Chains of The Imperium

Chapter I - The Incident

Medusa System, Ultima Segmentum

Medusa System, Ultima Segmentum

Captain Adiso Paulos had never seen a man so fatigued as General Sturnn. The Imperial Guard general seemed to be fighting the urge to rest, less he dishonor the Imperial Guardsmen and Space Marines still waging bloody war on the dying world of Medusa V. The war on Medusa V had been a short, brutal and rather bizarre conflict. Imperial forces had come to Medusa V in order to evacuate its loyal citizens and prevent the forces of Chaos from transforming the planet into a Daemon world. The warriors of humanity, however, soon found themselves in the middle of a free-for-all against every major power in the Milky Way galaxy. Somehow, either through the providence of the Emperor, the Imperium had managed to break the backs of the Xenos and heretics and succeed in their objectives. The price was incredibly high. General Sturnn's Cadian 412th Shock Troop Regiment had taken nearly 45 percent casualties. And the regiment had been fighting alongside a full company of Space Marines. There had been whispers of entire regiments being completely destroyed. Worse, there were not enough transports or time to evacuate all the Imperial forces before Van Grothe's Rapidity consumed Medusa V. Captain Paulos had prayed for the Emperor's forgiveness almost constantly for that sin.

Captain Paulos raised his voice and called out to the Imperial Guard officer. "General Sturnn, we will be executing our Warp Jump momentarily."

General Sturnn moved closer to the command chair where the Captain was seated. "My troopers are aboard I assume?"

Captain Paulos looked up to General Sturnn, in the literal and figurative sense. Sturnn was one of the few Imperial Guard commanders who did not spend his men's lives like currency. He was also as physically imposing as any non-Astartes human Adiso had ever seen. Sturnn's height advantage over Paulos was amplified by the fact that the captain was wired into the command chair.

"They are all aboard and I have ordered my medical staff to render any and all aid to your men."

General Sturnn smiled weakly. "You have my gratitude. If you will excuse me Captain, I must attend to my regiment."

"Of course, General." Captain Paulos bowed his head politely and Sturnn returned the gesture and left.

A junior officer informed Captain Paulos that the Gellar Fields were operating at peak efficiency. Captain Paulos thanked the Machine Spirits of the Palma and recited a quick prayer to the Emperor.

"Status on our escorts and the Spartan Ward?"

The ship's astropath contacted the captain from his secure position within the ship. "All ships are ready to enter the Immaterium on your orders, captain."

"Commence Warp Jump."

The space surrounding Medusa V was burning with the energies of the Warp, and the holes in reality opened by the flotilla of Imperial ships were like a candle next to a funeral pyre. In an instant the vessels vanished, and in that instant, everything changed.

Cairo Station, Earth Orbit, Sol System

Sergeant Avery Johnson smiled as looked at the blue hunk of rock filling the viewports of Cairo Station.

"Earth. Haven't seen her in years. You know, when I shipped out for basic, the orbital defense grid was all theory and politics. Now look at it. The Cairo is just one of 300 geo-synch platforms."

He then turned and shook his head at his silent comrade and friend, Spartan-117. Spartan-117, Master Chief, as he was known was one of the last surviving Spartan-IIs. He was an intimidating sight at nearly 7 feet tall and clad in MJOLNIR armor. This intimidation didn't even register to the soldiers of the UNSC. Instead, the Chief was a shining symbol of hope that maybe; just maybe, humanity had a shot in the War. The Chief's turned his gaze towards the vast number of human ships orbiting Earth.