The awkward silence became a swirling mist of death. Smoke from gunfire and the burning fields mixed with dust to create a choking white fog. The simultaneous of roar cannons was deafening. Asmond's voice cracked a mental whip inside his head, reminding him of where he was. "Sergai, what's our status?" their sergeant asked in a calm tone. "They are coming from the maintenance and auxiliary buildings sir," Sergai answered. "Damn, it's a trap. Squad, move to oh-five-oh feet, let's see if we can get a better view from above," Asmond said while jumping into the air. The squad followed their sergeant above the suffocating cloud and hovered in place. "Sir, the Chaos forces are flanking the Land Raiders," Michael said, pointing towards a pair of lumbering vehicles. Two dreadnoughts were approaching from the south and a twisted annihilator from the north. Dust and smoke hid them from the infantry's scanning eyes. "We will take out the dreadnoughts. Gideon and Havaus, train your fire on the first dreadnought. The rest of you prepare melta-bombs," ordered Asmond. While the squad spiraled down towards the two possessed vehicles, Gideon trained his pistol the first and squeezed the trigger. Three bolts of plasma slammed into the top of the armored goliath. Molten adamantium poured from red scars as the energy impacted the vehicle. Three more bolts struck out and the dreadnought stopped firing towards the Land Raider to face its assailants. Electricity surged and crackled around the Dreadnought's power fist. The lascannons on its other arm flashed brightly. Green beams shot past Michael, causing his armor to boil and scar. An explosion rocked the group and Gideon glanced back. One of their number had been hit center mass by the weapon and his jump pack burst. Another volley of plasma shredded through the dreadnought's power fist and destroyed the monster's right leg in a brilliant flash of white and blue. Now the squad was upon it. Tyrpheli and Michael placed one bomb each on the sarcophagus before jumping off. Moments after they cleared the adamantium shell, the dreadnought disappeared into a flash of white and red. Asmond grunted and flew out of control as a whirring piece of shrapnel struck him on the chest. The squad followed him down and watched as he hit the ground hard. Gideon could hear the second dreadnought moving faster while Asmond struggled to rise. Autocannon rounds snapped by the group and melted back into the smoke. Their sergeant began coughing and pulled himself onto his hands and knees. Soon Gideon could see the lightning claw sizzle and crackle with power. It was still hazy through the smoke, but he was sure the dreadnought would be able to see them just as well as they saw it. Autocannon rounds began ringing off their armor. A marine next to Gideon fell, clutching his side and screaming in pain. Havaus began firing at the dreadnought, watching small glowing sections appear where he hit. Gideon aimed his own pistol and squeezed the trigger several times. Finally the weapon clicked on empty, and he quickly unscrewed the hydrogen flask. The drained battery thumped down in the dirt as Gideon screwed on a fresh magazine. "Sir, can you walk?" asked Sergai. "Yeah, I'm fine," groaned Asmond as he strained to stand upright. The Chaos Dreadnought was close now, close enough that Gideon could make out the writing on the sarcophagus. It shrugged off all the firepower the marines had. Asmond screamed and charged it while drawing his power sword. His squad followed closely, still firing madly at the frenzied vehicle. Its lightning claw made a sweeping arc through the group. A trail of energy follows it, crackling and popping. Asmond ducked beneath it, rolling between the goliath's legs. Michael was knocked over by the autocannon barrels as he tried to place a melta-bomb. Screams echoed through Gideon's head again. Tyrpheli fell to the ground clutching the stump where his leg once was. The Chaos Dreadnought heard rumbling from behind, and swiveled around. A Dark Angel Dreadnought had charged it from behind and was already swinging its massive powerfist. The chaos vehicle dodged the first strike, but a chunk was taken from its lightning claw. "Hit it from behind!" the sergeant growled. He leaped into the air and brought his sword down with a massive blow. Michael ran his sword up the side of the engine and cut one of the power cables. With a bellowing roar, the Dark Angel dreadnought slammed its power fist into the traitor vehicle and pulled the warped marine from his sarcophagus. The corrupt traitor screamed until the power fist clamped shut, muffling the noise. A sound like twigs cracking emanated from the body and it relaxed. Red and black ooze dripped from the husk as the dreadnought tossed it away. Night had almost come and a soft breeze was pushing the smoke away from the battlefield. In the setting sun, Gideon could see the battlefield. Corpses lay strewn across the field. Marines were being pulled up by apothecaries to be loaded onto thunder hawk gun ships. Others received a bolt in the forehead to ease their suffering. Asmond picked up Tyrpheli and turned to the dreadnought. "Thank you brother," said Asmond. The dreadnought spoke in a deep grinding tone, "Be careful little brother. You may be alone next time." Gideon removed his helmet and took a deep breath. The planet had cooled down immensely and he welcomed to soft breezes. The great floodlights mounted on the land raiders illuminated the battlefield while the marines continued clean up. A chaplain was holding a figure, which was struggling against his captor. Even in the weak light, Gideon could tell it was a chaos marine. The traitor hit the chaplain with the back of his head. Gideon heard a crunch and the chaplain relaxed his grip. The traitor pulled away and sprinted towards freedom. Gideon fired up his jump pack and flew diagonally to the escapee. He could hear Asmond shout something, but had already grabbed the other marine and threw him to the ground. A knife came out and flashed in his face. Blood trickled from Gideon's forehead as he drew his chainsword. He was prepared to strike when someone grabbed him from behind. "We need him alive you fool," Asmond said into his ear. Several more marines surrounded the traitor and held him down. Gideon was going to say something when the chaplain approached them. He was carrying a curved blade that shimmered as the light touched it, and cast a rainbow of colors. "I will take it from here," The chaplain said in a low voice. Approaching thunderhawks partially drown out the screaming from the Chaos marine. Gideon clenched his teeth in anger while he retrieved his helmet. "We are heading back to the rock. Funeral rights will be at 0500 tomorrow," Asmond said while walking to one of the waiting thunderhawks. Back on the rock, Gideon could still feel the anger flowing through him. Prayers had ended by the time they had returned. It would be some time before they saw battle again. Asmond's armor had been damaged, and Tyrpheli would need a bionic leg to continue fighting. The bed felt cold as he lay on it. Sergai was already asleep and the sound of his breath, mixed with the air flowing through the rock, played gently in the background. Gideon closed his eyes and touched the scar on his head. Why did they need the traitor alive? "Sir, why do we need him alive? We could kill him right here," Daelus asked. "Do not question the Inner Circle!" said Gideon with a harsh tone. "It is not your place." "Your right sir, its not," said Daelus, a little taken back. "Why are you so harsh on him? Remember the first time you asked that question?" |
OUTSIDE INFLUENCE VOLUME II - OF ANGELS & WOLVES 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. |
