Hezekiah continued towards the downed wreck of Elijah. He brought his powersword down and severed the head of am approaching wyche. Another surviving wyche pressed forward. The drug-crazed psychotic chopped at Hezekiah with its serrated blade. Hezekiah's blade sheared through weapon and into the flesh beyond. Another blow sent the now decapitated alien reeling backwards. Beside him, Brother Ariel protected Hezekiah's weak side. The brave champion was near-unto death incarnate. His burning weapon was everywhere. The marine ducked and weaved. He skillfully brought his combat shield up to block one aliens attack; he chopped though another with his powersword. Brother-Sergeant Hananiah and the rest of the command squad followed closely behind. The aggressiveness of the marines broke the last of the aliens' resistance. Although hardened by their barbaric society, the sudden turn of events overwhelmed the surviving raiders. The shell-shocked eldar fled the field of battle enmasse. Small pack of aliens managed to escape the wrath of the returning Thunderhawk, but not many. Hezekiah ordered the surviving marines halt their pursuit. Under the direction of the Brother Jeremiah, the few marines that were not wounded crisscrossed the battlefield. Wounded marines were treated and the dead's gene seed was recovered. The eldar wounded were rounded-up for Interrogator-Chaplain Gabriel; their dead were burned by the arriving PDF forces. After the wounded Lionheart landed, Hezekiah learned of the attack on the Divinitus Duci. The experienced crew was ambushed when they allowed a planetary delegation from McLeod III aboard. As the strike cruiser's shields were lowered, a Dark Eldar Torture Cruiser had swept in and targeted weapons and communication control nodes. The swiftness of the enemy cruiser's attack had left the marine vessel disabled in orbit. Swarms of alien Raven fighters and piratical Void Dragons had engaged in a massive sub-atmospheric dogfight with the force's Thunderhawk Annihilators. The marine pilots had fought valiantly to defend the Divinitus Duci. For every Thunderhawk that was disabled, a dozen eldar craft spiraled down to the planet below. During the battle, Techmarine Raziel had managed to re-position the Divinitus Duci's torpedo tubes using compressed air from the onboard environment. Surprising the dark eldar captain, Master Michael and the Venerable Enoch had led boarding parties aboard the alien craft. Inside the enemy warship, the dreadnought had been unstoppable, ripping apart the alien craft from within. The marines had made short work of the defenders and exploded the craft's central reactor. The newly revived Divinitus Duci hunted down the few remaining alien craft and the Lionheart had been dispatched planet-side to check on the forces below. The Thunderhawk rendezvoused with Gabriel and Uriel's forces. The battle damaged craft and crew had taken on reinforcements and rushed to Hezekiah's aid. Epilogue: Twenty standard days later Hezekiah stood before the clear plasteel window. The Divinitus Duci, finally repaired, was getting underway. Filled with the victorious remains of Master Michael's strike force, the cruiser was returning to the Rock with fifteen potential recruits. The hardy natives of McLeod III, surviving this close to the Eye of Terror, had proven in the past to be excellent candidates. Interrogator-Chaplain Gabriel and the Revered Uriel had high hopes for this group as well. Governor Culhart's PDF had managed to eliminate the remaining dark eldar trapped on the planet below. With the help of the Space Marines of the Dark Angels Chapter under Master Michael. The Emperor's first and finest could not sit idly by and let alien scum exist under their watch. For the Lion and his Father they fought. The Sons of Caliban, sons a planet and way of life long dead, had re-claimed another plant for humanity. Brother-Captain Hezekiah reflected on this as he gazed out the window. To the Emperor be the glory, great things He has done, he prayed. He saw the verdant green and deep blue of McLeod III slip away as the cruiser made way. For the second and last time, Hezekiah watched as the planet of his birth slipped away into darkness. |
PURGE THE XENOS By Trent Hoffman |
EPICS OF REDEMPTION |
