Chapter 17: Ground Clash
Reviewers:
Grayangle: That's a very good idea! Thanks.
PeaceKeeper Dax: Thanks, I try to do at least a chapter a day. You'll find out when the Emperor will recover soon. The Klingons may join soon, but they'll probably want to battle first. Oh and this story is set after star trek Nemesis and the House of Duras was finished off in Generations. I will be using your regiment in this chapter. tell me what you think.
Silvanas: You're welcome. The battle will be good. The Eldar will come in soon, but don't ever point a knife at me! (Summons author's staff, fires at Silvanas and vaporizes knife.)
Oblivionknight7: Because aliens have been trying to kill them for ten thousand years. Those were made possible by wise men.
SPECIALGUY: Thanks. I don't know, maybe.
Liljimmyurine: The name has been corrected. Perhaps one or two of the Chaos Gods did survive. You'll just have to wait and see.
While the Federation was being integrated into the Imperium, the Dominion was still putting up a fight. Their resistance was centered on the planet Parmax 4. Its surface was rich in metals used to manufacture Imperial starships. Since the fallout from an orbital bombardment would contaminate the metals, the task of liberating the planet had fallen to the Imperial Guard. Seven regiments were taking part in the liberation. Each regiment was tasked with liberating a different section of the surface. The task of taking control of the enemy's main base of operation fell upon Major Daxiel Rattler and the 375th Stralie Special Orbital Assault Regiment.
They came from the soaring peaks of Stalie six, where the people crossed the vast gullies and spiked chasms by primitive hang gliders. Their world offered the Imperium their high-flying experience in exchange for food and supplies. They easily adapted to high speed drops and surprise attacks from the air. This time their target was a Dominion operations complex. Each man carried a small sensor masking device to hide them from the base's sensors. They descended with jump packs.
"Five hundred meters to ground. Engage your jump packs," Major Daxiel ordered. He had led his regiment in over thirty battles. He was one of the best judges of distance in the entire regiment. So on his command one hundred jump packs flared for a moment, then another hundred. There were three thousand men in his regiment. They were descending in staggered waves so their jump packs wouldn't attract notice. Each man carried one of the new Phase Lasguns. They were a combination of a lasgun and a phaser rifle. They looked like old lasguns with slightly thicker stocks, but they fired a much more powerful blast. They also had better range and a built in scope.
Once the first troopers were on the ground, they spread out and secured the perimeter. They were as disciplined as Mordians and had the stealth skills of Catchans. When the last troops were down, they began the march to the base. They had put down about five kilometers beyond the base to avoid detection by troops on the ground. They moved in on the base from three different directions.
"Scout team one here. Three patrols of five men each on this side."
"Team two, four at the front."
"Team three, two at the rear quadrant."
"All teams, this is Rattler, copy that. Maintain your positions."
The base was a standard Dominion base, except an air strike had opened a huge hole in one side. The regiment divided into two waves. Seven hundred me carried heavy weapons and set up on a ridge overlooking the base. The rest of the regiment prepared to charge the base. Intelligence had estimated the total number of enemies at five thousand. Hopefully the air strike had reduced that number.
"Big Boom force in position," Folton reported. Lieutenant Gordon Folton, often called "Big Boomer" due to his massive size and an obsession with any heavy weapon that made a loud noise. He often said he'd carry a Basilisk around if he could. He was in charge of the regiments' heavy weapon squads.
"Copy that, open fire when ready," Rattler ordered.
The Jem Hadar patrols suddenly found themselves under intense fire from a ridgeline. Lascannons, missile launchers, heavy bolters and auto cannons shredded the defenders. Dozens died in seconds. The Vorta in charge of the base ordered what weapons that were still operational to open fire, and for the Jem Hadar to cloak and engage the attackers.
