Editing Ashur of Banipal (section)

==The Scholar and the Savage==
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Ashur allowed himself to withdraw to the Thunderhawk. The battle he had just fought had been as brutal as it had been quick – What resistance his landing party had encountered had been sent routing the moment they had deployed their heavy weaponry. These open fields so much like the arid steppes of Ashur’s homeworld offered little to no cover. He had not even been required to take the field, himself, for which he was grateful. Although he knew he had been made to fight and dominate, he was afraid of the damage he could cause. He was afraid of not being able to reel himself in, and the last thing the people of a world brought to compliance through force needed was to be even more afraid of their conquerors. He was grateful he did not have to add to the horror of war… Yet.

He knew he had yet to show himself, to join the fray. He could not avoid it. This battle was but a skirmish to test each other’s strength. Right now, more of his gene-sons, the stalwart Space Marines of the XIIIth Legion called the “Loxodontii”, were descending from orbit. And as he was rallying his forces, so, too, was the enemy building his defences. Their victory was nothing compared to the campaign ahead, and while all their intelligence pointed towards a mildly challenging opponent at best, Ashur maintained the thought that he must remain vigilant. Even if victory was assured, he had no reason to risk more men to die than necessary out of arrogance.

He entered the briefing room of the landing ship, where several of his officers stood by. “At ease, my sons”, he said warmly, his eyes lighting fatherly against the cold glow of the holopicts that displayed a map of their target destination. His officers smiled and assumed a more relaxed stance. “Primarch, we are honoured that you grace us with your presence”, Shamil, captain of the fourth company, proclaimed, “and your timing is excellent! We have just received new information from our Scouts. It appears that our previous intel has been lacking in the defences of our enemies – The core installations of their administrative hub seem to be shielded by a form of kinetic field. Infiltration squads are still tracking down the power source, however, we seem to be lacking any visible connectors.” Shamil shifted uncomfortably in his stance before he continued to speak: “We seem to have no clue as to where or how these shields are being maintained.”

Ashur listened patiently, then nodded with a grateful smile. “Thank you for this information captain!”, he declared, which brought Shamil’s face to brighten immensely. “It seems we are dealing with unknown technology. That alone would be no issue, I’m sure – but time is pressing. We are behind on this sector, and we’ve been delayed by the last campaign. I have received word that we must be more… ‘Invested’ in our efforts, or that we would face reprimands for our lack of progress.” He sighed heavily, frustrated at the implications. Be merciless and apply force without hesitation, he mused. He was to be a sledgehammer. No doubt the Emperor believed just because Ashur preferred to utilise armoured vehicles, he must be like an avalanche. That one such as him could use subtlety and precision seemed unimaginable. The truth was that Ashur was more than capable of such feats, it just took him a bit longer with the resources at his disposal. And that minuscule delay seemed to displease his father.

“What is your plan then, my Primarch?”, inquired Aikil, captain of the thirty-second company, an undertone of worry in his speech. “My plan, captain”, Ashur replied, “is to wait for our reinforcements. I have been informed by higher command that for this particular campaign, we will be accompanied by our brothers from the legion previously known as ‘Warpclaws’. It is a joyous occasion, for they have been reunited with their primarch! I will get to meet one of my brothers!” Ashur beamed with anticipation as he further explained: “The renamed “Chosen of Hecate” are particularly observant, I am told, and will greatly help us in analysing this enemy. I am told they should arrive within the day, which should give us enough time to prepare a suitably fortified landing site.”

Just as he had uttered the words did a signal flash on the holopict: An incoming message. Ashur opened the channel, and the helmeted face of an astartes greeted him. “Salutations, esteemed primarch Ashur of Banipal of the Legio Astartes Loxodontii! This is Gaius Mendel speaking, Grand Warp Claw of the Chosen of Hecate. I am to inform you that Primarch Lambach Kropor’s vessel is set to arrive within the hour and that he wishes to make use of his early planetfall to meet you, his brother, for a private exchange. You are free to bring your own envoy, if you so wish. We are looking forward to make battle alongside our accomplished cousins of the XIIIth!”

