Tales from the Deep
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These stories are part of the community effort on the Abyssal Jaws chapter that are deemed too short for a full wiki page of their own.
- The Captain Nemo stood still, lost in his thoughts. It wasn't easy to reach his position on the SeaGuard; he drove countless ships, submarines, sunk diverse enemies vehicles, killed gigantic sea beasts, and now, he pilots the colossal “Barracuda” submarine called Szehmekhen. He didn't enjoyed the name, but it was a request from his dear wife. In his opinion Nautilus was a much better name.
- The Cartographers were asking for a recognition mission, next to the Great Reef. Dangerous place, he knows that, a lot of Sea Devils and a great risk of enemy attack, but it was necessary, they told him. He does not question, he only follows orders. What the Great Cartographers say is the rule.
- They assigned a Squad of Abyssal Jaws, to help them. The Pride of Maresia, every kid want to be one of them, the SeaGuard is only a afterthought. Nemo sighed, he can see why they think on that, he wanted to be one of them as a kid. His mother was deeply saddened when he joined the Guard.
- Nemo looked on the screen and saw the squad swimming close to the ship. An almost surreal sight, as they swam a thousand of piranhas following them. What a frightening sight he thought. If I was a chaos warrior that sight would be enough for me to run away.
- Oh well, the time to think was over. He saw the Great Reef, a beautifully dangerous place to sail. Each rock could pierce even the strongest submarine. He needed it to be really careful sailing along those rocks, but he knew he can do that. He, along with the crew, piloted Szehmekhen masterfully, dodging each and every rock, he was almost thinking it was over when suddenly the submarine stopped.
- Bad signal he thought, he looked to the screen and saw a gigantic tentacle, strangling the vehicle, he recognized it: Kraken. For a second he saw himself with no real hope, but he saw blood on the screen. And then he saw it happens. Out of nowhere, a thousand piranhas started to attack with ferocity the SeaDevil. Blood was all over the sea, the Kraken was going to die. But it wasn't enough for the Jaws, and with an almost feral rage, they dove into the almost dead creature, hacking, slashing and piercing the creature until it was nothing but a piece of meat and blood.
- Nemo looked at the bloodstained squad and the dead monster and let out a small smile.
- “By the Emperor! This is a Great Day to Sail!”
- A lesser man than captain Melvus would have been blind in the darkness. No light filtered this far into the murky depths. If the blindess did not undo them, the pressure would have. Hundreds of feet down, the human body would collapse and crush like paper. Yet Melvus was alive, and far from blind. As he raised another gauntleted fist to grasp a handhold above his head, he was completely aware of the darkness around him.
- Pulling himself up, Melvus could feel his brothers climbing below him. The anchoring strut that they scaled stretched down into the darkness below, and the captain could see the long line of marines reaching down to the depths. Even to him the seafloor was hidden from view, where hours before his brothers had been deposited by their shielded sub-skimmers and begun their climb. The heretics had overrun the deep-sea platform for their obscene ritual, and the platform's integrated defences made it impossible to approach from the open air. The traitors had not counted, however, on the strength of the abyss, and Melvus's men meant to show them their mistake.
- After hours of climbing, the captain could see curtains of light from the moons above filtering down through the water. Mere meters below the surface he halted, and prepared his squad for the assault. Over the comm, the squads scaling the 3 other struts confirmed that they too were prepared. Reaching to his belt, Melvus grasped the heavy chain-hook that hung there. Silently breaching the surface in the moonlight, he saw the shadowy shapes of Heretics moving back and forth across the catwalks above. Steadying himself against the support pylon, he sighted on the lowest catwalk, and swung.
- The chain-hook revved as it flew, triggered by unspooling of the high-density fiber cord connecting it to Melvus's belt. As the hook arced above the catwalk, the marine captain yanked on the cord and brought it snapping back, catching a heretic in the chest and sinking through his flesh into the plating of the catwalk. Triggering the retrieval function, Melvus was pulled rapidly up to the level of the walkways. The hooks of his battle brothers swung up to join him as he freed his chain-hook from the body of the heretic and turned to the traitors that had begun to panic and sound the alarm all around him. The saltwater cascading over his helmet lent a bubbling note to his roar, as though it rose from a great depth:
- "FEAR THE MIGHT THAT RESIDES IN THE ABYSS!"
The Call of the Deep
- It was whispering to him now. Cold, unfeeling. Tendrils in his mind, grabbing aimlessly at thoughts.
- Everything else seemed like static in comparison. The screaming, the shouting, the roar of bolter fire. Go a little further, it said. Just a bit more, it echoed. At first, he was surprised, wary. But as the voice spoke, and everything seemed to become insignificant, he realized, almost belatedly, he had become incredibly calm. Everything felt as though it was as it should be. Like pieces falling into place...
