This is my first humble attempt at a fanfic so please read and review.

Disclaimer I do not own any of the names or trademarks in this story they belong to Games Workshop and Bioware respectively.

Please enjoy.

Dranoth is an exo-planet that is 3 times the size of Holy Terra, with a weak atmosphere and an eccentric orbit around the systems sun. As a result the average day is 27 hours in length and the planet is mostly ice bound with vast plains of uninhabited icy tundra.

24:00 hours 789654.M41

Visse'el, Dranoth, Eastern Halo stars

A fire warrior sentry strode along the ramparts of Visse'el defence fort alpha, stopping to admire the sight laid out below him. The glow and roar of engines was detectable even from 5 miles away as super heavy transports constantly arrived and departed from the vast mustering grounds on the frozen plains. The sentry admired the invasion force laid out below even as his mind wondered back to his training days and wishing that he was down there and not stuck on duty on this insignificant fort.

A muted crack lost in the noise of the preparing invasion fleet carried over the slow breeze. The sentry turned, puzzled and collapsed as his torso ceased to exist in a kinetic explosion of blood and gore.

Relaxing his stance veteran sergeant Naaman of the Dark Angels space marine chapter, lowered his Ultra Pattern Mk. IX Sniper Rifle and turned to wave the team of scouts forward. Hugging the ground contours, the team crept towards the objective.

At multiple sites around the planetary defenses similar actions were occurring as Dark Angel and Imperial Guard infiltration teams moved to disable or liquidate key targets. The plan was for the teams to infiltrate and eliminate key sites and officers to cripple the Tau ability to respond to the incoming Imperial attack.

Sergeant Naaman and his team had the honor of eliminating the chief Ethereal Por'O Dal'yth Kais Twi Lui'tan as he visited the insignificant fort on a tour of the planetary defenses.

Squad Naaman reached the safety of the wall, all the time wary of Tau gun drones or fire warrior teams. The sergeant turned and ordered Uzzeil to locate an entrance point. Minutes later the team reached a concealed sally port over which the attendant sentry had been standing before a silenced bolt pistol round from Uzzeil had expelled his brain matter. ''Brother Brane open the gate'' came the order from Naaman.'' In the name of Caliban it shall be done'' the scout replied and moved closer to the gate to look for controls. ''Sergeant no controls visible, switching to dynamic penetration'' voxed the scout over the com channel.

Laying 5 mark XV5 'reaper' variant demolition charges on the gate he retreated to a safe distance from the gate before voxing the squad, ''in the name of the lion charges are set sergeant''. '' may the emperors fury be upon them'' came the response.

Suddenly the vox crackled into life with a priority message, '' all units in task force lion, the operation commences in ten minutes, we shall bring death to the heretic. All infiltration teams, in the emperors name attack''.

Alien squawks of alarm rose in the frigid air sending the team diving to face this new threat. Out of the smoke came a thick mass of crawling green reptilian flesh firing primitive pulse slug weapons and accompanied by sleek hovering gun drones.

Calmly the scouts dropped into the cover of a drainage ditch along the wall and began to unleash precise bursts, each one signifying a kill, but the hordes momentum barely slowed. ''Brothers Isa and Eliji eliminate those drones. In response a krak missile flew overhead and impacted on the shields of a drone with a muted crack and popping them as a burst of heavy bolter rounds hit tearing its synthetic alloy frame to pieces. ''Uzzeil blow the gate, we go in hard in the name of the lion'' screamed Naaman over the vox channel.

The scouts rose and turned towards the gate maintaining suppressive fire on the kroot and hurried towards the gate. The noise was horrendous as sniper rifles and shot guns were unloaded into the horde at close range while the two heavy weapons provided deadly enfilading fire, keeping the kroot trapped within in a lethal cross fire and then the charges blew...

Dranoth star system, Eastern Halo stars

...out of the void a kroot warsphere. Flight Lieutenant Ava Patel screamed in triumph as the plasma tipped missiles sent the reactor critical seconds before the blast wave violently rocked the fighter.''Gak'' swore the lieutenant as she struggled to reorient the sluggish fighter back on its intended heading.'' Enemy fighter on our six'' shouted the navigator. In response the rear mounted autocannon turret swivelled to engage the remora drone. The controlled bursts of turret fire damaged the drone with glancing forcing it to disengage and seek easy targets among the vast shoal of combatants.

