In late 866ABY, the immensity of the Bryn'adul continues to grow. Their unrelenting genocidal march claiming, uncountable trillions as a sixth of the Galactic map falls, hazed and violated under their influence. Their numbers, blacking out the sun of dozens of nearby systems as their ambitious reach continues onward - But stretched thin, the cracks to begin to show.
Disillusionment spreads like a plague through the now ever-changing Empire, once unbreakable oaths and beliefs giving way to the wants and ideas of Warlords and the Ish'makra council. The Tachael-Vemnak breaks under the immense weight of the task at hand.
Tathra remains unfazed.
A year later, 867ABY. Upon the destruction of Csilla, Tathra disappears with a majority of the military strength of the Bryn'adul under the command of Galak and the leaders of the Vaydralen, Akhenaton and Ungulloi and majority their armies. Beyond the scope of the Galaxy, a secret is revealed - a separate extra-galactic territory. The resting place of the ancient Draelvasier - Kardun, a secret empire of true Draelvasier loyalists. A new fleet of ships, powered by flesh and with the means to wipe out the outer and inner rim.
Tathra intended to use the lesser species of the Bryn'adul as living batteries, their only means of powering a fleet of such scale. This betrayal leads to civil war.
Four years on, the civil war returns to where the Bryn'adul and Draelvasier begun as a final battle is pitched over Kardun.
871ABY
Kardun
The final battle took place on Farafel hill, the birthplace of the worst horrors in the civil war. Also a short set of hills surrounded by outstretching fields now separated by cracks in the planet's crust. A fitting final battleground.
Artillery fire from the Obalisc came over the horizon, cyan blue arcing into the underbelly of the Ra'mak overhead. The giant flying serpent howling as its body curled in the air - the streams of artillery fire cutting through its body. The massive warbeast cried out a last whimper as it and its crew fell into the nearby acidic valley, alive with light. The crack of Kardun. A planet wide crack, flooded with poisonous luminescent discharge oozing from the dying core of the planet. The molten yellow the only source of light bar armaments on the planet surface as the sky was blotted out by the Warmind and myriad of destroyed and en-battled ships above. The Warmind, one of many 'creations' the civil war had been responsible for. A barricas melded with Drael technology into a horrid supercomputer, encased in a mobile fortress sphere. A sentient abomination created by the Primarch Drek'ma before it consumed him, turning the beasts of the Draelvasier against them on both sides. It entered the war in its third year as a new enemy for both the Heretics and the Loyalists.
One such consequence of this was the sight of Hadad's fall. The black spines of the long dead Servitor could be seen not a mile off from the battle, curling over the edge of visibility as they sunk slowly into the acidic valley. Draeyde dove in between the spines, rushing down into entrenched forces of Heretics and Loyalists alike.
At the top the hills closest to the Warmind, a force of Loyalists is surrounded on all sides by Heretics. Tathra stands tall amongst the loyalists, fighting to the bitter end -
The Triad Chaingun attached to Tathra's right gauntlet rose with his arm; pale white flashes exploding from its barrel as approaching Risen-Sraelvun rushed his position. Blasting their legs out from under them, the Titan turned on his heel, catching the approach of another on his periphery, blocking the blow with the shield on the underside of his right gauntlet - Tathra pushed aside the Heretics weapon. His left arm came down, a sundering strike with sword in hand halved the enemy from shoulder to stomach. Another of many splatters of obsidian black blood grazed his chest and shoulders. Spitting it from the edge of his lips. The others fought in droves around him, his loyalists were outnumbered here. Their approach to the Warmind had been cut off by Galak's Siege Tower, it was only a matter of time before they fought.
The sight of the Tower drove him, pulling the sword from the fallen heretic as he blocked the blade of another. Clasped in his right hand, half-swording as he trapped the heretics Axe in a loop into his underarm - thrusting his skull to collide with his enemies before pulling a dagger from his own belt and jamming it into his neck. The Titan turned again, holding the sword by its blade. Another risen-srael flanked from his side, firing off a Radesh Crippler automatic into his side, ricocheting off the gunmetal grey of Tathra's armour, flashes of light causing him to wince as the spikes lodged themselves in the gaps of his armour. With a growl he struck the risen with a wild swing of the pommel, taking the heretic from its feet as another blast pushed Tathra's shoulder back. A futile effort to slow the blood-lusted Titan as he brought the edge of his heel down on the heretics head - a crack followed a splash of fluid across the rocky stretch of hill.
