A solitary formation of Russian armoured vechiles attempted evasion, artillery raining from the sky, falling from the heavens in an incessant, rythmatic series of explosions. Screams of agony resounded sporadically, Soviet soldiers crouching on the roofs of the armour, disembowled, incapacitated, decapitated, clothe failing to shield minor scraps, as well as mutilating shards of shrapnel. Armour stood ablaze, corpses aflame, or writhing in agony, performing a ritualistic death dance of unfathomable pain.
As figures were spotted, gesticulating ordersover scorched barrels portruding from the depths of a dense wood, the Soviet tanks commenced a devistating bombardment, utterly destroying and disabling an entire battery of German artillery. Panic pouring in palpable waves through entrenchments, German soldiers vaulting from the earth and dashing into the forest, falling in dozens asSoviet barrels angled ontothe upper extremities of the treeline, raining a lethal hail of bark onto the heads of theretreating soldiers. Success seemed apparent for the Soviets, as infantry dashed from the hulls of half tracks, T-34s, and a motley assortment oflendleased vechiles from the UnitedStates.
Adrenline coursing through veins, ovewhelming all rational thoughts, fueled the retreating soldiers.Indescriminscepropelled soldiers into the air, blood seeping through wounds, snow turning into its base form as hot, seething blood made contact with the earth. Weapons were discarded, forming a trial in which the Soviet soldiers willingly pursued. Corpses were intermingled among the brush and brambles, grotesquely splayed across the earth. Minutes passed, Soviet officers barking orders to cut pursuit, content in consolidating their rapid advance. Kilometers to the column's rear, German resistance proved unassailable to all Russian incursions, leaving the armoured column isolated, having forced their way a narrow crack within the German's outer defenses. Officers debated whether to continue and disrupt German activity in the rear, or retreat into the relative safety and comfort of allied soldiers.
As debate commenced among the Soviet leadership, two squads of Imperial Space Marines leveled weapons, intentions unquestionable as targets were efficiently identified and given threat priorities. The command to commence fire, while unneccessary, preceded an unprecedented output of fire from such a compact force, as missiles, plasma weapons, heavy bolters, and incinerators roared in satisfaction, obliterating near the entirety of the Soviet force in a single volley. Infantry, streaming from the pursuit in the forest, balked in shock, half their number falling victim to heavy weapons fire in seconds. Roaring in anger, a Soviet Commissar raised his pistol and fired off several negligible shots into the source of his fury, bellowing for men to follow his example. An entire Soviet platoon, having dashed through the forest at the sound of weapons fire, opened as one on the Space Marines as they began to remorselessly advance from beneath the shadows of the trees.
The Soviet soldiers, the sight of their tormentors freezing them into the earth, screamed in terror as a squad of Space Marines charged into their midst. Regretfully, Brother Sergeant Korne drove his chainsword into the throat of the enemy commissar, rotary teeth slicing into the meat of his adversary. In a swift motion, the Sergeant bodily lifted the gurgling Commissar, bowling over three Soviet soldiers having raised their rifles in defiance. All fell onto the earth, writhing in desperation to escape from flailing limbs, as Korne's chainsword slashed into the packet of entangled bodies, rending into flesh, packets of meat slapping onto the earth and flecking onto the Sergeant's armour.
Attempting to flee, bolts blewsoldiers into a component body parts,shattered skulls and fountained rivers of blood onto the earth, as if to later collect indiviudal pieces for an anatomy class.A heavy machine gun strafed through the embattled marines, armour oblivious as Soviet soldiers were slaughtered under fire from their comrades. The source, a disabled but operational T-34, exploded into shards of superheated metal as a plasma rifle was brought to bear, wreathing the crew in a conflagoration of superheated plasma. Having obliviated the majority of hostile Soviets, Sergeant Korne mockingly bowed to the immolated crew at rest inside the Soviet tank.
Sifting through the plethora of damaged and vechiles ablaze, the Marines searched for survivors in which to give a merciful execution. Sergeant Korne approached what to his eyes served as a command vechile, and blindly drove his arm into the top hatch of the T-34 command tank. Seizing onto a elusive limb, the Soviet Force Commander was hauled from the interior, knocked unconscious as his head collided with the armoured encasement surrounding the hatch. Sergeant Korne efficiently tore the Soviet's head from his shoulders, the snap of vertebrae and tissue attracting the attention of the T-34s surviving crew. Korne's bolter roared, embedding into a Soviet's chest and dissolving his heart. The corpse slithered back inside the tank. A single frag grenade followed in pursuit, an angry hornet obedient to the hive mind's will, imploding human tissue as the concussion resounded inside the cramped interior.