Lieutenant Folton saw the crowds of Jem Hadar moving to engage his force. They were shrouded, but each man in the regiment carried infa-red goggles. The Jem Hadar found their forces under fire from enemies who weren't supposed to be able to see them. Folton, carrying a heavy bolter, hosed a line of Jem Hadar as they charged up the ridgeline. Return fire bounced off personal shields. They made the guard forces tougher but not invincible. A man down the line caught five blasts from Jem Hadar weapons. His shield shorted and the final shot took him in the chest. He fell back, his uniform ablaze. Folton cut the warrior and a dozen of his buddies down with his heavy weapon. The base's heavy weapons couldn't depress far enough to target the men.
While Folton and his men kept the majority of the base's defenders occupied, the rest of the regiment crept toward the base. They opened fore as soon as they were in range, phase lasguns spearing Jem Hadar with bolts of blue light. Within a minute the forward elements were inside the base. There resistance thickened. Enemy soldiers took advantage of the abundant cover, and a dozen troopers had fallen in the first hallway. Daxial Rattler led his regiment from the front. Wielding a power sword and a bolt pistol, he cut down enemy soldiers with every shot.
"Squad Delta, take the hallway to the left. Squad Beta, the one on the right. Alpha squad with me!" He shouted as he charged down a corridor towards the base's command center. He threw himself to the ground just as a storm of fire swept down the corridor. The three soldiers with him were killed. He rose and put a bolt through the skull of a Jem Hadar that came at him. The next one came at him with a knife. He speared him on the blade of his sword. A third was smarter and aimed his rifle at him. Major Rattler, both hands still on his sword, could not draw his pistol in time. The Jem Hadar aimed and then was hit by a las bolt. He fell back, a hole in his head. He looked over his shoulder and saw a soldier aiming his lasgun down the corridor.
"You just earned a case of amasec!" Daxial said. The soldier smiled, then bent down to inspect the soldiers hit. One was still alive and he Rattler called for a medic. "Come on, we're near their control room." The two men approached a reinforced door, a squad of men coming up behind them. They attached melta bombs to the door's hinges. The explosion threw the door inward, decapitating two Jem Hadar who were guarding it. The guardsmen burst into the room, weapons ready. Three Jam Hadar were cut down. The Vorta raised his hands in surrender. "Rattler to Big Boomer, base secured."
"Copy that, enemy crash bam boom!" That meant the enemy outside the base had been neutralized. Daxiel walked over to what looked like a comm. station. "Braxer, get over here!' He ordered to his vox operator. "Think you can crack this set-up?"
"You got it boss," he replied. Braxer was a genius with anything electronic. Some told him he should be a tech priest. Those people always ended up with a shock from their comm. beads in the morning. A few minutes later he flashed thumbs up. Daxiel picked up a headset and called the troop ship that had brought his regiment to the planet.
"Sky flyer to big belly, zone one secured. Awaiting instructions."
"Copy that. Secure position and await reinforcements."
"Roger. Over and out. Well men, not bad for our first battle in a new galaxy."
While the Dominion was being conquered, the Klingons were discussing the idea of joining with ht Imperium. They had promised the Klingons all the battle they could want. They had decided to challenge the Imperium-Federation alliance to a battle. If the Imperium won the Klingons would join. If they lost the Klingons would be allowed to remain untouched. The Imperium had agreed. However, while they were talking, a warp flare caused by the Emperor's weapon had brought several visitors to the new galaxy. One of these visitors was the Ork hulk Big Blasta. It was headed right for the location where the duel was about to take place.
Another visitor was the Eldar cruiser Changeling. They had captured an Imperium patrol vessel and were boarding it when the wave had propelled them into this new galaxy. They salvaged the sub-warp engines and set a course for Romulan space.
Both of these visitors would play an important part in the time to come. In the meantime, a massive Imperial fleet was heading to the point ofentry of the Tyranid hive fleet designated Hydra into the galaxy. The Tyranids would learn that no matter where they went, humankind would always be there to destroy them.
What did you think of that chapter? What will the Eldar do when they meet the Romulans? What will the Klingons do when they encounter a race as fierce as themselves? Will the Tyranids be defeated yet again? And what will the Dragon do when he tries to regain his power? Find out when you keep reading, and remember to leave reviews. See ya later!
ENTILZA