A Light Not Extinguished

Chapter 20: Kingdom Come

"Citizens of the United Human Federation. I greet you, wherever you may be.

I am certain that most of you have heard of the tragedy that has befallen us all. My sincerest condolences, to those who have lost their loved ones. As we speak, our armed forces are searching through the last of the quarantined areas for any survivors, and we will do our best to return them to their families.

Our experts have determined that Warp Storm Achellius was indirectly caused by no other that the Aeldari Empire. Through their wanton depravities, they have succeeded in disturbing the fabric of Warpspace itself, and we are the ones paying the price for their acts. Time and time again, we have tried to open diplomatic channels with them, and they have all failed.

We are done trying.

As I speak, the Aeldari threaten to undo all that we have worked for. Every year, more and more of our ships go missing, and even the brightness of the Lodestar Nexus will soon fail to illuminate the path between the stars. Nor are we blind to the cruelties of the Aeldari, they with the blood of billions of innocents on their hands.

We cannot stand by any longer. These are desperate times, and sometimes to protect peace, we must discard it temporarily so that it can last longer. One thousand years ago, I swore an oath to uphold the virtues of the Federation. To safeguard the freedom and rights of all sentient beings. To bring peace and prosperity to the galaxy. I dare not say that I have been perfect in my duties, but nor have I failed them either. And duty demands that I do this, so that humanity can be safe from the threat of extinction.

As of three hours ago, the Council has voted to declare open hostilities against the Aeldari Empire. We will use every ship and gun, every soldier and vehicle so that the enemy is vanquished in its totality. We fight this war not for glory or conquest. We fight for the survival of all mankind, that our future generations can live in this beautiful world of ours! We fight for the galaxy and all its inhabitants, so that life can thrive and flourish!"
-Declaration of War from Supreme Commanding General Horus Lupercal, M24. 312.

They have forgotten my name.

Dark Glass Breaching Tunnel A-109

At the military base that had been set up at the end of the Webway tunnel, everything was a flurry of activity. Convoys of armed vehicles trundled forward as the tunnel began to grow again, slowly but surely reaching towards the Aeldari Webway realm it was closest to.

Titan battalions marched behind, volcano blasters and grav-claws aimed at the end of the tunnel. Heavy artillery platforms hovered in the air, weaponry fit to drown cities in apocalyptic destruction primed and ready to fire. Solar Operators in troop transports ready for deployment, and millions of battle automata to charge forward and take the brunt of resistance.

With a boom that resonated through the tunnel, the human webway made contact with its Aeldari counterpart. Immediately, four null engines floated forward, slowly beginning to erode the psy-sensitive material through usage of negatively charged psychic energy frequencies. The walls of the Webway were tough- they had to be, having to be submerged in the Warp for millions of years without breaking down. But they were not designed to withstand this kind of onslaught. Each null engine was crewed by five Pariahs, and it focused their powerful Null auras into a directed energy beam, corroding the Webway wall.

"Breach will be complete in forty-three minutes." Announced UR-314, the Iron Mind commanding this particular division. They watched the Webway wall cautiously; any moment, the Aeldari might notice the ongoing attempt to breach their city and launch a preemptive attack.

The plan was to hit hard and fast; after the walls were breached, a Black Phosphex warhead would be fired into the city, followed by heavy shelling. This new variant of Phosphex was highly resistant to psychic manipulation, and had been designed expressly with Operation Sundowner in mind, being able to burn both Eldar flesh and psychomaton bodies to ash, while also being especially effective against wraithbone. After the flames went out, ground infantry and Titans would move in to terminate any survivors. The goal was to move as many forces as possible into the Webway before the defenders become aware of the invasion and seal off separate junctions, and seize the master control nodes so that more forces could be allowed to move in.