'You call that digging?! My grandma can work faster than you lazy bastards and she is frakking dead!' bellowed Colonel Garret Thatch towards one of the many hundreds of workgangs that were busily fortifying the main Imperial base now called Point Alpha which was located on an open savanna near the dense about the entire XXX regiment which was at full strength were down here carrying shovels and furiously attacking the ground itself while numerous scouting parties had been sent out into the jungle.
The air was thick with the smell of sweat and burnt promethium for aside from the Catachans, there were Sentinels armed with heavy flamers and chainsaws along with squads of flamer-armed infantry slashing and burning down vast swathes of the surrounding brush of wild grass as well as what few trees there were to ensure that they had a clear line of sight.
Bugs he thought with disdain a warp-damned species of space bugs that called themselves Zerg had infested the planet and had made the mistake of spilling Imperial blood. He didn't know what was weirder, that they encountered a bunch of overgrown space insects that seemed an awfully lot like the Tyranids or the fact that these things were somehow able to communicate with them in the first place.
Numerous skirmishes had broken out already as these Zerg seemed to seploy small packs of creatures which came in different shapes and sizes and often they would retreat as soon as they appeared, some saw this as cowardice but the Colonel knew it when an enemy was merely testing them.
This was an enemy they knew nothing about so a certain degree of caution was vital until they had more intel, so for now it was important that they at the least fortify Point Alpha as best they could. Although the Catachans themselves were highly adept at setting deadly traps such as mines, pits filled with sharpened stakes, snares, dead-falls and other such curious arts which possessed an efficacy that need not be witnessed by their own eyes, it would only go so far when facing a massed horde of enemies, especially if they were anything like the Tyranids.
Currently, they were working to establish trench lines, fox-holes and sandbag walls where Heavy Weapons Squads could set up and rain hell on an attacking army and there were already ongoing efforts to create the necessary earthworks to accommodate larger vehicles and other fortifications that would be brought in from the other Regiments.
As much as the Colonel didn't like the idea of having non-Catachans hogging precious space at Point Alpha, he knew the limits of the Jungle Fighters and their combat doctrines which prevented the use of most Astra Militarum vehicles, save for their own modified Sentinels.
In time he knew that they would have themselves a damn fine fortress ringed with enough guns, cannons and traps that would make even the most brain-dead Ork think twice about attacking. He especially couldn't wait to see the aliens just get blown to bits when they came within range of the Basilisks and the Wyverns because as soon as their defenses were complete, there would be a real rumble in the jungle.
Many, many leagues to the south where the humans had established their base was a vast valley where all of the greenery of the wild jungle had been smothered by a blanket of writhing dark purple goo. Upon this viscous substance known to the inhabitants of the Koprulu Sector as Creep, were numerous living structures of chitin, bone, flesh and sinew, many were the dwelling places of specific strains of combat organisms but far more were the defenses built to ward off any invaders. At the heart of this living cluster was the heart of the colony, the Hives which had formed a great ring around a massive grey worm-like creature which was a key component to the strength of the Swarm.
Resembling the Cerebrates of old, its sprouted long fleshy tendrils that connected to the Primary Hives which in turn provided each of the broods a great deal of genetic information, courtesy of Evolution Master Abathur before his recent treachery on Gystt.
Through this creature, the leading Broodmothers were able to make use of the different strains and mutations which the Queen of Blades had acquired during the war against the Dominion as well as some of the older ones used under the Overmind's reign, to better cater to the personal tastes of each leader.
Some preferred organisms meant for nothing more than direct assaults while others employed subtler means of eliminating their foes which created a diverse array of organisms which the Swarm could use on the battlefield. One such Broodmother was Araz'Kesh of the Zasz Brood for the Zerg sent to this moon which the Xel'naga called Un'lazar had taken up the names of the old Cerebrates to better identify their methods of warfare. Bearing hides that were the color of bright orange, the Zerg of the Zasz brood favored speed, surprise and ferocity as their chief weapons and thus had altered themselves accordingly.
Clutches of eggs pulsated around the Primary Hive of the Zasz Brood and the first to break out were a pair of winged Zerglings, Raptors which were capable of scaling steep cliffs and attacking foes that foolishly believed that natural formations of the ground can protect them. As soon as these creatures emerged, their minds were already subsumed by one of the hundreds of Overlords that lazily drifted above the valley and control of them was given over to the Broodmother who directed the pair to the nearest Nydus Network.
Soon, more warriors would hatch from their eggs, ranging from Roach Viles to Impaler Hydralisks, Creeper Swarm Hosts and at least one Noxious Ultralisk with many, many more on the way for each of the Hives of every Brood had gorged on an abundance of smelted minerals and processed vespene.
Of the Broodmother herself, she patiently watched and waited for like all of her kind, the broods were an extension of her will. Through the eyes of Overseers and other lesser minions, she observed the brutal battles as human warriors clashed with the Swarm and she made a number of mental notes which she would share with her fellow leaders. On one particular location, she watched as a group of ten heavily armored humans in the colors of silver do battle against her own minions within the thicket of the jungle.
Despite appearing somewhat like the Marines of the Terrans, these warriors were noticeably larger, stronger and faster as they made use of jet packs like those of the Reapers and in their hands were roaring weapons that possessed many moving teeth and handheld firearms that launched explosive rockets.
Wading into a large pack of more than a dozen Raptors on wings of fire, they were heedless of the multitudes of claws and teeth from her minions which provided an excellent opportunity for the Broodmother who sent a mental command to another pack composed of Baneling Hunters. The suicide beasts which had stayed out of the fighting by remaining buried, had rapidly emerged from their holes and rolled forth to the human warriors who continued to slaughter the Raptors with ease.
By the time the Baneling Hunters got within range, they immediately launched themselves up into the air towards the humans and one of the warriors futilely lifted up his gun in an attempt to shoot it before it exploded close to his face. The humans roared in agony as they were drenched in corrosive acid, their armor proved to be much sturdier than what Araz'Kesh had expected for it took multiple detonations from the Banelings to kill even one, this was an important thing to note as it suggested that these warriors were heavily armored, thus necessitating the need for Zerg organisms better suited for eliminating such foes.
Taking advantage of this opportunity the few remaining Raptors of which there were now only six leaped towards the nearest human and dragged him down before savaging him with their claws which now had an easier time tearing through the acid melted armor.