With those words did the channel close, and Ashur’s smile widened to an almost childlike grin. “Within the hour! Did you hear that?”, he asked superfluously, and each of his officers chuckled in return. “What are we waiting for! Prepare a tent! Make sure our brothers will be accommodated accordingly!”

As promised did Lambach’s Thunderhawk land within the hour, it’s feet touching the ground with a deep thrum and it’s engines slowly coming to a rest. Ashur stood outside, excitedly shifting in his stance, anticipating his new found brother. Surrounding him were a few of his personal protectors of the Third Chapter, carrying their trademark adorned shields on their backs and their faces concealed by masked helmets. The hatch opened and the ramparts were extended. Suddenly, an irritating sensation befell Ashur. A tingle at his temples, boring through his eyes. He shook his head and the sensation faded, yet an unnerving feeling remained. Nevertheless did Ashur approach the tall figure descending the ramparts, followed by his own Astartes. This was Lambach Kropor. His face carried a disarming smile, his hair a loose mane of black. The Lord of Bronze and Bone immediately recognised him as a brother, and wrapped his arms around the arrival in a loving embrace.

“Lambach, brother! Welcome, welcome to our humble base of operations! I hope the journey to Halmat Forn has been pleasant for you!”, he proclaimed, patting Lambach on his shoulders. The other primarch returned the joyful welcome with a slap on Ashur’s shoulderguard. “The Warp jump was acceptable, but the descent into orbit could have been a little smoother.” The two brothers gave a quick chuckle, then Ashur motioned Lambach to follow. Right outside the range of the powerful gusts that a landing Thunderhawk produced stood a tent in the fashion of Ashur’s homeworld, with the legion’s banners gently dancing in the wind. He pulled back the curtain and offered Lambach to enter, first. “If it is alright with you, brother, I would love to keep this exchange as exclusive as possible. My bodyguards will remain outside”, he explained, and Lambach nodded in acknowledgement. “Then so will my envoy. Our legionnaires will definitely find it in themselves to have a brotherly chat, as well”, he replied.

Inside the tent was a table on which there were pitchers of water and bowls of food on display. While the sun outside stood in late afternoon and burned in terrible heat, the inside of the tent was cool, in part due to the ingenious design, in part due to modern technology lowering the temperature. Ashur bade the primarch of the Chosen to sit. “Sit, drink, unwind from the journey!”, he motioned his brother while reaching for a cup, himself. Again, a surge of headache came over him and he shuddered, pausing him in his action. “What in the…?”, he muttered under his breath, Lambach curiously looking over at him. “Is everything alright, brother?”, he inquired, to which Ashur hesitantly nodded. “Quite alright. I seem to be under the weather… Of sorts”, the Lord of Bronze and Bone replied. A Primarch shouldn’t be “under the weather”, though. The surge subsided, and the two continued their brotherly meeting.

For Ashur, it was an amazing experience. Of all the brothers he had previously met, Lambach seemed the most gentle, something which deeply spoke to Ashur. Lambach knew they were trying to make the galaxy a peaceful environment for the children of Holy Terra, and he carried that peace, that positive energy with him. He was a student of history, a philosopher, a builder to a greater future – A scholar. Ashur felt almost diminished, being a man of the land and having grown up among people who view scripture and academia reserved for those who could afford such luxuries. He was eager to learn of Lambach’s upbringing, of the beauties of his homeworld Miletus, and naturally just as eager to impart his own story to his brother primarch. They exchanged their experiences, the wonders and pearls of wisdom of their homeworld’s cultures, and while Ashur was overjoyed to find his newest brother to be charismatic and companionable, a boring sensation in his head kept disturbing him throughout their exchange.

