Dawn of War: Destiny War
(Destiny means a predetermined course of events. Fate means what is to happen regardless of how much you do to change it. Sometimes, fate and destiny collide when anyone makes the choice for their people or their own self. Enjoy! )
Chapter 10: Section 10 – 1
Destiny. It is an always an ever-changing thing that offers many paths. Some lead to pleasure. Many offer a path to pain. Others can have a horrifying end. A few open the door to fame and wealth. Yet, destiny can still change. Fate is a fixed event that will happen even with multiple occasions occurring around it. Many fates are unkind and unjust. At times, the fate of anyone can be terrifying to all. In the end, there are only two choices everyone must make. You can accept what is to be or defy it till the end. As Max Johnson travels through the forest, he looks at the spirit stone of farseer Elenwe for guidance. Every turn he makes, forces him to turn either left or right. He still needs an answer for the question he has. The farseer of the spirit stone wants him to go and save Kayleth. The real question is: Why save her? With his body being fueled by warp energy from the spirit stone, he accelerates in the direction of where Kayleth is at. Even with everything that has happen, Max continues to do what is right by him, by his friends, and the eldar.
As their blades clash against one, the area around them is twisted. The warp powers have left the area badly changed. Trees slowly die, and grass becomes brown. The dark eldar succubus Rela battles against the eldar autarch Kayleth. The fight causes unnatural changes to the area around them as they drag on. Both are evenly matched against each other. One warrior fights for order; one combatant battles for chaos; the struggle goes on. Not too far from the scene, a few storm troopers look on and watch the battle as they report the progress. Each does what they can to stay hidden as they watch with amazement. Both fighters move so fast that it is impossible to tell who is winning.
One trooper reports: "Sir, the plan is going as you anticipated. Rela is keeping her opponent busy. As soon as they slow down or sustain enough wounds, we will eliminate them and retrieve the weapons."
A voice replies, "Do nothing to either of them. My plans have changed. The dark eldar may still have use for me before I take what is mine for the imperium. I will be there soon. For now, hold your position. They may be alerted to your presence, but they will battle each other for now."
With communication over, the storm troopers move further away to keep their appearance hidden. With one fierce strike, both eldar beings leap away from each other. Rela tries again only to be knocked down by Kayleth. The succubus leaps at the autarch with fury. A cut is made upon the skin of Rela. Kayleth moves in to strike only to surprise her foe with a second cut across the face. Rela roars in pain and lashes out at her. The autarch dodges each attack and counters every move against her. Once enough wounds are caused and she falls to her knees, Rela slowly stands up with a smile of joy on her face.
Rela says, "This is so much fun. To see you fight on and continue to battle against me brings me so much pleasure. I am glad you have lasted this long against me, my pet."
Kayleth snarls, "You may think you are winning, but you won't claim victory here. I am what the eldar need. I will be the one who saves my craft world from the Great Evil. You are just a stepping stone."
Rela laughs at her foolish speech, "I see your delusions are ever present. Allow me to show you what else I have in store for you."
After she raises the daemon weapon to the sky, the warp energy draws into the blade. The wounds and scars heal quickly in mere seconds. It didn't take long before Rela changes her appearance again; Kayleth holds her ground as she feels her opponent gain more power. The armor on Rela changes slightly. Once the warp energy stops, she smiles at her prey. Kayleth stands and holds her ground. The power from the daemon blade is pulsating with a constant need for more pain to be inflicted on anyone; the two stare at each other.
Rela says, "Tell me something, eldar of Alaitoc. How long do you think you will last against me now?"
She brings the daemon weapon down to her side. Rela takes the swinging stance and swings the blade forward. A powerful rush of warp power slams into Kayleth and throws her back; the warp energy wounds Kayleth heavily. She spits up blood yet recovers for another round. Though her connection to Khaine is strong, the damage done to her only heals a few minor injuries.
Kayleth thought, "How is she more powerful than me? I can barely take another hit like that from the weapon."
Rela moves from the eye-sight of Kayleth and slashes at leg. The damage inflicted is not enough to stop her graceful speed, but it does leave Kayleth at a disadvantage. Kayleth leaps at her enemy and tries to cut her down. Her banshee cry rings over land. The pain is sharp and causes him to fall. Max looks around and questions the pain; he recalls running until a sharp pain hits his leg.
He thought, "What was that? That unusual pain? Where did it come from?"
The spirit stone of Elenwe speaks to him once more. Despite being a blank, Max somehow feels the same annoying pain that the spirit stone sends him. Before he can question what is happening, her voice reaches him one more time.
Elenwe cries, "Please, go and save her. Kayleth is in pain; I will light your way before I rest."
Though only a spirit stone, farseer Elenwe lights a path for Max to follow. He didn't understand why he experienced the pain; he barely can comprehend why the elder spirit stone is asking for him to save her. Max runs on as fast as he can go. His travel takes him pass orks and corrupt humans. Though he guns them down, he realizes that the situation on Saneesh is worse than ever. At the imperial camp, Lucas and Lina keep everyone busy as they try to figure out why Max left them. With more people fortifying the area, they all stand ready to take the fight to the enemy; Lina keeps her skitarri legion on full alert. Before she issues any more orders for the others, she goes to find Lucas. He and a company of four scores stand ready to move out. A eldar scout bows before him and silently disappears from the group to return back to his base. Lina comes to him with concern; she takes a notice to how many people are with him.
She says, "Where are you going? What is going on? Is it about Max?"
He ignores her to continue giving and says, "Be ready to move out in five minutes. We leave soon. If we are lucky, the whole plan will not go to waste."
Before he can move elsewhere, Lina shouts, "I asked you a question, Lucas Turner. Where are you going Sergeant Major?"
Many notice it. He orders the others to finish up as he pulls her to the side.
Lucas says, "I am going after Max. The eldar scout from our allies gave me a message. We must find him; I want you to keep the area in order and wait for me to return. I know this is not the best time, but we will need Max to help us with the assault on the enemy."
Lina locks her lips against his lips. She says, "You better not die on me. I need you to come back to me."
After they smile and kiss again, Lucas and his company march out to find their lost comrade. Though many guardsmen didn't approve of him going, Lina reminds the soldiers of the important battles ahead. With neither Max or Lucas around to motivate the troops, she finds the strength within herself to keep them focused.
She says, "Listen to me. Sergeant Major Lucas Turner is marching out to find Max. Though we are without two able leaders, I will make certain we are ready for war. There can be no lack of focus nor lack of effort. Everyone must do whatever it takes to maintain the defense."
As a soldier tries to question her command, Lina fires her gun and cries, "Max is gone; Lucas has given me command. I will not tolerate cowards, fools, or traitors. You want to leave and go off on your own? You are free to do so. I will promise you that no rescue party will be sent to save you from what is out there."