The task at hand beaconed, Korne sawing off the brain case and sifting the soft, gelatinous substance between his gauntleted fingers. Handfuls splashed into the Space Marine's ortifice, easing slowly down the Marines throat,an unpleasant sensation,but to acheive his desired objective, the deed continued. Korne, as all SpaceMarines,posssessed the ability to consume the brain matter of foreign entities, in which to delve into the thoughts and memories of the deceased individual. Early childhood, memories of graduations, honors, awards, loves, and gifts were disregarded, only thoughts and information relevant to the upcoming Soviet offensive clearly protracted into Korne's mind.
The objective accomplished, Sergeant Korne rallied the Space Marine task force and strode into the forest, disappearing into the maw of a Thunderhawk secured not fifty meters into the trees. Ascending into the sky, a hundred souls were extinguished, wallowing around the corpses of the deceased.
Librarian Helios, Captian Kreiger, and The Emperor stood in conference over the polished, antique briefing room, absorbed in matters of utmost importance concerning world politics. Below Captain Kreiger's outstretched fingers, stood a linear map of Holy Terra, unmarred by the tiered edifices present in the year 41,000, constructs that had effectively choked the earth in a steel grasp. Such natural beauty, a pearl of diverse, mutihued life forms, the nourishment to the dominate, enlightened spieces of the universe, mankind. Under the shadow of Kreiger's gauntlet stood the German Third Reich, definantly standing against the Allied powers of the United States, Great Britian, and the Soviet Union.
"Blessed, pardon my intrusion into your musing", Captain Kreiger bowed, "but your agreement of support to the Third Reich has come at a most inopportune moment. The Soviet Union, a superpower in land mass and military strength, has halted German incursions into its territories, counterattacks slowly grinding the German military into a reluctant retreat. Great Britian has eliminated the German ambitions of conquest within the British Isles, the British air force effectively dominating the skies over their territories. And, Blessed, the United States of America has exploded into industrial mobilization, production overtaking all competing nations on the planet. Blessed, all of these powers are foes to the Soviet Union, are they not?"
The Emperor of Mankind achnowledged Captain Kreiger's logical insight. "Captain Kreiger, if you may accept, my abilities of foresight have granted me trillions of possible futures, all of which I have scrutinized with a rapidity and thought to which none other can match. My course of action, I feel, is to best of my knowledge, the most proper, as you will come to see. Iunderstand your greivances, as your logic as of yet has proved infalable. Have faith, Brother Captain...all will come pass according to plan."
"Forgive me, Blessed", Kreiger bowing to the floor in supplication to the Emperor's will, "It is preto doubt your actions. I have, however, captained a vessel of the Blood Raven's Space Marines for over a century and a half, experiencing matters such as those present on Holy Terra at the moment. My senses have told me that our course of action is as of yet incorrect. However, Blessed, your powers far supersecede my own, and I acknowledge your decision."
The Emperor beamed at his faithful servant, "Captain, accepting all words law is but inviting the advent of ignorance, a moral plague that has afflicted our blessed homeworld for much too long. To alleviate your doubts, permit me to project a summary of my course of action. As your arrival onto the planet came into my knowledge, an event in which I had only partially predicted, if you may understand such meaning, drastically altered my foresight, completely construing the future into the form in which I see at present. If you may acknowledge,Ihave always planned on annihilating the Soviet Union, the effects of Communism over a people in my thoughts were composed of ignorance and brutal repression.
However, your arrival has made the destruction of the Soviet Union imminent...the Soviet Union represents the antithesis of my vision of Mankind, and with the power to effect such change forcefully as well as subtly, I plan to end the matter now. The conquest of the Soviet Union by the German military will unite all of Europeunder a single banner, a banner under which individual freedom is to be more cherished. This unity will make seizing the reigns of powerfrom Europe all the more simple and agreeable. With my divine powers, I will subtly influence all minds to eagerly join my cause.
In my final act, under the shadow of my world superpower, I shall propose alliances to the rest of thecivilized world, promising unity and equality, regardless of race, religion,and physical appearance. Individual freedom will be broadcast throughout the planet, filling the hearts of the masses with a longing to free themselves of the constraints of their oppressive governments or societies, flocking to my banner in waves. The power of earth shall be unprecedented. In some cases, subtle politiking will insure such a tranformation,I can assure you. In many cases, I seewe will be forced to mobilize for war. However, world unity will come to pass, our great Crusade of Belief will unite Mankind under my leadership."
The breifing room fell into silence. After moments of awed silence, The Emperor smiled once again upon his servants, "Captain Kreiger, if you may enlighten us so, how do you propose we destroy the Soviet Union?"