Beast in the shadow
By Cameron keith
Only the dead have seen the end of war.
One bunker of defense.
A bottle neck hoping to slow a tyranids force until the evacuation could be finished. He and his men were all that stood between the fearful citizens and a horde of alien scum. A horde of tyranids that blocked out the land mass. Even from so far away the mass movement of claws and savage roars of hunger could be heard. Hastily erected mortars and cannons threw massive shells into the air ripping apart hundreds and thousands of tyranids but to the over mind such small numbers mattered not. He was part of the imperial guard. One in a trillion ha that took on a new meaning. The force sent to the ground was supposed to control rioting that had taken over the hive planet. The govenor had imposed taxes and laws forcing the people to pay more that they could afford and the squalid rats of the underground responded in the only way they knew how, violence.
While he was containing the riots 3 hive ships and a mass fleet of tyranids poured in covering the bright side of the planet making the sun have an eclipse every day. As the battle in space roared on an evacuation was under way but it was slow going trying to get an entire hive planet mobile and airborne was no small task. Fights and a small civil war had broken out and only he and his men were focused on repelling the invaders.
The bunker was more of a trench with a concrete hood covering them from the small tyranids organisms that drooped from the air spilling acids and poisonous smoke. The tide was getting closer. Peering down through his binoculars he could see individual beast almost 10 meters tall slashing out at the smaller aliens in an attempt to get to the flesh sooner. The radio man next to him counted it off as the aliens at 10 clicks and closing fast. He reflectively flexed his power fist knowing that if half the stories were true it would do more good than a battalion of las rifles.
8 clicks.
His men around him were a mix of the Cadia 8th and planetary defensive troops all in all totaling more than 300. A small group compared to the thousands of tyranids swarming their way. The men were nervous and a bit scared. Some cleaning their weapons others having the last hot meal of the day maybe their lives. All of them had volunteered to try and hold the invasion for as long as possible at this small rocky outcropping. It was the mouth of a valley a slight incline to them and then a 20 meter wide opening. This would be the last stand.
4 clicks.
His las pistol abandoned somewhere behind him he now held a crafted las rifle. The extra weight gave him a little bit more comfort. The but a solid oak wood made for a guard captain salvaged from his last encounter by him.
2 clicks.
He looked over into the comm. Mans face seeing grim determination and a resolve that might see him the last to die.
1 click.
And then it happened. A mass wave of laser fire erupted from the bunker. The red fires stitching their way through the tyranids front ranks decimating the aliens and throwing them into the horde behind them half melted bodies and mangled corpses were every where. More las fire erupted and the heavy weapons put their share in. explosions of blood splashed as heavy bolter rounds ripped through them all. The clicking sounds were like a torrent of bugs climbing up the hill.
More laser fire as volley after volley of blasts ripped into the alien horde. The beams displacing the dirt on the ground causing pools of glass to appear.
When the aliens got close enough it was said you could see your reflection in their eyes right before they killed you.
More bursts of fire and another wave of tyranids died sprawled before the attackers causing mounds of bodies for them to crawl over. A lance fire streaked out and resounding booms echoed around the valley as a cluster bomb went off spreading dozens of grenades around in the foremost aliens reeking havoc among their numbers but still they came.
As they drew closer the bodies began to pile up it was like the tide of an ocean the waves would just roll over each other until they reached the shore.
The tide of war was with them. As he turned to shout something to the com man a crimson wave splashed over him covering him in warm liquid. To his horror all that was left of his comm's man was a torso and a spine jetting from his neck the head a completely been blown off. Turning his attention back to the fight he was met by the hot steaming breath of one of the aliens. The alien opened its mouth and revealed a secondary set of jaws springing forth and latching on to his helmet. With all his might he swung upwards with the power fist decapitating the alien still latched to his helmet and pulled it off.