The soldiers happily support her; many are impressed with her determination. A few other soldiers step up and help her keep the base in order. As she keeps making last minute adjustments to the camp, Lucas and his company push on through the land to find Max. They didn't know how long it will take to find their ally; the area they march in is vast and impossible to track. They eliminate any orks and corrupt humans along the way. As the search for Max continues, Kayleth suffers from her last attack. She falls to the ground hurt and wounded enough; she looks up and sees her weapon in front of Rela. As she tries to reach for it, Rela stabs her in the hand and kicks her to the side. The pain her body feels is unbearable. Yet, she still stands on her feet ready to fight. Rela laughs hysterically.
She says, "So, this is the part where you become my pet; however, I changed my mind. I did enjoy every moment of our battle. Before I let you die, I will share with you how you will die. Like the others before you."
Kayleth gasps, "What do you mean? What others?"
Rela says, "Like the humans, they tried to stop me. You see how many of them became my slaves. The orks are nothing more than pawns in my game, but they do make for good challenges. The other eldar before you did as well too. They tried to stop me and all died. I can remember how well I tortured each of them before they passed on. Many did not want to feel any more pain."
Before she can speak any more horrors to her, Kayleth fires a small warp power at Rela that cuts her cheek. Instead of reacting violently, she smiles. She licks the blood from her cheek as it slides down; Rela greatly laughs. She raises her sword once more. The warp draws into the blade and strengthens Rela again. Kayleth leaps at Rela regardless of her wounds. Every single thought turns to revenge for her fallen kin. Kayleth manages to cut fresh marks on Rela, but each one heals instantly. For every mark made on her, the pain excites the dark eldar succubus; Rela jumps away from the last slash from Kayleth. With just a small swing of her blade, Kayleth feels the warp power cut at her side, arms, and legs; the warp from the daemon weapon sends Kayleth falling backwards.
Rela pouts and says, "It is a shame that I can't keep you alive as a pet any more. Your sacrifice to the daemon weapon will prolong my life and my power. Die beautifully, Kayleth of Alaitoc."
Kayleth didn't want this to be her end. For the first time in her long life, death covers her mind. As Rela leaps at her, she only remembered those important to her. Strangely, she remembers the words that Max once told her.
He said to her, "You truly are a beautiful woman for an eldar warrior."
Everything slows down for Kayleth; this will be how she dies. As Rela brings her weapon down, it pulls her backwards. Kayleth looks at her confused.
Rela looks at the weapon constantly pulling back, "Why do you stop me? She is mine to kill."
The weapon screams in horror; she pulls back away from Kayleth in fear. A cold void feeling slowly surrounds them.
A voice says, "You blade screams because of me, dark witch. Like everything else, it hates anything without a soul."
Rela looks behind her prey and roars at the person; Kayleth looks up behind her to see a sight she didn't think is possible. Max Johnson walks besides her and offers his hand. The same cold void feeling surrounds Kayleth yet nothing is drained from her. Rela steps further away from them; the appearance of Max causes too much pain. With no warp powers healing her, Kayleth struggles to stand.
Max looks to Kayleth and says, "Are you alright?"
Kayleth pushes his hand away and proudly replies, "I do not need your help, but thank you."
He smiles to see her; Max pulls her up and gives her back the spirit stone of Elenwe. Before she can ask him how he has it, a new voice steps on the field.
The person says, "I see. So, my former trust worthy leaders are truly more than a threat to me too. They were to bring you in for execution; this will not do. I had higher expectations for Lucas and Lina. You pose too much of a threat to my plans, the future of mankind, and everyone you are around."
Max growls at Commander Vance; he can barely believe that Vance stands at the side of the dark eldar Rela. The storm troopers come up and aim their rifles at the duo.
Max says, "Why did you want me to die so badly Vance? What do you know of me? What did I do to receive this?"
Vance replies, "Do you remember what happen ten years ago? I remember exactly what I saw; you were forced into a life shuttle and made planet fall to an unknown planet at an unknown time. After you were sent away, the leader and I spent only few hours trapped on a ship in the warp battling daemons and monsters. Every single battle was to be my last; however, I managed to survive. When the ship emerged from the warp finally, five years of my life was gone. Everyone else was dead aboard the ship. But it opened my eyes up to what I had to do to protect the imperium. The only real problem is you now; you were a soldier of the imperium. Now, you represent a danger to everyone in the imperial guard. I know this because of what I found. You left behind your personal vox that told me everything about you. Who would dare let a Blank be a commanding officer? The Emperor would kill you himself. Stains like you must be cleansed for mankind to thrive."
Before any more words are spoken, Rela and her daemon weapon scream in horror at Max.
Max says, "It seems like people such as myself are around for a reason. And you still haven't answered my questions either. What did I do to receive this from you?"
Vance steps forward with his men ready to fire, "You and I were on a ship stuck in the warp; I survived because I believed in the Emperor. Why should you live? You are a soulless being. You are more dangerous to everyone. I am only doing what the imperium can't do when mistakes like you are left alive. You must die."
With no more words to speak of, the storm troopers fire. Kayleth uses her warp power to create a shield for them. As Max hauls her back, Rela leaps at them. Her impact on the ground pushes them to the edge of the cliff. As she moves in to finish off Kayleth, Max steps in front of her and braces for the attack. Rela pulls back from the void feeling; Max gets hit in the arm from a lasrifle shot. The storm troopers move in to finish him off. Suddenly, the area slowly becomes cold to everyone. Kayleth looks at everyone to see them back up from the unnatural nothingness. They complain about it feeling dark and cold; Max stands up and madly screams as he fires his laspistol. A wave of unnatural power from Max causes everyone to move back. Rela falls back away from the area; Commander Vance rushes to one of the soldiers. He pulls out a satchel bomb and arms it. The count time is short. He throws it at Max; he warns everyone to back away. With no time to think, Max rushes at Kayleth and holds her tightly as they dive off the cliff. The force of the bomb shoves them further away; Vance looks at what is left. He sees no signs of Max or Kayleth.
One of his soldiers says, "What do we do now sir? Max is gone and the eldar witch is dead."
Commander Vance turns to them, "Just because he and that eldar witch are gone doesn't mean they are completely dead. A handful of you investigate the area just below us; we must make sure Max is truly dead. The rest of us are to return to the imperial fortress and strengthen our hold there. Lucas and the others will be dealt with in time."
As Vance and his team move out, Rela watches them from afar and smiles. Regardless of how strong Max, she sees that her opportunity is coming.
She thought, "You may have your win for now. It is I who will claim the final victory soon."
