Authors Note: This story was inspired by reading a battle report on a really great site I found. Its called batreps.com and I urge you to check it out if your interested in battle reports for Warhammer 40K. Anyway I don't own Warhammer 40k or any of the characters associated with it (Neither does my cat..) and I disclam any of the stuff they own. Oh yeah and neither do I challenge Batreps.com for their custom scenario around which my story is based.
Darkness enveloped the landscape. Shadowy figures could be seen pushing their way
through the dense closeness of the jungle. The eerie silence occasionally disturbed by
distant flashes of light and the far off thundering of artillery. Much closer however the
rumbling of engines could be heard quite near. Penal trooper Gredge trudged along
behind his fellows. His loose fitting helmet slipping sideways off his head. His lasgun
slung across his back slapping against his rucksack. He was at the back of the marching
column of the Luxor IV Penal regiment. His worried gaze always slipping sidelong
glances at the foreboding darkness behind him. The trooper in front of him turned his
head sideways and gave a whisper. "Hey Gredge pass me a cigarette will ya." Gredge
gave him a worried look and then fumbled around in his pockets for the package.
"Alright but only one more Dalfa these things cost a fortune out here." Gredge replied
handing him one from the packet. "I know they do that's why I get mine from you."
Dalfa replied as he light his cigarette from a silver powerpack from his belt. Gredge was
about to replace the pack in his pocket when he slipped in a wet patch on the path and
stumbled into a puddle dropping the little red box into the muddy water. "Damnit" he
cursed quietly. Gredge went down to his knees and started sloshing his hands around in
the water trying to find the pack. Meanwhile the column moved further away into the
growing darkness. Finally his fingers grasped the package. He pulled the soaking box
from the water and prayed the cigarettes weren't ruined. It was then that he became aware
of the sound. A sharp clicking sound filled the air around him. He stood up and whirled
around. The last thing Gredge saw was many razor sharp claws and teeth all held together
by a mass of purplish blue skin before his life was ripped from his body. His scream
carried all the way to the marching column. The column stopped all at once and the
soldiers whipped out their lasguns sweeping the muzzles around the area. The sergeant
turned to face the troopers holding his chainsword aloft. "Keep moving you cowards or
would you like to be trapped in here by the Tyranids?" His voice was cut off by a scream
from some where in the center of the ranks. A trooper dropped his lasgun as a set of
claws came down from the one of the low hanging branches overhead and lifted him
bodily into the foliage. Another scream was cut short by a crunching sound as the
trooper's body dropped back into sight dangling from the branch his feet caught in some
vines. His face was horribly mutilated and his armor cracked open like an egg shell blood
staining his uniform. Suddenly all around the column similar attacks came. "Fire!" The
sergeant bellowed. Lasgun fire ripped through the jungle canopy burning leaves to a
crisp. Then from behind another attack came. Genestealers! They came hurtling through
the woods Their eyes glowing with an inner fire. Faster than the eye could follow the
leapt upon the first troopers. Claws digging through their flak armor and deep into the
gaurdsmen's chests. Blood splattered across the path. More Stealers swarmed from the
trees above. Dropping down onto their victims. A gaurdsman went down as the alien
crashed down onto his head. His finger depressed the trigger spraying las fire upwards.
Another gaurdsman pushed through the ranks to the genestealers at the back. Holding a
flamer he engulfed two of the stealers in an inferno of fire before they had a chance to
attack. A stealer leaped from the trees right at the sergeant who stumbled back luckily
taking him out of range of the stealer's full attack which instead only took his helmet.
Recovering quickly he flicked his chainsword on, its blades whirring to life. With a
mighty swing he sliced straight through the genestealer's neck, severing it from the body
which fell limply backwards spasmodically twitching as black blood leaked out onto the
pathway. The gaurdsmen had rallied by now and formed an effective fire brigade. The
back rank crouched down and sent fire into the stealers behind while the second rank
provided support. The center of the column once again sprayed the trees with las fire
trying to drop any stealers within. The sergeant lobbed a frag grenade into the masses of
stealers at the back. It's explosion ripping limbs from the creatures. Then without any
warning the stealers retreated into the shadows. The silence they left after the shock
attack chilled the gaurdsmen's blood. The sergeant retrieved his helmet from of the claws
of the beheaded genestealer. Before turning and ordering the column to keep moving.
