The Reckoning

"'So much for your misguided cries for 'freedom'! Your men compromised the defence of an entire sector and forced the Imperium to divert valuable resources! You betrayed the Grey Knights while impeding their sacred charge, and now you defy the will of the Emperor Himself!' 'You speak for the Emperor as much as the lowliest Imperial citizen! You were supposed to protect Humanity from Chaos, and you usurped their position as humanity's greatest tormentor instead! I realised too you late...YOU were the enemy and a perversion of the Emperor's wishes!' - An exchange between Executive Davidius Clarkeson and Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor Markius Zucken."

The Reckoning is a period of great strife in the history of the Emperor's Liberators. Formed by the machinations of Tzeentch and a tragic series of misunderstandings, this war would irreversibly change the fate of the Emperor's Liberators and their home planet, Battlement. This one event would pit the Liberators in an unwinnable war against fate itself, and rocked their values to the core.

The Final Siege of Battlement (Date Unknown.M42)
Tzeentch sends a demonic invasion force to Battlement in order to provoke the arrival of the Grey Knights, who will surely purge the world’s population to prevent the spread of chaos. The source of the invasion comes from the Word Bearers in Death Alley, who summon these demons through mass rituals. Combined raids by the Emperor’s Liberators and Agents of Liberty arrive too late, and an entire demonic army is summoned. These demons are stopped in a small desert town at great cost, but the real damage has yet to be done. The advance was only stopped with the timely arrival of 150 Grey Knights. The forces of Chaos were annihilated from Battlement.

The Grey Knights, in their usual fashion begin purges of the cities and general population of Battlement. Executive Davidius Clarkeson, who was completely unaware of the Grey Knights and their M.O. until now, fires on the Grey Knights and orders his Fireteam to eliminate the presence of the Grey Knights. The two chapters are locked in brutal warfare for months, with the outnumbered Knights inflicting massive casualties before being forced to withdraw. 182 Liberators were killed at a cost of 90 Knights.

Gathering Allies
At about the same time, Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor Markius Zucken sent a strike force of Space Marines, Stormtroopers, and Sisters of Battle to the planet to bring the Emperor's Liberators to heel and purge the planet of heresy. Originally, he had misgivings of the chapter’s holy relic texts. Markius thought the values of such books were either heretical, or on the brink of it. He suggested to Executive Alexis Jonesson that the books be replaced by something more appropriate to the Imperial Creed, although Alexis Jonesson would sternly ask Markius to leave after blatantly disregarding his wishes. However, a daemon of Tzeentch managed to possess him just enough to influence and exaggerate Markius' conscience. It wasn’t enough to control him, just bring him over the edge. Zucken’s existing biases in addition to the demon’s subtle manipulations led him to believe the Liberators were planning to secede or commit an act of treason against the Imperium, requiring immediate intervention. He had also just received a report from the Grey Knights of the Emperor’s Liberators’ ‘treachery’. To many outside observers it would appear that the Emperor's Liberators had indeed committed treason. However, context would be key, and a lack of it was what would help start this conflict to begin with.

Markius Zucken realized he would need allies, ones willing to do whatever meant necessary to stamp out this perceived treachery and heresy. Getting regiments of the Scintillian Fusiliers would be incredibly easy. Imperial Guard regiments were a dime a dozen in the Imperium, and no Colonel could ever refuse the will of an inquisitor from the Inquisition's most feared branch. Markius wouldn't even need to use his authority, as such a regiment was obsessed with pride and glory to begin with. How glorious could an Imperial Guard regiment be if it was the one known for bringing down a traitorous Space Marine chapter like the Emperor's Liberators? The chamber militant of the Ordo Hereticus, the Sisters of Battle, were also easy allies. Their extremely zealous nature and adherence to the Imperial Creed would ensure a sufficient number of Battle Sisters could be recruited for this 'sacred' duty. The Space Marines however, would be more difficult. The Space Marine chapters Markius Zucken wanted for this mission would be more than willing to take up such a task. The Sable Lions, Murdering Sons and Imperious Ravagers were infamous for their willingness to tear apart any civilian population tainted by treachery, and paid no heed to the innocent or guilty as long as the message was clear; that rebellion carried a brutal price. The issue was that as the Imperium burned, Space Marines were in high demand and short supply. Although the volunteers for this mission were more than enthusiastic to prosecute a war against these perceived traitors, they would ultimately be relatively few in number. The Red Hunters were also picked due to their close ties to the Inquisiton. 175 Marines from each chapter would be sent in with their appropriate gear and vehicles.