The aliens had breached some parts and were casing utter chaos inside of the small confines of the trench. Men not being able to fight back and being mowed down as they stood to fight. Loading a fresh pack into his las rifle and clicking the switch to full auto he opened up. When his last bolt fired from the rifle and it clacked open waiting for a new charge a large spore busted through the concrete overhang exploding on contact throwing him and other men into the air. The last thing he remembers before he lost consciousness was the ground and dead bodies rushing up to meet him.
Over the hive planet, in the midst of a chaotic battle between the imperial guard fleet and the tyranids organisms.
"Hull breach on decks 5 through 7!" shouted the gunnery officer over all of the blaring sirens. The captain took in the grim news. The red flashing light played over his face like daemons in the spawn of hell. His eyes pitted with black bags from days without sleep. But then who could when you were staring down a tyranids hive
"Send troops to the open halls of 5 and 7, close all bulk heads on 6 and vent the air from it." The gunnery officer turned and shouted back "but sir there are still men on those floors." With inhuman speed the captain turned and slapped the officer sending him sprawling on the deck. "It is a better death than the tyranids will give them" he shouted.
The gunnery officer picked himself up off the floor wiping blood from his mouth. As he typed in the commands the ship shuddered with the venting of air pushing it to one side slightly and making the entire crew to tip. More shudders and even more alarms as tyranids boarding creatures slammed into the carrier. It was one of 5 in the fleet mostly used to ferry all the troops from place to place but now it was being used as a block for the other ships to take better firing positions. Hi cruisers close in defenses had been out of ammo for the past hour and he knew it was a dying vessel. More impacts as organisms and projectiles hit the ship ripping it apart bit by bit.
The blaring alarms blasted everyone's eardrums causing more panic and confusion.
"SIR!!! Hull breaches reported on all decks we can't hold them we need to get to the escape pods!"
Not today he thought. "Divert all power to engines push them to 300 and prime the plasma coils for detonation. Have them steer the ship to new course 070 by 0. Let's take the fight to the enemy." He knew he would not survive this encounter. "How will we escape sir?!" "We wont" said the captain flatly. Looks of panic passed through all but the mind scrubbed servitors. A slight murmur broke out from the people not willing to die for a planet not their own.
The gunnery officer rose to his feet and in mid turn to face the captain and voice his opinions his face turned to a molten ball. Half of it was melted away and the rest of his skin bubbling the officer fell to the floor parts of his clothing catching on fire and a pool of ichors surrounding him. The captain smoothly replaced his overcharged las pistol and looked around the bridge of his ship his mighty troop carrier. The size of a moon it was effectively a giant rock. But this rock could explode. "Any others wish to disobey me?" all the other officers ducked down to their consoles and filled out his orders. The ship lurched as the shields and all defensive batteries died away to have their energy diverted to the engines.
Inside the engine room sparks and bolts flew as the engine core was pushed to 300 the tech priests were screaming prayers at the giant hulk of iron pleading with the war spirit begging forgiveness for the treatment. More and more red runes flashed on their consoles. The plasma coils heated to their max some small holes appeared. One tech priest was engulfed by a small wave of plasma disintegrating him immediately. As the priests fought a loosing battle to keep the ship running the captain executed 3 more officers when they tried to alter their course.
"Live with courage die with honor! Trust in the emperor and he will protect. Today we take our final fight into glory. Men of Cadia do you want to live forever!!?.