Galak approached from uphill, the sound of his thrusters booming toward Tathra more than allowed for the Titan to prepare. Galak, once close friend now turned leader of the heretics came rushing, roaring with all his might toward his leader turned foe. Galak held his Glaive clasped in both hands, crashing down like thunder as pellets of rock cracked and spewed toward the Titan's face, raising his left arm to cover his eyes. Within the blink of an eye, Galak approached, growling at his brother and swinging the Glaive with a tight swipe for Tathra's throat. Ducking below the strike, Tathra side-stepped - anticipating the immediate follow up as Galak moved to gut him, slashing with a full body upward cut with the other end of his Glaive from his left side.
Tathra moved to meet him, his sword rising over his left shoulder and falling against the mid-length of the heretic's glaive - clasped in both hands. Bringing his feet forward, closing the distance. There they lingered, struggling against each other as the end raged around them - rock and earth giving way.
"Traitor!" Tathra barked, reminding himself of all that he and Galak had led to ruin.
Galak pulled away, not eager to allow his old friend close as he pulled away - using the pressure of Tathra's sword as it slid to the left side of his Glaive to thrust from the right - striking at Tathra's unguarded throat. Tathra spread his stance wide, dropping low as he caught the jab in the cross-guard, pushing it over both their heads to bring his blade within Galak's guard, grazing his right arm as Galak moved with the momentum - turning on his heel and thrusting the left end of his Glaive into a gap in the side of Tathra's waist. The Titan snarled, swinging wide and bashing Galak away before he could drive the blade further. Instead of falling back into a defensive stance as Tathra might've expected, the heretic turned on his heel again striking downward with the same blade. Tathra continued with his swing, bringing it up to meet the Glaive - clashing again.
Galak shifted his weight to the other end again, moving to strike as Tathra grasped the mid-length. He could see the expression on Galak's face behind that visor. Fear. Tathra knew Galak to be a formidable foe, but he had no time. He had to reach the Warmind, he had to stop Drek'ma. He had to stop it. Galak flew like a weightless brick into a mound of rock. Crashing down hard as the Titan off-handedly flung him aside. The Titan approached, raising his chaingun as heretics approached. Tathra fired at one, the bullets crashing against the Juggernaut's armour as the Sraelvun went for his knees. Tathra turned on his heel, exposing his back to the juggernaut with Axe in hand as he thrust his boot into the Sraelvun sliding across the rock. The Sraelvun was flung back, flesh tearing from its back as it skid. The chaingun firing into its doubled over body. The Axe sunk into the Titan's back, denting metal into his flesh. Howling with pain he turned, knocking the Axe aside with his right and with all his might - sinking the sword through the Juggernauts skull.
He turned again to face Galak, surprised he hadn't moved to strike as he aimed the chaingun for where he had fallen. Galak flanked from his side, cutting open Tathra's cheek with the blade of his Glaive. The Titan flinched, the pain forcing his eyes closed for a moment. The blade fell with the Juggernauts body as Galak stood, holding his Glaive in one hand, the other arming a contraption on his shoulder. With moments to react, Tathra raised his only defence, his right gauntlet. The shield and chaingun caught a direct blast, a missile that Galak had designed specifically to get through Tathra's armour. Everything on his right arm was damaged, flesh and metal. Tathra was thrown back, rolling over onto his chest. All the same he quickly rose, his obsidian black blood oozing from the wound on his face and mouth.
"I betrayed YOU. For US!" Galak finally spoke.
The heretic took a Shredder from his hip, firing at Tathra. He instinctively raised his right arm to protect himself, the needles lodged themselves in his elbow, oozing ice cold venom into his veins. Another tool to kill him, he gasped using his left gauntlet to tear them from his flesh as Galak approached, letting loose the entire clip. Tathra's left palm opened, calling the sword back to him as he struck - knocking the modified Shredder from Galak's grasp. No matter what state he was in, no matter how much it took to kill Galak - he had to. He had to stop the Warmind before it took flight. His left handed swing was brought overhead, slamming down on Galak's hilt with a two handed strike.
"You always were the bravest of us, look at you now. But you could never make the hard decisions!" Tathra snarled, spitting up blood as he spoke - the strike forcing Galak to skid back, kicking up rock.
