# Heresy-Online's Expeditious Stories 16-02: Certainty



## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

*Welcome to the year's second*
























​ 

For those of you that are unfamiliar with HOES, here's how it works:

Each month, there will be a thread posted in the Original Works forum for that month's HOES competition. For those of you interested in entering, read the entry requirements, write a story that fits the chosen theme and post it as a reply to the competition thread by the deadline given. Each and every member of Heresy Online is more than welcome to compete, whether your entry is your first post or your thousandth. We welcome everyone to join the family of the Fan Fiction Forum.

Once the deadline has passed, a separate voting thread will be posted, where the readers and writers can post their votes for the top three stories. Points will be awarded (3 points for 1st, 2 for 2nd, and 1 for 3rd) for each vote cast, totalled at the closure of the voting window, and a winner will be announced. The winner will have his/her story added to the Winning HOES thread and be awarded the Lexicanum's Crest award for Fiction excellence!

*Theme
*
The idea with the theme is that it should serve as the inspiration for your stories rather than a constraint. While creative thinking is most certainly encouraged, the theme should still be relevant to your finished story. The chosen theme can be applied within the WH40K, WHF, HH, and even your own completely original works (though keep in mind, this IS a Warhammer forum) but there will be no bias as to which setting is used for your story.

As far as the theme goes, please feel free with future competitions to contact me with your ideas/proposals, especially given that my creative juices may flow a bit differently than yours. All I ask is that you PM me your ideas rather than posting them into the official competition entry/voting threads to keep posts there relevant to the current competition.

*Word Count*

*The official word count for this competition will be 1,000 words. There will be a 10% allowance in this limit, essentially giving you a 900-1,100 word range with which to tell your tale.* *This is non-negotiable.* This is an Expeditious Story competition, not an Epic Story nor an Infinitesimal Story competition. If you are going to go over or under the 900-1,100 word limit, you need to rework your story. It is not fair to the other entrants if one does not abide by the rules. If you cannot, feel free to PM me with what you have and I'll give suggestions or ideas as to how to broaden or shorten your story.

Each entry must have a word count posted with it. Expect a reasonably cordial PM from me (and likely some responses in the competition thread) if you fail to adhere to this rule. The word count can be annotated either at the beginning or ending of your story, and does not need to include your title.

Without further ado...

The theme for this month's competition is:

*Certainty*
​ Entries should be posted in this thread, along with any comments that the readers may want to give (and comments on stories are certainly encouraged in both the competition and voting threads!) 40K, 30K, WHF, and original universes are all permitted (please note, this excludes topics such as Halo, Star Wars, Forgotten Realms, or any other non-original and non-Warhammer settings). Keep in mind, comments are more than welcome! If you catch grammar or spelling errors, the writers are all more than free to edit their piece up until the close of the competition, and that final work will be the one considered for voting. Sharing your thoughts with the writers as they come up with their works is a great way to help us, as a FanFiction community, grow as a whole.
*
The deadline for entries is Midnight GMT, 29 February 2015**.* Remember, getting your story submitted on 22nd will be just as considered by others as one submitted on 11th! Take as much time as you need to work on your piece! *Any entries submitted past the deadline will not be considered in the competition, regardless of whether the voting thread is posted or not.*

*Additional Incentive*
If simply being victorious over your comrades is not enough to possess you to write a story, there will be rep rewards granted to those that participate in the HOES Challenge.

Participation - 1 reputation points, everyone will receive this
3rd place - 2 reputation points
2nd place - 3 reputation points
1st place - 4 reputation points and Lexicanum's Crest

If you have any questions, feel free to ask in this thread.

Without further nonsense from me, let the writing begin!


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## Brother Emund (Apr 17, 2009)

Phew.. this will be a tough one!

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## Brother Emund (Apr 17, 2009)

*So it shall be*

*Certainty*
By
Brother Emund
1060 words


_An ancient scribe once said that the only things that are certain in life are death and tithes._​
Admiral Cyprian Keir was also certain of one other thing… victory.
As he stood on the command podium of his flagship _Mors Principium Est_ and studied the position of his fleet, he was satisfied that everything was in place. 
They would conquer here today.

He never heard them join him on the flag deck, let alone enter the bridge. With stealth unmatched they were suddenly standing at his shoulder.

“We are ready Admiral. I trust your gun decks are cleared for action?” 

The last question seemed trivial in the grand scheme of things, thought Keir. Of course his ships were ready, all of them were. He had twenty-two capital ships and hundreds of other smaller combat vessels under his command, not to mention the Space Marine battle barge _Tears of the Emperor_ and its own escort ships _The Harbinger of Death, The Serrated Blade_ and _The Winter Star_. 
Each and every one of them capable of raining death and destruction upon any enemy fleet.

He turned slowly, maintaining his bearing and authority despite the perceived slight. He was after all in charge of the largest fleet in this sector. He was a man to be respected, to be honoured.

These space marines cared for no one but themselves and their fanatical devotion to the Emperor.

A Space marine in burnished gunmetal armour stood behind him. Two gigantic terminators in dull red remained to his rear, silent and utterly intimidating.