Chapter 10: Section 10 – 2
The events leave him wondering what will come. He wakes up to find himself on the ground; the blast from the bomb threw them further down the cliff. Max stands up and looks to see his radio com link is damaged; he is surprised that he survived the explosion and the fall. He looks around to see that his fall was somehow protected. Max checks his surroundings out and locates his gear. He turns his head and sees a trail of blood leading somewhere. Despite the pain he feels, Max walks slowly as he follows the blood. It takes him deeper into the forest. First, the ork war boss. Later, the dark eldar. Then, the betrayal of the commander. What else will happen?
His first few thoughts, "Where is Kayleth at? Is she ok? Did She survive? Maybe it was the spirit stone that kept us safe."
He comes to the end of the blood trail; it stops at one point. There are no remains left nor is there anything else. Max quickly turns and receives a hard punch to the face. He stumbles backwards. Before he can react, he sees her standing before him. Kayleth holds her weapon at him; she is hurt greatly and bleeds from her wounds.
Kayleth says, "I…I thought you were one… of the them."
She falls to her knees and Max catches her, "Well, it is good to see that you still can hit hard. For now, let me help you."
Max throws his arm over his shoulder. As he carries her through the forest, she looks at him with wonder still. There are questions that need to be answered; they find a nearby cave not too far from where they walk. Once inside, Max leaves Kayleth and collects some wood to burn. He makes three trips with bundles in his arm despite his own wounds; he rushes back with the last to burn. Max modifies his laspistol to shot out a small fire-like shot. Once the gun is ready, he fires a few shots at the wood. The fire starts up in seconds. He looks over at Kayleth to see her move a little. Max is relieved that she is ok. After he lays his stuff down and stands, he receives another punch to his face from Kayleth. She still bleeds from her legs, side, and arm; she stands firm on her feet ready to attack. Max looks at her confused as to why she is attacking him.
He says, "What was that for? Now isn't the time to attack me after I saved your life."
Kayleth roars, "You will not have me. Not this time or any other time."
Max becomes lost by her words and tries to understand her. He tries to walk over; Kayleth threatens him again and demands he stays away.
She says, "No, stay away from me. You will not have me. I am not yours Max Johnson. That will never happen."
She grips her sword and flames burst from her. The wounds slowly break open more as she leaps at Max; he rolls out of the way.
He says, "What do you speak of? Our enemies have revealed themselves. This is not the time to stand against me. Why do you wish to fight me, Kayleth? I have done nothing wrong to you. What do you speak of?"
She leaps at him again and slashes the stone. Max pulls out his own sword. As she tries to stab him, Max easily dodges the attacks and shoves her down. She gets up and attacks him again. Unwilling to listen to his words, Max lets his unnatural power nullify the warp energy around her. He rushes at her and tackles her to the ground. He throws away her weapon and discards his own to not risk injury. Kayleth uses her warp power as much as she can only to cause them to float in the air. Max allows his powers to expand more as best he knows how; they land on their feet. Before she can attack or move again, Max locks Kayleth in a strong grip. She howls as her wounds pain her greatly. She looks into his eyes full of rage; he sees her something is wrong with her.
Max growls at her, "I have done nothing to you to deserve this treatment. Why are you attacking me? What are you saying 'You are not mine'. What is going on?"
He looks closely at her to see tears ready come out of her eyes; she tries to struggle and becomes frighten of him. The breathing is quick.
Kayleth replies, "I do not want this. You cannot have me; I do not want this."
Max locks her against the wall of the cave; he crushes his fist against an opening by her head. The impact from his rage forces Kayleth to be more fearful of what his power can do to her. He wants to know why she keeps saying the words "You will not have me".
With a tear close to coming from her right eye, Kayleth answers, "I can't be with you because I don't want you to love me."
Max loosens his grip and asks, "What is this you speak of?"
Kayleth looks away and tries to distant herself. Max grips her arm and pulls her back to his focus; the same feeling occurs again. She begs his to release her as she now cries to be free. He demands her one last time for an answer. Instead of causing her to further injury herself, Max holds her arms firmly and ask her again. With her emotions frail and her body too weak to heal, the words finally break out from her voice.
She breaks down on her knees; Kayleth looks into his eyes of sadness and cries the words, "I don't want you to love me because I refuse to accept you. I don't want this. Please, do not force me to be yours."
Max lets her go with a heavy sigh; he looks at her with no words. As much as he tries to force the issue, he allows her room to breathe and be at peace. Max lowers his eyes and picks up his gear. He walks out the cave; there is nothing else left for him to say.
He says, "I will leave you in this cave alone. You are to recover your strength and return to your allies once you are ready. And I understand a little about why you tried to kill me before."
As he heads out the cave, Kayleth holds in her tears and breathes a little easy. She didn't mean for anything to happen; she used her harsh words to keep herself safe. Once gone from her sight, she sits in the cave alone. Max walks away mad and confused. None of her actions make any sense to him. He throws his fists on a tree; he howls at the night and curses.
He thought, "Why? Why did I save her? Why did that farseer guide me to her? I just want to help her. Why is this happening to me?"
As he stops trying to beat the answer out of his head, a sharp hit to his head happens. Kayleth hears a spirit stone hum. She looks over to see that the spirit stone of Elenwe is shinning bright. Before she can grasp it, the spirit stone shoots out in the direction of the noise. Kayleth pulls out her sword and heads to the same path; she engages her cloak power. Though still not fully recovered, she endures the minor injuries. Kayleth keeps up with the spirit stone and arrives to see Max being attacked by hunters of Vance. As Kayleth tries to turn away, the spirit stone of Elenwe alerts her to the incident. The hum is loud and only meant to be heard by Kayleth.
Elenwe telepathically shrieks, "If you let Max die now, we will all die as well! Save him!"
She looks at the hunters ready to kill him; Kayleth tries to pull back and walk away. Instead, a small blast of warp energy from Elenwe hits a soldier. They become alert and start firing around the area. Kayleth uses her stealth to kill all the troops there. Once everything is secure, Kayleth tries to leave him again. The spirit stone shrieks loudly. She looks back to see it hover over Max. Unable to understand why Max is so important, she uses her warp power to help him back to the cave. After they arrive back at the cave, the spirit stone glows less than it did before. Kayleth looks at Max to try and understand why Elenwe wanted her to save him. With nothing else to do, she meditates and waits. Max wakes up and shakes off his daze; he looks up finds himself on his back. Max gets up slowly and finds Kayleth watching the outside. He ignores her and attempts to leave out. Kayleth blocks his way; he politely tells her to move before he moves her. Before she can unleash any warp power, Kayleth uses as much caution to not anger him.
