The wasteland ahead lay full of gutted war machines and dead bodies. An
Imperial Guard convey had been attacked days ago and was annihilated before
they could report what was happening. Like usual the local military forces
panicked and called upon the nearest Space Marine chapter. Now Brother
Calistro was taking him men down to investigate the carnage.
The Emperor's Vanguard had even less respect for the Imperial Guard than most chapters. The Company Commander assumed they were exaggerating the attack and had sent only Calistro's squad onto the planets surface to investigate. As Calistro surveyed the damage done he quietly decided his Commander had been wrong about the situation. Over a hundred Imperial tanks, mostly Chimeras, had been reduced to burning rubble. From the transports countless bodies of Guardsmen lay rotting in the sun. Whatever had destroyed this armored column had done it in less than ten minutes by reports, and after an hour of searching Calistro's men had found no trace of any other forces.
* * *
"Sir, I've found a survivor," Brother Jerad's voice betrayed the same sentiments the rest of them felt. From thousands of men, only one man had survived the attack. Even the Vanguard's attacks were never that perfectly orchestrated. Calistro hurried over to the Guardsman.
"What happened here soldier?" one look told him the man would not live long, little consequence to him as long as he found what he needed to know first.
".came from. everywhere. everywhere. surrounded. they were only. feet away. no time to react. never even. had a chance to fire my."
"Who? Who was it? How did they ambush you?"
".machines. they were machines. came out of the ground. surrounded us. massacred us."
"What do you mean machines? I need to know soldier, or we'll have no way to destroy these. these things."
".they were machines. skeletons.. they.they. all dead. everyone dead." the man stopped breathing. Calistro closed the Guardsman's eyes and rose to his feet.
"Brother Jerad, do you know anything about machines being able to do this much damage before?"
"No Sergeant, I don't think the chapter has ever encountered machines capable of fighting undirected. But I wouldn't be surprised if the retched Eldar had something to do with it."
"No, no I don't think so Brother. This is unmistakably alien, but I sense it is more ancient than even them. We've learned all we can here, it's time to go now. Brothers," he said to his men, "Form up, it is time for us to leave this cursed planet."
Just as his men gathered around him there was a rumbling in the earth coming from behind. Swinging his bolter into firing position he spun around to see what was going on. Five yards away metal humanoids emerged from the ground. There eye sockets glowed brightly and they held a rifle that pulsated with light. Calistro fired upon the closest of the abominations, explosive rounds tearing up the machine. His men fired as well and scores of the creatures fell to the ground. Kelar's heavy bolter cut a swathe through their line
When the first one emerged fully from the ground it fired upon the Marines. The energy weapon it carried tore through Brother Venan's armor and he fell to the ground dead. More and more emerged and Tailrud and Jerad fell to their fire as well. Calistro shouted in fury and lead his men to charge the monstrosities. Around fifty had emerged but twenty had easily fallen to the marine's bolter fire. To his right Kemrick's flamer howled engulfing several of the machines but without harming them.
As Calistro was about to step over the first machine he had felled it rose again to his amazement. He stopped where he was and fired at point blank. It fell once again and this time instead of getting up again it faded out of existence. As Calistro stared where it had been another machine stepped up to him and thrust the bayonet of his weapon into his chest. He fell onto his back and lay there unable to move.
He watched as Kermrick dispatched the machine that had attacked him and as he was killed in turn when another machine came from behind him and took off his head. Calistro looked ahead and saw that everyman with him had been killed where they stood. With the last of his strength he activated his teleporter homer. He cared little whether they would be able to save him upon his return to the ship. But the gene-seeds of his men needed to be preserved. And what little knowledge he had gained would be worth more to the chapter than all their lives.
The Emperor's Vanguard had even less respect for the Imperial Guard than most chapters. The Company Commander assumed they were exaggerating the attack and had sent only Calistro's squad onto the planets surface to investigate. As Calistro surveyed the damage done he quietly decided his Commander had been wrong about the situation. Over a hundred Imperial tanks, mostly Chimeras, had been reduced to burning rubble. From the transports countless bodies of Guardsmen lay rotting in the sun. Whatever had destroyed this armored column had done it in less than ten minutes by reports, and after an hour of searching Calistro's men had found no trace of any other forces.
* * *
"Sir, I've found a survivor," Brother Jerad's voice betrayed the same sentiments the rest of them felt. From thousands of men, only one man had survived the attack. Even the Vanguard's attacks were never that perfectly orchestrated. Calistro hurried over to the Guardsman.
"What happened here soldier?" one look told him the man would not live long, little consequence to him as long as he found what he needed to know first.
".came from. everywhere. everywhere. surrounded. they were only. feet away. no time to react. never even. had a chance to fire my."
"Who? Who was it? How did they ambush you?"
".machines. they were machines. came out of the ground. surrounded us. massacred us."
"What do you mean machines? I need to know soldier, or we'll have no way to destroy these. these things."
".they were machines. skeletons.. they.they. all dead. everyone dead." the man stopped breathing. Calistro closed the Guardsman's eyes and rose to his feet.
"Brother Jerad, do you know anything about machines being able to do this much damage before?"
"No Sergeant, I don't think the chapter has ever encountered machines capable of fighting undirected. But I wouldn't be surprised if the retched Eldar had something to do with it."
"No, no I don't think so Brother. This is unmistakably alien, but I sense it is more ancient than even them. We've learned all we can here, it's time to go now. Brothers," he said to his men, "Form up, it is time for us to leave this cursed planet."
Just as his men gathered around him there was a rumbling in the earth coming from behind. Swinging his bolter into firing position he spun around to see what was going on. Five yards away metal humanoids emerged from the ground. There eye sockets glowed brightly and they held a rifle that pulsated with light. Calistro fired upon the closest of the abominations, explosive rounds tearing up the machine. His men fired as well and scores of the creatures fell to the ground. Kelar's heavy bolter cut a swathe through their line
When the first one emerged fully from the ground it fired upon the Marines. The energy weapon it carried tore through Brother Venan's armor and he fell to the ground dead. More and more emerged and Tailrud and Jerad fell to their fire as well. Calistro shouted in fury and lead his men to charge the monstrosities. Around fifty had emerged but twenty had easily fallen to the marine's bolter fire. To his right Kemrick's flamer howled engulfing several of the machines but without harming them.
As Calistro was about to step over the first machine he had felled it rose again to his amazement. He stopped where he was and fired at point blank. It fell once again and this time instead of getting up again it faded out of existence. As Calistro stared where it had been another machine stepped up to him and thrust the bayonet of his weapon into his chest. He fell onto his back and lay there unable to move.
He watched as Kermrick dispatched the machine that had attacked him and as he was killed in turn when another machine came from behind him and took off his head. Calistro looked ahead and saw that everyman with him had been killed where they stood. With the last of his strength he activated his teleporter homer. He cared little whether they would be able to save him upon his return to the ship. But the gene-seeds of his men needed to be preserved. And what little knowledge he had gained would be worth more to the chapter than all their lives.