The real challenge however would be storming the Albus Domus itself. This was the fortress monastery of the Emperor's Liberators and official capital building of Battlement. Its command-oriented cousin, The Hexagon, was also going to be difficult to invade. The Fusiliers were convinced by Markius Zucken to deploy 100 fast attack vehicles, which varied from the Bane Wolf to the Armored Sentinel Squadrons. He would also need a total of 50 Leman Russ tanks and their unique variants, like the Eradicator or Exterminator for example. Zucken would also field 60 artillery pieces of varying types, from the Basilisk, to the Manticore, or the mighty Colossus.

The Battle-Sisters would send in a total of 50 vehicles of varying types, from the Immolator to the fearsome Penitent Engines. The Astartes Chapters would only need to use their drop pods to wreak utter havoc on the planet below, while their own specialized units like Terminators would maul the enemy up close.

Markius Zucken now had his retribution force, whose men and women were eager to bring forth the Emperor's Wrath. They had no idea that it was actually the wrath of a demon-possessed man with a vendetta.

The Reckoning
"I'm going to enjoy hearing you scream in agony as I claw out your intestines and hang you by them!"

"You're just a bastard son of Kurze! Let's see how well you fight when your competition isn't a defenseless civilian..."

- Exchange between Executive Davidius Clarkeson and a Murdering Sons Terminator.

Markius' strike force consisted of an Imperial Navy fleet with 3 regiments of the Scintillian Fusiliers (50,000 total), a large contingent of Battle-Sisters from the Order of the Bloody Rose (1,500), and a combined force of 700 Space Marines from the Red Hunters, Murdering Sons, Imperius Ravagers and Sable Lions. There were also some subordinate Inquisitors and acolytes brought along as part of Markius' personal entourage.

Arrival
"Let these 'freedom fighters' bear witness to the price of rebellion."

- Inquisitor Markius Zucken in orbit over Battlement.

The retribution fleet screamed out of the warp with 4 Battleships; 2 Emperor-class and 2 Retribution-class ships. There were 3 Astartes Strike Cruisers, as well as swarms of escorts. Battlement's Astral Force only had 2 Space Platforms that were decently armed, as well as the Battle Barge 'Lady Liberty' and 2 Strike Cruisers. The Space Battle was quick but brutal. A horde of Attack Craft quickly overtook Battlement's home fleet and inflicted heavy damage. Only the defending spacecraft of the Emperor's Liberators were standing, though bloodied. They now had to face down the massive guns of the Imperial Battleships, which quickly crippled a strike cruiser of the Liberators. They could only inflict minor damage against the Inquisitor's forces in exchange before making a hasty retreat. Two Imperial battleships gave chase while the rest of the fleet stayed in orbit, readying their assault. The skies were lit with the explosions of the space battle for hours, but suddenly stopped to the bewilderment of the civilians on-world. The sensors had detected the engagement, but had no real idea of what was about to happen.

