanking attempts. Colonels and Leilatha, come with me, let's go see Isha's relic."

Hefting up their lasguns, the main characters followed Tangmo across no man's land and toward the gatehouse, which up close looked almost identical to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden Palace, but instead of tourists there were corpses everywhere…oh right, that also happened.

"Goddamn, you guys totally gave them hell," Tangmo observed, totally digging the carnage.

"They fought hard, but the result was predictable," Leilatha scooted closer to Tangmo until their shoulders were almost touching. "Our new weapons and ever evolving combat doctrine guarantee that we were victorious."

"Did you guys run into any supernatural resistance?" Tangmo asked. "Me, Krillen, Min-Jae and Al-Rahman have to fight through several blocks of daemonic, living buildings. Shit was fucked yo."

"The Sororitas were with us," Evangeline explained. "Their presence alone was enough to nullify the Ruinous sorcery placed upon the city, combined this with the Battle Sisters unceasing hymn, helped along by inquisitor Laura of course, what devilry the infected buildings can conjured up were reduced to meek, mewling mess. They barely stir when the Immolators put them to the torch."

"Lucky you, an apartment building tried to eat us," Al-Rahman said to boisterous laughter when Taelin, the Avenging Knight Iron Man Sororitas, landed on the top peak of the slopped roof and unleashed her flares, creating a smoky illusion of an angel wings that rose majestically over the conquered wall. She flew back into the palace, screams of purest exaltation following her wake. "Looks like the Battle Sisters are taking your example when it comes to flaunting victory."

"They learned from the best," Tangmo snickered then turned his bolt pistol on a man, his limbs broken and bloodied, mouth gapping like a beached fish, the drop having failed to kill him, and pulled the trigger. He was a swell, merciful guy like that. Nearing the destroyed archway, Tangmo held up his hand at the gatehouse above and shouted. "Stop throwing people, we're coming through!"

"Okay!" Nikki answered and they entered the palace without any shrieking prisoners raining on their heads. Passing swiftly underneath the darkened gateway, the place splattered with gory gibs, Tangmo and the main characters strode into a bustling courtyard currently occupied by Battle Sisters and Aeldari soldiers. Despite the fact that the nuns were systematically committing war crimes on the heretics, with the elves occasionally joining in, Tangmo found the scene to be strangely wholesome. Every Sororitas order was working together in perfect harmony, united in both conviction and companionship. Here, a group of Golden Pride and Bloody Rose sisters were sharing canteens and laughing over a pile of burning heretics. Not far away, Castrum and her Avenging Knights squad were showing the Eternal Legion their modified bolters, teaching the Roman sisters how to hold and aim the longer guns. Near a large stone lion the bushi Celestial Serenity and the Martyred Lady were having a contest to see who can chop off more heads, okay, that's kinda fucked up.

"Damn, they're really enjoying themselves," Nikki slid in soundlessly beside Tangmo, they high fived then cringed when the Battle Sisters hollered a tad too loudly after sending a poor bastard's head twirling across the courtyard on streamer of scarlet, "maybe a little too much? Damn, should they even be laughing like that?"

"Excuse me, ladies? Hi, sorry to interrupt your little…contest," squaring his shoulders and puffing out his chest, trying to make himself as authoritative as possible, not that it would help, Tangmo strode up to the Sororitas. The way the armored women turned collectively to look at him almost made him missed a step. "Can you maybe be a little, I don't know, less cheerful when killing those people? I mean, I'm cool with you killing them, don't get me wrong, but can you please just line them up against a wall and have them shot? Don't make a sport out of it, because people could get, ahem, wrong impression?"

After an intense minute of silence, Tangmo let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when the samurai and knight Sororitas nodded stiffly, their fellows mumbling disgruntle words, giving the Thai commissar nasty, poisonous looks.

"As you wish, lord commissar," the white haired Martyred Lady concurred and started dragging the prisoners away, the Battle Sisters expressing their frustration by kicking and punching the bound traitors and heretics.

"Holy shit, that went better than I thought," Tangmo turned around and found the colonels and Nikki standing a good six paces away, the Russian eldar smiling brightly and giving him energetic thumbs up while the guardsmen glanced awkwardly at their feet. Only Leilatha was standing beside him, the lady commissar shrugging at Tangmo's look of absolute affront. "What the fuck, were you assholes standing all the way back there the whole time?!"

"But you were doing so well, we didn't want to interrupt," and now Nikki was joining him, at least the colonels had the decency not to look so damn perky. "Congrats on not getting rip to pieces by the way, top job."

