Tired after another lengthy interrogation of another Chaos traitor, Inquisitor Amberly Vail gestured at her remaining Blank Astartes bodyguards to move further away, which they did with obvious wary steps.

Only 8 have survived from the demented Mourning Crusade against the gigantic C++ Holdfast, but she didn't doubt more Blanks will arrive to replenish the dozen that had died, mostly by her own hand, if not fault. Over 9000 of his special ' Deathwatch Black Shields' have also died in this Crusade, with their provider not even raising an eyebrow.

"Is is better that they die for the Emperor, than by the Emperor's own hand." he spoke with a careless tone, and holding an obvious hidden meaning to his words. Most likely, captured Chaos traitors, somehow brainwashed or even mind-wiped to fight for the loyalist side again, while using their blood and deaths to wash away their sins. Or even more likely, just as an expedient means to dispose of the traitors, while still making use of their battle prowess.

There were other cases among the genuine Black Shields where former Chaos Marines had indeed returned to serve for a last battle at the side of the Emperor's Angels.

Gripping the archeo-stylus in her in right hand, and still holding the Bone Staff glued to her left palm by an enterprising and brave tech-marine, she began writing the new report on the topic of the Mourning Crusade.

"To the God-Emperor of Mankind and my fellow Inquisitors, I hereby testify to the events of the Mourning Crusade, as witnessed with my own senses.

This Crusade began with a curious but understandable request of aid from Forge World Goth, located in Segmentum Obscurus. They had located a potential lead for an STC, and after their own efforts (and many other forces) had failed to investigate a Dead World called Grail, they asked Chapter Master Lancefire to aid them.

A few weeks after, planet Grail was scoured of anything alive, dead or in-between by the powerful Immaterium Beam of the Black Lament Fortress, and then opened for Explorator Mechanicus Adepts to search and retrieve any technological marvels that lingered in the old ruins, or the derelict ships still drifting in orbit. There were hundreds of such vessels, many of obvious xenos design like tree-shaped or crystal-like constructs, beside the many Imperial Navy, mercenary, pirate or Mechanicus vessels.

.Afterwards, the Crusade fleet consisting of 10 Battleships, 14 Battlecruisers and 102 Heavy Cruisers, along several Escort Carriers and a Forge Ship, plus the Black Lament itself traveled to Forge Goth and began cleaning and purging the criminals, cultists, genestealers and other such mutants infesting the Imperial Forge. While the cleaning took place, Forge Goth itself began a massive expansion and re-armament program, including orbital minefields and forts, new capital and escort dockyards, as well as tank factoriums and various other devices, mostly involving newer STC templates brought by Lord Lancefire.

During this stage, a new Astartes Chapter was revealed, all composed of Primaris Blank Marines, and named the Mourners. It appears Lord Lancefire has the intention of creating a successor Chapter for the Lamenters, and is now testing various weapons or tactics before the new (not -yet-sanctioned) Chapter is sent to Holy Terra for official recognition by their Primarch.

While at Forge Goth, both the Lamenters and the Mourners received a considerable amount of technical and tactical upgrades, including the use of Techsorcists wards and other hexagrammic data-barriers to allow for the investigation or even subversion of Chaos-infected Machine Spirits or other devices.

This was in preparation for the next target of the Mourning Crusade: The invasion and cleansing of the Cyclothrathine Holdfast domain, also called C++ by the Mechanicus Adepts for esoteric motives. This was a Chaos Hellforge, fallen into treason during the Horus Heresy, yet managing to remain a thorn into Imperium's side ever since. Until yesterday, to be correct.

Once more changing tactics and methods, Lord Lancefire advanced cautiously towards this damned Hellforge and slowly learned of their deployment and defenses, before launching rapid cut-thrusts and feints with his Blank Astartes, appearing to try to drag out the hidden forces of the Hellforge. The Crusade Fleet bombarded from distance larger concentrations of spacefighters, Daemon Engines and even Dark Mechanicum fleet squadrons with Nova Cannons, causing ever larger casualties among the traitors.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

A trio of Omen Arks emerged from a Warp Rift in response to these provocations, colossal in size yet obviously not fully finished. After the Black Lament scoured them of any souls with the Immaterium Beam, the Arks were captured and towed away for investigation, revealing astonishing STC devices or arcane archeo-tech cogitator and FTL communication systems, now called Quantum-comms as well as probability-based targeting cogitators or counter-ballistic teleportation batteries, similar to the already known Forge Ryza's teleportarium deflectors.