“Captain Etana…”. He began. The Space Marine held up his gauntleted hand and stopped him mid-sentence.
“Your dispositions are sound Admiral. I commend your devotion to Imperial doctrine, however, the plan is flawed.”

The large holo-screen in front of them began to flicker and flash, finally settling on a large hulk silhouetted by a distant sun. The craft was a behemoth, the likes of which many had rarely seen. 
A vast swarm of smaller ships clustered around it like army ants protecting their queen.

_How do they do that?_ Keir wondered. 
His command station was vermillion encrypted, yet this Marine broke through its protocols as if it was a child’s puzzle.

“You are concentrating your attack on the hulk.” It was a statement and not a question. It did not require an answer.
“But the hulk is not where we will attack.”
“But Captain, my plan is concentrated on destroying their command element. We cut off the head, and the body will die.”
There was a series of clicks between the marines which Keir took as internal communications. One of the terminators rocked slightly.

_They mock me._

“The hulk...” Etana continued. “Is merely a bludgeon to smash through your lines. We have fought these beasts many times and they are not as stupid as some might think.”

He focussed on the hulk, bringing it in so it filled the entire screen.
“Limited armaments. Lack of gun ports. Very few launch bays.”

The marine removed his Mark VI Corvus helmet to reveal a surprising gentle-looking face with piercing blue eyes.
“The hulk is not… shooty enough.” He smiled an infectious smile. He then highlighted a second, smaller vessel that was tucked in behind the hulk and surrounded by a herd of brute-looking battleships. Emblazoned on hits hull was a large Ork skull icon.
“That is the command ship. That is where we will find their leader and kill it.”
The Admiral studied the new vessel with renewed interest.
“You are certain of this Captain; I am taking a big risk in changing my battle plan?”
Etana nodded and then indicated towards the terminators behind him.
“My brothers and I have fought the Orks for over two hundred years. We know our enemy...” he paused and his expression changed from open and amenable to serious, his face suddenly aging and tightening to a brittle edge.
“I have one hundred brothers with me. We will attack that ship and exterminate them all. Your job is to give the illusion of an all-out assault on the hulk and then you will join our attack.”
“It will be done.”
“It will be bloody, but the result will be certain victory. I have foreseen it.”

* * *​
As the orange light of the nearby sun shone through the vaulted windows of the bridge of the _Mors Principium Est_, Admiral Keir watched three lines of six Imperial battleships rake the Ork hulk from end to end, smashing its thick skin of armour and opening up glowing scars within. At the same time, he lead his own attack on the cluster of escorts to its rear, slicing through them like a raptor amongst a herd of Grox.

The Space Marine destroyers, line abreast, fired lance after lance into the enemy flagship, vaporising its fluctuating shields and knocking out its own forward armaments. Macro cannons and torpedoes punched jagged holes along its length.

The Grand Cruiser _Götterdämmerung_ disappeared in a fireball as its magazines ignited incinerating three Ork Kill Kroozers and knocking two more into an uncontrollable spin into the plasma and heat of the sun.

_The Tears of the Emperor_ slid in close and released her boarding torpedoes upon the unsuspecting Orks who stared on with blank eyes as their fleet burned around them.

Hidden from everyone and unforeseen even by Kier, Captain Etana and twenty of his Terminators teleported onto the bridge of the Ork flagship and caught Warboss Fandargh alone and virtually unprotected. The slaughter of his bodyguard was a story of legend.

Assault marines fanned out through the labyrinth of tunnels and warrens, placing charges and mines at strategic points and immobilising or destroying vital machinery or plant.
The Orks fought with their customary zeal, fighting to the death wherever they were found. Marines died in clinging embraces in dark voids and on burning decks, or blown to pieces by suicidal Gretchins.
When the marines left, thirty-five of their battle brothers had paid the ultimate price. 

It was the price of victory. 

Kier watched the Ork vessel twist and then crumple as her back was broken. Internal explosions rocked her hull from the bow to the stern. The damage was catastrophic. Debris and clouds of spinning bodies fanned out from her like a stone on water.

He allowed himself a smile.	

_By the Emperor, those men do war honour._


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

Great opening line, Brother Emund.

Shame there weren't any other entries, but a deserved win nevertheless.


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## Brother Emund (Apr 17, 2009)

Dave T Hobbit said:


> Great opening line, Brother Emund.
> 
> Shame there weren't any other entries, but a deserved win nevertheless.


Well thank you dear boy! :victory:


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## HonorableMan (Apr 15, 2012)

I was going to enter, but it just wasn't coming out right. Very well done, a fantastic story.


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## Myen'Tal (Sep 4, 2009)

Thought of H.O.E.S. this month, but in truth, I haven't been doing much writing lately. I should definitely start rectifying that by joining the fray next month :grin:.


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## Brother Emund (Apr 17, 2009)

Myen'Tal said:


> Thought of H.O.E.S. this month, but in truth, I haven't been doing much writing lately. I should definitely start rectifying that by joining the fray next month :grin:.


You were missed. I notice that you are already in there with the Serenity story!
Guess I should get motivated...


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## Myen'Tal (Sep 4, 2009)

It's good to be back , plenty of time to find motivation before the 22nd!

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk


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