Kayleth says, "I need you to stay and wait. There may be more around. You would do well not to…"
Max tries to walk by her again only to feel the tip of her blade against him; Kayleth urges him to remain. The blank powers expand once more; he turns to her. The fear of the cold void comes to Kayleth. She backs away quickly.
He says, "And if I don't? You will kill me like you did them? That is your problem. Quick to swing and stab. For all your greatness Kayleth of Alaitoc, you still fear me and try to force me to obey you. So, if you want to kill me, then do it. I am sure you still haven't healed from your last fight after I listened to Elenwe and saved your life. So, why don't you fill in the blanks. Why did you save me?"
She replies, "You must know of a way to save my craft world and your imperial guard. Why do you not tell me?"
The two lock eyes again; they each grip their weapon. She waits patiently for his answer; Max turns away. Instead of trying to force the answer out of him, Kayleth tries an innovative approach. The fear of it causes her to desire silence more than words; however, the answer is a need for her to be at peace.
Kayleth calmly pleads, "I only seek to know how you and your allies will defeat the coming enemy. I need to know that you have a plan. It may save my own kin from destruction as well. Won't you share with me what you know of? Please Max, I need you…"
Max rushes to her with more fury in his eyes. Kayleth backs up with her hand on her blade; she breathes heavy and worries. For a moment, she thought the worse would happen. He sighs and calms his attitude.
He says, "The plan is simple: Stop the Commander Vance and Rela from completing their plans. And secure this part of the galaxy. Now that I shared my plan with you, why don't you tell me your reason? Why don't you want me to love you? Please, Kayleth."
She nearly gets annoyed with his reply; however, Kayleth agrees to the plan than be forceful and wrathful. Max waits patiently and crosses his arms over his chest. He still sees Kayleth is too nervous to answer his main question; she tries her best to hide her fear and protect her emotions. Max sighs and drops his gear on the ground.
Max says, "For all your attempts to keep your kin alive and safe, you have a horrible way of giving anyone a straight answer unless you are pushed against the wall. How long will you have me wait until you answer?"
Kayleth turns away to hide her blush and fear, "I am…not amused with your words Max…"
He surprises her with his arms around her waist and a light blue burst of warp energy shoots out from her; Kayleth gasps and breathes hard. Max easily lets her go. Like a cat, her back is against the wall of the cave. Though she will never admit it, Max can see her fear come out from her. He moves in close despite the fact her blade is close to her side. Kayleth is ready to strike.
Max says, "There must be a reason why you said those words. The idea of loving someone whose life-span is shorter than yours frightens you or you know something you don't want to tell. It was never my power as a Blank that you fear. If it is love that truly has you breathing hard, then it has to do with me. Your warrior side must be tamed before you can learn to love someone properly."
She moves towards him with her weapon out; Kayleth is ready to let her rage block out her thought of reason.
Kayleth says, "I am a fighter before I will ever allow love to be my reason. I am a warrior and leader for my people."
Before he can respond, Max sees her throw her blade into the wall. Kayleth wanted to do more until he raises his hand to touch her cheek. She pulls away to hide her blushing side; Max nearly wants to smile for this feature on her face.
As Max laughs at the look Kayleth displays, he turns away and goes to his medic box. She looks at him; her heart skips a beat. Kayleth feels drawn to him, but she keeps her heighten emotions on guard. As the two rests up for the remaining night, they each dream of what is to come tomorrow. Lucas and his company also take a break from traveling so far into the land. They are so close to finding where Max is at. At the imperial camp, Lina finishes up her fortifications of the base and keeps the morale high. Regardless if Max and Lucas are not present, many guardsmen come to respect her ability to organize the troops. Under Lina's command, the guardsmen set up traps, land mines, and pits for any lurking forces. At the imperial fortress, Commander Vance keeps his men ready for the next day as they still continue to watch the front door. Not too far from the fortress, Rela and her kind stand ready to finish up the madness and claim what is waiting for them; the night ends with everyone ready for the morning sun.
As the sun light breaks over the horizon, Max arises and stands on his feet. He finds Kayleth looking out the cave. He goes to check on her; Kayleth turns to him with her blade ready in hand. She has made a full recovery; Max is also ready to move out.
He says, "I guess this is what I can expect from you every morning I want to know a simple question?"
She speaks to him, "We have stayed here too long. It is time we return to our people."
They journey out into the area; they walk far back towards the way they fell from. It is a quiet morning for them to start off. No words are exchanged. Only thing that matters is getting back to their allies. To speed up their journey, Kayleth use her speed to check out the area. Once cleared, she comes back to Max.
Kayleth says, "The enemy appears to have left. I will have a safer trip going back to my allies. You may never find yours."
Max turns to her, "I suppose you intend to help me or leave me to rot?"
She scoffs at him and points in the direction he must travel. He thanks her for the help and takes his leave. As she watches him go away, it happens again. Her heart skips a beat; the need is there. She pulls away and groans from wanting to accept what she feels. Max looks back to see her on one knee. He ignores her until she nearly shrieks again. He grumbles as he turns around to an unexpected surprise. Kayleth sprints at Max; he didn't understand why she did it. The space between them is nearly closed.
He says, "Why are you rushing at me now?"
She allows herself to finally says, "You must survive. I do not know if your plan will work. I do want you to survive this battle. I will have further need of you."
Max laughs as he backs up and says, "Why don't you kiss me? You will feel better."
She pulls away from him and becomes disgusted, "I already told you that this will not ever happen. So, stop making this difficult…"
With her last word spoken, Max tries to pull Kayleth to her. The last thought that cross her mind was being that close. Max moves towards her only to feel a blade softly poke into his side. He looks into her eyes and he sees the one thing he was not expecting to find. Kayleth breathes hard; Max almost allows his thoughts overcome his better judgement. They share a brief moment before he backs off to let her go with the words still echoing in her mind.
He says, "I understand. But I am glad I was able to cross your path."
Max walks away with a smile on his face; Kayleth holds back her smile. She was given everything she needed to know. She calls to him; Max turns around to see her close to him. She offers her hand to him and looks into his eyes. He accepts her hand and Kayleth places her forehead against his forehead. The flame of Khaine burns blue around them. She didn't think of what to feel no more about the possible future. Instead, all she knows is everything will be alright. The last thing she remembers is holding his hands tight. The warp of a blue flame conceals them both; they embrace what is unexplainable to them.
Chapter 10: Section 10 – 3
The journey to find him seems endless; the landscape is truly amazing and beautiful to see. Though the trail leads them to a damaged area, the search for Max becomes the utmost important to complete. The troops look around and examine the area; they didn't understand what happen. A soldier looks towards the edge calls everyone over; the remains of the explosion left the cliff broken. Many begin to assume the worse of Max. Even Lucas believes that he is no longer among the living. As the search parties head back to the base, Lucas starts thinking of how to break the news to the others. After half way through the journey, the other soldiers look to Lucas for words.
