Title: Angelus Erroneous

Author: Spike

Chapter: Fourteen

And so we spent the rest of the afternoon making our way through the jungle. Oddly enough, we didn't seem to have any sort of encounter whatsoever from the Orks.

A strange prospect, considering the unexpected arrival of the shuttle to the planet.

But chances are, the Orks may have already been to the landing site and I doubt they would've been able to find anything.

And I have never once had any reason to be convinced that the Orks had any tracking skills whatsoever.

Well, any tracking skills comparable to that of an Eldar Ranger.

But stranger still when one considers that we were travelling with a prisoner in tow.

But even stranger still considering we had one of the greatest motor-mouths in the galaxy.

It's name being Xerxes.

After an hour or so of silent marching, the Rogue Trader suddenly cleared his throat.

"Well then gentlemen" he said brightly "We have been going for quite some time! And in silence too!"

Funny I thought I was enjoying it

"So much so, I am reminded of this one time when I found myself stranded on a desert world…."

I mentally groaned. Well, he's off and running now…

"So I stuck on this desert world see. It was just me and a data slat which I had picked up from my ship. It contained all the records I had picked up from my many travels across the galaxy! It contains a wide range of information on a variety of races and cultures!"

I blinked. Yes, I could just imagine him getting information out of a Chaos Khorne Berzerker…..

"And it was from this data slat that I began to extract all information I could from the planet I could. I found out that the planet was actually classified as by the Imperium as a Death World so then…."

You surviving on a Death World? I thought Why do I have trouble believing it?

"I wandered around trying to find some sign of life – anything that could get me off this world! But after several hours of wandering, it soon dawned on me that I was well and truly alone on this planet!"

"So how did your survive then?" I sneered.

But the truth be told, a more realistic question was Why did you survivie?

"Well that is an extraordinary tale in itself! So once I had realised I was the only human on this planet I immediately set about…."

I let out a small sigh. This was just going great….

I really shouldn't encourage him under any circumstances…

Nevertheless, despite of what crap that imbecile can come out with, I shouldn't let my guard down.

But in a situation such as this, the moron shouldn't be rattling on like this. Not when we have a prisoner with a high degree of hostile potential.

Dammit, he just doesn't any concept of danger at all….

I blinked at this thought.

The three of us were still marching through the jungle, the lieutenant in the lead and with the lasgun well trained onto his back. So far, he hadn't given us any trouble whatsoever nor has he made any effort to make a break for it. He has kept his mouth silent and allowed himself to be led on without any attempt at resistance

But the again, what can you do when you're forced into marching around with a gun in your back?

Meanwhile, Xerxes continued rambling – completely oblivious, as always, that his 'audience' weren't paying him any attention whatsoever.

"…..And within time, I stumbled across a miraculous discovery! A relic half buried under the sand! After digging it out, I immediately identified it's construct as one of Tau origin. After opening it up and examining it, I found it to be a emergency kit! Just think of it! It was loaded with food and medicinal supplies!"

"Oh, you're such an expert on being stranded" I said, sarcasm radiating like the bloodied hand of an Eldar Avatar "Perhaps in future when I face a problem, perhaps I should ask the expert!"

Xerxes chuckled an amused chuckle.

"You should do you know. After all, I have been through more scrapes than you could ever imagine! After all, I have seen the universe and have conversed with many races, seen wondrous sights, analysed so much alien technology and encountered more bizarre entities than any human could do in a single lifetime!

And off he went again.

I ground my teeth. He just doesn't know when to shut up….

"Is he always like this?" inquired a low voice.

I raised an eyebrow.

This was the first time since we started moving that the lieutenant had dared to open his mouth.

But no amount of surprise could halt the steel-like tension within my bones. If this bastard is tyring to cook up some kind of escape plan then the least I could do was deny any kind of opportune moment for him to make a move.

"Unfortunately yes" I muttered.

