July/Aug 2005

Issue 08

This Issue:
GothiComp 2005 - The Winners!
The Death Guard Fleet
Alternative rules for attack craft
Flying solo against the Orks
New Fiction - Two more short stories

From the Nexus Publishing House

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Submissions:
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Warp Rift Publication Team:

Iain (CyberShadow) - Editor, Void Stalker, Poop Deck Scrubber
Ray Bell - New Rules
Chris French - Articles
John Webber - Painting
Space Cadet and CyberShadow - Fiction

Credits:
Title Banner - Nicholas Mariana
Cover Picture - Farseer Draconis T’Sai
Additional Graphics - Warmaster Nice, Lee Eldridge, John Webber,
Nate Montes, Nick Mariana
Warp Rift:
Volume One,
Number Eight
July/Aug 2005

01
I have to be honest, this issue of Warp Rift represents a triumph over
adversity! There were times when I thought that we would never
another issue. Most of our readers will be aware that this issue was
actually scheduled for release in May, and by now you should have
been basking in the warm glow of a fabulous issue eight, and eagerly
downloading issue nine. I can only apologise for the skipped issue,
and do my very best to make sure that we dont miss another. About
two months ago I had the difficult decision of whether to release an
issue which was light in terms of articles and quality, or signal all stop.

The moral of this is that we really need your contributions. This

publication passed its first year smoothly, but the hard working
editors here can only produce so much, and eventually we will need
to rely on material sent in. So, please send in what you can. Whatever
you have an idea for, chances are that there is a section here that it
will fit in (and if there is not, then we will create one). For issue nine to
be a success, we need interesting and new ideas, fiction, pictures,
graphics, rules and scenarios. Your hobby needs you.

While on the subject of submitted articles, I should also apologise to

Black Horizon. He responded to a call for fiction, but this issue I
simply ran out of time and pages to fit it in. I hope that it will appear
soon.

Thanks for reading, and if all goes well I will see you again in two
months. Good hunting,
CyberShadow

Issue Eight - Contents:

Lock On
Programming the Ork Fleet for Solitaire in BFG 03
(Chris French)
Attack Craft Alterations (Chris French) 05
Encyclopaedia Gothica
Death Guard (Ray Bell) 08
The Dry Dock
GothiComp 2005 Winners 15
Big Guns (Kr00zA) 18
Officers Mess
The Wanderer (Chris French) 20
Chaos Rising (Warmaster Ancaris) 29

02
Ork-nanism: Programming the
Ork Fleet for Solitaire in BFG
By Chris French
Let's face facts, folks: Nobody out there plays Orks for any reason
besides "comedy relief". With the worst speed, turns, armor, leadership
(Orks have Pointy Ears, which is close to Pointy Hair - you figure it out),
and weapons in the game, the poor clod playing the Orks is reduced to
playing the old "March Of Cambreath strategy" ("How many more can
we make die?"), rather than actually trying to win the game. (And don't
give me any nonsense about "any time an Ork gets into a fight, he wins"
- there's a reason we keep track of points in this game.) In fact, the Orks
are so "intellectually leaden", one doesn't even need a human opponent
to play them - the Orks can be played solitaire using a few fairly basic
rules of thumb.

Therefore, presented for the approval of all save the most die-hard Ork
supporters, below is the Solitaire Ork Play rules for BFG. In the interests
of 'full disclosure', yes, the following is inspired by the Tyranid
Instinctive Behavior rules from BFG Armada, p. 82.

Step 1: Will normal movement take the unit(s) into a dangerous celestial
phenomenon or similar hazard (asteroids, mines, edge of board, etc.)?
Yes - Attempt to Burn Retros, maneuver to avoid hazard/phenomenon.
No - Go to Step 2.

Step 2: Does ordnance need reloading? (If ordnance is depleted, skip

this step.)
Yes - Attempt to Reload Ordnance.
No - Go to Step 3.

Step 3: Is there an enemy which can be rammed (that is, dead ahead
and within All Ahead Full adjusted movement distance)?
Yes - Execute All Ahead Full, and attempt ram.
No - Go to Step 4.

Step 4: Is the nearest enemy in the rear 180° of the unit?

Yes - Attempt Come To New Heading, if hull type allows, otherwise use
normal movement to turn towards enemy in question.
No - Go to Step 5.

03
Step 5: Is the nearest enemy in the front 180° of the unit, but will remain
outside weapons range if normal movement is used?
Yes - Close with enemy. Only execute All Ahead Full if doing so does not
cause unit to bypass enemy.
No - Go to Step 6.

Step 6: Is the nearest enemy in the front 180° of the unit, and will be
within weapons range if normal movement is used?
Yes - Close with enemy; attack with all weapons which can bear. Attempt
Hit and Run or boarding if base-to-base contact can be achieved.
No - Go to Step 7.

Step 7: If none of the above conditions apply, do not apply any Special
Orders; simply move the unit towards the nearest enemy.

Weapons fire allocation is fairly straightforward. If not otherwise

specified, the unit shoots the nearest enemy. (See below for exceptions
to this policy.)

Note that there are a couple of differences between the Tyranids and this.
Obviously, since these are Orks, the Prime Directive is "find the nearest
enemy and attack him in the most brutally straightforward manner
possible". For practical reasons, step one remains consistent - Orks
cannot fight if they're off the playing area or splashed across a floating
rock (Orks are stupid, but not foolish). Getting the ol' ordnance reloaded
is the next step, what's the use of closing with the enemy if the
Orkspletive-deleted weapons won't shoot?

