# The Death Cards...



## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

I thought I would like to tell some background first before posting. This is a Imperial Guard novel written by myself for the past 1½ years. As of now is up to *260-270* A4-pages long and I have planned for a sequal already (even two perhaps). I will post the first pages, but after that maybe its more appropriate if I send a PFD-version of it to your hotmails where you can read it more easily. 

Please keep in mind english is only a second language to me so the describing of details and envoriments will be crappy. All type of feed-back is appreciated like: characters not making sense, envoriment being weirdly described, official fluff being wrong and stuff like that.

Also I have re-written this story like seven times, changing characters backgrounds, ranks and stuff like that so if there is a page where like a Lieutenant changes rank to Captain, tell me right away on which page and so on. Also look out for the word "Stormtroopers" that actually should be "storm troopers".

Well enjoy the intro to _The Death Cards_.....


----------



## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

*The Death Cards-Novel*
Part 1: The Game Begins


Prologue



On the human world of Terra where the beginning of the human race began many millennia ago, deep within the Imperial Palace was where the almighty Emperor; father and leader over mankind, rested upon the Golden Throne and had been being for eons. For over ten thousand years had his immobile body been watching out over the humans and guided them in silence and with his thoughts coordinated by thousands upon thousands of Sanctioned Psykers, navigators and all other servants of the Imperium. Much had happened since the Horus heresy, the greatest betrayals of all that almost was Mankind’s ultimate doom. Days like these laid turmoil and Chaos spreads by far more easy than ever before. Darkness had fallen upon the empty halls in the temple and only the sound that could be heard of marching soldiers and patrolling guards outside. A small whisper had been sounded throughout the empty space. Even a whisper could be heard and in the most silent of places where it would rock the ground as an earth quake. The highest leaders of Terra had gathered together as something huge was about to happen, something huge. As they were speaking with each other they had all interpret the signs the same; the rise of a new power within and outside the Warp. 
Hooded priests and psykers, bureaucrats’ and Generals, all talked among each other in order to prepare for what to come. They sneaked around, speaking in such low voices that none not suppose to hear, could listen to the prophecy that might have come true.

“It cannot be, it is impossible I tell you!” one of the priests said.

“You have all seen the signs, the Warp is in movement and something is about to happen.”

“But it doesn’t have to mean it has happened now, it cannot have arrived yet, not now.”

“As he said, it is too early. None of us is ready!”

“That is where all of you are wrong, we are in fact ready. What we are not ready or prepared for however is when and where,” one of them said and stepped out from the whispering crowd.

“I do not know where it will happen, but I know for a fact how to trace it!” said another.

“How, my brother? How can you know?”

“Because what we are looking for will the Chaos Gods is looking for as well, find them and you will find it…” said the first.

“And we have nothing to be afraid of; the Knight of the Emperors holy Order yet still unknown to us will find it for us and bring it to safety. So the Emperor has spoken and so are thy orders!” said the other.

Silence once again reappeared in the great hall outside the Golden throne. None of the people present wanted to believe him but as he said, the proof was right in front of them and they had to act before it was too late.


----------



## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

1. New cards on the hand
Northern Outskirts, Cadia, present time.



Darkness clouds the weak minds humans, weak minds leads to heresy. Chaos lures in every darkened corner of the galaxy. - Unknown Officer

We follow the eternal light of Emperor, we die for the Emperor. Only in death will our service end. We are his pawns; we are his Death Cards - Main Motto of 443rd Cadian infantry regiment

The door opened to the locker rooms as Devast placed another card on the table. Unlike the other troopers a few tables away from him who played regular card games with high stakes at hand, and who completely ignored his presence; he was foretelling the future through the guidance of the God-Emperor when interpreted through tarot cards. None of the regular troopers liked psykers and much less enjoyed their company, he was no exception, and he also knew his place and didn’t take up bigger room than necessary. When dwelling in his own thoughts, he didn’t even notice Captain Hilts of eleventh company coming in and standing right in front of his table. Trooper Piast, a young trooper at the age of eighteen, noticed it however and quickly got up on his feet to salute the officer. The others around the table did likewise.
The psyker Devast, slim and shy person, quit with what he was doing and looked up on the company commander. The Captain was in his mid-thirties, typical Cadian appearance, nothing special, nothing unusual. He made a sign with his hand that the young psyker should accompany him away from there to the Colonels office. He packed up the card deck and followed after. They stopped outside and he knocked on the door.
The building was old and war torn, not a single wall that missed a crack in the foundation or remains black spots from las-bolts. And the office wasn’t much of an office either, more like the room that had taken the least beating from the recent weeks of attacks. Someone on the other side called them in and the Captain led in Devast to speak with the Colonel alone. Piast was still confused what the fuzz was all about as he tried to see the Colonels office by leaning backwards on his seat.

“I wonder what will happen to him.”

“He’s a psyker, I’m surprised if the Commissar hasn’t shot him already, you all have seen him being ready to retrieve his gun whenever Devast comes in to the room. Now do you wanna fold or be in the next game?”

“I’m in.”

Devast hadn’t spoken much to the Colonel in the past, or well not at all. He had spoken to the Commissar alright. Oh the lovely talks and threats he had gotten in the past, the Commissar didn’t cut back on how much he wanted to put a bullet into the young psykers brain. They were called “bullet-magnets” cause a good reason. Unlike the Captain he spoke to earlier, the Colonel was a little bit older.


----------

