[Wargamer]

Lord Maldar downed his drink, and raised it for the servant to refill.

It had been an excellent day, the latest of many. The conquest of the Hive had been easy, far easier than many would believe. Trade blockades, financial planning... and the occasional assassination had all resulted in his position as Master of the Hive.

He glanced around the room, taking in the expensive tapestries, the luxurious marble and gold, and the servants. Those that could still be called human wore white silk bodygloves with gold lace trim. The Servitors were covered in mechanical plugs and bionics, trimmed with gold, silver and platinum.

...of course, not all had been willing to serve. Maldar could not help but smile at the young woman in a vermillion body-wrap, a polished steel pain-collar visible beneath her long, chesnut hair. She was the eldest daughter of the former Hive Master, twenty-three and almost painfully attractive. Her two brothers had been... removed... during the coup, and her sister was still only a child. Lejille was perfect, and Maldar had made her his own. She was unaccustomed to servitude, amd every time Maldar glanced at her, he wondered if she had any knowledge in other areas...

...he would wait. Some things are all the better for the waiting.

A soldier entered, wearing the red and cyan checkerboard uniform of Maldar's lifeguards. He stopped and saluted, clearly concerned.
Maldar sighed, "yes?"
"It is Lord Fu. He has done something... foolish."

* * *

Lord Kai Fu of Master-Guild Fu ducked for cover as Lasbolts shredded the control console. One of his Lifeguards died, his face and neck reduced to charred lumps of gristle and cauterised blood. Two more Lifeguards returned fire, their green and black quartered uniforms splattered with blood. One screamed a warning as a auto-granade launcher thumped cartridges into the room, and blew it apart.

Kai Fu, Tech-master of his Guild, died with shrapnel skewered through his lungs. He blinked the blood out of his eyes, and turned to the vox-terminal. As his life slipped away from him, he saw the words "Message sent" blink on the console, and prayed to the Emperor his soldiers came swiftly...

[Brother Paidar]

I like it. It's is exciting and makes you want to read more -which i am expecting *Shakes Fist*- The only awkward part is when you say "skewered through his lungs." Maybe "embeded in his lungs" would serve better with a little tweaking.

[Wargamer]

Maldar was unsettled.

The Tech-Guild's Astropath had relayed the message before he died, and now Lord Fu's distress call was out there, bouncing around in the stars waiting to be heard by the Imperium...

He had been pacing for almost an hour. He was so close, so close. It wasn't fair that all his efforts-

There was a low, gentle siren. Maldar turned to the main vox-pict screen as if it were dangerous, and cautiously activated it.

There was a monster on the screen. The beast was encased in black armour trimmed with shining gold. His shoulder-plates were the colour of stained blood, and bore the circled skull logo of an Astartes Captain.
Maldar tried not to scream.
"I am Captain Neveth of the Fourth Company of the Angels of Annihilation. To whom am I speaking?" the Marine barked.
"I am Lord Maldar... Hive Master of Pytos.!
"Lord Gathau was Hive Master by Imperial Authority. Where is he?" The words came harsh and fast, as if fired from a Bolter.
"He... passed away suddenly... I am his official replacement."
"Then you know of the tithe?"
Maldar fought the urge to scream, "Of course... yes, the tithe... well, I know of it, but sadly my predecessor's death came upon him suddenly. He did not have time to provide full details..."
The Marine seemed to the scrutinising the words, Maldar swore the warrior was going to see through the lie...
After an eternity, the Astarte spoke again, "Understandable. I will send a representative to remind you of the details."
The screen went blank, and Maldar screamed for his lifeguards. He had a feeling he would need them before long...

** ** *

The Thunderhawk descended lazily. Lieutenant Gaal knew it was an intimidation technique; they wanted the whole Hive to know they were here. They were certainly taking their time; it was possibly the first Space Marine Thunderhawk to wait its turn on an air-taxi.
"How long must we stand here?" Gaal hissed at the landing-aid.
"About six minutes sir... there's some big haulers waiting to lift off, and with the atmoskimmer broken down on Runway Two..."
Six minutes... stood on a cold, wind-swept runway being pelted by a fine sleet watching a craft as aerodynamic as a brick wait to land...
Overall, Gaal mused, it could be worse.