This inquisitorial strike force immediately launched a massed assault onto Battlement's cities which included drop pod assaults and large scale landings. Many of the Drop-pods smashed into the tallest buildings for maximum chaos and destruction. Countless civilians were brutally killed, with the various space marine chapters and mortal soldiers ensuring maximum casualties and terror. Entire sections of the cities were razed with melta and flame. Civilians and the few mortals with enough courage to even show defiance were pulverized, maimed, stacked up multiple feet and burned, flayed, nailed to walls, and otherwise brutalized beyond comprehension. Theses civilians died wondering what had warranted such indiscriminate slaughter. Executive Davidius Clarkeson and Benjamin 'Doc' Carsonius looked to the skies and saw burning metal figures crashing into the ground. Clarkeson rushed his forces to the cities to find absolute pandemonium. The streets were awash in blood and body parts. Benjamin Carsonius struggled in vain to mend the wounded civilians sprawled on the ground, for these were wounds brought by the most deadly weapons of the Imperium meant to kill monstrous beings. Carsonius was filled with despair as he ran into countless instances of civilians dying in his arms. Davidius Clarkeson could only ask Benjamin to save whoever looked like they could recover with proper medical care, while sending the bulk of his force to fight off the rampaging Astartes, Sisters, and Guardsmen. The Liberators scaled buildings that hadn't been toppled yet, braving the hectic CQC to save civilians hiding or trapped inside. Streets and alleys choked with smog from the dust and destroyed buildings were host to running firefights between the Astartes chapters and whatever Agents or Fusiliers had night-vision. Entire sections of cities were destroyed, and it was in this rubble that the Agents of Liberty fought desperately to reclaim against the Scintillans and Sisters of Battle. The Agents and Liberators all suffered horrendous casualties, and could not afford to take them.

Hard Choices
"''ENEMY TROOPS HAVE OVERRUN THE EVAC SITE! (gunshots) WE LOST THE CIVILIANS!(static)"

- Last transmission from an Agents of Liberty officer.

Davidius Clarkeson and Benjamin Carsonius quickly realized that the invaders were here for the long haul, and the cities could not be retaken. Together with commanders from the Agents of Liberty, they devised a general evacuation plan. Large teams of Liberators and Agents would force their way through into various population centers and areas where enemy resistance was weakest, then form a convoy that led the civilians to relative safety. A larger force that contained the bulk of the Liberators and Agents would create a perimeter that held the civilians brought back by these rescue teams. Once the all the civilians in the surrounding areas were evacuated and brought to this perimeter, everyone would be airlifted or ferried out via armored vehicles to another, larger perimeter a few dozen miles from the Albus Domus and The Hexagon. This process would repeat until the cities were as thoroughly vacated as possible, and this mass of civlians would then march back to the safety of the two capital buildings of Battlement and then underground.

In some instances, the initial stages of the evacuations went well. Resistance was relatively light, and the evacuations proceeded smoothly. But it wouldn't be an Inquisitorial assault if the attackers were weak. In an overwhelming majority of areas, the Liberators and Agents were only able to push through into the populated areas after extraordinarily violent engagements. Benjamin Carsonius had to personally lead many of these assaults into the pockets of civilians, and Infiltrators from the Agents of Liberty were struggling to find blind spots they could sneak into. Juggernauts from the Agents had to combine their fire if they wanted to punch through. These lengthy engagements severely reduced the amount of time the civilians had to escape before the Murdering Sons and their bloodthirsty allies reached them. More often than not, the rescue forces were greeted with mangled corpses and Astartes in the middle of their butchery rather than panicked but grateful civilians. Mechanics from the Agents of Liberty would erect temporary defenses around these evacuation zones, and Benjamin Carsonius would lend his medical expertise to many people in these pockets. Eventually, enough civilians were evacuated to the initial perimeter where they'd await another withdrawal to safety. This would repeat for days across the various cities.

The Liberators eventually began a long, fighting retreat through each of Battlement's cities. Untold millions of panicked civilians stampeding in their attempts to escape are just behind these astartes and Agents of Liberty. Thunderhawks and other aircraft whisked away the women, children and wounded. Every other civilian was brought to the second defensive line through different vehicles. They were hounded the entire way through enemy airstrikes and orbital bombardments. A rapidly moving armored chase materialized in the plains surrounding the capital buildings. The infantry were fighting to exhaustion trying to run from the pursuing retribution force while holding them back in temporary defensive perimeters. Though the Liberators and Agents of Liberty fought their way to the capital buildings, the price was unimaginable. 82 Liberators and a few thousand Agents were killed as they bought time for the civilians. But they couldn't buy nearly enough time for said civilians. Only 40% of the 1.7 billion civilians were escorted to safety. Over the course of less than a week, countless people were violently snuffed from existence. The following weeks would only get worse, as a raging Davidius Clarkeson demanded an immediate explanation from the Inquisitor.