The troops began muttering amongst themselves. As everyone tried to keep from being in
the back rank. The sergeant was deep in thought. They would have to double time it if
they were to reach the armor column ahead on time and alive.
Darkness enveloped the landscape. Shadowy figures could be seen pushing their way
through the dense closeness of the jungle. The eerie silence occasionally disturbed by
distant flashes of light and the far off thundering of artillery. Much closer however the
rumbling of engines could be heard quite near. Penal trooper Gredge trudged along
behind his fellows. His loose fitting helmet slipping sideways off his head. His lasgun
slung across his back slapping against his rucksack. He was at the back of the marching
column of the Luxor IV Penal regiment. His worried gaze always slipping sidelong
glances at the foreboding darkness behind him. The trooper in front of him turned his
head sideways and gave a whisper. "Hey Gredge pass me a cigarette will ya." Gredge
gave him a worried look and then fumbled around in his pockets for the package.
"Alright but only one more Dalfa these things cost a fortune out here." Gredge replied
handing him one from the packet. "I know they do that's why I get mine from you."
Dalfa replied as he light his cigarette from a silver powerpack from his belt. Gredge was
about to replace the pack in his pocket when he slipped in a wet patch on the path and
stumbled into a puddle dropping the little red box into the muddy water. "Damnit" he
cursed quietly. Gredge went down to his knees and started sloshing his hands around in
the water trying to find the pack. Meanwhile the column moved further away into the
growing darkness. Finally his fingers grasped the package. He pulled the soaking box
from the water and prayed the cigarettes weren't ruined. It was then that he became aware
of the sound. A sharp clicking sound filled the air around him. He stood up and whirled
around. The last thing Gredge saw was many razor sharp claws and teeth all held together
by a mass of purplish blue skin before his life was ripped from his body. His scream
carried all the way to the marching column. The column stopped all at once and the
soldiers whipped out their lasguns sweeping the muzzles around the area. The sergeant
turned to face the troopers holding his chainsword aloft. "Keep moving you cowards or
would you like to be trapped in here by the Tyranids?" His voice was cut off by a scream
from some where in the center of the ranks. A trooper dropped his lasgun as a set of
claws came down from the one of the low hanging branches overhead and lifted him
bodily into the foliage. Another scream was cut short by a crunching sound as the
trooper's body dropped back into sight dangling from the branch his feet caught in some
vines. His face was horribly mutilated and his armor cracked open like an egg shell blood
staining his uniform. Suddenly all around the column similar attacks came. "Fire!" The
sergeant bellowed. Lasgun fire ripped through the jungle canopy burning leaves to a
crisp. Then from behind another attack came. Genestealers! They came hurtling through
the woods Their eyes glowing with an inner fire. Faster than the eye could follow the
leapt upon the first troopers. Claws digging through their flak armor and deep into the
gaurdsmen's chests. Blood splattered across the path. More Stealers swarmed from the
trees above. Dropping down onto their victims. A gaurdsman went down as the alien
crashed down onto his head. His finger depressed the trigger spraying las fire upwards.
Another gaurdsman pushed through the ranks to the genestealers at the back. Holding a
flamer he engulfed two of the stealers in an inferno of fire before they had a chance to
attack. A stealer leaped from the trees right at the sergeant who stumbled back luckily
taking him out of range of the stealer's full attack which instead only took his helmet.
Recovering quickly he flicked his chainsword on, its blades whirring to life. With a
mighty swing he sliced straight through the genestealer's neck, severing it from the body
which fell limply backwards spasmodically twitching as black blood leaked out onto the
pathway. The gaurdsmen had rallied by now and formed an effective fire brigade. The
back rank crouched down and sent fire into the stealers behind while the second rank
provided support. The center of the column once again sprayed the trees with las fire
trying to drop any stealers within. The sergeant lobbed a frag grenade into the masses of
stealers at the back. It's explosion ripping limbs from the creatures. Then without any
warning the stealers retreated into the shadows. The silence they left after the shock
attack chilled the gaurdsmen's blood. The sergeant retrieved his helmet from of the claws
of the beheaded genestealer. Before turning and ordering the column to keep moving.
The troops began muttering amongst themselves. As everyone tried to keep from being in
the back rank. The sergeant was deep in thought. They would have to double time it if
they were to reach the armor column ahead on time and alive.