The surviving humans of which there were now five quickly assaulted the Raptor Zerglings despite their injuries from the acid and the Broodmother sent a mental command to a burrowed pack of Impalers to begin their attack. As the humans easily butchered the remaining Raptors, the ground trembled beneath them as several worm-like tendrils tipped with sharp fangs burst out from the ground to skewer them.
During the war against the Terran Dominion's previous Emperor, the Impalers had proven useful in eliminating the heavily armored units of the Terrans at long distances such as their Siege tanks, Marauders and Thors, against these Imperium Terrans, their effectiveness remained as potent as ever.
Such was the strength and speed of the worm-like tentacles of the Impalers that it easily tore through the entire bodies of the human warriors. At least one was lifted up into the air as two tendrils skewered him while another was painfully struck between from beneath, between his two legs and the tendril burst out from his head in a shower of gore before easily sliding back into the ground. One of the humans proved fast enough to sever an Impaler's tendril, his roaring many-toothed weapon cleaved through it but he did not have time to strike a second that hit him in the gut.
Only two humans had somehow managed to survive the attacks of her Impalers, they did not survive the second wave of strikes which came less than two seconds after the first. As soon as all of the humans were dead along with her Raptors of which was of little consequence to Araz'Kesh, she ordered her minions to re-position themselves for there many more foes nearby. The Broodmother felt pleased to have learned something of value about these, Imperium Terrans and she immediately connected her thoughts to those of an Overlord that would send out what she learned to the other Zerg leaders.
Despite Overqueen Zagara's desire for peace with the other beings of the Sector as well as to restore life, Araz'Kesh so did enjoy bloodshed and it was something which she dearly missed over the years.
Peering over a holo-display table were the three Warlords, the Captains of the Executioners Chapter aboard the Bastion of Dorne along with two of their nine Deathspeaker Chaplains who all studied what seemed to be a vast valley where the Battle Barge's augurs had detected a significant amount of bio-signatures.
Having requested the use of the Astra Militarum's long range scanners at Point Alpha, they were able to get a clear image of some of the xenos nesting site and had patiently waited until they were able to get a full view of the region.
'This must be the main hive' commented Warlord Sarthos, a scar-faced ebon-skinned man of the 6th Company who was a Terminator armored veteran of numerous campaigns against the Tyranids as well as missions into Space Hulks. The eyes of each Astartes leader was focused on studying the holographic landscape, and they noticed that these Zerg, like the Tyranids were capable of building living structures which seemed to be positioned in a manner which formed a spiraling pattern. 'And there must be something important at the center of it'
'Perhaps it is the guiding intelligence of these xenos?' theorized Deathspeaker Dolgar who wore the skull-faced helmet commonly worn by the Chaplains of the Adeptus Astartes.
'It seems quite likely' nodded Warlord Guthrum who led the 5th Company while stroking his beard. 'I am more concerned about the many flyers which these xenos possess.'
'Aye, our forces currently possess three full squadrons of dedicated anti-air vehicles, two of which are already on the moon.' commented another Deathspeaker named Magnar who held up a data-slate. 'The rest of our Rhino-chassis vehicles have mostly been outfitted to become Vindicators.'
'What of our own flyers?' questioned Warlord Sarthos towards Magnar who then began tapping his gauntlet covered right hand on slate's screen.
'We currently maintain a dozen Thunderhawks, twelve Stormraven Gunships, six full Stormtalon squadrons as well as another six full Landspeeder squadrons' answered the Deathspeaker.
'That seems more than adequate' grinned the heavily cybernetic Warlord Halfdan of the 7th Company whose bionic eyes seemed to glow a bit brighter.
'It may be wise that we also call upon the Imperial Navy and the Guard to support this assault' suggested Dolgar which drew a sneer from Halfdan.
'And give up the glory of these kills!?' incredulously asked the 7th Company captain who over the course of more than a century slaughtering the Emperor's enemies, his body had been so replaced by machinery that he might as well been one of the sons of Ferrus Manus.
'There is still much about these Zerg which we know nothing about' calmly explained the Deathspeaker. 'We do not know the functions of those flying beasts that swarm across the valley, nor do we know the purpose of those towers upon the mountains.'
'You worry too much!' bellowed Halfdan with a laugh as he then looked to Sarthos. 'In all of your years fighting the Tyranids, have you ever seen them use anything that posed a serious threat to our flyers?'
'Only their airborne beasts' answered the Warlord of the 6th Company who had never seen any form of dedicated anti-air or even the sort of weapons that could serve as an effective defense against orbital attacks.
'Exactly!' exclaimed Halfdan. 'Our Stormtalons are more than enough to maintain control of the sky and once we do, we will crush these xenos under our boots!'
'We will follow through with this' nodded Warlord Guthrum who wanted nothing more than take the skull of the leader of these Zerg and make a trophy out of it. 'We will make ready to strike at the heart of this swarm, For Dorne! For the Emperor!'
The smell of blood hung heavy in the humid tropical air as Veteran Sergeant Blaine of the Catachan XXX cautiously stepped over a fallen twig that would have snapped under his weight, his strong meaty hands tightly held onto a Meltagun as he lead the way for his scouting party of seven Devils.
Merely five steps away from him was the bloody carcass of some unlucky critter with meat savagely torn off from the bone and scraps of black fur lying about. A clawed hands lay lifelessly in the grass, clenched tightly as if balled to a fist and judging by the look of it, it must have belonged to a predatory beast.
'Pretty fresh by the look of it' observed the squad's Demolition Man, Marco who carried a Grenade Launcher as he leaned over to get a closer look. 'No bugs too, very fresh kill indeed.'
'Keep your eyes peeled men!' ordered Blaine and the Catachan Devils began looking about towards the surrounding jungle with shotguns raised.
Although effective as a weapon for close quarters engagements, the combat shotguns employed throughout the Imperium's armed services were for the most part, ineffective against armored targets but being a squad of elite infantry, the Catachan Devil had priority when it came to requisitioning the good stuff.
Each member of the squad had loaded up on the somewhat common Solid Slug Shells which sacrificed the shotgun's scatter effect in exchange for being more effective at tearing through flesh and armor. After a tense moment, the natural choir of jungle life continued unabated and the squad of Devils cautiously moved on but after a few more steps, one them found a trail.
