The twin plasma-cannons of the two supporting squads silenced the aliens' heavy weapons. Squad Jeremiah quickly reached the enemies front lines. The outnumbered marines quickly gained the advantage and began butchering the eldar. The twin Razorbacks, now bereft of their deadly cargo, concentrated their fire on the grotesques ahead. Slowly but surely, the twisted creations were felled by the gunners' steady fire. The Abed-nego's missile launchers roared to life as it custodians began to drop ordnance on the advancing monstrosities. Thou shall break them with a rod of iron, Hezekiah smiled with grim satisfaction as Jeremiah's squad advanced through the enemies positions. With a thought he contacted the Ravenwing escort and ordered the pilot to flank the enemy. He would cut off the ambushers and crush them in the name of He Who Rules on Terra. A sleek anti-grav transport appeared from the other side of the swirling melee. Packed with more warriors, it zoomed forward as it attempted to bring more reinforcements into the fray. Hezekiah directed squad Mishael's Razorback to ignore the rapidly decreasing grotesques ahead and to halt the skimmer's rapid advance. The transport's gunner, Brother Meshach, fired a beam of concentrated energy and struck the side of enemy transport. The beam effortlessly penetrated the alien construct's armor plating. The beam harmlessly exited it other side of the enemy craft and it continued forward unabated. The Raider slowed as its own gunner brought the craft's dark matter weapon to bear. His dark lance melted the forward half of the Razorback's turret. Brother Meshach was showered with molten metal and slumped forward. Squad Mishael halted their advance and began to focus its fire on the skimmer. Brother Shammah took careful aim with his plasma cannon. A torrent of super-heated plasma erupted from the heavy weapon and smashed against the sleek enemy transport. The alien skimmer shuttered and veered to left as the alien pilot fought for control. The Raider's left stabilizer fin dug deep into the ground. The doomed craft tumbled end over end, crushing all onboard. As the Dark Angels quickly overwhelmed the dark eldar, suspicion began to gnaw at Hezekiah. Images of battles past flickered across the Brother-Captian's sub-conscious. It was not an uncertainty born of fear but one of experience. His mind raced as the lack of ranged-weapons fire from the blocking force ahead. Like an orcish grot swarm, they were being treated as expendable troops. The dark eldar were not foolish despite the perversity of their minds. They would not casually through away their own lives for no reason. Be vigilant, lest ye be marked as fools, Hezekiah remembered from the litanies of command. Unlike the orcs, dark eldar pirates preferred distraction and subterfuge before using speed to catch their foes unawares. The marine commander quickly re-evaluated his over-extended forces. Hezekiah realized that the grotesques ahead were being used to distract the marines. Taking decisive action, Hezekiah re-deployed Squad Hananiah. Brother-Sergeant Hananiah acknowledged the orders and ordered his marines to cover the southeast. The disciplined marines moved quickly into position despite the chaos of battle around them. Their Razorback veered off of the road and moved into position to support the repositioned squad. The Razorback's tracks struck something metallic and alien hidden in the ground. The forward part of the transport was engulfed in a pillar of bright green energy. The Razorback's left track assembly disintegrated as the hidden mine exploded. The damaged vehicle spun in a violent circle and lurched to a sudden stop. A warning rune flashed in Hezekiah's tactical display as sleek Reaver jetbikes emerged from the darkness. The Reavers rushed towards Hezekiah standing alone in the center of the marine defensive zone. The trio of riders swept around Squad Mishael as Hezekiah took careful aim with his stormbolter. With a surprisingly delicate touch for a power-armored hand, he sent controlled bursts of fire towards the oncoming aliens. The focused fire punctured the lead bike and sent it into a fiery tailspin. With an ease born of decades of practice, Hezekiah calmly unsheathed his power weapon. The blade hummed as it coursed with bright blue energy. Thou shalt live by thine sword, Hezekiah recited to himself. He brought the consecrated weapon to bear and blocked the first biker's blade. The other dark eldar veered to the side, jockeying around to gain the advantage. A normal man might have been caught off guard, or even a raw novice; but Hezekiah was a veteran of centuries of campaigns and a lifetime of battles. His blade swept backwards and tore into the rear end of the skimmer-bike. The blade continued its deadly path unabated and sliced deep into the riders back. The dark eldar's dying scream was drowned out as his lungs filled with blood. The last thing its brain comprehended was an odd tingling sensation as the impact crushed his spinal column. Fear entered into the eyes of Hezekiah's final opponent. The deaths of its companions penetrated the succubus' drug-induced haze. Self-preservation flickered to life in the back of her mind. The wyche flipped her jet bike in a tight arc, desperate to flee from the avenging marine. Hezekiah leisurely took aim and sent another burst of concentrated fire into the rear to the jet-bike. Its controls damaged, the alien skimmer struck the ground. As it tumbled end over end, the lifeless body of the succubus was flung to the ground. Hezekiah felt no pride in his