Three guardsmen stood infront of a bunker firing their lasguns. The man farthest left was struck in the chest and his suit caught fire. Looking to his right and left, Gideon realised he had pulled ahead of his group. Looking forward again, he noticed the guardsmen were only about fifty yards away. Dropping his speed, Gideon tried to reverse direction and slow himself. He struck the first man in the chest. Crimson filled his vision and he crashed to the ground. Black ground swirled around him and mixed with the red. He put his foot down and dug into the soft earth. Sliding to a stop, he stood and looked down at the guardsman. The arms were missing, the flesh was cracking and sizzling while it cooked. Gideon blinked. It had happened fast, too fast. "Gideon, you waiting for an invitation, get to the powerplant now!" Asmond yelled over the radio. "Sir, yes sir." Gideon yelled back. Igniting his engines, the initiate took flight towards the powerplant. He could already see the squad entering the large structure. It was the only building above ground, that he could see at least. Landing like a feather, Gideon cut his pack and ran through the large door that had been blown of its hinges. It was easy to track down his comrades due to the guardsmen bodies that occupied the hallway. "Asmond I am inside the building, do you read?" Gideon asked over the radio. "Gideon, get your butt to the elevator. We are going headed down to the basement level. Meet us there." The sergeant responded before cutting the channel. Gideon slid to a stop near a set of double doors. A pressure plate on the floor was used to activate them. He stood on the plate and watched the doors slide open. Before him lay a hallway occupied by the bodies of dead guardsmen. Blood and limbs dotted the hardcrete floor. Following the trail of carnage, Gideon eventually made his way to the elevator. He pushed the down button and waited. With a loud charm, the silver double doors opened and Gideon entered it. An access panel held various buttons, all glowing yellow with a symbol on them. He pushed the lowest circle with an armored finger and waited. The large box he stood in hummed a low vibrating tune. Charming again, the doors slid open. His squad was planting melta-bombs on power turbines. "Were done here, pull out." Asmond yelled. The marines turned and started towards the lift. "You missed the fun Gid." Michael said. Gideon glared at him through his eye lenses. "I want three at a time, when you get topside, wait for the rest of us." Asmond ordered. Gideon was standing with his squad outside the powerplant. Two of the suns that cooked this land had already set. The third that remaind followed closely. "There are only five hours in a day here. That is why the surface isn't molten lava." Their sergeant explained. The ground shook, and roared. Gideon fell to one knee as debris bounced from his armor. "Oh  yeah!" Terphyli cheered. Three Dark Angel Landraiders broke through the defensive wall, followed by a wave of tacticle marines. The boarding ramps on the Land Raiders dropped and large figures donning tacticle dreadnought armor. The army froze in mid stride. Engines rumbled and marines scanned the terrain looking for enemy targets. Auspex marines were studying their equipment, tapping them on the side. With a burst of speed, a single dreadnought twisted it torso and fired its twin lascannons at a hardcrete bunker door. Moments after the bolts left its barrel, a chaos landraider burst through the plasteel barrier. Chaos marines burst from various structures, and emerged atop them. "Your wrong Mike, I think the fun has just started." Gideon said grim tone.

OUTSIDE INFLUENCE VOLUME I 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 II "OF ANGELS AND WOLVES"

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