'Look over here Sarge' called one of the other Devils named Sloane who gestured his head towards patch of dirt and the Sergeant went to investigate. When he got there, Blaine knelt by the ground which had been moved about in a rather sinuous and fluid manner, as if a massive serpent had just passed by and judging by the patterns, there were probably about six of them.
'Anyone here feel any movement below?' questioned the Sergeant for he had heard reports of these Zerg possessing creatures that looked a lot like the Raveners of the Tyranids.
'Nothing sir' replied a man named Jacks and the Sergeant believed it because he couldn't as well.
One did not just become Catachan Devil purely by luck or skill, no what made the Devils what they were was also natural instincts. Every Devil prided themselves for the fact they each possessed extremely razor sharp senses, honed to the point that it would have been virtually impossible to sneak up on them.
In the past, Sergeant Blaine's squad had played numerous cat and mouse games of stealth and deception with Ork Kommandos, Tyranid Lictors and even the heretical followers of Chaos that made use of dark sorcery, the fact that they were still standing and not their enemies was a testament to the skills of his squad.
A shadow then passed over the canopy and the squad looked up to see a massive, bulbous alien creature with giant crab-like claws, a red carapace, no wings, and far too many eyes than what any natural creature should have. Raising his Meltagun, he made a quick mental calculation and did not shoot for his Meltagun's beam would not reach it.
'The frakk is that thing?' questioned Marco who had his grenade launcher raised.
'Hell do I know, but our scouts have spotted hundreds of them flying about' replied Sergeant Blaine who was unnerved as it felt like it was watching them.
Unable to do much about it, they crouched down into the brush and continued their scouting mission while moving as quietly as possible. They had orders to reconnoiter what seemed to be some sort nesting site which aerial reconnaissance had spotted sometime earlier, its position was a little too close for comfort with Point Alpha.
After about half an hour of trudging through the jungle at a slow pace and with the many eyed flying thing continuing to shadow their movement, they eventually came upon cleared section of the jungle where in the distance, about a click away they saw a massive maw with rows of sharp teeth, each one about the size of a man.
Whipping out a pair of magnoculars, the veteran sergeant was able to get a better look at the terrain surrounding this alien beast which looked big enough to swallow Warhound Titan. The soil within the clearing was covered in some sort of purple goo where a series of large fleshy pillar-like things covered in spikes writhed along with massive tentacles extending from the ground, each tipped with a sharp blade as big as a Tyranid Carnifex's claw and facing downwards, like a spear ready to stab at a foe.
Flying above the maw were numerous alien flying beasts, some they noticed were winged serpentine creatures while others looked like floating giant red crabs and others somewhat resembled ancient terran ray fish, the last two of which were large enough to rival the size of a Land Raider.
This must be the nesting site thought the veteran sergeant who then placed his right hand over the comm-bead around his head and he was able to send out a signal on an encrypted channel.
'Command, this is Veteran Sergeant John Blaine' he spoke. 'I have visual confirmation on the xenos nesting site, over.'
'We're reading you sergeant' replied the voice of woman over at Alpha Point with an accent that did not sound Catachan. 'Send us your coordinates, over.'
'Our coordinates are-'
Suddenly, there was a whistling sound in the air, like that of an arrow in flight followed immediately by a pained gurgling as a razor sharp projectile struck a Devil named Collins directly on left side of his throat. Blood gushed from the wound and mouth of the man whose eyes widened in surprise and he clutched at his oozing throat, but there were more whistling sounds and the squad immediately went to the ground. The fact that none of them sensed any nearby xenos must have meant that whatever was shooting at them had done so at a great distance.
'Oh what the hell!?' shouted Marco as the whistling continued and they heard the cracks of wood splintering. 'These damn bugs got snipers!?'
'Shut your trap and get ready to move!' scolded Blaine who reached for a smoke grenade attached to his bandolier and he removed the pin with his teeth before tossing it to the ground behind him while taking one last lungful of the humid jungle air.
'Sergeant!? what's going on over there!?' came the voice of the female vox-officer.
'Hostile contact!' replied the Sergeant who immediately then decided to maintain radio silence for now.
Popping with a hiss, the smoke grenade unleashed a gray cloud that would soon conceal the Catachan Devils and after a few moment they got up and began to make a run for it. Glancing back to see his squad, he saw Sloane and Jacks carry the Collins by the arms, he couldn't tell if the man was dead or alive but there was no way in hell he was leaving anyone behind, especially if there was still a chance to save him. Marco was the last to leave the cloud and as soon as he took two steps out, a long serpentine tentacle suddenly wrapped around his waist and he was pulled screaming back into the smoke cloud.
'Oh for the Emperor's sake!' cursed Sergeant Blaine who made a quick mental headcount of the squad. One man was down, another just went missing which left five of them, two of which were attending to the wounded. 'Rodriguez, Barrick, with me, Sloane, Jacks, help Collins!'
'Yes sir!' saluted Sloane who had also been assigned to carry a medi-kit but the fallen Devil was already looking deathly pale.
'Let's go Devils!' roared the Sergeant who crouched down into the brush and the other two followed suit.
Moving as quietly as they could, they went through the smoke cloud again and when they came out of the opposite end, they were back at the edge of the clearing where they saw the flying gathering around at one spot. Narrowing his eyes, he saw about half a click away was Marco firing his grenade launcher at the airborne beasts, their altitude was too high up the explosives to reach and they uselessly fell back down to the ground to explode.
The flying crab-things then spat out a series of massive brightly glowing green orbs that reminded Blaine too much of Tyranid Bio-Plasma towards Marco who in the next moment was screaming in agony as acid melted his body and the explosives he carried detonated in a shower of smoke and fire.
'Mother-frakker!' hissed the Veteran Sergeant as the flying beasts then turned towards them and his eyes widened as he saw the crabs things and and the flying rays begin firing more bio-plasma towards them as well as smaller flying creatures. No words were needed to be said as the Devils quickly began making a run for it back to the now dissipating smoke cloud and this time they did not bother trying with stealth.
Rodriguez gave out a loud yelp as two small creatures that looked like a cross between a ray-fish and an insect collided onto his back, such was the savagery of these things that in a blink of an eye his ruined spinal cord was already visible. Taking only a moment to stop, he quickly raised his Meltagun up to the hip and Blaine pressed the trigger which sent out a bright beam of super heated gas that vaporized the two things which burst into a red mist along with the body of Rodriguez. Explosions of green Bio-Plasma detonated near him and the Veteran sergeant was on the move again.