"I thought y'all were behind me! That's the only reason I even talked to the Sororitas!" Tangmo cried out, admittedly a little pissed off. "You fucking traitors left me to die alone!"

"I didn't leave you," Leilatha was super smug as she folded her arms across her chest, the colonels nodding in emphatic agreement.

"That's right, you didn't," Tangmo drew Leilatha into his arms, hugging her fiercely as he planted a big kiss on her cheek, smooching louder than the groans of his audience. "How many times have I told you I love you today?"

"Seven," Leilatha patted him softly on the cheek and pulled away from the embrace, "thirteen more to go before you reach your daily quota."

"Make that eight," Tangmo grinned handsomely. "I love you."

"Holy fuck, I'm gonna be sick. I'm getting diabetes just watching this crap," Nikki made a rude barfing noise then looked pleadingly at Leilatha. "How can you stand that sugary tripe? No offense, but I thought you would appreciate something more romantic and classy?"

"Don't fret lady exarch," Leilatha went on pleasantly, pretty and haughty all the same. "This is simply for your benefit, rest assure that Tangmo can be very sophisticated when he chooses to be."

"Well, good to see he hasn't lost his touch," Nikki winked at Tangmo. Yes, all the boys and girls of the Eight have dated each other at some point.

"Damn right I still got games," Tangmo adjusted his awesome commissar coat and was about to lead their little group onward when heavy footfall of studded sabatons drew nearer and nearer. To their credit, the colonels didn't bail this time, but then again it was only Miriya, Firnera and their Celestian and Banshee squads.

"Impressive," Miriya said. "Agatha was never one to comply easily, especially from a Militarum officer."

"I'm just super persuasive like that," Tangmo saluted the Celestians and the Banshees. "How did the fight go? Casualties?"

"Low," Firnera answered. "Once again superior tactics, fire powers and synchronicity between each units, Aeldari and human, prove too overwhelming for the enemies to withstand. The four new Sororitas orders are stumbling somewhat, but they'll pick up the rhythm soon enough. Pray hope that the enemy will not be able to adapt in time."

"Yeah, but by the time they catches up we'll already be ten steps ahead of them," Tangmo chuckled and the nuns and elves joined in. "Welp, things look pretty good around here, I'll leave you ladies to it then."

"Actually, we were wondering if we could have a word with you," Miriya took off with Firnera, nudging her head for the flabbergasted, and quite scared, Tangmo to follow. "In private, if you please."

"Okay…sure," Tangmo reluctantly complied. His relationship with the Sororitas and Banshee, especially this particular group of Sororitas and Banshee, was complicated to say the least. Holding up his hand to stop Leilatha from following, Tangmo walked after Miriya and Firnera. "Just…chat and catch up with each other. This won't take long."

Leilatha, Nikki and the colonels agreed begrudgingly, going about making conversation with the Celestians and Banshees, all of whom were disinclined to talk. Verity and Alnelle however glanced at him wretchedly before turning away, which does nothing to help his confidence. Thankfully, Miriya and Firnera didn't lead him into some dark, murder happy corridor, stopping instead under the shade of a huge stone dragon, well within sight of his worried girlfriend.

"What's up?" Tangmo asked as Miriya and Firnera removed their respective helmets, looking ridiculously fabulous as they shook their flowing hair loose. "Nice."

"Thank you," Miriya magnetized the Sabbath helm to her belt. "I would ask that you disable your communication device also."

"Okay," Tangmo tapped his earbud off. "What's happening? Did something go wrong during the attack? Did one of the canonesses got possessed or something?"

"Calm down, its nothing of the sort," Miriya waved him off with clear annoyance. "This concerns Verity."

"And High Ranger Erik," Firnera added heavily. Tangmo stared at the two women blankly for a good minute, letting them see how unimpressed he was with this banality. When the nun and elf remained unwavering in their seriousness, Tangmo facepalmed and groaned loudly, at least his exaggerated irritation was putting his girlfriends and homies at ease.

"Are you fucking serious?!" Tangmo hissed. "You wanted to talk to me about that bullshit?!"

"This is far from bullshit, lord commissar," Miriya's voice hardened.

"I thought you were gonna discuss something important! Like, I don't know, a schism within the Sororitas ranks regarding Isha's relics," Tangmo blurted. "Just to be clear, you guys are not killing each other in there, right?"