Still, given a choice I would rather appreciate the company of a meat-axe of potentially homicidal intent than hang around Xerxes.

"Why do you hang around him?"

Careful, mustn't let my guard down….

But that's certainly not an easy task when you're trying not to lose concentration and you have the additional problem of being far too busy contending with the words of a Rogue Trader of infuriating disposition.

"You know" I replied "I guess I don't have much of a choice"

"Oh?"

"Being the only humans on this planet and all…"

"If that's the case then how the hell have you two managed to survive for so long?"

"Emperor knows I guess"

"All I know that if I was stuck with a moron like your Rogue Trader friend I would've blown his head off"

To this, I laughed.

"Seems we both have a common interest.

"But then again, I'm not really in a position to be choosy with whom I travel with"

"Oh?"

I shot a brief gaze back over my shoulder. The Rogue Trader was still rambling on completely unaware that neither of us was listening and we were both involved in a conversation.

I shrugged. Well in that case, I guess I can say what I like about the moron…

"You see, as detestable as Xerxes is, he is human company. And as far as I'm concern, any type of human company is better than the company of the other life-forms on this planet"

"Your alleged Orks that would be?" the lieutenant sneered.

"You aren't the easily convincible type are you?" I retorted.

"I haven't seen any of these Orks around yet" the lieutenant snapped "And seeing as you value human company so much, that doesn't really explain why you're insisting that I march with my own gun being prodded into my back"

"Well, it's kinda funny: You open fire and then you insist that I follow your orders"

"So?!

"You need to calm down a bit" I sneered "You can't expect us all to survive when you're kicking up a fuss now? You'll put us all in danger!

"And hey, if you keep carrying on like this, you'll meet some of the Orks soon enough"

"Dammit soldier…."

"And another thing" I interrupted "You haven't quite got it clear that we are all stranded with absolutely no hope in hell of getting back to the Imperium. So we really can't have you running off in some lame-brained attempt to escape now can we?"

"So what?" the lieutenant snapped "If this is really an Ork World as you claim, then why aren't you making any attempt to escape?! You just sent your best chance to the bottom of a lake!"

To this I chuckled in a sinister manner.

"You may think that escaping this rock certainly seems better than staying here" I sneered "But you're mistaken. I told you: We are both wanted men. We both have no where else to go. If we set one foot into the Imperium we'll both be arrested on sight and executed in the blink of an eye.

"Meaning that being stranded on a planet fair beyond the reaches of the Imperium is perhaps the safest place in the universe for us at the moment.

"Sure there is the unpleasant fact that we have to share this planet it with some uncooperative locals but I would rather die fighting a horde of Orks then with my head upon the executioner's block"

"So why are you keeping me alive?"

"You're one of only very few humans upon this planet. And what this means for you is that we have to stick together.

"Whether you like it or not"

And so we kept journeying for the rest of the afternoon.

The lieutenant didn't give us anything in the way of trouble: Sure he made some threats here and there but never once did he make any effort to break free and challenge us both.

I don't why he did so though: In the terms of hand to hand to combat he had all the advantage. He had a bionic arm after all – something neither myself or Xerxes were willing to contend with.

I guess the longer he was forced into constantly moving with a lasgun in the back, the more evidence he obtained about the current situation and what Xerxes and myself had been trying to tell him for so long.

Miraculously enough, we didn't seem to run into any Ork patrols, even when we were both busy escorting a prisoner.

But such luck can only run so far.

It happened just as dusk approached. We were making our way across a clearing, heading towards a group of trees.

"So tell me" the lieutenant sneered "What are you going to do when night falls?"

"We'll go to sleep" I replied "Just like everyone else"

"What, including the Orks?"

"We don't know about that" I snapped "Neither do we care"

There was a slight pause and then he spoke again:

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen any of these Orks that you both so claim to occupy this planet

"Makes me wonder about the degree of authenticity about what you keep telling me"

"Oh you'll meet them soon enough" Xerxes said

"I bet"

This then led to another slight pause before the lieutenant cleared his throat.