The next couple of steps are based on Ork 'psychology' - namely, that the
nearest enemy is always the Target Du Jour (Orks are not known for
thinking long-term; for that matter, they're not known for thinking at
all…). Thus an enemy who is behind the Ork, but close, is a 'better' target
than a distant opponent forward. (Hint for non-Ork players: Get behind
the Ork and stay there.)

The remaining steps simply 'mop up' the remaining tactical options - if
the Ork can't ram, well, shooting is always a nice second choice.

Should a 'later' tactical option be superior to an 'earlier' one, the Ork unit
in question needs to pass a Leadership check. If successful, the Ork unit
may skip directly to the order in question, rather than silly-walking
through the entire list. The same goes for fire allocation. Of course, since
we're talking about 'Ork Leadership'…. (Evil grin!)

04
 A Modest Proposal:
Attack Craft Alterations
By Chris French
This is going to be a short article, as the focal point of the issue being
discussed is simplicity, or the lack thereof. And as brevity is the soul of
wit, I shall be brief. (Old reference - look it up.)

On the Yahoo Groups BFG List, and I suspect on other BFG mailing lists,
there has been a great deal of bandwidth clotted with complaints
concerning the complexity of the combat rules for Attack Craft (fighters,
bombers, assault boats, and related). The short description of the
complaints is that there are too many rules, exceptions to rules,
exceptions to exceptions, and so on ad nauseam. Bombers in particular -
attempting to figure out just how many attacks a bomber makes on a run
can require a degree in advanced mathematics, and even gamers with
Computer Sciences degrees want to get away from that nonsense once
in a while.

So, to that end, the dangerous (to himself and others) mind behind this
keyboard has been giving deep consideration to ways to simplify the
attack craft conundrum. I know there are other 'alternate rules' sets for
BFG out there on the web, but they tend to exchange one kind of
complication for another ('clunky rules' for 'extra detail'). I have aimed
for the same simplicity which is BFG's hallmark, while clarifying the
muddle at the same time.

All that said, let's get to the actual rules.

Attack Craft Alterations

Movement Rules are unchanged.

Combat Rules are entirely ditched. Replace with the following:

Fighters have one (1) attack chance (that is, a fighter may only attack
once, then it must return to a carrier). This attack chance may be used to
perform ONE of the following actions:

1) Attack one enemy attack craft unit. Roll 1d6; the target is destroyed
on a roll of 4 or higher. If target is a fighter, it may attempt its own 4+

05
attack to attempt to destroy its attacker; bombers and assault boats
may not attempt to counterattack. Units which are allowed saving rolls
may use them to avoid the effects of attacking or being attacked (eg an
Eldar fighter may attack a unit, then attempt its roll to remain on the
board).

2) Destroy between one (1) and six (6) points inclusive of a torpedo
salvo (for example, a Retribution's torpedo salvo would require two
fighters to destroy it completely). The torpedoes do not have any
defense against this, the attacker simply declares his attack and
eliminates the torpedoes.

3) Suppress one (1) ship turret for one (1) ordnance phase. The fighter
attempting the suppression rolls against the weakest armor value of the
ship in question (for example, against an Ork Krooza, the roll would be
4+); if successful, that ship is counted as having one fewer turrets for
that ordnance phase. While a single fighter may only suppress one
turret, suppressions are cumulative (for example, if three successful
suppression attacks are made on a Styx, the ship is considered to have
zero turrets for that ordnance phase). Once that specific ordnance phase
is completed, all suppressions are removed. (The fighters aren't
necessarily destroying the turrets - they're just distracting them while
the bombers and a-boats do their business.)

Bombers have one (1) attack chance (that is, a bomber may only attack
once, then it must return to a carrier). This attack chance may be used to
perform the following:

1) Attack one (1) enemy Ship. Roll one (1) attack against the ship's
weakest armor value, if the roll succeeds, the ship takes one hit.

Assault boats act like bombers; however the attack chance is expressed
as a hit-and-run attack on the target Ship. Assault boats do not need to
roll to attempt a hit-and-run, the player simply declares that it is
attacking, and the result is calculated.

A few clarifications are in order for these rules:

1) As should be evident, different classes of attack craft do not combine.

The attack craft may move en masse to a target, but the attacks are
figured one at a time. (Tactical note: fighters always lead, clearing a
path for the other attack craft.)

06
2) The 'correct' order for determining attacks on ships is: fighters
attempt to destroy enemy fighters flying CAP, fighters attempt turret
suppression, other attack craft/torpedoes attempt attacks
(non-suppressed turrets defending as usual).

3) Ship turrets which remain un-suppressed affect all attacking attack

craft/torpedoes that ordnance phase (the turrets simply throw out a
curtain of fire - suppressed turrets are
'distracted' by enemy fire).

4) An attack craft which may serve in more than one role (for example,
Ork Fighter-Bombers) must specify which role it is serving when it
attacks.

5) An attack craft which receives a saving roll to avoid having to leave to

board once it performs its attack may not attack twice in one ordnance
phase.

Well, that's that. Give these rules a try, and let the editor of this august
periodical know what you think of them.

07
 Death Guard
By Ray Bell
Unlike most Traitor Legions, the Death Guard didn't fracture after the
defeat of Horus. The Death Guard slowly withdrew across the
Imperium, spreading pain and despair on their journey to the Eye of
Terror.