Ultimatum
"What the hell are you talking about?! I never ordered my men to overthrow any Imperial government. Your 'Grey Knights' fired upon my people and the ones protecting them. I was damn well within my rights to respond the way I did!"

"FOR GOD EMPEROR'S SAKE! It was YOUR 'holy' books that inspired your men to overthrow Submission's government to begin with! A chapter like yours can't even be trusted to know of the Grey Knights' existence or their sacred duties if you're going to run around preaching and fighting for dangerous values. I offered your friend Executive Jonesson an out. Your men have forced my hand. You will submit to my authority, or suffer the consequences!"

- Executive Davidius Clarkeson and Inquisitor Markius Zucken in a heated exchange.

The Inquisitor demanded that the chapter go on a 100 year penitent crusade, and forsake the values of 984.M2, Celsius 232.778, and Independence: 776.M2 for Inquisition and Ecclesiarchy-approved replacements. Markius explained that the Emperor's Liberators had forced his hand after the events on Submission, as well as the chapter engaging the Grey Knights. It was the only way to prevent total annihilation and a death unbecoming of an Astartes. This offer was at first falsely entertained, with Davidius Clarkeson attempting negotiations for an hour. This was to buy time to fortify both buildings. A few warning shots from Imperial artillery were then fired at the capital buildings to show that the Inquisition meant business. The Inquisitor felt like he was being played. At that, the offer was angrily refused and punctuated by vile curses. Clarkeson had bought his men a full day of fortification. The time for reinforcement and fortification was over. Enraged at this perceived treachery, Markius Zucken ordered his forces to ransack the HQ buildings, burn them to the ground, and then the planet. After a brief bombardment the Inquisitor's forces advanced into the Albus Domus and The Hexagon itself. They were immediately barraged with heavy bolter turrets, stubbers, minefields, and well-entrenched men and women filled to the brim with vengeance. Various cannons would exact a heavy toll on the attackers. The defenders were strengthened not just with their weaponry and positions, but the rage at how their fellow civilians were slaughtered. They were bolstered and burdened by the knowledge of what would happen to their home if they lost. Near-suicidal acts of heroism closed many breaches in the first hours of the assault and repelled many waves of enemies. As impressive as the outer defenses were, the few people manning them could never hold against the massive bombardments and airstrikes that followed. Terminators and various Imperial tanks pressed the advantage and forced the split-up defenders inside their capital buildings in a matter of 3 days. Not since the siege by the Iron Warriors and Word Bearers had these capital buildings been breached. The defenders were now cut off from each other.

Clash of Wills
"To anyone on this net, be advised: we have a Shattered Nest. I repeat, we have a Shattered Nest! Send whatever you got!"

"... Shattered Nest received and authenticated, we'll be there as soon as we can. May the God Emperor help us all..."

- Executive Davidius Clarkeson calls for reinforcements to Executive Alexis Jonesson.

Clarkeson sent a desperate vox-message to Executives Alexis Jonesson and Tedium Nugentus of the current situation. Their 1300 marines would surely turn the tide, but only if they could arrive in time. It would take 2 weeks, time the defenders might not have. Davidius Clarkeson had to make it work, and had every soldier under his command hunker down and prepare for the worst. The Inquisitor’s forces poured into both buildings with pure fury in their veins, killing and burning everything in the way. With their backs to the walls, the Agents and Liberators fought back with all their might. Blood and gore would fill the hallways and stain the walls. Burning metal was strewn everywhere. A week into the siege, The Hexagon fell. The Sable Lions led the push inside, smashing their way through every corridor. The Imperious Ravagers used their specialized Lancearii to methodically push the defenders into a corner, where they were subsequently massacred. These hapless defenders were surrounded by walls of steel and marble walls of their own making decades ago. Despite the heavy resistance, these battle-hardened Space Marines hoisted their banners over The Hexagon. It would be bombed heavily, but burning it to the ground would happen once all resistance had ceased. Only 10 Liberators and 200 Agents escaped and fled to the Albus Domus. The dead defenders were hung up on the walls and nailed to them, with their blood being used to paint messages of doom.