"So we're heading for those trees are we?"

"That's right" I said "We'll be setting up for the night there"

"You know, for a pair of guerrilla fighters you're both doing an appalling job"

"What the hell are you talking about?

"If you've been surviving for so long using guerrilla tactics, and not letting the Orks know you're here, then why were we walking across the clearing, out in the open?!"

I shrugged.

"It's dusk! It's not like the damn green-skins are ever going to notice us!"

"You seem terribly confident" the lieutenant sneered.

I opened my mouth to speak but I was interrupted.

The interruption came in the form of a massive explosion

Instincts took over. I forgot all about the prospect of sleep. I forgot all about keeping the lieutenant under check. All that mattered was facing the Orks.

I withdrew the lasgun barrel from the lieutenant's back.

I also heard the clicks of Xerxes readying his own lasgun.

Of course, such was the urgency of being confronted by green-skins that I never once considered the possibility of the now free lieutenant making an attempt to attack us and then legging it.

I guess I should consider myself fortunate.

"Seems like those fabled Orks are on their way" I sneered at the lieutenant.

The lieutenant said nothing.

Suddenly, out from the forest burst a group of six Orks. But they didn't attack immediately. Instead their charge was halted by the unexpected sight of three humans. They blinked in surprise but not for long! Within the space of a split-second, their charge resumed.

"Weren't expecting us were you?!" I shouted "But we were expecting you!"

Immediately, both myself and Xerxes opened fire.

Immediately, a hail of bolts shrieked across the clearing, all screaming towards their target. Two Orks were struck by the force of being hit by multiple lasgun bolts and fell down with a tremendous thud.

But strangely enough, the rest of them kept coming.

Seems they are tougher than usual……

Xerxes and myself kept firing, both hoping for a second grasp of success.

But in amongst the mayhem of the fire-fight, one thing was resting on my mind.

I was supposed to be keeping an eye on the lieutenant.

Of course, this diversion gave him all the opportunity in the world to try and escape. Even kill both myself and Xerxes.

Don't why he'll try though: It's not like he'll get very far without us.

I paused to reload my lasgun. As I did so, I cast a quick gaze to the lieutenant – he merely flexed his bionic arm.

"Well they you go" I snapped "Is that enough Orks for you?!"

"More than enough" the lieutenant growled.

I merely shrugged and continued firing.

Another rain of lasgun bolts came, thus sending a third Ork fell soon after, now leaving three remaining.

But this wasn't an easy task: It seems that these green-skins are indeed much tougher than what we've encountered before.

Usually, it takes one lasgun bolt to bring them down but in this case, it seems it's going to take quite a few bolts to bring these bastards down

But then again, that one lasgun bolt is usually fired out of cover and with such silent, accurate precision just to leave no trace of where the gun may have been fired from.

Here it was standing in the open, facing a foe charging at you at full pace!

The remaining Orks had by now gotten within a radius of several metres. Either they were stronger than normal or they had somehow evaded all my shots.

Naturally, my money was on the latter.

But hey, they're Orks after all. And I have yet to see one that can stand up to me!

Throwing the lasgun aside, I drew forth my trusty bolt pistols. I grinned as one of the Orks, charged towards me, looking ready to fight.

I responded by falling over backwards.

I hit the ground on my back and took aim. The Ork kept on charging, seemingly unaware of my disappearance.

My twin bolt pistols opened fire, sending bolt shells into the green-skin's legs, with the sound of tearing cloth, skin and bone. Within seconds, the Ork's legs gave away, sending the rest of him falling down, flat onto his face.

The Ork, now unable to move his legs, then turned his gaze towards me and glared with utter contempt.

I merely took aim with my pistols and blew his head off.