''Arcuada flight, this is command, new priority tasking, orders are to close in with thunder flight and cut a path through xenos fighter packs 11A and 55B for the astartes'' droned the moronic tone of a lobotomised servitor.

''This is Arcuada flight lead we compl...'' voxed the lieutentant. However she never got the chance to finish as a shrill tone indicating enemy munitions lock cut through the controlled chaos of the fighter.

''Where are they'' shouted the lieutentant as a nearby plasma charge detonated, shaking the fighter and scrambling all conversation.

''Auspex returns indicate a barracuada with 2 or 3 remora escorts out at a 1000kms and closing'' replied the navigator.

''Divert life-support power to the engines and get ready to divert all shield power to forward weapons on my mark'' replied Patel thinking furiously.

''Arcuada flight lead to nearby flights we need assistance, we have 4 possible bogies on our tale and need combat support immediately''

''This is Shark flight lead, what do you require, over.

''Lead bring your birds in behind and distract those pursuing fighters''

''Roger that, I see them, engaging now''

The void came a light with the stuttering fire of autocannon rounds and the bright flash of lascannons searing across the interstellar gulf, bearing down on the unsuspecting Tau craft. Reacting with unnatural speed, the tau formation broke and scattered in all directions, but even that wasn't enough as 2 of the remoras were gutted by concentrated imperial fire power.

''Divert power to the engines now'', ''already on it Lieutenant'' replied the navigator before g-force crushed him into his seat and caused him to blackout.

The 50 ton interceptor roared forward at full speed before pulling up and back on itself decelerating above and behind the barracuada.

''Divert power to frontal weapons array now''

''Compliance'' uttered the monotasked servitor plugged directly into the plasma array.

Seconds later the interceptor bucked and roared as the fury of a dying star was unleashed on the helpless fighter. Despite the desperate last minute maneuvers of the xenos pilot, the blast vaporised the left wing of the fighter and started a series of chain reactions which utterly consumed the stricken craft.

The cockpit lights dimmed and flickered before rising back to full blood red ambience as the power was rerouted to its original destinations.

''Navy craft this astartes strike force, we require cover to the target, over'' crackled the vox

''This is Arcuada flight will comply over''

''In the emperor's name let it be'' replied the vox.

''This is Arcuada flight to all craft form up on original heading and cover the astartes approach''

Blasting through the dense fighter screen, the interceptors formed up on the formation of boarding torpedoes, shooting down threats as they materialised in the nearby void space.

Closing to within 5000 kilometres of the capital ship, the flight came under fire from ship based close range defence weapons, diving through the hail of rail gun and ion cannon rounds, the flight armed their anti-ship missiles and waited for the optimal distance to deploy them.

A soft chime resonated through the aircraft as the missiles auspexs locked onto the defence turrets and other nearby targets.

''This flight lead, all craft engage and go weapons free now''

With a roar born of death, missiles salvoed off the remaining interceptors launch rails, reaching their targets in under a second and detonating in cataclysmic balls of violet tinged fire.

Violent chain reactions rippled across the ship's hull as turrets, protruding sensor arrays and shield generators were obliterated in an instant.

Seconds later the boarding torpedoes hit the hull and clamped fast as powerful cutters and melta charges chewed an entry point through the reinforced void plate before the penetration charges blew sending superheated metal spraying all over the inside of the target, amidst the violent gusts of escaping atmosphere and explosive decompressions.

The gale of escaping air slowed and then stopped as the boarding torpedo formed a seal around the molten edges of the entry wound. The assualt ramp clanged down on to the polished floor and the Deathwing stepped into battle with righteous fury.

So I am not dead, despite nearly a year without updates.

I will be reworking the previous chapters to improve quality and hope to have the next new chapter done within a month.

Hope you enjoyed this, please pm me with criticism or views

Now for chapter 2...