Lambach just finished another anecdote of his studies, where one of his peers had been scolded for falling asleep during one of the final examinations. The absurdity made Ashur bellow in laughter, yet as he regained his posture his gaze changed into something more serious. The examination had been of otherworldly studies, of the Immaterium and its metaphysical properties. Since his childhood did Ashur fear and adore the Otherworld, as it was made known to him by the tribal shamans of Babylon V, and while he was certain that all of his brothers had experienced similar if not more intense, he could not shake the feeling that it… Haunted him, for a lack of better words. He dared not speak to any of his previous brothers, expecting ridicule or incomprehension. Lambach, he felt, would be different.

“Say, brother”, he began, cautiously, “when you jump through the Warp – Have you ever looked at it passing by? Have you taken the time to try and see its patterns? Have you ever… Made sense of it?”
Lambach cocked his head to the side, his eyes telling of his thoughts processing the question. “Naturally, I have looked at the Immaterium, brother. And of course I have tried to make sense of it. What I know is that it is… Much ‘deeper’, than what we see when we travel through it. Like an ocean, our ships are only journeying on its surface. There is a world behind the veil of our reality”, he turned towards Ashur, again, and upon seeing the latter’s expression, he added, “but I assume that is not what you mean, right?”

Hesitantly, Ashur shook his head. “No”, he replied, and was willing to end the conversation, but Lambach kept digging. After some consideration, Ashur opened up. “I am sure you, too, remember some of your early childhood. The time when we were infants. I remember it in my dreams. I know these events happened, somehow”, he paused, taking a moment to put himself at ease, then continued, “I remember how I was hurled through the Warp. I remember, somewhere between asleep and awake, that I looked into the miasma of colours, the currents of the Otherworld – And that it looked back at me. Not… ‘Something’ from it, but the very essence of the Immaterium peered into my incubation pod, surveilled me, judged me.” He looked up at Lambach, whose expression was so unlike his previously pleasant and charming demeanour, and immediately he felt ashamed for speaking of his experience.

“The Immaterium is a difficult place to grasp, Ashur”, Lambach suddenly replied, making the primarch of the Loxodontii pause. “I highly doubt that what you described to me just now is truly your experience. Yet… I also have to admit that I sometimes feel watched, as well, when I enter the Warp. I attribute it to human nature, that there is an innate sense of discomfort in an environment we cannot fully perceive. I remember swimming in a lake with friends growing up, and every time we left the immediate shore for deeper waters, a sensation cautioned me for awareness. The lake was so deep that you could not see its bottom, and in those murky depths, I would suspect monsters and predators, although everybody could tell me without a doubt that the biggest fish in those waters were no bigger than a toddler and definitely would not attempt to take a bite out of me.” Lambach reassumed his smile and pointed across the table towards Ashur. “I assume what you dream is your intuition trying to tell you to keep on guard from the yet unexplored depths of the Warp. But you need not be afraid, Ashur of Banipal – It is my calling as a Chosen of Hecate to bring light into the darkest corners of the galaxy, be it realspace or the Immaterium!”

Ashur smiled at Lambach’s comfort, yet deep down he could not truly appreciate it. He may not be a scholarly man, but he was not stupid. He had meditated, spoken to his Shamans and Stargazers, had spoken to the priesthood of the Great City of Banipal, of his dreams. None could take away what he knew deep down inside: That his dreams were a most vivid memory.

“Thank you for your kind words, brother”, Ashur replied, “and here’s to you brightening this obscure galaxy!”

The two toasted and gulped down the last contents of their cups, then Lambach took changed the topic. “It was very good to meet you, brother. Now, I am curious to hear what you’ve learned of this world’s military.” Ashur nodded in response and quickly imparted their intel on his brother, ending with their momentary task of finding ways to disable the kinetic shielding of their prime target. Lambach listened carefully, making notes in his head. As Ashur finished talking did Lambach chuckle sensibly. “If you allow, I would like to send my Warp Claws with your Scouts. I have a suspicion that our problem is very much rooted in our opponents employing a form of technology that is based on the human mind.”