I then flicked a gaze at Xerxes. He wasn't in the best of circumstances: He hadn't managed to down one of the Orks with firepower. Thus, the Ork had charged right up to him and forced him into hand to hand combat.

An area I didn't know the Rogue Trader for.

But Xerxes was actually putting up something of a fight: He was using the butt of his lasgun to thwart the Ork. He was also managing to evade whatever blow the greens-skin could through at him.

I raised an eyebrow. Amazing - The Rogue Trader has managed to survive this long..

Just then, he dealt a strong thrust into the chin of the Ork. The butt struck with a tremendous crack. And such was the potent of the blow, that the Ork was sent reeling: he took several steps backwards away form Xerxes.

This in turn gave him the opportunity he needed: he quickly darted away from the green-skin's and headed in my direction. Seeing the lieutenant's discarded lasgun, he reached down and picked it up in his free hand.

By now the Ork had recovered from the blow and was glaring at the Rogue Trader. Xerxes responded by aiming both his guns at the Ork.

I groaned. Don't tell me he's going to do what I think he has in mind….

The Rogue Trader then opened fire

And naturally, he was thrown backwards by the sheer force of using two lasguns at once. He was sent flying through the air and landed flat on his back.

So how all the lasgun bolts managed to find their target is completely beyond me.

The Ork toppled over backwards, his body riddled with fresh holes and green blood.

The lieutenant glared at us both, disgusted by the display he had just witnessed.

"You call that fighting a battle?" he muttered.

And then he noticed the last remaining Ork: He was charging across the clearing towards us. Somehow he had managed to evade all the bolts fired from myself and Xerxes.

Without waiting for another retort to emerge from my mouth, the lieutenant charged right for this green-skin.

The greenskin roared at him, his massive axe lifted above his head, all too ready to crack some skulls.

But the lieutenant had speed on his side: Before the greenskin could bring the nasty looking axe down, the lieutenant delivered the first blow.

It came in the form of a lethal uppercut to the face.

Delivered with the strength and the power of the bionic arm, the ork's enormous green face was sent reeling from the blow, sending a horrendous cracking sound resonating within earshot. In amongst the sound of crunching bone, came the sight of the green-skin's teeth being sent flying as well as several spots of green blood.

The Ork was sent reeling: The force of the blow strong enough to send him staggering backwards, all thoughts of cleaving the human with the axe seemingly forgotten.

But the lieutenant wasn't through with him yet: He was quick to make a follow up. And it came in the form of delivering a second blow with that all-powerful bionic arm. It came plunging with an incredible force into the green-skins stomach.

Again, the Ork was sent reeling backwards. But oddly enough he didn't move very far away from the lieutenant.

And then he stopped.

The lieutenant grinned a sinister grin. Then, he slowly withdrew his hand.

And that's when I saw it.

There, in amongst the lieutenant's hand was a mass of blood and flesh.

A mass that was beating.

My eyes widened. Did he just do what I think he just did……?

The lieutenant lifted the mass up to the face of the Ork. The green-skin just stared, as if in some form of realisation.

And then, the bionic hand crushed the mass.

The Ork began to topple over backwards.

But suddenly his descent was interrupted. The lieutenant, immediately shot out his bloodied bionic hand to grab the green-skin by the neck.

This was followed by an enormous crack.

This crack then prompted the lieutenant to let go and let the green-skin fall down.

"You try getting back up now" he growled.

I blinked, unable to grasp what I had just seen. What was with this guy?!

I knew I had a hatred for the Orks but I would fight them with such brutality…

Then he noticed us both lying on the ground, covered with patches of mud and blood.

"So tell me then" he said "Just how the hell have you two managed to survive like this for so long?!"

Neither the Rogue Trader nor myself spoke. Without waiting for a response, the lieutenant continued:

"Seems you two need a lesson or two in survival. Which is why you're fortunate to have met me – I can tell you both everything you need to know and then some…

"Seems like today is your lucky day…"

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