Maldar finished his drink, and resumed pacing.
"How long until they get here?"
The servitor clicked as its bionic midrif rotated, "they will land shortly. It should take then half an hour to arrive here... possibly longer factoring in arterial traffic."
Maldar nodded, and glanced across at Lejille. Why not... he had plenty of time...

** ** *

He stepped out of his changing room, naked save for the emerald-green dressing down. Lejille, with her perfect body, lay waiting, reluctantly, on his bed. He smiled, and approached the firey-eyed young woman, anticipating the feel of her flesh, the smell of her hair, the-

There was a subsonic bang. It made both Maldar and Lejille wince. Maldar turned, and found himself staring at a massive creation of armour. He was an educated man, and knew Tactical Dreadnought Armour when he saw it.
"Lord Maldar... I trust I am not interrupting anything?"
Maldar said nothing, he felt helpless under the paralysing stare of those glowing eyes. He tried to convince himself it was just a backlit helmet eyeslit... and failed; the warrior before him was too horrific.
He turned and let his target-lock gaze focus on Lejille.
"Lady Lejille, second child of Lord Gathau."
She nodded in fear, pulling the silk sheets of the bed around herself.
"Explain to me what has happened here. Specifically, with regards to your father's demise and replacement... and your apparant enslavement."
"What makes you th-"
The target-lock returned to Maldar, "Because I am no fool. Because I have studied, in intimate detail, the social hierarchy of the Lords of this Hive. Because I can read people. I can understand the complex meanings of pupil-dilation, breathing patterns, pulse rate, vocal patterns, muscle-contraction, sweat-produciton, and skin-reaction. In short, Maldar, I can read you more easily than you read a data-slate, and what I read is a tale of insurrection, usurption, and enslavement of the Emperor's servants. Now, Lady Lejille, tell me what I wish to hear..."

Maldar knew he was dead. He listened to Lejille describe how her father had been poisoned, and the brief, hopeless resistance as her family and their Lifeguards resisted... and how Maldar took them as trophies of his conquest.

All the while, the Marine stared at Maldar, crushing him with his gaze. Finally, the Marine nodded, and raised his Combi-Bolter.
"Wait!" Maldar screamed, "This is an internal matter! Production has not faltered, recruitment is unaffected, this is no concern for the Imperium!"
"Wrong," Neveth replied, "Gathau and his family were Ecclesiarch-sanctioned. How you fooled the Arbites, I do not know, but you will not fool me... you have killed and enslaved Imperial authorities, and taken this world. In short, you have committed rebellion against the Imperium, and for that you will pay.

Maldar tried to speak again, but a bolt shell silenced him forever before he could utter a word.

** ** *

By the time Nevereth escorted Lady Lejille to the landing fields, it was a scene of carnage. Maldar's men were dead, slaughtered by close-quarter fire and hand to hand combat. Brother Alcalos, a Mortis Pattern Dreadnought, tracked his two twin-linked Lascannons across the broken ruins of tanks and defence turrets, knowing in advance all were completely destroyed.

At the sight of the Captain, the Marines returned to their gunship. Lejille, wearing a flowing sky-blue robe, shimmered gently as her personal shield deflected the raindrops form her. It gave her a gentle yellow glow.
"How can I thank you, Captain?"
Nevereth paused on the lip of the gunship, "By obeying Imperial Law. By maintaining your production and meeting your tithes. We are not here for thanks, Lady, we are here to enforce Imperial justice. If you are found lacking, you will answer to us, I promise you that."

The ramp swung closed, and Lady Lejille stood alone, shimmering in the rain...

[ninja_boy]

coooooooool
i liked it