The Death Guard were split into seven companies that were much
larger than any other Space Marine company. Commanding one of
these companies is Typus, Herald of Nurgle. Typhus was ultimately
responsible for the Damnation of his Legion; persuading his Primarch,
Mortarion, that all their Navigators were still loyal to the Emperor and
to have them all killed. Typhus was to guide the Death Guard fleet
through the warp to Terra, but through his design stranded the fleet in
the warp ready for Nurgle to corrupt the Legion.

Although the Death Guard escaped it into the Eye as a whole, part of
the legion fragmented into smaller warbands. However these
warbands are often pulled back into a great fighting force whenever
Typhus Travels out of the Eye onboard the Terminus Est.

The Death Guard have access to The Terminus Est (0-1), Typhus
Herald of Nurgle, Blackstone Fortresses (0-2), Blight of Nurgle, Plague
ships, Toxin Torpedoes as well as alternate Space Marine Crews
(Plague Marines), Warmasters and Lords.

Death Guard Escort squadrons

Death Guard escort squadrons number between 3-7 instead of 2-6 this
is due to their organisational method. Escorts 'squadrons' can carry
Toxin Torpedoes for the additional cost shown (Up to 6 torpedoes in
total=20pts, 7 torpedoes in total or more=30pts).

Plague Marines

Plague Marines (replacing Chaos Space Marines) 35pts

Gifted with supreme resilience and a terrifying visage of decay, Plague

Marines have given their entire existence to spreading Nurgle's Rot
amongst the living. Death is no release for Plague Marines as they find
themselves reborn into the services of Grandfather Nurgle, to whom

08
their cries for relief from the ever-present plague are like the
clamouring of loving children. All Death Guard are Plague Marines!

Plague Marines give a +1 Boarding Modifier and then a -1 modifier to

the enemy when boarded (this is only when the Plague Bearers ship is
boarded, this will only happen if there is a 'draw' and the Nurgle ship is
retaliated against or you are using the experimental Mark of Nurgle
rules). Plague Marines give +1 to the vessels leadership and increase
it's maximum leadership to 10.

Plague Bearers (these rules are also used by Plague ships): +1 to the
results of Hit and Run attacks (including ordnance), when rolling to
determine Hit and Run attacks, roll 2D6 and take the lowest result,
however if a double is rolled the ship suffers a Fire critical as well (this
would mean a double six will most likely cause 2 Fire criticals!), in the
event that Terminators are being used their rules supersede those of
Plague bearers, if a double is rolled the additional Fire critical is still
caused. Enemy conducting Hit and Run attacks against the ship suffer a
-1 to the result, scores two Assault points every turn in Planetary
assault instead of one, scores double assault points if landed on the
planets surface (Note: it will be impossible for a Plague Marine capital
ship to land on a planets surface, this is included to complete the Plague
Bearers special rules).

Temple of Summoners

A Temple of Summoners allows you to use a Daemonship in your fleet

(using the rules in Warp Rift 2), it must have a mark of Nurgle.

Typhus Herald of Nurgle

You may include Typhus in a Death Guard Fleet if it is worth 1500pts or

more. He must captain the most expensive capital ship.

Typhus Herald of Nurgle (Ld 10, 2 re-rolls) 200pts

Special rules: Destroyer Hive (wrath of Nurgle); upgrades the Mark of

Nurgle so that each enemy vessel in base contact suffers a Fire Critical
on a roll of a 5+ instead of a 6+ in the end phase (this is in both players
end phases). (If not using the experimental Mark of Nurgle rules you
should still use the Destroyer Hive rules).

Typhus also has the following upgrades: Mark of Nurgle and Plague
Marines.

09
0-1 Warmaster of Nurgle (replacing Chaos Warmaster)

You may include one Warmaster of Nurgle in your fleet to command the
most expensive capital ship. If Typhus is commanding the fleet you
may not have a Warmaster of Nurgle.

The Warmaster of Nurgle (+2 Ld, max of 9, one re-roll) 135pts

The Warmaster of Nurgle has the Mark of Nurgle and may have either a
Temple of Summoners or the Plague Marine upgrade.

The Warmaster of Nurgle may be given an extra re-roll for +25pts.

Lords of Nurgle (replacing Chaos Lord)

Any capital ship, apart from that of a Warmasterof Nurgle (or Typhus),
may be captained by a Lord of Nurgle.

Lords of Nurgle (+1 Ld, max of 9) 60pts

Lords of Nurgle have the Mark of Nurgle and may have either a Temple
of Summoners or the Plague Marines upgrade.

A Lord of Nurgle may be given a 'ship-wide' re-roll for +25pts (may only
be used on the ship or squadron commanded by the Lord).

10
Experimental rules: Mark of Nurgle

A Mark of Nurgle adds +1 damage point to the ship and a -1 modifier to

the enemy when boarded (this can be in addition to the -1 caused by
Plague Marines). In order to board a ship possessing a Mark of Nurgle
the boarding ship must first pass a leadership check with a -1 modifier if
the Nurgle ship has a higher boarding value (Tyranids, Grey Knights
and other Nurgle ships automatically pass this leadership check), this
leadership check is taken at the start of the movement phase. In
addition, roll a D6 for each enemy vessel in base contact with a Nurgle
ship in the end phase on a roll of a 6 the enemy ship suffers a Fire
Critical (this is in both players end phases).

Any Capital ship may have a Mark of Nurgle for +35pts each.

