THE BLACK ORK By ( Steve Turner ) |
SAGAS OF THE FALLEN ANGELS |
Zed emerged from the tunnel. Uzimel and the terminators were still waiting for Voltron's return. They saluted him. 'I'm glad to see you are all still here. Unfortunately I was unable to find any of our brothers below.' Zed grinned behind his brother's helmet. 'The Dark Angels must have transported any prisoners back to the Rock.' 'I'm sorry to here that, my Lord.' said Uzimel. 'We were hoping otherwise. Did you find anything?' 'No.' said Zed. 'We have other things to attend to now, the Orks are still outside waiting for us.' He grabbed the hilt of the power sword 'Did Sergeant Krokus make it through the other tunnel?' 'All three of the sergeants and the gunners are waiting for orders.' reported Uzimel. 'We've managed to punish these Orks badly, but I suppose they don't want to leave empty-handed.' said the impostor. 'We don't have time to wait. We have word from the battle cruiser that a small Dark Angels convoy has been spotted in warp space.' Uzimel said. 'Alright then, we will engage the enemy.' Zed drew the power sword from its scabbard. 'The Orks are most likely unaware that our three sergeants and the gunners are waiting at the other end of the cavern. If we can draw the rest of their warband inside this tunnel, then our other brothers can slip in behind them. We'll trap the Orks in a crossfire.' 'As you wish, my Lord.' said one of the terminators. Zed ignored him 'Uzimel, relay my plan to Sergeant Krokus. I'll give the signal when they are to enter the cave.' Zed turned to the closest terminator. 'Give me your storm bolter.' The traitor marine handed the weapon over to him. 'All of you fall back into the end of this tunnel. Be careful, there is a chasm. Leave yourself some room; if the Orks make their way past me then you won't want to find yourselves pinned against it. I'll open this door and then fall back.' Uzimel stood still, the other Fallen Angels followed his example. 'My Lord, do you wish us to execute a specific formation?' 'Of course.' Zed paused for a moment. 'Three terminators are to stand abreast of each other' he paused again. 'Yes, three of you will stand side-by-side with your storm bolters ready. Another five each will line up behind them against the two walls. The last three will also stand side-by-side in the back. You see, this formation is like an assault cannon. Keep the ring constantly moving, the three in the front are always shooting.' Zed looked at them. 'Wait until I reach you before commencing the first shot. Then shoot at their knees, the Orks will stumble into each other. This is all for naught if we don't make it past them. We can do it! Understood?' 'We're ready!' Uzimel roared. 'Alright then, fall back!' Zed stepped up to the entrance and removed the helmet from the top of his artificer armor. Bright emerald light radiated from his head. He heard one of the terminators gasp. 'Move!' Zed pushed in all but the last bit of the sequence needed to open the door. A small red lamp on the top of the entry panel beside the door started to pulse. Zed removed the glove from his right hand and ran his palm along the edge of the black power sword. Dark red blood oozed from the wound. He smeared his hand across his forehead and howled. The green light emanating from his head grew dark and spilled out over his entire frame, sparkling like fire. Zed closed his eyes and concentrated. Psychic energies stirred like fire within his brain. On the other side of the barrier, Orks smelled a stench and twitched their noses. The odor crawled over them, making them nauseous. Zed opened his eyes and looked at this right hand. The fingernails had grown long and pointed. He dug the nails into the gash and shrieked. Blood dripped onto the floor, each red drop exploded into a huge green flame, licking at the door. Zed grabbed the power sword in his right hand and pushed in the last bit of the opening sequence on the entry panel. The small red lamp extinguished and a green lit, then the door dropped back into the floor. 'Die you green scum!' The green flames exploded into a conflagration, rolling like a wall of burning heat into the Orks. Their skin incinerated on contact, exposing the muscles underneath. It peeled away from the bone and fell to the floor. Zed screamed a curse, charging into the burning bodies with his right shoulderpad. Their remains instantly burst open. The black power sword swung in a silent arc, swooshing through the air. Zed swiftly sliced through their blazing torsos, attacking the next row of aliens as they rushed towards him. The new traitor marine commander swung the blade back in the other direction, instantly beheading two of them. 'The mass of Orks circled around the dark one, bumping into each other as they tried to keep away from the singing path of the sword. Some of the aliens fell over as those from behind tried to advance. Zed twirled the hilt of the long double-edged blade and struck at their bellies. The Orks screamed out as the sword cut deep into their guts. Then Zed closed his grip tightly around the hilt and closed his eyes. Big gouts of green flame leapt out from his power weapon, scorching more of the Orks crouching behind the gutted ones. The wild Angel opened his eyes and quickly looked around. More and more of the enemy were running forth from all directions as those in front fell. Die, die!' he screamed at them. Zed swung the sword back and forth, momentarily forcing back the oncoming tide. Then he took a couple of steps back inside the entrance of the tunnel behind him and waited for the Orks to regroup. Zed pulled the storm bolter loose by the old leather strap from his left shoulder and fired two rounds into the first Orks brave enough to approach him. Their heads exploded. More Orks pushed the dead bodies aside before they could fall over and charged. Zed dropped the storm bolter to his left side and closed both hands around the hilt of the burning black sword. He wailed another curse and ran straight into them. 'This sword was forged in the heat of molten magma! Taste its fury!' Zed speared the blade through two more Orks, twisting it back forth as they cried out. A large Nob slipped along the side of the tunnel and grabbed the traitor marine by his shoulderpad. The Ork lifted him off his feet and flung him back. Zed rolled onto his side and stuck the sword into the Nob's groin, slicing the sharp blade up through the Ork's pelvis. Its hips split in two and the brute fell over. Zed jumped to his feet and stomped the Nob's skull into the floor with the heel of his boot. Then the charlatan ran back into the maw of the passageway as the rest of the aliens chased after him. 'Uzimel, the Orks have taken the bait!' Zed watched their glowing eyes twitch as he fell back. He clutched the storm bolter and repeatedly squeezed the trigger until both chambers smoked. Zed could feel the tension rolling off the terminators as he slid past them. 'Fire!' He stumbled then righted himself as the Fallen Angels swirled around him. Zed sucked at the thin air, his lungs ached. Then he pushed on his helmet and breathed more easily as the backpack refilled the suit of artificer armor with stored atmosphere. Each gulp tasted sweet and thick as honey. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 'Sergeant Krokus, do you read me?' radioed Uzimel. 'Yes sir.' 'Bring the gunners and the other two sergeants along with you now. The rear of the Ork warband is exposed. We need you, NOW!' Sergeant Krokus opened the door. A monster stood in front of him, covered in thick bands of dented armor. Bloody warhammers hung from his sides, one in each black fist. The huge warlord swung one of the hammers into Krokus' chest, easily splitting the breastplate in half. The sergeant reached for his power sword, but was too late. The black Ork struck him in the head, knocking the veteran sergeant to his knees. Krokus slumped back and fired his storm bolter into the Ork. The warlord quickly cuffed both shells aside; they burst into the wall, harmlessly exploding. The alien fiend guffawed and tramped on the marine's outstretched arm, snapping it in two. |