Outside of the ship the tyranids were taken aback seeing the giant vessel leap forwards and swing its giant bulk towards their front line. Hundreds of the boarding organisms were splattered all over the hull of the mass transport cutting a huge slice from the wall of flesh. As the ship picked up speed the tyranids advice lost speed and eventually began to retreat. The over mind was calling all its minions back to protect it. The ship was aimed between 2 of the hive ships ready to detonate on command. Large beasts latched on to the ship spewing molten fire and poisons into the ship killing dozens and then hundreds. The ships inertia now could not be stopped. It bundled on plowing through thick and thin oblivious to all manner of organisms trying to stop it. Eventually a hive ship broke off and sped towards the carrier almost 4 times the size of the ship the beast began to wrap it with its giant tentacles lashing huge chunks of armor off the sides spinning off into space. When even the mass of the hive ship could not stop the carrier it was joined by the second hive ship both of them latching onto it like some giant grotesque mating ritual. When the 2 hives ships stopped the carrier it caused the entire vessel to crumple sending a ripple up and down the ship blasting open holes all over it. Freezing oxygen leaving giant blue marks across the hive ships. But none could see no one could even see the carrier between the 2 giants being picked apart as if by a master surgeon.
3 words left the captains mouth before the poison gas from the boarding creatures ate away his throat. "Burn in hell" with a thumb that had been eaten away by the acidic cloud now filling bridge he pressed a flashing rune on his pulpit console.
Finally with a command the plasma coils burst venting into the oxygen causing a chain reaction setting off fuel lines and ripping out power cells. The interior of the engine room worked like a nuclear warhead holding the explosion in for just a few fractions of a second making it hundreds of times more power full. More and more secondary explosions went off as the armory was engulfed in flames and all the unspent ammunition was cooked off causing a lethal force to build up in the ceramite plates of the carrier. Building. And building. But everything reaches a certain point before it bursts.
On deck 8 of the carrier 6 men fought against a boarding party of homogrants. They had heard scattered reports of the poison gas and enemy surrounding them. "This looks like it might be it" said a trooper with a snub nose shotgun. Others said similar comments as more and more gene stealers lurched at them only to be cut down by disciplined volleys of fire. Blood and ichors spilled through the hall way. As more aliens poured down a sudden tremor passed through the ship knocking most to the ground. The tyranids pounced killing 2 of the men before a huge section of the hull was ripped out. First the tyranids were pulled out then the men all kicking not being able to scream in the air free environment. The last few thoughts one of the troopers was of looking up to see a giant fleshy beast and being swallowed up in a hole that looked like a giant gun wound. Before he became unconscious he saw the wound close and felt as if his world suddenly lurched.
From far away the stunned and sadden crew of the relentless watched the carrier be swallowed up and the captain of the strike cruiser cursed the other captains idiocy. What was he expecting to do? Break free and run for home? It was at this point that a bright point of light broke from between the 2 monoliths of space faring creatures. The light grew to a breaking point and both of the turned to get away. When the carrier exploded one of the hive ships was incinerated complety leaving nothing but streaking atoms. The other was almost completely destroyed. ¼ of its body remained but was becoming quickly overcome by gravity and started to streak through the atmosphere into the planet under siege below. The shook wave from the carrier killed thousands upon thousands of tyranids and sent more spinning into their deaths. And the death of 2 over minds did not help the collective will of the forces on the ground.
Rising to his feet outside of the trench Bryn saw 2 things. The death of the hive ships and the last civilian laden transport lifting into the air. "PULL BACK!!" Bryn shouted to the few remaining men in the trench. Some provided cover fire as others scrabbled out of the death trap leaving heavy weaponry and dead bodies behind. Bryn and 40 some odd men that were following him ran down one of the many tunnels. Others groups of men ran into different sections or into off shoots from the main tunnel. Even through all the twists and bends he could hear them dieing as they were cornered or just over taken and eaten. Then all of a sudden it all stopped. A thud behind him brought the idea of one more man dead but instead it was a gene stealer stopped in its tracks just sitting staring at the humans. It suddenly turned around and began sniffing the air and wandered randomly down the hall. Without the direction of the over mind the tyranids could not think for themselves. Suddenly the gene stealer was gone crushed along with 3 PDF soldiers under a great claw. The tip of it was the size of a lemun Russ battle tank. It rose again this time dragging the mangled corpses with it. Half of the men dropped to their knees while making the sign of the Aquila over their hearts. Bryn ran to the hole and looked out to see the under belly of a tyranid titan. It was as big as some of the titans in the titan legion of the 8th Cadia but this… this thing was more than metal it was a living being. He ran over and pulled one of the locals to his feet. "is there a faster way to the drop ship" the man whimpered and Bryn slapped him across the face and put the still warm barrel of his las gun under the mans throat "tell me now!!!" the small PDF man pointed down a narrow tunnel down the side of the one they were in now. "Then that is the way we will take" Bryn said with an evil glint in his eye.