“The human mind? What do you mean by that?”, inquired Ashur, puzzled.

“I am talking about psykic shields, Ashur. I suspect the shields are generated not, at least exclusively, by machinery, but by individuals with a tremendously gifted mind. My Warp Claws will easily be able to confirm or to deny my assumptions. And if they prove me right, then it is all the better that the Chosen are here! We have studied the ways to apply the powers of the mind on technology, and we continue to learn more with every world we visit.”

Ashur was overwhelmed. ''A tremendously gifted mind?'', he asked himself, unable to make sense of how the mind could play into technology like that. Yet, if his brother was so certain of his legionnaires success, then Ashur would support them in any way he could! “Very well, brother! I can have escorts ready to bring your Chosen to our Scouts within the next half hour. They were still in the field when you arrived, and their order was to remain in place until they had found ways to lay those shields low. I suggest we brief our officers.”

“Agreed. I’m certain that a sufficient number of my Chosen have already made planetfall, so we may as well mobilise in full force and prepare for the finishing blow.” Ashur nodded in agreement, and as they stepped outside did he indeed see a remarkable number of Thunderhawks in the beige colours of the Chosen of Hecate unloading Astartes and supplies. Lambach and Ashur called their officers and quickly briefed them on their new task, and with utmost haste were Rhinos and bikes prepared to carry Lambach’s finest to their destination, then they vanished with sand and dust being blown into the air from their quick departure while the rest of the two legion’s forces readied the actual hammer blow.

The Stargazers, the spiritual guides and esoteric diviners of the Loxodontii, walked through the ranks, painting the legionnaires’ armour with symbols of good luck and warding properties, while they themselves painted their faces with symbols of divination and spiritual expansion. Lambach and his retinue of Warp Claws observed curiously, yet also with a certain amusement, this display of superstitious practice. Eventually, Ashur himself knelt before Kenai, the head of the first chapter’s Stargazers, and received the symbolic warpaint. “Brother, would you or your Chosen like to participate?”, did the Lord of Bronze and Bone ask his brother Lambach, who was taken by surprise at the question. Obviously he doubted the need for the practice – Yet at the same time, what harm could it do? He, Gaius Mendel and several of his closest Warp Claws knelt and received the paintings. Ashur grinned sheepishly at his brother, who returned the expression in kind. As they went on to mount their transports did the Primarch of the Loxodontii overhear Gaius Mendel mutter to Lambach something that included “the improvement of perception” and “increased sensitivity”.

Finally, the combined armies stood in sight range of their prime target: The capitol city Dom Ran Kin. Invisible to the eye, but clearly present in the minds of all were the psykically created kinetic shields. Lambach’s Warp Claws had been added to the Loxodontii’s Scouts, and indeed they confirmed to be able to perceive a signature that they attributed to a “psykic source”. While Ashur still was not certain what any of that meant, he was prepared to launch his forces to attack the moment his Scouts confirmed the shields were down.

A quiet moment that seemed to last an eternity passed, and suddenly an electric buzz filled the air. The shields, invisible to the naked eye, began to flicker and dissolve. “Now”, commented Lambach, and Ashur ordered the attack with a collected voice. The roaring of engines heralded the advance, and within the hour had they crashed the city walls and were flooding its streets. Everything seemed as usual: The Loxodontii footsoldiers trampled down any resistance, the sound of bolter rounds exploding upon their targets echoed through the hubs, backed by the cracking noise of concrete breaking under the weight of the Rhino transports filled the air. Then, at the grand square, they came to a halt.