After catching up with Barrick who had stopped to explain what happened, Sergeant Blaine noticed the pallid and still body of Collins, a pool of blood had already surrounded his head while there was a gaping hole through his neck. The Veteran Sergeant had like every Catachan seen enough death to know when someone was gone and he innately cursed at these damn xenos for killing another squad.
'Not a damn thing we could do' said Sloane who held up a bloody barbed thing that looked somewhat like an arrow head. 'Frakkin thing was lodged tighter than a cogboy's chrome.'
'Get moving Devils, the damn bugs got flyers!' bellowed the Sergeant and in the next moment they were already on the run.
Curious, thought Broodmother Araz'kesh as she saw through the eyes of a Viper the futile attempts of a human who attempted to shoot several airborne organisms with one of those... grenade launchers which were nothing like those used by Vultures or Marauders. The Guardians of the Daggoth Brood had made quick work of the soldier and they turned their attentions along with those of the Brood Lords towards the rest of the human pack to which they unleashed a salvo of acid spores and broodlings while an Overseer kept them in its sight. The humans managed to get away and already she had packs of Zerglings and Hydralisks that would be in pursuit, the latter of which had managed to kill one warrior earlier.
These humans did not seem to consistently arm themselves thought the Broodmother who had been going over what she had learned through the eyes of her many minions across Un'lazar. Among the Terrans and their infantry, one knew what to expect when encountering the different types of units which they used, such as how their Marines could defend themselves against both ground or air targets, how their psionics employed stealth technologies or how their more heavily armed troops were helpless against anything in the skies. These Imperium Terrans on the other had armed themselves in ways that would keep the Swarm guessing with these warriors who were equipped with no form of body armor and wearing red cloths around their heads being a prime example.
In one skirmish, she watched as a horde of Swarmling strain Zerglings of the Araq Brood supported by her own Ravagers, attempted to overwhelm a large human pack. While mostly armed with guns that fired laser bolts, more than a few carried large flamethrowers and grenade launchers as well as guns that fired a hail of explosive rounds.
These humans were doing an admirable job in holding back the tide of Swarmlings, until a glob of corrosive bile hit one of the fire-wielding soldiers and he exploded along with another one while others began scattering about to avoid being hit by the bombardment of her Ravagers which would soon cost them dearly.
In another area, she saw several walking vehicles, somewhat like the Terran Goliaths, backing away from an encroaching horde of more Swarmlings from the Gorn Brood. A number of the vehicles were armed with weapons that unleashed a storm of rapidly firing laser bolts or explosive shells while others remained as close as possible to incinerate the horde with greats gouts of flame or massive bolts of searing plasma that would explode on impact.
At the rear of these walkers were units launching rockets that would detonate with showers of metal shards or cannons that also launched large solid shells that could easily rip through entire groups of Zerglings which soon were were forced to retreat after sustaining far too many losses.
Of the heavily armored marine-like warriors, she noticed that they possessed a strong predilection for close combat and they fought in a manner that was all too familiar to the Swarm. Taking no heed to their own losses, they furiously fought on with more of those roaring teeth weapons, glowing blades, electrical claws, massive fists while also using guns that were well suited for close range.
These humans were currently engaged in a pitched battle with the Kagg Brood in a bloody war of close quarters attrition where the sheer number of zerg combat organisms were pitted against the skill and resiliency of these warriors.
+I have had enough of this!+ came the impatient, psionic call of Broodmother Skirsys of the Daggoth and Araz'kesh quietly eavesdropped. +I am sending my children to destroy their base at once!+
+Alone? your Brood may need support+ added Broodmother Xarajax of the Araq.
+Then join me or not, we have wasted too much time already+ replied Skirsys and Araz'Kesh through her many Overseers could see that dozens of winged organisms were taking flight from the Spires placed upon the mountains.
+But what if they are holding back, like we are?+ cautiously suggested Broodmother Urstara of the Nargil. +They may have many more weapons and machines we have not yet seen.+
+Then we meet destroy them all in battle!+ haughtily replied Skirsys. +We have yet to encounter any serious threats to our aerial organism, we must take advantage of this!+
+We should remain cautious+ finally spoke Araz'kesh. +Clear the ground for our broods and we can begin a full-scale assault in concert with your own.+
+Good, now let us show these humans the price for defying the Swarm!+ announced Skirsys with an infectious excitement which every Broodmother felt as well.
Taking a swig of water from his canteen, Colonel Thatch felt the tepid recycled water go down his throat and he tried not to think about how many times it had been pissed and reused aboard The Chariot. Progress was good he thought for with the help of the Cogboys and the transports from The Onager, they had established numerous defensive lines filled with gun turrets and bunkers which would be linked together by trenches. Fences of barbed wire had also been established along with dragon's teeth fortifications and to the pride of the Catachans, they had laid down mine fields which at the press of a button over at HQ would become active.
The next phase of their fortification would include setting up fire support bases for the Basilisks and Hydras which would-
'Sir! we've got multiple flyers inbound to our location!' shouted a nearby vox-operator.
'Frakkin hell! Get the launchers!' roared the Colonel and in an instant alarms and sirens were being sounded all across Point Alpha as the workgangs began dropping their tools and grabbing their weapons while the slash and burn teams were immediately making their way back.
Next to the Regimental Command which served as the primary HQ for the base was an Imperial Bastion, an imposing tower of Ferrocrete that had been modified to also serve as a landing pad, one where numerous supplies had been dropped off all day.
Several crates were immediately opened up with crowbars as the Catachan Heavy Weapon Squads began grabbing everything they could use to fend off air attacks such as Missile Launchers, Autocannons or Heavy Bolters. Even the support staff at the base, especially those among the Mechanicus were busy at work calibrating and intoning litanies to the Machine Spirits of the defense guns or equipping Servitors with Heavy Bolters.
Within two minutes, they could see in the distance, numerous flying shapes heading directly towards Point Alpha from the south. Doubling their pace, they began sending orders for all scouting parties to immediately return to base while also calling for air support from the other Imperial forces. But the men of the Imperial Guard were not alone in this and the Space Marines of the Executioners Chapter of whom had their own section at the base were also making their own preparations.
Techmarines accompanied by Servitor thralls just been hard at work fortifying Point Alpha, numerous Tarantula Sentry Guns as well as heavier gun turrets equipped with either Heavy Bolters, Missile Launchers or Lascannons had been primed for action with even a number of Thunderfire Cannons loaded and readied for a ground assault.