Not 10 seconds after they took the side passage did the 1 remaining over mind take control. With a great surge of its will power all the tyranid forces pushed forward again crushing the small resistance that thought they could hunker in and finally having the entire swarm chasing after Bryn and his small company, the last group of people on the planet. Or so it thought.
The roar of the beasts got ever closer. Scratching at the walls, gnawing at the air as they felt themselves getting closer to their human prey. The tyranids were close. He and the surviving group of PDF and guard got the call after an hour of brutal fighting that they should turn tail and run of the ships, there was apparently one left for them a thunder hawk drop ship ready doors open and engines running. The floor trembled again as the monolith of a tyranid pushed its way through the valley crushing caves and tunnels below its massive weight.
The more they ran the closer the tyranids got. Sometimes they would stop to form a firing line and mow down the forces in the mediate tunnel. They always lost men but the majority lived. As the group rounded the next corner a part where 3 tunnels meted together. A spiked barb flew from one of the shadows. Piercing 3 or 4 PDF it finally got lodged in one of the men near the rear. He was a scrawny little boy maybe 15 16 but still not a man. The wet thick thud of the barb punching through his body made everyone cringe. The boy lest out a gurgle of surprise before he crumbled to the floor twitching. A shill scream went through the air and a big burly man ran over. He was about 6 ft tall and was carrying a heavy stubber that he salvaged from god knows where. Kneeling down he picked the boys heads up and was stroking it as the body went through its death through. He began sobbing a deep mournful sob crying more than if his home world was lost. Las fire barked a bit up the Coolum as they cut down the tyranid that had thrown the spike. Soon it was nothing more than a bubbling mass of flesh.
As he cried he shouted the boys name over and over. Some one leaned over to Bryn and told him it was his younger brother that had enlisted just 6 weeks prior to the invasion. Brother or not they needed to move before the drop ship left or was destroyed. As he leant down to tug on the solders shoulder Bryn was pushed away. The man stood letting his tears flow freely and looked at Bryn with his now deep pits for eyes and said. "My brother was the only reason I ran, he could never make it on his own, I wanted to always be there for him but now he's…..he's gone." The big man looked down at the body now in its own pool of blood and slime from the spike. "Leave me and my brother ill hold them for as long as I can"
With a nod Bryn shout to the men to keep running and left the man and his brother to have one last journey together.
Picking up a fresh drum magazine for his heavy stubber he racked the first slide in the chain and leveled his gun. The hall was filled with the sounds of an entire army swarming in close quarters. As the first of the tyranids menace rounded the corner. His heavy finger squeezed down on the firing stud making the gun jerk like a grox in heat. A meter long tongue of flame erupted from the end of the barrel and rounds zipped down the hall pocking the walls and ricocheting into tyranids beasts. More and more bodies pilled up pushing ever on into the fire getting chewed into bloody pulp effectively blocking the tunnel. More and more homogrants dug through and were swarming. The firing stud clicked own on an empty camber and the sound and light stopped as suddenly as it started. He took 2 steps forward and planted the white hot barrel into the face of a beast that some how lived. Another jumped at him from the piled bodies. He raised his boot and caught it in the face mid flight kicking through its skull and out the other side splattering the wall with more gore. Turning back to his dead brother he heard another massive footstep, dismissing it as the titan he knelt down. But then there was another and a portion of the dead bodies was swiped away by a great beast standing 4 meters tall and having 4 giant curved blades instead of arms. The thing screeched and the high pitched sound blew out his ear drums making his ears bleed leaving a trail down to his shirt. Coolly he walked over to his still glowing stubber and placed a new magazine in. indicating that it was ready to fire he took aim and blasted away again. But this time the aliens got through. Swarming and stabbing and slashing him. Later it would be said that he bought the other troops a good 20 minutes respite as the tyranids tried to find another way around and that he saved them all by dying with his finger on the firing stud. But most would not know that it was him upending 2 grenade dispensers at his feet as he lay dying that caved in the corridor and blew all the homogrants to the nine hells and back.
