Fulminata- A Warhammer 40,000 Story

The Black Mask

[REDACTED] Hours Earlier...

It had been a Warp Storm that had caught them. The Navigators had been killed as the entire fleet was ripped away from Realspace, and the Warp Drives had shattered. It was a miracle that the Gellar field had remained intact, and that they had survived the transition to the Warp at all, but it would take far more than a simple Miracle to save the Astartes of the Fulminata Guard.

"Status report" Chapter Master Kaeso demanded.

The technicians around the Bridge scrambled across their screens, trying to answer the Chapter Master. But none could fathom what had happened.

"I believe," Cicero, Captain of the 1st Company responded, "The Warp has snatched us up."

Kaeso nodded. His was cold, cut from granite. It conveyed no emotions, as it always had. Kaeso had never been an emotional man, a man bred of logic and strategy. The kind of man that could lead a Legion like the Fulminata Guard.

"Thank you for your stunning observation," Remarked Gladio.

"Sir," One of the technicians finally spoke, "The Gellar field holds, but only just. If we don't get back to Realspace soon, we'll be swallowed up completely."

"How long do we have?" Kaeso asked.

"Its impossible to tell, they shouldn't even be active in the first." The technician responded.

"Find out." Kaeso replied. He turned to Cicero. "Prepare the defenses. I doubt that the Ruinous Forces will sit idly by."

Cicero nodded, and turned on his heel. He pulled his helmet from off his waist, and slid it onto his head. The visage of Cicero's helmet was instantly recognizable across the legion. It bore a mark of honor upon, the Black Mask. The faceplate, up to the eyes, had been painted a stark black. It garnered respect from among his fellow Astartes, even more than his rank as 1st captain.

His armor was the stark white of the Fulminata Guard. The unblemished armor was only broken by his left shoulder guard, the lining painted the same black as his Mask, the symbology of the 1st company.

As his helmet slid onto his head, he clicked into the Vox networks. The ship-wide Vox was silent. Perfect for protocol, not dirtying up the comms unnecessarily. The Fulminata were well-trained, and it showed. Cicero broke that silence.

"All crew to battle stations. Expect sorties. Report all Daemonic incursions immediately, and don't give them any ground. This is our ship, and we'll keep it that way."

Affirmations clicked across the Vox network. As he walked through the tight halls of the Egregium Cicero called Kaeso on his Vox.

"Have we heard from the other vessels in our fleet yet?"

"Negative. They either didn't fall to the Warp Storm like us, or they got swallowed up completely."

Cicero cursed under his breath. Thankfully the entirety of the Fulminata Guard chapter was on the Egregium, but they lost any supplemental [things] that had been stored across the other ships in their fleet.

No matter. They would have enough. It would not be easy to fell the Fulminata Guard.

Gladio lingered on the bridge. The Captain of the 2nd Company inched toward the Chapter Master.

"Sir," Gladio asked, "If I may ask, what are your plans? How can we get back to Real Space?"