Perhaps the most potent of all of their anti-air defenses were two squadrons of Stalker tanks, their Icarus Stormcannon Arrays were already scanning the skies for possible enemy attacks. It was a testament to the skill of the men, both among the Imperial Guard and the Space Marines that both had so quickly been able to ready themselves for battle.
Expecting the aliens to swoop in and immediately attack, they braced themselves behind trenches, sandbag walls and bunkers, waiting for the aerial assault to come but instead, they halted, far enough to be out of range from the guns of the Imperial forces and they held their position far above the ground while allowing slower aerial beasts to catch up.
Despite this tense standoff, activity in the base did not cease as at the very front of the battle lines was Colonel Thatch who had mounted a Sabre Gun Platform equipped with twin-link Autocannons. With one hand holding on to the turret's handle and the other holding on to the speaker of a Vox-unit he was busy bellowing out orders to his men across the base and communicating with the ships above.
'We got a ton of xenos flyers ready to bear down on us!' he said towards a Vox-officer above on The Onager and he was absolutely furious. 'The hell do you mean the flyers are occupied!?'
'Th-that's just it Colonel' replied the terrified voice of a man on the other side of the channel. 'We've encountered xenos forces on the planet and General Korden has requested air support, we've already sent most of our Lightnings and Marauders.'
'Then send the frakking rest!' demanded the Colonel. 'If we get massacred down here, then so help me Emperor, I will come back from the grave and shove my fang so far up your-'
A sudden faint tremor was then felt by the Colonel who instinctively dropped the speaker and he immediately had both hands on the Sabre's handles. Looking out to where the swarm had halted, he saw five monstrously massive worm-like beasts burst out from the ground and the things turned their tooth-filled maws to the ground.
With a great heave, the worms began disgorging hundreds if not thousands of alien bioforms upon the plains, some he realized with a twinge of horror were absolutely massive for even from this distance, he could make out there shapes.
Large beasts that would have rivaled the size of tanks and others of knights now strode among the multitudes of xenos while many of the smaller ones emerged from the maws of the worms by the hundreds in dark rivers of chitin and claws before vanishing into the tall grass.
The sight of the horde was intimidating for sure and had they been any other Imperial Guard regiment, the Commissars would have already begun executing people to maintain order, but such was not needed for them. Every Catachan had lived with the shadow of death their entire lives and they were ready to meet it as long as they could take out as many of the enemies as possible.
'I hope they don't got no heavy artillery' nervously commented a young Jungle Fighter private who was operating a Lascannon propped behind a sandbag wall near the Colonel's position.
'Have you ever seen nid artillery son?' came the incredulous reply of another nearby soldier who wore the red beret of an officer. 'You can hit those things with a Missile Launcher or Autocannon, no sweat, its their Bio-Titans that'll kill you from afar, I doubt these Zerg can do any better.'
Seeing movement in the tall grass beyond the base, orders were shouted by officers to hold their fire as the edge of the of cleared grasslands was a little bit well out of the range of their mortars, missile launchers and other heavy weapons, to shoot now would just be a waste of ammo. Several massive flying aliens possessing numerous eyes ranged ahead of the aerial swarm before halting at the edge of the grassline, they then began spitting something onto the grass which was out of the Catachan's sight.
The grass then began to rustle again and all guns were raised in readiness, after a few tense heartbeats, there emerged five familiar human figures wearing red bandanas. Attempts were made immediately made to hail these troopers over the Vox network but there was no reply and it was possible that none of them were carrying a communications device, regardless of which the Catachans made sure to cover their retreat as they kept their eyes on the tall grass which wildly moved about but and they could see the forms of large alien beasts coming there way but still had no clear shot.
By the time the returning troopers were merely a few yards away from the first trench line, there again was movement among the foliage and this time they could see the massive shell-like backs of some large creatures moving about before going down and vanishing from sight.
Just what were these Zerg things doing? thought the Colonel who then saw dozens of shiny spheres being launched up into the air and they burst to reveal large flying beetles that immediately began flying towards them. From the grass came dozens of other similar beetles crawling on the ground and heading towards the trench line.
'Lock and load men!' roared Colonel Thatch who briefly pressed the trigger on the Sabre and he launched a single Auto-Cannon round that immediately tore a flying beetle to shreds. Instead of an actual tide of aliens, they encountered several small groups which were easily picked off by short controlled bursts or a single well placed shot.
Muttering a curse, the Colonel knew that the aliens were testing them again and he grabbed the Vox-unit's speaker which he had earlier dropped and quickly called for a sitrep with the other squads around the base. The only reports of enemy activity were from the south side of the base and he knew full well that the aliens were up to something. He then ordered the squads to hold their positions and he contacted the ships again.
'Colonel is that you?' came the voice of General Korden.
'Yeah it is General, are we getting air support or what?' asked the Colonel as he glanced to the southern field and saw more of those beetles coming along and the big flying beasts were already on the move.
'The Onager is already preparing its fighters and bombers as well as reinforcements from the reserves but you will need to hold out until then!' answered the General and the Colonel was privately relieved. 'I have already contacted the Executioners and they are sending aid.'
'Alright then thanks, I mean it General' spoke the Colonel with genuine gratitude.
'May the Emperor protect you Garret, Korden out' replied the General who then cut the transmission.
Okay we can do this, privately thought the Catachan Colonel as he fully turned his attention back onto the swarm and he saw the things massing for an assault with the big flying crabs and the ray looking beasts being at the front with other flyers at the back while on the ground were other large creatures with shell-like backs that had a fiery glowing hollow sections at the center. Just a little closer he thought, just wait till they can get close enough to say hello to Mr. Sabre and his buddies Flakk and Icarus.
The aliens with the glowing hollow shells then launched bright bolts of bio-plasma that flew up into the air and began to arc back down towards the first trench line at a frightening speed while the crab-things began spitting green balls and the rays were launching something else that moved very fast as well. He briefly then felt a tremor as numerous large tentacles burst out from beneath some of the heavy gun turrets and bunkers, each one punching a hole large enough for even a fat ratling to fit through.
Globs of green Bio-plasma then struck the turrets and bunkers which caused the already damaged defenses to begin melting at a rapid pace with more than a few hitting the men with unnervingly accurate precision while shouts of pain and surprise rang out as incredibly fast small creatures tore through muscled bodies with deceptively powerful strength.
