Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own Warhammer 40k or anything related to Games Workshop.

Author's note: This is the first Fanfic I will be posting so R&R so I know what's wrong!


Planet Vlanor

Hellebore Pass

0137 Hours, Imperial Standard

Chaplin Jalther surveyed the battle before him as Eldar forces retreated towards their doom at the end of the pass. His scouts had confirmed that the Necron menace had herded the Xenos into the small pass, where their main force waited in a pincer, and all there was to do was to close the trap. The Eldar seemed oblivious to this factor as they ran. The Xenos fought galanty, but it would be in vain. It looked as though they only had a few handfuls of squads left, compared to the numberless Necron.

The Chaplin looked at his own forces, beaten and degraded. All of his fellow battle brothers were standing, as though to prove their faith and willingness to keep fighting. For the past month, the forces of the Blood Ravens had been avoiding the countless Necron patrols that swept the landscape. It was not forty hours earlier that they had first marched from their tombs, unholy precision in their steps. Their lifeless eyes came from the tunnels that had been just outside the bases perimeter, gauss weaponry scattering the molecules of his battle brothers, their armor of faith and plasteel no use.

Although they fought bravely, in the end they were forced to retreat. The Blood Raven's now carried the sacred gene-seed of the fallen. The small force, mostly standard Space Marines, had only a few heavy weapons scattered here and there, and half a dozen or so of heavy bolters.

Not hours before, the Blood Ravens had swept the tunnels, destroying the dormant machines, sector by sector, floor by floor. When they were finished, no Necron remained, only their enormous structures still stood. Techpriests and Servitors insisted that now that the threat was gone, they could study the ruins. A few hours before the assault, several teams in the tunnel started losing contact. This was not uncommon, as the tunnels stretched hundreds of kilometers below the planet. An hour later, all teams were no longer responding. This worried the Blood Raven's Commander, and a fully equipped squad was sent down to locate the teams. The squad never returned. Just as they entered the tunnels, there were shrieks of pain and prayers to the Emperor, then silence. Moments later the Necron came. They struck hard and fast, stunning the Marines with this new tactic and quickly overwhelming the Marines.

Tired, demoralized, and beaten, what was left of the Blood Ravens were now headed for the nearest spaceport. The only spaceport still operational was several hundred kilometers away. Normally, they could reach the port well within a week, but due to the Necron patrols and difficult terrain, it would take longer.

The Necron had apparently struck the entire planet at once, emerging as they had at the Blood Ravens' main stronghold. Normally, the Necron would slowly wake its main force, taking weeks or even months to become fully operational. Instead, Destroyers had rushed from the tunnel entrances, cutting down infantry and rushing past any other defenses. Immortals would follow, taking down armor and stationary targets, before the Marines could react. Last, the Warriors would march out in rows, slowly spreading out and slaughtering the survivors. By that time the Destroyers would have razed the vox arrays to the ground, making organization extremely difficult, and reinforcements even more unlikely. Then they would march along and kill everything in their path. But now was time to take the initiative.

"Brother Klen," Jalther said, motioning him forward.

Klen was Jalther's most trusted Marine. They had served together on several campaigns, and saved each other's lives more often than not. The warrior of the Emperor looked like a standard marine, though, to anyone else, he was as intimidating as all his brethren were. Standing at seven feet without armor, and seven and a half with, he was a force to be reckoned with. At his side he carried a bolter, his most trusted weapon. A chainsword hung on his back, strap loose and ready for battle. His armor was red on black, the Blood Raven's emblem clearly on his breastplate and shoulder pad. Like everyone else's, his armor was also scorched and torn by the recent battles.

Klen crouched next to the Chaplin and Jalther waited as he adjusted his sight and focused in on the battle below. Although the Necron's were slowly taking ground, it came at the cost of many of their warriors. But for every Necron down, its corpse would vanish in green light and more would take its place, a sure sign that their teleportation systems were operational.

"Yes Chaplin?" Klen asked as he continued to watch the battle unfold.

"You see those Necron at the end of the pass?" Jalther said, and Klen nodded. "They will no doubt finish the Xenos off. Agreed?" Another nod. "I've been thinking, and I believe we should assist the Eldar."

That left Klen stunned. He said nothing for several minutes.

Finally, Klen said, "Chaplin, they are the xenos, and do not deserve any fate but the one waiting for them!"

Jalther was glad he had linked his vox to the private link, or this would be very hard to explain to the rest of the Marines when even Klen was against it.

"Think, Klen. We're both armies on the same world, slaughtered by the unholy ones, and being weeded out. We carry the gene-seed of dozens of warriors, and their loss will deal a blow to the entire chapter. We must choose whether to die in vain for the Emperor, or live to fight another day."

Indeed the Eldar had also taken heavy loses. The two forces had been battling one another before the Necron had arrived, but ever since they had come the Eldar and the Blood Ravens had ignored one another. He had heard scattered reports on small Eldar forces attempting to retreat to, well, wherever Eldar retreated to.

"It doesn't matter Jalther," Klen argued. "Burn the Heretic, kill the mutant, purge the unclean. That is our oath, and we will follow it to deaths end. And beyond."

Jalther knew how to work around that, how to manipulate him, and did so, "And we will purge them. Once we reach the port."

Behind his helmet, Klen looked unsure. "Go on."

Jalther hated doing this to another battle brother, but they were desperate, and they needed to preserve the sacred gene-seed by any means possible. Without that, the Chapter would surely begin to falter.

"The Xenos only need remain as our allies until we reach the spaceport, Klen. Once we reach there, we can easily turn and shoot them ourselves, then evacuate with the rest of our forces. Then we bombard the planet from orbit until it has less life then a Tyranid's barren world."

Jalthers words seemed to ease Klen and he nodded slowly. "In that case, I will inform our brethren."

With that he got up, turned and headed for the rest of the Marines. The Chaplin refocused on the battle as Klen started his motivational speech, praising the Emperor for this day and the glory they shall receive. He really had no intention on killing the xenos unless he thought they deserved it. Though a dedicated servant of the Emperor, he was also an honorable Marine, and the Eldar and Marines both had a common foe. Beyond that, they both needed to retreat from the countless unholy ones. When it was all added up it was the best coarse of action.

He hoped.

"Emperor be with us," he said, and turned to ready himself for battle.