- It was waiting for him. He didn't know where... he just had to keep going. Further. Deeper.
- How far had he traveled now? It didn't matter. The voice was louder, and he started to see, but what he saw, he could not describe with words or thoughts. He raised his bolter, and he let loose with all the rounds he could unleash.
- "THE BEAST RISES!" Brother-Librarian Mosig shouted over the crashing waves of that were common around the great Achab Maelstrom.
- "NONE ESCAPE THE CRUSHING DEPTHS!" replied a chorus of his battle-brothers emerging from the foamy waters, chain-hooks and blasting harpoons in hand as they swam toward the rocky shores lined with the dread beasts summoned by the sorcery of the dark god's cultists.
- The beasts roared their own reply as they leapt forward to meet the oncoming swarm. The Abyssal Jaws tore into the front line with frenzied abandon as their harpoons dug deep into the tentacled mutants before the explosive charge on its tip went off to create a shower of gore and blood. Mosig readied his own chain-hook and threw it rocketing toward the hulking form of a cultist warped by sorcery in the background that stood above the rest. It connected with a bloody splat as its clawed fingers dug into its flesh and pulled the cord taut to launch him forward to meet it head on.
- It screamed out shrilly and battered Mosig with bolts of warp energy but it wasn't enough to stop him from landing the revved up toothed saw on his gauntlet into its face. "WHAT NOW HERETIC?" Mosig roared with laughter as he sawed the sorcerer's skull open at its brow. "YOUR GODS ARE WEAK BEFORE THE CRUSHING PRESSURE OF THE EMPEROR'S MIGHT!" He grabbed it by the neck and tore its skull off only to toss it aside.
- The other beasts were faring just about as well under the frenzied onslaught of the Abyssal Jaws as the carved through them in a shower of blood and torn flesh. The seas would run red tonight.
- The brother-librarian shifted fitfully in his sleep, eyes clamped shut as a cold, clammy sweat gripped him.
- He writhed uncomfortably, unable to drift off into complete sleep, for every time he closed his eyes it was there.
- It. Baroque and massive, obese and horrid. The thing looked like some horrid mutant spawned of nightmares.
- It was part man, part frog, and disgusting through and through. The thing was massive, sitting atop a stone throne, bulging, rheumy eyes shut tight as its bloated throat swelled with each ragged, gasping breath.
- Every so often a cracked, oozing tongue would slip out between chapped, slimy lips, licking against the thing's sore-ridden belly.
- And then he would wake up just as the creature's eyes opened.
- Deep within the crevasses of Maresia's equatorial oceans lies an ancient and long-forgotten secret.
- Miles beneath the deepest of ocean hives lie ruins of an ancient civilisation. Worn away by tidal forces and crushing pressure, any explorator vessels that even attempted to search the area would see nothing more then boulders, miming the shapes of pillars and walls.
- Further still, carved deep into the side of the crevasse cliffs, lies the ruined entrance to a great temple. Corroded suits of armour surround stone doors, the few discernible details on their surface ghosting the shape of the Astartes.
- Through the stone doors, a water flooded passage leads almost endlessly forward. Eons ago, the passage way would have been lined with torches and braziers. Long since eaten away by rust, only green and orange tinged sand remains, covering the floor in a macabre 'mosaic.'
- Deeper into the passage, more pieces of armour litter the floor. Some with little enough corrosion to make out the silver grey of ceramite, others no more then rocklike husks. Of the remains of the wearers' suits, there is no sign, the bones joining the sea dust that lines the passage.
- After many kilometers, the passageway finally ends. One great door blocks further entry, sealing out the ocean water.
- Behind this door lies a sleeping giant. A great beast, sitting upon a throne of marble worn by the eons. Where once was fine carvings in it's surface, only coral like cracks, bubbles and humps remained.
- Of the beast itself, its size dwarfed space marine dreadnoughts and tyranid carnifexes alike.
- The features of both man and frog combined, the ancient xenos sat upon webbed legs, with a great rotund midriff and bulbous head.
- Of note, however, were the long tentacles the descended from it's front nostrils. Almost octopus like in appearance, they seemed at one both a perfectly natural feature, and a strange and abnornaml mutation.
- Eyes closed, the beast remained motionless, the only sign of life coming from a slight tremble as it breathed once maybe every hour or so.
- But in it's mind, a great war wages....
- Heretics exist to be consumed. And consumed they will be, if not by this chapter then by some future. By what right does this forgotten future seek to deny us our birthright? None I say! Let us take what is ours, chew and eat our fill.