“Citizens of Dom Ran Kin, hear me. I am Ashur of Banipal, and I have been sent to bring your world into the safety of the Imperium of Mankind. Your army has not been able to resist my advance, and your defeat is inevitable. Lay down your arms now and join us. There is no more need for further bloodshed”, did Ashur’s voice boom from the speakers mounted on his personal transport. Across him, on the grand square, stood the defenders in rank and file, their banners lazily dancing in the wind. From them came forth a single man clad in long, flowing robes, his face concealed by a curious mask fitted with many tubes and cables. A deep hum resonated from him, and a voice manifested in Ashur’s head – A voice that was not his own. “We know who you are, and we know your purpose. We have underestimated you and your forces until this point, but now we know we have to bring our full arsenal down on you. Expect no mercy, Ashur of Banipal. You will never conquer this world.”

With those words did the masked figure return to the ranks, vanishing among the men. “W-What was that?!”, did Ashur hear one of his Astartes shout. “WYTCHES!”, screamed another. Their sudden panic was answered by several of their enemies raising their hands in unison – And lightning springing forth from their fingertips. Several Astartes fell to the ground, the smell of burnt flesh and hair filling the air.

It was then and there that Lambach unleashed his legion’s power upon them. The Warp Claws raised their hands, themselves, and psykic shields appeared in front of the Loxodontii. Ashur was shaken. His enemies had been Wytches – And so was his brother. It took him precious seconds before he had regained his senses.

“My sons! Advance! Trample these fools, leave none alive!”, did he scream, not even needing the vox caster anymore. The sheer volume of his voice roared across the square and even made the enemy psykers pause for a second, frightened by the physical power of their adversary.

Like their first battle, this last one was quick and brutal. Last time though did Ashur leave them to escape, but this time they were cornered and annihilated. It took Lambach’s furious protests to let only a handful be spared the Thirteenth’s wrath.

“I did not take the Loxodontii to be butchers, Ashur”, did Lambach take a jab at his brother, his usual smile twisted with a glimpse of frustration. The two stood on the ruined square, apart from their forces. Ashur turned to Lambach, his face a bitter expression of doubt, confusion, and barely contained hostility. Each syllable gave Ashur another pounding headache, and now more so than before did Ashur clearly perceive what he had only assumed previously: Lambach’s aura was bright, almost painfully so, and it radiated in colours that made Ashur nauseous. It took him everything to keep calm, as he could not predict what would happen if he lost himself.

“We are not butchers, Lambach”, did the Lord of Bronze and Bone finally reply, “we are protectors. The threat of the Wytch is a universal one, and my sons and I will make sure it is culled wherever we find it.” His eyes narrowed and he stepped closer to the Primarch of the Chosen. “That you, my dear brother, would turn out to be one, is deeply unsettling.”

“What do you mean by ‘Wytch’? Those are psykers! There’s nothing magical about them – They harnessed the innate capacity of the human mind to utilise the Warp in order to affect reality!”, did Lambach retort. “And why you find my warriors to be unsettling when they helped you win this fight with ease is a mystery to me.”

“Because you toyed with the same dark forces as did our enemy!”, did it burst from Ashur, who instantly had to reign himself back in. He regretted his outburst, for Lambach was still his brother, and a very like-minded one, as well. “Listen”, he began anew, “I do not understand your 'psyker' business. I know it resembles a craft that I have sworn to fight as best as I can. Our father seems to accept it, or else he would have made sure you were put in your place, already, and that is why I will tolerate it. So will my sons. I implore you nonetheless to stop at it while you’re still ahead. While you have shown me to be a man of great intelligence and sensibility, I greatly doubt you know the risk you’re taking.”

Ashur stepped back, his face sombre, and he sighed heavily. “We have done our part. The occupational forces are moving in. My sons and I will be leaving.” He turned away, motioned to mount his transport, but then paused. “It gave me much joy meeting and talking with you, Lambach Kropor. I hope the light you carry with you does not escalate to a wildfire, with the arts you are practising. I hope I shall meet you again when the Imperium has no more need for warriors – Especially not those who play with such volatile powers.” With those words did Ashur enter his personal Rhino, and the Loxodontii withdrew from Dom Ran Kin, leaving behind their brothers of the VIIIth Legio Astartes, the Chosen of Hecate.
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