Farther down the corridor Bryn heard the massive explosion of multiple grenades after more gun fire. He was surprised the big man had time to reload. Then it was over. He could hear no more scratching he could see no more aliens. All he could see was a light at the end of the tunnel. As he and the surviving men emerged from the tunnel they saw something that would never be forgotten. It was not the thunder hawk gunship or the fact that it was tilted to the side one of the treads completely destroyed or that the city behind it was in ruin. It was what had caused it all. The ¼ of a hive ship that had survived had landed in a skidding mess that ended about 50 meters from the gun ship. And crawling all over it was tyranid and the likes most were hurt or dying but three were some that were ready to fight. About 20 gene stealers and a lector abandoned what they were doing and turned around to face the new threat. As they did they were engulfed by flame. Giant gout shooting from the inside of the hive beast.
One flaming gene stealer was sent flying from a boot that suddenly exploded from the skin of the hive ship. A guard man stepped out flamer in hand and covered in alien blood. With a flick of his wrist and a twist of his body he scorched a path in front of him clearing away a vast portion of the aliens. "Holy empower give that man covering fire!" Bryn shouted. Las fire ripped open a swath to his left then right cutting a safe passage for the man. When he touched the ground he sprinted for his saviors.
"Cameron Keith of the xenos exodus. Here at your service. Now that Bryn could see him closer he caught a glimpse of the matt black of his armor and the 1 insignia claiming him as an ex harkonen. "Commissar Bryn of the 8th Cadia, these men are all I have left." Cameron looked behind Bryn seeing the rag tag group. One of them held what looked like a hunting rifle longer than 2 las rifles placed together and a scope the size of a mans fore arm. And a tall man clad completely in black with a cris cross of scars on his face. He held a short sword and a dueling dagger. A las pistol was on a leg holster and a belt of throwing knives and more dueling daggers were wrapped around his chest.
"Interesting group of men you have here" Cameron said bringing his attention back to the commissar and his giant power fist. "we had more" he said "but they were killed in the trenches or cut down in the tunnels" the commissar shook his head thinking of all the men that died for the now safe civilians to cowardly to stay and defend their homes.
The small meeting was suddenly interupted more surges of tyranids pored from the opening of the tunnel. The persuing party in the tunnel had finaly caught up with them. Cameron let loose more streams of purifying fire into the group as the others ran for the lopsided dropship. When finally his flamer ran dry he dropped it and the heavy tanks on his back to the ground and ran drawing his las pistol and felling 3 more tyranid beasts.
Up ahead of Cameron Bryn finally got to see the thunder hawk gunship. It was completely black or so he thought as he got closer he could see that the entire hull of it was covered in writing proclaiming the hate for aliens and the love for the emperor alike. The writing was etched in gold giving the ship a gleaming quality. With 3 thundering steps he was up into the ship. He clambered up into the cockpit only to see the 2 pilots dead and slumped over the consoles that would take them out of there. With a soft patter the completely black clad man vaulted into the cockpit. Grabbing the 2 pilots he threw them back into the passenger compartment with relative ease. He turned and looked at the commissar and gave a slight nod. The commissar understood. He jumped down into the bay landing near the 2 dead pilots. Moving to one of the harnesses on the side he buckled himself in. the surviving men copied the commissar.