Half of the Terminators from the attacking chapters and elite Sisters of Battle led the final push against Davidius Clarkeson’s pocket of resistance in the ‘Library of Liberty’, which held the books the Inquisitor deemed heretical. The other half pushed towards the plasma generators. These were the only two rooms left in the Albus Domus still out of the Inquisitor’s hands, and there were only 160 Liberators and 1000 Agents left to defend them against 600 Astartes, 1200 Sisters, and 30,000 Guardsmen. Inquisitor Zucken ordered much of his forces to assault against the library, where Executive Clarkeson was sure to be defending. Indeed, Clarkeson alone kept the defense alive with his mastery of his jump pack and powerfist. 

The plasma generators were fiercely defended as well, with the narrow corridors proving to be horrifying killzones with booby traps. The force, made up of the bulk of the Imperial Guard and with a smaller concentration of astartes and Sisters, got bogged down after taking over the first generator. Multiple pushes were made to try and capture the remaining four generators, but were repulsed in the frenetic CQC that dominated the room. Any pushes were repulsed by Benjamin Carsonius himself, as he blasted and slashed his way to defenders that needed his help. Especially ambitious and elite Sisters of Battle constantly sought to bring Carsonius low, escorted by the occasional blood-soaked terminator or Inquisitor subordinate to Markius Zucken. The defenders used various booby-traps to help stop the advance through the generators. One major death trap was the manipulation of the plasma generators to vent the plasma in a certain direction to horrendous effect. Traps like these and furious resistance ensured that the line had been held in this section of the Albus Domus. If this attack had succeeded, the generators could be overloaded and cripple or outright destroy the Albus Domus entirely.

Quest For Knowledge
"The full extent of their treachery will be discovered at long last."

- Inquisitor Markius Zucken ordering his forces into Floor Zero in the Albus Domus.

While Executive Davidius Clarkeson and his forces struggled to keep the hordes of Scintillians, Sisters, and Space Marines from burning down the Albus Domus entirely, Markius Zucken had other ideas. He had long been a vocal detractor of the Emperor's Liberators and suspected the chapter had something to hide. Why else was access to the Albus Domus so restricted in certain areas? Why else did only certain members of the chapter truly know what was inside? As an Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus first and foremost, he was charged with rooting out even the most well-hidden heresy. And root it out he would do.

Zucken brought with him a personal detachment of Red Hunters, Storm Troopers, Sisters of Battle, and a large squad of Scintillian Fusiliers as his entourage. These soldiers would march with Markius Zucken as he forced his way into 'Floor Zero' and uncovered its secrets. Zucken used his newly acquired psychic powers (courtesy of the Tzeentchian demon, unbeknownst to Zucken) to detect a secret compartment and dozens of souls below. These souls were none other than President Phillip Pierre, 20 Agents of Liberty 'Black Ops' and 'Juggernauts', and dozens of Secretum Officii agents guarding the entire floor. Using melta charges he managed to blast his way into the floor and his force began their purge of the area.

The resistance was surprisingly fierce. The equipment and tenacity the defenders had made them have the combat capability of Space Marine scouts and Storm Troopers. Their president indeed was right behind them, as well as highly classified information they were sworn to protect. The confined hallways quickly became clogged with smoke and dead bodies as time went on. The Digital Weapons and heavy weaponry employed by the defenders allowed for punishing firepower and decisive firing angles. The Secretum Officii agents only had to expose parts of their heads and their hands as their Digital Weapons warded off many foes. Cracks, crevices, rubble, and simple geometry were their greatest allies. The raw firepower and protection afforded to the Juggernauts kept entire lanes suppressed, while the Black Ops quickly plugged gaps in defenses and used their tactical acumen to deadly effect. However, the Inquisitor and his few power armored allies proved to be the deciding factor as they trudged ever onwards through Floor Zero. The Red Hunters used their cutting edge gear to wipe out entire defenses, while the Sisters simply burned and blasted their way through. They were often the only ones who could keep the assault from collapsing entirely.