- -- Captain Nwabudike Morgan "The Ethics of Cannibalism"
- "Maresia is a world truly blessed by the Emperor! Our seas are rich! Our bodies, hearts, and minds are strong! Do you know why brave sons of Maresia? It is because the God-Emperor rewards strength with strength! We are not the child who begs our Holy Father to carry our weight for us! NO! We are the dutiful children who accept their burden with open arms! Unlike so many worlds we do not beg our Holy Father to carry us when we have the strength to walk! The God-Emperor will not do for us what we should be doing ourselves! Only they who stand on their own strength deserve to be blessed!"
- ~Matriarch Nerei Tiama in her address to the Abyssal Jaws Aspirants, 108.M40
History of Inter-Astartes Rivalries
- When the Tyranid Hive Fleet Behemoth reached the world Desicon 3, a predominantly aquatic world, the Ordo Xenos requested forces from both the Abyssal Jaws and Ultramarines chapters to help defend the world. When a powerful, mutated, hive tyrant was discovered to be the sole synapse creature for the invasion (a very odd scenario, but do to the powerful currents that would drag both marine and monster away, it was perhaps necessary for the hive fleet.)
A kill team made of marines from both chapters was assembled, led by Chaplin Cassius and killed the hive tyrant. However, it came at a high price as nearly half of the Jaws, and nearly all of the Ultramarines were slain. Cassius entered a coma, but the Abyssal Jaws could not tell, and, as there tradition dictated, they began eating the Chaplin to gain his strength. To their amazement, Cassius screamed upon being eaten, at which point he was returned to the surface, and given proper medical attention and bionics for the missing flesh. While the Abyssal Jaws have since apologized for the mistake, relations between the chapters have been frosty ever since.
The Tantallius V Incident
- When the people of Tantallius V suddenly found themselves fighting for their lives against a Hrud migration, the Abyssal Jaws and Marines Malevolent answered the call for help. As the marines landed on the planets surface and began engaging the invading forces, commander Evaristo of the Abyssal Jaws and Harkall of the Marines Malevolent agreed to split the planet between them: While the Marines Malevolent battled their way across the planets surface, the Abyssal Jaws would take to the ocean and launch ambushes from the shoreline. In the case of the planet capital, which had been under constant siege since the invasion began, a combined force from both chapters would assault the Hrud positions.
- While fighting by themselves, both chapters proved highly successful at wiping out any of the xeno invaders they found. However, just a day before the combined forces were assigned to attack the capital, the Hrud broke through the city defences. Although there still remained many pockets of Imperium resistance within the capital, for the most part the city had been overrun. While initially this didn't phase the marines, the Hrud quickly built-up their defences; an attack against the city would result in heavy losses. When Harkall announced his intention to bombard the city regardless of the surviving defenders, Evaristo flew into a rage. Evaristo called Harkall a coward for his disregard for the lives of the defenders, while Harkall called Evaristo a barbarian who cared more for lives of the doomed defenders than the lives of the marines under his command.
- The argument ended when Evaristo announced that he would lead the attack on the city himself. While Evaristo's attempt to save the lives of the remaining humans was undoubtedly valiant, it was ultimately a mission that was doomed to fail. As the Abyssal Jaws prepared to launch their attack upon the city, a brilliant flash of blinding light filled the sky. When Evaristo and his men gazed upon the city, all they could see was great mushroom cloud. Rather then see his fellow marines die for what he considered to be a worthless cause, Harkall ordered the city to be completely obliterated. When he returned to the command centre, Evaristo was greeted by Harkness, who suddenly found himself being sent flying to the floor by his fellow commander.
- Since that day, the Marines Malevolent and Abyssal Jaws have refused to ever participate in campaigns with each other, their chapter beliefs too different to co-exist.
- "MARESIA! Who can say no to high seas adventure, fine dining, AND eldritch ruins!"
- ~tourist brochure purported to be from Commorragh
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, that's what they say,
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, lest you vanish from the bay.
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, lest it takes you to your grave,
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, lest your soul becomes its slave.
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, as you sail from the hive,
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, lest you not return alive.
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, as you sail into the night,
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, don't stare into the light.
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, dare not approach the beast,
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, lest you become its feast.
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, fear what lurks inside,
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, lest this night you not survive.
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, its evil you cannot defy,
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, you cannot escape the eye.
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, its anger you cannot escape,
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, you're doomed to meet your fate.
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, an abandoned ship is found,
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, perhaps the crew didn't drown.
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, that's what they say,
- Beware the dark ship Dunwich, lest you vanish from the bay.
- ~Folk Tale, believed to have originated from the pirate settlements of the Coral Jungles.