"We have all seen the God Emperor's recording from the glass moon station. Some were more reluctant than others, but in the end even the Bloody Rose and Valorous Heart were compelled to study those knowledges from times before the Imperium, when the Master of Mankind was flesh and blood," Miriya told him. "It was hard to accept what we have learned but we are Adepta Sororitas, sworn to obey the God Emperor's words and His teaching. We would be rather hypocritical if we were to deny the Master of Mankind's own spoken wisdom."

"Wow, dude, you're the last person I expected to hear this from," Tangmo smiled good-naturedly. "Just to be clear, Sororitas and Aeldari are cool with each other now?"

"To a certain extent," Miriya and Firnera shared a guarded but friendly look with each other. "The Emperor saw the Aeldari as potential ally for humanity, and we refuse to believe that He is wrong. And the eldar have proven themselves trustworthy so far."

"And the new orders are okay with this?" Tangmo pressed on.

"Grumbling from the Golden Pride and the Eternal Legion, but I believe they will be more openminded in the coming days," Firnera now said. "The canonesses have all confirmed the validity of the Solace Sun's claim regarding Isha and her relics. Even now nuns of the Sororitas and priestesses of Isha are working together to sanctify the relic and prepare it for removal."

"How are you feeling about this by the way?" Tangmo quirked a brow at Firnera, "pretty much all of you are sworn to Ynnead when you join us, how is the appearance of Isha effecting you guys?"

"All of us had converted to the worship of Isha after the Gothicipolis campaign," Firnera said.

"All of you?" Tangmo couldn't quite believe what he was hearing.

"All of us," Firnera nodded in confirmation.

"A good decision, if I might say so myself," Miriya added. "The canonesses and a lot of the Battle Sisters didn't like this Yvraine individual. Something about that woman seems…off."

"We can now choose a new future for our kind," Firnera said. "Ynnead promised death as salvation, but Isha unwavering faith in life nurture hope thought long lost to the Aeldari people. Why must we surrender to oblivion when we can reach for the light?"

"Beautifully spoken," Tangmo was quite touched by Firnera's little speech, "safe to say that the Sororitas are happy with this development?"

"They are our ally in this eternal war against the Dark Gods," Miriya said, which was the closest thing to a yes he'll ever get from the Celestian.

"Yet despite the strengthening bond between humanity and Aeldari, you two are totally not okay with Erik and Verity hanging out with each other," Tangmo groaned, actually kinda glad that Miriya and Firnera's little private matter wasn't anything world ending, but this was fucking stupid.

"I would say that things went beyond hanging out," Miriya said sternly. "Galatea had alerted me to this development and after some…talking, Verity confessed that she has been spending a lot of time with High Ranger Erik."

"Did you clamp a car battery to her nipples when she made that confession?" Tangmo held up his hands in defense when Miriya reeled back her fist. "Alright, alight! Jeez! But Verity could just be saying that to appease you."

"Alnelle have been part of this clandestine meeting since its inception," Firnera now said. "She was forthright in her confession."

"And you want me to bring this budding relationship to an end, a third party to do all your dirty work while your hands stay clean," Tangmo deadpanned, "because humans and eldars should not get to that level of intimacy just yet."

"Smart boy."

"Good to see you up to speed."

"All I can do is tell Erik that this is bothering the Adepta Sororitas and the Aspect Warriors," Tangmo shrugged. "What happens afterward is totally up to him."

"Maybe you should put more effort into it?" Firnera demanded.

"What do you want me to do, put a gun to Erik's head and tell him to stop seeing Verity?" Tangmo made his asinine suggestion.

"Yes," Miriya very much like that idea.

"Well I won't," but Tangmo didn't. "You know, the more you guys try to stop them, the more they'll defy your order, its basic psychology yo. And why are you people so worked up over this? There are brothels in Block C that have eldars and humans working in it, and everyone, and I mean everyone, already had some cross-species fun. Hell, I'm pretty sure Eldul and some of the less pious Battle Sisters had already been there, so what's the problem?"

Miriya and Firnera answered him with a glare, the sharpness of their combine gaze growing more temperate with every passing heartbeat.

"Okay fine!" Tangmo capitulated, Miriya and Firnera grinned smugly. "I'll do what I can. No promises!"

"That is all we wanted, lord commissar," Miriya was poisonously polite. "Oh, and I must inform you that during our push into the city, we saw no sign of the Fallen Sisters nor the Steelwall Brigade."

"We believe the Chaos Sororitas and their elite soldiers are being kept back," Firnera now added. "With the likely purpose of initiating a counterattack once we have secure the city and Isha's relic. Just something you might want to be aware of."

"…And you didn't tell me this first?! Fuck!"