Eventually, there was only one room left. A few men of the Secretum Officii presided over President Phillip Pierre. They had exhausted most of their ammunition and were down to krak and frag grenades. After managing to kill a few Sisters of Battle and an encroaching squad of Storm Troopers, all their ammo was gone. They surrounded their President, as a grim resignation took hold of their minds. The secret command center was suddenly breached with a Melta Bomb, with the Sisters of Battle and Red Hunters taking point. The Secretum Officii agents didn't stand a chance. President Phillip Pierre was quickly subdued and interrogated by the Inquisitor. The rooms were protected by walls thick enough to protect against melta charges, and psychically cutting through them would take time. He demanded the codes to unlock the rooms, and his interrogation tactics would be brutal and exacting...

Defense of the Library
"Coward, heretics, traitors all! You shall meet your end in all haste, you scourge! Pray that the Emperor shows you mercy, for I will not! By the Emperor's beneficient will, I shall smite you and your heretical faith off the face of this Imperium, and-"

"Are you gonna kill me or lecture me?"

- Executive Davidius Clarkeson responds to a challenge by Legatine Advance Dominica Petra.

At the same time this attack below him had taken place, Executive Davidius Clarkeson's forces were now surrounded by a large force made up of mostly Astartes and Sisters of Battle. Clarkeson had spent a few minutes trying to tend to the wounded inside the library itself, desperate to save men and women who had fought alongside him since the Revolution Against the Tau years before. He also realized however that the people fighting right now needed him now more than ever, and even the wounded patients had told him that much. After collecting himself, Clarkeson stepped out of the library and into the main room. Greeted by a hail of fire from the attackers, Clarkeson wasted no time as he rallied he defenders. Two Battle Sisters charged at him with bolters firing and power swords in hand, only to be melted away by Clarkeson's Combi-Melta 'Fire and Fury'. A Murdering Son swung at Clarkeson with his lightning claw, but the blow was turned away and reciprocated with a powerfist and bolt shell to the helmet. A Lancearii lunged at Davidius with his customized power-spear, stabbing an area below his shoulder and peppering the wounded Liberator with bolt shells. Using all his strength, Clarkeson forced the shield back and mortally wounded the attacker with his meltagun before decapitating him with his shield. Various power-armored foes would continue their assault, only to be pushed back by the well-timed intervention of Clarkeson's Vanguards and his own strength.

Legatine Advance Dominica Petra was personally leading her forces when she encountered Clarkeson, who had just finished gunning down two Sisters in front of her. She called out a challenge to Clarkeson and branded him a heretic, determined to end this perceived traitor to the Imperium here and now. With her plasma pistol and power sword in hand, she immediately charged at Clarkeson and sent him sprawling with punishing blows from the sword. She continued swinging furiously at Clarkeson, who did all he could to dodge her blows. One slash had cut his arm, but the damage wasn't severe and Clarkeson sent her reeling with multiple heavy blows from his powerfist. Clarkeson was blown back multiple feet from Dominica's plasma blast, but he managed to stabilize himself with his jump pack and slam into her again with another blow from his fist. Dominica was peppered with bolt shells to prevent her from firing another plasma shot, as Clarkeson's armor was heavily damaged. Dominica narrowly dodged a melta blast that incinerated most of her helmet, and stabbed Clarkeson in his stomach. But Clarkeson ensured the Sister could not remove the blade, and showered her with bolter fire before smashing in her skull with his powerfist at maximum power. Dominica tried to stumble to her feet, but she was too dazed to present any more of a challenge. Clarkeson executed her with a shot to her temple.

The Sisters and attacking Astartes were enraged and thrown into a sort of unnatural fury that pushed the defenders further back. Their makeshift barricades were now within just a stone's throw within the Library of Liberty. The attackers quickly breached the great steel doors guarding the library, and had finally cornered the defenders. Through the library had multiple floors and balconies, there was no escaping it. While every bookshelf was protected with small stasis and refractor fields, they'd be easy prey for the vengeful attackers if the defenders fell. It was in this library that the men and women of Battlement would make their final stand.