Nurgle Blight

Nurgle Blight is a weaker and more debilitating (for the 'gifted' vessel)
form of a Mark of Nurgle and adds +1 damage point to the ship and a -1
modifier to the enemy when boarded. In order to board a ship
possessing a Mark of Nurgle the boarding ship must first pass a
leadership check with a -1 modifier if the Nurgle ship has a higher
boarding value (Tyranids, Grey Knights and other Nurgle ships
automatically pass this leadership check), this leadership check is
taken at the start of the movement phase.

Reduces ships speed by 5cm and halves the number of D6 for All Ahead
Full (rounded down, e.g. 2D6 for Slaughters).

Any Capital ship may have Nurgle Blight for +15pts each (you may not
have Nurgle Blight and a Mark of Nurgle on the same ship).

Terminus Est

The Terminus Est is one of the grandest Battleships ever to be made by

human hands. Rumoured to be a very early prototype of the Despoiler
Class, the Terminus Est retains the Despoilers launch bay capacity and
broadside firepower but boasts an extra dorsal lance and a stronger
torpedo salvo. Although the numerous millennia have been unkind to
the overall appearance of the battleship (and it's crew no doubt!), it's
bloated hull is not without purpose; adding swollen flesh to absorb
massive amounts of damage but in turn slowing the vessel to speeds
which the lumbering planet killer can easily out match.

11
A horrific growth has gestated on the Terminus Est's prow, known only
as 'The Fountain of the Undying Plague'. Not thought to be any form of
technology or artificially made construct, the fountain of the undying
plague causes all within it's cascade of death and decay to suffer
Grandfather Nurgle's wrath, crews suffer from accelerated aging,
bizarre genetic mutations and all diseases and blights known to exist
and many that aren't. Ships within it's reach suffer just as their crews
do, hulls and internal structures warping as if strained by a million wars
and never seeing a shipyard or orbital dock. Emperor, help any world
that is lain in her path, as the undying plague consumes every living
man or rotting dead corpse.

The Terminus Est carries a mark of Nurgle and scores triple points in
the planetary assault scenario and may be an Exterminator for no loss
of prow weaponry (this does not incur a special limit to the number of
Exterminators you may have).

12
 Terminus Est 490 Points
TYPE/HITS SPEED TURNS SHIELDS ARMOUR TURRETS
Battleship/14 (15) 15cm 45° 4 5+ 4 (5)
ARMAMENT RANGE/SPEED FIREPOWER FIRE ARC
Prow Torpedoes 30cm 10 Front
Dorsal Lance Battery 60cm 4 L/F/R
Port Weapons Battery 60cm 7 Left
Starboard Weapons Battery 60cm 7 Right
Port Launch Bays Varies 4 Squadrons -
Starboard Launch Bays Varies 4 Squadrons -
Fountain of the Undying All vessels within 3D6 D3 fire criticals All
Plague excluding vessels through shields
with Mark of Nurgle
Fountain of the Undying Plague: Unaffected by special orders and being crippled, still
fires when hulked!)
Notes: Can’t use Come To New Heading. 15 hits due to Mark of Nurgle, 5 turrets due to
the Fountain of the Undying Plague (If hulked the ship will count as having one
turret). Carries Toxin Torpedoes. Terminator Teleport Assault

Plague Ships

The Death Guard have access to Plague ships. Plague ships are
mortally damaged vessels (hulks), which have been repaired to a level
that allows them to move and 'crash' into planets to infect them with
Plague Zombies. Plague ships replace normal transports for all
scenarios that use them.

Chaos Plague Ship Points - Special

TYPE/HITS SPEED TURNS SHIELDS ARMOUR TURRETS
Cruiser/2 (3) 15cm 45° 0 5+ 1
Notes: 3 hits due to Blight of Nurgle. Plague Bearer.

13
Toxin Torpedoes

The Death Guard have access to special Toxin Torpedoes on ships that
carry Torpedo tubes and have a Mark of Nurgle or Blight of Nurgle.
Toxin Torpedoes act in most respects as Melta Torpedoes (cause fire
critcials instead of damage), except they don't explode if a prow critical
is caused (or wherever the torpedoes are carried) and are supplied in
enough quantities for an entire battle (unless you run out of ordnance
of course). In addition, roll a D6 at the start of each ordnance phase, for
each point of strength each Toxin Torpedo marker has, any rolls of 1
reduce the maker's strength by 1 (this represents the toxins actually
disintegrating the torpedoes!).

Toxin Torpedoes cost exactly the same amount as Special Torpedoes

(Up to 6=20pts, 7 or more=30pts).

14
 GothiComp 2005
The winners of the individual heats of the
GothiComp 2005 Battlefleet Gothic Painting
Competition

Above: The GothiComp 2005 grand winner Righteous

Fury a Space Marine Venerable Battle Barge.

Below: An Imperial Dreadnought

from Warmaster Nice. This came
very close to taking first place,
getting an equal number of votes
but scored just a couple less
votes in its individual heat. This
entry also placed well in the
conversion category.

15
Above: Heat seven
winner, by Roderigo
Barbera, and winner
of the conversion
category

Right: Heat three

winner, a space
station from
Warmaster Nice

Left: The winner of heat

five, a Tyranid Hiveship
from Kr00zA

16
 All of the submissions for the
competition can be found at:
[Link]

Follow the link on the front page

Above: An Ork Battlekrooza and

winner of heat four, by Kassad

Below: The winner of heat six,

an Eldar Corsair Eclipse from
Farseer Draconis T’Sai

17
 Big Guns
Once more, we are treated to a show from the
dockyards of Kr00zA.

Above: Work in progress shots

of a Hammer class Battle
Kroozer.