After this part of the Crusade was over, Lord Lancefire continued with a meticulous and organized assault on the Hellforge itself, shattering its sentient minefields, Daemon-infested forts and the bird-decorated dockyards and other

Chaos symbols, which foreshadowed further events.

Soon, the Drop Pod rain secured landing sites onto the surface of the Hellforge, the Astartes and their Auxilia units (only armor and walker elements) also descended in force and began driving back and slaughtering Chaos cultists or the lower-level Daemon Engines warped from old tanks or walkers from Horus Heresy times.

By the grace of the Emperor, and their own Weave shields, Ion Beamers and Phase blades of the Astartes, the corrupted servants of Chaos could not stand to, or even damage the Crusade troops.

Things appeared to go well enough, so I also deployed on the ground, to help with speeding up the cleansing. It was then the Chaos trap was revealed, as hundreds of Warp Rifts opened to disgorge perhaps a million Chaos Space Marines (as many as all Astartes in the Imperium!), with thousands of infected tanks, Knights and Titans in support. Not only that, but 9 Greater Daemons lead these Chaos forces against only two Astartes Chapters, and their support.

From here on, fighting became intense and deadly in the extreme, with cataclysmic weapons used by both sides, including psyker spells and abilities. Two of the Emperor's own Psi-Titans held the Greater Daemons back, and even killed three with their powerful Psi-Cannons, when Arch-Traitor Ahriman arrived as well, leading a band of elite Chaos Champions and a Nurgle shard bound with warp-fire flames. They attacked with relentless ferocity, straight towards my own position. I engaged the Arch-traitor in psyker duel, but he was proven far stronger.

My Bone Staff was ripped from my hands, unleashing my own uncontrolled Psyker powers, which caused massive damage to my own bodyguards and nearby Auxilia troops. Under the demented laughs of the Chaos Sorcerer, my lightning Scourging expanded to continent wide scale, killing everyone not protected, and many of those protected as well.

Of course, I tried to focus my power onto the Enemy, and eventually I did mange to, but the worst was already done. A system-wide Blankness covered the C++ Holdfast, while Silent Sisters emerged to dispatch the remaining Greater Daemons and many Chaos Lords and Sorcerers. It was still not enough.

Only the arrival of over 12000 Black Shield Space Marines drew the battle to a draw. Even then, over 9000 of them died in Warp-flames or Titan-level firepower, despite their new Weave shields and Volkite rifles.

Sister Stern released her Demonifuge powers on the Nurgle shard, causing it to scream in pain, and contract into a small ball of leaking puss, which eventually boiled away. I am convinced this Nurgle shard was permanently killed, yet I cannot explain how I just know. Then again, Alpha+ powers are rather difficult to explain.

Then suddenly everything ended. All the Crusade troops vanished, and then the traitors as well, leaving only Lord Lancefire to face the Arch-traitor face-to-face, while still flanked by his two Fenrisian wolves.

'Why aren't you running?' Lord Lancefire asked in a curious voice, as he drew a pistol and fired a dark beam (xenos tech?) at Ahriman, blowing off his right arm.

Staring at his missing arm, and then at the rising Sun, the Chaos Sorcerer just sighed. 'I hoped to ambush you in turn, Lancefire. But the dawn of war is yet to come.' He spoke with a sad voice, then crumbled once more into empty armor parts.

It seems the entire Chaos army was somehow teleported into the Sun by Lord Lancefire, while the Crusade troops were returned to their ship barracks to heal or recover.

Now I know why Lord Lancefire always said he tries not to cheat. All the deaths and sacrifice of troops and effort, replaced by a single snap of his fingers.

It makes victory meaningless.

Further updates to come as the Crusade continues.

Amberly Vail, Holy Inquisitor for Ordo Xenos and Ordo Astartes.

Thought for the day: "The meaning of victory is not the defeat of your enemy but his utter destruction, to eradicate him from living memory, leaving no remnant of his endeavours"