"When your ready" he said. Almost as if on command the engines roared to life. Almost deafening with the front door open the engines began to rev up slowly making the ship judder. Where did he learn to fly? Wondered the commissar. Before he could think more on it he saw the black clad Cameron running for the ship blasting away with a pistol behind him. He lost sight of Cameron as the ship began to slowly rise. Then a hand grabbed onto the still lowered ramp. Raising himself up Cameron scrabbled in and turned around to drain the rest of his power cell into the now swarming groups of tyranids below.
"Get the feth in here you crazy harkonen." Shouted Bryn his face going slightly red from the strain of being heard over the ships engines. "If I didn't kiss the little darlings goodbye who would?" Cameron said punching the button to close the ramp while making a face to mimic kissing one of the tyranids.
"He may have saved us be he will be the death of us yet commissar" said the man carrying the hunting rifle. Bryn turned to look at the man. "No" he said. "This ship will be the death of us, Cameron? He will just be the one who points us in deaths direction. But I have a feeling that he will be the first one into the mouth of hell" the man with the hunting rifle jutted out a hand to the commissar. His accent was thick when he talked it sounded almost like one of the guerrillas that had started the riot and he said. "my name is Isaac, sniper extraordinaire. I can hit anything from up to a mile off" he said with a boastful smile on his face. The commissar grabbed the mans small hand and was surprised by the strength behind the grip.
This man had an earnest smile but for some reason that Bryn could
not put his finger on he did not truly trust the man. Its like the small animals back on his home planet that closely resembled dogs. They would lure people with them by being kind and loving showing no aggression what so ever until they were least suspecting. Then the animal would pounce and not stop its attack until it was dead or it was eating its prey. And that's what this man had in his eyes a fierce animal instinct to stay alive and kill all of those that would stay in his way.
Cameron clambered up into the cockpit of the gun ship looking at the man driving it. The only thing not covered in black was the mans head. It was covered in scars. He could see a few of them led down his neck and into his black suit. One of them on his cheek dragging down his neck was clearly a neuro blade. An expensive weapon usually only paranoid dignitary's weapon. The blade was a power knife or sword with a neron whip hidden in the blade. The double weapon left nasty scars and even nastier memories.
From the ground the drop ship looked like a black tear drop disappearing into the sky. Below it the world was being consumed by tyranids. The vere planet itself was being eaten away.
Looking out the front view bay of the thunder hawk the black clad man saw the ship he was to dock with. It was a space marine strike cruiser but with the Cadia 8th painted on the side. The entire ship was matt black looking like a hole where the stars were sucked away. Silver trimmed the entire ship. The launch bays were covered in exotic gargoyles and statues. The closer he got the more he could see until finaly he could just barley make out the writing on the side of it. Then the writing on the top and bottom, there was writing everywhere. etched in gold just like the drop ship but on so much larger a magnitude.
Seeing the awe in his eyes or at least what he thought was awe Cameron leaned over and said "that there is the ship relentless, its captain is a crazy bastard if anything. Try not to tell him I said that. We rescued the ship about 15 years ago, It was a dead hulk floating in space. The warp had taken it. It was by pure chance that it happened to re enter normal space near us. After intense reconstruction and a re assignment it turned into the first xenos exodus ship to hold imperial guard instead of space marines. After all why should they get all of the glory?" Cameron said with a glint of pride in his eye.
On board the relentless the captain watched the black drop ship creep closer and closer. "I want men in the hanger when the ship comes in. that thing may have a lector on it and ill be dammed if I let tyranids on my ship." As he spoke secondary scurried around to get the ship ready for the threat of a boarding by the aliens.
As the captain looked around his command pulpit he liked what he saw. Men and women of the emporium doing their best to combat aliens. All dressed in black with the right shoulder guard or sleeve the only reminder of what regiment they came from. It was a beautiful mix. Imperial guards men that came from regiments that had long standing rivals working side by side for the greater good. A mass body of people all aimed for the same goal. All of the consoulse had the same gold echted writing as the outside of the ship. This ship was a machine of war and peace a symbol that the common man could rise up above the aliens. It wasn't a ship, it was a beacon of hope.