Cleansing the Exterior
While the Emperor's Liberators and Agents of Liberty moved to relieve their beleaguered kin on the ground, a Freeblade Knight named Libertatum Primus would lead a strike force of his own. Even if the Liberators and Agents were successful in ousting their gore-stained assailants from the Albus Domus and Hexagon, it would mean nothing if the blockade endured. It fell to Libertatum Primus and his men to make sure the enemy couldn't keep their stranglehold. With that, Primus led his units forward once they were ferried onto Battlement. The Emperor's Liberators and Agents of Liberty would contribute 2 Repulsor tanks, 15 Predators, and 50 Leman Russ tanks since rest of their vehicles were delayed by the warp and expected to arrive 2 weeks later. Agents of Liberty Juggernauts with rocket launchers would also join in. The strike force landed a few miles behind the enemy lines to ensure complete surprise, and after a few minutes they reached the blockading force. Libertatum Primus opened with a massive volley from his missile launcher and annihilated half a dozen tanks. While Primus electrocuted hordes of infantry with his Lightning Cannon, the Repulsors and Predators would destroy even more formations of infantry. Every vehicle fired while on the move, prioritizing tanks and artillery pieces.

The enemy's return fire was fierce, as 5 Predators and half the Leman Russ tanks deployed would be destroyed by enemy fire. A Repulsor was heavily damaged and had to disengage while Primus took a tank shell to his leg, slowing him down. Primus crushed numerous Sentinel walkers like they were cans of beer with his Graviton Gun before slicing two more in half with his lightning claws. While the enemy tanks were mostly combat ineffective after 3 grueling hours, the Sororitas Rhinos and Penitent Engines still had to be destroyed. Many Agents of Liberty Juggernauts deployed with the armored vehicles were quickly incinerated or pulverized thanks to the vast array of flamer weaponry the Sister possessed. Libertatum Primus had some damage to his Knight, and less than half of his strike force remained.

Undeterred, Primus would take on two Penitent Engines as they lunged with their Chainfists. One of them was bisected with a well placed slash from Primus' lightning claw, but the other would tear away part of his shoulder and destroy his missile launcher. Primus in turn sliced away the second engine's arm before crushing the rest of it with a Graviton Gun blast. Unfortunately, a Rhino with a multi melta blasted away Primus' weaker leg and left the Freeblade on his back. He could only fire at whatever tank rolled directly in front him to deliver a killing blow. The remaining Agents of Liberty Juggernauts rushed to his side with miniguns and quad barreled rocket launchers in hand. That Knight was the best chance to ensure Battlement's finest could continue fighting for the Imperium's freedom, and no horde of vengeful Sororitas or misguided guardsmen would change that.

The other Penitent Engines and Rhinos engaged the remaining strike force, trading numerous vehicles as they did so. A vast armored battle raged in the North and South lawns of the Albus Domus, with neither side yielding but unable to advance.

Reinforcements
"It's even worse than I imagined. What has the Inquisition done?..."

- Ronald Raegus witnesses the battered Hexagon and the Albus Domus.

Out in space, Alexis Jonesson and Tedium Nugentus emerged from the warp with the entire chapter fleet and quickly broke the Inquisitor’s blockade through daring boarding actions and lightning strikes. There was little time to waste, as the Liberators' fleet literally rammed their way through the Inquisitorial blockade. The boarding astartes went for the weapons bays and bridges of the blockading ships in order to disable them as quickly as possible. Being astartes, these boarding actions were quickly successful. The only ones on the ships were the mortal crew and serfs of the attacking retribution fleet, who were taken and held for the duration of the conflict by the Agents. The remaining Liberators and Agents poured onto the surface via drop pod or Thunderhawk directly to The Hexagon and Albus Domus. The best soldiers, including Executive Alexis Jonesson, Michael Roweson, and a squad of Vanguards, were directly teleported to Floor Zero. It took 12 hours for one half of the assaulting forces to retake The Hexagon. The other half immediately rushed into the Albus Domus, hoping they weren't too late. The combined 1300 marines and 30,000 Agents were in a race against time.

Alexis Jonesson and his men quickly ran into the Inquisitor's forces on Floor Zero. They found the floor charred with equally brutalized and maimed bodies. Their thermal vision and memory of the floor layout guided their way through until they ran into the underground command bunker itself, as well as the enemy that was occupying it. A massive firefight began which interrupted Markius Zucken's interrogation against President Phillip Pierre in the nick of time. The battery of physical and psychic torture was starting to become too much for Pierre to handle alone.