accomplishments, but briefly gave thanks to the Immortal Emperor. His veneration was broken by the activation of his armor's audio alarms. Two incoming transports sped out of the darkness from the east. The only things blocking their path were the stalwart marines of Brother-Sergeant Hananiah. Part Seven: Hezekiah watched as the southern of the two skimmers deposited a squad of warriors, clad in the now familiar purple and back. The xenos quickly took up firing positions in cover and set-up two energy lance weapons. The other transport carried warriors of a different sort. Half were equipped the similar to others but intermixed amongst them were night-black armored warriors. Each of these heavily armored warriors handled a fiendish polearm with practiced ease. With bloodthirsty howls, these skull helmed aliens led the charge towards the marines of Squad Hananiah. In the center of the alien warriors, was a being semi-concealed by a shifting shadowy field. The only details visible within the shadows were the glowing eldritch runes on the creature's curved blade. Squad Hananiah unflinchingly held their ground as the newly arrived attackers inundated them with splinter cannon fire. Brothers Asahel and Joab went down as a hail of poisoned crystal splinter penetrated their hardened ceramite armor. Hezekiah rushed forward to help Hananiah's heavily outnumbered marines. Servos whined as his archaic armor struggled to meet the demands placed upon it. Data continued to flow into Hezekiah's tactical display as he simultaneously re-directed Brother Sergeant Mishael squad. Mishael acknowledged his new orders and moved his squad to counter the new threat. The marine captain took pride in the resolve Hananiah's marines showed. They calmly took aim into the onrushing aliens and fired controlled burst from their consecrated bolters. They truly were Dark Angels; the Emperor's first and finest. He knew they would stand when others would run and would fight when others fled. He took aim with his own weapon and watched as four of the dark eldar warriors were dropped by the marines' combined fire. Hezekiah continued to speed towards the aliens as the Dracon's retinue reached Squad Hananiah. One the skull-helmeted aliens thrust its polearm deep into Brother Isaac. Isaac doggedly fired his plasma gun at his assailant. The stream of super-heated plasma melted the incubi's torso. The plasma gun continued to fire until the weapon slipped from Isaac's lifeless hands. Brother Arzal drove the fore end of his Plasma Cannon deep into the torso of the remaining warrior. Dropping his now clogged weapon, the battle-brother bravely charged at the shadowy leader. The alien slashed twice in quick succession. Azral's remains dropped to the ground in a pile of flesh, bone and ceramite. Hezekiah watched helplessly as one of the dark incubi sliced downward in a high arc, shearing Brother-Sergeant Hananiah's bolter in two. Hananiah spun out of the way of the second attack while unsheathing his monomolecular combat knife. He used the blade to parry the skull-helmeted warrior's third strike. Brother Tilonas leapt to his sergeant's aid. The brave marine was cut down mid-stride by the Dracon's lethal weapon. Hananiah un-holstered his bolt pistol and sent several rounds at Tilonas' killer. The rounds struck true but were rendered harmless by the alien's protective field. The vile Dracon's struck once more and Hananiah collapsed in a motionless heap. Hezekiah was scant meters away from the fray when the ground lurched beneath his feet. The whirlwind had finished annihilating the grotesques. Now its experienced custodians had begun to drop ordnance on the Dark Eldar just ahead. With accuracy only a crew of the Emperor's best could muster, high explosive death began to systematically rain down on the pirates. Hezekiah took advantage of the confusion. He emptied his stormbolter at the shadow field surrounding the Dracon. Again, the creature's unholy technology protected it as mass reactive bolter rounds bounced harmlessly off of the shadowy field. The creature cackled and gestured mockingly at the fallen marines around it. Filled with righteous fury at the disrespect of the noble dead, Hezekiah charged directly at the fiend. The lord's two remaining bodyguards quickly moved to protect their master. Hezekiah stepped to one side using the body of one to block the others attacks. The closest incubi swung its weapon in a massive overhead strike. As quick as the alien was, Hezekiah was quicker. Brining his weapon up, Hezekiah blade sheared the haft of the xeno's polearm. The creature sidestepped his next blow, firing at Hezekiah with its helmet-mounted tormenter. The marine captain's helmet was deluged with crystalline needles. The numerous impacts disrupted his armor's optical spirit and left the marine effectively blind. Taking advantage of Hezekiah's momentary delay, the incubi managed to strike the marine. The punisher opened up a deep gash in the armor covering his left forearm. The seals in his armor held and Hezekiah quickly went through the incantations of re-calibration. Reacting with instinct honed by years of training, Hezekiah used his empty stormbolter to blindly block the incubi's other attack. The alien's strike gouged deep into the antiquated assault weapon. Hezekiah twisted out of the way and threw the now-useless stormbolter at the alien. The impact caved in the armor on the alien's chest, crushing the ribs behind. The incubi dropped its weapon and keeled over, unable to breathe. |
PURGE THE XENOS By Trent Hoffman |
EPICS OF REDEMPTION |