As Cameron stared at the ship ghosts returned to him. Ghosts of time past ghosts that always haunted his dreams and guided his killing blows. The ghosts that made him falter but at the same time rise above all others. Ghosts that are the reason he's here. The memory of the shells raining down and the danmed aliens that left him behind the pain and misery. He was snapped out of his flash back by the docking clamps of the ship. It locked the drop ship into place
As the front ramp was opened the cargo was met with the large silver barrels of 3 heavy bolters and many las rifles all of their holders wore preassure suits and helmets protecting them from the vacume of space. It was evident they had been waiting for them. Commissar Bryn walked down the ramp to the first man. His breath fogged in the air still trying to warm after the insane cold of the atmosphere free space. He walked straight towards the tallest and most imposing men of the group with insignia on his suit. Even past his polarized face plate you could see that his face commanded respect. With the hand hot covered in a power fist Bryn reached forward and offered his hand to the man. At the slight movement a good 3 rifles pointed straight at his heart and head with the sound of activation runes being pushed shortly after.
The man in the suit raised his face plate and gripped bryns hand in a hard handshake pumping bryns arm up and down shaking the commissars body like a rag doll. "welcome aboard" he said grinning widely. With this simple gesture all rifles were lowered and the tension in the hanger ebbed slightly. "I am commissar Bryn of the 8th cadia I would like to know what happened to the rest of my company?" most of the guard around him looked away. Others busied themselves with something as far from the commissar as possible. "i.. well the transport. The one carrying your company of men.. it was destroyed. One of the hive ships that was killed completely vaporized the transport that your men were in. I cant express how sorry I am." Bryn steped back as if he had just taken a blow to the face. Rocking backwards he fell to his knees then sagged down to a sitting position. Tears began to well up in his eyes as he thought of all the great fighting men that had something to live for. He had sent them to the ship to seek refuge and a way out from the enemy while he gave his life for a bit more time. After all that's what a good commander did wasn't it?
Obviously not. He looked to the ceiling the bright blinding white lights seemed to take him as his mind race to remember all of his mens names and faces. After a few seconds he gave up only recounting the few men that were truly close to him.
"WHY?!" he shouted. "for emporers sake why. They wre good men they fought for everything and they died without being able to defend themselves" tears now flowed freely from the commisars face. His deep mournfull sobs made most turn away. But not the man who had shook his hand. He stared straight into Bryn as if searching for something. But whatever it was he did not see Bryn grab the las pistol from his holster till the last second. Jamming the barrel to his own head Bryn pulled the trigger. Everyone looked away if they did not already have their backs turned.
The round flew wild and the pistol clacked to the floor. Cameron was standing over Bryn. With a downward swipe of his fist he lifted Bryn off the ground and threw him through the air until he landed next to the bulk head of the thunder hawk.
"pull yourself together you pathetic fething coward. Imagine what your men would think if they were here to see you like this." Cameron hissed "I have to battle my ghost to and nothing you have to go through could ever be worse than the pain I carry"
Bryn looked up through now tear blurred eyes. Blood was running with the tears marking whaer Cameron had punched him. "they were all I had" he sobbed gurgling on the blood and salty tears. "you're a fething commissar!! You are supposed to inspire fear and obedience not cowardice and a lack of discipline.
Cameron turned his back on the sobbing man and began to walk towards the door in the hanger. He shouted over his shoulder for the rest of his men and asked the leader of the defenders to put the commissar in a cell until he was better.