Right: The Hammer, fully

painted and ready for battle.

18
Above: A Chaos Oppressor class Dreadnought

19
 The Wanderer
By Chris French
"Your Highness, I have multiple continue monitoring the
small signatures in the Warp; they inbounds; let me know what they
appear to be heading for this do. Everyone else, remain clear of
system." mind. If that isn't just a convoy, I'd
as like not be attached to a great
The trim, elegant figure in the rock when they arrive."
command chair made a single
graceful move of standing and A light rumble of "Yes, Your
crossing the room to where the Highness" rippled around the
speaker sat. Peering over the room; some apparently had to be
speaker's shoulder, His Highness forced through suppressed
noted the ripples trundling laughter.
towards his vessel's location.
"Perhaps twenty ships, in loose His Highness returned to his chair,
formation. A civilian convoy, and seated himself with the grace
maybe?" he mused. inherent to his kind. He thought,
They're in excellent spirits, for
"It would appear so, Your being seven cycles out from
Highness. Drive signatures home, and five more ahead. If
suggest they belong to the that's an attack force out there, I
God-Emperor." would not want to be them when
they open the dance.
His Highness looked over his
shoulder to another seated figure, The display screen on the bridge of
and asked, "How do our mining TA-116749 flared, then dropped
operations proceed?" to a view of a star system in
normal space.
The reply came quickly. "This
asteroid is played out, Your Francis Storall heaved a sigh of
Highness. We are recovering our relief. Having to stare at The Warp
personnel and vessels now. for as long as these missions
Movement-ready in three marks." required was bad enough;
consciously looking away was
His Highness smiled, a flash of even worse. It was a choice
pride in his crew and their abilities between seeing things one did not
swelling in him. wish to see; and not seeing them,
but knowing they lurked just out of
"Excellent." To the figure he stood view.
behind, he said, "Sensors,

20
The electromechanical buzz of his of the False Emperor - I should
ship's Astropath cut into his relief. report this to His Lordship."
"We have arrived at our waypoint, Sarcasm dripped from this last
Captain. All ships accounted for. statement; a few chuckles echoed
Course across system calculated." about the bridge.
A line on the display screen
showed the path the convoy would Flamberge waited for the laughter
take. to subside - what about it if they
enjoyed acting as though he cared
"Very good, Sieben. Helm, follow about them? - then looked to his
the course plotted. Comms, have Astrogator. "Take us out. Get us as
TA-673051 take lead; tell them we close as possible. I want their last
shall take the rear. And for His memories of this life to be as -
sake, tell these damned fools to memorable - as possible."
stay together this time!" Captain
Storall shook his head, marveling The chuckles that resounded
at how, despite the facts staring around the bridge as His
them in the face, merchant Lordship's instructions were
captains could not figure out that a followed had no humor to them at
Convoy was there to protect them, all.
and that straying from same led
inevitably to a Chaotic end. "Your Highness, I have located
three more signatures in the
Or worse, a Dark Eldar end…. Warp. One cruiser-sized, two
"Messages sent, Captain," replied frigate-sized. They're…." The
the Communications Officer. "All sensor operator's voice turned
ships acknowledging." cold, as had his whole person.
"Chaotics, Your Highness."
"Ship are in position, Captain," the
Navigator said, after an interval. No one on the bridge needed to
"Move out," ordered Storall. look to see what His Highness's
facial expression had turned to
"My Lord, the convoy has dropped upon hearing the word "Chaotics";
out of the Warp." His Highness had made himself
"Just as was predicted, of course," somewhat infamous for his
replied Uriah Flamberge, Follower position on dealings with the
of Tzeentch, Lord Captain of followers of the eight-pointed
Azrael's Sword, and commander arrow - that position being his "my
of Raider Force Flamberge. "They knee on his chest, my knife in his
need to fix their position, and heart". That most of those in the
when better to do so than avoiding Control Room with him shared this
a rough section of the Warp. opinion was less well-known.
Rather clever for Blind Followers

21
"You think they're after the enemy had a cruiser and a pair of
convoy?" His Highness said to the escorts. He had twenty
younger man seated to his right. transports, of which only two - his
included - carried any substantial
"It doesn't take a Far-Seer to firepower. The result of battle was
figure that out, Your Highness," foreordained. Coupled to the
replied the younger man. "They'll proximity to the edge of the warp
be dropping to normal space any storm that had forced them into
moment." normal space, only one path lay
open to Storall's convoy.
His Highness nodded. "Set us to
Defense State One. Stand by for… Storall dashed to the
possible combat." Almost forgot Communications station, then
the qualifier, he thought. Doing leaned down and shouted into the
that again could cost me my staff. ear of the officer there, "TELL ALL
"Are the transports in sensor SHIPS TO GO TO FLANK SPEED,
range?" NOW!"

