-Edratus Prime-
-Status: Xenos invasion under way-
...
-Recommend course of action?-
...
-Exterminatus?-
...
-Negative: Xenos levels not meeting required parameters-
...
-Planet population: 275,000,000,000 approx.-
-Next course of action?-
-Planetary denial?-
-Affirmative: Closest fleets will arrive in 1-40 days-
-Casualty levels will be unacceptable-
-Technology loss will be unacceptable-
-A vanguard is required-
...
-Adeptus Astartes?-
...
-Affirmative: Blood Angels Strike Cruiser: Bloodied Blade diverted-
-Deploy the Blood Angels-
The Thunderhawk engines roared as they soared through the smog ridden atmosphere of Edratus Prime. The formation of Thunderhawks stayed rigidly in formation, waiting for the moment they would breach the impenetrable cloud of gas.
Inside the lead Thunderhawk, Captain Castigon, the leader of the Strike Force, stood, legs a shoulder-width apart, staring at the bay door. His blood red armour had not a blemish on it, even if it was only temporary. His golden helmet, signifying his veteran status, was knight-like in appearance. Unlike a standard Mk7 helmet, his had the grill area covered with a mouth guard, decorated with blood drop like jewels. His chest plate had , long, fabric decorations running across it, and had a loin cloth made of leather strips hanging down. On his left shoulder pad was a grand design of the Blood Angels insignia, the wings wider than the shoulder pad itself. The right shoulder pad had the Crux Terminatus on it, further enforcing Francesi Castigon's stature. His backpack was also a symbol of his position; two metal eagle heads replaced the rounded vents, and an Iron Halo was attached to the top of the backpack. His armour was adorned with purity seals. They were a staunch reminder of his loyalty. In his right hand, he firmly held a thunder hammer, and carried a storm shield in his left, ornamented with a skull surrounded by green laurels.
Castigon's command squad were also with him in the Thunderhawk. Sat down to Castigon's side was the fourth company, the Knights of Baal, champion, Lucio. He wore a Mk8 chest plate; the collar guard obscured part of his golden, knightly helmet. His right shoulder pad was modified with an extra piece of metal, jutting up higher than a standard shoulder pad. The rest of his armour was standard issue, albeit covered in purity seals and a cream loin cloth.
Sat next to Lucio was Vesalius. He was a Sanguinary Priest, and an experienced one also. Most of his armour was blood red, with smaller details like shoulder pad trims and the wings on his chest being white. Attached to his left arm was his Narthecium, along with his Exsanguinator, while his bolt pistol was held further down, clutched in his left hand. In his right hand, he carried a chainsword. The left lens on his helmet had been replaced by a supplementary bionic eye, allowing him to magnify his vision when performing medical procedures.
The three other marines in Castigon's command squad were instead stood up. The first of them, Raphael, was inspecting the sight on his bolter. He wore no helmet, instead choosing to reveal his face. The thin layer of hair on his head had gone grey slightly, along with his beard. Two service studs were embedded in the right side of his skull, and a long scar ran down his left eye. A war-torn Crux Terminatus was on his right shoulder, along with a purity seal.
The next marine was Leonardo. Not even close to Raphael's experience, but still a veteran himself, Leonardo wore an entire set of Mk6 Corvus power armour. He carried a combi-melta; he took pride in his versatility in battle. He also took immense pride in being the carrier of the company banner, although the duty was not always required. A standard would be too cumbersome when fighting inside a hive city.
The final marine, stood next to Leonardo, was Andreas. The newest, and by far the youngest, Andreas had a point to prove. However, he was still formally recognised as a veteran, and underestimating an Astartes veteran is a grave mistake. He wore a standard Mk7 Aquila set of armour, with a golden helmet denoting his status, much like Leonardo.
One of the tactical squads from Castigon's company accompanied him and his command squad in the back. They all remained relatively quiet, readying for the coming carnage.
"Captain Castigon," the Thunderhawk pilot said through the vox, "we are due to touch down at Hive Typhonus in thirty seconds."
"Good," Castigon replied. His voice was calm, almost like there was no war going on. He turned to Raphael. "What does the situation look like down there?"
Raphael unclipped a small device from his belt, and began reading the data it was sending back. "The outside of the hive is infested with Orks," he informed, his voice gruff and coarse. "But the inside is sealed off. Around five percent of the population is dead, with the remaining ninety-five percent inside."
Hive Typhonus was the largest hive on the entire planet, and thus an Ork magnet. The loot they could get from that hive alone would make them an even more serious threat than they already were.
