The grot squealed when Gideon's plasteel boot connected with its rear, it took flight towards the green mass approaching them. Gideon had bigger problems to worry about now. Firing at a nob in mega armor, he jumped out of the trench. Explosion after explosion lurched the nob inside its armor. Metal was melting off, while the nob returned fire. Big shoota rounds maimed the ground. Mud splashed onto Gideon's legs. Fire from the nob's burna scorched his armor while he drew his chain sword. The ork lunged at him, power fist open. Snapping where Gideon's head was moments before, it caught only air. Lying in the trench looking at the sky as rain pelted his helmet, Gideon wondered how he got there. Ceraenthus had his power sword out, and was emerging from the trench. He didn't Gideon thought to himself. The fight was over before he could stand back up. The ork's powerfist lay in the mud. In the setting sun, the victorious master was stabbing the nob through the chest with a glowing powersword. Gideon lost count of how many times the ork was stabbed before it quit moving. An ork boy charged Gideon, screaming. Blocking its choppa with his chainsword, he fired the plasma pistol into its chest. The head exploded and a hole was blown through the body. Inside his helmet a familiar female voice spoke to him.          "Ammunition depleted, please select another weapon." I've got to talk to Malachai about that. He holstered the pistol, and held the chainsword with both hands. Two more orks charged him. Kicking the first in the face, he sent it tumbling backwards. The second swung its choppa at him. Sparks flew as it collided with his chain sword. Swinging upwards with the axe, it struck only air when Gideon turned sideways. Striking forward, he cut its chest open. Black liquid poured from the wound. Screaming in rage, the alien jumped at Gideon, arms stretched out. Rolling with the ork, he grabbed its shoulders and threw it past him. Landing face first in the mud, its neck snapped audibly. Running his chainsword down it spine just to make sure it was dead, Gideon turned to step out of the trench. Lenant was fighting an ork, using his lasgun like a spear. The Cadian knocked its choppa to the side then stabbed the creature though the throat. It grabbed its neck and walked back wards. Lenant raised his fist and cheered.          "Lenant, lookout." He said it too late. The ork ignored the wound, and grabbed the guardsman's rifle. Swinging it like a club, the man was knocked to the ground. Stabbing the screaming man through the stomach with his own rifle, the muscular alien drove the weapon to its handle. The dying boy's eyes grew wide with fear. Gideon charged the ork, thrusting his chainsword into its skull. The monster's head split in two before it fell over on the ground.  Gideon knelt beside the young man. Blood was pouring from his mouth and nose. Coughing, the boy started to speak. "Please, Give this to my wife, tell her I'm sorry." The shivering hand held out a small wooden box. Gideon reloaded his pistol, then placed the box in an empty flask pocket.          "Don't worry." Gideon said. He looked around. The orks were fleeing under the pressure of bolter fire. The Imperial lines were broken across the battlefield. Again, blood mixed with rain and filled the trenches red a brown-crimson fluid. Smoking craters were occupied by body parts. Orks lay in heaps around dead guardsmen.          "Apothecary!" Gideon screamed across an open channel. "Man down!". Lenant's eyes were starting to close. "I can't help him." The voice next to him was from a white figure in power armor. His backpack full of chemicals, healing to a marine, yet deadly to any human. "You vitals are fine. He's just a guardsman, he will be replaced." Another guardsman ran up and knelt next to Lenant. Putting his finger under the dying man's neck, the medic looked at his watch. Using a stethoscopic scalpel, he cut the vest off. "We need to get the handle and stock off his rifle. His intestines could be tangled in it." The man said. Gideon held the butt of the weapon as he lifted his chainsword to it. Quickly cutting through the rifle, he tossed the worthless parts into the mud."Help me lift him off it." Lifting the boy off the ground, Gideon set the young man gently back on the muddy earth. The medic put a small box with wires on the boy's chest. A small monitor lit up and shot text across the screen. Running his hands down the soldier's face, he closed his eyes. Taking one of the boy's dog tags, he placed it in mouth, and closed it. Another soldier put a rifle in the ground by the Lenant's head, and laid the dead boys helmet on it.          