The Spike
The Spike was the gigantic mobile base commanded by the Chaos warlord known as Heritor Asphodel on the planet Verghast against the forces of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade in the Siege of Vervunhive.[1b]
Contents
Overview
The Spike was pyramidal in shape, with a main structure half a kilometre in height supported by multiple caterpillar track sections. Its primary armaments were starship-grade plasma weapons with a range of at least fifteen kilometres,[1b] taking eight minutes to recharge after firing,[1c] but it was also studded by gunnery platforms and rocket emplacements. However, the vehicle also represented a moral threat, as it was the source of Chaos-tainted vox-transmissions that were broadcast to all of the Heritor's soldiers, and it was covered in heretical runes.[1b]
The Heritor commanded the vehicle personally from a central bridge. In addition to the Zoican soldiery on board, the bridge was protected by members of Asphodel's elite bodyguard, the Darkwatch.[1d]
History
In the course of the Sabbat Crusade, the Heritor corrupted the populace of the Verghastite hive Ferrozoica and had them mobilise and attack the city of Vervunhive.[1a] The vehicle was first seen active by the Imperial defenders of Vervunhive's Hass West Fort on the 36th day of the Siege. About a minute later, the Fort had been obliterated and its garrison was wiped out by a single plasma blast. Afterwards the vehicle continued on towards the centre of the hive.[1b]
The garrison members' deaths were not entirely in vain, however, as their final reports were transmitted to the Imperial Command Centre in Vervunhive's Main Spine. On receiving the reports, Intendant Banefail of the Administratum referred to the vehicle as "...a bloody great spike..." and thus the marker code used to denote the vehicle on the hololithic displays became "spike".[1b]
On assessing the situation, the leader of the Imperial defence of Vervunhive, Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt, hatched a desperate plan. He personally selected 30 of his men, the so-called Gaunt's Ghosts, to take part in a daring mission to infiltrate the Spike and assassinate the Heritor. The Ghosts were guided through the ruins of the city by a Scratch Company led by the ex-miner Gol Kolea and accompanied by a unit of Royal Volpone Guardsmen led by Colonel Gilbear.[1c]
Successfully boarding the Spike, the Guard force managed to storm the bridge and defeat the Darkwatchers stationed there, before Gaunt disabled the vehicle using the Amulet of Heironymo Sondar.[1c][1d] At this, the Heritor himself entered the fray, killing several Guardsmen and severely wounding Gaunt before the Colonel-Commissar ran the warlord through with his powersword.[1d] This effectively ended the Siege of Vervunhive and allowed the Imperials to rally and cast the invading Zoicans from the city. Some time later, the Spike and the Heritor's corpse were both ritually destroyed by Space Marines of the Imperial Fists Chapter.[1e]