The sensor operator piped up The Comm officer flashed a

immediately, "Not yet, Your hand-gesture confirming his
Highness. Estimate six ticks understanding of the order,
before they get the range." He already relaying the order to the
paused, then continued, with an convoy.
icy edge to his voice. "The
Chaotics are dropping out of Storall then straightened, and in
Warp, Your Highness." his best Command Voice, shouted,
"AND TURNED THAT DAMNED
To be heard over the alarm HORN OFF!"
klaxons, Storall had to place his
mouth next to his sensor His Highness watched over the
operator's ear and shout at the top sensor operator's shoulder as the
of his lungs. "WHAT IN HIS NAME Human convoy suddenly
IS GOING ON!?" accelerated - and continued
closing the gap between them.
The operator turned, and shouted
back, "A CHAOS RAIDING FORCE "If I didn't know better, I'd think
JUST DROPPED OUT OF THE WARP they noticed they were being
BEHIND US! LOOKS LIKE A followed," he mused.
MURDER, AND TWO INFIDELS, "I fear it won't do them any good,
CAPTAIN!" Your Highness," the younger man
said; he stood behind the sensor
Storall was never known to panic, operator's other shoulder, also
and he didn't panic now. The watching the massacre in the
situation was painfully clear. The making. "The Chaotics are faster,

22
and have longer arms-reach." He managed to stifle his own gasp of
paused, then almost as an shock better than the sensor
afterthought, said, "Though they operator did.
won't reach engagement range
before passing our position." "Captain, we have a unknown
ahead! Mass rating in the Basilica
"I see," His Highness mumbled. range!"
He looked to the Helm station, and The Captain blinked. This system
asked, "Are we stationary?" He is supposed to be uninhabited; no
knew very well that their mining life-sustaining planets, and a
operations would require them to marginal-at-best asteroid belt.
be so. "How soon until we can make a
positive identification?"
The response came with no hint of
feigned innocence. "As it happens, "It should be coming u…", the
Your Highness, we are drifting operator said, his voice tailing off
slightly." One of the Control Room as his equipment provided a
display screens changed from its refined view of the intruder ahead.
normal external view to that of a Storall took one look at the screen,
schematic showing the various and his heart sank.
tracks of the convoy, the raiders,
and themselves. Like every starfarer, he knew all
too well the meaning of that vessel
His Highness noted the tracks, and with twelve projeting arms, and
smiled. Perfect.... pyramids projecting from the
dorsal and ventral locations. He
Storall was watching the echo of knew it meant doom for his men,
the sensor display on his own and himself.
station's screen when the symbol
ahead of them appeared. He A Blackstone Fortress....

23
"The Humans continue to progress But this, this was no more than a
towards us?" His Highness asked, rumor, a tale told to scare gullible
a hint of humor in his voice. ratings into obedience to the
Throne.
"Yes, Your Highness. They should
have picked us up by now," replied No - not a rumor anymore. Not for
the sensor operator. "The me, at any rate.
Chaotics should have us shortly."
The lights showed that the great
His Highness rubbed the tip of a construct ahead had the form of
pointed ear. "Very well. Light us one of Abbadon's dread
up." And hope the Chaotics make fortresses; but where Abbadon's
the same mistake in judgment as were as black as night, this one
the Imperials. was the purest, shining white. Just
as the rumors has stated.

Lord Flamberge's grin made him The Wanderer….

look even less human than usual.
"A Blackstone before, and us The helmsman's voice snapped
behind," he chortled. "Let's hope Storall from his reverie. "Sir, what
they decide we're the lesser should we do?"
threat." Looting convoys was a Storall held up a hand, indicating a
cheap path to Warmaster status, reply was forthcoming. His mind
and did not require risking one's turned over everything he had
neck against adamantium ever heard concerning this
ram-prows with aquilae attached. apparition.

Then the massive battlefortress After a few seconds, Storall

on the screen lit up, illuminated by replied, "At current speed, can we
its banks of running lights. get past it before it gets directly
ahead of us?"
Lord Flamberge's smile vanished. "Hold one, sir," said the
helmsman, fingers flying across
Storall's jaw dangled; his eyes his console. "Yes, sir! Just barely,
bulged. The Fortress before him but we can!"
had changed - but for better or
worse, he did not know. Storall turned to his
communications officer. "Then tell
Everyone knew of Abbadon's the convoy to maintain course and
Blackstone Fortresses, and the speed. We'll see if we can put that
sight of them meant doom to the thing between our pursuers and
Imperial who looked upon them. ourselves."

24
"My Lord, the convoy is still "My Lord, Flamberge Alpha
running! We can catch them, but reports that they can fire
with - that - out there, it'll be torpedoes now, but that the
close!" The voice of Flamberge's interloper could be in the way."
sensor operator quavered a bit; "Never mind that!" Flamberge
the inclusion of The Wanderer roared. "Open fire!"
made the situation much more
complicated. "Your Highness, the smaller
Chaotics have fired torpedoes.
Flamberge managed to keep a Chance of our intercepting them is
matching quaver out of his own high," the sensor operator said, a
voice as he replied, "Continue hint of glee in his voice.
pursuit!" To his communications
officer: "Inform our escorts to fire His Highness turned to the
as soon as they can! I don't want younger man, and smiled. "Well,
this convoy slipping my grasp!" that answers that question."

"Do you think they'll be foolish Storall heaved a sigh of relief. The
enough to try a long-range shot?" convoy's tail end - his own vessel -
the younger man asked His had just passed abeam of The
Highness. Wanderer, and the thing hadn't
taken any notice of them.
"They're Chaotics - what do you
think?" His Highness responded His relief was short-lived, as the
casually, trying desperately to not display screen and his sensor
say what was actually on his mind. operator simultanoeusly blared
Such favoritism was frowned upon the same warning: "Torpedoes
by his superiors. incoming!"