Oh frakk these Zerg have artillery thought Colonel Thatch, the Zerg had actual frakking artillery and the not the light kind like Mortars. Airborne frakking artillery that was bombing the hell out the trench lines and well out of the effective range of everything they currently had on the ground. Oh frakk he thought as he saw a glob of Bio-Plasma heading straight for him and he jumped off the Sabre in time as an explosion of powerful acids obliterated the gun platform.
+Continue the assault my children!+ came the mental call of Skirsys as her Broodlords and Guardians continued to bombard the human base with acid spores and broodlings, the latter of which had been chemically supercharged to be not only hyper-aggressive but strong enough to tear through even the armor of tanks.
Mutalisks, Corrupters, Devourers, Scourges and Vipers remained nearby to provide protection against aerial foes while on the ground were Ravagers, Impalers and Lurkers which were all capable of long ranged attacks. Numerous Swarm Hosts had also burrowed into the ground beneath the artillery organisms and were sending out swarms of locusts to keep the humans distracted while the rest of the ground warriors headed back to the Nydus Worms.
Serving as their eyes among the humans were several Changelings which had taken the forms of their soldiers. Each of the shape-shifters spawned by the Overseers possessed a psionic aura that would fool the humans into believing the creatures were their kin while keeping the Swarm informed of the defenses but such beings would not last forever.
One particular Changeling of which was under the control of Araz-Kesh had feigned injury and while pretending to seek healing, it found a fairly wide and open section of the base along its western edge where several silver structures had been placed.
Noticing that these structures bore the same colors as the heavily armored marine warriors, she prepared her forces of what was to come next while also informing the other Broodmothers. Back at the primary Hive Cluster of the Zerg, there was a special Nydus Network that stood out among the rest for it contained within it a superior strain of Nydus Worms created by the Queen of Blades during the war against Amon. Sending a psionic command to the dormant nest, it awoke and began to spasm as a massive appendage burrowed beneath it and through many leagues of hard earth where it traveled at a speed that would have defied belief.
Right before the Changeling expired, it was able to witness the emergence of an Omega Worm as it burst out from the ground with a loud roar of triumph before immediately disgorging the children of every brood and spreading the Creep. From the massive maw of the Omega Worm first came dozens of banelings, both of the Hunter and Splitterling strains, the rolling creatures immediately sought out the human buildings for their acid was not only effective against lightly armored units but was also absolutely devastating when used against structures.
Entire buildings collapsed quickly as powerful explosions of corrosive acid detonated across the base's west side, the humans of course attempted to fight back and were able to kill many Banelings but all they did was delay the inevitable.
Emerging from the Omega Worm's maw then came a great tide of Zerglings accompanied by Roaches that burrowed beneath the ground, long-ranged Hydralisks and towering Aberrations which were brought for the purpose of destroying any heavily armored foes.
In response to their arrival came three silver tanks of the humans rushing in from the trench lines, each one was armed with an array of large guns that rapidly launched heavy shells that tore through dozens of Zerg at once. Having anticipated such a move, Broodmother Araz'Kesh then sent a mental command to a squirming many legged arthropod known as a Defiler which had been placed among the second wave to support the assault.
The body of the Defiler shivered with movement as it readied the countless micro-organisms that infested its carapace and with a sudden heave it launched an expanding cloud of these creatures towards a portion of the assault force that were heading directly towards the tanks.
In matter of seconds, the air was filled with a dark cloud of living organisms that served to protect the attacking horde from all manners of ranged weaponry yet against these three tanks, their protective cover did nothing which came as a surprise for Araz'Kesh.
Many more Zerglings were killed, not even the protective cover of the long legged Aberrations could help as a number of the massive beasts had their elongated limbs severed and bodies riddled with holes. At the back of the horde, the Hydralisks began their barrage of needle spines which punctured the metal hides of the machines, a single one would not be enough to destroy tank but dozens at once was a different matter.
Bursting out from the ground flanking the three tanks as well as behind were her own Roaches of the Vile Strain, their acidic saliva had been altered by Abathur to harden upon contact, thus restricting the movement of the tanks while interfering with their firing mechanism.
The rate of fire from the three tanks rapidly slowed and the armored plating of the vehicles melted but into holes large enough for the assorted Zerglings from the different Broods to enter.
The human crewmen of whom were the heavily armored warriors drew pistols and blades to defend themselves, they were soon overwhelmed by The Swarm. A mighty explosion of fire and smoke suddenly blossomed in the air above the assault force which sent hails of metal shards to cut down more of the Zerglings.
Through the eyes of a surviving Aberration, Araz'Kesh saw the distant figure of a silver and red armored human directing the fire of a multi-barreled cannon placed near the trenches while groups of other humans clumped around to defend them.
Sending this mental image to Skirsys, the Daggoth Broodmother ordered for her closest artillery organisms to begin to bombarding it. Bright green glowing globs of Acidic Spores smashed into the cannon, liquidating it while Broodlings smashed into human bodies and tearing them apart.
+Ware the skies!+ came the psionic cry of Urstara and every Broodmother quickly shifted their attention above through the eyes of what Overseers had been deployed.
Burning with the heat of atmospheric entry were numerous objects, some of which looked very much like the Drop pods of the Terrans while others were clearly incoming aircraft. Every Mutalisk, Corruptor, Devourer and Viper immediately moved to intercept these reinforcements with the Scourges forming the vanguard while Guardians and Broodlords continued their bombardments of the base.
Dividing their attentions between the fighting on the ground and the air was of no challenge among the Broodmothers as they also began sending psionic commands to deploy their own reserves. Now this was where the true battle began thought the Broodmothers with anticipation for they had numerous contingency plans in place.
'The Emperor protects! The Emperor protects!' came the call over the Vox-network and Lt. Tomas Maveryn of the Imperial Navy roared those words as he thumbed the trigger on his Lightning's yoke and he launched shot after shot of Autocannon shells towards the oncoming swarm of xeno bioforms.
The last remaining fighter squadrons aboard The Onager, were composed of Lightnings and Thunderbolt that fired volleys of solid slugs or laser lances which easily tore through the bodies of alien creatures that looked a cross between a hornet and worm.