Leaving to tend a soldier who was screaming down field, the medic yelled back at Gideon. "That is what we are here for. To die, and give you the credit." The apothecary watched Gideon stand. Without saying a word he turned to find the Colonel. Walking across the muddy field, he found a small tent with antennas sticking from the roof. Knocking the wooden door open, Gideon stormed in. Placing the small box on a table, He looked at the Colonel.          "Send this with next dispatch. The address is inside the box." Gideon said. Looking inside the box the colonel smirked at him. "Is this joke?" Why would I send a ring to Cadia with military documents?" Asked the colonel. Grabbing the colonel by his collar, Gideon lifted him to eye level. The man's boots dangled two feet from the ground. "Because I told you to." Gideon growled. Dropping the officer on the ground, he turned and found his way back to the trench. Lenant's body was gone, but his flack jacket and helmet were being pelted by the rain. Gideon searched through the jacket until he found the picture. He secured it in his flask pouch. Then crawled back into the trench. He turned on his light amplifier as the last light from the sun faded into the ground.          Ceraenthus plopped down in the ditch beside him. Both marines sat, staring at the mud. Rain began to fall harder. Water now reached Gideon's waist, bouncing as large drops fell into it from the sky. Not long after nightfall, engines could be heard again. Fire flew through the sky with a long shriek. Asmond opened up the squad channel.          "Fighta bommas incoming." Asmond's voice was cut off explosions. Geysers of water stretched from the shaking ground. Gideon could feel himself be thrown into the air. His right boot sparked as he landed. A warning sounded inside his helmet.          "Gyroscopic stabilizer destroyed. All leg functions severely reduced." Great, Gideon thought. A figure was pulling himself against the wall. It was Ceraenthus. He crawled prone to the master. Opening a channel, he looked at the marine. "Sir, are you okay?" Gideon asked. "No, my legs, they're not registering." The voice was filled with pain. His arm was reaching down, feeling around in the water. Gideon followed them. One leg was facing him, the stump ragged with bits of flesh. He couldn't see the other in the water. "Don't worry sir, I will get you out of here." Gideon yelled over the explosions.  A bright light illuminated the trench. When Gideon looked up, he saw an ork death kopta hovering over them. Fire erupted from the craft, and Gideon could see rounds hitting the mud and water around them. He covered the wounded marine with his body, sheltering it from the hail of ork fire. His armor shook as it was struck. Gideon's head lurched forward as an autocannon round bounced off it. His vision blurred, and the world slowly vanished. He felt weightless. Then his stomach twisted. Gideon opened his eyes. Asmond was standing over him. Showing his usual fatherly scowl. "Can you go one mission without us hauling your worthless hide to the drop ship?" Sitting up, Gideon fought the wave of nausea. The craft banked again, adding to the pain in his head. Nethanial was standing over the master, administering the last rights.Gideon felt pain in his leg. All the armor, from the knee down was removed. A smashed ankle was at the end of a black and bruised calf. Slowly, the wound was healing, pulling itself back into the original shape.           "Your lucky it wasn't worse." Asmond pulled his knife out. "I wouldn't mind amputating it." Looking around quickly, Gideon noticed everyone was present.  "No casualties?" He asked. Asmond's scowl disappeared. For the first time Gideon had known him, Asmond actually smiled. Smacking Gideon's shoulder, Asmond spoke.          "From now on, you are not maggots. You are not initiate puke. You are marines. From now until the day you die, you will fight as brothers." Asmond looked around the room. "And to celebrate, our next mission is on Calahara. Which happens to be plagued by Dark Eldar Ravagers." Asmond stopped speaking and stared intently at the wall.          "Pucker up, Its going to be a long ride home." No longer had Asmond finished saying this, than the Thunderhawk started bucking around. Gideon's head screamed inside his skull. What a rush he thought.

CHRONICLES OF AN ANGEL VOLUME II - BLOODRAIN By Brother Gideon

TOMES OF VALOUR

This story has been reproduced with permission from the author. Many terms used in this story (such as Space Marine, Eldar, and others) are Trademarks of Games Workshop, Inc. Their use here is not intended as a challenge to said trademarks.

CONTINUED IN VOLUME III DOGFIGHT

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