"It would explain why we're A countdown clock appeared on

readied for combat," mused the the display screen: TIME TO
younger man. "The Followers of IMPACT, followed by a
the Emperor are many things, but rapidly-decreasing number to its
Homicidally Foolish is not one of right. The screen also showed The
them." Wanderer sliding across the
convoy's track like a glacier, slow
"Your Highness, the Human yet inexorable.
transports are now abeam of us,"
the sensor operator said. Storall's feelings were mixed. I
"One way or another, we shall see. wish no ill upon them, for the
True?" His Highness asked, almost kindness they showed us; but if
rhetorically. those torpedoes hit them rather
"Oh, definitely true, Your than us, so much the better!
Highness."

25
"Time to impact, twenty ticks, "Your Highness, the torpedoes
Highness," the sensor operator have acquired us! Impact in
noted. three… two… one…."
"On us, or them?" His Highness A series of rumbles sounded
replied. across the room. Then a brief
"Them, Your Highness, to us, now silence. Finally, a new voice
seventeen." A pause. "Fifteen." echoed from speakers set into the
ceiling.
"My Lord, the interloper is within
the torpedoes' range! Do we "Command, Engineering.
abort?" Torpedoes impacted - no damage
Flamberge snarled. "No! Ready a inflicted."
second volley!"
The sensor operator almost said, His Highness turned to the
"But," then realized the folly of younger man. "I do believe those
questioning his superior. He Chaotics attacked us," he said, his
simply watched the intersecting face and voice as neutral as he
symbols on his screen, and prayed could make them.
quietly. The younger man could barely
suppress the smile on his face as
"Ten ticks." he said, "I concur with your
His Highness watched the display, judgment."
trying to keep his face impassive. His Highness stood, and he turned
Come on, come on, aim for the big to face the Weapons station. His
target. Give me a reason. voice was, for the benefit of the
recorders, flat.
Storall watched the torpedo
symbols close on The Wanderer, "Engage and destroy the
waiting for the last-moment Chaotics."
vector changes that signalled a
torpedo on its final run. "Captain, their weapons have
activated!"
In His name, let those torpedoes
be fooled. Let us out of this alive. Storall turned cold. He looked at
In the name of the Emperor, let us the display, which now showed
live…. the view aft towards the oncoming
Chaos ships, and The Wanderer;
"Five ticks. The Chaotics have then he looked at his console,
entered weapons range." where the great fortress was now
showing the signs of impending
Flamberge's sensor operator saw violence. "Are we being
the colors on the torpedo symbols targeted?" he said to the sensor
change, and knew he was doomed. operator.

26
The sensor operator began to hull buckled like an aluminum can
reply, but was cut off by The under pressure. Secondary
Wanderer's actions. explosions rippled across the gun
decks; the bridge tower's windows
"My Lord - that thing has us locked blew out, sending bodies hurtling
on!" into the void.

Flamberge had just enough time There was a momentary pause,

to sit up in his chair and get a good then another set of purple arcs
look at the display screen before connected the two ships. More
the first volley arrived. secondary explosions on Azrael's
Sword, and in an instant what had
In an instant, ultraviolet tones of once been a powerful
pure Warp energy focused and Chaos-flagged cruiser was now no
turned into beams of lethal force more than drifting detritus.
connected the weapons arrays of
The Wanderer to the hull of The two raiders with Azrael's
Azrael's Sword. The Chaos ship's Sword turned away from The

27
Wanderer, but too late; the this. If the poor fool only knew….
tendrils of Warp energy reached "Weapons salute, if you please."
out, touched each ship - and left
nothing but vapor behind. Storall's face fell as he watched
the fortress's weapons power up
"The Chaotics have been again. Had he done offense, or
eliminated, Your Highness," the was this the Emperor's
Weapons Officer stated punishment for speaking to
matter-of-factly. Xenos?

"Excellent. Well done, all," His On the display, the lights on The
Highness said, not trying to mask Wanderer flicked off - and a
his pleasure. And hoping his moment later, the great vessel
superiors would interpret it in the was silhouetted by the ultraviolet
manner he wanted them to. glare of Warp energy, a
royal-purple halo surrounding the
"Highness," said the fortress.
Communications Officer, "the
Humans are sending a wide-band Then the arcs vanished, and an
broadcast." instant later, the display showed
"Onscreen, then, if your would," The Wanderer vanishing itself,
His Highness replied. slipping away into the Warp.

The display screen shifted from For several seconds, no one

the shattered Chaotic cruiser to a moved or spoke. Then the
Human of late-middle-age, Helmsman coughed lightly, and
somewhat overweight, and asked, "Captain, shouldn't we
suffering the hair loss common to secure from flank speed?"
the species. He lacked the scars
and mechanincal appliances so Storall looked at him, then
many of his kind wore, so his facial snapped back to reality. "Oh, yes,
expression was quite easily read; of course, Comm, tell the convoy
he was obviously relieved. to return to cruising speed, and
head for our re-entry point."
"To the - to the unidentified vessel
which - aided us,", the figure He looked back at the display,
stated, between deep breaths, where The Wanderer had been,
and with a stammer that bespoke and settled into his command
tension, "our - thanks - to you." He chair, heaving a great sigh of
paused, as if pondering whether to relief. He would live to see another
say more. Then, "Many, many day.
thanks."
But, very likely, never again a
His Highness tried not to smile at sight such as that.