There was a time once in the past when the Lieutenant had fancied the idea that when attacking from low orbit, the aircraft of the Imperial Navy would have looked like avenging angels with wings of fire. He also would have likened the flight of the aircraft to be like the cavalry charges of ancient Terra when legions of mounted knights clashed with lances in hand.
Those were more naive times for the man in the cockpit of his fighter-craft, his heart pounding as adrenaline coursed through his veins and he felt a flush of excitement as he slaughtered many of the alien things which he guessed were like Tyranid Sky-slashers, albeit of a size somewhat smaller than his Lightning and nowhere near as fast.
Firing another series of solid rounds that tore into their foul hides, he angled his fighter's wings flight and with expert skill was able to avoid getting caught by the beasts but warning runes flashed, signifying that some among his squadron were not so lucky.
Cursing these foul aliens, he then came face to face with the second wave of flyers of which composed heavily of serpentine things with great flapping wings. Behind these creatures were tentacled things that somewhat looked like massive terran squids while others looked like wasps. The squadrons fired their deadly weapons again and in turn were met with volleys of bright green bio-plasma, or purple ones and swift flying beetle-like creatures that were about as fast as a flakk missile.
He suddenly then felt an impact as a Lightning next to him was struck by a green bio-plasma shot and it actually ricocheted from it and struck his own. He then saw one of the monstrous beetles fire a purple glob of bio plasma directly towards him and he took evasive maneuvers by performing a barrel roll while firing his two lascannons in time to perfectly clip its wings. A loud wet explosion was then heard as the bio-plasma glob flew past him and more warning runes flashed as something was now clogging his thrusters.
Diverting power to the engines he tried to burn away whatever was interfering in his Lightning's mechanisms but another glob of bio-plasma struck the belly of his craft. Hissing a curse as panic began to rise, he did not have time to eject as another shot of bio-plasma directly struck his cockpit, melting his flesh and bones into a foul slurry as his Lightning went down in flames.
'You want a piece of me!? you want a frakking piece of me!?' roared Colonel Thatch who was now armed with a Flamer as he stood by one of the firing slits of the Regimental Command. 'Come and frakking get it!'
Grenade after grenade was launched by the Commander of the Catachan XXX who was accompanied by his Command Squad of four Veterans who mounted a last stand as the banner of the Imperium had been planted behind him. What remained of those men who had been defending the trenches were now scattered about across the entire base.
The lucky ones had sheltered within the structures used to make Imperial Guard bases of which composed almost entirely of bunkers where the infantrymen could safely fire at a foe but the rest had to make their stand out in the open.
At the front of their group were four flamer-men who unleashed torrents of liquid fire, the bodies of charred gaunt-like creatures surrounded them as explosions of shrapnel tore others to shred while riflemen kept up a steady volley of lasbolts.
One of the flame troopers began to violent jerk about as he was struck by dozens of sharp spikes and he fell on his back, dead as more and more xenos still came at them. Loudly cursing, the Colonel hated the Ravener-looking Zerg even more than the Tyranid ones as they could fire those sharp spikes at long distance and with great accuracy.
The ground then began to rumble and he cursed as a pack of six big beetle-like aliens burst out from the ground and immediately began spitting acid at them. These creature he had learned much to his frustration had possessed thick armored shells that easily shrugged off lasbolts, promethium and even frag grenades.
'Get the kraks!' he roared as one Jungle Fighter was splattered with acidic saliva, his flesh sloughed off like melted candle wax as two smaller beetles suddenly emerged from his ruined body and they too began spitting acid at the Catachans.
'On it!' replied a Veteran member of the Colonel's Command Squad who aimed his own grenade launcher at the big beetles and he launched an explosive round which sailed through the air before blowing a meaty hole through the shell of an alien and splattering those nearby with blood and chitin.
Another beetle shared the same fate as the first and before a third could be slain, the Veteran Grenadier was immediately pin cushioned by the spikes of the Ravener-things that kept their distance.
Such were the numbers of these Zerg that they soon began to overrun the Catachan's position. Jungle Fighters were dragged down fighting with Fangs stabbing and guns blazing before being silenced by the relentless tide of xenos.
A Jungle fighter next to the Colonel suddenly gave out a surprised yelp and was immediately yanked away by a long tentacle that wrapped around his waist, it was attached to flying serpent and he was hurled into the swarm where the Gaunt-things ripped him apart.
Preparing to meet his end, the Catachan Colonel was about to reach for the last grenade attached to his belt but when the sky finally darkened, he glanced up and saw to his relief the heavy forms of Astartes Drop Pods! Crashing amidst the horde and sending bodies flying, a loud impact that caused the very ground to shake, the hatches of the pods dropped to to reveal the silver armored forms of the Executioners who quickly charged into the fray with boltgun and chain weapons roaring. The last to step out of the Drop Pod was a blue armored Astartes whose very presence unnerved the Colonel who instinctively knew why.
'Hell its about damn time you got here!' said the Colonel who did his best to hide his aversion as he met the red eyed gaze of his savior.
'We were indisposed, Colonel' calmly replied the Space Marine, his voice had a mechanical quality to it as it was spoken through the grille of his helmet.
Clad in a full suit of blue and silver armor which incorporated one of those psychic hoods while wielding a staff that crackled with electrical sparks, this Space Marine was without a doubt one of their Psyker Librarians. Despite the Librarian's face being concealed underneath an Astartes helmet, Colonel could see behind the red eye lenses, the bluish glow of raw warp energy as sparks danced between the fingers of the Space Marine's left hand. Raising his staff, the Librarian unleashed a wave of energy and the Colonel suddenly felt a rush of unnatural vitality infuse him.
All around them, the Executioners and those few surviving Catachans began moving faster than what could have been possible for either a human or even a superhuman, their blades tore through chitinous bodies so fast that they could kill another before their previous victim had even hit the ground.
Their guns could be unloaded even more rapidly and be reloaded in a blink of an eye without sacrificing accuracy for to them, time itself had quickened. Dozens of Zerg were killed in those first few seconds around the Colonel as more Drop Pods had arrived and disgorged their deadly occupants.
Drawing his Fang, Colonel Thatch began bellowing out orders to the remaining Jungle Fighters before throwing himself into the thick of the fighting, intent on not letting even a Space Marine show him up. It was of his opinion that the Catachans were the toughest bastards in service to the God Emperor and he sure as hell wasn't going to even let his sons prove him wrong.