On the bridge of the strike cruiser the captain watched with intrigue as the commissar broke down. How simply a man could be crushed no matter how many he had killed with his bare hands or how many times he had stared death in the face smacked it straight in the jaw. As he watched his bionic eye wandered until it focused on the picture of the planet these, men, had jut been taken from. The final hive ship was lowering itself to the ground pushing feeding tentacles into the very planet eating all nutrients and growing stronger. As the captain turned he could see the planet was convulsing as if the unholy presence of the hive ship could make planets shudder. He turned to his gathered audience. All at the little computers making sure the ship was functioning at optimum capacity and would not explode randomly. "I want to begin bombardment. With the torpedoes. Set new heading to 059-170 and prep engines for immediate hyperspace jump. I want to get out of here as soon as everything is a burning crisp."
The thunder hawk slowly cruised towards the strike cruiser being pulled in by its great mass. Docking bay 127 was its goal. The gold inlaid doors slowly began to slide open. The maledos ordeos was inscribed by hand all over the strike cvruiser so was the litany of hate tomes thoat helped ward off aliens and chaos alike. But Cameron did not notice these his mind was deep not in sleep but the hellish nether reigons that you reach when ghosts and deamons live to remind you of all the wrong you have done.
But this was no misty dream it came back faster and hard than if he had relived it. It started with a silence You know how they always say that there is a silent before a storm a great breath before the plunge. Well its true. The light around the solider was dim and heavy with fear, terror, and an acceptance of death. The ship was small and the container he was In was even smaller. The plan was to drop in the middle of the battle field as a small group of crack reinforcements. Who the hell thought this stuff up? As the silence pounded on his head he could hear someone behind him throw up. Then the storm hit. It started with a faint din and then the pilot screamed something about a huge las beam. You couldn't see the giant energy lance of death but more along the lines of feel the heat as it passed by. Then the guns o god the guns the sound of round after round firing into god knows what was enough to destroy a man on the spot. Then the pilot shouted as loud as he could "30 SECONDS" then something about machinegun nests. The sweat on his palms made the gun feel awkward in his hands all a sudden he felt like a target just something for the enemy to shoot at for fun. The ship hit the ground with a bone jarring smash. The door to the compartment opened. And it opened onto a wall of lead. The first row was mowed down riddled with bullet holes before they could take a dying breath. before the rest could be mowed down he grabbed the dead man in front by the belt and shouldered into his back running out into the field of death. bullets continued to hit the body shaking him as blood and chunks of flesh flew from the dead marine showering the ground in a crimson sheet like sprayed on silk. The impacting bullets had a sick rhythm the sound of death seemed so quiet when you hear about it but when you are carrying it on your shoulder its loud like the devil roaring in your ear trying to drag you down trying to pull you down into the eternal fire. But he could not be dragged down. Then he saw what he needed to the inner hate that pushed any man to kill in cold blood the hate that only the chaos seem to have but his was controlled flowed to his killing instinct his eyes felt sharper his hand steadier. And now he felt total self abandonment. Death was not a concern but more living past this battle living for more than war. with a final burst of speed he sent the body onto the muzzle of the chaos heavy bolter whirling around the body with the tip of his rifle he came face to face with evil itself the face seemed twisted. It was a pleasure to pull the trigger. The head sizzled down to a smoking stump on top of a heavily armored body. Right behind the body was another chaos with a sick grin on his face. The new twisted face of evil brought up a pistol to bear. The muzzle looked like a skull screaming in agony. Could skeletons feel? swinging hard he plowed the bayonet on the end of is rifle into the side of the things neck. Only to make it angry. Pulling the rifel out the chaos marine back handed the puny human down. But what the chaos forget is that even the smallest animal can fight back kicking hard the marine planted the heel of his boot into the less protected belly of the beast. Stumbling backwards like a behemoth that just got bit by a tick the marine grabbed his chance. Taking his gun by the barrel he lunged upward smashing it into the chaos un armored chin only to be met with the sound of cracking bone and a spray of blood then with power he did not know he had he spun bringing the but of the gun into the small of the neck sinking deep snapping the foul thing making it crumple and twitch. Where are your dark god