One soldier says, "Sir, if Max is truly dead, what will we do about the charges brought up against us?"
A second agrees, "What about Commander Vance? Is there no other way to convince him that we are firm believers in the imperium and the Emperor?"
Lucas sighs and looks to the troops, "There is one way out of this. It will mean my life in exchange for the regiment. I can accept all accusations and charges of heresy made on the regiment. They may excuse every soldier for the resolve shown. Other than that, I can see no other way out of this. For now, we will return to camp and decide on our next move."
The troopers lower their head in anger or depression. The day is looking more than just sad for them. As they roll on back to base, a metal object hits the transport; the vehicles stop as everyone piles out ready to kill. They all look around the area to see what is going on. A voice calls to them from behind their back. They all look backwards and can't believe it. There he stands proud and ready. The soldiers cheer for the return of Max Johnson. Lucas walks up to Max and proudly salutes him.
Max says, "What is that for? I am no commanding officer."
Lucas replies proudly, "It doesn't matter Max. You are alive and that means we will find a way to win this with you at the front with me."
They proudly shake hands and climb into the transports. The troops beg Max for questions on why he left; he assures them that all answers will be heard when they reach the base. As they travel back through the rough terrain of Saneesh, the journey causes them to stop a few times. If a vehicle needed repairing or gas tanks are empty, the guardsmen didn't care so long as they had Max helping them. It takes them a whole day and a half morning of traveling to reach the base. Once they arrive, Max lets his voice be heard. The soldiers in the camp rejoice upon seeing him back; Lina rushes into Lucas and squeezes him tight. For Max, she smacks his arm and demands that he never does that again. As everyone now steps inside the tent, they finally await to hear the report from Max. The guardsmen watch for orks to attack them; the recruits and conscripts may have been new to the acting leaders, but they begin to believe that all will be well for them.
He says, "What I am about to tell you is unreal as it gets. The eldar did follow us here to Saneesh to deal with their counter parts are also here too. The dark eldar are trying to invoke the powers of the dark ones here; they are in league with Commander Vance. He is trying to use their power against them to safeguard the imperium. We will not allow this to go unanswered. Commander Vance has betrayed us all; we must halt their plans and end this coming disaster."
Many can't believe what they hear. The Great Commander Vance the Bright is working with the dark forces; Lucas can barely form words upon hearing the shocking news.
Lina says, "That isn't true. Vance has been with us for ten years."
Max replies, "Yes, and ten years ago, he too was aboard the old imperial ship I was on. He found out about my abilities from my personal effects. Now, he believes I am a threat to his plans. Whatever his reasons are, they are no longer important. For now, we will only go forth with this in mind; the dark eldar must be stopped. Commander Vance will be brought before high command to answer for his dishonorable acts and crimes. Nothing else matters at this point. We will need more than just our strength to get this done too."
Before any more words can be explained, a soldier comes to the tent with surprising news.
She says, "Everyone! The flagship of Commander Vance is leaving the system. The last message I intercepted was something about the ice world."
Everyone nods their head in agreement that they must go after Vance before he reaches the foundry. Before everyone can begin mobilizing, a new surprise comes to the guardsmen again. At the front of the base, the eldar appear. Veldoran and Kayleth call to the wall and ask for an audience with the acting leaders. Max, Lucas, and Lina head to the gate and see what the issue is. It didn't take long for the alliance of the eldar and human to be reformed again in the face of evil. Once everyone meets up, a new plan is presented to the table.
Kayleth says, "We require your help. Rela is planning something on this world. Now is our best time to strike at her and end this. I need your assistance with this matter."
Lucas steps forward, "Not this time, we got our own problems to deal with. Our former Commander is leaving this world to obtain a power base elsewhere; we will not let that happen. You are on your own this time."
Veldoran implores with threats, "You can die just as quickly as we will. We are asking you to help us end a conflict that will possibly kill all of us. Must we subdue this threat alone and end up saving you from your reckless method?"
Max halts all chatter and says, "We have worked together before; there is an easy way to handle all of this. Instead of trying to pick which one is more important, we will do both."
Lina suggests, "Why don't we just send half of our armies together to go after both enemies together. One army under the command of Lucas and Veldoran will purse after Commander Vance. The other half will stay here and deal with Rela. We left a sizeable force on the ice world with more than enough fire-power to eliminate any ship; I also installed plenty of systems that have to require my voice to deactivate some weapons. If I am not there, the turrets of the foundry will destroy any ship within moments of their arrival. As for Saneesh, we have yet to recover all of the surviving guardsmen that are lost or not under command of Vance. With him not being here, the soldiers will need someone to turn to for leadership. Either Max or Lucas can easily remedy that problem. Plus, the eldar support will help thin out enemy resistance; this is all a suggestion though."
Max, Kayleth, Lucas, and Veldoran all agree on the suggestion. One force will go to the ice world and one must stay on Saneesh. Many companies of guardsmen and guardswomen side with Max; the raw recruits and conscripts quickly join Lucas. The plan for everyone is simple. As the afternoon sun heats up the landscape, many imperial soldiers prepare for the dangerous journey they will be facing. After all the supplies and ammo are loaded onto the War Harbinger and Faded Light, many guardsmen say their farewells to their comrades. Lucas and Lina hope to return to Saneesh with the planet under imperial rule. Kayleth watches the three mon-keigh leaders share a moment of happiness and concern.
Veldoran walks up, "He did something to you, didn't he?"
Kayleth ignores her personal thought and answers, "The only thing Max did is help me realize that must stand together. Rela will work her powers on us if we let her; Max is the key to us winning this. That is all I need to know."
Veldoran bows his head and takes his leave.
Before he leaves, he says, "You may convince me of other words and tell me things that are not for me to know of. In the end, we both know that Max did cause a change in you Kayleth. I will wait till you are ready to tell me one day. For now, I go with our kin to stop a mad mon-keigh from bringing us more ruin."
Once Veldoran leaves, Kayleth goes back to watching. Lucas and Lina head to their shuttle. As their long battle harden friend watches them leave, he sends them off with a shout.
He shouts, "The Imperial Guard will save the Imperium of Man! Long live the 20th regiment!"