28
 Chaos Rising
By Warmaster Ancaris
At the edge of the Belis Corona System…

Here a massive fleet of vessels sailed through the void, heading further
in system. The attack on the Belis Corona system by the League was
imminent. Soon a battle that rivaled any within the last ten thousand
years would happen in this very system.

Ancaris sat brooding on his command throne. There was still much to
prepare for, variables to take into account. It was of course impossible
to see and prepare for every variable, but the more accounted for the
better their odds. With the stakes of this campaign so high, the more
prepared for, so much the better.

He paused in his thoughts and took a minute to examine the huge

bridge of the Unholy Terror. She was a massive vessel, far larger than
all others that were in his substantial fleet… Indeed far larger than
nearly all other vessels that sailed the stars. Her size though made her
much slower than the majority of his fleet. It was a necessary sacrifice
however, as her firepower would prove invaluable, especially for this
upcoming battle.

Despite the power of the Unholy Terror, Ancaris did not relish
transferring his flag from the Emperor's Bane, even if it was just for one
battle. She had been his first battleship command all those long
millennia ago, and had never failed him. For the time though, she was
left in command of her very capable hands of her Captain. Marcus had
been her captain all these long millennia and was as dependable as the
Emperor's Bane herself… if a bit of a party animal at times. Only
Tzeentch knew how he could put away so much blood wine and still
remain upright.

Ancaris shook himself from his reverie. Now was not the time for such
things. There was a battle to prepare for. He had divided his fleet into 3
main task forces, one commanded by himself aboard the Unholy Terror,
one commanded by Marcus aboard the Emperor's Bane and the 3rd
commanded by Jaerakis aboard the Ravenous. Ancaris was a bit weary
to use carrier ships in command rolls. Hell, he didn't really like carriers
in general though he could not deny their usefulness. Here Jaerakis's
penchant for aggression (even by Chaos standards) would prove

29
valuable. He also had a knack for making sure the Attack Craft pilots
under his command were trained and drilled to perfection, leading to a
7% increase in their performance when compared to most … a
remarkable feat considering what he had to work with.

Each task force was a formidable fleet in it's own right… but when
combined with the rest of the League's forces here… the followers of the
False Emperor were going to be in for the fight of the millennia.

Suddenly, something in the back of Ancaris's mind triggered the alarm.

Something here was not right. He rose from his throne, Solara his
bodyguard shadowing his every movement. He strode along the long
instrument panels necessary for monitoring the massive vessels many
sections at a pace that was nearly a sprint. There in the corner, trying to
not be noticed, a robed figured worked furiously at their station even as
the Warmaster approached. They seemed just about to finish what
they were doing when Ancaris grabbed them by the shoulder and threw
them across the bridge, sending them flying only to slam hard into the
metal deck plating."

"Oh how bold we are, little Imperial! To think that you can infiltrate the
crew of my command vessel's bridge and then reveal my plans and
those of the League to your superiors! Most brazen of you indeed!"
Ancaris bellowed at the spy keeled over on the deck plating. They
seemed to reach for something in their robe and Solara prepared to
strike swiftly but she was stopped by a wave of Ancaris's hand. "I will
deal with this fool personally."

The spy rose to his feet, revealing a dagger that had been concealed
beneath his robes. "You Chaos worshipping scum cannot be allowed to
taint His Divine Imperial Majesty's realm any further! If I have to die to
stop you than so be it!"

Ancaris merely smirked. "Bold words, for a dead man." He proceeded

to approach the spy, his limp apparent. "Strike me down if you can
then. I am merely an aging man with many war wounds. Surely you
shouldn't find me a difficult target." He continued to walk forward, arms
raised in mock surrender.

The spy did not waste any time and quickly struck with his dagger right
at Ancaris's chest. The blade hit it's mark, but it was as if he had
stabbed at a bulkhead as the blade actually bent. As the man stared in
disbelief, Ancaris reached down and grabbed him by the throat, lifting
him off the deck one handed. "You pathetic fool! Did you really think

30
you could harm me!? You might as well try to harm a tank with that little
toy of yours! I could crush you with my bare hands, but I have a better
fate in store for you!

Ancaris unsheathed his massive broadsword, the daemonic blade

known as Cannibal. Its normally placid mirror-like surface writhed and
changed like liquid metal, many faces flowing across its surface in
anticipation. It knew it was time to feed. He plunged it into the spies
chest, who screamed in agony as the blade slice clean through him and
penetrated out his back. A red mist enveloped the sword and the spy,
concealing them from view. The cries of the spy quickly died and the
only sound that remained was the hissing and laughter of the daemonic
sword. Within moments, Ancaris let the body drop to the deck. All that
remained of the spy was the virtually empty skin, and the dry bones
contained within it, his life force and soul having been devoured by the
aptly named Cannibal. Ancaris re-sheathed his weapon and turned
around to face the command crew of the Unholy Terror.

"FIND OUT WHAT THAT SPY WAS ABOUT TO SEND!!! AND I WANT ANY
OTHER SPIES ABOARD THIS SHIP OR ANY OTHERS UNDER MY
COMMAND ROUTED OUT NOW! I WILL TERMINATE ANYONE I FEEL HAS
FAILED IN THIS MATTER!" The Command crew quickly went into action
following the Warmaster's order.

Just then Ancaris heard a voice in his head. "Khyron, before you say
anything I recommend you scour your fleet for spies, immediately!"

31