The battle for the sky had been going well, thought Broodmother Araz'Kesh, for the human aircraft had been fairly few in numbers, until the arrival of several silver armored gunships had struck the flanks and the tides were now turning. Many of the human aircraft were armed with an array of rapidly firing guns that sent streams of solid rounds and explosive shells at such a high rate that entire packs of Mutalisks and Scourges were perforated in seconds. Others were much larger machines armed with cannons that fired searing lances of laser beams that could easily go through the armor of the Corruptors and the Devourers.
Broodmother Skirsys was undoubtedly infuriated and she drove her remaining minions into a killing frenzy which lent them an added degree of speed and allowed them to more rapidly fire at the humans or close the distance. The flying organisms of the other Broods had also joined in attempting to overwhelm these humans, the remaining Mutalisks and Scourges attempted to form a living barrier while the Corruptors and Devourers kept their distance. To Araz'Kesh, she was more content to play a more supportive role in this battle as she sent psionic commands to the Vipers she had deployed.
Noticing that the squadrons of smaller silver aircraft tended to stick relatively close to one another in groups of three, the Broodmother commanded for her Vipers to unleash their own swarms. Like the Defilers, the bodies of the Vipers were infested with countless micro-organisms that could be utilized in two different ways, the first of which was a thick green clouds that would blind anything caught within but still leave them vulnerable to attacks from those outside of it. The second came in the form of another cloud of parasitic creatures that were so ravenous that they were capable of damaging the hull of even a Capital Ship and were also useful for forcing squadrons to disperse lest they receive critical damage.
As soon as the Blinding Clouds engulfed a number of the aircraft, they at first fired as one would expect, blindly through the thick screens which severely hampered the vision of those caught within it while the Devourers and Corruptors still had clear shots and continued to fire acid and parasite spores. Then came the Parasitic Bombs which were targeted towards the gunship at the center of the formation, the swarms of ever-hungry microbes rapidly ate away at the hulls of the vessels and the Broodmother wondered what the humans would do next.
One of the aircraft then exploded in a puff of fire and smoke, fragments of metal were thrown about as the other two units in its squad then broke off away from the cloud and each other, making them easier prey for the Swarm.
+The humans are landing reinforcements+ called Xarajax and through the eyes of the Overseers, the Broodmothers did indeed notice the many large vessels landing further north of the base.
+Our forces are still occupied at the base+ reminded Urstara. +It will take more time to prepare another horde+
+then Prepare the Ultralisks!+ commanded Araz'Kesh and the great beasts that had slumbered had finally awakened to a world of blood and fury.
'For Dorn! For the Emperor!' shouted Sergeant Thorgard of the Executioners as he drove his power sword through the body of a gaunt-like alien and shot another in the maw with his plasma pistol. Behind him were many battle brothers armed primarily with chainswords and pistols, their Chapter's focus on close combat warfare had led more than a few to emulate the Crusaders of the Black Templars of whom were fellow Sons of Dorn. With war cries upon their lips and the roar of chain weapons in hand, they tore into the xenos like a lance into soft flesh.
These Zerg were just like the Tyranids he thought, hordes of lesser creatures with far too many teeth and claws slashed and bit at them but faith, ceramite and bolters won out as they drove into the swarm! With another slash he decapitated an alien before driving his weapon into the spine of another while holding the trigger of his plasma pistol which caused the weapon to charge up. Once the weapon became close to dangerously hot, he aimed it at an oncoming group of large shelled aliens and he launched a searing bolt of energy that exploded among the Zerg and searing two of them.
Sergeant Thorgard's squad was currently protecting the right flank of Warlord Sarthos and his squad of Assault Terminators, the hallowed veterans had formed the spearhead of their force as they fought their way to the massive worm that disgorged more Zerg. Each of the Assault Terminators were armed with a pair of Lightning Claws that easily tore through the chitinous bodies of the xenos whose attacks were for the most part a mere annoyance to them. More and more of the xenos came and up ahead, the Sergeant saw a number of large monstrous centaur-like creatures that possessed disturbingly human-like appearances.
Each of the centaurs strode upon long insectoid legs that gracefully avoided the smaller Zerg, their lower jaws extended into two fang-filled mandibles and their eyes glowered with a baleful red light as their hands ended in three clawed fingers. Bolt round exploded upon the chest of some of the centaurs, causing an explosion of blood and flesh but the things kept on coming, they seemed to be tougher than they looked. As one the creature got close to the Assault Terminators, it raised a long lanky arm and slashed at one of the Veterans while they were still being assailed by the gaunt-things.
There was a loud screech of metal as its deceptively powerful claws tore furrows into Terminator armor and Thorgard was grimly reminded of the rending claws of a Genestealer. Thankfully it was unable to make a second strike as a well aimed shot from a melta gun from behind the Space Marines struck its neck and the whole head well as a large portion of the collarbone and shoulders exploded into a fine red mist. The other centaurs then began pressing their attack while the gaunt-things attacked underneath and the momentum of the Imperial forces came to a halt as they battled against these abominable fiends.
Fueled by adrenaline and his own battle-lust, the Sergeant cleaved through more of the smaller aliens as his Battle Brothers held the line while those remaining Catachan Guardsmen plugged the gaps with well placed las-fire while some among them supported the flanks with gunfire.
Roaring in laughter on the left side of their battle group were the hulking forms of the surviving Ogryns that swung about their Rippers like massive clubs. They were also fortunate to find at least some of the lumbering Abhumans who were just as eager as the Executioners to fight in close quarters for with each sweep of their weapons, several broken xenos were sent flying.
As the battle with the Zerg raged on, he saw the worm heave as it then spat out from its maw something that was absolutely nothing short of simply being gargantuan in size followed by three others. Far larger than a Tyranid Carnifex and probably similar in height to a Knight Walker and even far broader was a nightmarish xenos creature of spiked bones and chitinous shell. Four great blades extended from their arms and they immediately began digging into the ground near the worm and as soon they appeared, they vanished with a startling speed.
Soon he would feel a great tremor beneath his feet and his eyes widened in horror when he realized what it was. Before he knew it, one of the gargantuan monstrosities burst out from the ground behind the line of Executioners with deafeningly loud roars of fury as each wielded massive bone-blades that began tearing into flesh and even powered armor with contemptuous ease.
Caught between the tides of lesser aliens and these Knight-sized beasts that struck from behind their group, each possessing enough force to cleave through a tank, there was simply no hope for the combined Imperial forces to survive.