After the last few shuttles get on the War Harbinger, Max goes to his companies. The war for Saneesh will begin in a few days. After he encourages each man and woman to do more than be better than the best, the companies under Max get ready. Everyone remains alert, armed, and on stand-by; Max takes inventory of what tanks and assault vehicles they have. He looks over many guns and double checks the ammo supply. He nearly works himself to the point of exhaustion. As the soldiers get a full night of rest, Max still continues to work and improve where the can. He takes a few hours to rest when he can and stays alert; he walks out of his tent and tries to do a little bit of scouting. Before he can get far, he bumps into a hidden object. Max feels something soft press in front of him. His hand brushes up against something smooth. She drops her stealth power; Kayleth stands calmly in front of Max, but she is focused.
He says, "I didn't think you would be that eager for a scout, Kayleth."
She replies, "I need to make sure you are trained better than what you can do. We will 'spar' little so you can be ready for Rela and anything else."
Max stands back from her, "What can you possibly teach me that you believe I need to learn?"
Kayleth becomes serious and focused, "This is not the time for you to let your own abilities be a what you need. You must be ready and more prepared. Rela is not forgiving as I am."
Max scoffs and replies, "Funny, I said the same thing about you. So, tell me. When you decided to 'share the moment with me', did you really mean it? Or, was it nothing?"
Light sparks around her body as she sprints at Max. With a hard jab to the stomach, Kayleth sends him flying to the dirt. Max nearly feels out of breath as he gasps for air. He stands back on his feet as the eldar commander slowly allows her powers to emerge. Max pulls out a sword and stands ready to face her. She runs at him again; Max charges at her and slides to the ground. He easily trips her to the dirt. Before she can get up, Max pins her down.
He says, "I am still waiting for an answer. Did you really decide to show interest in me, or is this another eldar trick?"
Kayleth uses her warp power to push off the ground. As she lands on the ground ready, Max takes another hard fall. Before he can react quickly, she attacks Max with sword slashes. As the unknown powers of Max slowly drain her of the warp power, Kayleth quickens her pace; Max treats her assaults as a danger to himself. He uses the warp energy to pass through him as he starts to drive her back. Seeing her power used against her, Kayleth sprints to the side. Max follows closely and easily knocks her down. She tries one last attempt to get the best of him. It fails. Kayleth stands before Max as he rushes her; he locks her against a tree. He holds her hands tightly to prevent her from moving.
Max demands, "What did you feel for me?"
Kayleth allows her guard to drop; Max backs up further and wonders with great interest as to why this new approach.
She says, "Why did it have to be you?"
Before he can speak, she rushes to him and back hands his face, "Why did you have to be the one? Why couldn't it be someone else?"
He snarls at her, "You are the most confusing woman I have ever encountered. Why is it so hard to express how you feel about me?"
Max tries to walk away only to see her flame grow. The flame of Khaine slowly rises out from within her body.
Kayleth says, "I need to know why. Why do you feel attracted to me?"
Unsure as to what comes next, Max goes to her. She didn't understand as he moves towards her. He takes her hands and watches the flame of Khaine silently quiet down. Kayleth tries to be mad, but she didn't feel it. Instead, her thoughts are replaced with peace.
Max says, "I am attracted to you because you are an amazing woman Kayleth."
She moves in nervous and terrified, "What else do you see in me?"
He pulls her close and holds her hands. Max looks into her emerald eyes; Kayleth tries to not breathe so hard.
He says, "Before my parents left me, they told me that one day it will happen. They told me that one day you will experience what eternity is. The true form of eternity can't be measured by time, space, or thought. They said to me that it will come to me when I can look into the eyes of someone important to me. This person will be the spark of it; the person who sparks eternity to me will be seen as someone that can be explained by words, thoughts, the times we are near, or the space that divides us. Each time I look upon this person, I will know them till the end."
Kayleth tries to understand the words; Max puts his hand to her lips. He smiles and walks away from her. He picks up his sword from the ground and urges her to go again. Kayleth hides her smile; in fact, she engages him with leap into the air. The two continue to fight one another and learn any new tricks they will use against others in battle. The final conflict will begin soon. There can be no room for errors. As they continue to battle, the dangers continue to grow.
Chapter 10: Section 10 – 4
The shuttles land on the ground by the foundry; the landscape is in utter chaos as the rifles fire and explosions happen. The gun turrets and defenses of the foundry blast the sky. The target is massive in size and receives too much damage. As foundry's defenses force the Champion of Men ship back from the area, the ground forces do what they can to hold back the tide of advancing troops. The soldiers on the surface fight as hard as they can; the amount of troops brought against them leaves many gun turrets overheating. The enemy storm troopers rush in as much as they can. For every trench they pile into, they advance up the field of battle to the very outer wall of the foundry. The troops inside the foundry hold the first gate as best they can. They go through many shells and run the guns dry; the enemy is relentless. As many of the storm troopers look to the sky, the roar of another ship gives them pause. The cannon fire from the ship sends the storm troopers back to the mountain side. Those inside the foundry cheer for the surprise visit from above; it may have been risky to use the warp drive, but the War Harbinger arrives just in time. Commander Vance spent too much time letting the ground forces get settled. Now with the flag ship on the defense, the battle would go easy for them. Lina and Lucas take the first shuttle down to the surface. Once they are on the ground, they get a status report on the battle since the enemy arrived.
A soldier comes to them, "Thanks for coming here. We don't know why this is happening, but they sure caused our turrets to get too over heated. The flag ship is heading back to the direction they came from. Right now, we need to repair, recharge the weapons, and help the wounded."
Lina heads to the central command for the repairs at the core; she uses the system to look for updates and scan for the areas that need repairing. Lucas heads to the front and gets the rest of the report from the front line defenders; the very sight of him gives the soldiers hope and confidence.
A medic woman reports, "Storm troopers of Commander Vance have come to attack us. They are declaring us heretics and traitors to the imperium. Our causalities are not too high thanks to the weapons and defense of the foundry. Right now, we don't know what else to expect. Can you fill us in on the matter as to why we are the bad ones here?"
Lucas picks up his radio com and broadcasts: "Soldiers of the Imperial Guard Foundry, hear me now. Our false Commander Vance has wrongfully declared us traitors to the Emperor of Mankind. He sides with the dark eldar to use a weapon of pure chaos. We may be false in his eyes, but we will not fail the Emperor. Let us stop the conflict here and now. Our eldar allies are with us; we can win this war. Make yourself ready. Today, we fight chaos at the heart of our regiment. Vance will pay for this atrocity."
The eldar begin appearing on the ground around the foundry; they heavily reinforce their allies and bolster the defense. Veldoran and his warlocks appear to offer what little support they can. Lucas and Veldoran come to an understanding as they share a tent to discuss battle plans. At the storm trooper base, the captains of Commander Vance stand together and formulate plans to execute on the foundry. One captain excuses himself from the others and takes his company to the foundry. The journey is long and tiresome. Once they reach it, the captain calls to guardsmen and requests an audience. As Lucas heads to the front line to shoot the enemy captain, Veldoran stops him.