He knew Galak didn't believe in what he said anymore, but knowing Tathra did was enough to drive Galak mad. He swung wide, keeping Tathra at bay, flipping and catching the Glaive - thrusting it like a throwing spear over his head toward the Titan's shoulder. Tathra pushed the Glaive away with the backhand of his right, swinging down on Galak with his left. Just as Tathra could predict what Galak would do, so too could the heretic predict his next move. Galak ducked underneath the swing, slashing at Tathra's left leg as he found himself back to back with the Titan.
Galak switched to a two handed group, swinging from left to right on a swivel as Tathra blocked the first with his crossguard and the second strike, he turned into a pirouette; bringing the edge of his blade down onto the Glaive's strike. Both blades crashed into the rock beneath as Tathra stomped down with his right foot - snapping that end of the Glaive off. Galak shifted his grip to bring down the remaining blade like an Axe. The Titan dodged the blade as it went for his head, crashing against the chestplate, throwing him off balance as the Glaive continued down across his chest and into his right thigh. Tathra only had time to extended his left arm out from between them, batting the broken end of the Glaive to the side as the heretic thrust his right elbow into his face - uppercutting the Titan and knocking him to the ground and his sword away behind them.
Tathra landed, using his right wrist to steady himself as Galak thrust the Glaive down - a two handed grasp pushing with all his might to puncture Tathra's chest, stopping the Glaive with his left hand, grasping the hilt just above Galak's own two hands. The force, pushing him harder against the ground, the blade inches from his face. Eyes locked, Tathra could feel his grip slipping as the two struggled. His right arm searched for something, anything. The knife in his left gauntlet simply would've have the reach, and going for it would be obvious. He had to be careful to keep his gaze locked with Galak's as his head pressed against the rocky earth below. No more room for retreat now. He felt something, desperately pulling the broken end of the Glaive into his right hand. There was fear in both Drael's eyes, uncertainty, and ferocity. Neither could've ever believed it would come to this, and yet here they were.
Tathra roared, forcing his heart to pump and push all the adrenaline it could through his tired body. The Titan pushed with all the strength he had, forcing the Glaive within Galak's grasp into the stone, cutting through his left horn as he thrust the broken dagger piece with his right into the heretic's foot. Tathra raised his left leg behind Galak's knee, kicking with his right into Galak's stomach - knocking him down. Both warriors lay exhausted, weaponless. Yet the battle raged around them regardless beyond their control. Obalisc fire continued to tear into the Siege Tower, the massive creature bellowing as its crown grew heavy. More and more ships were destroyed, the planet itself shuddering as the Warmind had nearly fully disconnected itself from the planet surface. Forcing cracks to erupt all across the continent.
It was over. For them.
Tathra edged away from Galak, rising.
"Ver'kad. Now." Tathra heard no reply as Galak rushed him, taking his focus away from the fleet commander as one punch after another shook him through.
"This. All of this, is on your shoulders. Titan." Galak's breaths were ragged, the rage gone from his voice. Only the bone deep hate left.
"I know."
Tathra blocked the following two strikes, pushing them away as he struck Galak in the throat - then in the liver and pulled his head down into his knee, shattering the visor of his helm. His elbow then struck his helm, crushing it inward and forcing Galak to his knees.
"With your Glaive, you had your chance. Now? You know. You do know." Tathra stood, waiting. He pulled the dagger from the elbow end of his left gauntlet. Galak, no doubt heard it being unsheathed.
Above them in the sky, Ver'kad's fleet of Butcherer class ships lead by the Divine Brutality had stopped engaging with the Heretic fleet and the beasts of the Warmind, their Main Batteries all aimed at the surface of the planet and the Warmind in particular. The Heretic knew that Tathra would go to such extreme means to stop the Warmind. To win. What was coming was a glassing, a ferocious hazing of the planet surface. Galak rose, hesitantly throwing a punch as Tathra held the dagger in a reverse grip. Galak struck from the right, Tathra side-stepped. Pushing the strike away as he jabbed, in a flash and pulled away. Galak stood, dagger nearly taking his head from his shoulders.
No glorious final words, nothing. The heretic fell where he stood as the Warmind tore from the planet surface completely. The ground swallowed the final battlefield as the Divine Brutality unleashed its main battery, a superweapon cutting into the planet and eviscerating the Warmind as the Divine and its fleet were overcome by the joint crossfire of the Heretics and Warmind. The sky joined the surface in a blazing fire.
When the dust settled, none were victorious. The Warmind was gone, destroyed. Its beasts were either dead or in hiding and both Heretic and Loyalist armies, decimated by the catastrophe that engulfed both planet and orbit.
Three years later, the dust has only settled.