The veterans and Vanguards were told to engage the Inquisitor's retinue. The elite of the Emperor's Liberators would find an equal on the field. Plasma, melta, and bolt shell rammed into unlucky souls, with the uncaring projectiles inflicting grievous (and often fatal) wounds. As the two forces fought it out, Alexis Jonesson faced his nemesis, Markius Zucken. The two men fought like rabid dogs. All their existing hatred for each other would be put behind every blow. Earth shattering punches were thrown that left the two men bloodied. Jonesson eventually sent a volley of flame and bolter fire against the Inquisitor, which briefly melted away his face. He stared bewildered as the demon inside the Inquisitor had been revealed. Jonesson shouted at the two teams fighting one another at his discovery, but the Inquisitor sent a psychic blast that stunned everyone in the room.

Upstairs, Davidius Clarkeson lay on the floor in a pool of blood, clutching his wounds. Though multiple terminators from the Imperius Ravagers, Red Hunters, Murdering Sons and Sable Lions were dead, there were simply too many for Clarkeson to handle alone. His forces were now trapped in the Library of Liberty keeping their very history and lore from going up in flames, but were running low on defenders. He held his Combi-Melta in one hand, loading his last melta canister. A terminator from the Murdering Sons approached him with lightning claws in full display. Before the two could fight, the Terminator was shot to pieces from an assault cannon. Executive Tedium Nugentus had arrived with reinforcements! The sudden flanking attack had severely crippled the assault and saved the Library. The Inquisitorial force had to fall back towards the doors of the Albus Domus, but downstairs the true battle still raged.

The Liberators got up first and pointed their guns at their enemies. All the Inquisitor's forces could do was stare in shock at how they were manipulated. The Inquisitor used various psychic attacks that mauled Jonesson and his very soul. He was going to finish off Jonesson as he began to choke the Reclusiarch, but Jonesson swung his crozius into the Inquisitor's hand and chopped it off before slamming it into the Inquisitor's head. The hand was quickly regrown thanks to the demon, and it took full control of Markius before it unleashed his power. Chaotic flame from the demons filled the room as the occupants quickly evacuated. Harrison 'The Magician' Houdinium knew those flames anywhere, as the head librarian of the chapter. He rushed downstairs and used his own psychic might to douse the flames before sending a psychic lance at the demon. The demon howled in pain as he retaliated with his own powers. The distraction was all Jonesson needed however, as he read sacred lines from the Lectitio Divinitatus and bashed the demon with his Crozius.

Although grievously wounded himself, the demon still had fight left in him. Houdinium probed the demon's soul and soon discovered its true name. He recited the demon's true name and in mere seconds the demon was no more. The Inquisitor was now completely devoid of strength and marked with bone-deep wounds. The Inquisitor was back to his true self and the Inquisitorial force requested that Jonesson show restraint. But to Jonesson, the Inquisitor's true self was pure evil and a representation of the rot that currently plagued the Imperium. He used his combi-flamer and burned the Inquisitor to death. As Jonesson and his forces led the Inquisitor's forces out of the Albus Domus, the defenders quickly relieved the men holding the Plasma Generators. The Inquisitorial Forces sent to Battlement never managed to uncover the tightly sealed rooms on Floor Zero, for President Phillip Pierre had resisted interrogation long enough to be rescued. The secrets of the Albus Domus, for now, were safe.

With their leader dead and the enemy closing on all sides, the Inquisitorial force fled Battlement. Out of the entire Inquisitorial strike force, 43% of them would not survive. The Emperor’s Liberators let them escape with what’s left of their fleet and gene-seed, not wanting to make the situation even worse. However, they would claim salvage rights to all the material, armor, and weapons left behind. Even the Terminator suits. They felt they had earned that much. Only 700 Liberators and 40,000 Agents of Liberty survived the assault. Battlement would survive as well, though it and its people were scarred beyond mortal comprehension. These people were what a bloodied and battered President Phillip Pierre would have to address and console.

It would be the least of the chapter’s problems...