He says, "Do not be so quick to trust them, Lucas. The enemy may be here, but I sense a sinister motive behind their actions. My snipers will cover you. Go forth and hear his words."
Lucas wants to ignore the idea, but he agrees to the plan. For a single squad to come to the foundry alone is suicide or a ruse; he approaches the captain of the storm troopers with no gun armed. Veldoran alerts his snipers to be ready to fire should the enemy do anything but talk.
As the captain steps forward, Lucas listens, "Greetings, Sergeant Major Turner. I am here to formally offer my surrender to you. I do not trust my associates…"
The man falls to the ground. His company also falls as he did. Lucas looks back to see Veldoran walk forward with his palm open in a grip like form. As Lucas tries to question what happen, a small letter comes from the body of the dead soldier. Lucas takes the note and opens it to read:
"Under false pretense, you will acquire the trust of Sergeant Major Lucas Turner. Once inside the foundry, you will silently eliminate the traitors and restore the guardsmen to the imperium. If all are tainted, then execution of the entire companies will be under way. Long live the Imperium!"
Lucas tears up the paper and points to the direction of the enemy, "The only traitors here are the ones who stab loyal ones in the back!"
Lina contacts Lucas by radio, "Luc… Sergeant Major Turner. We have... the location of the enemy. We can mobilize the army... as soon as you are ready to go."
With no want to wait or pause, Lucas calls up any person able to hold a gun; Veldoran offers his support with a few words of caution.
He says, "There is a larger plan going on here. We must be more observing of what the enemy does here."
Lucas replies sharply, "Be happy you are not in their place, Veldoran. They just tried to make me an offer of peace with words of treachery. If there was no danger to us in this part of the galaxy, then I will show you cordiality; however, this is personal. I trust you will see why."
Veldoran sighs at the frustrated mon-keigh. He agrees to help. As the army finishes up preparing, the imperial guard and eldar move on the enemy. Though the two acting leaders are not on the best terms, the army seems eager and talkative. Lucas looks on to see regular men talk with eldar rangers; the conversations are about the best kills to techniques used. Veldoran hears his warlocks chat to others of the warp powers they have used or seen; the groups show promise that the alliance will work. As they come to a proper place to establish a camp, Lucas takes a scout with him to check the area ahead. Veldoran accompanies him with a scout too; they travel through the open landscape. It didn't take them long to see the flag ship of Commander Vance in the air. As the ship tries to fly upward into the sky, it explodes from cannon fire. Lucas looks back to see the War Harbinger and Faded Light open fire freely on the ship. The barrage of cannon fire is too much for the Champion of Men to handle; the ship explodes in a ball of fire.
Lucas turns to Veldoran, "I see the eldar have the same fury as humans do. Though I didn't expect you be as angry at all for any reason."
Veldoran replies, "It is a tactical advantage. Rob the enemy of air support and control the sky. And you obviously want them all dead."
Lucas agrees. As they return to the camp, the alliance finishes the forward bases for battle. They march towards the enemy; an unexpected scene comes to them. The captains of the storm troopers are arrested by a few soldiers. They bring them to Veldoran and Lucas. Unknowing, the additional warlocks read the enemy movements just ahead of the area.
A storm trooper steps forward, "We are here to offer you these men to show you a sign of support; we are not your enemy."
The Sergeant Major and eldar warlock leader look to each other. Lucas nods his head and Veldoran blinks his eyes. They turn to the enemy and accept the captives.
Lucas says, "I humbly accept the fact you have brought us prisoners. We will take them off your hands."
The captains are let go of. Suddenly, warp energy traps the storm trooper captains in a stasis field. They are immobilized and confused; the other storm troopers question the reason for the additional restrictions.
Veldoran laughs and says, "You think that a second false surrender would work? The eldar warlocks and myself already knew you were up to something. For now, we will only keep the captains alive; the rest of you have to die."
With their plans exposed, the storm troopers try to alert the others. The radio com for the other storm troopers is silent.
Lucas adds, "That is the good thing about the eldar. They sent teams to cut off your strike forces. Your base is the last problem. You can surrender and face imperial justice, or you can die honorably here? Which choice is it?"
The storm troopers try to gun them down. They are eliminated by eldar sniper fire. Lucas and Veldoran praise each other for a job well done.
Veldoran says, "I didn't think you would spare any since you made this a personal stake."
Lucas smirks, "I have my own personal way of dealing with traitors. The only difference is that I take priority over my personal matters; we still have an enemy base of storm troopers to deal with. I need you to eliminate them if you wish to further assist me. I want to question these men before I let them die."
The eldar warlock smirks at the clever deception Lucas used. He agrees to follow his plan; Lucas places the command of the alliance under Veldoran to finish off the enemy. Veldoran allows two warlocks to go with Lucas for the interrogation. Though both have their different methods of gaining knowledge, they do agree that anyone less than dutiful deserves a quick death after they lose value.
Chapter 10: Section 10 – 5
It has been two months since their allies left them; it has been a long two months of traveling and fighting across the land. The war is now at an all time high. Many storm troopers and imperial guard soldiers have collided on various occasions. Many men and women are left for dead; the war has gone on long enough. The blood on the ground brings back horrible memories for Max. To lose so much nearly breaks him. He recalls his last few memories of being under his previous leader. All the lives and souls lost aboard that ship before he saw it swallowed by the warp. The memory of that time still leave him shaken to his core. As he stands high on the ground just a few miles from the fortress, he thinks back to how far he has come.
He thought, "How many lives have been taken for me to come this far? How many more must die? Will this war finally come to an end? Can there be a time where peace will prevail?"
Max takes a sip of water from his reserve pouch. He shakes off the idea of the war ending and returns to his company; the companies under his command are patching up wounds, reloading the turrets, and armoring up. Max approaches all of them and just nods his head. Everyone starts getting ready for the final push into the fortress. Before they can advance, the eldar of Alaitoc join them with Kayleth at the front. As before, both factions are glad to face the danger with an ally if only for a short time.
She says, "This is it. I pray for our victory in battle."
Max walks pass her, "Yes, hopefully we can stop all of the madness here and restore order. I will see you at the front."
Kayleth feels her heart beat rising. Before she can say a word, Max says, "There is no need for words of victory, companionship, care, concern, or threats. We will win this war. Once it is over, you will leave. I can respect that."