Most of the Blood Angels task force was headed for Hive Typhonus. The other hives were relatively untouched yet, meaning PDF units could deal with any straggling Orks. The task force itself was comprised of around two-hundred marines, incorporating the entirety of the fourth company, twenty veterans from the first company, and thirty marines each from the 6th, 8th and 9th companies. A small contingent of ten scouts had also been granted to Castigon's war effort.
"Landing in five," the pilot announced, "four, three..."
The Astartes readied themselves, standing in file, with Castigon at the front, preparing to surge out of the Thunderhawk's front bay door.
"Two, one..."
The Astartes took a deep breath in.
The door opened.
Castigon raised his thunder hammer, and shouted, "For The Emperor and Sanguinius!"
A tsunami of red, power armoured warriors emerged from the numerous Thunderhawks. The Orks turned to charge, and were met with a hail of bolter rounds. A symphony of blood fountains erupted from the green horde, amplified by the sound of the Thunderhawk engines as they returned back to orbit.
The Orks weren't deterred, and continued their charge. "WAAAGGGHHH!"
To any other human, the sound of battle-crazed Orks would strike fear into their hearts, but not to Space Marines. They knew no fear.
The Ork charge reached the Blood Angel formation. Both sides trade immense blows to each other. Chainswords and choppaz went back and forth as the blood bath ensued.
Castigon gripped his hammer, and swung low on a charging Ork, sweeping him off his feet. He moved the hammer over his head, and brought it down on the Ork's exposed skull, shattering it in a plumage of blood and bone.
Vesalius spotted another Ork going straight for Castigon. He sprinted towards it, intercepting it roughly. He lashed out with his chainsword, swiping it the Ork's neck before plunging the whirring blade deep into the Ork's abdomen, spilling its guts everywhere. Castigon turned around just in time to see Vesalius push the Ork off his blade with his armoured boot.
"Thank you brother," Castigon said.
"It's nothing, old friend," Vesalius replied, before ripping into another Ork with bolt pistol and chainsword.
Raphael pulled the trigger of his bolter, letting the rounds puncture and kill any Ork he saw. He span around and continued firing, only stopping to reload. One Ork evaded his fire, and got in close. Raphael dropped his bolter, and took out his combat knife. The Ork rushed forward, clumsily swinging at him, allowing Raphael to easily dodge the attack. He reacted quickly, and stuck his knife into the back of the Ork's neck. It cried out in pain as Raphael twisted and then removed the blade. The Ork crashed to the floor, unable to counter. Raphael picked his bolter up in one hand, aimed at the Ork's forehead, and fired, creating a mini explosion of bodily fluids.
"Xenos scum," he said.
Leonardo and Andreas stood together, gunning down greenskin after greenskin. An assault squad soared over them and descended on their target, freeing them up to shoot at another mob.
The number of Orks dwindled and dwindled, until the few that remained simply retreated. With no leadership, they scattered into the toxic wastelands surrounding the hive.
"Well done brothers," Castigon congratulated. "The battle is ours."
Castigon's squad converged on him, as did most of the marines. Only a small number of Astartes had died. It was a good victory. With only two-hundred marines, every one of them was vital.
The victorious moment was broken by Andreas. "No warboss," he remarked.
Raphael bluntly replied. "These Orks will have been nothing. Just a minority of the entire invasion force."
Leonardo looked out into the horizon, and pointed with a finger. "Look."
Out in the polluted wastelands, silhouettes of an approaching force could be seen. Looted tanks, boyz, even a gargantuan Squiggoth could be seen.
"Well that complicates things," said Raphael.
"I wouldn't be so sure," Castigon countered. He turned to face his warriors. "Reclusiarch Donatello and Epistolary Federigo are still in orbit on the Bloodied Blade. I will send word. They will lead a small, elite strike force into the heart of that oncoming force in a hit and run operation."
Personal Comments:
Hello readers. I'm The Fezatron. But you can call me... no you can call me The Fezatron. Some of you may know me. I did start off fanfiction with another Blood Angels fic, but I took it down so I could focus on another fic. So this is 'Elves and Angels'. To anyone saying that Eldar aren't 'elves', the name sounded cool, so deal with it. But they aren't in it yet. And yes, the start is semi-inspired by the start of 40k: Space Marine.
I hope to turn this into a relatively successful fic, like my other big (-ish) one. We'll see how this goes. If you enjoyed it or want to say anything about it (make it constructive), please leave a review and possibly a follow or a fav. If you want more, then that is the best way to encourage me. I'll see ya soon ;)