Cruor Ex Imperator Tigris
An Imperial Tigers story by Jerrod Fortner
The explosion tore open the earth beneath Ardo Malisse's feet, flinging him into the air as if he weighed next to nothing. He landed hard, shattering the armor over his right shoulder. He was slow getting up, but his blood brother, Yusuf, quickly helped him stand. Yusuf's face and body were completely covered in red armor, and the cog-toothed symbol of the Adeptus Mechanicus hid the armor beneath in several places.
"Foul heretics! Those Leman Russ shells are ripping us all apart! The Imperial Guard won't last much longer!"
Ardo looked at the destroyed armor of his shoulder, and then quickly scanned the battlefield. The Marines hadn't been spotted yet, but the artillery barrage was still taking a toll. Ardo keyed the vox-bead implanted in his throat and said, "Captain Callitus, do I have your permission to disable the tanks?"
"Negative, Sergeant Malisse. It's too risky. My Imperial Guard can handle this mess."
Ardo cursed under his breath and replied, "Sir, with all due respect, this course of action puts all the soldiers on this battlefield in extreme danger. As of now, I am relieving you of your duty."
Ardo stood and broadcasted a message to the other five Marines.
"Brothers, we must neutralize those tanks! Charge at will! For the Emperor, for Vishnu, for the Red Fang!"
With a mighty roar, the Marines charged forth, rapidly closing the distance between the cover of the forest and the edge of the city where the Leman Russ battle tanks were positioned.
Seeing the Marines charge forward, the entrenched Imperial Guardsmen leapt over their cover and assaulted the traitors' battle lines. They smashed into the heretical warriors and engaged in hand to hand combat.
At the same instant, the Marines and Techmarine reached the first tank. Ardo leapt onto the side of the Leman Russ and drew back his power fist, ready to deliver a killing blow. As he plunged the hydraulically assisted, lightning sheathed fist into the very heart of the tank, some stroke of fate allowed him to destroy the main targeting control of the massive tank. The enormous battle cannon turned to face the Leman Russ nearest it and fired, punching through the tanks armor and destroying it in a roiling ball of flame. Ardo roared in triumph as he continued to rip apart the tank until there was little more than slag left of it and bloody tatters left of its crew. He turned when he picked up Yusuf's scent, and he smiled.
"A good day, wouldn't you agree, Brother?"
"Indeed, Brother Sergeant. I only hope the Omnissiah will forgive us for allowing the heretics to desecrate the machine spirits of those tanks."
Ardo turned and looked at the sunset of Gereshan. It was a deep purple, like the ones on his home planet, Bengall. He thought back to the years he had spent in the Tendua mountain range, training for his life ahead. As the fires of war smoldered on the planet of Gereshan, a single Marine relived his past.