She didn't reply. As the eldar and humans advance on the imperial fortress, they see many stranger things. Several dead bodies of storm troopers. Ork bodies laying everywhere. Even the dead dark eldar warriors cover the field; no words can explain this away. No thought comes to mind. Kayleth uses her warp eyes to see what the untrained eyes can't. She gasps and halts her kin; she calls to Max and alerts him. Max holds his army back and orders everyone to be ready for anything should the dead rise up.
He says, "If it is just like before, we better burn the bodies unless we want the dead to come back to life."
Kayleth replies, "No, there is something else wrong here. The enemy before us is truly dead; I can see more trouble coming from the fortress. It is as if something dark is being drawn there."
She bumps into him. Max and Kayleth make eye contact; He sees her slightly frighten at what she sees.
Max caresses her arm, "It is going to be ok. Whatever is in the fortress, I won't let it harm you."
Kayleth tries to hide the blush from her cheeks but can't. Max issues orders for everyone to burn the dead around them; Kayleth orders her kin to do the same. Max takes three companies of soldiers with him to go further in. As Kayleth and her band of eldar move silently, the air feels different for them. Instead of traveling alone, they accompany the guardsmen to the front of the fortress by foot. Once they are in range, gun fire is heard. They all take cover behind the damaged machines. Max looks from behind the vehicle; he sees a storm trooper wounded. The man struggles to get away and fires his gun at dark eldar warrior. He is stabbed through the stomach by another dark warrior. As the dark eldar looks upon him with delight, the man pulls a switch from his pocket and sets off a bomb on his harness. Both foes die quick and painless. Max takes the lead in first and slowly alerts others to follow him in. The eldar stay at the entrance and wait; Max and others looks back to see the eldar are not willing to advance further in.
Max turns to Kayleth, "You can advance inside, or is there something else preventing you from moving forward?"
Kayleth moves back as does her band of eldar, "We must not enter. The place is full of something dangerous to us and you; your men should wait here."
The soldiers start backing up. One guardswoman says, "Sir, this place is not looking too great. We will secure the entrance and wait for the others."
Max allows it, but he comes to Kayleth. She feels certain that a dangerous foe is near; Max comforts her. She looks to him as the fear leaves her mind.
He says, "Let us leave our parties here for the others to catch up; we can go further in and find out what is going on."
Kayleth backs up nervously, "I…I can't go through there. There is something that frightens even me."
Max assures her and replies, "I thought the Great Eldar Autarch of Alaitoc doesn't frighten so easily. What happen to you being so vicious?"
He looks closely at her to see the fear cover her mind. He grips her hand; Kayleth threatens to stab him. Max looks at her slowly revealing his calming side to her.
Max says, "Do not worry. You can get through this; I rather have you watch my back than go in alone."
Kayleth agrees to join him and breathes easy. They both look at their allies to see the small surprise on their face; Max orders them to resume their duty. As they leave the group behind, the area they enter is quiet. There are dead orks, dead men, dead women, and dead dark eldar everywhere. Some are cut open; a few were burned to death. Many are torn in half. The land is a blood soaked area of carnage. The reason for all of this is unreal to the eye. Before they advance any further, Kayleth locks Max against the wall with her blade to his shoulder; he didn't understand why she picks a time like now to want to harm him.
She growls at him, "You are to never do that again. I do not need your care or concern; I don't need my kin seeing a human be so close to me."
Max presses his hand to her face at the risk of being cut, "Hey, you are just afraid like I am. It is nothing to be upset about. So, please try to stay focused."
Kayleth stabs the wall beside his head. The very words leave her feeling more annoyed than fearful. Their journey to the center continues; Max is more focused on Kayleth's need to be relaxed than destroy what is ahead of them. They arrive at a courtyard and discover a terrifying sight. The mark of She Who Thirsts is everywhere. The walls of marked in Her name. The bodies have His cravings in the flesh. The look on many faces of men and women are mixed with pleasure and pain. As they look over everything, the questions begin to swirl in their mind.
"Why are the orks here? Why are the storm troopers and dark eldar fighting each other? Where is the enemy commander? Is this a part of the dark plan for Rela? Did Vance find a way to gain an advantage over the dark eldar?"
So Many questions twist the mind of Max and Kayleth. They see death at every turn. Before they advance any further, they compare notes on what they know.
Kayleth says, "None of this makes sense; I thought your former commander and Rela share the same path. Now, it appears the dark eldar and the storm troopers have betrayed each other. What do you believe caused this?"
Max answers, "Well, it seems the useful Commander Vance has now become disposable since Rela became all powerful. She may have what she needs from him. Vance probably foreseen this coming; instead of waiting to die, he ordered his army to attack her. As for the orks, well they saw a good fight and wanted to join in. The orks got lucky enough to breach the fortress due to the infighting among the former allies."
Before they can continue, an explosion occurs in the next section. They both quietly advance towards the area and look through the entrance to see what is happen. A second explosion goes off as debris falls in the court of the central command. Kayleth leaps to the top of the wall and scans the area; Max looks through his scope. They both see an interesting fight go on ahead of them. On one side, Commander Vance holds his sword in hand with blood dripping from his left shoulder. He fires his bolter gun at the foe. A bullet hits Rela in the shoulder; she smiles and embraces the painful sensation. She bleeds from her leg, side, and arm. The ground in the central yard is bloody and messy. The partnership of the Vance and Rela is now seen for what it is; the two are standing against each other face to face. Kayleth rejoins Max on the ground and awaits at his side; they both look to each other and nod their head in agreement. The duo wants to catch them off guard and finish the fight quickly. As they advance forward, a small rock falls to the ground and alerts both Vance and Rela. The pair look to find Kayleth and Max coming out of cover ready to fight. Vance turns to them and laughs with sheer confidence. Rela moans slightly as she wets her lips. They are ready to face off against their equals. Rela and Vance look to each other once and nod their head in agreement.
Max says, "So, you both are ready to kill each other. We should have stayed away than come here."
Vance replies, "I see you have taken your time to win over the eldar witch. The Emperor would be disappointed in you, Max."
Kayleth snarls, "You are one to talk corrupt mon-keigh. You stand here with fallen kin of the eldar who whispers words of honey in your ear only for you to be her pawn. You should have died before living to see this."
Rela pulls out the daemon weapon, "You will still be my pet for the pleasure pools of death."
As the four stand ready to battle, the fate of their future will soon decide what is to become of the others left alive. Max steps to the side with his sword ready to strike at Vance. With his gun dry and empty, Vance holds firmly onto his blade. Instead of easily shooting his opponent, Max drops his gun far behind him. He wants a fair and personal fight for all that Vance did to him and the imperial guard; Kayleth and Rela move to the other side with their blades drawn. Like before, they each use their powers and abilities to move faster than before. The final fight will begin with warriors fighting for survival and soldiers battling for honor. Only two will survive to tell their story.